Locking device for turbine rotor blades Patent

Locking device for retaining turbine rotor blades on turbine whee

A Qualitative Study Exploring Patient Shadowing as a Method to Improve Patient-Centred Care: Ten Principles for a New Gold Standard

Background In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on patient experience as a dimension of quality in healthcare, and subsequently a drive to understand care from the patient’s perspective. Patient shadowing is an approach which has been used in service improvement projects, but its potential as a Quality Improvement (QI) method has not been studied in practical and replicable detail. This research aimed to do this, and to produce clear guidance for future teams. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 clinical and non-clinical participants of a national quality improvement programme in England, which focused on improving the experience of patients at the end of life. All participants had shadowed patients. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results There were two broad themes: 1) The process of shadowing: how participants went about shadowing, adopting different approaches and making judgements about the care they observed, and any challenges they had encountered. 2) The impact of shadowing: on the engagement and motivation of those who shadowed, and in terms of service changes to benefit patients and their families. Conclusion The findings led to a new set of ‘gold standard’ principles to benefit both staff and patients where shadowing is used as QI method. These, together with new guidance, will ensure that shadowing is conducted as a team exercise, and that all those involved are more robustly prepared and supported, and that its purpose as a method to improve patient experience will be better understood

‘As soon as you've been there, it makes it personal’: The experience of health-care staff shadowing patients at the end of life

Background Patient shadowing is an experiential technique intended to enable those who shadow to understand care experience from the patient's point of view. It is used in quality improvement to bring about change that focuses on what is important for patients. Aim To explore the acceptability of patient shadowing for health-care staff, the impact of the experience and subsequent motivations to make improvements. Method A qualitative study with a diverse sample of 20 clinical and non-clinical health-care staff in different end-of-life settings. Data were analysed thematically. Results Anticipated anxieties about shadowing did not materialize in participant accounts, although for some it was a deeply emotional experience, intensified by being with patients who were at the end of life. Shadowing not only impacted on participants personally, but also promoted better insights into the experience of patients, thus focusing their improvement efforts. Participants reported that patients and families who were shadowed welcomed additional caring attention. Conclusion With the right preparation and support, patient shadowing is a technique that engages and motivates health-care staff to improve patient-centred care

Changes in Susceptibility to X-Rays of Certain Embryonic Cells of the Grasshopper (Abstract)

Eggs of Melanoplus differentialis were irradiated with dosages of 1,000-10,000 roentgens, in steps of 1,000 on each of the first six days after laying. Gross and microscopical studies of the eggs were made after the controls had reached diapause. It was found that the radiation on the first and second days had prevented subsequent development of all cells. Irradiation after the second day inhibited the development only of the cells of the embryo proper. It is therefore indicated that the yolk and serosa cells undergo 1:1 marked increase in their resistance to X-rays after the second day. The yolk and serosa cells are apparently able to complete the process of differentiation following exposure to the radiation. The most evident morphological expression of this differentiation is a marked increase in size, especially of the nucleus. In some of the eggs irradiated on the second day this process of differentiation was so affected that large masses of nuclear material were produced

Experimental Modification of X-Ray Injury to the Skin of New-Born Rats (Abstract)

New-born rats have been irradiated with dosages of 300 to 3,000· roentgens and the effects noted on the skin (histologically) two weeks later. It was found that animals irradiated at temperatures of 0-10 degrees C. were much more resistant to the radiation than those at room temperature. It was also found that at 30 and 35 degrees C. the injury produced was greater than that at 25 degrees C. The effect of the temperature changes appears to be due (at least in part) to alterations produced in metabolic conditions. This conclusion is based on experiments in which the resistance was increased by preventing breathing during the irradiation. It was also found that legs and tails were more resistant if a ligature was applied during the roentgen treatment

Effect of alloying on mechanical properties of as cast ferritic nodular cast irons

The development of low temperature applications for ferritic nodular cast irons calls for improved materials in the as cast state, e.g. for off-shore windmills components. Within this line of work, a series of 68 castings were prepared with the same casting procedure and slight changes in composition. The tensile properties at room temperature, as well as the impact energy for rupture at room temperature, 220 °C and 240 °C, were measured. Outputs from multivariate analysis performed on the data are then discussed and compared to literature results, putting emphasis on the properties of the ferritic matrix