Soft Cloth Research Articles

The Effect of Swaddling and Oropharyngeal Colostrum During Endotracheal Suctioning on Procedural Pain and Comfort in Premature Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Endotracheal suctioning (ES) is a painful procedure frequently performed in the neonatal intensive care unit. This procedure negatively affects the comfort level of premature neonates. To determine the effect of 2 nonpharmacologic methods, swaddling and the administration of oropharyngeal colostrum, on the pain and comfort levels of preterm neonates during ES. This randomized controlled experimental study comprised 48 intubated premature neonates (swaddling group n =16; oropharyngeal colostrum group n =16; and control group n =16) at 26 to 37weeks of gestation. The neonates were swaddled with a white soft cotton cloth or administered 0.4 mL of oropharyngeal colostrum 2minutes before ES, according to the group in which they were included. Two observers evaluated the pain levels (Premature Infant Pain Profile-Revize [PIPP-R]) and comfort (Newborn Comfort Behavior Scale [COMFORTneo]) of the infants by observing video recordings of before, during, and after the procedure. A significantly lower mean PIPP-R score was found in the swaddling group during ES compared with the control group ( P =.002). The mean COMFORTneo scores of the swaddling and oropharyngeal colostrum groups during ES ( P <.01, P =.002) and the mean PIPP-R and COMFORTneo scores immediately after ES and 5, 10, and 15minutes later were significantly lower than the control group ( P <.005). Swaddling was effective both during and after the procedure, while oropharyngeal colostrum was effective only after the procedure in reducing ES-related pain in premature neonates. Swaddling and oropharyngeal colostrum were effective in increasing comfort both during and after the procedure.

Highly elastic relaxor ferroelectrics for wearable energy storage.

Polymer-based relaxor ferroelectrics with high dielectric constant are pivotal in cutting-edge electronic devices, power systems, and miniaturized pulsed electronics. The surge in flexible electronics technology has intensified the demand for elastic ferroelectric materials that exhibit excellent electrical properties and mechanical resilience, particularly for wearable devices and flexible displays. However, as an indispensable component, intrinsic elastomers featuring high dielectric constant and outstanding resilience specifically tailored for elastic energy storage remain undeveloped. Elastification of relaxor ferroelectric materials presents a promising strategy to obtain high-dielectric elastomers. In this study, we present a strain-insensitive, high elastic relaxor ferroelectric material prepared via peroxide crosslinking of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based copolymer at low temperature, which exhibits an intrinsic high dielectric constant (∼20 at 100 Hz) alongside remarkable thermal, chemical, and mechanical stability. This relaxor ferroelectric elastomer maintains a stable energy density (>8 J cm-3) and energy storage efficiency (>75%) under strains ranging from 0 to 80%. This strain-insensitive, high elastic relaxor ferroelectric elastomer holds significant potential for flexible electronic applications, offering superior performance in soft robotics, smart clothing, smart textiles, and electronic skin.

A Sensory Perspective on High-Ranked Women’s Dress in the 8th to 4th Century BC in the Mediterranean and Central Europe

In the late 20th century, the study of western science was dominated by a philosophical approach to evidence as text and meaning. In archaeology, material culture was treated like text, to be read through systems of signs, symbols, and indices put together in syntax. For studies of dress, this was influential in understanding dress as a cognitive system compiled to create identities and meaning. In this approach, textiles, fastenings, hairstyles, and gestures are presented as signs and symbols used to form a statement about identity, to be read by others. There was a focus on the visuality of dress and garments as non-verbal communication media, which was an important advance in studies of dress. Around the turn of the millennium, this position shifted. Critics of the textual approach argued that by emphasizing the cognitive experience, science had lost touch with the physicality of the world. In this turn to the senses, objects are physical matter and perceived through the senses; these sensations are the basis of actions and reactions. In addition, these sensations are not merely natural capabilities, they are learned and cultural. Archaeologists began to explore approaches where evidence was grounded in the sensory approaches, first through phenomenology, then as sensory archaeology. 6 The sensory approach to the past has since flourished.7 The sensory turn has important implications for the study of dress and identities. Where previously the visual sense as non-verbal communication predominated, sensory approaches draw on the full range of senses. Together with visuality and sound, touch (haptics), movements, body language, and gesture are factors in how dress is perceived. Sensations of full garment ensembles are created and cultural — soft cloth versus sharp and spiky metals, weight, elasticity or non-elasticity, and many more. The question is how to investigate that on the basis of the archaeological sources for dress. To address this challenge, in this paper we explore high-status women’s dress of the 8th to 4th centuries BC in the Mediterranean and Central Europe from a sensory perspective.

