Fair Degree (fair + degree)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


STRAIN, PERSONALITY TRAITS, AND DELINQUENCY: EXTENDING GENERAL STRAIN THEORY

CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
ROBERT AGNEW
Although Agnew's (1992) general strain theory (GST) has secured a fair degree of support since its introduction, researchers have had trouble explaining why some individuals are more likely than others to react to strain with delinquency. This study uses data from the National Survey of Children to address this issue. Drawing on Agnew (1997) and the psychological research on personality traits, it is predicted that juveniles high in negative emotionality and low in constraint will be more likely to react to strain with delinquency. Data support this prediction. [source]


Early detection of relapse in panic disorder

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2004
M. R. Mavissakalian
Objective:, To explore predictive models of relapsing based on change in symptoms at a time when panic disorder patients are still in remission following discontinuation of antidepressants. Method:, Forty-seven subjects, who were randomized to double-blind placebo and who had valid data at four time points: pretreatment, randomization to placebo substitution, an assessment on placebo prior to the last assessment or relapse and their last assessment (relapsers n = 15, non-relapsers n = 32) were studied using descriptive, growth curve analysis and logistic regression methodologies. Results:, Measures of generalized anxiety, fearfulness and disability at work and at home were better predictors of relapse than measures of panic and anxiety sensitivity. Logistic regression models using any one of these four general variables and its linear change correctly predicted relapse for 78.7,84.4% of the study subjects. Conclusion:, It is possible to gauge, with a fair degree of accuracy, the probability of relapsing in panic disorder patients who have discontinued serotonergic antidepressants 2 months prior to the return of panic. [source]


Nickel Complexes with N2O Donor Ligands: Syntheses, Structures, Catalysis and Magnetic Studies

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 32 2007
Jishnunil Chakraborty
Abstract Two new terephthalato-bridged tetranuclear polymeric NiII complexes, namely [Ni4L41(,-tp-,4 -O)(H2O)2(,-tp-,2 -O)]·2C2H5OH·CH3OH·3H2O (1) and [Ni4L42(,-tp-,4 -O)(H2O)2(,-tp-,2 -O)]·3H2O (2) [L1 = N -(3-aminopropyl)-5-bromosalicylaldimine and L2 = N -(3-aminopropyl)salicylaldimine], are reported along with the syntheses and structures of the dicyanoargentate-bridged polymeric complexes [Ni(L1)(H2O){Ag(CN)2}], (3) and [Ni(L3)(MeOH){Ag(CN)2}], (4) [L3 = N -(3-amino-2,2-dimethylpropyl)-5-bromosalicylaldimine]. All four complexes are found to be effective heterogeneous catalysts for the epoxidation of alkenes such as styrene, ,-methylstyrene and cyclohexene in the presence of tert -butyl hydroperoxide. The variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements (300,2 K) of complex 1 show a fair degree of antiferromagnetic coupling between the NiII centers.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007) [source]


The European Commission on Factors Influencing Labor Migration

POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, Issue 2 2001
Article first published online: 27 JAN 200
A controversial issue in discussions on enlargement of the European Union beyond its existing membership of 15 countries is the migration flows that admission of new members could generate. Given major differences in income and wage levels between the EU states and the candidates for membership, casual theorizing suggests that the potential for massive international migration is very high. The fact that such migration has thus far been of modest size by most plausible criteria is attributed to the restrictive policies of the potential destination countries, policies that reflect national interests, in particular protection of labor markets, as perceived by voting majorities. With accession to membership in the EU this factor is removed: a cardinal principle of the Union, established by treaty, is the free movement of persons, including persons seeking gainful employment. The factors governing migratory movements between member states then come to resemble those that shape internal migration. This should facilitate analysis and forecasting. A clear sorting-out of the relevant forces affecting such "internal" migration remains of course an essential precondition for success in that task. An "Information note," entitled The Free Movement of Workers in the Context of Enlargement, issued by the European Commission, the EU's Executive Body, on 6 March 2001, presents extensive discussion of relevant information, opinion, and policy options concerning its topic. (The document is available at «http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlarge-ment/docs/pdf/migration_enl.pdf».) An Annex to the document. Factors Influencing Labour Movement, is a lucid enumeration of the factors migration theory considers operative in determining the migration of workers and, by extension, of people at large, that is likely to ensue upon EU enlargement. This annex is reproduced below. As is evident from the catalog of factors and their likely complex interactions, making quantitative forecasts of future migration flows, envisaged primarily as originating from countries to be newly admitted to the EU and destined for the countries of the current EU15, is exceedingly difficult. This is reflected in disparities among the existing studies that have made such forecasts. Yet there appears to be a fair degree of agreement that major increases in migration are unlikely, suggesting that the overall effect on the EU15 labor market should be limited. Typical forecasts (detailed in the Information note cited above) anticipate that in the initial year after admission, taken to be 2003, total migration from the eight prime candidate countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania: the "CC8") might amount to around 200,000 persons, roughly one-third of which would be labor migration. According to these forecasts, the annual flow will gradually diminish in subsequent years. After 10 to 15 years the stock of CC8 migrants in the EU15 might be on the order of 1.8 to 2.7 million. The longer-run migration potential from the candidate countries would be on the order of 1 percent of the present EU population, currently some 375 million. (The combined current population of the CC8 is 74 million.) Such predictions are in line with the relatively minor migratory movements that followed earlier admissions to the EU of countries with then markedly lower per capita incomes, such as Spain and Portugal. The geographic impact of migration ensuing from enlargement would, however, be highly uneven, with Germany and Austria absorbing a disproportionately large share. Accordingly, and reflecting a prevailing expectation in these two countries that enlargement would have some short-run disruptive effects on labor markets, some of the policy options discussed envisage a period of transition following enlargement,perhaps five to seven years,during which migration would remain subject to agreed-upon restrictions. [source]


