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Abstract Background During the 2000s, two major legislative reforms concerning oral health care have been implemented in Finland. One entitled the whole population to subsidized care and the other regulated the timeframes of access to care. Our aim was, in a cross-sectional setting, to assess changes in and determinants of use of oral health care services before the first reform in 2000 and after both reforms in 2011. Methods The data were part of the nationally representative Health 2000 and 2011 Surveys of adults aged ≥ 30 years and were gathered by interviews and questionnaires. The outcome was the use of oral health care services during the previous year. Determinants of use among the dentate were grouped according to Andersen’s model: predisposing (sex, age group), enabling (education, recall, dental fear, habitual use of services, household income, barriers of access to care), and need (perceived need, self-rated oral health, denture status). Chi square tests and logistic regression analyses were used for statistical evaluation. Results No major changes or only a minor increase in overall use of oral health care services was seen between the study years. An exception were those belonging to oldest age group who clearly increased their use of services. Also, a significant increase in visiting a public sector dentist was observed, particularly in the age groups that became entitled to subsidized care in 2000. In the private sector, use of services decreased in younger age groups. Determinants for visiting a dentist, regardless of the service sector, remained relatively stable. Being a regular dental visitor was the most significant determinant for having visited a dentist during the previous year. Enabling factors, both organizational and individual, were emphasized. They seemed to enable service utilization particularly in the private sector. Conclusions Overall changes in the use of oral health care services were relatively small, but in line with the goals set for the reform. Older persons increased use of services in both sectors, implying growing need. Differences between public and private sectors persisted, and recall, costs of care and socioeconomic factors steered choices between the sectors, sustaining inequity in access to care.

IntroductionChronic pancreatitis (CP) is thought to present the end stage of a continuous disease process evolving from acute pancreatitis (AP), over recurrent AP, to early and end-stage CP. Due to the irreversible nature of CP, early detection and prevention is key. Prospective assessment based on advanced imaging modalities as well as biochemical markers of inflammation, fibrosis and oxidative stress may provide a better understanding of the underlying pathological processes and help identify novel biomarkers of disease with the ultimate goal of early diagnosis, intervention and prevention of disease progression. This paper describes the protocol of a prospective multicentre cohort study investigating the fibroinflammatory process involved in progression from acute to CP using state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging modalities and circulating biomarkers of inflammation, fibrosis and oxidative stress.Methods and analysisAdult control subjects and patients at different stages of CP according to the M-ANNHEIM system will be recruited from outpatient clinics at the participating sites and form three cohorts: controls (n=40), suspected CP (n=60) and definitive CP (n=60). Included patients will be followed prospectively for 15 years with advanced MRI and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound with elastography, assessment of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function, biochemical and nutritional assessment, and evaluation of pain processing using quantitative sensory testing. Blood samples for a biobank will be obtained. The purpose of the biobank is to allow analyses of potential circulating biomarkers of disease progression, including markers of inflammation, fibrosis and oxidative stress.Ethics and disseminationPermissions from the Regional Science Ethics committee and the Regional Data Protection Agency have been obtained. We will submit the results of the study for publication in peer-reviewed journals regardless of whether the results are positive, negative or inconclusive.

The evolution of magnetic polarons in Sr doped LaCoO_{3} (La_{1-x}Sr_{x}CoO_{3}) single crystal and polycrystalline samples are investigated by employing dc and ac magnetic measurement and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques. The effect of magnetic field and temperature on magnetic polarons is experimentally studied for La_{0.875}Sr_{0.125}CoO_{3} and La_{0.85}Sr_{0.15}CoO_{3} compounds that belong to the spin glass insulating regime of the broader compositional phase diagram of this system. Langevin analyses of the isothermal magnetization curves in the notional paramagnetic regime prove the existence of magnetic polarons with large moments. The dc field superimposed ac susceptibility data and the analysis of the glassy dynamics prove that the size of polarons in 15% Sr doped crystal increase as the field is increased while the field effect is not visible in the 12.5% Sr doped crystal. A polycrystalline sample of La_{0.85}Sr_{0.15}CoO_{3} is analyzed by SANS experiments, which confirm nonzero correlation length at temperatures far above the macroscopic ordering temperature and hence the presence of magnetic polarons.

This paper presents the results of a thermal treatment process for magnetite nanoparticles in the temperature range of 50–500 °C. The tested magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized using three different methods that resulted in nanoparticles with different surface characteristics and crystallinity, which in turn, was reflected in their thermal durability. The particles were obtained by coprecipitation from Fe chlorides and decomposition of an Fe(acac)3 complex with and without a core–shell structure. Three types of ferrite nanoparticles were produced and their thermal stability properties were compared. In this study, two sets of unmodified magnetite nanoparticles were used where crystallinity was as determinant of the series. For the third type of particles, a Ag shell was added. By comparing the coated and uncoated particles, the influence of the metallic layer on the thermal stability of the nanoparticles was tested. Before and after heat treatment, the nanoparticles were examined using transmission electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Based on the obtained results, it was observed that the fabrication methods determine, to some extent, the sensitivity of the nanoparticles to external factors.

The structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties of ceramic samples of Yb-doped PbFe2/3W1/3O3 have been investigated by a variety of methods including x-ray powder diffraction, magnetometry, and dielectric spectroscopy. In addition, theoretical investigations were made using first-principles density functional calculations. All the doped samples Pb(Fe1 − xYbx)2/3W1/3O3 (PFYWO) (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) were found to crystallize in an ordered cubic (F m 3 ¯ m) structure with partial ordering in the B-perovskite sites. Observed changes in the cationic order were accompanied by differences in the dielectric and magnetic responses of the system. While pure PbFe2/3W1/3O3 is antiferromagnetic, the doped Pb(Fe1 − xYbx)2/3W1/3O3 PFYWO samples display excess moments and ferrimagnetic-like behavior, associated with differences in B′ and B″ site occupancies of the magnetic Fe3+ cations. The magnetic transition temperature of the ferrimagnetic phase is found to decrease with increasing Yb content, from TN ∼350 K of the undoped sample down to 137 K for x = 0.5. All PFYWO compounds display a ferroelectric relaxor behavior akin to that of PbFe2/3W1/3O3, albeit our results show significant changes of the frequency and temperature dependence of the dielectric properties. The changes of the properties of PFYWO with increasing Yb substitution can be explained by the changes in the cation size/charge mismatch and the size difference of the two ordered positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using ray tracing of ordinary mode HF waves in an ionosphere with kilometre-scale field aligned density depletions, or ducts, we find that transmission across the plasma resonance becomes possible at new locations as rays are guided into the so-called L mode. Stronger transmitted fields are seen in some directions, notably at inclinations close to the vertical or the magnetic zenith (MZ). It is argued that the results could have implications for the magnetic zenith effect, i.e., the increased plasma response that has been observed around the MZ.

The effect of initial water activity of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) medium on CALB (Candida antarctica lipase B) catalyzed esterification reaction is investigated using experimental methods and classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The experimental kinetic studies show that the initial reaction rate of CALB-catalyzed esterification reaction between butyric acid and ethanol decreases with increasing initial water activity of the medium. The highest rate of esterification is observed at the lowest water activity studied. MD simulations were performed to gain a molecular insight on the effect of initial water activity on the rate of CALB-catalyzed reaction. Our results show that hydration has an insignificant effect on the structure and flexibility of CALB. Rather, it appears that water molecules bind to certain regions (“hot spots”) on the CALB surface and form clusters. The size of the water clusters at these hot spot regions gradually increase and expand with increasing water activity. Consequently, the surface area of CALB covered by the water molecules also increases. Specifically, our results indicate that a particular water cluster located close to the active site partially cover the binding pocket of substrate at high water activity. As a consequence, the effective concentration of substrate at the catalytic site decreases. Therefore, the reaction rate slows down with increasing water activity, which correlates well with the observed decrease in the experimentally determined initial reaction rate.

