bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effetti delle àncore di carriera sulle transizioni lavorative: uno studio esplorativo longitudinale
Authors: Sarchielli Guido , Toderi Stefano
Published: January 2005

Le nuove carriere (senza confini e mutevoli) e le numerose transizioni di ruolo che ne conseguono sollevano domande sulla stabilità nel tempo dei lavoratori e la loro identità. Il concetto di àncora di carriera di Schein sembra utile in questo contesto, ma necessita ancora di ricerca empirica. Per studiare il loro ruolo è stato spedito un questionario strutturato a 173 lavoratori in transizione in un'azienda italiana di servizi, 1 e 3 mesi dopo la transizione. Al t1 sono state misurate àncore di carriera, self-efficacy e conseguenze della transizione (innovazione di ruolo, cambiamento personale, capacità di prestazione, benessere affettivo e soddisfazione per la carriera). Le conseguenze sono state misurate anche al t2. 70 persone hanno risposto sia al t1 che al t2, 32 neoassunti e 38 lavoratori in mobilità interna. I risultati mostrano che le conseguenze della transizione per le due sotto popolazioni sono determinate da àncore di carriera diverse. Più significativo è il risultato che i lavoratori in mobilità interna con almeno un'àncora di carriera percepiscono meno cambiamento personale al t2 rispetto ai lavoratori senza àncore, come predetto dalla teoria di Schein. Le differenze nelle conseguenze della transizione per neoassunti e lavoratori in mobilità possono essere spiegate sia dalla teoria della socializzazione che da quella delle àncore di carriera.
Factores predictores de las actitudes ante la inmigración
Authors: de Oliveira Diana Ramos , Techio Elza-M. , Páez Darío , Herranz Karmele
Published: January 2005

En este estudio se analizan las creencias y las actitudes sobre la inmigración en España (Comunidad Autónoma Vasca -CAV-, Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla y Salamanca) mediante la aplicación de una encuesta (N=810) a estudiantes, sus familiares y sus conocidos. En los análisis multivariados, la actitud negativa hacia la inmigración se asociaba a la amenaza cultural y social percibida, a una mayor tendencia emocional negativa hacia los mismos en el caso hipotético de inmigrantes residentes en su propio barrio y a una menor tendencia emocional positiva ante el contacto con ellos. Del mismo modo, en la muestra del País Vasco se contrastó la hipótesis del “Racismo del Pobre”, siendo esta cuestionada: los inmigrantes internos (extremeños, andaluces, castellanos y gallegos, inmigrantes de primera y segunda generación en la CAV) mostraban una actitud más favorable hacia la nueva inmigración que los otros grupos (vascos nativos). En el ámbito colectivo el rechazo a los inmigrantes se asociaba a un menor desarrollo social, a valores culturales colectivistas y jerárquicos, y a un menor número de inmigrantes respecto a la población receptora, siendo específicamente la amenaza social colectiva el factor que mejor explicaría, a nivel nacional, la actitud negativa hacia los inmigrantes.
Evaluation of Interregional Transport Using the MM5–SCIPUFF System
Authors: Deng Aijun , Seaman Nelson L. , Hunter Glenn K. , Stauffer David R.
Published: January 2005

Improved understanding of transport issues and source–receptor relationships on the interregional scale is dependent on reducing the uncertainties in the ability to define complex three-dimensional wind fields evolving in time. The numerical models used for this purpose have been upgraded substantially in recent years by introducing finer grid resolution, better representation of subgrid-scale physics, and practical four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) techniques that reduce the accumulation of errors over time. The impact of these improvements for interregional transport is investigated in this paper using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5) and the Second-Order Closure Integrated Puff (SCIPUFF) dispersion model to simulate the 1983 Cross-Appalachian Tracer Experiment (CAPTEX-83) episode 1 of 18–19 September 1983. Combining MM5 and SCIPUFF makes it possible to verify predicted tracer concentrations against observed surface concentrations collected during the CAPTEX-83 study. Conclusions from this study are as follows. 1) Not surprisingly, a baseline model configuration reflecting typical capabilities of the late 1980s (70-km horizontal grid, 15 vertical layers, older subgrid physics, and no FDDA) produced large meteorological errors that severely degraded the accuracy of the surface tracer concentrations predicted by SCIPUFF. 2) Improving the horizontal and vertical resolution of the MM5 to 12 km (typical for current operational model) and 32 layers led to some improvements in the statistical skill, but the further addition of more advanced physics produced much greater reductions of simulation errors. 3) The use of FDDA, along with 12-km resolution and improved physics, produced the overall best performance. 4) Further reduction of the horizontal grid size to 4 km had a detrimental effect on meteorological and plume-dispersion solutions in this case because of misrepresentation of convection associated with a cold front by the MM5's explicit moist physics.
The Dispersion Relation for Planetary Waves in the Presence of Mean Flow and Topography. Part I: Analytical Theory and One-Dimensional Examples
Authors: Killworth Peter D. , Blundell Jeffrey R.
Published: January 2005

