Direct Separation of Short Range Order in Intermixed Nanocrystalline and Amorphous Phases

Diffraction anomalous fine-structure (DAFS) and extended x-ray absorption fine-structure (EXAFS) measurements were combined to determine short range order (SRO) about a single atomic type in a sample of mixed amorphous and nanocrystalline phases of germanium. EXAFS yields information about the SRO of all Ge atoms in the sample, while DAFS determines the SRO of only the ordered fraction. We determine that the first-shell distance distribution is bimodal; the nanocrystalline distance is the same as the bulk crystal, to within 0.01(2)   Å, but the mean amorphous Ge-Ge bond length is expanded by 0.076(19)   Å. This approach can be applied to many systems of mixed amorphous and nanocrystalline phases

Holistic Approaches to Mealtime Occupations with Older Adults

IntroductionCurrent OS/OT literature: pediatric populations, medical conditions, and distinct performance pattern/skills interventionsExploring OTPF as a tool within the OT community of practice, interest developed around holistic clinical approaches related to mealtime occupations with older adultsResearch Questions 1) How do occupational therapist’s implement holistic evaluation of and intervention for mealtime occupations with older adults to achieve therapeutic outcomes and enhance quality of life?2) How do occupational therapists perceive their role in older adults’ healthcare related to mealtime occupations

The Compassionate Communities Connectors model for end-of-life care : a community and health service partnership in Western Australia

Background: There is an international drive towards increasing provision of community-led models of social and practical support for people living with advanced illness. Aim: This feasibility project aims to develop, implement and evaluate a model of community volunteers, identified as Compassionate Communities Connectors, to support people living with advanced life limiting illnesses/palliative care needs. The aims also include the development and evaluation of a training programme for volunteers and assessment of the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of this model of care. Methods: The approach seeks to map and mobilise people’s personal networks of care through the Connectors enlisting Caring Helpers (community volunteers). Up to 10 Connectors will be trained to work with at least 30 families selected by the palliative care service as requiring support. The primary outcome is the effect of the intervention on social connectedness. Secondary outcomes are the intervention’s effect on unplanned hospital utilisation, caregiver support needs, advance care plans and satisfaction with intervention for patients/carers, volunteers and service providers. Conclusion: It is expected that this intervention will enhance patient, carer and family social, psychological and practical support and reduce the need for dying people to be admitted to a hospital

Medical treatment in infants and young children with epilepsy: Off-label use of antiseizure medications Survey Report of ILAE Task Force Medical Therapies in Children

OBJECTIVE: Antiseizure medications (ASMs) remain the mainstay of epilepsy treatment. These ASMs have mainly been tested in trials in adults with epilepsy, which subsequently led to the market authorization (MA). For treatment of -especially young- children with epilepsy, several ASMs do not have a MA and guidelines are lacking, subsequently leading to "off-label" use of ASMs. Even though "off-label" ASM prescriptions for children could lead to more adverse events, it can be clinically appropriate and rational if the benefits outweigh the risks. This could be the case if "on-label" ASM, in mono- or polytherapy, fail to achieve adequate seizure control. METHODS: The Medical Therapies Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Commission for Pediatrics performed a survey to study the current treatment practices in six classic, early life epilepsy scenarios. Our aim was not only to study first- and second-line treatment preferences, but also to illustrate the use of "off-label" drugs in childhood epilepsies. RESULTS: Our results reveal that several ASMs (e.g. topiramate, oxcarbazepine, benzodiazepines) are prescribed "off-label" in distinct scenarios of young children with epilepsy. In addition, recent scientific guidelines were not always adopted by several survey respondents, suggesting a potential knowledge gap. SIGNIFICANCE: We report the relatively common use of "off-label" prescriptions that underlines the need for targeted and appropriately designed clinical trials, including younger patients, which will also result in the ability to generate evidence-based guidelines

Who is accessing community lateral flow device testing and why:Characteristics and motivations of individuals participating in COVID-19 community testing in two English local authority areas

BACKGROUND: Antigen testing using lateral flow devices (LFDs) plays an important role in the management of the novel coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) by rapidly identifying individuals who are asymptomatically carrying high levels of the virus. By January 2021, LFD community testing sites were set up across English local authority areas to support the management and containment of regional COVID-19 cases, initially targeting essential workers unable to work from home during the national lockdown. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and motivations of individuals accessing community LFD testing across two local authority areas (LAAs) in the South West of England. METHODS: Data were collected as part of a service evaluation from December 22(nd) 2020 until March 15(th) 2021 for two LAAs. Demographic and postcode data were collected from an online test appointment booking platform and the National Health Service testing service online system, with data accessed from Public Health England. An online survey was sent to individuals who made a testing appointment at an LAA1 site using the online booking platform, consisting of 12 questions to collect data on individual’s motivations for and experiences of testing. RESULTS: Data were available for individuals who completed 12,516 tests in LAA1 and 12,327 tests in LAA2. Most individuals who engaged with testing were female, working age, white, and worked as early years or education staff, health and social care staff, and supermarket or food production staff. 1249 individuals completed the survey with 60% of respondents reported getting tested for work-related reasons. Individuals first heard about LFD testing through various channels including work, media, and word of mouth, and decided to get tested based on the ease and convenience of testing, workplace communications, and to identify asymptomatic cases to help stop the spread. Most tests were completed by individuals living in less deprived areas based on national deciles of deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: While national and local COVID-19 testing strategies have evolved, community and personal LFD testing remains a crucial pillar of the testing strategy. Future studies should collect quantitative and qualitative data from residents to most effectively shape testing offers based on the needs and preferences of their population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12986-4

Diphthamide modification of eEF2 requires a J-domain protein and is essential for normal development

