The nursing process presented as routine care actions: building its meaning in clinical nurses' perspective

This qualitative study aimed to understand the meanings attributed to the nursing process by clinical nurses at a Mexican hospital. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and document research. Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory were the theoretical and methodological frameworks for data analysis, which permitted understanding the experience and meaning nurses attributed to the nursing process in their daily care practice, which was unveiled as routine care actions, performed differently from what they had learned in school.Este estudio de naturaleza cualitativa tuvo como objetivo comprender los significados atribuidos al proceso de enfermería por enfermeras de una unidad clínica de un hospital de México. La recolección de datos fue realizada por medio de entrevistas semiestructuradas, complementada con la observación participante y la consulta documental. Los datos fueron analizados bajo el marco teórico y metodológico del Interaccionismo Simbólico y la Teoría Fundamentada en los Datos, que posibilitaron la comprensión de la experiencia y significado atribuido por las enfermeras, al proceso de enfermería en su práctica cotidiana asistencial, que se desvela como acciones de cuidado rutinario, aplicados de forma diferente a lo enseñado y aprendido en la escuela.Este estudo, de natureza qualitativa, teve como objetivo compreender os significados atribuídos ao processo de enfermagem por enfermeiras da unidade clínica em um hospital do México. A coleta dos dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, complementada por observação participante e consulta documental. Os dados foram analisados tendo como referenciais teóricos e metodológicos o Interacionismo Simbólico e a Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados, possibilitando a compreensão da vivência e o significado atribuído pelas enfermeiras ao processo de enfermagem, na prática cotidiana assistencial, que se desvela como ações de cuidado rotineiro, aplicados de forma diferente daquilo que é ensinado e aprendido na escola

Evaluating innovative direct and indirect soil suction and volumetric measurement techniques for the determination of soil water retention curves following drying and wetting paths

Soil Water Retention Curves (SWRC) are a main characterising component in constitutive models developed for describing unsaturated soils behaviour. Their determination requires establishing a combination of accurate soil matric suction measurements and volumetric measurements. While direct suction methods are always preferred, current methods, such as high capacity tensiometers, are limited to a measuring range of only 1.5 MPa. In this work, the novel Northumbria High Capacity Tensiometer, with an extended measuring range of up to 3.5 MPa, is used in a simplified continuous-drying setup, with proposed modifications to enhance the equalisation times and volumetric measurements. The results are then compared and validated with direct and indirect methods in both drying and wetting paths. At the same time, different volumetric measurement techniques were assessed in order to establish an understanding of Soil Shrinkage Curves (SSCs) that describe the moisture-voids relationship during drying and wetting and has the potential to be used for indirect determination of volumetric dimensions of soil specimens. Hysteresis was observed in the water retention behaviour but not in the volumetric behaviour. An established SSC model is proposed in this work and is fitted to experimental data in order to indirectly es- timate volumetric measurements from the water content of small-scale specimens. The proposed novel approach standardises volumetric measurements determination, leading to uniform and complete-range SWRCs.The authors want to thank Dr. Stefano Collico for the discussions and help on constructing the fitting-model scripts in Matlab. The financial contribution of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities including FEDER funds from the European Commission – BIA2017-82594-R – is gratefully acknowledged. The second author thanks the scholarship FI (2021 FI_B2 00088) from AGAUR - Generalitat de Catalunya and the European Social Fund. The financial contribution of the Northumbria University Faculty of Engineering and Environment and the Northumbria University Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering MCE QR Steering Funds are greatly acknowledged.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Influence of compaction on the soil shrinkage and swelling curves

The behaviour of soils undergoing deformation due to changes in water content can be described using Soil Shrinkage Curves (SSCs). The SSCs are normally influenced by several factors as the soil’s fabric, different compaction levels, residual void ratio, and the shrinkage limit. In this study, shrinkage curves at different compaction levels were obtained using both wax coating and image analysis as volumetric quantification methods. Both techniques returned consistent results. To fit the obtained experimental data, a single equation is proposed with fitting parameters pertaining to the physical characteristics of the soil samples used. The use of Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) is also incorporated to further analyse the structure of the soils being studied. The effect of the drying path on the structure was more apparent in the size range of 100-2000 nm. The effects of compaction on soil structure and shrinkage behaviour were also discussed in the study. The presented work provides valuable insights on the effect of different compaction levels on the soil shrinkage behaviour.Postprint (published version

Theoretical values of convective turnover times and Rossby numbers for solar-like, pre-main sequence stars

