4,099 research outputs found
Cold atoms in micromachined waveguides: A new platform for atom-photon interactions
Hybrid quantum devices, incorporating both atoms and photons, can exploit the benefits of both to enable scalable architectures for quantum computing and quantum communication, as well as chip-scale sensors and single-photon sources. Production of such devices depends on the development of an interface between their atomic and photonic components. This should be compact, robust, and compatible with existing technologies from both fields. Here we demonstrate such an interface. Cold cesium atoms are trapped inside a transverse, 30μm-diameter through hole in an optical fiber, created via laser micromachining. When the guided light is on resonance with the cesium D2 line, up to 87% of it is absorbed by the atoms. The corresponding optical depth per unit length is ∼700 cm−1, higher than any reported for a comparable system. This is important for miniaturization and scalability. The technique can be equally effective in optical waveguide chips and other existing photonic systems, providing a promising platform for fundamental research
Methodologies for determining staffing needs in healthcare: systematic literature review
The determination of staffing needs in healthcare is not just
calculating the optimal number of professionals but is defining
how the professional contingent accompanies the development
of the healthcare organisation and of the population’s care
needs. This research investigates the existence of a gold
standard for determining health personnel requirements. We
perform a systematic literature review to explore several
approaches worldwide, examining a wide range of contextual
variables, useful for the definition of an omni-comprehensive
approach. A total of 557 articles was initially detected, then
reduced to 57 after excluding everything not related to
healthcare context and staff planning models. Results do not
reveal a recognized standard for determining staffing needs.
Approaches to the definition of staffing standards are mainly
ex-ante (31%), based on the characteristics of specific models
and organisational needs, or ex-post (62%), based on
production analysis and historical trends. Most of these refer
to the medical and nursing category (68.4%), while the
minority proposes a multi-professional approach (17.5%).
This review highlights innovative approaches based on
algorithms which, starting from historical data, are adjusted
by moderating key variables such as contextual factors,
healthcare organisation models and professional attributes.
The review suggests:
1. Develop and share a unique tool for defining standards
based on several variables that identify the characteristics of the
context
2. Use up-to-date information flows and quality data
3. Consider a multi-professional approach
4. Adopt a long-term vision and continuous dialogue with the
training process
It is clear the need to develop a tool for the definition of
personnel requirements in line with internal and external
changes in the health system. Therefore, such models need to
account for an adequate number of variables, useful to identify
the characteristics of the overall context.
Key messages:
The development of staffing needs estimates must necessarily rely on a certain level of standardisation, but at the same
time must take into account the variability characterising
different contexts.
In order to respond to recent demographic and epidemiological trends, it is crucial to include in the model skill mix
and task shifting strategies involving health professionals as a
whole
Design optimization of a contact-aided continuum robot for endobronchial interventions based on anatomical constraints
PURPOSE: A laser-profiled continuum robot (CR) with a series of interlocking joints has been developed in our center to reach deeper areas of the airways. However, it deflects with constant curvature, which thus increases the difficulty of entering specific bronchi without relying on the tissue reaction forces. This paper aims to propose an optimization framework to find the best design parameters for nonconstant curvature CRs to reach distal targets while attempting to avoid the collision with the surrounding tissue. METHODS: First, the contact-aided compliant mechanisms (CCMs) are integrated with the continuum robot to achieve the nonconstant curvature. Second, forward kinematics considering CCMs is built. Third, inverse kinematics is implemented to steer the robot tip toward the desired targets within the confined anatomy. Finally, an optimization framework is proposed to find the best robot design to reach the target with the least collision to the bronchi walls. RESULTS: Experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of CCMs to enable the nonconstant curvature deflection, and simulations demonstrate a lower cost function value to reach a target for the nonconstant curvature optimized design with respect to the standard constant curvature robot (0.11 vs. 2.66). In addition, the higher capacity of the optimized design to complete the task is validated by interventional experiments using fluoroscopy. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework to find an optimized CR with nonconstant curvature to perform safer interventions to reach distal targets
Deciphering Electron Interplay at the Fullerene/Sputtered TiOxInterface: A Barrier-Free Electron Extraction for Organic Solar Cells
Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) technology now offers power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 18% and is one of the main emerging photovoltaic technologies. In such devices, titanium dioxide (TiOx) has been vastly used as an electron extraction layer, typically showing unwanted charge-extraction barriers and the need for light-soaking. In the present work, using advanced photoemission spectroscopies, we investigate the electronic interplay at the interface between low-temperature-sputtered TiOx and C70 acceptor fullerene molecules. We show that defect states in the band gap of TiOx are quenched by C70 while an interfacial state appears. This new interfacial state is expected to support the favorable energy band alignment observed, showing a perfect match of transport levels, and thus barrier-free extraction of charges, making low-temperature-sputtered TiOx a good candidate for the next generation of organic solar cells
Tests for Substructure in Gravitational Lenses
The flux anomalies in four-image gravitational lenses can be interpreted as
evidence for the dark matter substructure predicted by cold dark matter (CDM)
halo models. In principle, these flux anomalies could arise from alternate
sources such as absorption, scattering or scintillation by the interstellar
medium (ISM) of the lens galaxy, problems in the ellipsoidal macro models used
to fit lens systems, or stellar microlensing. We apply several tests to the
data that appear to rule out these alternate explanations. First, the radio
flux anomalies show no significant dependence on wavelength, as would be
expected for almost any propagation effect in the ISM or microlensing by the
stars. Second, the flux anomaly distributions show the characteristic
demagnifications of the brightest saddle point relative to the other images
expected for low optical depth substructure, which cannot be mimicked by either
the ISM or problems in the macro models. Microlensing by stars also cannot
reproduce the suppression of the bright saddle points if the radio source sizes
are consistent with the Compton limit for their angular sizes. Third, while it
is possible to change the smooth lens models to fit the flux anomalies in some
systems, we can rule out the necessary changes in all systems where we have
additional lens constraints to check the models. Moreover, the parameters of
these models are inconsistent with our present observations and expectations
for the structure of galaxies. We conclude that low-mass halos remain the best
explanation of the phenomenon.Comment: Submitted to Ap
SELENE. INFORMATIZACIÓN DE LA HISTORIA CLÍNICA ELECTRÓNICA: IMPLICACIÓN SOBRE EL PROCESO DE ENFERMERÍA.
This article talks about the changeover to a corporative hospital documentation system, which gives computer solutions in order to resolve the global clinic problem from the point of view of all the assistencial setting participants, and which allows an improvement of the resources management. This documentation system is an assistencial, an administrative management and a sanitary management tool.
This documentation system change incluyes the implantation of the Electronic Clinical History, making a reference to the Infirmary registers, doing a documentary normalization which includes the emplantation of the Infirmary methodology through the Nanda, Nic and Noc taxonomies.Este artículo trata sobre el cambio hacia un sistema de información hospitalario corporativo, que implementa soluciones informáticas para tratar de resolver la problemática clínica global desde el punto de vista de todos los partícipes del escenario asistencial y que permiten una mejora en la gestión de los recursos implicados. Siendo una herramienta asistencial, una herramienta de gestión administrativa y una herramienta de gestión sanitaria.
Ese cambio de sistema de información engloba la implantación de la Historia Clínica Electrónica (herramienta asistencial), haciendo especial referencia a la informatización de los registros que realiza Enfermería, realizando para ello una normalización documental que incluye entre otras cosas la implantación de la metodología de Enfermería a través de taxonomías Nanda, Nic y Noc
One-year observation of leflunomide effectiveness and saftey in juvenile idiopathic arthritis : a clinical practice review (preliminary data)
Trans* and gender variant citizenship and the state in Norway
The last decade has seen the expansion of trans identities that are gender queer, non-binary, androgynous, or multiply-sexed and gendered in Western Europe. These developments mark a shift from a uniformly gender-binaried system to one that encompasses some degree of gender pluralism, as reflected to an extent in policy changes in some European countries. However, gender binarism is still prevalent. This article uses the case of Norway to demonstrate a contrast between the citizenship statuses afforded to transsexual men and women, and the lack of citizenship rights that people with non-binary identities, and other gender-variant people who are not diagnosed as transsexual, face. The article addresses the historical role of the Norwegian state in perpetuating gender binaries, in key areas such as identity recognition. It then explores the ways in which Norwegian social policy is changing towards more trans-sensitive positions
Integrability and chaos: the classical uncertainty
In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the publishing of
textbooks and monographs covering what was formerly known as random or
irregular deterministic motion, now named by the more fashionable term of
deterministic chaos. There is still substantial interest in a matter that is
included in many graduate and even undergraduate courses on classical
mechanics. Based on the Hamiltonian formalism, the main objective of this
article is to provide, from the physicist's point of view, an overall and
intuitive review of this broad subject (with some emphasis on the KAM theorem
and the stability of planetary motions) which may be useful to both students
and instructors.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figure
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