Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Main Aspects (main + aspect)
Selected AbstractsElectrochemistry of Nucleic Acids at Solid Electrodes and Its ApplicationsELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 15 2004Patricia de-los-Santos-Álvarez Abstract The knowledge of the redox chemistry of nucleic acids (NA) is of paramount importance in cancer and aging research. Charge migration through DNA is also involved in biologically relevant functions such as DNA damage and repair. In the first part of this article the main aspects of the electrochemistry of nucleic acids at solid electrodes are revised, including redox processes, photoelectroactivity and electrical conductivity. In the second part, an overview of its applications is presented. Methods for electrochemical detection of NA, NA-based biosensors for detection of nonnucleic acid molecules, studies on the nature and dynamics of interactions and structural conformations of NA, are some applications that take advantage of NA electrochemistry at solid electrodes. [source] On-line dynamic security assessment to mitigate the risk of blackout in the Italian power systemEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 8 2008Diego Cirio Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the major initiatives and research projects recently carried out by the Italian system operator, Cesi Ricerca, and Universities on power system monitoring, defense, and security assessment. The technological and methodological features of an advanced wide area measurement system (WAMS) are described and the main aspects of an adaptive system for event-based automatic load shedding are presented. Then preventive and corrective security assessment, with particular emphasis to dynamic security assessment,DSA, is introduced. Results from an EU project, where the Italian power system served as a test site for on-line experimentation, are reported. Considering the need for very fast assessment by stability indices, a complementary approach to the above "conventional" DSA, currently under way, is described in further detail. The methodology relies on a correlation model relating significant power system measurements with local loadability margins. Results of some tests on the Italian power system are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Women Working in a Greedy Institution: Commitment and Emotional Labour in the Union MovementGENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2000Suzanne Franzway This paper seeks to move beyond the restrictions of limited representations of women's participation in the union movement. Through a focus on the union movement as a ,greedy institution', it is argued that women's union involvement requires complex and dynamic negotiations with its gendered discourses and practices. As a greedy institution, the union movement demands considerable depth of commitment and loyalty, as well as high levels of work and emotional labour. Based on a study of a network of women union officials, this paper discusses the ways women interpret three main aspects of trade union work: commitment, workload and emotional labour. I argue that the strategies the women officials employ do not remain static within a limited frame of gender difference from men. Rather, they must engage with the effects of male dominance of the union movement as well as the difficulties associated with union activism, family, service to members, leadership, and care in order to take up the political opportunities available in this greedy institution. [source] Negotiating and managing partnership in primary careHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 5 2001Julie Charlesworth Abstract In the UK public service organisations are increasingly working together in new partnerships, networks and alliances, largely stimulated by government legislation, which aims to encourage ,joined-up' policy-making. This is particularly prevalent in health-care where local government, health authorities and trusts, voluntary and community groups are extending existing, and developing new, forms of partnership, particularly around Health Improvement Programmes and new primary care organisations. This paper explores two main aspects of how these new interorganisational relationships are being developed and managed and is based on research conducted in one case study locality. First, the new structures of partnership in primary care are mapped out, together with discussion on why these particular patterns of relationship between statutory and voluntary sector organisations have emerged, exploring both centrally and locally determined influences. Secondly, the paper explores the tensions associated with working within new policy-making and management structures, and how the additional demands of audit, performance measurement and the sheer pace of change, pose a potential threat to the partnership process. [source] The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actionsIBIS, Issue 4 2004Ian Newton In this paper, the main aspects of agricultural intensification that have led to population declines in farmland birds over the past 50 years are reviewed, together with the