Haze factor of silver nanowires in variable refractive index environment: experimental and simulation approaches.

While silver nanowires (Ag NWs) have been demonstrated as a highly efficient transparent conducting material, they suffer from strong light scattering, which is quantified by a large haze factor (HF) in the optical spectrum. Here we investigate the influence of the dielectric environment on the light scattering of Ag NWs by comparing experimental measurements and simulations. In air, two peaks on the HF spectra are observed experimentally at the wavelength ofλI= 350 nm andλII= 380 nm and are attributed by simulations to the influence of the Ag NWs pentagonal shape on the localized surface plasmon resonance. The relative intensity between the two peaks is found to be dependent on whether the Ag NWs are in contact with the glass substrate or not. The HF behaviour in the near IR region seems to be dominated by Rayleigh scattering following simulations results. Dielectric environments of Ag NWs with various refractive indexes were obtained experimentally by the conformal deposition of different metal oxide coatings using atomic layer deposition, including Al-doped zinc oxide, Al2O3and SiO2coatings. The HF is found to be correlated with the refractive index environment in terms of HF peaks position, intensity and broadening. This trend of HF peaks is supported by a theoretical model to understand the optical mechanism behind this phenomenon.

Factors associated with referral to physiotherapists for adult patients consulting for musculoskeletal disorders in primary care; an ancillary study to ECOGEN.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are multifactorial requiring multidisciplinary treatment including physiotherapy. General practitioners (GP) have a central role in managing MSDs and mostly solicit physiotherapists accounting for 76.1% of physiotherapy referrals in France. Patient, physician, and contextual factors, including healthcare accessibility, can influence physiotherapy referral rates. OBJECTIVE: To identify patient, physician, and contextual factors associated with physiotherapy referral in adult patients with MSDs in general practice. METHODS: This study is based on the 2011/2012 French cross-sectional ECOGEN study. Analyses included working-age patients consulting their GP for any MSD. Physiotherapy referral was assessed initially, then adjusted multilevel logistic model analysis of patient, physician, geographical area-related factors associated with these referrals was performed. RESULTS: Among the 2305 patients included, 456 (19.8%) were referred to a physiotherapist. Following multilevel multivariate analyses, physiotherapist referral was more frequent for female patients (OR 1.28; 95% CI [1.03, 1.59]) with spinal (OR 1.47; 95% CI [1.18, 1.83]) and upper limb disorders (OR 1.66; 95% CI [1.20, 2.29]), and less frequent for patients ≥ 50 years (OR 0.69; 95% CI [0.52, 0.91]), living in deprived geographical areas (OR 0.60; 95% CI [0.40, 0.90]). GPs referred to a physiotherapist less frequently if they were ≥ 50 years (OR 0.50; 95% CI [0.39, 0.63]), had a high number of annual consultations, or were practicing in semi-urban area in a multidisciplinary team. CONCLUSION: This multilevel analysis identifies factors associated with physiotherapy referral for patients with MSDs, including living in deprived geographical areas. This constitutes an original contribution towards addressing healthcare disparities.

SiO2 thin film growth through a pure atomic layer deposition technique at room temperature.

In this study, less contaminated and porous SiO2 films were grown via ALD at room temperature. In addition to the well-known catalytic effect of ammonia, the self-limitation of the reaction was demonstrated by tuning the exposure of SiCl4, NH3 and H2O. This pure ALD approach generated porous oxide layers with very low chloride contamination in films. This optimized RT-ALD process could be applied to a wide range of substrates that need to be 3D-coated, similar to mesoporous structured membranes.

Influence of Contrast Media on the Results of Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty with Provisional Stenting: A Comparative Study.

Contradictory data concerning the use of non-ionic contrast media during percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) have been published. Many clinical studies have suggested that a higher rate of PTCA complications (using balloon angioplasty) was observed using non-ionic versus ionic contrast media. In order to verify these results in the era of coronary stenting, we compared the in-hospital outcome of 384 patients (pts) dilated using ionic contrast media (ioxaglate) and 387 pts dilated with non ionic contrast media (iopamidol). From October 15th 1993 to July 15th 1994, 773 consecutive pts were included in this study. At the beginning of the procedure, the pts received a first bolus of heparin (7500 IU for pts who had not been pretreated with heparin and 5000 IU for pts already treated with heparin). After the first bolus the activated clotting time (ACT) was measured and the pts received an additional bolus of 2500 IU when the ACT was below 300 sec. When the procedure exceeded one hour an additional bolus of 5000 IU was injected. The main characteristics of the 2 groups (Ioxaglate vs Iopamidol) were comparable (demographic data, indication of PTCA, procedural data, first dose of heparin, total dose of heparin). The final ACT was higher in the ioxaglate group (634 +/- 111 vs. 474 +/- 310, p < 0.001). During the hospital course, blood transfusion or vascular surgery was necessary in 1.6 vs. 1.0% (NS), acute closure occurred in 2.1 vs. 4.9% (p = 0.03), acute Q-wave myocardial infarction in 0.5 vs. 0.75% (p = NS), emergency bypass surgery in 0 vs. 0.5% (NS), death in 0.8 vs. 0.3% (NS) and major cardiac event (death, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery) in 0.8 vs. 1.6% (NS). Stents were less frequently used in the Ioxaglate group (21.5 vs. 28.5%, p = 0.03) especially in the subset of bailout stenting (2.0 vs. 4.9%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that PTCA with provisional stenting can be performed safely using ionic or non-ionic contrast media. However, the ACT obtained with the same dosage of heparin is significantly higher with the ionic contrast media whereas the risk of acute closure and the rate of bail-out coronary stenting is lower.