bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metal–acetylene complexes. II. Acetylene complexes of nickel, palladium, and platinum
Authors: Greaves E. O. , Lock C. J. L. , Maitlis P. M.
Published: May 2006

The preparations of complexes of the type L2M(RC2R′) (where L = Ph3P, M = Ni, Pd, Pt, R = R′ = CF3; L = Ph3P, M = Ni, Pt, R = R′ = Ph, and R = Ph, R′ = Me; L = Ph3P, M = Pd, Pt, R = R′ = COOMe; and R = R′ = CF3, M = Pd, Pt, L = n-Bu3P, Mc2PhP) are described. From their nuclear magnetic resonance spectra these complexes appear to be approximately planar in solution. The VC≡C observed in their infrared spectra indicate strong bonding of the acetylene to the metal.A new approach to the bonding in metal–acetylene complexes is proposed which can be extended to other π-complexes and which allows some predictions to be made.
The transmission of polar effects. Part VIII. Esterification with diazodiphenylmethane and the ionization of ortho-substituted trans-cinnamic, phenoxyacetic, 3-phenylpropionic, cis- and trans-α-phenylcinnamic acids
Authors: Bowden Keith. , Parkin D. C.
Published: May 2006

The rate coefficients for the esterification with diazodiphenylmethane in ethanol at 30° and the pKa values at 25° of a number of ortho-substituted trans-cinnamic, phenoxyacetic, 3-phenylpropionic, ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted cis-trans-α-phenylcinnamic acids have been determined. The effects of substitution have been assessed by a Hammett-type correlation. A comparison of the transmission of the polar effects of ortho and meta/para substituents indicates the prime importance of the field effect, augmented where possible by a π-inductive effect. A reversed dipolar substituent field effect has been detected for the cis-ortho-substituted cinnamic acids.
Estimation of the cohesive energy density of a polymer from critical opalescence measurements
Authors: Cowie J. M. G.
Published: May 2006

It has been demonstrated recently by Koningsveld that the concentration dependence of the solvent–polymer interaction parameter cannot be neglected in certain systems. By considering this effect in the polystyrene–cyclohexane system it has been possible to calculate a value for the entropy parameter ψ. Estimation of the cohesive energy density (c.e.d.) of polystyrene using this corrected ψ gave a result in good agreement with values of the c.e.d. obtained from other sources.
Studies on trifluoroacetoxygermanes
Authors: Hota N. K. , Willis C. J.
Published: May 2006

The synthesis of various trifluoroacetoxygermanes has been achieved, including Ge(OCOCF3)4, CH3Ge(OCOCF3)3, (CH3)2Ge(OCOCF3)2, and CF3Ge(OCOCF3)3. These do not decarboxylate to trifluorometliyl germanium compounds, but some of them react with silver trifluoroacetate to form complex trifluoroacetoxygermanates such as Ag2[Ge(OCOCF3)6], Ag2[CH3Ge(OCOCF3)5], and Ag2[CF3Ge(OCOCF3)5].The preparation and properties of trimethyl(trifluoromethyl)germane, (CH3)3GeCF3, are described; differences between it and the analogous tin compound are noted.
Role of polynuclear species in the processes following nuclear transformations in solids
Authors: Maddock A. G. , Collins K. E.
Published: May 2006

The hypothesis that recoil atoms from nuclear transformations have a high probability of forming polynuclear complexes in ionic solids is shown to correlate a wide variety of experimental observations.
On sulfenium ions in 100% sulfuric acid
Authors: Robinson E. A. , Zaidi S. A. A.
Published: May 2006

Cryoscopic and conductimetric measurements on solutions of 2:4 dinitrobenzene sulfenyl chloride in 100% H2SO4 and dilute oleum are found to be more consistent with simple protonation of the sulfenyl chloride rather than with sulfenium ion formation as previously reported by Kharasch and co-workers (1) in99%H2SO4.
SHORT COHERENCE LENGTH IN CUPRATE SUPERCONDUCTORS
Authors: KOO JE HUAN , CHO GUANGSUP
Published: May 2006

We investigated very short coherence lengths, ξCu in the high transition temperature superconductors. It is shown that phonon-enhanced spin fluctuations drive this superconductivity once more, as was as suggested by us [Phys. Rev. B61, 4289]. The short coherence length, ξCu in cuprate superconductors results from the giant superconducting gap. The superconducting gap, Δ happens at the top of the valence band where the Fermi level is located nearly upon the top of the valence band because of the low occupation of the conduction band. It is shown the effective superconducting gap is nearly the band gap, Eg where Cooper-type superconducting condensations are available with energy width, Eg+Δ≃Eg.
PRESS-INDUCED PHASE TRANSITIONS OF KNbO3 STUDIED FROM THE FIRST PRINCIPLE CALCULATION
Authors: WAN XIANGANG , DONG JINMING
Published: May 2006

