Swimming using surface acoustic waves

Microactuation of free standing objects in fluids is currently dominated by the rotary propeller, giving rise to a range of potential applications in the military, aeronautic and biomedical fields. Previously, surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have been shown to be of increasing interest in the field of microfluidics, where the refraction of a SAW into a drop of fluid creates a convective flow, a phenomenon generally known as SAW streaming. We now show how SAWs, generated at microelectronic devices, can be used as an efficient method of propulsion actuated by localised fluid streaming. The direction of the force arising from such streaming is optimal when the devices are maintained at the Rayleigh angle. The technique provides propulsion without any moving parts, and, due to the inherent design of the SAW transducer, enables simple control of the direction of travel

Moving toward the next generation of communication training in oncology: The relevance of findings from qualitative research.

The critics and recommendations for communication training in oncology call for new ideas, which may contribute to designing the next generation of training. The aim of this work was to search the literature on communication in oncology for empirically grounded observations that might be useful for the development of training approaches. The approach consists of identifying findings that might serve as cues for the design of the next generation of training. The literature search strategy allowed the inclusion of 68 articles. Findings of the articles showed that multiple factors shape clinical communication: the functions and effects of information provision, the relational and interactional aspects of communication, its patient- and context-related dimensions, and the intrapsychic and context-related barriers hampering the patient encounter that clinicians are facing. A way to reach all oncologists and to provide training centred on the singular needs of participants is a shift in the focus of training from communication tasks or communication-related situations to the clinician. Training should focus on the competencies and qualities to be developed by clinicians, such as being flexible, able to adapt to the singular patient, sensitive to interactional aspects of communication, which influence the clinical encounter

PCR-RFLP analysis of Vitis, Ampelopsis and Parthenocissus and its application to the identification of rootstocks

Methodologies based on the analysis of DNA polymorphism were recently described to identify and study grapevine rootstocks and cultivars. We report here rapid RFLP analysis of 17 Vitis, 3 Ampelopsis and 2 Parthenocissus DNAs amplified by PCR with primers based on sequences from previously defined polymorphic DNA fragments of V. vinifera cv. Chardonnay. These primers can be used as a tool for phylogenetic studies in the genus Vitis and more generally within the Vitaceae family. The DNAs of 22 rootstocks could be identified by PCR using 4 pairs of Chardonnay-derived primers combined with RFLP analysis. However, it was impossible to discriminate between 9 clones of the rootstock 3309 C. This technique is rapid and well reproducible

Inverse Slope Systematics in High-Energy p+p and Au+Au Reactions

We employ the Monte-Carlo PYTHIA to calculate the transverse mass spectra of various hadrons and their inverse slopes T* at m_T-m=1.5-2 GeV in p+p reactions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. Due to (multiple) minijet production T* increases as a function of the hadron mass. Moreover, the T*(m) systematics has a ``discontinuity'' at the charm threshold, i.e. the inverse slope of D-mesons is much higher than that of non-charmed hadrons and even of the heavier Lambda_C baryon. The experimental observation of this characteristic behaviour in Au+Au collisions would indicate the absence of c-quark rescattering. In contrast, the assumption of thermalized partons and hydrodynamical evolution would lead to a smoothly increasing T*(m), without discontinuity at the charm threshold. The degree of collective transverse flow, indicated by the slope of the T*(m) systematics, depends strongly on whether kinetic equilibrium is maintained for some time after hadronization or not.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, REVTEX; mistake in plot of c-quark mt-distribution corrected, some references adde

Patient perspectives on an intervention after suicide attempt: The need for patient centred and individualized care.

Many types of intervention exist for suicide attempters, but they tend not to sufficiently consider patient's views. To identify useful components of a previously evaluated intervention after a suicide attempt from the patient's views and to better understand the process of recovery. Forty-one interviews with suicide attempters were qualitatively analysed. Views of participants (i) on the components of the intervention (nurse case-management, joint crisis plan, meetings with relatives/network and follow-up calls) and (ii) their recovery were explored. The material was analysed by means of thematic analysis with a deductive-inductive approach. Participants valued the human and professional qualities of the nurse case-manager, and appreciated follow-up calls and meetings. However, their views diverged regarding for instance frequency of phone calls, or disclosing information or lack thereof. Interpersonal relationship, suicide attempters' own resources and life changes emerged as core recovery factors. The study highlights the figure of an engaged clinician, with both professional and human commitment, aware that some suicide attempters put more emphasis on their own resources than on delivered health care. Interventions should consider the clinician as the cornerstone of the tailored care valued by suicide attempters

Calling situated: a survey among medical students supplemented by a qualitative study and a comparison with a surveyed sample of physicians.

Calling within the medical context receives growing academic attention and empirical research has started to demonstrate its beneficial effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate what motivates students to enter medical school and what role calling may play (i), to evaluate if calling influences the way in which they experience their studies (ii), and to compare medical students' experience of calling with those of physicians. A questionnaire survey was distributed among medical students (N = 1048; response rate above 60%) of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. It was supplemented by a group discussion between bachelor medical students (N = 8) and senior physicians (N = 4), focusing on different facets of calling. An existing data set of a survey among physicians, addressing calling with the same questionnaire, was used to compare students' and physicians' attitudes towards calling. Survey data were analyzed with the habitual statistical procedures for categorical and continuous variables. The group discussion was analyzed with thematic analysis. The survey showed that experiencing calling is a motivational factor for study choice and influences positively choice consistency. Students experiencing calling differed from those who did not: they attributed different definitions to calling, indicated more often prosocial motivational factors for entering medical school and perceived the learning context as less burdensome. The analysis of the group discussion revealed that the concept of calling has a fluid definition. It was conceived as having the characteristics of a double-edged sword and as originating from within or outside or from a dialectic interplay between the inner and outer world. Finally, calling is experienced less often by physicians than by medical students, with a decreasing prevalence as the immersion in the clinical years of the study of medicine progresses. Calling plays an important role in study choice and consistency of medical students. Given its relevance for medical students and its ramifications with the learning context, calling should become a topic of the reflexive parts of the medical curriculum. We critically discuss the role played by calling for medical students and provide some perspectives on how calling could be integrated in the reflection and teaching on physicianhood