Magnetization profile for impurities in graphene nanoribbons

The magnetic properties of graphene-related materials and in particular the spin-polarised edge states predicted for pristine graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with certain edge geometries have received much attention recently due to a range of possible technological applications. However, the magnetic properties of pristine GNRs are not predicted to be particularly robust in the presence of edge disorder. In this work, we examine the magnetic properties of GNRs doped with transition-metal atoms using a combination of mean-field Hubbard and Density Functional Theory techniques. The effect of impurity location on the magnetic moment of such dopants in GNRs is investigated for the two principal GNR edge geometries - armchair and zigzag. Moment profiles are calculated across the width of the ribbon for both substitutional and adsorbed impurities and regular features are observed for zigzag-edged GNRs in particular. Unlike the case of edge-state induced magnetisation, the moments of magnetic impurities embedded in GNRs are found to be particularly stable in the presence of edge disorder. Our results suggest that the magnetic properties of transition-metal doped GNRs are far more robust than those with moments arising intrinsically due to edge geometry.Comment: submitte

Impurity segregation in graphene nanoribbons

The electronic properties of low-dimensional materials can be engineered by doping, but in the case of graphene nanoribbons (GNR) the proximity of two symmetry-breaking edges introduces an additional dependence on the location of an impurity across the width of the ribbon. This introduces energetically favorable locations for impurities, leading to a degree of spatial segregation in the impurity concentration. We develop a simple model to calculate the change in energy of a GNR system with an arbitrary impurity as that impurity is moved across the ribbon and validate its findings by comparison with ab initio calculations. Although our results agree with previous works predicting the dominance of edge disorder in GNR, we argue that the distribution of adsorbed impurities across a ribbon may be controllable by external factors, namely an applied electric field. We propose that this control over impurity segregation may allow manipulation and fine-tuning of the magnetic and transport properties of GNRs.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitte

A concept analysis of undergraduate nursing students speaking up for patient safety in the patient care environment

© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. AIM: An analysis of the concept of nursing students speaking up for patient safety in the workplace.BACKGROUND: 'Speaking up' is assertive communication in clinical situations that requires action through questions or statements of opinion or information with appropriate persistence and is linked to patient safety. Previously, the concept of speaking up has focused on the registered or experienced practitioners, there is minimal discussion relating to student nurses. Analysis of the elements of students speaking up will identify the key elements that will give understanding to their position and experiences.DESIGN: A concept analysis.DATA: Literature included publications between 1970-2015 from, MEDLINE, CINHAL, PUBMED and SCOPUS. Search terms included patient safety AND speaking up; AND pre-registration/undergraduate nursing students, patient advocate, error reporting, organizational silence, whistleblowing and clinical placement/practicum.METHODS: The Walker and Avant concept analysis model was modified and used to examine the literature.RESULTS: Nursing students speaking up behaviour is influenced by individual and contextual factors that differ from those influencing more experienced colleagues. Motivators and barriers to voicing concerns include moral and ethical beliefs, willingness and confidence to speak up in the workplace. Students' subordinate and often vulnerable position creates additional tensions and challenges that impact their decisions and actions.CONCLUSION: This concept analysis provides a clear definition of 'speaking up' in relation to nursing students. The analysis will facilitate understanding and operationalization of the concept applied to learning and teaching, practice and research

Attention Felons: Evaluating Project Safe Neighborhoods in Chicago

This research uses a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the impact of Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) initiatives on neighborhood level crime rates in Chicago. Four interventions are analyzed: (1) increased federal prosecutions for convicted felons carrying or using guns, (2) the length of sentences associated with federal prosecutions, (3) supply-side firearm policing activities, and (4) social marketing of deterrence and social norms messages through justice-style offender notification meetings. Using an individual growth curve models and propensity scores to adjust for non-random group assignment, our findings suggest that several PSN interventions are associated with greater declines of homicide in the treatment neighborhoods as compared to the control neighborhoods. The largest effect is associated with the offender notification meetings that stress individual deterrence, normative change in offender behavior, and increasing views on legitimacy and procedural justice. Possible competing hypotheses and directions for individual-level analysis are also discussed