current state of knowledge, and the effects of recent conservation actions. For each of 30 declining species, attention is focused on: (1) the external causes of population declines, (2) the demographic mechanisms and (3) experimental tests of proposed external causal factors, together with the outcome of (4) specific conservation measures and (5) agri-environment schemes. Although each species has responded individually to particular aspects of agricultural change, certain groups of species share common causal factors. For example, declines in the population levels of seed-eating birds have been driven primarily by herbicide use and the switch from spring-sown to autumn-sown cereals, both of which have massively reduced the food supplies of these birds. Their population declines have been associated with reduced survival rates and, in some species, also with reduced reproductive rates. In waders of damp grassland, population declines have been driven mainly by land drainage and the associated intensification of grassland management. This has led to reduced reproductive success, as a result of lowered food availability, together with increased disturbance and trampling by farm stock, and in some localities increased nest predation. The external causal factors of population decline are known (with varying degrees of certainty) for all 30 species considered, and the demographic causal factors are known (again with varying degrees of certainty) for 24 such species. In at least 19 species, proposed causal factors have been tested and confirmed by experiment or by local conservation action, and 12 species have been shown to benefit (in terms of locally increased breeding density) from options available in one or more agri-environment schemes. Four aspects of agricultural change have been the main drivers of bird population declines, each affecting a wide range of species, namely: (1) weed-control, mainly through herbicide use; (2) the change from spring-sown to autumn-sown cereal varieties, and the associated earlier ploughing of stubbles and earlier crop growth; (3) land drainage and associated intensification of grassland management; and (4) increased stocking densities, mainly of cattle in the lowlands and sheep in the uplands. These changes have reduced the amounts of habitat and/or food available to many species. Other changes, such as the removal of hedgerows and ,rough patches', have affected smaller numbers of species, as have changes in the timings of cultivations and harvests. Although at least eight species have shown recent increases in their national population levels, many others seem set to continue declining, or to remain at a much reduced level, unless some relevant aspect of agricultural practice is changed. [source] Full-wave modeling and optimization of Bøifot junction ortho-mode transducersINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2008Jorge A. Ruiz-Cruz Abstract The full-wave design of broadband ortho-mode transducers based on the Bøifot junction has two main aspects: an efficient analysis method and a design process divided into tasks with relatively low computational effort. In the analysis part, a rigorous mode-matching technique has been developed to obtain the generalized admittance matrix of the Bøifot junction. The other elements of the device are also analyzed by mode-matching. With respect to the design, the proposed procedure starts with the optimization of the individual building blocks of the device. Their interaction is also taken into account in a systematic process. The analysis and design methods have been validated with other numerical methods and an experimental prototype. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2008. [source] A review of marine aquaculture in Spain: production, regulations and environmental monitoringJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 4-5 2000A. Sánchez-Mata Summary In this review the main aspects concerning Spanish marine aquaculture production, and its control, are summarized. Aquaculture in Spain has been dominated by extensive shellfish farming, mainly mussels (3242 rafts; 260 000 t year -1 in 1998), since the beginning of the 1950s. This type of farming was the most lucrative marine aquaculture activity in the Galician Rías (NW of the Iberian Peninsula) in terms of production. In recent years, finfish farming has developed in a number of Mediterranean locations, with turbot, sea bream and sea bass as the most important species produced (18 300 t year -1 in 1998). Environmental, food-quality and medicine standards are also reviewed in this paper including the regulations, rules, farm licensing, permits and monitoring programmes involved. [source] Tetraoxaspiroalkanes for polymerization stress reduction of Silorane resinsJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Cecil C. Chappelow Abstract This study involved the synthesis and characterization of tetraoxaspiroalkane monomers and evaluated their potential to reduce polymerization stress when formulated in a Silorane resin system. The tetraoxaspiroalkane monomers had two main structural features (a) two different types of core ring structures (a 