Carrier separation in type-II quantum dots inserted in (Zn,Mg)Te/ZnSe nanowires.

Quantum dots consisting of an axial Zn0.97Mg0.03Te insertion inside a large-bandgap Zn0.9Mg0.1Te nanowire core are fabricated in a molecular-beam epitaxy system by employing the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism. In addition, this structure is coated with a thin ZnSe radial shell that forms a type-II interface with the dot semiconductor. The resulting radial electron-hole separation is evidenced by several distinct effects that occur in the presence of the ZnSe shell, including the optical emission redshift of about 250 meV, a significant decrease in emission intensity, an increase in the excitonic lifetime by one order of magnitude, and an increase in the biexciton binding energy. The type-II nanowire quantum dots where electrons and holes are radially separated constitute a promising platform for potential applications in the field of quantum information technology.

Near-infrared emission from spatially indirect excitons in type II ZnTe/CdSe/(Zn,Mg)Te core/double-shell nanowires.

ZnTe/CdSe/(Zn, Mg)Te core/double-shell nanowires are grown by molecular beam epitaxy by employing the vapor-liquid-solid growth mechanism assisted with gold catalysts. A photoluminescence study of these structures reveals the presence of an optical emission in the near infrared. We assign this emission to the spatially indirect exciton recombination at the ZnTe/CdSe type II interface. This conclusion is confirmed by the observation of a significant blue-shift of the emission energy with an increasing excitation fluence induced by the electron-hole separation at the interface. Cathodoluminescence measurements reveal that the optical emission in the near infrared originates from nanowires and not from two-dimensional residual deposits between them. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the emission energy in the near infrared depends on the average CdSe shell thickness and the average Mg concentration within the (Zn, Mg)Te shell. The main mechanism responsible for these changes is associated with the strain induced by the (Zn, Mg)Te shell in the entire core/shell nanowire heterostructure.

Identification of plant leaf phosphorus content at different growth stages based on hyperspectral reflectance.

BACKGROUND: Modern agriculture strives to sustainably manage fertilizer for both economic and environmental reasons. The monitoring of any nutritional (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium) deficiency in growing plants is a challenge for precision farming technology. A study was carried out on three species of popular crops, celery (Apium graveolens L., cv. Neon), sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., cv. Tapir) and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne, cv. Honeoye), fertilized with four different doses of phosphorus (P) to deliver data for non-invasive detection of P content. RESULTS: Data obtained via biochemical analysis of the chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in plant material showed that the strongest effect of P availability for plants was in the diverse total chlorophyll content in sugar beet and celery compared to that in strawberry, in which P affects a variety of carotenoid contents in leaves. The measurements performed using hyperspectral imaging, obtained in several different stages of plant development, were applied in a supervised classification experiment. A machine learning algorithm (Backpropagation Neural Network, Random Forest, Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine) was developed to classify plants from four variants of P fertilization. The lowest prediction accuracy was obtained for the earliest measured stage of plant development. Statistical analyses showed correlations between leaf biochemical constituents, phosphorus fertilization and the mass of the leaf/roots of the plants. CONCLUSIONS: Obtained results demonstrate that hyperspectral imaging combined with artificial intelligence methods has potential for non-invasive detection of non-homogenous phosphorus fertilization on crop levels.

Multifold pressure-induced increase of electric conductivity in LiFe0.75V0.10PO4 glass.

We investigated the impact of high pressure and high-temperature annealing on lithium-vanadium-iron-phosphate (LiFe0.75V0.10PO4) glass materials, proposed for the use in cathodes for high-performance batteries. The treatment was carried out below the glass transition temperature (Tg ≈ 483 °C) at P = 1 GPa pressure, in an argon atmosphere. It led to the multifold electrical conductivity increase. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) measurements before and after the process revealed the strong DC-conductivity increase across the whole studied frequency range by two orders of magnitude. The phenomenon is explained using Mott's theory of polaron hopping in disordered solids containing transition metal oxides. The pressure evolution of the glass transition temperature and the crystallisation temperature above Tg is shown.

