Book reviews

Paul D. Elbourne: Situations and individuals. MIT Press, Cambridge MA, 2005. 248 pp. ; Anna Sőrés: Le hongrois dans la typologie des langues. Editions Lambert-Lucas. Limoges, 2006. 185 pp. ; Csilla Bartha (ed.): Cigány nyelvek és közösségek a Kárpát-medencében [Gypsy com- munities and their languages in the Carpathian Basin]. Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 2007. 344 pp. ; Vivian J. Cook and Mark Newson: Chomsky’s Universal Grammar. An Introduction. Third edition. Blackwell, Malden MA & Oxford, 2007, 326 pp

A new xantphos-type ligand and its gold(I) complexes: Synthesis, structure, luminescence

A novel xantphos analog diphosphine ligand, 9,9-dimethyl-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)-9H-xanthene (X(CP)2), with methylene groups inserted between the xanthene skeleton and the two diphenylphosphine units, has been synthesized. A two-coordinate and a three-coordinate gold(I) complex of the ligand, [Au2Cl2(X(CP)2)] and [AuCl(X(CP)2)], have been prepared and studied by X-ray diffraction, NMR and optical spectroscopy. In the solid state, [AuCl(X(CP)2)] adopts a highly ordered structure with a planar xanthene skeleton that faces another plane composed of two phenyl rings and the AuCl moiety. The structure of [Au2Cl2(X(CP)2)] is much less regular, the two P–Au–Cl vectors point to the opposite sides of the folded xanthene backbone. The exchange-broadened resonances in the NMR spectra of [AuCl(X(CP)2))] indicate that this complex exists as a mixture of various chemical species and/or conformers in solution. In contrast, the NMR spectra of [Au2Cl2(X(CP)2)] exclude any medium-range exchange processes. Aurophilic interactions are absent in both X(CP)2 complexes. X(CP)2, as well as its two gold complexes, is phosphorescent in the solid state; the complexes emit at higher wavelengths and with longer lifetimes than the free ligand

Chemical analysis of soil polluting lubricant oils prior to design a soil rehabilitation procedure

Excessive consumption of petroleum products carries the risk that these toxic chemicals enter and accumulate in the environment hazarding natural habitats or human health. Areas being close to vehicle traffic or where handling and maintenance operations of vehicles take place are considered to be particularly vulnerable, thus, we aimed at investigating a railway marshalling yard polluted by used lubricant oils (ULOs). Quantitative determination of total petrol hydrocarbons in the polluted soil revealed a high level of pollution. Apart from the presence of open-chain or branched paraffins and aromatics, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy identified intermediers from the microbial degradative pathways of hydrocarbons. Occurence of metabolically active microorganisms even in this highly ULOcontaminated soil indicates that biological rehabilitation techniques can be preferable over more invasive and expensive physico-chemical methods to meet the soil standard

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Paving the Way to Lung Cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the frequently fatal pathology of the respiratory tract, accounts for half a billion cases globally. COPD manifests via chronic inflammatory response to irritants, frequently to tobacco smoke. The progression of COPD from early onset to advanced disease leads to the loss of the alveolar wall, pulmonary hypertension, and fibrosis of the respiratory epithelium. Here, we focus on the epidemiology, progression, and biomarkers of COPD with a particular connection to lung cancer. Dissecting the cellular and molecular players in the progression of the disease, we aim to shed light on the role of smoking, which is responsible for the disease, or at least for the more severe symptoms and worse patient outcomes. We summarize the inflammatory conditions, as well as the role of EMT and fibroblasts in establishing a cancer-prone microenvironment, i.e., the soil for ‘COPD-derived’ lung cancer. We highlight that the major health problem of COPD can be alleviated via smoking cessation, early diagnosis, and abandonment of the usage of biomass fuels on a global basis

Intensification of Ex Situ Bioremediation of Soils Polluted with Used Lubricant Oils

