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Carbon Nanotubes in TiO2 Nanofiber Photoelectrodes for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells
Get PDFPublished by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim1D semiconducting oxides are unique structures that have been widely used for photovoltaic (PV) devices due to their capability to provide a direct pathway for charge transport. In addition, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have played multifunctional roles in a range of PV cells because of their fascinating properties. Herein, the influence of CNTs on the PV performance of 1D titanium dioxide nanofiber (TiO2 NF) photoelectrode perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is systematically explored. Among the different types of CNTs, single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) incorporated in the TiO2 NF photoelectrode PSCs show a significant enhancement (≈40%) in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) as compared to control cells. SWCNTs incorporated in TiO2 NFs provide a fast electron transfer within the photoelectrode, resulting in an increase in the short-circuit current (J sc) value. On the basis of our theoretical calculations, the improved open-circuit voltage (V oc) of the cells can be attributed to a shift in energy level of the photoelectrodes after the introduction of SWCNTs. Furthermore, it is found that the incorporation of SWCNTs into TiO2 NFs reduces the hysteresis effect and improves the stability of the PSC devices. In this study, the best performing PSC device constructed with SWCNT structures achieves a PCE of 14.03%
Femoral Neck Strain during Maximal Contraction of Isolated Hip-Spanning Muscle Groups
Get PDFhis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The aim of the study was to investigate femoral neck strain during maximal isometric contraction of the hip-spanning muscles. The musculoskeletal and the femur finite-element models from an elderly white woman were taken from earlier studies. The hip-spanning muscles were grouped by function in six hip-spanning muscle groups. The peak hip and knee moments in the model were matched to corresponding published measurements of the hip and knee moments during maximal isometric exercises about the hip and the knee in elderly participants. The femoral neck strain was calculated using full activation of the agonist muscles at fourteen physiological joint angles. The 5% +/- 0.8% of the femoral neck volume exceeded the 90th percentile of the strain distribution across the 84 studied scenarios. Hip extensors, flexors, and abductors generated the highest tension in the proximal neck (2727 με), tension (986 με) and compression (−2818 με) in the anterior and posterior neck, and compression (−2069 με) in the distal neck, respectively. Hip extensors and flexors generated the highest neck strain per unit of joint moment (63–67 με·m·N−1) at extreme hip angles. Therefore, femoral neck strain is heterogeneous and muscle contraction and posture dependent
Coastal aquifers: Scientific advances in the face of global environmental challenges
Get PDFThis article has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.04.046
© 2017 Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (25 May 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s copyright polic
Why is the Timaeus Different?
Get PDFAll rights reserved © 2017, Modern Greek Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand. Reproduced with permission of the publisher.The Timaeus is significantly different from Plato’s other works and is a difficult work to analyse. This paper will comprise two parts. In the first part, I will present two issues that may contribute to us having problems with the Timaeus. Firstly, I will discuss how the style of the Timaeus is different from Plato’s other works. Secondly, I will review
a number of inconsistencies between the Timaeus and Plato’s other works. In the second part, I will review five possible explanations for these problems, ranging from the extreme view that it is a forgery, to the view that Plato had simply changed his mind on philosophical matters, and additionally was playing with a different writing style
ACCCN Workforce Standards for Intensive Care Nursing: Systematic and evidence review, development, and appraisal
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article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: The intensive care nursing workforce plays an essential role in the achievement of positive
healthcare outcomes. A growing body of evidence indicates that inadequate nurse staffing and poor skill
mix are associated with negative outcomes for patients, and potentially compromises nurses’ ability to
maintain the safety of those in their care. In Australia, the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses
(ACCCN) has previously published a position statement on intensive care staffing. There was a need for a
stronger more evidence based document to support the intensive nursing workforce.
Objectives: To undertake a systematic and evidence review of the evidence related to intensive care
nurse staffing and quality of care, and determine evidence-based professional standards for the intensive
care nursing workforce in Australia.
Methods: The National Health and Medical Research Council standard for clinical practice guidelines
methodology was employed. The English language literature, for the years 2000-2015 was searched.
Draft standards were developed and then peer- and consumer-reviewed.
Results: A total of 553 articles was retrieved from the initial searches. Following evaluation, 231 articles
met the inclusion criteria and were assessed for quality using established criteria. This evidence was used
as the basis for the development of ten workforce standards, and to establish the overall level of evidence
in support of each standard. All draft standards and their subsections were supported multiprofessionally
(median score >6) and by consumers (85e100% agreement). Following minor revisions,
independent appraisal using the AGREE II tool indicated that the standards were developed with a high
degree of rigour.
Conclusion: The ACCCN intensive care nursing nurse workforce standards are the first to be developed
using a robust, evidence-based process. The standards represent the optimal nurse workforce to achieve
the best patient outcomes and to maintain a sustainable intensive care nursing workforce for Australia
Managing chronic conditions care across primary care and hospital systems: lessons from an Australian Hospital Avoidance Risk Program using the Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program
Get PDFJournal compilation © AHHA 2018 Open Access CC BY-NC-NDObjective The study aimed to determine the impact of the Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program for chronic condition self-management care planning and how to improve its use with Bendigo Health’s Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP).
