ElectroOsmoDialysis

Concentration Polarization (CP) and limiting-current phenomena are well-known to limit the productivity of electrodialysis by reducing the current efficiency at higher current densities. Considerable effort has been devoted to attempts to reduce the CP primarily via intensification of external mass transfer close to the membrane surfaces. However, it is notoriously difficult to stir liquids very close to solid surfaces so intensification of cross-flow hydrodynamics has only limited impact and obviously implies additional energy costs. In conventional electro-membrane systems, limiting-current phenomena occur because salt is delivered to polarized membrane/solution interfaces primarily by diffusion. Its rate is limited since the salt concentration cannot drop below zero. In liquids convection is a much more effective transport mechanism than diffusion. Therefore, much attention has been paid to the so-called electro-convection in electro-membrane processes. Nonetheless at short distances from the membrane surfaces even electro-convection remains predominantly tangential so its rate is limited due to the no-slip condition. Normal convection would be much more effective but in the case of conventional ion-exchange membranes it is very week owing to the extremely low mechanical permeability of these membranes. At the same time, with nano-porous charged diaphragms the limiting current can be effectively suppressed due to the normal electro-osmotic flow [1]. This presentation will show in what way considerable (quasi)normal convective flow through ion-exchange membranes (IEXMs) can be arranged for. This can be achieved via creating relatively scarce microscopic perforations in the otherwise almost impermeable membrane matrix. The transmembrane volume flow can be created in several ways but in this presentation we will consider the scenario of putting a nano-porous layer in series with the perforated IEXM so that the former works as an electroosmotic pump. In this case the liquid flow through the perforated IEXM is predominantly driven by the electroosmotic pressure gradients arising within the nanoporous electroosmotic layer. Via numerical simulations, we will demonstrate that due to this (quasi)normal convection (and corresponding salt delivery to the current-polarized interface), limiting current, indeed, is suppressed. Nonetheless, the CP phenomenon itself does not disappear. With increasing current density the salt concentration tends not to zero but to a finite limiting value, which is a function of system parameters. Evidently, in addition to the decrease in the concentration (similar to the conventional ED) there is a volume transfer across the “sandwich”. If a cell pair is formed by two perforated IEXMs of opposite polarity (each “sandwiched” with its own nanoporous EO layer of opposite surface charge) the volume flows through the composite membranes have opposite directions and can merge into a tangential flow along a channel separating them. Due to this, one can expect increased product recovery as compared to the conventional ED. In view of the important role played by electroosmosis, this novel membrane separation process can be termed ElectroOsmoDialysis (EOD). [1] A. Yaroshchuk, What makes a nano-channel? A limiting-current criterion, Microfluid. Nanofluidics. 12 (2012) 615–624. doi:10.1007/s10404-011-0902-6

Social Sustainable Education in a Refugee Camp

The main objective of this article is to discuss how an Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institution in a refugee camp can promote social sustainable education. By giving empirical examples of innovative pedagogical ideas and practices inside a Greek ECEC institution, this article argues that concepts of formation are ways to promote social sustainable education. The article draws on data from an ECEC institution in which both the children living in a refugee camp and Greek children are located together. With nature as a neutral cultural mediator, serving as a pedagogical framework, children can make new experiences based on participation, equality and mutual respect. Data were produced through field observations, semi-structured interviews and one group interview from March 2019 until September 2019. The empirical data reveal three dimensions that we suggest work as markers for social sustainable pedagogical practice: the importance of nature and play as a facilitator for children’s activities; the importance of participation and equality; and the importance of commitment to the community. The findings are discussed in relation with theoretical concepts of formation, with a particular focus on children as active agents and the value of experiences, and the importance of highly qualified educators.publishedVersio

Asymmetric electroosmotic pumping across porous media sandwiched with perforated ion-exchange membranes

