Many Examples (many + example)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Research and development at the health and social care interface in primary care: a scoping exercise in one National Health Service region

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2002
Jo Cooke MA
Abstract The present project aimed to identify research activity at the health and social care interface in primary care within one National Health Service region, and to determine levels of research capacity and support within social services. The study was commissioned by a primary care research network (PCRN) in order to assess opportunities to increase research capacity within social services. Data were collected in two phases from 61 managers, team leaders and senior practitioners in social care, and six public health representatives in health authorities, using telephone interviews and focus groups. The findings highlighted a lack of infrastructure and support for research and development in social care. However, many social care respondents wanted opportunities to develop research skills with healthcare colleagues. Despite poor support, many small-scale projects were described, and many respondents showed an enthusiasm for engaging with research. Methods in use included surveys, action research, needs analysis and evaluation of service developments. Many examples of user involvement were given. Interface projects were usually instigated by interagency forums and funded from multiple sources. Most project work was motivated by service improvement or development, rather than aiming to produce generalisable knowledge. Barriers to conducting research included lack of confidence, research skills and time, as well as workload demands, lack of cover to release staff for research and lack of supervision. Research was not seen as legitimate work in some social care environments or as part of a career path. Existing joint working initiatives (such as the National Service Frameworks) were highlighted as flashpoints for potential research and evaluation activity. The findings suggest clear opportunities for PCRNs to develop research capacity at the interface with social care; for example, by signposting available resources, providing training grants and secondments for social care staff, and supporting interagency networks with a focus on evaluation. In turn, experience in promoting user involvement in social services could add value to research expertise at the primary care,social care interface. [source]


Regioselective Reactions on a Chiral Substrate Controlled by the Configuration of a Chiral Catalyst

ADVANCED SYNTHESIS & CATALYSIS (PREVIOUSLY: JOURNAL FUER PRAKTISCHE CHEMIE), Issue 2-3 2010
Raju Ranjith Kumar
Abstract A racemic mixture may be partially transformed in the presence of a chiral catalyst by kinetic resolution and formation of products with new structural features. If the starting material is fully consumed the products may still be enantiomerically enriched. The situation is summarized in the Introduction. A brief discussion on the regioselective transformations occurring on a racemic mixture under the influence of a chiral catalyst is presented in Section 2. Often stereo-differences occur, each enantiomer of the starting material resulting in a different product. It allows one to predict what the behaviour of some enantiopure substrates should be in presence of each of the enantiomers of a chiral catalyst. Many examples are presented in Section 3. The chiral substrates under consideration have two different reacting sites, usually of the same nature (OH, CC, allylic positions, CH for carbene insertion, epoxide fragment, etc.). In some cases the absolute configuration of the catalyst allows an excellent control of the regioselectivity. This approach is promising for the selective transformation of chiral molecules. [source]


Gain,bandwidth limitations of microwave transistor

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2002
Filiz Güne
Abstract This work enables one to obtain the potential gain (GT) characteristics with the associated source (ZS) and load (ZL) termination functions, depending upon the input mismatching (Vi), noise (F), and the device operation parameters, which are the configuration type (CT), bias conditions (VDS, IDS), and operation frequency (f). All these functions can straightforwardly provide the following main properties of the device for use in the design of microwave amplifiers with optimum performance: the extremum gain functions (GT max, GT min) and their associated ZS, ZL terminations for the Vi and F couple and the CT, VDS, IDS, and f operation parameters of the device point by point; all the compatible performance (F, voltage,standing wave ratio Vi, GT) triplets within the physical limits of the device, which are F , Fmin, Vi , 1, GT min , GT , GT max, together with their ZS, ZL termination functions; and the potential operation frequency bandwidth for a selected performance (F, Vi, GT) triplet. The selected performance triplet and termination functions can be realized together with their potential operation bandwidth using the novel amplifier design techniques. Many examples are presented for the potential gain characteristics of the chosen low-noise or ordinary types of transistor. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 12, 483,495, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mmce.10049 [source]


