The symbiotic relationship of vulnerability and resilience in Nursing

Background: Whilst the terms vulnerability and resilience are commonly used within professional nursing discourses, they are often poorly understood. Vulnerability is often framed negatively and linked to being at risk of harm, whilst resilience is often perceived as the ability to withstand challenges. Aim: The aim of this paper is to explore resilience and vulnerability; re-positioning them within the context of contemporary professional nursing practice. Design: Discussion paper. Method: Drawing upon historical and contemporary international literature, both concepts are de-constructed and then re-constructed, examining them from the position of patient care as well as from the perspective of nurses and the nursing profession. Conclusion: Resilience and vulnerability have an interdependent relationship as resilience comes into play in situations of vulnerability. Yet, contrary to the popular discourse they are multi-faceted, complex phenomena based on factors such as individual circumstances, supports and resources

Evaluating the repeatability of friction and wear testing on a lubricant with dispersed hexagonal-boron nitride nanoparticles

The SRV test rig was used to evaluate the friction and wear properties of a lubricant in a laboratory setup. Normally, the coefficient of friction and the amount of wear that occurred are measured while the wear scar surface is also evaluated. Special attention was paid to factors that affect the repeatability. The test fluid was subjected to a friction and wear test on the SRV test rig in order to determine what factors affect the repeatability of the coefficient of friction, the amount of wear that occurred and the wear scar appearance. The test fluid used was based on rapeseed oil and white mineral oil. The fluid also contained an extreme pressure additive in the form of sulphurised ester. This was also compared for the same test fluid with dispersed hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) nanoparticles. The standard test method as described by ASTM D 6425, was used as test method. Instead of the standard temperature, the block temperature was increased to 100 °C in order to simulate harsher operating environments. The load was set at 200 N It was found that: The rapid load increase from 50 to 200 N at the end of the running-in period (as described in the standard test method) caused poor repeatability. The test was modified with a more gradual load application for the duration of the running-in period (30 N/min), which resulted in improvement in the repeatability of the tests conducted. The moisture content in the atmosphere also affected the repeatability of the friction and wear tests. This was most likely due to the formation of a corrosion layer that involves water and by keeping the relative humidity constant, a further improvement in the repeatability was observed. The addition of the h-BN nanoparticles resulted in an improvement of the repeatability of the coefficient of friction (COF), wear scar surface (WSS) and wear scar volume (WSV), since the wear scar surfaces indicated that the particles remove the corrosion layers. This could have led to more consistent wear surfaces for the duration of the test. The particles also influenced the corrosion layer formation. For both fluids, Raman spectroscopy indicated that greigite (Fe3S4) and goethite (α-FeOOH) were found on the surface, while additional corrosion products were found on the wear scar surface for the test fluid with dispersed particles. These compounds were melanterite (FeSO4.7H2O) and rozenite (FeSO4.4H2O). All these corrosion products were most likely formed due to the reaction of iron from the specimens with sulphurised esters in the test fluid.Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2015.tm2015Chemical EngineeringMEngUnrestricte

Exploring resilience in nurses caring for older persons

Background: A shortage of nurses caring for older persons is experienced due to adverse working conditions. Resilience might empower nurses to persevere while caring for older persons. Research regarding the resilience of nurses caring for older persons is scarce. Objectives: The objectives were to explore and describe the strengths and coping abilities of nurses caring for older persons and to formulate recommendations to strengthen their resilience. Methodology: An explorative, descriptive qualitative research design was used. An allinclusive sample of nurses caring for older persons in an urban setting in the North West Province, South Africa, participated in the study. During phase one, demographic information was obtained, and narratives were written (n = 43). Four focus group interviews were conducted in phase two (n = 17) and recommendations were formulated in phase three. Content analysis was used. Principal results: Participants experienced adverse working circumstances while caring for older persons and they needed resilience to balance the emotional nature of the work, work ethics, staff shortages, physical demands of the work and the dependency of the older persons. These nurses used personal, professional, contextual and spiritual strengths to handle adverse working conditions. Conclusions: By applying their personal, professional, contextual and spiritual strengths, nurses could further enhance these strengths and possibly their resilience. The participants' identified strengths were used to formulate recommendations to strengthen resilience of nurses caring for older persons

Relative contribution of banana and plantain products to the nutritional requirements for iron, zinc and vitamin A of infants and mothers in Cameroon

Introduction. Banana and plantain (ban+plant) play a substantial role in people’s diet in Cameroon. A survey was carried out in 240 households in four localities to determine the daily consumption of (ban+plant)-derived foods and the contribution of these foods to iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and vitamin A intake by children of less than 5 years of age and mothers. Materials and methods. The daily consumption level was assessed by a 24-h dietary recall during three consecutive days. The Fe, Zn and β-carotene (precursor of vitamin A) contents of (ban+plant) products were determined and the bioavailability of these micronutrients was estimated using the [phytate:Fe] and [phytate:Zn] molar ratios. Results. On a dry-weight basis, Fe content in (ban+plant)-based foods ranged from (0.78 to 1.32) mg·100 g–1; Zn content from (0.22 to 0.41) mg·100 g–1 and β-carotene content from (336 to 724) µg·100 g–1. Phytate content was between (0.17 and 1.23) g·100 g–1, with [phytate:Fe] and [phytate:Zn] molar ratios above the estimated bioavailability thresholds of 10–14 and 15, respectively, for all dishes. The daily quantities consumed by rural and urban subjects were not significantly different. The daily supply of Fe by (ban+plant) to children and mothers was 5% and 2%; Zn supply was 3% and 4%, respectively. In contrast, the daily vitamin A supply by (ban+plant) foods was relatively significant, reaching 13% on average per day for both children and mothers. In certain cases, this contribution was as high as 20%. Conclusion. Estimated bioavailability of Fe and Zn is low in (ban+plant) that, therefore, poorly contribute to Fe and Zn intake in the households. However, (ban+plant) are a good source of β-carotene and can make a substantial contribution to meeting vitamin A requirements of children and their mothers