Macrolitter budget and spatial distribution in a groyne field along the Waal river.

Current research on riverine macrolitter does not yet provide a theoretic framework on the dynamics behind its accumulation and distribution along riverbanks. In an attempt to better understand these dynamics a detailed field survey of three months was conducted in which location of macrolitter items within a single groyne field along the Waal riverbanks was tracked. The data provided insight into the daily changing patterns of spatial item distribution with respect to the waterline. Furthermore, the rates of item uptake and deposition were monitored and related to hydrologic fluctuations. Uptake was initiated by rising water levels and was generally higher when the water level increased faster. Deposition occurred continuously, despite hydrologic fluctuations. This caused the riverbank macrolitter budget to be positive during stable or dropping water levels and negative during rising water levels. Although the results show clear patterns an extended monitoring duration is required to fully understand the fate of plastic objects.

Comparison of apoptosis and terminal differentiation: the mammalian aging process.

Apoptosis is the ordered chain of events that lead to cell destruction. Terminal differentiation (denucleation) is the process in which cells lose their nuclei but remain functional. Our group examined cell death in three tissues using two different fixatives and a postfixation procedure, involving young (5 months) and old (2 years) guinea pigs. The data reveal that B-DNA and Z-DNA content decreases, whereas single-stranded (ss-) DNA increases, in older tissues undergoing apoptosis (skin and cornea) and terminal differentiation (ocular lens). We speculate that some of the factors that contribute to the aging process might also be responsible for the enhanced amount of damaged DNA in older tissues undergoing cell death. (J Histochem 49:929-930, 2001)

Approaches to preventing burnout: the effects of personal stress management and organizational socialization.

Several approaches to preventing burnout are compared. One hundred and fifty-four nurses in five Hong Kong hospitals completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Organizational Socialization Inventory (OSI), and three measures of personal stress management. Results indicated that favourable evaluations on the four OSI domains (job training, organizational understanding, coworker support and future prospects) yielded strong negative correlations with the burnout components. Also, the personal stress management measures had strong negative correlations with depersonalization and decreased personal accomplishment, but none were related to emotional exhaustion. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that training was the only (inverse) predictor of emotional exhaustion, whereas interpersonal skills and understanding were strong (inverse) predictors of depersonalization. Additionally, interpersonal skills and coworker support were excellent (inverse) predictors of decreased personal accomplishment. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to nursing administration.