Anomalous rainfall and associated atmospheric circulation in the northeast Spanish Mediterranean area and its relationship to sediment fluidization events in a lake

Changes in the dynamics of sediment transport in a Mediterranean lake (sediment fluidization events) are linked to atmospheric circulations patterns (trough monthly precipitation). In the basins of Lake Banyoles, located in the northeast of Spain, water enters mainly through subterranean springs, and associated fluctuations in the vertical migration of sediment distribution (fluidization events) present episodic behavior as a result of episodic rainfall in the area. The initiation of the fluidization events takes place when the monthly rainfall is ∼2.7 times greater than the mean monthly rainfall of the rainiest months in the area, especially in spring (April and May), October, and December. The duration of these events is found to be well correlated with the accumulated rainfall of the preceding 10 months before the process initiation. The rainfall, in turn, is mainly associated with six atmospheric circulation patterns among the 19 fundamental circulations that emerged in an earlier study focused on significant rainfall days in Mediterranean Spain. Among them, accentuated surface lows over the northeast of Spain, general northeasterly winds by low pressure centered to the east of Balearic Islands and short baroclinic waves over the Iberian Peninsula, with easterly flows over the northeastern coast of Spain, are found the most relevant atmospheric circulations that drive heavy rainfall events

The activation process of the alpha1B-adrenergic receptor: potential role of protonation and hydrophobicity of a highly conserved aspartate.

In this study, a quantitative approach was used to investigate the role of D142, which belongs to the highly conserved E/DRY sequence, in the activation process of the alpha1B-adrenergic receptor (alpha1B-AR). Experimental and computer-simulated mutagenesis were performed by substituting all possible natural amino acids at the D142 site. The resulting congeneric set of proteins together with the finding that all the receptor mutants show various levels of constitutive (agonist-independent) activity enabled us to quantitatively analyze the relationships between structural/dynamic features and the extent of constitutive activity. Our results suggest that the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of D142, which could be regulated by protonation/deprotonation of this residue, is an important modulator of the transition between the inactive (R) and active (R*) state of the alpha1B-AR. Our study represents an example of quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of the activation process of a G protein-coupled receptor.

Surrogate decision making for patients with end-stage dementia.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to explore how health surrogates of patients with dementia proceed in decision making, which considerations are decisive, and whether family surrogates and professional guardians decide differently. METHODS: We conducted an experimental vignette study using think aloud protocol analysis. Thirty-two family surrogates and professional guardians were asked to decide on two hypothetical case vignettes, concerning a feeding tube placement and a cardiac pacemaker implantation in patients with end-stage dementia. They had to verbalize their thoughts while deciding. Verbalizations were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to content analysis. By experimentally changing variables in the vignettes, the impact of these variables on the outcome of decision making was calculated. RESULTS: Although only 25% and 31% of the relatives gave their consent to the feeding tube and pacemaker placement, respectively, 56% and 81% of the professional guardians consented to these life-sustaining measures. Relatives decided intuitively, referred to their own preferences, and focused on the patient's age, state of wellbeing, and suffering. Professional guardians showed a deliberative approach, relied on medical and legal authorities, and emphasized patient autonomy. Situational variables such as the patient's current behavior and the views of health care professionals and family members had higher impacts on decisions than the patient's prior statements or life attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Both the process and outcome of surrogate decision making depend heavily on whether the surrogate is a relative or not. These findings have implications for the physician-surrogate relationship and legal frameworks regarding surrogacy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Three essays on internationalization and firm entrepreneurial behavior

