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The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in medical waste generation, posing hazards to both the environment and global health. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic's medical waste hazard may persist long after the pandemic itself subsides. Improper disposal of medical waste can contaminate environment, posing risks to ecosystems and public health. Discarded medical rubber gloves, for example, can become a source of infection, improper disposal of these gloves can escalate the spread of infectious diseases and increase the risk of transmission of the virus to the general public. This study proposes an innovative and sustainable method to reinforce cement mortar by adding recycled glove rubber as an additive to cement mortar to increase its resistance to impact loads. This study conducted uniaxial compression tests, separating hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments and SEM observations to evaluate the quasi-static compressive strength and dynamic stress of recycled rubber fiber mortar (RRFM) with varying recycled rubber fiber (RRF) contents (0, 1%, 2%, 3%). Strain curves, dynamic increase factor (DIF), energy absorption rules, failure modes, and microstructure of RRFM mixtures. The experimental results demonstrate that with the addition of RRF, the dynamic stress-strain curve flattens and the peak strain gradually increases. The RRFM sample shows stronger toughness. In comparison to regular cement mortar (NM), RRFM has a higher DIF and specific absorbed energy, a faster increase in dynamic compressive strength, and the ability to absorb more energy per unit volume. Under the same impact load, RRFM has fewer and smaller cracks than NM. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) testing also observed that RRF formed a strong connection pattern with the cement mortar matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latex gloves are widely used in various industries, such as healthcare, laboratories, and manufacturing. Especially in the healthcare industry, it provides protection for doctors and nurses so that they will not get infected by viruses. The latex gloves contain some types of proteins that will trigger the allergic reactions of people with latex allergies. Therefore, before the latex gloves are sold on the market, protein concentration tests need to be done. In order to do the protein concentration tests, 2 cm by 2 cm samples of the latex gloves are needed. A cutter machine is needed in order to increase efficiency, save time, and also precisely cut. The samples can be obtained by cutting or stamping the latex gloves. In this paper, research in the literature that attempted to identify the mechanical cutters for latex gloves is reviewed. Furthermore, considering the ambiguity and variability in glove materials and cutting requirements, this paper explores the integration of fuzzy logic into cutter selection processes to accommodate uncertain criteria and optimize cutter performance in diverse operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nonchemical cross‐linked natural rubber (NR) latex gloves with antibacterial properties and simultaneously enhanced mechanical strength and elongation at break is challenging. In this study, liquid‐like silica (SiO2) nanofluids (SiO2 nfs) with hard SiO2 cores and soft organic molecule shells are synthesized and then self‐assembled with graphene oxide (GO) via electrostatic interactions to create GO@SiO2 nfs hybrids, which are blended with NR latex. Strong hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between NR latex particles and GO@SiO2 nfs hybrids form physically cross‐linked GO@SiO2 nfs/NR composite films. The rigid GO in the hybrids provided reinforcement, while the vicious SiO2 nfs facilitated the energy dissipation during stretching. This synergy results in simultaneous improvements in the mechanical strength and elongation at break of the GO@SiO2 nfs/NR composite films. Their tensile strength increased by 95.2% compared with pure NR films and by 20.6% compared with GO/NR composite films, and the elongation at break improved by 27.8% and 19.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of quaternary ammonium cation in SiO2 nfs conferred excellent antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus to the GO@SiO2 nfs/NR composite films. These results offer valuable insights for the development of high‐performance, nonchemical cross‐linked NR latex products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Latex gloves are essential for protecting healthcare workers from biological hazards but pose a risk of latex allergy, particularly due to powdered, protein, and allergen content. Recent advancements in latex glove manufacturing have led to reduced levels of extractable proteins, a known factor triggering allergenic reaction. This study aimed to compare latex sensitization between nursing staff using low-protein and high-protein latex gloves at a tertiary university hospital in Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional analytical study categorized participants into two groups based on glove exposure: the low extractable protein group (only exposed to non-powdered latex gloves with extractable protein levels below 50 µg/g) and the high extractable protein group (exposed to powdered latex gloves with levels above 50 µg/g). The sample size comprised 163 individuals in the low protein group and 318 in the high protein group (1:2). Latex allergy symptoms and sensitization were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire and latex-specific IgE measurement (ImmunoCAP), respectively. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics, including odds ratios and 95%CI. Results Demographic data was mostly similar in both exposure groups except for age. No significant differences in latex sensitization between the low and high protein groups were found via latex-specific IgE measurement (crude OR 1.90, 95%CI: 0.5, 7.18), potentially attributed to lower extractable protein levels in powdered latex gloves compared to previous studies. In contrast, the low protein group exhibited significantly fewer current latex allergy symptoms in both bivariate (crude OR 0.24, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.74) and multiple variable analysis (adjusted OR 0.18, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.86). Moreover, there was a significant reduction in latex allergy symptoms among the low protein group, decreasing from 9.8% who reported experiencing symptoms (when powdered latex gloves were used) to 1.2% who still reported current symptoms (OR 0.11, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.44). Conclusions This study underscores the importance of using non-powdered and low-protein latex gloves to reduce latex allergy symptoms while emphasizing the need for further investigation into the relationship between extractable protein levels in addition to the attempt of the major allergen removal and latex sensitization amid evolving glove manufacturing practices.

Background Objectives Methods Results Conclusions Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from protective gloves is often caused by rubber additives, such as accelerators. However, while accelerator‐free rubber gloves are available, they still cause ACD in some individuals.A new allergen, 2‐cyаnоethyl dimethyldithiocarbamate, (CEDMC), has recently been identified in accelerator‐free gloves, and we here provide a first in vitro characterisation of CEDMC in a dendritic cell (DC)‐like cell model along with three reference sensitizer rubber chemicals, consisting of tetraethylthiuram disulfide (TETD) and two xanthogenates.Cellular responses after the exposure to the rubber chemicals were assessed using a transcriptomic approach, multiplex cytokine secretion profiling, and flow cytometry to determine DC model activation marker expression and apoptosis induction.CEDMC and all other sensitizers were classified as strong skin sensitizers with the transcriptomic approach. They all significantly increased IL‐8 secretion and exposure to all except one increased CD86 DC activation marker expression. When tested, CEDMC induced apoptosis, however, delayed compared to TETD.The in vitro data corroborate CEDMC, TETD, and investigated xanthogenates as skin sensitizers. Transcriptomic analyses further reveal unique cellular responses induced by CEDMC, which together with future study can contribute to better understanding of cellular mechanisms underlying the sensitising capacity of rubber chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical workers must wear insulating gloves during daily maintenance. Detecting the condition of these gloves is significant for power safety. Due to the limitations of existing detection algorithms in accuracy and lightweight on power construction sites, this paper proposes a Faster‐YOLOv8 algorithm to detect the wearing condition of insulating gloves. First, it replaces the Bottleneck in the C2f module with the Faster Block and introduces a new C2Faster module. This reduces model parameters while improving performance. Second, the feature pyramid is improved to enhance the combination of deep and shallow semantic information. This improvement aims to improve the network's focus on detecting small targets. Finally, the GSConv is introduced into the neck network to reduce the model parameters and calculation. Additionally, GSConv enhances feature information exchange through shuffle operation. The effectiveness of the Faster‐YOLOv8 algorithm is verified through comparisons with mainstream algorithms such as the Faster‐RCNN algorithm, SSD algorithm, YOLOv5 algorithm, and YOLOv7‐tiny algorithm. The results demonstrate that the Faster‐YOLOv8 algorithm outperforms the above algorithms in terms of detection accuracy. Compared with the original YOLOv8 network model, the mAP is improved by 3.8%, the mAP of the wrong glove increased by 9.8%, the model size is reduced by 33.3%, and the detection speed can reach 81 FPS. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the effects of incorporating the commercially available phenylurea-based antimicrobial agent S89 to pre-vulcanised natural rubber latex (NRL). The physical properties of the dipped film derived from the S89 incorporated into pre-vulcanised NRL such as antimicrobial efficacy, wettability properties, surface characteristics, surface morphology and tensile strength were further evaluated. The antibacterial activity of S89 in NRL films was tested using the agar disc diffusion method and S89 had been demonstrated to suppress and prevent bacterial growth even at low loading levels. