Clay handbuilding among children with spinal cord injuries: Towards educational protocol development

Objectives: This study identifies and describes children with spinal cord injury with paraplegia and examines an intervention that can contribute to nursing education and practice. Methods: This qualitative Hermeneutic phenomenological research with multiple triangulations which include data, method, and investigator triangulation, with iterative approach in data analysis were utilized in data collection and analysis. A total of 8 children with their parents or guardians were purposively selected. A semi structured interview, storytelling and clay hand building was used to collect data. Analysis of molded clay figures was done by the child's personal interpretations and further interpreted by an expert in the field of psychology and art therapy. Results: The experiences of children have revealed five themes and seven categories. The children's experiences are as follows; happy memories, representation of illness and hospital confinement, love for family, faith, and hope. Conclusions: Based on the results, an educational protocol for clay hand building was found effective

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El suelo: integración de componentes minerales y orgánicos / The soil: integration of mineral and organic components

El objetivo de este artículo es exponer los principios fundamentales de la Ciencia del Suelo, definir el suelo y presentar sus funciones en nuestro Ecosistema. Las propiedades del suelo influyen en cómo funcionan en un ecosistema y cómo puede mejorarse el manejo para proteger el medioambiente y al mismo tiempo producir alimentos para la sociedad. Un suelo es un cuerpo natural tridimensional constituido por cuatro componentes fundamentales: materia mineral, materia orgánica, aire y agua. Estos componentes interaccionan entre ellos determinando la naturaleza de un suelo. Las relativas proporciones de estos componentes influyen en el comportamiento y productividad de los suelos. Un suelo es el producto de dos procesos, uno destructivo y otro de síntesis, y ejemplo de este último es la formación de partículas coloidales (arcilla y humus). En la mayoría de estos coloides predomina la carga electronegativa capaz de atraer iones de carga opuesta. Los cationes adsorbidos pueden ser intercambiados por otros cationes de la solución del suelo (cambio catiónico). Elementos tóxicos así liberados pueden ser absorbidos por las plantas entrando a formar parte de la cadena alimentaria: suelo--> planta--> animal--> hombre. Se presenta la hipótesis sobre el origen de la vida, los procesos de formación de péptidos sobre las superficies de minerales de la arcilla (montmorillonitas) y el decisivo papel jugado por el Cu(II), como un conjunto de ideas procedentes de Rode, Bujdak, Le Son, entre otros. La capacidad de los suelos para producir alimentos se está degradando y al mismo tiempo el número de personas que necesitan alimentos incrementa, luego el conocimiento de la Ciencia del Suelo es fundamental para encontrar nuevos recursos que hagan frente a la humanidad en el siglo XXI. Será preciso aplicar los principios básicos de la biología, la química y la física con objeto de minimizar la degradación y destrucción de uno de nuestros más importantes recursos naturales

The purpose of this article is to explain the fundamental principles of Soil Science, to define the soil, and to present the functions of soils in our Ecosystem. Soil properties influence how soils function in an ecosystem and how they can best be managed to protect the environment and the same time produce food to support society. A soil is a three dimensional natural body. In fact, the four major components of soil are: mineral matter, organic matter, air and water. These components interact with each other to determine the nature of a soil. The relative proportions of these components greatly influence the behaviour and productivity of soils. A soil is the product of both destructive and synthetic processes. Formations of colloidal particles (clay and humus) are examples of synthesis. For most soil colloids, electronegative charges predominate. These charges attract ions of an opposite charge to the colloidal surfaces. The adsorbed cations are subject to exchange with other cations held in the soil solution (cation exchange). Toxic elements thus released can be absorbed by plants. Toxic elements become part of the food chain: soil--> plant-->animal--> human. I present the hypothesis for the origin of life, the peptide formation processes on the clay mineral surface (montmorillonites) and the decisive role played by the catalyst Cu(II), as an amalgam of ideas provided by Rode, Bujdak, Le Son and others. The capacity of soils to produce food is being degraded, even as the number of people needing food is increasing. A fundamental knowledge of Soil Science is a prerequisite to meeting the many natural resource challenges that will face humanity in the 21st century. The basic principles of biology, chemistry and physics can be used to minimize the degradation and destruction of one of our most important natural resources