Effect of a prediction tool and communication skills training on communication of treatment outcomes: a multicenter stepped wedge clinical trial (the SOURCE trial).

Background: For cancer patients to effectively engage in decision making, they require comprehensive and understandable information regarding treatment options and their associated outcomes. We developed an online prediction tool and supporting communication skills training to assist healthcare providers (HCPs) in this complex task. This study aims to assess the impact of this combined intervention (prediction tool and training) on the communication practices of HCPs when discussing treatment options. Methods: We conducted a multicenter intervention trial using a pragmatic stepped wedge design (NCT04232735). Standardized Patient Assessments (simulated consultations) using cases of esophageal and gastric cancer patients, were performed before and after the combined intervention (March 2020 to July 2022). Audio recordings were analyzed using an observational coding scale, rating all utterances of treatment outcome information on the primary outcome-precision of provided outcome information-and on secondary outcomes-such as: personalization, tailoring and use of visualizations. Pre vs. post measurements were compared in order to assess the effect of the intervention. Findings: 31 HCPs of 11 different centers in the Netherlands participated. The tool and training significantly affected the precision of the overall communicated treatment outcome information (p = 0.001, median difference 6.93, IQR (-0.32 to 12.44)). In the curative setting, survival information was significantly more precise after the intervention (p = 0.029). In the palliative setting, information about side effects was more precise (p < 0.001). Interpretation: A prediction tool and communication skills training for HCPs improves the precision of treatment information on outcomes in simulated consultations. The next step is to examine the effect of such interventions on communication in clinical practice and on patient-reported outcomes. Funding: Financial support for this study was provided entirely by a grant from the Dutch Cancer Society (UVA 2014-7000).

Shape-induced separation of nanospheres and aligned nanorods.

We studied the phase separation and spatial arrangement of gold nanorods and nanospheres after evaporative self-assembly from aqueous suspension. Depending on the position relative to the contact line of the drying droplet, spheres and rods separate into various liquid-crystalline phases. Nanorods exhibit a strong preference for side-by-side alignment, giving rise to smectic phases; spheres in solution are forced out of these regions and form close-packed arrays. We discuss this self-separation into nanorod- and sphere-rich phases in terms of various interactions, including electrostatic, van der Waals, and deplection interactions forces. The experimental results are compared to quantitative calculations of the colloidal interaction energies. We also describe and discuss the role of the surfactant on the different crystal facets of the nanorods on the assembly process.

Universal spreading of water drops on complex surfaces.

A drop of water spreads very rapidly just after it is gently deposited on a solid surface. Here we experimentally investigate how these early stages of spreading are influenced by different types of surface complexity. In particular, we consider micro-textured substrates, chemically striped substrates and soft substrates. For all these complex substrates, it is found that there always exists an inertial regime where the radius r of the wetted area grows as r ∼ t(1/2). For perfectly wetting substrates, this regime extends over several decades in time, whereas we observe a deviation from a pure power-law for partially wetting substrates. Our experiments reveal that even the cross-over from the 1/2 power law to the final equilibrium radius displays a universal dynamics. This cross-over is governed only by the final contact angle, regardless of the details of the substrate.

Dielectrophoretic alignment of metal and metal oxide nanowires and nanotubes: a universal set of parameters for bridging prepatterned microelectrodes.

Nanowires and nanotubes were synthesized from metals and metal oxides using templated cathodic electrodeposition. With templated electrodeposition, small structures are electrodeposited using a template that is the inverse of the final desired shape. Dielectrophoresis was used for the alignment of the as-formed nanowires and nanotubes between prepatterned electrodes. For reproducible nanowire alignment, a universal set of dielectrophoresis parameters to align any arbitrary nanowire material was determined. The parameters include peak-to-peak potential and frequency, thickness of the silicon oxide layer, grounding of the silicon substrate, and nature of the solvent medium used. It involves applying a field with a frequency >10(5) Hz, an insulating silicon oxide layer with a thickness of 2.5 µm or more, grounding of the underlying silicon substrate, and the use of a solvent medium with a low dielectric constant. In our experiments, we obtained good results by using a peak-to-peak potential of 2.1 V at a frequency of 1.2 × 10(5) Hz. Furthermore, an indirect alignment technique is proposed that prevents short circuiting of nanowires after contacting both electrodes. After alignment, a considerably lower resistivity was found for ZnO nanowires made by templated electrodeposition (2.2-3.4 × 10(-3) Ωm) compared to ZnO nanorods synthesized by electrodeposition (10 Ωm) or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) (500 Ωm).

Field induced phase segregation in ferrofluids.

We study the phase segregation in magnetite ferrofluids under the influence of an external magnetic field. A phase with lower nanoparticle density and corresponding higher optical transmission is formed in the bottom of a glass cell in the presence of only a very modest magnetic field gradient (smaller than 25 T/m). The flux density in our magnetic configuration is simulated using finite element methods. Upon switching off the external magnetic field, the low-density phase develops into a 'bubble'-like feature. The kinetics of this 'bubble' in the absence and presence of a magnetic field are described and analyzed in terms of a simple model, which takes into account buoyancy and drag forces.

Versatile transmission ellipsometry to study linear ferrofluid magneto-optics.

Linear birefringence and dichroism of magnetite ferrofluids are studied simultaneously using spectroscopic ellipsometry in transmission mode. It is shown that this versatile technique enables highly accurate characterisation of magneto-optical phenomena. Magnetic field-dependent linear birefringence and dichroism as well as the spectral dependence are shown to be in line with previous results. Despite the qualitative agreement with established models for magneto-optical phenomena, these fail to provide an accurate, quantitative description of our experimental results using the bulk dielectric function of magnetite. We discuss the results in relation to these models, and indicate how the modified dielectric function of the magnetite nanoparticles can be obtained.

Effect of quantum confinement on the dielectric function of PbSe.

Monolayers of lead selenide nanocrystals of a few nanometers in height have been made by electrodeposition on a Au(111) substrate. These layers show a thickness-dependent dielectric function, which was determined using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The experimental results are compared with electronic structure calculations of the imaginary part of the dielectric function of PbSe nanocrystals. We demonstrate that the size-dependent variation of the dielectric function is affected by quantum confinement at well-identifiable points in the Brillouin zone, different from the position of the band-gap transition.