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Becoming
Kinds of Becoming Selected AbstractsNew insights from recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis in liver transplantation: The paradox of BEComing a fibroblast?,,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 4 2007Shawn Wasilenko Ph.D. No abstact. [source] Quality of life and health-related quality of life of adolescents with cerebral palsyDEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 7 2007Peter L Rosenbaum MD FRCP(C) This study assessed quality of life (QOL) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of 203 adolescents with cerebral palsy (111 males, 92 females; mean age 16y [SD 1y 9mo]). Participants were classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), as Level I (n=60), Level II (n=33), Level III (n=28), Level IV (n=50), or Level V (n=32). QOL was assessed by self (66.5%) or by proxy (33.5%) with the Quality of Life Instrument for People With Developmental Disabilities, which asks about the importance and satisfaction associated with the QOL domains of Being, Belonging, and Becoming; HRQOL was captured through proxy reports with the Health Utilities Index, Mark 3 (HUI3), which characterizes health in terms of eight attributes, each having five or six ordered levels of function. GMFCS level was not a source of variation for QOL domain scores but was significantly associated with the eight HRQOL attributes and overall HUI3 utility scores (p<0.05). Some QOL domain scores varied significantly by type of respondent (self vs proxy; p<0.05). Overall HUI3 utility values were significantly but weakly correlated with QOL Instrument scores for Being (r=0.37), Belonging (r=0.17), Becoming (r=0.20), and Overall QOL (r=0.28), and thus explain up to 14% of the variance (r2). These findings suggest that although QOL and HRQOL are somewhat related conceptually, they are different constructs and need to be considered as separate dimensions of the lives of people with functional limitations. [source] Argentina Becoming ,Normal': The 1999 ElectionsGOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 1 2000Torcuato S. Di Tella [source] Is Europe Becoming the Most Dynamic Knowledge Economy in the World?JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 3 2005DANIELE ARCHIBUGI The article discusses the condition and perspective of the European Union in the knowledge economy and the feasibility of the goal given by the European Council at the summits held in Lisbon (March 2000) and Barcelona (March 2002), that is, to increase European R&D expenditure to 3 per cent of GDP by 2010. The article focuses on two aspects: comparative performance with its direct counterparts, in particular the USA; and intra-European distribution of resources and capabilities. A set of technological indicators is presented to show that Europe is still consistently behind when compared to Japan and the US, especially in R&D investment and the generation of innovations. A small convergence occurs in the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the sector most directly linked to the concept of the,new economy'. In the field of knowledge collaboration, Europe takes opposing paths in the business and academic worlds. Within Europe, the level of investment in scientific and technological activities is so diverse across countries that it does not merge into a single continental innovation system. [source] Which Microfinance Institutions Are Becoming More Cost Effective with Time?JOURNAL OF MONEY, CREDIT AND BANKING, Issue 4 2009Evidence from a Mixture Model microfinance; mixture model; Eastern Europe; Central Asia Microfinance institutions (MFIs) play a key role in many developing countries. Utilizing data from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, MFIs are found to generally operate with lower costs the longer they are in operation. Given the differences in operating environments, subsidies, and organizational form, this finding of increasing cost effectiveness may not aptly characterize all MFIs. Estimation of a mixture model reveals that roughly half of the MFIs are able to operate with reduced costs over time, while half do not. Among other things, we find that larger MFIs offering deposits and those receiving lower subsidies operate more cost effectively over time. [source] Terminology for Becoming a MotherJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2005Iota Epsilon, Patricia Walters Deskin RN [source] A Review of Nursing Interventions to Foster Becoming a MotherJOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 5 2006Ramona T. Mercer Objective:, To determine the current state of knowledge of nursing interventions that foster the process of becoming a mother. Data Sources:, A literature search was conducted using CINAHL and PubMed electronic databases and other key references. Study Selection:, Reports on nursing intervention research published in English that focused on a