An eigenvalue problem for the dispersion relation for planetary waves in the presence of mean flow and bottom topographic gradients is derived, under the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jeffreys (WKBJ) assumption, for frequencies that are low when compared with the inertial frequency. Examples are given for the World Ocean that show a rich variety of behavior, including no frequency (or latitudinal) cutoff, solutions trapped at certain depths, coalescence of waves, and a lack of dispersion for most short waves.
Isopycnal Averaging at Constant Height. Part I: The Formulation and a Case Study
Authors: Nurser A. J. George , Lee Mei-Man
Published: January 2005

Simple Eulerian averaging of velocities, density, and tracers at constant position is the most natural way of averaging. However, Eulerian averaging gives incorrect watermass distributions and properties as well as spurious diabatic circulations such as the Deacon cell. Instead of averaging at constant height, averaging along isopycnals removes such fictitious mixing and diabatic circulations. Such isopycnal averaging is normally performed at constant latitude, that is, averaging along isopynals as they heave up and down. As a result, height information is lost and the sea surface becomes much warmer (or lighter) than with simple Eulerian averaging. In fact, averaging can be performed along arbitrarily aligned surfaces. This study considers a particular case in which isopycnal averaging is performed at constant height. Thus, this new isopycnal averaging follows isopycnals as they meander horizontally at constant z. Height information is now retained at the cost of losing latitudinal information. The advantage of this averaging is that it avoids the problem of giving a surface that is too warm. Associated with this new isopycnal averaging, a “vertical” transport streamfunction in (ρ, z) space can be defined, in analogy to the conventional meridional overturning streamfunction in (y, ρ) space. Here in Part I, this constant-height isopycnal averaging is explained and illustrated in an idealized zonal channel model. In Part II the relationship between the two different isopycnal averagings and the Eulerian mean eddy flux divergence is explored.
A Study of the Iceland–Faeroe Frontal Variability Using the Multiscale Energy and Vorticity Analysis
Authors: Liang Xiang San , Robinson Allan R.
Published: January 2005

The multiscale nonlinear interactive Iceland–Faeroe frontal (IFF) variability during 14–22 August 1993 is investigated for complex dynamics with the localized multiscale energy and vorticity analysis (MS-EVA). In terms of multiscale window transform, the cold meandering intrusion observed in the IFF experiment is represented on a mesoscale window. The resulting mesoscale energetics for the deep layer show an isolated center of transfer of potential energy from the large-scale window into the mesoscale window in the study domain. This large-to-mesoscale potential energy transfer, or BC for short, is a baroclinic instability indicator by the MS-EVA-based stability theory. Signatures on other energetics maps and the reconstructed mesoscale structures all support this baroclinic instability. On the BC map, the transfer hotspot originally resides near the western boundary. It travels along the front into the interior domain in a form of convective instability and then, on 19 August, changes into another instability that is absolute in character. Correspondingly, disturbances switch from a spatial growing pattern into a time growing mode, culminating on 21 August, the day just before the intrusion matures. The whole process lasts for about five days, limited within a small horizontal region and beneath a depth of approximately 150 m. By interaction analysis, the energy locally gained from this process goes to the submesoscale window as well, but most of it remains in the mesoscale window, serving to fuel the growth of the meandering intrusion.
Ocean Wave Slope Observations Using Radar Backscatter and Laser Altimeters
Authors: Vandemark D. , Chapron B. , Sun J. , Crescenti G. H. , Graber H. C.
Published: January 2005

Combination of laser and radar aboard an aircraft is used to directly measure long gravity wave surface tilting simultaneously with nadir-viewing microwave backscatter from the sea surface. The presented dataset is extensive, encompassing varied wind conditions over coastal and open-ocean wave regimes. Laser-derived slope statistics and Ka-band (36 GHz) radar backscatter are detailed separately to document their respective variations versus near-surface wind speed. The slope statistics, measured for λ > 1–2 m, show good agreement with Cox and Munk's oil-slickened sea measurements. A notable exception is elevated distribution peakedness and an observed wind dependence in this likely proxy for nonlinear wave–wave interactions. Aircraft Ka-band radar data nearly mimic Ku-band satellite altimeter observations in their mean wind dependence. The present calibrated radar data, along with relevant observational and theoretical studies, suggest a large (−5 dB) bias in previous Ka-band results. Next, wave-diverse inland, coastal, and open-ocean observations are contrasted to show wind-independent long-wave slope variance changes of a factor of 2–3, always increasing as one heads to sea. Combined long-wave and radar data demonstrate that this long-wave tilt field variability is largely responsible for radar backscatter variations observed at a given wind speed, particularly at wind speeds below 5–7 m s−1. Results are consistent with, and provide quantititative support for, recent satellite altimeter studies eliciting signatures of long-wave impacts resident in the radar backscatter. Under a quasi-optical scattering assumption, the results illustrate long-wave control on the variance of the total mean square slope parameter due to changes in the directional long-wave spectrum, with high-wavenumbers being relatively unaffected in a mean sense. However, further analysis suggests that for winds above 7 m s−1 the high-wavenumber subrange also varies with change in the longer wave field slope and/or energy, the short gravity wave roughness being measurably greater for smoother seas.
Crystallinity of Hybrid Nanozeolite-Poly(ethylene oxide) Composites
Authors: Kennedy Catherine A. , Zhan Bi-Zeng , White Mary Anne
Published: January 2005

