20 research outputs found
Efficient hydroxycarbonylation of aryl iodides using recoverable and reusable carbon aerogels doped with palladium nanoparticles as catalyst
No full textRating the methodological quality in systematic reviews of studies on measurement properties: a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist
No full textBackground: The COSMIN checklist is a standardized tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties. It contains 9 boxes, each dealing with one measurement property, with 5-18 items per box about design aspects and statistical methods. Our aim was to develop a scoring system for the COSMIN checklist to calculate quality scores per measurement property when using the checklist in systematic reviews of measurement properties. Methods: The scoring system was developed based on discussions among experts and testing of the scoring system on 46 articles from a systematic review. Four response options were defined for each COSMIN item (excellent, good, fair, and poor). A quality score per measurement property is obtained by taking the lowest rating of any item in a box ("worst score counts"). Results: Specific criteria for excellent, good, fair, and poor quality for each COSMIN item are described. In defining the criteria, the "worst score counts" algorithm was taken into consideration. This means that only fatal flaws were defined as poor quality. The scores of the 46 articles show how the scoring system can be used to provide an overview of the methodological quality of studies included in a systematic review of measurement properties. Conclusions: Based on experience in testing this scoring system on 46 articles, the COSMIN checklist with the proposed scoring system seems to be a useful tool for assessing the methodological quality of studies included in systematic reviews of measurement properties. © The Author(s) 2011
Assessment of fatigue in postpartum women using patient-reported outcome measures : a systematic review utilising Consensus Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines
No full textBackground: Fatigue is a burden for a substantial proportion of women in the postpartum period. A wide array of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used for assessment, which makes comparison of data difficult.
Objective: To identify the best PROM for postpartum fatigue using Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) guidelines.
Search strategy: We searched Web of Science, Embase, PubMed and CINAHL, with no date limiters, in July 2020 for validated PROMs used to assess fatigue in the postpartum period.
Selection criteria: Studies evaluating at least one author-defined domain of postpartum fatigue and one psychometric measurement property of a PROM.
Data collection and analysis: An overall rating was assigned based on COSMIN criteria and the quality of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).
Main results: We identified 49 validation studies using 18 PROMs in 21,209 women that evaluated postpartum fatigue. All three fatigue domains (Physical, Mental, Interference) were assessed by four PROMs: Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The FAS, which is freely available online, was the only PROM to demonstrate adequate content validity and at least a low level evidence of sufficient internal consistency, resulting in a Class A recommendation.
Conclusion: The FAS is the best available PROM to assess postpartum fatigue. However, it fails to assess important areas of postpartum recovery. Future studies should aim to develop a more specific PROM for postpartum fatigue
Photocatalytic, Morphological and Structural Properties of the TiO2-SiO2-Ag Porous Structures Based System
No full textTiO2-SiO2-based nanocomposites with highly porous structures are gaining ever increasing attention due to their specific properties and large variability of synthesis pathways together with wide information on the impact of the synthesis on the activity of the catalyst. This thereby offers an alternative approach to traditional/commercially available photocatalysts. In our work TiO2-SiO2 based aerogels were obtained and modified with various amount of Ag nanoparticles, using different synthesis pathways. In the first instance their photocatalytic activity was examined in detail, by observing major differences toward salicylic acid and correlating them with their morphological and structural properties (investigating their mesoporous character, band-gap values, crystallinity grade etc.). Applying different techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman- and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) the nanoparticles and their composite morphological and structural details were successfully evaluated. Major differences were observed in the activity towards salicylic acid
Les Bienveillantes et les limites de la littérature
No full textAu lieu de chercher à contourner la proscription qui pèse sur les représentations littéraires de la Shoah, Les Bienveillantes de Jonathan Littell se précipite à la rencontre du scandale médiatique en prenant le parti de la transgression. Or cette transgression n’est pas une simple « pornographie de l’horreur », puisqu’elle se donne également pour objet d’explorer les limites de la notion de littérature, qui revêt une importance primordiale pour l’auteur et pour son roman. L’« espace littéraire » devient, dans Les Bienveillantes, singulièrement apte à accueillir une âpre confrontation entre esthétique et historiographie, notamment en musicalisant la structure de la bureaucratie nazie, qui devient ainsi l’un des moteurs formalistes du récit lui-même. Cette contamination du réel par le littéraire donne également lieu à une recherche de la vérité qui exalte l’invraisemblance pour mieux dire les limites des disciplines du savoir (notamment l’historiographie) au nom d’une rupture de l’histoire qui serait la vérité même de la Shoah. Ce « dis-cours », sensible tout au long du roman, se place sous l’égide d’auteurs tels que Georges Bataille et Louis-Ferdinand Céline, mais c’est surtout Maurice Blanchot qui semble avoir le plus fortement influencé Les Bienveillantes. En effet, non seulement Blanchot est-il cité dans le roman, mais on y retrouve également de nombreuses traces de la pensée blanchotienne du « mourir », telle qu’elle s’expose dans Le pas au-delà. Les gestes transgressifs et délibérément sadiens qui traversent le roman d’un bout à l’autre se révèlent ici être indissociables d’une conception dont Blanchot est le garant littéraire : l’écriture comme proximité, voire expérience de la mort de l’autre, ainsi que de la mort comme Autre. Ainsi, la transgression opérée par Les Bienveillantes se révèle être à l’origine de la force proprement éthique du roman.Instead of circumventing the ban that weighs down on literary representations of the Shoah, Jonathan Littell’s The Kindly Ones charges headfirst into controversy by way of transgression. Yet Littell’s transgressive aims are not to be mistaken for “pornography of horror,” as they also seek to explore the very limits of a concept that is of utmost importance to the author and his novel: literature. Indeed, in The Kindly Ones, the “space of literature” becomes the locus of a fierce debate between aesthetics and historiography. For example, the novel expressly ‘musicalizes’ Nazism’s bureaucratic structures, turning them into formalist narrative devices that operate an aesthetic contamination of reality. A quest for truth nevertheless arises in the process, yet one that is paradoxically grounded in unlikelihood so as to better delineate the borders of knowledge-based fields such as historiography. Indeed, the novel suggests that the Shoah, which embodies a point of rupture in History, calls for a kind of writing whose quest for truth requires a break with historiography. This “dis-course,” palpable all throughout the novel, is indebted to writers such as Georges Bataille and Louis-Ferdinand Céline, but it is Maurice Blanchot who seems casts the longest shadow over The Kindly Ones. Beyond the fact that his name is repeatedly quoted in the novel, Littell’s writing also bears the mark of Blanchot’s notion of “mourir” (dying), especially as formulated in The Step Not Beyond. The deliberately transgressive and Sadian gestures that define The Kindly Ones turn out to be inseparable from a conception of whom Blanchot is the literary godfather: writing as nearness to, even experience of, the death of the other, as well as death as Otherness. Thus, if The Kindy Ones seeks to transgress, this quest reveals itself to lie at the very heart of the novel’s ethical impact
How best to assess quality of life in informal carers of people with dementia; A systematic review of existing outcome measures
No full text\ua9 2018 Dow et al. This 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. Background: In the UK, there are currently 800 000 people living with dementia. This number is expected to double in the next 20 years. Two-thirds of people with dementia live in the community supported by informal carers. Caring for a person with dementia has adverse effects on psychological, physical, social wellbeing and quality of life. The measurement of quality of life of carers of people with dementia is increasingly of interest to health and social care practitioners and commissioners, policymakers, and carers themselves. However, there is lack of consensus on the most suitable instrument(s) for undertaking this. Methods: A systematic review of the literature using COSMIN methodology. Searching of electronic databases (Medline, PsyclNFO, CINAHL and Web of Science), reference list and citation searching of key papers was undertaken. COSMIN methodology was used to simultaneously extract data from and assess methodological quality of included studies, and make a recommendation for the instrument with the most high quality evidence for its measurement properties. Results: Ten instruments were suitable for inclusion in this review. The Carer well-being and support questionnaire (CWS) has the best quality evidence for the greatest number of measurement of properties. The Caregiver Weil-Being Scale is also worthy of consideration. There is not presently a measure which could be recommended for use in economic evaluations, however the Impact of Alzheimer\u27s Disease on the Caregiver questionnaire (IADCQ) could potentially be used following further investigation of its measurement properties in a representative population. Conclusion: The CWS is the most appropriate instrument to recommend for the assessment of quality of life in informal carers of people with dementia at present. All instruments included in this review would benefit from more rigorous evaluation of their measurement properties
Psychometric properties of measures of upper limb activity performance in adults with and without spasticity undergoing neurorehabilitation–A systematic review
No full text© 2021 Pike et al. This 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. Introduction This systematic review appraises the measurement quality of tools which assess activity and/or participation in adults with upper limb spasticity arising from neurological impairment, including methodological quality of the psychometric studies. Differences in the measurement quality of the tools for adults with a neurological impairment, but without upper limb spasticity, is also presented. Methods 29 measurement tools identified in a published review were appraised in this systematic review. For each identified tool, we searched 3 databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL) to identify psychometric studies completed with neurorehabilitation samples. Methodological quality of instrument evaluations was assessed with use of the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. Synthesis of ratings allowed an overall rating of the psychometric evidence for each measurement tool to be calculated. Results 149 articles describing the development or evaluation of psychometric properties of 22 activity and/or participation measurement tools were included. Evidence specific to tool use for adults with spasticity was identified within only 15 of the 149 articles and provided evidence for 9 measurement tools only. Overall, COSMIN appraisal highlighted a lack of evidence of measurement quality. Synthesis of ratings demonstrated all measures had psychometric weaknesses or gaps in evidence (particularly for use of tools with adults with spasticity). Conclusions The systematic search, appraisal and synthesis revealed that currently there is insufficient measurement quality evidence to recommend one tool over another. Notwithstanding this conclusion, newer tools specifically designed for use with people with neurological conditions who have upper limb spasticity, have emergent measurement properties that warrant further research
New fabrication method for producing reduced graphene oxide flexible electrodes by using a low-power visible laser diode engraving system
No full textThe fabrication of bendable electronic devices is a scientific-technological area of very rapid advance in which new materials and fabrication techniques are being continuously developed. In these kinds of devices, the fabrication of flexible conductive electrodes adherent to the substrate is a key factor. Further, eco-friendliness, low cost and fast production are essential requirements for the successful progress of new technologies. In this work, a novel method for obtaining graphene-based flexible electrodes is presented. Conductive films were obtained by means of the visible laser irradiation of graphene oxide layers deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates and self-standing membranes sandwiched between glass slides. Despite the low power of the laser system, the numerical simulations indicate the development of temperatures over 1000 K throughout the irradiated material. The laser-induced spatially confined heating leads to the reduction of the graphene oxide material, whereas the glass-based sandwich assembly avoids reoxidation from the surrounding air. By scanning and pixelated modes, reduced graphene oxide electrodes, up to 100 μm in thickness, and with a resistivity as low as 6 × 10−4 Ωm, were obtained in an easy and versatile way. Proof-of-concept microsupercapacitors and electrochemical sensors were fabricated with this technique, showing promising performance.The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under the project ENE2017-89210-C2-1-R, and support from AGAUR of Generalitat de Catalunya through projects 2017 SGR 1086 and 2017 SGR 1771. ICMAB acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the 'Severo Ochoa' Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (SEV- 2015-0496). Also, this work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation, CCCDI—UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0350/01.03.2018 (Graphene4Life), within PNCDI III.Peer reviewe
Pulmonary Embolism in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients in Romania: Prevalence, Risk Factors, Outcomes
No full text(1) Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly in hospitalized patients. Data from Eastern Europe, including Romania, are limited, despite potential regional differences in demographics, comorbidities, and thromboprophylaxis practices. (2) Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 395 adults hospitalized with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 at the “Victor Babeș” Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases and Pneumophthisiology, Timișoara, Romania, from September 2022 to December 2024. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data were extracted from medical records. PE was confirmed by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA). Group comparisons used chi-square and t-tests, with multivariable logistic regression to identify independent PE predictors. (3) Results: PE was diagnosed in 47 patients (11.9%). Compared to those without PE, patients with PE had higher D-dimer (5305.00 ± 1251.00 vs. 537.00 ± 203.00 ng/mL, p < 0.001), fibrinogen (6.33 ± 0.74 vs. 3.51 ± 0.60 g/L, p < 0.001), and PT/INR (1.68 ± 0.21 vs. 1.05 ± 0.09, p < 0.001). Prior venous thromboembolism (VTE; 19.1% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.03) and prolonged immobilization (61.7% vs. 23.0%, p < 0.001) were significant risk factors. Intensive care unit (ICU) transfer occurred in 59.6% of PE cases, with a 25.5% in-hospital mortality rate. All PE patients received anticoagulation; 10.6% underwent thrombolysis. (4) Conclusions: In this Romanian cohort, one of the first large-scale studies in Eastern Europe, PE was prevalent among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, associated with elevated coagulation markers, identifiable risk factors, and high mortality. Early recognition and optimized thromboprophylaxis are critical to improve outcomes
Persian participation measures for adolescents: A systematic review
No full textIntroduction: Enhancing participation is the focus of occupational therapy. Comprehensive and accurate assessment ensures that clinicians can tailor an intervention to the client�s needs. This systematic review was completed to identify Persian adolescents� participation measures and critically appraise them. It would be helpful in the selection of the most appropriate instrument to use in adolescent-related research and clinical practice. Method: Ten bibliographic databases, four Iranian and six international, without year limits were searched up to June 2019. A systematic search was directed according to COSMIN guidelines for systematic reviews of patient-reported outcome measures and PRISMA guidelines (Systematic review registration: CRD42017073581). Results: Seven measures were extracted from the articles. Reviewing the content and psychometric properties of the measures as well as the methodological quality of the studies indicated that the Modified Activity Questionnaire is the only measure with consistent and moderately reliable results. It measures adolescent participation in leisure activities but not all domains of participation. Conclusion: There may be a growing need for adapting existing Persian measures or developing new ones based on specific age features related to puberty-stage alongside cultural, social and academic demands, which have a significant effect on adolescents� participation in meaningful occupations. High methodological quality in designing such studies also has great importance. © The Author(s) 2020