Morphometric traits of the heart in standard and mutational colour variants of American mink ( Neovison vison ) / Características morfométricas del corazón en las variantes de color estándar y mutacional del visón americano ( Neovison vison )

The aim of this study was to estimate the values of morphological traits of myocardium in American minks. The study was conducted on 342 male mink hearts and 416 female mink hearts. Mink coat coloration resulting from mutation or crossbreeding of mutational variants with each other and sex were assumed as a source of variation. Carcass, lung and heart weights, heart height, width, depth and circumference, as well as left and right ventricular wall weights and thickness at two locations were determined. The values of 10 indices characterising the relative size of the heart were estimated. The results showed no normal distribution of the heart traits examined. The greatest average heart weight was characteristic of male mutational colour variant minks (17.40 ± 2.34 g). These hearts were heavier by more than 8 % than those of male standard colour variant minks. The hearts of male mutational colour variant minks were characterised by the greatest left and right ventricle weights (P≤0.01) compared to those of male standard colour variant minks, in which in turn the greatest left and right ventricle wall thickness was larger than that in standard colour variant minks. It was found that a greater difference calculated between mean left ventricle wall thickness and mean right ventricle wall thickness in standard colour variant minks may provide more evidence of its adaptation to a greater effort, referring thus to their evolutionary history than to the occurrence of signs of multistage myocardial hypertrophy.

El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar los valores de los rasgos morfológicos del miocardio en el visón americano. El estudio se realizó en 342 corazones de visón macho y 416 corazones de visón hembra. La coloración de la capa de visón resultante de la mutación o el cruce de variantes mutacionales entre sí, y el sexo se asumieron como una fuente de variación. Se determinaron los pesos de la canal, los pulmones y el corazón, la altura del corazón, el ancho, la profundidad y la circunferencia, así como los pesos y el grosor de las paredes de los ventrículos izquierdo y derecho en dos ubicaciones. Se estimaron los valores de 10 índices que caracterizan el tamaño relativo del corazón. Los resultados no mostraron una distribución normal de los rasgos de los corazones examinados. El mayor peso promedio del corazón fue característico de los visones de variante de color mutacional macho (17,40 ± 2,34 g). Estos corazones eran más pesados en más de un 8 % que los de los visones con variante de color estándar machos. Los corazones de los visones de variante de color mutacional macho se caracterizaron por los mayores pesos de los ventrículos izquierdo y derecho (P≤0,01) en comparación con los de los visones de color estándar machos, en los que a su vez el mayor grosor de las paredes de los ventrículos izquierdo y derecho fue mayor que el de las variantes de colores estándar. Se observó que una mayor diferencia entre los grosores medio de las paredes de los ventrículos izquierdo y derecho en las variantes de color estándar, puede proporcionar más pruebas de su adaptación a un mayor esfuerzo, refiriéndose así a su historial evolutivo, pese a la aparición de signos de hipertrofia miocárdica multietapa.

Morphometry of the cervical spine of emu using the hydrostatic method / Morfometría de la columna cervical de emu usando el método hidrostático

The study aimed at estimating the values of basic metric traits of emu cervical vertebrae. The study was conducted on the vertebrae of 6 male and 10 female emus being fourteen years old. Osteometric measurements were performed with electronic callipers, while the hydrostatic method was used to assess the density and volume of each vertebra. The sex of birds was considered a source of variation. The cervical spine had 17 vertebrae. Dimorphism was found in basic metric traits between analogous emu vertebrae of both sexes. The female vertebrae were characterised by significantly (P≤0.05 and P≤0.01) greater length, breadth and height than the male ones. No dimorphic differences were found in the volume of bone mass for vertebrae 1 to 8, whereas female vertebrae 9 to 17 had greater (P≤0.05) volume compared to the male ones. Correlation coefficients for body weight, vertebra volume and spinal canal capacity were weak. The sum of the length of vertebral bodies determining the length of neck showed significantly (P≤0.01) longer necks in female emus. No narrowing and extensions of the vertebral canal for the spinal cord running in it was found throughout the whole cervical spine.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo la estimación de los valores de los rasgos métricos básicos de las vértebras cervicales del Emu. El estudio se realizó en vértebras de 6 machos y 10 hembras Emu de catorce años. Las mediciones osteométricas se realizaron con pinzas electrónicas, mientras que el método hidrostático se usó para evaluar la densidad y el volumen de cada vértebra. El sexo de las aves se consideró como una variación. La columna cervical contaba con 17 vértebras. Se encontró dismorfismo en rasgos métricos básicos entre vértebras análogas de ambos sexos. Las vértebras de las hembras se caracterizaron por una longitud, ancho y altura significativamente mayor (P≤0,05 y P≤0,01) a las de los machos. No se encontraron diferencias dismórficas en el volumen de masa ósea para las vértebras 1 a 8, mientras que las vértebras de las hembras 9 a 17 tuvieron un volumen mayor (P≤0,05) en comparación con los machos. Los coeficientes de correlación para el peso corporal, el volumen de la vértebra y la capacidad del canal espinal fueron débiles. La suma de la longitud de los cuerpos vertebrales que determina la longitud del cuello mostró significativamente (P≤0.01) cuellos más largos en las hembras. No se observaron estrechamientos y extensiones del canal vertebral para la médula espinal que se encuentra en toda la columna cervical.

