bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Avaliação clínica da deglutição na doença de Chagas
Authors: Santos Carla Manfredi dos , Cassiani Rachel de Aguiar , Dantas Roberto Oliveira
Published: June 2011

OBJETIVO: Avaliar clinicamente a deglutição orofaríngea de pacientes portadores da doença de Chagas com disfagia e comparar os achados da anamnese entre os doentes chagásicos de acordo com o grau do megaesôfago. MÉTODOS: Utilizando protocolo de avaliação, estudamos a deglutição de 21 pacientes com doença de Chagas e comprometimento do esôfago diagnosticado por sorologia e exame radiológico do esôfago, e de 18 sujeitos sadios assintomáticos pareados por idade e gênero. Nos dois grupos foi realizada anamnese contendo questões relacionadas à queixa de disfagia. Após este procedimento, foi realizada avaliação clínica da deglutição, sem introdução de dieta via oral e com dieta via oral nas consistências líquida e pastosa, abrangendo aspectos estruturais e funcionais. Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente. Este é um estudo experimental e transversal. RESULTADOS: Maior proporção de pacientes chagásicos apresentou deglutições múltiplas e elevação laríngea reduzida na deglutição das consistências líquida e pastosa, em relação aos sujeitos sadios. Os pacientes com aumento do diâmetro do esôfago referiram mais frequentemente queixa de perda de peso quando comparados aos pacientes sem aumento do diâmetro do esôfago. CONCLUSÃO: Os pacientes chagásicos podem apresentar alterações na deglutição orofaringeana e pacientes com maior comprometimento do esôfago apresentam maior perda de peso do que os pacientes com menor comprometimento.
Modelos determinísticos de gestão de ativo/passivo: uma aplicação no Brasil
Authors: Saad Nicolas , Ribeiro Celma O
Published: June 2011

Este artigo apresenta uma aplicação de modelos de otimização do tipo Gestão Ativo/Passivo (Asset/ Liability Management ou ALM) no Brasil. Esses modelos, ao contrário dos modelos tradicionais de maximização de ganhos sujeitos a limitações de risco, buscam otimizar a aplicação de recursos de uma entidade, dadas as características de seus passivos. A idéia central do trabalho é aplicar e adaptar alguns dos modelos existentes de otimização de carteiras do tipo Asset/Liability Management, apresentados na literatura, à realidade brasileira. A aplicabilidade dos modelos será analisada com base em um plano de aposentadoria complementar pertencente a um Fundo Multipatrocinado.
Custeio baseado em atividades aplicado à prestação de serviços médicos de radiologia
Authors: Brasil Simeão Antônio Silveira
Published: June 2011

Este trabalho emprega o Método de Custeio por Atividades - Activity-based Costing - com o propósito de quantificar o custo unitário dos exames radiológicos produzidos no Setor de Radiologia Médica Convencional em uma Instituição de Saúde. Foram custeados 111 tipos de exames, sendo 27 realizados com o uso de substâncias médicas contrastantes e 84 exames convencionais, observando-se os atributos de consumo de filmes radiológicos de cada um. Os resultados do trabalho mostram que o ABC propicia um bom nível de detalhamento das atividades selecionadas para a realização de exames radiológicos convencionais e com o uso de substâncias de contraste, visto que esses objetos foram agrupados segundo os atributos de consumo de filmes radiológicos.
Budgeting in an open system
Authors: Nowak Wojciech A.
Published: June 2011

Budgeting is broadly used as a tool for organizational management. And this is a reason for continuous looking for budgeting essence. In the paper the systems approach is applied to investigating the nature of budgeting. The systemic aspect of an organization and the systems approach to management were taken into account. Budgeting is seen as the process of prediction and communication of systemic attributes of an organization. It seems that the results reached point to the systems approach as a basis for general theory of both budgeting and accounting.
Custeio baseado em atividades (ABC) aplicado aos processos de compra e venda de distribuidora de mercadorias
Authors: Wernke Rodney
Published: June 2011

Trata-se de estudo de caso sobre a aplicação do Custeio Baseado em Atividades (ABC) efetuada em empresa que atua na distribuição de mercadorias. O estudo teve por objetivo identificar o efetivo consumo de recursos destinados aos processos de compra e de venda pelos três principais segmentos de mercado em que a entidade atua, no sentido de melhorar sua análise de rentabilidade. Após efetuar uma revisão da literatura sobre os principais aspectos do ABC, descreve-se o estudo efetuado. Inicialmente, faz-se a caracterização da empresa em que foi efetuada a pesquisa. Em seguida, apresentam-se os detalhes da implementação do ABC, comentando os procedimentos realizados para tal finalidade. Por último, são mencionadas as informações gerenciais mais relevantes que puderam ser obtidas pelo uso dessa forma de custeio.
Health Insurance Status, Medical Debt, and Their Impact on Access to Care in Arizona
Authors: Herman Patricia M. , Rissi Jill J. , Walsh Michele E.
Published: June 2011

Objectives. We examined the impact of health insurance status on medical debt among Arizona residents and the impact of both of these factors on access to care.