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of S89 was obtained by fitting the inhibition zone diameter and loading of S89 using two mathematical diffusion models, free and dissipative models. In this work, the dissipative model is shown to be the best-described diffusion model for S89. The leaching behaviour of S89 in an artificial sweat was investigated where the leachate of S89 is observed after 20 min of immersion at a very low concentration (0.039 ug/mL). Interestingly, NRL films incorporated with S89 displayed better wettability properties on air facing (AF) surface indicating that the AF surface of the film had been altered to be more hydrophilic. Nonetheless, there were no changes observed to the former facing (FF) surface. In addition, the polarity of the surface was also reduced which corresponds to the contact angle results. Further analysis of the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) surface morphology on the NRL film incorporated with S89 exhibited sufficient miscibility and homogeneity during latex compounding with no agglomeration observed on both surfaces (air and former) and at the cross-sectional surface. Meanwhile, comparative tensile strength (of more than 20Mpa) of NRL films incorporated with S89 was observed for low dosage at 1 phr and 3 phr. In conclusion, antimicrobial natural rubber (NR) films for glove application with satisfactory tensile properties, adequate wettability properties, non-agglomerated surface morphology and good antimicrobial properties were achieved by employing a low loading of S89 in the NRL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: After ingestion rubber gloves harden and can produce dangerous complications. Therefore the choice of treatment is of utmost importance. Aside from a surgical approach, endoscopy should also be considered as a treatment option on a case‐to‐case basis or if not applicable as a useful diagnostic tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a child's experience of trauma and confusion after their mother is taken away by ambulance, highlighting the chaotic family dynamics that ensue. Topics include the father's struggles with his own issues while managing the family, the children's coping mechanisms amidst the turmoil, and the impact of the father's military background on the household atmosphere.

Background and purpose: Today, the unwanted contamination of the composite surface with latex gloves during tooth restoration is one of the common problems in restorative dentistry. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of resin composite contamination with latex gloves containing corn powder on the strength of the shear bond to bovine dentin during the fifth and seventh generations of the bonding system. Materials and methods: This case-control study was conducted on 90 cow teeth without caries or lesions. To connect the composite restorative material to the samples, 90 plastic molds with a diameter of 3 mm and a height of 2 mm were made. Then, the samples were placed in one of the following six groups of 15 samples each: two control groups (uncontaminated gloves), two groups of gloves contaminated with corn powder and two groups of gloves contaminated with talc powder. Each of the aforementioned groups was assigned to one of the two bonding systems, generation 5 (FGM Amber) or generation 7 (FGM Amber universal self etch). For all samples, the shear strength test was done using a universal testing machine. The shearing force was applied to the bonding area of the composite and the tooth with the force arm with the cross section of a knife with an area of 0.5 cm². Finally, the findings were compared between the studied groups. Results: The results of the present study showed that the bond shear strength during the fifth generation bonding system in the control, corn powder and talc powder groups was 191.6, 171.3 and 164.3 newtons, respectively. This amount was equal to 190.3, 165.7 and 161.3 newtons during the seventh generation bonding system in the control, corn powder and talc powder groups, respectively. In both generations of bonding system, the shear strength of the bond in the control group was significantly higher than the corn powder group. Finally, the comparison of the two types of bonding system groups did not show any significant differences between the study groups. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that in both types of fifth and seventh generation bonding systems, latex gloves with corn powder reduce the strength of the shear bond to tooth dentin compared to latex gloves without powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surgical glove use may be associated with a decrease in tactile sensitivity, with thicker gloves or double-gloving techniques further altering sensation. This study evaluates digital tactile sensitivity by use of a Grating Orientation Task (GOT) with multiple sterile gloving techniques (no gloves, single standard gloving, double standard gloving, orthopedic gloves, and micro-thickness gloves). Methods: Each participant performed the GOT at increasing grating widths until correctly noting orientation in ≥8 of 10 trials withmultiple glove types or double-gloving technique. Glove order was randomly assigned and participants were blinded to the orientation and dome size. Results: All gloves except micro-thickness gloves showed increased threshold sensitivity values (i.e. worse fingertip sensitivity) when compared to control (micro:control, p = 0.105, others:control, p < 0.05). Single-layer gloves showed no significant difference in sensitivity when compared to orthopedic (p = 0.06) or double-layer latex gloves (p = 0.26). Discussion: Standard latex gloves decreased fingertip sensitivity when evaluated with the GOT. Double-layer and orthopedic latex gloves do not decrease sensitivity when compared with single-layer gloving. Micro-thickness glovesmay provide similar tactile sensitivity to no surgical glove. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a significant increase in the use of latex gloves among nurses. However, concerns about the rise in latex allergies and related complaints due to this increase remain uncertain. OBJECTİVE: This study aims to assess the rates of latex glove usage and allergy-related complaints among nurses working in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Between May 15 and June 15, 2021, ethical approvals were obtained for a cross-sectional study involving 448 volunteer nurses. Descriptive statistics were used to represent categorical values as counts (n) and percentages (%), while continuous values were represented as mean±standard deviation. The normal distribution of the data was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Comparative analyses were conducted using paired sample t-test, Pearson's chi-squared (x2) test, McNemar's chi-squared (x2) test, and Spearman correlation analysis. RESULTS: Before the pandemic, the average number of invasive procedures was 45.13±26.48, whereas during the pandemic, this rate increased to 50.23±29.14. The average glove usage duration went from 7.69±3.13 hours to 14.73±3.68 hours during the pandemic. Among nurses, the rate of allergic symptoms, which was previously at 31.5%, rose to 33.3% during the pandemic. CONCLUSİON: This study revealed a significant increase in daily invasive procedures and the use of latex gloves among nurses during the pandemic period. Simultaneously, the frequency of allergic symptoms also rose. These findings underscore the importance of awareness and preventive measures, particularly regarding latex allergies, in the healthcare field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Latex gloves are essential for protecting healthcare workers from biological hazards but pose a risk of latex allergy, particularly due to powdered, protein, and allergen content. Recent advancements in latex glove manufacturing have led to reduced levels of extractable proteins, a known factor triggering allergenic reaction. This study aimed to compare latex sensitization between nursing staff using low-protein and high-protein latex gloves at a tertiary university hospital in Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study categorized participants into two groups based on glove exposure: the low extractable protein group (only exposed to non-powdered latex gloves with extractable protein levels below 50 µg/g) and the high extractable protein group (exposed to powdered latex gloves with levels above 50 µg/g). The sample size comprised 163 individuals in the low protein group and 318 in the high protein group (1:2). Latex allergy symptoms and sensitization were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire and latex-specific IgE measurement (ImmunoCAP), respectively. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics, including odds ratios and 95%CI. Results: Demographic data was mostly similar in both exposure groups except for age. No significant differences in latex sensitization between the low and high protein groups were found via latex-specific IgE measurement (crude OR 1.90, 95%CI: 0.5, 7.18), potentially attributed to lower extractable protein levels in powdered latex gloves compared to previous studies. In contrast, the low protein group exhibited significantly fewer current latex allergy symptoms in both bivariate (crude OR 0.24, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.74) and multiple variable analysis (adjusted OR 0.18, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.86). Moreover, there was a significant reduction in latex allergy symptoms among the low protein group, decreasing from 9.8% who reported experiencing symptoms (when powdered latex gloves were used) to 1.2% who still reported current symptoms (OR 0.11, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.44). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of using non-powdered and low-protein latex gloves to reduce latex allergy symptoms while emphasizing the need for further investigation into the relationship between extractable protein levels in addition to the attempt of the major allergen removal and latex sensitization amid evolving glove manufacturing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety hazards may be caused by power grid operators not wearing insulating gloves according to regulations for live electrical working. Additionally, existing methods for detecting the wearing status of insulating gloves suffer from low recognition accuracy, slow detection speed, and large memory occupation by weight files. To address these issues, a Mixup-CA-Small-YOLOv8s (MCS-YOLOv8s) algorithm is proposed for detecting the wearing status of insulating gloves. Firstly, the mixup data augmentation technology using image mixing is introduced, increasing the