Inequality in cataract blindness and services: moving beyond unidimensional analyses of social position.

OBJECTIVE: Inequalities in cataract blindness are well known, but data are rarely disaggregated to explore the combined effects of a range of axes describing social disadvantage. We examined inequalities in cataract blindness and services at the intersection of three social axes. METHODS: Three dichotomous social variables (sex (male/female); place of residence (urban/rural); literacy (literate/illiterate)) from cross-sectional national blindness surveys in Pakistan (2001-2004; n=16 507) and Nigeria (2005-2007; n=13 591) were used to construct eight subgroups, with disadvantaged subgroups selected a priori (ie, women, rural dwellers, illiterate). In each data set, the social distribution of cataract blindness, cataract surgical coverage (CSC) and effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC) were examined. Inequalities were assessed comparing the best-off and worst-off subgroups using rate differences and rate ratios (RRs). Logistic regression was used to assess cumulative effects of multiple disadvantage. RESULTS: Disadvantaged subgroups experienced higher prevalence of cataract blindness, lower CSC and lower eCSC in both countries. A social gradient was present for CSC and eCSC, with coverage increasing as social position improved. Relative inequality in eCSC was approximately twice as high as CSC (Pakistan: eCSC RR 2.7 vs CSC RR 1.3; Nigeria: eCSC RR 8.7 vs CSC RR 4.1). Cumulative disadvantage was observed for all outcomes, deteriorating further with each additional axis along which disadvantage was experienced. CONCLUSIONS: Each outcome tended to be worse with the addition of each layer of social disadvantage. Illiterate, rural women fared worst in both settings. Moving beyond unidimensional analyses of social position identified subgroups in most need; this permits a more nuanced response to addressing the inequitable distribution of cataract blindness

A Study of Metal Free Supercapacitors Using 3D Printing

© The Author(s) 2018. Metal-free supercapacitors were designed and fabricated using a 3D printing process. An attempt was made to use carbon conductive paint to create both current collector and electrode. Two 3D printing techniques were combined and used to manufacture the electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs). The electrode material made from carbon conductive paint and distilled water showed a good electrical performance. The manufacturing process for the EDLCs has been explained in detail and the process showed a good reproducibility. Different thicknesses of electrode were tested and characterized. The results showed that both the mass of the electrode material and the capacitance of the supercapacitor increased as the thickness of the active layer increased. The thickness of the electrode increased 4 times from 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, the mass of the electrode material increased nearly 3 times from 0.514 g to 1.498 g, which resulted in the increase of capacitance from 0.133 F to 0.295 F

Effectiveness of the YourCall™ text message intervention to reduce harmful drinking in patients discharged from trauma wards: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background Behavioural brief interventions (BI) can support people to reduce harmful drinking but multiple barriers impede the delivery and equitable access to these. To address this challenge, we developed YourCall™, a novel short message service (SMS) text message intervention incorporating BI principles. This protocol describes a trial evaluating the effectiveness of YourCall™ (compared to usual care) in reducing hazardous drinking and alcohol related harm among injured adults who received in-patient care. Methods/design Participants recruited to this single-blind randomised controlled trial comprised patients aged 16-69 years in three trauma-admitting hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand. Those who screened positive for moderately hazardous drinking were randomly assigned by computer to usual care (control group) or the intervention. The latter comprised 16 informational and motivational text messages delivered using an automated system over the four weeks following discharge. The primary outcome is the difference in mean AUDIT-C score between the intervention and control groups at 3 months, with the maintenance of the effect examined at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes comprised the health and social impacts of heavy drinking ascertained through a web-survey at 12 months, and further injuries identified through probabilistic linkage to national databases on accident insurance, hospital discharges, and mortality. Research staff evaluating outcomes were blinded to allocation. Intention-to-treat analyses will include assessment of interactions based on ethnicity (Māori compared with non-Māori). Discussion If found to be effective, this mobile health strategy has the potential to overcome current barriers to implementing equitably accessible interventions that can reduce harmful drinking. Trial registration Universal Trial Number (UTN) U1111-1134-0028. ACTRN12612001220853. Submitted 8 November 2012 (date of enrolment of first participant); Version 1 registration confirmed 19 November 2012. Retrospectively registered

Global trends in ultraprocessed food and drink product sales and their association with adult body mass index trajectories

