Deformation Projected RMF Calculation for Cr and Fe nuclei in Hybrid Derivative Coupling Model

The ground state properties of even mass Cr and Fe isotopes are studied using the generalized hybrid derivative coupling model. The energy surface of each isotope is plotted as a function of the mass quadrupole moment. The neutron numbers N=20 and N=40 are seen to remain magic numbers but N= 28 and 50 are predicted to be non-magic. The neutron number N=70 turns out to be a magic number according to the present calculation. In all the isotopes studied the calculated binding energy values are less than those obtained from experiment while the deformation is in better agreement.Comment: To appear in Int. Jour. Mod. Phys.

Use of tobacco and alcohol by Swiss primary care physicians: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Health behaviours among doctors has been suggested to be an important marker of how harmful lifestyle behaviours are perceived. In several countries, decrease in smoking among physicians was spectacular, indicating that the hazard was well known. Historical data have shown that because of their higher socio-economical status physicians take up smoking earlier. When the dangers of smoking become better known, physicians began to give up smoking at a higher rate than the general population. For alcohol consumption, the situation is quite different: prevalence is still very high among physicians and the dangers are not so well perceived. To study the situation in Switzerland, data of a national survey were analysed to determine the prevalence of smoking and alcohol drinking among primary care physicians. METHODS: 2'756 randomly selected practitioners were surveyed to assess subjective mental and physical health and their determinants, including smoking and drinking behaviours. Physicians were categorised as never smokers, current smokers and former smokers, as well as non drinkers, drinkers (AUDIT-C < 4 for women and < 5 for men) and at risk drinkers (higher scores). RESULTS: 1'784 physicians (65%) responded (men 84%, mean age 51 years). Twelve percent were current smokers and 22% former smokers. Sixty six percent were drinkers and 30% at risk drinkers. Only 4% were never smokers and non drinkers. Forty eight percent of current smokers were also at risk drinkers and 16% of at risk drinkers were also current smokers. Smoking and at risk drinking were more frequent among men, middle aged physicians and physicians living alone. When compared to a random sample of the Swiss population, primary care physicians were two to three times less likely to be active smokers (12% vs. 30%), but were more likely to be drinkers (96% vs. 78%), and twice more likely to be at risk drinkers (30% vs. 15%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of current smokers among Swiss primary care physicians was much lower than in the general population in Switzerland, reflecting that the hazards of smoking are well known to doctors. However, the opposite was found for alcohol use, underlining the importance of making efforts in this area to increase awareness among physicians of the dangers of alcohol consumption

When does poor subjective financial position hurt the elderly? Testing the interaction with educational attainment using a national representative longitudinal survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have demonstrated that perceived financial status has a significant impact on health status among the elderly. However, little is known about whether such a subjective perception interacts with objective socioeconomic status (SES) measures such as education that affect the individual's health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This research used data from the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Middle Age and Elderly in Taiwan (SHLS) conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion, Department of Health in Taiwan. Waves 1996, 1999 and 2003 were used. The sample consisted of 2,387 elderly persons. The interactive effects of self-rated satisfaction with financial position and educational attainment were estimated. Self-rated health (SRH), depressive symptom (measured by CES-D) and mortality were used to measure health outcomes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant interaction effect was found for depressive symptoms. Among those who were dissatisfied with their financial position, those who were illiterate had an odds ratio (OR) of 8.3 (95% CI 4.9 to 14.0) for having depressive symptoms compared with those who were very satisfied with their financial position. The corresponding OR for those with college or above was only 2.7 (95% CI 1.0 to 7.3). No significant interaction effect was found for SRH and mortality.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although poor financial satisfaction was found to be related to poorer health, the strongest association for this effect was observed among those with low educational attainment, and this is especially true for depressive symptoms. Subjective financial status among the elderly should be explored in conjunction with traditional measures of SES.</p

