1,383 research outputs found
Improved Photostability of a CuI Complex by Macrocyclization of the Phenanthroline Ligands
The development of molecular materials for conversion of solar energy into electricity and fuels is one of the most active research areas, in which the light absorber plays a key role. While copper(I)-bis(diimine) complexes [Cu-I(L)(2)](+) are considered as potent substitutes for [Ru-II(bpy)(3)](2+), they exhibit limited structural integrity as ligand loss by substitution can occur. In this article, we present a new concept to stabilize copper bis(phenanthroline) complexes by macrocyclization of the ligands which are preorganized around the Cu-I ion. Using oxidative Hay acetylene homocoupling conditions, several Cu-I complexes with varying bridge length were prepared and analyzed. Absorption and emission properties are assessed; rewardingly, the envisioned approach was successful since the flexible 1,4-butadiyl-bridged complex does show enhanced MLCT absorption and emission, as well as improved photostability upon irradiation with a blue LED compared to a reference complex
Improved Photostability of a Cu-I Complex by Macrocyclization of the Phenanthroline Ligands
The development of molecular materials for conversion of solar energy into electricity and fuels is one of the most active research areas, in which the light absorber plays a key role. While copper(I)-bis(diimine) complexes [Cu (L) ] are considered as potent substitutes for [Ru (bpy) ] , they exhibit limited structural integrity as ligand loss by substitution can occur. In this article, we present a new concept to stabilize copper bis(phenanthroline) complexes by macrocyclization of the ligands which are preorganized around the Cu ion. Using oxidative Hay acetylene homocoupling conditions, several Cu complexes with varying bridge length were prepared and analyzed. Absorption and emission properties are assessed; rewardingly, the envisioned approach was successful since the flexible 1,4-butadiyl-bridged complex does show enhanced MLCT absorption and emission, as well as improved photostability upon irradiation with a blue LED compared to a reference complex
The COBE DIRBE Point Source Catalog
We present the COBE DIRBE Point Source Catalog, an all-sky catalog containing
infrared photometry in 10 bands from 1.25 microns to 240 microns for 11,788 of
the brightest near and mid-infrared point sources in the sky. Since DIRBE had
excellent temporal coverage (100 - 1900 independent measurements per object
during the 10 month cryogenic mission), the Catalog also contains information
about variability at each wavelength, including amplitudes of variation
observed during the mission. Since the DIRBE spatial resolution is relatively
poor (0.7 degrees), we have carefully investigated the question of confusion,
and have flagged sources with infrared-bright companions within the DIRBE beam.
In addition, we filtered the DIRBE light curves for data points affected by
companions outside of the main DIRBE beam but within the `sky' portion of the
scan. At high Galactic latitudes (|b| > 5 degrees), the Catalog contains
essentially all of the unconfused sources with flux densities greater than 90,
60, 60, 50, 90, and 165 Jy at 1.25, 2.2, 3.5, 4.9, 12, and 25 microns,
respectively, corresponding to magnitude limits of approximately 3.1, 2.6, 1.7,
1.3, -1.3, and -3.5. At longer wavelengths and in the Galactic Plane, the
completeness is less certain because of the large DIRBE beam and possible
contributions from extended emission. The Catalog also contains the names of
the sources in other catalogs, their spectral types, variability types, and
whether or not the sources are known OH/IR stars. We discuss a few remarkable
objects in the Catalog. [abridged]Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement. The
full tables are available at http://www.etsu.edu/physics/bsmith/dirbe
Assessing Communities of Practice in health policy : A conceptual framework as a first step towards empirical research
Peer reviewe
Differential CT and MR imaging diagnosis between low- and high-grade malignant vascular tumors of bone
Formative evaluation of the telecare fall prevention project for older veterans
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fall prevention interventions for community-dwelling older adults have been found to reduce falls in some research studies. However, wider implementation of fall prevention activities in routine care has yielded mixed results. We implemented a theory-driven program to improve care for falls at our Veterans Affairs healthcare facility. The first project arising from this program used a nurse advice telephone line to identify patients' risk factors for falls and to triage patients to appropriate services. Here we report the formative evaluation of this project.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To evaluate the intervention we: 1) interviewed patient and employee stakeholders, 2) reviewed participating patients' electronic health record data and 3) abstracted information from meeting minutes. We describe the implementation process, including whether the project was implemented according to plan; identify barriers and facilitators to implementation; and assess the incremental benefit to the quality of health care for fall prevention received by patients in the project. We also estimate the cost of developing the pilot project.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The project underwent multiple changes over its life span, including the addition of an option to mail patients educational materials about falls. During the project's lifespan, 113 patients were considered for inclusion and 35 participated. Patient and employee interviews suggested support for the project, but revealed that transportation to medical care was a major barrier in following up on fall risks identified by nurse telephone triage. Medical record review showed that the project enhanced usual medical care with respect to home safety counseling. We discontinued the program after 18 months due to staffing limitations and competing priorities. We estimated a cost of $9194 for meeting time to develop the project.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The project appeared feasible at its outset but could not be sustained past the first cycle of evaluation due to insufficient resources and a waning of local leadership support due to competing national priorities. Future projects will need both front-level staff commitment and prolonged high-level leadership involvement to thrive.</p