facet of maternal behavior in the process of becoming a mother during pregnancy or during the first 4 months following birth, or both, were included. Twenty eight reports were found. Data Extraction:, Studies were reviewed, categorized, and analyzed and interventions synthesized to determine the current knowledge base for fostering becoming a mother. Categories included instructions for infant caregiving, building awareness of and responsiveness to infant interactive capabilities, promoting maternal-infant attachment, maternal/social role preparation, and interactive therapeutic nurse-client relationships. Data Synthesis:, Interactive therapeutic nurse-client relationships and maternal/social role preparation had greater impact on variables indicating progress in becoming a mother than formal teaching. Instructions without nurse input were ineffective. Conclusions:, Interactive reciprocal nursing interventions are the most effective in enhancing mother-infant interactions and maternal knowledge about infant care. Evidence is limited on how to foster the mother's feelings about herself in becoming a mother and attachment to her infant. JOGNN, 35, 568-582; 2006. DOI: 10.1111/J.1552-6909.2006.00080.x [source] Beyond Being and BecomingNEW PERSPECTIVES QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2004ILYA PRIGOGINE First page of article [source] Is Extracorporeal Support Becoming the New Standard for the Preservation of DCD Grafts?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2010C. Fondevila While normothermic extracorporeal support is a promising alternative to reduce ischemic injury in DCD grafts, further clinical studies are needed to evaluate its true impact on outcomes. See article by Rojas-Pena et al on page 1365. [source] Language Learning and the Politics of Belonging: Sudanese Women Refugees Becoming and Being"American"ANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2007Doris S. Warriner In this article, I explore the complicated relationship between ideologies of language and language learning, discourses of immigration and belonging, and the actual lived experiences of individual language learners. The analysis demonstrates how questions of educational access, economic stability, and social membership are all influenced by a range of social, political, and historical factors, particularly for recently arrived immigrants and refugees from war-torn African contexts. [source] Structured Becoming: Evolutionary Processes in Design EngineeringARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 4 2010Klaus Bollinger Abstract Computational design techniques are changing the role of analysis tools in collaborations between architects and engineers. Digital feedback loops of synthesis, analysis and evaluation establish a ,process of becoming' in which structural solutions evolve and adapt to specific requirements. Highly differentiated constructions are possible when digital techniques are fully integrated in design and production. Klaus Bollinger, Manfred Grohmann and Oliver Tessmann discuss these novel paradigms in relation to recent projects from engineering office Bollinger + Grohmann. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence as a Child Does Not Increase the Likelihood of Becoming an Adult Intimate Partner Violence VictimACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 5 2007Amy A. Ernst MD ObjectivesTo determine whether adults who witnessed intimate partner violence (IPV) as children would have an increased rate of being victims of ongoing IPV, as measured by the Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool (OVAT), compared with adult controls who did not witness IPV as children. The authors also sought to determine whether there were differences in demographics in these two groups. MethodsThis was a cross sectional cohort study of patients presenting to a high-volume academic emergency department. Emergency department patients presenting from November 16, 2005, to January 5, 2006, during 46 randomized four-hour shifts were included. A confidential computer touch-screen data entry program was used for collecting demographic data, including witnessing IPV as a child and the OVAT. Main outcome measures were witnessing IPV as a child, ongoing IPV, and associated demographics. Assuming a prevalence of IPV of 20% and a clinically significant difference of 20% between adults who witnessed IPV as children and adult controls who did not witness IPV as children, the study was powered at 80%, with 215 subjects included. ResultsA total of 280 subjects were entered; 256 had complete data sets. Forty-nine percent of subjects were male, 45% were Hispanic, 72 (28%) were adults who witnessed IPV as children, and 184 (72%) were adult controls who did not witness IPV as children. Sixty-three (23.5%) were positive for ongoing IPV. There was no correlation of adults who witnessed IPV as children with the presence of ongoing IPV, as determined by univariate