Using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method (FP-LAPW), we have performed a detailed theoretical investigation on the pressure-induced phase transitions in KNbO 3. Results obtained show that the pressure will induce a series of phase transitions from rhombohedral to orthorhombic, to tetragonal and finally to the cubic phase, with transition pressures being 8, 15 and 24 GPa, respectively. By analyzing the internal atomic coordinates, we found with increasing pressure, the oxygen octahedron would distort, and the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases would tend to make transitions to the tetragonal and cubic phase, respectively. We also calculated the optical properties of KNbO 3, and found that the dielectric function spectra ∊(ω) of different phases were similar to each other, and the effect of pressure on ∊(ω) spectra were small. However, the second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficients in different phases were greatly different.
FLUCTUATION CONDUCTIVITY OF POLYCRYSTALLINEY1-xTbxBa2Cu3O7-δSUPERCONDUCTORS
Authors: JURELO ALCIONE ROBERTO , DE OLIVEIRA ROBERSON ASSIS , DOBRZANSKI ROGÉRIO , COSTA ROSÂNGELA MENEGOTTO
Published: May 2006

We studied the effect of superconducting fluctuations on the electrical conductivity of granular samples of Y1-xTbxBa2Cu3O7-δsuperconductors. For all samples we observed that the transition proceeds in two stages. Above the critical temperature, the Gaussian and critical regimes were observed, independently of the terbium concentration. In the regime of approach to the zero resistance state, and for low concentrations of terbium, an occurrence of a coherence transition was observed. For high concentrations of Tb , the results show a strong disorder at mesoscopic levels.
BISTABLE TRANSMITTING NONLINEAR DIRECTIONAL COUPLERS
Authors: CHEVRIAUX D. , KHOMERIKI R. , LEON J.
Published: May 2006

Nonlinearity induced by intensity-dependent refractive indices (Kerr media) can be used as a means to conceive light detectors sensitive to very weak excitation. This property results from the bistability properties of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation submitted to boundary value data on the finite interval. The detector is obtained by coupling two single 1D waveguide to a 2D slab waveguide with adjusted indices. The resulting device then presents unusual light propagation properties and in particular may switch from almost vanishing to intense output under excitation by a weak signal.
Dietary Cl−restriction upregulates pendrin expression within the apical plasma membrane of type B intercalated cells
Authors: Verlander Jill W. , Kim Young Hee , Shin Wonkyong , Pham Truyen Derek , Hassell Kathryn A. , Beierwaltes William H. , Green Eric D. , Everett Lorraine , Matthews Sharon W. , Wall Susan M.
Published: May 2006

Pendrin, encoded by Slc26a4, is a Cl−/HCO3−exchanger expressed in the apical region of type B and non-A, non-B intercalated cells, which regulates renal NaCl excretion. Dietary Cl−restriction upregulates total pendrin protein expression. Whether the subcellular expression of pendrin and whether the apparent vascular volume contraction observed in Slc26a4 null mice are Cl−dependent, but Na+independent, is unknown. Thus the subcellular distribution of pendrin and its role in acid-base and fluid balance were explored using immunogold cytochemistry and balance studies of mice ingesting a NaCl-replete or a Na+-replete, Cl−-restricted diet, achieved through substitution of NaCl with NaHCO3. Boundary length and apical plasma membrane pendrin label density each increased by ∼60–70% in type B intercalated cells, but not in non-A, non-B cells, whereas cytoplasmic pendrin immunolabel increased ∼60% in non-A, non-B intercalated cells, but not in type B cells. Following either NaCl restriction or Cl−restriction alone, Slc26a4 null mice excreted more Cl−and had a higher arterial pH than pair-fed wild-type mice. In conclusion, 1) following dietary Cl−restriction, apical plasma membrane pendrin immunolabel increases in type B intercalated cells, but not in non-A, non-B intercalated cells; and 2) pendrin participates in the regulation of renal Cl−excretion and arterial pH during dietary Cl−restriction.
Language as a Reflection of Ideology in Russia
Authors: Yelenevskaya Maria
Published: May 2006

Research problems that were censored in the USSR have now come to light, among them the influence of Soviet ideology on the Russian language and the mentality of the speakers. The work reviewed in this essay analyses the role of the Soviet ideological jargon in the creation of a ‘new type’ of personality. The author discusses why the language preventing straightforward expression survived the Soviet political system and still affects communication in post-Soviet Russia. Numerous examples from formal and informal discourse illustrate how the Russian language turned into a reservoir of units charged with ideological meaning that function on all linguistic levels, from a letter or an accent to an entire text.
The Changing Epidemiology of Mechanical Ventilation: A Population-Based Study
Authors: Carson Shannon S. , Cox Christopher E. , Holmes George M. , Howard Ann , Carey Timothy S.
Published: May 2006

