Implementation of the orthodoxy test as a validity check on experimental field emission data

In field electron emission (FE) studies, it is important to check and analyse the quality and validity of experimental current-voltage data, which is usually plotted in one of a small number of standard forms. These include the so-called Fowler-Nordheim (FN), Millikan-Lauritsen (ML) and Murphy-Good (MG) plots. The Field Emission Orthodoxy Test is a simple quantitative test that aims to check for the reasonableness of the values of the parameter "scaled field" that can be extracted from these plots. This is done in order to establish whether characterization parameters extracted from the plot will be reliable or, alternative, likely to be spurious. This paper summarises the theory behind the orthodoxy test, for each of the plot forms, and confirms that it is easy to apply it to the newly developed MG plot. A simple web tool has been developed that extracts scaled-field values from any of these three plot forms, and tests for lack of field emission orthodoxy.Comment: 14 typescript pages, 2 figure

The Impact of United Kingdom and Malaysia's Inherent Health Systems on Their COVID‐19 Responses: A Comparison of Containment Strategies

In March 2020, the outbreak of COVID‐19 was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Given the novelty of the virus, and hence, lack of official guidance on effective containment strategies, individual countries opted for different containment approaches ranging from herd immunity to strict lockdown. The opposing strategies followed by the United Kingdom and its former colony, Malaysia, stand exemplary for this. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction was implemented for testing in both counties. Malaysia acted with strict quarantining rules and infection surveillance. The United Kingdom followed an initially lenient, herd‐immunity approach with strict lockdown only enforced weeks later. Although based on the same health‐care structure historically, Malaysia developed a more unified health system compared with the United Kingdom. We suggest that this more centralized structure could be one possible explanation for why Malaysia was able to react in a more timely and efficient manner, despite its closer geographic proximity to China. We further explore how the differences in testing and quarantining strategy, as well as political situation and societal compliance could account for the discrepancy in the United Kingdom's versus Malaysia's relative success of COVID‐19 containment

Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (NEON) programme: qualitative study of drivers of infant feeding and care practices in a British-Bangladeshi population

OBJECTIVES: To explore optimal infant feeding and care practices and their drivers within the British-Bangladeshi population of East London, UK, as an exemplar to inform development of a tailored, coadapted participatory community intervention. DESIGN: Qualitative community-based participatory research. SETTING: Community and children's centres and National Health Service settings within Tower Hamlets, London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 141 participants completed the community study including: British-Bangladeshi mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers of infants and young children aged 6-23 months, key informants and lay community members from the British-Bangladeshi population of Tower Hamlets, and health professionals working in Tower Hamlets. RESULTS: 141 participants from all settings and generations identified several infant feeding and care practices and wider socioecological factors that could be targeted to optimise nutritional outcomes. Our modifiable infant feeding and care practices were highlighted: untimely introduction of semi and solid foods, overfeeding, prolonged parent-led feeding and feeding to 'fill the belly'. Wider socioecological determinants were highlighted, categorised here as: (1) society and culture (e.g. equating 'chubby baby' to healthy baby), (2) physical and local environment (e.g. fast food outlets, advertising) and (3) information and awareness (e.g. communication with healthcare professionals around cultural norms). CONCLUSIONS: Parenting interventions should be codeveloped with communities and tailored to recognise and take account of social and cultural norms and influence from different generations that inform infant feeding and care practices and may be of particular importance for infants from ethnically diverse communities. In addition, UK infant feeding environment requires better regulation of marketing of foods for infants and young children if it is to optimise nutrition in the early years

Community-based family and carer-support programmes for children with disabilities

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordChildren and young people (CYP) with disabilities face multiple challenges and unmet health needs. There is considerable variability in quality of health services across the UK for these children. Families report that they experience lack of information or misinformation about health, social care and education of their child. They also highlight a desire to engage with other families of CYP with disabilities. There is growing evidence that community-based group interventions in under-resourced settings are effective at improving quality of life for both CYP with disabilities and caregivers. Few similar interventions or evidence exists in the UK. This article provides an overview of relevant evidence and, using cerebral palsy as an exemplar, discusses the potential for group-based programmes for parent carers in the UK. Groups would aim to address information needs, support providers to deliver evidence-based care, and thereby improve the health and wellbeing of CYP with disabilities

Examination of sleep in relation to dietary and lifestyle behaviors during Ramadan: A multi-national study using structural equation modeling among 24,500 adults amid COVID-19