Methods. We estimated logistic regression models for medical debt (problems paying and currently paying medical bills) and access to care (medical care and medications delayed or missed because of cost or lack of insurance).

Results. Insured status did not predict medical debt after control for health status, income, age, and household characteristics. Insured status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.32), problems paying medical bills (AOR = 4.96), and currently paying off medical bills (AOR = 3.04) were all independent predictors of delayed medical care, but only problems paying (AOR = 6.16) and currently paying (AOR = 3.68) medical bills predicted delayed medications. Inconsistent coverage, however, was a strong predictor of problems paying bills, and both of these factors led to delays in medical care and medications.

Conclusions. At least in Arizona, health insurance does not protect individuals from medical debt, and medical debt and lack of insurance coverage both predict reduced access to care. These results may represent a troubling message for US health care in general.
Mental Health Promotion in Public Health: Perspectives and Strategies From Positive Psychology
Authors: Kobau Rosemarie , Seligman Martin E.P. , Peterson Christopher , Diener Ed , Zack Matthew M. , Chapman Daniel , Thompson William
Published: June 2011

Positive psychology is the study of what is “right” about people—their positive attributes, psychological assets, and strengths. Its aim is to understand and foster the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to thrive.

Cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal research demonstrates that positive emotions are associated with numerous benefits related to health, work, family, and economic status. Growing biomedical research supports the view that positive emotions are not merely the opposite of negative emotions but may be independent dimensions of mental affect.

The asset-based paradigms of positive psychology offer new approaches for bolstering psychological resilience and promoting mental health. Ultimately, greater synergy between positive psychology and public health might help promote mental health in innovative ways.
Making ENDS Meet: Community Networks and Health Promotion Among Blacks in the City of Brotherly Love
Authors: Carthon Margo Brooks
Published: June 2011

This historical inquiry illustrates the power of social networks by examining the Starr Centre and the Whittier Centre, two civic associations that operated in Philadelphia during the early 20th century, a time when Black Americans faced numerous public health threats. Efforts to address those threats included health initiatives forged through collaborative social networks involving civic associations, health professionals, and members of Black communities. Such networks provided access to important resources and served as cornerstones of health promotion activities in many large cities. I trace the origins of these two centers, the development of their programs, their establishment of ties with Black community residents, and the relationship between strong community ties and the development of community health initiatives. Clinicians, researchers, and community health activists can draw on these historical precedents to address contemporary public health concerns by identifying community strengths, leveraging social networks, mobilizing community members, training community leaders, and building partnerships with indigenous community organizations.
Fortification of Corn Masa Flour With Folic Acid in the United States
Authors: Fleischman Alan R. , Oinuma Motoko
Published: June 2011

Food fortification is an effective public health tool for addressing micronutrient deficiencies. The mandatory fortification of enriched cereal grains (e.g., wheat flour) with folic acid, which began in the United States in 1998, is an example of a successful intervention that significantly reduced the rate of neural tube defects (NTDs).

However, despite the drop in NTD rates across all racial/ethnic groups after fortification, Hispanics continue to have the highest rates of this condition. One possible way to reduce this disparity is to fortify corn masa flour to increase the overall intake of folic acid in Hispanic women.

We present the available evidence in favor of this approach, address possible safety issues, and outline next steps in the fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid in the United States.
The Prevention of Global Chronic Disease: Academic Public Health's New Frontier
Authors: Greenberg Henry , Raymond Susan U. , Leeder Stephen R.
Published: June 2011

A confluence of stimuli is propelling academic public health to embrace the prevention of chronic disease in developing countries as its new frontier. These stimuli are a growing recognition of the epidemic, academia's call to reestablish public health as a mover of societal tectonics rather than a handmaiden to medicine's focus on the individual, and the turmoil in the US health system that makes change permissible.

To enable graduating professionals to participate in the assault on chronic diseases, schools of public health must allocate budgets and other resources to this effort. The barriers to chronic disease prevention and risk factor modulation are cultural and political; confronting them will require public health to work with a wide variety of disciplines.

