1,721,118 research outputs found
Weldability of austenitic stainless steel by metal arc welding with different shielding gas
Full text linkAbstractDuring fusion welding the molten metal is shielded from contact with the atmospheric gas by means of a gaseous flux. The shielding gas prevents weld embrittlement, affects welding quality, because of its influence on filler metal transfer, and has a direct impact on welding costs as well. Argon is the most common shielding gas, often used with some adds of other gases that can be inert, as helium, or active, as CO2, O2 or H2. In this work the effects of mixtures with different composition have been considered for the arc welding of austenitic steels. Metallographic samples of welded sections have been undergone to visual and optical microscopy observations, microhardness, indentations and tensile tests
Non-local effects by homogenization or 3D-1D dimension reduction in elastic materials reinforced by stiff fibers
No full textLa Salute organizzativa degli infermieri
Full text linkBackground.
La salute organizzativa, il benessere e la qualità della vita nei luoghi di cura, sono temi di sempre maggiore interesse e centralità per i manager sanitari. E’ importante in ambito sanitario valutare il livello di “salute organizzativa” degli infermieri con una metodologia di ascolto attivo che faccia emergere la “percezione” che gli stessi hanno del proprio vissuto organizzativo. Attraverso l’indagine sulla salute organizzativa, i manager possono dar vita ad un percorso di analisi organizzativa che consente di definire strategie di azione che tengano conto delle indicazioni e dei suggerimenti giunti dai propri collaboratori. -- Obiettivi.
Nel corso del triennio dottorale è stato progettato e realizzato uno studio ricerca, con lo scopo di valutare la Salute Organizzativa degli Infermieri. Sono stati prefissati i seguenti obiettivi di ricerca:
A. individuare in letteratura ed eventualmente sviluppare o modificare, uno strumento specifico per valutare la Salute Organizzativa degli infermieri;
B. valutare quanto la salute organizzativa sia correlata con “qualità di vita” degli infermieri;
C. individuare eventuali correlazioni tra Salute Organizzativa e ambito clinico-assistenziale di appartenenza;
D. condurre un’indagine su un cospicuo numero di infermieri, diversificando il campione per tipologia organizzativa (Aziende, Policlinici, Strutture Private, etc) al fine di elaborare un manuale rivolto agli Infermieri Dirigenti per svolgere, in modo autonomo, un’indagine sullo stato di Salute Organizzativa nel proprio contesto lavorativo. -- Metodo.
Per quanto concerne lo strumento per misurare la Salute Organizzativa, è stato elaborato e validato il Questionario Infermieristico sulla Salute Organizzaiva (QISO), uno strumento derivato dal Multidimensional Health Questionnaire (MOHQ). Il QISO, sottoposto a validità di contenuto da parte di un gruppo di esperti, è stato somministrato ad un campione di 1279 infermieri. Con l’analisi fattoriale sono state individuate 18 dimensioni (scale), tutte con buone caratteristiche psicometriche di validità e affidabilità.
Per quanto riguarda il secondo obiettivo della ricerca, è stata condotta un’indagine su un campione di 411 infermieri dell’Emergenza Territoriale ai quali è stato somministrato il QISO e l’SF-12 (per misurare la qualità di vita). Complessivamente tra gli uomini sono stati rilevati: migliore salute mentale, migliore percezione dei propri coordinatori e una più alto apprezzamento (in termini di efficacia ed efficienza organizzativa) verso la propria organizzazione. Tra le donne, invece, si è riscontrata una maggior presenza di disturbi psicofisici e di indicatori negativi di salute organizzativa.
In merito al terzo studio sono stati invece reclutati 542 infermieri che prestavano servizio presso diversi Policlinici Universitari Italiani: 337 provenienti dalle Unità Operative di Medicina e 205 dalle Camere Operatorie. Con lo studio è stato dimostrato che gli infermieri di Camera Operatoria hanno livelli significativamente più bassi di salute e soddisfazione organizzativa rispetto ai colleghi che lavorano nelle Unità Operative di Medicina. L’analisi statistica ha inoltre permesso di constatare che la salute organizzativa non differisce in rapporto all’età e al genere.