data's diversity and improving the model's generalization ability. Secondly, the coordinate attention (CA) module is added to the original backbone network to strengthen the channel and positional information, suppressing the secondary feature information. Finally, a small target detection structure is designed by removing the last bottom feature detection layer in the original neck network and adding a shallow feature. The ability of small targets' feature extraction is enhanced without increasing too much computation. The experimental results indicate that the mean average precision of the MCS-YOLOv8s algorithm on the test set is 0.912, the detection speed is 87 FPS, and the model's weight memory occupies 15.7 MB. It is verified that the model has the advantages of high detection accuracy, fast speed, and small weight memory, which has great significance in ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Medical professionals are constantly exposed to bodily fluids and sanitizing agents during routine medical procedures. Unbeknownst to many healthcare workers, however, the barrier integrity of medical gloves can be altered when exposed to these substances, potentially resulting in exposure to dangerous pathogens. Methods This experimental study was designed to test the hypothesis that the durability of both natural and synthetic solvent-exposed medical gloves will be lower than the durability of the gloves in air. The testing consisted of a sample of commercially available medical gloves exposed to 70% ethanol, phosphate buffered saline, and deionized water, aimed at simulating the environments in which medical gloves are commonly worn. Gloves were included in this study based on their performance in previous durability studies in air. Data were collected over a period of three months. The glove assessment device automatically detects pinhole-sized perforations in medical gloves, eliminating the need to visually inspect each glove. Relative durability was measured as the average number of sandpaper touches until glove puncture. Results Four out of five glove brands performed better when exposed to all three solvents than in air, which is likely due to slippage in the interface between the wet glove and the sandpaper. Sensicare Micro, a polyisoprene surgical glove, had the most consistent durability in all three solvents tested. A two-way ANOVA revealed that both glove brand (P = 0.0001), solvent (P = 0.0001), and their interaction (P = 0.0040, α = 0.05) significantly affected average glove durability. Conclusions Glove durability did not remain consistent in 70% ethanol, phosphate buffered saline, deionized water, and air. These results make it clear that additional testing and labeling information would help healthcare workers select gloves for use in specific environments to ensure the best barrier protection against disease or toxins.

Background: Medical professionals are constantly exposed to bodily fluids and sanitizing agents during routine medical procedures. Unbeknownst to many healthcare workers, however, the barrier integrity of medical gloves can be altered when exposed to these substances, potentially resulting in exposure to dangerous pathogens. Methods: This experimental study was designed to test the hypothesis that the durability of both natural and synthetic solvent-exposed medical gloves will be lower than the durability of the gloves in air. The testing consisted of a sample of commercially available medical gloves exposed to 70% ethanol, phosphate buffered saline, and deionized water, aimed at simulating the environments in which medical gloves are commonly worn. Gloves were included in this study based on their performance in previous durability studies in air. Data were collected over a period of three months. The glove assessment device automatically detects pinhole-sized perforations in medical gloves, eliminating the need to visually inspect each glove. Relative durability was measured as the average number of sandpaper touches until glove puncture. Results: Four out of five glove brands performed better when exposed to all three solvents than in air, which is likely due to slippage in the interface between the wet glove and the sandpaper. Sensicare Micro, a polyisoprene surgical glove, had the most consistent durability in all three solvents tested. A two-way ANOVA revealed that both glove brand (P = 0.0001), solvent (P = 0.0001), and their interaction (P = 0.0040, α = 0.05) significantly affected average glove durability. Conclusions: Glove durability did not remain consistent in 70% ethanol, phosphate buffered saline, deionized water, and air. These results make it clear that additional testing and labeling information would help healthcare workers select gloves for use in specific environments to ensure the best barrier protection against disease or toxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of silicate minerals fillers in latex offer dual function as a compatible filler and cheapener that economical way to reduce latex consumption. This research explores the effect of using Engineered Silicate Composite Dispersion (ESD 086) as fillers for nitrile latex-supported gloves, seeking to explore their properties while ensuring cost-effectiveness. The reinforcement effect of novel Engineered Carbonate Dispersion (ECD 011) for ESD 086 filled