540 research outputs found
Quality of life and well-being of carers of people with dementia: are there differences between working and nonworking carers? Results from the IDEAL program
The aim of this study was to identify the differences in quality of life (QoL) and well-being between working and nonworking dementia carers and the relative contribution of psychological characteristics, caregiving experience, and social support. Multiple regressions modeled the contribution of working status, caregiver experiences, and psychological and social resources to carer QoL (EQ-5D) and well-being (WHO-5). After controlling for age, gender, carer–dyad relationship, and severity of dementia, working status contributed significant variance to EQ-5D (2%) but not to WHO-5 scores. Independent of working status, higher self-esteem and reduced stress contributed to variance in both models. Self-efficacy, social support, and positive perceptions of caregiving additionally contributed to higher WHO-5 scores. Working status associated with higher EQ-5D QoL; this may reflect the sustained sense of independence associated with supported work opportunities for carers. Outside of working status, the findings support the importance of psychological and social factors as targets to improved mental health for dementia carers
Spin liquid in a single crystal of the frustrated diamond lattice antiferromagnet CoAl2O4
We study spin liquid in the frustrated diamond lattice antiferromagnet
CoAl2O4 by means of single crystal neutron scattering in zero and applied
magnetic field. The magnetically ordered phase appearing below TN=8 K remains
nonconventional down to 1.5 K. The magnetic Bragg peaks at the q=0 positions
remain broad and their profiles have strong Lorentzian contribution.
Additionally, they are connected by weak diffuse streaks along the
directions. These observations are explained within the spiral spin liquid
model as short-range magnetic correlations of spirals populated at these finite
temperatures, as the energy minimum around q=0 is flat and the energy of
excited states with q=(111) is low. The agreement is only qualitative, leading
us to suspect that microstructure effects are also important. Magnetic field
significantly perturbs spin correlations. The 1.5 K static magnetic moment
increases from 1.58 mB/Co at zero field to 2.08 mB/Co at 10 T, while the
magnetic peaks, being still broad, acquire almost Gaussian profile. Spin
excitations are rather conventional spin waves at zero field, resulting in the
exchange parameters J1=0.92(1) meV, J2=0.101(2) meV and the anisotropy term
D=-0.0089(2) meV for CoAl2O4. The application of a magnetic field leads to a
pronounced broadening of the excitations at the zone center, which at 10 T
appear gapless and nearly featureless
Suppression of the structural phase transition and lattice softening in slightly underdoped Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2 with electronic phase separation
We present x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and neutron diffraction
measurements on the slightly underdoped iron pnictide superconductor
Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe2As2, Tc = 32K. Below the magnetic transition temperature Tm =
70K, both techniques show an additional broadening of the nuclear Bragg peaks,
suggesting a weak structural phase transition. However, macroscopically the
system does not break its tetragonal symmetry down to 15 K. Instead, XRPD
patterns at low temperature reveal an increase of the anisotropic microstrain
proportionally in all directions. We associate this effect with the electronic
phase separation, previously observed in the same material, and with the effect
of lattice softening below the magnetic phase transition. We employ density
functional theory to evaluate the distribution of atomic positions in the
presence of dopant atoms both in the normal and magnetic states, and to
quantify the lattice softening, showing that it can account for a major part of
the observed increase of the microstrain.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
A participatory physical and psychosocial intervention for balancing the demands and resources among industrial workers (PIPPI): study protocol of a cluster-randomized controlled trial
Background: Need for recovery and work ability are strongly associated with high employee turnover, well-being and sickness absence. However, scientific knowledge on effective interventions to improve work ability and decrease need for recovery is scarce. Thus, the present study aims to describe the background, design and protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce need for recovery and improve work ability among industrial workers. Methods/Design: A two-year cluster randomized controlled design will be utilized, in which controls will also receive the intervention in year two. More than 400 workers from three companies in Denmark will be aimed to be cluster randomized into intervention and control groups with at least 200 workers (at least 9 work teams) in each group. An organizational resources audit and subsequent action planning workshop will be carried out to map the existing resources and act upon initiatives not functioning as intended. Workshops will be conducted to train leaders and health and safety representatives in supporting and facilitating the intervention activities. Group and individual level participatory visual mapping sessions will be carried out allowing team members to discuss current physical and psychosocial work demands and resources, and develop action plans to minimize strain and if possible, optimize the resources. At all levels, the intervention will be integrated into the existing organization of work schedules. An extensive process and effect evaluation on need for recovery and work ability will be carried out via questionnaires, observations, interviews and organizational data assessed at several time points throughout the intervention period. Discussion: This study primarily aims to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention based on the abovementioned features which may improve the work environment, available resources and health of industrial workers, and hence their need for recovery and work ability
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