Current understanding of decision-making in adolescents with cancer: A narrative systematic review

BACKGROUND: Policy guidance and bioethical literature urge the involvement of adolescents in decisions about their healthcare. It is uncertain how roles and expectations of adolescents, parents and healthcare professionals influence decision-making and to what extent this is considered in guidance. AIMS: To identify recent empirical research on decision-making regarding care and treatment in adolescent cancer: (1) to synthesise evidence to define the role of adolescents, parents and healthcare professionals in the decision-making process and (2) to identify gaps in research. DESIGN: A narrative systematic review of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research. We adopted a textual approach to synthesis, using a theoretical framework of interactionism to interpret findings. DATA SOURCES: The databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, EMBASE and CINHAL were searched from 2001 through May 2015 for publications on decision-making for adolescents (13-19 years) with cancer. RESULTS: Twenty-eight articles were identified. Adolescents and parents initially find it difficult to participate in decision-making due to a lack of options in the face of protocol-driven care. Parent and adolescent preferences for information and response to loss of control vary between individuals and over time. No studies indicate parental or adolescent preference for a high degree of independence in decision-making. CONCLUSION: Striving to make parents and adolescents fully informed or urge them towards more independence than they prefer may add to distress and confusion. This may interfere with their ability to participate in their preferred way in decisions about care and treatment. Future research should include analysis of on-ground interactions among parents, adolescents and clinicians across the trajectory

Observation of ferromagnetic resonance in strontium ruthenate (SrRuO3)

We report the observation of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in SrRuO3 using the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. The FMR oscillations in the time-domain appear in response to a sudden, optically induced change in the direction of easy-axis anistropy. The high FMR frequency, 250 GHz, and large Gilbert damping parameter, alpha ~ 1, are consistent with strong spin-orbit coupling. We find that the parameters associated with the magnetization dynamics, including alpha, have a non-monotonic temperature dependence, suggestive of a link to the anomalous Hall effect.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Determination of the spin-flip time in ferromagnetic SrRuO3 from time-resolved Kerr measurements

We report time-resolved Kerr effect measurements of magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic SrRuO3. We observe that the demagnetization time slows substantially at temperatures within 15K of the Curie temperature, which is ~ 150K. We analyze the data with a phenomenological model that relates the demagnetization time to the spin flip time. In agreement with our observations the model yields a demagnetization time that is inversely proportional to T-Tc. We also make a direct comparison of the spin flip rate and the Gilbert damping coefficient showing that their ratio very close to kBTc, indicating a common origin for these phenomena

High quality superconducting niobium films produced by Ultra High Vacuum Cathodic Arc

The vacuum arc is a well-known technique to produce coating with enhanced adhesion and film density. Many cathodic arc deposition systems are actually in use in industry and research. They all work under (high) vacuum conditions in which water vapor pressure is an important source of film contamination, especially in the pulsed arc mode of operation. Here we present a Cathodic Arc system working under Ultra High Vacuum conditions (UHVCA). UHVCA has been used to produce ultra-pure niobium films with excellent structural and electrical properties at a deposition temperature lower than 100oC. The UHVCA technique therefore opens new perspectives for all applications requiring ultra-pure films or, as in the case of Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation, ultra-pure plasmas.Comment: submitted to AP

The prevalence of femoroacetabular impingement anatomy in Division 1 aquatic athletes who tread water

Abstract Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a disorder that causes hip pain and disability in young patients, particularly athletes. Increased stress on the hip during development has been associated with increased risk of cam morphology. The specific forces involved are unclear, but may be due to continued rotational motion, like the eggbeater kick. The goal of this prospective cohort study was to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify the prevalence of FAI anatomy in athletes who tread water and compare it to the literature on other sports. With university IRB approval, 20 Division 1 water polo players and synchronized swimmers (15 female, 5 male), ages 18–23 years (mean age 20.7 ± 1.4), completed the 33-item International Hip Outcome Tool and underwent non-contrast MRI scans of both hips using a 3 Tesla scanner. Recruitment was based on sport, with both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals included. Cam and pincer morphology were identified. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank/Rank Sum tests were used to assess outcomes. Seventy per cent (14/20) of subjects reported pain in their hips yet only 15% (3/20) sought clinical evaluation. Cam morphology was present in 67.5% (27/40) of hips, while 22.5% (9/40) demonstrated pincer morphology. The prevalence of cam morphology in water polo players and synchronized swimmers is greater than that reported for the general population and at a similar level as some other sports. From a clinical perspective, acknowledgment of the high prevalence of cam morphology in water polo players and synchronized swimmers should be considered when these athletes present with hip pain

Draft Genome Sequence of the Caffeine-Degrading Methylotroph Methylorubrum populi Pinkel.

A pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph, Methylorubrum populi Pinkel, was isolated from compost by selective enrichment with caffeine (3,5,7-trimethylxanthine) as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. We report here its high-quality draft genome sequence, assembled in 35 contigs totaling 5,630,907 bp. We identified 5,681 protein-coding sequences, including those putatively involved in caffeine degradation

Preferred place of death for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions: a systematic review of the literature and recommendations for future inquiry and policy

Home is often cited as preferred place of death in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This position, however, usually relies on data concerning adults and not evidence about children. The latter data are scant, primarily retrospective and from parents