Unexpected effect of Ru-substitution in lightly doped manganites

In this Communication we report about the unexpected effect of ruthenium doping in sodium ligthly-doped manganites. This effect seems to be in contrast with the usual model applied to describe the effect of this magnetic ion into the manganite structure. We propose a possible compensation mechanism which seems also able to describe other peculiar features encountered in these materials.Comment: 3 pages, 2 Figures to appear in ChemCom

El salt a l ’exterior de les empreses de nova creació

New international companies have come true thanks to globalization. They will be playing a major role in the 21st century, as their impact on economic and social progress is significantly larger than that of other kind of new companies. Nevertheless, their international success is subject to the adoption of a strategic approach which will provide them with the required tools to overcome future challenges, given their scarcity of resources. This paper explores the main aspects of the abovementioned strategic approach, aimed at contributing to the success of the companies in international markets.L’existència d’empreses internacionals de nova creació constitueix una realitat possible gràcies a la globalització. Aquestes noves empreses internacionals estan cridades a ocupar un paper destacat en el segle XXI, ja que la seua repercussió en el progrés econòmic i social és significativament major que la d’altres tipus de noves empreses. No obstant, l’èxit internacional d’aquestes empreses passa per l’adopció d’un enfocament estratègic que els proporcione les eines necessàries per a superar els desafiaments a què s’hauran d’enfrontar, tenint en compte les seues limitacions de recursos. En aquest treball s’exploren els principals aspectes que ha de cobrir aquest enfocament estratègic perquè efectivament contribuïsca a l’èxit d’aquestes empreses en els mercats internacionals.La existencia de empresas internacionales de nueva creación constituye una realidad posible gracias a la globalización. Estas nuevas empresas internacionales están llamadas a ocupar un papel destacado en el siglo XXI, puesto que su repercusión en el progreso económico y social es significativamente mayor que la de otros tipos de nuevas empresas. Sin embargo, el éxito internacional de estas empresas pasa por la adopción de un enfoque estratégico que les proporcione las herramientas necesarias para superar los desafíos a los que se deberán enfrentarse, habida cuenta de sus limitaciones de recursos. En este trabajo se exploran los principales aspectos que debe cubrir este enfoque estratégico para que efectivamente contribuya al éxito de estas empresas en los mercados internacionales.L ’existence d ’entreprises internationales de nouvelle création constitue une réalité possible grâce à la mondialisation. Ces nouvelles entreprises internationales son appelées à prendre une place remarquable au XXI siècle, car leur répercussion sur le progrès économique et social est significativement plus grande que celle d ’autres sortes d ’entreprises. Cependant, le succès international de ces entreprises passe par l’adoption d’une approche stratégique leur fournissant les outils nécessaires pour surmonter les dés qu’ils devront affronter, tenant compte de leurs limitations de recours. Ce travail explore les principaux aspects que cette approche stratégique doit couvrir, afin qu’elle puisse contribuer effectivement au succès de ces entreprises dans les marchés internationaux

The relationship between external knowledge absorptive capacity and firm strategy: an exploratory analysis

En este trabajo se plantea que la capacidad de absorción de la empresa variará según sea la estrategia adoptada por esta. Para ello, partiendo de que la capacidad de absorción se desarrolla a través de la habilidad para adquirir, asimilar, transformar y explotar el conocimiento generado externamente, examinamos la importancia que tiene cada una de estas dimensiones en empresas que persiguen distintas estrategias. La información ha sido obtenida de una muestra compuesta por 81 empresas españolas fabricantes de pavimentos y revestimientos cerámicos. Los resultados muestran que la capacidad de adquirir conocimiento es mayor en las empresas exploradoras que en las defensoras y en las analizadoras, y que la capacidad de transformación y la capacidad de explotación son mayores en las empresas exploradoras que en las defensoras, no observándose diferencias en la capacidad de asimilación del conocimientoIn this work we raise that a firm’s absorptive capacity differs depending on the strategy being followed by the firm. We consider that absorptive capacity is formed by the ability to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit the knowledge generated externally and examine the importance that each one of these dimensions has in compa- nies that adopt different strategies. The information has been obtained from a sample composed by 81 Spanish ce- ramic tiles firms. The results show that the ability to acquire knowledge is higher in prospectors than in defenders and analyzers, and that the transformation and exploitation abilities are higher in the prospector firms than in the de- fenders, whereas no differences are observed in the knowledge assimilation capacit