To have non-zero net flow in AC electroosmotic pumps, the electroosmosis (EO) has to be non-linear and asymmetric. This can be achieved due to ionic concentration polarization. This is known to occur close to micro-/nano-interfaces provided that the sizes of the nanopores are not too large compared to the Debye screening length. However, operation of the corresponding EO pumps can be quite sensitive to the solution concentration and, thus, unstable in practical applications. Concentration polarization of ion-exchange membranes is much more robust. However, the hydraulic permeability of the membrane is very low, which makes EO flows through them extremely small. This communication shows theoretically how this problem can be resolved via making scarce microscopic perforations in an ion-exchange membrane and putting it in series with an EO-active nano-porous medium. The problem of coupled flow, concentration and electrostatic-potential distributions is solved numerically by using finite-element methods. This analysis reveals that even quite scarce perforations of micron-scale diameters are sufficient to observe practically-interesting EO flows in the system. If the average distance between the perforations is smaller than the thickness of the EO-active layer, there is an effective homogenization of the electrolyte concentration and hydrostatic pressure in the lateral direction at some distance from the interface. The simulations show this distance to be somewhat lower than the half-distance between the perforations. On the other hand, when the surface fraction of perforations is sufficiently small (below a fraction of a percent) this “homogeneous” concentration is considerably reduced (or increased, depending on the current direction), which makes the EO strongly non-linear and asymmetric. This analysis provides initial guidance for the design of high-productivity and inexpensive AC electroosmotic pumps.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Samhandlingsreformen og bruk av digitale verktøy på Fosen. En innledende kartlegging

-Informasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi (IKT), som høykvalitets videokonferanser, sensorteknologi etc., kan være viktige hjelpemidler i gjennomføringen av Samhandlingsreformen (SHR). Gjennom kvalitative intervjuer av 53 personer ble det undersøkt hvilke strukturelle og kulturelle forhold som det er viktig å ta hensyn til i Fosenkommunene i gjennomføringen av SHR ved hjelp av digitale verktøy. Det eksisterende kommunesamarbeidet på Fosen er et meget godt utgangspunkt for realisering av SHR. Det gis også i dag et relativt avansert helsetilbud som inkluderer bruk av IKT, særlig gjennom Fosen Distriktsmedisinske Senter, men også ved sykehjemmene. Ansatte i helsetjenestene er generelt positive til utviklingsprosjekter og til å ta i bruk ny IKT. Det er imidlertid noe skepsis knyttet til bruk av IKT mellom behandler og pasient, og også generelt til hvorvidt brukerstøtten vil være tilstrekkelig. Det anbefales at innføring av nye IKT-løsninger tas i avgrensede steg. Ved hvert steg bør det sikres tilstrekkelig opplæring, mestring og brukerstøtte for å ivareta tilliten til løsningene. Sykehjemmene kan være ”noder” i utvidelsen av samarbeidet mellom Fosenkommunene ved hjelp av IKT. Det beskrives noen utfordringer som bør søkes løst, blant annet knyttet til opplæring av mange deltidsansatte, tilgjengelighet til videokonferanseutstyr, brukerstøtte og organisatoriske forhold i spesialisthelsetjenesten

Systemic inflammation early after kidney transplantation is associated with long-term graft loss: a cohort study

Background: Early graft loss following kidney transplantation is mainly a result of acute rejection or surgical complications, while long-term kidney allograft loss is more complex. We examined the association between systemic inflammation early after kidney transplantation and long-term graft loss, as well as correlations between systemic inflammation scores and inflammatory findings in biopsies 6 weeks and 1 year after kidney transplantation. Methods: We measured 21 inflammatory biomarkers 10 weeks after transplantation in 699 patients who were transplanted between 2009 and 2012 at Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Norway. Low-grade inflammation was assessed with predefined inflammation scores based on specific biomarkers: one overall inflammation score and five pathway-specific scores. Surveillance or indication biopsies were performed in all patients 6 weeks after transplantation. The scores were tested in Cox regression models. Results: Median follow-up time was 9.1 years (interquartile range 7.6-10.7 years). During the study period, there were 84 (12.2%) death-censored graft losses. The overall inflammation score was associated with long-term kidney graft loss both when assessed as a continuous variable (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06, P = 0.005) and as a categorical variable (4th quartile: hazard ratio 3.19, 95% CI 1.43-7.10, P = 0.005). In the pathway-specific analyses, fibrogenesis activity and vascular inflammation stood out. The vascular inflammation score was associated with inflammation in biopsies 6 weeks and 1 year after transplantation, while the fibrinogenesis score was associated with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy. Conclusion: In conclusion, a systemic inflammatory environment early after kidney transplantation was associated with biopsy-confirmed kidney graft pathology and long-term kidney graft loss. The systemic vascular inflammation score correlated with inflammatory findings in biopsies 6 weeks and 1 year after transplantation