How and why are communities of practice established in the healthcare sector? A systematic review of the literature
Background: Communities of Practice (CoPs) are promoted in the healthcare sector as a means of generating and sharing knowledge and improving organisational performance. However CoPs vary considerably in the way they are structured and operate in the sector. If CoPs are to be cultivated to benefit healthcare organisations, there is a need to examine and understand their application to date. To this end, a systematic review of the literature on CoPs was conducted, to examine how and why CoPs have been established and whether they have been shown to improve healthcare practice. Methods. Peer-reviewed empirical research papers on CoPs in the healthcare sector were identified by searching electronic health-databases. Information on the purpose of establishing CoPs, their composition, methods by which members communicate and share information or knowledge, and research methods used to examine effectiveness was extracted and reviewed. Also examined was evidence of whether or not CoPs led to a change in healthcare practice. Results: Thirty-one primary research papers and two systematic reviews were identified and reviewed in detail. There was a trend from descriptive to evaluative research. The focus of CoPs in earlier publications was on learning and exchanging information and knowledge, whereas in more recently published research, CoPs were used more as a tool to improve clinical practice and to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based practice. Means by which members communicated with each other varied, but in none of the primary research studies was the method of communication examined in terms of the CoP achieving its objectives. Researchers are increasing their efforts to assess the effectiveness of CoPs in healthcare, however the interventions have been complex and multifaceted, making it difficult to directly attribute the change to the CoP. Conclusions: In keeping with Wenger and colleagues' description, CoPs in the healthcare sector vary in form and purpose. While researchers are increasing their efforts to examine the impact of CoPs in healthcare, cultivating CoPs to improve healthcare performance requires a greater understanding of how to establish and support CoPs to maximise their potential to improve healthcare
Implementing health research through academic and clinical partnerships : a realistic evaluation of the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC)
Background: The English National Health Service has made a major investment in nine partnerships between
higher education institutions and local health services called Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health
Research and Care (CLAHRC). They have been funded to increase capacity and capability to produce and
implement research through sustained interactions between academics and health services. CLAHRCs provide a
natural ‘test bed’ for exploring questions about research implementation within a partnership model of delivery.
This protocol describes an externally funded evaluation that focuses on implementation mechanisms and
processes within three CLAHRCs. It seeks to uncover what works, for whom, how, and in what circumstances.
Design and methods: This study is a longitudinal three-phase, multi-method realistic evaluation, which
deliberately aims to explore the boundaries around knowledge use in context. The evaluation funder wishes to see
it conducted for the process of learning, not for judging performance. The study is underpinned by a conceptual
framework that combines the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services and Knowledge to
Action frameworks to reflect the complexities of implementation. Three participating CLARHCS will provide indepth
comparative case studies of research implementation using multiple data collection methods including
interviews, observation, documents, and publicly available data to test and refine hypotheses over four rounds of
data collection. We will test the wider applicability of emerging findings with a wider community using an
interpretative forum.
Discussion: The idea that collaboration between academics and services might lead to more applicable health
research that is actually used in practice is theoretically and intuitively appealing; however the evidence for it is
limited. Our evaluation is designed to capture the processes and impacts of collaborative approaches for
implementing research, and therefore should contribute to the evidence base about an increasingly popular (e.g.,
Mode two, integrated knowledge transfer, interactive research), but poorly understood approach to knowledge
translation. Additionally we hope to develop approaches for evaluating implementation processes and impacts
particularly with respect to integrated stakeholder involvement
Random Convex Hulls and Extreme Value Statistics
In this paper we study the statistical properties of convex hulls of
random points in a plane chosen according to a given distribution. The points
may be chosen independently or they may be correlated. After a non-exhaustive
survey of the somewhat sporadic literature and diverse methods used in the
random convex hull problem, we present a unifying approach, based on the notion
of support function of a closed curve and the associated Cauchy's formulae,
that allows us to compute exactly the mean perimeter and the mean area enclosed
by the convex polygon both in case of independent as well as correlated points.
Our method demonstrates a beautiful link between the random convex hull problem
and the subject of extreme value statistics. As an example of correlated
points, we study here in detail the case when the points represent the vertices
of independent random walks. In the continuum time limit this reduces to
independent planar Brownian trajectories for which we compute exactly, for
all , the mean perimeter and the mean area of their global convex hull. Our
results have relevant applications in ecology in estimating the home range of a
herd of animals. Some of these results were announced recently in a short
communication [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 103}, 140602 (2009)].Comment: 61 pages (pedagogical review); invited contribution to the special
issue of J. Stat. Phys. celebrating the 50 years of Yeshiba/Rutgers meeting
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