bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Boston Schoolyard Initiative: A Public-Private Partnership for Rebuilding Urban Play Spaces
Authors: Lopez Russ , Campbell Richard , Jennings James
Published: May 2008

The Boston Schoolyard Initiative (BSI) is a policy effort to rebuild school yards in Boston through innovative citywide public-private partnerships. At the center of the initiative is a commitment to engage multiple stakeholders and utilize a bottom-up planning process to encourage meaningful change. Based on a case study of BSI, this article develops a framework to understand and analyze how different school and neighborhood sectors can partner to benefit neighborhood communities and utilize the built environment to encourage more active living and active learning. The article contributes to a literature that focuses on the effects of school yards and the role of physically active environments on learning. It expands on this literature by looking at the school-yard initiative as a way to build and expand relationships between teachers, parents, and the community at large. Finally, the study shows that even older schools in inner-city neighborhoods, previously considered blights, can be turned into community, educational, and political assets.
The multidomain protein Brpf1 binds histones and is required for Hox gene expression and segmental identity
Authors: Laue Kathrin , Daujat Sylvain , Crump Justin Gage , Plaster Nikki , Roehl Henry H. , Kimmel Charles B. , Schneider Robert , Hammerschmidt Matthias
Published: May 2008

The Trithorax group (TrxG) is composed of diverse, evolutionary conserved proteins that form chromatin-associated complexes accounting for epigenetic transcriptional memory. However, the molecular mechanisms by which particular loci are marked for reactivation after mitosis are only partially understood. Here, based on genetic analyses in zebrafish, we identify the multidomain protein Brpf1 as a novel TrxG member with a central role during development. brpf1 mutants display anterior transformations of pharyngeal arches due to progressive loss of anterior Hox gene expression. Brpf1 functions in association with the histone acetyltransferase Moz (Myst3), an interaction mediated by the N-terminal domain of Brpf1, and promotes histone acetylation in vivo. Brpf1 recruits Moz to distinct sites of active chromatin and remains at chromosomes during mitosis, mediated by direct histone binding of its bromodomain, which has a preference for acetylated histones, and its PWWP domain, which binds histones independently of their acetylation status. This is the first demonstration of histone binding for PWWP domains. Mutant analyses further show that the PWWP domain is absolutely essential for Brpf1 function in vivo. We conclude that Brpf1, coordinated by its particular set of domains, acts by multiple mechanisms to mediate Moz-dependent histone acetylation and to mark Hox genes for maintained expression throughout vertebrate development.
FoxM1-driven cell division is required for neuronal differentiation in earlyXenopusembryos
Authors: Ueno Hiroyuki , Nakajo Nobushige , Watanabe Minoru , Isoda Michitaka , Sagata Noriyuki
Published: May 2008

In vertebrate embryogenesis, neural induction is the earliest step through which the fate of embryonic ectoderm to neuroectoderm becomes determined. Cells in the neuroectoderm or neural precursors actively proliferate before they exit from the cell cycle and differentiate into neural cells. However,little is known about the relationship between cell division and neural differentiation, although, in Xenopus, cell division after the onset of gastrulation has been suggested to be nonessential for neural differentiation. Here, we show that the Forkhead transcription factor FoxM1 is required for both proliferation and differentiation of neuronal precursors in early Xenopus embryos. FoxM1 is expressed in the neuroectoderm and is required for cell proliferation in this region. Specifically, inhibition of BMP signaling, an important step for neural induction, induces the expression of FoxM1 and its target G2-M cell-cycle regulators, such as Cdc25B and cyclin B3, thereby promoting cell division in the neuroectoderm. Furthermore, G2-M cell-cycle progression or cell division mediated by FoxM1 or its target G2-M regulators is essential for neuronal differentiation but not for specification of the neuroectoderm. These results suggest that FoxM1 functions to link cell division and neuronal differentiation in early Xenopus embryos.
Breaking up is hard to do – membrane traffic in cytokinesis
Authors: Prekeris Rytis , Gould Gwyn W.
Published: May 2008

Throughout normal development, and in aberrant conditions such as cancer, cells divide by a process called cytokinesis. Most textbooks suggest that animal cells execute cytokinesis using an actomyosin-containing contractile ring, whereas plant cells generate a new cell wall by the assembly of a novel membrane compartment using vesicle-trafficking machinery in an apparently distinct manner. Recent studies have shown that cytokinesis in animal and plant cells may not be as distinct as these models imply – both have an absolute requirement for vesicle traffic. Moreover, some of the key molecular components of cytokinesis have been identified, many of which are proteins that function to control membrane traffic. Here, we review recent advances in this area.
A spatially restricted increase in receptor mobility is involved in directional sensing duringDictyostelium discoideumchemotaxis
Authors: de Keijzer Sandra , Sergé Arnauld , van Hemert Freek , Lommerse Piet H. M. , Lamers Gerda E. M. , Spaink Herman P. , Schmidt Thomas , Snaar-Jagalska B. Ewa
Published: May 2008

