Full characterization of vibrational coherence in a porphyrin chromophore by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy

In this work we present experimental and calculated two-dimensional electronic spectra for a 5,15-bisalkynyl porphyrin chromophore. The lowest energy electronic Qy transition couples mainly to a single 380 cm–1 vibrational mode. The two-dimensional electronic spectra reveal diagonal and cross peaks which oscillate as a function of population time. We analyze both the amplitude and phase distribution of this main vibronic transition as a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Even though Feynman diagrams provide a good indication of where the amplitude of the oscillating components are located in the excitation-detection plane, other factors also affect this distribution. Specifically, the oscillation corresponding to each Feynman diagram is expected to have a phase that is a function of excitation and detection frequencies. Therefore, the overall phase of the experimentally observed oscillation will reflect this phase dependence. Another consequence is that the overall oscillation amplitude can show interference patterns resulting from overlapping contributions from neighboring Feynman diagrams. These observations are consistently reproduced through simulations based on third order perturbation theory coupled to a spectral density described by a Brownian oscillator model

Attitudes and burden in relatives of patients with schizophrenia in a middle income country

BACKGROUND: Most studies of family attitudes and burden have been conducted in developed countries. Thus it is important to test the generalizability of this research in other contexts where social conditions and extended family involvement may be different. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the attitudes of caregivers and the burden they experience in such a context, namely Arica, a town located in the northernmost region of Chile, close to the border with Peru and Bolivia. METHODS: We assessed attitudes towards schizophrenia (including affective, cognitive and behavioural components) and burden (including subjective distress, rejection and competence) in 41 main caregivers of patients with schizophrenia, all of whom were users of Public Mental Health Services in Arica. RESULTS: Attitude measures differed significantly according to socio-demographic variables, with parents (mainly mothers) exhibiting a more negative attitude towards the environment than the rest of the family (t = 4.04; p = 0.000).This was also the case for caregivers with a low educational level (t = 3.27; p < 0.003), for the oldest caregivers (r = 0.546; p = 0.000) and for those who had spent more time with the patient (r = 0.377; p = 0.015). Although attitudes had significant association with burden, their explanatory power was modest (R2 = .104, F = 4,55; p = .039). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to finding developed countries, the current study revealed a positive and significant relationship between the attitudes of caregivers and their burden. These findings emphasize the need to support the families of patients with schizophrenia in this social context

Quantitative Measurement of Delta Activity in Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Quantitative Measurements of Delta Activity Were Made in 10 Healthy Elderly Controls and 31 Subjects with Alzheimer\u27s Disease. Delta Activity Did Not Discriminate between the Healthy Elderly Controls and the Early Mild Alzheimer\u27s Disease Subjects. However, Delta Activity Was a Significantly Greater Percentage of Total EEG Power in the Moderate-To-Advanced Alzheimer\u27s Subjects When Compared to Either the Healthy Controls or Mild Alzheimer Subjects. in the T3 and T4 Electrodes, Delta Activity in the Moderate-To-Advanced Alzheimer Subjects Was 78.3% and 47.6% Higher, Respectively, Than in Control Subjects. Furthermore, Delta Activity Was an Excellent Predictor of Dementia Severity within the 31 Subjects with Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Quantitative Measurement of Delta Activity in Alzheimer's Disease

Quantitative Measurements of Delta Activity Were Made in 10 Healthy Elderly Controls and 31 Subjects with Alzheimer\u27s Disease. Delta Activity Did Not Discriminate between the Healthy Elderly Controls and the Early Mild Alzheimer\u27s Disease Subjects. However, Delta Activity Was a Significantly Greater Percentage of Total EEG Power in the Moderate-To-Advanced Alzheimer\u27s Subjects When Compared to Either the Healthy Controls or Mild Alzheimer Subjects. in the T3 and T4 Electrodes, Delta Activity in the Moderate-To-Advanced Alzheimer Subjects Was 78.3% and 47.6% Higher, Respectively, Than in Control Subjects. Furthermore, Delta Activity Was an Excellent Predictor of Dementia Severity within the 31 Subjects with Alzheimer\u27s Disease

Social innovation for sustainability transformation and its diverging development paths in marginalised rural areas

Abstract Social innovation is perceived as a collaborative response from civic society actors to societal challenges and as such is increasingly being recognised as a driver for sustainable development. Social innovation promotes civic values, particularly in marginalised rural areas that are often struggling with biophysical and market limits, as well as shortages of public funding. In order to identify diverging development paths (DDPs) for social innovation, in this article, we use two large sets of empirical material from the SIMRA research project. First, for meta-analyses of social innovation in diverse situations and contexts, we use 211 validated social innovation examples. Second, we rely on 11 in-depth cases to reflect on the contexts and dimensions of social innovation. The elaboration of conceptualisation and deductive analyses result in the creation of a typology of social innovation DDPs, with four DDPs identified and explained. The article provides an improved understanding of how social innovation emerges and develops and how to capture processes and resulting changes in marginalised rural areas in order to turn such areas’ diversity into strengths. An important conclusion is that social innovation involves both local and external actors, yet cannot develop without specific internal local activity and local knowledge