Fabrication techniques developed for small- diameter, thin-wall tungsten and tungsten alloy tubing

Report describes methods for the fabrication of tungsten and tungsten alloys into small-diameter, thin-wall tubing of nuclear quality. The tungsten, or tungsten alloy tube blanks are produced by double extrusion. Plug-drawing has emerged as an excellent secondary fabrication technique for the reduction of the overall tube dimensions

Recognition of Emotions in Czech Newspaper Headlines

With the growth of internet community, many different text-based documents are produced. Emotion detection and classification in text becomes very important in human-machine interaction or in human-to-human internet communication with this growth. This article refers to this issue in Czech texts. Headlines were extracted from Czech newspapers and Fear, Joy, Anger, Disgust, Sadness, and Surprise emotions are detected. In this work, several algorithms for learning were assessed and compared according to their accuracy of emotion detection and classification of news headlines. The best results were achieved using the SVM (Support Vector Machine) method with a linear kernel, where the presence of the dominant emotion or emotions was analyzed. For individual emotions the following results were obtained: Anger was detected in 87.3 %, Disgust 95.01%, Fear 81.32 %, Joy 71.6 %, Sadness 75.4 %, and Surprise 71.09 %

Efficient algorithm for optimizing data pattern tomography

We give a detailed account of an efficient search algorithm for the data pattern tomography proposed by J. Rehacek, D. Mogilevtsev, and Z. Hradil [Phys. Rev. Lett.~\textbf{105}, 010402 (2010)], where the quantum state of a system is reconstructed without a priori knowledge about the measuring setup. The method is especially suited for experiments involving complex detectors, which are difficult to calibrate and characterize. We illustrate the approach with the case study of the homodyne detection of a nonclassical photon state.Comment: 5 pages, 5 eps-color figure

Topical Hydroxyurea and Psoriasis

Hydroxyurea, as a 10% cream, produces a significant involutionary effect on psoriatic plaques when used under continuous plastic film occlusion. When used with only partial occlusion, however, the effect is only slightly better than that of the base alone. Further studies with the use of metabolically active derivatives of hydroxyurea and/or different vehicles are warranted

