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The article focuses on Confidentiality Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDS) at some stage are a lot of misconceptions about these agreements, what they mean and if they're enforceable. Topics include the some of the frequently asked questions that arise from these agreements, and the business will almost never be completed without the buyer discussing information regarding the deal with spouses and advisers.

Audio computer-assisted self-interviews (ACASIs) have safely and effectively obtained sensitive research data from the general public and have been recommended for use with people with disabilities. However, few studies have used ACASIs with people with disabilities and ACASIs have not been used to investigate the relationship between disability, interpersonal violence (IPV), and physical and psychological health among people with developmental disabilities (PWDD).

Latino children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) at older ages and at the point of more severe symptoms. We sought to qualitatively describe community, family, and health care system barriers to ASD diagnosis in Latino children.

A comparative degradation study of solar cells based on a bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) blend of poly(3-hexylethiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl [6,6] C61butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with two different cathodes is reported. Poly(ethylene-dioxythiphene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) coated ITO electrodes were used as the anode, whereas Ca/Al and Ca/Ag electrodes were used as cathodes. Fully degraded devices were subjected to thermal annealing under inert atmosphere. The performance of degraded solar cells with a Ca/Al cathode exhibited no improvement after treatment. However the solar cells with a Ca/Ag cathode exhibited a considerable recovery in their performance following annealing under a nitrogen atmosphere. Indeed, these solar cells could be subjected to many degradation and regeneration cycles. Current density–voltage (J-V) characteristics and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies show that this behavior arises from the complex chemical thermodynamics of the reactions that can occur at the cathode/active layer interface. In particular, the recovery of device performance for solar cells with a Ca/Ag cathode is due to the reversible oxidation of Ag upon thermal annealing.

There is little information about which intimate partner violence (IPV) policies and services assist in the identification of IPV in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to examine the association between a variety of resources and documented IPV diagnoses.

The paper proposes a functional model for enhancing and evaluating organisations’ memory capabilities. The model consists of well-tested and refined managerial measures that interact seamlessly with one another in order to deliberately preserve past experiences and make them available to support subsequent and increasingly sophisticated activities. Further, it applies the phenomenological model of human memory on the organisational field, by introducing that organisational memory is founded on individual and team interactions, knowledge management processes and technology. The proposed model is based on five dimensions: a) bond quality between employees; b) knowledge diffusion processes; c) organisational training systems, d) knowledge storage capabilities; e) memory and knowledge-based decision making procedures. It acts as an organisational memory diagnostic tool of whether an organisation provides and enhances organisational memory and reveals certain ways of acting towards forming organisational memory. Finally, the paper implements the proposed model in four business sectors in Greece, discusses the findings and proposes a number of strategic policies towards organisations’ memory enhancement.

Organic photovoltaic devices based on blends of organic donors and acceptors are a promising new energy generation technology. In the case of binary blends based on mixtures of conjugated polymer donors and fullerene acceptors, the conventional view is that light harvesting occurs in the conjugated polymer component, and following primary charge separation at a donor−acceptor interface, the photogenerated charges are then transported by the respective donor and acceptor networks. By comparing the results of detailed optical modeling with device performance, we demonstrate that for 1:1 blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) this conventional view is incomplete and that there is a significant fullerene photocurrent contribution. Analysis of the photocurrent generation in these devices yields the result that ca. 13% of device short circuit current under air mass (AM) 1.5 illumination conditions arises from the contribution of the fullerene component.

To explore human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients' attitudes about buprenorphine treatment in office-based and opioid treatment program (OTP) settings.

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses the historiography of Greek science, mathematics, and philosophy, the 19th century historian Michael Stéphanidès, and the taxonomy of ancient Greek science.

There is ample evidence that both intimate-partner violence (IPV) and childhood abuse adversely affect the physical and mental health of adult women over the long term.

ABSTRACTLeptotrichia amnionii, a recently described, very fastidious, gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, is an opportunistic pathogen of the female urogenital tract. We report a case of second-trimester abortion in a patient with chorioamnionitis and L. amnioniibacteremia and a case of renal abscess in a female 5 weeks postpartum.