Per ciò che concerne il manuale (obiettivo D) che affronta le tematiche inerenti la salute organizzativa, lo stesso, che risulta essere uno strumento di semplice applicazione nei diversi contesti sanitari, è stato realizzato con il reclutamento di 4334 infermieri. Grazie alla meticolosa spiegazione delle diverse fasi che compongono l’intero processo di indagine, permette inoltre, di valutare lo stato di salute del proprio contesto organizzativo, circostanziando il corretto utilizzo del QISO per l’elaborazione e l’interpretazione dei dati. --
Conclusioni.
Le diverse ricerche condotte nel corso del triennio, hanno principalmente permesso di validare un nuovo strumento per rilevare la Salute organizzativa degli Infermieri. E’ stato quindi possibile dimostrare come la Qualità di Vita degli Infermieri sia strettamente correlata al proprio vissuto organizzativo e quanto alcune specifiche circostanze organizzative possano influenzare la salute mentale e la salute fisica diversificatamente per gli uomini e per le donne nonché per i giovani infermieri e per i più anziani. Inoltre, di fondamentale importanza, è risultato essere lo specifico contesto lavorativo. Ambienti di lavoro come le Unità Operative di Medicina, a differenza di particolari contesti come le Camere Operatorie, inducono gli infermieri ad avere una più positiva percezione della propria organizzazione, probabilmente dovuta all’aspetto relazionale e comunicativo che viene ad istaurarsi in questi contesti.
Il manuale, infine, darà la possibilità di approfondire le tematiche inerenti la “buona” gestione del personale, di condurre le varie fasi dell’indagine volta alla valutazione dello stato di salute del proprio contesto organizzativo, di usare correttamente il QISO, di elaborare i dati nonché di interpretarne i risultati ottenuti.Background
Organizational health, well-being and quality of life in health care settings are issues of increasing interest for nurse managers. It is important in health care setting to evaluate organizational health of nurses with a method of active listening that will bring out the perception they have about their own organization. Researching in their field of organizational health, managers can analyze their context and define actions that take into account the suggestions of their staff.
Objectives
During the three-year of the doctoral program it has been designed and implemented a research study with the aim of assessing the organizational health of nurses. The following research objectives have been identified:
A. to identify in the literature and eventually to develop or modify a specific instrument for assessing the organizational health of nurses;
B. to correlate the organizational health with the quality of life in nurses;
C. to identify correlations between organizational health and clinical care contexts;
D. to carry out an investigation on a large number of nurses in order to develop a manual for nurse managers. This manual will allow nurse managers to easily assess the organizational health on their working environment.
Methods
The Nursing Organizational Health Questionnaire (NOHQ), that has been derived from the Multidimensional Organizational Health Questionnaire (MOHQ) has been developed in the present study. The NOHQ underwent to content validity ad was administered to a sample of 1279 nurses. Eighteen dimensions (scales) have been identified by factor analysis each of one showed good psychometric properties of validity and reliability.
To reach the second objective of the research, a survey was conducted on a sample of 411 nurses working in the territorial emergency. In this study the NOHQ and the SF-12 (to measure quality of life) were administered. Overall, male nurses had better mental health, better perception of their coordinators and higher appreciation (in terms of effectiveness and organizational efficiency) for their organization. Female nurses complained more psychophysical symptoms and showed more negative indicators of organizational health.
For the third objective, 542 nurses were recruited in several university hospital in Italy: 337 nurses were enrolled from Medical Units and 205 from the Operating theaters. In this study it was demonstrated that operating room nurses had lower levels of organizational health and satisfaction than their colleagues working in the Medical Units. Statistical analysis also revealed that the organizational health did not differ among age and gender.
With regard to the manual (objective D) a study with 4334 nurses was carried out in several health settings. This manual meticulously explains the different steps to investigate the organizational health in one’s own health context. It also gives procedures to administer the NOHQ, elaborate the data and understand the results.
