Electrochemical study of the corrosion of Ti- Pd and Ti-6Al-4V electrodes in sodium chloride solutions

The electrochemical behavior of Ti-Pd and Ti-6Al-4V alloys in 0.9% NaCl solution were studied by single triangular potential sweep, potentiodynamic polarization curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques (EIS). The complicated corrosion mechanism can be interpreted as at least one electrodissolution process and the posterior formation of a corrosion films. The results from EIS indicate that, on each electrode, the corrosion layer is formed by different mechanisms.Peer Reviewe

Residual bootstraps for regression model validation

Validation is a useful and necessary part of the model-building process, identification of one or several “good” regression models is not the end of the model-building process and these models must be evaluated by various diagnostic procedures before the final regression model is determined. Residual Bootstrap method in regression model validation accomplish the goal of constructing appropriate sampling distributions empirically using the data at hand instead of statistician relying on theoretical sampling distributions like the normal, t and f where appropriateness for any given problem always rest on untestable assumptions. Validation statistics of interest such as standard error (SE), mean square error (MSE) and coefficient of determination (2) were used as criteria for selecting the best model suitable for predictive purposes.The research work concluded that to reduce the problem of overffited models in regression analysis, residual bootstrap approach should be employed in checking the validation of regression model as it gives a better estimates and stable value of coefficient of determination

Does crop-livestock integration lead to improved crop production in the savanna of West Africa?

Integrated crop-livestock farming in the Guinea savanna of West Africa is often assumed to lead to synergies between crop and livestock production, thereby improving the overall productivity and resilience of agricultural production. Whether these synergies actually occur remains poorly studied. On-farm trials were conducted in northern Nigeria over a period of four years to assess the agronomic and economic performance of maize-legume systems with and without the integration of livestock (goats). Groundnut-maize rotations with livestock achieved the highest carry-over of nutrients as manure from one season to the next, covering approximately one-third of the expected N, P and K uptake by maize and reducing the demand for synthetic fertilizers. However, the advantage of lower fertilizer costs in rotations with livestock was offset by higher labour costs for manure application and slightly lower values of maize grain. Overall, no clear agronomic or economic benefits for crop production were observed from the combined application of manure and synthetic fertilizer over the application of synthetic fertilizer only, probably because the amounts of manure applied were relatively small. Legume-maize rotations achieved higher cereal yields, a better response to labour and fertilizer inputs, and a higher profitability than maize-based systems with no or only a small legume component, irrespective of the presence of livestock. Livestock at or near the farm could nevertheless make legume cultivation economically more attractive by increasing the value of legume haulms. The results suggested that factors other than crop benefits, e.g. livestock providing tangible and non-tangible benefits and opportunities for animal traction, could be important drivers for the ongoing integration of crop and livestock production in the savann

The facilitation of professional values amongst student nurses in the North-West Province: research

The purpose of this study was to formulate guidelines to facilitate the internalisation of professional values in student nurses in order to enable them to become caring registered nurses. To realise this goal, the researcher followed a quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual approach. In Phase One of the study, data was collected from the nurse educators through focus group interviews and from the student nurses by means of written narratives. The groups separately described their perceptions about those professional values they deemed important for nursing and how these professional values should be taught to student nurses in order to make them caring registered nurses. Conceptualisation was undertaken in Phase Two. Phase Three focused on document analysis to evaluate whether the identified professional values and teaching strategies were reflected in the college curriculum. Guidelines were formulated in the last phase. These guidelines could be used by the nurse educators to facilitate caring among students as registered nurses. Some of the identified professional values and teaching strategies were indeed reflected in the college curriculum. However, the evaluation of tests and examinations did not seem to confirm that these professional values were taught, nor that the teaching strategies had indeed been used. The guidelines highlighted that the values identified should form part of the college curriculum. Die doel van hierdie studie was om riglyne te formuleer om die internalisering van professionele waardes in studenteverpleegkundiges te fasiliteer wat hulle in staat sal stel om praktisyns wat omgee, te word. Om hierdie doel te bereik, het die navorser 'n kwantitatiewe, kwalitatiewe, verkennende, beskrywende en kontekstualiserende benadering gevolg. In Fase Een van die studie, is data deur middel van fokusgroeponderhoude met verpleegopvoeders en geskrewe verhale/sketse deur studenteverpleegkundiges versamel. Hierdie groepe is afsonderlik gevra om hulle persepsies van die belangrike professionele waardes vir die verpleegberoep te beskryf asook hoe hierdie professionele waardes aan studenteverpleegkundiges onderrig moet word om van hulle praktisyns wat omgee, te maak. Konseptualisering is in Fase Twee onderneem. Fase Drie het gefokus op dokumentanalise om vas te stel of die professionele waardes en onderrigstrategieë wat geïdentifiseer is, in die kollegekurrikulum gereflekteer word. Riglyne wat verpleegopvoeders kan gebruik om "omgee" by studente as verpleegpraktisyns te fasiliteer is in Fase Vier van die studie geformuleer. Sommige van die geïdentifiseerde professionele waardes en onderrigstrategieë word wel in die kurrikulum van die kollege gereflekteer. Nieteenstaande het die evaluering van toetse en eksamenvraestelle nie bevestig dat professionele waardes wel onderrig word nie, of dat die onderrigstrategieë wel toegepas word nie. Die riglyne het aangedui dat die geïdentifiseerde waardes deel van die kollegekurrikulum moet wees. (Health SA Gesondheid: interdisciplinary research journal: 2003 8(3): 26-36

