Scanning Probe Microscopy for Nanoscale Characterization of Electrical and Magnetic Properties

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a nanoscale scanning probe microscopy (SPM) characterization technique useful for obtaining topographical maps of surfaces and their associated nanomechanical properties. Complementary SPM modes such as Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) can simultaneously elucidate the electrical and magnetic properties of materials with nanoscale resolution, thereby expanding AFM’s utility. KPFM measures the Volta potential difference between a conductive AFM probe and the sample surface, which can be related back to the work function of the material and correlated with co-localized elemental mapping via energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). This can be useful for understanding and predicting initiation and propagation of galvanic corrosion in metal alloys. MFM employs a magnetized AFM probe tip to detect magnetic interactions between the sample and the tip, thereby mapping out the magnetic structure of the sample surface. Here we present KPFM studies of case-hardened stainless steels engineered for bearing applications in high performance jet engines destined for operation in corrosive marine environments. MFM studies of Ni-Mn-Ga, a magnetic shape memory alloy, connect experimental data with computational modeling to understand the growth of twins in response to bending. Together, these studies highlight the widespread applicability of AFM, KPFM, MFM, and other SPM techniques for illuminating nanoscale structure-property relationships in material systems

Electrochemically Induced Amorphous-to-Rock-Salt Phase Transformation in Niobium Oxide Electrode for Li-Ion Batteries

Intercalation-type metal oxides are promising negative electrode materials for safe rechargeable lithium-ion batteries due to the reduced risk of Li plating at low voltages. Nevertheless, their lower energy and power density along with cycling instability remain bottlenecks for their implementation, especially for fast-charging applications. Here, we report a nanostructured rock-salt Nb2O5 electrode formed through an amorphous-to-crystalline transformation during repeated electrochemical cycling with Li+. This electrode can reversibly cycle three lithiums per Nb2O5, corresponding to a capacity of 269 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1, and retains a capacity of 191 mAh g−1 at a high rate of 1 A g−1. It exhibits superb cycling stability with a capacity of 225 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 for 400 cycles, and a Coulombic efficiency of 99.93%. We attribute the enhanced performance to the cubic rock-salt framework, which promotes low-energy migration paths. Our work suggests that inducing crystallization of amorphous nanomaterials through electrochemical cycling is a promising avenue for creating unconventional high-performance metal oxide electrode materials

Some quit, others persist: similarities and disparities of healthcare providers' speech concerning obesity

Background Recent studies indicate that healthcare providers, especially in primary healthcare, have negative beliefs and attitudes towards obese, which are negatively affecting their practices by not taking this issue as seriously as they should and, therefore, compromising the success of obesity treatment. However, data is not conclusive and quantitative research is not being able to clarify how health professionals' practices and roles are affected by the way they perceive obesity and obese people. Method Semi-structured interviews about beliefs, attitudes and practices about obesity were conducted withe Portuguese general practitioners, nutritionists and nurses working in primary health care centers in the north of Portugal. Data was analyzed according to thematic analysis' procedures. Results The main themes indicate that all groups are concerned about the obesity pandemic and have similar negative beliefs and attitudes toward obese, who are described as being unmotivated, noncompliant and demonstrating a passive coping and a lack of understanding about the gravity of their condition. General practitioners, due to patients' lack of compliance and success, feel frustrated, have lower expectations of efficacy and are negative about their role in the treatment, giving up in most of the cases. Nutritionists and nurses demonstrate an active role, are persistent, perceived themselves as being able to positively modify obese motivation and believe in the success of the interventions, which, however, are described as a constant struggle between them and the patients. It seems to exist communication problems between these three groups. Discussion In order to achieve success, healthcare providers should be aware of how their beliefs and attitudes can influence their practices. Education and training concerning treatment options and communications skills should be improved as well as a bigger emphasis should be put on a multidisciplinary approach to obesity.Introdução Investigações recentes no âmbito da obesidade sugerem que as crenças, atitudes e práticas de vários profissionais de saúde, principalmente ao nível dos cuidados de saúde primários, parecem estar a influenciar negativamente o comportamento destes técnicos no tratamento desta doença, não lhe dando a devida importância e contribuindo para a manutenção das taxas de obesidade. As críticas têm apontado para a primazia de investigações quantitativas e para a ausência de estudos comparativos com diferentes grupos de profissionais de saúde. Método Neste estudo foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas a médicos de família, nutricionistas e enfermeiros, a laborar em centros de saúde dos distritos de Braga, Porto e Aveiro. As entrevistas foram transcritas e analisadas, segundo os princípios da análise temática. Resultados Os 3 grupos apresentam crenças e atitudes negativas em relação aos obesos, que são descritos como desmotivados e passivos face ao tratamento, não aderindo na maioria das vezes, visto desvalorizarem a obesidade enquanto problema de saúde. Os médicos de família possuem baixas expectativas de sucesso, sentindo‐se frustrados com a falta de adesão, o que os leva a adotar uma postura passiva e resignada face ao tratamento. Os nutricionistas e enfermeiros percecionam‐se como agentes ativos, considerando‐se capazes de influenciar a motivação dos obesos; acreditam no seu sucesso, mas descrevem o processo como uma luta constante. Há várias referências a problemas de comunicação entre os 3 grupos de profissionais. Discussão Para uma maior eficácia no tratamento da obesidade torna‐se peremptório alertar os profissionais de saúde para o impacto que as suas crenças poderão exercer na prática, reforçar a abordagem multidisciplinar e promover o aumento dos conhecimentos e de opções de tratamento, e a melhoria da comunicação entre os vários profissionais(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Climate Change and Local Public Health in the United States: Preparedness, Programs and Perceptions of Local Public Health Department Directors

