STUDY ON BONDING AND 4F ORBITAL EFFECT OF LANTHANIDE COMPOUNDS

The bonding and the 4f orbital effect of lanthanide elements at different valence state in their compounds have been studied by INDO method in this paper. The results obtained show that the bonding of lanthanide compounds is affected by many factors, such as valence state, ionic radius, ligand, coordinate number, space configuration etc. The strength of bonds composed of different ligands with lanthanide is distinctly different. The covalence of Ln-L bonds of lanthanide ions at high valence state in their compounds is larger than that at low valence state, The covalency at low coordinate number is larger than that at high coordinate number. Some lanthanide compounds with special configuration, besides sigma-bond, can form p(pi)-d(pi) dative bond with much overlap, which makes the Ln-L bond increase markedly. The effect of 4f orbitals on bonding is far less than that of 5d orbitals. The Ln 4f orbitals at 3 or 2 valence state may be considered to be essentially localized, while the contribution of 4f orbitals on bonding in 4 valent cerium compounds increases obviously, up to 1%.

SEM STUDY ON FRACTURE-BEHAVIOR OF ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE BLOCK COPOLYMERS AND THEIR BLENDS

The toughening effect of the separate phases of ethylene/propylene block copolymers and their blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results obtained show that the interfacial adhesion between separate phases and the isotactic polypropene (iPP) matrix in ethylene/propylene block copolymers is strong at room temperature, but poor at low temperature; specimens exhibit tearing of separate phases during fracture at room temperature, but interfacial fracture between separate phases and the iPP matrix at low temperature. From the characteristics of fractographs of ethylene/propylene block copolymers and their blends, it could be concluded that the separate phases improve the toughness of specimens in several ways: they promote the plastic deformation of the iPP, and they can be deformed and fractured themselves during the fracture process. However, it was shown that the plastic deformation processes, such as multiple-crazing, shear yielding, etc. of the matrix are the dominant mechanisms of energy absorption in highly toughened ethylene/propylene block copolymers and their blends. The deformation and fracture of separate phases are only of secondary importance.

A STUDY OF TETRAMETHYLAMMONIUM CATION ACROSS THE WATER-NITROBENZENE INTERFACE BY NEOPOLAROGRAPHY

The transfer behavior of tetramethylammonium cation (TMA~+) across the water/ nitrobenzene interface has been investigated by neopolarography including semiintegral (m), semidifferential (e), 1.5th order differential (e′) and 2.5 th order differential (e″) methods. The predicted dependences of peak height, peak potential and peak width on concentration and scan rate, etc have been discussed theoretically. The neopolarographic theory on the transfer of ions across the interface has been confirmed ...

国有企业管理者裁员决策特征及其对留岗者心理影响的研究

In China, orgnizational change and downsizing are the primary topics studied in I/O psychology and Human Resource Management. Due to the great need in reality, both theorists and practitioners raised the same questions: Does downsizing increase the organizational performance? What is the relationship between organizational downsizing strategies and survivors' psychological reations? Which factors influence managers' downsizing decision-making most? How can managers manage the process successfully? The purpose of this study is trying to answer these questions, and then to establish the downsizing decision-making model of China's SOE (State owned enterprise) managers. The hypothetical model of SOE managers' downsizing decision-making was put forward, based on a tremendous amount of literature on downsizing decision-making, especially on the downsizing decision-making model built by B. Shaw, and also based on the results of the interviews conducted to the SOE managers who have the downsizing decision-making experiences. In order to test and verify the model, 322 SOE managers were investigated by a questionnaire study. And the statistic results supported the hypothetical downsizing decision-making model. Further, 259 survivors (those who are still working in the SOEs) from 7 downsized SOEs and 1 non-downsizing SOE, were also investigated by a questionnaire study. The statistic results also supported the hypothetical downsizing decision-making model. A subsequent case study was performed upon one downsized SOE; and a deliberate focus group interview study within 6 SOE mangers from another downsized SOE was also conducted. Both fundings from the two studies surported the hypothetical model again. Thus, China's SOE managers' downsizing decision-making model was established. This China's SOE managers' downsizing decision-making model suggests the following: Firstly, the characteristics of managers'downsizing decision-making were the center of the model. Those characteristics displayed during the process of the downsizing decision planning, the participation of downsizing decision-making and the communication concerning downsizing events, were influenced by managers' sense of crisis, controlling factors out of the organization and the managing experience within it. Especially, the latter two factors were more important. Secondly, in downsizing decision-making problems, the perceived crisis of China's SOE managers was mainly influenced by the outer factors, esp. the controlling factors from the government or the high authorities, but not by the inner factors including manufacturing management, HRM skills and organizational competition strategies. Thirdly, survivors'psychological reactions (including job satisfaction, job motivation, team working cooperation, etc) were mainly influenced by the characteristics of the managers' downsizing decision-making, at the same time, also by the outer factors (including controlling and social security factors) and the inner factors (including competition strategy and HRM skills). Finally, according to the model and the results from this study, the conclusions were reached in the followings: The stronger the controlling effort upon the SOE managers, the worse the effect displayed during the downsizing process. And in order to improve the effect and quality of downsizing decision-making, SOE managers need a lot of training to ameliorate their competencies such as competition strategies and HRM skills.