Facile filter cloth brush-coating of large-area uniform silver nanowire conductive films for paper-based heater

Filter cloth brush-coating (FCBC), using soft filter cloth as a brush-coating medium, in conjunction with viscous silver nanowire (AgNW) conductive solution, is used to prepare AgNW conductive films. The density and uniformity of AgNWs deposited on the substrate are controlled by the interplay between the filter cloth aperture, the conductive solution viscosity, and the brush-coating speed. Further, with appropriate AgNW concentration and flow rate, uniform AgNW transparent conductive film with sheet resistance of 18 Ω sq−1 and transmittance of 94% at 550 nm is acquired by FCBC. Due to the precise control of the coating process in FCBC, large-area uniform AgNW conductive film fabricated on printing paper has a low non-uniformity factor of 1.2% at a sheet resistance of 19.0 Ω sq−1. The resultant paper-based AgNW film heater shows sensitive and stable heating performance. FCBC shows great potential in producing large-area uniform AgNW films on various substrates.

Flexible and MOF-808 uniformly assembled polyimide nanofiber membranes with excellent mechanical properties for rapid degradation of chemical warfare agents

Breathable and soft protective clothing with self-disinfection function is crucial for the practical application of protecting the human body from being killed by corrosive agents. Recent wars and terrorist attacks have motivated researchers to focus on efficient digestion materials as chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (Zr-MOFs) have been proven to efficiently digest CWAs. However, their powder form limits their application in personal protection. Uniformly and firmly anchoring Zr-MOFs onto fiber materials to form flexible protection fabrics remains a challenge. In this study, a polyimide nanofiber composite membrane loaded with MOF-808 with a cross-linked structure is prepared by combining electrospinning, thermal crosslinking, and the in-situ growth of pre-soaked Zr4+ seeds. The composite film shows excellent softness and mechanical properties with mechanical strength exceeds 20 MPa. Meanwhile, the uniform anchoring of the Zr-MOF on the fibers yields a high specific surface area (453 m2/g) of the composite membrane. In addition, the composite membrane can digest the mustard gas simulant, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide, at a digestion efficiency of 90.9%. This simple and efficient solution provides a new method for the development of breathable, flexible, self-sterilizing materials, which are expected to be applied as protective materials against chemical warfare agents, for human body protection, and in other fields.

The Optimization of Children’s Autism Psychosocial Service on Online School Learning

The study aimed to describe and analyze APA psychosocial conditions during online schooling and learning strategies at SLBB. This research was conducted at SLBB &amp; Autis TPA Jember by monitoring the psychosocial situation of autistic children while studying at home to find out what programs or services can support children’s psychosocial support even though it is implemented online. This type of research uses descriptive with a qualitative approach—determination of location using the purposive area. The informant determination technique uses purposive sampling. The data collection techniques were applied with observations, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques include data collection, reduction, presentation, conclusion, and verification. Data validity techniques use source triangulation and methods. The study results show a tendency for psychosocial disorders to occur in children while studying online, but it can be overcome with psychosocial services. This disorder affects the behavioral and emotional conditions of children who are increasingly out of control at home. Therefore, to overcome this difficulty, the teacher provides services that can improve psychosocial disorders in autistic students. The services provided include educational suggestions not to consume foods that cause excessive activity, education for independent living so that students can be trusted not to violate rules, and wearing soft clothes. The function of these services is to control emotions by selecting the right teacher so that students want to obey positive commands that are good for them, and students also consume herbal drinks so that emotions can be controlled more. Then the psychosocial services strategies that are used online is to overcome difficulties experienced by students while at home, including selecting or changing homework assignments that can develop students’ interest and talents, home visit, and valuable educational content on TV so that children’s development continues to run optimally and is ready to interact out on time.

