Radiology has been identified as one of the medical specialties with the least gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. Despite the demonstrated benefits of gender and race diversity in medicine and industry, including innovation, empathy and improved patient outcomes, diversity in radiology in Canada is still lacking. In 2019, women represented around 63% of current medical graduates. However, within Canadian radiology practices, only 31.6% of radiologists are women. Women are also underrepresented in academic positions and the widening gender gap is present at higher academic ranks, indicating that women may not advance through academic hierarchies at the same pace as men. Although data on racial diversity in Canadian radiology practices is currently lacking, the representation of visible minorities in the general Canadian population is not reflected across Canadian radiology practices. Similarly, despite the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission calling for action to increase the number of Indigenous healthcare workers, Indigenous people remain underrepresented in medicine and radiology. The importance of increasing diversity in radiology has gained recognition in recent years. Many solutions and strategies for national associations and radiology departments to improve diversity have been proposed. Leadership commitment is required to implement these programs to increase diversity in radiology in Canada with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. We review the current literature and available data on diversity within radiology in Canada, including the status of gender, race/ethnicity, and Indigenous people. We also present potential solutions to increase diversity.
Slow strain rate tests were performed on quenched and tempered AISI 4340 steel to measure the extent of hydrogen embrittlement caused by electroplating with zinc-cobalt alloys. The effects of bath composition and pH were studied and compared with results for electrodeposited cadmium and zinc-10%nickel. It was found that Zinc-1%cobalt alloy coatings caused serious hydrogen embrittlement (EI 0.63); almost as severe as that of cadmium (EI 0.78). Baking cadmium plated steel for 24 hours at 200°C gave full recovery of mechanical properties but specimens plated with zinc-1%cobalt and then baked still failed in 89% of the time of unplated controls. It was shown that hydrogen uptake and embrittlement could be controlled by depositing thin layers of cobalt or nickel at the steel/coating interface. For example, the least embrittlement was caused by zinc-10%nickel (EI 0.037) due to a nickel rich layer with very low hydrogen diffusion coefficient that formed during the initial stages of electroplating. Similarly, a 0.5 micron nickel layer was effective in lowering the embrittlement caused by zinc-1%cobalt to that of zinc-10%nickel. Furthermore, a 0.5 micron cobalt layer deposited before a zinc-1%cobalt coating gave virtually 100% recovery of mechanical properties after baking.
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