Effects of Current Density on Surface Morphology and Coating Thickness of Nickel Plating on Copper Surface

Nickel (Ni) thin film was deposited on commercial pure copper using electrodeposition method. To understand the growth behavior of Ni nodules, deposition was done by varying the coating current density. The topography of coating was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The coatings were also analyzed for variation in amount of coating, cathode current efficiency and thickness of coating. The deposited Ni thin film was observed to be of coffee bean kind of secondary nodules with size varying from 400 to 800 nm and almost spherical primary nodules with size varying from 100 to 250 nm varying as a function of coating current density. At higher current density, the coatings were observed to be of multiple layers of nodules. This suggests the presence of defects like twins, dislocations and stacking faults. The nodules are observed to have fine crystallites in the nano range. &nbsp

Knowledge and Practices among Nurses Regarding Hygiene in the Care of Comatose Patient in Surgical and Medical Ward in a Government Hospital in Jordan

Background: Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that helps maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. Whereas in popular culture and parlance it can often mean mere “cleanliness,” hygiene in its fullest and original meaning goes much beyond that to include all circumstances and practices, lifestyle issues, premises and commodities that engender a safe and healthy environment. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge and practice of nurses regarding hygiene in the care of comatose patient in a Government Hospital in Jordan. Materials and methods: The study was conducted during the period of 1 st June 2016 to 1st December 2016. The design of this study is Descriptive cross – sectional hospital base analysis by manual analysis method. This is a type of study in which a condition and potentially related factors are being measured at a specific point in time for a defined population (NEDARC, 2016). Results: The study respondents were fifty (50) nurses, among these respondents, twenty six (26) were males and twenty four (24) were females which was ethically informed to participate in this study. The study showed that knowledge of nurses about hygiene in the care of comatose patient were 45% good, 40.1% poor knowledge and 14.9% moderate knowledge. Conclusion: The present study concluded that study sample has a moderate to good knowledge. Based on the study findings it is recommended that the nurses needs to attend courses and trainings about hygiene of comatose patient to improve their practice

Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes on Examination Anxiety in a Private University in Jordan

This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding anxiety related to examination. Research methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, which included 81 nursing students (male and female) in level five, six, seven, and eight who are studying at a private university in Jordan, the respondents were selected according to the criteria of inclusion and exclusion, a survey-questionnaire was developed and it was used as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire includes the demographic data and the students’ knowledge and attitudes on examination anxiety followed by analysis of data. Results: The results showed that among the total number of students who participated in the study, majority are female (75.3%), most of their age were between 20 – 22 years old which represented (90.1%) and also majority of respondents know the definition of anxiety which represented (70.4%). Conclusion: This study concluded that nursing students have good knowledge regarding anxiety which represented (65.7%) this study concluded that nursing students have a positive attitude with regard to anxiety on examination which represented (74%). In addition, it was found out that some students have anxiety during examination which represented (8.7%), while other have some signs of  anxiety on examination that was represented (75.3%), and  16% of the other respondents have not experienced  anxiety during examination

Optimal Dosing of Enoxaparin in Overweight and Obese Children

Aim:Current enoxaparin dosing guidelines in children are based on total bodyweight. This is potentially inappropriate in obese children as it may overestimate thedrug clearance. Current evidence suggests that obese children may require lower ini-tial doses of enoxaparin, therefore the aim of this work was to characterise the phar-macokinetics of enoxaparin in obese children and to propose a more appropriatedosing regimen.Methods:Data from 196 unique encounters of 160 children who received enoxa-parin treatment doses were analysed. Enoxaparin concentration was quantified usingthe chromogenic anti factor Xa (anti-Xa) assay. Patients provided a total of 552 anti-Xa samples. Existing published pharmacokinetic (PK) models were fitted and evalu-ated against our dataset using prediction-corrected visual predictive check plots(pcVPCs). A PK model was fitted using a nonlinear mixed-effects modelling approach.The fitted model was used to evaluate the current standard dosing and identify anoptimal dosing regimen for obese children.Results:Published models of enoxaparin pharmacokinetics in children did not capturethe pharmacokinetics of enoxaparin in obese children as shown by pcVPCs. A one-compartment model with linear elimination best described the pharmacokinetics ofenoxaparin. Allometrically scaled fat-free mass with an estimated exponent of 0.712(CI 0.66-0.76) was the most influential covariate on clearance while linear fat-freemass was selected as the covariate on volume. Simulations from the model showedthat fat-free mass-based dosing could achieve the target anti-Xa activity at steadystate in 77.5% and 78.2% of obese and normal-weight children, respectively, com-pared to 65.2% and 75.5% for standard total body weight-based dosing.Conclusions:A population PK model that describes the time course of anti-Xa activ-ity of enoxaparin was developed in a paediatric population. Based on this model, aunified dosing regimen was proposed that will potentially improve the success rate oftarget attainment in overweight/obese patients without the need for patient bodysize categorisation. Therefore, prospective validation of the proposed approach iswarranted