The directed cell migration towards a chemotactic source, chemotaxis, involves three complex and interrelated processes: directional sensing, cell polarization and motility. Directional sensing allows migrating eukaryotic cells to chemotax in extremely shallow gradients (<2% across the cell body) of the chemoattractant. Although directional sensing has been observed as spatially restricted responses along the plasma membrane, our understanding of the `compass' of the cell that controls the gradient-induced translocation of proteins during chemotactic movements is still largely lacking. Until now, the dynamical behaviour and mobility of the chemoattractant-receptor molecule has been neglected in models describing the directional sensing mechanisms. Here, we show by single-molecule microscopy an agonist-induced increase in the mobile fraction of cAMP-receptor at the leading edge of chemotacting Dictyostelium discoideum cells. The onset of receptor mobility was correlated to the uncoupling and activation of the Gα2-protein. A finite-element simulation showed that the increase in mobile fraction of the activated receptor enabled the amplified generation of activated Gβγ-dimers at the leading edge of the cell, faithfully representing a primary linear amplification step in directional sensing. We propose here that modulation of the receptor mobility is directly involved in directional sensing and provides a new mechanistic basis for the primary amplification step in current theoretical models that describe directional sensing.
Reynolds equation, apparent slip, and viscous friction in a three-layered fluid film
Authors: Meurisse M-H , Morales Espejel G
Published: May 2008

Experimental evidence of wall slip in lubricated contacts sometimes leads to reconsider the usual no-slip conditions. The main theoretical slip conditions found in literature depend on parameters (shear stress threshold, slip length, etc.) to which calculated friction is directly related.

A different point of view, on which this work is focused, considers that the apparent wall shear rate is only representative of the bulk flow, and assumes the existence of wall layers, which define the actual local shear rate and friction.

The aim of this exploratory work is to build a generalized Reynolds model, with no-slip wall conditions, able to simulate situations of either slip or immobile layers. A very simple ‘rheological’ model, consisting of different Newtonian viscosities in the bulk flow and in wall layers is used. By varying the orders of magnitude of the layers’ thicknesses and viscosities, it is possible to capture all possibilities between apparent wall slip and immobile layers. The model is applied to a plane pad bearing at a prescribed load, and revealed two modes of velocity accommodation giving friction forces significantly smaller than those for a mono-layered film: plug flow with apparent wall slip or middle slip layers.
Selective growth of epitaxial Ag film using tribo-assisted reorientation
Authors: Goto M , Akimoto K , Honda F
Published: May 2008

The growth process and crystallinity of incremental Ag films with thicknesses of 5, 50, and 500 nm, grown on reoriented Ag (1 1 1) surface of 5 nm Ag layer were studied by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and synchrotron-orbital-radiated X-ray diffraction. These studies clarified the correlation between the film orientation and the initial orientation of the basal plane, as a function of the incremental thickness. The incremental film grows epitaxially on the reoriented surface up to 500 nm in thickness, and the orientational degree increases with thickness. When the Ag film grows as a polycrystalline structure up to 50 nm in thickness, however, the Ag (1 1 1) orientation is then dominant at a thickness of 500 nm. The incremental films on the reoriented surface show a higher degree of crystal orientation than that on the initial polycrystalline surface, and the difference in orientational degree between these films on the two different kinds of basal planes becomes small as the thickness increases. A new method for selective growth of the epitaxial Ag layer using tribological phenomenon is presented under complete dry process. The feasibility of diffracted X-ray patterning by the difference between Ag (1 1 1) diffraction intensities from the two incremental regions is also discussed to show one kind of application using selective growth phenomena.
Gear power loss performance of biodegradable low-toxicity ester-based oils
Authors: Martins R , Cardoso N , Seabra J
Published: May 2008

Environmental issues are leading to a growing interest in bio-lubricants, which can have similar or even better performance than mineral and synthetic oils. In this work, the power loss performance of two biodegradable, low toxicity, ester-based gear oils was evaluated and compared with a commercial mineral oil and an ester-based fluid containing zinc dialkyl dithio phosphate (ZDDP) additives.

Power loss tests were performed on the FZG test rig, using type C carburized gears and the different lubricants under evaluation. The operating temperatures of the oil and of the FZG gearbox wall were measured for different values of the input torque and speed and lubricant samples were periodically collected and analysed by direct reading ferrography. At the end of the tests, the gear mass loss and the oil viscosity were measured, the teeth flanks were inspected, looking for typical surface failure mechanisms, and the tooth flank surface roughness was measured.

An energetic model of the FZG test gearbox, which took into account the power loss mech-anisms inside the gearbox and the heat flow mechanisms from the gearbox to the surrounding environment, was used to calculate the friction losses between the gear teeth, knowing the oil, gearbox wall, and room temperatures, in steady-state conditions. Using this model, it was poss-ible to analyse the influence of lubricant formulation on the average friction coefficient between gear teeth.