1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspirocyclic ring or a 2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspirocyclic ring) and (b) four different types of ring substituents (normal alkyl, allyloxyalkyl, trimethylsilylalkyl, or oxabicycloalkyl). The resin formulations contained (a) 20 mol % of a 1,5,7,11- or 2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiroalkyl monomer; (b) a phenylmethylsilane containing two oxabicycloheptyl groups; (c) a cyclotetrasiloxane containing four oxabicycloheptyl groups; and (d) a photocationic initiator system. Three main aspects were studied (a) the photoreactivity of the formulations using PDSC, (b) photopolymerization stress, and (c) mechanical properties (flexural elastic modulus, ultimate strength, and work of fracture) which were measured using an electromagnetic mechanical testing machine. The main findings were (a) formulations containing 2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiroalkane monomers had measured net enthalpies greater than those containing 1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspiroalkane monomers, and above those calculated for addition of an inert diluent; (b) all formulations containing tetraoxaspiroalkane monomers exhibited photopolymerization stress values that were 40,99% less than the nonaddition control; (c) the formulation containing a 1,5,7,11-tetraoxaspiroalkane monomer with an oxirane functionality had mechanical properties that were not significantly different from the nonaddition control. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source] COVPROC method: strategy in modeling dynamic systemsJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 2 2003Satu-Pia Reinikainen Abstract A new procedure to select subsets in sequential dynamic systems is presented. Subsets of variables and samples to be included in a PLS model are considered. The approach is a combination of PLS analysis and standard regression methods. It is based on the H-principle of mathematical modeling, and therefore the aim is to balance improvement in fit and precision. One of the main aspects in the subset selection procedure is to keep the score space as large and as sensible as possible to gain a stable model. The procedure is described mathematically and demonstrated for a dynamic industrial case. The method is simple to apply and the motivation of the procedure is obvious for industrial applications. It can be used e.g. when modeling on-line systems. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Nociceptive and behavioural sensitisation by protein kinase C, signalling in the CNSJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2008Kristof Van Kolen Abstract Despite the apparent homology in the protein kinase C (PKC) family, it has become clear that slight structural differences are sufficient to have unique signalling properties for each individual isoform. For PKC, in depth investigation of these aspects revealed unique actions in the CNS and lead to development of specific modulators with clinical perspective. In this review, we describe to which extent PKC, is distinct from other isoforms on the level of tissue expression and protein structure. As this kinase is highly expressed in the brain, we outline three main aspects of PKC, signalling in the CNS. First, its ability to alter the permeability of N-type Ca2+ channels in dorsal root ganglia has been shown to enhance nociception. Secondly, PKC, increases anxiety by diminishing GABAAR-induced inhibitory post-synaptic currents in the prefrontal cortex. Another important aspect of the latter inhibition is the reduced sensitivity of GABAA receptors to ethanol, a mechanism potentially contributing to abuse. A third signalling cascade improves cognitive functions by facilitating cholinergic signalling in the hippocampus. Collectively, these findings point to a physical and behavioural sensitising role for this kinase. [source] The dynamics between structure and flexibility in constant observation of psychiatric inpatients with suicidal ideationJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 5 2005G. B. VRÅLE rn cand.mag The aim of the study is to describe how expert nurses perform constant observation of patients with suicidal ideation. A qualitative content analysis is used to analyse individual and focus group interviews of five nurses. One main finding is identified: organizing phases and transitional phases formed during constant observation and the creation of a therapeutic relation. The findings are explained and discussed. In summary, the findings show that constant observation of inpatients with suicidal ideation seems to consist of two main aspects. One refers to its phases and consists primarily of assessing the need for control and controlling the patient from self-harm. The other aspect refers to the relationship between the nurse and the patient during a period of constant observation. There is a dynamic relation between structure and flexibility, and between control and the development of a therapeutic relationship between the patient and the nurse. The therapeutic relation is important when staff assess the need to continue round-the-clock observation. [source] Organizing