Chronic disease will likely become the dominant global public health issue soon. In addressing this issue, academia needs to lead, not follow.
Corrosion of an austenite and ferrite stainless steel weld
Authors: Rajakovic-Ognjanovic Vladana , Grgur Branimir
Published: June 2011

Dissimilar metal connections are prone to frequent failures. These failures
are attributed to the difference in the mechanical properties across the
weld, the coefficients of thermal expansion of the two types of steels and
the resulting creep at the interface. For the weld analyzed in this research,
it was shown that corrosion measurements can be used for a proper evaluation
of the quality of weld material and for the prediction of whether or not the
material, after the applied welding process, can be in service without
failures. It was found that the corrosion of the weld analyzed in this
research resulted from the simultaneous activity of different types of
corrosion. In this study, electrochemical techniques including polarization
and metallographic analysis were used to analyze the corrosion of a weld
material of ferrite and austenitic stainless steels. Based on surface,
chemical and electrochemical analyses, it was concluded that corrosion
occurrence was the result of the simultaneous activity of contact corrosion
(ferrite and austenitic material conjuction), stress corrosion (originating
from deformed ferrite structure) and inter-granular corrosion (due to
chromium carbide precipitation). The value of corrosion potential of -0.53 V
shows that this weld, after the thermal treatment, is not able to repassivate
a protective oxide film.
Effect of Computer-Generated Tailored Feedback on Glycemic Control in People With Diabetes in the Community
Authors: Sherifali Diana , Greb Janet L. , Amirthavasar Gaya , Hunt Dereck , Haynes R. Brian , Harper William , Holbrook Anne , Capes Sarah , Goeree Ron , O’Reilly Daria , Pullenayegum Eleanor , Gerstein Hertzel C.
Published: June 2011

OBJECTIVE

It is unknown whether computer-generated, patient-tailored feedback leads to improvements in glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We recruited people with type 2 diabetes aged ≥40 years with a glycated hemoglobin (A1C) ≥7%, living in Hamilton, Canada, who were enrolled in a community-based program (Diabetes Hamilton) that provided regular evidence-based information and listings of community resources designed to facilitate diabetes self-management. After completing a questionnaire, participants were randomly allocated to either receive or not receive periodic computer-generated, evidence-based feedback on the basis of their questionnaire responses and designed to facilitate improved glycemic control and diabetes self-management. The primary outcome was a change in A1C after 1 year.

RESULTS

A total of 465 participants (50% women, mean age 62 years, and mean A1C 7.83%) were randomly assigned, and 12-month A1C values were available in 96% of all participants, at which time the A1C level had decreased by an absolute amount of 0.24 and 0.15% in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The difference in A1C reduction for the intervention versus control group was 0.09% (95% CI −0.08 to 0.26; P = 0.3). No between-group differences in measures of quality of life, diabetes self-management behaviors, or clinical outcomes were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Providing computer-generated tailored feedback to registrants of a generic, community-based program that supports diabetes self-management does not lead to lower A1C levels or a better quality of life than participation in the community-based program (augmented by periodic A1C testing) alone.
Increased Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Depressed Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Scherrer Jeffrey F. , Garfield Lauren D. , Chrusciel Timothy , Hauptman Paul J. , Carney Robert M. , Freedland Kenneth E. , Owen Richard , True William R. , Lustman Patrick J.
Published: June 2011

OBJECTIVE

To investigate major depressive disorder (MDD), which complicates the course of type 2 diabetes and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. This risk may be due to a greater susceptibility for myocardial infarction (MI) in depressed patients with type 2 diabetes compared with nondepressed patients with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Veterans Administration electronic medical records were analyzed to identify a cohort free of cardiovascular disease in fiscal years 1999 and 2000, aged 25 to 80 years. ICD-9-CM codes were used to create a four-level risk group indicating 1) neither diabetes nor MDD (n = 214,749), 2) MDD alone (n = 77,568), 3) type 2 diabetes alone (n = 40,953), and 4) comorbid MDD and type 2 diabetes (n = 12,679). Age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were computed before and after adjusting for baseline sociodemographic and time-dependent covariates.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, patients with type 2 diabetes alone and patients with MDD alone were at ∼30% increased risk for MI, and patients with type 2 diabetes and MDD were at 82% increased risk for MI (hazard ratio 1.82 [95% CI 1.69–1.97]) compared with patients without either condition.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with patients with only diabetes or only MDD, individuals with type 2 diabetes and MDD are at increased risk for new-onset MI. Monitoring cardiovascular health in depressed patients with type 2 diabetes may reduce the risk of MI in this especially high-risk group.
Reflex and Tonic Autonomic Markers for Risk Stratification in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Surviving Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Barthel Petra , Bauer Axel , Müller Alexander , Junk Nadine , Huster Katharina M. , Ulm Kurt , Malik Marek , Schmidt Georg
Published: June 2011