Personality traits of nurses and organizational climate in relation to the use of coercion in psychiatric wards.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the personality traits of nurses and the organizational climate in psychiatric wards affecting the frequency of the use of coercion. DESIGN AND METHODS: The study applied a descriptive, longitudinal design based on a 1-year prospective observation. FINDINGS: The best predictor for the initiation of coercion by nursing personnel was a low score on the Creative Personality Factor Scale in Adjective Check List and the low score in the area of Leadership in Kolb's Organizing Climate Questionnaire (KOQC). The best predictor for decisions to use coercion was the low score in the area Requirements in the KOQC, whereas the best predictors for the participation in coercion were a high value for Leadership area and a low value for Requirements area in KOQC. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The nursing personnel should be given frequent practical and theoretical training regarding the use of coercion.

Craniometric characteristics and cranial indices of Polish heath sheep rams ­ extended data / Características craneométricas e índices craneales de ovejas heath polacas - datos ampliados

The study was conducted on the mouflon-derived horned sheep of the preserved Polish Heath Sheep breed. In this study, basic skull measurements of 24 skulls of the rams of different age: 1 day, 90 days, 210 days, 270 days, 3 and 6 years, were analyzed. The weight of each skull was determined, as well as 43 craniometric characteristics were measured, and cranial cavity volume and viscerocranial and neurocranial indices were calculated. From birth to the age of 6 years, the greatest length of the skull, the condylobasal length and the length of the cheek-tooth row increased two-fold. To day 210 of age, the bony housing for eyeball and its organs grew intensively. To day 270 of age, the largest increase was characteristic of the elements of the angular length of the neurocranium and its breadth. The structural elements characterizing both the breadth and the length of the viscerocranium developed to the age of 6 years. A significant (P0.05), decreasing with age, value of the cephalic index was observed, being mostly affected by development of the squamous part of the frontal bone with its orbital part and the orbital margin.

El estudio se realizó en la raza preservada de ovejas Heath, derivadas del Muflón. En este estudio se analizaron las mediciones craneales básicas de 24 cráneos de carneros de diferentes edades: 1 día, 90 días, 210 días, 270 días, 3 y 6 años. Se determinó el peso de cada cráneo, se midieron 43 características craneométricas y se calculó el volumen de la cavidad craneal y los índices viscerocraneales y neurocraneales. Desde el nacimiento hasta la edad de 6 años, la longitud más grande del cráneo, la longitud del cóndilo y la longitud de la hilera del diente de la mejilla aumentó dos veces. A los 210 días de edad, la cubierta ósea para el bulbo ocular y sus órganos creció intensivamente. Al día 270 de edad, el mayor incremento fue la longitud angular del neurocráneo y su amplitud. Los elementos estructurales que caracterizan tanto el ancho como la longitud del viscerocráneo se desarrollaron a la edad de 6 años. Se observó un valor significativo (P0,05), decreciente con la edad, del índice cefálico, siendo afectado principalmente por el desarrollo de la parte escamosa del hueso frontal con su parte orbitaria y el margen orbital.

