OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to seek validity evidence for simulation-based assessments (SBA) of paramedics by asking to what extent the measurements obtained in SBA of clinical competence are associated with measurements obtained in actual paramedic contexts, with real patients. METHODS This prospective observational study involved analyzing the assessment of paramedic trainees ...

A new selective group A streptococcus agar (ssA) (BBL Microbiology Systems, Cockeysville, Md.) was evaluated for the recovery and direct plate identification of group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) in comparison with sheep blood agar (SBA). A total of 265 GABHS were recovered from 1,116 throat swab specimens on both media, with detection rates of 98.9 and 91.7% for ssA and SBA, respectiv...

The two-solvent method was employed to prepare ZnO encapsulated in mesoporous silica (ZnO/SBA-15). The prepared ZnO/SBA-15 samples have been studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The ZnO/SBA-15 nanocomposite has the ordered hexagonal mesostructure of SBA-15. Z...

Composite molecular sieves, FAU/SBA-15, having core-shell structure were synthesized. The synthesized composite sieves were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), pyrolysis fourier transform infrared (Py-FTIR) spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption spectra (NH3-...

Mesoporous silica, specifically SBA-15, acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and a hybrid nanocomposite of SBA-15 coated onto the sidewalls acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared and used as supports for anatase TiO2. Sol-gel methods were adapted for the synthesis of selected supports and for coating the materials with selected wt% loading of titania. Physical and...

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of Clostridium difficile is increasingly important because of the rise in resistant strains. The standard medium for the AST of C. difficile is supplemented Brucella agar (sBA), but we found that the growth of C. difficile on sBA was not optimal. Because active growth is critical for reliable AST, we developed a new, modified C. difficile (m...

INTRODUCTION Skilled birth attendance (SBA) and measles immunization reflect two aspects of a health system. In Kenya, their national coverage gaps are substantial but could be largely improved if the total population had the same coverage as the wealthiest quintile. A decomposition analysis allows identifying the factors that influence these wealth-related inequalities in order to develop appr...

The superficial brachial artery (SBA), a branch of the axillary artery, is one of the most common arterial variations in this area. While it is more vulnerable to accidental arterial injection or injury, it could be useful for the nourishment of a medial arm skin free flap. To analyze the relationship between the SBA of axillary origin and segmental variation of the axillary artery, we dissecte...

The diagnostic value of staining cells from serous effusion and peritoneal washing specimens with a panel of four lectins was investigated and the results compared with those achieved with polyclonal anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (anti-CEA) sera. Cell blocks from 42 pleural effusions, 25 peritoneal effusions, and 14 peritoneal washing specimens were stained with Con A (D-mannosyl, D-glucosyl), ...

Ordered mesoporous SBA-15 analogs with different Si/Al ratios were successfully prepared in a two-step process from self-assembly of ZSM-5 nanoseeds at high temperature in mildly acidic media (473 K, pH 3.5). The obtained products were characterized as SAXS, XRD, N₂ sorption, FTIR, TEM, NH₃-TPD, AAS and ICP. The results show that the initial Si/Al molar ratio of ZSM-5 precursors strongly affect...