Nanoladder cantilevers made from diamond and silicon

We present a "nanoladder" geometry that minimizes the mechanical dissipation of ultrasensitive cantilevers. A nanoladder cantilever consists of a lithographically patterned scaffold of rails and rungs with feature size $\sim$ 100 nm. Compared to a rectangular beam of the same dimensions, the mass and spring constant of a nanoladder are each reduced by roughly two orders of magnitude. We demonstrate a low force noise of $158 (+62)(-42)\,$zN and $190 (+42)(-33)\,$zN in a one-Hz bandwidth for devices made from silicon and diamond, respectively, measured at temperatures between 100--150 mK. As opposed to bottom-up mechanical resonators like nanowires or nanotubes, nanoladder cantilevers can be batch-fabricated using standard lithography, which is a critical factor for applications in scanning force microscopy

АТРИБУТЫ ИННОВАЦИОННОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ РОССИИ

Transition to innovative economy requires creating a number of new characteristics: presence of economic strategy involving infrastructure creation and reorganization; relevant aim multitude; taking legal and economical action in implementing new resource-saving and ecological technologies. Main problems requiring active solution for innovative economy formation are explained.Переход к инновационной экономике требует создания ряда новых атрибутов: наличия экономической стратегии, предусматривающей создание и реструктуризацию инфраструктуры; соответствующей совокупности целей; принятия мер законодательного и экономического характера по использованию новых ресурсосберегающих и экологичных технологий. Обоснованы основные проблемы, требующие активного решения для формирования инновационной экономики

МОДЕЛЬ ОЦЕНКИ РЕФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ЭКОНОМИКИ РОССИИ

The topic origin suppositions are shown and investigation domain is appeared too. The economy scientific problem statement is derived and its state is analysed. The complex study apparatus is shown and modelling problem is formulated. The scenario analysis is suggested as base approach in theoretical study. The analogy of risks and expenditures estimation to classic portfolio analysis is established. Estimation of economy reformation efficiency is suggested. Details of economy previous adaptation stage and its necessary institutional support are discussed.Указаны предпосылки возникновения темы, и обозначена область исследования. Приведена постановка научной проблемы экономики и проанализировано ее состояние. Указан аппарат комплексного исследования и сформулирована задача моделирования. В качестве основного подхода в теоретическом исследовании предлагается сценарный анализ. В оценке рисков и затрат установлена аналогия с классическим портфельным анализом. Предложена оценка эффективности процесса реформирования экономики. Обсуждены детали предварительного этапа адаптации экономики и ее необходимая институциональная поддержка

Оценка потенциальных запасов пресной воды в айсбергах

According to the forecast of the global shortage of fresh water it is expected that the global demand for drink‑ ing water will be increased up to 400 km3 per a year. As the main potential resources of drinking water it is proposed to use table Antarctic icebergs. Mathematical and phenomenological models of heat exchange between the icebergs and the environment, and a process of melting of ices floes in the warm sea water are discussed. The ablation processes on the daily and lower surfaces of icebergs at different modes of towing them to points of utilization is analyzed. The most optimal technology is to fill tankers with water taken from the freshwater layer under icebergs, and then subsequent delivery of the water to points of utilization. Using of the phenomenon of fresh-salt stratified Lake Vanda is considered as one of promising technologies of the industrial water production.В условиях растущего потребления пресной питьевой воды актуальны поиски новых её ресурсов. К ним можно отнести Антарктические столовые айсберги и пресно-солёные озёра антарктических оазисов. Приведена модель теплообмена айсбергов с окружающей средой. Показана бесперспективность буксирования айсбергов в пункты их предполагаемой утилизации. Выполнены оценки и расчёты утилизации айсбергов в водах Антарктики, которые доказывают устойчивость этого процесса за счёт эффекта «двойной» диффузии. Рассмотрена также модель использования эффекта пресно-солёного озера Ванда с устойчивой стратификацией плотности вод в поле силы тяжести

Diabetes Medication Assistance Service: The pharmacist's role in supporting patient self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Australia

Objective. To evaluate the capacity and effectiveness of trained community pharmacists in delivering the Diabetes Medication Assistance Service (DMAS) via (1) number and types of self-management support interventions (SMSIs); (2) number of goals set and attained by patients and (3) patient outcomes (glycaemic control, medication adherence and satisfaction). Methods. Pharmacists (n = 109) from 90 community pharmacies in Australia were trained and credentialed to deliver the DMAS. The training focused on developing pharmacists’ knowledge and skills in supporting patients’ diabetes self-management. Results. A total of 387 patients completed the trial. The mean number of SMSIs per patient was 35 (SD ±31) and the majority (87%) had at least one documented goal that was fully or partially attained. There were significant health benefits for patients including improved glycaemic control and a reduced risk of non-adherence to medications. Over 90% of DMAS patients reported improvements in their knowledge about diabetes self-management.Conclusion. The DMAS provides self management support in the community pharmacy for people with T2DM which may result in improved clinical outcomes. Practice implication. Given appropriate training in diabetes care and behavior change strategies, community pharmacists can offer programs which provide self-management support to their patients with T2DM and improve their health outcomes

