Shares in the EMCA : the time is ripe for true no par value shares in the EU, and the 2nd directive is not an obstacle

The most interesting proposal in the draft European Model Companies Act ( EMCA) concerning shares and the focus of this Article is the recommendation to introduce true no par value shares, as they have been in use in the US for many years and were introduced in Australia, New Zealand but also Finland more recently. Contrary to what has often been assumed, the 2nd EU Company Law Directive does not preclude no par value shares. There is nothing in the wording of the Directive to suggest otherwise, and the reference in the Directive to shares without a nominal value is a reference to Belgian law, which has allowed true no par value shares in all but name since at least 1913. EU member states could therefore introduce such shares even for public companies. True no par value shares offer a far more flexible framework in case of capital increases or mergers, but since under a no par value system there is no link between par value and shareholder rights, additional disclosure about these rights might be warranted under a no par value system. Traditional par value shares offer no protection to creditors, shareholders or other stakeholders, so that their abolition should not be mourned. The threat of new share issues at an unacceptably high discount is more efficiently countered by disclosure and shareholder decision rights

Interaction between Thalamus and Hippocampus in Termination of Amygdala-Kindled Seizures in Mice

The thalamus and hippocampus have been found both involved in the initiation, propagation, and termination of temporal lobe epilepsy. However, the interaction of these regions during seizures is not clear. The present study is to explore whether some regular patterns exist in their interaction during the termination of seizures. Multichannel in vivo recording techniques were used to record the neural activities from the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) of hippocampus and mediodorsal thalamus (MDT) in mice. The mice were kindled by electrically stimulating basolateral amygdala neurons, and Racine’s rank standard was employed to classify the stage of behavioral responses (stage 1~5). The coupling index and directionality index were used to investigate the synchronization and information flow direction between CA1 and MDT. Two main results were found in this study. (1) High levels of synchronization between the thalamus and hippocampus were observed before the termination of seizures at stage 4~5 but after the termination of seizures at stage 1~2. (2) In the end of seizures at stage 4~5, the information tended to flow from MDT to CA1. Those results indicate that the synchronization and information flow direction between the thalamus and the hippocampus may participate in the termination of seizures

Method for measurement of the density of thin films of small organic molecules

An accurate and sensitive method is reported to measure the thin-film density of vacuum-deposited, small-molecular organic semiconductor materials. A spectrophotometer and surface profiler had been used to determine the mass and thickness of organic thin film, respectively. The calculated density of tris-͑8-hydroxyquinolato͒ aluminum ͑Alq 3 ͒ thin film was 1.31± 0.01 g / cm 3 . Vacuum pressures and thin-film growth rates are found to have less impact on the thin-film density of organic material. However, the thin-film density of organic material strongly depends on its chemical structure and molecular weight. Specifically, the chemical structure determines the density of organic material that affects the molecular volume and intermolecular stacking

Contribuir para o desenvolvimento das estratégias de coping das pessoas com doença mental grave através da implementação de um programa de promoção de estilos de vida saudáveis

Mestrado em Enfermagem, Especialização Saúde Mental e Psiquiátrica, 2011, Escola Superior de Enfermagem de LisboaO desenvolvimento de competências resulta de um aumento de conhecimentos científicos, técnicos e éticos e da sua aplicação à prática profissional, através de um processo de experimentação, treino e reflexão, conjugando características pessoais e profissionais na acção. Este processo organizou-se em torno de dois contextos, ambulatório e internamento do DPSM, do H. S. Francisco Xavier. O primeiro decorreu nas Equipas Comunitárias de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental de Cascais e da Parede e no Fórum Sócio-ocupacional de Cascais; o segundo na Unidade de Internamento de Psiquiatria de doentes agudos do sexo masculino. O principal alvo dos cuidados foi as PDMG, às quais foi identificada uma necessidade de cuidados de enfermagem visando a promoção da saúde física e mental. A evidência comprova que as PDMG, designadamente os portadores de esquizofrenia, apresentam uma taxa de mortalidade precoce, cerca 10 a 15 anos menos do que a população em geral, assim como uma elevada prevalência de co-morbilidades físicas fortemente condicionada pelos estilos de vida não saudáveis e estratégias de coping ineficazes. Como resposta a esta necessidade de cuidados de enfermagem foi construído e implementado o programa “ SER + saudável”, desenvolvido com três grupos distintos de clientes e tendo por base, três objectivos principais: Promover estilos de vida saudáveis nas PDMG; Incentivar o desenvolvimento de estratégias de coping eficazes nas PDMG; e Promover o desenvolvimento de competências básicas de comunicação nas PDMG. Na implementação do programa segundo os contextos, constatou-se que os clientes atribuíram um enfoque diferente aos conteúdos abordados. Assim, o grupo comunitário valorizou aspectos relacionados com a saúde física e vida em sociedade, enquanto o grupo do internamento se centrou na gestão dos sintomas e na prevenção da recaída. O Programa “ SER + saudável” foi avaliado na sua globalidade pelos clientes, como tendo um impacto positivo no seu bem-estar, pelos benefícios na interacção social e pelo aumento dos conhecimentos adquiridos. Estes resultados parecem indicar que o programa contribuiu para o desenvolvimento das estratégias de Coping das PDMG

Paraoxonase-1 Is Not a Major Determinant of Stent Thrombosis in a Taiwanese Population

BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel is a prodrug that undergoes in vivo bioactivation to show its antiplatelet effects. Recent studies have shown that cytochrome P450 (CYP), ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCB1), and paraoxonase-1 (PON1) play crucial roles in clopidogrel bioactivation. Here, we aim to determine the effects of genetic polymorphisms of CYP (CYP 2C19*2, CYP 2C19*3, and CYP 2C19*17), ABCB1 (ABCB1 3435C>T, ABCB1 129T>C, and ABCB1 2677G>T/A), and PON1 (PON1 Q192R, PON1 L55M, and PON1 108C>T) on the development of stent thrombosis (ST) in patients receiving clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the incidence of ST (0.64%) in 4964 patients who were recruited in the CAPTAIN registry (Cardiovascular Atherosclerosis and Percutaneous TrAnsluminal INterventions). The presence of genetic polymorphisms was assessed in 20 subjects who developed ST after aspirin and clopidogrel therapy and in 40 age- and sex-matched control subjects who did not develop ST, which was documented after 9 months of angiographic follow-up. ST was acute in 5 subjects, subacute in 7, late in 7, and very late in 1. The presence of CYP 2C19*2 allele was significantly associated with ST (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj]: 4.20, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.263-9.544; P = 0.031). However, genetic variations in PON1 and ABCB1 showed no significant association with ST. CONCLUSION: We conclude that in a Taiwanese population, PON1 Q192R genotype is not associated with ST development after PCI. However, the presence of CYP 2C19*2 allele is a risk factor for ST development after PCI