Phenyl replacement reactions: solvent effects on reactions of boroxines with primary amines

When primary amines are reacted with boroxines in solvents such as diethyl ether or THF, a dative bond forms between the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom and a boron atom in a predictable manner. However, when the highly complexing solvent dioxane is used, evidence of a phenyl displacement reaction has been observed. In this work I examined the effects of a variety of electron donating and withdrawing groups on boroxines, specifically whether or not these groups have an effect on the proposed outcome of the hypothesized phenyl displacement reaction. The types of boroxines and amines were varied as well as their relative ratios. The resulting reaction mixtures were evaluated by 1H-NMR, GC-MS and FT-IR. The nitrogen boron dative bond complex formed rather than the desired phenyl replacement product

Occupational Therapy Techniques, Over Time, on Children with Developmental Delays

Two therapies that have been identified to target sensory modulation needs associated with developmental delay are the Wilbarger Deep Pressure Proprioceptive Technique (Wilbarger Protocol) and Therapeutic Listening. This study examined several patients from an outpatient pediatric occupational therapy facility. These patients have some sort of developmental delay and need intervention to help them modulate their sensory input, so that their lack of appropriate sensory modulation will not interfere with their delay occupations. This study looked at the effects of the Wilbarger Protocol and Therapeutic Listening over multiple sessions to determine how those techniques affected four overall themes to which research has demonstrated a correlation: modulation, calmness, level of communication, and challenging behaviors. Both treatments demonstrated weak correlations, with the Wilbarger Protocol being a negative correlation (-0.26) and Therapeutic Listening being a positive correlation (0.55). Therefore, the hypotheses that the Wilbarger Protocol and Therapeutic Listening would positively affect the four overall themes were rejected. It appears that the effect is more influenced by patient-dependent variables than by temporal markers. It is also likely that the limited number of subjects (n=7) and changes in the treatment protocols, over time, led to the results being inconclusive

Homemakers' knowledge and utilization of three floor care appliances

The purpose of this study was to investigate homemakers' knowledge and utilization of the floor washer-dryer, floor polisher, and rug shampooer. The objectives were to identify the basic floor care appliances that homemakers own, rent, or borrow for the care of their homes; determine the frequency of use of these appliances and by whom used; identify the sources and extent of the homemakers1 knowledge; identify factors which may be associated with the extent of appliance use. A questionnaire was developed for collection of data from one hundred and ninety-two members of eight women's organizations in Greensboro and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and other appliance users contacted on a referral basis. Characteristics of appliance users differed from non-users. They were small or medium sized expanding families and were younger, had more formal education and higher incomes, were more frequently employed outside the home, and employed more domestic help for household cleaning

Plan estratégico de marketing del turismo de aventura en el Perú

Durante los últimos años, el turismo de aventura a nivel mundial ha crecido impulsado en gran medida por deportes como el trekking, hiking y ciclismo; y también debido a que los turistas están en búsqueda constante de nuevos destinos y únicos para practicar deportes de aventura. Perú no ha estado aprovechando esta oportunidad: El Plan Estratégico Nacional de Turismo de MINCETUR no prioriza al turismo de aventura como un pilar estratégico de crecimiento, a diferencia de países vecinos como Chile, que ha centrado sus esfuerzos en acciones para captar al turista internacional de aventura. Dada estas tendencias y nuevas preferencias en el turismo de aventura es que se plantea desarrollar e implementar un Plan Estratégico de Marketing para el Turismo de Aventura en el Perú, enfocando la oferta en 12 departamentos del país los cuales poseen y ofrecen belleza natural, inmersión cultural y variedad de oferta de actividades de aventura. El objetivo de la presente tesis es incrementar la penetración y la llegada de turistas de aventura a través de estrategias de marketing enfocadas en captar la demanda de los principales países emisores para el subsector de aventura. Por ello, se ha contemplado un plan integral de marketing centrado en factores como la autenticidad y la calidad del recurso humano, como elementos diferenciales y generadores de valor, y una inversión de USD 11.2 millones para el logro de los objetivos propuestos. Estos beneficios se han materializado en la marca Perú of Adventure, la cual posicionará al país como un destino para el turismo de aventura y contribuirá indirectamente con el desarrollo de las comunidades donde se realicen dichas actividades. Con ello se pretende lograr hacia el año 2021 un crecimiento promedio anual de 30%, frente al escenario actual de 23% y un ROI de 1389% que contribuirá a la generación de divisas y al desarrollo del país.During the last years, adventure tourism around the world has grown driven largely by sports such as trekking, hiking and cycling; and also due to the fact that tourists are in constant search for new and unique destinations for adventure sports. Peru has not been taking advantage of this opportunity: The National Strategic Plan of Tourism – MINCETUR not prioritized to adventure tourism as a strategic pillar of growth, unlike neighboring countries such as Chile which manages actions to capture the international adventure tourist. Given these trends and new preferences in the tourism of adventure is that it is proposed to develop and implement a Strategic Plan of Marketing for the Adventure Tourism in Peru, focusing the offer in 12 departments of the country which have natural beauty, cultural immersion and variety of adventure activities. The aim of this thesis is to increase the penetration and the arrival of tourists from adventure through marketing strategies focused on capturing the demand of the main generating countries for the subsector of adventure. Therefore it has contemplated a comprehensive marketing plan focused on factors such as the authenticity and quality of the human resource, such as generators and differential elements of value, and an investment of $ 11.2 million for the achievement of the proposed objectives. These benefits have materialized in the Peru of Adventure brand, which will position the country as a destination for adventure tourism and will indirectly contribute to the development of the communities where such activities are carried out. This is intended to achieve by the year 2021 an average annual growth of 30%, compared to the actual scenario of 23% and ROI of 1389% which will contribute to the generation of foreign exchange and the development of the country.Tesi

