The Design and Synthesis of Versatile Molecular Building Blocks: Working Towards the Controlled Self-Assembly of Novel Functional Materials

Our research goals are focused on the preparation of novel molecule-based materials that possess specifically designed properties in solution or in the solid state e.g. self-assembly, magnetism, conductivity and spin crossover phenomena. Most of our systems incorporate paramagnetic transition metal ions and the search for new molecule-based magnetic materials is a prominent theme. Specific areas of research include the preparation and study of oxalate based 2D and 3D magnets, probing the versatility of octacyanometalate building blocks as precursors for new molecular magnets, and the preparation of new tetrathiafulvalene (TIF) derivatives for applications in molecular and supramolecular chemistry.

Current State of Reporting Pain Outcomes in Cochrane Reviews of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions and Considerations for an OMERACT Research Agenda.

OBJECTIVE To assess the current state of reporting of pain outcomes in Cochrane reviews on chronic musculoskeletal painful conditions and to elicit opinions of patients, healthcare practitioners, and methodologists on presenting pain outcomes to patients, clinicians, and policymakers. METHODS We identified all reviews in the Cochrane Library of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions from Cochrane review groups (Back, Musculoskeletal, and Pain, Palliative, and Supportive Care) that contained a summary of findings (SoF) table. We extracted data on reported pain domains and instruments and conducted a survey and interviews on considerations for SoF tables (e.g., pain domains, presentation of results). RESULTS Fifty-seven SoF tables in 133 Cochrane reviews were eligible. SoF tables reported pain in 56/57, with all presenting results for pain intensity (20 different outcome instruments), pain interference in 8 SoF tables (5 different outcome instruments), and pain frequency in 1 multiple domain instrument. Other domains like pain quality or pain affect were not reported. From the survey and interviews [response rate 80% (36/45)], we derived 4 themes for a future research agenda: pain domains, considerations for assessing truth, discrimination, and feasibility; clinically important thresholds for responder analyses and presenting results; and establishing hierarchies of outcome instruments. CONCLUSION There is a lack of standardization in the domains of pain selected and the manner that pain outcomes are reported in SoF tables, hampering efforts to synthesize evidence. Future research should focus on the themes identified, building partnerships to achieve consensus and develop guidance on best practices for reporting pain outcomes.

From Personal Network to Institution Building: The Lifanyuan and the Formalization of Manchu-Mongol Relations

The Qing emperors, who ruled over China from 1644-1911, managed to bring large parts of Inner Asia under their control and extended the territory of China to an unprecedented degree. This paper maintains that the political technique of patronage with its formalized language, its emphasis on gift exchange and expressions of courtesy is a useful concept for explaining the integration of Inner Asian confederations into the empire. By re-interpreting the obligations of gift exchange, the Qing transformed the network of personal relationships, which had to be reinforced and consolidated permanently into a system with clearly defined rules. In this process of formalization, the Lifanyuan, the Court for the Administration of the Outer Regions, played a key role. While in the early years of the dynasty, it was responsible for collecting and disseminating information concerning the various patronage relationships with Inner Asian leaders, over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries its efforts were directed at standardizing and streamlining the contacts between ethnic minorities and the state. Through the Lifanyuan, the rules and principles of patronage were maintained in a modified form even in the later part of the dynasty, when the Qing exercised control in the outer regions more directly. The paper provides an explanation for the longevity and cohesiveness of the multi-ethnic Qing empire. Based on recently published Manchu and Mongolian language archival material and the Maussian concept of gift exchange the study sheds new light on the changing self-conception of the Qing emperors.

CATCH across Texas: Building a model for the diffusion of effective school-based health promotion programs

The impact of health promotion programs is related to both program effectiveness and the extent to which the program is implemented among the target population. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the development and evaluation of a school-based program diffusion intervention designed to increase the rate of dissemination and adoption of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health, or CATCH program (recently renamed the Coordinated Approach to Child Health). ^ The first study described the process by which schools across the state of Texas spontaneously began to adopt the CATCH program after it was tested and proven effective in a multi-site randomized efficacy trial. A survey of teachers and administrator representatives of all schools on record that purchased the CATCH program, but were not involved in the efficacy trial, was used to find out who brought CATCH into the schools, how they garnered support for its adoption, why they decided to adopt the program, and what was involved in deciding to adopt. ^ The second study described how the Intervention Mapping framework guided the planning, development and implementation of a program for the diffusion of CATCH. An iterative process was used to integrate theory, literature, the experience of project staff and data from the target population into a meaningful set of program determinants and performance objectives. Proximal program objectives were specified and translated into both media and interpersonal communication strategies for program diffusion. ^ The third study assessed the effectiveness of the diffusion program in a case-comparison design. Three of the twenty Education Service Center regions in Texas were chosen, selected based on similar demographic criteria, and were followed for adoption of the CATCH curriculum. One of these regions received the full media and interpersonal channel intervention; a second received a reduced media-only intervention, and a third received no intervention. Results suggested the use of the interpersonal channels with media follow-up is an effective means to facilitate program dissemination and adoption. The media-alone condition was not effective in facilitating program adoption. ^

Extracting more out of relocation data: building movement models as mixtures of random walks

We present a framework for fitting multiple random walks to animal movement paths consisting of ordered sets of step lengths and turning angles. Each step and turn is assigned to one of a number of random walks, each characteristic of a different behavioral state. Behavioral state assignments may be inferred purely from movement data or may include the habitat type in which the animals are located. Switching between different behavioral states may be modeled explicitly using a state transition matrix estimated directly from data, or switching probabilities may take into account the proximity of animals to landscape features. Model fitting is undertaken within a Bayesian framework using the WinBUGS software. These methods allow for identification of different movement states using several properties of observed paths and lead naturally to the formulation of movement models. Analysis of relocation data from elk released in east-central Ontario, Canada, suggests a biphasic movement behavior: elk are either in an "encamped" state in which step lengths are small and turning angles are high, or in an "exploratory" state, in which daily step lengths are several kilometers and turning angles are small. Animals encamp in open habitat (agricultural fields and opened forest), but the exploratory state is not associated with any particular habitat type.

"De celebración perpetua" : Fechas, héroes y fiestas para la Nación

Concluida la guerra de independencia y disuelta la unidad colombiana, desde el incipiente estado venezolano se pone especial empeño en fijar un conjunto de referentes históricos que contribuyan a afianzar el proceso de construcción de la Nación. El establecimiento de las fechas patrias, el culto al héroe y la celebración de fiestas cívicas, son parte fundamental de este esfuerzo de integración territorial y de cohesión política cuya finalidad es crear un ideario nacional único para todos los venezolanos. El propósito del artículo es identificar los mecanismos mediante los cuales se establecen estas referencias simbólicas, analizar sus contenidos y estudiar de qué manera se sostienen y se formalizan hasta constituirse en motivo "de celebración perpetua" para el conjunto de la sociedad venezolana.

"De celebración perpetua" : Fechas, héroes y fiestas para la Nación

Concluida la guerra de independencia y disuelta la unidad colombiana, desde el incipiente estado venezolano se pone especial empeño en fijar un conjunto de referentes históricos que contribuyan a afianzar el proceso de construcción de la Nación. El establecimiento de las fechas patrias, el culto al héroe y la celebración de fiestas cívicas, son parte fundamental de este esfuerzo de integración territorial y de cohesión política cuya finalidad es crear un ideario nacional único para todos los venezolanos. El propósito del artículo es identificar los mecanismos mediante los cuales se establecen estas referencias simbólicas, analizar sus contenidos y estudiar de qué manera se sostienen y se formalizan hasta constituirse en motivo "de celebración perpetua" para el conjunto de la sociedad venezolana.

"De celebración perpetua" : Fechas, héroes y fiestas para la Nación

Concluida la guerra de independencia y disuelta la unidad colombiana, desde el incipiente estado venezolano se pone especial empeño en fijar un conjunto de referentes históricos que contribuyan a afianzar el proceso de construcción de la Nación. El establecimiento de las fechas patrias, el culto al héroe y la celebración de fiestas cívicas, son parte fundamental de este esfuerzo de integración territorial y de cohesión política cuya finalidad es crear un ideario nacional único para todos los venezolanos. El propósito del artículo es identificar los mecanismos mediante los cuales se establecen estas referencias simbólicas, analizar sus contenidos y estudiar de qué manera se sostienen y se formalizan hasta constituirse en motivo "de celebración perpetua" para el conjunto de la sociedad venezolana.

