Use Of Modification Research Articles

Key considerations for selecting instruments when evaluating healthcare professionals' evidence-based practice competencies: A discussion paper.

A discussion of key considerations related to selecting instruments and tools for evaluating healthcare professionals' evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies. A discussion paper. Articles published in international peer-reviewed journals from January 2000 - November 2017 on validated instruments for assessing healthcare professionals' performance-based EBP competencies. Validated EBP competency instruments based on actual performance to evaluate the EBP competencies of healthcare professionals are currently available in the field of medicine. Although some of these instruments have already been adapted for use in physical and occupational therapy, their modification for use in nursing has begun only in the last few months. A concerted effort on modifying and validating objective measures of actual performance for use in nursing should be commenced to evaluate directly measurable EBP competencies, instead of continuing to rely on nurses' self-assessments. Future studies focusing on development and validation of objective instruments to evaluate EBP competencies based on actual performance and exploring the modification of currently available objective instruments from medicine are urgently needed in nursing. Instead of measuring actual EBP competencies, the majority of competency evaluations in nursing are still being conducted via self-assessments, despite growing evidence of their poor accuracy in evaluating directly measurable constructs such as evidence-based practice knowledge and skills. Accurate measurement of nurses' EBP competencies is essential to increasing systematic implementation of EBP in healthcare organizations, thus promoting the attainment of improved care quality and patient outcomes in healthcare delivery.

NON-EQUILIBRIUM POROELECTROELASTIC THEORY OF POLYMER ELECTROLYTE WITHIN THE CONDITIONS OF WATER ELECTROLYSIS

The paper considers a non-equilibrium poroelectroelastic theory of a polymer electrolyte under the conditions of water electrolysis with the purpose of further use for a theoretical description of mass transfer processes in l ayers of a membrane-electrode assembly. Moreover, this paper carries out the review and analysis of the models of electro- chemical and mass-exchange processes in the electrolyzers, and analyzes the problems of their physicochemical description. We make a conclusion about the need to use models of water sorption and scaling of polymer electrolyte and analyze the models of water sorption and swelling of the polymer electrolyte. It is concluded that the existing poroelectroelastic theory is the most suitable for its modification for use in non-equilibrium conditions during elec- trolysis. The basic equation of the balance of pressures of the classical equilibrium poroelectroelastic theory for polymer electrolyte is considered. A modification of the poroelectroelastic theory has been carried out in order to its use in non-equilibrium conditions of water electrolysis for the purpose of further modeling of mass transfer processes. Based on experimental data available in open sources, the paper makes an analysis of the properties and features of elastic forces in the polymer electrolyte, and then refines the dependencies of the elastic forces in the polymer electro- lyte from the swelling and temperature. Taking into account the existing experimental data on the permeability of gases in a polymer electrolyte and the feature of swelling of the polymer electrolyte in a contact with liquid water, parameters of the non-equilibrium poroelectroelastic theory have been obtained for the water electrolysis conditions.

Surface Self-Assembly of Functional Electroactive Nanofibers on Textile Yarns as a Facile Approach toward Super Flexible Energy Storage

Textile yarns undergo modifications for use in various smart applications such as energy storage, sensing, and others. For energy storage applications in yarn supercapacitors and batteries, one of the most commonly used yarn modification techniques is the coating of conductive active materials onto textile yarns. The coating process can be via vapor phase polymerization, dip coating, thin film coating using layer by layer assembly, atomic layer depositions, and electrochemical depositions. However, these methods are hectic, uncontrollable, and hardly scalable. Beyond these, they also give brittle coatings which tend to crack easily if coated yarns are incorporated into traditional textiles during use or even during postmanufacturing in weaving/knitting and sewing. Herein, a facile concept for the nanofibers coated on yarn via a modified electrospinning process is proposed to address the challenges. The method is capable of giving all-textile super flexible nanofiber coated yarns with excellent electrochem...

