Critical Capacity Research Articles

Critical Temperatures, Pressures, Heat Capacities, and Thermal Diffusivities of C3 to C6 Dinitriles

Critical Temperatures, Pressures, Heat Capacities, and Thermal Diffusivities of C3 to C6 Dinitriles

Synthesis and Performance Analysis of New Anionic–Nonionic Gemini Surfactants

Microwave-assisted method was used to synthesize successfully a series of new surfactants. Maleic anhydride, ethylenediamine, polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (number of polymerization of ethylene oxide = 3, 5, 7, 9, 12) and sodium sulfite were used. The optimal reaction conditions for synthesizing five new surfactant products were obtained by response surface design. The chemical structure of five new surfactant products were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry, elementary analysis and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension, emulsifying power and foaming capacity in aqueous solution were studied. The microemulsion cutting fluid was also prepared by micro-emulsification of self-made new anionic–nonionic Genimi surfactant. The influence of the different structural unit of ethoxy (EO) and additives on the surface properties of five new prepared products was researched. CMC and γcmc of five new prepared products were in the scope of 3.39×10−4~3.48×10−4 mol/L and 21.9~23.4 mN/m respectively. Oxalamide polyoxyethylene(12) lauryl biether succinate sodium sulfonate was the optimum foamability and foam stability among five new prepared surfactants. Oxalamide polyoxyethylene( 3) lauryl biether succinate sodium sulfonate was the best emulsification power in the five new product. The cutting fluid prepared by self-made Gemini surfactant showed good performance. Experimental results show that it is expected to be a wide range applications in oil emulsification and other fields for new Gemini surfactants.

26 Running a Safe Aortic Service in the Covid-Era

Abstract Introduction Within the Covid-19 pandemic, elective surgery has been cancelled to increase critical care capacity. With two thirds of abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures lethal, it is important to consider how to run a safe aortic service within the pandemic. Vascular patients have an increased risk of mortality from Covid-19. By considering ambulatory care, shortening hospital stay and discharging to level 1 care for non-complex infrarenal endovascular aneurism repairs (EVAR), critical care capacity can be kept available and exposure to nosocomial Covid-19 can be reduced. Method A retrospective audit of EVAR patient’s documentation examined the ASA, level of postoperative care, time to discharge, geographical and personal care factors. These were compared with pre-established criteria deeming suitability for ambulatory or ward level care. Results were presented locally and subsequent reaudit conducted. Results The initial audit included 40 records. 30% of patients were potential targets for ambulatory care with the median discharge on postoperative day 3. All patients were admitted to the high dependency unit (HDU) with 12.5% of patients receiving treatment that required a HDU level of care. Upon reaudit, 8 records were included with all patients admitted to HDU and the median day of discharge postoperative day 2. Notably, 37.5% patients were discharged on postoperative day 1 and a day of surgery admission (DOSA) process was implemented. Conclusions By reviewing a health board’s EVAR caseload, suitability for short stay EVARs can be assessed. Implementing an early discharge and DOSA process keeps care capacity available and may protect against nosocomial Covid-19.

SARS-CoV-2, Lung Protective Ventilation, Low Middle Income Countries, and Pediatric Intensivists as Cross Disciplinary Knowledge Translation and Implementation Science Specialists

PurposeWe hypothesized that despite the low incidence of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections in children in Guyana, due to their specific skillset in lung protective ventilation, our Pediatric Intensivists were uniquely positioned to address significant training and readiness gaps in our colleagues attending a surging critically ill Adult COVID-19 patient population.Methods & MaterialsIn Guyana, there are few clinicians trained in Critical-Care Medicine (CCM). The high incidence of ventilator dependence in seriously ill SARS-CoV2 patients, combined with a dearth of CCM practitioners competent in complex mechanical ventilation management left Guyana ill prepared to manage these patients. This knowledge deficit was further exacerbated in that many clinicians at our National Infectious Diseases Hospital were co-opted into CCM roles from other specialties with little to no CCM training. We have a very small core of Pediatric Surgical Critical Care Medicine staff that was formally trained in PCCM outside of Guyana. This core was instrumental in establishing a unique and formal Pediatric Critical-Care Medicine Micro-Modular Fellowship (PCCM-MMF) program that allowed the creation of Guyana's only Pediatric ICU. A significant number of that core are also involved in Guyana‘s National COVID Task Force. Given that all graduates of our PCCM-MMF program are extensively trained in Lung Protective Ventilation, it was very appropriate to utilize them to augment Adult critical care capacity. Thirty physicians with primarily adult practices and little to no previous knowledge of ventilator management were enrolled in a multi-modal triphasic mechanical ventilation short course facilitated by PCCM staff.ResultsWe were able to rapidly enable two cohorts of 15 Adult clinicians to competently address critical knowledge deficits and staffing shortfalls. We improved morbidity and mortality amongst our mechanically ventilated adult COVID-19 patients, as well as relieved significant multifactorial caregiver strain.ConclusionOur successful utilization of PCCM staff as Mechanical Ventilation didactic and clinical educators for an Adult patient population carries implications for cross disciplinary Knowledge Translation and Implementation Science in a wide variety of practice milieus. We are actively pursuing research opportunities to further experiment with other skill sets incorporated in our PCCM Micro-Modular Fellowship and welcome potential collaborators.

