Exchange bias properties and surface spin freezing in magnetic nanoparticles

AbstractZFC and FC magnetization measurements versus field are carried out on manganese ferrite based nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 3.3 nm. The exchange bias field determined from the field shift of hysteresis loops, decreases as the cooling field increases. Magnetization measurements performed at constant applied field H as a function of temperature allows us to separate two H-dependent contributions. One is associated to the well ordered core which inflates as the field increases and the other is related to surface spins frozen in a disordered structure. The thermal dependence of this disordered surface contribution decreases exponentially with a freezing temperature Tf, which decreases as the applied field increases

Women's views of continuity of information provided during and after pregnancy: A qualitative interview study

Straightforward transfer of care from pregnancy to the postpartum period is associated with health benefits and is desired by women worldwide. Underpinning this transfer of care is the sharing of information between healthcare professionals and the provision of consistent information to women. In this qualitative study, two aspects of continuity of information were examined; first the information passed on from midwife to health visitor regarding a woman and her baby before the health visitor meets the woman postnatally and second, the consistency of information received by women from these two healthcare professionals (the main healthcare providers during and after pregnancy in England). To be eligible for the study, women had to have had a baby in England within 12 months prior to the interview. Participants also needed to be able to read and speak English and be over 18 years old. Recruitment of participants was via word of mouth and social media. Twenty-nine mothers were interviewed of whom 19 were first time mothers. The interviews took place in the summer and autumn of 2016 and were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Framework Analysis. Two overarching themes were identified: not feeling listened to and information inconsistencies. Women reported little experience of midwives and health visitors sharing information about their care, forcing women to repeat information. This made women feel not listened to and participants recommended that healthcare professionals share information; prioritising information about labour, mental health, and chronic conditions. Women had mixed experiences regarding receiving information from midwives and health visitors, with examples of both consistent and inconsistent information received. To avoid inconsistent information, joint appointments were recommended. Findings from this study clearly suggest that better communication pathways need to be developed and effectively implemented for midwives and health visitors to improve the care that they provide to women

An exact analytical solution for generalized growth models driven by a Markovian dichotomic noise

Logistic growth models are recurrent in biology, epidemiology, market models, and neural and social networks. They find important applications in many other fields including laser modelling. In numerous realistic cases the growth rate undergoes stochastic fluctuations and we consider a growth model with a stochastic growth rate modelled via an asymmetric Markovian dichotomic noise. We find an exact analytical solution for the probability distribution providing a powerful tool with applications ranging from biology to astrophysics and laser physics

Women’s views on contact with a health visitor during pregnancy: an interview study

Aim: To explore recent mothers’ views of the health visiting antenatal contact in England. Background: English health visitors are mandated to be in contact with all women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The aim of this antenatal contact is to assess the needs of the family before the birth and support preparation for parenthood. Recent data show that this contact is provided fragmentarily and not always face-to-face. More information on how women view this contact could inform service provision. Methods: Twenty-nine mothers with a baby less than 1 year old were recruited via social media and word of mouth. Having had antenatal contact with a health visitor was not a requirement to participate in the study. Women took part in face-to-face or phone interviews and all recordings were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using systematic thematic analysis. Findings: Eleven women had contact with a health visitor during pregnancy: nine through a home visit, one via a letter and one via a phone call. The remaining 18 women were asked about what they would have wanted from an antenatal contact. Three themes were identified: relationship building, information provision, and mode and time of contact. Some participants who had experienced a home visit reported building rapport with their health visitor before the postnatal period, but not everyone had this experience. Women reported requesting and receiving information about the health visiting service and the role of the health visitor. Finally, women suggested different modes of contact, suggesting a letter or that the information about health visiting could be provided by a midwife. A few women preferred a home visit. These study findings show women were unclear regarding the aim of the health visitor antenatal contact. As such, the contact is unlikely to reach its full potential in supporting parents-to-be

Studies of midwives’ and health visitors’ interprofessional collaborative relationships

This thesis explored the processes underlying interprofessional working relationships between midwives and health visitors in UK maternity services; using a multi method approach consisting of a systematic review, interviews, and focus groups. The systematic review synthesised the literature on midwife-health visitor collaboration, identifying barriers and enablers that are influential to successful interprofessional collaboration. Thus, the subsequent empirical studies attempted to explore these barriers and enablers in greater depth, from the perspectives of midwives and health visitors. Two studies utilised the Theoretical Domains Framework to explore the barriers and enablers to midwife-health visitor collaboration (Chapters 3 6). These are the first studies to examine midwives’ and health visitors’ perceived barriers and enablers to interprofessional collaboration using a psychologically grounded theoretical framework. Midwives and health visitors identified barriers and enablers to interprofessional collaboration across each of the 12 theoretical domains, such as ‘Knowledge’ (e.g. awareness of processes involved in contacting midwives) and ‘Memory, attention, and decision processes’ (e.g. contacting health visitors when there is a concern). Chapter 6 compared midwives’ and health visitors’ perceived barriers and enablers to interprofessional collaboration, and discussed its research and practice implications, including approaches to intervention development for improving interprofessional collaboration. For example, various behaviour change techniques can be integrated as part of interventions aiming to enhance interprofessional collaboration. The final empirical study attempted to address the gap in the interprofessional literature by involving service users’ views. Focus groups with recent mothers were conducted to gain explore their perspectives of interprofessional collaboration in maternity services. Findings suggest that women observe fragmentation between midwifery and health visiting. Participants recommended service changes including group based antenatal classes jointly provided by midwives and health visitors. In summary, the findings indicate that midwife-health visitor interprofessional collaboration is important to professionals and women, but will require health professional behaviour change along with service changes

Bicudo do algodoeiro: identificação, biologia, amostragem e táticas de controle.

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