and bivariate analysis. Twenty-three of 72 (32%) of the adults who witnessed IPV as children, and 39 of 184 (21%) of the adult controls who did not witness IPV as children, were positive for IPV (difference, 11%; 95% confidence interval [CI] =,2% to 23%). Significant correlations with having witnessed IPV as a child included age younger than 40 years (odds ratio [OR], 4.2; 95% CI = 1.7 to 9.1), income less than 20,000/year (OR, 5.1; 95% CI = 1.6 to 12.5), and abuse as a child (OR, 9.1; 95% CI = 4.2 to 19.6). Other demographics were not significantly correlated with having witnessed IPV as a child. ConclusionsAdults who witnessed IPV as children were more likely to have a lower income, be younger, and have been abused as a child, but not more likely to be positive for ongoing IPV, when compared with patients who had not witnessed IPV. [source] The role of stakeholders in Sydney's green gamesCORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002Kate Kearins This paper focuses on the various roles played by stakeholders in the construction of Sydney Olympics as the Green Games. It draws material from the official website of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the websites and other material made public by major stakeholders, and the considerable commentary generated by the greening efforts of the games' organizers and their many partners and critics. Sydney's ,Green Games' is shown to involve a wide variety of stakeholders in both its construction and deconstruction. Environmental groups both assisted in defining the agenda and, in retaining their independence, reserved the right to evaluate and publicly critique performance. It is argued that through the engagement of stakeholders, organizations can be expected to understand and elucidate the different dimensions of the environmental challenge they face,even though at times, as the Sydney ,Green Games' example shows, they may not fully meet these more exacting expectations, and the environmental groups themselves thus risk becoming compromised. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source] Loss of the Tg737 protein results in skeletal patterning defectsDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 1 2003Qihong Zhang Abstract Tg737 mutant mice exhibit pathologic conditions in numerous tissues along with skeletal patterning defects. Herein, we characterize the skeletal pathologic conditions and confirm a role for Tg737 in skeletal patterning through transgenic rescue. Analyses were conducted in both the hypomorphic Tg737orpk allele that results in duplication of digit one and in the null Tg737,2-3,Gal allele that is an embryonic lethal mutation exhibiting eight digits per limb. In early limb buds, Tg737 expression is detected throughout the mesenchyme becoming concentrated in precartilage condensations at later stages. In situ analyses indicate that the Tg737orpk mutant limb defects are not associated with changes in expression of Shh, Ihh, HoxD11,13, Patched, BMPs, or Glis. Likewise, in Tg737,2-3,Gal mutant embryos, there was no change in Shh expression. However, in both alleles, Fgf4 was ectopically expressed on the anterior apical ectodermal ridge. Collectively, the data argue for a dosage effect of Tg737 on the limb phenotypes and that the polydactyly is independent of Shh misexpression. Developmental Dynamics 227:78,90, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Screening for Novel Industrial BiocatalystsENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2004P. Lorenz Abstract Biocatalysis, the use of microbial cells or isolated enzymes in the production of fine chemicals, is steadily moving towards becoming accepted as an indispensable tool in the inventory of modern synthetic chemistry [1]. It is estimated that in 10,% of the cases biocatalysis will provide an overall superior synthetic strategy over traditional organic chemistry [2]. This remarkable development in a field coined "white biotechnology" is due to the growing recognition in the industry of the capabilities and performance of enzymes as exemplified in a growing number of implemented processes [3,,4], examples running at a scale of >1000 tons product/year. Breakthroughs in the key biotechnological areas of a) genetic resource access (explicitly the explorability of non-cultivated microorganisms), b) enzyme screening and discovery and c) in vitro evolution of proteins to find and optimize enzymes to become near-ideally suited biocatalysts have been instrumental in pushing industrial biocatalysis to where it stands today [5, 6]. With these technological options it seems that future use of biocatalysis is limited only by the availability of the biocatalyst [3], the screening for which is subject of this review. [source] Relational Drawings in Couple TherapyFAMILY PROCESS, Issue 1 2009PETER ROBER In couple therapy sessions, partners often get into long and drawn-out discussions, heavy with pain, resentment, and blame. It