This study evaluated global trends in ultraprocessed food and drink (UPFD) volume sales/capita and associations with adult body mass index (BMI) trajectories. Total food/drink volume sales/capita from Euromonitor for 80 countries (2002‐2016) were matched to mean adult BMI from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2002‐2014). Products were classified as UPFD/non‐UPFD according to the NOVA classification system. Mixed models for repeated measures were used to analyse associations between UPFD volume sales/capita and adult BMI trajectories, controlling for confounding factors. The increase in UPF volume sales was highest for South and Southeast Asia (67.3%) and North Africa and the Middle East (57.6%), while for UPD, the increase was highest for South and Southeast Asia (120.0%) and Africa (70.7%). In 2016, baked goods were the biggest contributor to UPF volume sales (13.1%‐44.5%), while carbonated drinks were the biggest contributor to UPD volume sales (40.2%‐86.0%). For every standard deviation increase (51 kg/capita, 2002) in UPD volume sales, mean BMI increased by 0.195 kg/m2 for men (P < .001) and 0.072 kg/m2 for women (P = .003). For every standard deviation (40 kg/capita, 2002) increase in UPF volume sales, mean BMI increased by 0.316 kg/m2 for men (P < .001), while the association was not significant for women. Increases in UPFD volume sales/capita were positively associated with population‐level BMI trajectories

Differences in the risk of cardiovascular disease for movers and stayers in New Zealand: a survival analysis

Objectives: To explore if risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for participants who moved before their first CVD event is higher than for stayers, and examine whether the relationship is moderated by ethnicity. Methods: The sample comprised of 2,068,360 New Zealand (NZ) residents enrolled in any Primary Health Organisation, aged between 30-84 years, had complete demographic information, and no prior history of CVD. Cox proportional regression was used to compare CVD risk between movers and stayers. The analysis was conducted for the whole sample and stratified by ethnicity. Results: The combined analysis suggested movers have a lower risk of CVD than stayers. This is consistent for all ethnic groups with some variation according to experience of deprivation change following residential mobility. Conclusions: Although mobile groups may have a higher risk of CVD than immobile groups overall, risk of CVD in the period following a residential mobility event is lower than for stayers. Results are indicative of a short-term healthy migrant effect comparable to that observed for international migrants

Development of fouling-resistant polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes via surface UV photografting with polyethylene glycol/aluminum oxide nanoparticles

Polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes prepared via immersion precipitation with similar pore size were modified using UV irradiation with two nano-sized hydrophilic compounds of a different nature (an organic compound and a metal oxide). Effects of PEG/Al2O3 nanoparticles on membrane structure and the resulting performance were compared to determine the material with the best antifouling properties. Membranes were characterized by hydrophilicity (water contact angle, porosity, equilibrium water content and average pore radius), surface microscopic techniques (ATR-FTIR, SEM, EDX and AFM) and cross-flow ultrafiltration experiments (hydraulic permeability, membrane resistance and antifouling measurements). Membrane antifouling properties were analyzed by several fouling/rinsing cycles using feed solutions of PEG of 35,000 g mol 1 with a concentration of 5 g L 1.Water contact angle measurements, ATR-FTIR spectra, SEM images and EDX analysis indicated the presence of PEG/Al2O3 nanoparticles on the membrane surface. All UV-grafted membranes had higher hydraulic permeability than the unmodified membrane. Furthermore, polyethersulfone membranes photografted with 2.0 wt% PEG and 0.5 wt% Al2O3 displayed superior antifouling properties and desirable performance compared to all membranes tested. Therefore, this study proved that UV photografting of PEG/Al2O3 onto membrane surfaces is an appropriate technique for modifying polyethersulfone membranes to minimize membrane fouling.The authors of this work thank the financial support of CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development) depending on the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The authors also thank the Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (Universitat Politecnica de Valencia) for ATR-FTIR and contact angle measurements and BASF (Germany) for supplying the polymers used.García Ivars, J.; Iborra Clar, MI.; Alcaina Miranda, MI.; Mendoza Roca, JA.; Pastor Alcañiz, L. (2014). Development of fouling-resistant polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes via surface UV photografting with polyethylene glycol/aluminum oxide nanoparticles. Separation and Purification Technology. 135:88-99. doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2014.07.056S889913

