Time Being (time + being)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Distribution and ecophysiology of the nitrifying bacteria emphasizing cultured species

FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2001
Hans-Peter Koops
Abstract Nitrification is an important factor in the global nitrogen cycle. Therefore, an increasing number of publications deal with in situ studies of natural bacterial populations participating in this process. However, some crucial points complicate suchlike investigations. At the time being, a total of 25 species of ammonia-oxidizers and eight species of nitrite-oxidizers are cultured but the existence of many more species has been indicated by molecular in situ investigations. With that, only a part of the existing nitrifiers has been defined via isolation and subsequent physiological and molecular characterization. Furthermore, the distribution patterns of the distinct species of nitrifiers depend on various environmental parameters. Hence the composition of nitrifying bacterial communities is complex and divers in heterogeneous habitats. In consequence of the above-mentioned problems, the representation of nitrifying community structures obtained from in situ investigations often has been incomplete and unbalanced in many respects. Polyphasic approaches, applying a combination of classical as well as molecular methods in parallel, could help to find the way for overcoming these problems in the future. Isolation and characterization of as many as possible new species seems to be one of the most important missing steps to advance at this way. [source]


Specific Processes and Scrambling in the Dehydrogenation of Ethane and the Degenerate Hydrogen Exchange in the Gas-Phase Ion Chemistry of the Ni(C,H3,O)+/C2H6 Couple

HELVETICA CHIMICA ACTA, Issue 5 2007
Maria Schlangen
Abstract A mechanistically unprecedented situation characterizes the gas-phase ion chemistry of Ni(C,H3,O)+ when reacted under thermal, single-collision conditions with ethane. A dehydrogenation channel leading to Ni(C3,H7,O)+ is to 90% preceded by a complete loss of positional identity of all nine H-atoms of the encounter complex (,scrambling'), whereas ca. 10% of the reaction exhibit a selective CH bond activation of the alkane. In addition, a degenerate H exchange between ethane and the (C,H3,O) unit occurs as a side reaction, the mechanistic details of which remain unknown for the time being. [source]


HIV and the body: a review of multidisciplinary management

HIV MEDICINE, Issue 2010
J Rockstroh
Abstract The increase in the life expectancy achieved following the introduction of more effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) in recent years now means that the HIV-infected population are for the first time being exposed to the age-related diseases that affect the general population. Nevertheless, the prevalence of these diseases (which include cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, glucose intolerance and diabetes) is higher, and their onset earlier in the HIV population, probably due to the complex interplay between HIV infection, coinfection with hepatitis B and C, and ART. As a result, HIV physicians are now required to adopt a new approach to the management of HIV, which involves screening and regular monitoring of all HIV-infected individuals for the presence of comorbidities and prompt referral to other clinical specialties when required. If this challenge to patient management is to be overcome, it is clear that educating physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of age-associated comorbidities is essential, either through ongoing programmes such as the HIV and the Body initiative, an overarching independent medical education programme established in 2007 and overseen by an independent Steering Committee, organized and funded by Gilead, and/or through internal training. To assist in this process, this article provides an overview of common comorbidities affecting HIV-infected persons and provides practical guidance on their management. [source]


Choosing Life or Second Life?

INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 384-385 2008
Agency in A Mediated Culture, Discipleship
Liberationist theologies gave rue to a re-emphasis on Christian life as being primarily historical life, and Christian spirituality as rooted in faithful and honest attention to the immediacy of historical reality. However, for many people living in media-saturated, overdeveloped societies, any distinction between actual reality and a mediated pseudo-reality is blurred. Another facet of life in a media-saturated context is that of being regularly confronted with impressions of destitution, violence and ecological degradation, whilst at the same time being further distanced from the realities represented through communications media and their ,virtualizing' tendency. This rapid change in our relation to reality has, I suggest, profound theological and missiological consequences. The ways in which electronic media have modified life, including religious life, are complex and varied. Consumption of electronic media does not seem to have replaced religion as such but it has tended to shape religious life in its own image. With particular reference to Slavoj Zizek's reading of "the Real" after "9/11", I have attempted to sketch how some of these sweeping social and cultural changes may impact on the interpretation of Christian discipleship and mission. In the end, either the Christian life is vulnerable to potentially disruptive reality, or it is at risk of collapsing into a version of the pursuit of happiness mediated by and through late-capitalist culture. [source]


Priming Deficiency in Male Subjects at Risk for Alcoholism: The N4 During a Lexical Decision Task

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 12 2009
Bangalore N. Roopesh
Background:, While there is extensive literature on the relationship between the P3 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) and risk for alcoholism, there are few published studies regarding other potentially important ERP components. One important candidate is the N4(00) component in the context of semantic processing, as abnormalities in this component have been reported for adult alcoholics. Method:, A semantic priming task was administered to nonalcohol dependent male offspring (18 to 25 years) of alcoholic fathers [high risk (HR) n = 23] and nonalcoholic fathers [low risk (LR) n = 28] to study whether the 2 groups differ in terms of the N4 component. Subjects were presented with 150 words and 150 nonwords. Among the words, 50 words (primed) were preceded by their antonyms (prime, n = 50), whereas the remaining 50 words were unprimed. For the analysis, N4 amplitude and latency as well as behavioral measures for the primed and unprimed words were considered. Results:, A significant interaction effect was observed between semantic condition and group, where HR subjects did not show N4 attenuation for primed stimuli. Conclusion:, The lack of N4 attenuation to primed stimuli and/or inability to differentiate between primed and unprimed stimuli, without latency and reaction time being affected, suggest deficits in semantic priming, especially in semantic expectancy and/or postlexical semantic processing in HR male offspring. Further, it indicates that it might be an electrophysiological endophenotype that reflects genetic vulnerability to develop alcoholism. [source]