Background Of around 2 billion Muslims worldwide, approximately 1.5 billion observe Ramadan fasting (RF) month. Those that observe RF have diverse cultural, ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds and are distributed over a wide geographical area. Sleep is known to be significantly altered during the month of Ramadan, which has a profound impact on human health. Moreover, sleep is closely connected to dietary and lifestyle behaviors. Methods This cross-sectional study collected data using a structured, self-administered electronic questionnaire that was translated into 13 languages and disseminated to Muslim populations across 27 countries. The questionnaire assessed dietary and lifestyle factors as independent variables, and three sleep parameters (quality, duration, and disturbance) as dependent variables. We performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how dietary and lifestyle factors affected these sleep parameters. Results In total, 24,541 adults were enrolled in this study. SEM analysis revealed that during RF, optimum sleep duration (7–9 h) was significantly associated with sufficient physical activity (PA) and consuming plant-based proteins. In addition, smoking was significantly associated with greater sleep disturbance and lower sleep quality. Participants that consumed vegetables, fruits, dates, and plant-based proteins reported better sleep quality. Infrequent consumption of delivered food and infrequent screen time were also associated with better sleep quality. Conflicting results were found regarding the impact of dining at home versus dining out on the three sleep parameters. Conclusion Increasing the intake of fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins are important factors that could help improve healthy sleep for those observing RF. In addition, regular PA and avoiding smoking may contribute to improving sleep during RF

Accuracy of citrulline, I-FABP and d-lactate in the diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia

Data availability: Research data are not shared.Supplementary Information oi available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98012-w#Sec14 .Early diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) remains a clinical challenge, and no biomarker has been consistently validated. We aimed to assess the accuracy of three promising circulating biomarkers for diagnosing AMI—citrulline, intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP), and D-lactate. A cross-sectional diagnostic study enrolled AMI patients admitted to the intestinal stroke center and controls with acute abdominal pain of another origin. We included 129 patients—50 AMI and 79 controls. Plasma citrulline concentrations were significantly lower in AMI patients compared to the controls [15.3 μmol/L (12.0–26.0) vs. 23.3 μmol/L (18.3–29.8), p = 0.001]. However, the area under the receiver operating curves (AUROC) for the diagnosis of AMI by Citrulline was low: 0.68 (95% confidence interval = 0.58–0.78). No statistical difference was found in plasma I-FABP and plasma D-lactate concentrations between the AMI and control groups, with an AUROC of 0.44, and 0.40, respectively. In this large cross-sectional study, citrulline, I-FABP, and D-lactate failed to differentiate patients with AMI from patients with acute abdominal pain of another origin. Further research should focus on the discovery of new biomarkers.Grants from MSD-Avenir and APHP funded the SURVIBIO study; Alexandre Nuzzo received Ph.D. Grants from “Fondation de l'Avenir” and the French Gastroenterology Society (SNFGE)

Applying the Field Emission Orthodoxy Test to Murphy-Good Plots

In field electron emission (FE) studies, it is important to check and analyse the quality and validity of results experimentally obtained from samples, using suitably plotted current-voltage [Im(Vm)] measurements. For the traditional plotting method, the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plot, there exists a so-called "orthodoxy test" that can be applied to the FN plot, in order to check whether the FE device/system generating the results is "ideal". If it is not ideal, then emitter characterization parameters deduced from the FN plot are likely to be spurious. A new form of FE Im(Vm) data plot, the so-called "Murphy-Good (MG) plot" has recently been introduced (R.G. Forbes, Roy. Soc. open sci. 6 (2019) 190912. This aims to improve the precision with which characterization-parameter values (particularly values of formal emission area) can be extracted from FE Im(Vm) data. The present paper compares this new plotting form with the older FN and Millikan-Lauritsen (ML) forms, and makes an independent assessment of the consistency with which slope (and hence scaled-field) estimates can be extracted from a MG plot. It is shown that, by using a revised formula for the extraction of scaled-field values, the existing orthodoxy test can be applied to Murphy-Good plots. The development is reported of a prototype web tool that can apply the orthodoxy test to all three forms of FE data plot (ML, MG and FN)

Applying the Field Emission Orthodoxy Test to Murphy-Good Plots

In field electron emission (FE) studies, it is important to check and analyse the quality and validity of results experimentally obtained from samples, using suitably plotted current-voltage [Im(Vm)] measurements. For the traditional plotting method, the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plot, there exists a so-called "orthodoxy test" that can be applied to the FN plot, in order to check whether the FE device/system generating the results is "ideal". If it is not ideal, then emitter characterization parameters deduced from the FN plot are likely to be spurious. A new form of FE Im(Vm) data plot, the so-called "Murphy-Good (MG) plot" has recently been introduced (R.G. Forbes, Roy. Soc. open sci. 6 (2019) 190912. This aims to improve the precision with which characterization-parameter values (particularly values of formal emission area) can be extracted from FE Im(Vm) data. The present paper compares this new plotting form with the older FN and Millikan-Lauritsen (ML) forms, and makes an independent assessment of the consistency with which slope (and hence scaled-field) estimates can be extracted from a MG plot. It is shown that, by using a revised formula for the extraction of scaled-field values, the existing orthodoxy test can be applied to Murphy-Good plots. The development is reported of a prototype web tool that can apply the orthodoxy test to all three forms of FE data plot (ML, MG and FN)