The number of critical care beds in the United States has been increasing considerably, but it is unclear how these additional beds have been used. Mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure almost always demands ICU care and is likely to be a reliable indicator of critical care resource requirements on a population level. The objective of this study was to measure changes in the yearly incidence of mechanical ventilation in a statewide population. The North Carolina Hospital Discharge Database contains data on all discharges from nonfederal, nonpsychiatric hospitals in North Carolina. Authors extracted data on adult patients with International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification procedure codes for mechanical ventilation from 1996 to 2002. The incidence of mechanical ventilation for adults grew from 284/100 000 population in 1996 to 314/100 000 in 2002, an increase of 11% ( P < .05). While patients aged >64 had the highest age-specific incidence of mechanical ventilation each year, the greatest increase in incidence occurred in younger age groups (19% increase for age 18-64 vs 4% increase for age >64). The mean Charlson score increased from 1.76 ± 1.73 to 1.89 ± 1.86 ( P < .001). Renal disease became more prevalent among patients requiring mechanical ventilation (17% of patients in 1996 vs 24% in 2002). Hospital charges adjusted for the medical consumer price index increased by 12%. The proportion of patients discharged to home declined from 45.4% to 34.4%, and discharges to nursing homes grew from 7.3% to 10.7%. The incidence of mechanical ventilation is increasing, and the increase is associated with a higher burden of comorbidities and fewer discharges to home.
Immunologic Responses to Critical Injury and Sepsis
Authors: Smith Jason W. , Gamelli Richard L. , Jones Stephen B. , Shankar Ravi
Published: May 2006

Almost 2 million patients are admitted to hospitals in the United States each year for treatment of traumatic injuries, and these patients are at increased risk of late infections and complications of systemic inflammation as a result of injury. Host response to injury involves a general activation of multiple systems in defending the organism from hemorrhagic or infectious death. Clinicians have the capability to support the critically injured through their traumatic insult with surgery and improved critical care, but the inflammatory response generated by such injuries creates new challenges in the management of these patients. It has long been known that local tissue injury induces systemic changes in the traumatized patient that are often maladaptive. This article reviews the effects of injury on the function of immune system cells and highlights some of the clinical sequelae of this deranged inflammatory-immune interaction.
Dating Violence Among College Men and Women
Authors: Luthra Rohini , Gidycz Christine A.
Published: May 2006

This study empirically evaluates the Riggs and O’Leary (1989) model of dating violence. A sample of 200 college students completes assessments concerning the occurrence of violence in their dating relationships. The incidence of self-reported partner violence is 25% for women and 10% for men. Multivariate logistic regression analyses are performed to determine the most salient predictors of dating violence for each gender. Findings reveal that the model is more accurate in predicting female, as compared with male perpetration of dating violence. The model accurately classifies 83% of violent women and only 30% of violent men. This study has several implications for the field of dating violence. Results indicate that although there is some degree of overlap, variant constructs predict violence for each gender. Identifying these constructs will guide prevention efforts in more effectively decreasing the occurrence of dating violence.
A Prospective Analysis of the Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Victimization and Perpetration of Dating Violence and Sexual Assault in Adulthood
Authors: Loh Catherine , Gidycz Christine A.
Published: May 2006

The majority of studies evaluating the relationship between childhood sexual assault and subsequent sexual assault perpetration by men have been conducted retrospectively and with incarcerated populations. The present study seeks to improve on previous research by prospectively investigating the relationship between childhood sexual assault and subsequent perpetration of dating violence in adulthood in men. Although there is a significant relationship between childhood sexual abuse and history of sexual assault perpetration at baseline, prospective analyses indicate that childhood sexual assault is not predictive of perpetration during the follow-up period. The role of family factors, including parental conflict resolution, is implicated in subsequent sexual aggression. These results are supportive of the idea that the effects of childhood sexual abuse may be mediated by a variety of factors.
Reflections of a Chief Inspector
Authors: Ramsbotham David
Published: May 2006

Drawing on more than five years experience as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons this article provides a personal account of the principal inspection findings, together with a series of proposals of what needs to be done, with regard to youth custody. The article considers the purpose of inspection, the need to reform youth custody, the needs of young prisoners and the means by which those needs should be met.
The ‘Tracking’ Controversy: The Roots of Mentoring and Electronic Monitoring
Authors: Nellis Mike
Published: May 2006

Nowadays, the term ‘tracking’ has only a faint presence in the youth justice field but throughout the 1980s, in England and Wales, it was the focus of a controversy out of all proportion to its incidence. Then, as now, it was used to denote a method of monitoring the whereabouts and time-use of young and young adult offenders. While many youth justice workers ardently defended it, many vigorously condemned it as too intrusive. In practice, its emphasis changed from something primarily surveillant to something primarily supportive, although its tough-sounding name was considered by its advocates to be discursively useful in a law and order culture. Rather paradoxically, the term faded from use in the aftermath of the Home Office’s (1988) Punishment in the Communityinitiative. Although aspects of the controversy were noted in contemporaneous studies of youth justice (Ely, Swift and Sutherland, 1987; Curtis, 1989, Blagg and Smith, 1989) some of which heightened its surveillant elements in order to critique it (Davies, 1986; Pitts, 1990), it tends to be ignored in more recent accounts (Haines and Drakeford, 1996). Yet tracking left a legacy, contributing to the emergence in modern youth justice of two ostensibly divergent practices - mentoring and electronic monitoring. This paper aims mainly to document a neglected aspect of youth justice history but it also considers the way in which the tracking ideal lives on, and has been reconfigured in a more genuinely surveillant - electronic - form.
The Expansion of Secure Accommodation in Scotland: in the Best Interests of the Child?
Authors: Smith Mark , Milligan Ian
Published: May 2006