Desistance and Legitimacy: The Impact of Offender Notification Meetings on Recidivism Among High Risk Offenders

Objective: Legitimacy-based approaches to crime prevention operate under the assumption that individuals — including violent offenders — are more likely to comply with the law when they believe that the law and its agents are legitimate and act in ways that seem inherently “fair” and “just.” While mounting evidence finds an association between such legitimacy-based programs and reductions in aggregate levels of crime and violence, no study has investigated whether such programs influence individual offending. This study evaluates the effectiveness of one such program — Project Safe Neighborhoods’ (PSN) Offender Notification Meetings — at reducing individual recidivism among a population of returning prisoners in Chicago. Methods: This study uses a quasi-experimental design and two types of survival analyses (Cox hazard models and competing risk models) to evaluate the effects of PSN on the subsequent recidivism of program participants relative to the control group. Results: Cox hazard models and competing risk models suggest that involvement in PSN significantly reduces the risk of subsequent incarceration. In fact, participation in PSN Offender Notification Forums is associated with a significant lengthening of the time that offenders remain on the street and out of prison. Conclusion: This study provides some of the first individual-level evidence of the efficacy of such programs on patterns of individual offending. Results suggest that interventions such as these do indeed reduce rates of recidivism in the treatment group

The lived experience of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: a phenomenological inquiry

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is a complex, medical device for the management of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) that has gained popularity due to reported improvements in metabolic control and flexibility. Despite the growing number of CSII users, there is limited research exploring the everyday experiences living with this device. The purpose of my study was to understand the lived experience of adults using CSII therapy to manage T1DM. Accounts of lived experiences from eight individuals were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analysed using Max van Manen’s (1990) hermeneutic approach to phenomenology. Four substantive themes with supporting subthemes were identified including transitioning: not a quick fix; CSII: making an invisible illness visible; the internal struggle and impact on mental health; and, the impact on relationships and the meaning of support. Viewed together, these themes and subthemes represent the essence of participant experiences; that is, living with CSII eventually took ascendancy over managing T1DM. This research is one of few qualitative studies that explores the lived experience of CSII and has significant implications for healthcare professional practice, education, research, and policy and administration

Weed seed dormancy as a survival mechanism: brief review

Um dos principais mecanismos de sobrevivência das plantas daninhas em ambientes constantemente perturbados é a alta produção de sementes. Essas possuem geralmente algum mecanismo de dormência, o qual contribui para a perpetuação de espécies interferentes nos cultivos agrícolas. A dormência pode ser caracterizada pela ausência temporária da germinação, mesmo quando em condições adequadas de sua ocorrência. Isso permite que inúmeras espécies vegetais sobrevivam às adversidades, sobretudo aquelas que dificultam ou impeçam o seu crescimento vegetativo e reprodutivo. As causas da dormência são provenientes de dois mecanismos básicos, sendo o primeiro relacionado a eventos internos das sementes (embrião) e o segundo, às características externas (tegumento, endosperma ou as barreiras impostas pelo fruto). Conceitualmente, a dormência pode ser distinguida em dois tipos: dormência primária (quando os mecanismos de dormência ocorrem ainda na planta-mãe) e secundária (quando os mecanismos de estabelecimento da dormência ocorrem após a dispersão das sementes). A ocorrência desses dois tipos de dormência é comum em plantas daninhas. A sua alternância ou ciclagem garante o fluxo de germinação destas espécies, o qual depende das características iniciais durante a formação das sementes (dormência primária) e, posteriormente, das condições ambientais (dormência secundária). Todavia, muitos são os mecanismos que coordenam a dormência, sendo a distinção destes ainda controversos. Nesse sentido, este estudo tem por objetivo abordar alguns dos principais conceitos e mecanismos de dormência em plantas daninhas, com intuito de contribuir e estimular as pesquisas, ainda escassas, nessa área.The high production of seeds in constantly disturbed environments is one of the main mechanisms of weeds survival. These seeds have usually some dormancy mechanism which constitutes weed species perpetuation in the crops. Seed dormancy can be characterized by temporally absence of the germination capacity, even though the seeds have satisfactorily conditions to germinate, thus allowing species survival under adversities, mainly those that make it difficult or hinder vegetative and reproductive growth. The causes of dormancy stem from two basic mechanisms: the first is related to inner seed events (embryo) and the second to outer characteristics in the seeds (tegument, endosperm or fruit barriers). Conceptually, dormancy can be classified as primary dormancy (when the mechanisms occur in plants-mother) and secondary dormancy (when the mechanisms causing dormancy occur after seed dispersion). These types of dormancy occur normally in weeds. Their alternation or cycling ensures germination flow these species, which depends on the characteristics occurring at the initial stages of seed formation (primary dormancy), and later, on the environmental conditions (secondary dormancy). However, many mechanisms coordinate dormancy, with the differences among them being still controversial. Thus, this study aimed to approach some of the main concepts and mechanisms in weed dormancy, in order to contribute and stimulate research which is still scarce in this area

