How do nurses and teachers perform breast self-examination: are they reliable sources of information?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine and compare knowledge, behavior and attitudes among female nurses and teachers concerning breast self-examination (BSE).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two-hundred and eighty nine women working in Aydin, Turkey (125 nurses and 164 teachers) were included in the study. The data were collected using a questionnaire designed to measure the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of the groups. Analysis involved percentiles, χ²tests, <it>t </it>tests and factor analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The knowledge of nurses about BSE was higher than that of teachers (81.5% versus 45.1%; p < 0.001). BSE practice parameters (i.e. age groups, indications, frequency) were similar (p > 0.05), whereas skills in performing self-examination were higher in nurses (p < 0.001). Fear of having breast cancer is the most frequent reason for performing BSE. Among nurses, the reasons for failure to perform BSE were the absence of prominent breast problems (82%) and forgetting (56.4%). The teachers who did not perform BSE said that the reasons were lack of knowledge on how to perform self-examination (68.9%) and absence of problems (54%). Both groups had unacceptable technical errors in the performance of BSE.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that nurses and teachers should be supported with information enabling them to accomplish their roles in the community. To improve BSE practice, it is crucial to coordinate continuous and planned education.</p

Performance Enhancement of İnverted Type Organic Solar Cells By Using Eu Doped TiO2 Thin Film

In the present work, europium (Eu) has been used as a dopant element in titanium dioxide (TiO2) crystal structure to enhance the photovoltaic performance of the inverted type organic solar cells fabricated with TiO2 thin film as an electron transport layer. Poly(3-hexylthiophene):phenylC61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT: PCBM) blend has been used as an active layer and Eu:TiO2 thin films have been fabricated with different Eu concentrations as 0, 1, 5, 7 and 10% (w/w) by sol-gel method. Effect of Eu doping concentration on the photovoltaic performance of the inverted type solar cells has been investigated. Inverted type organic solar cells using Eu doped TiO2 thin films as electron transport layer has been fabricated as a structure of ITO/Eu:TiO2/P3HT:PCBM/Ag. Power conversion efficiency of the fabricated solar cells increased from 1.16% to 2.47% at 5% Eu doping concentration. Electron transport and hole blocking properties of the TiO2 inter layer has been improved by Eu doping. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.Ahi Evran Üniversitesi: MMF.A3.16.009This research is supported by Ahi Evran University Grant no.: MMF.A3.16.009