Patterns of smoking behavior among physicians in Yerevan, Armenia

BACKGROUND: Physicians can play an important role in smoking prevention and control. This study will identify smoking prevalence among physicians in Yerevan, Armenia. It will also explore how the smoking behaviors of physicians, their perceived ability to influence patient smoking behavior, and their knowledge about health outcomes related to smoking influence their interaction with patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted in July, 2004, among 12 healthcare facilities in Yerevan. Analyses are based on responses from 240 physicians, representing a 70% response rate. RESULTS: The percentage of current smokers was significantly higher in men than women (48.5% vs. 12.8% regular and 6.8% vs. 4.5% occasional). Among current smokers, 52.7% of men compared with 13.0% of women had previously smoked in the presence of patients. Only 35.3% felt well prepared to assist patients to quit smoking. Physicians who smoke are less likely to ask their patients about their smoking behavior or believe their example is likely to influence their patients. Level of perceived preparedness to assist patients to quit smoking was positively associated with knowledge about known health risks associated with smoking. CONCLUSION: Smoking prevalence is high among physicians in the 12 healthcare facilities in Yerevan, and a large percentage of physician smoke in the presence of their patients. Physician smoking behavior and knowledge of smoking related health outcomes in Yerevan influences whether they counsel patients regarding smoking

An international review of tobacco smoking in the medical profession: 1974–2004

Background\ud Tobacco smoking by physicians represents a contentious issue in public health, and regardless of what country it originates from, the need for accurate, historical data is paramount. As such, this article provides an international comparison of all modern literature describing the tobacco smoking habits of contemporary physicians.\ud \ud Methods\ud A keyword search of appropriate MeSH terms was initially undertaken to identify relevant material, after which the reference lists of manuscripts were also examined to locate further publications.\ud \ud Results\ud A total of 81 English-language studies published in the past 30 years met the inclusion criteria. Two distinct trends were evident. Firstly, most developed countries have shown a steady decline in physicians' smoking rates during recent years. On the other hand, physicians in some developed countries and newly-developing regions still appear to be smoking at high rates. The lowest smoking prevalence rates were consistently documented in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. Comparison with other health professionals suggests that fewer physicians smoke when compared to nurses, and sometimes less often than dentists.\ud \ud Conclusion\ud Overall, this review suggests that while physicians' smoking habits appear to vary from region to region, they are not uniformly low when viewed from an international perspective. It is important that smoking in the medical profession declines in future years, so that physicians can remain at the forefront of anti-smoking programs and lead the way as public health exemplars in the 21st century

A saturated map of common genetic variants associated with human height

Common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are predicted to collectively explain 40-50% of phenotypic variation in human height, but identifying the specific variants and associated regions requires huge sample sizes(1). Here, using data from a genome-wide association study of 5.4 million individuals of diverse ancestries, we show that 12,111 independent SNPs that are significantly associated with height account for nearly all of the common SNP-based heritability. These SNPs are clustered within 7,209 non-overlapping genomic segments with a mean size of around 90 kb, covering about 21% of the genome. The density of independent associations varies across the genome and the regions of increased density are enriched for biologically relevant genes. In out-of-sample estimation and prediction, the 12,111 SNPs (or all SNPs in the HapMap 3 panel(2)) account for 40% (45%) of phenotypic variance in populations of European ancestry but only around 10-20% (14-24%) in populations of other ancestries. Effect sizes, associated regions and gene prioritization are similar across ancestries, indicating that reduced prediction accuracy is likely to be explained by linkage disequilibrium and differences in allele frequency within associated regions. Finally, we show that the relevant biological pathways are detectable with smaller sample sizes than are needed to implicate causal genes and variants. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive map of specific genomic regions that contain the vast majority of common height-associated variants. Although this map is saturated for populations of European ancestry, further research is needed to achieve equivalent saturation in other ancestries.A large genome-wide association study of more than 5 million individuals reveals that 12,111 single-nucleotide polymorphisms account for nearly all the heritability of height attributable to common genetic variants

Chemically induced cyclometalation of 2-(arylazo)phenols. Synthesis, characterization, and redox properties of a family of organoosmium complexes