The results obtained showed that one of the biodegradable, low-toxicity, ester-based gear oils generated significantly lower mass loss than all the other lubricants, presenting almost no degradation, even when operating at very high temperature for long periods. These bio-lubricants generated friction coefficients between gear teeth up to 27 per cent smaller than the commercial mineral oil, promoted significant reductions of the power loss inside the FZG gearbox, increasing the overall efficiency up to 0.25 per cent.
A modified theoretical model of boundary friction in conjunction with rough-surface contacts
Authors: Nakahara T , Momozono S
Published: May 2008

This paper describes a modification of the theoretical model presented by Nakahara for estimating the static friction coefficient of the contact between rough surfaces and a boundary film. The theoretical model is modified from Halling's friction model for soft thin metallic films. The effective hardness in Halling's model is transposed with a new model, which is modified from Bhattacharya—Nix's equation for a conical indenter, in order to apply it to a spherical indenter on the basis of Johnson's cavity model. Nakahara's model takes into consideration the effect of pressure on the shear strength of the boundary film, which was suggested by Briscoe et al., and it can elucidate the effects of the following factors on the friction coefficient: apparent contact pressure, film thickness, the three parameters of roughness in Greenwood—Williamson's model, and the ratio of film bulk hardness to substrate hardness.

This study elucidates the effects of the following factors on the new model of static coefficient of friction proposed by Nakahara: the difference between parabolic and spherical indenters, elastic deformation under the condition of contact with a substrate, i.e. film breakdown, and the adhesion force at the contact.
Tribological performance of an Al—Si alloy lubricated in the boundary regime with zinc dialkyldithiophosphate and molybdenum dithiocarbamate additives
Authors: Xia X , Morina A , Neville A , Priest M , Roshan R , Warrens C P , Payne M J
Published: May 2008

The tribological performance of the cast iron/Al—Si alloy system lubricated in the boundary regime, using lubricants containing zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) and molybdenum dithiocarbamate (MoDTC) additives have been investigated. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the performance of these additives in cast iron/steel (ferrous)-based material systems. Tribological tests were conducted on a Plint reciprocating test machine (TE 77) in the contact conditions comparable to the conditions in the piston ring/cylinder liner system of the internal combustion engine. Surface sensitive analytical techniques such as environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis have been used to determine the nature of the wear occurring as well as the chemical nature of the tribofilms formed on the Al—Si material. It has been shown that the MoDTC additive, added into a ZDDP-containing lubricant, improves the effectiveness of friction reduction in a completely ferrous system and a cast iron/Al—Si system. In terms of wear, an increase in MoDTC concentration (from 0.22 to 1.2 wt%) in the ZDDP-containing lubricant resulted in an antagonistic effect on the anti-wear performance of ferrous materials but improved the effect on Al—Si alloys. The tribofilm formation and wear mechanisms are discussed in relation to recent literature and it is shown that additives strongly affect both the processes.
Amalgamation of future time orientation, epistemological beliefs, achievement goals and study strategies: Empirical evidence established
Authors: Phan Huy P.
Published: May 2008

Background Recently research evidence emphasizes two main lines of inquiry, namely the relations between future time perspective (FTP), achievement goals (mastery, performance‐approach, and performance‐avoidance) and study processing strategies, and the relations between epistemological beliefs, achievement goals and study processing strategies. To date, however, there have been very few attempts made to amalgamate these two strands of inquiry within one study and how they in totality determine the success of academic learning.

Aims This study proposed and tested a conceptual model of relationships among FTP, epistemological beliefs, achievement goals (mastery, performance‐approach, and performance‐avoidance), study processing strategies and academic performance.

Sample Two hundred and seventy‐five tertiary second‐year students (167 females, 108 males) enrolled in a university in the Pacific participated in this study.

Method Likert‐scale inventories were used to elicit relevant data from students; for example, the epistemological questionnaire (EQ; Schommer, 1990) and the Zimbardo time perspective inventory (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). Academic performance was collated from students' course and final exam marks in the course educational psychology. LISREL 8.72 and SPSS 15 was used to test and evaluate the conceptual model proposed.

Results Latent variables procedures supported the conceptual model in general, although not all hypothesized paths were significant. MANOVA indicated no gender differences in the five theoretical frameworks or academic performance.

Discussion The determinants of academic performance from our findings are deep and surface processing strategies. Furthermore, the established supports the mediating roles of deep processing strategies, mastery goals, and performance‐approach and performance‐avoidance goals.
Implementing clinical guidelines for self harm – highlighting key issues arising from the NICE guideline for self‐harm
Authors: Pitman Alexandra. , Tyrer Peter.
Published: May 2008

The NICE clinical guideline on self‐harm has been criticized for its reliance on expert consensus view in the absence of evidence on psychological aspects of care. The relative dearth of published experiences in implementing these guidelines is a likely consequence of these doubts. This article highlights the methodological problems inherent to the development of guidelines covering the first 48 hours after a presentation of self‐harm, and reviews four areas where implementation has advanced: change in staff attitudes; triage scales; psychosocial assessments; and specific interventions for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Suggestions are made for how future versions of the guidelines might be adapted to improve the process of referral for appropriate psychological care and to provide more equitable access to care for patients in distress.
International Standardization of Channel Management and Its Behavioral and Performance Outcomes
Authors: Shoham Aviv , Brencic Maja Makovec , Virant Vesna , Ruvio Ayalla
Published: May 2008