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic postinfarction patients are at increased mortality risk compared with nondiabetic postinfarction patients. In a substantial number of these patients, diabetic cardiac neuropathy already preexists at the time of the infarction. In the current study we investigated if markers of autonomic dysfunction can further discriminate diabetic postinfarction patients into low- and high-risk groups.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We prospectively enrolled 481 patients with type 2 diabetes who survived acute myocardial infarction (MI), were aged ≤80 years, and presented in sinus rhythm. Primary end point was total mortality at 5 years of follow-up. Severe autonomic failure (SAF) was defined as coincidence of abnormal autonomic reflex function (assessed by means of heart rate turbulence) and of abnormal autonomic tonic activity (assessed by means of deceleration capacity of heart rate). Multivariable risk analyses considered SAF and standard risk predictors including history of previous MI, arrhythmia on Holter monitoring, insulin treatment, and impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤30%.

RESULTS

During follow-up, 83 of the 481 patients (17.3%) died. Of these, 24 deaths were sudden cardiac deaths and 21 nonsudden cardiac deaths. SAF identified a high-risk group of 58 patients with a 5-year mortality rate of 64.0% at a sensitivity level of 38.0%. Multivariately, SAF was the strongest predictor of mortality (hazard ratio 4.9 [95% CI 2.4–9.9]), followed by age ≥65 years (3.4 [1.9–5.8]), and LVEF ≤30% (2.6 [1.5–4.4]).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined abnormalities of autonomic reflex function and autonomic tonic activity identifies diabetic postinfarction patients with very poor prognoses.
Validation of the Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Risk Score in the TrialNet Natural History Study
Authors: Sosenko Jay M. , Skyler Jay S. , Mahon Jeffrey , Krischer Jeffrey P. , Beam Craig A. , Boulware David C. , Greenbaum Carla J. , Rafkin Lisa E. , Cowie Catherine , Cuthbertson David , Palmer Jerry P. ,   the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet and Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Study Groups
Published: June 2011

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the accuracy of the Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 Risk Score (DPTRS), developed from the Diabetes Prevention Trial–Type 1 (DPT-1), in the TrialNet Natural History Study (TNNHS).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Prediction accuracy of the DPTRS was assessed with receiver-operating characteristic curve areas. The type 1 diabetes cumulative incidence within the DPTRS intervals was compared between the TNNHS and DPT-1 cohorts.

RESULTS

Receiver-operating characteristic curve areas for the DPTRS were substantial in the TNNHS (P < 0.001 at both 2 and 3 years). The type 1 diabetes cumulative incidence did not differ significantly between the TNNHS and DPT-1 cohorts within DPTRS intervals. In the TNNHS, 2-year and 3-year risks were low for DPTRS intervals <6.50 (<0.10 and <0.20, respectively). Thresholds ≥7.50 were indicative of high risk in both cohorts (2-year risks: 0.49 in the TNNHS and 0.51 in DPT-1).

CONCLUSIONS

The DPTRS is an accurate and robust predictor of type 1 diabetes in autoantibody-positive populations.
Pattern avoiding partitions and Motzkin left factors
Authors: Mansour Toufik , Shattuck Mark
Published: June 2011

Let L
n, n ≥ 1, denote the sequence which counts the number of paths from the origin to the line x = n − 1 using (1, 1), (1, −1), and (1, 0) steps that never dip below the x-axis (called Motzkin left factors). The numbers L
n count, among other things, certain restricted subsets of permutations and Catalan paths. In this paper, we provide new combinatorial interpretations for these numbers in terms of finite set partitions. In particular, we identify four classes of the partitions of size n, all of which have cardinality L
n and each avoiding a set of two classical patterns of length four. We obtain a further generalization in one of the cases by considering a pair of statistics on the partition class. In a couple of cases, to show the result, we make use of the kernel method to solve a functional equation arising after a certain parameter has been introduced.
The Freudian Subject and the Maoist Mind: The Diaries of Hermine Hug-Hellmuth and Lei Feng
Authors: Larson Wendy
Published: June 2011

