Preparation and characterization of cross-linked starch polyurethanes

This study describes the preparation and characterization of new starch cross-linked polyurethanes produced by the reaction of native cornstarch with a propylene oxide toluene diisocyanate oligomer. Infrared analysis confirmed the occurrence of the reaction and solubility and swelling tests showed that it had led to cross-linked structures. These products were totally amorphous and displayed elastomeric properties associated with two T(g)s at -60 and 35 degrees C. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for diffusional coupling in electrochemical thin layers: implications for surface coverage calibration via electrochemical infrared spectroscopy

The time dependence of the concentration of CO2 in an electrochemical thin layer cavity is studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in order to evaluate the extent to which the thin layer cavity is diffusionally decoupled from the surrounding bulk electrolyte. For the model system of CO on Pt(111) in 0.1 M HClO4, it is found that the concentration of CO2, formed by electro-oxidation of CO, equilibrates rapidly with the surrounding bulk electrolyte. This rapid equilibration indicates that there is diffusion out of the thin layer, even on the short time scales of typical infrared experiments (1-3 min). However, since the measured CO2 absorbance intensity as a function of time is reproducible to within 10%, a new time-dependent method for surface coverage calibration using solution-phase species is proposed.

A surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopic (SEIRAS) study of the oscillatory electro-oxidation of methanol on platinum

The oscillatory electro-oxidation of methanol was studied by means of in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration using a platinum film on a Si prism as working electrode. The surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) effect considerably improves the spectroscopic resolution, allowing at following the coverage of some adsorbing species during the galvanostatic oscillations. Carbon monoxide was the main adsorbed specie observed in the induction period and within the oscillatory regime. The system was investigated at two distinct time-scales and its dynamics characterized accordingly. During the induction period the main transformation observed as the system move through the phase space towards the oscillatory region was the decrease of the coverage of adsorbed carbon, coupled to the increase of the electrode potential. Similar transition characterizes the evolution within the oscillatory region, but at a considerably slower rate. Experiments with higher time resolution revealed that the electrode potential oscillates in-phase with the frequency of the linearly adsorbed CO vibration and that the amount of adsorbed CO oscillates with small amplitude. Adsorbed formate was found to play, if any, a very small role. Results are discussed and compared with other systems. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discourse strategies and power roles in student-led distance learning

The assertion of identity and power via computer-mediated communication in the context of distance or web-based learning presents challenges to both teachers and students. When regular, face-to-face classroom interaction is replaced by online chat or group discussion forums, participants must avail themselves of new techniques and tactics for contributing to and furthering interaction, discussion, and learning. During student-only chat sessions, the absence of teacher-led, face-to-face classroom activities requires the students to assume leadership roles and responsibilities normally associated with the teacher. This situation raises the questions of who teaches and who learns; how students discursively negotiate power roles; and whether power emerges as a function of displayed expertise and knowledge or rather the use of authoritative language. This descriptive study represents an examination of a corpus of task-based discussion logs among Vietnamese students of distance learning courses in English linguistics. The data reveal recurring discourse strategies for 1) negotiating the progression of the discussion sessions, 2) asserting and questioning knowledge, and 3) assuming or delegating responsibility. Power is defined ad hoc as the ability to successfully perform these strategies. The data analysis contributes to a better understanding of how working methods and materials can be tailored to students in distance learning courses, and how such students can be empowered by being afforded opportunities and effectively encouraged to assert their knowledge and authority.

Communication in Smoking Cessation and Self-management : a study at Nurse-led COPD-clinics in Primary Health Care