Most research on standardization examines it in the context of the marketing mix. In contrast, research on standardization of management processes/characteristics is rare. The authors examine standardization of such processes/characteristics in international management of channels of distribution and its performance consequences. They include characteristics of firms’ relationships with their foreign representatives (coordination, support, autonomy, communications, and control) and their impact on behavioral and performance outcomes. Data generated from a survey in Slovenia mostly support the research hypotheses.
Antecedents of Market Orientation: A Cross-Cultural Comparison
Authors: Brettel Malte , Engelen Andreas , Heinemann Florian , Vadhanasindhu Pakpachong
Published: May 2008

The authors examine the effect of national culture on the relationship between market orientation and selected managerial antecedents. They develop and test a theoretical framework with samples from Germany, Thailand, and Indonesia. The findings suggest that national culture has an impact on the effects of antecedents in some cases, whereas in other situations, culture-independent relationships emerge.
Cicero on Natural Law and the Laws of the State
Authors: Asmis Elizabeth
Published: May 2008

This paper treats the relationship between natural law and Cicero's code of laws, as presented in Cicero's work On Laws. In response to recent interpretations, it argues that Cicero's code is not identical with natural law. Instead, his laws participate imperfectly in the commands and prohibitions of natural law. Just as Cicero uses a Stoic conception of natural law, so he uses a specifically Stoic view of participation in natural law. His laws share imperfectly in the guiding power of natural law by prescribing intermediate duties as a means to the attainment of virtue. Overall, Cicero's code of laws prefigures modern written constitutions in the attempt to found the basic laws of a state on an unchanging moral norm.
Contionesin the Age of Cicero
Authors: Tan James
Published: May 2008

The following paper is concerned with the practice of holding contiones in the Late Republic and the political benefits that flowed from this form of assembly. It will be suggested that the surviving evidence is not adequately representative for a study of contional rhetoric, but that an analysis of the many “attested” rather than “extant” contiones will likely reveal important patterns of practice thanks to its wider sample. In testing the results of this theory, the first section will argue that there was an important and marked imbalance between the exploitation of the contio by populares and by their opponents. In the second section it will be asserted that this was a logical result of the strong attendance of contiones by members of the urban plebs, and the third section will deal with the causes and effects of this phenomenon and the importance of differences between political activity in the senate and political activity in the assemblies.
Hunting for Boars with Pliny and Tacitus
Authors: Edwards Rebecca
Published: May 2008

This paper will examine intertextual references between the Dialogus of Tacitus and the letters of Pliny, in particular those regarding boar hunting. It will argue that there are clues in the letters of Pliny which can help us to understand the relationship between these two writers as well as the tone and purpose of the Dialogus. By studying Pliny's letters to Tacitus on hunting (1.6, 9.10), one can see the specific reference to boars as an allusion to Marcus Aper, the chief spokesperson for contemporary eloquence in the dialogue, indicating a degree of humor and irony in the Dialogus that is further displayed by the similarity of Pliny's opening exhortation in Epistle 1.6, ridebis et licet rideas, to the final words of the Dialogus, cum adrisissent, discessimus. Moreover, the dialogue between Pliny and Tacitus in Pliny's letters can be seen as an indication that the Dialogus itself may have been revised throughout the years, thus problematizing the debate about the “publication date” of the Dialogus.
Systematic Genealogies in Apollodorus'Bibliothecaand the Exclusion of Rome from Greek Myth
Authors: Fletcher K. F. B.
Published: May 2008

Apollodorus' Bibliotheca is often used, though little studied. Like any author, however, Apollodorus has his own aims. As scholars have noticed, he does not include any discussion of Rome and rarely mentions Italy, an absence they link to tendencies of the Second Sophistic, during which period he was writing. I refine this view by exploring the nature of Apollodorus' project as a whole, showing that he creates a system of genealogies that connects Greece with other places and peoples of the ancient world, specifically the Near East. The nature of the Bibliotheca allows us to see these myths as a closed system, in which these genealogical connections depend upon the perceived importance of these peoples; e.g. the Persians have more connections with the Greeks than the Molossians do. It is from this system that Apollodorus excludes Rome, thereby denying the Romans any genealogical connections with the Greeks and thus marking them as being of little importance. The consciousness of Apollodorus' decisions is clear from the many opportunities he had to include Rome and the fact that his sources contained myths about Rome or Italy. The Bibliotheca is a tendentious account of Greek myth with its own goals, and our knowledge of Apollodorus' aims must condition any use of this text.
Out-Foxing the Wolf-Walker: Lycambes as Performative Rival to Archilochus
Authors: Hawkins Tom
Published: May 2008

Lycambes, the most famous of Archilochus' whipping boys, is everywhere upstaged in the surviving iambic texts and testimonia. This paper seeks to reconstruct something of Lycambes' voice and its role in the Archilochean tradition. I begin with a reconsideration of Archilochus' “first epode” and argue that Lycambes is styled as an older public rival to Archilochus who questions the role of the poet's iambos. The preliminary results of this section are then strengthened by drawing upon two relevant episodes in the later ancient reception of Archilochean poetics: the sniping between Aristophanes and his older rival Cratinus and the Mnesiepes Inscription's tale of the uproar surrounding Archilochus' first performance. Lycambes emerges from this study as a character constructed to question the value and status of the iambist within the social space of contemporary Paros. As such, his criticisms afford Archilochus the opportunity to trumpet his claim to the very cultural capital that Lycambes strives to deny him. More than just a private enemy, Lycambes raises aesthetic and ethical debates that can still be heard throughout the iambographic tradition.
Social Expectations in the Criminal Law: The "Reasonable Person" in a Comparative Perspective
Authors: Hörnle Tatjana
Published: May 2008

