The Second Triennial Systematic Literature Review of European Nursing Research: Impact on Patient Outcomes and Implications for Evidence-Based Practice

Written on behalf of the European Academy of Nursing Science REFLECTION review group: José Amendoeira, Polytechnic Institute of Santarem, Santarem, Portugal; (…) p.9European research in nursing has been criticized as overwhelmingly descriptive, wasteful and with little relevance to clinical practice. This second triennial review follows our previous review of articles published in 2010, to determine whether the situation has changed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetic detection of ferrofluid injection zones

Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles that can be stabilized in various carrier liquids. In this study the authors investigate the potential of ferrofluids to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. An ability to track and monitor the movement and position of injected liquids is essential in assessing the effectiveness of the delivery system and the success of the process. Ferrofluids can also provide a significant detection and verification tool in containment technologies, where they can be injected with the barrier liquids to provide a strong signature allowing determination of the barrier geometry, extent, continuity and integrity. Finally, ferrofluids may have unique properties as tracers for detecting preferential flow features (such as fractures) in the subsurface, and thus allow the design of more effective remediation systems. In this report the authors review the results of the investigation of the potential of ferrofluids to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. They demonstrate the feasibility of using conventional magnetometry for detecting subsurface zones of injected ferrofluids used to trace liquids injected for remediation or barrier formation. The geometrical shapes considered were a sphere, a thin disk, a rectangular horizontal slab, and a cylinder. Simple calculations based on the principles of magnetometry are made to determine the detection depths of FTs. Experiments involving spherical, cylindrical and horizontal slabs show a very good agreement between predictions and measurements

Microbial Response to the MC-252 Oil and Corexit 9500 in the Gulf of Mexico

The Deepwater Horizon spill released over 4.1 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In an effort to mitigate large oil slicks, the dispersant Corexit 9500 was sprayed onto surface slicks and injected directly at the wellhead at water depth of 1,500 m. Several research groups were involved in investigating the fate of the MC-252 oil using newly advanced molecular tools to elucidate microbial interactions with oil, gases, and dispersant. Microbial community analysis by different research groups revealed that hydrocarbon degrading bacteria belonging to Oceanospirillales, Colwellia, Cycloclasticus, Rhodobacterales, Pseudoalteromonas, and methylotrophs were found enriched in the contaminated water column. Presented here is a comprehensive overview of the ecogenomics of microbial degradation of MC-252 oil and gases in the water column and shorelines. We also present some insight into the fate of the dispersant Corexit 9500 that was added to aid in oil dispersion process. Our results show the dispersant was not toxic to the indigenous microbes at concentrations added, and different bacterial species isolated in the aftermath of the spill were able to degrade the various components of Corexit 9500 that included hydrocarbons, glycols, and dioctyl sulfosuccinate

Theoretical and experimental investigations of ferrofluids for guiding and detecting liquids in the subsurface. FY 1997 annual report

Ferrofluids are stable colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles in various carrier liquids with high saturation magnetizations, which can be manipulated in virtually any fashion, defying gravitational or viscous forces in response to external magnetic fields. In this report, the authors review the results of their investigation of the potential of ferrofluids (1) to accurately and effectively guide reactants (for in-situ treatment) or barrier liquids (low-viscosity permeation grouts) to contaminated target zones in the subsurface using electromagnetic forces, and (2) to trace the movement and position of liquids injected in the subsurface using geophysical methods. They investigate the use of ferrofluids to enhance the efficiency of in-situ treatment and waste containment through (a) accurate guidance and delivery of reagent liquids to the desired subsurface contamination targets and/or (b) effective sweeping of the contaminated zone as ferrofluids move from the application point to an attracting magnet/collection point. They also investigate exploiting the strong magnetic signature of ferrofluids to develop a method for monitoring of liquid movement and position during injection using electromagnetic methods. The authors demonstrated the ability to induce ferrofluid movement in response to a magnetic field, and measured the corresponding magnetopressure. They demonstrated the feasibility of using conventional magnetometry for detecting subsurface zones of various shapes containing ferrofluids for tracing liquids injected for remediation or barrier formation. Experiments involving spherical, cylindrical and horizontal slabs showed a very good agreement between predictions and measurements

