Impact of Lu-Substitution in YbLuZnSb: Thermoelectric Properties and Oxidation Studies.

YbZnSb is one of the newest additions to the high-performance YbMSb (M = Mn, Mg, and Zn) family of p-type high-temperature thermoelectric materials and shows promise for forming passivating oxide coatings. Work on the oxidation of rare earth (RE)-substituted YbREMnSb single crystals suggested that substituting late RE elements may form more stable passivation oxide coatings. YbLuZnSb ( = 0.

A multi-site service evaluation of silver diamine fluoride use for children.

Introduction The use of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is relatively new to the UK. It is unknown how it is being used and for what indications in UK paediatric dental services.Aim To: 1) establish how SDF is being used across different paediatric dental settings in the UK; and 2) consider parental and patient views on the treatment experience and side effect of discolouration.

Impact of Anionic Substitution in YbMgSb As Compounds on the Electronic and Thermoelectric Properties.

The effects of anionic site substitution on the electronic transport properties of YbMgSb As compounds were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) with on-site Coulomb interaction correction (PBE+U). By replacing the Sb atoms at the four symmetry sites in YbMgSb with As, we found that the electronic and thermoelectric properties of the compound can be altered substantially. For most of the cases, the thermoelectric properties improve compared to the base compound YbMgSb.

YTe: A New n-Type Thermoelectric Material.

Rare-earth chalcogenides ( = La, Pr, Nd, = S, Se, and Te) have been extensively studied as high-temperature thermoelectric (TE) materials owing to their low lattice thermal conductivity (κ) and tunable electron carrier concentration cation vacancies. In this work, we introduce YTe, a rare-earth chalcogenide with a rocksalt-like vacancy-ordered structure, as a promising n-type TE material. We computationally evaluate the transport properties, optimized TE performance, and doping characteristics of YTe.

Unlocking the thermoelectric potential of the CaAlSb structure type.

YbMnSb and YbMgSb are among the best p-type high-temperature (>1200 K) thermoelectric materials, yet other compounds of this CaAlSb structure type have not matched their stability and efficiency. First-principles computations show that the features in the electronic structures that have been identified to lead to high thermoelectric performances are present in YbZnSb, which has been presumed to be a poor thermoelectric material. We show that the previously reported low power factor of YbZnSb is not intrinsic and is due to the presence of a YbZnSb impurity uniquely present in the Zn system.

Experimental validation of high thermoelectric performance in RECuZnP predicted by high-throughput DFT calculations.

Accurate density functional theory calculations of the interrelated properties of thermoelectric materials entail high computational cost, especially as crystal structures increase in complexity and size. New methods involving ab initio scattering and transport (AMSET) and compressive sensing lattice dynamics are used to compute the transport properties of quaternary CaAlSi-type rare-earth phosphides RECuZnP (RE = Pr, Nd, Er), which were identified to be promising thermoelectrics from high-throughput screening of 20 000 disordered compounds. Experimental measurements of the transport properties agree well with the computed values.

Research on Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Malaysia: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common analgesics used for pain relief. Adverse effects of NSAIDs range from gastrointestinal tract disturbances to increased risk of bleeding, renal injury, and myocardial infarction. In Malaysia, the research productivity of NSAIDs is not well explored.

Discovery of multivalley Fermi surface responsible for the high thermoelectric performance in YbMnSb and YbMgSb.

The Zintl phases, Yb Sb ( = Mn, Mg, Al, Zn), are now some of the highest thermoelectric efficiency p-type materials with stability above 873 K. YbMnSb gained prominence as the first p-type thermoelectric material to double the efficiency of SiGe alloy, the heritage material in radioisotope thermoelectric generators used to power NASA's deep space exploration. This study investigates the solid solution of YbMg Al Sb (0 ≤ ≤ 1), which enables a full mapping of the metal-to-semiconductor transition.

Drug Utilization and Drug Pricing in the Private Primary Healthcare System in Malaysia: An Employer Price Control Mechanism.

Uncontrolled drug pricing in the private healthcare system in Malaysia leads to high drug prices; however, its impact on employee drug utilization and employer reimbursement coverage is unclear. This study examined patterns of drug pricing and drug utilization among employees covered by employer medical insurance. A drug price control mechanism was also devised for the employer to ensure fair benefits to all parties without compromising the quality of patient care.

Synthesis and characterization of vacancy-doped neodymium telluride for thermoelectric applications.

Thermoelectric materials exhibit a voltage under an applied thermal gradient and are the heart of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which are the main power system for space missions such as I, II, and the Mars rover. However, materials currently in use enable only modest thermal-to-electrical conversion efficiencies near 6.5% at the system level, warranting the development of material systems with improved thermoelectric performance.

'Message to Dentist': Facilitating Communication with Dentally Anxious Children.

Dental anxiety affects children worldwide and can have negative consequences on oral health. This study aimed to evaluate a novel communication aid 'message to dentist' (MTD), as part of a wider cognitive behavioural therapy approach to reduce dental anxiety in young patients. Dentally anxious children, aged 9-16 years, were invited to complete the MTD proforma, before and following their course of treatment.

