pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Predictors of satisfaction and quality of life following post-mastectomy breast reconstruction

Objective: Breast reconstruction is associated with multiple psychological benefits. However, few studies have identified clinical and psychological factors associated with improved satisfaction and quality of life. This study examined factors which predict satisfaction with breast appearance, outcome satisfaction and quality of life following post-mastectomy breast reconstruction.  \ud
Methods: Women who underwent post-mastectomy breast reconstruction between 2010 and 2016 received a postal questionnaire consisting of: The BREAST-Q Patient Reported Outcomes Instrument, The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-30 Questionnaire, The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale and a series of Visual-Analogue Scales. One hundred and forty eight women completed the questionnaire, a 56% response rate. \ud
Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed psychosocial factors accounted for 75% of the variance in breast satisfaction, 68% for outcome satisfaction and 46% for quality of life. Psychosocial wellbeing emerged as a significant predictor of satisfaction with breast appearance (β=.322) and outcome satisfaction (β=.406). Deep inferior epigastric perforator flap (DIEP) patients reported greater satisfaction with breast appearance (β=.120) and outcome satisfaction (β=.167). \ud
Conclusions: This study extends beyond limited research by distinguishing between satisfaction with breast appearance and outcome satisfaction. The study provides preliminary evidence for the role of psychosocial factors predicting key patient reported outcomes and demonstrates the importance of psychosocial wellbeing and reconstruction type. Healthcare providers could assess psychosocial wellbeing prior to reconstruction to support optimal recovery. Clinicians could also use the findings of this study to justify the use of DIEP over implant reconstructions
Self-management strategies used by head and neck cancer survivors following completion of primary treatment: a directed content analysis

Objective: Head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors encounter unique challenges following treatment. This study aimed to identify self‐management strategies that HNC survivors use to overcome these posttreatment challenges. Methods: Twenty‐seven individuals from 4 designated cancer centres in Ireland were interviewed about self‐management strategies that helped them overcome challenges following HNC treatment. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed, and analysed using directed content analysis. Results: Twenty self‐management strategy types (encompassing 77 specific strategies) were identified. The most frequently used self‐management strategy types were self‐sustaining (used by 26 survivors), self‐motivating (n = 25), and proactive problem solving (n = 25). The most frequently used specific strategies were adaptive approaches to ongoing physical consequences of HNC and its treatment (n = 24), customising dietary practices (n = 24), and maintaining a positive outlook (n = 22). Conclusions: The study identified strategies that helped HNC survivors to self‐manage posttreatment challenges. This information could inform the design/development of self‐management interventions tailored towards HNC survivors
Men's information-seeking behavior regarding cancer risk and screening: A meta-narrative systematic review

Objective: Preventive strategies are known to reduce cancer risk and incidence and improve prognosis. Men seldom seek medical information about cancer prevention and risk reduction. The aim of this meta-narrative systematic review was to critically appraise evidence from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies that explored men's information-seeking behaviors in relation to cancer prevention and risk reduction. Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Education Full Text, and ERIC were systematically searched for studies published in English between January 1, 2006 and May 30, 2016. A total of 4117 titles were identified; of which, 31 studies were included (21 qualitative studies, 9 quantitative studies, and 1 mixed-methods study). The methodological quality of the studies was appraised by using different tools. Results: Most studies focused on screening for prostate (n = 18) and colorectal cancer (n = 7). Most men were passive information-gatherers rather than active information-seekers. Key sources of information included the Internet for active information-seekers and health care professionals for passive information-gatherers. Barriers to information-seeking included information overload, embarrassment, and fear. Low literacy and health literacy levels were addressed in 3 studies and were identified as impediments to active information-seeking. Facilitators to information-seeking included family support, media, celebrity endorsements, and targeted information. Conclusions: Men's information-seeking behavior regarding cancer risk reduction, prevention, and screening is influenced by several factors. This necessitates targeted interventions aimed at raising awareness of cancer prevention and screening, while accounting for men's informational needs, preferred learning strategies, and literacy levels
Social support following diagnosis and treatment for colorectal cancer and associations with health‐related quality of life:Results from the UK ColoREctal Wellbeing (CREW) cohort study