PAPER 1: A THEORY ON THE EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONALIZATION ON FIRM ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOR AND GROWTH Abstract This article addresses the relationship. Past findings reveal that the direct effects of internationalization on performance are mixed and inconclusive. Our framework integrates firm entrepreneurial behavior as a mediating force of the troublesome Drawing on the tension between the entrepreneurship literature and the organizational inertia theory, we argue that internationalization is key to minimizing the stifling effects of inertia and in engendering entrepreneurial behavior towards growth. We suggest that firms that internationalize at a young age and enjoy an intense degree of internationalization tend to become more entrepreneurial than do late and weakly internationalized firms. As a consequence, early and intense internationalizers experience superior growth. Aware of the inherent endogeneity of our propositions, we also discuss how consistent estimates can be obtained when testing the model empirically. PAPER 2: DOES INTERNATIONALIZATION MATTER FOR GROWTH? THE CASE OF SWISS SOFTWARE FIRMS. Abstract This paper seeks to address the issue of whether early and intense internationalization leads to superior firm growth. We revisit the hypotheses of previous studies within the emerging research domain of international entrepreneurship. Empirical analyses on the performance implications of internationalization have so far been limited and inconsistent. Our paper intends to make two contributions to the international entrepreneurship literature. First, we bring additional empirical evidence as to the inconclusive firm performance endogeneity in our causal model, using a sample of 103 Swiss international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). On one hand, we find that the degree of internationalization significantly increases perceived firm growth (i.e., relative firm performance in a market); however, age at internationalization was unrelated to perceived firm growth. On the other hand, we reproduced the causal path of a highly cited study that showed how age at internationalization was significantly and negatively associated with objective firm growth (i.e., sales). Interestingly, our results support the study similar setting (OLS regression with comparable control variables); however, the effect for age at internationalization reverses when we correct for endogeneity. PAPER 3: EFFECT OF INTERNATIONALIZATION ON FIRM ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF SWISS SOFTWARE FIRMS. Abstract How does internationalization influence a firm orientation (EO) and is this related to firm growth? This paper inquires into the performance theorizing, we test a process model in which EO plays a mediating role in accounting for the relationship between internationalization and growth. We position this paper on the tension zone between the entrepreneurship literature and the organizational inertia theory. We lay out the argument that internationalization is source of opportunities that drives a firm and thus mitigates inertial pressure. Using a sample of Swiss software small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), we found that degree of internationalization (but not age of internationalization) increases EO, which subsequently increased firm growth.

La pratique basée sur les résultats probants. Partie 2: Les étapes du processus [Evidence-based practice: Part 2: Steps in the process].

Evidence-based (EBP) aims for a new distribution of power centered on scientific evidence rather than clinical expertise. The present article describes the operational process of EBP by describing the implementation stages of this type of practise. This stage presentation is essential given that there are many conceptions end models of EBP and that some nurses have a limited knowledge of its rules ans implications. Given that number and formulation of the stages varies by author, the process presented here attempts to integrate the different stages reviewed.

The construction process of pedagogical knowledge among nursing professors

Didactic knowledge about contents is constructed through an idiosyncratic synthesis between knowledge about the subject area, students' general pedagogical knowledge and the teacher's biography. This study aimed to understand the construction process and the sources of Pedagogical Content Knowledge, as well as to analyze its manifestations and variations in interactive teaching by teachers whom the students considered competent. Data collection involved teachers from an undergraduate nursing program in the South of Brazil, through non-participant observation and semistructured interviews. Data analysis was submitted to the constant comparison method. The results disclose the need for initial education to cover pedagogical aspects for nurses; to assume permanent education as fundamental in view of the complexity of contents and teaching; to use mentoring/monitoring and the value learning with experienced teachers with a view to the development of quality teaching.

Assembly of the Escherichia coli RuvABC resolvasome directs the orientation of holliday junction resolution.

Genetic recombination can lead to the formation of intermediates in which DNA molecules are linked by Holliday junctions. Movement of a junction along DNA, by a process known as branch migration, leads to heteroduplex formation, whereas resolution of a junction completes the recombination process. Holliday junctions can be resolved in either of two ways, yielding products in which there has, or has not, been an exchange of flanking markers. The ratio of these products is thought to be determined by the frequency with which the two isomeric forms (conformers) of the Holliday junction are cleaved. Recent studies with enzymes that process Holliday junctions in Escherichia coli, the RuvABC proteins, however, indicate that protein binding causes the junction to adopt an open square-planar configuration. Within such a structure, DNA isomerization can have little role in determining the orientation of resolution. To determine the role that junction-specific protein assembly has in determining resolution bias, a defined in vitro system was developed in which we were able to direct the assembly of the RuvABC resolvasome. We found that the bias toward resolution in one orientation or the other was determined simply by the way in which the Ruv proteins were positioned on the junction. Additionally, we provide evidence that supports current models on RuvABC action in which Holliday junction resolution occurs as the resolvasome promotes branch migration.

Alcohol may not cause partner violence but it seems to make it worse: a cross national comparison of the relationship between alcohol and severity of partner violence.

This study assesses whether severity of physical partner aggression is associated with alcohol consumption at the time of the incident, and whether the relationship between drinking and aggression severity is the same for men and women and across different countries. National or large regional general population surveys were conducted in 13 countries as part of the GENACIS collaboration. Respondents described the most physically aggressive act done to them by a partner in the past 2 years, rated the severity of aggression on a scale of 1 to 10, and reported whether either partner had been drinking when the incident occurred. Severity ratings were significantly higher for incidents in which one or both partners had been drinking compared to incidents in which neither partner had been drinking. The relationship did not differ significantly for men and women or by country. We conclude that alcohol consumption may serve to potentiate violence when it occurs, and this pattern holds across a diverse set of cultures. Further research is needed that focuses explicitly on the nature of alcohol's contribution to intimate partner aggression. Prevention needs to address the possibility of enhanced dangers of intimate partner violence when the partners have been drinking and eliminate any systemic factors that permit alcohol to be used as an excuse. Clinical services for perpetrators and victims of partner violence need to address the role of drinking practices, including the dynamics and process of aggressive incidents that occur when one or both partners have been drinking.