The state of European nursing research : dead, alive, or chronically diseased? a systematic literature review

Background: Reviews of nursing research have suggested that most is descriptive; with no more than 15% providing strong evidence for practice. No studies have examined this from the perspective of nursing research conducted in Europe. Objective: The aim of this study was to review reports of European clinical nursing research in the top 20 nursing journals in 2010 to establish a baseline of nursing research activity in the year immediately prior to the launch of a European Science Foundation network to increase the proportion of intervention research in Europe. Methods: We identified eligible reports that were then data-extracted by two independent reviewers. Disagreements were resolved through pair discussion and independent arbitration. We appraised and synthesized topics, methods, and the extent to which studies were programmatic. We synthesized data as proportions of study reports meeting our a priori categorization criteria. Results: We identified 1995 published reports and included 223 from 21 European countries, of which 193 (86.6%) reported studies of primary research only, 30 (13.5%) secondary research, and three (1.4%) a mix of primary and secondary. Methodological description was often poor, misleading, or even absent. One hundred (44.8%) articles reported observational studies, 87 (39.0%) qualitative studies. We found 26 (11.7%) articles reporting experimental studies, 10 (4.5%) of which were randomized controlled trials. We found 29 (13.0%) reports located within a larger program of research. Seventy-six (34.1%) articles reported studies of nursing interventions. Linking Evidence to Action: European research in nursing reported in the leading nursing journals remains descriptive and poorly described. Only a third of research reports concerned nursing interventions, and a tiny proportion were part of a programmatic endeavor. Researchers in nursing must become better educated and skilled in developing, testing, evaluating, and reporting complex nursing interventions. Editors of nursing journals should insist on systematic reporting of research designs and methods in published articles

Water content of carbon dioxide at hydrate forming conditions

There is an interest to ensure sub-saturated water content in lines containing carbon dioxide in applications such as enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration, to reduce risks of hydrate blockage and corrosion. The water content of carbon dioxide at various temperatures and pressures has been measured in the past, but there is no consistent set of measurements that could be used for carbon dioxide storage and transportation design work. The solubility of water in a carbon dioxide rich gas phase at hydrate forming conditions was measured in this work. Pressures ranged from 12.06 to 29.30 bar along two isotherms, 1 °C and −7 °C, all within the gaseous carbon dioxide and hydrate stability zone. For the first time in these types of measurements, the solid phase was also characterized and confirmed to be carbon dioxide hydrate via X-ray computed tomography, simultaneous with water content measurements of the gas phase. Once carbon dioxide hydrate conversion had reached a maximum value (65% estimated by X-ray computed tomography), the equilibrium water content was measured. Prior to reaching this maximum carbon dioxide hydrate conversion, the water content in carbon dioxide was observed to decrease as liquid water converted to carbon dioxide hydrate. This slow conversion to hydrate, metastability of the hydrate phase, or unexpected phases may be responsible for the large discrepancy between prior data sets for similar carbon dioxide water content measurements

What can local authorities do to improve the social care-related quality of life of older adults living at home? Evidence from the Adult Social Care Survey

Local authorities spend considerable resources on social care at home for older adults. Given the expected growth in the population of older adults and budget cuts on local government, it is important to find efficient ways of maintaining and improving the quality of life of older adults. The ageing in place literature suggests that policies in other functions of local authorities may have a significant role to play. This study aims to examine the associations between social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) in older adults and three potential policy targets for local authorities: (i) accessibility of information and advice, (ii) design of the home and (iii) accessibility of the local area. We used cross-sectional data from the English national Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS) 2010/2011 on service users aged 65 years and older and living at home (N=29,935). To examine the association between SCRQoL, as measured by the ASCOT, and three single-item questions about accessibility of information, design of the home and accessibility of the local area, we estimate linear and quantile regression models. After adjusting for physical and mental health factors and other confounders our findings indicate that SCRQoL is significantly lower for older adults who find it more difficult to find information and advice, for those who report that their home design is inappropriate for their needs and for those who find it more difficult to get around their local area. In addition, these three variables are as strongly associated with SCRQoL as physical and mental health factors. We conclude that in seeking to find ways to maintain and improve the quality of life of social care users living at home, local authorities could look more broadly across their responsibilities. Further research is required to explore the cost-effectiveness of these options compared to standard social care services