While climate change is inherently a global problem, its public health impacts will be experienced most acutely at the local and regional level, with some jurisdictions likely to be more burdened than others. The public health infrastructure in the U.S. is organized largely as an interlocking set of public agencies at the federal, state and local level, with lead responsibility for each city or county often residing at the local level. To understand how directors of local public health departments view and are responding to climate change as a public health issue, we conducted a telephone survey with 133 randomly selected local health department directors, representing a 61% response rate. A majority of respondents perceived climate change to be a problem in their jurisdiction, a problem they viewed as likely to become more common or severe over the next 20 years. Only a small minority of respondents, however, had yet made climate change adaptation or prevention a top priority for their health department. This discrepancy between problem recognition and programmatic responses may be due, in part, to several factors: most respondents felt personnel in their health department–and other key stakeholders in their community–had a lack of knowledge about climate change; relatively few respondents felt their own health department, their state health department, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had the necessary expertise to help them create an effective mitigation or adaptation plan for their jurisdiction; and most respondents felt that their health department needed additional funding, staff and staff training to respond effectively to climate change. These data make clear that climate change adaptation and prevention are not currently major activities at most health departments, and that most, if not all, local health departments will require assistance in making this transition. We conclude by making the case that, through their words and actions, local health departments and their staff can and should play a role in alerting members of their community about the prospect of public health impacts from climate change in their jurisdiction

The organisation and delivery of health improvement in general practice and primary care: a scoping study

Background This project examines the organisation and delivery of health improvement activities by and within general practice and the primary health-care team. The project was designed to examine who delivers these interventions, where they are located, what approaches are developed in practices, how individual practices and the primary health-care team organise such public health activities, and how these contribute to health improvement. Our focus was on health promotion and ill-health prevention activities. Aims The aim of this scoping exercise was to identify the current extent of knowledge about the health improvement activities in general practice and the wider primary health-care team. The key objectives were to provide an overview of the range and type of health improvement activities, identify gaps in knowledge and areas for further empirical research. Our specific research objectives were to map the range and type of health improvement activity undertaken by general practice staff and the primary health-care team based within general practice; to scope the literature on health improvement in general practice or undertaken by health-care staff based in general practice and identify gaps in the evidence base; to synthesise the literature and identify effective approaches to the delivery and organisation of health improvement interventions in a general practice setting; and to identify the priority areas for research as defined by those working in general practice. Methods We undertook a comprehensive search of the literature. We followed a staged selection process involving reviews of titles and abstracts. This resulted in the identification of 1140 papers for data extraction, with 658 of these papers selected for inclusion in the review, of which 347 were included in the evidence synthesis. We also undertook 45 individual and two group interviews with primary health-care staff. Findings Many of the research studies reviewed had some details about the type, process or location, or who provided the intervention. Generally, however, little attention is paid in the literature to examining the impact of the organisational context on the way services are delivered or how this affects the effectiveness of health improvement interventions in general practice. We found that the focus of attention is mainly on individual prevention approaches, with practices engaging in both primary and secondary prevention. The range of activities suggests that general practitioners do not take a population approach but focus on individual patients. However, it is clear that many general practitioners see health promotion as an integral part of practice, whether as individual approaches to primary or secondary health improvement or as a practice-based approach to improving the health of their patients. Our key conclusion is that there is currently insufficient good evidence to support many of the health improvement interventions undertaken in general practice and primary care more widely. Future Research Future research on health improvement in general practice and by the primary health-care team needs to move beyond clinical research to include delivery systems and be conducted in a primary care setting. More research needs to examine areas where there are chronic disease burdens – cancer, dementia and other disabilities of old age. Reviews should be commissioned that examine the whole prevention pathway for health problems that are managed within primary care drawing together research from general practice, pharmacy, community engagement, etc

Rad51 Inhibits Translocation Formation by Non-Conservative Homologous Recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Chromosomal translocations are a primary biological response to ionizing radiation (IR) exposure, and are likely to result from the inappropriate repair of the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that are created. An abundance of repetitive sequences in eukaryotic genomes provides ample opportunity for such breaks to be repaired by homologous recombination (HR) between non-allelic repeats. Interestingly, in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae the central strand exchange protein, Rad51 that is required for DSB repair by gene conversion between unlinked repeats that conserves genomic structure also suppresses translocation formation by several HR mechanisms. In particular, Rad51 suppresses translocation formation by single-strand annealing (SSA), perhaps the most efficient mechanism for translocation formation by HR in both yeast and mammalian cells. Further, the enhanced translocation formation that emerges in the absence of Rad51 displays a distinct pattern of genetic control, suggesting that this occurs by a separate mechanism. Since hypomorphic mutations in RAD51 in mammalian cells also reduce DSB repair by conservative gene conversion and stimulate non-conservative repair by SSA, this mechanism may also operate in humans and, perhaps contribute to the genome instability that propels the development of cancer

Physicians’ views and experiences of discussing weight management within routine clinical consultations: A thematic synthesis

Objective To systematically search and synthesise qualitative studies of physicians’ views and experiences of discussing weight management within a routine consultation. Methods A systematic search of four electronic databases identified 11,169 articles of which 16 studies met inclusion criteria. Quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and a thematic synthesis conducted of extracted data. Results Four analytical themes were found: (1) physicians’ pessimism about patients’ weight loss success (2) physicians’ feel hopeless and frustrated (3) the dual nature of the physician-patient relationship (4) who should take responsibility for weight management. Conclusion Despite clinical recommendations barriers remain during consultations between physicians and patients about weight management. Many of these barriers are potentially modifiable