1,995 research outputs found
Adsorption behavior of conjugated {C}3-oligomers on Si(100) and HOPG surfaces
A pi-conjugated {C}3h-oligomer involving three dithienylethylene branches
bridged at the meta positions of a central benzenic core has been synthesized
and deposited either on the Si(100) surface or on the HOPG surface. On the
silicon surface, scanning tunneling microscopy allows the observation of
isolated molecules. Conversely, by substituting the thiophene rings of the
oligomers with alkyl chains, a spontaneous ordered film is observed on the HOPG
surface. As the interaction of the oligomers is different with both surfaces,
the utility of the Si(100) surface to characterize individual oligomers prior
to their use into a 2D layer is discussed
Magnetic states of linear defects in graphene monolayers: effects of strain and interaction
The combined effects of defect-defect interaction and of uniaxial or biaxial
strains of up to 10\% on the development of magnetic states on the
defect-core-localized quasi-one-dimensional electronic states generated by the
so-called 558 linear extended defect in graphene monolayers are investigated by
means of {\it ab initio} calculations. Results are analyzed on the basis of the
heuristics of the Stoner criterion. We find that conditions for the emergence
of magnetic states on the 558 defect can be tuned by uniaxial tensile parallel
strains (along the defect direction) at both limits of isolated and interacting
558 defects. Parallel strains are shown to lead to two cooperative effects that
favor the emergence of itinerant magnetism: enhancement of the DOS of the
resonant defect states in the region of the Fermi level and tuning of the Fermi
level to the maximum of the related DOS peak. A perpendicular strain is
likewise shown to enhance the DOS of the defect states, but it also effects a
detunig of the Fermi level that shifts away from the maximum of the DOS of the
defect states, which inhibts the emergence of magnetic states. As a result,
under biaxial strains the stabilization of a magnetic state depends on the
relative magnitudes of the two components of strain.Comment: 9 pages 8 figure
"Test me and treat me" - attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study
© 2015 BMJ Open, "Test me and treat me"-attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
Responsibility without legal authority? Tackling alcohol-related health harms through licensing and planning policy in local government.
BACKGROUND: The power to influence many social determinants of health lies within local government sectors that are outside public health's traditional remit. We analyse the challenges of achieving health gains through local government alcohol control policies, where legal and professional practice frameworks appear to conflict with public health action. METHODS: Current legislation governing local alcohol control in England and Wales is reviewed and analysed for barriers and opportunities to implement effective population-level health interventions. Case studies of local government alcohol control practices are described. RESULTS: Addressing alcohol-related health harms is constrained by the absence of a specific legal health licensing objective and differences between public health and legal assessments of the relevance of health evidence to a specific place. Local governments can, however, implement health-relevant policies by developing local evidence for alcohol-related health harms; addressing cumulative impact in licensing policy statements and through other non-legislative approaches such as health and non-health sector partnerships. Innovative local initiatives-for example, minimum unit pricing licensing conditions-can serve as test cases for wider national implementation. CONCLUSIONS: By combining the powers available to the many local government sectors involved in alcohol control, alcohol-related health and social harms can be tackled through existing local mechanisms
Decoherence in the cosmic background radiation
In this paper we analyze the possibility of detecting nontrivial quantum
phenomena in observations of the temperature anisotropy of the cosmic
background radiation (CBR), for example, if the Universe could be found in a
coherent superposition of two states corresponding to different CBR
temperatures. Such observations are sensitive to scalar primordial fluctuations
but insensitive to tensor fluctuations, which are therefore converted into an
environment for the former. Even for a free inflaton field minimally coupled to
gravity, scalar-tensor interactions induce enough decoherence among histories
of the scalar fluctuations as to render them classical under any realistic
probe of their amplitudes.Comment: 15 pages, accepted to be published in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Serum anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations before and after treatment of an ovarian granulosa cell tumour in a cat
Case summary A 15-year-old female cat was presented for investigation of progressive behavioural changes, polyuria, polydipsia and periuria. An ovarian granulosa cell tumour was identified and the cat underwent therapeutic ovariohysterectomy (OHE). The cat’s clinical signs resolved, but 6 months later it was diagnosed as having an anaplastic astrocytoma and was euthanased. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration prior to OHE was increased vs a control group of entire and neutered female cats. Following OHE, serum AMH concentration decreased to <1% of the original value. Relevance and novel information Serum AMH measurement may represent a novel diagnostic and monitoring tool for functional ovarian neoplasms in cats
Vitamin D for the management of asthma (Protocol)
This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:
To evaluate the efficacy of administration of vitamin D and its hydroxylated metabolites in reducing asthma exacerbations and improving asthma symptom control
Can Action Research Strengthen District Health Management and Improve Health Workforce Performance? A Research Protocol.
The single biggest barrier for countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to scale up the necessary health services for addressing the three health-related Millennium Development Goals and achieving Universal Health Coverage is the lack of an adequate and well-performing health workforce. This deficit needs to be addressed both by training more new health personnel and by improving the performance of the existing and future health workforce. However, efforts have mostly been focused on training new staff and less on improving the performance of the existing health workforce. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the protocol for the PERFORM project and reflect on the key challenges encountered during the development of this methodology and how they are being overcome. The overall aim of the PERFORM project is to identify ways of strengthening district management in order to address health workforce inadequacies by improving health workforce performance in SSA. The study will take place in three districts each in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda using an action research approach. With the support of the country research teams, the district health management teams (DHMTs) will lead on planning, implementation, observation, reflection and redefinition of the activities in the study. Taking into account the national and local human resource (HR) and health systems (HS) policies and practices already in place, 'bundles' of HR/HS strategies that are feasible within the context and affordable within the districts' budget will be developed by the DHMTs to strengthen priority areas of health workforce performance. A comparative analysis of the findings from the three districts in each country will add new knowledge on the effects of these HR/HS bundles on DHMT management and workforce performance and the impact of an action research approach on improving the effectiveness of the DHMTs in implementing these interventions. Different challenges were faced during the development of the methodology. These include the changing context in the study districts, competing with other projects and duties for the time of district managers, complexity of the study design, maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of study participants as well as how to record the processes during the study. We also discuss how these challenges are being addressed. The dissemination of this research protocol is intended to generate interest in the PERFORM project and also stimulate discussion on the use of action research in complex studies such as this on strengthening district health management to improve health workforce performance
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