A series of phenylphosphonates, Zn(1-x)Mn(x)(O(3)PC(6)H(5)) x H(2)O, where x = 0, 0.005, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0, has been prepared and their photoluminescence responses studied. The presence of Mn in the sample results in a red emission, whilst when x = 0 the emission is green. Levels of Mn <1 mol% result in an orange emission. Ag(6)(m-O(3)PC(6)H(4)CO(2))(2) has been prepared by hydrothermal reaction of Ag(NO(3)) and m-phosphonobenzoic acid. The material has a 1D channel structure in which the channels are lined with the phenyl groups. Ag(6)(m-O(3)PC(6)H(4)CO(2))(2) shows a green luminescence response to laser excitation, whilst the related Zn material, Zn(3)(m-O(3)PC(6)H(4)CO(2))(2), shows an unusual yellow emission.

In this study, Canadian healthcare ethics consultants describe their use of ethics decision-making frameworks. Our research finds that ethics consultants in Canada use multi-purpose ethics decision-making frameworks, as well as targeted frameworks that focus on reaching an ethical resolution to a particular healthcare issue, such as adverse event reporting, or difficult triage scenarios. Several interviewees mention the influence that the accreditation process in Canadian healthcare organizations has on the adoption and use of such frameworks. Some of the ethics consultants we interviewed also report on their reluctance to use these tools. Limited empirical work has been done previously on the use of ethics decision-making frameworks. This study begins to fill this gap in our understanding of the work of healthcare ethics consultants.

This article describes a qualitative study of models of ethics consultation used by ethics consultants in Canada. We found four different models used by Canadian ethics consultants whom we interviewed, and one sub-variant. We describe (1) the lone ethics consultant model, (1a) the hub-and-spokes sub-variant of this model; (2) the ethics committee model; (3) the capacity-building model; and (4) the facilitated model. Previous empirical studies of ethics consultation describe only two or three of these models.

Canadian ethics consultants tend to believe that they have valuable skills to offer in the management of organizational crisis situations. Most of the ethics consultants we interviewed believed that they play an important role in this regard.

Are men and women treated differently in US managed care plans? Apparently so, according to a study of the management of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in Women's Health Issues