is vital for the therapist to avoid becoming entangled in these escalating interactions. In this article, as one way of avoiding these interactions, a protocol is proposed of using relational drawings in couple therapy for opening space for new stories. This approach is strongly rooted in extensive therapeutic experience, as well as in dialogical ideas. Not the content of the partners' imagery is central, but rather the dialogical exchange about the drawings. In particular, the focus of the therapist is on the partners' interactions, their hesitations and their surprises. Working in this way opens space for the partners to reflect on what they experience as crucial in their bond. The protocol is illustrated with two detailed case examples. RESUMEN En las sesiones de terapia de pareja los pacientes suelen tener conversaciones muy prolongadas cargadas de dolor, resentimiento y culpa. Es de vital importancia que el terapeuta evite enredarse en estas interacciones, que se hacen más y más intensas. En este artículo se propone un modo de conseguirlo, un procedimiento en el que se usan dibujos relacionales en la terapia de pareja para abrir un espacio para nuevas historias. Este enfoque está fuertemente arraigado en una amplia experiencia en terapia, así como en ideas dialógicas. No es el contenido de las imágenes creadas por los pacientes lo que tiene mayor importancia, sino el intercambio dialógico sobre los dibujos. En especial, el terapeuta se concentrará en las interacciones de la pareja, sus dudas y sus sorpresas. Trabajar de este modo abre un espacio para que ambos miembros de la pareja reflexionen sobre lo que consideran crucial en su unión. El procedimiento se ilustra con dos ejemplos detallados. Palabras clave: terapia relacional, no-verbal, dialógico, dibujos In couple therapy sessions, partners often get into long and drawn-out discussions, heavy with pain, resentment and blame. It is vital for the therapist to avoid becoming entangled in these escalating interactions. In this article, as one way of avoiding these interactions, a protocol is proposed of using relational drawings in couple therapy for opening space for new stories. This approach is strongly rooted in extensive therapeutic experience, as well as in dialogical ideas. Not the content of the partners' imagery is central, but rather the dialogical exchange about the drawings. In particular, the focus of the therapist is on the partners' interactions, their hesitations and their surprises. Working in this way opens space for the partners to reflect on what they experience as crucial in their bond. The protocol is illustrated with two detailed case examples. relational therapy, non-verbal, dialogical, drawings [source] Mechanisms and modes for ignition of low-voltage, PVC-insulated electrotechnical productsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 2 2006Vytenis BabrauskasArticle first published online: 1 AUG 200 Abstract PVC is the most common insulation material used for wiring in low-voltage (LV) service. ,Low-voltage', in the context of this paper, is taken to be 120,240 VAC. The electrotechnical products considered include insulated wires, cables and cords, and also appurtenant termination devices, e.g. male plugs or female taps. Well-known factors leading to the ignition of PVC-insulated wiring and related products include: (a) manufacturing defects; (b) grossly excessive current; (c) over-insulation, sometimes augmented by overcurrent; (d) localized heating due to strand breakage; (e) localized heating due to mechanical strand severing by staples or nails; and (f) localized heating due to failed terminations. Other failure modes are known but have received only limited study. These include (i) excessive force and creep; (ii) chemical interaction effects; and (iii) breakdown under voltage surge conditions. Additional research is needed in these areas. The proximate cause of ignition involved with many of the above mechanisms is arc tracking (arcing across a carbonized path). In turn, it is shown that PVC is especially susceptible to becoming charred, it requiring only approximately 160°C for the material to become semiconducting during short-term exposure (around 10 h), while longer-term exposure (around 1 month) may cause failures at temperatures as low as 110°C. Some limited data exist which suggest that standard UL and IEC temperature classifications are unduly optimistic, as applied to PVC. Fire can originate if wiring or equipment cannot withstand a powerline surge. Mains-connected electrical appliances need to be designed to resist 6000 V surge voltages, even though this is not mandated in most of the current UL and IEC standards. Data are presented showing that the IEC 60112 wet-tracking test gives especially misleading results for PVC and should be improved or abrogated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Lactate and free glucose in supercooled hatchling Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) exposed to natural and semi-natural thermal regimesFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2005M. J. PACKARD Summary 1Hatchlings of the North American Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta (Schneider 1783) typically spend their first winter of life inside a shallow, terrestrial hibernaculum (the natal nest) where they commonly are exposed for extended periods to ice and cold. Current evidence indicates that turtles withstand such exposure by resisting freezing and becoming supercooled. 