How patients' characteristics influence the use of coercive measures.

BACKGROUND: Coercive measures are applied in psychiatry as a last resort to control self- and hetero-aggressive behaviors in situations where all other possible strategies have failed. For ethical and clinical reasons, the number of instances of coercion should be reduced as far as possible. AIM: The aim of the study was to identify sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients that were associated with coercion during hospital treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study has a descriptive, longitudinal design, based on a 1 year prospective observation of patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital consisting of six inpatient psychiatric wards with a total of 236 beds. RESULTS: In the 12-month period covered by the study, 1476 people (778 men and 698 women) were treated in the hospital; 226 of them (15%) were subjected to coercion on a total of 405 occasions. The most frequently implemented form of direct coercion was mechanical restraint. The following factors involved in the use of direct coercion were identified: Male gender, young age, mental disorders resulting from the abuse of psychoactive drugs, involuntary admission to the hospital and the use of direct coercion in the past. CONCLUSION: Assessments of patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics can help clinicians recognize patients who are particularly at risk of being subjected to coercive measures.

Hyperspectral and thermal imaging of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) response to fungal species of the genus Alternaria.

In this paper, thermal (8-13 µm) and hyperspectral imaging in visible and near infrared (VNIR) and short wavelength infrared (SWIR) ranges were used to elaborate a method of early detection of biotic stresses caused by fungal species belonging to the genus Alternaria that were host (Alternaria alternata, Alternaria brassicae, and Alternaria brassicicola) and non-host (Alternaria dauci) pathogens to oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). The measurements of disease severity for chosen dates after inoculation were compared to temperature distributions on infected leaves and to averaged reflectance characteristics. Statistical analysis revealed that leaf temperature distributions on particular days after inoculation and respective spectral characteristics, especially in the SWIR range (1000-2500 nm), significantly differed for the leaves inoculated with A. dauci from the other species of Alternaria as well as from leaves of non-treated plants. The significant differences in leaf temperature of the studied Alternaria species were observed in various stages of infection development. The classification experiments were performed on the hyperspectral data of the leaf surfaces to distinguish days after inoculation and Alternaria species. The second-derivative transformation of the spectral data together with back-propagation neural networks (BNNs) appeared to be the best combination for classification of days after inoculation (prediction accuracy 90.5%) and Alternaria species (prediction accuracy 80.5%).

An attempt to determine the size of biometric differences in the skull of two colour variants of American mink (Neovison vison) / Un intento de determinar la magnitud de las diferencias biométricas del cráneo de dos variedades de color del visón americano (Neovison vison)

This study aimed at answering the question whether production of new colour variants of American mink in mink farms using mutations may entail changes in skull morphology and relationships between the bone elements building it. Analyses were made on the skulls of 56 eight-month-old males and females of two American mink colour variants (standard Brown and mutant Sapphire) from the same farm. Mean values, standard deviations and coefficients of variation were determined for carcass weight, cranial and mandibular weights and 7 dorsal surface, 8 lateral surface and 11 basal surface traits of the skull. The values of 24 cranial and mandibular indices and the values of sexual size dimorphism (SSD), i.e. a coefficient describing differences between sexes, were calculated. It was demonstrated that mutant colour variants of American mink may be a significant source of variation (P0.05 and P0.01) for some traits of skull morphology and relationships between respective bone elements of viscerocranium and neurocranium.

El objetivo de este estudio fue responder a la pregunta de si la producción de nuevas variedades de color del visón americano en granjas mediante mutaciones puede causar cambios en la morfología del esqueleto de la cabeza y en las relaciones mutuas de los elementos óseos que lo construyen. Los estudios se realizaron en 56 machos y hembras de ocho meses de dos variedades de color del visón americano (bronce estándar y zafiro por mutación) derivados de la misma granja. Se determinaron valores medios, DE y coeficiente de variación para peso corporal, del cráneo y la mandíbula, además de 7 rasgos de la superficie del dorso, 8 de la superficie lateral y 11 características de la base del cráneo. Fueron calculados los valores de 24 índices craneales y mandibulares, junto al valor de la magnitud del dimorfismo sexual, i.e. un coeficiente de las diferencias entre los sexos. Se demostró que las variedades mutantes de color del visón pueden ser fuente significativa (p0,05 y p0,01) de variación para algunas características morfológicas del esqueleto de la cabeza y relaciones entre elementos óseos del víscero y neurocráneo.

