45 research outputs found
Relativistic corrections in magnetic systems
We present a weak-relativistic limit comparison between the Kohn-Sham-Dirac
equation and its approximate form containing the exchange coupling, which is
used in almost all relativistic codes of density-functional theory. For these
two descriptions, an exact expression of the Dirac Green's function in terms of
the non-relativistic Green's function is first derived and then used to
calculate the effective Hamiltonian, i.e., Pauli Hamiltonian, and effective
velocity operator in the weak-relativistic limit. We point out that, besides
neglecting orbital magnetism effects, the approximate Kohn-Sham-Dirac equation
also gives relativistic corrections which differ from those of the exact
Kohn-Sham-Dirac equation. These differences have quite serious consequences: in
particular, the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of an uniaxial ferromagnet and
the anisotropic magnetoresistance of a cubic ferromagnet are found from the
approximate Kohn-Sham-Dirac equation to be of order , whereas the
correct results obtained from the exact Kohn-Sham-Dirac equation are of order
. We give a qualitative estimate of the order of magnitude of these
spurious terms
An augmented space recursion study of the electronic structure of rough epitaxial overlayers
In this communication we propose the use of the Augmented Space Recursion as
an ideal methodology for the study of electronic and magnetic structures of
rough surfaces, interfaces and overlayers. The method can take into account
roughness, short-ranged clustering effects, surface dilatation and
interdiffusion. We illustrate our method by an application of Fe overlayer on
Ag (100) surface.Comment: 22 pages, Latex, 6 postscript figure
Local Charge Excesses in Metallic Alloys: a Local Field Coherent Potential Approximation Theory
Electronic structure calculations performed on very large supercells have
shown that the local charge excesses in metallic alloys are related through
simple linear relations to the local electrostatic field resulting from
distribution of charges in the whole crystal.
By including local external fields in the single site Coherent Potential
Approximation theory, we develop a novel theoretical scheme in which the local
charge excesses for random alloys can be obtained as the responses to local
external fields. Our model maintains all the computational advantages of a
single site theory but allows for full charge relaxation at the impurity sites.
Through applications to CuPd and CuZn alloys, we find that, as a general rule,
non linear charge rearrangements occur at the impurity site as a consequence of
the complex phenomena related with the electronic screening of the external
potential. This nothwithstanding, we observe that linear relations hold between
charge excesses and external potentials, in quantitative agreement with the
mentioned supercell calculations, and well beyond the limits of linearity for
any other site property.Comment: 11 pages, 1 table, 7 figure
The onset of magnetic order in fcc-Fe films on Cu(100)
On the basis of a first-principles electronic structure theory of finite
temperature metallic magnetism in layered materials, we investigate the onset
of magnetic order in thin (2-8 layers) fcc-Fe films on Cu(100) substrates. The
nature of this ordering is altered when the systems are capped with copper.
Indeed we find an oscillatory dependence of the Curie temperatures as a
function of Cu-cap thickness, in excellent agreement with experimental data.
The thermally induced spin-fluctuations are treated within a mean-field
disordered local moment (DLM) picture and give rise to layer-dependent `local
exchange splittings' in the electronic structure even in the paramagnetic
phase. These features determine the magnetic intra- and interlayer interactions
which are strongly influenced by the presence and extent of the Cu cap.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure
Recommended from our members
It’s all about the money? A qualitative study of healthcare worker motivation in urban China
Background
China’s healthcare reform programme continues to receive much attention. Central to these discussions has been how the various financial incentives underpinning reform efforts are negatively impacting on the healthcare workforce. Research continues to document these trends, however, qualitative analysis of how these incentives impact on the motivation of healthcare workers remains underdeveloped. Furthermore, the application of motivational theories to make sense of healthcare worker experiences has yet to be undertaken.
