SPS-prepared targets for sputtering deposition of phase change films.

Phase-change materials like thin films from the systems [Ge1-xPbx]Te and Ge[Te1-xSex] are of interest for data storage. For these compositions amorphous materials can not be obtained by melt quenching. However, Suitable films can be obtained using RF sputtering. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to densify the powders to obtain large targets. Synthesis conditions and characterisations of the targets are reported. Amorphous nano films were obtained using the sintered targets and characterised

Compétences des couples en matière de planification familiale en post-partum immédiat dans le District de Santé de Biyem-Assi, Cameroun

Introduction: la planification familiale en post-partum immédiat reste encore peu connue et peu pratiquée par la plupart des couples au Cameroun. Pourtant, juste après un accouchement, nombreux sont ceux qui désirent différer la naissance de leur prochain enfant. Cette étude avait pour objectif de déterminer le niveau de compétences et le besoin éducationnel des couples en matière de planification familiale en post-partum immédiat dans le District de Santé de Biyem-Assi. Méthodes: il s'agissait de mener une enquête CAP (connaissances, attitudes et pratiques), dans le District de Santé de Biyem-Assi. La collecte des données s'est faite à l'aide de deux questionnaires de 40 questions chacun, rédigés en français, l'un adressé aux femmes en couple et en post-partum et l'autre aux hommes en couple et ayant au moins un enfant. Les données recueillies ont été saisies dans le logiciel CSPro version 6.2, puis analysées à l'aide du logiciel SPSS version 20.0. Résultats: un total de 300 individus a été interrogé avec un sex-ratio de 1. Plus de la moitié (56,7%) avait une connaissance approximative de la planification familiale en post-partum immédiat. Pour 36% des répondants, le post-partum immédiat n'était pas un moment approprié pour l'utilisation d'une méthode contraceptive moderne, l'interaction entre contraceptifs et lait maternel (65,4%) et l'infertilité de la femme (26,3%) étaient les principales raisons évoquées. Les pratiques contraceptives en post-partum immédiat de 60,5% des couples vivant dans le District de Santé Biyem-Assi étaient inadéquates. Par conséquent, la plupart des enquêtés avaient un niveau de compétences insuffisant (32,6%) et faible (23,3%) en matière de planification familiale en post-partum immédiat. Conclusion: certains préjugés et de fausses idées persistent dans la population du District de Santé Biyem-Assi en ce qui concerne les méthodes contraceptives modernes, et constituent un frein à la pratique contraceptive en général et en post-partum immédiat en particulier. Des efforts de sensibilisation et d'éducation des couples pour l'amélioration de leurs compétences en matière de contraception en post-partum immédiat s'avèrent nécessaires

A public private partnership to fight against malaria along the Chad-Cameroon pipeline corridor: I. Baseline data on socio-anthropological aspects, knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population concerning malaria

BACKGROUND: Malaria is ranked as the major public health problem in Cameroon, representing 50% of illness in less than five year old children, 40-45% of medical consultation and 40% of the annual home income spent on health. The Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (COTCO) that exploits the Chad-Cameroon pipeline in Cameroon territory, initiated in 2010, a public private partnership project to control malaria along the pipeline corridor. A research component was included in the project so as to guide and evaluate the control measures applied in this pipeline corridor. This study presents the baseline socio-anthropological data as well as the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the local population concerning malaria, its transmission, management and prevention. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was undertaken in four sentinel sites (one site per ecological zone) along the Chad-Cameroon pipeline corridor. Three structured questionnaires were used for the survey. Two of them were addressed to the heads of households (one for census and the other to collect information concerning the characteristics of houses and living conditions in households as well as their knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning malaria). The last questionnaire was used to collect information on malaria management and prevention. It was addressed to women who had delivered a living child within the past three years. Interviewers were recruited from each village and trained for two consecutive days on how to fill the different questionnaires. All data were analysed at 5% significant level using Epi-Info, SPSS and Cs PRO 4.0 STATA. Values of p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted in 2597 households (Bipindi 399, Bélabo 835, in Meidougou 820 and Dompta 543). Whatever the study site, 50% of the heads of household were workers of the agro-pastoral sector. Most of the heads of household were men (average 77.4% for men and 22.6% for females). The walls of households were mostly made-up of earth blocks and access to media was low. There were significant differences between mean ages and educational level of the heads of household. Significant differences were also observed between the characteristics of houses and the sites located in the southern regions (Bipindi and Bélabo) and those located in the northern regions (Meidougou and Dompta). The later household heads were younger and less educated than those in the other regions. In most of the study sites, paracetamol was cited as the first intention drug for malaria treatment, followed by chloroquine, a banned drug. More than half of the households studied had a correct knowledge of malaria and its mode of transmission: 120/155 (77.1%) in Bipindi, 244/323 (74.5%) in Bélabo, 171/235 (72.8%) in Meidougou and 118/218 (54.1%) in Dompta. Fever and headache were the malaria signs/symptoms most often cited by the households. An important percentage of pregnant women did not take any malaria prophylaxis during their last pregnancy (up to 43.4% in Bélabo). CONCLUSION: In all the study sites, there were conditions that indicated the all year round transmission of malaria (characteristics of houses and limited access to media making sensitization campaigns difficult). In general, most households had a good knowledge of malaria and its mode of transmission. However, malaria treatment drugs were most often inappropriate. In this study, recommendations were made in order to guide the implementation of control measures

