26 research outputs found
It is like ‘judging a book by its cover’: An exploration of the lived experiences of Black African mental health nurses in England
No full text© 2021 The Author. Published by Wiley. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence.
The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12436The aim of this paper was to explore the experiences of perceived prejudices faced in England by Black African mental health nurses. Purposive sampling was used to identify five nurses from sub-Saharan Africa. They were interviewed using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The findings were reported under two superordinate themes: Judging a book by its cover and opportunities. The findings showed that Black African nurses experience deep-rooted discrimination and marginalisation. Aside from that, because of their ethnicity and the fact that they speak English as a second language, they face discrimination and have difficulty achieving leadership roles. These findings provide key stakeholders, such as nursing trade unions and professional associations, as well as NHS employers, with the opportunity to act to counter hegemony in the NHS and recognise that discriminatory and racially related barriers hinder Black African nurses from reaching their full professional potential
'They tried to evil me': an explanatory model for Black Africans’ mental health challenges
No full text© 2023 The author. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12602This paper explores the explanatory models of mental challenges among Black Africans in England. It argues that understanding these models is critical for providing culturally appropriate care to this population. The study employed qualitative methodology, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). 12 mental health service users who are living in England and self-identified as first or second-generation black Africans were purposively selected. The data was gathered using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data was manually analyzed in accordance with IPA concepts of searching for common, unique, and idiosyncratic themes across transcripts. The findings revealed three themes black Africans associated to their explanatory model of mental health challenges: complexities of migration, African-centred worldview, and negative life experiences. To help alleviate the Eurocentric nature of mental health practice in England, it is hoped that this explanatory model will become an integral part of mental health practice in the England and around the world
Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Why Proper Conceptualization Matters
No full textThe problems of social isolation and loneliness in older adults have been widely researched but there are still issues regarding their conceptualizations and use in academic research. The terms social isolation and loneliness have often been used interchangeably in research, but evidence suggests they are not the same and sometimes have different implications for health outcomes in older adults. This paper attempts to highlight why proper conceptualization of these terms in research is important
Nonmetallic Inclusions in Solar Cell Silicon: Focusing on Recycling of Scraps
No full textThe solar grade silicon ingot produced from directional solidification process usually pushes the impurities to the top and finally cut off and discarded, which leads to material loss. The hard inclusions lead to wire breakages during the cutting of the ingot in wafers. The main kinds of inclusions found in solar grade silicon have been investigated using vacuum filtration: needle-like Si3N4 and lumpy SiC inclusions. Clusters of SiC inclusions and Si3N4 are also found. Surface observations of the scraps before polishing reveals that Si 3 N 4 inclusions are usually bigger and in some cases can be about a few millimeters. SiC inclusions are usually smaller, ~200mum but can be ~500mum in some cases. Inclusions observed after filtration are mainly SiC with diameters ~10mum. Through the vacuum filtration, 99% inclusions can be removed 99%. The possible mechanisms of filtration are cake filtration for the larger sized Si 3 N 4 and SiC inclusions and deep-bed filtration the SiC inclusions. For the directional solidified silicon ingot, an approximate distance of ~10mm gave an encouraging cutoff thickness. The inclusions sizes were below 10 m
Analysis of syntatic effects of some names of the deities in the Bono Kingdom
No full textThe investigation analyzed the syntactic effects of Some Name of Bono Kingdom. The analysis took into consideration one hundred and twenty (120) respondents as the population sample with an equal gender distribution of sixty (60). The purposive sampling technique was employed to elicit essential information for the investigation. Unstructured interviews, observation, and recording were the data collection instrument. The syntax processes were discovered as the effects of Some Names of the Deities in the Bono Kingdom. Some of these effects were phrases, clauses, simple sentences, complex sentences, and compound sentences as well as clausal truncation. The dependent and independent clauses were also outlined. This investigation had X – Bar Theory propounded by Noam Chomsky (1957) as its reference point. It was finally realized that the effects of syntax on the Names of Deities in the Bono Kingdom were fundamental in the Akan setup
Green Synthesis of Citrus sinensis Peel Extract-Mediated Ag-TiO2 and Its Application as a Photocatalyst for Organic Molecules and Antimicrobial Agent
