The Extinction Oxygen Index of polyester-cotton blended fabrics

Limiting and extinction oxygen index techniques have been used to study the effects that fabric variables and blend composition have on the burning behaviour of 20/80, 50/50 and 65/35 polyester-cotton blended fabrics. Whilst LOI values were not dependent on ignition time, they were for a given blend com position dependent on fabric area density. Lo values determined at zero area density were little dependent on blend composition for the blends studied. EOI values, as shown previously for single fibre component fabrics, were de pendent on igniter application times. Derived [EOI]o values at zero ignition times, like LOI, increased with area density. Zero area density or "free-fibre" extinction oxygen index Eo values, like LOI and Lo, varied only slightly with blend composition. However, when compared with respective values for pure polyester and cotton fabrics, the respective magnitudes of blend Eo values pro vide a better indication than do Lo values of the difference of blend from individual component fibre burning behaviour. Thus it is considered that the extinction concept provides a better indication of the variations of flammable character of polyester-cotton blends compared to the individual fibre-containing fabrics

The perspective of patients on their experience of powerlessness.

Although self-determination is a key issue in empowerment, the perspective of patients on their experience of empowerment has been poorly investigated. The authors have attempted to understand better what the process of empowerment means to patients by investigating the situations and feelings of powerlessness from which a process of empowerment might evolve. They conducted 40 interviews of patients with various chronic conditions and looked for the commonalities in their experiences of powerlessness. Their findings show that powerlessness extends well beyond strictly medical and treatment-related issues, as the study participants all expressed or demonstrated to have at some point or another experienced a distressing feeling of insecurity and a threat to their social and personal identities. The authors therefore suggest that an empowering provider-patient interaction should address these issues by providing for reassurance and opportunities for self-exploration as a prerequisite to participation and self-determination in treatment-related decisions.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe