100 research outputs found
The strategies that peanut and nut-allergic consumers employ to remain safe when travelling abroad
No full textCopyright @ 2012 Barnett et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: An understanding of the management strategies used by food allergic individuals is needed as a prerequisite to improving avoidance and enhancing quality of life. Travel abroad is a high risk time for severe and fatal food allergic reactions, but there is paucity of research concerning foreign travel. This study is the first to investigate the experiences of, and strategies used by peanut and tree nut allergic individuals when travelling abroad. Methods: Thirty-two adults with a clinical history of reaction to peanuts or tree nuts consistent with IgE-mediated allergy participated in a qualitative interview study. Results: Travel abroad was considered difficult with inherent risks for allergic individuals. Many participants recounted difficulties with airlines or restaurants. Inconsistency in managing allergen avoidance by airlines was a particular risk and a cause of frustration to participants. Individuals used a variety of strategies to remain safe including visiting familiar environments, limiting their activities, carrying allergy information cards in the host language, preparing their own food and staying close to medical facilities. Conclusions: Participants used a variety of allergen avoidance strategies, which were mostly extensions or modifications of the strategies that they use when eating at home or eating-out in the UK. The extended strategies reflected their recognition of enhanced risk during travel abroad. Their risk assessments and actions were generally well informed and appropriate. A need for airline policy regarding allergy to be declared and adhered to is needed, as is more research to quantify the true risks of airborne allergens in the cabin. Recommendations arising from our study are presented.This study is funded by the UK Food Standards Agency under project code T07058
Season 10 Episode 9: Ethics of Hostage Negotiation
No full textAn angry criminal takes a hostage and demands to speak with authorities. Who’s most qualified to take the phone? What strategy might have worked with David Koresh? Jim Botting, author of Bullets, Bombs and Fast Talk: 25 Years of FBI War Stories, describes the adventures and dilemmas of his seventeen years as hostage negotiator for the FBI. Shirley Hoogstra hosts. Episode #1009
A sacralização da ciência em Deuses Americanos, de Neil Gaiman
No full textAbordar a ciência e as mudanças científico-tecnológicas na literatura é uma prática que acompanha a humanidade e sua evolução desde o princípio. Dessa prática surge a Ficção Científica (FC), um dos muitos ramos da rica literatura gótica. Na nossa sociedade, que faz uso constante e cada vez maior da tecnologia e seus gadgets, porém, muitas das mudanças imaginadas pelos autores de FC, sendo elas fantásticas ou verossímeis, já foram alcançadas e, desta maneira, o gênero foi compelido a buscar novos temas e abordagens. À beira de uma revolução na FC, o autor inglês Neil Gaiman cria em sua obra Deuses Americanos (2001) um novo tipo de ciência: uma ciência sacralizada, “deusificada”. No romance, deuses de culturas e religiões antigas devem conviver com e sobreviver a novos deuses emergentes – os deuses da mídia, dos carros e dos computadores, entre outros. As duas gerações de deuses disputam a fé da humanidade, o que os alimenta, e nesse processo, muitos desses deuses evoluem, involuem ou até mesmo morrem. A FC criada por Neil Gaiman retorna ao mito para explicar o desconhecido e torna-se então uma espécie de FC “reversa”. Este trabalho propõe um debate sobre essa nova face da FC, com base nas teorias de Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams e Sigmund Freud, entre outros.Approaching science and technoscientific changes in literature has been done by humanity since the beginning and has evolved alongside with history. From this practice derives Science Fiction (SF), one of the many branches of gothic literature. In our society, which makes constant and increasing use of technology and gadgets, however, many changes imagined by SF authors, either fantastic or verisimilar, have already been reached and so the literary genre was compelled to search for new themes and approaches. On the brink of a revolution in SF, British author Neil Gaiman creates in his masterpiece, American Gods (2001), a new type of science: a sacralized and “godfied” science. In the novel, gods from different cultures and ancient religions must live with and survive to new emergent gods – gods of the media, of cars and computers, among others. Both generations of gods fight over what feeds them – the faith of mankind – and during this process, many of these gods evolve, devolve or even perish. The SF created by Neil Gaiman returns to the myth as an explanation to the unknown and becomes then a kind of “reverse” SF. This work proposes a debate on this new face of SF, based on the theories of Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams and Sigmund Freud, among others.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES
A sacralização da ciência em Deuses Americanos, de Neil Gaiman
No full textAbordar a ciência e as mudanças científico-tecnológicas na literatura é uma prática que acompanha a humanidade e sua evolução desde o princípio. Dessa prática surge a Ficção Científica (FC), um dos muitos ramos da rica literatura gótica. Na nossa sociedade, que faz uso constante e cada vez maior da tecnologia e seus gadgets, porém, muitas das mudanças imaginadas pelos autores de FC, sendo elas fantásticas ou verossímeis, já foram alcançadas e, desta maneira, o gênero foi compelido a buscar novos temas e abordagens. À beira de uma revolução na FC, o autor inglês Neil Gaiman cria em sua obra Deuses Americanos (2001) um novo tipo de ciência: uma ciência sacralizada, “deusificada”. No romance, deuses de culturas e religiões antigas devem conviver com e sobreviver a novos deuses emergentes – os deuses da mídia, dos carros e dos computadores, entre outros. As duas gerações de deuses disputam a fé da humanidade, o que os alimenta, e nesse processo, muitos desses deuses evoluem, involuem ou até mesmo morrem. A FC criada por Neil Gaiman retorna ao mito para explicar o desconhecido e torna-se então uma espécie de FC “reversa”. Este trabalho propõe um debate sobre essa nova face da FC, com base nas teorias de Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams e Sigmund Freud, entre outros.Approaching science and technoscientific changes in literature has been done by humanity since the beginning and has evolved alongside with history. From this practice derives Science Fiction (SF), one of the many branches of gothic literature. In our society, which makes constant and increasing use of technology and gadgets, however, many changes imagined by SF authors, either fantastic or verisimilar, have already been reached and so the literary genre was compelled to search for new themes and approaches. On the brink of a revolution in SF, British author Neil Gaiman creates in his masterpiece, American Gods (2001), a new type of science: a sacralized and “godfied” science. In the novel, gods from different cultures and ancient religions must live with and survive to new emergent gods – gods of the media, of cars and computers, among others. Both generations of gods fight over what feeds them – the faith of mankind – and during this process, many of these gods evolve, devolve or even perish. The SF created by Neil Gaiman returns to the myth as an explanation to the unknown and becomes then a kind of “reverse” SF. This work proposes a debate on this new face of SF, based on the theories of Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams and Sigmund Freud, among others.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES
The sacralization of science in American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
No full textAbordar a ciência e as mudanças científico-tecnológicas na literatura é uma prática que acompanha a humanidade e sua evolução desde o princípio. Dessa prática surge a Ficção Científica (FC), um dos muitos ramos da rica literatura gótica. Na nossa sociedade, que faz uso constante e cada vez maior da tecnologia e seus gadgets, porém, muitas das mudanças imaginadas pelos autores de FC, sendo elas fantásticas ou verossímeis, já foram alcançadas e, desta maneira, o gênero foi compelido a buscar novos temas e abordagens. À beira de uma revolução na FC, o autor inglês Neil Gaiman cria em sua obra Deuses Americanos (2001) um novo tipo de ciência: uma ciência sacralizada, “deusificada”. No romance, deuses de culturas e religiões antigas devem conviver com e sobreviver a novos deuses emergentes – os deuses da mídia, dos carros e dos computadores, entre outros. As duas gerações de deuses disputam a fé da humanidade, o que os alimenta, e nesse processo, muitos desses deuses evoluem, involuem ou até mesmo morrem. A FC criada por Neil Gaiman retorna ao mito para explicar o desconhecido