2Supercooled hatchlings held at constant temperatures in the laboratory experience circulatory impairment and stagnant hypoxia, and consequently rely on anaerobic metabolism to meet a portion of their energy needs. As a result, lactate accumulates in bodies of supercooled animals. 3The first experiment in the current investigation demonstrated that unfrozen hatchlings exposed to subzero temperatures like those recorded in a natural hibernaculum contained elevated quantities of lactic acid (and free glucose). This finding validates the widespread reliance on laboratory studies to gain insights regarding the physiology of animals overwintering in the field. 4In a second study, hatchling Painted Turtles held for 20 days at ,6 °C contained nearly twice as much lactate as turtles sampled after 10 days at that temperature. Hatchlings held for 10 days at ,6 °C and then for another 10 days at ,3 °C also contained more lactate than turtles sampled after 10 days at ,6 °C, but not as much as the hatchlings that spent 20 days at ,6 °C. Thus, animals held for part of the time at the higher subzero temperature still relied on anaerobic metabolism, but not to the same extent as turtles held continuously at the lower temperature. In contrast, hatchlings held for 10 days at ,6 °C and then for another 10 days at either 0 °C or +3 °C contained no more lactate than control animals that never were exposed to subzero temperatures. Hatchlings exposed for the second 10 days to either 0 °C or +3 °C apparently were able to catabolize or otherwise process all the lactate that was accumulated during the first 10 days of their treatment. 5Free glucose in bodies of hatchlings was elevated in all animals exposed to subzero temperatures, even when the initial exposure was followed by 10 days at temperatures as high as +3 °C. This finding has important implications with regard to the substrate that is used to support intermediary metabolism in supercooled turtles as well as to the metabolic pathways that are used to remove accumulated lactate once body temperature of the turtles rises at least to 0 °C. [source] Chance and determinism in the development of isolated communitiesGLOBAL ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2000S. A. Ward Abstract 1In the colonization of an island by potentially interacting species both the severity of the competition between them and the length of the interval between their arrivals should affect the likelihood of the second species becoming established. Between-island variation in priority and the interval between colonizations will depend on the dispersal rates of the two species. 2We predict that early colonization should be relatively deterministic, whereas later in the colonization process both the sequence of arrivals and the interval between them will be more variable. 3Possible instances of both deterministic and stochastic stages in community development are identified in the colonization of the Krakatau islands by zoochorous forest trees and large zoochorous lianes. [source] Dose- and time-dependent oval cell reaction in acetaminophen-induced murine liver injury,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2005Alexander V. Kofman We examined the response of murine oval cells, that is, the putative liver progenitor cells, to acetaminophen. Female C57BL/6J mice were injected intraperitoneally with varying doses of N -acetyl-paraaminophen (APAP) (250, 500, 750, and 1,000 mg/kg of weight) and sacrificed at 3, 6, 9, 24, and 48 hours. In preliminary studies, we showed that anticytokeratin antibodies detected A6-positive cells with a sensitivity and specificity of greater than 99%. The oval cell reaction was quantified, on immunostaining for biliary-type cytokeratins, as both number and density of oval cells per portal tract, analyzed by size of portal tract. Acetaminophen injury was followed by periportal oval cell accumulation displaying a moderate degree of morphological homogeneity. Oval cell response was biphasic, not temporally correlating with the single wave of injury seen histologically. Increases in oval cells were largely confined to the smallest portal tracts, in keeping with their primary derivation from the canals of Hering, and increased in a dose-dependent fashion. The timing of the two peaks of the oval cell reaction also changed with increasing dose, the first becoming earlier and the second later. In conclusion, our studies