Magnetic fields are at the heart of the observed stellar activity in late-type stars, and they are presumably generated by a dynamo mechanism at the interface layer between the radiative and the convective stellar regions. Since dynamo models are based on the interaction between differential rotation and convective motions, the introduction of rotation in the ATON 2.3 stellar code allows for explorations regarding a physically consistent treatment of magnetic effects in stellar structure and evolution, even though there are formidable mathematical and numerical challenges involved. As examples, we present theoretical estimates for both the local (tau_c) and global (tau_g) convective turnover times for rotating pre-main sequence solar-type stars, based on up-to-date input physics for stellar models. Our theoretical predictions are compared with the previous ones available in the literature. In addition, we investigate the dependence of the convective turnover time on convection regimes, the presence of rotation and atmospheric treatment. Those estimates, this quantities can be used to calculate the Rossby number, Ro, which is related to the magnetic activity strength in dynamo theories and, at least for main-sequence stars, shows an observational correlation with stellar activity. More important, they can also contribute for testing stellar models against observations. Our theoretical values of tau_c, tau_g and Ro qualitatively agree with those published by Kim & Demarque (1996). By increasing the convection efficiency, tau_g decreases for a given mass. FST models show still lower values. The presence of rotation shifts tau_g towards slightly higher values when compared with non-rotating models. The use of non-gray boundary conditions in the models yields values of tau_g smaller than in the gray approximation.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in A&

High Capacity Tensiometers: performance and behaviours

High capacity tensiometers (HCT) allow the direct measurement of soil matric suction, and their major limitation is the occurrence of cavitation. In this paper HCT designs using different ceramic filters with varied air entry values (AEV), varied reservoir sizes, and different pressure transducers are assessed as to determine the impact that each component may have in the HCT performance. Moreover, the effectiveness of first saturation and resaturation processes is discussed in relation to the time required to prepare/recover HCTs. The results obtained with the different designs show that the measuring range is directly linked to the AEV of the ceramic filter and that the choice of materials used for the various components may affect the reliability of measurements in field installations if the thermal performance is not accounted for in the calibration procedure. The use of a 1hr high vacuum pre-stage followed by overnight water pressurisation at pressures equal or above the AEV of the ceramic filter was found to be the quickest process to fully saturate an HCT for the first time. While resaturation time for an HCT can be reduced to as little as a few minutes if the HCT is resaturated immediately after cavitation has occurred.Postprint (published version

Evidence of early bottom water current flow after the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Gulf of Cadiz

Highlights • Stratigraphic framework over the Miocene-Pliocene boundary at IODP Site U1387. • Abrupt sedimentary changes over the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. • Clear hints for onset of Mediterranean Outflow after the Messinian Salinity Crisis. • Evidence of bottom water currents in contouritic sedimentation and elevated Zr/Al. • Quiet, hemipelagic sediment deposition during the Messinian in the Gulf of Cadiz. Abstract Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 339 cored multiple sites in the Gulf of Cadiz in order to study contourite deposition resulting from Mediterranean Outflow water (MOW). One hole, U1387C, was cored to a depth of 865.6 meters below seafloor (mbsf) with the goal of recovering the Latest Miocene to Pliocene transition in order to evaluate the history of MOW immediately after the end of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. To understand this history, an accurate age model for the succession is needed, but is challenging to construct, because the Miocene-Pliocene boundary is not marked by a clear biostratigraphic event in the Atlantic and coring gaps occur within the recovered stratigraphic record. These limitations are overcome by combining a variety of chronostratigraphic datasets to construct an age-model that fits the currently available age indicators and demonstrates that coring in Hole U1387C did indeed recover the Miocene-Pliocene boundary at around 826 mbsf. This boundary is associated with a distinct and abrupt change in depositional environment. During the latest Messinian, hemipelagic sediments exhibiting precession-induced climate variability were deposited. These are overlain by Pliocene sediments deposited at a much higher sedimentation rate, with much higher and more variable XRF-scanning Zr/Al ratios than the underlying sediment, and that show evidence of winnowing, particle sorting and increasing grain size, which we interpret to be related to the increasing flow of MOW. Pliocene sedimentary cyclicity is clearly visible in both the benthic δ18O record and the Zr/Al data and is probably also precessionally controlled. Two contouritic bigradational sandy-beds are revealed above the third sedimentary cycle of the Pliocene. On the basis of these results, we conclude that sedimentation associated with weak Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange, began in the Gulf of Cadiz virtually at or shortly after the Miocene-Pliocene boundary

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic