Prevalence and factors associated with the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a sharp growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in some former Soviet countries. However, as yet, comparatively little is known about the use of CAM in the countries throughout this region. Against this background, the aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of using alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in eight countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU) and to examine factors associated with their use. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health (LLH) survey undertaken in eight former Soviet countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine) in 2001. In this nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 18428 respondents were asked about how they treated 10 symptoms, with options including the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the treatment of differing symptoms by such practitioners in these countries. RESULTS: The prevalence of using an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner for symptom treatment varied widely between countries, ranging from 3.5% in Armenia to 25.0% in Kyrgyzstan. For nearly every symptom, respondents living in rural locations were more likely to use an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner than urban residents. Greater wealth was also associated with using these practitioners, while distrust of doctors played a role in the treatment of some symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in some fSU countries and the growth of this form of health care provision in the post-Soviet period in conditions of variable licensing and regulation, highlights the urgent need for more research on this phenomenon and its potential effects on population health in the countries in this region

Quantum dot dephasing by fractional quantum Hall edge states

We consider the dephasing rate of an electron level in a quantum dot, placed next to a fluctuating edge current in the fractional quantum Hall effect. Using perturbation theory, we show that this rate has an anomalous dependence on the bias voltage applied to the neighboring quantum point contact, which originates from the Luttinger liquid physics which describes the Hall fluid. General expressions are obtained using a screened Coulomb interaction. The dephasing rate is strictly proportional to the zero frequency backscattering current noise, which allows to describe exactly the weak to strong backscattering crossover using the Bethe-Ansatz solution

Photo-assisted Andreev reflection as a probe of quantum noise

Andreev reflection, which corresponds to the tunneling of two electrons from a metallic lead to a superconductor lead as a Cooper pair (or vice versa), can be exploited to measure high frequency noise. A detector is proposed, which consists of a normal lead--superconductor circuit, which is capacitively coupled to a mesoscopic circuit where noise is to be measured. We discuss two detector circuits: a single normal metal -- superconductor tunnel junction and a normal metal separated from a superconductor by a quantum dot operating in the Coulomb blockade regime. A substantial DC current flows in the detector circuit when an appropriate photon is provided or absorbed by the mesoscopic circuit, which plays the role of an environment for the junction to which it couples. Results for the current can be cast in all cases in the form of a frequency integral of the excess noise of the environment weighted by a kernel which is specific to the transport process (quasiparticle tunneling, Andreev reflection,...) which is considered. We apply these ideas to the measurement of the excess noise of a quantum point contact and we provide numerical estimates of the detector current.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figure

On the Stability and Structural Dynamics of Metal Nanowires

This article presents a brief review of the nanoscale free-electron model, which provides a continuum description of metal nanostructures. It is argued that surface and quantum-size effects are the two dominant factors in the energetics of metal nanowires, and that much of the phenomenology of nanowire stability and structural dynamics can be understood based on the interplay of these two competing factors. A linear stability analysis reveals that metal nanocylinders with certain magic conductance values G=1, 3, 6, 12, 17, 23, 34, 42, 51, 67, 78, 96, ... times the conductance quantum are exceptionally stable. A nonlinear dynamical simulation of nanowire structural evolution reveals a universal equilibrium shape consisting of a magic cylinder suspended between unduloidal contacts. The lifetimes of these metastable structures are also computed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Binge drinking among adolescents in Russia: prevalence, risk and protective factors.

Despite evidence that alcohol misuse has been having an increasingly detrimental effect on adolescent wellbeing in Russia in recent years this phenomenon has been little researched. Using data from 2112 children from the Arkhangelsk Social and Health Assessment (SAHA) 2003, this study examined which factors acted as 'risk' or 'protective' factors for adolescent binge drinking within three domains we termed the 'family environment', the 'alcohol environment' and 'deviant behaviour'. The results showed that in the presence of comparatively moderate levels of binge drinking among both boys and girls, being able to access alcohol easily, being unaware of the risks of binge drinking and having peers who consumed alcohol increased the risk of adolescent binge drinking - as did playing truant, smoking and marijuana use, while parental warmth was protective against binge drinking for girls. Our finding that risk and protective factors occur across domains suggests that any interventions targeted against adolescent binge drinking may need to simultaneously focus on risk behaviours in different domains, while at the same time, broader social policy should act to limit the availability of alcohol to adolescents in Russia more generally

Pain relief for women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia undergoing colposcopy treatment

Treatment for CIN is usually undertaken in an outpatient colposcopy clinic to remove the pre-cancerous cells from the cervix. It commonly involves lifting the cells off the cervix with electrically heated wire (diathermy) or laser, or destroying the abnormal cells with freezing methods (cryotherapy). This is potentially a painful procedure. The purpose of this review is to determine which, if any, pain relief should be used during cervical colposcopy treatment. We identified 17 trials and these reported different forms of pain relief before, during and after colposcopy. Evidence from two small trials showed that women having a colposcopy treatment had less pain and blood loss if the cervix was injected with a combination of a local anaesthetic drug and a drug that causes blood vessels to constrict (narrow), compared with placebo. Although taking oral pain-relieving drugs (e.g. ibuprofen) before treatment on the cervix in the colposcopy clinic is recommended by most guidelines, evidence from two small trials did not show that this practice reduced pain during the procedure. Most of the evidence in this field is of a low to moderate quality and further research may change these findings. Additionally, we were unable to obtain evidence with regards to dosage of the local anaesthetic drug or method of administering local anaesthetic into the cervix. There is need for high-quality trials with sufficient numbers of participants in order to provide the data necessary to estimate these effects