The quality of oral anticoagulant therapy and recurrent venous thrombotic events in the Leiden Thrombophilia Study

JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 5 2007
A. P. A. GADISSEUR
Summary.,Background:,The International Normalized Ratio (INR) target range is a relatively narrow range in which the efficacy of oral anticoagulant treatment, i.e. prevention of extension and recurrence of thrombosis, is balanced with the risk of hemorrhagic complications. Over the years, different INR target ranges have been implemented for individual indications, depending on their thrombotic potential. In most of the studies defining these INR targets, the treatment of the patients was aimed at a certain INR range, but in the analysis no account was taken of the time that the patients spent within this range in reality. Methods:,The Leiden Thrombophilia Study (LETS) is a population-based case-control study on risk factors for venous thrombosis, in which many genetic and acquired factors have been investigated. Our aim was to investigate the effect of the quality of the oral anticoagulant therapy for the initial venous thrombosis and its relationship with recurrence of thrombosis. Quality of anticoagulation was defined as the time spent at various INR levels during treatment, and we focused on the effect of sustained intensities above a certain INR in preventing recurrences later on. Results:,Two hundred and sixty-six patients with a total follow-up of 2495 patient-years were studied. The mean duration of the initial anticoagulant therapy was 194.5 days (range 48,4671). During follow-up, 58 recurrences were diagnosed (cumulative recurrence rate of 21.8% over 9 years). The mean INR during initial therapy was 2.90, with 90.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 88.4,92.3%] of the time being spent above an INR of 2.0, and 39.1% (95% CI 35.5,42.7%) above an INR of 3.0. Patients who spent more time below the target range, or who had a shorter duration of anticoagulation, did not experience a higher risk of recurrence after the initial period of anticoagulation had passed. Conclusion:,Provided that oral anticoagulant treatment is adequately managed, according to international guidelines, recurrent thrombosis cannot be ascribed to variation in the primary treatment. Further attempts to reduce the risk of recurrence should therefore be aimed at identifying other explanatory factors, and subsequently fine-tuning the target ranges. [source]


Fast 1H,13C correlation data for use in automatic structure confirmation of small organic compounds

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY, Issue 2 2005
Adrian J. Dunn
Abstract A method of speeding up the acquisition of 1H,13C correlation data has been developed. It is applicable in situations where the experiment time is determined by the need to sample the second dimension adequately rather than by signal-to-noise ratio requirements. Two spectra with different, reduced, 13C sweep widths are measured, time being saved by reducing the number of increments in line with the reduction in the sweep width. Rules are presented for the selection of the two reduced sweep widths so that the correct 13C chemical shifts can be easily and unambiguously calculated. The benefits and limitations of this approach, in the context of the structure confirmation of small (MW , 450) organic compounds, is discussed. The use of a third spectrum to resolve problems that may be encountered when proton signals overlap is demonstrated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Today's allergic rhinitis patients are different: new factors that may play a role

ALLERGY, Issue 9 2007
R. Mösges
Most of today's patients suffering from allergic rhinitis (AR) are sensitized to more than one trigger and suffer from persistent and moderate/severe symptoms, which severely impair their quality of life (QOL). The objective of this article was to review the data on the effect of increased air pollution, changes in indoor environment/lifestyle/affluence, exposure to new allergens and psychologically stressful lifestyles, as also to explore their potential in the development of this more ,aggressive' form of disease. Increased fossil fuel-generated air pollution may increase the risk of allergic sensitization, airway responsiveness to allergens, and allergenicity and the bioavailability of airborne allergens. Changes in indoor environment/lifestyle/affluence appear to have led to more time being spent indoors and resulted in perennial exposure to indoor allergens, changes in sensitization patterns, and polysensitization to a variety of novel cross-reacting exotic food and pet allergens. Although evidence suggests an association between psychological stress and increased risk for atopy and allergic disease, further studies are required to demonstrate this unequivocally. The more persistent and moderate/severe nature of the disease suggests a need for modification of current treatment strategies and advocacy of the use from the outset of agents, which are both efficacious and safe in managing severe and persistent AR symptoms and in improving the QOL of affected individuals. [source]


Feasibility of Using Peroneal Nerve Recordings for Deriving Stimulation Timing in a Foot Drop Correction System

NEUROMODULATION, Issue 1 2003
Morten Hansen
Abstract The objective of this research was to demonstrate the potential of using peroneal nerve activity to derive timing control for stimulation in foot drop correction and to attempt recording and stimulation through the same electrode. Two subjects were implanted with cuff electrodes on the peroneal nerve. An input domain was derived from the recorded electroneurogram (ENG) and fed to a detection algorithm based on an Adaptive Logic Network (ALN) for predicting stimulation timing. A switching circuit was furthermore built for switching between stimulator and recorder for combined use of the cuff electrode. The detection was successful, but the accuracy depended on the signal to noise ratio of the recorded ENG. The switching circuit successfully allowed for simultaneous recording and stimulation through the same cuff electrode. We conclude that the peroneal nerve can potentially be used to record sensory information for derivation of a stimulator control signal in a foot drop application, while at the same time being stimulated to activate foot dorsiflexors. [source]