Assessing HeartSong as a Neonatal Music Therapy Intervention:A Qualitative Study on Personal and Professional Caregivers' Perspectives

Background: The music therapy HeartSong intervention pairs newborn infant heartbeats with parents' Song of Kin. Formal evidence on professional and personal caregiver perspectives of this intervention is lacking. Purpose: This survey study evaluates the HeartSong music therapy intervention from parent and staff perspectives. Methods: A qualitative study assessing inclusion of HeartSong for family neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care surveyed 10 professional caregivers comprising medical and psychosocial NICU teams anonymously reflecting their impressions of the intervention. Digital survey of parents/guardians contacted through semistructured phone interviews relayed impressions of recordings: subsequent setup, Song of Kin selection, and use of HeartSong, including thoughts/feelings about it as an intervention. Results: Professional and personal caregivers valued the HeartSong intervention for bereavement support, family support, including parental, extended family/infant support, and to enhance bonding. Emergent themes: memory-making, connectedness/closeness, support of parent role, processing mental health needs of stressful NICU days, and subsequent plans for lifelong HeartSong use. Therapeutic experience was named as a crucial intervention aspect and participants recommended the HeartSong as a viable, accessible NICU intervention. Implications for Practice and Research: HeartSong's use showed efficacy as a clinical NICU music therapy intervention for families of critically ill and extremely preterm infants, when provided by trained, specialized, board-certified music therapists. Future research focusing on HeartSong in other NICU populations might benefit infants with cardiac disease, parental stress, and anxiety attending to parent-infant bonding. Costs and time benefits related to investment are needed before implementation is considered.</p

The Flowerings Project: A Library in Transformation

This final report from the JMU Libraries and Furious Flower Poetry Center to the Mellon Foundation describes in detail the activities undertaken as part of a 2020-2021 planning grant, “Furious Flowerings: Developing a Partnership Model for Digital Library Support of a Living Center for Black Poetry,” funded by the Mellon Foundation. The grant explored and developed a partnership model for integrated library support of a living, academic center for the arts with archival, scholarly, digital, educational, and performance components. Nine key areas were addressed, including three overarching areas: development of cultural competencies, exploring how an exemplar project can be used to manage organizational and cultural change, and fostering partners\u27 understanding of library processes, systems, expertise, and goals, as well as six domain and application areas: inclusive archival workflows, frameworks for multimedia preservation and performance capture, teaching-and-learning collaborations, and policies and platforms for sustainable digital publications. The report describes model development, activities, findings, recommendations, challenges, lessons learned, future goals, evaluations, publications, and the grant timeline and logistics

Snap denaturation reveals dimerization by AraC-like protein Rns

Here we show that the Rns regulator of Escherichia coli dimerises in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Rns forms aggregates in vitro and describe a methodology to ameliorate aggregation thus permitting the analysis of Rns by cross-linking