<b>Objective</b>\ud
<p>Social support is acknowledged as important in cancer survivorship, but little is known about change in support after cancer diagnosis and factors associated with this, particularly in colorectal cancer. The CREW cohort study investigated social support up to 2 years following curative intent surgery for colorectal cancer.</p>\ud
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<b>Methods</b>\ud
<p>A total of 871 adults recruited pre‐treatment from 29 UK centres 2010 to 2012 consented to follow‐up. Questionnaires at baseline, 3, 9, 15, and 24 months post‐surgery included assessments of social support (Medical Outcomes Study‐Social Support Survey, MOS‐SSS) and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Socio‐demographic, clinical and treatment details were collected. Longitudinal analyses assessed social support over follow‐up, associations with participant characteristics, and HRQoL.</p>\ud
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<b>Results</b>\ud
<p>Around 20% were living alone and 30% without a partner. Perceived social support declined in around 29% of participants, with 8% of these reporting very low levels overall from baseline to 2 years (mean MOS‐SSS overall score < 40 on a scale from 0 to 100). Older age, female gender, greater neighbourhood deprivation, presence of co‐morbidities, and rectal cancer site were significantly associated with reductions in perceived support. Poorer HRQoL outcomes (generic health/QoL, reduced wellbeing, anxiety, and depression) were significantly associated with lower levels of social support.</p>\ud
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<b>Conclusions</b>\ud
<p>Levels of social support decline following colorectal cancer diagnosis and treatment in nearly a third of patients and are an important risk factor for recovery of HRQoL. Assessment of support early on and throughout follow‐up would enable targeted interventions to improve recovery, particularly in the more vulnerable patient groups at risk of poorer social support.</p
Caring for the person with cancer: information and support needs and the role of technology

<b>Objective<br /></b>Informal carers experience a variety of information and support needs when providing care to someone with cancer. It is unclear when carers seek information and what resources they access to support themselves throughout the cancer trajectory.<br /><b><br />Methods</b><br />A sample of 45 carers and 15 oncology nurses were recruited to participate in either focus groups or phone interviews.<br /><b><br />Results</b><br />Carers in the study were more likely to be women (60%), caring for a spouse or partner (64.4%), living with the patient (86.7%), and hold a university degree (46.7%). The majority of oncology nurses were females (66.6%). Findings showed that carers had limited access to adequate information as needs arose. Supports used to address information needs included information booklets, the Internet, and communication with healthcare professionals or with other carers. Barriers in communication between nurses and carers impacted on the adequacy of information received. Participants reported that technology, such as smartphone applications, might be appropriate for improving information and support needs.<br /><br /><b>Conclusions</b><br />Caring for someone with cancer is multifaceted. Carers need access to timely information to help them effectively manage patients\u27 needs. Future studies should assess the role of contemporary approaches, such as digital technology, as a solution to the delivery of information and support for carers of people with cancer.<br /
Illusions in advanced cancer : the effect of belief systems and attitudes on quality of life

Patients with advanced cancer frequently express positive attitudes and can be unduly optimistic about the potential benefits of treatment. In order to evaluate an illusory domain in the context of advanced cancer, we developed a scale of will to live and characterized the beliefs that patients held about the curability of their cancer, and how committed they were to using alternative treatments. A measure of quality of life was used as the dependent variable in order to assess the association between these attributes. After a preliminary exploration confirmed the presence of an illusory domain, these concepts were prospectively tested in 149 ambulant patients with advanced cancer who attended for palliative systemic treatment, radiation treatment or supportive care. The scale of global quality of life was reliable (Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.72). The distribution of the scores of will to live was skewed, with no respondent scoring poorly, and the scale was reliable (Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.82). The scale of belief in curability showed diverse beliefs. In some cases, there was a discrepancy between respondents' beliefs in curability and what they believed to be the report by their doctors. There was also an association between a committed use of alternative treatments and a belief in the curability of the cancer (p<0.001). In a multiple regression analysis, both will to live and performance status remained associated with better quality of life scores after adjustment for other relevant variables (p<0.05 and <0.001, respectively). These results suggest that positive illusory beliefs can be measured and are an important component of adaption for some patients with advanced cancer. Furthermore, this illusory domain may influence the perception and measurement of quality of life
The role of age at the onset of cancer in relation to survivors' long-term adjustment: a controlled comparison over an eight-year period

