Good Opportunities (good + opportunity)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Patients at risk of onychomycosis , risk factor identification and active prevention

JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 2005
A Tosti
ABSTRACT Objectives, The aims of this workshop were to identify risk factors for onychomycosis and to reach consensus on the management of high-risk groups to allow the development of guidelines to help doctors recognize risk factors that complicate treatment. Results and Conclusions, Previous Trichophyton rubrum infection, older age, abnormal nail morphology, immunodeficiency and genetic factors were identified as risk factors for initial infections. Risk factors for recurrence (relapse and re-infection) are largely the same. The experts agreed that the prevention of onychomycosis and its recurrence should be based on the correct treatment of tinea pedis, screening family members and adequate patient education. In addition, generic management recommendations for each high-risk group were discussed: ,,Immunosuppressed patients ,,Usual dose and treatment length not appropriate ,,Follow-up required ,,Beware of drug interactions ,,Diabetics ,,Prophylactic foot care combined with nail treatment ,,Good opportunity for patient education, footwear, foot care, etc. ,,Beware of drug interactions ,,Psoriatics and patients with abnormal nails ,,Dermatophyte eradication does not restore normal nails ,,Children ,,High failure rate possibly due to compliance problems. [source]


Differential Employment Patterns for Citizens and Non-Citizens in Science and Engineering in the United States: Minting and Competitive Effects

GROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2004
Sharon G. Levin
ABSTRACT The consequences of the heavy inflow of foreign talent for U.S. scientists and engineers over the period 1973-1997 are examined using data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. Of particular interest is whether non-citizens trained in the United States have displaced citizens from jobs in science and engineering (S&E). Using a novel adaptation of the shift-share technique, it is shown that citizen S&E doctorates have fewer jobs in S&E and fewer academic jobs than their non-citizen counterparts for two reasons: the citizen doctoral population has experienced slower growth than the non-citizen doctoral population, and citizen S&E doctorates have been displaced. Whether the displacement observed was a voluntary response of citizens to the lure of better opportunities elsewhere or an involuntary response indicative of having been pushed out by foreign talent remains to be determined. [source]


Dispersal distances predict subspecies richness in birds

JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2000
Belliure
Dispersal ability has been hypothesized to reduce intraspecific differentiation by homogenizing populations. On the other hand, long-distance dispersers may have better opportunities to colonize novel habitats, which could result in population divergence. Using direct estimates of natal and breeding dispersal distances, we investigated the relationship between dispersal distances and: (i) population differentiation, assessed as subspecies richness; (ii) ecological plasticity, assessed as the number of habitats used for breeding; and (iii) wing size, assessed as wing length. The number of subspecies was negatively correlated with dispersal distances. This was the case also after correcting for potential confounding factors such as migration and similarity due to common ancestry. Dispersal was not a good predictor of ecological plasticity, suggesting that long-distance dispersers do not have more opportunities to colonize novel habitats. Residual wing length was related to natal dispersal, but only for sedentary species. Overall, these results suggest that dispersal can have a homogenizing effect on populations and that low dispersal ability might promote speciation. [source]


Recent cancer drug development with xanthone structures

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009
Younghwa Na
Abstract Objectives Xanthones are simple three-membered ring compounds that are mainly found as secondary metabolites in higher plants and microorganisms. Xanthones have very diverse biological profiles, including antihypertensive, antioxidative, antithrombotic and anticancer activity, depending on their diverse structures, which are modified by substituents on the ring system. Although several reviews have already been published on xanthone compounds, few of them have focused on the anticancer activity of xanthone derivatives. In this review we briefly summarize natural and synthetic xanthone compounds which have potential as anticancer drugs. Key findings The interesting structural scaffold and pharmacological importance of xanthone derivatives have led many scientists to isolate or synthesize these compounds as novel drug candidates. In the past, extensive research has been conducted to obtain xanthone derivatives from natural resources as well as through synthetic chemistry. Xanthones interact with various pharmacological targets based on the different substituents on the core ring. The anticancer activities of xanthones are also dramatically altered by the ring substituents and their positions. Summary The biological activities of synthetic xanthone derivatives depend on the various substituents and their position. Study of the biological mechanism of action of xanthone analogues, however, has not been conducted extensively compared to the diversity of xanthone compounds. Elucidation of the exact biological target of xanthone compounds will provide better opportunities for these compounds to be developed as potent anticancer drugs. At the same time, modification of natural xanthone derivatives aimed at specific targets is capable of expanding the biological spectrum of xanthone compounds. [source]


What If Immigrants Had Not Migrated?

