19672 research outputs found
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Can mobile health apps replace GPs? A scoping review of comparisons between mobile apps and GP tasks
No full textBackground: Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) are increasingly being used to perform tasks that are conventionally performed by general practitioners (GPs), such as those involved in promoting health, preventing disease, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and support for health services. This raises an important question: can mobile apps replace GPs? This study aimed to systematically search for and identify mobile apps that can perform GP tasks. Methods: A scoping review was carried out. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store were searched for mobile apps, using search terms derived from the UK Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) guideline on GPs' core capabilities and competencies. A manual search was also performed to identify additional apps. Results: The final analysis included 17 apps from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and 21 apps identified by the manual search. mHealth apps were found to have the potential to replace GPs for tasks such as recording medical history and making diagnoses; performing some physical examinations; supporting clinical decision making and management; assisting in urgent, long-term, and disease-specific care; and health promotion. In contrast, mHealth apps were unable to perform medical procedures, appropriately utilise other professionals, and coordinate a team-based approach. Conclusions: This scoping review highlights the functions of mHealth apps that can potentially replace GP tasks. Future research should focus on assessing the performance and quality of mHealth apps in comparison with that of real doctors. © 2020 The Author(s)
Evaluation of the Potential of Fungal Biopesticides for the Biological Control of the Seed Bug, Elasmolomus pallens (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Rhyparochromidae)
No full textElasmolomus pallens is a post-harvest insect pest of groundnuts which causes severe yield loss to farmers, particularly in Africa and Asia. Resistance to synthetic chemicals has been on the rise among insects and is a constraint on insecticides regulations. In view of the drive for alternative approaches to synthetic insecticides, this study evaluated the potential of biopesticides based on entomopathogenic fungi against E. pallens under laboratory conditions. Fungal isolates from the bug cadaver including Fusarium proliferatum F1, Aspergillus tamarii F2, A. flavus F3, Trichoderma atroviride F4, A. niger F4, and Metarhizium anisopliae (Meschn.) Sorokin, originating from the cadaver of Zonocerus variegatus were screened for virulence against the bug. Adult bugs were dipped briefly in conidial concentration 1 × 108 conidial mL−1 and observed at 25 ± 2 °C, 80 ± 10 RH and 14: 10 L:D for 10 days. The fungal isolates caused mortality ranging from 48 to 100% based on their potential to infect and kill the bug. Five conidial concentrations (1 × 104 to 1 × 108 conidia mL−1) were evaluated against adult bugs in the multiple-dose virulence bioassay. Lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90) values of 6.75 × 106 and 4.42 × 109 conidia mL−1 were obtained for A. flavus F3 while M. anisopliae had 8.0 × 106 and 6.14 × 108 conidia mL−1 respectively. Lethal time (LT50 and LT90) values were 3.3 and 6.2 days for A. flavus F3 compared to 3.6 and 5.6 days for M. anisopliae, respectively. Thus, A. flavus F3 showed potential against E. pallens; and can be considered as an ideal isolate for incorporation into formulations for field applications. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Actinide and non-actinide production from UO2 fuel in W-SMR: Effects of gadolinium burnable absorber
No full textBurnable neutron absorbers are used for efficient reactivity control especially in light and heavy water reactors. Effect of gadolinium burnable absorber (GdBA) on reactivity, actinide and non-actinide content of nuclear waste was investigated. Westinghouse small modular reactor (W-SMR) was studied using MCNPX 2.7 code integrated with CINDER90 for the calculations. Positive reactivity swing was observed in fuel assemblies with GdBA rods. The concentration of actinides was relatively higher in FA without GdBA rod compared to those with GdBA rods. The net activity of 241Pu and 239Np were respectively higher compared to other isotopes of plutonium and neptunium and slightly larger in FAs with GdBA rods. However, a significant increase on the concentration of non-actinide inventory was observed which increased with the number of GdBA rods. Therefore, the use of GdBA for reactivity control should be limited to avoid unrealistic reactivity swing and increased non-actinides content of the spent fuel. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
What will make patients use a patient decision aid? A qualitative study on patients' perspectives on implementation barriers and facilitators
