Photoelectron spectra of fluorine substituted diazanaphthalenes: “Even cases”

The high resolution He 584 Å photoelectron spectra of three diazanaphthalenes and some of their fluorine derivatives are presented. The qualitative model that is used frequently in the discussion of lone-pair level splittings is examined

Cognitive processing of spatial relations in Euclidean diagrams

The cognitive processing of spatial relations in Euclidean diagrams is central to the diagram-based geometric practice of Euclid's Elements. In this study, we investigate this processing through two dichotomies among spatial relations—metric vs topological and exact vs co-exact—introduced by Manders in his seminal epistemological analysis of Euclid's geometric practice. To this end, we carried out a two-part experiment where participants were asked to judge spatial relations in Euclidean diagrams in a visual half field task design. In the first part, we tested whether the processing of metric vs topological relations yielded the same hemispheric specialization as the processing of coordinate vs categorical relations. In the second part, we investigated the specific performance patterns for the processing of five pairs of exact/co-exact relations, where stimuli for the co-exact relations were divided into three categories depending on their distance from the exact case. Regarding the processing of metric vs topological relations, hemispheric differences were found for only a few of the stimuli used, which may indicate that other processing mechanisms might be at play. Regarding the processing of exact vs co-exact relations, results show that the level of agreement among participants in judging co-exact relations decreases with the distance from the exact case, and this for the five pairs of exact/co-exact relations tested. The philosophical implications of these empirical findings for the epistemological analysis of Euclid's diagram-based geometric practice are spelled out and discussed

Ethics and Internet Measurements

Over the past decade the Internet has changed from a helpful tool to an important part of our daily lives for most of the world’s population. Where in the past the Internet mostly served to look up and exchange information, it is now used to stay in touch with friends, perform financial transactions or exchange other kinds of sensitive information. This development impacts researchers performing Internet measurements, as the data traffic they collect is now much more likely to have some impact on users. Traditional institutions such as Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) or Ethics Committees are not always equipped to perform a thorough review or gauge the impact of Internet measurement studies. This paper examines the impact of this development for Internet measurements and analyses previous cases where Internet measurements have touched upon ethical issues. The paper proposes an early framework to help researchers identify stakeholders and how a network study may impact them. In addition to this, the paper provides advice on creating measurement practices that incorporate ethics by design, and also considers the role of third-party data suppliers in ethical measurement practices

Trends in Computer Network Modeling Towards the Future Internet

This article provides a taxonomy of current and past network modeling efforts. In all these efforts over the last few years we see a trend towards not only describing the network, but connected devices as well. This is especially current given the many Future Internet projects, which are combining different models, and resources in order to provide complete virtual infrastructures to users. An important mechanism for managing complexity is the creation of an abstract model, a step which has been undertaken in computer networks too. The fact that more and more devices are network capable, coupled with increasing popularity of the Internet, has made computer networks an important focus area for modeling. The large number of connected devices creates an increasing complexity which must be harnessed to keep the networks functioning. Over the years many different models for computer networks have been proposed, and used for different purposes. While for some time the community has moved away from the need of full topology exchange, this requirement resurfaced for optical networks. Subsequently, research on topology descriptions has seen a rise in the last few years. Many different models have been created and published, yet there is no publication that shows an overview of the different approaches.

Інвестиційне кредитування переробних підприємств АПК банківськими установами

Метою статті є аналіз динаміки інвестиційного кредитування банківськими установами переробних підприємств агропромислового комплексу. Під час проведення дослідження були використані аналітичний, статистико – економічний, графічний, порівняльний методи та метод системного аналізу

Dealing with care disruption in High and Intensive Care wards:From difficult patients to difficult situations

High and Intensive Care is a relatively new care model in Dutch mental health care for clinical admissions. One of the goals is to keep the admission short. For some patients, this goal is not realized, which results in a long-term admission. Often, this is experienced as a disruption. Disruptions in care processes are frequently defined in terms of patient characteristics. Yet, it may be that other factors play a role. The aim of this study is to gain better insight into the perceptions of care professionals of what is characteristic for disruptions at High and Intensive Care wards and how professionals can deal with these. Qualitative research was performed by means of semi-structured interviews and a focus group with professionals. Results show that a focus on patient characteristics is too narrow and that other factors also play an important role. These factors include challenges in the relation between professionals and the patient, a divided team, and a lack of collaboration with ambulatory care. In order to deal with these factors, professionals should invest in the relationship with the patient, identify destructive team processes early, and improve communication with ambulatory care. It is recommended to develop a monitoring tool that includes all these factors. Another recommendation is to organize structured reflection on dilemmas experienced in care. In conclusion, this study shows the importance of going beyond patient characteristics in order to better understand, identify, and deal with disruption at High and Intensive Care wards

Prenatal screening of sialic acid storage disease and confirmation in cultured fibroblasts by LC-MS/MS

Sialic acid storage disease (SASD) is an inborn error resulting from defects in the lysosomal membrane protein sialin. The SASD phenotypical spectrum ranges from a severe presentation, infantile sialic acid storage disease (ISSD) which may present as hydrops fetalis, to a relatively mild form, Salla disease. Screening for SASD is performed by determination of free sialic acid (FSA) in urine or amniotic fluid supernatant (AFS). Subsequent diagnosis of SASD is performed by quantification of FSA in cultured fibroblasts and by mutation analysis of the sialin gene, SLC17A5. We describe simple quantitative procedures to determine FSA as well as conjugated sialic acid in AFS, and FSA in cultured fibroblasts, using isotope dilution (13C3-sialic acid) and multiple reaction monitoring LC-ESI-MS/MS. The whole procedure can be performed in 2–4 h. Reference values in AFS were 0–8.2 μmol/L for 15–25 weeks of gestation and 3.2-12.0 μmol/L for 26–38 weeks of gestation. In AFS samples from five fetuses affected with ISSD FSA was 23.9-58.9 μmol/L demonstrating that this method is able to discriminate ISSD pregnancies from normal ones. The method was also validated for determination of FSA in fibroblast homogenates. FSA in SASD fibroblasts (ISSD; 20–154 nmol/mg protein, intermediate SASD; 12.9-15.1 nmol/mg, Salla disease; 5.9-7.4 nmol/mg) was clearly elevated compared to normal controls (0.3-2.2 nmol/mg). In conclusion, we report simple quantitative procedures to determine FSA in AFS and cultured fibroblasts improving both prenatal diagnostic efficacy for ISSD as well as confirmatory testing in cultured fibroblasts following initial screening in urine or AFS