Understanding nurses’ decision-making when managing weaning from mechanical ventilation: a study of novice and experienced critical care nurses in Scotland and Greece.

Aim and objectives To examine how nurses collect and use cues from respiratory assessment to inform their decisions as they wean patients from ventilatory support. Background Prompt and accurate identification of the patient's ability to sustain reduction of ventilatory support has the potential to increase the likelihood of successful weaning. Nurses' information processing during the weaning from mechanical ventilation has not been well-described. Design A descriptive ethnographic study exploring critical care nurses' decision-making processes when weaning mechanically ventilated patients from ventilatory support in the real setting. Methods Novice and expert Scottish and Greek nurses from two tertiary intensive care units were observed in real practice of weaning mechanical ventilation and were invited to participate in reflective interviews near the end of their shift. Data were analysed thematically using concept maps based on information processing theory. Ethics approval and informed consent were obtained. Results Scottish and Greek critical care nurses acquired patient-centred objective physiological and subjective information from respiratory assessment and previous knowledge of the patient, which they clustered around seven concepts descriptive of the patient's ability to wean. Less experienced nurses required more encounters of cues to attain the concepts with certainty. Subjective criteria were intuitively derived from previous knowledge of patients' responses to changes of ventilatory support. All nurses used focusing decision-making strategies to select and group cues in order to categorise information with certainty and reduce the mental strain of the decision task. Conclusions Nurses used patient-centred information to make a judgment about the patients' ability to wean. Decision-making strategies that involve categorisation of patient-centred information can be taught in bespoke educational programmes for mechanical ventilation and weaning. Relevance to clinical practice Advanced clinical reasoning skills and accurate detection of cues in respiratory assessment by critical care nurses will ensure optimum patient management in weaning mechanical ventilation

The call of the waters; a study of the frontier, by Katharine R. Crowell ...

http://www.archive.org/details/callofwatersstud01crowrich

Atomic layer deposition of copper – study through density functional theory

The wonder of the last century has been the rapid development in technology. One of the sectors that it has touched immensely is the electronic industry. There has been exponential development in the field and scientists are pushing new horizons. There is an increased dependence in technology for every individual from different strata in the society. Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a unique technique for growing thin films. It is widely used in the semiconductor industry. Films as thin as few nanometers can be deposited using this technique. Although this process has been explored for a variety of oxides, sulphides and nitrides, a proper method for deposition of many metals is missing. Metals are often used in the semiconductor industry and hence are of significant importance. A deficiency in understanding the basic chemistry at the nanoscale for possible reactions has delayed the improvement in metal ALD. In this thesis, we study the intrinsic chemistry involved for Cu ALD. This work reports computational study using Density Functional Theory as implemented in TURBOMOLE program. Both the gas phase and surface reactions are studied in most of the cases. The merits and demerits of a promising transmetallation reaction have been evaluated at the beginning of the study. Further improvements in the structure of precursors and coreagent have been proposed. This has led to the proposal of metallocenes as co-reagents and Cu(I) carbene compounds as new set of precursors. A three step process for Cu ALD that generates ligand free Cu layer after every ALD pulse has also been studied. Although the chemistry has been studied under the umbrella of Cu ALD the basic principles hold true for ALD of other metals (e.g. Co, Ni, Fe ) and also for other branches of science like thin film deposition other than ALD, electrochemical reactions, etc.

Do diabetic veterans use the Internet? Self-reported usage, skills, and interest in using My HealtheVet Web portal.