With the December 2004 deadline approaching, the discussion on whether Turkey is European or not is one of the top items on the agenda of the European Union. There are varying responses to the question including the critical one of Valery Giscard d'Estaing stating that if Turkey were to join the European Union, she would become European, and if she were European, the Union would no longer be. There are of course different aspects to the discussion like geography and religion and this article discusses the irrelevance of both stating that being European implies 'feeling at home abroad' throughout the rest of the Europe and those who do not 'feel' in Europe in Turkey do not do so either in Greece, Portugal or Malta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The role of brain amines in mediating the effects of the wake-promoting agent modafinil, used in the treatment of sleepiness associated with narcolepsy is still uncertain. Therefore we studied the effects of modafinil on extracellular serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA), in rat prefrontal cortex and in the medial hypothalamus area. Modafinil (128 mg/kg i.p.) significantly increased waking in the first 4 h of EEG sleep recording. This cortical and behavioral activation was associated with an initial increase in extracellular 5-HT, DA and NA during the first 60 min following modafinil administration. In the prefrontal cortex, 5-HT release remained high for 3 h after modafinil administration. In contrast, in the hypothalamus, only NA release was enhanced while DA and 5-HT levels remained low. In a first step, modafinil may generate waking partly via cortical monoamine release, particularly DA and 5-HT, and also hypothalamic NA. In a second step, maintenance of waking might depend on hypothalamic NA.

This paper aims to examine spatio-temporal variability during the production of the lingual consonants /t, d, s, z, k, g l, n, XXX/ in a sample of Greek spontaneous speech. It provides a description of the range of segmental variability and explores the relationship between articulatory and temporal variability. It also discusses instances of common connected speech processes including assimilations and deletions. Data from two Greek speakers producing a monologue was recorded with the technique of electropalatography (Reading EPG system). The results indicated that segmental variability ranges over a continuum from over-articulated to under-articulated forms, i.e. fully articulated tokens to very open articulations. In addition, duration dependent variability was found to be a function of the production characteristics of the consonant. Evidence of both gradient and categorical changes in spontaneous speech were suggested by the data and are discussed with reference to current theoretical frameworks.

The role of tryptophan and its competitor large neutral amino acids, proposed earlier for serotonin synthesis following carbohydrate or protein ingestion, was reassessed in relation to a recent study investigating serotonin release, including the so far unknown effects of fats.In the present study, meals of either carbohydrates, casein, or lard, were supplied to rats for 30 min and blood samples collected every 15 min to follow the changes in plasma large neutral amino acids.In response to carbohydrates, amino acid levels fell and the ratio tryptophan over sum of other amino acids increased. Following casein ingestion, all amino acids were enhanced, tryptophan somewhat less, leading to a decreased ratio. The lard meal induced a slight decrease in some amino acids while the ratio remained constant. Only in response to casein, and partly to carbohydrates, did a consistent relation appear between the previously observed serotonin changes and the ratio.These data suggest that a relationship between the ratio and the previously observed serotonin changes is not always encountered because the release is not obligatorily coupled to synthesis and is subject to behavioral influences. It remains that serotonin release is affected by the composition of the meal through peripheral metabolic mechanisms.

Afin de respecter les contraintes de sécurité, de fiabilité et de disponibilité des systèmes de transport de voyageurs, les constructeurs de systèmes de contrôle-commande du domaine ferroviaire sont obligés de développer des architectures informatiques spécifiques pour les applications de signalisation, de commande d'aiguilles ou de pilotage automatique. Ces architectures se composent, de manière courante, d'un coeur constitué d'une ou de plusieurs unités centrales et d'une périphérie qui permet au calculateur de communiquer avec l'extérieur. Certaines applications, telles que les postes d'aiguillage, l'architecture, comportent un très grand nombre de sorties tout ou rien de sécurité. Ces fonctionnalités sont actuellement réalisées au moyen de technologies classiques, c'est-à-dire, soit avec des composants discrets, soit avec des circuits hybrides. Dans le projet isis (Interface de sécurité intégrée sur silicium), on se propose de réaliser ces mêmes interfaces au moyen de circuits intégrés, développés sur la base des concepts théoriques définis par l'Institut national polytechnique de Grenoble. L'article présente donc successivement les principes actuellement utilisés pour la mise en sécurité des systèmes de contrôle-commande dans les transports terrestres, puis les fondements théoriques nécessaires pour développer une interface qui ne générera jamais de valeur permissive à tort, enfin le circuit développé dans le cadre du projet isis, son architecture et son environnement.