No full textThe growing focus on green chemistry and its application in nanomaterials has sparked a desire to explore more efficient and environmentally friendly synthesis methods. In this work, Citrus sinensis peel extract was used to synthesize silver-titanium dioxide, and the photocatalytic properties were evaluated in comparison with pristine titanium dioxide for wastewater purification and the antimicrobial efficacy tested. Titanium dioxide was coated with silver nanoparticles using weighted amounts of silver nitrate, with C. sinensis peel extract serving as the reducing agent. Characterization via X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry confirmed silver-titanium dioxide formation. The maximum photodegradation rate was observed with a 1.5 wt.% silver-titanium dioxide composite using rhodamine B, proving it to be the most effective for organic molecule photodegradation. Subsequently, silver nanoparticles and silver-titanium dioxide demonstrated growth inhibition against strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, highlighting their potential for wastewater treatment and microbial control
A study of polybromide chain formation using carbon nanomaterials via density functional theory approach
No full text\ua9 2016 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. We use a density functional theory approach under the local density approximation (DFT/LDA) to describe the formation of polybromide chain structures, their stretching frequency modes and charge transfer induced by the interaction of these molecules with a graphene sheet. In many cases, we find polybromides to be more thermodynamically stable than the equivalent Br2 molecular structures adsorbed on graphene sheet. This results in lower frequency stretch modes at around 170–190 cm−1. We propose that these are rarely observed experimentally due to the bromination techniques used, which introduces molecular Br2 into the carbon host material. Charge transfer with their host material means that these molecules and their associated hole charge in the neighbouring carbon materials, are then coulombically repelled from other bromine molecules which acts as a barrier to combination into polybromides. Our calculated barrier for polybromide formation (2Br2→Br4) on a graphene sheet was 0.35 eV which is an exothermic process with an enthalpy value of −0.28 eV. Therefore, thermodynamically, chain polybromide formation seems to be favourable but kinetically, is unlikely, since there is an activation barrier that needs to be overcome to give stable bromine chain structures
Anti-proliferative effect of Ficus pumila Linn. on human leukemic cell lines
No full textBackground: Cancer is one of the many diseases of global concern due to its high mortality rate with drug resistance becoming a major challenge to chemotherapy and this have propelled many cancer patients to seek alternative and complementary methods of treatment. The objective for this study was, therefore, to determine the antiproliferative activity as well as phytochemical, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of the stem and leaf extracts (FPS and FPL) of Ficus pumila (L.) using standard methods.Methods: The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to evaluate anti-proliferative effect and spectrophotometric-based assays for antioxidant and TPC. Phytochemical constituents were accessed by standard methods.Results: The hydroethanolic extracts of the leaves and stems were rich in tannins, general glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids (leaves only), and sterols (stem only). Strong total antioxidant activities were observed with FPL and FPS with EC50 values of 0.07 mg/ml and 0.089 mg/ml, respectively. All the crude extracts showed anti-proliferative effect towards the three human leukemic cell lines used (Jurkat, CEM, and HL-60). However, FPL gave the strongest inhibition concentration at 50% values of 130.97 µg/ml (Jurkat) and 56.31 µg/ml (HL-60).Conclusion: These findings suggest that crude extracts of FPS and FPL have anti-proliferative effect on the leukemia cells. The antioxidant properties of the plant including phenolics may be partly responsible for the anti-proliferative activity. Further studies are required to isolate chemical components of the plant and establish their anti-proliferative activities and mechanism of action
Integrated Management Strategies (Diagnosis, Treatment, and Wound Care Management) for Improved Clinical Outcomes of Buruli Ulcer in Ghana: A Retrospective Case Report in the Ga West Municipal Hospital, Amasaman
No full textAcid-Activated Biochar for Efficient Elimination of Amoxicillin From Wastewater
No full textIn exploring the potential of agricultural waste as an efficient adsorbent, acid-activated coconut husk biochar was prepared, characterized and applied to remove amoxicillin from wastewater. The mechanism of adsorption was also investigated through isotherm and kinetic studies. The biochar was activated with HNO3 for 2 h at 25°C and investigated under varying experimental conditions of pH (1–11), initial amoxicillin concentration (0.5–2.5 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (2–20 mg) and contact time (0–24 h). The adsorption process was characterized by rapid attainment of adsorption equilibrium and high values of adsorption capacity. Acid activation had a significant impact on the adsorptive capacity of biochar as removal efficiency improved from 90% (over an hour) to 98.9% (within 40 min). The FTIR results confirmed the characteristic adsorption peaks of C-H, =C-H, C=C, C-O, C=O and O-H, suggesting the dominant presence of aromatic and carbonyl functional groups on the surface of the biochar. Adjustments in peak shapes and transmittance were observed for these functional groups after the adsorption; highlighting the likely interaction between the biochar and the amoxicillin during the adsorption which has been succinctly proposed. The SEM micrographs showed the growth of leaf-like flakes of irregular shapes and pores essential for the adsorption. The rate and mechanism of adsorption were driven by the variable surface charge of the adsorbent and the degree of ionization of the adsorbates, which were largely controlled by the solution pH. Adsorption rates were highest in the acidic medium, peaking around a pH of 3, then remained relatively stable between pHs of 5 and 7 before reducing dramatically with increasing pH in the alkaline region. The adsorption best followed the Langmuir model of isotherm while the kinetics mimicked the pseudo–second order (PSO). The findings suggest that HNO3-activated coconut biochar is a promising, low-cost and porous adsorbent effective for amoxicillin removal