Applying refinement to the use of mice and rats in rheumatoid arthritis research

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful, chronic disorder and there is currently an unmet need for effective therapies that will benefit a wide range of patients. The research and development process for therapies and treatments currently involves in vivo studies, which have the potential to cause discomfort, pain or distress. This Working Group report focuses on identifying causes of suffering within commonly used mouse and rat ‘models’ of RA, describing practical refinements to help reduce suffering and improve welfare without compromising the scientific objectives. The report also discusses other, relevant topics including identifying and minimising sources of variation within in vivo RA studies, the potential to provide pain relief including analgesia, welfare assessment, humane endpoints, reporting standards and the potential to replace animals in RA research

Increasing the Depth of Current Understanding: Sensitivity Testing of Deep-Sea Larval Dispersal Models for Ecologists

Larval dispersal is an important ecological process of great interest to conservation and the establishment of marine protected areas. Increasing numbers of studies are turning to biophysical models to simulate dispersal patterns, including in the deep-sea, but for many ecologists unassisted by a physical oceanographer, a model can present as a black box. Sensitivity testing offers a means to test the models' abilities and limitations and is a starting point for all modelling efforts. The aim of this study is to illustrate a sensitivity testing process for the unassisted ecologist, through a deep-sea case study example, and demonstrate how sensitivity testing can be used to determine optimal model settings, assess model adequacy, and inform ecological interpretation of model outputs. Five input parameters are tested (timestep of particle simulator (TS), horizontal (HS) and vertical separation (VS) of release points, release frequency (RF), and temporal range (TR) of simulations) using a commonly employed pairing of models. The procedures used are relevant to all marine larval dispersal models. It is shown how the results of these tests can inform the future set up and interpretation of ecological studies in this area. For example, an optimal arrangement of release locations spanning a release area could be deduced; the increased depth range spanned in deep-sea studies may necessitate the stratification of dispersal simulations with different numbers of release locations at different depths; no fewer than 52 releases per year should be used unless biologically informed; three years of simulations chosen based on climatic extremes may provide results with 90% similarity to five years of simulation; and this model setup is not appropriate for simulating rare dispersal events. A step-by-step process, summarising advice on the sensitivity testing procedure, is provided to inform all future unassisted ecologists looking to run a larval dispersal simulation

Ex vivo and In vivo Evaluation of Chitosan Coated Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Ocular Delivery of Acyclovir

Background: Herpes keratitis is the most common infectious cause of blindness in the developed world. It may be treated by acyclovir (ACV), however this antiviral drug is poorly soluble with low ocular bioavailability requiring high and frequent dosing. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were investigated to improve the ocular bioavailability of ACV by enhancing corneal penetration as well as prolonging the exposure of infected cells to the antiviral agent. Methods: Cell uptake studies, ex vivo tolerance and cell uptake efficacy as well as in vivo corneal permeation of the developed lipid based formulations were investigated. NLCs were fabricated by the hot microemulsion technique and coated with 0.5% w/v chitosan. NLCs were capable of increasing the cell uptake of encapsulated fluorescein and ACV as examined by fluorescence microscopy and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) respectively. Results: When entrapped in NLCs, the antiviral efficacy of ACV was increased by 3.5 fold after 24 hrs of exposure. The in vivo corneal permeation of the formulation was studied on Albino rabbits with NLCs capable of increasing the corneal bioavailability by 4.5 fold when compared to a commercially available ACV ophthalmic ointment. Conclusion: NLCs enhanced the ocular bioavailability and antiviral properties of ACV through cell internalisation, sustained release, and increased corneal permeation

Reading behaviour project report 2016 : ‘Digital Magpies’ - the academic reading habits of undergraduate students

Engagement with the Library is essential in delivering a successful student experience. A previous Library Impact Project found that students who use the Library more tend to achieve better academic results. However, analytics from library systems indicate declining book borrowing and electronic resource usage. Are students really reading less? Student academic reading patterns have adapted to the increase in digital resources. As a result they may be “reading smarter’’. Feedback indicates they expect to find and use information quickly, synthesising information from a variety of sources. As part of a commitment to improve retention and completion figures, the Library has initiated a Reading Behaviours project at the University of Salford, focused on the reading habits of undergraduate students. It explores what motivates their academic reading; whether reading patterns vary according to purpose or source, academic discipline, status, or age and what this means for our role in helping students to find resources. In light of findings, how should we tailor classroom training, e-learning and collaboration with academics to support the student journey? Several key issues have emerged during this project:1. Synthesizing information for an academic purpose2. Embedding information literacy as a flexible learning habit3. Supporting students as they adapt to new learning context