Conclusions
The various studies conducted over three years allowed the validation of a new tool to measure the organizational health of nurses. It was possible to demonstrate how the quality of life of nurses is closely related to their organization and how some specific organizational circumstances can affect the mental and physical health in male and female nurses as well as in younger and older nurses. It was also demonstrated how the working context can affect the organizational health in nurses. In the medical units nurses have better organizational health than in the operating theaters; this means that in the first context nurses have a more positive perception of their organization, probably due to the relational and communicational aspects with patients.
Finally, the manual will give the opportunity to nurse managers to better manage the personnel, carrying out surveys in their contexts, to properly use the NOHQ, to elaborate the data and to interpret the results
Organization well-being: the perceptions of nurses in Rome [Il Benessere organizzativo: la percezione degli infermieri romani.]
No full textThe nursing manager, a prominent figure in hospital management nowadays, must not underestimate the importance of how nurses perceive their work and how they live their day to day role in the hospital. A study to evaluate organizational wellbeing was performed involving 823 nurses in Roman health structures using a questionnaire. The results obtained were also submitted to statistical analysis using Duncanis test and showed that most nurses are fairly satisfied with their working conditions. However, a lack of trust in hospital management emerged, attributable to feelings of not being sufficiently appreciated and the absence of professional development as well as feeling left out of the decision-making process
SMALL-SCALE NONDESTRUCTIVE STRESS-STRAIN AND CREEP TESTS FEASIBLE DURING IRRADIATION
No full textBy the use of suitable cylindrical indenters with flat surface and constant penetration rates, load versus penetration depth curves are obtained which show correspondence with the stress-strain curves of the tensile tests for some materials examined. After an initial linear stage, a limit load of sigma(U) is reached after which a stage of work-hardening occurs with a trend comparable to the one of the tensile test. The limit load sigma(U) congruent to 3 sigma(y), sigma(y) being the yielding load of the tensile test. For penetration rates = 100 mu m/min, the loads of the work-hadening stage above sigma(U) tend to saturation values comparable to the loads of hardness only for some of the materials examined. With larger penetration rates, loads are reached well in excess above those of hardness. With metal-matrix composite alloys a stage with drops of load has been observed at the level of the loads of hardness. Besides those with constant penetration rates, tests with constant load have been also made on the same materials, with the results interpreted on the basis of the penetration rate effects
EFFECTS OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE TREATMENTS ON MARTENSITIC-TRANSFORMATION IN MANET STEEL
No full textInternal friction vs. temperature spectra, together with X-ray diffraction and hardness characteristics have been examined in MANET steel samples submitted to various thermal treatments. The results indicate the existence of a critical temperature (almost-equal-to 1450 K) below which the Cr atoms are not distributed at random but they form C-Cr associates, occupying the corners of the interstices which contain C atoms. The properties of martensite obtained with different cooling rates are connected with different characteristics of these associates, which may be controlled by thermal treatments above M(s) in high-temperature prenucleation stages of the martensite
Application of Hybrid laser Beam +Electric Arc Processes to Steel Welding
No full textThe present paper reports the results of butt-welding trials on cladded steel plates by utilizing
arc-welding+laser beam hybrid coupling, with a single-pass technique and a single filler metal of proper
composition. Test plates are made of steel, cladded with austenitic stainless steel. Welded samples were
submitted to metallographic observations, X-Ray EDS microanalysis, Vickers micro-hardness and tensile
tests. The results allow to make an evaluation of the weld quality of the trial joints, aiming to investigate
about the possibility to carry out deep penetration welds in a single pass welding technique from one side and
to assess welding parameters suitable to achieve a crack-free weld metal of satisfactory composition
Improvement of the fatigue behavior of A1 6061/20% SiCp composites by means of titanium coatings
No full textThe present work shows that it is possible to increase the fatigue life and endurance limit of Al 6061/20% SiCp composite by means of coatings of titanium sputtered at room temperature. Coatings seat defects always present on the external surface of the composite, retard crack growth thus lead to a remarkable improvement of fatigue behaviour. The effect of coating thickness on fatigue is discussed with reference to surface state, which has been investigated by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
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