Used lubricant oils (ULOs) strongly bind to soil particles and cause persistent pollution. In this study, soil microcosm experiments were conducted to model the ex situ bioremediation of a long term ULO-polluted area. Biostimulation and various inoculation levels of bioaugmentation were applied to determine the efficacy of total petrol hydrocarbon (TPH) removal. ULO-contaminated soil microcosms were monitored for microbial respiration, colony-forming units (CFUs) and TPH bioconversion. Biostimulation with inorganic nutrients was responsible for 22% of ULO removal after 40 days. Bioaugmentation using two hydrocarbon-degrader strains: Rhodococcus quingshengii KAG C and Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4 at a small inoculum size (107 CFUs g−1 soil), reduced initial TPH concentration by 24% and 29%, respectively; the application of a higher inoculum size (109 CFUs g−1 soil) led to 41% and 32% bioconversion, respectively. After 20 days, all augmented CFUs decreased to the same level as measured in the biostimulated cases, substantiating the challenge for the newly introduced hydrocarbon-degrading strains to cope with environmental stressors. Our results not only highlight that an increased number of degrader cells does not always correlate with enhanced TPH bioconversion, but they also indicate that biostimulation might be an economical solution to promote ULO biodegradation in long term contaminated soils

Általános nyelvészeti tanulmányok XXIX. - Kísérletes nyelvészet

Ez a kötet kísérletes nyelvészeti tanulmányokat tartalmaz, azaz olyan kutatások eredményeit ismerteti, amelyek egy tág értelemben vett „laboratóriumban" végzett kísérletek eredményein alapulnak. A kötet koncepciója szerint mind a legmodernebb technikai eszközrendszerekkel felszerelt kísérleti laboratóriumi struktúra, mind valamilyen speciális terep (óvoda, iskola, rehabilitációs intézet), mind pedig az internet, például a Facebook is szolgálhat kísérlet lefuttatásának kereteként. A nyelvészetben alkalmazott kísérletek módszertana természetesen követi a tudományos kísérletek általános paradigmáját és megőrzi annak lényeges jegyét: hogy megismételhető, objektív legyen. Amíg számos interdiszciplináris területen, így például a neurolingvisztikában és a pszicholingvisztikában, a tudományos kísérleteket a 19. század óta alkalmazzák, addig az olyan nyelvészeti témákban, mint a nyelvtan készítése, a nyelvleírás, viszonylag újabb fejlemény a kísérletes módszertan alkalmazása. Ezt sok minden motiválta, többek között a kurrens nyelvészeti modellek, elméletek és variánsaik versengései és ennek kapcsán olyan objektív bizonyítékok keresése, amelyek csak kísérleti helyzetekben állíthatók elő. Kötetünk tanulmányait négy tematikus egység szerint csoportosítottuk: 1. Nyelvleírási kérdések, 2. Nyelvelsajátítás, 3. A mesterségesnyelvtan-elsajátítási paradigma alkalmazásai, 4. Nyelvi zavarok. A szerzők között nemcsak a terület jelentős ismertségű személyiségei, hanem külföldről korábban hazatért, vagy más országokban dolgozó és az itthoniakkal szoros kapcsolatokat fenntartó, sőt Magyarországon működő külföldi kutatók is megtalálhatók, példázva a magyarországi nyelvészet nemzetközi beágyazottságát. Nyolc tanulmány esetében a szerzők mellékeltek a kísérleteik hátteréhez, például az adatbázisokhoz, vagy a keretként szolgáló kutatási projekthez és kutatócsoporthoz elvezető internetes linkeket, melyeket QR-kódok formájában adunk meg. A QR-kódok okostelefonnal azonnal aktív linkekre fordíthatók

A new heterotopic Ar-BIAN ligand with a pendant P donor site

Abstract The heterotopic ligand 1-[4-(4-diphenylphosphanylphenyl)phenylimino]-2-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenylimino]acenaphthene, PN2, was prepared and characterized by NMR spectroscopic and MS methods. Depending on the size and the electronic properties of the metal reagent M, the two binding sites of the new ligand show selective coordination. At 1:1 molar ratio of PN2 and M, the sterically more demanding [Pd(dppe)]2+ and [Pd(dppp)]2+ cations coordinate only to the chelating nitrogen atoms while the less bulky [Pd(dppm)]2+ binds both to the imino and the phosphane donor groups. A 2:1:2 mixture of PN2, [Pd(dppm)(OTf)2] and [Pd(dppe)(OTf)2] results in the formation of a complex in which the [Pd(dppm)]2+ unit selectively coordinates to the terminal P atoms while the more voluminous dppe counterpart resides at the imino nitrogens. On the contrary, the [Pd(dppm)]2+ complex selectively binds to the chelating nitrogen atoms if the Ph2P group is ligated to Au+ center. In the interaction of [Au(PN2)2]PF6 with Ag(OTf), the silver ions do not replace Au+ in the P–Au bonds but occupy the chelating position