Snapshot Review Research Articles

Hybrid improper antiferroelectricity—New insights for novel device concepts

AbstractAntiferroelectrics have been studied for decades, with most research focused on PbZrO3 or related compounds obtained through chemical substitution. Although there are several important antiferroelectrics found in AVO4 (A=Dy, Bi), orthorhombic ABC semiconductors (e.g., MgSrSi) and hydrogen-bonded antiferroelectric materials, experimentally demonstrated antiferroelectrics are far less common. Furthermore, antiferroelectrics have potential applications in energy storage and for strain and force generators. In recent years, hybrid improper ferroelectrics have been intensively studied, along which the hybrid improper antiferroelectric phase was proposed and demonstrated in (001) Ruddlesden−Popper A3B2O7 thin films from first-principles calculations. Later, the hybrid improper antiferroelectric phase was discovered experimentally in several Ruddlesden−Popper perovskites in bulk. Across the hybrid improper ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition, several interesting phenomena were also predicted. In this snapshot review, we describe recent progress in hybrid improper antiferroelectricity.

Recent researches in fiber reinforced composite materials: A review

Depleting oil reserves and changing climate conditions have urged the scientific community to become excited to the renewable sources to fabricate materials for structural elements in an ecologically conscious manner. Various researches on developing composite materials have paved a new era, probing the possibilities of replacing non-degradable plastics in the most economical manner to minimize environmental hazards. However, the composites inherently have poor mechanical and chemical stability which hinders its effective use in end-use applications. The latest researches have delved into the depth of possibilities for creating a polymer matrix composite which is simultaneously cost-effective, environment-friendly and satisfies the design considerations of the structure. A detailed literature review on polymer matrix composites will help the present-day researchers to focus on the emerging trends in composite materials. A brief study on various methods such as Tsai-Pagano model & Halpin-Tsai equations, Cox and Krenchel model, Hirsch model, Bowyer–Bader Model have been discussed and out of these models Bowyer Bader Model has the most prominent deviation of 300% in providing with similar values as compared to the data obtained from the experimental evaluation. Further review in to the matrix and fiber combinations show that Polylactic acid and sisal, flax fiber without fiber treatment produced around 26% increase in the mechanical properties of the composite material. This paper provides both academicians and researchers with an insight into the framework for recent research exercise on polymer composite materials through a snapshot review of the published works of literature. The findings of this review have been summarized and the future research possibilities are also revealed in this paper.

High Temperature Organic Electronics

ABSTRACTThe emerging breakthroughs in space exploration, smart textiles, and novel automobile designs have increased technological demand for high temperature electronics. In this snapshot review we first discuss the fundamental challenges in achieving electronic operation at elevated temperatures, briefly review current efforts in finding materials that can sustain extreme heat, and then highlight the emergence of organic semiconductors as a new class of materials with potential for high temperature electronics applications. Through an overview of the state-of-the art materials designs and processing methods, we will layout molecular design principles and fabrication strategies towards achieving thermally stable operation in organic electronics.

Recent advances and demonstrated potentials for clean hydrogen via overall solar water splitting

Solar water splitting can potentially play a significant role in the future, sustainable and carbon-neutral energy infrastructure - by generating hydrogen as a green fuel from renewable sources and liquid-fuels via carbon-dioxide reduction. Hydrogen has higher gravimetric energy-yield compared to most of the conventional fossil fuels, is storable and transportable on demand. With the prospective green hydrogen economy in mind, considerable efforts have been made in the quest for a stable and efficient photocatalyst/photoelectrode which can eventually lead towards the realization of large-scale hydrogen production system. This snapshot review provides a summary of the basic principles and challenges associated with unassisted overall water splitting, and highlights the recent technological advancements made on the device and system designs on lab-scale - to improve different performance metrics, i.e., efficiency, stability, scalability and large-scale prototypes with demonstrated potentials for future developments.

In Situ Testing Using Synchrotron Radiation Computed Tomography in Materials Research

ABSTRACTHigh resolution (< 1 µm) computed tomography is an attractive tool in materials research due to its ability to non-destructively visualize the three-dimensional internal microstructures of the material. Recently, this technique has been further empowered by adding a fourth (temporal) dimension to study the time-lapse material response under load. Such studies are referred to as four-dimensional or in situ testing. In this snapshot review, we highlight three representative examples of in situ testing using synchrotron radiation computed tomography (SRCT) for composites failure analysis, measurement of local corrosion rate in alloys, and visualization and quantification of electrochemical reactions in lithium-ion batteries, as well as forward-looking integration of machine learning with in situ CT. Lastly, the future opportunities and challenges of in situ SRCT testing are discussed.

Application of Wall and Insulation Materials on Green Building: A Review

The construction materials utilized in the building sector have accounted for a large amount of natural resource and energy consumption. Green building, which has developed over three decades, can be regarded as a management and technical approach for building and construction sectors to achieve resource and energy sustainability in building sectors. Therefore, the development and deployment of green construction materials play an important role in the green building field due to the contribution of sustainable resources and energy. To realize the barriers of energy and resources utilization on green building, the development trend, application, and some case studies on wall materials and thermal insulation materials are described. A summary of plant fibers, recycled wastes, and photochromic glass is developed to show applications of green construction materials, which contributes to sustainable development. The challenges and barriers from business, technical, and policy aspects are also reviewed. Finally, perspectives and prospects of green construction material life-cycle framework are illustrated. This paper presents a snapshot review of the importance of wall materials and thermal insulation materials from the point of view of energy and resources consumption.

Balancing sufficiency and impact in reporting standards for mass spectrometry imaging experiments.

Reproducibility, or a lack thereof, is an increasingly important topic across many research fields. A key aspect of reproducibility is accurate reporting of both experiments and the resulting data. Herein, we propose a reporting guideline for mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). Previous standards have laid out guidelines sufficient to guarantee a certain quality of reporting; however, they set a high bar and as a consequence can be exhaustive and broad, thus limiting uptake.To help address this lack of uptake, we propose a reporting supplement—Minimum Information About a Mass Spectrometry Imaging Experiment (MIAMSIE)—and its abbreviated reporting standard version, MSIcheck. MIAMSIE is intended to improve author-driven reporting. It is intentionally not exhaustive, but is rather designed for extensibility and could therefore eventually become analogous to existing standards that aim to guarantee reporting quality. Conversely, its abbreviated form MSIcheck is intended as a diagnostic tool focused on key aspects in MSI reporting.We discuss how existing standards influenced MIAMSIE/MSIcheck and how these new approaches could positively impact reporting quality, followed by test implementation of both standards to demonstrate their use. For MIAMSIE, we report on author reviews of four articles and a dataset. For MSIcheck, we show a snapshot review of a one-month subset of the MSI literature that indicated issues with data provision and the reporting of both data analysis steps and calibration settings for MS systems. Although our contribution is MSI specific, we believe the underlying approach could be considered as a general strategy for improving scientific reporting.

P276 A snap-shot review of small bowel capsule endoscopy in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease

P276 A snap-shot review of small bowel capsule endoscopy in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease

Commentary: Mediation Analyses in the Real World.

Commentary: Mediation Analyses in the Real World.

A snapshot review of culturally competent compassion as addressed in selected mental health textbooks for undergraduate nursing students

The recent scandals involving poor healthcare put nurses under the spotlight in an attempt to understand how compassionate they are towards their patients. The aim of this article is to investigate how compassion is embedded in the textbooks of the undergraduate mental health nursing degree. A snapshot review of key textbooks used, was conducted through the distribution of a list of textbooks and search terms to a panel of mental health teachers in four United Kingdom (UK) universities. They were asked to comment on the list’s completeness, and the terms’ suitability, comprehensiveness and sensitivity regarding culturally competent and compassionate care. Relevant data were extracted independently by each author followed by meetings to compare and discuss their findings and engage in deeper levels of analysis. The review found that despite the fact that few textbooks touched on a number of the search terms none of them directly addressed the issue of compassion or culturally competent compassion. This means that mental health undergraduate nurses may not be adequately prepared to provide culturally competent compassion. Culturally competent compassion is not something we are born with. Imaginative teaching methods, good textbooks, good role models and opportunities to practice what one learns under supervision is required to nurture compassion in order to re-establish itself as the essence of nursing. Key textbooks need to be revised to reflect the virtue of culturally competent compassion.

