Bioterrorism education effect on knowledge and attitudes of nurses

Context: The most important way against bioterrorism is reinforcement of knowledge of health and medical team to diagnose and rapid reaction during these events. Aims: To assess the effect of bioterrorism education on knowledge and attitudes of nurses. Settings and Design: the setting of study was one of the infectious disease wards, emergency rooms or internal wards of the hospitals under supervision of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this pre-experimental study, 65 nurses who had all inclusion criteria are selected by accessible sampling method. Data on nurses knowledge and attitudes toward bioterrorism were collected using a self-administered questionnaire before and after two two-h sessions education. After a month of education, the units responded to questionnaire again. Statistical Analysis Used: A descriptive statistics Wilcoxon tests and Spearman correlation coefficient were used. Results: Before education, the majority of units (96.9%) had low knowledge about bioterrorism (0-33.3% score of 100%),whereas after education, the majority of them (100%) had good knowledge(well done) (66.7-100% score of 100%). And majority of units (96.9%) before education had indifferent attitude toward bioterrorism (33.4-66.6% score of 100%), whereas a majority of them (98.5%) after education had positive attitude (66.7-100% score of 100%). Conclusions: The education has a positive effect on nurses′ knowledge and attitudes and it can be a guideline for administrators of the Ministry of Health and medicine for planning to achieve the goals of preventive and defense against bioterrorism

Strategies for disaster risk reduction education: A systematic review

INTRODUCTION: For many years, numerous researches and risk reduction activists have emphasized the importance of public awareness and education for disaster risk reduction (DRR). These needs, due to human natural manipulation, have increased. The present study was aimed to assess and determine the evidence on the strategies for education of DRR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a systematic review of publications and gray literatures regarding to strategies for education of DRR conducted in December 2016. Fifteen articles and dissertations published during January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2016 were extracted through PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Ovid, Google Scholar, Scientific Information Database, Magiran, and Irandoc with the inclusion criteria of English and Persian language. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the articles. RESULTS: The thematic analyses revealed eight major categories of DRR educational strategies such as raising knowledge, educational needs assessment, educational planning, educational approaches, educational content, educational tools, involved organizations, and educational learning barriers and challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Most countries have launched DRR education activities, but these actions are not enough, and there are some gaps between what is it and what should be. More effective and efficient teaching and learning strategies are needed to increase the effectiveness of preparedness and DRR activities at all levels of community

Strategies used by Iranian nursing students for adjusting to internship: a qualitative study

Abstract Background The internship setting is a highly challenging one for nursing students, and working in such an environment requires adjustment. Knowledge of the adjustment strategies used by students enhances the body of nursing knowledge and can help nursing officials adopt appropriate decisions to strengthen the students’ effective adjustment skills and increase the benefits reaped from their internship. The present study was conducted to explore the strategies used by nursing students to adjust to internship. Methods A total of 19 senior nursing interns (7 Female, and 12 Male) were selected by purposive sampling with maximum variation from one of the nursing and midwifery schools affiliated to a large metropolitan medical university in northern Iran. Data were collected using audio-taped semi-structured face-to-face interviews over an 18-month period and were carefully transcribed and analyzed using the Graneheim & Lundman qualitative conventional content analysis approach. The researchers analyzed the data in MAXQDA 10 software. Results Four main categories and eight subcategories emerged from the data analysis. Main categories include efforts to achieve clinical competency, efforts to be sociable or accepted, self-management and reaction to conflicts. Conclusion All the participants attempted to attain adjustment by adopting strategies such as achieving clinical competence, trying to be sociable or accepted, self-management, and reaction to conflicts depending on the conditions of internship. Officials should help nursing students use effective strategies and achieve adjustment

Association between reproductive factors and postmenopausal osteoporosis

Objective: The present cross-sectional research was designed to study possible correlations between clinical reproductive factors and bone mineral density (BMD) values. Methods: Using the data gathered by the population-based Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS), we investigated the correlation found between reproductive factors and osteoporosis. Subjects were recruited from five major cities of Iran. Bone mineral density was measured using Dual-Energy; X-ray Absorptiometry and the results were analyzed against the age at menarche and at menopause, number of pregnancies, children and abortions, and the history (and duration) of breastfeeding. Results: Data was available for 2528 women. Gravidity and number of children were reversely correlated with BMD. Younger age at menarche was associated with higher BMD values, whereas there was no significant correlation between age at menopause and menstrual history and BMD. Conclusion: Our study suggests that clinical reproductive factors, particularly number of children and breastfeeding, could be incorporated as predictors of BMD levels in women. Given the controversial results obtained in different studies, longitudinal studies should be carried out to enlighten the importance of these factors and the rationale of their use to predict BMD values in different settings

Giant Thrombosis at Left Anterior Descending Artery Aneurysm in a 10-Year Old Boy with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), necrotizing vasculitis of small and medium-sized vessels, is traditionally believed to mainly affect respiratory tract with additional focal kidney involvements as its primary manifestations with a relatively rare annual incidence rate of 20-50 cases per million. Six percent of the affected cases have cardiac involvements; among which, aneurysms comprise the lowest penetrance. By this paper, we aim to cast light on clinical diagnostic and treatment methods of a rare case presentation, a 10-year-old male GPA patient, diagnosed with massive thrombosis at his coronary artery aneurysm. GPA should be considered as differential diagnosis of prolong fever and coronary aneurysms in adolescents

Influence of serum vitamin D levels on peak bone mass in the Iranian population

Background- Recent studies have reported the high prevalence of different degrees of vitamin D deficiency in Iran. The present study was conducted to determine the correlation between serum levels of vitamin D and Peak Bone Mass (PBM) in a group of Iranian population at the age of PBM. Material & Methods- The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 20-35 year-old adults participating in the first phase of the Iranian Multicentric Osteoporosis Study (IMOS). The correlation between serum levels of 25(OH)D and BMD values were assessed by Spearman correlation coefficient. Results-1941 individuals were studied. There was no significant difference between BMD values at the studied areas with vitamin D levels nor status groups in either gender. Conclusion- Our study revealed no association between serum vitamin D levels and BMD in individuals at the age of PBM

Large-Signal Stabilization of Power Converters Cascaded Input Filter Using Adaptive Energy Shaping Control

International audienceSeries connection of input filters with static converters might lead to instability. However, the input filter has rarely taken into account in the stable design of power converters. Indeed, an input LC filter cascaded with a converter can become unstable, and so even if the converter is regulated by a tight controller ensuring its stability alone. This fact is due to the interactions between the filter and the converter. To tackle the instability potential, an Adaptive Energy Shaping Control (AESC), which is based on the Interconnection and Damping Assignment Passivity-Based Control (IDA-PBC), is addressed in this paper to regulate the cascaded system and achieve the following attractive features: 1) The input filter’s dynamics are considered in the control law, so the interactions between the filter and the converter are taken into account during the controller design; 2) The influence between several subsystems, put in cascade, is considered by the proposed method and the new large-signal stability proof is given accordingly. Simulation and experimental results from a 3.5 kW 270 V–200 V buck converter cascaded with an input filter under different load conditions, i.e. Constant Impedance Load (CIL), Constant Current Load (CCL), and Constant Power Load (CPL), are presented to demonstrate the proposed approach

Current Sensorless Control for WRSM Using Model-Free Adaptive Control

International audienceSensorless control theory is considered as one of the most important keys to reduce the cost of manufacturing and maintenance in automotive applications. This article presents a current sensorless control algorithm of a wound rotor synchronous machine using a model-free-adaptive control (MFAC). The only controlled variable in this method is the rotor speed, and no observation or estimation will be performed on the phase currents. The presented controller is also compared with a current sensorless control method that uses a Lyapunov-based observation of phase currents in the control algorithm. The developed control algorithm is first tested in simulation under several operating conditions, such as starting, tracking, parameter variation, and load step. Then, experimental tests validated the effective performance of MFAC in a current sensorless control algorithm. According to these results, the control of phase currents is guaranteed with a small error but without using any current sensors

Determining the relationship between health literacy level and quality of life among the elderly living in nursing homes

BACKGROUND: The literacy level of the elderly is predictive of health behaviors, average hospitalization in health centers, and the type of verbal interaction with health service providers; as the level of literacy changes, the quality of life may also change. This study aimed to determine the relationship between health literacy level and quality of life among the elderly living in nursing homes in 2018-2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was of a descriptive-analytic, correlation type that was performed on 175 elderly of selected nursing homes in Tehran. The research tools included the Abbreviated Mental Test; Control, Autonomy, Pleasure and Self-realization questionnaire-19; and Health Literacy of Iranian Adults Questionnaire (HELIA). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS 22 software. RESULTS: The total score of health literacy and the quality of life of the elderly was 51.01 and 47.75, respectively. The literacy of most of the studied samples was 'inadequate' and 'not much adequate' (0-66). The relationship between health literacy and quality of life in the elderly was significant, and there was a direct and statistically significant relationship between them (P = 0.003). That is, by an increase in literacy rates, the scores of quality of life of elderly people were also increased. The correlation was equal to r =-0.28. Health literacy has the ability (31.98%) to predict the quality of life. CONCLUSION: The results showed a lack of enough education literacy, the average quality of life, and the existence of a significant relationship between health literacy and quality of life in the elderly. The wide range of inadequate literacy in the elderly reveals the importance of paying more attention to the issue of literacy in health planning and health promotion at the national and local levels

Stability Improvement of Cascaded Power Conversion Systems Based on Hamiltonian Energy Control Theory

International audienceIt is well known that the interaction between cascaded individually designed power conversion systems can cause instability. To overcome this issue, a Hamiltonian energy control scheme is proposed, which is based on passivity control theory and port-controlled Hamiltonian framework. A complementary PI adjustment term is also included in the control algorithm to eliminate the steady-state output voltage error caused by the parameter uncertainty. The proposed control approach is applied to three different cascade structures. First, the cascade structure between dc/dc converters is considered, and the detailed controller design is given. Second, the cascade connection of a single converter and its LC filter is studied. By placing the LC filter into the Hamiltonian model of the controlled converter system, the dynamic and potential instability caused by the filter can be adjusted. Finally, the cascade structure between subsystems including filters and converters, which are common in microgrids, is studied. By using the Hamiltonian function (storage function) as the Lyapunov function candidate, the large-signal stability of each controlled converter system is proved. When the cascade structure contains multiple controlled converter systems, the stability of the entire cascaded system is guaranteed by the superposition of multiple Lyapunov functions. A 3.5 kW 220-270-350 V test bench is built in the laboratory to demonstrate the application of the proposed control approach to these three cascade structures