indicate a marked oval cell activation during the height of hepatic injury. Oval cells appear to be resistant to acetaminophen injury. The close fidelity of mechanism and histology of acetaminophen injury between mouse and human livers makes it a useful model for investigating liver regeneration and the participation of stem/progenitor cells in that process. (HEPATOLOGY 2005.) [source] Pedagogy Against the StateINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ART & DESIGN EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008Dennis Atkinson The text of this article was originally presented in a public lecture in February 2008. It presents a description of earlier research on children's drawing practices which considers the ingenuity of learning and meaning-making through drawing. Then the focus moves to the language of assess-mentto consider how, art practices, such as drawing, as well as learner and teacher identities, are constructed and regulated within such linguistic practices (discourses). Bearing in mind the regulatory effect of such practices (and that all discourses are in some way regulatory) the final section introduces the idea of pedagogy against the state in order to think again an ethics of pedagogy concerned with becoming; an ethical imperative for pedagogy concerned with expanding our grasp of what learning is. [source] A new parameter extraction method for accurate modeling of PEM fuel cellsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 11 2009M. T. Outeiro Abstract In this paper, a new parameter extraction method for accurate modeling of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems is presented. The main difficulty in obtaining an accurate PEM fuel cell dynamical model is the lack of manufacturer information about the exact values of the parameters needed for the model. In order to obtain a realistic dynamic model of the PEM system, the electrochemical considerations of the system are incorporated into the model. Although many models have been reported in the literature, the parameter extraction issue has been neglected. However, model parameters must be precisely identified in order to obtain accurate simulation results. The main contribution of the present work is the application of the simulated annealing (SA) optimization algorithm as a method for identification of PEM fuel cell model parameter identification. The major advantage of SA is its ability to avoid becoming trapped in local minimum, as well as its flexibility and robustness. The parameter extraction and performance validation are carried out by comparing experimental and simulated results. The good agreement observed confirms the usefulness of the proposed extraction approach together with adopted PEM fuel cell model as an efficient tool to help design of power fuel cell power systems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Appropriateness of using a symbol to identify dementia and/or deliriumINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE BASED HEALTHCARE, Issue 3 2010Sonia Hines RN BN Abstract Aim, The main objective of this systematic review was to evaluate any published and unpublished evidence regarding the appropriateness of developing a symbol for dementia and/or delirium, which could be used in a variety of settings to indicate that a person has dementia and/or delirium. Methods, Using the methods of the Joanna Briggs Institute, we conducted a systematic search of a wide range of databases, Internet resources and unpublished literature. Papers meeting the inclusion criteria were critically appraised by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted, using the standardised tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute, from those papers considered to be of sufficient quality. Because of significant methodological heterogeneity, no meta-analysis was possible and results are presented narratively instead. Results, From a total of 37 retrieved papers, 18 were found to be of sufficient relevance and quality to be included in the review. There was general consensus among the literature that a symbol for dementia is appropriate in the acute care setting. It was also clear from the research that an abstract symbol, as opposed to one that explicitly attempts to depict dementia, was most acceptable to staff, people with dementia and their carers. Conclusions, Both staff and health consumers seem to have largely positive perceptions and attitudes towards the use of a symbol for dementia. Families and carers of people with dementia are frequently concerned about their loved one wandering away and becoming lost and unable to identify themselves, and these concerns seem to outweigh any reservations they hold about the use of a symbol or some other identifier. In healthcare settings the use of symbols to indicate special needs seems well established and widely accepted. However, regarding the use of a symbol for dementia in the broader community, there