The price of natural gas

OPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 4 2001
A.M. Samsam Bakhtiari
Natural gas used to be a relatively Cheap primary energy source, always at a discount to crude oil (on a comparative British thermal unit basis). It gradually evolved into a major resource during the 20th century , reaching a 24 per cent share of global primary energy in 1999. In the year 2000, natural gas prices in the USA rose to unheard-of highs of $10/million Btu, ushering in a new era, with natural gas at a 120 per cent premium to crude oil. This clearly was a watershed for gas, somehow similar to the 1973-74 watershed for oil prices. And similarly, any return to the status quo-ante looks rather improbable, although a number of experts (alongside the International Energy Agency) still believe the 2000 price ,spike' to have been "only transitory" The consequences of higher gas prices (at a level equal to crude oil prices on a Btu basis) will be multifaceted and momentous, altering habits and uses in downstream industries and economic sectors, as well as providing added income for major gas-exporters, such as Russia, Canada and Algeria. Another potential consequence of the 2000 watershed might be to propel US standard prices (such as the ,Henry Hub' spot) to international status and gas price-setter, as the ,WTI spot' became an "international benchmark" for crude oils in the post-1993 era. For the time being, the equality of gas and oil prices has become the new norm; but, in the longer term, a discount of crude oil relative to natural gas might be envisaged, as the latter is a cleaner fuel and emits less carbon dioxide when used. [source]


Treatment of aseptic nonunion after intramedullary nailing fixation with locking plate

ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY, Issue 4 2009
Sheng-bao Chen MD
Objective:, To evaluate the safety and efficacy of locking plate combined with bone grafting in the treatment of aseptic nonunion following intramedullary nailing fixation of fractures of the long bones. Methods:, Thirty-eight consecutive patients treated in our hospital between January 2004 and December 2006 were included in this retrospective study. The nonunions included 20 femurs, 15 tibias, and 3 humeri. The duration of non-union ranged from 6 to 84 months and 21 (55.3%) of them were located around the metaphysis of the affected long bones. There were 12 women and 26 men with a mean age of 39.2 years (range, 9,70 years). Locking plate combined with bone grafting was the procedure chosen to treat every case of nonunion in this series. The clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results:, All patients were followed up for 6,20 months (average 11.6 months). After locking plate fixation combined with bone grafting, union was achieved in all cases, the average healing time being 5.3 months (range, 4,8 months). Infection of the superficial incision occurred in three cases (7.9%) and delayed healing of the incision in one case, all of which healed with no further complications. The function of the adjacent joints was excellent to good in 30 patients (78.9%), fair in 7 (18.4%) and poor in 1 (2.6%) after follow-up. Conclusion:, Locking plate fixation combined with bone grafting is a highly effective treatment for aseptic nonunions of the long bones after intramedullary nailing fixation, especially in the case of metaphyseal nonunion. [source]


Klimaschutz oder Interessenpolitik: Über einige ungewollte Resultate ökonomischer Politikberatung

PERSPEKTIVEN DER WIRTSCHAFTSPOLITIK, Issue 3 2005
Georg Erdmann
For the time being, the quantitative emission reductions defined in the National Allocation Plans (NAP) are still minor, but this outcome seems acceptable because institution building is of high priority during the first phase 2005,2007. Later, more ambitious emission reductions will follow. A closer look at the genesis of the NAP raises however some doubts about the future effectiveness of the new instrument. By analysing the CO2 allocation decisions in Germany the article shows that the greenhouse gas issue can today successfully be misused by politicians and interest groups towards achieving egoistic goals and it concludes that this did happen at the expense of the proclaimed environmental target. Due to the particular character of the greenhouse gas problem this diagnosis may hold as long as no socially and economically acceptable greenhouse gas abatement technologies have become available. [source]


Race, Colorblindness, and Continental Philosophy

PHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2006
Michael J. Monahan
The "colorblind" society is often offered as a worthy ideal for individual interaction as well as public policy. The ethos of liberal democracy would seem indeed to demand that we comport ourselves in a manner completely indifferent to race (and class, and gender, and so on). But is this ideal of colorblindness capable of fulfillment? And whether it is or not, is it truly a worthy political goal? In order to address these questions, one must first explore the nature of "race" itself. Is it ultimately real, or merely an illusion? What kind of reality, if any, does it have, and what are the practical (moral and political) consequences of its ontological status? This paper will explore the issue of colorblindness, focusing particularly on recent developments dealing with this topic in Continental philosophy. Beginning with the question of racial ontology, I will argue that race has a social reality that makes the practice of colorblindness, at least for the time being, politically untenable, and it may remain suspect even as a long-term goal. [source]


Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association for Adolescent Psychotherapy, 16 November 2002, Tokyo, Japan