Wpływ melatoniny, N-acetyloserotoniny i 6-hydroksymelatoniny na ultrastrukturę pinealocytów chomika syryjskiego (Mesocricetus auratus)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of melatonin as well as of its precursor (N-acetylserotonin) and metabolite (6-hydroxymelatonin) on the ultrastructure of the pinealocytes of the Syrian hamster. Material and methods: The pineal glands of 2-month-old male Syrian hamsters were examined. The animals were divided into the following groups of four animals each: group 1 - melatonin treatment; group 2 - N-acetylserotonin treatment; group 3 - 6-hydroxymelatonin treatment (all substances given subcutaneously at doses of 25 μg per animal between 16.00 and 17.00 h daily for seven weeks). Group 4 was given solvent treatment only and served as controls. The animals were killed by decapitation between 09:00 and 10.00 h. Routine electron microscopical techniques were used to obtain quantitative data on pinealocyte ultrastructure. Results: Melatonin administration did not influence the size of the hamster pinealocytes, whereas administration of N-acetylserotonin and 6-hydroxymelatonin caused a significant reduction in cell size in comparison to the melatonintreated and control groups. There were changes in the relative volumes of the mitochondria, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes in the pinealocytes of the studied groups, while the volumes of granular endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets were unchanged. The dense-core vesicles were more numerous in the pinealocytes of the melatonin and 6-hydroxymelatonin-treated groups in comparison to those of animals treated with N-acetylserotonin or the controls. Conclusions: The changes observed in the ultrastructure of hamster pinealocytes indicate that administration of melatonin as well as of its precursor or metabolite influences the morphology of these cells and also, perhaps, their secretory activity.Wstęp: Celem niniejszego badania była ocena wpływu melatoniny, a także jej prekursora (N-acetyloserotoniny) i metabolitu (6-hydroksymelatoniny) na ultrastrukturę pinealocytów chomika syryjskiego. Materiał i metody: Badano szyszynki 2-miesięcznych samców chomików syryjskich. Zwierzęta podzielono na następujące grupy, liczące po 4 zwierzęta każda: grupa 1. - otrzymująca melatoninę; grupa 2. - otrzymująca N-acetyloserotoninę; grupa 3. - otrzymująca 6-hydroksymelatoninę (wszystkie substancje podawano podskórnie przez 7 tygodni, w dawce 25 μg/zwierzę, między godz. 16. a 17.). Zwierzęta z grupy 4. otrzymujące jedynie rozpuszczalnik stanowiły grupę kontrolną. Zwierzęta zabijano przez dekapitację między godziną 9. a 10. W celu uzyskania ilościowych danych dotyczących ultrastruktury pinealocytów stosowano rutynowe techniki mikroskopowo-elektronowe. Wyniki: Podawanie melatoniny nie wpłynęło na wielkość pinealocytów, podczas gdy wstrzyknięcia N-acetyloserotoniny i 6-hydroksymelatoniny spowodowały znaczne zmniejszenie rozmiarów tych komórek w porównaniu z grupą kontrolną i zwierzętami otrzymującymi melatoninę. Stwierdzono istotne zmiany we względnych objętościach mitochondriów, aparatu Golgiego i lizosomów między badanymi grupami, natomiast objętości ziarnistej siateczki śródplazmatycznej i kropli lipidów nie wykazywały różnic między badanymi grupami. Pęcherzyki ziarniste były liczniejsze w pinealocytach chomików otrzymujących melatoninę lub 6-hydroksymelatoninę niż u zwierząt kontrolnych lub otrzymujących N-acetyloserotoninę. Wnioski: Obserwowane zmiany w ultrastrukturze pinealocytów chomika syryjskiego świadczą, że podawanie zarówno melatoniny, jak i jej prekursora lub metabolitu wpływa na morfologię tych komórek i prawdopodobnie także na ich aktywność wydzielniczą

Nativity Status and Workplace Discrimination in Registered Nurses : Testing the Mediating Role of Psychosocial Work Characteristics

Abstract Aim To examine: 1) whether nativity status was associated with workplace discrimination, 2) whether this association was mediated through psychosocial work characteristics (job strain, job demands and job control) among registered female nurses. Design Cross-sectional survey with a self-report questionnaire was conducted. Methods A random sample of 610 native Registered Nurses and a total sample of 188 foreign-born Registered Nurses working in Finland were used. Data were collected between September - November of 2017 and analyzed using a counterfactual approach in the causal mediation framework. Results After adjusting for several potential confounders, foreign-born nurses scored higher on workplace discrimination than native nurses. Approximately 20% of the association between nativity status and workplace discrimination was mediated through job control. Job demands and job strain were unlikely to mediate this association. Conclusion The study provides further evidence that migrant status is associated with a higher risk of workplace discrimination among nurses. Lower levels of control over one's own job may partly contribute to the higher risk of workplace discrimination in foreign-born women nurses. Impact Our study addresses the relationship between nativity status and workplace discrimination among female nurses and its mediating factors. The findings suggest that health care organization leaders need to be aware of the increased risk of workplace discrimination among migrant nurses. Moreover, health care organizations need to consider psychosocial work characteristics, including job control, in the efforts aimed to prevent and reduce discrimination against their foreign-born employees.Peer reviewe

Putting context into organizational intervention design:Using tailored questionnaires to measure initiatives for worker well-being

