ESR of MnO embedded in silica nanoporous matrices with different topologies

Electron spin resonance (ESR) experiments were performed with antiferromagnetic MnO confined within a porous vycor-type glass and within MCM-type channel matrices. A signal from confined MnO shows two components from crystallized and amorphous MnO and depends on the pore topology. Crystallized MnO within a porous glass shows a behavior having many similarities to the bulk. In contrast with the bulk the strong ESR signal due to disordered "surface" spins is observed below the magnetic transition. With the decrease of channel diameter the fraction of amorphous MnO increases while the amount of crystallized MnO decreases. The mutual influence of amorphous and crystalline MnO is observed in the matrices with a larger channel diameter. In the matrices with a smaller channel diameter the ESR signal mainly originates from amorphous MnO and its behavior is typical for the highly disordered magnetic system.Comment: 7 pages pdf file, 5 figure

Training need assessment of nursing personnel as super specialty tertiary care hospitals in Northern India

Background - Super specialty tertiary care hospital equips nurses with the requisite knowledge and skills to deliver high quality care in their practice areas. This has necessitated adopting a structured approach to the training needs assessment (TNA) to identify the development needs of the nursing workforce at a tertiary care centre. This study involves Micro Level – Task/Job analysis i.e. identifies and describes all the skills performed by employees in a particular job and the knowledge, skills, attitudes and other behaviours needed for successful job performance. Aim and objectives: The study explores the training needs of nursing personnel at super specialty tertiary care hospital in northern India by analyzing the areas of knowledge and skills deficit as perceived by the nurses and assessing the expectations of doctors, about the role of nurses and deficiencies in their current knowledge, skills Design: Structured questionnaire based descriptive cross sectional study Methods: A set of questionnaire were framed using core competencies of nurses listed by Massachusetts department of higher education and nursing council of Hongkong and A questionnaire based descriptive cross sectional study among nurses, faculty, senior residents and patients were done. Results: The total sample collected for the study was 274 which included 19 faculty, 44 senior résidents, 211 nurses. Training needs identified to be further developed for Grade II and grade I nurses both by nurses and doctors are maximum in patient care and research domain followed by managerial/administrative and communication domain. Training needs agreed to be promoted for ANS’s are maximum in managerial/ administrative and communication domain. Training needs recognized for DNS’s /NS/CNO are maximum in managerial/ administrative and research domain followed by communication domain Conclusion – This study reflects the training need assessment of nurses in a super specialty tertiary care hospita

Breaking the stereotype: the case of online gaming

Despite the rise of computer games as a leisure phenomenon, there has been relatively little research into this area. Furthermore, almost all of the research to date has concentrated on arcade or console games. More recently, the Internet has become a new medium in which players can play videogames. Since there is no published research in this area, some “benchmark” data on which future research can build was collected from two online gaming fan sites. Sociodemographics showed that the majority of players were male (approximately 85%). Over 60% of players were older than 19 years. The data provide clear evidence that the game clientele is very much an adult profile and suggest a different picture to the stereotypical image of an adolescent online gamer. The stereotype of the typical online player being a socially withdrawn young male with limited sex role identity appears to be misplaced

Alternative catalysts for low-temperature CO-oxidation

MnO sub x, Ag/MnO sub x, Cu/MnO sub x, Pt/MnO sub x, Ru/MnO sub x, Au/CeO sub x, and Au/Fe2O3 were synthesized and tested for CO oxidation activity in low concentrations of stoichiometric CO and O2 at 30 to 75 C. Catalytic activity was measured for periods as long as 18000 minutes. At 75 deg Au/MnO sub x is most active sustaining nearly 100 percent CO conversion for 10000 minutes. It also retains high activity at 50 and 30 C with negligible decay in activity. A direct comparison between an unpretreated 10 percent Au/MnO sub x catalyst and an optimized 19.5 percent Pt/SnO sub 2 (pretreated) catalyst shows that the Au/MnO sub x catalyst exhibits much higher catalytic activity and far superior decay characteristics. Other catalysts including Au/CeO sub x and Au/Fe2O3 also perform well. The Cu/MnO sub x exhibits a high initial activity which decays rapidly. After the decay period the activity remains very stable making Cu/MnO sub x a potential candidate for long-term applications such as CO2 lasers in space

Internal magnetic field effect on magnetoelectricity in orthorhombic RMnO3RMnO_3 crystals

We have investigated the role of the 4$f$ moment on the magnetoelectric (ME) effect of orthorhombic $R$MnO$_{3}$ ($R$=rare earth ions). In order to clarify the role of the 4$f$ moment, we prepared three samples: (Eu,Y)MnO$_{3}$ without the 4$f$ moment, TbMnO$_{3}$ with the anisotropic 4$f$ moment, and (Gd,Y)MnO$_{3}$ with the isotropic 4$f$ moment. The ferroelectric behaviors of these samples are different from each other in a zero magnetic field. (Eu,Y)MnO$_{3}$ and (Gd,Y)MnO$_{3}$ show the ferroelectric polarization along the a axis in the ground state, while TbMnO$_{3}$ shows it along the c axis. Such difference may arise from the influence of the anisotropic Tb$^{3+}$ 4$f$ moment. The direction of the ferroelectric polarization of $R$MnO$_{3}$ is determined by the internal magnetic field arising from the 4$f$ moment.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, the proceeding of International Conference of Magnetism, to be published in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Material

Reality and Rhetoric: Nigeria Prays, Yet Private Primitive Capital Accumulation Persists

Nigeria’s status as an oil producing nation with an enormous revenue generation capacity from other non-oil exports, woefully contrasts with the extreme poverty of her citizens and her decaying infrastructural and institutional development. This state of the nation has been attributed to pervasive corruption, lack of public accountability and the “capture” of public services and resources by the ruling elite. Recent disclosures, about large scale malfeasance in the past eight years illustrate the point being made. Incidentally, it is within this state of affairs that our leaders have found prayer as the solution to the problems. This paper contends that prayer, whether in the Christian, Muslim and African Traditional forms, is essential for human activities and existence. On the other hand, it argues that for the receipts of God’s blessings, Nigeria must at least ensure that she makes deliberate effort to do God’s will by judiciously using his gift for the good of all. It believes that corruption (the absence of transparency and accountability) is therefore largely to be blamed for the reversing fortunes of the economy and the concomitant deplorable, poverty-stricken situation of Nigerians. It therefore concludes that we have to go back to our viable value base and good governance system if the nation must move up with others in this competitive world of globalization. The combination of prayer with the above will certainly put Nigeria back in her deserved pride of place in the globe