No full textRationale, aims, and objectives: Few studies focus on patients' views on factors influencing implementation of patient decision aids (PDAs). This study aims to explore patients' views on the factors influencing implementation of an “insulin choice” PDA in a primary care setting. Methods: This study used a descriptive qualitative study design. Interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview guide developed based on the theoretical domains framework. Nine in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with patients with type 2 diabetes who have been advised to start insulin or were currently using insulin and those who had been seeking diabetes treatment in the clinic for more than 1 year. Interviews were conducted after the participants were familiarized with the PDA. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. Results: Five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) trust in the physician (patients preferred physicians to other health care providers in delivering the insulin PDA to them as they trusted physicians more when it comes to making decisions such as starting insulin), (b) physician's attitude (patients were more likely to trust a physician who is friendly and sympathetic hence would be more willing to use the insulin PDA), (c) physician's communication style (patients were more willing to use the insulin PDA if the physicians would take time and guide them in the PDA use), (d) conducive environment (patients preferred to read the PDA at home), and (e) cost (patients would not be willing to pay to use the insulin PDA unless they needed it). Conclusions: Patients want physicians to play a major role in the implementation of the insulin PDA; physicians' communication style and commitment may influence implementation outcomes. Health care authorities need to create a conducive environment and provide patients with free access to PDA to promote effective implementation. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Solid-state double layer capacitors and protonic cell fabricated with dextran from Leuconostoc mesenteroides based green polymer electrolyte
No full textGlycerolized dextran-ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) biopolymer electrolytes are prepared by solution cast technique. The addition of 20 wt% glycerol has increased the conductivity value from (3.00 ± 1.60) × 10−5 S cm−1 to (1.15 ± 0.08) × 10−3 S cm−1. The study of ionic conductivities at high temperature is carried out from 298 K to 353 K and found that the conductivities harmonized with the Arrhenius rule. Results from dielectric analysis have proved that the dielectric constant of the electrolytes has increased as the glycerol concentration is increased. The trend of dielectric analysis follows the conductivity pattern at high temperature. Transference number of the highest conducting electrolyte is found to be 0.97, which proves that ion is the dominant conducting species. From conduction mechanism analysis, the electrolytes obey the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) confirms that the highest conducting electrolyte is suitable to be applied in electrochemical devices with potential stability up to 1.75 V. The fabricated supercapacitor is stable over 1000 cycles with the highest specific capacitance (Cs) of ~15.7 F g−1. The open circuit potential (OCP) for the fabricated protonic cell is ~ (1.40 ± 0.01) V with capacity of 11.6 ± 0.5 mAh. © 2019 Elsevier B.V
Evaluation of the CO2 emissions of an innovative composite precast concrete structure building frame
No full textThe type of frame system, materials, and power consumption used for the construction of new buildings cause environmental issues because of the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Therefore, a new type of sustainable precast concrete structural system called SMART frame has been introduced to reduce the CO2 emissions during the construction of buildings. To determine the effectiveness of the CO2 emission reduction based on the new SMART frame, a similar frame configuration based on reinforced concrete (RC) was used. The SMART and RC building frames consisted of 12 storeys with similar floor areas and were designed under similar conditions. The CO2 emissions based on the material resources and construction methods used for the two building models were analysed. Additionally, the power consumption associated with the use of electricity and fuels for the devices and equipment was considered in the analysis of the total CO2 emissions. The total CO2 emissions of the SMART and RC frame buildings in kilograms (kg) per square meter (m2) are 455.94 and 516.12 kg CO2/m2, respectively. Thus, the total amount of CO2 emission reduction achieved in this study is 60.18 kg CO2/m2. In terms of the individual effects of materials and power consumption, the SMART building has a larger contribution, accounting for a 12.42% and 8.12% decrease in the CO2 emissions, respectively, compared with the RC building. Overall, based on the materials and power consumption used during the construction stage of the SMART frame building, the total CO2 emissions decreased by 11.66% compared with the RC building. Therefore, the SMART frame can be adopted as a sustainable frame alternative to the RC frame system. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
Fluoride removal by palm shell waste based powdered activated carbon vs. functionalized carbon with magnesium silicate: Implications for their application in water treatment