e torna-se então uma espécie de FC “reversa”. Este trabalho propõe um debate sobre essa nova face da FC, com base nas teorias de Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams e Sigmund Freud, entre outros.Approaching science and technoscientific changes in literature has been done by humanity since the beginning and has evolved alongside with history. From this practice derives Science Fiction (SF), one of the many branches of gothic literature. In our society, which makes constant and increasing use of technology and gadgets, however, many changes imagined by SF authors, either fantastic or verisimilar, have already been reached and so the literary genre was compelled to search for new themes and approaches. On the brink of a revolution in SF, British author Neil Gaiman creates in his masterpiece, American Gods (2001), a new type of science: a sacralized and “godfied” science. In the novel, gods from different cultures and ancient religions must live with and survive to new emergent gods – gods of the media, of cars and computers, among others. Both generations of gods fight over what feeds them – the faith of mankind – and during this process, many of these gods evolve, devolve or even perish. The SF created by Neil Gaiman returns to the myth as an explanation to the unknown and becomes then a kind of “reverse” SF. This work proposes a debate on this new face of SF, based on the theories of Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade, Robert Adams and Sigmund Freud, among others.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES
Slipstreaming with Lacan [Book Review]
No full textReviews the book `"Sex, Machines and Navels: Fiction, Fantasy and History in the Future Present," by Fred Botting
A sacralização da ciência em Deuses Americanos, de Neil Gaiman: a Ficção Científica moderna em crise
No full textAbordar a ciência e as mudanças científico-tecnológicas na literatura é uma práticaque acompanha a humanidade e sua evolução desde o princípio. Dessa prática surge a FicçãoCientífica (FC), um dos muitos ramos da rica literatura gótica. Na nossa sociedade, que fazuso constante e cada vez maior da tecnologia e seus gadgets, porém, muitas das mudançasimaginadas pelos autores de FC, sendo elas fantásticas ou verossímeis, já foram alcançadas equase não há temas e recursos que não foram ainda explicados pela ciência. Com isso, frente aum possível esgotamento de temas para a FC, o autor inglês Neil Gaiman cria em suaobra Deuses Americanos (2001) um novo tipo de ciência: uma ciência sacralizada,“deusificada”. No romance, deuses de culturas e religiões antigas devem conviver com esobreviver a novos deuses emergentes – os deuses da mídia, dos carros e dos computadores,entre outros. As duas gerações de deuses disputam a fé da humanidade, o que os alimenta, enesse processo, muitos desses deuses evoluem, involuem ou até mesmo morrem. A FC criadapor Neil Gaiman retorna ao mito para explicar o desconhecido e torna-se então uma espéciede FC “reversa”. Este artigo propõe um debate sobre essa nova face da FC com base nasteorias de Fred Botting, Mircea Elíade e Ernst Cassirer, entre outros
Synthesis of isotopically labelled substrates and their use in stereochemical and mechanistic studies of enzyme reaction
No full text2-Amino-2-methylmalonic acid has been synthesised and has been shown to be a substrate which is decarboxylated by serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT). In order to determine the stereochemical course of this reaction (2R)- and (2S)- [1-13C]-2-methyl-2-aminomalonic acids were prepared. The synthesis of these compounds was achieved by employing the anion of Schollkopf's bis-lactim ethers in a Claisen-type condensation with 13C-carbonyl-labelled electrophiles. Only acetyl chloride gave the required regio-selectivity. The resulting ketone was oxidised using the bromoform reaction. The labelled substrates were then utilised in stereochemical studies. These revealed that decarboxylation occurred stereospecifically. During the reaction, the pro-R carboxyl group of the substrate was replaced with a proton, with retention of configuration, to give (2R)-alanine. The result was not in accord with the earlier finding, by others, that the decarboxylation fo 2-aminomalonic acid by SHMT occurs non-stereospecifically. A study of the α-hydrogen exchange kinetics of 2-aminomalonic acid, using ^1H-n.m.r. indicated that the earlier observations were misinterpreted, due to rapid substrate racemisation. It was further shown that the decarboxylation of 2-aminomalonic