remain concerns about issues such as stigmatisation and the potential for victimisation of this vulnerable population and so further research is indicated. [source] Keto-enol tautomerism in linear and cyclic ,-diketones: A DFT study in vacuo and in solutionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 10 2008Giuliano Alagona Abstract DFT geometry optimizations have been performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level in the gas phase and at the IEF-PCM/B3LYP/6-31G* level in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and aqueous solutions using scaled radii for the diketo and ketoenol forms of acetylacetone and cyclohexanedione. To evaluate basis set effects, starting from the aforementioned minima, the 6-311++G** optimized structures have been obtained. A number of complexes of both systems including one explicit water molecule have been considered up to the B3LYP/6-311++G** level, for cyclohexanedione taking into account the B3LYP/6-31G* basis set superposition errors as well. The diketo,ketoenol interconversion mechanisms have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-31G* level in vacuo. Interestingly, the geometric constraint due to the presence of the ring facilitates the description of the reaction mechanism in cyclohexanedione. Despite the very different flexibility of the two systems that in the case of acetylacetone prevents a straightforward interconversion of the diketo to the most stable of its ketoenol forms, both reactions occur with a very high barrier (about 62,63 kcal/mol), unaffected by continuum solvents, that decreases by 2.5,3.5 kcal/mol after the inclusion of thermal corrections. The barriers are almost halved, becoming ,31,35 kcal/mol, for the addition of a single water molecule according to various model reaction paths. Thermal corrections are limited (0.8,1.6 kcal/mol) for those adducts. The formation of a 1,1-diol, explored in the case of acetylacetone, might facilitate the obtainment of the most stable diketo conformation, featuring the carbonyl groups in distinct orientations. Inclusion of dispersion and basis set effects via the G2MP2 protocol does not alter the relative stability of both system tautomers. In contrast, the G2MP2 interconversion barriers for the isolated systems in vacuo are close to the B3LYP ones, whereas they turn out to be somewhat higher than the free energy-based B3LYP barriers in the presence of a catalytic water molecule. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008 [source] The European Policy for the Development of an Information Society: the Right Path?,JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 4 2008JOSÉ LUIS GÓMEZ-BARROSO The end of 2005 marked the closure of one stage in the European strategy for the promotion of the information society (the eEurope programme) and the start of the next one (i2010). This seems to be a good time for assessing the results achieved to date by the community policy in this area and analysing whether the correct approach has been adopted. Despite the satisfaction shown in certain official appraisals, the picture resulting from consulting different classifications globally measuring the adaptation of countries to the information society is not that optimistic. Only the European Union leaders in this field (the Nordic countries) have improved their positions, broadening the gap with the rest: western European countries have lost ground (or at least have not improved) in the rankings, the southern countries do not seem to have corrected their deficiencies and the indices for the new Member States have not evolved as expected or have even deteriorated in some cases. Even though becoming one of the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economies in the world was the first Leitmotiv of the Lisbon strategy, the interpretation of the documents connected to the definition of the new stage in the strategy led to doubts over whether the European Union has a clear notion on the course of action to take in order to make progress on the information society a matter of priority. [source] In situ SAXS studies of the morphological changes of an alumina,zirconia,silicate ceramic during its formationJOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2006Rudolf Winter Small-angle X-ray scattering is used at two energies, one either side of the zirconium K -edge, to probe the in situ formation of an alumina,zirconia,silicate ceramic. The use of energies either side of the edge allows the decomposition of information regarding the scattering from the zirconia particles from that of the glass matrix. Porod slope data show how the nanoparticles progress from being relatively isolated particles to becoming agglomerates as the pore network in the glass collapses. The shape of the agglomerates resembles the pore network of the glass at low temperature. The Guinier radii of the particles show the growth of the agglomerates past the Littleton