Debris flows as a factor of hillslope evolution controlled by a continuous or a pulse process?

Flood effectiveness observations imply that two families of processes describe the formation of debris flow volume. One is related to the rainfall?erosion relationship, and can be seen as a gradual process, and one is related to additional geological/geotechnical events, those named hereafter extraordinary events. In order to discuss the hypothesis of coexistence of two modes of volume formation, some methodologies are applied. Firstly, classical approaches consisting in relating volume to catchments characteristics are considered. These approaches raise questions about the quality of the data rather than providing answers concerning the controlling processes. Secondly, we consider statistical approaches (cumulative number of events distribution and cluster analysis) and these suggest the possibility of having two distinct families of processes. However the quantitative evaluation of the threshold differs from the one that could be obtained from the first approach, but they all agree in the sense of the coexistence of two families of events. Thirdly, a conceptual model is built exploring how and why debris flow volume in alpine catchments changes with time. Depending on the initial condition (sediment production), the model shows that large debris flows (i.e. with important volume) are observed in the beginning period, before a steady-state is reached. During this second period debris flow volume such as is observed in the beginning period is not observed again. Integrating the results of the three approaches, two case studies are presented showing: (1) the possibility to observe in a catchment large volumes that will never happen again due to a drastic decrease in the sediment availability, supporting its difference from gradual erosion processes; (2) that following a rejuvenation of the sediment storage (by a rock avalanche) the magnitude?frequency relationship of a torrent can be differentiated into two phases, the beginning one with large and frequent debris flow and a later one with debris flow less intense and frequent, supporting the results of the conceptual model. Although the results obtained cannot identify a clear threshold between the two families of processes, they show that some debris flows can be seen as pulse of sediment differing from that expected from gradual erosion.

The relationship between cognitive errors and interpersonal patterns in depressed women.

Individuals with depression process information in an overly negative or biased way (e.g., Henriques & Leitenberg, 2002) and demonstrate significant interpersonal dysfunction (e.g., Zlotnick, Kohn, Keitner, & Della Grotta, 2000). This study examined the relationship between cognitive errors (CEs) and interpersonal interactions in early psychotherapy sessions of 25 female patients with major depression. Transcripts were rated for CEs using the Cognitive Error Rating Scale (Drapeau, Perry, & Dunkley, 2008). Interpersonal patterns were assessed using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (Benjamin, 1974). Significant associations were found between CEs and markers of interpersonal functioning in selected contexts. The implications of these findings in bridging the gap between research and practice, enhancing treatment outcome, and improving therapist training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving a leaves automatic recognition process using PCA

In this work we present a simulation of a recognition process with perimeter characterization of a simple plant leaves as a unique discriminating parameter. Data coding allowing for independence of leaves size and orientation may penalize performance recognition for some varieties. Border description sequences are then used, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is applied in order to study which is the best number of components for the classification task, implemented by means of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) System. Obtained results are satisfactory, and compared with [4] our system improves the recognition success, diminishing the variance at the same time.

Les divers sens de la notion d'autonomie en médecine et leur pertinence en clinique [The various senses of autonomy and their relevance to clinical practice]

Since the introduction of the principle of respect of autonomy in medical ethics, the respect of the will of the patient occupied a central place in the decision-making process. To face up to the difficulties that appeared during the application of this principle in clinical medicine, Bruce Miller proposed in the early eighties one way to clarify the significance of this notion in the field of medical practice. He showed that the concept of autonomy can be understood under four senses which deserve to be explored in case of ethical conflict. This article shows, through the analysis of a clinical situation, the relevance of the approach suggested by this author and proposes to refer to this approach in case of ethical dilemmas in clinical practice.