Trends in sexually transmitted infections in general practice 1990-2000: population based study using data from the UK general practice research database

Objective: To describe the contribution of primary care to the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom, 1990-2000, in the context of increasing incidence of infections in genitourinary medicine clinics. Design: Population based study. Setting: UK primary care. Participants: Patients registered in the UK general practice research database. Main outcome measures: Incidence of diagnosed sexually transmitted infections in primary care and estimation of the proportion of major such infections diagnosed in primary care. Results: An estimated 23.0% of chlamydia cases in women but only 5.3% in men were diagnosed and treated in primary care during 1998-2000, along with 49.2% cases of non-specific urethritis and urethral discharge in men and 5.7% cases of gonorrhoea in women and 2.9% in men. Rates of diagnosis in primary care rose substantially in the late 1990s. Conclusions: A substantial and increasing number of sexually transmitted infections are diagnosed and treated in primary care in the United Kingdom, with sex ratios differing from those in genitourinary medicine clinics. Large numbers of men are treated in primary care for presumptive sexually transmitted infections

Computer-assisted textual analysis of free-text comments in the Swiss Cancer Patient Experiences (SCAPE) survey.

Patient experience surveys are increasingly conducted in cancer care as they provide important results to consider in future development of cancer care and health policymaking. These surveys usually include closed-ended questions (patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)) and space for free-text comments, but published results are mostly based on PREMs. We aimed to identify the underlying themes of patients' experiences as shared in their own words in the Swiss Cancer Patient Experiences (SCAPE) survey and compare these themes with those assessed with PREMs to investigate how the textual analysis of free-text comments contributes to the understanding of patients' experiences of care. SCAPE is a multicenter cross-sectional survey that was conducted between October 2018 and March 2019 in French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Patients were invited to rate their care in 65 closed-ended questions (PREMs) and to add free-text comments regarding their cancer-related experiences at the end of the survey. We conducted computer-assisted textual analysis using the IRaMuTeQ software on the comments provided by 31% (n = 844) of SCAPE survey respondents (n = 2755). We identified five main thematic classes, two of which consisting of a detailed description of 'cancer care pathways'. The remaining three classes were related to 'medical care', 'gratitude and praise', and the way patients lived with cancer ('cancer and me'). Further analysis of this last class showed that patients' comments related to the following themes: 'initial shock', 'loneliness', 'understanding and acceptance', 'cancer repercussions', and 'information and communication'. While closed-ended questions related mainly to factual aspects of experiences of care, free-text comments related primarily to the personal and emotional experiences and consequences of having cancer and receiving care. A computer-assisted textual analysis of free-text in our patient survey allowed a time-efficient classification of free-text data that provided insights on the personal experience of living with cancer and additional information on patient experiences that had not been collected with the closed-ended questions, underlining the importance of offering space for comments. Such results can be useful to inform questionnaire development, provide feedback to professional teams, and guide patient-centered initiatives to improve the quality and safety of cancer care

The effect of training and experience on mass casualty incident triage performance: Evidence from emergency personnel in a high complexity university hospital

Mass casualty incident (MCI) can occur at any time and place and health care institutions must be prepared to deal with these incidents. Emergency department staff rarely learn how to triage MCI patients during their medical or nurse degrees, or through on-the-job training. This study aims to evaluate the effect of training and experience on the MCI triage performance of emergency personnel. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional prospective study that analyzed the performance of 94 emergency department staff on the triage classifications of 50 trauma patients, before and after a short training in MCI triage, while taking into account their academic background and work experience. RESULTS: The participants were assigned initially to one of two groups: low experience if they had less than 5 years of practice, and high experience if they had more than 5 years of practice. In the low experience group, the initial accuracy was 45.76 percent, over triage 45.84 percent, and subtriage 8.38 percent. In the high experience group, the initial accuracy was 53.80 percent, over triage 37.66 percent, and sub triage 8.57 percent. POSTINTERVENTION RESULTS: In the low experience group, the post intervention accuracy was 63.57 percent, over triage 21.15 percent, and subtriage 15.30 percentage. In the high experience group, the postintervention accuracy was 67.66 percentage, over triage 15.19 percentage, and subtriage 17.14 percentage. CONCLUSION: Upon completion of this study, it can be concluded that MCI triage training significantly improved the performance of all those involved in the workshop and that experience plays an important role in MCI triage performance