New materials that contain both organic and inorganic components have potentially new chemical and physical properties that can even lie outside those bracketed by their constituents. A series of hybrid polymer-inorganic nanocomposite materials was synthesized using various poly(ethylene oxide), LiCF3SO3, and zeolite mixtures. The series included mixtures of SiO2, PEO-LiX, and PEO-GLYLiX, of varying concentrations (where GLY 1/4 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysi-lane, LiX is lithiated faujasite zeolite, and the Li+ source was LiCF3SO3; for all the LiCF3SO3-containing samples, the PEO oxygen: lithium mole ratio was 12: 1). Their degrees of crystallinity and glass transition temperatures relative to pure semicrystal-line PEO were found to be reduced on the addition of the inorganic components.
A Numerical Approach to Separate the Modes of Fracture in Interface Crack Propagation
Authors: Mathews Mary J. , Swanson Stephen R.
Published: January 2005

Delamination between layers with different fiber orientations is an important problem in applications of fiber composites. Although finite element analysis is widely used to calculate energy release rates, results in the literature and in the present work show that the individual Mode I and Mode II energy release rates do not converge, and this is typical of interface cracks at bimaterial interfaces. This problem was addressed by noting that delaminations occur at the resin-rich layer between layers with different orientations, and refining the analysis to include this feature. As has been noted by others, enclosing the delamination crack in an homogeneous layer removes the difficulties associated with interface cracks, and convergence of Mode I and Mode II energy release rates is achieved. Results are given that establish the effect of the thickness and material properties of the interface layer on the Mode I and Mode II energy release rates. Calculations for beam-type geometries that are representative of double cantilever beam and end-notched flexure specimens are presented, that illustrate the effect of material properties, loading, and the compliance of the delaminated sections on the mode mixity.
Ownership Structure, Investment Behaviour and Firm Performance in Japanese Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Gedajlovic Eric , Yoshikawa Toru , Hashimoto Motomi
Published: January 2005

Using data spanning the 1996-98 fiscal years of 247 of Japan’s largest manufacturers, we empirically evaluate the extent to which a firm’s investment behaviour and financial performance are influenced by its ownership structure. To do so, we examine six distinct categories of Japanese shareholders: foreign investors, investment funds, pension funds, banks and insurance companies, affiliated companies and insiders. Our findings strongly indicate that the relationship between the equity stakes of a particular category of investor and a firm’s financial performance and investment behaviour is considerably more complex than is depicted in simple principal-agent representations. Such a result emphasizes the importance of making finely grained and contextually relevant distinctions when modelling and evaluating corporate governance relations.
Organizational Buffering: Managing Boundaries and Cores
Authors: Lynn Monty L.
Published: January 2005

Organizations generally are more innovative, relevant, and responsive when they are exposed to market influences, yet they must regulate or limit the impact of outside influences to operate efficiently. This dynamic organization-environment tension has inspired the creation of several models of organizational buffering which delineate the systematic exposure and insulation of organizations from environmental uncertainty. We review three buffering paradigms — core, minimalist, and dispersed — and attempt to synthesize a model which weaves these perspectives together. The key to understanding functional and dysfunctional buffering lies with the organization’s requisite variety and continuous or discontinuous environmental change.
The new frontiers of America
Authors: Andersson Ruben
Published: January 2005

Through a mixture of oral testimony, analysis and personal encounter, the harsh and deadly penalties meted out to those attempting to travel across the Mexican border into the United States are evoked. Many have already suffered extensively at the hands of corrupt police and marauding paramilitary gangs as they travel into Mexico, even before risking their lives to go further north. Devastated economies, in hock to ‘trade’ agreements dictated by the US, render these journeys essential, for migrant remittances now outstrip oil and agriculture in many national economies. Yet failure — and many do fail — can entail robbery, rape, mutilation and murder.
Robert Louis Stevenson: class and ‘race’ in The Amateur Emigrant
Authors: Phillips Lawrence
Published: January 2005

In 1879, an impoverished Stevenson travelled from Scotland to California in conditions almost identical to those of working-class and poverty-stricken emigrants. His account, The Amateur Emigrant, shocked the class sensitivities of his family and friends, and was not published in full in his lifetime. The experience had a profound effect on Stevenson’s personal sensibilities; his consciousness of his ambivalent position as a middle-class writer in the midst of his working-class contemporaries renders The Amateur Emigrant a remarkable revelation of the intermingled complexities of class, race and gender in late Victorian England.
Funny Face Humanism in Post-War French Photography and Philosophy
Authors: Smith Douglas
Published: January 2005