and delivering training for acute mental health services: a discussion paperJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2005P. E. BEE phd bsc Recent policy statements that address the quality of care provided by acute mental health services have highlighted an urgent need for specialist nurse education and training. However, examples of how to design and implement such training initiatives are sparse. Drawing on recent experience of developing an innovative training programme for acute psychiatric settings, this paper seeks to examine some of the key issues associated with current training provision for acute inpatient mental health workers. The methodological and practical concerns surrounding this type of initiative are discussed with the main aspects of programme content, service user participation, team training and organizational challenges being explored. Resulting from this work, several recommendations regarding the content, organization and delivery of future training initiatives are made. [source] Dworkin's Theory of LawPHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007Dale Smith Ronald Dworkin is one of the most important, and one of the most controversial, contemporary legal philosophers. This article elucidates the main aspects of Dworkin's theory of law, discussing both his key criticisms of legal positivism and his own positive views about law. The article also briefly examines some of the major controversies surrounding Dworkin's theory of law, such as the debates arising out of his right answer thesis and semantic sting argument. [source] Comparing services: a survey of leading issues in the sectoral literaturesPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 3 2006Dominique Moran Abstract This article locates the following sector articles in a review of recent research into government interventions in the non-state provision (NSP) of education, health, water and sanitation. Non-state providers (NSPs) are defined here to include all those existing outside the public sector, whether they operate for profit or for philanthropic purposes. Operators may be communities, NGOs, faith-based organisations (FBOs), private companies, small-scale informal providers or individual practitioners. The article prefaces this Symposium by discussing the extent of previous research and identifying gaps in the literature with regard to key issues regarding NSP. It deals with state intervention and the state/non-state relationship in service provision, considering the main aspects of this relationship that are covered in the sector articles: policy dialogue and government capacity to regulate and facilitate, and to contract NSPs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Special relativity in the 21st century,ANNALEN DER PHYSIK, Issue 9-10 2008S. Cacciatori Abstract This paper, which is meant to be a tribute to Minkowski's geometrical insight, rests on the idea that the basic observed symmetries of spacetime homogeneity and of isotropy of space, which are displayed by the spacetime manifold in the limiting situation in which the effects of gravity can be neglected, leads to a formulation of special relativity based on the appearance of two universal constants: a limiting speed c and a cosmological constant , which measures a residual curvature of the universe, which is not ascribable to the distribution of matter-energy. That these constants should exist is an outcome of the underlying symmetries and is confirmed by experiments and observations, which furnish their actual values. Specifically, it turns out on these foundations that the kinematical group of special relativity is the de Sitter group dS(c, ,) = SO(1,4). On this basis, we develop at an elementary classical and, hopefully, sufficiently didactical level the main aspects of the theory of special relativity based on SO(1,4) (de Sitter relativity). As an application, we apply the formalism to an intrinsic formulation of point particle kinematics describing both inertial motion and particle collisions and decays. [source] Complexity of Anti-immunosenescence Strategies in HumansARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 10 2006Miriam Capri Abstract:, Immunosenescence is characterized by three main aspects: (i) the shrinkage of the T cell repertoire and the accumulation of oligoclonal expansions (megaclones) of memory/effector cells directed toward ubiquitary infectious agents; (ii) the involution of the thymus and the exhaustion of naïve T cells; and (iii) a chronic inflammatory status called inflamm-aging. We present here possible strategies to counteract these main aspects of immunosenescence in humans with particular attention to the reduction of antigenic load by pathogens, such as CMV, and the normalization of intestinal microflora, the possible utilization of IL-7 to reverse thymic involution, the purging of megaclones, the forced expression of CD28 on T lymphocytes, the reduction of inflamm-aging and the administration of nutrients such as vitamin D. Possible drawbacks of all these strategies are discussed. Finally, the complexity of a rejuvenation approach is stressed, with particular attention to the inhibitory role played