1,536 research outputs found

    La construction récente des groupes de luxe français : mythes, discours et pratiques

    Get PDF
    Les recompositions récentes de l’industrie du luxe ont été peu étudiées. Le rachat de PME indépendantes liées à des marques prestigieuses a permis la constitution de groupes nouveaux pluriproduits et internationaux. Les synergies réalisées ont permis aux principaux groupes (LVMH, PPR et Richemont) de s’adapter aux évolutions du marché et des comportements des consommateurs. Derrière les combats médiatiques, comme celui autour du rachat de Gucci, se joue en fait une recomposition financière et industrielle de grande ampleur tant certains secteurs du luxe constituent des domaines fortement bénéficiaires.The current mergers in the luxury industry have received relatively little consideration. Nonetheless, the buying-up of small and medium-sized independent companies by luxury brands has produced new international and multiproduct business groups. These mergers and acquisitions have created opportunities for the major groups in this area (LVMH, PPR and Richemont) to adapt to consumer behaviours and other rapid changes in the sector. Beyond the more mediatised events, such as the purchase of the Gucci group, the profits generated in this area are of such a magnitude that there has been a drastic restructuring in the industry’s finance and production

    Analytic Gradients for Complete Active Space Pair-Density Functional Theory

    Full text link
    Analytic gradient routines are a desirable feature for quantum mechanical methods, allowing for efficient determination of equilibrium and transition state structures and several other molecular properties. In this work, we present analytical gradients for multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) when used with a state-specific complete active space self-consistent field reference wave function. Our approach constructs a Lagrangian that is variational in all wave function parameters. We find that MC-PDFT locates equilibrium geometries for several small- to medium-sized organic molecules that are similar to those located by complete active space second-order perturbation theory but that are obtained with decreased computational cost

    Nursing assistants matters—An ethnographic study of knowledge sharing in interprofessional practice

    Full text link
    © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Interprofessional collaboration involves some kind of knowledge sharing, which is essential and will be important in the future in regard to the opportunities and challenges in practices for delivering safe and effective health care. Nursing assistants are seldom mentioned as a group of health care workers that contribute to interprofessional collaboration in health care practice. The aim of this ethnographic study was to explore how the nursing assistants’ knowledge can be shared in a team on a spinal cord injury rehabilitation ward. Using a sociomaterial perspective on practice, we captured different aspects of interprofessional collaboration in health care. The findings reveal how knowledge was shared between professionals, depending on different kinds of practice architecture. These specific cultural–discursive, material–economic, and social–political arrangements enabled possibilities through which nursing assistants’ knowledge informed other practices, and others’ knowledge informed the practice of nursing assistants. By studying what health care professionals actually do and say in practice, we found that the nursing assistants could make a valuable contribution of knowledge to the team

    Utility of oropharyngeal real-time PCR for S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae for diagnosis of pneumonia in adults.

    Get PDF
    Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageor click on the hyperlink at the To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field top of the page marked FilesA lack of sensitive tests and difficulties obtaining representative samples contribute to the challenge in identifying etiology in pneumonia. Upper respiratory tract swabs can be easily collected and analyzed with real-time PCR (rtPCR). Common pathogens such as S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae can both colonize and infect the respiratory tract, complicating the interpretation of positive results. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected (n = 239) prospectively from adults admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Analysis with rtPCR targeting S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae was performed and results compared with sputum cultures, blood cultures, and urine antigen testing for S. pneumoniae. Different Ct cutoff values were applied to positive tests to discern colonization from infection. Comparing rtPCR with conventional testing for S. pneumoniae in patients with all tests available (n = 57) resulted in: sensitivity 87 %, specificity 79 %, PPV 59 % and NPV 94 %, and for H. influenzae (n = 67): sensitivity 75 %, specificity 80 %, PPV 45 % and NPV 94 %. When patients with prior antimicrobial exposure were excluded sensitivity improved: 92 % for S. pneumoniae and 80 % for H. influenzae. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated for S. pneumoniae: AUC = 0.65 (95 % CI 0.51-0.80) and for H. influenzae: AUC = 0.86 (95 % CI 0.72-1.00). Analysis of oropharyngeal swabs using rtPCR proved both reasonably sensitive and specific for diagnosing pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. This method may be a useful diagnostic adjunct to other methods and of special value in patients unable to provide representative lower airway samples.Icelandic Center for Research Rannis Landspitali University Hospital Science Fund University of Iceland Research Fun

    Nuorten aikuisten osallisuus ja sosiaalinen kuntoutus Lapissa

    Get PDF
    Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan nuorten aikuisten osallisuutta sosiaalisen kuntoutuksen palvelujen asiakkaina Rovaniemellä, Kittilässä ja Inarissa. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostuu 24 nuoren yksilöhaastatteluista, neljästä sosiaalisen kuntoutuksen palveluntuottajien ryhmähaastattelusta sekä tilastoaineistosta. Nuorten aikuisten osallisuuden tukemisessa korostuu nuorten kokemustiedon, paikallisuuden ja paikallisen kulttuurin merkitykset. Erityisesti kokemustiedon huomioiminen tarjoaa nuorille aikuisille väylän vaikuttaa sosiaalisen kuntouksen palveluprosessiin. Nuorten aikuisten haastatteluista erottuu neljä erilaista toimijuuden roolia (positiota): omaan kuntoutumiseen panostava, yhteisöllinen vastuunkantaja ja toiminnan kehittäjä, etsijä sekä ajelehtija. Eri toimijuuden roolit vaikuttavat siihen, millainen merkitys sosiaalisella kuntoutuksella on nuorille aikuisille. Sosiaalisen kuntoutuksen toteuttamiseen vaikuttaa samanaikaisesti useita ammatillisia ajattelu- ja toimintatapoja (rationaliteetteja). Tärkeää on erityisesti yhteisöllinen toiminta, jossa nuorta tuetaan osana paikallisyhteisöään ja sosiaalisia verkostojaan. Monialaisen yhteistyön merkitys korostuu sosiaalisen kuntoutuksen toteuttamisessa. Sosiaalinen kuntoutus on vielä käsitteenä, palveluna ja ammattikäytäntöinä osin jäsentymätöntä sekä työntekijöille että asiakkaille. Tutkimuksen perusteella sosiaalisen kuntoutuksen sisällölliselle ja käsitteelliselle kehittämiselle on selkeä tarve.30,00 euro