A Mobile App to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Acceptance Among Finnish and Polish Preschoolers: Randomized Trial

Background: Early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers are ideal venues for food education. As smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular in ECEC centers, technology can be used to deliver such pedagogical content. Evidence suggests that video games can affect fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among 9-to 12-year-old children, but studies among preschoolers are scarce. Objective: This paper describes the development of the Mole's Veggie Adventures app and its effectiveness in increasing FV acceptance among Finnish and Polish preschoolers aged 3 to 6 years. Methods: A multiprofessional team created an app to be used in ECEC centers in groups of 3 to 10 children. The app aimed to increase vegetable acceptance, and it was built using elements that support the development of self-regulation and social skills. Altogether, 7 Finnish and 4 Polish ECEC centers participated in the study. Before randomization, parents reported background factors and their children's willingness to taste different FVs. The ECEC professionals in the intervention arm were instructed to use the app at least once a week during the 3-to 4-week intervention period. The main outcomes in this unblinded, cluster-randomized study were FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance. The first was calculated as a sum variable describing the children's willingness to taste 25 different FVs, the second as FV acceptance divided by the number of FVs served. We used analysis of covariance to compare the FV acceptance and relative FV acceptance scores between the intervention and control groups at follow-up. Results: A total of 221 children were included in the analysis. At follow-up, the intervention group (115/221, 52%) had higher FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 7.22; 95% CI 1.41-13.03) than the control group (106/221, 48%). The intervention effect was parallel for relative FV acceptance scores (baseline adjusted difference of mean 0.28; 95% CI 0.05-0.52). Conclusions: The Mole's Veggie Adventures app has the potential to increase FV acceptance among preschoolers and can be a valuable tool in supporting food education in ECEC centers. Furthermore, the app can be feasibly incorporated into preschool routines in countries with different educational environments. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05173311; https://tinyurl.com/4vfbh283 (JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022;10(1):e30352) doi: 10.2196/30352Peer reviewe

Increased Health and Wellbeing in Preschools (DAGIS) Study – differences in children’s energy balance-related behaviors (EBRBs) and in long-term stress by parental educational level

Peer reviewe

Cortical thickness, surface area, and gyrification abnormalities in children exposed to maltreatment : neural markers of vulnerability?

Childhood maltreatment has been shown to significantly elevate the risk of psychiatric disorder. Previous neuroimaging studies of children exposed to maltreatment have reported atypical neural structure in several regions, including the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes. These studies have exclusively investigated volumetric differences rather than focusing on genetically and developmentally distinct indices of brain structure

Experimentação pedagógica - relações CTSA na formação inicial do licenciando em Química

A formação inicial do professor de química é um momento propício a experimentação pedagógica, onde novas metodologias/ enfoques/ teorias podem ser incorporados ao futuro exercício da docência. O presente trabalho visa discutir a experiência de formação de dois licenciandos em química, em seu primeiro estágio supervisionado durante o semestre 2007.1 da Universidade do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte - Brasil. Bem como as propostas de aulas práticas dirigidas por estes com o intuito de desenvolver um enfoque CTSA em seu primeiro contato com a regência de sala. Para a discussão das observações levou-se em conta as impressões de licenciandos para analisar criticamente as contribuições que esta prática efetivamente construíram para a formação dos futuros professores de química, e principalmente sobre as suas visões sobre possibilidades do enfoque CTSA no ensino-aprendizagem

Acute mountain sickness.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a clinical syndrome occurring in otherwise healthy normal individuals who ascend rapidly to high altitude. Symptoms develop over a period ofa few hours or days. The usual symptoms include headache, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, unsteadiness of gait, undue dyspnoea on moderate exertion and interrupted sleep. AMS is unrelated to physical fitness, sex or age except that young children over two years of age are unduly susceptible. One of the striking features ofAMS is the wide variation in individual susceptibility which is to some extent consistent. Some subjects never experience symptoms at any altitude while others have repeated attacks on ascending to quite modest altitudes. Rapid ascent to altitudes of 2500 to 3000m will produce symptoms in some subjects while after ascent over 23 days to 5000m most subjects will be affected, some to a marked degree. In general, the more rapid the ascent, the higher the altitude reached and the greater the physical exertion involved, the more severe AMS will be. Ifthe subjects stay at the altitude reached there is a tendency for acclimatization to occur and symptoms to remit over 1-7 days

Under the Radar : Children and Childhoods Missing from Nordic Childhood Studies

nonPeerReviewe

PROCESSING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THIN FILM Cux(Ge28Se60Sb12)1-x ION-SELECTIVE ELECTRODE MEMBRANE

International audienceThis work relates to the elaboration and characterization of Ion-Selective Electrodes (ISEs) based upon chalcogenide membrane sensitive to Cu2+ ion in aqueous solution for continuous and in situ measurements. The membrane material is a thin film deposited by RF co-sputtering of Ge28Se60Sb12chalcogenide glass and metal copper. The composition of the film highly doped with copper was analysed using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). The membrane / solution interface interactions were characterised using X-ray Photoelectronic Spectroscopy (XPS) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). These miniaturised ISEs exhibit Nernstian responses (30 mV / pCu) in a large copper (II) concentration range and a detection limit close to 1×10-6 M