Mindfulness-Based Intervention For Nurses In AIDS Care In China: A Pilot Study.

Background/purpose:Workplace stress among nurses providing care for people living with human immunodeficiency virus is a serious problem in China that may increase rates of job burnout and affect quality of care. Mindfulness-based intervention has been shown to be effective in relieving stress and burnout in nurses. Therefore, we designed a mixed-method pilot study to evaluate a mindfulness-based intervention for nurses providing care for people living with human immunodeficiency virus. Methods:Twenty nurses caring for people living with human immunodeficiency virus in the First Hospital of Changsha, China participated in a mindfulness-based intervention for 2 hr sessions weekly for 6 weeks. The Perceived Stress Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to collect data before and after the mindfulness-based intervention. Participants were invited to attend an in-depth interview 1 week after the end of the mindfulness-based intervention to give feedback. Results:The quantitative analyses revealed a significant change in Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire scores. There were no significant differences between pre- and post-intervention measures of any other variables. Qualitative results showed nurses experienced a decrease in work and daily life pressures; improvements in communications with patients, colleagues and families, with better regulation of negative emotions, and acceptance of other people and attention. Conclusion:This study supports the acceptability and potential benefits of the mindfulness-based intervention in helping nurses caring for people living with human immunodeficiency virus to manage stress and emotions, and improve their acceptance of others and attention. A larger study with a randomized controlled trial design is warranted to confirm the effectiveness of this mindfulness-based intervention

Nanoscale Mechanical Characterization of Graphene/Polymer Nanocomposites using Atomic Force Microscopy.

Graphene materials, exhibiting outstanding mechanical properties, are excellent candidates as reinforcement in high-performance polymer nanocomposites. In this dissertation, advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques are applied to study the nanomechanics of graphene/polymer nanocomposites, specifically the graphene/polymer interfacial strength and the stress transfer at the interface.;Two novel methods to directly characterize the interfacial strength between individual graphene sheets and polymers using AFM are presented and applied to a series of polymers and graphene sheets. The interfacial strength of graphene/polymer varies greatly for different combinations. The strongest interaction is found between graphene oxide (GO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a strongly polar, water-based polymer. On the other hand, polystyrene, a non polar polymer, has the weakest interaction with GO. The interfacial bond strength is attributed to hydrogen bonding and physical adsorption.;Further, the stress transfer in GO/PVA nanocomposites is studied quantitatively by monitoring the strain in individual GO sheet inside the polymer via AFM and Raman spectroscopy. For the first time, the strains of individual GO sheets in nanocomposites are imaged and quantified as a function of the applied external strains. The matrix strain is directly transferred to GO sheets for strains up to 8%. at higher strain levels, the onset of the nanocomposite failure and a stick-slip behavior is observed. This study reveals that GO is superior to pure graphene as reinforcement in nanocomposites. These results also imply the potential to make a new generation of nanocomposites with exceptional high strength and toughness.;In the second part of this dissertation, AFM is used to study the structure of silk proteins and the morphology of spider silks. For the first time, shear-induced self-assembly of native silk fibroin is observed. The morphology of the Brown Recluse spider silk is investigated and a novel silk/GO nanocomposite is proposed.;Finally, the growth, capacitance and frequency response of vertically oriented graphene sheets prepared by radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and used in electric double layer capacitors (EDLC) are presented. These capacitors exhibit the highest frequency response observed, to date, for carbon based materials, providing EDLC suitable for AC filtering. The results also suggest mechanisms other than surface area are operative in the double layer charge storage, such as a stronger polarization from graphene edges and vacancies

The structural and electrochemical properties of tin oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering - art no 69842H

Conference Name:6th International Conference on Thin Film Physics and Applications. Conference Address: Shanghai, PEOPLES R CHINA. Time:SEP 25-28, 2007.Tin oxide thin films have been deposited on oxide silicon substrates using a RF magnetron sputtering process with various sputtering power. The crystal structures of the tin oxide thin films were characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The surface morphology of the films were observed by SEM. The electrochemical properties of the films were also tested by constant current charge and discharge cycle tests. The results of XRD indicate that all the films are crystalline. The results of SEM exhibit that the grain size of surface expands as sputtering power rises

Stress and Coping in Nurses Taking Care of People Living with HIV in Hunan, China: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Background/purposeNurses engaged in the care of people living with HIV (PLWH) are commonly exposed to workplace stress. This study aimed to explore the stress experiences and coping strategies among nurses taking care of PLWH in China.MethodsNurses were recruited from the AIDS department of a public, general, third-grade class-A hospital, which has the largest HIV care department in the Hunan Province of China. Thirty-three nurses working in the AIDS Department were recruited in this qualitative study. Eight nurses participated in a focus group and 25 nurses underwent in-depth individual interviews aimed at characterizing the nurse's feelings and struggles with stress during caregiving for PLWH. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymized, and imported into NVivo 8.0 software. The data were coded and subjected to thematic analysis.ResultsConcerns about occupational exposure, heavy workload, mental health problems and risk behaviors of patients, and discrimination towards nurses caring for PLWH were the four main sources of stress. The negative impact of stress included problems with emotion regulation, somatic health and sleep, and work performance. Some participants also reported a positive impact of work stress on their mental health. Using personality strengths, problem-solving, help-seeking, concealing and avoiding/suppression were common coping strategies employed by nurses caring for PLWH.ConclusionOur findings help characterize the stress experienced by nurses caring for PLWH in the Chinese cultural context, and may inform specific interventions to help manage stress and promote mental health of nurses

sj-docx-1-tct-10.1177_15330338231219415 - Supplemental material for Extracellular Vesicles Obtained From Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells Cultured Under Intermittent Hypoxia Induce M2 Macrophage Polarization via miR-20a-5p Delivery

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-tct-10.1177_15330338231219415 for Extracellular Vesicles Obtained From Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells Cultured Under Intermittent Hypoxia Induce M2 Macrophage Polarization via miR-20a-5p Delivery by Yuanling Liu, Minzhen Lu, Feng Liu, Gang Xu, Congrui Feng, Yuluo Chen, Danyan Cai, Huake Sun, Yanjun Zeng, Jian Xie, Wei Ma and Xinglin Gao in Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment</p