Cannabis users and Homo Sovieticus. Stigma, culture, and delegitimization in Riga, Latvia

Cannabis ‘formula stories’ are disproportionately conceptualized from the gaze of a few mostly high-income Anglo-American nations that not only shape their own narratives and policies of cannabis but are also influential abroad. Lack of research in other mostly non-English-speaking countries has translated into a gap in knowledge about what cannabis formula stories are adopted, and how stigma is conceptualized by cannabis users. Using semi-structured interviews with cannabis users, this paper gives the first insight into how cannabis stigma is constructed in the post-Soviet European Riga, Latvia. Analysis corroborates previous findings of the delegitimization strategies that cannabis users adopt to resist stigma. However, people who stigmatize cannabis use are constructed as Soviet-born and agency-stripped Homo Sovieticus, who perceives all cannabis users as physically discriminable ‘potheads.’ To avoid sanctions, cannabis users, as members of the generation that does possess agency, avoid appearing as potheads. Thus, the knowledge and considered evasion of symbols that adhere to societal discriminatory ideas about ‘pothead’ cannabis users represent users’ ‘secret knowledge’ and their functional relationship with a cannabis-disdaining society. The study demonstrates how exaggerated stories shift user attention away from reflections about consumption patterns and toward a concern for the critical capacity of exaggerated cannabis story disseminators.

Rheological characteristics analysis of shear thickening fluids based on response surface methodology

This paper analyzed the influence of various components and the external environment on the rheological properties of shear thickening fluid (STF). The single-factor experimental study was carried out with the silica particle size, the mass fraction of silica particles, the continuous phase’s average molecular weight, and the temperature as the influencing factors. Obtain the influence of various factors on the initial viscosity, critical shear rate, thickening period and thickening ratio of STF samples. According to the crossover relationship between the shear stress and the intermolecular force when the shear thickening occurs, the STF’s critical shear rate criterion is constructed. By introducing the mechanical balance between small molecules, the relationship between the particles’ volume fraction and the distance between particles in the suspension system is established. The influencing factors and formulas of the STF’s critical shear rate and shear capacity are deduced, which supports the conclusions obtained in the single-factor experiment. Based on the single-factor experiment conclusion, the mass fraction of silica particles, the average molecular weight of the continuous phase and the temperature are used as the influencing factors, and the critical shear rate, shear thickening ratio and maximum viscosity are the responses indicators. According to the Box-Behnken response surface methodology (RSM) design, 15 analysis experiments with three factors and three levels are carried out. Obtain the rheological characteristics of the STF and regression equation between each factor, based on the three-dimensional response surface graph and F-value in ANOVA result. We found that among the interaction effects, the interaction between the continuous phase’s average molecular weight and the temperature has the most significant impact on the critical shear rate of the STF. The interaction between the silica particles’ mass fraction and the continuous phase’s average molecular weight significantly impacts the shear thickening ratio of the STF. The interaction between silica particles’ mass fraction and the temperature has the most significant impact on the maximum viscosity of the STF. Finally, according to the response surface methodology experimental results and ideal STF rheological characteristics standard in engineering applications, when the mass fraction of silica particles is 35%, the average molecular weight of the continuous phase is 387, and the temperature is 20 °C. The critical shear rate of the STF system is 5.84 1/s, the shear thickening ratio is 102.8, and the peak viscosity is 1191.7 Pa·s, reaching the optimal theoretical value within the value scope.