The intracellular target of diphtheria toxin is a modified histidine residue, diphthamide, in the translation elongation factor, eEF2. This enigmatic modification occurs in all eukaryotes, and is produced in yeast by the action of five gene products, DPH1 to DPH5. Sequence homologues of these genes are present in all sequenced eukaryotic genomes and in higher eukaryotes there is functional evidence for DPH1, 2, 3, and 5 acting in diphthamide biosynthesis. We have identified a mouse mutant in the remaining gene, Dph4. Cells derived from homozygous mutant embryos lack the diphthamide modification of EF2 and are resistant to killing by diphtheria toxin. Reporter-tagged DPH4 protein localizes to the cytoskeleton, in contrast to the localization of DPH1, and consistent with evidence that DPH4 is not part of a proposed complex containing DPH1, 2 and 3. Mice homozygous for the mutation are retarded in growth and development and almost always die before birth. Those that survive long enough have preaxial polydactyly, a duplication of digit 1 of the hind foot. This same defect is seen in embryos homozygous for mutation of DPH1, suggesting that lack of diphthamide on eEF2 could result in translational failure of specific proteins, rather than a generalized translation downregulation

High level triggers for explosive mafic volcanism: Albano Maar, Italy

Colli Albani is a quiescent caldera complex located within the Roman Magmatic Province (RMP), Italy. The recent Via dei Laghi phreatomagmatic eruptions led to the formation of nested maars. Albano Maar is the largest and has erupted seven times between ca 69-33ka. The highly explosive nature of the Albano Maar eruptions is at odds with the predominant relatively mafic (SiO2=48-52wt.%) foiditic (K2O=9wt.%) composition of the magma. The deposits have been previously interpreted as phreatomagmatic, however they contain large amounts (up to 30%vol) of deep seated xenoliths, skarns and all pre-volcanic subsurface units. All of the xenoliths have been excavated from depths of up to 6km, rather than being limited to the depth at which magma and water interaction is likely to have occurred, suggesting an alternative trigger for eruption. High precision geochemical glass and mineral data of fresh juvenile (magmatic) clasts from the small volume explosive deposits indicate that the magmas have evolved along one of two evolutionary paths towards foidite or phonolite. The foiditic melts record ca. 50% mixing between the most primitive magma and Ca-rich melt, late stage prior to eruption. A major result of our study is finding that the generation of Ca-rich melts via assimilation of limestone, may provide storage for significant amounts of CO2 that can be released during a mixing event with silicate magma. Differences in melt evolution are inferred as having been controlled by variations in storage conditions: residence time and magma volume. © 2013

Field-induced phase transition in Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramics

The origin of the electric field-induced strain in the polycrystalline ceramic 0.92Bi(1/2)Na(1/2)TiO(3)-0.06BaTiO(3)-0.02K(1/2)Na(1/2)NbO(3) was investigated using in situ high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques. The initially existing tetragonal phase with pseudocubic lattice undergoes a reversible phase transition to a significantly distorted rhombohedral phase under electric field, accompanied by a change in the oxygen octahedral tilting from a 0 a 0 c + to a - a - a - and in the tilting angle. The polarization values for the tetragonal and rhombohedral phases were calculated based on the structural information from Rietveld refinements. The large recoverable electric field-induced strain is a consequence of a reversible electric field-induced phase transition from an almost nonpolar tetragonal phase to a ferroelectrically active rhombohedral phase.open686

Lead-free piezoceramics - Where to move on?

Lead-free piezoceramics aiming at replacing the market-dominant lead-based ones have been extensively searched for more than a decade worldwide. Some noteworthy outcomes such as the advent of commercial products for certain applications have been reported, but the goal, i.e., the invention of a lead-free piezocermic, the performance of which is equivalent or even superior to that of PZT-based piezoceramics, does not seem to be fulfilled yet. Nevertheless, the academic effort already seems to be culminated, waiting for a guideline to a future research direction. We believe that a driving force for a restoration of this research field needs to be found elsewhere, for example, intimate collaborations with related industries. For this to be effectively realized, it would be helpful for academic side to understand the interests and demands of the industry side as well as to provide the industry with new scientific insights that would eventually lead to new applications. Therefore, this review covers some of the issues that are to be studied further and deeper, so-to-speak, lessons from the history of piezoceramics, and some technical issues that could be useful in better understanding the industry demands. As well, the efforts made in the industry side will be briefly introduced for the academic people to catch up with the recent trends and to be guided for setting up their future research direction effectively.ope

Polarization reversal via a transient relaxor state in nonergodic relaxors near freezing temperature

Among the unresolved issues in the study of relaxor ferroelectrics is the role of freezing temperature, across which the dynamics of polarization reversal in relaxor ferroelectrics changes. The presence of this freezing temperature is best manifested by the appearance of a double polarization hysteresis loop just above the freezing temperature. Given that the polarization pinching evolving into a double hysteresis starts well below the freezing temperature, there exists a transient temperature regime between the nonergodic and the ergodic relaxor states. To clarify the role of the freezing temperature on the pinching, the polarization reversal near the freezing temperature of relaxor (Pb1-xLax)(Zr1-yTy)(1-x/4)O-3 (PLZT) was monitored using three in situ electric field methods: electrocaloric effect, neutron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. We demonstrate that the pinching results from a two-step process, 1) domain detexturization in the ferroelectric state and 2) miniaturization of domains. This observation explains the recently reported gap between the depolarization temperature T-d and the ferroelectric-torelaxor transition temperature TF-R in lead-free relaxors. We further show that T-d and TF-R, which have long been considered identical in lead-based relaxors, are not the same. The current study suggests that the mismatch between T-d and TF-R is an inherent feature in both lead-based and lead-free relaxor ferroelectrics