Psychosocial issues of women with type 1 diabetes transitioning to motherhood: a structured literature review

BACKGROUND: Life transitions often involve complex decisions, challenges and changes that affect diabetes management. Transition to motherhood is a major life event accompanied by increased risk that the pregnancy will lead to or accelerate existing diabetes-related complications, as well as risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, all of which inevitably increase anxiety. The frequency of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia often increases during pregnancy, which causes concern for the health and physical well-being of the mother and unborn child. This review aimed to examine the experiences of women with T1DM focusing on the pregnancy and postnatal phases of their transition to motherhood. METHODS: The structured literature review comprised a comprehensive search strategy identifying primary studies published in English between 1990-2012. Standard literature databases were searched along with the contents of diabetes-specific journals. Reference lists of included studies were checked. Search terms included: 'diabetes', 'type 1', 'pregnancy', 'motherhood', 'transition', 'social support', 'quality of life' and 'psychological well-being'. RESULT: Of 112 abstracts returned, 62 articles were reviewed in full-text, and 16 met the inclusion criteria. There was a high level of diversity among these studies but three common key themes were identified. They related to physical (maternal and fetal) well-being, psychological well-being and social environment. The results were synthesized narratively. CONCLUSION: Women with type 1 diabetes experience a variety of psychosocial issues in their transition to motherhood: increased levels of anxiety, diabetes-related distress, guilt, a sense of disconnectedness from health professionals, and a focus on medicalisation of pregnancy rather than the positive transition to motherhood. A trusting relationship with health professionals, sharing experiences with other women with diabetes, active social support, shared decision and responsibilities for diabetes management assisted the women to make a positive transition. Health professionals can promote a positive transition to motherhood by proactively supporting women with T1DM in informed decision-making, by facilitating communication within the healthcare team and co-ordinating care for women with type 1 diabetes transitioning to motherhood

Enhanced Catalytic Probe Design for Mapping Radical Density in the Plasma Afterglow

The electrification of chemical processes using plasma generates an increasing demand for sensors, monitoring concentrations of plasma-activated species such as radicals. Radical probes are a low-cost in situ method for spatially resolved quantification of the radical density in a plasma afterglow using the heat from the exothermal recombination of radicals on a catalytic surface. However, distinguishing recombination heating from other heat fluxes in the system is challenging. In this study, we present a heat flux analysis based on probe measurements inside the reactor, with simultaneous IR imaging monitoring of the temperature of the reactor wall. The impact of radiation heat on a single thermocouple as well as the advantage of a dual thermocouple setup (using a catalytic unit together with a reference thermocouple) is shown. We add a heat sink with a monitored temperature to the dual thermocouple setup, allowing the determination of conductive and radiative heat fluxes. The heat sink gives more information on the measurement and reduces ambiguities in the evaluation used by others. The probe was tested by mapping N atom densities throughout the plasma afterglow of our reactor, enabling evaluation of the recombination kinetics of the radicals in the gas phase. Three-body recombination was shown to be the main pathway of recombination, with a recombination rate of krec = (2.0 ± 0.9)·10-44 m6/s, which is in line with the known literature findings, demonstrating that the measured species are N radicals and the probe did not influence the plasma or recombination reactions in the afterglow.</p

Solar Hydrogen Generation from Ambient Humidity Using Functionalized Porous Photoanodes

Solar hydrogen is a promising sustainable energy vector, and steady progress has been made in the development of photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells. Most research in this field has focused on using acidic or alkaline liquid electrolytes for ionic transfer. However, the performance is limited by (i) scattering of light and blocking of catalytic sites by gas bubbles and (ii) mass transport limitations. An attractive alternative to a liquid water feedstock is to use the water vapor present as humidity in ambient air, which has been demonstrated to mitigate the above problems and can expand the geographical range where these devices can be utilized. Here, we show how the functionalization of porous TiO2 and WO3 photoanodes with solid electrolytes—proton conducting Aquivion and Nafion ionomers—enables the capture of water from ambient air and allows subsequent PEC hydrogen production. The optimization strategy of photoanode functionalization was examined through testing the effect of ionomer loading and the ionomer composition. Optimized functionalized photoanodes operating at 60% relative humidity (RH) and Tcell = 30–70 °C were able to recover up to 90% of the performance obtained at 1.23 V versus reverse hydrogen electrode (RHE) when water is introduced in the liquid phase (i.e., conventional PEC operation). Full performance recovery is achieved at a higher applied potential. In addition, long-term experiments have shown remarkable stability at 60% RH for 64 h of cycling (8 h continuous illumination–8 h dark), demonstrating that the concept can be applicable outdoors.</p

Unraveling the deposition mechanism in a-C:H thin-film growth : a molecular-dynamics study for the reaction behavior of C3 and C3H radicals with a-C:H surfaces

In this mol.-dynamics study, we present the simulated growth of thin a-C:H films using the Brenner [Phys. Rev. B 42, 9458 (1990)] potential. These simulations are relevant for the growth of thin films, grown using low-energy hydrocarbons. In this work, we investigate the reaction mechanisms of both the linear and the cyclic isomers of C3 and C3H on an a-C:H surface. We found that the cyclic species are always more reactive as compared to the linear species, due to their lower stability. The C3 species are found to be more reactive than the C3H species, due to steric hindrance of the H atom, shielding the C atom from the surface. The different mechanisms are discussed. The resulting film properties for different flux ratios of C3 and C3H have also been investigated. It is shown that films as deposited from C3 and C3H have a low d. and show low crosslinking. A clear change in microstructure is obsd. as the ratio between the cyclic and the linear species changes. These simulations provide insights into the reaction behavior of the investigated species, and how this influences the resulting film properties. [on SciFinder (R)

Thermal and Remote Plasma ALD of Ru from CpRu(CO)2Et and O2

Ruthenium (Ru) is regarded as an electrode candidate on ultrahigh-k SrTiO3 dielectric films for future high-density trench capacitors. To achieve conformal film growth, atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Ru is investigated. To this end, the use of an oxidizing reactant is desired to avoid electronic degradation of the interface properties of SrTiO3 as found when using a NH3 plasma for Ru ALD or when using thermal ALD TiN as electrode. Thermal ALD of Ru using O2 gas, however, generally results in a pronounced nucleation delay and high surface roughness. The current work aims at developing ALD of Ru using an O2 plasma in order to improve the film nucleation and to try to obtain smoother films. Using the novel CpRu(CO)2Et precursor and O2, both thermal and remote plasma ALD of Ru were studied in the same reactor at wafers up to 200 mm. Unlike thermal ALD, the Ru film growth by remote plasma ALD does not rely on the dissociative chemisorption of O2 on the Ru surface and good film nucleation is expected by providing O radicals from the gas phase. In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray reflectometry and diffractometry, and electrical measurements clearly show this benefit of the O2 plasma. The Ru films almost immediately nucleate for the plasma-based process, whereas the thermal process showed a nucleation delay of approximately 100 cycles. Once the film growth has started, the growth per cycle (1 Å/cycle), the electrical properties (20 µOcm for &gt;5 nm films), and the polycrystalline structure are similar for both ALD processes. However, despite the drastically improved nucleation, the remote plasma ALD Ru films show higher roughness values than the thermal ALD Ru films (roughness of 13 nm and 8 nm for 20 nm thick films, respectively). To elucidate this unexpected phenomenon, the film nucleation and surface reactions were examined. Mass spectrometry provided insight into the reaction products (CO, CO2 and H2O mainly) and, therefore, into the surface chemistry ruling both ALD processes. Optical emission spectroscopy delivered information on the species created during plasma exposure. A reaction mechanism will be proposed for these oxygen-based ALD Ru processes that accounts not only for the differences in nucleation, but also relates to the roughness development of the Ru films

Study protocol of European Fans in Training (EuroFIT):a four-country randomised controlled trial of a lifestyle program for men delivered in elite football clubs

Background: Lifestyle interventions targeting physical activity, sedentary time and dietary behaviours have the potential to initiate and support behavioural change and result in public health gain. Although men have often been reluctant to engage in such lifestyle programs, many are at high risk of several chronic conditions. We have developed an evidence and theory-based, gender sensitised, health and lifestyle program (European Fans in Training (EuroFIT)), which is designed to attract men through the loyalty they feel to the football club they support. This paper describes the study protocol to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the EuroFIT program in supporting men to improve their level of physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour over 12 months. Methods: The EuroFIT study is a pragmatic, two-arm, randomised controlled trial conducted in 15 football clubs in the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the UK (England). One-thousand men, aged 30 to 65 years, with a self-reported Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 will be recruited and individually randomised. The primary outcomes are objectively-assessed changes in total physical activity (steps per day) and total sedentary time (minutes per day) at 12 months after baseline assessment. Secondary outcomes are weight, BMI, waist circumference, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cardio-metabolic blood biomarkers, food intake, self-reported physical activity and sedentary time, wellbeing, self-esteem, vitality and quality of life. Cost-effectiveness will be assessed and a process evaluation conducted. The EuroFIT program will be delivered over 12 weekly, 90-minute sessions that combine classroom discussion with graded physical activity in the setting of the football club. Classroom sessions provide participants with a toolbox of behaviour change techniques to initiate and sustain long-term lifestyle changes. The coaches will receive two days of training to enable them to create a positive social environment that supports men in engaging in sustained behaviour change. Discussion: The EuroFIT trial will provide evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the EuroFIT program delivered by football clubs to their male fans, and will offer insight into factors associated with success in making sustained changes to physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and secondary outcomes, such as diet.Trial registration: ISRCTN: 81935608. Registered 16 June 2015.<br/

Atomic layer deposition of Ru from CpRu(CO2)Et using O2 gas and O2 plasma

The metalorganic precursor cyclopentadienylethyl(dicarbonyl)ruthenium (CpRu(CO)2Et) was used to develop an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process for ruthenium. O2 gas and O2 plasma were employed as reactants. For both processes, thermal and plasma-assisted ALD, a relatively high growth-per-cycle of - 1 Å was obtained. The Ru films were dense and polycrystalline, regardless of the reactant, yielding a resistivity of - 16 µO¿cm. The O2 plasma not only enhanced the Ru nucleation on the TiN substrates but also led to an increased roughness compared to thermal ALD