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, Issue 2 2005
Consequence of Korean Immigration to the United States, Determinants
Despite strong theoretical arguments and models about international migration, very few empirical studies rigorously test these arguments and models. The purpose of the present study is to analyze determinants and consequences for international migration, focusing particularly on the returns to post-hoc international migration. The present study compares residential well-being of Korean international migrants in the United States with that of their hypothetical well-being if they had not migrated. Our suggested models of the selectivity corrected returns to various characteristics for immigrants and nonimmigrants enable us to estimate the "opportunity well-being" of individuals and households; that is, the well-being of immigrants-had-they-stayed and of nonimmigrants-if-they-had-immigrated. The data for our analyses are drawn from the 1990 Korea Census Data and the Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) of the 1990 U.S. Census. In either case of migrants-had-they-stayed or of nonimmigrants-had-they-migrated, international migration to the United States has a significant and positive effect on the probability of homeownership, especially for women. The results show that the predicted probability of homeownership attainment increases as a result of migration by 15 percent to 16 percent for women and by 8 percent for men. The study concludes that migrating to the United States offers better opportunities for homeownership than staying in Korea does, particularly for women. [source]


Taming the fierce roller: an "enhanced" understanding of cellular differentiation in Volvox

BIOESSAYS, Issue 1 2002
Stephen M. Miller
Few organisms offer a better opportunity to explore the mechanisms of cellular differentiation, and their origins, than Volvox. Volvox consists of just two cell types, germ and soma, and is the most complex member of a family of green algae that includes unicellular and multicellular relatives. At the heart of the cell-fate determination program of Volvox carteri is the regA gene, which encodes a putative transcriptional repressor that prevents somatic cells from expressing reproductive functions. Stark et al.(1) have dissected the regA gene to determine how its expression is restricted to somatic cells. Their results suggest that regA expression is controlled by multiple enhancers, the most important of which prevents transcription in reproductive cells. While these findings shed light on Volvox development, they also raise a new set of questions about the mechanisms that control the germ,soma dichotomy in this organism. BioEssays 24:3,7, 2002. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


Patients' experience of involuntary psychiatric care: good opportunities and great losses

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2002
I. M. JOHANSSON RN
Patients who are involuntary admitted to psychiatric care are extremely vulnerable as a consequence of the control from others, and of the personal limitations due to a psychiatric disease that can influence their own control of their lives. This group of patients are seldom asked about their experiences of being cared for. In this study five involuntary hospitalized psychiatric patients narrated their experience of being subjected to involuntary psychiatric care. The aim of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of this experience. The interview text was analysed by means of a phenomenological hermeneutic method. The result of the analysis gave a complex picture of both support and violation. On the one hand experiences of not being seen or heard, of loss of liberty and of violation of integrity were found. On the other hand, there were experiences of respect and caring and opportunities to take responsibility for oneself were offered. Being treated involuntarily in psychiatric care was interpreted as a balancing act between good opportunities and great losses. [source]


,I found myself to be a down to earth Dutch girl': a qualitative study into learning outcomes from international traineeships

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2004
Susan Niemantsverdriet
Objective, To explore learning outcomes from international traineeships for undergraduate medical students. Methods, In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 undergraduate medical students at Maastricht University Medical School, the Netherlands. The 24 subjects were selected by purposeful sampling. Results, Students reported meaningful learning outcomes in 6 domains: medical knowledge; skills; international health care organisation; international medical education; society and culture, and personal growth. Discussion, International traineeships appear to provide good opportunities for students to meet the requirements of globalisation as well as some of the generic objectives of undergraduate medical education. The tentative findings of this study need to be confirmed by further studies. [source]


The new Swedish Prescribed Drug Register,Opportunities for pharmacoepidemiological research and experience from the first six months,

PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 7 2007
Björn Wettermark M.Sc.Pharm
Abstract Purpose To describe the content and potentials of the new Swedish national register on prescribed and dispensed medicines. Methods The Swedish Prescribed Drug Register contains information about age, sex and unique identifier of the patient as well as the prescriber's profession and practice. Information regarding drug utilization and expenditures for prescribed drugs in the entire Swedish population was extracted from the first six months July,December 2005 and compared with total drug sales in the country including OTC and hospital use. Results The total quantity of drugs sold in Sweden was 2666 million DDDs, corresponding to 1608 DDD/1000 inhabitants daily. The total expenditures were 1.6 billion Euro. The prescribed drugs, included in the register, accounted for 84% of the total utilization and 77% of the total expenditures. About half of all men and two-thirds of all women in the country purchased drugs. The proportion increased by age. The most common drugs for chronic treatment were diuretics among women (8.8% of the population) and antithrombotic agents among men (7.6%). Psychotropic drugs, corticosteroids and analgesics were more common among women, while men used antithrombotic agents, antidiabetic drugs, lipid lowering agents and ACE inhibitors to a greater extent. Conclusions The new register provides valuable data on exposure to drugs and is useful to study patterns of drug utilization. The possibilities for record linkage to other health registers gives from an international perspective good opportunities to explore drug and disease associations and the risks, benefits, effectiveness and health economical effects of drug use. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Cryphonectria parasitica vegetative compatibility type analysis of populations in south-western France and northern Spain