Carboxylated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (XNBR/ESD 086) latex films has also been explored. XNBR latex films were compounded with three variants of ESD 086 at different loadings (in phr). From three variants of ESD 086 fillers, variant ESD 086A at 10 phr shows the highest tensile strength. As the ESD 086A filler loading increased up to 15 phr, the tensile strength decreased, indicating the ineffectiveness to be used at higher loading. The work was continued by exploring the use of novel ECD 011 to minimize the decrement effect. The 15 phr ESD 086 filled XNBR latex films (XNBR/ESD 086A-15) were subjected to a hybrid loading from 0 to 1.2 phr with 0.2 phr staggered increment together with the reduction of ECD 011:ZnO ratio in the XNBR latex compounds. Results show that at 0.6:0.6 phr of ECD 011:ZnO, the tensile strength of XNBR/ESD 086A-15 latex films increased and the elongation at break also improved. Using ESD 086A can reduce the usage of XNBR latex. Still, it can only be used up to 10 phr (optimum loading) and ECD 011 can maintain the physical properties and offer maximum cost-saving options for XNBR latex glove formulation at higher loading of ESD fillers. Overall, both engineered dispersions offer potential commercial benefits for the Nitrile gloves industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Surgical glove perforation has been linked to a double‐fold increased risk of surgical site infection. Infection in the context of arthroplasty can have devastating consequences. In orthopaedics, use of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is commonplace, and the impact on glove strength and perforation risk is not fully understood. This study aimed to examine the resistance to perforation and thickness of gloves following PMMA exposure, in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for glove integrity. Methods: Pairs of gloves were separated and randomly sorted into exposure and control groups. Twenty pairs of latex and 40 pairs of polyisoprene gloves were used. Exposure group glove cuffs were in contact with cement from a single surface of the glove for 13 min as cement cured. Force to perforation and glove thickness were tested in accordance with ISO guidelines. Results: Latex gloves were found to have a significantly increased force to perforation following PMMA exposure (10.26 Newtons (N) vs. 9.81 N, P = 0.048). Both polyisoprene under‐ and over‐gloves were shown to have no significant change in strength to perforation post exposure (9.69 N vs. 9.83 N, P = 0.561, and 10.26 N vs. 10.65 N, P = 0.168, respectively). All groups were over the ISO standard minimum strength of 5 N. Conclusions: Exposure of latex and polyisoprene surgical gloves to PMMA bone cement does not appear to increase glove perforation risk and rather may improve natural rubber latex glove strength. This study supports the use of latex and polyisoprene surgical gloves in procedures that involve the handling of PMMA bone cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme cold weather conditions affect construction workers' health and safety performance. Hence, the goal of this article is to identify and analyze these challenges so that effective measures can be developed and implemented to mitigate or eliminate them. To this end, a questionnaire was created and circulated through the online platform QuestionPro. The Kruskal–Walli's test was used to examine the physical and mental health issues identified by the 111 responders, and quantitative analysis was performed by using physiological indicators such as heart rate and personal indicators, including degree of comfort and acclimation. The results showed that physical obstacles such as hypothermia and respiratory issues were perceived differently based on heart rate and garment comfort; and mental issues, such as poor concentration and frequent mood swings, varied with the workers' heart rate and level of acclimatization. Some of the strategies developed for protecting the workers are ensuring that they wear sufficient layers of clothing and heated gloves and have access to technologies such as infrared heaters. Existing practices and legislation that control construction "workers" safety in extreme cold weather conditions are also addressed. The findings of this article will help construction industry professionals effectively manage projects while ensuring their workers' safety in harsh cold weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its environmental, economic, and durability advantages, sustainable concrete has considerably increased the potential of research in recent years. This paper investigates how rubber waste affects the mechanical properties, durability, and microstructure of the concrete matrix. Industrial rubber such as ground latex gloves (LG) and silicone catheters (SC), are substituted for coarse aggregate in concrete mixes. Workability, density, compressive strength, water absorption, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests are applied to examine the performance and properties of the modified concrete. The impact of high temperatures on concrete containing industrial rubber is also examined. To achieve this objective, the samples are tested at normal and high temperatures (room temperature, 200 °C, and 400 °C, respectively) and four substitution levels are used (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%) by