The Scottish Executive recently announced a significant increase in secure accommodation, amongst a raft of measures aimed at tackling youth crime. These developments represent a marked and sudden change in political direction, away from an emphasis on community-based welfare disposals towards more institutionally-based correctional interventions. This article outlines the history and legal basis of secure accommodation in Scotland and examines recent reviews concerning the need or otherwise for its expansion. Such reviews have consistently failed to support a need to increase the number of secure places available and this raises questions about whether the Scottish Executive’s decision is based on sound evidence. The article contends that the decision to expand reflects a populist but erroneous conception of secure accommodation as a justiceoriented disposal. It is argued that secure accommodation is and should remain, located firmly within a welfare framework. Implications for youth justice and for the residential child care system more generally are considered.
A Lesson in Tolerance? Juvenile Justice in Italy
Authors: Scalia Vincenzo
Published: May 2006

Authoritarian crime control, driven in particular by notions of zero tolerance, appears to be a growing feature of many, if not all, systems of juvenile justice across Europe. Notions of meeting needs and welfare support for marginalised and deprived children seem to have collapsed. This article examines in some detail the case of Italian juvenile justice which appears to have followed a somewhat different path over the past decade. Since a new penal law about juvenile deviance was enforced in 1988, decarceration and significant decreases in daily counts of youth incarceration have been notable trends. How has this been made possible? This article explores how tolerance and leniency are expressed within the Italian juvenile justice system and the extent to which decarceration has been made possible through a greater willingness to place informal family support above formal judicial controls. It also considers the outcomes for those who are considered to fall outside of the ‘family safety net’.
Assessment in Youth Justice: Professional Discretion and the Use of Asset
Authors: Baker Kerry
Published: May 2006

The introduction of Asset as a common assessment tool for all Youth Offending Teams in England and Wales has sometimes been viewed as part of a ‘managerialist’ agenda which replaces professional discretion with an uncritical routinised approach to practice. This paper explores the challenges inherent in introducing such a tool into the complex world of youth justice, recognising that there can be both positive and negative effects. It argues that, if used appropriately by practitioners, managers and the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, it is possible to combine the benefits of Asset - greater structure, transparency and accountability in assessment practice - with professionalism and a focus on young people’s individual needs.
How artificial intelligence tools can be used to assess individual patient risk in cardiovascular disease: problems with the current methods
Authors: Grossi Enzo
Published: May 2006

Background

In recent years a number of algorithms for cardiovascular risk assessment has been proposed to the medical community. These algorithms consider a number of variables and express their results as the percentage risk of developing a major fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular event in the following 10 to 20 years

Discussion

The author has identified three major pitfalls of these algorithms, linked to the limitation of the classical statistical approach in dealing with this kind of non linear and complex information. The pitfalls are the inability to capture the disease complexity, the inability to capture process dynamics, and the wide confidence interval of individual risk assessment.

Artificial Intelligence tools can provide potential advantage in trying to overcome these limitations. The theoretical background and some application examples related to artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic have been reviewed and discussed.

The use of predictive algorithms to assess individual absolute risk of cardiovascular future events is currently hampered by methodological and mathematical flaws. The use of newer approaches, such as fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks, linked to artificial intelligence, seems to better address both the challenge of increasing complexity resulting from a correlation between predisposing factors, data on the occurrence of cardiovascular events, and the prediction of future events on an individual level.
Intra-cluster correlation coefficients in adults with diabetes in primary care practices: the Vermont Diabetes Information System field survey
Authors: Littenberg Benjamin , MacLean Charles D
Published: May 2006

Background

Proper estimation of sample size requirements for cluster-based studies requires estimates of the intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) for the variables of interest.

Methods

We calculated the ICC for 112 variables measured as part of the Vermont Diabetes Information System, a cluster-randomized study of adults with diabetes from 73 primary care practices (the clusters) in Vermont and surrounding areas.

Results

ICCs varied widely around a median value of 0.0185 (Inter-quartile range: 0.006, 0.037). Some characteristics (such as the proportion having a recent creatinine measurement) were highly associated with the practice (ICC = 0.288), while others (prevalence of some comorbidities and complications and certain aspects of quality of life) varied much more across patients with only small correlation within practices (ICC<0.001).

Conclusion

The ICC values reported here may be useful in designing future studies that use clustered sampling from primary care practices.
Estimating and projecting HIV prevalence and AIDS deaths in Tanzania using antenatal surveillance data
Authors: Somi Geofrey R , Matee Mecky IN , Swai Roland O , Lyamuya Eligius F , Killewo Japhet , Kwesigabo Gideon , Tulli Tuhuma , Kabalimu Titus K , Ng'ang'a Lucy , Isingo Raphael , Ndayongeje Joel
Published: May 2006

Background

The Estimations and Projections Package (EPP 2005) for HIV/AIDS estimates and projects HIV prevalence, number of people living with HIV and new HIV infections and AIDS cases using antenatal clinic (ANC) surveillance data. The prevalence projection produced by EPP can be transferred to SPECTRUM, a demographic projectionmodel, to calculate the number of AIDS deaths. This paper presents estimates and projections of HIV prevalence, new cases of HIV infections and AIDS deaths in Tanzania between 2001 and 2010 using the EPP 2005 and SPECTRUM soft-wares on ANC data.