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 5 2003
Article first published online: 28 AUG 200
Inpatient treatment of obsessive,compulsive disorder in a child and adolescent psychiatry ward M. USAMI National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital, Chiba, Japan This is a case report of a 13-year-old-boy (2nd grade in junior high school). His father had poor communication; his mother was a very fragile woman. The boy had been overprotected by his parents, as long as he responded to their expectations. He did not have any other siblings. He played well with his friends since he was young, and did not have problems until the 1st term (from April to July) of 1st grade in junior high school. However, in September he started to have difficulties going well with his friends, and going to school. He spent most of his time in his room, and began to repeat checking and hand-washing frequently. Even at midnight, he forced his mother to touch the shutter from outside of the house for many times. He also ritually repeated to touch his mother's body, after he licked his hands, for over an hour. He became violent, when his parents tried to stop him. In April, year X, his parents visited our hospital for the first time. From then, his mother could not tolerate her son's coerciveness any longer. His father explained to the boy that ,your mother has been hospitalized', and she started to live in the next room to the boy's without making any noise. After 3 months he noticed that his mother was not hospitalized, and he got very excited. He was admitted to our hospital with his family and relatives, in October, year X. At the initial stage of hospitalization he showed distrust and doubt towards the therapist and hospital. He had little communication with other boys and did not express his feelings. Therefore, there was a period of time where he seemed to wonder whether he could trust the treatment staff or not. During his interviews with his therapist he repeated only ,I'm okay' and did not show much emotional communication. For the boy, exposing himself was equivalent to showing his vulnerability and incompleteness. Therefore, the therapist considered that he was trying to denying his feelings to avoid this. The therapist set goals for considering his own feelings positively and expressing them appropriately. Also, the therapist carried out behavioral restrictions towards him. He hardly had any emotional communication with the staff, and his peer relationship in the ward was superficial. Therefore, he gradually had difficulty spending his time at the end of December On the following day in which he and the therapist decided to return to his house for the first time, he went out of the ward a few days before without permission. From thereon it was possible for him to share feelings such as hostility and aggression, dependence and kindness with the therapist. The therapist changed his role from an invasive one to a more protective one. Then, his unsociability gradually faded. He also developed good peer relationships with other boys in the ward and began to express himself feeling appropriately. He was also able to establish appropriate relations with his parents at home, and friends of his neighborhood began to have normal peer relationships again. During childhood and adolescence, boys with obsessive,compulsive disorder are known to have features such as poor insight and often involving their mothers. We would like to present this case, through our understanding of dynamic psychiatry throughout his hospitalization, and also on the other therapies that were performed. Psychotherapy with a graduate student that discontinued after only three sessions: Was it enough for this client? N. KATSUKI Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan Introduction: Before and after the psychotherapy, SWT was administrated in this case. Comparing these two drawings, the therapist was provided with some ideas of what kind of internal change had taken place inside this client. Referring to the changes observed, we would like to review the purposes and the ways of the psychotherapy, as well as the adequacy of the limited number of the sessions (vis-a-vis result attained.) Also we will discuss later if any other effective ways could be available within the capacities of the consulting system/the clinic in the university. Case: Ms. S Age 24 years. Problems/appeal: (i) awkwardness in the relationship with the laboratory colleagues; (ii) symptoms of sweating, vomiting and quivering; and (iii) anxiety regarding continuing study and job hunting. Diagnosis: > c/o PTSD. Psychotherapeutic setting: At the therapy room in the clinic, placed at the university, 50 min-session; once a week; paralleled with the medical treatment. Process: (1) Since she was expelled from the study team in the previous year, it has become extremely difficult for her to attend the laboratory (lab) due to the aforementioned symptoms. She had a feeling of being neglected by the others. When the therapist suggested that she compose her mental confusions in the past by attending the therapy room, she seemed to be looking forward to it, although she said that she could remember only a few. (2) She reported that she overdosed on sedatives, as she could not stop irritating. She was getting tough with her family, also she slashed the mattress of her bed with a knife for many times. She complained that people neither understood nor appreciated her properly. and she said that she wanted revenge on the leader of the lab by punishing him one way or other. (3) Looking back the previous session, she said ,I had been mentally mixed up at that time, but I feel that now I can handle myself, as I stopped the medication after consulting the psychiatrist. According to what she said, when she disclosed the occurrences in the lab to her mother, she felt to be understood properly by her mother and felt so relieved. and she also reported that she had been sewing up the mattress which she slashed before, without any reason. She added, " although I don't even know what it means, I feel that this work is so meaningful to me, somehow". Finally, she told that she had already made her mind to cope with the situation by herself from now on, although it might result in a flinch from the real solution. Situations being the above, the session was closed. Swt: By the remarkable changes observed between the two drawings, the meanings of this psychotherapy and its closure to the client would be contemplated. Question of how school counselors should deal with separation attendant on students' graduation: On a case in which the separation was not worked through C. ASAHARA Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan Although time limited relationship is one of the important characteristics in school counseling, the question of separation attendant on it has not been much discussed based on specific cases. This study focuses on the question of separation through looking at a particular case, in which the separation was not worked through, and halfway relationship continued even after the student's graduation and the counselor's resignation. I was a part time school counselor at a junior high school in Tokyo. The client was a 14-year-old female student, who could not go to her classroom, and spent a few hours in a sick bay when she came to school. She was in the final grade and there was only half a year left before graduation when we first met, and we started to see each other within a very loose structure. As her personality was hyper-vigilant and defensive, it took almost 2 months before I could feel that she was nearer. Her graduation was the first occasion of separation. On that occasion, I found that there had been a discrepancy between our expectations; while I took it for granted that our relationship would end with the graduation, she expected to see me even after she graduated, and she actually came up to see me once in a while during the next year. A year later, we faced another occasion of separation, that was my resignation. Although I worried about her, all I have done for her was to hand a leaflet of a counseling office, where I work as a part time counselor. Again I could not refer to her feelings or show any concrete directions such as making a fixed arrangement. After an occasional correspondence for the next 10 months (about 2 years after her graduation), she contacted me at the counseling office asking for a constant counseling. Why could I not deal with both occasions? and how did that affect the client thereafter? There were two occasions of separation. At the time of the client's graduation, I seemed to be enmeshed in the way of separation that is peculiar to the school setting. In general in therapeutic relationship, mourning work between counselor and client is regarded as being quite important. At school, however, separation attendant on graduation is usually taken for granted and mourning work for any personal relationship tends to be neglected. Graduation ceremony is a big event but it is not about mourning over one's personal relationships but separation from school. That may be why I did not appreciate how the