Reaction of 2-(arylazo)phenols (H<SUB>2</SUB>ap-R; R = OCH<SUB>3</SUB>, CH<SUB>3</SUB>, H, Cl, and NO<SUB>2</SUB>) with [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)2(HCOO)2] affords a family of organometallic complexes of osmium(II) of type [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)] where the2-(arylazo)phenolate ligand is coordinated to the metal center as a tridentate C,N,O-donor. Structure of the [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-H)] complex has been determined by X-ray crystallography. All the [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)] complexes are diamagnetic and show characteristic<SUP> 1</SUP>H NMR signals and intense MLCT transitions in the visible region. They also show emission in the visible region at ambient temperature. Cyclic voltammetry on the [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)] complexes shows a reversible Os(II)-Os(III) oxidation within 0.39-0.73 V vs SCE, followed by a reversible Os(III)-Os(IV) oxidation within 1.06-1.61 V vs SCE. Coulometric oxidation of the [Os(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)] complexes generates the [Os<SUP>III</SUP>(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)]<SUP>+</SUP> complexes, which have been isolated as the hexafluorophosphate salts. The [Os<SUP>III</SUP>(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap -R)]PF<SUB>6</SUB> complexes are one-electron paramagnetic and show axial ESR spectra. In solution they behave as 1&#166;1 electrolytes and show intense LMCT transitions in the visible region.The [Os<SUP>III</SUP>(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)(ap-R)]PF<SUB>6</SUB> complexes have been observed to serve as mild one-electron oxidants in a nonaqueous medium

Unprecedented migration of a methyl group in 2-(2′,6′-dimethylphenylazo)-4-Methylphenol mediated by ruthenium

An unprecedented chemical transformation of 2-(2&#8242;,6&#8242;-dimethylphenylazo)-4-methylphenol has been observed upon its reaction with [Ru(PPh<SUB>3</SUB>)<SUB>2</SUB>(CO)<SUB>2</SUB>Cl<SUB>2</SUB>] whereby the methyl group at the 2&#8242; position migrates to the 4&#8242; or 6&#8242; position

Effects of intrarenal angiotensin 1–7 infusion on renal haemodynamic and excretory function in anaesthetised two‐kidney one‐clip and deoxycorticosterone acetate‐salt hypertensive rats

Abstract This study investigated the action of angiotensin 1–7 (Ang (1–7)) on renal haemodynamic and excretory function in the two‐kidney one‐clip (2K1C) and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)‐salt rat models of hypertension, in which the endogenous renin–angiotensin system (RAS) activity was likely to be raised or lowered, respectively. Rats were anaesthetised and prepared for the measurement of mean arterial pressure and kidney function during renal interstitial infusion of Ang (1–7) or saline. Kidney tissue concentrations of angiotensin II (Ang II) and Ang (1–7) were determined. Intrarenal infusion of Ang (1–7) into the clipped kidney of 2K1C rats increased urine flow (UV), absolute (UNaV) and fractional sodium (FENa) excretions by 110%, 214% and 147%, respectively. Renal Ang II concentrations of the clipped kidney were increased with no major changes in Ang (1–7) concentration. By contrast, Ang (1–7) infusion decreased UV, UNaV, and FENa by 27%, 24% and 21%, respectively in the non‐clipped kidney in which tissue Ang (1–7) concentrations were increased, but renal Ang II concentrations were unchanged compared to sham animals. Ang (1–7) infusion in DOCA‐salt rats had minimal effects on glomerular filtration rate but significantly decreased UV, UNaV and FENa by ∼30%. Renal Ang (1–7) concentrations were higher and Ang II concentrations were lower in DOCA‐salt rats compared to sham rats. These findings demonstrate that the intrarenal infusion of exogenous Ang (1–7) elicits different renal excretory responses the magnitude of which is dependent on the balance between the endogenous renal Ang II–AT1 receptor axis and Ang (1–7)–Mas receptor axis