Sol-Gel Synthesis of TiO2 with Pectin and Their Efficiency in Solar Cells Sensitized by Quantum Dots.

In this study, titanium oxide TiO2 nanoparticles were produced using the sol-gel approach of green synthesis with pectin as the reducing agent. The synthetized TiO2 nanoparticles with pectin were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), visible light absorption (UV-Vis) and the BET method. The structure and morphology of the TiO2 powder were described with SEM, revealing uniform monodisperse grains with a distribution of 80% regarding sizes < 250 nm; the resulting crystal phase of synthetized TiO2 was identified as an anatase and rutile phase with a crystallinity size estimated between 27 and 40 nm. Also, the surface area was determined by nitrogen adsorption-desorption using the Brown-Emmet-Teller method, with a surface area calculated as 19.56 m2/g, typical of an IV type isotherm, indicating mesoporous NPs. UV-Vis spectra showed that sol-gel synthesis reduced the band gap from the 3.2 eV common value to 2.22 eV after estimating the optical band gap energy using the adsorption coefficient; this translates to a possible extended photo response to the visible region, improving photoactivity. In addition, the power conversion of the photoelectrode was compared based on similar assembly techniques of TiO2 electrode deposition. Quantum dot crystals were deposited ionically on the electrode surface, as two different paste formulations based on a pectin emulsifier were studied for layer deposition. The results confirm that the TiO2 paste with TiO2-synthesized powder maintained good connections between the nanocrystalline mesoporous grains and the deposited layers, with an efficiency of 1.23% with the transparent paste and 2.27% with the opaque paste. These results suggest that pectin could be used as a low-cost, functional sol-gel catalysis agent for the synthesis of controlled NPs of metal oxide. It demonstrates interesting optical properties, such as an increase in photo response, suggesting further applications to photocatalysts and biomedical features.

Psychotherapy and Genetic Neuroscience: An Emerging Dialog.

Recent research in psychiatric genetics has led to a move away from simple diathesis-stress models to more complex models of psychopathology incorporating a focus on gene-environment interactions and epigenetics. Our increased understanding of the way biology encodes the impact of life events on organisms has also generated more sophisticated theoretical models concerning the molecular processes at the interface between "nature" and "nurture." There is also increasing consensus that psychotherapy entails a specific type of learning in the context of an emotional relationship (i.e., the therapeutic relationship) that may also lead to epigenetic modifications across different therapeutic treatment modalities. This paper provides a systematic review of this emerging body of research. It is concluded that, although the evidence is still limited at this stage, extant research does indeed suggest that psychotherapy may be associated with epigenetic changes. Furthermore, it is argued that epigenetic studies may play a key role in the identification of biomarkers implicated in vulnerability for psychopathology, and thus may improve diagnosis and open up future research opportunities regarding the mechanism of action of psychotropic drugs as well as psychotherapy. We review evidence suggesting there may be important individual differences in susceptibility to environmental input, including psychotherapy. In addition, given that there is increasing evidence for the transgenerational transmission of epigenetic modifications in animals and humans exposed to trauma and adversity, epigenetic changes produced by psychotherapy may also potentially be passed on to the next generation, which opens up new perspective for prevention science. We conclude this paper stressing the limitations of current research and by proposing a set of recommendations for future research in this area.

[Characteristics of employment and wellbeing among physicians working in Santiago, Chile]. / Características del empleo y bienestar subjetivo en médicos de la Región Metropolitana.

BACKGROUND: Profound changes have been observed in medical practice during the last thirty years. This may be understood as a result of the influence of economic variables in health services management, among other probable causes. At the same time, doctors' work has been diversified, and a tendency to work in several paid jobs simultaneously has been observed. AIM: To describe the characteristics of employment in a representative sample of Chilean physicians. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A probabilistic sample of 414 physicians residing in Metropolitan Santiago answered a survey about their number and type of jobs and completed the BIS UMED questionnaire that measures the subjective wellbeing of physicians. RESULTS: Forty percent of surveyed physicians had three or more jobs (36.3% of men and 47.5% of women). There was a significant inverse association between the number of jobs, general wellbeing and facing medicine from a new perspective. CONCLUSIONS: The number of jobs is inversely related to the general wellbeing of physicians.

Características del empleo y bienestar subjetivo en médicos de la Región Metropolitana / Characteristics of employment and wellbeing among physicians working in Santiago, Chile

Background: Profound changes have been observed in medical practice during the last thirty years. This may be understood as a result of the influence of economic variables in health services management, among other probable causes. At the same time, doctors' work has been diversified, and a tendency to work in several paid jobs simultaneously has been observed. Aim: To describe the characteristics of employment in a representative sample of Chilean physicians. Material and Methods: A probabilistic sample of 414 physicians residing in Metropolitan Santiago answered a survey about their number and type of jobs and completed the BIS UMED questionnaire that measures the subjective wellbeing of physicians. Results: Forty percent of surveyed physicians had three or more jobs (36.3% of men and 47.5% of women). There was a significant inverse association between the number of jobs, general wellbeing and facing medicine from a new perspective. Conclusions: The number of jobs is inversely related to the general wellbeing of physicians.