Constructing Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Fiber Electrodes with Unique Hierarchical Microcrack Structure for High‐Voltage, Ultrahigh‐Rate, and Ultralong‐Life Flexible Aqueous Zinc Batteries (Small 11/2023)

Flexible Aqueous Zinc Batteries In article number 2206338, Yang Zhao and co-workers report a high-performance flexible aqueous zinc battery based on hybrid fiber electrode with hierarchical microcrack structure. The unique structure can not only facilitate the penetration of electrolyte for fast charge transfer, but also relieve the stress concentrations under deformations. The fabricated flexible aqueous zinc batteries can be easily woven into soft clothing to power a smartphone, which are promising for future wearable electronics.

Flexible and Robust Triboelectric Nanogenerators with Chemically Prepared Metal Electrodes and a Plastic Contact Interface Based on Low-Cost Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are devices that can harvest energy from mechanical motions; such devices can be used to power wearable sensors and various low-power electronics. To increase the lifetime of the device, scientists mainly use the method of making TENG in a hard skeleton to simplify the complex possible relative movements between two triboelectric parts. However, the hard skeletons cannot be embedded in soft and lightweight clothing. To make matters worse, the materials used in the garments must be able to withstand high mechanical forces when worn, such as the pressure of more than 100 KPa exerted by body pressure or everyday knocks. Notably, the TENGs are usually made of fragile materials, such as vacuum-evaporated metal electrodes and nano-sized coatings, on the contact interface; these electrodes and coatings often chip or wear off under the action of external loads. In this work, we succeeded in creating a thin, light-weight, but extremely robust garment-integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (G-TENG) that can be embedded in clothing and pass the water wash test. First, we chemically deposited a durable electrode with flexible properties for G-TENG using a novel technique called polymer-assisted metal deposition (PAMD). The as-formed metal electrodes are firmly bonded to the plastic substrate by a sub-10 nm adhesive polymer brush and can withstand a pressure of 22.5 MPa and a tear force of 0.7 MPa. We then removed the traditionally used fragile nanoparticle materials and the non-durable poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer at the triboelectric interface, and then used a cost-effective, durable and slightly flowable pressure-sensitive adhesive to form a plastic contact interface. Such a soft plastic interface can ensure full contact of the triboelectric materials, which is excellent in complex environments and ultimately improves the power generation efficiency of the devices. The as-formed low-cost energy harvesting device could become an industry standard for future smart clothing.

AIUM Official Statement: Guidelines for Cleaning and Preparing External- and Internal-Use Ultrasound Transducers and Equipment Between Patients as Well as Safe Handling and Use of Ultrasound Coupling Gel.

AIUM Official Statement: Guidelines for Cleaning and Preparing External- and Internal-Use Ultrasound Transducers and Equipment Between Patients as Well as Safe Handling and Use of Ultrasound Coupling Gel.

EVALUATION OF EMOTIONAL HEALING FOR FABRICS BASED ON THE TACTILE SENSATION

“Iyashi” in the Japanese language, is used for goods, which people use to recover from the physical and psychological stress. If the healing emotion is observed when the consumer touches the fabric by hand, it is worthwhile to investigate the contribution of fabric property. This study approached both fundamental physical properties of fabrics and subjective evaluation to explore the contribution of fabric to emotional healing. Two sensory experiments were carried out. Participants (n=22) considered the fluffy fur as most likely to generate the healing emotion. “Healing feeling” was described as the combination in terms of “soft”, “fluffy” and “smooth” perception for fabric samples. In the sensory evaluation of healing toys by hand, results of factor analysis, the first factor of “healing emotion” was the “surface factor”, including “slippery”, “smooth”, “want to keep touching”, “comfortable”, “feel healing”, and “soft”. In terms of the physical properties of the fabric, the fabric with lower MMD (mean deviation of MIU) was preferable. The findings from this study can contribute to the evaluation and design of soft toys and clothing in satisfying the “healing emotion” of humans.

