A sustainable reaction process for phase pure LiFeSi2O6 with goethite as an iron source

Lithium-iron methasilicate (LiFeSi$_{2}$O$_{6}$, LFS), a member of clinopyroxene family, is an attractive compound for its multiferroic properties and applicability in energy-related devices. Conventional preparative method requires heating at elevated temperatures for long periods of time, with inevitable severe grain growth. We demonstrate that α-FeO(OH) (goethite) is superior as an iron source toward phase pure LFS over conventional hematite, α-Fe$_{2}$O$_{3}$. The exact phase purity, i.e., no trace of iron containing reactant, is confirmed in the goethite-derived LFS by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The grain growth of LFS during heating is suppressed to keep its crystallite size of 120 nm. Higher reactivity of goethite in comparison with hematite is mainly attributed to the dehydration of goethite, which in our case was accelerated by Li$_{2}$O. Related reaction mechanisms with the possible product pre-nucleation during mechanical activation are also mentioned. The magnetic properties of goethite-derived LFS are equivalent to those prepared via a laborious solid-state route. Thus, the presented preparative method offers a more sustainable route than conventional processing, and thus enables practical application of LFS

Brownian oscillators driven by correlated noise in a moving trap

Brownian oscillator, i.e. a micron-sized or smaller particle trapped in a thermally fluctuating environment is studied. The confining harmonic potential can move with a constant velocity. As distinct from the standard Langevin theory, the chaotic force driving the particle is correlated in time. The dynamics of the particle is described by the generalized Langevin equation with the inertial term, a coloured noise force, and a memory integral. We consider two kinds of the memory in the system. The first one corresponds to the exponentially correlated noise in a weakly viscoelastic fluid and in the second case the memory naturally arises within the Navier-Stokes hydrodynamics. Exact analytical solutions are obtained in both the cases using a simple and effective method not applied so far in this kind of problems.Comment: Presented at the 17th International Conference Applied Physics of Condensed Matter (APCOM 2011), Novy Smokovec, High Tatras, Slovakia, June 22 - 24, 201

International study on nurses' views and experiences of compassion

BACKGROUND: Compassion is considered the cornerstone of nursing practice. However, the recent failures in delivering high-quality compassionate nursing care in the UK's National Health Service have brought the topic of compassion to the attention of the public, service providers, policy makers and academics. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' views and experiences of a number of compassion-related issues in nursing and describe similarities and differences at an international level as well as from the different nursing roles of the participating nurses. METHODS: An exploratory, cross-sectional descriptive study, using the International Online Compassion Questionnaire. A total of 1323 nurses from 15 countries completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of participants (59.5%) defined compassion as "Deep awareness of the suffering of others and wish to alleviate it" but definitions of compassion varied by country. Of participants, 69.6% thought compassion was very important in nursing and more than half (59.6%) of them argued that compassion could be taught. However, only 26.8% reported that the correct amount and level of teaching is provided. The majority of the participants (82.6%) stated that their patients prefer knowledgeable nurses with good interpersonal skills. Only 4.3% noted that they are receiving compassion from their managers. A significant relationship was found between nurses' experiences of compassion and their views about teaching of compassion. CONCLUSION: Our study is unique in identifying the views and experiences of nurses from 15 different countries worldwide. The findings reveal that compassion is neither addressed adequately in nursing education nor supported in the practice environment by managers. LIMITATIONS: Self-report bias was inherent to our survey study design. Furthermore, the individual cultural differences and similarities in the findings are difficult to extrapolate owing to the fact that our analysis was at country level, as well as at the level of the participating nurses. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Understanding the influence of culture on nurses' views about compassion is critical in the current multicultural healthcare environment and merits further research. This will potentially drive changes in nursing education (ensuring that compassion is taught to nurses) and in the way healthcare leaders and managers foster a compassionate culture within their organizations (e.g. by leading by example and compassionate to their staff). © 2016 International Council of Nurses

Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 2.76 TeV

The inclusive transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of primary charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ as a function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%. The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{AA}}$ using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision energy. We observe that the suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles strongly depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most suppressed with $R_{\rm{AA}}\approx0.13$ at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7 GeV/$c$. Above $p_{\rm T}=7$ GeV/$c$, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification factor, which reaches $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx0.4$ for $p_{\rm T}>30$ GeV/$c$. In peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx 0.7$ almost independently of $p_{\rm T}$. The measured nuclear modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Pion, kaon, and proton production in central Pb-Pb Collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV

In this Letter we report the first results on $\pi^\pm$, K$^\pm$, p and $\mathrm {p\overline{p}}$ production at mid-rapidity ($\left|y\right|<0.5$) in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV, measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The $p_{\rm T}$ distributions and yields are compared to previous results at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 200 GeV and expectations from hydrodynamic and thermal models. The spectral shapes indicate a strong increase of the radial flow velocity with $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, which in hydrodynamic models is expected as a consequence of the increasing particle density. While the ${\rm K}/\pi$ ratio is in line with predictions from the thermal model, the ${\rm p}/\pi$ ratio is found to be lower by a factor of about 1.5. This deviation from thermal model expectations is still to be understood.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/286

Hydrodynamic Memory in the Motion of Charged Brownian Particles across the Magnetic Field

An exact solution of the Langevin equation is given for a charged Brownian particle driven in an incompressible fluid by the magnetic field, taking into account the hydrodynamic aftereffect. The stochastic integro-differential Langevin equation is converted to a deterministic equation for the particle mean square displacement. We have found the mean square displacement and other time correlation functions describing the particle motion. For the motion along the field the known results from the theory of the hydrodynamic motion of a free Brownian particle are recovered. The correlation functions across the field contain at long times the familiar Einstein terms and additional algebraic tails. The longest-lived tail in the mean square displacement is proportional to $t^{1//2}$. At short times the motion is ballistic and independent of the magnetic field

Effect of Magnetic Field on the Fluctuations of Charged Oscillators in Viscoelastic Fluids

In the present work the generalized Langevin equation is solved for the motion of a charged Brownian oscillator in a magnetic field, when the thermal random force is exponentially correlated in the time. This model is consistent with the assumption that the medium has weakly viscoelastic properties. The velocity autocorrelation function, time-dependent diffusion coefficient and mean square displacement of the particle have been calculated. Our solutions generalize the previous results from the literature and are obtained in a way applicable to other problems of the Brownian motion with memory

Dynamical Structure Factors of Quasi-One-Dimensional Magnets of the Type of CsNiF3CsNiF_3

By a direct derivation of the equations of motion for the spins in $CsNiF_3$ we show that the extensively used sine-Gordon equation fails to describe the dynamics of this 1D magnet. Instead of this soliton-bearing model we use the spin-wave theory and, without going to the continuum approximation, calculate the dynamic structure factors of the scattering of neutrons on $CsNiF_3$. Complete analytical solutions for the dynamic structure factors in the frequency domain are obtained both within the classical consideration and with quantum corrections