The cultural reconstruction of post-war France was dominated by an ideology of humanism that marked both philosophical discussion and photographic practice. While the humanist consensus concealed philosophical divergences between conservative and progressive visions of society, photography found itself split between its dual possibilities of recording the real and expressing a subjective vision. If Malraux enlisted photography as the means to assimilate other cultures to his imaginary museum, Sartre praised the capacity of the photograph to convey the independence of others. Stanley Donen’s Paris-set musical Funny Face (1956) articulates these concerns in the dilemma faced by its librarian-turned-fashion-model protagonist, who is torn between the competing claims of photography and philosophy. Paradoxically, these post-war debates suggest that the instrumental use of photography in the service of ostensible humanism denies the difference of others, while the medium’s anti-human or mechanical attachment to the real guarantees an openness to and respect for alterity.
Tourist Traps Confounding Expectations in Michel Houellebecq’s Plateforme
Authors: Loingsigh Aedín Ní
Published: January 2005

The controversy surrounding Michel Houellebecq’s third novel, Plateforme, has tended to overshadow critical examination of the text and, in particular, its engagement with contemporary tourist practices and the ways in which they inform and reflect Western attitudes to leisure time. This article illustrates how analysis of the novel’s portrayal of the tourist, and the ambiguous discourse that surrounds this figure, can reveal a certain depth and complexity in the novel’s contentious exploration of sex tourism and contemporary global relations. In literary terms, Plateforme’s play with its generic identity is a useful starting point for re-evaluating the criteria used to bracket fiction within distinct categories. Finally, acknowledging the text’s critical value can also provide an effective strategy for readers concerned with responding to the novel’s unquestionably offensive content.
Nursing Home Closures and Quality of Care
Authors: Castle Nicholas G.
Published: January 2005

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between quality of care in nursing homes and their likelihood of closure. We hypothesize that lower-quality facilities will be more likely to close than higher-quality facilities. Using the rates of physical restraint use, urethral catheterization, contractures, pressure ulcers, and psychotropic medication use as quality measures from approximately 12,000 facilities from 1992 to 1998, the author examine cross-sectional and change score relationships between these measures and a nursing home’s likelihood of closure. The descriptive analysis shows that 621 nursing homes closed in this time period, and the results for physical restraint use were robust in their positive association with closures in most analyses lending some support for this study’s hypothesis. However, overall, the author concludes that nursing facility closures are relatively rare events. And the likelihood of closure, even for poor-quality facilities, is low.
Process Evaluation of an Integrated Health Promotion/Occupational Health Model in WellWorks-2
Authors: Hunt Mary Kay , Lederman Ruth , Stoddard Anne M. , LaMontagne Anthony D. , McLellan Deborah , Combe Candace , Barbeau Elizabeth , Sorensen Glorian
Published: January 2005

Disparities in chronic disease risk by occupation call for newapproaches to health promotion. Well Works-2 was a randomized, controlled study comparing the effectiveness of a health promotion/occupational health program (HP/OHS) with a standard intervention (HP). Interventions in both studies were based on the same theoretical foundations. Results from process evaluation revealed that a similar number of activities were offered in both conditions and that in the HP/OHS condition there were higher levels of worker participation using three measures: mean participation per activity (HP: 14.2% vs. HP/OHS: 21.2%), mean minutes of worker exposure to the intervention/site (HP: 14.9 vs. HP/OHS: 33.3), and overall mean participation per site (HP: 34.4% vs. HP/ OHS: 45.8%). There were a greater number of contacts with management (HP: 8.8 vs. HP/OHS: 24.9) in the HP/ OHS condition. Addressing occupational health may have contributed to higher levels of worker and management participation and smoking cessation among blue-collar workers.
HIV/AIDS Prevention Among the Male Population: Results of a Peer Education Program for Taxicab and Tricycle Drivers in the Philippines
Authors: Morisky Donald E. , Nguyen Chrystene , Ang Alfonso , Tiglao Teodora V.
Published: January 2005

This study assesses the results of a 2-year community-based peer education program aimed at increasing HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes toward condoms, and condom use behavior among taxicab and tricycle drivers in the Philippines. Pretest, posttest, and follow-up data were collected throughout the educational intervention program. The results of the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicate a significant change on knowledge about HIV/AIDS from baseline to posttest and from posttest to follow-up ( F= 449.27, df= 2, p< .001). There was also a significant change on attitudes about condom use from baseline to posttest and from posttest to follow-up ( F= 425.19, df= 2, p= 0.001), and a significant effect on condom use behavior with commercial sex workers from baseline to posttest and follow-up ( F= 428.31, df= 2, p= .001). The peer-mediated intervention was found to be an effective means of HIV/AIDS prevention among taxi and tricycle drivers in the Philippines.
Testing the Theoretical Design of a Health Risk Message: Reexamining the Major Tenets of the Extended Parallel Process Model
Authors: Gore Thomas D. , Bracken Cheryl Campanella
Published: January 2005