Biometry of the skull of wild and farm long-tailed chinchilla (chinchilla laniger, molina, 1782) / Biometría del cráneo de la chinchilla de cola larga (chinchilla laniger, molina, 1782) salvaje y de granja

This study aimed at presenting the values of 47 metric traits and 20 cranial indices of the skull of 291 mature farm chinchillas and comparing these data with those being determined on 32 chinchilla skull specimens from the Natural History Museum in London. Measurements of the viscerocranium, neurocranium and mandible parameters were taken. No normal distribution of these traits was observed. The values of selected Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated. It was found that most cranial traits of the farm chinchillas showed statistically significantly higher values (P0.01) when compared to those being determined on the skulls of museum specimens. The effect of the farm environment, in which the farm chinchillas had been kept for many generations, was a likely reason for these differences.

El objetivo fue presentar los valores de 47 caracteres métricos y 20 índices craneales del cráneo de 291 chinchillas de granja maduras y comparar estos datos con los determinados sobre 32 cráneos de chinchilla obtenidas desde el Museo de Historia Natural de Londres. Se tomaron mediciones de los parámetros del viscerocráneo, neurocráneo y de la mandíbula. No se observó una distribución normal de estos rasgos. Se calcularon los valores de los coeficientes de correlación de Spearman seleccionado. Se encontró que los rasgos craneales de las chinchillas de granja mostraron valores significativamente superiores (P 0,01) en comparación con los especímenes de museo. El efecto del entorno agrícola, en el que las chinchillas de granja se habían mantenido durante muchas generaciones, podría ser una razón probable para estas diferencias.

[The circumstances of using physical restraint in psychiatric services]. / Przeslanki stosowania przymusu bezposredniego w instytucjach psychiatrycznych.

Adequate law regulations specify conditions under which mentally disordered persons may be submitted to physical restraint. Medical staff who decide on the application of physical restraint play the role of police. They limit the liberty of mentally disordered persons to protect society against their dangerous behaviour. Protection of patients' health gives the possibility of using physical restraint on the basis of medical circumstances. A literature review shows the different range of physical restraint use in comparable medical units. It suggests that medical staff decisions about the use of physical restraint can be dependent not only on dangerous behaviour but on different specific and non-specific factors. The aim of this article is to analyse factors which can have influence on applying of physical restraint in mentally disordered persons. Description of specific circumstances in which physical restraint is used can help in the optimization of psychiatric treatment and requires further research in both psychiatry and law.

[Treatment methods in various stages of the pathway to psychiatric care]. / Metody leczenia proponowane pacjentom na poszczególnych etapach "drogi" do psychiatry.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse the treatment methods at the different stages of the pathway to psychiatric care. METHOD: In a period of two months all patients age 15 and over who applied to the Psychiatric Service in the Zabkowice catchment area and Psie-Pole catchment area were assessed by psychiatrists for their eligibility to enter the study. Those who had fulfilled the entry criteria were interviewed using a Polish version of WHO's encounter form (EF) by the mental health professionals during their initial interview. RESULTS: A total of 228 patients (105 men and 123 women) were seen. Encounter forms were completed on 200 people. 28 patients refused to answer some of the questions. There were significant differences in treatments offered to patients by hospital doctors and medical specialists, general practitioners (GP's) and psychiatrists. Our data show that sedative/hypnotics are the main psychotropic drugs prescribed by GP's. The small percentage of antidepressant (10% of all psychotropic drugs) used by GP's and medical specialists was noteworthy. They didn't decide to prescribe neuroleptics to their patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that GP's, hospital doctor & medical specialists prescribed antidepressant and neuroleptics far too rarely and GP's far too often prescribed sedative/hypnotics. This can indicate that they have difficulties in diagnosing of mental disorders as well as poor knowledge concerning indications relating the use of psychotropic drugs.