Methods

For this study we used; the 1985 – 2004 ANC data set, the 2005 UN population estimates for urban and rural adults, which is based on the 2002 population census, and results of the 2003 Tanzania HIV Indicator Survey. The ANC surveillance sites were categorized into urban and rural areas on the basis of the standard national definitions of urban and rural areas, which led to 40 urban and 35 rural clinic sites. The rural and urban epidemics were run independently by fitting the model to all data and on level fits.

Results

The national HIV prevalence increased from 0% in 1981 to a peak of 8.1% in 1995, and gradually decreased to 6.5% in 2004 which stabilized until 2010. The urban HIV epidemic increased from 0% in 1981 peaking at 12.6% in 1992 and leveled to between 10.9% and 11.8% from 2003 to 2010. The rural epidemic peaked in 1995 at 7.0% and gradually declined to 5.2% in 2004, and then stabilized at between 5.1% and 5.3% from 2005 to 2010. New infections are projected to rise steadily, resulting in 250,000 new cases in 2010. Deaths due to AIDS started in 1985 and rose steadily to reach 120,000 deaths in 2010, with more females dying than men.

Conclusion

The fact that the number of new infections is projected to increase steadily to reach 250,000 per year in 2010 calls for more concerted efforts to combat the spread of HIV infection particularly in the rural areas where the infrastructure needed for prevention programmes such as counseling and testing, condom accessibility and AIDS information is less developed.
Self-reported drug utilization, health, and lifestyle factors among 70–74 year old community dwelling individuals in Western Norway. The Hordaland Health Study (HUSK)
Authors: Brekke Mette , Hunskaar Steinar , Straand Jørund
Published: May 2006

Background

To examine the level and patterns of self-reported medication use (prescription and non-prescription drugs) among 70–74 year old individuals living in the community, and to explore self-reported indications for use, and factors possibly predictive of drug use.

Methods

A health survey carried out in 1997–99 in the county of Hordaland (Western Norway) in the setting of a population study. A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 4338 persons born in 1925–27, and a health check-up was offered. Drug use the previous day was reported (point prevalence). 3341 (77.0%) persons who responded, comprise the material for the analyses.

Results

Between one third (males) and one quarter (females) did not take any drug the previous day. Mean number of drugs among users was 2.8 (men and women). 32% used three or more drugs and 11.5% five or more. Hypertension and other cardiovascular problems were by far the most common reasons for drug use, followed by respiratory, musculoskeletal and mental health problems. Self-reported poor health, a high Body Mass Index (BMI), and being an ex-smoker (but not currently a smoker) correlated with increasing number of drugs taken.

Conclusion

Among 70–74-year old individuals living in the community no use of medication was more common than major polypharmacy (5+ drugs). Persons who had fallen ill and were put on regular medication, probably tended to quit smoking, while those who remained healthy, continued to smoke.
Waterborne microbial risk assessment : a population-based dose-response function for Giardia spp. (E.MI.R.A study)
Authors: Zmirou-Navier D , Gofti-Laroche L , Hartemann Ph
Published: May 2006

Background

Dose-response parameters based on clinical challenges are frequently used to assess the health impact of protozoa in drinking water. We compare the risk estimates associated with Giardia in drinking water derived from the dose-response parameter published in the literature and the incidence of acute digestive conditions (ADC) measured in the framework of an epidemiological study in a general population.

Methods

The study combined a daily follow-up of digestive morbidity among a panel of 544 volunteers and a microbiological surveillance of tap water. The relationship between incidence of ADC and concentrations of Giardia cysts was modeled with Generalized Estimating Equations, adjusting on community, age, tap water intake, presence of bacterial indicators, and genetic markers of viruses. The quantitative estimate of Giardia dose was the product of the declared amount of drinking water intake (in L) by the logarithm of cysts concentrations.

Results

The Odds Ratio for one unit of dose [OR = 1.76 (95% CI: 1.21, 2.55)] showed a very good consistency with the risk assessment estimate computed after the literature dose-response, provided application of a 20 % abatement factor to the cysts counts that were measured in the epidemiological study. Doing so, a daily water intake of 2 L and a Giardia concentration of 10 cysts/100 L, would yield an estimated relative excess risk of 12 % according to the Rendtorff model, against 11 % when multiplying the baseline rate of ADC by the corresponding OR. This abatement parameter encompasses uncertainties associated with germ viability, infectivity and virulence in natural settings.

Conclusion

The dose-response function for waterborne Giardia risk derived from clinical experiments is consistent with epidemiological data. However, much remains to be learned about key characteristics that may heavily influence quantitative risk assessment results.
Understandings of reproductive tract infections in a peri-urban pueblo joven in Lima, Peru
Authors: Hernández Lisa Scipioni , Winch Peter J , Parker Kea , Gilman Robert H
Published: May 2006

Background

Control programs for Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) typically focus on increasing awareness of risks associated with different forms of sexual contact, and pay little attention to how or why people may link RTIs to other features of their physical or social environments. This paper describes how women in a peri-urban pueblo joven located in the coastal desert surrounding Lima, Peru conceptualize the links between RTIs, sexual behaviour, personal hygiene, and the adverse environment in which they live.