A Coordinated Public Health Laboratory Response to COVID-19 in Mali

Ability to rapidly and accurate diagnose pathogens during disease outbreaks is essential for public health. Diagnosis depends largely on laboratory capacity, which can be challenging in resource limited settings. We report Mali’s experience involving four research laboratories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This coordinated effort leveraged the emerging infectious pathogens diagnostic capacity and partnerships built from the 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak. Since Mali’s first two COVID-19 cases in March 2020, 349,292 suspected cases were tested in the four Bamako laboratories as of July 31, 2021. Laboratory operation, safety considerations, diagnostic assays, and challenges are described herein from the perspective of a participating laboratory, the Mali University Clinical Research Center (UCRC). We also highlight additional roles of the UCRC laboratory in the COVID-19 response, including roll out of vaccination and research efforts. Mali’s readiness to detect the index cases early in the epidemic and continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the need for strengthening the critical role and capacity of clinical research laboratories for response to emerging infectious disease epidemics in Africa.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE DIMENSIONS OF AGENCY’S CAPACITIES TO THE P E R F O R M A N C E I N G E N E R A T I N G O W N S O U R C E S R E V E N U E S I N T H E G O V E

The study assesses the influence of the dimensions of agency’s capacities to the performance in generating own sources revenues in the government agencies in Tanzania. The study used institutional theory and contingency theory, an explanatory case study strategy together with survey methods to assess the influence of government agencies’ capacities to the performance in generating own sources' revenues. Data were collected by administering 80 questionnaires to agency’s senior officers who were members of the management team and staff at large. The government agencies that were purposively selected to be part of this study were National Housing and Building Research Agency (NHBRA), Agency for Development of Educational Management (ADEM) and Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni Bagamoyo (TaSUBa).The findings of this study revealed that planning and development, human resource, and infrastructure capacity significantly and positively influence the performance of the agency in generating own source revenues. However, financial capacity and good governance were found to have insignificant influence. This might be contributed by the fact that there were ineffective governance practices in term of ineffective committees, poor policies and procedures as it was revealed in descriptive analysis. It is concluded that the critical capacities which strongly and positively influence the performance of the agency in generating own source revenues are planning and development capacity, human resource capacity, and infrastructure capacity. The study recommends that these government agencies must find more sources of revenue, consider seriously the issue of motivation to staff, operate competitively, have complex and good long term strategic plans and aim at implementing them. The implication of the study findings is that it contributes knowledge to the administrative actors and also policy and regulation makers such as the parliament of Tanzania, the office of the CAG and ministry for finance to form policies on the five dimensions of capacity that will enable government agencies to improve and grow

INFLUENCE OF THE DIMENSIONS OF AGENCY’S CAPACITIES TO THE PERFORMANCE IN GENERATING OWN SOURCES REVENUES IN THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TANZANIA

The study assesses the influence of the dimensions of agency’s capacities to the performance in generating own sourcesrevenues in the government agencies in Tanzania. The study used institutional theory and contingency theory, anexplanatory case study strategy together with survey methods to assess the influence of government agencies’ capacitiesto the performance in generating own sources' revenues. Data were collected by administering 80 questionnaires toagency’s senior officers who were members of the management team and staff at large. The government agencies thatwere purposively selected to be part of this study were National Housing and Building Research Agency (NHBRA),Agency for Development of Educational Management (ADEM) and Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni Bagamoyo(TaSUBa). The findings of this study revealed that planning and development, human resource, and infrastructurecapacity significantly and positively influence the performance of the agency in generating own source revenues.However, financial capacity and good governance were found to have insignificant influence. This might be contributedby the fact that there were ineffective governance practices in term of ineffective committees, poor policies andprocedures as it was revealed in descriptive analysis. It is concluded that the critical capacities which strongly andpositively influence the performance of the agency in generating own source revenues are planning and developmentcapacity, human resource capacity, and infrastructure capacity. The study recommends that these government agenciesmust find more sources of revenue, consider seriously the issue of motivation to staff, operate competitively, havecomplex and good long term strategic plans and aim at implementing them. The implication of the study findings is thatit contributes knowledge to the administrative actors and also policy and regulation makers such as the parliament ofTanzania, the office of the CAG and ministry for finance to form policies on the five dimensions of capacity that willenable government agencies to improve and grow

Critical Synthesis Toward Transformative Collaboration: A Dialectical Analysis of Functionalist and Critical Paradigms

Social workers are required to become effective boundary spanners to address complex social problems with community-based and cross-system collaboration. However, substantial tensions exist in the literature about how to build successful collaboration, stemming from the massive use of the two competing paradigms: functionalist and critical paradigms. Using a dialectical analysis, this article attempted to uncover and synthesize paradoxical understandings of the major elements of successful collaboration. Significant contradictions between the two contrasting paradigms are identified at the multidimensional levels, including (1) member capacity for developing objective/consensus knowledge vs. subjective/dissensus knowledge, (2) unity vs. diversity in membership, (3) centralized vs. decentralized network governance, and (4) stable/standardized vs. flexible/responsive coordination. The results suggest that there is no consensual approach to developing transformative collaboration that promotes members’ critical capacity, equal relations, democratic governance, and empowering coordination. Social workers should identify and utilize inherent contradictions as a catalyst for developing and maintaining transformative collaboration by considering its dynamic process, context, and interconnection with other systems.

