Facilitators of implementing occupation based practice among Iranian occupational therapists: A qualitative study

Background: The Occupation-Based Practice (OBP) is a central core of occupational therapy (OT).It refers to using a meaningful occupation based on the client's interests, needs, health and participation in daily life. This study aimed to explore the facilitators of implementing OBP among Iranian occupational therapists. Methods: Fourteen occupational therapists participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and the sampling method was purposeful. The interviews were continued until data saturation was reached, and data were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis using constant comparative analysis. Results: Our analysis explored two themes: Factors attributed to context, and factors attributed to therapists. The first theme consisted of three subthemes: Educational programs of OT department, public information about OBP and clinical setting compatible with OBP. The second theme also contained three subthemes including: Positive attitude regarding effectiveness of OBP, emphasis on client- centered and family- centered practice and convincing the clients to utilize OBP. Conclusion: The facilitators of implementing OBP are attributed to factors internal to the therapists as well as to issues in the external environment and context. Understanding these factors will help occupational therapists, OT educational staff, administrators and rehabilitation team members to facilitate the implementation of OBP

Detection of barely visible impact damage in polymeric laminated composites using a biomimetic tactile whisker

This is a novel investigation on the possibility of detecting barely visible impact damage (BVID) in composite materials by whisking across the surface via tactile whisker sensors that resemble rats’ whiskers. A series of drop tower low-velocity impact tests were performed on quasi-isotropic composite plates. The plates were made from unidirectional T800 carbon/MTM49-3 epoxy prepregs with the stacking sequence of [45/0/90/−45]4S. Investigating the specimens’ surface by the naked eye does not reveal any significant damage, rather than a small dent on the surface, with no tangible difference in the different impact energy levels. Ultrasonic C-scan observations showed the existence of BVID in all the impact energy levels, with an increasing trend in the damage size by increasing the impact energy level. The collected data from whisker sensors were analyzed using the support vector machine classifier, based on their vibrational properties, to identify the impacted region and classify the impact severity. It was observed that after training for 13 whisker contacts, the BVID severity can be classified with an accuracy of 100%. This is offering a new BVID detection technique, with a high potential for automation and high reliability that can be used as an alternative or combined with available inspection systems

Characterisation and modelling of in-plane springback in a commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti)

Effective prediction of springback during sheet metal forming is critically important for automotive and aerospace industries, especially when forming metals with high strength to weight ratio such as Titanium. This requires materials mechanical data during plastic deformation and their dependencies on parameters like strain, strain rate and sample orientation. In this study, springback is quantified experimentally as elastic strain recovery, degradation in Young’s modulus and inelastic strain recovery on unloading in a commercially pure titanium type 50A (CP-Ti-50A). The results show strain rate dependent anisotropic mechanical behaviours and a degradation in Young’s modulus with increased level of plastic deformation. The level of degradation in Young’s modules increases gradually from 13% for samples parallel to the rolling direction (RD) to 20% for those perpendicular to the RD. A measurable non-linear strain recovery was also observed on unloading that is orientation dependent. The level of springback is characterised as the sum of elastic recovery and the contributions from both the degradation in Young’s modulus and anelastic strain recovery. It is shown that the Chord modulus can estimate springback with a reasonable accuracy taking into consideration the elastic strain recovery, degradation in Young’s modulus and anelastic strain recovery

A critical review of the current progress of plastic waste recycling technology in structural materials

One of the main environmentally threatening factors is plastic waste which generates in great quantity and causes severe damage to both inhabitants and the environment. Commonly, plastic waste generated on the land ends up in water bodies, resulting in detrimental solid impacts on the aquatics via poisoning and flooding the marine ecosystem. Exploring various approaches to convert plastic wastes into new products known as an efficient way to manage them and to enhance the sustainability of the environment, discussed in this article. Moreover, The limitation of the application of plastic waste for construction purposes is also considered. It is wind up that the usage of plastic waste for construction purposes will significantly rectify the sustainability of our environment and also be regarded as a trustworthy source of materials for applying in conventional materials such as concrete and asphalt

Livestock keepers’ attitudes: Keystone of effective community-based breeding programs

Livestock keepers in southwestern Burkina Faso hold the local Lobi taurine breed, local Zebu cattle, and their crosses. Some communities in the region have begun to implement community-based cattle breeding programs (CBBPs), which involve animal tagging and recording and, potentially, also bull sharing. Based on the hypothesis that the participation of livestock keepers in CBBPs depends on their attitudes towards these programs, we used questionnaires to survey the attitudes of 125 farmers towards cattle breeding strategies and tools. Results were analyzed using principal component analysis. Farmers showed a highly positive attitude towards maintaining the features of their preferred cattle breed, but their attitudes varied substantially towards crossbreeding for breed improvement. Farmers generally agreed that performance was more important than animal appearance, and most of them were willing to cooperate with breeders’ associations but were skeptical about sharing their bulls with other farmers. The majority was reluctant to record performance data, which may be due to a capacity deficit and their confidence in being able to select the best animals based purely on phenotype. Our analysis suggests that breeders’ associations, as a key component of CBBPs, should lay down clear rules and obligations for their members from the outset. Timely consideration of farmers’ attitudes towards different breeding tools may improve their uptake and guarantee the sustainability of CBBPs