The "reasonable person" plays an important role in English and American criminal law, but not in German criminal law. The comparative view yields a number of differences (for example, with respect to negligent crimes, errors about justifying circumstances, and excuses like duress). Besides analyzing such differences, the article examines the legitimate role of social expectations in criminal law (which stand behind references to the "reasonable person") beyond the details of different legal systems. It concludes that one must distinguish judgments about wrongdoing from judgments about personal responsibility. The former are shaped by social expectations, while personal responsibility needs to be evaluated with a view to the individual offender.
After the Reasonable Man: Getting Over the Subjectivity/Objectivity Question
Authors: Nourse Victoria
Published: May 2008

This article challenges the conventional notion of the "reasonable man." It argues that we make a category mistake when we adopt the metaphor of a human being as the starting point for analysis of the criminal law and instead offers an alternate approach based on heuristic theory, reconceiving the reasonable man as a heuristic that serves as the site for debate over majoritarian norms. The article posits that the debate over having a purely subjective standard and a purely objective standard obscures the commonsense necessity of having a hybrid standard, one which takes into account the characteristics of a particular defendant at the same time that it provides normative guidance. The analysis then proceeds to examine what happens when this hybrid standard is applied to the problem of the reasonable woman. The article concludes by arguing that equality would be better served by a normative analysis rather than one mired in the subjectivity/objectivity debate.
The Scope and the Grounds of Responsibility
Authors: Tadros Victor
Published: May 2008

This essay is concerned with the relationship between the grounds of responsibility and their scope. The grounds of responsibility are provided by a theory that explains why we can be held responsible for our actions. They must meet various threats, the most prominent of which comes from determinism. The scope of responsibility determines the kinds of action that we can be held responsible for, such as intentional, reckless, negligent, or accidental actions. I defend a conception of responsibility that has expansive scope, in that it allows us to be responsible for things that we have no control over. I show how this expansive view might nevertheless rest on more traditional views about the grounds of responsibility and explore some if the institutional ramifications of the view.
Modern methods of skin replacement following burn injury
Authors: Halmy Csaba , Nádai Zoltán , Juhász Zsuzsanna , Pesthy Pál , Marczell Zsolt , Szetei Katalin , Szűcs András
Published: May 2008

Jelenleg az optimális bőrpótló eljárás az autotranszplantáció, kiterjedt égési sérülés esetén azonban nem áll rendelkezésre megfelelő mennyiségű adóterület. Az adóterület csökkentése céljából a bőrhelyettesítő anyagok előállítása világszerte intenzív kutatás tárgya. A biológiai és bioszintetikus bőrpótló anyagok tartós vagy ideiglenes bőrpótlást tesznek lehetővé. A tartós bőrpótlás saját bőr átültetésével vagy szövettenyésztéssel valósítható meg. Ennek időpontjáig szükség esetén biotechnológiával gyártott ideiglenes bőrpótló készítmények helyettesíthetik a bőr védő funkcióját. Néhány termék jelenleg is elérhető Magyarországon, és folyamatban van további eljárások meghonosítása, ezért a szerzők összehasonlítják a bőrpótló eljárásokat és a világ egyes pontjain forgalomban lévő bőrpótló anyagokat az égéssebész szemével. A közeljövőben – a kimagasló költség miatt – szükség lesz a hazai forgalomba kerülő készítmények átgondolt alkalmazására.
Intensive care nurses’ knowledge about the evidence-based guidelines of preventing centralvenous catheter related infection
Authors: Csomós Ákos , Orbán Ede , Konczné Réti Rózsa , Vass Erika , Darvas Katalin
Published: May 2008

Célkitűzés:Vizsgálatunkban felmértük az intenzív osztályos nővérek ismeretét a CVC (centrális vénás kanül) okozta fertőzések megelőzésének evidencia alapú ajánlásairól.Módszer:A vizsgálatban részt vevő intenzív osztályok nővérei önkéntes részvétellel validált, többszörös választásos kérdőívet töltöttek ki 2006. október és december között. A kérdőív válaszai mellett demográfiai adatokat is gyűjtöttünk: a válaszadó neme, intenzív osztályos (ITO) gyakorlati évek száma, ágyszám, intenzíves szakápolói, illetve főiskolai diploma megléte.Eredmények:11 intenzív osztályról 178 kérdőívet elemeztünk. A 10 kérdésre adott helyes válaszok átlaga 36,6% volt. A válaszadók közül csak kevesen (18%) tudták, hogy a CVC-k rutinszerű cseréje nem ajánlott, a többség (61,2%) viszont helyesen választotta, hogy a kanülcsere vezetődróton áthúzva nem megfelelő. A nyomásmérő szerelék cseréjét 47,8% végezné minden 4. napon, az antibiotikummal impregnált kanül használatának előnyét pedig 66,3% ismerte. A CVC fedőkötését csak 15,2% végezné el hetente, és csak 34,8% tudta, hogy mind a poliuretán, mind a géz alapú fedőkötés használható. A bőrfertőtlenítésre a 2%-os klór-hexidin ajánlott, ezt 19,8% jelölte meg helyesen; az antibiotikumos kenőcs rezisztenciaokozó hatását 13,6% tudta. Zsíroldatok adásakor 24 óránként cserélné a szereléket a válaszadók 86,4%-a, de csak 4,5% cserélné a tiszta infúziós szereléket 96 óránként. Az intenzív osztályos gyakorlati évek és az ITO-ágyszám nem mutatott korrelációt az eredményekkel.Megbeszélés:Vizsgálatunk alapján az intenzív osztályos nővérek ismerete a CVC okozta fertőzések megelőzéséről nem megfelelő. A nemzetközi ajánlások ismertetése a nővérek graduális és posztgraduális képzésében szükséges volna.
Anti-TNF-α therapy in ulcerative colitis
Authors: Lakatos Péter László , Lakatos László
Published: May 2008