Methods A retrospective analysis of hospital admission data collected by Bendigo Health from July 2012 to September 2013 was undertaken. Length of stay during admission and total contacts post-discharge by hospital staff for 253 patients with 644 admissions were considered as outcome variables. For statistical modelling we used the generalised linear model.
Results The combination of the HARP and Flinders Program was able to achieve significant reductions in hospital admissions and non-significant reduction in emergency department presentations and length of stay. The generalised linear model predicted that vulnerable patient groups such as those with heart disease (P = 0.037) and complex needs (P < 0.001) received more post-discharge contacts by HARP staff than those suffering from diabetes, renal conditions and psychosocial needs when they lived alone. Similarly, respiratory (P < 0.001), heart disease (P = 0.015) and complex needs (P = 0.050) patients had more contacts, with an increased number of episodes than those suffering from diabetes, renal conditions and psychosocial needs.
Conclusion The Flinders Program appeared to have significant positive impacts on HARP patients that could be more effective if high-risk groups, such as respiratory patients with no carers and respiratory and heart disease patients aged 0–65, had received more targeted care.
What is known about the topic? Chronic conditions are common causes of premature death and disability in Australia. Besides mental and physical impacts at the individual level, chronic conditions are strongly linked to high costs and health service utilisation. Hospital avoidance programs such as HARP can better manage chronic conditions through a greater focus on coordination and integration of care across primary care and hospital systems. In support of HARP, self-management interventions such as the Flinders Program aim to help individuals better manage their medical treatment and cope with the impact of the condition on their physical and mental wellbeing and thus reduce health services utilisation.
What does this paper add? This paper sheds light on which patients might be more or less likely to benefit from the combination of the HARP and Flinders Program, with regard to their impact on reductions in hospital admissions, emergency department presentations and length of stay. This study also sheds light on how the Flinders Program could be better targeted towards and implemented among high-need and high-cost patients to lessen chronic disease burden on Australia’s health system.
What are the implications for practitioners? Programs targeting vulnerable populations and applying evidence-based chronic condition management and self-management support achieve significant reductions in potentially avoidable hospitalisation and emergency department presentation rates, though sex, type of chronic condition and living situation appear to matter. Benefits might also accrue from the combination of contextual factors (such as the Flinders Program, supportive service management, clinical champions in the team) that work synergistically
TGC repeat expansion in the TCF4 gene increases the risk of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy in Australian cases
Get PDFThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a progressive, vision impairing disease. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a trinucleotide repeat polymorphism, thymine-guanine-cytosine (TGC), in the TCF4 gene have been associated with the risk of FECD in some populations. We previously reported association of SNPs in TCF4 with FECD risk in the Australian population. The aim of this study was to determine whether TGC repeat polymorphism in TCF4 is associated with FECD in the Australian population. In 189 unrelated Australian cases with advanced late-onset FECD and 183 matched controls, the TGC repeat polymorphism located in intron 3 of TCF4 was genotyped using a short tandem repeat (STR) assay. The repeat length was verified by direct sequencing in selected homozygous carriers. We found significant association between the expanded TGC repeat (≥ 40 repeats) in TCF4 and advanced FECD (P = 2.58 × 10−22; OR = 15.66 (95% CI: 7.79–31.49)). Genotypic analysis showed that 51% of cases (97) compared to 5% of controls (9) were heterozygous or homozygous for the expanded repeat allele. Furthermore, the repeat expansion showed stronger association than the most significantly associated SNP, rs613872, in TCF4, with the disease in the Australian cohort. This and haplotype analysis of both the polymorphisms suggest that considering both the polymorphisms together rather than either of the two alone would better predict susceptibility to FECD in the Australian population. This is the first study to report association of the TGC trinucleotide repeat expansion in TCF4 with advanced FECD in the Australian population
A finite element study on the mechanical response of the head-neck interface of hip implants under realistic forces and moments of daily activities: Part 2
Get PDFThis manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
This author accepted manuscript is made available following 24 month embargo from date of publication (Sept 2017) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyA finite element model was developed to investigate the effect of loading regimes caused by various daily activities on the mechanical behaviour of the head-neck taper junction in modular hip replacements. The activities included stair up, stair down, sit to stand, stand to sit, one leg standing and knee bending. To present the real mechanical environment of the junction, in addition to the force components, the frictional moments produced by the frictional sliding of the head and cup were applied to a CoCr/CoCr junction having a 12/14 taper with a proximal mismatch angle of 0.024°. This study revealed that stair up with the highest fretting work per unit of length (1.62 × 104 J/m) was the most critical activity, while knee bending and stand to sit with 1.96 × 103 J/m were the least critical activities. For all the activities, the superolateral region of the neck was identified as the most critical region in terms of having larger values of fretting work per unit of area. This study showed also that the relative micro-motions and contact stresses occurring at the head-neck interface for all the studied activities are mostly in the range of 0–38 µm and 0–350 MPa, respectively. These ranges may be accordingly employed for conducting relevant in-vitro tests to more realistically represent the mechanical environment of taper junctions with the same materials and geometry studied in this work
