Background: Nursing interventions tailored to the smoking triggers in patients with non-communicable chronic diseases are essential. However, these interventions are scant due to the nature of factors associated with smoking cessation and the poor understanding of the effect of nurse-led intervention in Iraq.Purpose: This study aimed to determine the dominant smoking triggers and examine the effects of a tailored nursing intervention on smoking behavior in patients with non-communicable chronic diseases.Methods: Convenience samples of 128 patients with non-communicable chronic diseases, male and female patients, who were 18-70 years old, were recruited in this quasi-experimental, randomized comparative trial in the outpatient clinic in one major teaching hospital in Baghdad City, Iraq. The intervention included simple yet specific instructions that were given both orally and in written form to the study samples to enable them to manage their craving to smoke for 6 weeks. The smoking triggers were assessed using Why Do You Smoke questionnaire. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either the nurse-led intervention or standard care. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, logistic regression, and two-sided tests.Results: Stress reduction was the dominant smoking trigger among subjects. The percentage of participants who were either able to completely quit smoking or reduce the number of smoked cigarettes per day (n=19, 29.7%; n=28, 43.8%, respectively) was greater in the study group than those in the control group (n=5, 5.8%; n=5, 5.8%, respectively). Study findings demonstrated significant differences in the inability to improve readiness to quit smoking between the intervention group and control group (p=0.000) at the sixth-week follow-up.Conclusion: The tailored nursing intervention was effective for a successful achievement of smoking reduction and cessation among patients with non-communicable chronic diseases, and a potential to equip nurses in clinical settings to support patients to achieve this is recommended.
The conception and experimental assessment of a removable friction-based shear connector (FBSC) for precast steel-concrete composite bridges is presented. The FBSC uses pre-tensioned high-strength steel bolts that pass through countersunk holes drilled on the top flange of the steel beam. Pre-tensioning of the bolts provides the FBSC with significant frictional resistance that essentially prevents relative slip displacement of the concrete slab with respect to the steel beam under service loading. The countersunk holes are grouted to prevent sudden slip of the FBSC when friction resistance is exceeded. Moreover, the FBSC promotes accelerated bridge construction by fully exploiting prefabrication, does not raise issues relevant to precast co
... Show MoreGeneral propositions have dealt with various indicators and features that frame and describe basic architectural concepts, and from those concepts, the concept of identity will be presented here, which represents the nerve of intellectual vision of the state of architecture development, transformation and change. Due to its deep intellectual basis, it was necessary to study multiple features, especially the achievement feature that was considered a major stage describing the nature of change and shift related to the achievement of concept and its role in the development of the architectural field . &nb
... Show MoreIn this study, the performance of the adaptive optics (AO) system was analyzed through a numerical computer simulation implemented in MATLAB. Making a phase screen involved turning computer-generated random numbers into two-dimensional arrays of phase values on a sample point grid with matching statistics. Von Karman turbulence was created depending on the power spectral density. Several simulated point spread functions (PSFs) and modulation transfer functions (MTFs) for different values of the Fried coherent diameter (ro) were used to show how rough the atmosphere was. To evaluate the effectiveness of the optical system (telescope), the Strehl ratio (S) was computed. The compensation procedure for an AO syst
... Show MoreAntimagic labeling of a graph with vertices and edges is assigned the labels for its edges by some integers from the set , such that no two edges received the same label, and the weights of vertices of a graph are pairwise distinct. Where the vertex-weights of a vertex under this labeling is the sum of labels of all edges incident to this vertex, in this paper, we deal with the problem of finding vertex antimagic edge labeling for some special families of graphs called strong face graphs. We prove that vertex antimagic, edge labeling for strong face ladder graph , strong face wheel graph , strong face fan graph , strong face prism graph and finally strong face friendship graph .
A total of 243 serum samples were tested for the presence of
Chlamydia antibodies by ind irect immunofluorescent antibody test.Ninety
nine females were suffering from abortions, 64 were infertile and other 80 were none aborted women. The incidence of Ch lamydia were (15%,
9.4%) and (3.8%) in abortion, infertile and non aborted group,
respecti vely. The results also showed a difference in prevalence rate between the age groups. The highest incidence was found in the age group 20-39 &
... Show MoreA study to find the optimum separators pressures of separation stations has been performed. Stage separation of oil and gas is accomplished with a series of separators operating at sequentially reduced pressures. Liquid is discharged from a higher-pressure separator into the lower-pressure separator. The set of working separator pressures that yields maximum recovery of liquid hydrocarbon from the well fluid is the optimum set of pressures, which is the target of this work.
A computer model is used to find the optimum separator pressures. The model employs the Peng-Robinson equation of state (Peng and Robinson 1976) for volatile oil. The application of t
The aim of this paper, is to discuss several high performance training algorithms fall into two main categories. The first category uses heuristic techniques, which were developed from an analysis of the performance of the standard gradient descent algorithm. The second category of fast algorithms uses standard numerical optimization techniques such as: quasi-Newton . Other aim is to solve the drawbacks related with these training algorithms and propose an efficient training algorithm for FFNN
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes from cheap tubs company MWCNT-CP were purified by alcohol \ H2O2 \ separation funnel which is simple, easy and scalable techniques. The steps of purification were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy SEM with energy dispersive of X-ray spectroscopy EDX and surface area measurements. The technique was succeeded to remove most the trace element from MWCNT-CP which causing increase the surface area. The ratios of impurities were reduced to less 0.6% after treatment by three steps with losing less than 5% from MWCNT-CP.