Selection of DNA aptamers specific for live Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, particular cystic fibrosis sufferers, burns victims, diabetics and neonates. It thrives in moist places where it forms biofilms that are exceedingly difficult to eradicate on hospital surfaces, in water supplies and implanted biomaterials. Using a live cell SELEX approach we selected DNA aptamers to P. aeruginosa grown as biofilms in microfluidic cells. From a pool of aptamer candidates showing tight binding a stem-loop structure was identified as being important for binding. Enhanced binding and increased specificity was achieved by truncating structures and generating chimeric aptamers from the pool of top candidates. The top candidates have low nanomolar binding constants and high discrimination for P. aeruginosa over other Gram-negative bacteria. The aptamers bind both planktonic grown and biofilm grown cells. They do not have intrinsic bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity, but are ideal candidates for modification for use as aptamer-drug conjugates and in biosensors.

Toward a CRISPR Picture: Use of CRISPR/Cas9 to Model Diseases in Human Stem Cells In Vitro

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into any cell in the body unlocking enormous research potential. Combined with the recent discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 endonucleases in bacteria and their modification for use in biomedical research, these methods have the potential to revolutionize the field of genetic engineering and open the door to generating in vitro models that more closely resemble the in vivo system than ever before. Use of CRISPR/Cas9 has created a whirlwind within the scientific community in the last few years, as the race to move beyond just disease analysis and toward the goal of gene and cell therapy moves further. This review will detail the CRISPR/Cas9 method and its use in stem cells as well as highlight recent studies that demonstrate its use in creating robust disease models. Finally, recent results and current controversies in the field are reviewed and lingering challenges to further development are explored. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 62-68, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Immobilisation of apatite on Ti30Ta alloy surface by electrospinning of PCL

Surface modifications of titanium alloy have been extensively researched for the purpose of increasing the biocompatibility of medical implants. In this study, a Ti30Ta alloy surface was modified by functionalisation with electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) followed by the immobilisation of apatite (AP) to achieve a bioactive surface. Human adipose-derived stem cells were then cultured on the surfaces for up to 7 d to ensure the effects of PCL and AP treatments on cytocompatibility and cellular fate processes. PCL fibres and alloy surfaces were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis techniques. The analyses showed a uniform deposition of the electrospun PCL fibres on the entire Ti30Ta alloy surface. In addition, increases in cell growth and proliferation were seen after 7 d. Results indicated that the surface treatment of the Ti30Ta alloy with electrospun fibres and AP immobilisation may increase the bioactivity of the surface and provide a beneficial surface modification for use in biomedical applications.

Prediction of Pediatric Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Outcomes Using Contemporary Scoring Systems.

We evaluate the applicability of contemporary percutaneous nephrolithotomy scoring systems in pediatric patients and compare their predictive power regarding postoperative outcomes. We retrospectively analyzed the records of 125 children who were diagnosed with renal calculi and underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy between March 2011 and April 2016. Predictive scores, which consisted of Guy's Stone Score, S.T.O.N.E. (stone size, tract length, obstruction, number of involved calyces and essence/stone density) nephrolithometry and CROES (Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society) nomogram, were calculated for all patients included in the study. Patient demographics, stone-free rate and complications were all analyzed and are reported. Median Guy's Stone Score was 2 (IQR 2 to 3) in patients with residual stones (group 1) and 2 (1 to 2) in those who were stone-free (group 2). Median respective CROES nomogram scores were 215 (IQR 210 to 235) and 257 (240 to264), and S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry scores were 8 (7 to 9) and 5 (5 to 6, all p<0.0001). S.T.O.N.E. score demonstrated the greatest accuracy in predicting stone-free rate. Guy's Stone Score was significantly correlated with complications but the CROES and S.T.O.N.E. scores were not significantly correlated with complications. The scoring systems analyzed could be used to predict success of percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the pediatric setting. However, further studies are needed to formulate modifications for use in children. The main variables in the scoring systems, ie stone burden, tract length and case volume, were measured using records from adult patients. Besides these variables, the relatively small pelvicalyceal system and higher incidence of anatomical malformations in children could potentially affect percutaneous nephrolithotomy outcomes.

Relevance of the international spinal cord injury basic data sets to youth: an Inter-Professional review with recommendations.