OBJECTIVE: The Veterans Health Administration has developed My HealtheVet (MHV), a Web-based portal that links veterans to their care in the veteran affairs (VA) system. The objective of this study was to measure diabetic veterans' access to and use of the Internet, and their interest in using MHV to help manage their diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional mailed survey of 201 patients with type 2 diabetes and hemoglobin A(1c) > 8.0% receiving primary care at any of five primary care clinic sites affiliated with a VA tertiary care facility. Main measures included Internet usage, access, and attitudes; computer skills; interest in using the Internet; awareness of and attitudes toward MHV; demographics; and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: A majority of respondents reported having access to the Internet at home. Nearly half of all respondents had searched online for information about diabetes, including some who did not have home Internet access. More than a third obtained "some" or "a lot" of their health-related information online. Forty-one percent reported being "very interested" in using MHV to help track their home blood glucose readings, a third of whom did not have home Internet access. Factors associated with being "very interested" were as follows: having access to the Internet at home (p < 0.001), "a lot/some" trust in the Internet as a source of health information (p = 0.002), lower age (p = 0.03), and some college (p = 0.04). Neither race (p = 0.44) nor income (p = 0.25) was significantly associated with interest in MHV. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that a diverse sample of older VA patients with sub-optimally controlled diabetes had a level of familiarity with and access to the Internet comparable to an age-matched national sample. In addition, there was a high degree of interest in using the Internet to help manage their diabetes.

The lung cancer exercise training study: a randomized trial of aerobic training, resistance training, or both in postsurgical lung cancer patients: rationale and design.

BACKGROUND: The Lung Cancer Exercise Training Study (LUNGEVITY) is a randomized trial to investigate the efficacy of different types of exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak), patient-reported outcomes, and the organ components that govern VO2peak in post-operative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS/DESIGN: Using a single-center, randomized design, 160 subjects (40 patients/study arm) with histologically confirmed stage I-IIIA NSCLC following curative-intent complete surgical resection at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC) will be potentially eligible for this trial. Following baseline assessments, eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) aerobic training alone, (2) resistance training alone, (3) the combination of aerobic and resistance training, or (4) attention-control (progressive stretching). The ultimate goal for all exercise training groups will be 3 supervised exercise sessions per week an intensity above 70% of the individually determined VO2peak for aerobic training and an intensity between 60 and 80% of one-repetition maximum for resistance training, for 30-45 minutes/session. Progressive stretching will be matched to the exercise groups in terms of program length (i.e., 16 weeks), social interaction (participants will receive one-on-one instruction), and duration (30-45 mins/session). The primary study endpoint is VO2peak. Secondary endpoints include: patient-reported outcomes (PROs) (e.g., quality of life, fatigue, depression, etc.) and organ components of the oxygen cascade (i.e., pulmonary function, cardiac function, skeletal muscle function). All endpoints will be assessed at baseline and postintervention (16 weeks). Substudies will include genetic studies regarding individual responses to an exercise stimulus, theoretical determinants of exercise adherence, examination of the psychological mediators of the exercise - PRO relationship, and exercise-induced changes in gene expression. DISCUSSION: VO2peak is becoming increasingly recognized as an outcome of major importance in NSCLC. LUNGEVITY will identify the optimal form of exercise training for NSCLC survivors as well as provide insight into the physiological mechanisms underlying this effect. Overall, this study will contribute to the establishment of clinical exercise therapy rehabilitation guidelines for patients across the entire NSCLC continuum. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT00018255.

Study protocol: home-based telehealth stroke care: a randomized trial for veterans.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is one of the most disabling and costly impairments of adulthood in the United States. Stroke patients clearly benefit from intensive inpatient care, but due to the high cost, there is considerable interest in implementing interventions to reduce hospital lengths of stay. Early discharge rehabilitation programs require coordinated, well-organized home-based rehabilitation, yet lack of sufficient information about the home setting impedes successful rehabilitation. This trial examines a multifaceted telerehabilitation (TR) intervention that uses telehealth technology to simultaneously evaluate the home environment, assess the patient's mobility skills, initiate rehabilitative treatment, prescribe exercises tailored for stroke patients and provide periodic goal oriented reassessment, feedback and encouragement. METHODS: We describe an ongoing Phase II, 2-arm, 3-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) that determines primarily the effect of TR on physical function and secondarily the effect on disability, falls-related self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction. Fifty participants with a diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) TR; or (b) Usual Care. The TR intervention uses a combination of three videotaped visits and five telephone calls, an in-home messaging device, and additional telephonic contact as needed over a 3-month study period, to provide a progressive rehabilitative intervention with a treatment goal of safe functional mobility of the individual within an accessible home environment. Dependent variables will be measured at baseline, 3-, and 6-months and analyzed with a linear mixed-effects model across all time points. DISCUSSION: For patients recovering from stroke, the use of TR to provide home assessments and follow-up training in prescribed equipment has the potential to effectively supplement existing home health services, assist transition to home and increase efficiency. This may be particularly relevant when patients live in remote locations, as is the case for many veterans. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT00384748.

