What protects older Romanians in Switzerland from loneliness?

The topic of loneliness among older migrants has recently gained scholarly interest. There is a particular focus on why older migrants are generally lonelier than their non-migrant peers from the destination. These studies neglect variations both within and between older migrant groups. Our qualitative study is innovative for three reasons. First, it focuses on Romanian migrants aged 65+ who fled communism and aged in place in Switzerland—an understudied population of former political refugees that experiences little or no loneliness in later years. Second, it takes a life-course approach to explore experiences of loneliness during communist Romania, in the context of migration and later in life. Third, it focuses on protective and coping factors rather than risk factors. Having been through hard times in communist Romania—marked by fear and distrust among people and estrangement from society—older Romanian migrants built strength to withstand difficult times, learned to embrace solitude, and/or to relativise current hardships, if any. Upon arrival many founded or joined an association or church, which offers the opportunity to establish a sustainable social network consisting of a large pool of Romanian non-kin with a shared past and experience of migration and integration, to counteract social losses in later life. When moments of loneliness cannot be prevented (e.g. due to death of a spouse), they try to be active to distract from loneliness or ‘simply’ accept the situation. These aspects need to be taken into account in future research and when developing loneliness interventions.</p

Palladium nanoparticles and nanowires deposited electrochemically: AFM and electrochemical characterization

Abstract Palladium nanoparticles and nanowires electrochemically deposited onto a carbon surface were studied using cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The ex situ and in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) topographic images showed that nanoparticles and nanowires of palladium were preferentially electrodeposited to surface defects on the highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface and enabled the determination of the Pd nanostructure dimensions on the order of 50–150 nm. The palladium nanoparticles and nanowires electrochemically deposited onto a glassy carbon surface behave differently with respect to the pH of the electrolyte buffer solution. In acid or mild acid solutions under applied negative potential, hydrogen can be adsorbed/absorbed onto/into the palladium lattice. By controlling the applied negative potential, different quantities of hydrogen can be incorporated, and this process was followed, analysing the oxidation peak of hydrogen. It is also shown that the growth of the Pd oxide layer begins at negative potentials with the formation of a pre-monolayer oxide film, at a potential well before the hydrogen evolution region. At positive potentials, Pd(0) nanoparticles undergo oxidation, and the formation of a mixed oxide layer was observed, which can act as nucleation points for Pd metal growth, increasing the metal electrode surface coverage. Depending on thickness and composition, this oxide layer can be reversibly reduced. AFM images confirmed that the PdO and PdO2 oxides formed on the surface may act as nucleation points for Pd metal growth, increasing the metal electrode surface coverage