weight. The results illustrate that the inclusion of different percentages of the LG and SC significantly improves the water absorption of the concrete samples. In addition, the density of concrete containing recycled rubber decreases by 34%. Compressive strength decreased by 86% and 59% at a replacement level of 10% for LG and SC, respectively. High-temperature level has shown a significant effect on the properties of rubberized concrete. This study establishes the possibility of incorporating LG and SC at limited replacement levels in concrete; thereby, proving that these materials are applicable in industrial use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classification of the crosslink density level of para rubber medical gloves by using near-infrared spectral data combined with machine learning is the first time reported in this paper. The spectra of medical glove samples with different crosslink densities acquired by an ultra-compact portable MicroNIR spectrometer were correlated with their crosslink density levels, which were referencely evaluated by the toluene swell index (TSI). The machine learning protocols used to classify the 3 groups of TSI were specified as less than 80% TSI, 80–88% TSI, and more than 88% TSI. The 80–88% TSI group was the group in which the compounded latex was suitable for medical glove production, which made the glove specification comply with the requirements of customers as indicated by the tensile test. The results show that when comparing the algorithms used for modeling, the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) developed by 2nd derivative spectra with 15 k-best selected wavelengths fairly accurately predicted the class but was most reliable among other algorithms, i.e., artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machines (SVM), and k-nearest neighbors (kNN), due to higher prediction accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score of the same value of 0.76 and no overfitting or underfitting prediction. This developed model can be implemented in the glove factory for screening purposes in the production line. However, deep learning modeling should be explored with a larger sample number required for better model performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural rubber (NR) is emblematic of sustainability compared to synthetic rubber. However, the tradition of adding sulfur as a vulcanization ingredient results in the release of toxic substances and the potential for health issues. In this study, a feasible strategy was proposed to replace sulfur and discover a safe bulk modification process for NR films. The results have shown that the NR particle size was disintegrated to below 10 nm by gamma irradiation. High tension strength up to 24.45 MPa was observed in the vulcanized NR blend film, which could be elongated up to 800% strain after exposure to an optimum dose of 14 kGy. In comparison to commercial NR latex and nitrile gloves, the vulcanized NR/ SIS films exhibited better chemical resistance ability against hexane, methanol, toluene, and acetone, as revealed by the permeation test. The appearance of amorphous regions and highly oriented NR crystallites was observed through transmission electron microscopy. Findings from this study propose the vacuum radiation strategy that can replace conventional vulcanization methods, resulting in NR films with high mechanical and barrier performance. Furthermore, the emission of toxic substances is reduced by this green process, making it practically useful for potential chemical‐resistant examination glove applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forensic science, latex gloves are used to prevent law enforcement personnel from contaminating crime scenes or evidence with DNA or marks from the hands. Law enforcement personnel, however, are not the only people who want to avoid leaving DNA or latent marks at a crime scene. Perpetrators of crimes may also wear latex gloves. Alas, several forensic scientists reported that in certain cases even while wearing latex gloves, fingerprints transferred to adhesive tapes while attempting to process the tape for latent marks. Pressure sensitive tapes tend to be ideal surfaces for recovering latent marks and are commonly encountered in criminal cases involving drug packaging, explosive devices, or violent crimes (e.g., binding a victim's hands and feet). When a latent mark is developed on the adhesive surface of the tape, it may not be obvious if the latent mark was made by a bare finger or a gloved finger. Knowing that a suspect wore gloves could sometimes discourage the investigation unit from performing fingermark development procedures, as the odds to recover evidence successfully are limited. This study examines the feasibility of the transfer of friction ridge details through latex gloves to different types of adhesive tapes and uncovers the required conditions and a possible mechanism for the occurrence of this phenomenon. The findings of this work show that it is possible to develop and identify fingermarks transferred originally by gloved fingers. This study also shows that visualization of ridge details on adhesive tapes surfaces contain unique characteristics, which aid differentiating between bare or gloved hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sri Lanka is a top producer