Pittsburgh air quality study overview

Ambient sampling for the Pittsburgh Air Quality Study (PAQS) was conducted from July 2001 to September 2002. The study was designed (1) to characterize particulate matter (PM) by examination of size, surface area, and volume distribution, chemical composition as a function of size and on a single particle basis, morphology, and temporal and spatial variability in the Pittsburgh region; (2) to quantify the impact of the various sources (transportation, power plants, biogenic sources, etc.) on the aerosol concentrations in the area; and (3) to develop and evaluate the next generation of atmospheric aerosol monitoring and modeling techniques. The PAQS objectives, study design, site descriptions and routine and intensive measurements are presented. Special study days are highlighted, including those associated with elevated concentrations of daily average PM2.5 mass. Monthly average and diurnal patterns in aerosol number concentration, and aerosol nitrate, sulfate, elemental carbon, and organic carbon concentrations, light scattering as well as gas-phase ozone, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide are discussed with emphasis on the processes affecting them. Preliminary findings reveal day-to-day variability in aerosol mass and composition, but consistencies in seasonal average diurnal profiles and concentrations. For example, the seasonal average variations in the diurnal PM2.5 mass were predominately driven by the sulfate component. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making it in the Modern Job Market: A Study of Communication among the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Population

Gemstone Team AUDIO (Assessing and Understanding Deaf Individuals' Occupations)

Affective and Experiential Influences on English Skills of Heritage Spanish Speakers

Gemstone Team GABS (Grammar Acquisition in Bilingual Students)

Research Question, Study Design and Continuous Research Education and Training Exercises (CREATE) Program.

The clinical research project starts with identifying the optimal research question, one that is ethical, impactful, feasible, scientifically sound, novel, relevant, and interesting. The project continues with the design of the study to answer the research question. Such design should be consistent with ethical and methodological principles, and make optimal use of resources in order to have the best chances of identifying a meaningful answer to the research question. Physicians and other healthcare providers are optimally positioned to identify meaningful research questions the answer to which could make significant impact on healthcare delivery. The typical medical education curriculum, however, lacks solid training in clinical research. We propose CREATE (Continuous Research Education And Training Exercises) as a peer- and group-based, interactive, analytical, customized, and accrediting program with didactic, training, mentoring, administrative, and professional support to enhance clinical research knowledge and skills among healthcare professionals, promote the generation of original research projects, increase the chances of their successful completion and potential for meaningful impact. The key features of the program are successive intra- and inter-group discussions and confrontational thematic challenges among participating peers aimed at capitalizing on the groups' collective knowledge, experience and skills, and combined intellectual processing capabilities to optimize choice of research project elements and stakeholder decision-making.

Specialist and primary care physicians' views on barriers to adequate preparation of patients for renal replacement therapy: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Early preparation for renal replacement therapy (RRT) is recommended for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet many patients initiate RRT urgently and/or are inadequately prepared. METHODS: We conducted audio-recorded, qualitative, directed telephone interviews of nephrology health care providers (n = 10, nephrologists, physician assistants, and nurses) and primary care physicians (PCPs, n = 4) to identify modifiable challenges to optimal RRT preparation to inform future interventions. We recruited providers from public safety-net hospital-based and community-based nephrology and primary care practices. We asked providers open-ended questions to assess their perceived challenges and their views on the role of PCPs and nephrologist-PCP collaboration in patients' RRT preparation. Two independent and trained abstractors coded transcribed audio-recorded interviews and identified major themes. RESULTS: Nephrology providers identified several factors contributing to patients' suboptimal RRT preparation, including health system resources (e.g., limited time for preparation, referral process delays, and poorly integrated nephrology and primary care), provider skills (e.g., their difficulty explaining CKD to patients), and patient attitudes and cultural differences (e.g., their poor understanding and acceptance of their CKD and its treatment options, their low perceived urgency for RRT preparation; their negative perceptions about RRT, lack of trust, or language differences). PCPs desired more involvement in preparation to ensure RRT transitions could be as "smooth as possible", including providing patients with emotional support, helping patients weigh RRT options, and affirming nephrologist recommendations. Both nephrology providers and PCPs desired improved collaboration, including better information exchange and delineation of roles during the RRT preparation process. CONCLUSIONS: Nephrology and primary care providers identified health system resources, provider skills, and patient attitudes and cultural differences as challenges to patients' optimal RRT preparation. Interventions to improve these factors may improve patients' preparation and initiation of optimal RRTs.