Advancing the status of nursing: reconstruction professional nursing identity through patient safety work

Background Recent decades have seen increased attention to patient safety in health care. This is often in the form of programmes aiming to change professional behaviours. Health professionals in hospitals have traditionally resented such initiatives because patient safety programmes often take a managerialist form that may be interpreted as a challenge to professional identity. Research, however, has mostly paid attention to the role of physicians. This study aims to highlight how such programmes may affect professional nursing identity. Methods We qualitatively investigated the implementation of a patient safety programme in Norway, paying attention to changes in nurses’ practices and values. Based on purposive sampling, two group interviews, four individual interviews and five hours of observational studies were conducted in a hospital department, involving ten nurses and three informants from the hospital management. Interviews were conducted in offices at the hospital, and observations were performed in situ. All the interviews lasted from one to one and a half hours, and were recorded and transcribed ad verbatim. Data was analysed according to ad-hoc meaning generation. Results The following analytical categories were developed: reconstructing trust, reconstructing work, reconstructing values and reconstructing professional status. The patient safety programme involved a shift in patient safety-related decisions, from being based on professional judgement to being more system based. Some of the patient safety work that previously had been invisible and tacit became more visible. The patient safety programme involved activities that were more in accordance with the ‘cure’ discourse than traditional ‘care’ work within nursing. As a result, this implied a heightened perceived professional status among the nurses. The safety programme was – contrary to the ‘normal’ resistance against audit systems – well received because of the raised perceived professional status among the nurses. Conclusions Reconstructing trust, work, values and status, and even the profession itself, is being reconstructed through the work involved in implementing the procedures from the safety programme. Professional knowledge and identity are being challenged and changed, and what counts as good, professional nursing of high quality is being reconstructed

Use of Technology in the Study of Team-Interaction and Performance

Direct observation of groups is labor-intensive. As a result, current research on small groups often relies on retrospective ratings. Recent developments in sensor-technology have eased data gathering, leading to a renewed interest in direct observation of groups. Sensor technology has potential, but also limitations; research has been technology- and data-driven with less recognition of the large body, and long history, of research and theory building. We review the literature on technology in small group research, argue for more interdisciplinary research and propose combining sensor technology with methods of interaction analysis, and the theories that underlie them, developed prior to 1980

En kvinne i 40-årene som brukte vanedannende legemidler i svært høye doser

En kvinne i 40-årene fikk forskrevet opioider i forbindelse med et operativt inngrep. Forskrivningen eskalerte i etterkant til enorme doser som viste seg å skape utfordringer i det videre behandlingsforløpet

Social Sustainable Education in a Refugee Camp

The main objective of this article is to discuss how an Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institution in a refugee camp can promote social sustainable education. By giving empirical examples of innovative pedagogical ideas and practices inside a Greek ECEC institution, this article argues that concepts of formation are ways to promote social sustainable education. The article draws on data from an ECEC institution in which both the children living in a refugee camp and Greek children are located together. With nature as a neutral cultural mediator, serving as a pedagogical framework, children can make new experiences based on participation, equality and mutual respect. Data were produced through field observations, semi-structured interviews and one group interview from March 2019 until September 2019. The empirical data reveal three dimensions that we suggest work as markers for social sustainable pedagogical practice: the importance of nature and play as a facilitator for children’s activities; the importance of participation and equality; and the importance of commitment to the community. The findings are discussed in relation with theoretical concepts of formation, with a particular focus on children as active agents and the value of experiences, and the importance of highly qualified educators