Methods

We combined qualitative interviews and a participatory voting exercise to examine social and physical environmental influences on RTIs and gynaecologic symptom interpretation.

Results

Knowledge of RTIs in general was limited, although knowledge of AIDS was higher. Perceived causes of RTIs fell into three categories: sexual contact with infected persons, personal hygiene and exposure to the contaminated physical environment, with AIDS clearly related to sexual contact. The adverse environment is thought to be a major contributor to vaginal discharge, "inflamed ovaries" and urinary tract infection. The more remote parts of this periurban squatter settlement, characterized by blowing sand and dust and limited access to clean water, are thought to exhibit higher rates of RTIs as a direct result of the adverse environment found there. Stigma associated with RTIs often keeps women from seeking care or obtaining information about gynaecologic symptoms, and favours explanations that avoid mention of sexual practices.

Conclusion

The discrepancy between demonstrated disease risk factors and personal explanations influenced by local environmental conditions and RTI-related stigma poses a challenge for prevention programs. Effective interventions need to take local understandings of RTIs into account as they engage in dialogue with communities about prevention and treatment of RTIs.
The imperative for controlled mechanical stresses in unraveling cellular mechanisms of mechanotransduction
Authors: Anderson Eric J , Falls Thomas D , Sorkin Adam M , Tate Melissa L Knothe
Published: May 2006

Background

In vitro mechanotransduction studies are designed to elucidate cell behavior in response to a well-defined mechanical signal that is imparted to cultured cells, e.g. through fluid flow. Typically, flow rates are calculated based on a parallel plate flow assumption, to achieve a targeted cellular shear stress. This study evaluates the performance of specific flow/perfusion chambers in imparting the targeted stress at the cellular level.

Methods

To evaluate how well actual flow chambers meet their target stresses (set for 1 and 10 dyn/cm2 for this study) at a cellular level, computational models were developed to calculate flow velocity components and imparted shear stresses for a given pressure gradient. Computational predictions were validated with micro-particle image velocimetry (μ PIV) experiments.

Results

Based on these computational and experimental studies, as few as 66% of cells seeded along the midplane of commonly implemented flow/perfusion chambers are subjected to stresses within ±10% of the target stress. In addition, flow velocities and shear stresses imparted through fluid drag vary as a function of location within each chamber. Hence, not only a limited number of cells are exposed to target stress levels within each chamber, but also neighboring cells may experience different flow regimes. Finally, flow regimes are highly dependent on flow chamber geometry, resulting in significant variation in magnitudes and spatial distributions of stress between chambers.

Conclusion

The results of this study challenge the basic premise of in vitro mechanotransduction studies, i.e. that a controlled flow regime is applied to impart a defined mechanical stimulus to cells. These results also underscore the fact that data from studies in which different chambers are utilized can not be compared, even if the target stress regimes are comparable.
Evaluation of a Pediatric‐sedation Service for Common Diagnostic Procedures
Authors: King Wendalyn K. , Stockwell Jana A. , DeGuzman Michael A. , Simon Harold K. , Khan Naghma S.
Published: May 2006

Background:
Pediatric patients often require sedation for diagnostic procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanning. In October 2002, a dedicated sedation service was started at a tertiary care pediatric facility as a joint venture between pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric critical care medicine. Before this service, sedation was provided by the department of radiology by using a standard protocol, with high‐risk patients and failed sedations referred for general anesthesia.

Objectives:
To describe the initial experience with a dedicated pediatric‐sedation service.

Methods:
This was a retrospective analysis of quality‐assurance data collected on all sedations in the radiology department for 23‐month periods before and after sedation‐service implementation. Study variables were number and reasons for canceled or incomplete procedures, rates of referral for general anesthesia, rates of hypoxia, prolonged sedation, need for assisted ventilation, apnea, emesis, and paradoxical reaction to medication. Results are reported in odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

Results:
Data from 5,444 sedations were analyzed; 2,148 before and 3,296 after sedation‐service activation. Incomplete studies secondary to inadequate sedation decreased, from 2.7% before the service was created to 0.8% in the post–sedation‐service period (OR, 0.29; 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.47). There also were decreases in cancellations caused by patient illness (3.8% vs. 0.6%; OR, 0.16; 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.27) and rates of hypoxia (8.8% vs. 4.6%; OR, 0.50; 95% CI = 0.40 to 0.63). There were no significant differences between the groups in rates of apnea, need for assisted ventilation, emesis, or prolonged sedation. The implementation of the sedation service also was associated with a decrease in both the number of patients referred to general anesthesia without a trial of sedation (from 2.1% to 0.1%; OR, 0.33; 95% CI = 0.06 to 1.46) and the total number of general anesthesia cases in the radiology department (from 7.5% to 4.4% of all patients requiring either sedation or anesthesia; OR, 0.56; 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.71).