Arctic soil methane sink increases with drier conditions and higher ecosystem respiration

Arctic wetlands are known methane (CH4) emitters but recent studies suggest that the Arctic CH4 sink strength may be underestimated. Here we explore the capacity of well-drained Arctic soils to consume atmospheric CH4 using >40,000 hourly flux observations and spatially distributed flux measurements from 4 sites and 14 surface types. While consumption of atmospheric CH4 occurred at all sites at rates of 0.092 ± 0.011 mgCH4 m−2 h−1 (mean ± s.e.), CH4 uptake displayed distinct diel and seasonal patterns reflecting ecosystem respiration. Combining in situ flux data with laboratory investigations and a machine learning approach, we find biotic drivers to be highly important. Soil moisture outweighed temperature as an abiotic control and higher CH4 uptake was linked to increased availability of labile carbon. Our findings imply that soil drying and enhanced nutrient supply will promote CH4 uptake by Arctic soils, providing a negative feedback to global climate change

Neurocognitive outcome and mental health in children with tyrosinemia type 1 and phenylketonuria:A comparison between two genetic disorders affecting the same metabolic pathway

Tyrosinemia type 1 (TT1) and phenylketonuria (PKU) are both inborn errors of phenylalanine-tyrosine metabolism. Neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes have always featured in PKU research but received less attention in TT1 research. This study aimed to investigate and compare neurocognitive, behavioral, and social outcomes of treated TT1 and PKU patients. We included 33 TT1 patients (mean age 11.24 years; 16 male), 31 PKU patients (mean age 10.84; 14 male), and 58 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (mean age 10.82 years; 29 male). IQ (Wechsler-subtests), executive functioning (the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning), mental health (the Achenbach-scales), and social functioning (the Social Skills Rating System) were assessed. Results of TT1 patients, PKU patients, and healthy controls were compared using Kruskal-Wallis tests with post-hoc Mann-Whitney U tests. TT1 patients showed a lower IQ and poorer executive functioning, mental health, and social functioning compared to healthy controls and PKU patients. PKU patients did not differ from healthy controls regarding these outcome measures. Relatively poor outcomes for TT1 patients were particularly evident for verbal IQ, BRIEF dimensions "working memory", "plan and organize" and "monitor", ASEBA dimensions "social problems" and "attention problems", and for the SSRS "assertiveness" scale (all p value

Fatal Disseminated Cryptococcus gattii Infection in New Mexico

We report a case of fatal disseminated infection with Cryptococcus gattii in a patient from New Mexico. The patient had no history of recent travel to known C. gattii-endemic areas. Multilocus sequence typing revealed that the isolate belonged to the major molecular type VGIII. Virulence studies in a mouse pulmonary model of infection demonstrated that the strain was less virulent than other C. gattii strains. This represents the first documented case of C. gattii likely acquired in New Mexico

Marine Biodiversity in the Caribbean: Regional Estimates and Distribution Patterns

This paper provides an analysis of the distribution patterns of marine biodiversity and summarizes the major activities of the Census of Marine Life program in the Caribbean region. The coastal Caribbean region is a large marine ecosystem (LME) characterized by coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, but including other environments, such as sandy beaches and rocky shores. These tropical ecosystems incorporate a high diversity of associated flora and fauna, and the nations that border the Caribbean collectively encompass a major global marine biodiversity hot spot. We analyze the state of knowledge of marine biodiversity based on the geographic distribution of georeferenced species records and regional taxonomic lists. A total of 12,046 marine species are reported in this paper for the Caribbean region. These include representatives from 31 animal phyla, two plant phyla, one group of Chromista, and three groups of Protoctista. Sampling effort has been greatest in shallow, nearshore waters, where there is relatively good coverage of species records; offshore and deep environments have been less studied. Additionally, we found that the currently accepted classification of marine ecoregions of the Caribbean did not apply for the benthic distributions of five relatively well known taxonomic groups. Coastal species richness tends to concentrate along the Antillean arc (Cuba to the southernmost Antilles) and the northern coast of South America (Venezuela – Colombia), while no pattern can be observed in the deep sea with the available data. Several factors make it impossible to determine the extent to which these distribution patterns accurately reflect the true situation for marine biodiversity in general: (1) highly localized concentrations of collecting effort and a lack of collecting in many areas and ecosystems, (2) high variability among collecting methods, (3) limited taxonomic expertise for many groups, and (4) differing levels of activity in the study of different taxa

Germline mutations in ETV6 are associated with thrombocytopenia, red cell macrocytosis and predisposition to lymphoblastic leukemia

Some familial platelet disorders are associated with predisposition to leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or dyserythropoietic anemia. We identified a family with autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia, high erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and two occurrences of B cell-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Whole-exome sequencing identified a heterozygous single-nucleotide change in ETV6 (ets variant 6), c.641C>T, encoding a p.Pro214Leu substitution in the central domain, segregating with thrombocytopenia and elevated MCV. A screen of 23 families with similar phenotypes identified 2 with ETV6 mutations. One family also had a mutation encoding p.Pro214Leu and one individual with ALL. The other family had a c.1252A>G transition producing a p.Arg418Gly substitution in the DNA-binding domain, with alternative splicing and exon skipping. Functional characterization of these mutations showed aberrant cellular localization of mutant and endogenous ETV6, decreased transcriptional repression and altered megakaryocyte maturation. Our findings underscore a key role for ETV6 in platelet formation and leukemia predisposition

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)