Organisation of cross-sector collaboration and its influence on crisis management effectiveness among pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: To investigate the organisation of cross-sector collaboration and how it influenced crisis management effectiveness among pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study design: Qualitative semi-structured interview study. Methods: Purposeful selection was used to obtain the study sample consisting of leaders and specialists from the pharmaceutical industry and wholesalers (n = 9), community pharmacy owners (n = 9), hospital pharmacy heads (n = 6), government agency directors and officials (n = 5) and advocacy organisation representatives (n = 2). Inductive content analysis was performed to examine the data from the semi-structured individual (n = 29) and paired (n = 2) interviews in March–May 2021. Results: A new conceptual model was developed to describe the organisation of collaborative crisis management. Without a predefined crisis management organisation, cross-sector collaboration was organised based on previous collaboration structures, channels and relationships and through the establishment of issue-specific groups by government agencies as per legal mandates. Crisis dynamics and related issues guided the group formation and meeting frequency. Advocacy organisations and government agencies acted in bridging role between stakeholders. Shared knowledge among pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders enabled anticipation and preparedness during crisis; shared resources fostered maintenance of core functions; and shared problem-solving facilitated cross-sectoral solutions. Conclusion: This was the first study exploring cross-sector collaboration among pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders during a crisis. Sharing knowledge, resources and problem-solving increased the crisis management effectiveness. The study presented a new illustration of organising for collaborative crisis management and added knowledge about private-third sector collaboration and issue-specific groups to the cross-sector collaboration and crisis management literature

Late growth stages and post-growth diffusion in organic epitaxy: PTCDA on Ag(111)

The late growth stages and the post-growth diffusion of crystalline organic thin films have been investigated for 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) on Ag(111), a model system in organic epitaxy. In situ x-ray measurements at the anti-Bragg point during the growth show intensity oscillations followed by a time-independent intensity which is independent of the growth temperature. At T > 350 K, the intensity increases after growth up to a temperature-dependent saturation value due to a post-growth diffusion process. The time-independent intensity and the subsequent intensity recovery have been reproduced by models based on the morphology change as a function of the growth temperature. The morphology found after the post-growth diffusion processes has been studied by specular rod measurements.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Surface Scienc

Functional MRI with simultaneous EEG recording: feasibility and application to motor and visual activation

The possibility of combining the high spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with the high temporal resolution of electroencephalography (EEG) may provide a new tool in cognitive neurophysiology, as well as in clinical applications such as epilepsy. However, the simultaneous recording of EEG and fMRI raises important practical problems: 1) the patients' safety, in particular the risk of skin burns due to electrodes heating; 2) the impairment of the EEG recording by the static magnetic field, as well as by RF and magnetic field gradients used during MRI; and 3) the quality of MR images, which may be affected by the presence of conductors and electronic devices in the MRI bore. Here we present our experiences on 19 normal volunteers who underwent combined fMRI and 16-channel EEG examination. Consistent with previous reports, safety could be assured when performing EEG recordings during fMRI acquisition. Electrophysiological signals recorded with surface EEG were similar inside and outside the 1.5 T magnet. Furthermore, fMRI using motor or visual tasks revealed similar areas of activation when performed with and without 16-channel EEG recording. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:943-948

Importance of access to epilepsy monitoring units during the COVID-19 pandemic: Consensus statement of the International League against epilepsy and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology

Restructuring of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to lockdown of Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMUs) in many hospitals. The ad-hoc taskforce of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) highlights the detrimental effect of postponing video-EEG monitoring of patients with epilepsy and other paroxysmal events. The taskforce calls for action to continue functioning of Epilepsy Monitoring Units during emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term video-EEG monitoring is an essential diagnostic service. Access to video-EEG monitoring of the patients in the EMUs must be given high priority. Patients should be screened for COVID-19, before admission, according to the local regulations. Local policies for COVID-19 infection control should be adhered to during the video-EEG monitoring. In cases of differential diagnosis where reduction of antiseizure medication is not required, consider home video-EEG monitoring as an alternative in selected patients

Self-assembly of liquid crystals in nanoporous solids for adaptive photonic metamaterials

Nanoporous media exhibit structures significantly smaller than the wavelengths of visible light and can thus act as photonic metamaterials. Their optical functionality is not determined by the properties of the base materials, but rather by tailored, multiscale structures, in terms of precise pore shape, geometry, and orientation. Embedding liquid crystals in pore space provides additional opportunities to control light-matter interactions at the single-pore, meta-atomic scale. Here, we present temperature-dependent 3D reciprocal space mapping using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction in combination with high-resolution birefringence experiments on disk-like mesogens (HAT6) imbibed in self-ordered arrays of parallel cylindrical pores 17 to 160nm across in monolithic anodic aluminium oxide (AAO). In agreement with Monte Carlo computer simulations we observe a remarkably rich self-assembly behaviour, unknown from the bulk state. It encompasses transitions between the isotropic liquid state and discotic stacking in linear columns as well as circular concentric ring formation perpendicular and parallel to the pore axis. These textural transitions underpin an optical birefringence functionality, tuneable in magnitude and in sign from positive to negative via pore size, pore surface-grafting and temperature. Our study demonstrates that the advent of large-scale, self-organised nanoporosity in monolithic solids along with confinement-controllable phase behaviour of liquid-crystalline matter at the single-pore scale provides a reliable and accessible tool to design materials with adjustable optical anisotropy, and thus offers versatile pathways to fine-tune polarisation-dependent light propagation speeds in materials. Such a tailorability is at the core of the emerging field of transformative optics, allowing, e.g., adjustable light absorbers and extremely thin metalenses.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation

MRI, (1)H-MRS, and functional MRI during and after prolonged nonconvulsive seizure activity

Various structural and functional changes, such as focal edema, blood flow, and metabolism, occur in the cerebral cortex after focal status epilepticus. These changes can be assessed noninvasively by means of MRI techniques, such as fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), EEG-triggered functional MRI (EEG-fMRI), and proton MR spectroscopy (MRS)

Charge melting and polaron collapse in La1.2Sr1.8Mn2O7La_{1.2}Sr_{1.8}Mn_{2}O_{7}

X-ray and neutron scattering measurements directly demonstrate the existence of polarons in the paramagnetic phase of optimally-doped colossal magnetoresistive oxides. The polarons exhibit short-range correlations that grow with decreasing temperature, but disappear abruptly at the ferromagnetic transition because of the sudden charge delocalization. The "melting" of the charge ordering as we cool through $T_C$ occurs with the collapse of the quasi-static polaron scattering, and provides important new insights into the relation of polarons to colossal magnetoresistance.Comment: 4 pages (RevTex), 3 postscript-formatted figures (Figs. 1 and 2 are color figures