ABSTRACTThe general aim of this thesis was to investigate behavioral change communication at nurse-led chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinics in primary health care, focusing on communication in self-management and smoking cessation for patients with COPD.Designs: Observational, prospective observational and experimental designs were used.Methods: To explore and describe the structure and content of self-management education and smoking cessation communication, consultations between patients (n=30) and nurses (n=7) were videotaped and analyzed with three instruments: Consulting Map (CM), the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) scale and the Client Language Assessment in Motivational Interviewing (CLAMI). To examine the effects of structured self-management education, patients with COPD (n=52) were randomized in an intervention and a control group. Patients’ quality of life (QoL), knowledge about COPD and smoking cessation were examined with a questionnaire on knowledge about COPD and smoking habits and with St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, addressing QoL. Results: The findings from the videotaped consultations showed that communication about the reasons for consultation mainly concerned medical and physical problems and (to a certain extent) patients´ perceptions. Two consultations ended with shared understanding, but none of the patients received an individual treatment-plan. In the smoking cessation communication the nurses did only to a small extent evoke patients’ reasons for change, fostered collaboration and supported patients’ autonomy. The nurses provided a lot of information (42%), asked closed (21%) rather than open questions (3%), made simpler (14%) rather than complex (2%) reflections and used MI non-adherent (16%) rather than MI-adherent (5%) behavior. Most of the patients’ utterances in the communication were neutral either toward or away from smoking cessation (59%), utterances about reason (desire, ability and need) were 40%, taking steps 1% and commitment to stop smoking 0%. The number of patients who stopped smoking, and patients’ knowledge about the disease and their QoL, was increased by structured self-management education and smoking cessation in collaboration between the patient, nurse and physician and, when necessary, a physiotherapist, a dietician, an occupational therapist and/or a medical social worker.Conclusion The communication at nurse-led COPD clinics rarely involved the patients in shared understanding and responsibility and concerned patients’ fears, worries and problems only to a limited extent. The results also showed that nurses had difficulties in attaining proficiency in behavioral change communication. Structured self-management education showed positive effects on patients’ perceived QoL, on the number of patients who quit smoking and on patients’ knowledge about COPD.

Nurses’ and patients’ communication in smoking cessation at nurse-led COPD clinics in primary health care

Background: Smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have high nicotine dependence making it difficult to quit smoking. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a method that is used in stimulating motivation and behavioral changes. Objective: To describe smoking cessation communication between patients and registered nurses trained in MI in COPD nurse-led clinics in Swedish primary health care. Methods: A prospective observational study with structured quantitative content analyses of the communication between six nurses with basic education in MI and 13 patients in non-smoking consultations. Results: Only to a small extent did nurses’ evoke patients’ reasons for change, stimulate collaboration, and support patients’ autonomy. Nurses provided information, asked closed questions, and made simple reflections. Patients’ communicationwasmainly neutral and focusing on reasons for and against smoking. It was uncommon for patients to be committed and take steps toward smoking cessation. Conclusion: The nurses did not adhere to the principles of MI in smoking cessation, and the patients focused to a limited extent on how to quit smoking. Practice implications: To make patients more active, the nurses need more education and continuous training in motivational communication.

Making the Global Vision Real: Supporting Faculty-Led Internationalization Efforts

As colleges and universities make increasing global engagement a top institutional priority, many have struggled to manage rising levels of international activity. Council research finds that the challenge lies not in convincing faculty to expend more effort but instead in reducing the level of effort required by faculty who are already interested in promoting international activities. This study provides detailed case studies and toolkits for administrative core competencies for increased global engagement. Chapter 2 (page 39) details strategies to promote faculty-led study abroad programs, which constitute the fastest growing study abroad experience. Chapter 5 (page 111) outlines recommendations to build strategic international partnerships that engage the entire campus.

Eficácia do LED na polimerização de um compósito

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a eficácia de três aparelhos fotopolimerizadores comerciais que utilizam o LED como fonte de luz (Elipar FreeLight - 3M-ESPE, UltraLume-LED2 - Ultradent e Single V - BioArt) na polimerização do compósito Z250 (3M-ESPE), cor A3, através das propriedades: microdureza Knoop, profundidade de polimerização e resistência flexural. Um aparelho fotopolimerizador convencional de lâmpada halógena XL 2500 (3M-ESPE) foi utilizado como controle. Em todos os casos, o tempo de polimerização adotado foi de 20 s. Para o ensaio de microdureza foram confeccionados 10 corpos de prova cilíndricos com 8 mm de diâmetro e 2 mm de altura para cada aparelho fotopolimerizador. A microdureza foi medida 24 h após a confecção dos corpos de prova, que ficaram armazenados em ambiente seco e protegidos da luz. Para o ensaio de profundidade de polimerização foram confeccionados três corpos de prova cilíndricos com 4 mm de diâmetro e 6 mm de altura para cada aparelho fotopolimerizador. O ensaio foi realizado imediatamente após a polimerização do compósito. Para o ensaio de resistência flexural foram confeccionados 5 corpos de prova com 25 mm de comprimento, 2 mm de altura e 2 mm de largura para cada aparelho fotopolimerizador. A resistência flexural foi medida 24 h após a polimerização do compósito e armazenagem dos corpos de prova em água destilada a 37ºC. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados às exigências da especificação 4049:2000 da International Organization for Standardization (ISO) e submetidos à análise estatística para comparação entre os aparelhos. Os valores de microdureza obtidos com os três fotopolimerizadores com LED não mostraram diferença entre si e foram superiores aos obtidos com o aparelho convencional. Para o ensaio de profundidade de polimerização, os valores obtidos com o aparelho Single V foram superiores aos do aparelho convencional, enquanto que os obtidos pelos outros dois aparelhos não apresentaram diferenças significativas entre si e o convencional. Para o ensaio de resistência flexural, não houve diferença entre os valores obtidos pelos três aparelhos com LED e o aparelho convencional. As exigênias da ISO 4049:2000 para os ensaios de profundidade de polimerização e resistência flexural foram atendidas em todos os casos.