PLANT PATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
C. Robin
A comprehensive study of the population biology of Cryphonectria parasitica, the causal agent of chestnut blight, is required to understand the spread of the epidemic in Europe and its natural regulation by the Cryphonectria hypovirus-1 (CHV-1). With this objective in mind, the diversity in vegetative compatibility (vc) types and mating types of C. parasitica populations was assessed in 43 chestnut sites in western France and northern Spain. Isolates were sampled in three regions along the Pyrénées mountains (Hautes Pyrénées, Pyrénées Atlantiques and Navarra) and in two regions north of the Pyrénées (Landes and Dordogne). There were 61 vc types observed in 682 isolates sampled. Ninety-five isolates (14%) could not be assigned to any one of the previously known European vc types. The finding of 47 incompatible vc types confirmed that the genetics of vegetative compatibility could not be totally accounted for by six diallelic vic genes. The two idiomorphs of the mating type gene were detected in all regions, indicating that sexual reproduction could occur within and between vc types. In all regions except Dordogne, C. parasitica populations were dominated either by the vc type EU-66 or EU-72. Neither vc type has been reported elsewhere in Europe, which suggests that two different introductions of C. parasitica have occurred in the study area. In Dordogne, populations were dominated by EU-33 and EU-2, and to a lesser extent EU-66 and EU-72. The low diversity in vc types for most of the C. parasitica populations provides good opportunities for natural regulation in forest coppices and for biocontrol with CHV-1 in orchards. [source]


Green biorefinery demonstration plant in Havelland (Germany),

BIOFUELS, BIOPRODUCTS AND BIOREFINING, Issue 3 2010
Birgit Kamm
Abstract The Green Biorefinery (GBR) is a complex and full-integrated system of environment- and resource-protecting technologies for comprehensive material and energetic use of green biomasses. GBR's are multiproduct systems and perform and produce in accordance with the physiology of the corresponding plant material preserving and using the diversity of the synthesis generated by nature. In addition to the general biorefinery concept, GBR's are based strongly on sustainable principles (sustainable land use, sustainable raw materials, gentle technologies, autarkic energy supply, etc.). Existing agricultural structures of the green crop processing industry, such as green crop drying plants, offer good opportunities for the implementation of biorefinery technologies that will help overcoming energy-intensive and partially obsolete technologies, such as the thermal drying of feedstock. Accordingly, the primary fractionation of green biomasses and the integrated production of proteins, fermentation media, animal feed, and biogas was projected and will be realized in a demonstration facility directly linked to the existing green crop drying plant, Selbelang, in Havelland (Germany, state Brandenburg, 50 km west of Berlin). The primary refinery will have an annual capacity of 20 000 tons alfalfa and grass biomass and can be diversified in modules for the production of platform chemicals and synthesis gas. We discuss the processes, products, operating costs and climate protection effects through examination of the basic engineering of the primary refinery. The production site and planned demonstration facility are also presented. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source]


Paranoid thinking as a heuristic

EARLY INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRY, Issue 3 2010
Antonio Preti
Abstract Paranoid thinking can be viewed as a human heuristic used by individuals to deal with uncertainty during stressful situations. Under stress, individuals are likely to emphasize the threatening value of neutral stimuli and increase the reliance on paranoia-based heuristic to interpreter events and guide their decisions. Paranoid thinking can also be activated by stress arising from the possibility of losing a good opportunity; this may result in an abnormal allocation of attentional resources to social agents. A better understanding of the interplay between cognitive heuristics and emotional processes may help to detect situations in which paranoid thinking is likely to exacerbate and improve intervention for individuals with delusional disorders. [source]