Design and statistical analysis of oral medicine studies: common pitfalls

ORAL DISEASES, Issue 3 2010
L Baccaglini
Oral Diseases (2010) 16, 233,241 A growing number of articles are emerging in the medical and statistics literature that describe epidemiologic and statistical flaws of research studies. Many examples of these deficiencies are encountered in the oral, craniofacial, and dental literature. However, only a handful of methodologic articles have been published in the oral literature warning investigators of potential errors that may arise early in the study and that can irreparably bias the final results. In this study, we briefly review some of the most common pitfalls that our team of epidemiologists and statisticians has identified during the review of submitted or published manuscripts and research grant applications. We use practical examples from the oral medicine and dental literature to illustrate potential shortcomings in the design and analysis of research studies, and how these deficiencies may affect the results and their interpretation. A good study design is essential, because errors in the analysis can be corrected if the design was sound, but flaws in study design can lead to data that are not salvageable. We recommend consultation with an epidemiologist or a statistician during the planning phase of a research study to optimize study efficiency, minimize potential sources of bias, and document the analytic plan. [source]


METAMODELS AND PHYLOGENETIC REPLICATION: A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO THE EVOLUTION OF DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS

EVOLUTION, Issue 11 2009
Artyom Kopp
Molecular genetic analysis of phenotypic variation has revealed many examples of evolutionary change in the developmental pathways that control plant and animal morphology. A major challenge is to integrate the information from diverse organisms and traits to understand the general patterns of developmental evolution. This integration can be facilitated by evolutionary metamodels,traits that have undergone multiple independent changes in different species and whose development is controlled by well-studied regulatory pathways. The metamodel approach provides the comparative equivalent of experimental replication, allowing us to test whether the evolution of each developmental pathway follows a consistent pattern, and whether different pathways are predisposed to different modes of evolution by their intrinsic organization. A review of several metamodels suggests that the structure of developmental pathways may bias the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution, and highlights phylogenetic replication as a value-added approach that produces deeper insights into the mechanisms of evolution than single-species analyses. [source]


PERSPECTIVE: SIGN EPISTASIS AND GENETIC COSTRAINT ON EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORIES

EVOLUTION, Issue 6 2005
Daniel M. Weinreich
Abstract Epistasis for fitness means that the selective effect of a mutation is conditional on the genetic background in which it appears. Although epistasis is widely observed in nature, our understanding of its consequences for evolution by natural selection remains incomplete. In particular, much attention focuses only on its influence on the instantaneous rate of changes in frequency of selected alleles via epistatic contribution to the additive genetic variance for fitness. Thus, in this framework epistasis only has evolutionary importance if the interacting loci are simultaneously segregating in the population. However, the selective accessibility of mutational trajectories to high fitness genotypes may depend on the genetic background in which novel mutations appear, and this effect is independent of population polymorphism at other loci. Here we explore this second influence of epistasis on evolution by natural selection. We show that it is the consequence of a particular form of epistasis, which we designate sign epistasis. Sign epistasis means that the sign of the fitness effect of a mutation is under epistatic control; thus, such a mutation is beneficial on some genetic backgrounds and deleterious on others. Recent experimental innovations in microbial systems now permit assessment of the fitness effects of individual mutations on multiple genetic backgrounds. We review this literature and identify many examples of sign epistasis, and we suggest that the implications of these results may generalize to other organisms. These theoretical and empirical considerations imply that strong genetic constraint on the selective accessibility of trajectories to high fitness genotypes may exist and suggest specific areas of investigation for future research. [source]


Nature-Society Interactions in the Pacific Islands

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES B: HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2003
Patrick D. Nunn
ABSTRACT This paper focuses on nature,society interactions in the Pacific Islands before European contact about 200 years ago. It argues that the character of early interactions was decided by both the nature of a particular island environment and the intentions of the human settlers. Throughout the pre-European contact human history of the Pacific Islands, environmental changes of extraneous cause have been the main control of societal and cultural change. This environmental determinist view is defended using many examples. The contrary (and more popular) cultural determinist view of societal change in the Pacific Islands is shown to be based on largely spurious data and argument. A key example discussed is the ,AD 1300 Event', a time of rapid temperature and sea-level fall which had severe, abrupt and enduring effects on Pacific Island societies. It is important to acknowledge the role of environmental change in cultural transformation in this region. [source]


Regional Climate Models for Hydrological Impact Studies at the Catchment Scale: A Review of Recent Modeling Strategies

GEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 7 2010
Claudia Teutschbein
This article reviews recent applications of regional climate model (RCM) output for hydrological impact studies. Traditionally, simulations of global climate models (GCMs) have been the basis of impact studies in hydrology. Progress in regional climate modeling has recently made the use of RCM data more attractive, although the application of RCM simulations is challenging due to often considerable biases. The main modeling strategies used in recent studies can be classified into (i) very simple constructed modeling chains with a single RCM (S-RCM approach) and (ii) highly complex and computing-power intensive model systems based on RCM ensembles (E-RCM approach). In the literature many examples for S-RCM can be found, while comprehensive E-RCM studies with consideration of several sources of uncertainties such as different greenhouse gas emission scenarios, GCMs, RCMs and hydrological models are less common. Based on a case study using control-run simulations of fourteen different RCMs for five Swedish catchments, the biases of and the variability between different RCMs are demonstrated. We provide a short overview of possible bias-correction methods and show that inter-RCM variability also has substantial consequences for hydrological impact studies in addition to other sources of uncertainties in the modeling chain. We propose that due to model bias and inter-model variability, the S-RCM approach is not advised and ensembles of RCM simulations (E-RCM) should be used. The application of bias-correction methods is recommended, although one should also be aware that the need for bias corrections adds significantly to uncertainties in modeling climate change impacts. [source]


Application of piece-wise linear weight functions for 2D 8-node quadrilateral element in contact problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2004
Chouping Luo
Abstract The present study is a continuation of our previous work with the aim to reduce problems caused by standard higher order elements in contact problems. The difficulties can be attributed to the inherent property of the Galerkin method which gives uneven distributions of nodal forces resulting in oscillating contact pressures. The proposed remedy is use of piece-wise linear weight functions. The methods to establish stiffness and/or mass matrix for 8-node quadrilateral element in 2D are presented, i.e. the condensing and direct procedures. The energy and nodal displacement error norms are also checked to establish the convergence ratio. Interpretation of calculated contact pressures is discussed. Two new 2D 8-node quadrilateral elements, QUAD8C and QUAD8D, are derived and tested in many examples, which show their good performance in contact problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Nanobiomaterials and Nanoanalysis: Opportunities for Improving the Science to Benefit Biomedical Technologies,

ADVANCED MATERIALS, Issue 5 2008
W. Grainger
Abstract Nanomaterials advocated for biomedical applications must exhibit well-controlled surface properties to achieve optimum performance in complex biological or physiological fluids. Dispersed materials with extremely high specific surface areas require as extensive characterization as their macroscale biomaterials analogues. However, current literature is replete with many examples of nanophase materials, most notably nanoparticles, with little emphasis placed on reporting rigorous surface analysis or characterization, or in formal implementation of surface property standards needed to validate structure-property relationships for biomedical applications. Correlations of nanophase surface properties with their stability, toxicity and biodistributions are essential for in vivo applications. Surface contamination is likely, given their processing conditions and interfacial energies. Leaching adventitious adsorbates from high surface area nanomaterials is a possible toxicity mechanism. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), long known as a ubiquitous contaminant in clean room conditions, chemical synthesis and microfabrication, remains a likely culprit in nanosystems fabrication, especially in synthesis, soft lithography and contact molding methods. New standards and expectations for analyzing the interfacial properties of nanoparticles and nano-fabricated technologies are required. Surface science analytical rigor similar to that applied to biomedical devices, nanophases in microelectronics and heterogeneous catalysts should serve as a model for nanomaterials characterization in biomedical technologies. [source]


Performance measurement in industrial R&D

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 2 2000
Inge Kerssens-van Drongelen
Currently, the need for R&D performance measurements that are both practically useful and theoretically sound seems to be generally acknowledged; indeed, the rising cost of R&D, greater emphasis on value management and a trend towards decentralization are escalating the need for ways of evaluating the contribution of R&D to corporate performance. However, although recent research and writing on the subject shows that the challenge of developing such sound measurements has been taken up by many academics and organizations, it is also clear that there is no generally applicable approach. In this review, we consider various approaches for measuring the performance in industrial R&D and identify their key characteristics. We also include a brief summary of the ,history' of performance measurement in R&D, which shows that although there are some new ways of looking at the issue there are many examples from the past that can contribute to our current thinking. The approaches found in the literature and practice are very varied in their application, some being more suitable for the project level, others for the R&D department, and some for the development process or for the organization as a whole. Furthermore, the uses of the approaches tend to be different. For example, some approaches are intended to justify the continuation of investment in R&D to upper management, whilst others are more suited to support learning and self-correction by empowered R&D teams. In this paper these uses, or ,functions', of performance measurement and a taxonomy of typical subjects of measurement in R&D environments are explored. Finally, we conclude the review with a discussion of some limitations of the growing literature on R&D performance measurement. [source]