A colitis ulcerosa kezelését meghatározó legfontosabb tényezők a betegség kiterjedése és súlyossága. Az enyhe és középsúlyos betegek nagy többsége ma is a hagyományos gyógyszereket kapja (orális-topicalis 5-ASA, sulfasalazin). A hagyományos terápiára (szteroid, azathioprin, 5-ASA) rezisztens és a súlyos, akut colitis ulcerosa kezelése ugyanakkor nincs megoldva. Az újabb adatok alapján az infliximab indukciós vagy fenntartó kezelés formájában mindkét betegcsoportban hatékony kezelési alternatívát jelenthet, így az esetek egy részében elkerülhetővé válik a colectomia. Az összefoglalóban a szerzők colitis ulcerosában az anti-TNF-α-kezeléssel kapcsolatos eredményeket foglalták össze.
Elastic Green's function for a damaged interface in anisotropic materials
Authors: Berger J. R. , Tewary V. K.
Published: May 2008

We present the derivation of the elastic Green's function for an anisotropic bimaterial in a state of plane strain. A Fourier transform method is used to calculate the Green's function. A discontinuity in displacement is permitted across the interface between the two solids. This provides a useful functional form for parameterizing damage along an interface. We show several examples for the form of the displacement discontinuity and calculate the displacement Green's function for each. The Green's function derived here is applicable to a variety of interface problems between two different anisotropic solids or for two similar solids at different orientations.
Sociolinguistic variation in the intonation of Buenos Aires Spanish
Authors: Enbe Claudia , Tobin Yishai
Published: May 2008

This paper contrasts the intonation of Buenos Aires Spanish with classic Spanish according to the variables of gender and age. The corpus contains declarative, wh-question and exclamatory sentences, uttered in a repetition task by 72 native speakers, 36 males/36 females equally divided into three age groups (5–8; 18–50; 51–75). The data were analyzed using the Autosegmental Metrical model with the ToBI system adopted for Argentine Spanish. The results were explained according to the principle that language represents a compromise in the struggle to achieve maximum communication through minimal effort (Diver 1979, 1995; Davis 1984/1987; Tobin 1997). The data show an inverse proportion between the difficulty of the sentence and the range of prosodic variation. The most simple declarative sentence has the largest variation for both gender and age. In the most difficult wh- questions, speakers prefer marked patterns with variation in gender and age. In the less difficult exclamatory sentence, there were minor differences for both gender and age. Our data indicate that: (1) females of all ages consistently prefer marked forms; (2) male children tend to follow adult female speakers; (3) adult males have more random patterns and (4) adults (18-50) of both genders have the most variation in wh-questions.
Young people’s social networks and language use
Authors: Morris Delyth
Published: May 2008

This paper outlines the results of a project carried out in Wales between 2003–2005, looking at the social networks and language use of young people aged 13–17 years. Twenty four participants were studied in twelve different areas of Wales, making a total sample group of 288. The participants were selected on the basis of their own Welsh language competence and that of their parents. The resulting network configurations across the various locations portrayed quite different responses regarding the young people’s use of the Welsh language. The major determinant of the Welsh language density of the networks was the language used by the respondent in the home. The analysis of the data allowed the development of a typology of locations distinguished by the incidence of the use of Welsh in different social networks. Three types of communities emerged – firstly, those which integrate dominant language speakers; secondly, communities containing two distinct language groups; and thirdly, communities where Welsh is rapidly being assimilated into the normative context where English is the predominant language.
Language production in trilingual children
Authors: Stavans Anat , Muchnik Malka
Published: May 2008

