Micro-abrasion resistance of thermochemically treated steels in aqueous solutions: Mechanisms, maps, materials selection

The area of micro-abrasion is an interesting and relatively recent area in tribo-testing methodologies, where small particles of less than 10 μm are employed between interacting surfaces. It is topical for a number of reasons; its direct relation to the mechanisms of the wear process in bio-tribological applications, ease in conducting tests and the good repeatability of the test results. It has widespread applications in conditions used in the space and offshore industries to bio-engineering for artificial joints and implants. There have been many recent studies on the micro-abrasion performance of materials, ranging from work basic metals to nano-structured coatings. However, no significant work is reported on the micro-abrasion resistance of thermochemically treated steels. Hence, this paper looks at the performance of two thermochemically treated steels, Tenifer bath nitride stainless steel (T-SS) and vanadized carbon steel (V-CS) in such conditions with reference to the stainless steel (SS) by varying the applied load and sliding distance. The results indicated that T-SS demonstrates exceptionally poor resistance to micro-abrasion. It was observed that the heat treatment process and properties of the hardened layer (hardness and thickness) are extremely important in determining the micro-abrasion resistance of such steels. Finally, the results were used to develop micro-abrasion mechanism and wastage maps, which can be used to optimize the surface treated materials for micro-abrasion resistance

Evaluación de las necesidades hídricas de tres variedades de fresas y de su respuesta frente a un recorte hídrico moderado

Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones RTA2012-00001-00-00FEDER CC10-009-C02-0

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

A review of productivity in strawberries: marketable yield has a linear, but inconsistent relationship with total yield, and cannot be predicted from total yield

Productivity in strawberry (Fragaria ? ananassa) can be recorded by measuring marketable or total yield. The first objective of this review was to determine if marketable yield can be predicted from total yield. The second objective of this review was to develop protocols to accurately determine the productivity of strawberry cultivars. Previous research has not examined the relationship between the two measures of productivity and how to best measure the yield of strawberry cultivars. The relationship between marketable and total yield was assessed by examining the performance of strawberry cultivars across 68 studies. Marketable yield had a linear, but inconsistent relationship with total yield across different cultivars, sites and years. The slope from the regression between marketable and total yield ranged from 0.25 to 0.99, with a median of 0.80, and a mean (and SE) of 0.78 ± 0.01. Marketable yield cannot be predicted from total yield. The results of this review demonstrate that marketable yield is a better indicator of productivity than total yield. Both measures of productivity should be used in future cultivar studies. The results also demonstrate that cultivar experiments that include information on the incidence of fruit defects are better than ones that do not

La percepción del paciente crítico sobre los cuidados enfermeros: una aproximación al concepto de satisfacción

Introducción: El grado de satisfacción es un indicador fundamental de la calidad asistencial. Existen numerosos instrumentos que miden la satisfacción con los cuidados enfermeros, aunque no responden a la realidad del paciente crítico ni a nuestro contexto. Objetivos: Explorar y comprender la satisfacción de los pacientes ingresados en Cuidados Intensivos de un hospital nivel iii con los cuidados enfermeros, para definir e identificar las dimensiones del concepto de satisfacción desde su punto de vista. Material y métodos: Estudio cualitativo según la teoría fundamentada en 3 unidades de Cuidados Intensivos de 34 boxes individuales. Muestreo teórico. La muestra, tras la saturación de datos, fue de 19 participantes. La recogida de datos fue a través de la entrevista en profundidad y diario de campo. Análisis de contenido según teoría fundamentada. Se siguieron los criterios de rigor de Guba y Lincoln. Informe favorable del comité de ética del centro y consentimiento informado. Resultados: Emergen 4 categorías: definición y dimensiones del concepto de satisfacción, expectativas y vivencias. Los participantes incluyen en su definición de satisfacción las dimensiones: competencias profesionales, cuidados humanos, técnicos y continuados. La combinación de estos elementos produce sentimientos de seguridad, tranquilidad, estar vigilado, sentirse persona, percibiendo una relación cercana y de confianza con la enfermera que realiza cuidados individualizados. Conclusiones: La definición y las dimensiones del concepto de satisfacción desde el punto de vista del paciente muestran los aspectos importantes para la persona además de clarificar sus dimensiones, permitiendo la construcción de instrumentos más acordes con el contexto y su percepción real