Effect of La³⁺ ions on the habit of KDP crystals

A few KDP (KH2PO4) and KDP: La³⁺ (LaCl₃) single crystals were grown being based on the temperature reduction method. Investigations show that the presence of three valent ions like La³⁺ could be a cause of retarded growth rate and induced crystalline lattice defects. Here the pure KDP crystals are compared with KDP: LaCl₃ before and after their exposure to gamma irradiation. Both types of crystals also were studied in aspect of other structural and optical properties

Influence of Ca²⁺ ions on the habit of KDP crystals

A few KDP (KH₂PO₄) and KDP:Ca²⁺ (CaCl₂) single crystals were grown based on the temperature reduction method. Investigations show that the presence of bivalent ions like Ca²⁺ could be a cause of retarded growth rate and induced crystalline lattice defects. Here the pure KDP crystals are compared with KDP:CaCl₂. Crystals of both types were also studied in aspect of other structural and optical properties

Using intervention mapping to develop a home-based parental-supervised toothbrushing intervention for young children

BACKGROUND: Dental caries in young children is a major public health problem impacting on the child and their family in terms of pain, infection and substantial financial burden on healthcare funders. In the UK, national guidance on the prevention of dental caries advises parents to supervise their child's brushing with fluoride toothpaste until age 7. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based interventions to encourage this practice in parents. The current study used intervention mapping (IM) to develop a home-based parental-supervised toothbrushing intervention to reduce dental caries in young children. METHODS: The intervention was developed using the six key stages of the IM protocol: (1) needs assessment, including a systematic review, qualitative interviews, and meetings with a multi-disciplinary intervention development group; (2) identification of outcomes and change objectives following identification of the barriers to parental-supervised toothbrushing (PSB), mapped alongside psychological determinants outlined in the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF); (3) selection of methods and practical strategies; (4) production of a programme plan; (5) adoption and implementation and (6) Evaluation. RESULTS: The comprehensive needs assessment highlighted key barriers to PSB, such as knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, routine setting and behaviour regulation and underlined the importance of individual, social and structural influences. Parenting skills (routine setting and the ability to manage the behaviour of a reluctant child) were emphasised as critical to the success of PSB. The multi-disciplinary intervention development group highlighted the need for both universal and targeted programmes, which could be implemented within current provision. Two intervention pathways were developed: a lower cost universal pathway utilising an existing national programme and an intensive targeted programme delivered via existing parenting programmes. A training manual was created to accompany each intervention to ensure knowledge and standardise implementation procedures. CONCLUSIONS: PSB is a complex behaviour and requires intervention across individual, social and structural levels. IM, although a time-consuming process, allowed us to capture this complexity and allowed us to develop two community-based intervention pathways covering both universal and targeted approaches, which can be integrated into current provision. Further research is needed to evaluate the acceptability and sustainability of these interventions

Hospital nurses� disaster competencies

Background: Natural and man-made disasters have significant effects on the physical, psychological, and emotional health of society. Nurses play an essential role in disaster management. Therefore, nurses should have specific core competencies to provide care for affected people during disaster situations. Objectives: This study aimed to assess hospital nurses� disaster competencies in such situations. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using a self-report questionnaire that included 50 questions on NCDS (Nurse Competence Disaster Scale) in four domains. The questionnaires were distributed among 142 nurses working in three teaching hospitals in Kerman, Iran, in 2018. Results: The average percentage scores of nurses on their responses to questions in the domains of management, ethical aspects, personal aspects, and technical aspects of disaster competencies were 39.76, 19.53, 32.02, and 75.06, respectively. In multiple regression analysis, nurses� participation in maneuvers and their work experience exerted the strongest influence on disaster nursing core competencies. Nurses who had practice during maneuvers had higher competency scores by 19.63 units than those who had no practice (p=0.0001). Moreover, the competency scores of nurses with more than 11 years of work experience were higher by 11.42 units than the others (p=0.0001). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, strategies such as disaster drills and continuing education programs need to be developed for nurses to improve their disaster core competency. © 2020 The Author(s)

Phytoplasma detection in declining pistachio orchards in Iran

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is one of the important economic crops in Iran and the reach of high quality with low production cost is an important task for the Iranian pistachio industry. Orchards are mainly obtained by seedlings while also grafting is employed and mainly the Ohadi variety on Badami variety as rootstock is used. Northeastern part of Iran (Khorassan province) is one of the important regions for growing pistachio; this species is known to be tolerant to salts, however Iranian pistachio plantations are on sodic soils and irrigated with low quality, saline water resulting over the recent years in reduction of yields. Decline symptoms such as yellowing of the leaves and reduced vigour in some of the branches were observed in orchard where poor production yield is also reported. Nucleic acid samples from 10 pistachio plants grafted on the Badami rootstok and showing decline symptoms were collected in two different locations Feizabab and Bardaskan (South of Khorassan province) in Iran during spring 2009. Molecular analyses were carried out to verify phytoplasma presence and preliminary identification was achieved by PCR/RFLP analyses on R16F2/R2 amplicons obtained after nested PCR on P1/P7 amplicons. Nine out of the 10 samples were positive in nested-PCR and phytoplasma detected could be affiliated to ribosomal groups 16SrI (\u2018Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris\u2019 \u2013 related), 16SrII (\u2018Ca. P. aurantifoliae\u2019 - related), 16SrIX (\u2018Ca. P. foenicium\u2019 - related) and 16SrXII (stolbur-related). Preliminary surveys allow to verify presence of potential phytoplasma vectors such as psyllids and leafhoppers. In particular pistachio psylla (Agonoscena pistaciae) and pistachio leafhopper (Idiocerus stali Fieb) were abundantly present in affected fields. Researches are in progress to clarify epidemiological aspect of the phytoplasma presence and spreading in these Iranian pistachio cultivations

The potential of zwitterionic nanoliposomes against neurotoxic alpha-synuclein aggregates in Parkinson's Disease.

The protein α-synuclein (αSN) aggregates to form fibrils in neuronal cells of Parkinson's patients. Here we report on the effect of neutral (zwitterionic) nanoliposomes (NLPs), supplemented with cholesterol (NLP-Chol) and decorated with PEG (NLP-Chol-PEG), on αSN aggregation and neurotoxicity. Both NLPs retard αSN fibrillization in a concentration-independent fashion. They do so largely by increasing lag time (formation of fibrillization nuclei) rather than elongation (extension of existing nuclei). Interactions between neutral NLPs and αSN may locate to the N-terminus of the protein. This interaction can even perturb the interaction of αSN with negatively charged NLPs which induces an α-helical structure in αSN. This interaction was found to occur throughout the fibrillization process. Both NLP-Chol and NLP-Chol-PEG were shown to be biocompatible in vitro, and to reduce αSN neurotoxicity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels with no influence on intracellular calcium in neuronal cells, emphasizing a prospective role for NLPs in reducing αSN pathogenicity in vivo as well as utility as a vehicle for drug delivery

Benchmark problem definition and cross-validation for characteristic mode solvers

In October 2016, the Special Interest Group on Theory of Characteristic Modes (TCM) initiated a coordinated effort to perform benchmarking work for characteristic mode (CM) analysis. The primary purpose is to help improve the reliability and capability of existing CM solvers and to provide the means for validating future tools. Significant progress has already been made in this joint activity. In particular, this paper describes several benchmark problems that were defined and analyzes some results from the cross-validations of different CM solvers using these problems. The results show that despite differences in the implementation details, good agreement is observed in the calculated eigenvalues and eigencurrents across the solvers. Finally, it is concluded that future work should focus on understanding the impact of common parameters and output settings to further reduce variability in the results