Realistic evaluation emphasizes the importance of exploring the mechanisms through which organizational interventions are effected. A well-known mechanism in organizational interventions is the screening process. Standardized questionnaires, in popular use, neither consider individuals’ appraisals of working conditions nor the specific context of the workplace. Screening with items tailored to intervention contexts may overcome the limitations of standardized questionnaires. In the present study, we evaluate an approach to develop a tailored questionnaire to measure employees’ appraisals of their specific working conditions. First, we interviewed 56 employees and 17 managers and, later, developed tailored items focused on the working conditions in a postal service. In follow-up interviews, we explore participants’ experiences with the tailored questionnaire, including the development of initiatives, compared to their previous experiences with the company´s annual attitude survey that used standardized scales. Results indicated that participants felt the tailored questionnaire highlighted issues that had previously been ignored, that initiatives were easier to develop due to its specificity, and that the feedback strategy was useful in prioritizing questionnaires. Overall, it can be concluded that tailored questionnaires may be appropriate for use in organizational intervention research and more broadly that evaluations of organizational interventions need to be contextually grounded

A Longitudinal Test of the Demand–Control Model Using Specific Job Demands and Specific Job Control

# The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Background Supportive studies of the demand–control (DC) model were more likely to measure specific demands combined with a corresponding aspect of control. Purpose A longitudinal test of Karasek’s (Adm Sci Q. 24:285–308, 1) job strain hypothesis including specific measures of job demands and job control, and both selfreport and objectively recorded well-being. Method Job strain hypothesis was tested among 267 health care employees from a two-wave Dutch panel survey with a 2-year time lag. Results Significant demand/control interactions were found for mental and emotional demands, but not for physical demands. The association between job demands and job satisfaction was positive in case of high job control, whereas this association was negative in case of low job control. In addition, the relation between job demands and J. de Jonge (*

Organization specific predictors of job satisfaction: findings from a Canadian multi-site quality of work life cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Organizational features can affect how staff view their quality of work life. Determining staff perceptions about quality of work life is an important consideration for employers interested in improving employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to identify organization specific predictors of job satisfaction within a health care system that consisted of six independent health care organizations. METHODS: 5,486 full, part and causal time (non-physician) staff on active payroll within six organizations (2 community hospitals, 1 community hospital/long-term care facility, 1 long-term care facility, 1 tertiary care/community health centre, and 1 visiting nursing agency) located in five communities in Central West Ontario, Canada were asked to complete a 65-item quality of work life survey. The self-administered questionnaires collected staff perceptions of: co-worker and supervisor support; teamwork and communication; job demands and decision authority; organization characteristics; patient/resident care; compensation and benefits; staff training and development; and impressions of the organization. Socio-demographic data were also collected. RESULTS: Depending on the organization, between 15 and 30 (of the 40 potential predictor) variables were found to be statistically associated with job satisfaction (univariate analyses). Logistic regression analyses identified the best predictors of job satisfaction and these are presented for each of the six organizations and for all organizations combined. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that job satisfaction is a multidimensional construct and although there appear to be some commonalities across organizations, some predictors of job satisfaction appear to be organization and context specific

Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: Introducing a thematic series on the Theoretical Domains Framework

Behaviour change is key to increasing the uptake of evidence into healthcare practice. Designing behaviour-change interventions first requires problem analysis, ideally informed by theory. Yet the large number of partly overlapping theories of behaviour makes it difficult to select the most appropriate theory. The need for an overarching theoretical framework of behaviour change was addressed in research in which 128 explanatory constructs from 33 theories of behaviour were identified and grouped. The resulting Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) appears to be a helpful basis for investigating implementation problems. Research groups in several countries have conducted TDF-based studies. It seems timely to bring together the experience of these teams in a thematic series to demonstrate further applications and to report key developments. This overview article describes the TDF, provides a brief critique of the framework, and introduces this thematic series. In a brief review to assess the extent of TDF-based research, we identified 133 papers that cite the framework. Of these, 17 used the TDF as the basis for empirical studies to explore health professionals’ behaviour. The identified papers provide evidence of the impact of the TDF on implementation research. Two major strengths of the framework are its theoretical coverage and its capacity to elicit beliefs that could signify key mediators of behaviour change. The TDF provides a useful conceptual basis for assessing implementation problems, designing interventions to enhance healthcare practice, and understanding behaviour-change processes. We discuss limitations and research challenges and introduce papers in this series