G547(P) ‘just checking’ – implementing a checklist

Context This quality improvement project as performed in a large District General Hospital, Children’s Emergency Department (CED). It reviewed the ‘Wheeze Pathway’ used to treat children presenting with acute exacerbations of wheeze. These children initially receive “burst therapy” – 10 puffs of a Salbutamol inhaler via a spacer device every 20 min for 1 h. Problem A previous audit of the ‘Wheeze Pathway’ highlighted only 79% of children recieving burst therapy had their inhalers at the correct intervals and only 89% had appropriate observations. In a serious adverse event a child was transferred to the in-patient ward without a post burst therapy assessment, which necessitated eventual escalation to IV therapy and HDU admission. Within a busy CED it was difficult to easily establish which children were following the ‘Wheeze Pathway’ and at what time their inhalers, observations and assessments were due. Assessment of problem and analysis of its causes Wheeze is a very common presentation to CED. Following the serious adverse event, nursing staff and doctors were consulted regarding the issues they felt contributed to the problems described. Intervention Following a consultation process a ‘Pathway Checklist’ was developed (Figure 1). The checklist is a timeline of all treatments and assessments (medical and nursing) during the first 4 h of the ‘Wheeze Pathway’. It was also decided children had to remain in the CED during this time to ensure a complete assessment with timely escalation of treatment if necessary and stability prior to transfer to a definitive care bed. Strategy for change The ‘Pathway Checklist’ was developed with significant input from the nursing team to ensure strong support for the change. Upon implementation both the Pathway and Checklist were publicised to all staff and education provided at team meetings. Measurement of improvement A snap shot review of the ‘Wheeze Pathway’ and ‘Pathway Checklist’ was undertaken over a 10-day period in 2014 and 39 consecutive sets of patient notes were reviewed. The implementation achieved a near perfect number of children receiving burst therapy at the correct intervals and 100% having complete observations as well as 37 (95%) cases having timely medical reviews. Effects of changes As a consequence of its implementation there have been no further adverse incidents as children are now transferred to definitive care beds when stable and with clear plans. There is also now an unquantifiable improvement in how the department has a feeling of control and knowledge of all the children on the ‘Wheeze Pathway’, which has improved overall care of these patients. There is an allocated nurse to give all burst therapy and to provide education to families. There is also improved awareness amongst the nursing and medical teams regarding the need for escalation and which children we have greater concern for, leading to early identification of these patients. Lessons learnt Implementation requires buy-in and consensus of the whole team. Next time I would provide more regular feedback of the success of change to ensure continued motivation of users and highlight areas for improvement. Message for others An extremely simple intervention can help to improve efficiency and have a positive effect on patient care safety by prompting key points in patient management, especially in a busy environment.

THE USE OF QTC PROLONGING MEDICATIONS & DRUG INTERACTIONS IN PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS: AUDIT OF PRESCRIBING IN A TERTIARY CANCER CENTRE

BackgroundUse of medications which prolong the QTc interval in Palliative Care is under scrutiny due to risks of provoking potentially fatal arrhythmias. Risks are increased by drug interactions involving Cytochrome...

Proteomic characterization of novel histone post-translational modifications

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) have been linked to a variety of biological processes and disease states, thus making their characterization a critical field of study. In the last 5 years, a number of novel sites and types of modifications have been discovered, greatly expanding the histone code. Mass spectrometric methods are essential for finding and validating histone PTMs. Additionally, novel proteomic, genomic and chemical biology tools have been developed to probe PTM function. In this snapshot review, proteomic tools for PTM identification and characterization will be discussed and an overview of PTMs found in the last 5 years will be provided.

How should nutrition be positioned in the post-2015 agenda?

How should the nutrition community be positioning nutrition within the post-2015 MDG debate? This paper represents a snapshot review of ongoing nutrition challenges, the contours of the post-MDG debate, and the views of 26 experts in nutrition and the MDGs. The paper draws out post 2015 options, develops criteria for ranking the options, applies the criteria and makes a recommendation. While a nutrition goal (the “vertical” option) that covers all countries and addresses both under and overweight and obesity may well be most effective for galvanizing commitment for nutrition and for guiding action, it does not seem politically feasible. A strong position for nutrition is to be located with hunger in a “vertical” goal with an additional “horizontal” goal which places nutrition-specific indicators alongside nutrition-relevant indicators in new goal buckets, with placement driven by the UNICEF conceptual framework for undernutrition. The “minimalist” option of simply replacing the flawed underweight indicator with the superior stunting indicator in the poverty goal will not galvanize any constituency and should be rejected.