by the "old microenvironment" on the performance of progenitor cells, the best candidate to counteract the decline in regenerative potential characteristic of organs and tissues from old organisms. [source] Efficient Simultaneous Dry Removal of SO2 and NOx from Flue Gas over Copper-Based Catalytic MaterialsASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 5-6 2000Gabriele Centi The combined removal of SO2 (DeSOx) and NOx (DeNOx) from flue gas of power plants can be efficiently realized with a dry process using copper-based sorbent-catalysts which oxidize-adsorb SO2 in the form of an easily regenerable copper-sulphate and catalyze the reduction of NO in the presence of NH3/O2. This contribution reviews the results on this topic, discussing in particular the following main aspects: (i) Sorption and catalytic chemistry of the process, (ii) Development and features of the copper-based sorbent-catalyst. (iii) Optimization of the reaction conditions. (iv) Kinetic models of the sorption and catalytic behavior and role of the textural properties of the catalyst, (v) Flowsheet and economics of the process, (vi) Behavior in extended operations and life time cycles. The key features of the technology and its fields of application are also discussed. [source] Experimental and Mechanism Studies on a Different-Velocity Circulating Fluidized Bed for Flue Gas DesulfurizationASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 3-4 2000Y. H. Wu Experimental studies of flue gas desulfurization were carried out in a different-velocity circulating fluidized bed reactor, using dry slaked lime as the sorbent. S02 removal efficiency could be as greater than 80% when the Ca/S molar ratio was 1.1, and when a small amount of water was added into the process. By considering the main aspects that influence desulfurization efficiency in the experiment, it was found that the water sprayed into the reactor plays an important role. In addition, a preliminary investigation was performed on the desulfurization mechanism. The desulfurization reaction occurs quickly in the water film on the surface of the sorbent. [source] Sexual selection and animal personalityBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 2 2010Wiebke Schuett Consistent individual behavioural tendencies, termed "personalities", have been identified in a wide range of animals. Functional explanations for personality have been proposed, but as yet, very little consideration has been given to a possible role for sexual selection in maintaining differences in personality and its stability within individuals. We provide an overview of the available literature on the role of personality traits in intrasexual competition and mate choice in both human and non-human animals and integrate this into a framework for considering how sexual selection can generate and maintain personality. For this, we consider the evolution and maintenance of both main aspects of animal personality: inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency. [source] Continual Reassessment Method for Ordered GroupsBIOMETRICS, Issue 2 2003John O'Quigley Summary We investigate the two-group continual reassessment method for a dose-finding study in which we anticipate some ordering between the groups. This is a situation in which, for either group, we have little or almost no knowledge about which of the available dose levels will correspond to the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), but we may have quite strong knowledge concerning which of the two groups will have the higher level of MTD, if indeed they do not have the same MTD. The motivation for studying this problem came from an investigation into a new therapy for acute leukemia in children. The background to this study is discussed. There were two groups of patients: one group already received heavy prior therapy while the second group had received relatively much lighter prior therapy. It was therefore anticipated that the second group would have an MTD higher or at least as high as the first. Generally, likelihood methods or, equivalently, the use of noninformative Bayes priors, can be used to model the main aspects of the study, i.e., the MTD for one of the groups, reserving more informative Bayes modeling to be applied to the secondary features of the study. These secondary features may simply be the direction of the difference between the MTD levels for the two groups or, possibly, information on the potential gap between the two MTDs. [source] Patterns of Floristic Differentiation among Atlantic Forests in Southeastern Brazil and the Influence of Climate,BIOTROPICA, Issue 4b 2000Ary T. Oliveira-Filho ABSTRACT The tree flora of southeastern Brazilian Atlantic forests was investigated according to two main aspects: (a) the variations in floristic composition of bodi rain and semi-deciduous forests were analyzed in terms of geographic and climatic variables by performing multivariate analyses on 125 existing floristic checklists; and (b) the links of both rain and semi-deciduous forests to Amazonian forests and Cerrados (woody savanna) were assessed. All analyses were performed at the species, genus, and family levels. The information