The present study looked at language switching – both code mixes and code switches as language events which shed light on the ‘vulnerability’ of a language structure. This vulnerability becomes the ‘trigger’ for language switching. An analysis of these switches showed that irrespective of age, input or task, language switching are systematic and regular if the structure is susceptible and permeable. Furthermore, we report on unique data of trilingual code switching and code mixing as features which distinguish between bilingual and multilingual language processing in general and language switching in particular. We conclude that code switches and code mixes in TFLA (trilingual first language acquisition) as well as BFLA (bilingual first language acquisition) are driven by three factors: a) the individual characteristic of the trilingual and his/her language development; b) the impact input may or may not have on such productions; and c) the ‘susceptibility’ of language structures to undergo switches. Yet, what distinguishes switches in trilinguals versus bilinguals is the additional language system involved making the switches more explicable as a universal multilingual processing rather than a language specific multilingual processing.
Emotive communication in Japanese. Satoko Suzuki (ed.) (2006)
Authors: Fujimura-Wilson Kayo
Published: May 2008

Emotive communication in Japanese. Satoko Suzuki (ed.) (2006) Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 497pp ISBN 90–272–5394–3
Ex Vivo Pretreatment with Melatonin Improves Survival, Proangiogenic/Mitogenic Activity, and Efficiency of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Injected into Ischemic Kidney
Authors: Mias Céline , Trouche Elodie , Seguelas Marie-Hélène , Calcagno Fabien , Dignat-George Françoise , Sabatier Florence , Piercecchi-Marti Marie-Dominique , Daniel Laurent , Bianchi Pascale , Calise Denis , Bourin Philippe , Parini Angelo , Cussac Daniel
Published: May 2008

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown great potential in cell therapy of solid organs. Approaches to improving the ability of grafted MSCs to survive and secrete paracrine factors represent one of the challenges for the further development of this novel therapy. In the present study, we designed a strategy of ex vivo pretreatment with the pineal hormone melatonin to improve survival, paracrine activity, and efficiency of MSCs. Using a rat model of acute renal failure, we showed that melatonin pretreatment strongly increased survival of MSCs after intraparenchymal injection. This effect was concomitant with overstimulation of angiogenesis, proliferation of renal cells, and accelerated recovery of renal function. To gain insight into the mechanisms involved in the effects observed in vivo, melatonin was tested in vitro on cultured MSCs. Our results show that through stimulation of specific melatonin receptors, melatonin induced an overexpression of the antioxidant enzyme catalase and superoxide dismutase-1 and increased the resistance of MSCs to hydrogen peroxide-dependent apoptosis. Compared with untreated cells, MSCs incubated with melatonin displayed a higher expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor. In addition, conditioned culture media from melatonin-treated MSCs stimulated tube formation by endothelial progenitor cells and proliferation of proximal tubule cells in culture. In conclusion, our results show that melatonin behaves as a preconditioning agent increasing survival, paracrine activity, and efficiency of MSCs. The use of this molecule for pretreatment of stem cells may represent a novel and safe approach to improving the beneficial effects of cell therapy of solid organs.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Mood Stabilizing Drugs Expand the Neural Stem Cell Pool in the Adult Brain Through Activation of Notch Signaling
Authors: Higashi Mikito , Maruta Noriko , Bernstein Alan , Ikenaka Kazuhiro , Hitoshi Seiji
Published: May 2008

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have attracted considerable attention as a potential source of cells for therapeutic treatment of impaired areas of the central nervous system. However, efficient and clinically feasible strategies for expansion of the endogenous NSC pool are currently unavailable. In this study, we demonstrate that mood stabilizing drugs, which are used to treat patients with bipolar disorder, enhance the self-renewal capability of mouse NSCs in vitro and that this enhancement is achieved at therapeutically relevant concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid. The pharmacological effects are mediated by the activation of Notch signaling in the NSC. Treatment with mood stabilizers increased an active form of Notch receptor and upregulated its target genes in neural stem/progenitor cells, whereas coculture with γ-secretase inhibitor or the presence of mutation in the presenilin1 gene blocked the effects of mood stabilizers. In addition, chronic administration of mood stabilizers expanded the NSC pool in the adult brain, which subsequently increased the cell supply to the olfactory bulb. We suggest that treatment with mood stabilizing drugs could be used to facilitate regeneration following insult to the central nervous system.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
T-Cell Factor 3 Regulates Embryonic Stem Cell Pluripotency and Self-Renewal by the Transcriptional Control of Multiple Lineage Pathways
Authors: Tam Wai-Leong , Lim Chin Yan , Han Jianyong , Zhang Jinqiu , Ang Yen-Sin , Ng Huck-Hui , Yang Henry , Lim Bing
Published: May 2008

The Wnt signaling pathway is necessary both for maintaining undifferentiated stem cells and for directing their differentiation. In mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), Wnt signaling preferentially maintains “stemness” under certain permissive conditions. T-cell factor 3 (Tcf3) is a component of the Wnt signaling and a dominant downstream effector in ESCs. Despite the wealth of knowledge regarding the importance of Wnt signaling underlying stem cells functions, the precise mechanistic explanation by which the effects are mediated is unknown. In this study, we identified new regulatory targets of Tcf3 using a whole-genome approach and found that Tcf3 transcriptionally represses many genes important for maintaining pluripotency and self-renewal, as well as those involved in lineage commitment and stem cell differentiation. This effect is in part mediated by the corepressors transducin-like enhancer of split 2 and C-terminal Binding Protein (CtBP). Notably, Tcf3 binds to and represses the Oct4 promoter, and this repressive effect requires both the Groucho and CtBP interacting domains of Tcf3. Interestingly, we find that in mouse preimplantation development embryos, Tcf3 expression is coregulated with Oct4 and Nanog and becomes localized to the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. These data demonstrate an important role for Tcf3 in modulating the appropriate level of gene transcription in ESCs and during embryonic development.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor-1 as Marker of Epithelial Phenotype Reveals Marrow-Derived Hepatocytes, but Not Duct Cells, After Liver Injury in Mice
Authors: Swenson E. Scott , Guest Ian , Ilic Zoran , Mazzeo-Helgevold Maria , Lizardi Pablo , Hardiman Camille , Sell Stewart , Krause Diane S.
Published: May 2008

The potential bone marrow origin of hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and ductal progenitor cells in the liver was examined in female mice after transplantation of bone marrow cells from male green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic donors. Following stable hematopoietic engraftment, the livers of the recipients were injured with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, with or without local irradiation of the liver) or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC, with or without local irradiation of the liver). The presence of numerous marrow-derived, GFP-positive inflammatory cells had the potential to lead to erroneous interpretation of marrow-derived hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, and ductal progenitor cells. Identification of marrow-derived ductal progenitor or cholangiocyte phenotype using colocalization of GFP or Y chromosome with pancytokeratin staining also failed to distinguish epithelial cells from closely apposed inflammatory cells. To address this inadequacy, we developed a rigorous new immunofluorescence protocol to identify marrow-derived epithelial cells in the liver using Y chromosome (donor marker) and hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 (HNF1, a nuclear marker of liver epithelial, nonhematopoietic phenotype). Using the Y/HNF1 method, rare (approximately one in 20,000) hepatocytes in female mice transplanted with male bone marrow contained a donor-derived Y chromosome. On the other hand, no Y chromosomes were found in cholangiocytes or ductal progenitor cells in mice with liver injury due to DDC or CCl4. The use of a nuclear marker of mature hepatocytes or cholangiocytes, such as HNF1, improves discrimination of marrow-derived epithelial cells in tissue sections.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
PD98059 enhances C2 myoblast differentiation through p38 MAPK activation: a novel role for PD98059
Authors: Al-Shanti Nasser , Stewart Claire E
Published: May 2008

Cell differentiation is usually accompanied by irreversible cell cycle exit, which is a critical step for skeletal muscle differentiation. We therefore hypothesise that PD98059 that blocks the MAP kinase kinase (MEK) pathway (proliferation pathway) when administrated to murine C2 skeletal myoblasts will arrest cell cycle and, consequently, enhances differentiation relative to untreated controls. In this study, we aimed to examine this hypothesis using phenotypic differentiation, biochemical assays, flow cytometry and real-time PCR in C2 cells cultured for 48 h in differentiation media only (untreated) or supplemented with either a single dose of 10 ng/ml IGF-I or 20 μM PD98059 for 48 h. Creatine kinase (CK) activity was increased by 7.5-fold (P<0.05) in the presence of PD98059, whereas untreated and IGF-I-treated cells induced 4.5- and 4-fold increase respectively when compared with baseline controls. Increased CK values in the presence of PD98059 were not only associated with myotube formation but also associated with cell cycle arrest in G1 phase (86±3.2%; P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of myogenic-specific transcriptional factor mRNAs (MyoD and myogenin) was significantly higher in PD-treated cells (4.7±0.15 and 314±10.2 ng/reaction respectively; P<0.05) than untreated (2.0±0.2 and 233±11 ng/reaction respectively) or IGF-treated cells (3.2±0.24 and 296±16.2 ng/reaction respectively). Unexpectedly, Id3 mRNA, the potent negative regulator of muscle differentiation, was also expressed at significantly higher levels in PD-treated cells (77±0.346 ng/reaction; P<0.05) than untreated (49±7.7 ng/reaction) or IGF-I-treated cells (47±0.7 ng/reaction). Furthermore, expression of the muscle differentiation-specific genes (IGF-binding protein-5, IGF-II receptor and IGF-II) was also increased significantly in PD-treated cells when compared with untreated cells. Phosflow analysis showed a significant increase in the levels of phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (49.0±6.7%, P<0.05) in PD-treated cells when compared with DM-treated cells (31.7±5.7%). These findings uncover a previously unconsidered positive effect of PD98059 on C2 myoblast differentiation and identify the pathway(s) underlying PD-induced C2 myoblast differentiation.
Environmental effects on development of pavement joint cracks
Authors: Jeong J.-H.
Published: May 2008

A test road consisting of jointed plain concrete pavement divided into 22 sections was constructed by the Korea Highway Corporation to investigate the environmental effects on the development of joint cracks. These 22 sections were observed for approximately three to seven weeks after construction. The pavement placed in the morning presented a higher rate of crack development at the saw-cut joints, due to a positive built-in temperature difference. Additional joint cracking was delayed for a few days after construction because the pavement was exposed to rainfall. For pavement sections placed in the afternoon, drying shrinkage appeared to have a greater effect on crack initiation at the saw-cut joints than temperature did up to three or four days after placement, when tensile creep had decreased sufficiently. The effect of joint crack time on the long-term joint behaviour was also investigated in the test road two years after placement of the concrete.