Mixed methods, using the Modified Delphi Technique and Expert Panel Review. To evaluate the utility and relevance of the International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Core and Basic Data Sets for children and youth with SCI. International. Via 20 electronic surveys, an interprofessional sample of healthcare professionals with pediatric SCI experience participated in an iterative critical review of the International SCI Data Sets, and submitted suggestions for modifications for use with four pediatric age groups. A panel of 5 experts scrutinized the utility of all data sets, correlated any modifications with the developing National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) pediatric SCI Common Data Elements (CDE) and distributed final recommendations for modifications required to the adult data sets to the International SCI Data Set Committee and the associated Working Groups. Two International SCI Data Sets were considered relevant and appropriate for use with children without any changes. Three were considered not appropriate or applicable for use with children, regardless of age. Recommendations were made for five data sets to enhance their relevance and applicability to children across the age groups, and recommendations for seven data sets were specific to infants and younger children. The results of this critical review are significant in that substantive recommendations to align the International SCI Core and Basic Data Sets to pediatric practice were made. This project was funded by the Rick Hansen Institute Grant# 2015-27.

Nanoporous Materials for the Onboard Storage of Natural Gas.

Climate change, global warming, urban air pollution, energy supply uncertainty and depletion, and rising costs of conventional energy sources are, among others, potential socioeconomic threats that our community faces today. Transportation is one of the primary sectors contributing to oil consumption and global warming, and natural gas (NG) is considered to be a relatively clean transportation fuel that can significantly improve local air quality, reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, and decrease the energy dependency on oil sources. Internal combustion engines (ignited or compression) require only slight modifications for use with natural gas; rather, the main problem is the relatively short driving distance of natural-gas-powered vehicles due to the lack of an appropriate storage method for the gas, which has a low energy density. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set some targets for NG storage capacity to obtain a reasonable driving range in automotive applications, ruling out the option of storing methane at cryogenic temperatures. In recent years, both academia and industry have foreseen the storage of natural gas by adsorption (ANG) in porous materials, at relatively low pressures and ambient temperatures, as a solution to this difficult problem. This review presents recent developments in the search for novel porous materials with high methane storage capacities. Within this scenario, both carbon-based materials and metal-organic frameworks are considered to be the most promising materials for natural gas storage, as they exhibit properties such as large surface areas and micropore volumes, that favor a high adsorption capacity for natural gas. Recent advancements, technological issues, advantages, and drawbacks involved in natural gas storage in these two classes of materials are also summarized. Further, an overview of the recent developments and technical challenges in storing natural gas as hydrates in wetted porous carbon materials is also included. Finally, an analysis of design factors and technical issues that need to be considered before adapting vehicles to ANG technology is also presented.

Patient safety in practical nurses' education: A cross-sectional survey of newly registered practical nurses in Canada

BackgroundPractical nurses have experienced an increasing scope of practice, including an expectation to care for complex patients and function on interdisciplinary teams. Little is known about the degree to which patient safety principles are addressed in practical nursing education. PurposeTo examine self-reported patient safety competencies of practical nurses. DesignA cross-sectional online survey (July 2014) and face-to-face interviews (June 2015). SettingOntario, Canada. ParticipantsSurvey participants were practical nurses newly registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario between January 2012 and December 2013. Interview participants were faculty and students in a practical nursing program in Ontario. MethodsSurvey respondents completed the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey online. Self-reported competencies in various patient safety domains were compared between classroom and clinical settings. Faculty members were interviewed about educational preparation of practical nurses and students were interviewed to provide insight into interpretation of survey questions. ResultsThe survey response rate was 28.4% (n=1104/3883). Mean domain scores indicated a high level of confidence in patient safety competence (<4.0/5.0). Confidence was highest in respondents registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario >2years and in those who obtained their education outside of Canada. Faculty believed their approach to teaching and learning instilled a deep understanding of the limits to practical nurse autonomous practice. ConclusionsPractical nurses were confident in what they learned about patient safety in their educational programs. The high degree of patient safety competence may be a true reflection of practical nurses understanding of, and comfort with, the limits of their knowledge and, ultimately, the limits of their individual autonomous practice. Further exploration as to whether the questionnaire requires additional modification for use with practical nurse populations is warranted. However, this study provides the first examination of practical nurses' perspectives and perceptions about patient safety education.

Injury Prevention Exercise Programs for Professional Soccer: Understanding the Perceptions of the End-Users.