    Gravid Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto avoid ovipositing in Bermuda grass hay infusion and it's volatiles in two choice egg-count bioassays.

    Get PDF
    BACKGROUND: A number of mosquito species in the Culex and Aedes genera prefer to lay eggs in Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) hay infusions compared to water alone. These mosquitoes are attracted to volatile compounds from the hay infusions making the infusions effective baits in gravid traps used for monitoring vectors of arboviral and filarial pathogens. Since Bermuda grass is abundant and widespread, it is plausible to explore infusions made from it as a potential low cost bait for outdoor monitoring of the elusive malaria vector Anopheles gambiae s.s. METHODS: This study investigated preferential egg laying of individual An. gambiae s.s. in hay infusion or in tap water treated with volatiles detected in hay infusion headspace compared to tap water alone, using two-choice egg-count bioassays. Infusions were prepared by mixing 90 g of dried Bermuda grass (hay) with 24 L of unchlorinated tap water in a bucket, and leaving it for 3 days at ambient temperature and humidity. The volatiles in the headspace of the hay infusion were sampled with Tenax TA traps for 20 h and analysed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. RESULTS: In total, 18 volatiles were detected in the infusion headspace. Nine of the detected compounds and nonanal were selected for bioassays. Eight of the selected compounds have previously been suggested to attract/stimulate egg laying in An. gambiae s.s. Gravid females were significantly (p < 0.05) less likely to lay eggs in hay infusion dilutions of 25, 50 and 100 % and in tap water containing any of six compounds (3-methylbutanol, phenol, 4-methylphenol, nonanal, indole, and 3-methylindole) compared to tap water alone. The oviposition response to 10 % hay infusion or any one of the remaining four volatiles (4-hepten-1-ol, phenylmethanol, 2-phenylethanol, or 4-ethylphenol) did not differ from that in tap water. CONCLUSIONS: Anopheles gambiae s.s. prefers to lay eggs in tap water rather than Bermuda grass hay infusion. This avoidance of the hay infusion appears to be mediated by volatile organic compounds from the infusion. It is, therefore, unlikely that Bermuda grass hay infusion as formulated and used in gravid traps for Culex and Aedes mosquitoes will be suitable baits for monitoring gravid An. gambiae s.s

    Different Perspectives - An immersive experience using 360° video and Google Cardboard

    Get PDF
    ABSTRACT Becoming aware of your own or other people&apos;s behaviour in social situations is hard, you can only see the world through your eyes, your experiences. In order to better share and understand each other we have designed a cheap but effective technology through the use of 360 degree film, binaural audio, and Google Cardboard goggles. Our focus is the school environment, while we initially dealt with bullying, we eventually shifted the issue to ambiguous social situations, to avoid the stigma of concepts such as victim and bully. Through participatory design we managed to implement a mobile application that allows a user equipped with headphones and Google Cardboard to experience the 360° film recorded. This will then be followed by a discussion with her or his peers -preferably with supervision of a professional such as a teacher, hopefully raising awareness of their attitudes and preconceived notions

    CSF Biomarkers in Patients With COVID-19 and Neurologic Symptoms: A Case Series

    Get PDF
    OBJECTIVE: To explore whether hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 and neurologic symptoms have evidence of CNS infection, inflammation and injury using CSF biomarker measurements. METHODS: We assessed CSF SARS-CoV-2 RNA along with CSF biomarkers of intrathecal inflammation (CSF white blood cell count, neopterin, β2-microglobulin (β2M) and immunoglobulin G-index), blood-brain-barrier (BBB) integrity (albumin ratio), and axonal injury (CSF neurofilament light chain protein [NfL]) in 6 patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 and neurologic symptoms who had undergone a diagnostic lumbar puncture. Neurologic symptoms and signs included features of encephalopathies (4/6), suspected meningitis (1/6) and dysgeusia (1/6). SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by rtPCR analysis of nasopharyngeal swabs. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the plasma of 2 patients (Cycle threshold [Ct] value 35.0-37.0) and in CSF at low levels (Ct 37.2, 38.0, 39.0) in 3 patients in one but not in a second rtPCR assay. CSF neopterin (median, 43.0 nmol/L) and β2-microglobulin (median, 3.1 mg/L) were increased in all. Median IgG-index (0.39), albumin ratio (5.35) and CSF white blood cell count (<3 cells/µL) were normal in all, while CSF NfL was elevated in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: Our results on patients with COVID-19 and neurologic symptoms suggest an unusual pattern of marked CSF inflammation in which soluble markers were increased but white cell response and other immunologic features typical of CNS viral infections were absent. While our initial hypothesis centered on CNS SARS-CoV-2 invasion, we could not convincingly detect SARS-CoV-2 as the underlying driver of CNS inflammation. These features distinguish COVID-19 CSF from other viral CNS infections, and raise fundamental questions about the CNS pathobiology of SARS-CoV-2 infection
    • …
    corecore