Major cellular and physiological impacts of ocean acidification on a reef building coral

As atmospheric levels of CO2 increase, reef-building corals are under greater stress from both increased sea surface temperatures and declining sea water pH. To date, most studies have focused on either coral bleaching due to warming oceans or declining calcification due to decreasing oceanic carbonate ion concentrations. Here, through the use of physiology measurements and cDNA microarrays, we show that changes in pH and ocean chemistry consistent with two scenarios put forward by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) drive major changes in gene expression, respiration, photosynthesis and symbiosis of the coral, Acropora millepora, before affects on biomineralisation are apparent at the phenotype level. Under high CO2 conditions corals at the phenotype level lost over half their Symbiodinium populations, and had a decrease in both photosynthesis and respiration. Changes in gene expression were consistent with metabolic suppression, an increase in oxidative stress, apoptosis and symbiont loss. Other expression patterns demonstrate upregulation of membrane transporters, as well as the regulation of genes involved in membrane cytoskeletal interactions and cytoskeletal remodeling. These widespread changes in gene expression emphasize the need to expand future studies of ocean acidification to include a wider spectrum of cellular processes, many of which may occur before impacts on calcification.

Light availability determines susceptibility of reef building corals to ocean acidification

Elevated seawater pCO2, and in turn ocean acidification (OA), is now widely acknowledged to reduce calcification and growth of reef building corals. As with other environmental factors (e.g., temperature and nutrients), light availability fundamentally regulates calcification and is predicted to change for future reef environments alongside elevated pCO2 via altered physical processes (e.g., sea level rise and turbidity); however, any potential role of light in regulating the OA-induced reduction of calcification is still unknown. We employed a multifactorial growth experiment to determine how light intensity and pCO2 together modify calcification for model coral species from two key genera, Acropora horrida and Porites cylindrica, occupying similar ecological niches but with different physiologies. We show that elevated pCO2 (OA)-induced losses of calcification in the light (G L) but not darkness (G D) were greatest under low-light growth conditions, in particular for A. horrida. High-light growth conditions therefore dampened the impact of OA upon G L but not G D. Gross photosynthesis (P G) responded in a reciprocal manner to G L suggesting OA-relieved pCO2 limitation of P G under high-light growth conditions to effectively enhance G L. A multivariate analysis of past OA experiments was used to evaluate whether our test species responses were more widely applicable across their respective genera. Indeed, the light intensity for growth was identified as a significant factor influencing the OA-induced decline of calcification for species of Acropora but not Porites. Whereas low-light conditions can provide a refuge for hard corals from thermal and light stress, our study suggests that lower light availability will potentially increase the susceptibility of key coral species to OA.

Preconditioning in the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis and the potential for trans-generational acclimatization in coral larvae under future climate change conditions

Coral reefs are globally threatened by climate change-related ocean warming and ocean acidification (OA). To date, slow-response mechanisms such as genetic adaptation have been considered the major determinant of coral reef persistence, with little consideration of rapid-response acclimatization mechanisms. These rapid mechanisms such as parental effects that can contribute to trans-generational acclimatization (e.g. epigenetics) have, however, been identified as important contributors to offspring response in other systems. We present the first evidence of parental effects in a cross-generational exposure to temperature and OA in reef-building corals. Here, we exposed adults to high (28.9°C, 805 µatm PCO2) or ambient (26.5°C, 417 µatm PCO2) temperature and OA treatments during the larval brooding period. Exposure to high treatment negatively affected adult performance, but their larvae exhibited size differences and metabolic acclimation when subsequently re-exposed, unlike larvae from parents exposed to ambient conditions. Understanding the innate capacity corals possess to respond to current and future climatic conditions is essential to reef protection and maintenance. Our results identify that parental effects may have an important role through (1) ameliorating the effects of stress through preconditioning and adaptive plasticity, and/or (2) amplifying the negative parental response through latent effects on future life stages. Whether the consequences of parental effects and the potential for trans-generational acclimatization are beneficial or maladaptive, our work identifies a critical need to expand currently proposed climate change outcomes for corals to further assess rapid response mechanisms that include non-genetic inheritance through parental contributions and classical epigenetic mechanisms.