Salt Stress in Desulfovibrio Vulgaris Hildenborough: An Integrated Genomics Approach

I-017Recent interest in the ability of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough to reduce, and therefore contain, toxic and radioactive metal waste, has made all factors that affect its physiology of great interest. Increased salinity constitutes an important and frequent fluctuation faced by D. vulgaris in its natural habitat. In liquid culture, exposure to excess salt resulted in a striking cell elongation in D. vulgaris. Using data from transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolite assays, phospholipid fatty acid profiling, and electron microscopy, we undertook a systems approach to explore the effects of excess NaCl on D. vulgaris. This study demonstrates that import of osmoprotectants such as glycine betaine and ectoine constitute the primary mechanism used by D. vulgaris to counter hyper-ionic stress. Several efflux systems were also highly up-regulated, as was the ATP synthesis pathway. Increase in both RNA and DNA helicases suggested that salt stress had affected the stability of nucleic acid base pairing. An overall increase in branched fatty acids indicated changes in cell wall fluidity. An immediate response to salt stress included upregulation of chemotaxis genes though flagellar biosynthesis was down-regulated. Other down-regulated systems included lactate uptake permeases and ABC transport systems. The extensive NaCl stress analysis was compared with microarray data from KCl stress and unlike many other bacteria, D. vulgaris responded similarly to the two stresses. Integration of data from multiple methods has allowed us to present a conceptual model for salt stress response in D. vulgaris that can be compared to other microorganisms.This work was part of the Virtual Institute for Microbial Stress and Survival supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, Genomics Program:GTL through contract DE-AC03- 76SF00099 between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U. S. Department of Energy

Researching Complex Interventions in Health: The State of the Art : Exeter, UK. 14-15 October 2015.

Erratum to this paper available at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/23087

Is health-related quality of life associated with the risk of low-energy wrist fracture: a case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Some risk factors for low-energy wrist fracture have been identified. However, self-reported measures such as health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been examined as potential risk factors for wrist fracture. The aims of this study were to compare HRQOL prior to a low-energy wrist fracture in elderly patients (≥ 50 years) with HRQOL in age- and sex-matched controls, and to explore the association between HRQOL and wrist fracture after adjusting for known risk factors for fracture such as age, weight, osteoporosis and falls.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients with a low-energy wrist fracture (n = 181) and age- and sex-matched controls (n = 181) were studied. Shortly after fracture (median 10 days), patients assessed their HRQOL before fracture using the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Statistical tests included <it>t </it>tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several dimensions of HRQOL were significantly associated with wrist fracture. The direction of the associations with wrist fracture varied between the different sub-dimensions of the SF-36. After controlling for demographic and clinical variables, higher scores on <it>general health </it>(odds ratio (OR) = 1.31, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10–1.56), <it>bodily pain </it>(OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.03–1.34) and <it>mental health </it>(OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.09–1.79) were related to an increased chance of being a wrist fracture patient rather than a control. In contrast, higher scores on <it>physical role limitation </it>(OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.79–0.95) and <it>social function </it>(OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.53–0.80) decreased this chance. Significant associations with wrist fracture were also found for living alone (OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.07–3.4), low body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.86–0.98), osteoporosis (OR = 3.30, 95% CI 1.67–6.50) and previous falls (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.16–3.49).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Wrist fracture patients perceive themselves to be as healthy as the controls before fracture. Our data indicate that patients with favourable and unfavourable HRQOL measures may be at increased risk of wrist fracture.</p