Magnetic resonance force microscopy with a one-dimensional resolution of 0.9 nanometers

Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) is a scanning probe technique capable of detecting MRI signals from nanoscale sample volumes, providing a paradigm-changing potential for structural biology and medical research. Thus far, however, experiments have not reached suffcient spatial resolution for retrieving meaningful structural information from samples. In this work, we report MRFM imaging scans demonstrating a resolution of 0.9 nm and a localization precision of 0.6 nm in one dimension. Our progress is enabled by an improved spin excitation protocol furnishing us with sharp spatial control on the MRFM imaging slice, combined with overall advances in instrument stability. From a modeling of the slice function, we expect that our arrangement supports spatial resolutions down to 0.3 nm given suffcient signal-to-noise ratio. Our experiment demonstrates the feasibility of sub-nanometer MRI and realizes an important milestone towards the three-dimensional imaging of macromolecular structures.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

A drop-in clinic for patients with poorly-controlled diabetes: a community pharmacy feasibility study

Background Preparatory work suggests that there may be a role for the pharmacist in managing sub-optimal medication adherence and dose titration of prescribed medicines in patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients have reported that they are receptive towards pharmacists becoming involved in their care providing that this is integrated into the care received from their medical practice. Objective To determine whether a community pharmacy diabetes drop-in clinic is feasible and acceptable to patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Setting Five community pharmacies in Norfolk, UK. Method Poorly controlled patients, as defined by a national General Practitioner incentive scheme, were invited to participate in the study by a letter posted by their medical practice. One four-hour, pharmacist clinic, where participants were able to "drop-in", was conducted in five pharmacies every week for four to six weeks. Questionnaires before and after the consultation were used to determine the clinic's effect on satisfaction with, and beliefs about, medicines and adherence along with participant satisfaction. Pharmacists had the opportunity to provide feedback via "debrief" interviews. Main outcome measure As a feasibility study, a combination of outcomes were explored including informationsatisfaction and adherence. Results Thirty-three (9.6%) of the 342 patients with type 2 diabetes posted letters were recruited from four pharmacies. Follow-up questionnaire completion rate was 88%. The clinic demonstrated little change in the parameters measured over three months. All of the participants rated their general impression of the service as good or very good and all would be happy to recommend the service to others with diabetes. Sixteen participants (59%) stated that it would make them more likely to consult their pharmacist in the future. Pharmacists enjoyed providing the service as it allowed them to interact more formally, and for longer, with patients. Conclusion This research has demonstrated that a community pharmacy drop-in clinic is feasible and likely to be acceptable to both patients and pharmacists; however, cost effectiveness of such a service should be explored in future studies. Further thought should also be given to how this service can complement that provided by a nurse in the medical practice and how the pharmacist can provide additional benefit to the NHS

An integrated general practice and pharmacy-based intervention to promote the use of appropriate preventive medications among individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for significant morbidity, premature mortality, and economic burden. Despite established evidence that supports the use of preventive medications among patients at high CVD risk, treatment gaps remain. Building on prior evidence and a theoretical framework, a complex intervention has been designed to address these gaps among high-risk, under-treated patients in the Australian primary care setting. This intervention comprises a general practice quality improvement tool incorporating clinical decision support and audit/feedback capabilities; availability of a range of CVD polypills (fixed-dose combinations of two blood pressure lowering agents, a statin ± aspirin) for prescription when appropriate; and access to a pharmacy-based program to support long-term medication adherence and lifestyle modification. Methods: Following a systematic development process, the intervention will be evaluated in a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial including 70 general practices for a median period of 18 months. The 35 general practices in the intervention group will work with a nominated partner pharmacy, whereas those in the control group will provide usual care without access to the intervention tools. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients at high CVD risk who were inadequately treated at baseline who achieve target blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels at the study end. The outcomes will be analyzed using data from electronic medical records, utilizing a validated extraction tool. Detailed process and economic evaluations will also be performed. Discussion: The study intends to establish evidence about an intervention that combines technological innovation with team collaboration between patients, pharmacists, and general practitioners (GPs) for CVD prevention. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN1261600023342