Study of the effects of Pauli blocking and Pauli non-locality on the optical potential

Elastic scattering angular distributions for systems with reduced mass between 3 and 34 and energies varying between 25 and 120 MeV/nucleon were analyzed. The stable $^4$He, its exotic partner $^6$He, and the weakly bound $^{6,7}$Li nuclei were included as projectiles in the systematics. Optical model data analyzes were performed with an adjustable factor of normalization included in the imaginary part of the potential. These analyzes indicated a reduction of absorption for systems with small reduced masses that was detected due to the refractive nature of the scattering by light systems.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

An effective linear scheme to solve nonlinear degenerate parabolic differential equations

AbstractIn this paper, we consider the approximate solution of the following problem. Given ω⊂RN (1 ⪯ N ⪯ 3), find u(x, t) such that ∂tb(u)−Δu+Pe▽u=0, in Qω×(0,T), u=0, on ∑∂ω×(0,T), u(x,0)=u0(x), ∀x∈ω, where the function b(s) is a monotonically increasing function satisfying 0 ⪯ b′ ⪯ ∞ To solve this problem, we introduce a new nonstandard time discretization scheme. We prove stability and convergence results

Claims of malpractice investigated by the Committee of Medical Ethics, Egyptian Medical Syndicate, Cairo

AbstractFiles of medical malpractice claims represent a valuable source of information on medical errors. Therefore, a greater understanding of the claims may highlight their causes and thus help to prevent them.This study aims to revise the closed claims of malpractice investigated by The Committee of Medical Ethics in the Egyptian Medical Syndicate in the years 2008 and 2009 in order to determine the causes of claims and their characteristic distribution.MethodsThis study included 91 claims. The claims’ files were investigated for the causes, the resulting injuries, and litigation outcomes, as well as their distribution regarding locations of the claims’ events and defendant physicians’ characteristics.ResultsImproper performance of the procedure was the most frequent cause (21%), followed by unethical conduct (19%) and surgery in a non-equipped place (16%). Regarding the location of the claims’ events, urban areas were more frequent than rural areas. There were no significant differences either in the frequency or severity of injuries between claims caused by events that occurred in outpatient health care settings and those that occurred in inpatient health care settings. The private health sector was a more frequent site of claims’ events compared with the public health sector. Obstetrics/gynecology was found to be the most frequent specialty of the defendant physicians of the claims.ConclusionAlthough most of the events of the claims resulted in severe injuries, they are preventable. This indicates the great need for more effort to increase patient safety in all health care settings