Designing Cladded Components for High Temperature Nuclear Service: Part I—Analysis Methods

AbstractUse of corrosion-resistant cladding can greatly extend the design life of structural components in many advanced reactor systems. However, there are currently no ASME design rules for cladded components to guard against creep-fatigue failure and ratcheting strain accumulation in elevated temperature nuclear service. This paper, presented in two parts, addresses this gap by proposing a design strategy for cladded components that do not require long-term testing of clad materials. The proposed approach relies on approximate design analysis methods for two types of clad materials—a soft clad that creeps much faster than and has lower yield stress than the class A base material and a hard clad that creeps much slower than and has higher yield stress than the class A base material. Part I discusses the approximate analysis strategies for the clad materials—treat a soft clad as perfectly compliant and a hard clad as linear elastic—and Part II develops a complete set of design rules for each of the two types of cladded components. Finite element analyses of representative high temperature reactor components show that the proposed design analysis methods can bound the design quantities in soft cladded components and approximate the design quantities in hard cladded components.

Designing Cladded Components for High Temperature Nuclear Service: Part II—Design Rules

AbstractThe challenge of using existing ASME Section III, Division 5, class A metallic materials for the construction of structural components of advanced reactors with corrosive coolants could be mitigated by allowing designers to use cladding to protect the base material from corrosion. However, the existing Section III, Division 5 rules provide no guidance on the evaluation of strain accumulation and creep-fatigue damage in cladded components. The availability of design rules for cladded components that do not require long-term clad material testing could promote the application of the cladding approach to accelerate the deployment schedule of these advanced reactor systems. To avoid long-term properties for the clad materials Part I of this work proposes two approximate design analysis methods for two types of clad materials—soft clads that creep much faster and have lower yield stress than the class A base material, and hard clads that creep much slower and have higher yield stress than the class A base material. The proposed analysis methods approximate the response of a soft clad by treating it as perfectly compliant and of a hard clad by treating it as linear elastic. Based on these approximate design analysis strategies this Part II develops a complete set of design rules for class A components cladded with either soft or hard clad materials. Part II discusses the reasoning behind the proposed design rules and uses example finite element analyses of representative reactor components to illustrate the use of these design methods.

Colorimetric Quantification of Virgin and Recycled Cashmere Fibers: Equilibrium, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies

ABSTRACT Cashmere is byword for soft, luxury, and expensive stylish clothes. Objective and quantitative methods to identify and possibly quantify recycled cashmere are crucial to discourage adulteration of high-quality virgin cashmere with cheaper recycled fibers. Available analytical methods for the identification of recycled and virgin fibers are currently confined to subjective assays. This work investigates objective and reliable methodologies to quantify the amount of recycled cashmere in blend with virgin one, based on the different dye absorption capacity of recycled and virgin fibers. Pure virgin and recycled cashmere fibers were stained with different amounts of C.I. Direct Red 7 in different conditions, and the exhaust dyebaths were analyzed by UV-visible Spectroscopy in order to quantify the residual unabsorbed dye. Then, the method was applied to blends of different proportions of virgin and recycled cashmere with a correlation of R2 = 0.95.

Medical Tape Contamination Study: Effect of Packaging on the Reduction of Cross Contamination

Background: Medical tape is used routinely for a variety of tasks across healthcare settings. The literature contains numerous publications in which common practices around medical tapes have been suspected to lead to infection transmission. Healthcare providers can turn to individually packaged single-patient-use medical tape rolls to help reduce cross-contamination risk by limiting exposure to environmental contaminants, minimizing contact with hospital surfaces and equipment, and minimizing exposure to healthcare workers’ hands and other patients. Methods: We evaluated the effect of individually packaged tape on cross contamination using a controlled laboratory assay. Ceramic tiles were inoculated with microorganisms evenly spread across the surface and allowed to air dry. Using gloves, packaged and unpackaged tapes were rolled over their entire outside circumference onto the contaminated tiles to simulate cross contamination. Using new gloves, the packaged tapes were then removed from their package with minimum contact. All cross-contaminated tape rolls were placed in phosphate-buffered water and mixed in a vortexer for bacterial recovery procedures. Serial dilutions were plated on appropriate media for bacterial enumeration. The average log10 colony-forming unit (CFU) recovery was measured for comparison. We used 4 types of tapes in this study (3M Micropore S Surgical Tape, 3M Medipore H Soft Cloth Surgical Tape, 3M Durapore Surgical Tape, and 3M Transpore White Surgical Tape). We used 4 different microorganisms as inoculates: Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant), Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant), Klebsiella pneumoniae (carbapenem-resistant), and Clostridium difficile (spore). Each test (tape and bacteria combination) was done in 3 or 6 replicates; each bacterial enumeration was the average of duplicate plates. The detection limit for this method is 8 CFU per sample, which is equivalent to 0.9 log10. Results: The results for all tapes tested showed a statistically significant lower mean log10 recovery of each of the microorganisms tested for packaged versus unpackaged tape (Figure 1). The mean differences of log10 recoveries from a packaged and unpackaged tape ranged from 2.51 log10 (for S. aureus on Micropore S) to 4.64 log10 (for K. pneumoniae on Medipore H). This is equivalent to 99%–99.99% cross-contamination protection from the 4 organisms tested. Conclusions: Individual packaging of medical tape rolls protects them from external contaminants. Even if the packaging becomes contaminated, the tape retrieved from the package will be significantly less contaminated than it would have been from exposure to the same contaminants without packaging.Funding: 3M CompanyDisclosures: None

427 Comparison of PAP Interface Pressure on the Nasal Bridge: Soft Cloth vs. Traditional Masks

Abstract Introduction Pressure between a CPAP mask and the skin is a significant contributor to irritation and pressure ulcers, an area of localized soft tissue ischemic necrosis caused by prolonged pressure over bony prominences that exceeds supra capillary pressure (70 mmHg). We hypothesized that cloth masks (CM) would exert a lower nasal bridge pressure than traditional mask (TM) products constructed of silicone and plastic. Methods We evaluated the pressure exerted by seven types of nasal masks in three trials onto the nasal bridge of two healthy adult volunteers, one female, one male, while they received 10 cm H₂O of CPAP. Five commercially available CMs (SleepWeaver® 3D, SleepWeaver® Advance Pediatric, SleepWeaver® Élan, and SleepWeaver® Prevent, Circadiance®, LLC) were tested as were three TMs constructed primarily of silicone and plastic (DreamWisp™, Philips Respironics, Inc.; Mirage™, ResMed; Zest™, Fisher &amp; Paykel Healthcare). Pressure was detected using a texsens®-g low pressure sensor force measuring device. Pressure data from each 30 second trial were summarized as the median value after confirming that pressure did not vary by time (one-way ANOVA, p = 0.7393). Median values were then compared across trials, subjects, and masks using one-way ANOVAs and student’s t-tests. Results After confirming that pressure did not vary by trial (one-way ANOVA, p=0.4585) or subject (t-test, p=0.0938), pressure data were summarized by mask. On average, CMs exerted 37.0 (17.7) mmHg of nasal bridge pressure, although there was significant variation across masks (one-way ANOVA, p &amp;lt; 0.0001). Conversely, TMs averaged 112 (38.5) mmHg of nasal bridge pressure without significant variation across masks (one-way ANOVA, p=0.1291). CMs averaged 75.26 mmHg less pressure than TMs (p &amp;lt; 0.0001), a difference of 67 percent. Conclusion The data supports the hypothesis that pressure from CMs on the bridge of the nose are significantly lower than a sample of TMs with similar shape and style, and the null hypothesis was rejected. Furthermore, the average CM was below the threshold for capillary closing, in contrast to the average TM. Therefore, for CPAP users with predicted or existing skin sensitivity, comfort and/or compliance concerns, CM should be considered as a first choice in mask selection. Support (if any):

Changes in physical activity during a one-year weight loss trial with liraglutide in participants with knee osteoarthritis: secondary analyses of a randomised trial

Changes in physical activity during a one-year weight loss trial with liraglutide in participants with knee osteoarthritis: secondary analyses of a randomised trial

Using a machine learning approach to predict the emission characteristics of VOCs from furniture