No full textIn this study, palm shell activated carbon powder (PSAC) and magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) modified PSAC (MPSAC) were thoroughly investigated for fluoride (F−) adsorption. F− adsorption isotherms showed that PSAC and MPSAC over-performed some other reported F− adsorbents with adsorption capacities of 116 mg g−1 and 150 mg g−1, respectively. Interestingly, the MgSiO3 impregnated layer changed the adsorption behavior of F− from monolayer to heterogeneous multilayer based on the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models verified by chi-square test (X2). Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the F− adsorption on PSAC and MPSAC was spontaneous and exothermic. PSAC and MPSAC were characterized using FESEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR and XPS to investigate the F− adsorption mechanism. Based on the regeneration tests using NaOH (0.01 M), PSAC exhibited poor regeneration (<20%) while MPSAC had steady adsorption efficiencies (∼70%) even after 5 regeneration cycles. This is due to highly polarized C–F bond was found on PSAC while Mg–F bond was distinguished on MPSAC, evidently denoting that the F− adsorption is mainly resulted from the exchange of hydroxyl (-OH) group. It was concluded that PSAC would be a potential adsorbent for in-situ F− groundwater remediation due to its capability to retain F− without leaching out in a wide range pH. MPSAC would be an alternative adsorbent for ex-situ F− water remediation because it can easily regenerate with NaOH solution. With the excellent F− adsorption properties, both PSAC and MPSAC offer as promising adsorbents for F− remediation in the aqueous phase. © 2019 Elsevier Lt
Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from a Malaysian hospital
No full textMultidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae associated with nosocomial infections have caused serious problems in antibiotic management with limited therapeutic choices. This study aimed to determine the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of K. pneumoniae strains isolated from a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Ninety-seven clinical K. pneumoniae strains were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility, all of which were sensitive to amikacin and colistin (except one strain), while 31.9 % and 27.8 % were MDR and ESBL producers, respectively. PCR and DNA sequencing of the amplicons indicated that the majority of MDR strains (26/27) were positive for blaTEM, followed by blaSHV (24/27), blaCTX-M-1 group (23/27), blaCTX-M-9 group (2/27), and mcr-1 (1/27). Thirty-seven strains were hypervirulent and PCR detection of virulence genes showed 38.1 %, 22.7 %, and 16.5 % of the strains were positive for K1, wabG, and uge genes, respectively. Genotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) showed that these strains were genetically diverse and heterogeneous. Sequence types, ST23, ST22, and ST412 were the predominant genotypes. This is the first report of colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae among clinical strains associated with mcr-1 plasmid in Malaysia. The findings in this study have contributed to the effort in combating the increase in antimicrobial resistance by providing better understanding of genotypic characteristics and resistance mechanisms of the organisms. © 2019, Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia
The mediating effect of organisational culture on academic leadership skills and students’ skill-based learning outcomes in Saudi higher education
No full textThe current study aims to analyse the direct and significant effect of academic leadership skills on students’ skill-based learning outcomes in selected higher education institution in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It also aims to analyse the mediating effect of organisational culture on academic leadership skills and students’ skill-based learning outcomes. The study was conducted with a quantitative research methodology by distributing questionnaires contained 97 items to faculty members in Jazan University, Saudi higher education institution. A total of 350 responses were further analysed using the SPSS (V23) and PLS-SEM. Results indicated that academic leadership skills have no direct and significant effect on students’ skill-based learning outcomes in selected higher education institution in the KSA. Results also indicated that organisational culture has a significant mediation effect on academic leadership skills and student’s skill-based learning outcomes in selected higher education institution in the KSA. The present study has the potential to reflect positively on higher education, academic leadership, as well as students in higher education. © 2019, University of Malaya. All rights reserved
Effect of use of GeoGebra on achievement of high school mathematics students
No full textA quasi-experiment was conducted to determine the effects of using the software GeoGebra as teaching aid on the achievement of Form Two students. The experimental study was conducted on 80 Form Two students, 40 of whom comprised the treatment group and 40 formed the control group. Data were analysed using the software ANATES 4 and SPSS 24.0. Significant differences were found in student achievements in relation to the topics of functions and limit functions according to their group type. Research outcomes also showed that teachers and students approved the use of GeoGebra in the teaching and learning of mathematics. GeoGebra can illustrate mathematical concepts and procedures well through visuals and graphs, which considerably aid students in mastering and understanding concepts and procedures pertaining to functions and limit functions. This software is user-friendly and can relieve the teachers’ burden in explaining functions. Even though the use of GeoGebra is time consuming, teaching by using the software can render the students’ learning process increasingly active. Moreover, learning mathematics with the help of GeoGebra allows for an active interaction between teachers and students. This study provides suggestions as interventions for increasing student achievement. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature