318 research outputs found
Copper Rich Cu<sub>1-x</sub>Ni<sub>x</sub> Alloys (0.05 < x < 0.15) Electrodeposited from Acid Sulfate-Based Electrolyte with Benzotriazole Additive for Microbump Metallization for 3D Stacked Integrated Circuits
No full textsponsorship: The author is SB PhD fellow at FWO (project No 1S64517N) and wishes to acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders for the financial support for this work. (Research Foundation Flanders|1S64517N)status: Publishe
Island growth in electrodeposition
No full textElectrochemical deposition of metals onto foreign substrates usually occurs through Volmer–Weber island growth. The mechanism of island nucleation and growth dictates the shape, orientation and number density of islands, and ultimately, the structure and properties of thin films. With increasing emphasis on deposition of ultrathin films and nanostructures, it is critically important to understand the kinetics of nucleation and growth. Here we provide a comprehensive review of island growth in electrodeposition and summarize methods for mechanistic analysis in both the kinetic and diffusion limited regimes.Lian Guo, Gerko Oskam, Aleksandar Radisic, Peter M Hoffmann and Peter C Searso
The effect of the substrate characteristics on the electrochemical nucleation and growth of copper
No full textsj-pdf-1-vdi-10.1177_10406387221104830 – Supplemental material for Listeriosis with viral coinfections in 8 gray foxes, 8 wild turkeys, and 2 young cervids in the southeastern United States
No full textSupplemental material, sj-pdf-1-vdi-10.1177_10406387221104830 for Listeriosis with viral coinfections in 8 gray foxes, 8 wild turkeys, and 2 young cervids in the southeastern United States by Alisia A. W. Weyna, Kevin D. Niedringhaus, Melanie R. Kunkel, Heather M. A. Fenton, M. Kevin Keel, Amy H. Webb, Charlie Bahnson, Rebecca Radisic, Brandon Munk, Susan Sánchez and Nicole M. Nemeth in Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation</p
Costs and economic evaluations of Quality Improvement Collaboratives in healthcare: a systematic review
No full textBACKGROUND:In increasingly constrained healthcare budgets worldwide, efforts to improve quality and reduce costs are vital. Quality Improvement Collaboratives (QICs) are often used in healthcare settings to implement proven clinical interventions within local and national programs. The cost of this method of implementation, however, is cited as a barrier to use. This systematic review aims to identify and describe studies reporting on costs and cost-effectiveness of QICs when used to implement clinical guidelines in healthcare. METHODS:Multiple databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, EconLit and ProQuest) were searched for economic evaluations or cost studies of QICs in healthcare. Studies were included if they reported on economic evaluations or costs of QICs. Two authors independently reviewed citations and full text papers. Key characteristics of eligible studies were extracted, and their quality assessed against the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS). Evers CHEC-List was used for full economic evaluations. Cost-effectiveness findings were interpreted through the Johanna Briggs Institute 'three by three dominance matrix tool' to guide conclusions. Currencies were converted to United States dollars for 2018 using OECD and World Bank databases. RESULTS:Few studies reported on costs or economic evaluations of QICs despite their use in healthcare. Eight studies across multiple healthcare settings in acute and long-term care, community addiction treatment and chronic disease management were included. Five were considered good quality and favoured the establishment of QICs as cost-effective implementation methods. The cost savings to the healthcare setting identified in these studies outweighed the cost of the collaborative itself. CONCLUSIONS:Potential cost savings to the health care system in both acute and chronic conditions may be possible by applying QICs at scale. However, variations in effectiveness, costs and elements of the method within studies, indicated that caution is needed. Consistent identification of costs and description of the elements applied in QICs would better inform decisions for their use and may reduce perceived barriers. Lack of studies with negative findings may have been due to publication bias. Future research should include economic evaluations with societal perspectives of costs and savings and the cost-effectiveness of elements of QICs. TRIAL REGISTRATION:PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018107417.Lenore de la Perrelle, Gorjana Radisic, Monica Cations, Billingsley Kaambwa, Gaery Barbery and Kate Lave
How, why and under what circumstances does a quality improvement collaborative build knowledge and skills in clinicians working with people with dementia? A realist informed process evaluation
No full textIn increasingly constrained health and aged care services, strategies are needed to improve quality and translate evidence into practice. In dementia care, recent failures in quality and safety have led the WHO to prioritise the translation of known evidence into practice. While quality improvement collaboratives have been widely used in healthcare, there are few examples in dementia care. We describe a recent quality improvement collaborative to improve dementia care across Australia and assess the implementation outcomes of acceptability and feasibility of this strategy to translate known evidence into practice. A realist-informed process evaluation was used to analyse how, why and under what circumstances a quality improvement collaborative built knowledge and skills in clinicians working in dementia care. This realist-informed process evaluation developed, tested and refined the programme theory of a quality improvement collaborative. Data were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention using surveys and interviews with participants (n=28). A combined inductive and deductive data analysis process integrated three frameworks to examine the context and mechanisms of knowledge and skill building in participant clinicians. A refined program theory showed how and why clinicians built knowledge and skills in quality improvement in dementia care. Six mechanisms were identified: motivation, accountability, identity, collective learning, credibility and reflective practice. These mechanisms, in combination, operated to overcome constraints, role boundaries and pessimism about improved practice in dementia care. A quality improvement collaborative designed for clinicians in different contexts and roles was acceptable and feasible in building knowledge, skills and confidence of clinicians to improve dementia care. Supportive reflective practice and a credible, flexible and collaborative process optimised quality improvement knowledge and skills in clinicians working with people with dementia.Lenore de la Perrelle, Monica Cations, Gaery Barbery, Gorjana Radisic, Billingsley Kaambwa, Maria Crotty, Janna Anneke Fitzgerald, Susan Kurrle, Ian Cameron, Craig Whitehead, Jane Thompson, Kate Lave
Recruitment of dendritic cells and macrophages during T cell-mediated synovial inflammation
No full textThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Adoptive transfer of adjuvant-induced arthritis was used in this study to examine local macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) during T cell-mediated synovial inflammation. We studied the influx of CD11b+CD11c+ putative myeloid DCs and other non-lymphoid CD45+ cells into synovium-rich tissues (SRTs) of the affected hind paws in response to a pulse of autoreactive thoracic duct cells. Cells were prepared from the SRTs using a collagenase perfusion-digestion technique, thus allowing enumeration and phenotypic analysis by flow cytometry. Numbers of CD45+ cells increased during the first 6 days, with increases in CD45+MHC (major histocompatibility complex) II+ monocyte-like cells from as early as day 3 after transfer. In contrast, typical MHC II- monocytes, mainly of the CD4- subset, did not increase until 12 to 14 days after cell transfer, coinciding with the main influx of polymorphonuclear cells. By day 14, CD45+MHC IIhi cells constituted approximately half of all CD45+ cells in SRT. Most of the MHC IIhi cells expressed CD11c and CD11b and represented putative myeloid DCs, whereas only approximately 20% were CD163+ macrophages. Less than 5% of the MHC IIhi cells in inflamed SRT were CD11b-, setting a maximum for any influx of plasmacytoid DCs. Of the putative myeloid DCs, a third expressed CD4 and both the CD4+ and the CD4- subsets expressed the co-stimulatory molecule CD172a. Early accumulation of MHC IIhiCD11c+ monocyte-like cells during the early phase of T cell-mediated inflammation, relative to typical MHC II- blood monocytes, suggests that recruited monocytes differentiate rapidly toward the DC lineage at this stage in the disease process. However, it is possible also that the MHC IIhiCD11c+ cells originate from a specific subset of DC-like circulating mononuclear cells.Mahin Moghaddami, Leslie G Cleland, Gorjana Radisic and Graham Mayrhofe
Electrodeposition of porous manganese dioxide as a cathode material for 3D microbatteries
No full textThe role of dialogue and polylogue during an inquiry process in primary education
No full textInquiry is commonly applied in all types of education. In inquiry, dialogue between persons present in the classroom and polylogue with knowledgeable others outside the classroom (e.g., via books) are vital. In the context of Developmental Education, inquiry takes on three forms: consulting sources, inquiry of practices and inquiry as experimental research. This study aims to find out what role dialogue and polylogue play in these forms of inquiry, and how dialogue and polylogue can be promoted by a teacher. The inquiry processes in a classroom with children aged 4-6 were studied.This class was working on the theme „the garden‟, which included activities like gardening, drying flowers, and setting up a flower shop. This classroom was observed and the teacher was interviewed to give insight into the way inquiry was part of the activities of the class. The three forms of inquiry were all visible in the activities that children and the teacher undertook. In consulting sources, the teacher played an important role in stimulating polylogue by means of providing and reading in books. Inquiry of practices was seen in the flower shop, when children were imitating the activities of real florists. Here, dialogue was central, via which children together instigated a meaningful role-play. Inquiry as experimental research was visible for example in trying out different ways to dry flowers. This required a combination of dialogue to determine together how the experiment can best be conducted and polylogue to involve the ideas of not present others. Crucial in each of these forms of inquiry is the central role of the teacher in providing a rich learning environment in which dialogue and polylogue can meaningfully take place
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