Evaluation of Self-Help Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Children's Dental Anxiety in General Dental Practice.

Dental anxiety is very common; however, there is a lack of studies focusing on reducing children's dental anxiety. One such initiative, the guided self-help cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) resources 'Your teeth, you are in control', reduces dental anxiety in children attending paediatric dentistry clinics. This service evaluation aims to investigate whether such CBT resources reduce children's dental anxiety when implemented in general dental practice.

Thermoelectric Properties of Scandium Sesquitelluride.

Rare-earth (RE) tellurides have been studied extensively for use in high-temperature thermoelectric applications. Specifically, lanthanum and praseodymium-based compounds with the Th₃P₄ structure type have demonstrated dimensionless thermoelectric figures of merit () up to 1.7 at 1200 K.

Seebeck and Figure of Merit Enhancement by Rare Earth Doping in YbREZnSb (x = 0.5).

YbZnSb has been of interest for its intermediate valency and possible Kondo designation. It is one of the few transition metal compounds of the CaAlSb structure type that show metallic behavior. While the solid solution of YbMnZnSb shows an improvement in the high temperature figure of merit of about 10% over YbMnSb, there has been no investigation of optimization of the Zn containing phase.

Exploration of Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers towards Medication Error Reporting in a Tertiary Health Care Facility: A Qualitative Approach.

Medication error reporting (MER) is an effective way used to identify the causes of Medication Errors (MEs) and to prevent repeating them in future. The underreporting of MEs is a challenge generally in all MER systems. The current research aimed to explore nurses' knowledge on MER by determining their attitudes towards reporting and studying the implicated barriers and facilitators.

Antibiotic Stewardship in Community Pharmacies: A Scoping Review.

The increase in antibiotic resistance has frequently been linked to unrestrained antibiotic dispensing. This review was conducted to mainly assess the perception and attitudes of community pharmacists towards antibiotic dispensing. This scoping review was performed between June 2016 and September 2016 to identify published studies related to the perception and attitudes of community pharmacists towards antibiotic dispensing.

Magnetic and thermoelectric properties of the ternary pseudo-hollandite BaxCr5Se8 (0.5 < x < 0.55) solid solution.

The structure of Ba0.5Cr5Se8 has been recently resolved, and its thermoelectric and magnetic properties have been studied. A ZT of 0.

Mechanochemical Synthesis and High Temperature Thermoelectric Properties of Calcium-Doped Lanthanum Telluride LaCaTe.

The thermoelectric properties from 300 - 1275 K of calcium-doped LaTe are reported. LaTe is a high temperature n-type thermoelectric material with a previously reported zT ~ 1.1 at 1273 K and x = 0.

Thermoelectric properties of the Zintl phases Yb5M2Sb6 (M = Al, Ga, In).

Zintl compounds with chemical formula Yb5M2Sb6 (M = Al, Ga, and In) form one of two known A5M2Pn6 structure types characterized by double chains of corner-linked MPn4 tetrahedra bridged by Pn2 dumbbells. High temperature electronic and thermal transport measurements were used to characterize the thermoelectric properties of Yb5M2Sb6 compounds. All samples were found to exhibit similar high p-type carrier concentrations, low resistivity and low Seebeck coefficients in agreement with the band structure calculations.

Thermoelectric properties and electronic structure of the Zintl phase Sr₅In₂Sb₆ and the Ca(5-x)Sr(x)In₂Sb₆ solid solution.

The Zintl phase Sr5In2Sb6 is isostructural with Ca5In2Sb6-a promising thermoelectric material with a peak zT of 0.7 when the carrier concentration is optimized by doping. Density functional calculations for Sr5In2Sb6 reveal a decreased energy gap and decreased valence band effective mass relative to the Ca analog.

Immunization knowledge and practice among Malaysian parents: a questionnaire development and pilot-testing.

Background: Parents are the main decision makers for their children vaccinations. This fact makes parents' immunization knowledge and practices as predictor factors for immunization uptake and timeliness. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument in Malaysian language to measure immunization knowledge and practice (KP) of Malaysian parents.

Does an educational intervention improve parents' knowledge about immunization? Experience from Malaysia.

Background: Parents' knowledge about immunization is an important predictor factor for their children's immunization status. The aims of this study were to assess parents' knowledge and to evaluate the effect of a short educational intervention on improving parents' knowledge of childhood immunization.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a pre- and post-test intervention survey of a single group was conducted among Malaysian parents.

A magnetic resonance imaging study on the articulatory and acoustic speech parameters of Malay vowels.

The phonetic properties of six Malay vowels are investigated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize the vocal tract in order to obtain dynamic articulatory parameters during speech production. To resolve image blurring due to the tongue movement during the scanning process, a method based on active contour extraction is used to track tongue contours. The proposed method efficiently tracks tongue contours despite the partial blurring of MRI images.