Prioritization of Policies: A Prototype Model of a Flowchart Method

This paper builds a prototype model of how to prioritize policies by using a flowchart. We presented the following six steps to decide priorities of policies: Step 1 is to attain the social subsistence level (primary education, health care, and food sufficiency); Step 2 is to attain macroeconomic stability; Step 3 is to liberalize the economy by structural adjustment programs; Step 4 is capacity building specific to a growth strategy by facilitating sufficient infrastructure (physical infrastructure and institutions); Step 5 is to initiate a growth strategy; and Step 6 is to narrow income inequalities. We illustrated the effectiveness of our "flowchart method" in case studies of Morocco, Laos, Vietnam, and China. The first priority of reforms in Morocco was given to social sectors of primary education and health care, particularly in the rural areas at Step 1. Laos should not put much emphasis on growth strategy before educational reform, attainment of macroeconomic stability, and institutional capacity building at Steps 1, 2, and 3. Vietnam can focus on reforming the state-run enterprises and developing the stock markets at Step 5 of growth strategies. We found that we should apply our flowchart method to China not nation-wide but province-wide.

A note on ethnic return migration policy in Kazakhstan : changing priorities and a growing dilemma

This paper offers a brief analysis of the legal aspects of the ethnic return migration policy of Kazakhstan, a post-Soviet Central Asian state that has been active in seeking ties with its diaspora since independence. This paper examines the definition of oralman (repatriates) and the establishment of a quota on the number of Kazakh immigrants who are eligible for government funds to show how the rationale and preferences in repatriation policy have changed over the years. By focusing on changes in migration-related legislation in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the paper notes that two key goals of Kazakhstan’s migration policy are not necessarily consistent with each other: the promotion of an ethnically based nation-building project by encouraging the "return" of co-ethnics living abroad, and building a workforce that is best suited for the development of the state’s economy.

Las normativas de construcción con tierra en el mundo/The earth building normative documents in the world

La tierra ha sido utilizada como material de construcción desde hace siglos. No obstante, la normativa al respecto está muy dispersa, y en la mayoría de países desarrollados surgen numerosos problemas técnicos y legales para llevar a cabo una construcción con este material. Este artículo estudia el panorama normativo para las construcciones con tierra cruda a nivel internacional, analizando cincuenta y cinco normas y reglamentos de países repartidos por los cinco continentes, que representan el estado del arte de la normalización de la tierra cruda como material de construcción. Es un estudio referenciado sobre las normas y reglamentos vigentes desarrollados por los organismos nacionales de normalización o autoridades correspondientes. Se presentan las normativas y los organismos que las emiten, analizando la estructura y contenido de cada una. Se estudian y analizan los aspectos más relevantes, como la estabilización, selección de los suelos, requisitos de los productos y ensayos existentes, comparando las diferentes normativas. Este trabajo puede ser de gran utilidad para el desarrollo de futuras normas y como referencia para arquitectos e ingenieros que trabajen con tierra. For centuries, earth has been used as a construction material. Nevertheless, the normative in this matter is very scattered, and in the most developed countries, carrying out a construction with this material implies a variety of technical and legal problems. This article analyzes, in an international level, the normative panorama about constructions with earth, analyzing fifty five standards and regulations of countries all around the five continents; these represent the state of art that normalizes the earth as a construction material. It is a study indexed on the actual procedures and regulations developed by the national organisms of normalization or correspondent authorities. The standards and the organisms that produce them appear, analyzing the structure and the content of each one. We have studied and analyzed the most relevant aspects, such as stabilization, soil selections, the requisites of the products and the existent test, comparing the diverse normative. The knowledge from this study could be very useful for the development of future standards and as a reference for architects and engineers that work with earth.

SMA-Based Muscle-Like Actuation in Biologically Inspired Robots: A State of the Art Review

New actuation technology in functional or "smart" materials has opened new horizons in robotics actuation systems. Materials such as piezo-electric fiber composites, electro-active polymers and shape memory alloys (SMA) are being investigated as promising alternatives to standard servomotor technology [52]. This paper focuses on the use of SMAs for building muscle-like actuators. SMAs are extremely cheap, easily available commercially and have the advantage of working at low voltages. The use of SMA provides a very interesting alternative to the mechanisms used by conventional actuators. SMAs allow to drastically reduce the size, weight and complexity of robotic systems. In fact, their large force-weight ratio, large life cycles, negligible volume, sensing capability and noise-free operation make possible the use of this technology for building a new class of actuation devices. Nonetheless, high power consumption and low bandwidth limit this technology for certain kind of applications. This presents a challenge that must be addressed from both materials and control perspectives in order to overcome these drawbacks. Here, the latter is tackled. It has been demonstrated that suitable control strategies and proper mechanical arrangements can dramatically improve on SMA performance, mostly in terms of actuation speed and limit cycles.