This study examined the fear control/danger control responses that are predicted by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). In a campaign designed to inform college students about the symptoms and dangers of meningitis, participants were given either a high-threat/no-efficacy or high-efficacy/no-threat health risk message, thus testing the extreme assumptions of the EPPM. Although the study supports the main predictions of the EPPMin the context of meningitis, the results provide newevidence that only a marginal amount of threat is necessary in a health risk message to move the target audience toward the desired protective measures. In addition, the results also suggest that the messages containing only threat may only scare the target audience further into fear control. Implications and future research are discussed.
Don’t Blame It On the Parents - Make Them Your Allies: A Family/Systems Approach to Paediatric Illness
Authors: Gustafsson Per A.
Published: January 2005

A family/systems approach allows us to see the individual in context. The family and the informal social network constitute the most important environment for a child. A basic assumption is that changes in family interaction patterns will have an impact on somatic as well as psychiatric symptoms in the child. In modern paediatric practice parents are routinely instructed to give their sick child the prescribed treatment and to implement preventive measures; they are recruited as part of the medical team. A family/systems approach helps families to identify their strengths and needs. The approach described here with a session transcript illustrates how understanding the ways in which family relationships interact with the course of illness and treatment can influence quality of life.
Motivational Interviewing with Teenagers with Diabetes
Authors: Channon Sue , Huws-Thomas Michelle V. , Gregory John W. , Rollnick Steve
Published: January 2005

Diabetes is a chronic condition with a significant impact on short- and long-term health. In adolescence, diabetes management is further complicated by a complex interaction of physical and psychosocial factors which teenagers, parents and healthcare professionals often find difficult to manage. There are few indicators of practical and effective psychosocial interventions; however, motivational interviewing has been shown to be effective in a range of healthcare settings. This article describes the clinical application of ideas developed from two research studies looking at the effectiveness of motivational interviewing with teenagers with diabetes.
Translations
Authors: Richards Chris
Published: January 2005

This article examines the relationship between informal knowledge of popular film and its study in higher education. Through interviews, it explores the significance people give to their encounters with films and with critical discourses upon them. The interviewees’ class and gender positions variously constrain or motivate their educational aspirations and thus complicate the hope that film and media studies can successfully address ‘non-traditional’ students. How students watch films and how their knowledge of them is negotiated within families, among friends and at work should be a more central concern. In higher education, students may be more effectively supported and encouraged where some effort is made to engage with the cultures of reception in which they are located. To enable students to ‘translate’ between common sense and academic modes of discourse on film requires explicit reflection on the differences between fans and casual viewers on the one hand, and academically motivated viewers on the other.
The Young Ones
Authors: Bentley Nick
Published: January 2005

Dominant accounts of subcultural analysis have tended to read early British New Left writing on youth as a combination of high culturalist and neo-Marxist approaches. This article reassesses this position by showing the variety of methods and forms of analysis adopted by New Left writers in the 1950s, including autobiographical, ethnographic, sociological, cultural and fictional. In particular, it compares the writing on youth by Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall and Colin MacInnes. It argues that their representations of youth were intricately bound up with general anxieties and concerns in 1950s culture, which created an ambiguous and dual interpretation of youth in ideological terms. It goes on to suggest that the way in which the subcultural subject was represented in textual and methodological terms affected the way in which it was interpreted ideologically. It also suggests that the traces of this representation are embedded in the way that youth is interpreted today.
Evidentiality in achieving entitlement, objectivity, and detachment in Korean conversation
Authors: Kim Mary Shin
Published: January 2005

Evidentiality has been extensively studied in linguistics for its function in coding the source of knowledge or for expressing the speaker’s attitude towards knowledge. However, few studies examine how evidential marking is sensitive and responsive to the unfolding talk and actions of the participants in social interaction. Analyzing audio and video data of naturally occurring conversations in Korean in a conversation analysis framework, this article demonstrates how the speaker often makes the choice of evidential marking or shifts the choice of evidential marking according to the participant’s response, achieving certain interactional functions. The speaker makes a strategic choice to use the experiential evidential marking -telako or shifts from zero-evidential marking to overt experiential evidential marking -telako for the same proposition to achieve entitlement, objectivity, or detachment regarding his claim. This study shows that, in social interaction, the choice of the speaker’s evidential marking is relative and interactively organized rather than static and predetermined.
‘You show me yours, I’ll show you mine’: the negotiation of shifts from textual to visual modes in computer-mediated interaction among gay men
Authors: Jones Rodney H.
Published: January 2005

This article explores the way users of an online gay chat room negotiate the exchange of photographs and the conduct of video conferencing sessions and how this negotiation changes the way participants manage their interactions and claim and impute social identities. Different modes of communication provide users with different resources for the control of information, affecting not just what users are able to reveal, but also what they are able to conceal. Thus, the shift from a purely textual mode for interacting to one involving visual images fundamentally changes the kinds of identities and relationships available to users. At the same time, the strategies users employ to negotiate these shifts of mode can alter the resources available in different modes. The kinds of social actions made possible through different modes, it is argued, are not just a matter of the modes themselves but also of how modes are introduced into the ongoing flow of interaction.
Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding of TiAl/Ti6242 with Ti–Cu foil
Authors: Duan H. , Koçak M. , Bohm K.-H. , Ventzke V.
Published: January 2005