Objective scoring of hidradenitis suppurativa reflecting the role of tobacco smoking and obesity

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2009
K. Sartorius
Summary Background, Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a long-standing disease with abscess and often fistula formation, predominantly in the axillae and groins. The disease is difficult to treat and has a severe impact on quality of life. A clinically relevant system for scoring disease severity is lacking in HS. Objectives, To evaluate the modified Hidradenitis Suppurativa Score (HSS) and to study the impact of body mass index (BMI) and smoking habits on disease severity. Methods, Two hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients with HS referred to a clinic with special interest in the disease were included, of whom 115 were scored. Points were given for regions involved, types of lesion (nodules, fistulas), total area involved and whether lesions were separated by normal skin. Background characteristics included BMI and smoking habits. Two hundred and forty-six patients completed the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results, The median (interquartile range, IQR) HSS for all patients was 38 (18,66): women 38 (18,71) and men 37 (19,51). Median (IQR) HSS for smokers was 41 (22,75·5), former smokers 27 (16,53) and nonsmokers 22 (10,57). Median (IQR) HSS for patients with BMI < 25 kg m,2 was 32 (12,54), BMI 25,30 kg m,2 44 (22,56) and BMI , 30 kg m,2 50 (18,86). Mean ± SD DLQI for the whole group of patients was 10·3 ± 7·5, median 9, and showed no significant differences between the groups studied. There was a significant positive correlation of fair degree between HSS and DLQI. There were significant differences in HSS between nonsmokers and smokers as well as between women of normal weight compared with obese women. Conclusions, The modified HSS is simple and practical and it extracts important clinical information. A connection between disease severity and BMI as well as smoking habits in patients with HS is presented. The results suggest that the HSS may be a relevant outcome measure in future therapeutic trials in HS. [source]


Risk Management with Duration: Potential and Limitations

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, Issue 2 2000
Gerald O. Bierwag
This paper demonstrates the applicability of duration as a risk management tool for government organizations. Drawing on a real case, we present methodologies for quantifying (a) the durations of real assets on a government's balance sheet, and (b) the durations of the financial assets represented by shares in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In the area of real physical assets on the balance sheet we focus on the highway system and on real estate owned by the government. The methodology for measuring durations of SOEs focuses primarily on an electrical utility. Our main conclusion is that it is feasible to derive excellent practical measures of the real durations of physical assets on a government's balance sheet. Far from being academic curiosities,such durations can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy in practice. The paper also indicates some of the potential limitations of duration analysis as a risk management tool for such organizations. Résumé En tant que grand succès de la finance académique, l'analyse de durée profite d'une application étendue de la part des praticiens de différents millieux du secteur privé. Cet article démontre la possibilité d'utiliser les durées comme outil de gestion du risque dans les organisations gouvernementales. En se basant sur un cas réel, nous présentons les méthodes pour quantifier (1) les durées des valeurs réelles d'un bilan gouvernemental et (2) les durées des valeurs financières représentées par des parts dans des sociétés d'état. Pour ce qui est des valeurs physiques réelles du bilan, nous nous arr,tons sur le système autoroutier et sur les biens immobiliers possédés par le gouvernement. La méthode de mesure des durées des sociétés d'état focalise sur une compagnie de service électrique. Notre conclusion principale est qu'il est possible de tirer d'excellentes mesures pratiques des durées réelles des valeurs physiques du bilan financier d'un gouvernement. Loin d',tre de pures curiosités académiques, de telles durées peuvent ,tre, en pratique, estimées avec un degré raisonnable de précision. L'article mentionne de plus certaines limites potentielles de l'analyse de durée comme outil de gestion de risque pour de telles organisations. [source]


Thermal Stability of Dehydrophenylalanine-Containing Model Peptides as Probed by Infrared Spectroscopy: a Case Study of an , -Helical and a 310 -Helical Peptide

CHEMISTRY & BIODIVERSITY, Issue 3 2006
Alka Gupta
Abstract The temperature-dependent secondary-structural changes in the two known helical model peptides Boc-Val-,Phe-Ala-Leu-Gly-OMe (1; , -helical) and Boc-Leu-Phe-Ala-,Phe-Leu-OMe (2; 310 -helical), which both comprise a single dehydrophenylalanine (,Phe) residue, were investigated by means of FT-IR spectroscopy (peptide film on KBr). Both the first-order and the better-resolved second-order derivative IR spectra of 1 and 2 were analyzed. The ,(NH) (3240,3340,cm,1), the Amide-I (1600,1700,cm,1), and the Amide-II (1510,1580,cm,1) regions of 1 and 2 showed significant differences in thermal-denaturation experiments (22°,144°), with the 310 -helical peptide (2) being considerably more stable. This observation was rationalized by different patterns and strengths of intramolecular H-bonds, and was qualitatively related to the different geometries of the peptides. Also, a fair degree of residual secondary-structural elements were found even in the ,denatured' states above 104° (1) or 134° (2). [source]