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Third Type (third + type)
Selected AbstractsCorporate social responsibility in Dutch industryCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004Jacqueline Cramer This article addresses the experiences gained by 19 Dutch companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR). These companies joined the programme ,From financial to sustainable profit' of the National Initiative for Sustainable Development (NIDO), which ran from May 2000 until December 2002. They focused on two issues: assessing the added value of corporate social responsibility and implementing a structured approach. The Dutch experiment showed that the companies involved were able to specify the added value of CSR by elaborating the economic performance and/or parenting advantage. Unfortunately, a third type of value creation, viz. through protecting the company's reputation, was not elaborated. Moreover, the experiment revealed that among the 19 participating companies experiences were limited in implementing a structured approach towards CSR. By exchanging experiences the companies learned from each other. Such interactive learning turned out to be a helpful support, complementary to the general CSR literature on guidelines, indicators and best practice guides. Although this literature is rapidly growing, knowledge is still lacking in structuring CSR. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Pseudomonas aeruginosa quinolone signal (PQS) has an iron-chelating activityENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 8 2006Florian Bredenbruch Summary Virulence factor production and the development of biofilms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been shown to be regulated by two hierarchically organized quorum-sensing systems activated by two types of small acyl-homoserine lactone signal molecules. Recently, a third type of bacterial signal molecule, the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), has been identified, which positively regulates a subset of genes dependent on the quorum-sensing systems. However, the molecular mechanism underlying PQS signalling has remained poorly understood. In this study the global transcriptional profile of P. aeruginosa in response to PQS revealed a marked upregulation of genes belonging to the tightly interdependent functional groups of the iron acquisition and the oxidative stress response. Remarkably, most of the differentially regulated genes, as well as the induction of rhlR, could be traced back to an iron-chelating effect of PQS. Our results amount to the elucidation of how PQS affects P. aeruginosa and have important implications for the understanding of the complex regulatory circuits involved in P. aeruginosa gene regulation. [source] Mixed-species bird flocks in dipterocarp forest of north-central Burma (Myanmar)IBIS, Issue 4 2001DAVID I. KING We studied the bird community in deciduous, dipterocarp forest of north-central Burma (Myanmar) during December 1994, March 1996, and January 1997 and 1999. Most members of this community participated in mixed-species flocks. Seventy-three flocks were encountered during our study, containing 52 species. Of these, 25 species occurred in more than 10% of flocks, and were included in our analyses. There were 26 significant correlations among species pairs, 25 of which were positive. Cluster analysis indicated that there were three principal types of flocks: one consisting mostly of small passerines and picids, commonly including Common Wood-Shrike, Small Minivet and White-browed Fantail, among others; a second type consisting mainly of sylviids, e.g. Arctic, Dusky and Radde's Warblers; and a third type which generally centred around Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes. Bird-eating hawks were numerous at these sites, and we witnessed several attacks on flocks during the study. Thus we infer that enhanced protection from predation is an important benefit conferred by flock membership. In contrast, there was little overlap in foraging behaviour among species, suggesting that foraging facilitation is a relatively minor benefit enjoyed by flock members, although we did observe White-browed Fantails and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos kleptoparasitizing other species on occasion. [source] Cytotoxic effects of polychlorinated biphenyl hydroquinone metabolites in rat hepatocytesJOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 2 2010Katie Chan Abstract Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that exhibit various toxic effects in animals and exposed human populations. The molecular mechanisms of PCB toxicity have been attributed to the toxicological properties of its metabolites, such as hydroquinones, formed by cytochrome-P-450 oxidation. The effects of PCB hydroquinone metabolites towards freshly isolated rat hepatocytes were investigated. Hydroquinones can be oxidized to semiquinones and/or quinone metabolites. These metabolites can conjugate glutathione or can oxidize glutathione as a result of redox cycling. This depletes hepatocyte glutathione, which can inhibit cellular defence mechanisms, causing cell death and an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress. However in the following, glutathione-depleted hepatocytes became more resistant to the hydroquinone metabolites of PCBs. This suggested that their glutathione conjugates were toxic and that there was a third type of quinone toxicity mechanism which involved a hydrogen peroxide-accelerated autoxidation of the hydroquinones to form toxic electrophilic quinone and semiquinone,glutathione conjugates. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 7-8 2005Martin Grosjean Abstract Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has been found between 12,600 and 10,200,cal.,yr,BP. The new site at Salar Punta Negra (24°28,S/60°53,W/2976,m) includes about 1000 classifiable, mostly unifacial artefacts and, uniquely, three different diagnostic types of early projectile points. Two of the Lateglacial/early Holocene projectile types have wide distribution and are known from different geographical areas in South America: the Palaeoindian ,Fell' fish-tail point mainly from the southern cone of South America, and the triangular ,Tuina' points typical of the Puna of the south-central Andes in northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. In addition, we found a third type, a stemmed point typical for the Salar Punta Negra. Filling a large geographical gap of ,Fell' occupation, the site at Salar Punta Negra provides evidence for generally much higher mobility and diversity of early cultures, and supports an Andean-Pacific route for early human exploration of South America to the south through the desert at intermediate altitudes. Contemporaneous high-amplitude climatic changes were fundamental preconditions to provide adequate environments and habitats, and to make Palaeoindian hunting-gathering occupation possible in the Atacama Desert. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Impact of Surplus Distribution on the Risk Exposure of With Profit Life Insurance Policies Including Interest Rate GuaranteesJOURNAL OF RISK AND INSURANCE, Issue 3 2007Alexander Kling This article analyzes the numerical impact of different surplus distribution mechanisms on the risk exposure of a life insurance company selling with profit life insurance policies with a cliquet-style interest rate guarantee. Three representative companies are considered, each using a different type of surplus distribution: a mechanism, where the guaranteed interest rate also applies to surplus that has been credited in the past, a slightly less restrictive type in which a guaranteed rate of interest of 0 percent applies to past surplus, and a third mechanism that allows for the company to use former surplus in order to compensate for underperformance in "bad" years. Although at the outset all contracts offer the same guaranteed benefit at maturity, a distribution mechanism of the third type yields preferable results with respect to the considered risk measure. In particular, throughout the analysis, our representative company 3 faces ceteris paribus a significantly lower shortfall risk than the other two companies. Offering "strong" guarantees puts companies at a significant competitive disadvantage relative to insurers providing only the third type of surplus distribution mechanism. [source] Properties of ion channels in the protoplasts of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanicaPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 3 2004A. CARPANETO ABSTRACT Posidonia oceanica (L) Delile, a seagrass endemic of the Mediterranean sea, provides food and shelter to marine organisms. As environment contamination and variation in physico-chemical parameters may compromise the survival of the few Posidonia genotypes living in the Mediterranean, comprehending the molecular mechanisms controlling Posidonia growth and development is increasingly important. In the present study the properties of ion channels in P. oceanica plasma membranes studied by the patch-clamp technique in protoplasts obtained from the young non-photosynthetic leaves were investigated. In protoplasts that were presumably originated from sheath cells surrounding the vascular bundles of the leaves, an outward-rectifying time-dependent channel with a single channel conductance of 58 ± 2 pS which did not inactivate, was selective for potassium and impermeable to monovalent cations such as Na+, Li+ and Cs+ was identified. In the same protoplasts, an inward-rectifying channel that has a time-dependent component with single channel conductance of the order of 10 pS, a marked selectivity for potassium and no permeation to sodium was also identified, as was a third type of channel that did not display any ionic selectivity and was reversibly inhibited by tetraethylammonium and lanthanum. A comparison of Posidonia channel characteristics with channels identified in terrestrial plants and other halophytic plants is included. [source] Characterization of grooves in scratch resistance testingPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 10 2008Witold Brostow For a number of polymers with different chemical structures and different properties we have determined scratch resistance and sliding wear (15 scratches along the same groove). We have measured cross section areas after scratching, namely the groove and side top-ridge areas. Nanohardness after scratching was determined using nanoindentation testing both inside and outside the scratching and sliding wear grooves. Three modes of sliding wear are seen: plowing, cutting with debris formation, and densification. The dominating mode depends on the material and is reflected in nanohardness. In polycarbonate (PC) the nanohardness inside and outside the groove are practically the same; the indenter just plows the material aside without debris formation or densification. Thus, the old measure of wear as the weight of the debris formed is not usable for PC; grooves are present but there is no loosened material. By contrast, in brittle materials such as polystyrene there is debris formation and nanohardness inside the groove decreases after 15 scratching runs. A third type of behavior is seen in polyethylene and polypropylene, namely densification caused by scratching; as a result, nanohardness inside the groove increases after 15 passes of the indenter. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Three characteristic reactions of alkynes with metal compounds in organic synthesisAPPLIED ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2008Iwao Omae Abstract Alkynes have two sets of mutually orthogonal ,-bonds that are different from the ,-bonds of alkenes. These ,-bonds are able to bond with transition metal compounds. Alkynes easily bond with the various kinds of compounds having a ,-bond such as carbon monoxide, alkenes, other alkynes and nitriles in the presence of the transition metal compounds. The most representative reaction of alkynes is called the Pauson,Khand reaction. The Pauson,Khand reactions include the cyclization of alkynes with alkenes and carbon monoxide in the presence of cobalt carbonyls. Similar Pauson,Khand reactions also proceed in the presence of other transition metal compounds. These reactions are the first type of characteristic reaction of alkynes. Other various kinds of cyclizations with alkynes also proceed in the presence of the transition metal compounds. These reactions are the second type of characteristic reaction of alkynes. These include cyclooligomerizations and cycloadditions. The cyclooligomerizations include mainly cyclotrimerizations and cyclotetramerizations, and the cycloadditions are [2 + 2], [2 + 2 + 1], [2 + 2 + 2], [3 + 2], [4 + 2], etc., type cycloadditions. Alkynes are fairly reactive because of the high s character of their ,-bonds. Therefore, simple coupling reactions with alkynes also proceed besides the cyclizations. The coupling reactions are the third type of characteristic reactions of alkynes in the presence of, mainly, the transition metal compounds. These reactions include carbonylations, dioxycarbonylations, Sonogashira reactions, coupling reactions with aldehydes, ketones, alkynes, alkenes and allyl compounds. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The absence of apoeccrine glands in the human axilla has disease pathogenetic implications, including axillary hyperhidrosisBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2007D.L. Bovell Summary Background, The existence of a third type of sweat gland in human axillary skin, the apoeccrine gland, with a capacity to produce much higher sweat output than the eccrine gland, was proposed from examination of microdissected glands. However, previous studies of axillary skin glands did not examine the entire individual glandular structure via serial sections and the markers used to identify the different glands gave conflicting results and, hence, the existence of the apoeccrine gland remains controversial. Objectives, To investigate human axillary sweat glands by serial section histology and immunofluorescence. Methods, Human axillary sweat glands were investigated by serial sectioning of paraffin wax-embedded skin samples taken by biopsy from four male and six female volunteers (age range 20,35 years). Sections were examined by light microscopy and immunofluorescence, using antibodies to antigens reported to be markers for discriminating between eccrine and apocrine gland cells: CD15, CD44, S100 and human milk fat globulin. Results, Light microscopy demonstrated that there were hair follicles and a mean ± SD of 76 ± 14 sweat glands cm,2. Eccrine and apocrine glands were found to be present; however, no glands resembling the apoeccrine glands were detected. Both types of sweat gland exhibited signs of being active, with segments of the secretory coils displaying flattened cells and dilated glandular lumina; however, this dilation did not extend to obvious changes in the width of the gland. None of the eccrine glands exhibited evidence of the presence of apocrine cells or vice versa. Immunofluorescence markers were found not to be specific and did not discriminate between the different types of glands or demonstrate the presence of apoeccrine glands. Conclusions, This is the first time that serial sections of axillary skin have been examined by histology and immunofluorescence. The markers reported to discriminate between apocrine and eccrine glands were found to be nonspecific. No evidence of apoeccrine glands was found either by histology or by immunofluorescence. [source] Hepatic intraductal oncocytic papillary carcinomaCANCER, Issue 10 2002Robert C. G. Martin M.D. Abstract BACKGROUND There has been an increasing incidence and mortality from peripheral cholangiocarcinoma (PC) in the United States over the past 24 years. PC has been classified into two principal types, a mass-forming type and a periductal-infiltrating type, with a significant difference in the clinical behavior between the two. A third type, demonstrating a noninvasive intraductal growth of PC, was described as papillary PC. Rarely, papillary hepatic tumors composed of oncocytic cells have been described. Intraductal oncocytic papillary carcinomas (IOPCs) of the liver present as large, mucin-filled, cystic lesions lined by noninvasive or focally microinvasive oncocytic tumors. METHODS From June 1999 to August 2001, three patients with hepatic IOPCs were identified in the files of the Hepatobiliary Service, Department of Surgery, and the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. They form the basis of this study. We report the clinicopathologic presentation, as well as the outcome, with a review of the literature. RESULTS All three cases presented with well defined intrahepatic cystic masses ranging in size from 7.2 to 21.1 cm. The most prominent cells of the lining epithelium were columnar with oncocytic features showing abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and centrally located nucleoli. All three patients underwent resection with one demonstrating local bile duct recurrence that was managed with stenting. Review of the literature has identified 39 patients with papillary PC and 2 patients with IOPC. The biology of these reported cases has been variable with overall survival better than that of nonpapillary PC patients, with recurrence in 15% of the reported cases. CONCLUSION Papillary PC is a rare type of cholangiocarcinoma that includes an interesting variant: IOPC. These tumors are predominantly found in men, who present with large (> 5 cm) mucinous cystic lesions of the bile duct. A noninvasive histology is seen, and long-term survival may be achieved with complete resection. Invasive variants of IOPC have been reported in the literature and have a worse overall prognosis. Cancer 2002;95:2180,7. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10934 [source] | |||||||||||||||||||