obtained for the 125 forest areas was organized into an environmental database containing geographic and climatic records, and a floristic database containing binary presence records for 2532 species, 520 genera, and 106 families. Canonical correspondence analyses (CCA) were utilized to assess the relationship between geographic and climatic variables, and tree flora composition. Venn diagrams and cluster analyses were used to assess the floristic links to Amazonian forests and Cerrados. The following patterns were detected at all three taxonomic levels: (a) the differentiation between rain and semi-deciduous forests is floristically consistent and strongly correlated with rainfall regime, although transitions may be abrupt to gradual; (b) a north,south differentiation exists for both rain and semi-deciduous forests, probably caused by variations in both temperature and rainfall regime; (c) The flora of semi-deciduous forests also changes with increasing distance from the ocean and the associated increasing rainfall seasonality; and (d) elevation and associated temperatures are strongly correlated with the internal differentiation of both rain and semi-deciduous forests. To a considerable extent, the tree flora of semi-deciduous forests is a subset of the rain forest flora, probably extracting species that are able to cope with a longer dry season. There is greater floristic similarity at the species level between Atlantic rain and semi-deciduous forests than between any of these and either Amazonian rain forests or Cerrados. Nevertheless, semi-deciduous forests and Cerrados show stronger links, particularly at the generic and familial levels. Therefore, rhere is little floristic ground for viewing Atlantic rain forests as being closer to their Amazonian counterparts than to the adjacent semi-deciduous forests. The most appropriate view of rain and semi-deciduous forests in southeastern Brazil is that of a continuum in tree species distribution. We suggest that the definition of Atlantic forests should be as comprehensive as that of Amazonian forests. RESUMO A flora arbórea das florestas Atlãnticas do sudeste do Brasil é investigada sob dois aspectos principals: (a) as varia¸ões em composi¸ão florística de florestas ombrófilas e semidecíduas são analisadas sob a ótica de variáveis geográficas e climáticas por meio de análises multivariadas de 125 listagens florísticas existentes na literatura; e (b) os la¸os das florestas ombrófilas e semidecíduas com as florestas Amazõnicas e cerrados são avaliados. Todas análises foram feitas nos níveis de espécie, gênero e família. A informa¸ão obtida para as 125 áreas de floresta foi organizada em um banco de dados ambientais, contendo registros geográficos e climáticos, e um banco de dados florísticos, contendo registros binários de presen¸a para 2532 espécies, 520 gêneros e 106 famílias. Análises de correspondência canõnica (ACC) foram utilizadas para avaliar as rela¸ões entre variáveis geográficas e climáticas e a composi¸ão da flora arbórea. Diagramas de Venn e análises de agrupamento foram utilizados para avaliar os la¸os florísticos com florestas Amazõnicas e cerrados. Os seguintes padrões foram detectados para todos os níveis taxonõmicos: (a) A diferencia¸ão entre florestas ombrófilas e semidecíduas é floristicamente consistente e fortemente correlacionada com o regime de chuvas, embora as transi¸ões possam ser abruptas a graduais; (b) Há uma diferencia¸ão norte-sul tanto para florestas ombrófilas como semidecíduas, provavelmente causada por varia¸ões em temperatura e regime de chuvas; (c) A flora das florestas semidecíduas também muda com a distãncia do oceano e o correspondente aumento da dura¸ão da esta¸ão seca; e (d) Altitude e suas correspondentes varia¸ões de temperatura são fortemente correlacionadas com a diferencia¸ão interna tanto das florestas ombrófilas como semidecíduas. A flora arbórea das florestas semidecíduas é, em boa medida, um sub-conjunto da flora das florestas ombrófilas, provavelmente extraindo espécies capazes de enfrentar uma esta¸ão seca mais prolongada. Há mais similaridade florística, no nível de espécies, entre florestas Atlãnticas ombrófilas e semidecíduas do que entre qualquer destas e as florestas Amazõnicas, ou mesmo os cerrados. No entanto, florestas semidecíduas e cerrados mostram la¸os florísticos mais fortes, particularmente nos níveis de gênero e família. Portanto, há pouco fundamento florístico para se pensar nas florestas ombrófilas Atlãnticas como mais próximas de suas correspondentes Amazõnicas do que de suas vizinhas semidecíduas. A abordagem mais correta para florestas ombrófilas e semidecíduas do sudeste brasileiro é de um contínue de distribui¸ão de espécies. Sugerimos, portanto, que a defini¸ão de florestas Atlãnticas deve ser tão abrangente quanto a das florestas Amazõnicas. [source] Semantic learning designs: recording assumptions and guidelinesBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Miguel-Angel Sicilia Recent developments in the standardisation of learning technology have resulted in models of learning activities and resources including descriptive metadata and definitions of conditional flows for multirole