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor furniture contribute significantly to poor indoor air quality. We have taken a typical machine learning approach using an artificial neural network (ANN), to predict the emission behaviors of VOCs from furniture. The gas-phase VOC concentrations from four kinds of furniture (solid wood furniture, panel furniture, soft leather furniture, soft cloth furniture) were measured in a 1 m3 chamber at different temperatures, relative humidity and ventilation rates. We then used these VOC concentration data as input for training. The trained ANN model could then be used to predict VOC concentrations at other emission time. We selected a back-propagation neural network, with 3 hidden layers, and a learning rate of 0.01. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrates that there is a strong correlation between the input datasets. We used relative deviation (RD) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) as the criteria for evaluating the performance of the ANN. For all of the tested VOCs from different types of furniture, the RDs between the predictions and experimental data at 150 h, are less than 15%. The MAPE values of the ANN model are within 10%. These indicate that the trained ANN model has excellent capability in predicting the VOC concentrations from furniture. The main merit of the ANN is that it doesn't need to solve the challenging problem of obtaining the key parameters when using physical models for prediction, and will thus be very useful for indoor source characterization, as well as for exposure assessment.

Perianal Care Proven to Reduce the Incidence of Diaper Dermatitis

Maintaining a clean perianal area is an attempt to prevent and treat diaper dermatitis. The purpose of cleaningthe perianal area is to prevent irritation. The practice of cleaning the perianal area is done by consideringthe physiology of the skin such as, normal flora, bacteria, and skin pH. Cleaning the perianal area can usewater and a soft cloth without rubbing the skin hard. The purpose of applying evidence based in nursingpractice is to identify the effect of perianal care by using water against diaper dermatitis with skin integrityissues. Search evidence of nursing practice used the PICO analysis. Thirty-four toddlers were divided intotwo groups: the intervention group (n = 17) and the control group (n = 17). The analysis used was Wilcoxon,and Mann-Whitney test. There was no significant difference in diaper dermatitis score in the interventiongroup and control group (?> 0.05). Cleaning the perianal area using water and tissues can be used to preventand treat diaper dermatitis.

Simple Household Space Design Based on Soft Decoration of Furniture

With the continuous development of China’s economy, people’s quality of life is constantly improving. As a matter of course, more and more attention is paid to home design. In particular, the space design of small apartments is welcomed by everyone. Among them, soft cloth decoration is a very popular form of home design now, which is very suitable for the design and use of small apartment. But the diversity of small family space brings difficulties to the design. The design and calculation of the simple home space in the small apartment with the RANSAC algorithm is fully satisfied with the requirements of the use of the algorithm and can achieve the accuracy of our calculation and facilitate communication with customers. The RANSAC algorithm has the powerful ability of image processing, which can help us to establish the visualization research of space design.

Nurse Perceptions of Babywearing for Neonates With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) often spend several weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and have difficulty being consoled. Infant carriers may be used to help with irritability, while allowing the adult user to be more mobile, through the practice of babywearing (the facilitated holding of an infant using a soft cloth infant carrier worn on the body). To examine the experience of babywearing infants diagnosed with NAS while admitted in the NICU from the perspective of the nurses who care for them. Nurses (N = 18; mean age = 35.44 years, SD = 9.45) were recruited and interviewed using a semistructured interview method from a 38-bed NICU in the Southwestern United States. A thematic content analyses using an open coding scheme yielded 6 themes that fell into 2 categories: (1) benefits of babywearing infants with NAS in the NICU (Infant Consoling, Adult Multitasking, Caregiver-Infant Trust); and (2) suggestions to maximize babywearing in the NICU (Infection Control, Reoccurring Infant Carrier Education, and Reduced Patient Load). Many NICUs incorporate kangaroo care (or skin-to-skin contact) as a treatment option; however, NICU staff cannot participate in kangaroo care. Babywearing is a practical alternative for nurses and support staff. Nurses supported the practice of babywearing as a means to improve the well-being of infants with NAS while also allowing for increased efficiency in nursing tasks. More prospective studies are needed that evaluate the carryover effects and long-term impact of babywearing for infants diagnosed with NAS.