Topochemical conversion of a dense metal-organic framework from a crystalline insulator to an amorphous semiconductor.

The topochemical conversion of a dense, insulating metal-organic framework (MOF) into a semiconducting amorphous MOF is described. Treatment of single crystals of copper(i) chloride trithiocyanurate, CuICl(ttcH3) (ttcH3 = trithiocyanuric acid), 1, in aqueous ammonia solution yields monoliths of amorphous CuI1.8(ttc)0.6(ttcH3)0.4, 3. The treatment changes the transparent orange crystals of 1 into shiny black monoliths of 3 with retention of morphology, and moreover increases the electrical conductivity from insulating to semiconducting (conductivity of 3 ranges from 4.2 × 10-11 S cm-1 at 20 °C to 7.6 × 10-9 S cm-1 at 140 °C; activation energy = 0.59 eV; optical band gap = 0.6 eV). The structure and properties of the amorphous conductor are fully characterized by AC impedance spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray pair distribution function analysis, infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and theoretical calculations.

Spirituality and religiosity in palliative care.

Positive spirituality preserved through religiosity' can be a useful tool in the care of people who are dying. Spirituality concerns the connectedness with self, others, environment, and the Other. Religiosity describes postures and acts done alone or in company with others that preserve practices and spiritual understandings for the good of the terminally ill. The home care and hospice nurse must understand these principles and act in concert with the care team to accomplish care goals.

Similarities and differences of care in a medical center.

Explicates a medical-pastoral paradigm in terms of eight "polar unities": natural science/theology; person/organism; efficient/teleodogical causality; multivocal/univocal language; quantitative/qualitative concerns; meaning/technical interventions; description/value; validation of intervention effectiveness. Suggests that these varieties of approaches may be illustrated in the ancient Oriental Yin-Yang symbol which includes the kind of "polar unity" implicit in a modern medical center.

Hermeneutics in a medical center.

By focusing onhermeneutics anddialogue, this article clarifies the distinctive contribution that pastoral and psychotherapeutic interventions have to make in the healing process. It is shown how the hermeneutical process discloses the meaning of events through the interpretation of texts that arise spontaneously in the lives of individuals and groups. Texts may range from individual fantasies and dreams to sacred histories recorded in scriptures. When the meaning of life events is explored in dialogue through symbolic texts, we term that process "dialogical hermeneutics." Effective dialogical hermeneutics requires the use of three techniques: (1) presence in the caring relationship, (2) dialogue toward meaning, and (3) offering alternative interpretation.