Efeito da fotoativação com LED sobre a microdureza de um compósito em cavidades com diferentes profundidades

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o comportamento de três aparelhos fotoativadores, sendo que dois aparelhos utilizam a tecnologia de diodos emissores de luz (LED) (Radii-SDI; Single V-Bio art) e o ultimo é um aparelho convencional de lâmpada halógena (XL-2500-3M ESPE), sendo que o primeiro apresenta o diodo emissor de luz na extremidade do aparelho; o segundo apresenta ponteira de fibra óptica turbo e o terceiro apresenta ponteira de fibra óptica convencional. O desempenho dos aparelhos foi analisado por meio da análise de microdureza do fundo de um incremento de 2mm do compósito Z250 (3M ESPE), submetido à polimerização em diferentes profundidades: 2mm, 4mm, 6mm e 8mm. Em todos os casos, o tempo de polimerização adotado foi de 20 s. Para obtenção dos corpos de prova, foi utilizada uma matriz de dentina com uma cavidade de 3mm de diâmetro por 2mm de espessura. Para simular as diferentes profundidades de 2mm, 4mm, 6mm e 8mm, foram utilizados espaçadores de dentina em forma de anel com 2mm, 4mm, e 6mm de espessura sobre a matriz. Para o ensaio de microdureza, foram confeccionados cinco corpos de prova para cada combinação entre aparelho fotoativador e as quatro profundidades, totalizando 60 corpos de prova. . O ensaio foi realizado 15min após a polimerização. Os valores de microdureza foram obtidos a partir de cinco endentações em cada corpo de prova. Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância e ao teste Tukey para comparação entre os aparelhos, em cada profundidade (α=0,05). Os valores médios e desvio padrão da microdureza obtidos com os aparelhos Radii(R), Single V (S) e XL-2500(XL), a 2mm, foram respectivamente: 55,16 (±1,66), 58,56 (±1,77), 51,15 (±2,08), mostrando diferença significativa entre eles, sendo que o melhor desempenho foi obtido pelo S seguido pelo R e pelo XL. A 4mm, os valores foram R= 52,23 (±1,66 ); S= 49,04 (±2,04); XL= 47,34 (±2,69), com melhor desempenho do R em relação a XL, porém sem diferença do S. A 6mm, os valores foram R= 46,40 (±1,07); S= 43,64 (±1,56); XL= 42,12 (±1,72). Com melhor desempenho do R, seguidos pelo S e XL que não mostraram diferença entre si. Já a 8mm, os valores foram R= 41,96 (±1,09); S= 38,36(± 0,87); XL= 40,16 (±1,70), com melhor desempenho do R seguido pelo XL e este pelo S, mostrando diferença significativa entre eles. Comparando os aparelhos LED com a lâmpada halógena, pode-se observar que o Radii teve um desempenho superior a ela em todas as profundidades. Já o Single V foi superior na profundidade de 2mm, similar em 4mm e em 6mm e inferior em 8mm, mostrando que os aparelhos LED tiveram um comportamento diferenciado que talvez possa ser atribuído à presença de uma ponteira turbo no Single V. Também com base nos resultados foi possível concluir que houve uma redução significativa, dos valores de microdureza do fundo do material restaurador com o aumento da profundidade da cavidade para todos os aparelhos.

Export-led recoveries in small open industrialized economies

This paper studies the role of Vertical Specialization-based trade and foreign damand push as elements capable of explaining export-led recoveries in small open industrialized economies. The empirical evidence on export-led recoveries is reviewed. Data supporting the growing importance of vertical specialization for international trade are presented. I compare the performance of two versions of a small open economy model, calibrated to mimic Canadian Business Cycles. The …rst one is based upon Schmitt-Grohe(1998). The second incorporates Vertical- Specialization-based trade. I show that an arti…cial economy featuring Vertical-Specializationbased trade in conjunction with an exogenous AR(2) process for foreign output displays improved impulse responses to a foreign output shock and is able to mimic the contribution of Canadian exports to output growth during economic recoveries.

How the full opening of the capital account to highly liquid financial markets led Latin America to two and a half cycles of ‘mania, panic and crash’

Latin America has recently experienced three cycles of capital inflows, the first two ending in major financial crises. The first took place between 1973 and the 1982 ‘debt-crisis’. The second took place between the 1989 ‘Brady bonds’ agreement (and the beginning of the economic reforms and financial liberalisation that followed) and the Argentinian 2001/2002 crisis, and ended up with four major crises (as well as the 1997 one in East Asia) — Mexico (1994), Brazil (1999), and two in Argentina (1995 and 2001/2). Finally, the third inflow-cycle began in 2003 as soon as international financial markets felt reassured by the surprisingly neo-liberal orientation of President Lula’s government; this cycle intensified in 2004 with the beginning of a (purely speculative) commodity price-boom, and actually strengthened after a brief interlude following the 2008 global financial crash — and at the time of writing (mid-2011) this cycle is still unfolding, although already showing considerable signs of distress. The main aim of this paper is to analyse the financial crises resulting from this second cycle (both in LA and in East Asia) from the perspective of Keynesian/ Minskyian/ Kindlebergian financial economics. I will attempt to show that no matter how diversely these newly financially liberalised Developing Countries tried to deal with the absorption problem created by the subsequent surges of inflow (and they did follow different routes), they invariably ended up in a major crisis. As a result (and despite the insistence of mainstream analysis), these financial crises took place mostly due to factors that were intrinsic (or inherent) to the workings of over-liquid and under-regulated financial markets — and as such, they were both fully deserved and fairly predictable. Furthermore, these crises point not just to major market failures, but to a systemic market failure: evidence suggests that these crises were the spontaneous outcome of actions by utility-maximising agents, freely operating in friendly (‘light-touch’) regulated, over-liquid financial markets. That is, these crises are clear examples that financial markets can be driven by buyers who take little notice of underlying values — i.e., by investors who have incentives to interpret information in a biased fashion in a systematic way. Thus, ‘fat tails’ also occurred because under these circumstances there is a high likelihood of self-made disastrous events. In other words, markets are not always right — indeed, in the case of financial markets they can be seriously wrong as a whole. Also, as the recent collapse of ‘MF Global’ indicates, the capacity of ‘utility-maximising’ agents operating in (excessively) ‘friendly-regulated’ and over-liquid financial market to learn from previous mistakes seems rather limited.

How the full opening of the capital account to highly liquid financial markets led Latin America to two and a half cycles of ‘mania, panic and crash’

Latin America has recently experienced three cycles of capital inflows, the first two ending in major financial crises. The first took place between 1973 and the 1982 ‘debt-crisis’. The second took place between the 1989 ‘Brady bonds’ agreement (and the beginning of the economic reforms and financial liberalisation that followed) and the Argentinian 2001/2002 crisis, and ended up with four major crises (as well as the 1997 one in East Asia) — Mexico (1994), Brazil (1999), and two in Argentina (1995 and 2001/2). Finally, the third inflow-cycle began in 2003 as soon as international financial markets felt reassured by the surprisingly neo-liberal orientation of President Lula’s government; this cycle intensified in 2004 with the beginning of a (purely speculative) commodity price-boom, and actually strengthened after a brief interlude following the 2008 global financial crash — and at the time of writing (mid-2011) this cycle is still unfolding, although already showing considerable signs of distress. The main aim of this paper is to analyse the financial crises resulting from this second cycle (both in LA and in East Asia) from the perspective of Keynesian/ Minskyian/ Kindlebergian financial economics. I will attempt to show that no matter how diversely these newly financially liberalised Developing Countries tried to deal with the absorption problem created by the subsequent surges of inflow (and they did follow different routes), they invariably ended up in a major crisis. As a result (and despite the insistence of mainstream analysis), these financial crises took place mostly due to factors that were intrinsic (or inherent) to the workings of over-liquid and under-regulated financial markets — and as such, they were both fully deserved and fairly predictable. Furthermore, these crises point not just to major market failures, but to a systemic market failure: evidence suggests that these crises were the spontaneous outcome of actions by utility-maximising agents, freely operating in friendly (light-touched) regulated, over-liquid financial markets. That is, these crises are clear examples that financial markets can be driven by buyers who take little notice of underlying values — investors have incentives to interpret information in a biased fashion in a systematic way. ‘Fat tails’ also occurred because under these circumstances there is a high likelihood of self-made disastrous events. In other words, markets are not always right — indeed, in the case of financial markets they can be seriously wrong as a whole. Also, as the recent collapse of ‘MF Global’ indicates, the capacity of ‘utility-maximising’ agents operating in unregulated and over-liquid financial market to learn from previous mistakes seems rather limited.