Teenage girls and the entanglement with online porn: a new feminist materialist perspective

abstract Who knows what sexually explicit materials (SEM)/ porn could mean to teenage girls if we were encouraged to see it as an assemblage, full of intensities, rather than negative effects, and the breakdown of innocence? We answer this question by taking on the dominant narrative repeated in public that seeks to place young female sexuality ‘under erasure’ through the common denominator of sexual danger. Instead by drawing on new feminist materialist perspectives and through conversation with girls, we address what they can do by examining their experiences with SEM/ porn as they navigate an assemblage that seeks to silence their sexual becomings. We argue that girls’ sexual network connectivity and exploration of SEM/ porn through human and more-than-human elements, rather than based on sexual muteness speaks to the entanglement of their desire for knowing and learning ‘sexually’ while resisting gender oppressive structures. We destabilise the current danger narrative circulating in South Africa through a radical interpretation of what is possible to know about girls as they generate insights into their critical capacities even if these insights trouble our assumptions about what girls’ sexual agency should look like. In conclusion, we argue that new feminist material perspectives allow for understanding the entangled relations that are ignited when teenage girls are given the opportunity to discuss their online sexual explorations and the implications for addressing teenage girls as fully agentive sexual beings.

DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING CAPACITY FOR VIETNAMESE STUDENTS

Developing students' critical thinking capacity is an important part of the process of improving the quality of training in Vietnamese universities today. Critical thinking is one of the most vital skills that students need to be equipped with. The paper presents and analyzes some general theoretical issues concerning the development of critical thinking competency, as well as presents some limitations and disadvantages of critical thinking development, proposing practical solutions to promote the effectiveness of developing critical thinking capacity in Vietnamese students today.

COVID-19 pandemic: the impact on Canada’s intensive care units

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the precarious demand-capacity balance in Canadian hospitals, including critical care where there is an urgent need for trained health care professionals to dramatically increase ICU capacity. The impact of the pandemic on ICUs varied significantly across the country with provinces that implemented public health measures later and relaxed them sooner being impacted more severely. Pediatric ICUs routinely admitted adult patients. Non-ICU areas were converted to ICUs and staff were redeployed from other essential service areas. Faced with a lack of critical care capacity, triage plans for ICU admission were developed and nearly implemented in some provinces. Twenty eight percent of patients in Canadian ICUs who required mechanical ventilation died. Surviving patients have required prolonged ICU admission, hospitalization and extensive ongoing rehabilitation. Family members of patients were not permitted to visit, resulting in additional psychological stresses to patients, families, and healthcare teams. ICU professionals also experienced extreme psychological stresses from caring for such large numbers of critically ill patients, often in sub-standard conditions. This resulted in large numbers of health workers leaving their professions. This pandemic is not yet over, and it is likely that new pandemics will follow. A review and recommendations for the future are provided.

Measurement of the Critical Temperatures, Pressures, Heat Capacities, and Thermal Diffusivities of Four Furanic Compounds Involved in the Production of Second-Generation Biofuels

Measurement of the Critical Temperatures, Pressures, Heat Capacities, and Thermal Diffusivities of Four Furanic Compounds Involved in the Production of Second-Generation Biofuels

Creating COVID-19 surge capacity at an elective surgical centre: a model for perioperative care.

We provide an initial, brief description of safe relocation of our emergency surgical services from a tertiary teaching hospital to a satellite secondary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reconfiguration created increased theatre and critical care bed capacity at the tertiary site, while enabling lower acuity emergency services in a repurposed, designated COVID free hospital. The described model can be applied to situations mandating surge capacity at tertiary hospitals, in high income countries.

Solutions to Improve Dialistic Thinking Capacity for Students of Tan Trao University

Developing critical thinking capacity for students in general and students of Tan Trao University, in particular, is currently one of the urgent issues both in theory and practice. Faced with the lack of capacity of students, we require synchronous implementation of basic and specialized solutions to train quality human resources to meet the requirements of practice.