The affinity credit card as a fundraising tool for charities

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 1 2000
Christopher J. Cowton
Over the past decade or so, many examples of the charity affinity credit card have been launched in the UK. This paper reports the results of a survey of charities that collected quantitative data on the characteristics and progress of more than 20 such cards. The survey also found that several other charities were contemplating following their example, and the paper goes on to identify and discuss some of the issues that should be addressed by any charity thinking of launching its own affinity card. Copyright © 2000 Henry Stewart Publications [source]


Polydactyly in the prehistoric American Southwest

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2006
D. T. Case
Abstract General surveys of skeletal collections from Arizona for evidence of trauma and pathology led to the identification of polydactyly in two subadults. Polydactyly is a congenital condition characterised by the presence of extra digits on the hands or feet. Both affected subadults exhibit a sixth digit in the form of a branching fifth metatarsal. One of the affected individuals is an infant from the Tapia del Cerrito site exhibiting Y-shaped fifth metatarsals indicative of postaxial type A polydactyly. The second individual is a juvenile from the Nuvakwewtaqa (Chavez Pass Ruin) site exhibiting a left fifth metatarsal with a lateral branch, also diagnosed as postaxial type A polydactyly. These two cases appear to be the first examples of polydactyly from archaeological contexts identified among subadults, and bring the total number of known cases from the American Southwest to six. Discovery of so many examples of this relatively rare condition amongst the Puebloan people of the Southwest adds to the evidence that, rather than simply being an artistic motif, rock art depictions featuring hands and feet with six digits were probably inspired by observation of the condition amongst living people. Furthermore, burial treatment of the Tapia del Cerrito infant suggests that polydactyly may have conferred a special status on the bearer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Glycopeptide dendrimers, Part III,a review: Use of glycopeptide dendrimers in immunotherapy and diagnosis of cancer and viral diseases

JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008
Petr Niederhafner
Abstract Glycopeptide dendrimers containing different types of tumor associated-carbohydrate antigens (TN, TF, sialyl-TN, sialyl-TF, sialyl-Lex, sialyl-Lea etc.) were used in diagnosis and therapy of different sorts of cancer. These dendrimeric structures with incorporated T-cell epitopes and adjuvants can be used as antitumor vaccines. Best results were obtained with multiantigenic vaccines, containing, e.g. five or six different TAAs. The topic of TAAs and their dendrimeric forms at molecular level are reviewed, including structure, syntheses, and biological activities. Use of glycopeptide dendrimers as antiviral vaccines against HIV and influenza is also described. Their syntheses, physico-chemical properties, and biological activities are given with many examples. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Green polymer chemistry using nature's catalysts, enzymes

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 12 2009
Judit E. Puskas
Abstract The use of enzymes as catalysts for organic synthesis has become an increasingly attractive alternative to conventional chemical catalysis. Enzymes offer several advantages including high selectivity, ability to operate under mild conditions, catalyst recyclability, and biocompatibility. Although there are many examples in the literature involving enzymes for the synthesis of polymers, our search showed that very little had been done in the area of polymer modification. In this article, we will discuss enzyme catalysis in general and highlight our recent results concerning precision polymer functionalization using enzymatic catalysis,"green polymer chemistry." © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2959,2976, 2009 [source]


Hybridization between mtDNA-defined phylogeographic lineages of black ratsnakes (Pantherophis sp.)

MOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 12 2006
H. LISLE GIBBS
Abstract Phylogeographic analyses using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have revealed many examples of apparently deep historical subdivisions (,phylogroups') within many vertebrates. It remains unclear whether these phylogroups represent independently evolving, adaptively differentiated lineages or groups that show little functional differentiation and, hence, will merge on contact. Here, we use mtDNA sequence data to evaluate the phylogeographic relationships between two of the northernmost populations of black ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex) in Ontario, Canada and previously analysed populations in the United States. We then use population-level analyses to evaluate the level of adaptive divergence between previously established mtDNA phylogroups. Phylogenetic analyses show that southern Ontario snakes have mtDNA haplotypes that fall within the Central mtDNA phylogroup, as designated by Burbrink et al. (2000). In contrast, snakes in eastern Ontario carry either Central or Eastern-specific haplotypes. Within the hybrid region, we found highly variable frequencies of mtDNA haplotypes among isolated sub-populations, no association between variation in cytonuclear (mtDNA) and nuclear (microsatellite DNA) markers, no difference in survival or reproductive success among snakes with different mtDNA haplotypes, and no effect of mate similarity in mtDNA on female clutch size. These results argue that the Eastern and Central phylogroups have merged in this region, likely due to a lack of adaptive differentiation between individuals in each lineage. Hence, in these snakes, phylogeographic structure in mtDNA is more a reflection of historical isolation rather than adaptive divergence. The observed reticulation between lineages and lack of evidence for hybrid disgenesis also bears on the classification of these lineages as distinct species. [source]