softening point, whilst still resolving the primary particles. [source] Weight Status of Persons with Intellectual DisabilitiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 5 2009Marian A. Maaskant Background, The aim was to study the weight and weight status of the study group in 2002 and 2007, and to study the differences in weight and weight status between 2002 and 2007 and the risk groups for (becoming) overweight/obese. Materials and Methods, The Body Mass Index (BMI) of 336 clients of a Dutch service provider for persons with intellectual disabilities was calculated in 2002 and 2007. Results, The mean increase in BMI between 2002 and 2007 was 0.8 (2.2 kg). In 2002, 36% of the study group was overweight/obese; this was higher in 2007: 45%. The expected relationship between increase in BMI and the change in living circumstances could not be confirmed. Conclusions, Further research into health-control programmes, weight status, food-intake and physical exercise is recommended. [source] A reappraisal of the histologic findings of pigmented pretibial patches of diabetes mellitusJOURNAL OF CUTANEOUS PATHOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Gregory M. Houck Background:, Pigmented pretibial patches (PPPs) are the most common cutaneous alterations in diabetes mellitus, found in up to 50% of diabetic patients. They classically present as flat-topped, dull-red papules on the pretibial areas, later becoming hyperpigmented and atrophic. Little is known regarding the pathogenesis of these lesions, and the histopathologic findings have been regarded as non-specific. Methods:, We investigated the clinical and pathologic attributes of a series of 12 diabetic patients with PPP in an effort to discern any specific histologic attributes compared to normal skin removed from diabetic patients with cutaneous carcinoma. Results:, All cases of PPP showed hyaline microangiopathy, all patients showed extravasated erythrocytes and/or hemosiderin deposits, and 10 patients showed an appreciable number of perivascular plasma cells. The average number of plasma cells per vascular plexus was 2.2. Control specimens removed from five diabetic patients showed hyaline microangiopathy, and three showed extravasated erythrocytes and hemosiderin. One patient showed a single vascular plexus with two plasma cells, p = 0.01. Conclusion:, The presence of increased dermal perivascular plasma cells in the appropriate clinical context might be an important and under-recognized clue for PPP. The pathogenic significance of this finding is unknown. [source] Wireless capsule endoscopy: Experience in a tropical countryJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 1 2004PVJ SRIRAM Abstract Background and Aim:, Capsule endoscopy is fast becoming the procedure of choice for small bowel imaging, especially to investigate the cause of unexplained gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. We report our experience with capsule endoscopy in 24 cases with various indications. Methods:, In patients with unexplained GI bleeding or chronic anemia, the cause could be established in nine of 12 cases (75%), which included angioectasiae, leiomyomata and parasitic infestation. Results:, The yield of capsule endoscopy was highest in patients presenting with chronic diarrhea and suspicion of small bowel mucosal disease, where Crohn's disease and tuberculosis could be diagnosed. However, in patients with unexplained abdominal pain, capsule endoscopy was found to be least useful because 5/7 patients in the study were normal, emphasizing the importance of case selection. Overall, capsule endoscopy yielded a positive diagnosis in 16 of the 24 cases (66.6%). Conclusions:, The experience of capsule endoscopy in a tropical clinical setting is no different from elsewhere, although certain conditions like worm infestation are more likely to be detected in this environment. [source] The Failure of the Sport7 TV-channel: Controversies in a Business Network*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 7 2003Harry Sminia ABSTRACT During 1996, TV viewers in the Netherlands witnessed the rise and fall of Sport7: a dedicated sports TV channel. Apparently, Sport7 did not succeed to become part of the business network of television and sports. This paper describes and explains why the venture failed. It builds on earlier insights from research on the outcomes of joint ventures and the business networks perspective. These insights are combined and utilized within the framework of the theory of social becoming (Sztompka, 1991). As such, for a new venture like Sport7, the outcome depends on the settlement of a number of controversies that arise with the establishment of a new actor in an existing business network. In the case of Sport7, the settlement of these controversies appeared to go against this new venture, ultimately leading to the demise of this new TV channel. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||