client counted on our relationship. At the time of my resignation I was too worried about working through a change from very loose structure which is peculiar to the school setting to a usual therapeutic structure (fees are charged, and time, place are fixed). That is why I did nothing but give her a leaflet. In this way, we never talked about her complex feelings such as sadness or loneliness, which she was supposed to experience on separation. Looking at the aforementioned process from the client's viewpoint, it can be easily imagined that she could not accept the fact of separation just because she graduated. and later, she was forced to be in double-bind situation, in which she was accepted superficially (handed a leaflet), while no concrete possibility was proposed concerning our relationship (she could never see me unless she tries to contact me.) As a result, she was left alone and at a loss whether she could count on me or not. The halfway situation or her suspense was reflected in her letter, in which she appeared to be just chatting at first sight, but between the lines there was something more implying her sufferings. Above discussion suggests that in some case, we should not neglect the mourning work even in a school setting. To whom or how it is done is the next theme we should explore and discuss in the future. For now, we should at least be conscious about the question of separation in school setting. Study of the process of psychotherapy with intervals for months M. TERASHIMA Bunkyo Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan This is a report on the process of psychotherapy of an adolescent girl who showed manic and depressive state. At the time of a depressed state, she could not go to a college and withdrew into home, and the severe regressive situation was shown. Her therapy began at the age of 20 and she wanted to know what her problem was. The process of treatment went on for 4 years but she stopped coming to sessions for several months because of failure of the therapist. She repeated the same thing twice. After going through these intervals the client began to remember and started to talk about her childhood , suffering abusive force from her father, with vivid impressions. They once were hard for her to accept, but she began to establish the consistent figure of herself from past to present. In this case, it could be thought that the intervals of the sessions had a certain role, with which the client controlled the structure of treatment, instead of an attack against the therapist. Her object relation, which is going to control an object offensively, was reflected in these phenomena. That is, it can be said that the ambivalence about dependency , difficult to depend but desirous of the object , was expressed. Discontinuation of the sessions was the product of the compromise formation brought about the ambivalence of the client, and while continuing to receive this ambivalence in the treatment, the client started to realize discontinuance of her memories and then advanced integration of her self-image. For the young client with conflict to dependence such as her, an interval does not destroy the process of treatment but in some cases it could be considered as a therapeutic element. In the intervals the client could assimilate the matter by herself, that acquired by the sessions. Psychotherapy for a schizoid woman who presented eccentric speech and behaviour M. OGASAWARA Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan Case presentation: A case of a 27-year-old woman at the beginning of therapy. Life history: She had been having a wish for death since she was in kindergarten and she had been feeling strong resistance to do the same as others after school attendance. She had a history of ablutomania from the age of 10,15, but the symptom disappeared naturally. and she said that she had been eliminated from groups that she tried to enter. After graduating a junior college, she changed jobs several times without getting a full-time position. Present history: Scolded by her boy friend for her coming home too late one day, she showed confusion such as excitement, self-injury or terror. She consulted a psychiatrist in a certain general hospital, but she presented there eccentric behaviours such as tense facial expression, stiffness of her whole body, or involuntary movement of limbs. and because she felt on bad terms with the psychiatrist and she had come to cause convulsion attacks in the examination room, she was introduced to our hospital. Every session of this psychotherapy was held once a week and for approximately 60 min at a time. Treatment process: She sometimes presented various eccentric attitudes, for example overturning to the floor with screaming (1), going down on her knees when entrance at the door (5), entering with a knife in her mouth and hitting the wall suddenly (7), stiffening herself just outside the door without entering the examination room (9), taking out a knife abruptly and putting it on her neck (40), exclaiming with convulsion responding to every talk from the therapist (41), or stiffening her face and biting herself in the right forearm suddenly (52). She also repeated self-injuries or convulsion attacks outside of the examination room in the early period of the therapy. Throughout the therapy she showed hypersensitivity for interpersonal relations, anxiety about dependence, terror for self-assertion, and avoidance for confrontation to her emotional problems. Two years and 6 months have passed since the beginning of this therapy. She ceased self-injury approximately 1 year and 6 months before and her sense of obscure terror has been gradually reduced to some extent. Discussion: Her non-verbal wariness and aggression to the therapist made the sessions full of tension and the therapist felt a sense of heaviness every time. In contrast, she could not express aggression verbally to the therapist, and when the therapist tried to identify her aggression she denied it. Her anxiety, that she will be thoroughly counterattacked to self-disintegration if she shows aggression to other persons, seems to be so immeasurably strong that she is compelled to deny her own aggression. Interpretations and confrontations by the therapist make her protective, and occasionally she shows stronger resistance in the shape of denial of her problems or conversion symptoms (astasia, aphonia, or involuntary movements) but she never expresses verbal aggression to the therapist. and the therapist feels much difficulty to share sympathy with her, and she expresses distrust against sympathetic approach of the therapist. However, her obvious disturbance that she expresses when she feels the therapist is not sympathetic shows her desire for sympathy. Thus, because she has both strong distrust and desire for sympathy, she is in a porcupine dilemma, which is characteristic of schizoid patients as to whether to lengthen or to shorten the distance between herself and the therapist. This attitude seems to have been derived from experience she might have had during her babyhood and childhood that she felt terror to be counterattacked and deserted when she showed irritation to her mother. In fact, existence of severe problems of the relationship between herself and her mother in her babyhood and childhood can be guessed from her statement. Although she has been repeating experiences to be excluded from other people, she shows no attitude to construct interpersonal relationship actively. On the contrary, by regarding herself to be a victim or devaluating other persons she externalizes responsibility that she herself should assume essentially. The reason must be that her disintegration anxiety is evoked if she recognizes that she herself has problems; that is, that negative things exist inside of her. Therefore, she seems to be inhibited to get depressive position and obliged to remain mainly in a paranoid,schizoid position. As for the pathological level, she seems to have borderline personality organization because of frequent use of mechanisms to externalize fantastically her inner responsibility. For her high ability to avoid confronting her emotional problems making the most of her verbal ability, every intervention of the therapist is invalidated. So, it seems very difficult for her to recognize her own problems through verbal interpretations or confrontation by the therapist, for the present. In general, it is impossible to confront self problems without containing negative emotions inside of the self, but her ability seemed to be insufficient. So, to point out her problems is considered to be very likely to result in her confusion caused by persecution anxiety. Although the therapy may attain the stage on which verbal interpretation and confrontation work better some day, the therapist is compelled to aim at promoting her ability to hold negative emotion inside of herself for the time being. For the purpose, the therapist is required to endure the situation in which she brings emotion that makes the therapist feel negative counter-transference and her process to experience that the therapeutic relation itself would not collapse by holding negative emotion. On supportive psychotherapy with a male adolescent Y. TERASHIMA Kitasato University Health Care Center, Kanagawa, Japan Adolescent cases sometimes show dramatic improvements as a consequence of psychotherapy. The author describes how psychotherapy can support an adolescent and how theraputic achievements can be made. Two and a half years of treatment sessions with a male adolescent patient are presented. The patient was a 19-year-old man, living with his family. He had 5 years of experience living abroad with his family and he was a preparatory school student when he came to a mental clinic for help. He was suffering from not being able to sleep well, from difficulties concerning keeping his attention on one thing, and from fear of going to distant places. He could barely leave his room, and imagined the consequence of overdosing or jumping out of a window. He claimed that his life was doomed because his family moved from a town that was familiar to him. At the first phase of psychotherapy that lasted for approximately 1 year, the patient seldom responded to the therapist. The patient was basically silent. He told the therapist that the town he lives in now feels cold or that he wants to become a writer. However, these comments were made without any kind of explanation and the therapist felt it very difficult to understand what the patient was trying to say. The sessions continued on a regular basis. However, the therapist felt very useless and fatigued. Problems with the patient and his family were also present at this phase of psychotherapy. He felt unpleasant at home and felt it was useless to expect anything from his parents. These feelings were naturally transferred to the therapist and were interpreted. However, interpretation seemed to make no changes in the forms of the patient's transference. The second phase of psychotherapy began suddenly. The patient kept saying that he did not know what to talk about. However, after a brief comment made by the therapist on the author of the book he was reading, the patient told the therapist that it was unexpected that the therapist knew anything of his favorite writer. After this almost first interaction between the patient and the therapist, the patient started to show dramatic changes. The patient started to bring his favorite rock CDs to sessions where they were played and the patient and the therapist both made comments on how they felt about the music. He also started asking questions concerning the therapist. It seemed that the patient finally started to want to know the therapist. He started communicating. The patient was sometimes silent but that did not last long. The therapist no longer felt so useless and emotional interaction, which never took place in the first phase, now became dominant. The third phase happened rapidly and lasted for approximately 10 months. Conversations on music, art, literature and movies were made possible and the therapist seldom felt difficulties on following the patient's line of thought. He started to go to schools and it was difficult at first but he started adjusting to the environment of his new part-time jobs. By the end of the school year, he was qualified for the entrance to a prestigious university. The patient's problems had vanished except for some sleeping difficulties, and he did not wish to continue the psychotherapy sessions. The therapist's departure from the clinic added to this and the therapy was terminated. The patient at first reminded the therapist of severe psychological disturbances but the patient showed remarkable progress. Three points can be considered to have played important roles in the therapy presented. The first and the most important is the interpretation by behavior. The patient showed strong parental transference to the therapist and this led the therapist to feel useless and to feel fatigue. Content analysis and here-and-now analysis seemed to have played only a small part in the therapy. However, the therapist tried to keep in contact with the patient, although not so elegant, but tried to show that the therapist may not be useless. This was done by maintaining the framework of the therapy and by consulting the parents when it was considered necessary. Second point is the role that the therapist intentionally took as a model or target of introjection. With the help of behavioral interpretation that showed the therapist and others that it may not be useless, the patient started to introject what seemed to be useful to his well being. It can be considered that this role took some part in the patient going out and to adjust to the new environment. Last, fortune of mach must be considered. The patient and the therapist had much in common. It was very fortunate that the therapist knew anything about the patient's favorite writer. The therapist had some experience abroad when he was young. Although it is a matter of luck that the two had things in common, it can be said that the congeniality between the patient and the therapist played an important role in the successful termination of the therapy. From the physical complaint to the verbal appeal of A's recovery process to regain her self-confidence C. ITOKAWA and S. KAZUKAWA Toyama Mental Health Center, Toyama, Japan This is one of the cases at Toyama Mental Health Center about a client here, we will henceforth refer to her simply as ,A'. A was a second grade high school student. We worked with her until her high school graduation using our center's full functions; counseling, medical examination and the course for autogenic training (AT). She started her counseling by telling us that the reason for her frequent absences from school began because of stomach pains when she was under a lot of stress for 2 years of junior high school, from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. Due to a lack of self confidence and a constant fear of the people around her, she was unable to use the transportation. She would spend a large amount of time at the school infirmary because she suffered from self-diagnosed hypochondriac symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea and a palpitation. She continued that she might not be able to have the self-confidence to sit still to consult me on her feelings in one of our sessions. A therapist advised her to take the psychiatric examination and the use of AT and she actually saw the medical doctor. In counseling (sessions), she eventually started to talk about the abuse that started just after her entering of junior high school; she approached the school nurse but was unable to tell her own parents because she did not trust them. In doing so, she lost the rest of her confidence, affecting the way she looked at herself and thought of how others did. At school she behaved cheerfully and teachers often accused her of idleness as they regarded this girl's absences along with her brightly dyed hair and heavy make-up as her negligent laziness. I, as her therapist, contacted some of the school's staff and let them know of her situation in detail. As the scolding from the teachers decreased, we recognized the improvement of her situation. In order to recover from the missed academic exposure due to her long absence, she started to study by herself. In a couple of months her physical condition improved gradually, saying ,These days I have been doing well by myself, haven't I?' and one year later, her improved mental condition enabled her to go up to Tokyo for a concert and furthermore even to enjoy a short part-time job. She continued the session and the medical examination dually (in tangent) including the consultation about disbelief to the teachers, grade promotion, relationships between friends and physical conditions. Her story concentrated on the fact that she had not grown up with sufficiently warm and compassionate treatment and she could not gain any mental refuge in neither her family nor her school, or even her friends. Her prospects for the future had changed from the short-ranged one with no difficulty to the ambitious challenge: she aimed to try for her favorite major and hoped to go out of her prefecture. But she almost had to give up her own plan because the school forced her to change her course as they recommended. (because of the school's opposition with her own choice). So without the trust of the teachers combined with her low self-esteem she almost gave up her hopes and with them her forward momentum. In this situation as the therapist, I showed her great compassion and discussed the anger towards the school authorities, while encouraging this girl by persuading her that she should have enough self-confidence by herself. Through such sessions, she was sure that if she continued studying to improve her own academic ability by herself she could recognize the true meaning of striving forward. and eventually, she received her parents' support who had seemed to be indifferent to her. At last she could pass the university's entrance exams for the school that she had yearned to attend. That girl ,A' visited our center 1 month later to show us her vivid face. I saw a bright smile on her face. It was shining so brightly. [source]