Characteristics of a good customer reference for a process equipment supplier

Työn tavoitteena oli tutkia hyvän asiakasreferenssin ominaisuuksia suodatinvalmistaja Laroxin myynnin ja huollon sekä yrityksen asiakkaiden näkökulmasta. Larox voi käyttää saatua tietoa referenssien tehokkaampaan valintaan ja hyödyntämiseen. Kaksi internet-kyselyä toteutettiin, välineenä Webropol. Alustava kysely sunnattiin Laroxin myynnille ja huollolle. Kysely koostui viidestä kategoriasta asiakasreferenssejä, joiden tärkeyttä arvioitiin, sekä vapaista vastauksista. Tunnistettuja hyvän asiakasreferenssin ominaisuuksia ovat hyvä suhde referenssiasiakkaaseen, positiiviset jarehelliset suosittelut asiakkaalta, referenssilaitteen hyvä toimintakyky ja asiakas joka ymmärtää huollon tärkeyden. Pääkysely suunnattiin Laroxin asiakkaille. Tilastollisilla analyyseilla tutkittiin koetun riskin mallinmuuttujien välisiä yhteyksiä. Analyysit eivät paljastaneet merkittäviä riippuvuuksia asiakasreferenssin ominaisuuksien tärkeydessä eritaustaisten vastaajien tai tilannetekijöiden välillä, mutta asiakasreferenssin ominaisuuksien faktorit tukevat mallia. Referenssilaitteiden toimintakyky vaikuttaa tärkeimmältä ja huollon tärkeys on myös merkittävä.

Development of aBuyer-Supplier Relationship: Case Study of Radical Shifts in Key Account Relationships

Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia ja selvittää monimutkaisia myyjän ja toimittajan välisiä liikesuhteita; miten ne kehittyvät ja millaisia prosesseja ne käyvät läpi, jos avainasiakassuhde on vaikeuksissa. Tavoitteena oli myös löytää syitä miksi ostokäyttäytyminen on muuttunut, onko se maailman- laajuinen ilmiö vai onko kyse vain yksittäisestä tapauksesta paperiteolli-suudessa. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli selvittää mitkä ovat alkusysäyksiä avain-asiakassuhteen murrostilaan. Tutkimuksen lähestymistapa on kvalitatiivinen tapaustutkimus. Tutkimuksen ensisijainen empiirinen aineisto on kerätty haastattelemalla UPM-Kymmenen johtoa, paperin osto-organisaation ostojohtajaa X ja asiakas Y:n entistä osto-johtajaa. Työ ei ole salainen. Tämän takia asiakkaiden nimiä ei voida julkaista, koska UPM-Kymmene vaati, että työ ei saa sisältää mitään informaatiota, josta lukija voi tunnistaa asiakas X:n tai Y:n. Johtopäätöksenä voidaan suosittaa toimittajan tarkkailevan ja ymmärtävän mahdollisia alkusysäyksiä ja varoitussignaaleja ehkäistäkseen tulevaisuuden murrostiloja liikesuhteissaan ja hallita paremmin avainasiakkaitaan.Pääasialliset alkusysäykset ovat vähentynyt avoin kommunikaatio, ostajan radikaalit säästöt, vähentynyt informaation vaihto ja ostajan johdon vaihtuminen, koska se luo epävarmuutta toimittajaan kuten myös ostajaan.

The power of support: an exploration of the mentoring relationship

Tutkimuksen pääasiallisena tavoitteena on selvittää ne moninaiset näkökulmat, joita mentori sekä mentoroitava läpikäyvät osallistuessaan mentorointiohjelmaan. Tutkimuksen avulla pyritään myös selvittämään vastaavanlaisen tuen saannin tehokkuutta sekä mentoroinnin sisältäminen elementtien hyödyllisyyttä. Pyrkimyksenä on myös selvittää sekä ymmärtää ne dynaamiset mentorointiprosessin ominaisuudet molempien prosessiin osallistuvien tahojen näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen teoriaosuudessa käsitellään mentorointia, mentorointiin liittyviä vuorovaikutussuhteita sekä näihin liittyviä eri näkökulmia. Teoria koostuu monipuolisesta, kansainvälisestä sekä kotimaisesta kirjallisuudesta. Tutkimuksen aineiston keruu suoritetaan puolistrukturoiduilla avoimilla haastatteluilla, jotka suoritetaan järjestämällä kahdenkeskisiä teemahaastatteluita. Mentorointisuhteella on todettu olevan voimakas vaikutus siihen osallistuvien henkilöiden elämään. Mentorointisuhteen tarkoituksellisuus on tullut todettua myös kun itse vuorovaikutussuhde on osoittautunut hyödylliseksi osallistujille. Mentoroitavilla on odotuksia, että mentorit täyttävät seuraavanlaisia rooleja: neuvonantaja, roolimalli sekä mahdollisesti tukea antava ystävä. Kaikissa läpikäydyissä tapauksissa mentori pystyi tarjoamaan jonkun näistärooleista mentoroitavalle. Mentoroitava, puolestaan, otti tämän tuen vastaan jahyötyi siitä.