To evaluate the perceptions of professional soccer players and staff members toward injury prevention exercise programs (IPEPs). Self-report survey. Four professional soccer teams in 4 different countries. 126 players, coaches, physiotherapists, and fitness coaches were invited to participate, with 72 respondents. Web-based survey detailing perceptions of lower limb (LL) injury susceptibility and seriousness, the value of IPEPs in general, and more specifically the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) 11+. The vast majority of the respondents believed that professional soccer players are at high risk of LL injuries (93%) and that players should perform evidence-based injury prevention exercises (98%). They also agreed that LL injuries can shorten a player's career (85%), cause physical problems later in life (82%), and negatively impact on team performance (77%). However, perceptions varied across teams regarding which types of injury prevention exercises are effective, who holds responsibility for injury prevention, and when IPEPs should be performed. Specific knowledge of the FIFA 11+ was very low and 47% of respondents believed the program would need modification for use in their team. Players and staff members in professional soccer teams strongly support the use of evidence-based IPEPs. However, perceptions vary considerably between teams regarding which exercises can prevent injuries, who holds the responsibility for injury prevention, and when preventive exercises should be performed. Enhancing the ultimate impact of IPEPs in professional soccer requires a detailed understanding of each team's specific implementation context.

Ionic Liquids as Electrolytes and Aging Process

The need of portable power sources is the question of the Day. Innovation in existing and development of new materials are very important research area. Together with growing consumption of batteries grow also the demands on them either from point of capacity, lifetime or safety. The flame safety and safe operation of batteries is not important only for consumer electronics but especially for fast growing area of electro mobility and electro cars. Electrolyte is the main part of battery and so research of current problem with flammability of organic solvent is searched. A new possibility is use of ionic liquids (IL) instead of aprotic solvents. The ionic liquids conductivity is comparable with which the commonly used electrolytes have. The big advantage of IL is their nonflammability. This paper deals with comparison of two ionic liquids and their modifications for use in batteries. The EMIM – BF4 a BMIM – BF4 ionic liquid were used in this work. Another point of view is the aging process and influence of electrodes on ionic liquid itself. That why selected positive and negative electrode was immersed into IL and evaluated the change of specific conductivity.

Adapting the SAL method to evaluate reflectivity forecasts of summer precipitation in the central United States

AbstractThe Structure Amplitude Location (SAL) method was originally developed to evaluate forecast accumulated‐precipitation fields through identification and comparison of objects in both the forecast and the observed fields. This study describes a small modification for use with instantaneous composite‐reflectivity forecasts, where objects' minimum size and reflectivity thresholds are prescribed. Both the original and modified SAL methods are used to evaluate daily 0000 UTC 12‐km North American Model (NAM) forecasts, against NCEP/EMC 4‐km Stage IV accumulated‐precipitation estimates, during the summer of 2015 for a central US domain. Results show substantial sensitivity to the reflectivity threshold. This is likely related to sampling more signal from convective cell cores, and progressively ignoring stratiform rain areas, as threshold increases. Setting the threshold too high (40 dBZ) yields only 7% of time periods on which error scores can be computed, as opposed to 94% using a low threshold (5 dBZ). The primary difference between the two methods is a larger structural error in SAL using reflectivity, likely related to the unresolved convective peaks in the 12‐km NAM forecasts; this error is smoothed out when accumulated precipitation is evaluated. SAL using reflectivity also reveals a diurnal cycle of skill, with minimum skill occurring around 1800–2200 UTC (early to late afternoon local time, before average convective activity reaches its maximum) and maximum skill occurring around 1000 UTC (just before sunrise). We conclude that both methods yield useful results, but results presented herein may not be generalisable to other verification domains or SAL formulations.

Who, Like Me, Loves to Use the Step-In Circle?

The Step-In Circle exercise is an elegant and versatile group-building activity. Group members offer personal information to reveal commonalities safely. This article describes how to facilitate a Step-In Circle, as well as offers four modifications for use in less-than-optimal settings including an amputee support group, a group too large to form a circle, a group with a blind member, and a group unprepared for action.

Selective Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cr(VI) by Surfactant-Modified and Unmodified Natural Zeolites: A Comparative Study on Kinetics, Equilibrium, and Mechanism

Selective adsorption of Pb(II) and Cr(VI) by surfactant-modified and unmodified zeolites is discussed in this paper. The influences of pH, ionic strength, temperature, and adsorption time on Cr(VI) and Pb(II) adsorption are studied, The characteristics of the surface and inner structures of zeolites before and after modification are analyzed through infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, and zeta potential measurement. Results show that the characteristics of electric charge on the zeolite surface had changed after modification, which resulted in selective adsorption of Cr(VI) and Pb(II). Moreover, kinetic study reveals that adsorption by the different zeolites coincides with the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The intraparticle diffusion equation proves that the Cr(VI) adsorption is mainly electrostatic, whereas Pb(II) adsorption proceeds via intrapore and electrostatic adsorption on the zeolite surface. This difference in mechanisms endows selectivity of metal ion adsorption by the modified zeolites. This study provides a reference on zeolite modification for use in various applications, such as wastewater treatment.