Conclusions:
The implementation of a dedicated pediatric‐sedation service resulted in fewer incomplete studies related to inadequate sedation, in fewer canceled studies secondary to patient illness, in fewer referrals for general anesthesia, and in fewer recorded instances of sedation‐associated hypoxia. These findings have important implications in terms of patient safety and resource utilization.
The Relationship of Plasma Glucose and HbA1c Levels among Emergency Department Patients with No Prior History of Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Silverman Robert A. , Pahk Raymond , Carbone Michelle , Wells Evelyn , Mitzner Ron , Burris Katy , Kelson James R. , Grella Rosetta , Katzeff Harvey
Published: May 2006

Objectives:
Patients without a history of diabetes mellitus may be incidentally found to be hyperglycemic in the emergency department (ED). If the hyperglycemia is due to undiagnosed diabetes, then an opportunity for detection exists. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) provides a weighted average of blood glucose levels over the past several months; high HbA1c levels could indicate diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine whether hyperglycemia in ED patients without a history of diabetes was associated with higher HbA1c levels.

Methods:
This was a prospective nonconsecutive case series of adults aged 18 years or older presenting to the ED with acute illness for whom a plasma glucose sample was drawn for clinical management. A history of diabetes/hyperglycemia or current symptoms of diabetes excluded patients. HbA1c levels were analyzed for a glucose cutoff of 110 mg/dL; the data were further analyzed using additional glucose cutoffs. Based on the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey outpatient screening data, an HbA1c level ≥6.2% was considered elevated (sensitivity of 63% and specificity of 97% for identifying diabetes).

Results:
There were 541 patients enrolled; the glucose level correlated with the HbA1c level (r= 0.60, p < 0.001). Among the 331 patients with a glucose level ≥110 mg/dL, 22.4% had an elevated HbA1c level; among the 210 patients with a glucose level < 110 mg/dL, 7.6% had an elevated HbA1c level. There were few patients (n= 13) with a glucose level ≥200 mg/dL, but most (85%) had an elevated HbA1c level. Among the 140 patients with a mildly elevated glucose level (110–125 mg/dL), 16.4% had an elevated HbA1c level.

Conclusions:
Elevated HbA1c levels are found in ED patients with elevated random plasma glucose values. ED patients with hyperglycemia may warrant referral for diabetes testing.
Heritability of Serum Resistin and Its Genetic Correlation with Insulin Resistance-Related Features in Nondiabetic Caucasians
Authors: Menzaghi Claudia , Coco Angelo , Salvemini Lucia , Thompson Ryan , De Cosmo Salvatore , Doria Alessandro , Trischitta Vincenzo
Published: May 2006

Context: Serum levels of resistin are believed to modulate insulin resistance in humans.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum resistin levels are genetically controlled and whether this control is shared with other insulin resistance traits.

Design and Methods: The study cohort included 264 nondiabetic probands, Caucasian from Italy, and their 473 adult family members. Phenotypic characterization included anthropometric variables, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, lipid profile, and resistin levels. Genotypes were determined at position g.−420C→G (rs1862513), IVS2+181G→A (rs3745367), and GAT(n) polymorphisms of the resistin (RETN) gene.

Results: In the 264 unrelated probands, resistin levels were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with adiposity, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, and the metabolic syndrome score. In a variance component analysis of the 264 probands and their 473 relatives, about 70% of the observed variation of serum resistin levels was heritable (P < 0.0001). A small, but significant (P = 0.004) proportion of this variance was explained by the G→A variation at position IVS2+181 of the RETN gene. Significant genetic correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between resistin and body mass index (ρg = 0.30), waist circumference (ρg = 0.32), the insulin resistance index HOMAIR (ρg = 0.28), and the metabolic syndrome score (ρg = 0.35).

Conclusions: These data indicate that serum resistin is highly heritable and has some common genetic background with traits related to insulin resistance, reinforcing the hypothesis that this adipokine may play a pathogenic role in insulin resistance-related abnormalities, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A Convenient Synthesis of γ-Alkyl-α-hydroxy-γ-lactones as a Food Intake-Control Substance
Authors: Nakano Taichi , Ino Yurika , Nagai Yoichiro
Published: May 2006

A series of new γ-alkyl-α-hydroxy-γ-lactones which are promising as excellent food intake-control substances was synthesized in high yields by the hydrolysis of γ-alkyl-α-chloro-γ-lactones.
Estimation of Bulkiness of a Highly Sterically Demanding 2,4,6-Tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl Group
Authors: Okazaki Renji , Unno Masafumi , Inamoto Naoki
Published: May 2006

In two different types of reactions the title group behaves as a bulkier group than 2,4,6-tri-t-butylphenyl which has often been used for kinetic stabilization of highly reactive compounds.
Clozapine-Induced Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Rami Abu Fanne , Barkan Daniel , Mevorach Dror , Leitersdorf Eran , Caraco Yoseph
Published: May 2006

Objective:

To report a case of classic clozapine-induced systemic lupus erythematosus that also developed on rechallenge.

Case Summary:

A 32-year-old white woman diagnosed with schizophrenia presented in 1996 with clinical characteristics and laboratory markers consistent with drug-induced lupus (DIL). Clozapine, started 1 year prior, was withdrawn, with complete biological and clinical remission within 3 months. In 2004, 1 week after rechallenge with clozapine for uncontrolled schizophrenia, the patient developed clinical and biological signs and symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of DIL. Again, discontinuation of clozapine was followed by full remission within 2–3 months.