The use of periodic magnetic structures to control the magneto-dynamic properties of materials—magnonics—is a rapidly developing field. In the last decade, a number of studies have shown that metallic films can be patterned or combined in patterns that give rise to well-defined magnetization modes, which are formed due to band folding or band gap effects. To explore and utilize these effects in a wide frequency range, it is necessary to pattern samples at the sub-micrometer scale. However, it is still a major challenge to produce low-loss magnonic structures with periodicities at such length scales. Here, we show that for a prototypical perovskite, ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}$ ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.3}$ MnO _3 , the twinned structural order can be used to induce a magnetic modulation with a period smaller than 100 nm, demonstrating a bottom-up approach for magnonic crystal growth.

A sample cell making it possible to perform synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction experiments in a magnetic field of 0.35 T has been constructed. The device is an add-on to an existing sample cell and contains a strong permanent magnet of NdFeB-type. Experiments have shown that the setup is working satisfactory making it possible to perform in-field measurements.

Exploration of the gold-rich part of the ternary Gd–Au–Al system afforded the intermetallic compound GdAu6.75−xAl0.5+x (x ≈ 0.54) which was structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (Pnma, a = 18.7847(4) Å, b = 23.8208(5) Å, c = 5.3010(1) Å). GdAu6.75−xAl0.5+x crystallizes in a previously unknown structure type featuring layers of Gd2(Au, Al)29 and Gd2(Au, Al)28 clusters which are arranged as in a close-packing parallel to the ac plane. The Gd substructure corresponds to slightly corrugated 36 nets (dGd–Gd = 5.30–5.41 Å) which are stacked on top of each other along the b direction with alternating short (5.4, 5.6 Å, within layers) and long distances (6.4 Å, between layers). The title compound has been discussed with respect to a quasicrystal approximant (1/1 AC) GdAu5.3Al in the same system. The magnetic properties of GdAu6.75−xAl0.5+x were found to be reminiscent to those of some ternary ACs, with sharp peaks in the temperature dependent magnetization, and metamagnetic-like transitions. The material becomes antiferromagnetic below 25 K; magnetometry results suggest that the antiferromagnetic state is composed of ferromagnetic ac planes, coupled antiferromagnetically along the b direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, it is suggested that the prevalent benign interpretation of the 19th century French geographer Onésime Reclus serves to legitimize the historiography of the modern institution of francophonie, the Organisa- tion Internationale de la Francophonie, OIF. The term francophonie was coined in 1880 and was picked up in the 1960s by Léopold Sédar Senghor in his call for an international organisation of French-speaking countries. Despite the fact that Reclus is often mentioned as being one of founding fathers of francophonie, attention has only briefly been paid to his writings. The prevalent interpretation of Reclus’ writings in the literature on francophonie suggests that he was radical in his rejection of the racist ideas of his time. Onésime Reclus’ writings however contain a tension between seeing man as determined by an acquired and hence contingent language on one hand, and a rather biologistic and deterministic approach, according to which origin and race are decisive, on the other. Two different backgrounds are discussed in order to contextualize a modified interpretation of Reclus’ writings. First, the emerging philology or discipline of comparative linguistics of the 19th century, which sheds light on Reclus’ idea of language as a manifestation of a people’s supremacy or inferiority. This perspective indicates that his concept of language sometimes should be understood as a race-specific property. Second, the politico-linguistic discussion during the French revolution, especially the linguistic poll and political measures suggested by Abbé Grégoire, is offered as a background to the universalistic aspects of the concept of francophonie. These two backgrounds establish links between Reclus’ ideas and the linguistic-racial thought of his time. It also situates his work in a tradition of ideas legitimizing the dissemination of the French language by the values supposedly transmitted by it.