Exchange Effects in the Invar Hardening: Fe0.65Ni0.35Fe_{0.65}Ni_{0.35} as a test case

An increase of the critical resolved shear stress of Invar alloys (Invar hardening) with a lowering temperature is explained. The effect is caused by a growth of the exchange interaction between dangling $d$-electron states of dislocation cores and paramagnetic obstacles (e.g., Ni atoms in FeNi alloys) which occurs below the Curie temperature. The spins of the two electrons align along the magnetization due to the exchange interaction with the surrounding atoms of the ferromagnetic. The exchange interaction between the dislocations and obstacles is enhanced in Invars due to a strong growth of the magnetic moments of atoms under the action of elastic strains near the dislocation cores. Parameters characterizing the exchange interaction are determined for the case of the Fe$_{0.65}$Ni$_{0.35}$ Invar. The influence of the internal magnetic field on the dislocation detachment from the obstacles is taken into account. The obtained temperature dependence of the critical resolved shear stress in the Fe$_{0.65}$Ni$_{0.35}$ Invar agrees well with the available experimental data. Experiments facilitating a further check of the theoretical model are suggested.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Impact of Acute Dietary Manipulations on Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Estimates of Visceral Adipose Tissue

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is viewed as a superior method of body composition assessment, but whole-body DXA scans are impacted by variation in pre-assessment activities, such as eating and drinking. DXA software now allows for estimation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which has been implicated in a number of diseases. It is unknown to what extent food and fluid intake affect VAT estimates. PURPOSE: determine the effects of acute high-carbohydrate (HC) and very low-carbohydrate (VLC) diets on DXA estimates of VAT. METHODS: Male and female adults completed two one-day dietary conditions in random order: a VLC diet (1 – 1.5 g CHO/kg) and a HC diet (9 g CHO/kg). The diets were isocaloric to each other, and all food items were provided to participants. DXA scans were conducted in the morning after an overnight fast and in the afternoon soon after the third standardized meal. VAT volume, mass, and area were obtained, and paired samples t-tests were performed to compare the changes in VAT measures between diets. RESULTS: Fifteen males (age 22 ± 3, BF% 21 ± 5%) and eighteen females (age 21 ± 2, BF% 31 ± 5%) were included in the analysis. The change in VAT volume between the fasted and fed visits was different between diets (HC: +1.6%; VLC: -9.2%, p= 0.047). There were also trends for differences in VAT mass (p= 0.089) and area (p= 0.096) changes between diets. CONCLUSIONS: Within a single day, VAT estimates are differentially affected by isocaloric HC and VLC diets, with VLC consumption leading to reductions in VAT estimates. The content of the diet on the day of a DXA scan can affect estimates of VAT, which could spuriously influence the categorization of an individual’s health risk by DXA VAT estimates. Standardization of food intake prior to scans, preferably in the form of an overnight fast, should be employed to eliminate this important source of error

Effects of Cation Vacancy Distribution in Doped LaMnO3+d Perovskites

In this paper we report studies on the correlation between the presence and distribution of cation vacancies in doped manganites (La,M)MnO3+delta (where M = Na, Ca) and their magnetic properties. Results indicate that cation vacancies are distributed differently for the different crystal structures and dopant ion type. In particular it is shown that knowledge of the total vacancies concentration alone is not enough to fully characterize the physical properties of manganites and that their distribution between the A and B sites of the perovskite structure plays a crucial role which should be taken into account in future studies.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figure. To appear in J. Solid State Che