of premium quality concentrated latex (CL), which becomes a base material for dipped rubber products such as gloves and condoms. The processing of CL is resource-intensive, requiring significant amounts of energy, fuel, water, and chemicals. This process leads to various environmental issues such as wastewater pollution, malodor, and greenhouse gas emissions. Several environmental life cycle assessments (LCA) have been conducted at international and local levels to address the aforesaid issues. However, LCAs encapsulating different environmental impact areas on CL processing in Sri Lanka are absent. The study revealed that electricity usage was the main hotspot of the environmental burden, significantly impacting abiotic depletion (fossil fuels), global warming potential, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidation, and acidification. Heavy reliance on coal in the Sri Lankan power grid was identified as the root of this trend. The study suggested two viable options to mitigate the environmental impact: installing inverters to centrifuge separators and solar systems in the factories. The second option was deemed more effective, reducing acidification, photochemical oxidation, and global warming potential by approximately 37%, 36%, and 28%, respectively. Relevant officials may immediately consider these improvement options and collaborate to pave the way to a sustainable natural rubber industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearing gloves during machinery operation in workshops is essential for preventing accidental injuries, such as mechanical damage and burns. Ensuring that workers are wearing gloves is a key strategy for accident prevention. Consequently, this study proposes a glove detection algorithm called YOLOv8-AFPN-M-C2f based on YOLOv8, offering swifter detection speeds, lower computational demands, and enhanced accuracy for workshop scenarios. This research innovates by substituting the head of YOLOv8 with the AFPN-M-C2f network, amplifying the pathways for feature vector propagation, and mitigating semantic discrepancies between non-adjacent feature layers. Additionally, the introduction of a superficial feature layer enriches surface feature information, augmenting the model's sensitivity to smaller objects. To assess the performance of the YOLOv8-AFPN-M-C2f model, this study conducted multiple experiments using a factory glove detection dataset compiled for this study. The results indicate that the enhanced YOLOv8 model surpasses other network models. Compared to the baseline YOLOv8 model, the refined version shows a 2.6% increase in mAP@50%, a 63.8% rise in FPS, and a 13% reduction in the number of parameters. This research contributes an effective solution for the detection of glove adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural rubber, sourced from Hevea brasiliensis trees mainly in southeast Asia, is a critically important resource for transportation, national security, and medical products, among other uses. The guayule shrub is a domestic alternative source of natural rubber that is emerging with advantages over Hevea since it is well-suited for many medical and consumer applications. Biochar is a sustainable form of carbon made from biomass that is a potential replacement for petroleum-sourced carbon black, the most common filler for rubber composites. The coppiced-wood species hybrid poplar (Populus × canadensis) and Paulownia elongata are both rapidly growing hardwoods that have shown promise as feedstocks for biochar that can be used as fillers in common rubber composites such as Hevea natural rubber, styrene-butadiene, and polybutadiene. In this work, poplar and paulownia biochars were used to partially replace carbon black as filler in guayule rubber composites. Guayule composites with up to 60% of the carbon black replaced with poplar or paulownia biochar had higher tensile strength, elongation, and toughness compared to the 100% carbon black-filled control. These composites would be excellent candidates for rubber applications such as gloves, belts, hoses, and seals, while reducing dependence on fossil fuels and Hevea natural rubber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study was conducted to examine the vulnerability of military divers to non-freezing cold injury (NFCI) during Arctic ice-diving operations. Participants were instrumented with temperature sensors on the back of their hands and on the bottom of their big toe for each dive to measure cooling of their extremities. While NFCI was not diagnosed in any of the participants during this field study, the data indicate that the feet were particularly vulnerable during the dives given that they were mostly in a temperature zone that could cause pain and performance decrements. The data also show that for short term dives, the dry and wet suits with wet gloves in both configurations were thermally more comfortable for the hands than the dry suit with dry glove configuration; however, the latter would be more protective against potential NFCI during longer dives. Features such as hydrostatic pressure and repetitive diving that are unique to diving but not previously considered as risk factors for NFCI are examined herein and warrant deeper investigation given that symptoms of NFCI might be mistaken as decompression sickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]