Fair Trade Community Café

ACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010
KAREN LIGHTSTONE
capitaux propres; erreurs comptables; petite entreprise; rentabilité Abstract This case concerns the real operations of a café in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a second location of a theme restaurant, with the first location successfully operating for a number of years. The owner of the first location, and senior partner of the second café, is available for advice but does not participate in the day-to-day operations of the second location; there are two junior partners who run the business. The focus is on the financial statements generated by an external bookkeeping service. The income statement reports a significant loss, and some of the accounts on the balance sheet and income statement do not make sense for this type of business. Simple ratio and variance analysis provides information for students to determine where problems lie. The case presents a good opportunity for students who have a basic understanding of financial statements to read a set of real statements generated by a bookkeeping service. Not all transactions are logical for a small café, although the financial information is from a real café in operation. The case also contains industry information on the operations of small food and drinking businesses located in Nova Scotia. Fair Trade Community Café Résumé Le cas exposé par l'auteure a trait à l'exploitation d'un véritable café situé dans une petite ville de Nouvelle-Écosse, au Canada. Il s'agit du second établissement d'un restaurant à thème dont le premier établissement exerce ses activités avec succès depuis plusieurs années. Le propriétaire du premier établissement, et associé majoritaire du second, est disposéà prodiguer des conseils mais ne participe pas à l'exploitation quotidienne du second café, que dirigent deux associés minoritaires. Le cas porte sur les états financiers produits par un service externe de tenue des comptes. Le compte de résultat fait état d'une perte importante, et certains des comptes du bilan et des postes du compte de résultat ne conviennent pas à ce type d'entreprise. Une simple analyse des ratios et des écarts fournit de l'information permettant aux étudiants de diagnostiquer les problèmes qui se posent. Le cas offre aux étudiants possédant une connaissance de base de la façon dont les états financiers sont établis une excellente occasion de lire un jeu d'états financiers véritables, produits par un service de tenue des comptes. Toutes les opérations ne sont pas logiquement celles d'un petit café, bien que les données financières proviennent d'un établissement authentique. Le cas contient également des informations sectorielles sur les activités de petites entreprises du secteur de l'alimentation établies en Nouvelle-Écosse. [source]


Training Decision Makers , Tactical Decision Games

JOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2000
Margaret T. Crichton
There is growing recognition of the need to train non-technical skills, especially decision making, for emergency management in high reliability industries as well as in contained environments such as prisons. This article presents a training method, Tactical Decision Games, which appears to provide a good opportunity to practise the non-technical skills that would be required in the management of an emergency situation. Case studies from the UK nuclear power industry and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) illustrate the adaptability and general application of TDGs for training of emergency response teams in a range of operational settings. [source]


The determination of N- nitrosamines in food

QUALITY ASSURANCE & SAFETY OF CROPS & FOOD, Issue 1 2010
Colin Crews
Abstract Introduction N -nitrosamines are formed in food as a result of natural chemical interactions, but mainly through food processing activity. Most are potent carcinogens and their determination is therefore of considerable importance. They exist in various chemical forms and have been measured by colorimetric and spectroscopic methods following gas or liquid chromatography or as a total N -nitroso group by measurement of chemically released nitric oxide. Objectives To provide an overview of the available methods for the analysis of N -nitrosamines in food that includes recently developments. Methods The literature was reviewed from the discovery of the N -nitrosamine problem and the introduction on the N -nitroso-specific detector. Results The evaluation shows that analytical detection methods for volatile N -nitrosamines in food have changed little since the introduction on the N -nitroso-specific detector and that research into the occurrence and formation of both non-volatile N -nitrosamines and the apparent total N -nitroso content (ATNC) have declined. Methods for measuring the apparent total N -nitroso content have not been improved significantly in recent years. Conclusion Modern sample extraction techniques and mass spectrometric methods for the volatile N -nitrosamines have been applied more extensively to water analysis and offer a good opportunity to improve the determination of these carcinogens in food and make the analysis more widely available. Developments in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry should provide an avenue for renewed interest in non-volatile N -nitrosamines, and could help with the identification of novel compounds whose presence is suggested by the high apparent total N -nitroso content of some foods. [source]


Remaking Work, Remaking Space: Spaces of Production and Accumulation in the Reconstruction of American Capitalism, 1865,1920

ANTIPODE, Issue 2 2002
Jason W Moore
The era of US capitalist development between 1865 and 1920 offers a good opportunity to analyze the relational nature of social change at multiple scales precisely because it was a time of transition, for US and world capitalism alike. Existing accounts of the transition to monopoly capitalism in the US have focused on one or two geographical scales, such as the national economy or the shop floor. In this literature, scales are essentially treated as "containers" within which social change occurs. The possibility that the containers themselves may be fundamentally altered is not addressed. In contrast, this paper views labor process transformations, and transformations of the social division of labor, as dialectically bound. In particular, I seek to explain how the American transition to monopoly capitalism shaped, and was shaped by, class conflict and competitive pressures at multiple scales,the shop floor, the region, and the national and global divisions of labor. [source]


Multi-temporal geophysical survey of a Roman bath complex in Montegrotto Terme (Padova, northern Italy)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 3 2007
E. Finzi
Abstract Between 2000 and 2005, several geophysical surveys were carried out by the staff of the Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, on the site of the Terme Neroniane in Montegrotto, near Padova, covering a whole complex of Roman spa buildings. This work represented a good opportunity to compare the effectiveness of various techniques (ground-penetrating radar, magnetic gradiometry and electrical resistivity tomography) and to seek the reasons for differing results. Depth, contrast between composition of the geological background and building materials, good state of structural preservation, and the lack of settlement following the Roman age supported experimental results. Old and more recent excavations, conducted in parallel with the University of Padova surveys, enabled continual comparisons between geophysical models and evidence from the site. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]