Effect of Polarimetric Noise on the Estimation of Twist and Magnetic Energy of Force-Free Fields

The force-free parameter $\alpha$, also known as helicity parameter or twist parameter, bears the same sign as the magnetic helicity under some restrictive conditions. The single global value of $\alpha$ for a whole active region gives the degree of twist per unit axial length. We investigate the effect of polarimetric noise on the calculation of global $\alpha$ value and magnetic energy of an analytical bipole. The analytical bipole has been generated using the force-free field approximation with a known value of constant $\alpha$ and magnetic energy. The magnetic parameters obtained from the analytical bipole are used to generate Stokes profiles from the Unno-Rachkovsky solutions for polarized radiative transfer equations. Then we add random noise of the order of 10$^{-3}$ of the continuum intensity (I$_{c}$) in these profiles to simulate the real profiles obtained by modern spectropolarimeters like Hinode (SOT/SP), SVM (USO), ASP, DLSP, POLIS, SOLIS etc. These noisy profiles are then inverted using a Milne-Eddington inversion code to retrieve the magnetic parameters. Hundred realizations of this process of adding random noise and polarimetric inversion is repeated to study the distribution of error in global $\alpha$ and magnetic energy values. The results show that : (1). the sign of $\alpha$ is not influenced by polarimetric noise and very accurate values of global twist can be calculated, and (2). accurate estimation of magnetic energy with uncertainty as low as 0.5% is possible under the force-free condition.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figures, 1 table; Accepted for publication in the Ap

Information sharing and credit : firm-level evidence from transition countries

We investigate whether information sharing among banks has affected credit market performance in the transition countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, using a large sample of firm-level data. Our estimates show that information sharing is associated with improved availability and lower cost of credit to firms. This correlation is stronger for opaque firms than transparent ones and stronger in countries with weak legal environments than in those with strong legal environments. In cross-sectional estimates, we control for variation in country-level aggregate variables that may affect credit, by examining the differential impact of information sharing across firm types. In panel estimates, we also control for the presence of unobserved heterogeneity at the firm level, as well as for changes in macroeconomic variables and the legal environment

Atomic layer deposited oxide films as protective interface layers for integrated graphene transfer

The transfer of chemical vapour deposited (CVD) graphene from its parent growth catalyst has become a bottleneck for many of its emerging applications. The sacrificial polymer layers that are typically deposited onto graphene for mechanical support during transfer are challenging to fully remove and hence leave graphene and subsequent device interfaces contaminated. Here, we report on the use of atomic layer deposited (ALD) oxide films as protective interface and support layers during graphene transfer. The method avoids any direct contact of the graphene with polymers and through the use of thicker ALD layers (≥100nm), polymers can be eliminated from the transfer-process altogether. The ALD film can be kept as a functional device layer, facilitating integrated device manufacturing. We demonstrate back-gated field effect devices based on single-layer graphene transferred with a protective Al2O3 film onto SiO2 that show significantly reduced charge trap and residual carrier densities. We critically discuss the advantages and challenges of processing graphene/ALD bilayer structures.We acknowledge funding from EPSRC (Grant No. EP/K016636/1, GRAPHTED) and ERC (Grant No. 279342, InsituNANO). ACV acknowledges the Conacyt Cambridge Scholarship and Roberto Rocca Fellowship. JAA-W acknowledges the support of his Research Fellowships from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and Churchill College, Cambridge. RSW acknowledges a Research Fellowship from St. John's College, Cambridge and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (Global) under grant ARTIST (no. 656870) from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme

Encapsulation of graphene transistors and vertical device integration by interface engineering with atomic layer deposited oxide

We demonstrate a simple, scalable approach to achieve encapsulated graphene transistors with negligible gate hysteresis, low doping levels and enhanced mobility compared to as-fabricated devices. We engineer the interface between graphene and atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ by tailoring the growth parameters to achieve effective device encapsulation whilst enabling the passivation of charge traps in the underlying gate dielectric. We relate the passivation of charge trap states in the vicinity of the graphene to conformal growth of ALD oxide governed by $\textit{in situ}$ gaseous H$_{2}$O pretreatments. We demonstrate the long term stability of such encapsulation techniques and the resulting insensitivity towards additional lithography steps to enable vertical device integration of graphene for multi-stacked electronics fabrication.This work was supported by the EPSRC (Grant Nos. EP/K016636/1, GRAPHTED and EP/L020963/1) and the ERC (Grant No. 279342, InsituNANO). JAA-W acknowledges a Research Fellowship from Churchill College, Cambridge. JS acknowledges support from NUDT. ZAVV acknowledges funding from ESPRC grant EP/L016087/1. ACV acknowledges the Conacyt Cambridge Scholarship and the Roberto Rocca Fellowship. RW acknowledges EPSRC Doctoral Training Award (EP/M506485/1)