Tunable spin-gaps in a quantum-confined geometry

We have studied the interplay of a giant spin-orbit splitting and of quantum confinement in artificial Bi-Ag-Si trilayer structures. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) reveals the formation of a complex spin-dependent gap structure, which can be tuned by varying the thickness of the Ag buffer layer. This provides a means to tailor the electronic structure at the Fermi energy, with potential applications for silicon-compatible spintronic devices

The Role of Professional Behavior to Improve Patient Safety Culture in Clinical Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Safety culture is one of the most important determinants of patient safety in hospitals. Due to the increasing prevalence of medical errors, increasing public attention, and public opinion pressure on this issue as well as the limitations of studies in this area, the current study was conducted to identify the role of professional behavior to improve patient safety culture in clinical nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 230 nurses in Shahroud Iran. Data collection instruments included a demographic information form, the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture questionnaire, and the Nursing Professional Behaviors Scale. Stratified random sampling was used and data were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics (linear regression analysis). Results: Participants’ mean scores of patient safety culture and professional behavior were 132.51 ±15.97 and 109.57±18.01, respectively. A high score of nurses' professional behavior was directly associated with a higher level of patient safety culture. In addition, the number of working hours per week and change in the workplace were significantly related to patient safety culture level (Pvalue=0.002). Conclusions: Professional behavior is an effective factor in enhancing safety culture in nurses. Therefore, paying attention to the training and proper application of professional behavior in nurses can improve the level of patient safety culture. Keywords: Nurse, Patient safety, Professional behavio

A Two-Step Machine Learning Method for Predicting the Formation Energy of Ternary Compounds

Predicting the chemical stability of yet-to-be-discovered materials is an important aspect of the discovery and development of virtual materials. The conventional approach for computing the enthalpy of formation based on ab initio methods is time consuming and computationally demanding. In this regard, alternative machine learning approaches are proposed to predict the formation energies of different classes of materials with decent accuracy. In this paper, one such machine learning approach, a novel two-step method that predicts the formation energy of ternary compounds, is presented. In the first step, with a classifier, we determine the accuracy of heuristically calculated formation energies in order to increase the size of the training dataset for the second step. The second step is a regression model that predicts the formation energy of the ternary compounds. The first step leads to at least a 100% increase in the size of the dataset with respect to the data available in the Materials Project database. The results from the regression model match those from the existing state-of-the-art prediction models. In addition, we propose a slightly modified version of the Adam optimizer, namely centered Adam, and report the results from testing the centered Adam optimizer.Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftPeer Reviewe

The Relationship between Caring Burden and Quality of Life in Caregivers of Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Taking care of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes exerts great tiredness and stress on the caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of the caring burden and its relationship with the quality of life of caregivers of diabetic patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 154 caregivers of patients with type 2 diabetes referred to Imam Hossein hospital in Shahroud city were evaluated. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, SF-36 standard quality of life questionnaire, and Novak & Guest care burden questionnaire. The accessible sampling was used and the data were collected by self-reporting. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis). Significant level was set at 0.05. Results: The mean age of caregivers was 41.86 ± 12.78 years old. The mean scores of care burden and quality of life of the participants were 53.21 ± 49.61 and 61.02 ± 20.71 respectively. There was a significant inverse correlation between the mean score of care burden and caregivers’ quality of life. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, providing social and informational support for caregivers is recommended to reduce the care burden and subsequently improve the quality of life. Key words: Caring pressure, Quality of life, Diabetes, Caregiver

One-year changes in the prevalence and positive psychological correlates of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical science students in northeast of Iran

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a significant psychological burden on many across society especially students studying medical sciences. This study intended to investigate the one-year changes in the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical science students. A cross-sectional study in Shahroud, Iran administering a convenience sampling method (January to February 2021). Online self-reported questionnaires included Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Paloutzian-Ellison Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire, Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale and the University Student Depression Inventory. Data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Independent t-test and Multiple Regression Analysis). A total of 306 medical science students were investigated in this study. The mean scores 1 year after the outbreak of COVID-19 were for depression (81.25 ± 26.04), spiritual well-being (80.98 ± 18.06), self-esteem (26.89 ± 2.20), and life satisfaction (19.68 ± 6.81). The results indicated that depression mean score was significantly higher in post outbreak assessment (71.92 ± 22.94 vs 81.25 ± 26.04) (P < .001). Fifty percentage of changes in depression can be predicted by studied variables. A high score of depression was directly associated with a higher level of self-esteem. Moreover, increased interest in the field, scores of spiritual well-being, and life satisfaction were inversely and significantly associated with depression. Iran's education system has been significantly affected, with the addition to the COVID-19 pandemic imposing a psychological burden such as depression, exacerbating this within medical science students compared to a year ago. Spiritual well-being and life satisfaction as positive psychology constructs were recognized as protective factors against depression during the pandemic. Spiritual and social support should be integrated in psychological interventions within university settings for medical science students.Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Grant/Award Number: 998

Visualizing Chiral Interactions in Carbohydrates Adsorbed on Au(111) by High‐Resolution STM Imaging

Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic material on Earth and the structural “material of choice” in many living systems. Nevertheless, design and engineering of synthetic carbohydrate materials presently lag behind that for protein and nucleic acids. Bottom-up engineering of carbohydrate materials demands an atomic-level understanding of their molecular structures and interactions in condensed phases. Here, high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to visualize at submolecular resolution the three-dimensional structure of cellulose oligomers assembled on Au(1111) and the interactions that drive their assembly. The STM imaging, supported by ab initio calculations, reveals the orientation of all glycosidic bonds and pyranose rings in the oligomers, as well as details of intermolecular interactions between the oligomers. By comparing the assembly of D- and L-oligomers, these interactions are shown to be enantioselective, capable of driving spontaneous enantioseparation of cellulose chains from its unnatural enantiomer and promoting the formation of engineered carbohydrate assemblies in the condensed phases