Diagnòstic de competències interculturals en l'Administració pública

La naturalesa multicultural de la nostra societat està generant requeriments nous als i les professionals de l'Administració pública. Els nous usuaris i usuàries dels serveis públics presenten condicionants i necessitats específiques derivats de la seva situació administrativa i el seu origen cultural. El present estudi planteja dos objectius: 1) la identificació de les necessitats formatives en relació amb les competències interculturals del personal del Servei d¿Ocupació de Catalunya que està en contacte amb persones immigrades i 2) el disseny d'una proposta de formació en competències interculturals per al Servei d'Ocupació de Catalunya. Els àmbits on es necessiten més aquestes competències són la gestió i solució de conflictes interculturals, les habilitats de comunicació i relació amb persones de diferents cultures, el coneixement d'altres cultures, el coneixement del fet migratori en el nostre context i el paper dels estereotips i prejudicis en les relacions. Aquesta investigació ha obert molts interrogants i possibles línies de futur com la necessitat d'aprofundir en l'avaluació de la formació intercultural i la realització de més diagnòstics en altres àrees de l'Administració com la sanitat, els serveis socials o la seguretat ciutadana per contrastar informació i continuar determinant el perfil de competències interculturals requerides per al treball en aquest camp. Així mateix, es considera que seria rellevant realitzar algun estudi comparatiu amb altres administracions i països que permetés avaluar la transversalitat de les competències identificades, així com l'efectivitat de diversos models de formació intercultural

The translation, validity and reliability of the German version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire

Background: The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) claims to assess disrupted self-perception of the back. The aim of this study was to develop a German version of the Fre-BAQ (FreBAQ-G) and assess its test-retest reliability, its known-groups validity and its convergent validity with another purported measure of back perception. Methods: The FreBaQ-G was translated following international guidelines for the transcultural adaptation of questionnaires. Thirty-five patients with non-specific CLBP and 48 healthy participants were recruited. Assessor one administered the FreBAQ-G to each patient with CLBP on two separate days to quantify intra-observer reliability. Assessor two administered the FreBaQ-G to each patient on day 1. The scores were compared to those obtained by assessor one on day 1 to assess inter-observer reliability. Known-groups validity was quantified by comparing the FreBAQ-G score between patients and healthy controls. To assess convergent validity, patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were correlated to their two-point discrimination (TPD) scores. Results: Intra- and Inter-observer reliability were both moderate with ICC3.1 = 0.88 (95%CI: 0.77 to 0.94) and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.79 to 0.94), respectively. Intra- and inter-observer limits of agreement (LoA) were 6.2 (95%CI: 5.0±8.1) and 6.0 (4.8±7.8), respectively. The adjusted mean difference between patients and controls was 5.4 (95%CI: 3.0 to 7.8, p\u3c0.01). Patient\u27s FreBAQ-G scores were not associated with TPD thresholds (Pearson\u27s r = -0.05, p = 0.79). Conclusions: The FreBAQ-G demonstrated a degree of reliability and known-groups validity. Interpretation of patient level data should be performed with caution because the LoA were substantial. It did not demonstrate convergent validity against TPD. Floor effects of some items of the FreBAQ-G may have influenced the validity and reliability results. The clinimetric properties of the FreBAQ-G require further investigation as a simple measure of disrupted self-perception of the back before firm recommendations on its use can be made

HHV-6 in liver transplantation : A literature review

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) can cause primary infection or reactivate from latency in liver transplant recipients, which can result in a variety of clinical syndromes, including fever, hepatitis, encephalitis and higher rates of graft dysfunction as well as indirect effects including increased risks of mortality, CMV disease, hepatitis C progression and greater fibrosis scores. Although HHV-6 infection is currently diagnosed by quantifying viral DNA in plasma or blood, biopsy to demonstrate histopathological effects of HHV-6 remains the gold standard for diagnosis of end-organ disease. HHV-6 reactivation may be restricted to the infected organ with no evidence of active infection in the blood. HHV-6 infections in liver transplant patients are mostly asymptomatic, but clinically significant tissue-invasive infections have been treated successfully with ganciclovir, foscarnet or cidofovir. Inherited chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (ciHHV-6), in either the recipient or the donor organ, may create confusion about systemic HHV-6 infection. Recipients with inherited ciHHV-6 may have an increased risk of opportunistic infection and graft rejection. This article reviews the current scientific data on the clinical effects, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of HHV-6 infections in liver transplant recipients.Peer reviewe