The goal of the study was to explore the role of age in survivors' long-term adjustment to cancer (n = 155). Data, both quantitative and qualitative, was assessed at 3 months, 15 months, and 8 years after diagnosis. A reference group from the general population (n = 120) was included to be able to distinguish the effects of cancer from those of aging. The findings showed that, in the first year after diagnosis, survivors' physical functioning (especially in those aged 45-65 years) was strongly affected by cancer. In the long term, their physical functioning was more affected by aging. Regarding psychological functioning, survivors younger than 65 years reported more depressive symptoms than similar-aged references, but only at 3 months after diagnosis. In the long term, younger survivors reported more cancer-related thoughts and a greater search for meaning in the cancer experience than older survivors. Overall, the findings provide an intriguing description of the complex and interwoven processes of age and aging in the process of adjustment to cancer
Physician-Patient Communication Among Southern European Cancer Physicians: the Influence of Psychosocial Orientation and Burnout

Physician-patient communication is a critical factor for comprehensive care in oncology. Although a number of studies have been carried out in Northern Europe and the US on this subject, no data are available in Southern European countries. As a part of a multicenter Southern European Psycho-Oncology study (SEPOS), the present investigation was conducted to examine communication skills and related variables (i.e. psychosocial orientation, and burnout) among 125 physicians from Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The Self-Confidence in Communication Skills (SCCS) scale was given to assess physicians' perception of their communication skills and the Expected Outcome of Communication (EOC) scale was administered to examine the physicians' expectations about the effects of communicating with their patients. Doctors' psychosocial orientation was measured by using the Physician Belief Scale (PBS) and burnout was measured by using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Although the physicians reported receiving minimal training in communication during their education, they tended to perceive themselves as skilled in patient communication, apart from some areas (e.g. dealing with denial, managing uncertainty, assessing anxiety and depression, and promoting patient-family openness). Low psychosocial orientation and burnout symptoms (i.e. emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and poor personal accomplishment in their job) were associated with lower confidence in communication skills and higher expectations of a negative outcome, following physician-patient communication. The results suggest that there is a need for training cancer physicians in communication and for increasing a more definite psychosocially oriented approach in cancer care in Mediterranean countries.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
International Perspectives on the State-as-Parent: Naı¨ve Idealism or Reluctant Pragmatism

link to article http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pop4.v8.1/issuetocToo many children remain at risk of harm, regrettably, in all too many societies. This is despite the almost universal acceptance of the 1990 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Its intention, arguably somewhat naı¨vely, is to create two state imperatives: to protect children against threats of harm; and to advance their welfare. Governments, however, have evidenced a pragmatic reluctance to meet these challenges, perhaps a product of conflicting community expectations on the appropriate role of the state, combined with a scarcity of public resources. For the state to meet its UNCRC obligations requires it to have three crucial capacities. The first is the governance capacity to be able to take the necessary actions to prevent or correct the harm experienced by children. The second is the organizational capacity to direct sufficient resources to do what needs to be done in a timely manner, in a culturally sensitive way, and without causing them other forms of harm. The third is the epistemological capacity to know when it is in the “best interests” of children for the state, in the “public interest,” to stop particular child practices or to separate particular children from their families in order to provide the care and protection they need. These are the ultimate challenges facing governments if they wish to achieve the vision of the state as the protector and promoter of the best interests of children that is embedded in the UNCRC, to which almost all states have committed
EHD ponderomotive forces and aerodynamic flow control using plasma
  actuators

We present a self-consistent two-dimensional fluid model of the temporal and
spatial development of the One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma
(OAUGDP$^{\circledR}$). Continuity equations for electrically charged species
N$_2^+$, N$_4^+$, O$_2^+$, O$_2^-$ and electrons are solved coupled to the
Poisson equation, subject to appropriate boundary conditions. It was used an
algorithm proposed by Patankar$^{\cite{Patankar}}$. The transport parameters
and rate coefficients for electrons at atmospheric pressure are obtained by
solving the homogeneous Boltzmann equation for electrons under the hydrodynamic
assumption. Operational variables are obtained as a function of time: electric
current; surface charge accumulated on the dielectric surface; the memory
voltage and the gas voltage controlling the discharge. It is also obtained the
spatial distribution of the electric field, the populations of charges species,
the resulting ponderomotive forces, and the gas speed.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to revie
Mesoscopic modelling of polymer-based optoelectronic devices

