144 research outputs found
Powerful together with diabetes:The development and evaluation of a social network based intervention for Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan people with type 2 diabetes living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods
Powerful together with diabetes:The development and evaluation of a social network based intervention for Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish and Moroccan people with type 2 diabetes living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods
This thesis describes the development and evaluation of the social network based intervention Powerful Together with Diabetes (PTWD) targeted at Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese patients with type 2 diabetes living in socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods. This intervention aims to increase social support for diabetes self-management (DSM) and to decrease social influences hindering DSM (e.g. peer pressure and social norms). The intervention was evaluated in a quasi-experimental study with a control group that received a standard group based educational intervention (Know Your Sugar) and a second control group that received usual care. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the intervention on haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), quality of life, health-related outcome measures, DSM, and intermediate outcome measures compared with the intervention for the comparison group and standard care at 3, 10, and 16 months. Further, we aimed to assess the feasibility and cost effectiveness of the intervention. We conclude that PTWD contains promising intervention components, such as skills training and providing feedback using role-playing exercises, and involving significant others in self-management tasks by making a shared action plan. These seem to contribute to an increase in social support, and a decrease in social influences hindering DSM. We carefully conclude that the intervention improved certain aspects of DSM. Finally, we describe successful recruitment and retention strategies for this target population including sending an invitation letter from the GP, phoning participants, the positive atmosphere and social interactions between participants, taking practical barriers into account, the diplomas and adapting the intervention to the participants’ preferences
XTH acts at the microfibril-matrix interface during cell elongation
Sulphorhodamine-labelled oligosaccharides of xyloglucan are incorporated into the cell wall of Arabidopsis and tobacco roots, and of cultured Nicotiana tabacum cells by the transglucosylase (XET) action of XTHs. In the cell wall of diffusely growing cells, the subcellular pattern of XET action revealed a 'fibrillar' pattern, different from the xyloglucan localization. The fibrillar fluorescence pattern had no net orientation in spherical cultured cells. It changed to transverse to the long axis when the cells started to elongate, a feature mirroring the rearrangements of cortical microtubules and the accompanying cellulose deposition. Interference with the polymerization of microtubules and with cellulose deposition inhibited this strong and 'fibrillar'-organized XET-action, whereas interference with actin-polymerization only decreased the intensity of enzyme action. Epidermal cells of a mutant with reduced cellulose synthesis also had low XET action. Root hairs (tip-growing cells) exhibited high XET-action over all their length, but lacked the specific parallel pattern. In both diffuse- and tip-growing cell types extraction of the incorporated fluorescent xyloglucans by a xyloglucan-specific endoglucanase reduced the fluorescence, but the 'fibrillar' appearance in diffuse growing cells was not eliminated. These results show that XTHs act on the xyloglucans attached to cellulose microfibrils. After incorporation of the fluorescent oligosaccharides, the xyloglucans decorate the cellulose microfibrils and become inaccessible to hydrolytic enzymes
Theory of Electric Field-Induced Photoluminescence Quenching in Disordered Molecular Solids
The dynamics of excitons in disordered molecular solids is studied
theoretically, taking into account migration between different sites,
recombination, and dissociation into free charge carriers in the presence of an
electric field. The theory is applied to interpret the results of electric
field-induced photoluminescence (PL) quenching experiments on molecularly doped
polymers by Deussen et al. [Chem. Phys. 207, 147 (1996)]. Using an
intermolecular dissociation mechanism, the dependence of the PL quenching on
the electric field strength and the dopant concentration, and the time
evolution of the transient PL quenching can be well described. The results
constitute additional proof of the distinct exciton dissociation mechanisms in
conjugated polymer blends and molecularly doped polymers.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 3 Postscript figure
Intrinsic hole mobility and trapping in a regio-regular poly(thiophene)
The transport properties of high-performance thin-film transistors (TFT) made
with a regio-regular poly(thiophene) semiconductor (PQT-12) are reported. The
room-temperature field-effect mobility of the devices varied between 0.004
cm2/V s and 0.1 cm2/V s and was controlled through thermal processing of the
material, which modified the structural order. The transport properties of TFTs
were studied as a function of temperature. The field-effect mobility is
thermally activated in all films at T<200 K and the activation energy depends
on the charge density in the channel. The experimental data is compared to
theoretical models for transport, and we argue that a model based on the
existence of a mobility edge and an exponential distribution of traps provides
the best interpretation of the data. The differences in room-temperature
mobility are attributed to different widths of the shallow localized state
distribution at the edge of the valence band due to structural disorder in the
film. The free carrier mobility of the mobile states in the ordered regions of
the film is the same in all structural modifications and is estimated to be
between 1 and 4 cm2/V s.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure
Recommended from our members
Modification of cell wall properties in lettuce improves shelf life
It is proposed that post-harvest longevity and appearance of salad crops is closely linked to pre-harvest leaf morphology (cell and leaf size) and biophysical structure (leaf strength). Transgenic lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa cv. Valeria) were produced in which the production of the cell wall-modifying enzyme xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) was down-regulated by antisense inhibition. Independently transformed lines were shown to have multiple members of the LsXTH gene family down-regulated in mature leaves of 6-week-old plants and during the course of shelf life. Consequently, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) enzyme activity and action were down-regulated in the cell walls of these leaves and it was established that leaf area and fresh weight were decreased while leaf strength was increased in the transgenic lines. Membrane permeability was reduced towards the end of shelf life in the transgenic lines relative to the controls and bacteria were evident inside the leaves of control plants only. Most importantly, an extended shelf-life of transgenic lines was observed relative to the non-transgenic control plants. These data illustrate the potential for engineering cell wall traits for improving quality and longevity of salad crops using either genetic modification directly, or by using markers associated with XTH genes to inform a commercial breeding programme
Dopant-induced crossover from 1D to 3D charge transport in conjugated polymers
The interplay between inter- and intra-chain charge transport in bulk
polythiophene in the hopping regime has been clarified by studying the
conductivity as a function of frequency (up to 3 THz), temperature and doping
level. We present a model which quantitatively explains the observed crossover
from quasi-one-dimensional transport to three-dimensional hopping conduction
with increasing doping level. At high frequencies the conductivity is dominated
by charge transport on one-dimensional conducting chains.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Developmental expression of the cucumber <i>Cs-XTH1</i> and <i>Cs-XTH3</i> genes, encoding xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases, can be influenced by mechanical stimuli
- …