Methods
The purpose of our paper is to present a comparative case study account of healthcare worker motivation across urban China. It draws on semi structured interviews (n = 89) with a range of staff and organisations across three provinces. In doing so, the paper analyses how healthcare worker motivation is influenced by a variety of financial incentives; how motivation is influenced by the opportunities for career development; and how motivation is influenced by the day to day pressures of meeting patient expectations.
Results
The experience of healthcare workers in China highlights how a reliance on financial incentives has challenged their ability to maintain the values and ethos of public service. Our findings suggest greater attention needs to be paid to the motivating factors of improved income and career development. Further work is also needed to nurture and develop the motivation of healthcare workers through the building of trust between fellow workers, patients, and the public.
Conclusions
Through the analysis of healthcare worker motivation, our paper presents a number of ways China can improve its current healthcare reform efforts. It draws on the experience of other countries in calling for policy makers to support alternative approaches to healthcare reform that build on multiple channels of motivation to support healthcare workers
Factors governing the performance of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives in India: a study in Pune district
Background: The Auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) cadre was created to focus on maternal and child health. ANMs are respected members of their communities and established providers of maternal and child health care within the community and at the facility level. Over time, additional roles and responsibilities have been added. Despite the importance of ANMs in the primary healthcare system in India, studies that consider factors governing the performance of ANMs in their workplaces are limited. We aimed to study factors governing performance of ANMs in Pune district, India.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 purposely selected key informants at facility, district, state, and national levels. Focus group discussions were conducted with 41 ANMs and 25 members of the community. Non-participatory observations with eight ANMs provided information to expand on and scrutinise findings that emerged from the other lines of inquiry. A realist lens was applied to identify ANMs’ performance as a result of “mechanisms” (training, supervision, accountability mechanisms) within the given “context” (regulatory system, infrastructure and resources, ANMs’ expanded scope of work, gender roles and norms).
Results: Weak enforcement of regulatory system led to poor standardisation of training quality among training institutions. Challenges in internal accountability mechanisms governing ANMs within the health system hierarchy made it difficult to ensure individual accountability. Training and supervision received were inadequate to address current responsibilities. The supervisory approach focused on comparing information in periodic reports against expected outputs. Clinical support in workplaces was insufficient, with very little problem identification and solving.
Conclusion: Focusing on the tasks of ANMs with technical inputs alone is insufficient to achieve the full potential of ANMs in a changing context. Systematic efforts tackling factors governing ANMs in their workplaces can produce a useful cadre, that can play an important role in achieving universal health coverage in India
Advancing the science behind human resources for health: highlights from the Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health
Health workers are central to people-centred health systems, resilient economies and sustainable development.
Given the rising importance of the health workforce, changing human resource for health (HRH) policy and practice
and recent health policy and systems research (HPSR) advances, it is critical to reassess and reinvigorate the science
behind HRH as part of health systems strengthening and social development more broadly. Building on the recently
published Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health (the Reader), this commentary
reflects on the added value of HPSR underpinning HRH. HPSR does so by strengthening the multi-disciplinary base and
rigour of HRH research by (1) valuing diverse research inferences and (2) deepening research enquiry and quality. It
also anchors the relevance of HRH research for HRH policy and practice by (3) broadening conceptual boundaries and
(4) strengthening policy engagement. Most importantly, HPSR enables us to transform HRH from being faceless
numbers or units of health producers to the heart and soul of health systems and vital change agents in our
communities and societies. Health workers’ identities and motivation, daily routines and negotiations, and training and
working environments are at the centre of successes and failures of health interventions, health system functioning
and broader social development. Further, in an increasingly complex globalised economy, the expansion of the health
sector as an arena for employment and the liberalisation of labour markets has contributed to the unprecedented
movement of health workers, many or most of whom are women, not only between public and private health sectors,
but also across borders. Yet, these political, human development and labour market realities are often set aside or
elided altogether. Health workers’ lives and livelihoods, their contributions and commitments, and their individual and
collective agency are ignored. The science of HRH, offering new discoveries and deeper understanding of how
universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals are dependent on millions of health workers
globally, has the potential to overcome this outdated and ineffective orthodoxy