Determination of perfluorooctane sulfonate in river water by liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry by automated on-line extraction using turbulent flow chromatography

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 5 2003
Masahiko Takino
A simple, fast and sensitive liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry (LC/APPI-MS) method, with automated on-line extraction using turbulent flow chromatography (TFC), was developed for the determination of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in river water. In this method, following an on-line extraction by injection onto a column under TFC conditions, PFOS is back-flushed onto a reversed-phase column via on-line column switching, and resolved chromatographically at a laminar flow rate of 1,mL min,1. Using this tandem LC-LC/APPI-MS system the extraction, separation and selective detection of PFOS in river water could be achieved with satisfactory selectivity and sensitivity. The limit of detection (LOD) (S/N,=,3) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) (S/N,=,10)were 5.35 and 17.86,pg,mL,1. The described procedure was very simple since no off-line sample preparation was required, total analysis time being 18.75,min. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Azerbaijan's resource wealth: political legitimacy and public opinion

THE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2007
SHANNON O'LEAR
After considering how well Azerbaijan's economy follows the trajectory of a ,resource curse' state, this paper investigates the political dimensions of the resource curse evident in Azerbaijan. Of particular interest is how Azerbaijan appears to establish external and internal political legitimacy. These dimensions of sovereignty are not necessarily balanced or present in equal measure. The paper assesses the recent transition in leadership in Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijan's interactions with, and assessment by, the international community. Additionally, national survey data provide insights into public concerns, satisfaction with government policy, and views on democracy and freedom of expression. The paper concludes that at present there appears to be sufficient public expectation for future benefits, combined with institutional stability, to stave off widespread political instability for the time being. [source]


Beyond MIRAB: Do aid and remittances crowd out export growth in Pacific microeconomies?

ASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 1 2006
Jon Fraenkel
Abstract: The 1980s investigations of post-colonial Polynesian and Micronesian economies emphasised the role of aid, remittances and other rent incomes as ,booming sectors' which ,crowded out' export-driven growth. Contrary to orthodox theory-based models at that time being embraced by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (emphasising liberalisation and primary product export-oriented economic growth), Bertram and Watters instead highlighted long-run trade deficits and onshore government budget deficits, driven by reliance on overseas migration, remittances, aid and bureaucracy (MIRAB). ,Dependent development' was identified as ,both sustainable and preferable to a drive for self reliance', with the logical corollary that the objectives of the Pacific Islands should be ,the preservation and enhancement of their status as rentier societies'. Yet, this perspective has never sat easily with development-oriented Polynesian or Micronesian political leaders. Despite useful empirical insights, the MIRAB perspective informs a rather complacent and static view of Oceania as caught in some kind of ,steady state' equilibrium, and downplays the role of weak governance structures in inhibiting export production. This article argues that the strengths of the MIRAB thesis are primarily descriptive, whereas the analytical claims to have exposed what determines the evolution of the island economies merit reconsideration. [source]


END-OF-LIFE CARE IN THE 21st CENTURY: ADVANCE DIRECTIVES IN UNIVERSAL RIGHTS DISCOURSE

BIOETHICS, Issue 3 2010
IREVI, VIOLETA BE
ABSTRACT This article explores universal normative bases that could help to shape a workable legal construct that would facilitate a global use of advance directives. Although I believe that advance directives are of universal character, my primary aim in approaching this issue is to remain realistic. I will make three claims. First, I will argue that the principles of autonomy, dignity and informed consent, embodied in the Oviedo Convention and the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, could arguably be regarded as universal bases for the global use of advance directives. Second, I will demonstrate that, despite the apparent consensus of ethical authorities in support of their global use, it is unlikely, for the time being, that such consensus could lead to unqualified legal recognition of advance directives, because of different understandings of the nature of the international rules, meanings of autonomy and dignity which are context-specific and culture-specific, and existing imperfections that make advance directives either unworkable or hardly applicable in practice. The third claim suggests that the fact that the concept of the advance directive is not universally shared does not mean that it should not become so, but never as the only option in managing incompetent patients. A way to proceed is to prioritize work on developing higher standards in managing incompetent patients and on progressing towards the realization of universal human rights in the sphere of bioethics, by advocating a universal, legally binding international convention that would outlaw human rights violations in end-of-life decision-making. [source]


Molecular and morphological data reveal cryptic taxonomic diversity in the terrestrial slug complex Arion subfuscus/fuscus (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Arionidae) in continental north-west Europe

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2004
J. PINCEEL
The importance and abundance of cryptic species among invertebrate taxa is well documented. Nowadays, taxonomic, phylogenetic and conservation biological studies frequently use molecular markers to delineate cryptic taxa. Such studies, however, often face the problem of the differential resolution of the molecular markers and techniques involved. This issue is explored in the present study of cryptic taxa within the terrestrial slug complex Arion subfuscus/fuscus in continental north-west Europe. To this end, morphological, allozyme and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequence data have been jointly evaluated. Using allozyme data and gonad type, two distinct groups were consistently delineated, even under sympatric conditions. The 16S rDNA data strongly supported both those groups and even suggested the presence of three distinct taxa within one of them. However, in view of: (1) the allopatric distribution of three OTUs, (2) the lack of allozyme or morphological differentiation, and (3) the extremely high degree of intraspecific mtDNA variation reported in pulmonate gastropods, they are, for the time being, not regarded as valid species under the biological species concept. By means of 16S rDNA and allozyme data, the position of type and topotype material of A. subfuscus s.s. and A. fuscus relative to the newly defined OTUs was determined, thus clarifying the nomenclature of this species complex. Additionally, gonad type proved to be a useful character for distinguishing the two species in north-west Europe. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 83, 23,38. [source]


Synthesis, Crystal Structure of Cis -dioxo-catecholatotungsten(VI) Complex and Its NMR Studies on the Interaction with ATP

CHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2003
Lu Xiao-Ming
Abstract Cis -dioxo-catecholatotungsten(VI) complex anion [W(VI)O2 -(OC6H2O)]2- was obtained with discrete protonated ethylene-diamine (NH2CH2CH2NH3)+ cations by the reaction of tetra-butyl ammonium decatungstate with catechol in the mixed solvent of CH3OH, CH3CN and ethylenediamine, and compared with its molybdenum analogue [Mo(v)O2(OC6H4O)2]3- by crystal structure, UV, EPR. The results of the UV and EPR spectra show that tungsten is less redox active than molybdenum since the molybdenum is reduced from Mo(VI) to Mo(V) but tungsten stays in the original highest oxidized state Mo (VI) when they are crystallized from the solution above. It is worthy to note that [W(VI)O2(OC6H4O2)]2- shows the same coordination structure as its molybdenum analogue in which the metal center exhibits distorted octahedral coordination geometry with two cis -dioxocatecholate ligands and might have the related coordination structure feature with the cofactor of flavoenzyme because [Mo(v)O2(OC6H4O)2]3- presented essentially the same EPR spectra as flavoenzyme. The NMR studies on the interaction of the title complex with ATP reveal that the reduction of W(VI) to W(V) occurs when the title complex is dissolved in D2O and the W (V) is oxidized again when ATP solution is mixed with original solution and the hydrolysis of the catechola-to ligand take places at mean time being monitored by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra. [source]