Defect-free joints of TiAl/Ti6242 have been produced by TLP bonding using Ti, Cu foils as insert metals. The influence of the bonding parameters such as bonding pressure, bonding temperature, dwell time and the stacking sequence of the parent materials on the microstructure of the joined zone has been investigated. The results showed that bonding pressure played an important role even though there was a liquid phase during bonding. The stacking sequence of the parent materials also had a major effect on joint formation. Elimination of defects at the interface of the TiAl/ interlayer in order to obtain sound joints was a major problem. Similar interface structures were observed in all cases except that the thickness of the joined zone was different. The results of the study revealed that the surface oxide layer on TiAl had a major effect on the interface diffusion process. Based on the interface diffusion and interface structure, the joint formation process has been investigated and a mechanism for the effect of experimental parameters on joint formation has been proposed.
Development of hyper-interfacial bonding technique for ultra-fine grained steels and microstructural analysis of bonded joints
Authors: Saida K. , Jeong B. , Nishimoto K.
Published: January 2005

A new conceptual bonding technique, ‘hyper-interfacial bonding’ has been proposed as the most effective bonding technique for ultra-fine grained steels. The hyper-interfacial bonding process was characterised by instantaneous surface-melted pressure bonding which involved a series of steps, namely surface heating by high frequency induction, rapid removal of a heating coil and simultaneously pressing specimens together with an oil pressure system. All sequences were typically completed within 1 s under a vacuum/gas atmosphere. Ultra-fine grained high strength steels with an average grain size of 1·0–1·5 μm were used for bonding. The surface of the specimen could be rapidly heated up and melted within about 0·2 s. No voids existed on the bond interface and primary ferritic phase was formed at the bond interface. A bainitic structure and martensite–austenite constituents were confirmed in the heat affected zone (HAZ), while the base metal indicated a fine ferrite–pearlite texture. The hardened area was limited to the higher temperature region in the HAZ (the maximum hardness was 320–400 HV) and softening did not occur in the HAZ. Prior austenitic grains were coarsened in the vicinity of the bond interface, however, grain growth in the bond layer could be depressed below about 11–16 μm. It could be concluded that the hyper-interfacial bonding technique is a feasible joining method for ultra finegrained steels.
Ablation lesions in Koch's triangle assessed by three-dimensional myocardial contrast echocardiography
Authors: Szili-Torok Tamas , Kimman Geert-Jan , Scholten Marcoen , Thornton Andrew , Cate Folkert Ten , Roelandt Jos , Jordaens Luc
Published: January 2005

Background

Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) allows visualization of radiofrequency (RF) ablation lesions in the left ventricle in an animal model. Aim: To test whether MCE allows visualization of RF and cryo ablation lesions in the human right atrium using three-dimensional echocardiography.

Methods

18 patients underwent catheter ablation of a supraventricular tachycardia and were included in this prospective single-blind study. Twelve patients were ablated inside Koch's triangle and 6, who served as controls, outside this area. Three-dimensional echocardiography of Koch's triangle was performed before and after the ablation procedure in all patients, using respiration and ECG gated pullback of a 9 MHz ICE transducer, with and without continuous intravenous echocontrast infusion (SonoVue, Bracco). Two independent observers analyzed the data off-line.

Results

MCE identified ablation lesions as a low contrast area within the normal atrial myocardial tissue. Craters on the endocardial surface were seen in 10 (83%) patients after ablation. Lesions were identified in 11 out of 12 patients (92%). None of the control patients were recognized as having been ablated. The confidence score of the independent echo reviewer tended to be higher when the number of applications increased.

Conclusions

1. MCE allows direct visualization of ablation lesions in the human atrial myocardium. 2. Both RF and cryo energy lesions can be identified using MCE.
Common Fragile Sites and Cancer: Targeted Cloning by Insertional Mutagenesis
Authors: BÜTTEL ISABEL , FECHTER ANNE , SCHWAB MANFRED
Published: January 2005

Abstract: Genetic instability is an important facet of carcinogenesis and oncogenesis, generating chromosomal variability and extensive intratumor heterogeneity. Common fragile sites are predetermined chromosomal breakage regions. Experimentally, they can be demonstrated as site‐specific gaps or breaks seen on metaphase chromosomes under conditions of replicative stress. They have been known for many years as a chromosomal expression of genetic instability and have been implicated to have a causative role in cancer. However, common fragile sites still remain enigmatic intrinsic parts of human chromosomes, and the DNA sequences at most of the fragile sites have noot been identified so far. The idea of genetically tagging fragile site DNA by insertional mutagenesis through an exogenous marker gene has provided a platform for the efficient targeted cloning of a substantial number of common fragile sites.
Tumor Vascular Targeting with Tumor Necrosis Factor α and Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Authors: CORTI ANGELO , PONZONI MIRCO
Published: January 2005