Consensus Middle East and North Africa Registry on Inborn Errors of Immunity

Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic defects of immunity, which cause high rates of morbidity and mortality mainly among children due to infectious and non-infectious complications. The IEI burden has been critically underestimated in countries from middle- and low-income regions and the majority of patients with IEI in these regions lack a molecular diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed the clinical, immunologic, and genetic data of IEI patients from 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The data was collected from national registries and diverse databases such as the Asian Pacific Society for Immunodeficiencies (APSID) registry, African Society for Immunodeficiencies (ASID) registry, Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) registry, J Project centers, and International Consortium on Immune Deficiency (ICID) centers. Results: We identified 17,120 patients with IEI, among which females represented 39.4%. Parental consanguinity was present in 60.5% of cases and 27.3% of the patients were from families with a confirmed previous family history of IEI. The median age of patients at the onset of disease was 36 months and the median delay in diagnosis was 41 months. The rate of registered IEI patients ranges between 0.02 and 7.58 per 100,000 population, and the lowest rates were in countries with the highest rates of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and death rates for children. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most frequent IEI entities diagnosed in 41.2% of the cohort. Among 5871 patients genetically evaluated, the diagnostic yield was 83% with the majority (65.2%) having autosomal recessive defects. The mortality rate was the highest in patients with non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (51.7%, median age: 3.5 years) and particularly in patients with mutations in specific genes associated with this phenotype (RFXANK, RAG1, and IL2RG). Conclusions: This comprehensive registry highlights the importance of a detailed investigation of IEI patients in the MENA region. The high yield of genetic diagnosis of IEI in this region has important implications for prevention, prognosis, treatment, and resource allocation

Genome-wide scans identify known and novel regions associated with prolificacy and reproduction traits in a sub-Saharan African indigenous sheep (Ovis aries)

Maximizing the number of offspring born per female is a key functionality trait in commercial- and/or subsistence-oriented livestock enterprises. Although the number of offspring born is closely associated with female fertility and reproductive success, the genetic control of these traits remains poorly understood in sub-Saharan Africa livestock. Using selection signature analysis performed on Ovine HD BeadChip data from the prolific Bonga sheep in Ethiopia, 41 candidate regions under selection were identified. The analysis revealed one strong selection signature on a candidate region on chromosome X spanning BMP15, suggesting this to be the primary candidate prolificacy gene in the breed. The analysis also identified several candidate regions spanning genes not reported before in prolific sheep but underlying fertility and reproduction in other species. The genes associated with female reproduction traits included SPOCK1 (age at first oestrus), GPR173 (mediator of ovarian cyclicity), HB-EGF (signalling early pregnancy success) and SMARCAL1 and HMGN3a (regulate gene expression during embryogenesis). The genes involved in male reproduction were FOXJ1 (sperm function and successful fertilization) and NME5 (spermatogenesis). We also observed genes such as PKD2L2, MAGED1 and KDM3B, which have been associated with diverse fertility traits in both sexes of other species. The results confirm the complexity of the genetic mechanisms underlying reproduction while suggesting that prolificacy in the Bonga sheep, and possibly African indigenous sheep is partly under the control of BMP15 while other genes that enhance male and female fertility are essential for reproductive fitness

Characterisation and modelling of in-plane springback in a commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti)

Effective prediction of springback during sheet metal forming is critically important for automotive and aerospace industries, especially when forming metals with high strength to weight ratio such as Titanium. This requires materials mechanical data during plastic deformation and their dependencies on parameters like strain, strain rate and sample orientation. In this study, springback is quantified experimentally as elastic strain recovery, degradation in Young’s modulus and inelastic strain recovery on unloading in a commercially pure titanium type 50A (CP-Ti-50A). The results show strain rate dependent anisotropic mechanical behaviours and a degradation in Young’s modulus with increased level of plastic deformation. The level of degradation in Young’s modules increases gradually from 13% for samples parallel to the rolling direction (RD) to 20% for those perpendicular to the RD. A measurable non-linear strain recovery was also observed on unloading that is orientation dependent. The level of springback is characterised as the sum of elastic recovery and the contributions from both the degradation in Young’s modulus and anelastic strain recovery. It is shown that the Chord modulus can estimate springback with a reasonable accuracy taking into consideration the elastic strain recovery, degradation in Young’s modulus and anelastic strain recovery