acid was stereospecific. The role of a histidine residue which is conserved in all pyridoxal 5'-phosphate(PLP) dependent serine hydroxymethyltransferases, as well as many L-amino acid α-decarboxylases, and other PLP dependent enzymes is discussed. The ability of a mutant form of SHMT in which this histidine residue has been substituted by an asparagine residue, to decarboxylate aminoalkylmalonates has also been determined. The structural and catalytic implications of this change on the mechanism of the reaction are discussed. [4'-2H3]-mesaconic acid has been prepared via routes involving a Favorskii-type rearrangement, or methyl cuprate addition to dimethylacetylene dicarboxylate. This compound has been used by Dr. N.P. Botting to determine the rate and order of product debinding for the deamination reaction catalysed by 3-methylaspartase (EC4.3.1.2.). A new synthetic route to L-erythro-3-methylaspartic acid has been developed, based on Schollkopf bis-lactim ether methodology. This compound has been used to show that a single 3-methylaspartase activity is responsible for catalysing the deamination of both L-threo- and L-erythro-3-methylaspartic acids. (2S,3S)-, (2R,2R)- and meso-2,3-dicarboxyaziridines have been synthesised from their appropriate tartaric acids, via intermediate cyclic-sulphates. The compounds have been used to determine the stereochemistry of the ultimate products of the enzymic amination of bromo- and chlorofumaric acids with 3-methylaspartase, as meso- and (2S,3S)-2-3-dicarboxyaziridines respectively. The ability of the aziridines to inhibit 3-methylaspartase and fumarase (EC 4.1.2.1) has been investigated. (2S,3S)-Dicarboxyaziridine is a competitive inhibitor for both enzymes.</p
Studies on N-hydroxyguanidine derivatives, potential nitric oxide donor drugs
No full textThe ability of substituted N-hydroxyguanidines to act as nitric oxide donor drugs has been previously established. To further investigate the potential of this class of compound as nitric donor drugs a number of new N-hydroxyguanidines were prepared. The compounds were synthesised and then subjected to a number of chemical and biological tests. A number of the examples prepared were indeed shown to be oxidised under chemical conditions to give nitric oxide. The nitric oxide was tested for using the Greiss test. One example, 1-benzyl-1-methyl-2-hydroxyguanidine showed biological activity and was found to be a vasodilator. In addition an X-ray crystal structure of this compound was obtained which gave a further insight into the conformation of this type compound and related analogues. A number of ureas were also prepared for use in the biological and chemical testing. Under chemical conditions the ureas were not oxidised thus indicating that the hydroxyguanidine functionality was required for nitric oxide generation. O-Substituted N-hydroxyguanidines were also prepared in an effort to examine the possibility of selectively targeting the molecule to the site of action for nitric oxide release. These compounds were found to produce a small amount of nitric oxide under chemical oxidation, therefore confirming their potential as potential nitric oxide donor compounds. Acid catalysed decomposition of O-THP-1,1,-dibenzyl-2- hydroxyguanidine was studied. The reaction was carried out at various pHs and was monitored using HPLC. It was found that the THP protecting group could be removed to give the free N-hydroxyguanidine. More easily removed O-substituents are probably required to produce successful prodrugs. However the reaction only gave a reasonable rate at a very low pH (t1/2 = 122 s at pH 0). A number of O-substituted hydroxylamines were then prepared in an attempt to increase the range of O-substituted N-hydroxyguanidines that could be obtained
Language in autism and specific language impairment: Where are the links?
No full textIt has been suggested that language impairment in autism is behaviourally, neurobiologically, and etiologically related to specific language impairment (SLI). In this paper, we review evidence at each level and argue that the vast majority of data does not support the view that language impairment in autism can be explained in terms of co-morbid SLI. We make recommendations for how this debate might be resolved and we suggest a shift in research focus. We recommend that researchers concentrate on those aspects of language impairment that predominate in each disorder rather than on those comparatively small areas of potential overlap
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