Abstract: The poor selectivity of chemotherapeutic drugs for neoplastic cells may lead to dose‐limiting side effects that compromise clinical outcomes. Moreover, heterogeneous tumor perfusion and vascular permeability, and increased interstitial pressure, could represent critical barriers that limit the penetration of drugs into neoplastic cells distant from tumor vessels and, consequently, the effectiveness of chemotherapy. We have recently developed two strategies for increasing the local concentration of chemotherapeutic drugs in tumors and their therapeutic index, based on tumor vascular targeting. First, we have found that vascular targeting with minute amounts of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α), an inflammatory cytokine able to increase vascular permeability, alters tumor barriers and increases the penetration of chemotherapeutic drugs in subcutaneous tumors in mouse models. Targeted delivery of TNF‐α to tumor vessels was achieved by coupling this cytokine with cyclic CNGRC peptide, an aminopeptidase N (CD13) ligand that targets the tumor neovasculature. Second, we have observed that encapsulation of doxorubicin into liposomes able to home to tumor vessels markedly improves drug uptake by neuroblastoma tumors, in an orthotopic xenograft model, and its therapeutic index. Targeted delivery of liposomes was achieved by coupling linear GNGRG peptide to the surface of liposomal doxorubicin. Vascular targeting, either indirectly with NGR‐TNF‐α or directly with NGR‐targeted liposomes, could be a novel strategy for increasing the therapeutic index of chemotherapeutic drugs.
Inhibition of Cell Migration via G Protein‐Coupled Receptors to Opioid Peptides and Angiotensin
Authors: ENTSCHLADEN FRANK , BASTIAN PHILIPP , NIGGEMANN BERND , ZAENKER KURT S. , LANG KERSTIN
Published: January 2005

Abstract: Neurotransmitters are stimulatory as well as inhibitory regulators of cell migration. Angiotensin is such an inhibitory regulator of the SDF‐1‐induced migration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as we have investigated by time‐lapse videomicroscopy and computer‐assisted cell tracking. For angiotensin II, the most effective form of angiotensin for the inhibition of migration, two G protein‐coupled receptors are known, which both downregulate the activity of the adenylyl cyclase via activation of inhibitory G proteins. This downregulation of the enzymatic activity is a key signaling event for the inhibition of T lymphocyte and tumor cell migration, while stimulatory neurotransmitters—for example, norepinephrine—cause an activation of the adenylyl cyclase. Similar to angiotensin, the SDF‐1‐induced migration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes was inhibited by DAMGO, a specific agonist for the mu‐opioid receptor, which is coupled to inhibitory G proteins, too. More interestingly, DAMGO downregulated the met‐enkephalin‐induced migration of MDA‐MB‐468 breast carcinoma cells. Met‐enkephalin binds to the delta‐opioid receptor and, with lower affinity, to the mu‐opioid receptor. Since the delta‐opioid receptor also activates inhibitory G proteins, the promigratory effect of met‐enkephalin is caused by an intracellular signaling distinct from the engagement of each opioid receptor alone. In summary, the dual control of the adenylyl cyclase functions as an integrator of stimulatory and inhibitory signals for T lymphocyte and tumor cell migration, which are delivered by neurotransmitters and other signal substances that bind to G protein‐coupled receptors.
CXC Chemokines: Angiogenesis, Immunoangiostasis, and Metastases in Lung Cancer
Authors: STRIETER ROBERT M. , BELPERIO JOHN A. , BURDICK MARIE D. , SHARMA SHERVEN , DUBINETT STEVEN M. , KEANE MICHAEL P.
Published: January 2005

Abstract: CXC chemokines have been found to be important in the regulation of angiogenesis and tumor‐related immunity, and in promoting organ‐specific metastases. This review highlights the importance of CXC chemokine ligands and receptors in mediating non‐small cell lung cancer tumor‐associated angiogenesis, “immunoangiostasis,” and organ‐specific metastases. These findings may ultimately lead to clinical strategies to target CXC chemokines in non‐small cell lung cancer.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
Authors: CILLONI DANIELA , MESSA FRANCESCA , CARTURAN SONIA , ARRUGA FRANCESCA , DEFILIPPI ILARIA , MESSA EMANUELA , GOTTARDI ENRICO , SAGLIO GIUSEPPE
Published: January 2005

Abstract: Efforts made during the last few years have helped unravel the complex pathogenesis of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). A large number of studies, made possible by the introduction of newer technologies, have led to major progress in understanding the heterogeneous genetic and biological abnormalities contributing to the development and progression of myelodysplasia. better insights into these pathogenetic processes will aid the development of newer and more successful therapies for MDS patients. The identification of specific genes involved in the emergence and progression of the myelodysplastic clone has extended biological findings into the clinic. Recently, several clinical trials have used selective compounds to target and inhibit the disrupted signal transduction pathway in myelodysplastic patients. The demonstration of genetic abnormalities present not only in MDS patients but also in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients or in chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD) has prompted extension of a number of clinical trials from AML and CMPD to MDS patients. In spite of this, the more complex and heterogeneous pathogenesis underlying the myelodysplastic process is responsible for the often different and in same cases worse clinical results obtained in MDS patients. Finally, the identification of myelodysplasia‐associated antigens that may be targeted by an immunotherapeutic approach represents a future perspective in tailored therapy for MDS patients.
Nutrient Oxidation during Moderately Intense Exercise in Obese Prepubertal Boys
Authors: Maffeis C. , Zaffanello M. , Pellegrino M. , Banzato C. , Bogoni G. , Viviani E. , Ferrari M. , Tatò L.
Published: January 2005