Distal radioulnar joint injuries can occur in isolation or in association with distal radius fractures, Galeazzi fractures, Essex-Lopresti injuries, and both-bone forearm fractures. The authors have classified DRUJ/TFCC injuries into stable, partially unstable (subluxation), and unstable (dislocation) patterns based on the injured structures and clinical findings. Clinical findings and plain radiographs are usually sufficient to diagnose the lesion, but axial CT scans are pathognomonic. Diagnostic arthroscopy is the next test of choice to visualize stable and partially unstable lesions.

To test the hypothesis that biogenic amines of the prefrontal cortex are involved in state-dependent cortical and behavioural activation, changes in extracellular levels of serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and noradrenaline (NA) were determined during the sleep-wake cycle in freely moving rats using microdialysis probes with parallel EEG recording. Serotonin gradually increased up to 450 during wakefulness (W) as compared to slow wave sleep (SWS), before decreasing toward stable levels during the next episode of SWS. Dopamine and its metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) were reduced during W as compared to SWS. Although contra-dictory with the generally admitted enhancement of DA activity related to vigilance, this may be due to the particular role of DA neurons in the prefrontal cortex. However, DA and HVA showed dramatic changes announcing the transition between SWS and W. During paradoxical sleep (PS), DA and 5-HT showed complex changes, the direction of which depended on whether PS was followed by SWS or W. Biogenic amines of the prefrontal cortex are probably involved in cortical and behavioural activation.

In most animals, ingestion of a diet lacking an essential amino acid (EAA) gives rise to anorexia within a few hours. The first signal in this feeding response may be the fall in plasma levels of the limiting EAA. In the present study, we measured plasma amino acid levels and food intake after the first exposure to either a threonine-devoid (THR-DEV) or corrected (COR) diet in 16 rats bearing a chronic jugular catheter for blood sampling. Food intake was reduced 165 min (p<0·05) after presentation of the THR-DEV diet. Analysis of the feeding pattern showed that intake was reduced via a four-fold lengthening of the second inter-meal interval. Plasma threonine levels started to fall between 30 and 60 min after onset of the meal (p<0·05). These results, observed in the same rats, lend further support for an early modification of the plasma amino acid pattern in relation to the decrease in feeding of a diet that is EAA deficient.

In this study, the dopamine turnover in the mediobasal hypothalamus, the key compartment of the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction, was evaluated in fetal male and female rats. High-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection was used to measure 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the mediobasal hypothalamus of fetuses on the 21st day of intrauterine development and in primary cell culture (cell extracts and culture medium) of the same brain region, explanted at the 17th fetal day and maintained for seven days. The same technique was applied to determine dopamine release from fetal neurons of the mediobasal hypothalamus in response to an excess of K+ in the perifusion system or in culture.l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine, dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were detected both ex vivo and in culture. The ratios of the concentrations ofl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine/dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine were significantly higher in vitro than ex vivo, showing a lower rate of dopamine production and a higher rate of its degradation in the experiments in vitro. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that an excess of K+, i.e. a membrane depolarization, resulted in a highly increased release of dopamine in the perifusion system and in culture. The dopaminergic activity in the developing mediobasal hypothalamus showed sexual dimorphism that was manifested in a greater concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and dopamine, at least in cell extracts of cultures, as well as in a higher rate of dopamine release, both in the perifusion system and in culture in males compared to females.

Presents a roundtable discussion on online testing technologies.

Theoretical developments and practical applications of self-checking circuits are presented in this paper. Such circuits may be used to ensure on-line test with respect to realistic physical failures. The detection of errors is concurrent and it is ensured by hard-ware redundancy.