Substantial progress has been made in fabricating optoelectronic devices using polymers as an active material. In polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), a balanced injection of electrons and holes from the electrodes is fundamental to increase their  performance. Using a mesoscopic model based on a generalized Monte-Carlo method, we studied the influence of changing zero-field barrier heights at both electrode/polymer interfaces in the performance of a PLED with an active layer of  poly paraphenylenevinylene) (PPV). Our results show that by controlling the electrodes work functions it is possible to tune the region inside the device where charge recombination preferentially takes place.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)
 Programa Operacional “Ciência , Tecnologia, Inovação” – POCTI/CTM/41574/2001, CONC-REEQ/443/EEI/2001 e  SFRH/BD/22143/200
Influence of oxygen addition on the structural and elastic properties of TiC thin films

We have studied the structural, electronic and mechanical properties of TiCxOy, using first principles calculations based on the density functional theory and pseudopotential method, within the generalized gradient approximation for the exchange–correlation functional. These calculations provide the lattice parameter, density of states, cohesive energy, elastic constants and moduli as a function of carbon and oxygen content. The calculated values of lattice parameters and elastic moduli are generally in good agreement with experiments and compare well with other theoretical results
Microhardness and Corrosion Behavior of Ni-SiC Electrodeposited Coatings

Composite coatings suitable for protection against corrosion were prepared by electrodeposition of chloride-nickel coating containing silicon carbide particles maintained in the suspension. The Ni-SiC composite coatings showed a better corrosion resistance in 0.6 M NaCl solution and high hardness than nickel, electrodeposited under the same conditions. The coatings deposited were uniform and adherent to the substrates. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the nickel coatings grow with (111) preferred orientation
Determination of the optimum conditions for ion nitriding of 32CDV13 low alloy steel

The excellent mechanical properties of chrome-vanadium low alloy steel usually obviate the need for expensive quench and tempering operations. Furthermore, the presence of a significant amount of nitride phases has generated interest in the applicability of this kind of steel to fabricate tools with good corrosion and wear resistance. In this paper, 32CDV13 low alloy steel was ion nitrided under different process parameters including time (2, 4, 6 and 8 h), temperature (380, 500 and 580 8C) and gas mixture (N2, H2 and CH4). By determining phase composition, hardness profiles, compound layer thickness and case depth, the optimum working conditions were determined. Microhardness tester, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were utilised to characterise the nitrided surfaces. The observed differences in the hardness, the thickness and the structure of the compound layers and the diffusion zones are discussed. The optimum results were obtained at 75%N2þ20%H2þ5%CH4 gas mixture, at the temperature of 500 8C and for a process time of 8 h
Electrical characterization of capacitively-coupled radio-frequency discharges in hydrogen

This work presents modeling and experimental results for the electrical characterization of capacitively-coupled radio-frequency discharges in hydrogen. A two-dimensional, time-dependent fluid model is used to describe the dynamics of electrons and positive ions H+, H2+, and H3+at different frequencies (13.56–80 MHz), pressures (0.2–1 Torr), and rf applied voltages (50–800 V). The current-voltage relationship is reported and found in good qualitative agreement with experiment. The distribution, between electrons and ions, of the electrical power coupled to the plasma is analyzed. An investigation of the scaling laws for several important plasma parameters is also carried out.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkia
Comparative studies on Mo-Cr-N and Al-Cr-N coatings obtained by PVD dual magnetron sputtering

Recently, several studies have shown that the addition of a secondary element likes Al, Si, etc. to nitride and carbide binary systems such as Ti–N and Cr–N improved their structural and mechanical properties and also their thermal stability. In this study, we realized a comparison between the effects of aluminum or molybdenum addition on the properties of the Cr–N system. The (Cr,Al)N and (Cr,Mo)N films were deposited by RF dual magnetron sputtering. To control the aluminum and molybdenum contents in (Cr,Al)N and in (Cr,Mo)N films, respectively, we modified the Cr, Al and Mo target bias. The structural, morphological and composition analyses of the deposited films were carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SEM equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) microanalysis. The variation of the residual stresses with the Al and Mo contents has been studied using the Newton’s rings method. The obtained Al contents in (Cr,Al)N deposited films varied between 0 and 51 at.% while the Mo contents in (Cr,Mo)N layers varied between 0 and 42 at.%. A morphological change from amorphous to columnar films has been observed with the addition of Al in the case of (Cr,Al)N coatings, while all the (Cr,Mo)N films presented a columnar structure. The residual stresses of the (Cr,Mo)N coatings are higher than the (Cr,Al)N ones but they exhibited a similar behavior for both coatings