The aim of this study was to measure the nutrient oxidation rate during walking at different speeds and to identify the walking speed associated with the highest fat oxidation rate in a group of prepubertal boys with different levels of adiposity. Twenty-four prepubertal boys (age, 10 ± 1 yr) with different levels of overweight (body mass index, 25.5 ± 3.5 kg/m2; sd score of body mass index, 3.4 ± 1.1) performed a treadmill test. We measured by indirect calorimetry their respiratory exchange while they walked at speeds of 4, 5, and 6 km/h as well as their maximal oxygen uptake. The fat oxidation rate did not change significantly when the speed of walking was increased, whereas carbohydrate oxidation increased significantly (P < 0.001). A significant (P < 0.05) association was found between adiposity (percent fat mass) and the fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio during walking at 4, 5, and 6 km/h (r = 0.37, r = 0.37, and r = 0.36, respectively), adjusting for exercise intensity (maximal oxygen uptake, percentage). The lowest fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio, i.e. the highest fat oxidation/carbohydrate oxidation rate, was found at a walking speed of 4 km/h. Moderately intense exercise promoted the highest fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio. Increasing the exercise intensity did not promote fat oxidation. Therefore, walking at a speed of 4 km/h is recommended as practicable exercise for obese boys and, consequently, for the treatment of childhood obesity.
Effects of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I and II on Prostaglandin Synthesis and Plasminogen Activator Activity in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Authors: Miceli Fiorella , Tropea Anna , Minici Francesca , Orlando Mariateresa , Lamanna Giuseppina , Gangale Maria Francesca , Panetta Barbara , Tiberi Federica , Vaccari Sergio , Canipari Rita , Lanzone Antonio , Apa Rosanna
Published: January 2005

IGFs seem to contribute to the endothelial dysfunction observed in some vascular diseases. Because locally increased IGFs levels were detected in the preeclamptic fetoplacental unit, we hypothesized their involvement in the dysregulation of fibrinolysis and vascular tone typically observed in the fetoplacental compartment in this pregnancy disease. Therefore, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the potential effect of IGFs on the synthesis of plasminogen activators (PAs), PA inibitor-1 (PAI-1), and vasodilator and vasoconstrictor prostaglandins (PGs) was investigated. Moreover, in HUVECs treated with IGFs, the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, the rate-limiting enzyme in PG synthesis, was evaluated.

HUVECs were treated for 24 h with IGFs (1–100 ng/ml) or IL-1β (0.1 ng/ml). PA, PAI-1, and COX-2 mRNA was determined by RT-PCR and PG release and PA activity by RIA and colorimetric assay, respectively.

We demonstrated an inhibition of urokinase-type PA activity and a 50% reduction of urokinase-type PA mRNA in HUVECs treated with IGFs. No effect was seen on PAI-1. Finally, both IGFs significantly decreased all PGs tested and COX-2 mRNA, whereas, as expected, IL-1β had an opposite effect.

In conclusion, our results suggest for IGFs a potential involvement in the endothelial dysfunction observed in preeclamptic fetoplacental unit.
PPARγ Staining as a Surrogate for PAX8/PPARγ Fusion Oncogene Expression in Follicular Neoplasms: Clinicopathological Correlation and Histopathological Diagnostic Value
Authors: Sahin Mustafa , Allard Brandon L. , Yates Martin , Powell J. Gregory , Wang Xiao-Li , Hay Ian D. , Zhao Ying , Goellner John R. , Sebo Thomas J. , Grebe Stefan K. G. , Eberhardt Norman L. , McIver Bryan
Published: January 2005

The PAX8/PPARγ (PPFP) fusion-oncogene is moderately specific for follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC). It remains unknown whether this can be translated into improved diagnosis, classification, or outcome prediction.

We studied a cohort of well-characterized follicular adenomas (FA), FTC, and Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCC) from patients with complete clinical follow-up, to determine whether PPARγ immunohistochemistry (as a surrogate of PAX8/PPARγ expression) helps to distinguish FA from FTC and to assess its diagnostic accuracy as an adjunct to frozen section. We also correlated PPARγ staining with clinical outcomes to assess its role as a prognostic marker.

PPARγ staining was more common in FTC (31 of 54; 57%) than in HCC (one of 23; 4%) or FA (four of 31; 13%) (P < 0.000001). Adjunctive use of PPARγ immunohistochemistry improved diagnostic sensitivity of intraoperative frozen section from 84% to 96% (P < 0.05) but reduced specificity from 100% to 90% (P < 0.05). PPARγ staining was associated with favorable prognostic indicators (female gender, better tumor differentiation, and lesser risk of metastases).

PPARγ staining may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of FA, FTC, and HCC, particularly when diagnostic sensitivity of histomorphology is reduced (e.g. during intraoperative frozen section). PPARγ staining also shows an association with favorable prognosis and may have a role in risk stratification.