A new in vitro mouse oligodendrocyte precursor cell migration assay reveals a role for integrin-linked kinase in cell motility.

BackgroundThe decline of remyelination in chronic multiple sclerosis (MS) is in part attributed to inadequate oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) migration, a process governed by the extracellular matrix (ECM). Elucidating the mechanisms underlying OPC migration is therefore an important step towards developing new therapeutic strategies to promote myelin repair. Many seminal OPC culture methods were established using rat-sourced cells, and these often need modification for use with mouse OPCs due to their sensitive nature. It is of interest to develop mouse OPC assays to leverage the abundant transgenic lines. To this end, we developed a new OPC migration method specifically suited for use with mouse-derived cells.ResultsTo validate its utility, we combined the new OPC migration assay with a conditional knockout approach to investigate the role of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in OPC migration. ILK is a focal adhesion protein that stabilizes cellular adhesions to the extracellular matrix (ECM) by mediating a linkage between matrix-bound integrin receptors and the cytoskeleton. We identified ILK as a regulator of OPC migration on three permissive substrates. ILK loss produced an early, albeit transient, deficit in OPC migration on laminin matrix, while migration on fibronectin and polylysine was heavily reliant on ILK expression.ConclusionsInclusively, our work provides a new tool for studying mouse OPC migration and highlights the role of ILK in its regulation on ECM proteins relevant to MS.

Injury prevention exercise programmes in professional youth soccer: understanding the perceptions of programme deliverers

BackgroundThere are well-known challenges to implementing injury prevention strategies in amateur soccer, but information from other soccer settings is scarce. This cross-sectional survey analysed the injury prevention perceptions of soccer...

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water oxidation of bismuth vanadate via a combined strategy of W doping and surface RGO modification.

Nanoporous bismuth vanadate is modified simultaneously via tungsten doping and graphene surface modification for use as an efficient photoanode. The modified films were prepared on a FTO substrate by a drop-cast method followed by photoreduction of graphene oxide. SEM, XRD, Raman and XPS characterization was conducted to confirm the incorporation of tungsten and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and to look into their influences on the structure and performance of BiVO4. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis clearly revealed enhanced carrier density and improved electronic conductivity, which are beneficial for the enhancement of PEC performance in comparison to either individually doped or RGO modified BiVO4. Our results indicated that the enhanced PEC performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of bulk doping and surface modification that facilitates electron and hole transport and transfer in the bulk and at the semiconductor-electrolyte interface.

Conducting Polymers in Biological Systems

Conducting polymers (CPs) were first fabricated in the 70s of XX century as a novel generation of organic materials that have both electrical and optical properties similar to those of metals and inorganic semiconductors. The fact that several tissues are responsive to electrical fields and stimuli has made CPs attractive for a number of biological and medical applications. This review provides information on desirable CP properties specific to biomedical applications and how CPs have been optimized to generate these properties. The manuscript first introduces different types of CPs, their unique properties and their synthesis. Then specific information is provided on their modification for use in applications such as biosensors, medical engineering, and also neural probes.

The Mercedes flap and its new variants: a 'workhorse' flap for the dermatological surgeon?

The plastic reconstruction of defects in problem regions, such as, e.g. the heel, temple, malleolar region, sternum and capillitium, is usually a challenge. We describe the use of the Mercedes flap, a combination of the purse string and advancement flap, and new modifications for use in various body locations. These examples extend the scope of application in tumour surgery of the skin. We demonstrate the different techniques and practical application of the repair and evaluate the benefits and limitations. The Mercedes flap and its modifications are an excellent method for repairing various defects in problem locations after tumour surgery of the skin. The Mercedes flap and its modifications prove to be a good alternative to other closure types, especially in problem regions such as the shoulder, malleolar region, heel, etc. The procedure is fast and simple, with few side-effects, and proves to be a 'workhorse' flap for the dermatological surgeon.