Improving Traffic Safety Culture in Iowa – Phase II, July 2013

Phase II of Improving Traffic Safety Culture in Iowa focuses on producing actions that will improve the traffic safety culture across the state, and involves collaboration among the three large public universities in Iowa: Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, and University of Iowa. More specifically, this second phase synthesizes the expert opinions solicited in Phase I with prevailing public views and/or opinions gathered from a follow-up survey on Iowa’s 2000 public opinion survey, which the University of Northern Iowa, Center for Social and Behavioral Research, administered. More recent data on the opinions of Iowans and of people nationally contrasted with past data will help better define the public’s position on top safety culture issues. This, in turn, will provide a better basis for developing actionable, fundable, and ultimately successful strategies that will make a tangible difference in improving traffic safety in Iowa.

Comparison of the proliferative activity of neuroblasts from chick embryo cerebral hemispheres of different ages in culture.

Dissociated cerebral hemisphere cells from 4- to 7-day-old chick embryos were cultured either on a collagen or a polylysine substrate in a serum-containing medium. Neurons were characterized by the demonstration of acetylcholinesterase, the presence of D2/N-CAM glycoprotein and neurofilament proteins. The proliferation of neuronal precursor cells was shown by morphological observations, autoradiographic analysis and measurements of [3H]-thymidine incorporation. Neuronal precursors derived from the 6-day-old embryos showed the highest proliferative activity. Neuroblast proliferation was found to be dependent on the culture substrates (i.e. polylysine or collagen), which yielded either isolated cells or cell aggregates, and the latter favored the mitogenic effect.

The new culture of electronic publishing

Local conditions in the past often limited opportunities for scholarly exchange. But now these limits are gone and the global workplace has replaced them. It is important to react to these changes. Every academic department must now adopt new methods and rethink processes. Another is the intense national and international debate about open access to scholarly knowledge. The Open Access Initiative shows that a change is taking place in the communication process. This change is also important for service departments within research institutions. Libraries, computer centers and related units have to ask themselves how to react appropriately to the new conditions. What services must be changed or redeveloped, and in what quality and quantity should they be offered? This article focuses on changes in the scholarly publication process. It describes both technological changes and the changes needed in people's attitudes.

Radiation and energy balance of lettuce culture inside a polyethylene greenhouse

The objective of this paper was to describe the radiation and energy balance, during the lettuce (Lactuca sativa, L. cv. Verônica) crop cycle inside a polyethylene greenhouse. The radiation and energy balance was made inside a tunnel greenhouse with polyethylene cover (100 mum) and in an external area, both areas with 35 m². Global, reflected and net radiation, soil heat flux and air temperature (dry and humid) were measured during the crop cycle. A Datalogger, which operated at 1 Hz frequency, storing 5 minutes averages was utilized. The global (K¯) and reflected (K­) radiations showed that the average transmission of global radiation (K¯in / K¯ex) was almost constant, near to 79.59%, while the average ratio of reflected radiation (K­in / K­ex) was 69.21% with 8.47% standard-deviation. The normalized curves of short-wave net radiation, in relation to the global radiation (K*/ K¯), found for both environments, were almost constant at the beginning of cycle; this relation decreased in the final stage of culture. The normalized relation (Rn/ K¯) was bigger in the external area, about 12%, when the green culture covered the soil surface. The long-wave radiation balance average (L*) was bigger outside, about 50%. The energy balance, estimated in terms of vertical fluxes, showed that, for the external area, in average, 83.07% of total net radiation was converted in latent heat evaporation (LE), and 18% in soil heat flux (G), and 9.96% in sensible heat (H), while inside of the greenhouse, 58.71% of total net radiation was converted in LE, 42.68% in H, and 28.79% in G.

Sémiotique, culture et développement psychologique

Ce livre propose une perspective novatrice en psychologie qui intègre la culture à titre constitutif dans son approche du développement. Comment les productions humaines contribuent-elles au développement psychologique ? Au sens fort, comment produisent-elles le psychisme ? Et comment, en les étudiant, en saisir les développements originaux chez les sujets dans leurs contextes de production ? Les recherches présentées dans cet ouvrage portent ainsi sur les dimensions matérielles de la culture dans l'avènement et le fonctionnement du psychisme, en intégrant également le langage et d'autres dimensions idéelles de celle-ci. Les textes de cet ouvrage s'inscrivent dans un dialogue interdisciplinaire, replaçant la psychologie dans le cercle des sciences humaines et sociales, requestionnant de facto son épistémologie et ses méthodes.

Which anatomical sites should be sampled for screening of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage by culture or by rapid PCR test?

The nose is the anatomical site usually recommended for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) screening. Other sites are also recommended, but are more controversial. We showed that the sensitivities of MRSA detection from nasal swabs alone were 48% and 62% by culture or by rapid PCR test, respectively. These percentages increased to 79% and 92% with the addition of groin swabs, and to 96% and 99% with the addition of groin and throat swabs. In conclusion, neither by culture nor by rapid PCR test is nose sampling alone sufficient for MRSA detection. Additional anatomical sites should include at least the groin and throat.