Skitser til Aftenlandets anatomi

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IN CHEMISTRY EDUCATION TURKISH PROVERBS' EFFECTS

Dil sadece ağırlıklı olarak insana özgü bir iletişim aracı olarak kabul edilir. Dil felsefesinde doğal dil, genel iletişim amaçlı olmak üzere yazıda ve konuşmada kullanılan dildir. Atasözleri konuşma dilinin ve halk kültürünün önemli bir parçasını oluşturur köklerini uzun bir gelenekten alır. Fen Eğitimi uzunca bir süre pratik bir konu olarak ele alınmış , doğal dil ve edebiyatın fen eğitimindeki önemi ihmal edilmiştir. Bilim dilini öğrenmek fen eğitiminin önemli bir kısmını oluşturur. Doğal dilde bilimsel dilin önemli bir kısmını oluşturur. İnformal fen eğitim tekniklerinin fen sınıflarında kullanılması sınıflarda bir çok bakımlardan rahat bir atmosfer oluşmasını sağlar. Bu tür teknikler bazı kavramların tanıtılmasında ve açıklanmasında çok iyi fırsatlar sunar. Analojiler, atasözleri, hikayeler, oyunlar bu informal tekniklerden bazılarıdır. Fen sınıflarında dile önem verilmesi, fen eğitiminin kalitesini artırmak için son derece önemlidir. Kimya öğretimi bir yabancı dil öğretmek gibidir. Kimya eğitiminde en azından üç dil kullanılır. Bunlar Türkçe, kimyasal eşitlikler ve matematiksel eşitliklerdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, yaygın Türkçe atasözlerindeki kimya bilgi içeriğini analiz etmektir. Bu nedenle bazı Türkçe atasözleri içeren sözlükler taranarak kimya ile ilgili olabilecek atasözleri tespit edildi. Bu atasözlerindeki kimya bilgi içeriği ayrıntılı olarak incelendi. Çalışmanın ikinci kademesinde, Kimya anabilim dalı öğrencilerinin bu atasözlerindeki kimya bilgi içeriğine ilişkin görüşleri araştırıldı. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlar temel istatistik tekniklerle değerlendirildi. Sonuçlara bağlı olarak, bir kısım öğrencilerin doğal dile ilişkin bilgilerinin ve kimya bilgisinin bu seviyede yeterli olmadığı söylenebilir.Language is considered to be an exclusively human mode of communication. In the philosophy of language, a natural language is a language that is spoken, signed, or written by humans for general-purpose communication. . Proverbs are very important part of every spoken language and folk literature originating in oral tradition. Science education at different levels has tended to be viewed mainly as a practical subject, and the importance of natural language and literacy have been neglected. Learning the language of science is a most important part of science education. Natural language is a major part of scientific language. Informal science education techniques can be used to provide a relaxed environment at various points in science classrooms. These kinds of techniques offer a good oppurtunity to introduce or clarify some concepts. Analogies, proverbs, stories, games are some of them. Giving more attention to language in science classrooms is one of the most important efforts in improving the quality of science education.Teaching chemistry is like teaching a foreign language . In chemistry education , It is used at least three languages: ordinary Turkish, chemical equations and mathematical equations. The purpose of this study is to analyse chemistry knowledge in some common Turkish proverbs. For this reason ,some proverbs dictionaries have been scanned and some proverbs related with chemistry were chosen to analyse for scientifical point of view. The chemistry knowledge in these proverbs have been discussed in detail. In the second step of the study, It have been searched the opinions of the chemistry education deparment students abaut chemical knowlwdge in these proverbs . Data collected consequence of the study were evaluated with basic statistical techniques. Depending on the results, It is possible to say tahat some students have not necessary information about natural language and chemical knowledge at this level

Sol Jel Döndürme Yöntemiyle Hazırlanan WO3 Nano Yapılı Filmlerin Yapısal, Optik ve Elektrokromik Özelliklerine Parçacık Boyutunun Etkisi

Bu çalışmada, sol-jel döndürerek kaplama tekniği kullanılarak ITO cam altlıklar üzerine hazırlanmış nano yapılı WO3 filmlerin yapısal, elektrokromik ve optik özellikleri, üretim parametrelerine bağlı olarak incelenmiştir. WO3 solünde, H2O:WO3 oranı değiştirilerek farklı parçacık boyutları içeren soller elde edilmiştir. Üretilen sollerden döndürerek kaplama yöntemi ile 2000 dev/dk hızda filmler hazırlanmıştır. Tüm filmlere 1.5 saat süreyle 300, 325, 350 ve 375 0C’lerde ısıl işlem uygulanarak filmlerin yapısal ve optik özellikleri incelenmiştir. Parçacık boyutlarının H2O:WO3 oranı ve ısıl işlem sıcaklık değerlerinin artmasıyla artış gösterdiği atomik kuvvet mikroskopu (AFM) ve taramalı elektron mikroskopu (SEM) ile belirlenmiştir. X-ışını kırınımı (XRD) analizi sonucunda, filmlerin monoklinik faz yapısında olduğu gözlenmiş olup parçacıkların büyümesi için gerekli aktivasyon enerjisi 22.17 kJ /mol olarak hesaplanmıştır. Filmlerin yapısal ve morfolojik özelliklerinin yanı sıra elektrokimyasal ve optik özellikleri de incelenmiş, bu özellikler potentiostat ve uv-vis spektrofotometre kullanılarak karakterize edilmiştir