PWE-050 An Evaluation of Patients Referred to Gastroenterology Anaemia Clinic

IntroductionIron-deficiency anaemia in adults is a common cause of referral to gastroenterologists (4–13% of referrals). NICE guidelines, UK provides clear recommendations regarding upper and lower gastrointestinal investigations for such patients...

1387 – Psychiatric background within frequent attenders to the accident and emergency department, a snap shot review

Introduction Frequent attenders to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) can cause a huge burden on the services. Objectives To screen this group of patients for any previous existing psychiatric background as well as to identify patients with Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS) in order to sign post them to the appropriate services and to create a joint management plan with the A&E department. Aims Not different from the objectives. Method The list top 52 frequent attenders to two busy A&E departments in the North East of England for the period between Jan-Jun 2012, was obtained. Their records been verified on PARIS (the local Psychiatric Services Electronic Notes System) looking for at least one previous encounter with the services, if the patient was open to mental health and if the patient was care coordinated during that period. Diagnosis, history of substance misuse and significant alerts as well as housing were recorded. For the MUPS main reason for presentation was recorded. Joint care plan with A&E was also verified. Results This group generated 851 attendance to A&E during this period. Mean attendance 16 (12-41). Nearly 80% of the sample had at least one encounter with the psychiatric services. 40% were actively open to the services. 18 patients were care cordinated. 30% had significant alert to harm others. 9 patients in total were classified as homeless. Conclusion Significant number of regular patients at the A&E department have psychiatric background. There was limitation in identifying MUPS due to anomalies in coding.

Accounting's role in promoting social change: a guest editorial

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to present a snapshot review of the papers accepted for publication in this special issue of the 2010 Global Accounting and Organizational Change (GAOC) conference which was held in July, 2010 at Babson College, USA.Design/methodology/approachA critical review approach was adopted to identify the lessons learned.FindingsThe review reveals a variety of themes that emerged from the papers under review where authors attempted to describe and explain “best practices” in financial and managerial accounting within a variety of organizations across the world.Originality/valueThis review will stimulate interest in and contribute to the body of knowledge of accounting and organizational change for the betterment of society.

Literature snapshot on Six Sigma project selection for future research

Six Sigma is regarded as a well-structured methodology for improving the quality of processes and products. It helps achieve the company’s strategic goal through the effective use of project-driven approach. As Six Sigma is a project-driven methodology, it is essential to prioritise projects which provide maximum financial benefits to the organisation. Generating and prioritising the critical Six Sigma projects, however, are real challenges in practice. A detailed literature review on Six Sigma research reveals that project selection is an area of extreme importance for assuring success of Six Sigma implementation, but that has been less researched in the past. This paper provides both academics and practitioners with a useful framework for pursuing rigorous Six Sigma project selection research through snapshot review of published literatures.

Use of the lithotomy position for low-risk women in Perth, Australia

In the first half of 2010, it was noted that an increasing number of low-risk women who gave birth spontaneously at term in one Western Australian maternity unit did so in the lithotomy position, which is known to carry a number of associated risks for women. A snapshot review of case notes was undertaken to try and determine the causes, consequences and decision-making surrounding this intervention. The review revealed that in 39% of cases (n = 12), no evident need to move the woman into lithotomy was documented. In 20% (n = 6) of cases, being moved into the lithotomy position was associated with the woman sustaining a perineal tear involving the anal sphincter. Discussion with the woman about moving into lithotomy was not recorded in any case. Anecdotally, it seems that some midwives may move women into the lithotomy position in a well-meaning attempt to optimize their chances of achieving a normal birth within the time limits available to them. Further investigation is needed to determine midwives’ views, practices and rationale for the use of lithotomy in low-risk women.

Making projects work: a review of transferable best practice approaches to engineering project-based learning in the UK

AbstractIn line with international trends, project-based learning is increasingly being viewed as an important feature of engineering education in the UK. The paper presents findings from a snapshot review of current approaches. Undertaken in 2009, the review was informed by consultations with UK and international experts and practitioners in engineering education, project-based learning and problem-based learning. It forms part of a wider programme of work at the Bernard M. Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Programme at MIT to promote leadership and project-based learning in the engineering curriculum.The findings suggest that project-based activities are often developed by staff operating as lone ‘champions’ with limited time, resources and support. Given these structural constraints, approaches which have been ‘tried and tested’ elsewhere could provide robust models, particularly initiatives which are well-regarded by the engineering education community. However, evidence from the review indicates that...