In nanotechnology research, significant effort is devoted to fabricating patterns of metallic nanoparticles on the surfaces of different semiconductors to find innovative materials with favorable characteristics, such as antimicrobial and photocatalytic properties, for novel applications. We present experimental and computational progress, involving a combined approach, on the antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of as-synthesized α-Ag2WO4 samples and Ag nanoparticle composites (Ag NPs)/α-Ag2WO4. The former included two morphologies: hexagonal rod-like (α-Ag2WO4-R) and cuboid-like (α-Ag2WO4-C), and the latter included composites formed under electron beam, Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4-RE and Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4-CE, and femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation, Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4-RL and Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4-CL. Direct observations of the arrangement of Ag NPs on the Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4 composites irradiated with an electron beam and laser, through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy, allow us to investigate the surface morphology, chemical composition, homogeneity, and crystallinity. Therefore, these experimental factors, and in particular, the facet-dependent response of Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4 composites were discussed and analyzed from the perspective provided by the results obtained by first-principles calculations. On this basis, α-Ag2WO4-R material proved to be a better bactericidal agent than α-Ag2WO4-C with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 128 and 256 μg/mL, respectively. However, the Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4-CL composite is the most efficient bactericidal agent of all tested samples (MBC = 4 μg/mL). This superior performance can be attributed to the cooperative effects of crystal facets and defect engineering. These results on the synthesis and stability of the Ag NPs/α-Ag2WO4 composites can be used for the development of highly efficient bactericidal agents for use in environmental remediation and the potential extension of methods to produce materials with catalytic applications.

During paediatric dental treatment, non-collaboration and fearful reactions are frequently observed in the child client. The dentistry student must be prepared to cope with these reactions, particularly considering the importance of the relationship between dentists and patients in the promotion of oral health. The present study aimed to assess undergraduate dentistry students' perceptions of their ability to cope with non-collaboration situations in paediatric dentistry. A Likert-style questionnaire was used to analyse students' self-confidence levels, and proposed solutions to 10 problem situations the students would be likely to encounter were recorded. The questionnaire was administered to two undergraduate dentistry student groups from two different Brazilian Public Faculties, comprising 122 respondents. The self-confidence analysis indicated that it varied according to the extent of the child's reaction and the invasiveness of the procedure. Responses to the open-ended questions were categorised by solution proposed, and the analysis indicated that the most frequent responses were categorised as follows: tranquilising, explanation and restriction. Significant differences were found in tranquilising (with higher values for Faculty 2 than 1, and higher values for female students than male students at Faculty 2) and restriction (with higher values for female students compared with male student at both Faculties). The results and discussion focused on the aspects of training dentistry students' social and behavioural management skills.

Objective: To estimate how reliably and validly can medical students encode reasons for encounter and diagnoses using the International Classification of Primary Care, revised 2nd edition (ICPC-2-R). Methods: For every encounter they supervised during an entire semester, three family and community physician teachers entered the reasons for encounter and diagnoses in free text into a form. Two of four medical students and one teacher encoded each reason for encounter or diagnosis using the ICPC-2-R. In the beginning of the study, two three-hour workshops were held, until the teachers were confident the students were ready for the encoding. After all the reasons for encounter and the diagnoses had been independently encoded, the seven encoders resolved the definitive codes by consensus. We defined reliability as agreement between students and validity as their agreement with the definitive codes, and used Gwet’s AC1 to estimate this agreement. Results: After exclusion of encounters encoded before the last workshop, the sample consisted of 149 consecutive encounters, comprising 262 reasons for encounter and 226 diagnoses. The encoding had moderate to substantial reliability (AC1, 0.805; 95% CI, 0.767–0.843) and substantial validity (AC1, 0.864; 95% CI, 0.833–0.891). Conclusion: Medical students can encode reasons for encounter and diagnoses with the ICPC-2-R if they are adequately trained.

This study demonstrates that the electron beam irradiation of materials, typically used in characterization measurements, could be employed for advanced fabrication, modification, and functionalization of composites.