Circadian rhythms in plants: a millennial view

PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 4 2000
C. Robertson McClung
Circadian rhythms are endogenous rhythms with periods of approximately 24 h. These rhythms are widespread both within any given organism and among diverse taxa. As genetic and molecular biological studies, primarily in a subset of model organisms, have begun to identify the components of circadian systems, there is optimism that we will soon achieve a detailed molecular understanding of circadian timing mechanisms. Although plants have provided many examples of rhythmic outputs, and our understanding of photoreceptors of circadian input pathways is well-advanced, plants have lagged behind other groups of organisms in the identification of components of the central circadian oscillator. However, there are now a number of promising candidates for components of plant circadian clocks, and it seems probable that we will soon know the details of a plant central oscillator. Moreover, there is also accumulating evidence that plants and other organisms house multiple circadian clocks, both in different tissues and, quite probably, within individual cells. This provides an unanticipated level of complexity with the potential for interaction among these multiple oscillators. [source]


Surveillance of occupational health disparities: Challenges and opportunities,,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 2 2010
Kerry Souza ScD
Abstract Increasingly, the occupational health community is turning its attention to the effects of work on previously underserved populations, and researchers have identified many examples of disparities in occupational health outcomes. However, the occupational health status of some underserved worker populations is not described due to limitations in existing surveillance systems. As such, the occupational health community has identified the need to enhance and improve occupational health surveillance to describe the nature and extent of disparities in occupational illnesses and injuries (including fatalities), identify priorities for research and intervention, and evaluate trends. This report summarizes the data sources and methods discussed at an April 2008 workshop organized by NIOSH on the topic of improving surveillance for occupational health disparities. We discuss the capability of existing occupational health surveillance systems to document occupational health disparities and to provide surveillance data on minority and other underserved communities. Use of administrative data, secondary data analysis, and the development of targeted surveillance systems for occupational health surveillance are also discussed. Identifying and reducing occupational health disparities is one of NIOSH's priority areas under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:84,94 2010. Published 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Many ways to make a gradient

BIOESSAYS, Issue 7 2004
J.C. Smith
A recent publication1 describes a novel mechanism by which a morphogen gradient might be established. These results concern a gradient of FGF8 expression along the longitudinal axis of the chick embryo with a high level of transcripts at the tail, fading off in an anterior direction. Assaying for intron transcripts, it is shown that fgf8 is transcribed only in the tail cells and that the gradient of fgf8 transcripts is produced by growth and mRNA degradation. This possible mechanism of gradient formation can operate only when growth is involved, as is the case in many examples including the longitudinal axis formation of vertebrates, but is not in some other systems. BioEssays 26:705,706, 2004. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


An overview of the Scottish multidisciplinary child protection review

CHILD & FAMILY SOCIAL WORK, Issue 3 2004
Brigid Daniel
ABSTRACT Following the murder of a young child by her stepfather a ministerial review of child protection across Scotland was established. It was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of representatives from education, health-nursing, health-medical, police, social work and the Reporter to the Children's Hearing. The review comprised a number of subprojects and included a direct audit of the practice of all the key agencies. The views of the general public, parents, children and professionals were obtained via a set of consultation subprojects. The audit of practice was built around a set of individual, in-depth case studies. The cases were drawn from the spectrum of child care and protection cases by sampling from cases known to health visitors, education departments, the police and social work departments. The audit considered compliance with guidance, but the key focus was on outcomes for children. The findings indicated that although there were many examples of good practice with children, a significant number of children were left unprotected or their needs were not met. The issues were not unique to Scotland and are discussed under four key areas. The paper sets out the extent of chronic need amongst the child population that the audit revealed, looks at the messages from consultation about issues of accessing help for children or by children directly, and describes some shortcomings of the current system. Finally the paper analyses the ways that the different agencies interact and sets out a model for how the system can provide a protective network for children who are in need of protection and support. [source]