Agglomerated carbon nanotubes effects on buckling behavior of fiber metal laminated nanocomposite shells

In this research, the influence of carbon nanotubes agglomeration on the buckling behavior of multi-phase CNTs/fiber/polymer/metal composite laminates cylindrical shells under hydrostatic pressure was investigated. Governing equations were derived according to the Kirchhoff-Love’s first approximation shell theory and solved by a combination of the Galerkin and Fourier series expansion methods. Equivalent elastic properties of multi-phase CNTs/fiber/polymer/metal laminated (CNTFPML) cylindrical shell were obtained using the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach, considering the dispersion and agglomeration effects. Primarily, CNTs were added to the polymer matrix and afterwards, this new matrix was reinforced by carbon or glass fiber materials. Finally, the composite layer was joined with metal layers and a hybrid shell prepared. The accuracy of the applied method was validated with the finite element method and experimental tests on carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy composite cylinders under hydrostatic pressure. The results indicate that the CNTs agglomeration, weight and volume fraction of CNTs and type of fiber materials, have a key role on the critical buckling capacity of multi-phase composite shells.

Uticaj medijske pismenosti na kulturu kritičkog mišljenja

Digital technologies affect the way of life of both individuals and the modern society as a whole. Active participation on social networks directs us to frequent connections with social media. However, the field of electronic media is often a platform for sharing content that does not aim to place true information, but to influence public perception. In order for media users to be able to recognize the goal of media information, it is necessary for them to master knowledge and competencies. Media literacy plays a key role in this. The goal we set in this paper is to determine to a what ectent media literacy is recognized and what is the perception of respondents about how knowledge / ignorance of media literacy affects the culture of critical thinking and willingness of media users to accept cultural diversity. The paper presents a part of the research conducted by the author during 2021, the part related to the impact of media literacy on the goal set in this paper, and presents the results which confirm that a higher degree of mastery of media literacy competencies has a positive effect on a culture of critical thinking, and that a more developed critical capacity to assess information and the media provides a greater opportunity for media users to embrace cultural diversity.

Natalia Antoci THE EFFICIENCY OF MIGRATION POLICIES IS A PREREQUISITE FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Migration remains a current and ever-changing process, therefore the continuous study of this phenomenon at the national, regional and international level is indispensable. Being in direct relations of influence with numerous processes, both economic, social, demographic, as well as political, religious, this process requires a permanent improvement of policies in the field of migration and an effective management of migrant flows. The states of the European Union are facing the biggest migratory crisis in its contemporary history, therefore the application and regulation of this process has become urgent. In the Republic of Moldova, the problem of migration is also an acute one. This scourge is continuously growing in scale, manifesting itself through various economic and social effects. Methodology of research. Research methods were used such as: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, economic practice, dialectical and analogical methods, the method of scientific abstraction, quantitative and qualitative analysis, as well as everyday practice. Findings. It is understanding the development of the migration process in the EU, in-depth knowledge of European migration policies, determining the agreements that regulate this process, statistical analysis of migration flows, presenting the influence of migration on the indicators of the national and European economy, developing critical capacities and highlighting the current aspects of the migration phenomenon. Practical value. Consists in outlining the ways of effective management of migration in the European space, including the national one; highlighting the factors, types of migration, as well as integration problems within European societies; arguing actions and methods to make policies in the field of migration more efficient.

Factors Affecting Work Performance: A Study on the Commercial Banks of Chittagong and Dhaka Cities in Bangladesh

Employees’ work performance is an important issue for the commercial banks of Bangladesh. Therefore, identifying the factors that affect employees’ work performance is also a crucial matter. This study considers working hours, co-workers' behavior, gender discrimination, promotion system, and manager’s attitude as the factors affecting employees’ work performance. On the other hand, creative knowledge and critical thinking capacity, understanding job responsibility and carrying out assigned duties, interest in assigning duties, completion time for assigning duties, and the capability of adaption to changes in job responsibility are considered the determinants of employees’ work performance. A total of 250 questionnaire data sets were collected using a convenience sampling technique from bank employees in Chittagong and Dhaka cities in Bangladesh. The ordinal regression analysis technique was applied to explore the impacts of factors on employees’ work performance. The study found that co-workers’ behavior, gender discrimination, and a manager’s attitude have significant impacts on employees’ work performance. Although the impacts of co-workers’ behavior and manager’s attitude have positive impacts on employees’ work performance, the impact of gender discrimination is negative. Moreover, the impact of working hours and the promotion system have negative impacts which were statistically insignificant according to findings. Finally, the Pearson correlation test results suggest that there is no multi-collinearity problem in the model.