Discussion:

DIL was first described more than 50 years ago, with multiple drugs implicated in the causation. Clozapine-induced lupus was reported recently, but does not meet the usual criteria for a diagnosis of DIL. We report a classic case of clozapine-induced lupus that, according to the Naranjo probability scale, demonstrates a highly probable relationship between DIL and clozapine.

Conclusions:

DIL demands a high index of suspicion for diagnosis. Although clozapine has an extensive safety profile, DIL must be considered as one of its serious adverse effects.
The Comparative Pathology of Clostridium difficile-associated Disease
Authors: Keel M. K. , Songer J. G.
Published: May 2006

Clostridium difficile is a confirmed pathogen in a wide variety of mammals, but the incidence of disease varies greatly in relation to host species, age, environmental density of spores, administration of antibiotics, and possibly, other factors. Lesions vary as well, in severity and distribution within individuals, and in some instances, age groups, of a given species. The cecum and colon are principally affected in most species, but foals and rabbits develop severe jejunal lesions. Explanations for variable susceptibility of species, and age groups within a species, are largely speculative. Differences in colonization rates and toxin-receptor densities have been proposed. Clostridium difficile-associated disease is most commonly diagnosed in Syrian hamsters, horses, and neonatal pigs, but it is reported sporadically in many other species. The essential virulence factors of C. difficile are large exotoxins, toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB). Receptor-mediated endocytosis of the toxins is followed by endosomal acidification, a necessary step for conversion of the toxin to its active form in the cytosol. Cell-surface receptors have been characterized for TcdA, but remain to be identified for TcdB. Both TcdA and TcdB disrupt the actin cytoskeleton by disrupting Rho-subtype, intracellular signaling molecules. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton is catastrophic for cellular function, but inflammation and neurogenic stimuli are also involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Spontaneous Deciduosarcoma in a Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Authors: Cooper T. K. , Adelsohn D. , Gilbertson S. R.
Published: May 2006

Deciduosarcoma is a rare, hormonally dependent neoplasm with features of malignancy, previously reported only in rabbits enrolled in chronic toxicology studies involving estrogens with or without progestins. An exploratory laparotomy was performed on a 6-year-old pet Dutch dwarf rabbit following palpation of a 6-cm-diameter abdominal mass. Grossly, the mass was fleshy and nodular, adhered to but not appearing to originate from the small intestine, with a smaller mass of similar appearance involving the uterus, and an effaced mesenteric lymph node. Histologically, the mass was characterized by spindloid cells and large epithelioid cells with abundant pale eosinophilic vacuolated cytoplasm and an infiltrative pattern of growth. Giant cells with large, bizarre, hyperchromatic nuclei were common. Cells were positive by immunohistochemistry for vimentin and progesterone and estrogen receptors and negative for pancytokeratin (AE1/AE3), cytokeratin 18, desmin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA), and CD10. Based on histologic and immunohistochemical findings, a diagnosis of deciduosarcoma was made.
Nuclear fusion in finite semifield planes
Authors: Jha Vikram , Johnson Norman L.
Published: May 2006

We study the subplanes of finite semifield planes that are coordinatizable by subfields F of some semifield D such that F lies in at least two of the three seminuclear fields N
ℓ(D), Nm
(D), and Nr
(D). Our main results determine completely the combinatorial configurations associated with such subplanes, and enables, for example, a computational method to determine the number of nuclear planes of order q in semifield planes of order qt
.

The results have a number of applications. Firstly, they imply ‘fusion’ theorems. The most basic one is that if two or more seminuclear subfields, of a semifield D coordinatizing a translation plane π, are each isomorphic to GF(q), then π may be recoordinatized by a semifield E such that the indicated seminuclear fields, of order q, coincide. The most important case is nuclear fusion: if all three seminuclei of D are isomorphic to GF(q) then the nucleus N(E) ≅ GF(q).

Further applications are concerned with semifield spreads π of order q
2. We classify all such π that admit three homology groups of order q – 1 with dierent axis (the shears axis, the infinite line, and any other component), thus generalizing a theorem of D. E. Knuth, who proved an algebraic version of the result.
The Time of Prenatal Immune Challenge Determines the Specificity of Inflammation-Mediated Brain and Behavioral Pathology
Authors: Meyer Urs , Nyffeler Myriel , Engler Andrea , Urwyler Adrian , Schedlowski Manfred , Knuesel Irene , Yee Benjamin K. , Feldon Joram
Published: May 2006

Disturbance to early brain development is implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia, and mental retardation. Epidemiological studies have indicated that the risk of developing these disorders is enhanced by prenatal maternal infection, presumably as a result of neurodevelopmental defects triggered by cytokine-related inflammatory events. Here, we demonstrate that the effects of maternal immune challenge between middle and late gestation periods in mice are dissociable in terms of fetal brain cytokine responses to maternal inflammation and the pathological consequences in brain and behavior. Specifically, the relative expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the fetal brains in response to maternal immune challenge may be an important determinant among other developmental factors for the precise pathological profile emerging in later life. Thus, the middle and late gestation periods correspond to two windows with differing vulnerability to adult behavioral dysfunction, brain neuropathology in early adolescence, and of the acute cytokine responses in the fetal brain.