activities. Nonetheless, such learning designs are actually representations of the results of the design process and do not provide information about the rationale of the design, ie, about the theoretical standpoints, assumptions or guidelines applied to come up with the concrete arrangement of activities. These latter elements are critical not only for informative reasons, but as a medium towards the end of connecting theories and hypotheses to actual practice and analysing the resulting empirical data as a form of inquiry on the validity of theoretical assumptions. This paper delineates the main aspects of a schema for the recording of such design rationales using an ontological approach. The method for the engineering of the schema was based on connecting the definitions provided with an existing large ontological base, thus reusing a large amount of common sense knowledge. Two paradigmatic example positions of the range of aspects that could be covered by the representation language are described as an illustration. The resulting ontological definitions can be used as a foundation for the refinement of theoretical positions and for their comparative assessment. [source] Modeling hERG and its Interactions with Drugs: Recent Advances in Light of Current Potassium Channel SimulationsCHEMMEDCHEM, Issue 4 2008Maurizio Recanatini Prof. Abstract The hERG K+ channel is responsible for the rapid delayed rectifier current in cardiac myocytes, and a block of its functioning may be related with the (inherited or drug-induced) long QT syndrome. For this reason, in recent times, some interest has arisen around computational studies aimed at developing hERG/drug models for the prediction of drug binding (docking) modes, in view of the assessment of the hERG blocking potential. On the other hand, voltage-gated K+ channels have been the subject of molecular simulations for several years, and rigorous protocols for studying the main aspects of their functions (permeation, gating, voltage sensing) have been published. In this article, we briefly introduce these classical computational works on K+ channels, and then review in depth the reports on the latest advanced modeling studies on hERG. The aim is to put the hERG modeling work in the more general context of the ion channel simulations field, to show the peculiarity of hERG on the one side, and also to indicate some possible new avenues in the use of modeling techniques to increase our knowledge of this important channel. [source] Commercial and sexual exploitation of children and young people in the UK,a reviewCHILD ABUSE REVIEW, Issue 1 2005Elaine Chase Abstract This paper reviews recent information and data relevant to the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people in the UK. Three main aspects of exploitation are addressed: abuse through prostitution; abuse through pornography; and the trafficking of children and young people to and through the UK for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Most published research in this area relates to young people exploited through prostitution. The review explores the range of vulnerability factors, the processes used to engage young people in prostitution and the types of support strategies for those being exploited. Rather less information is currently available on the scale of child pornography, or the links between the use of pornography and other forms of sexual abuse. The internet as a modern technology for proliferating child pornography is discussed, alongside its role in providing opportunities for paedophiles to access and ,groom' children for sexual purposes. Finally, the review provides a summary of research on trafficking of children to and through the UK for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and demonstrates the limited knowledge about this topic. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Evaluation of the Clinical Anatomy Program in the Medical School of Porto by two cohorts of studentsCLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 1 2002M.A.F. Tavares Abstract The discipline of Clinical Anatomy, as introduced in the Medical School of Porto in academic year 1995/96, involved major changes in the way we teach anatomy to medical students, by adopting a clinically oriented approach. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the opinion of second-year medical students enrolled in the program concerning main aspects of the discipline in two consecutive years; 84% of the students returned the questionnaire in 1996/97, and 70% in 1997/98. Students were asked about the level of their approval of the organization of the discipline, the role of the teaching staff, lectures, practical sessions, educational media, and continuous and summative assessments. For items replicated in both academic years, the means of the sum of scores in each year were compared (Student's t -distribution). Whenever a significant difference was found, changes in individual items were tested (chi-square distribution). The evaluation of the discipline in each of the two years was highly favorable for most of the parameters analyzed. Clin. Anat. 15:56,61, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||