Although written in vastly different cultural contexts and periods, Hermine Hug-Hellmuth's Diary of a Young Girl (1919) and Lei Feng's The Diary of Lei Feng (1963) both to a large extent were written as concept pieces, with the goal of illustrating specific theories of the self. In the case of Hug-Hellmuth, the underlying theory is the Freudian sexualized unconscious mind, whereas for Lei Feng, it is Maoist revolutionary optimism. Additionally, both diaries have unusually strong inauthentic or ‘fake’ aspects. Although Hug-Hellmuth never admitted to writing the diary, most critics believed it came from her pen. Lei Feng's diary was revised through his own attempts to present himself as politically progressive, by editors, and through successive political movements that focused on the person behind the diary and made him one of the most widely-recognized figures in China. As such, the diaries are excellent windows into powerful and long-lasting ideological constructs.
Freud's Mexican Readers
Authors: Gallo Rubén
Published: June 2011

This essay presents an overview of artists and writers who read Freud's work in Mexico between 1920 and 1968. The focus is on cultural readings of Freud: non-clinical interpretations of psychoanalysis that applied Freud's theory to literary, artistic, philosophical, or religious questions. The essay focuses on Salvador Novo, one of the poets associated with the Contemporáneos group, and his reading of the Three Essays in the Theory of Sexuality; Raúl Carrancá y Trujillo, a judge and criminologist who used psychoanalysis in his work, including the trial of Trotky's assassin; Octavio Paz, a poet an intellectual who wrote an essay on Mexican history, The Labyrinth of Solitude, as a response to Moses and Monotheism; and Gregorio Lemercier, a Benedictine monk who placed his monastery in group analysis. These unorthodox readings of Freud opened the door for some of the most daring intellectual experiments in the 20th century.
Remediation of Chlorinated Solvent Plumes Using In-Situ Air Sparging—A 2-D Laboratory Study
Authors: Adams Jeffrey A. , Reddy Krishna R. , Tekola Lue
Published: June 2011

In-situ air sparging has evolved as an innovative technique for soil and groundwater remediation impacted with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including chlorinated solvents. These may exist as non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) or dissolved in groundwater. This study assessed: (1) how air injection rate affects the mass removal of dissolved phase contamination, (2) the effect of induced groundwater flow on mass removal and air distribution during air injection, and (3) the effect of initial contaminant concentration on mass removal. Dissolved-phase chlorinated solvents can be effectively removed through the use of air sparging; however, rapid initial rates of contaminant removal are followed by a protracted period of lower removal rates, or a tailing effect. As the air flow rate increases, the rate of contaminant removal also increases, especially during the initial stages of air injection. Increased air injection rates will increase the density of air channel formation, resulting in a larger interfacial mass transfer area through which the dissolved contaminant can partition into the vapor phase. In cases of groundwater flow, increased rates of air injection lessened observed downward contaminant migration effect. The air channel network and increased air saturation reduced relative hydraulic conductivity, resulting in reduced groundwater flow and subsequent downgradient contaminant migration. Finally, when a higher initial TCE concentration was present, a slightly higher mass removal rate was observed due to higher volatilization-induced concentration gradients and subsequent diffusive flux. Once concentrations are reduced, a similar tailing effect occurs.
Esculetin Ameliorates Carbon Tetrachloride-Mediated Hepatic Apoptosis in Rats
Authors: Tien Yun-Chen , Liao Jung-Chun , Chiu Chuan-Sung , Huang Tai-Hung , Huang Chih-Yang , Chang Wen-Te , Peng Wen-Huang
Published: June 2011

Esculetin (ESC) is a coumarin that is present in several plants such as Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Artemisia capillaris. Our previous study found that FR ethanol extract (FREtOH) significantly ameliorated rats’ liver function. This study was intended to investigate the protective mechanism of ESC in hepatic apoptosis in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride. Rat hepatic apoptosis was induced by oral administration of CCl4. All rats were administered orally with CCl4 (20%, 0.5 mL/rat) twice a week for 8 weeks. Rats in the ESC groups were treated daily with ESC, and silymarin group were treated daily with silymarin. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as the activities of the anti-oxidative enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase in the liver were measured. In addition, expression of liver apoptosis proteins and anti-apoptotic proteins were detected. ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly reduced the elevated activities of serum ALT and AST caused by CCl4 and significantly increased the activities of catalase, GPx and SOD. Furthermore, ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of the proapoptotic proteins (t-Bid, Bak and Bad) and significantly increased the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL). ESC inhibited the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. In addition, the levels of activated caspase-9 and activated caspase-3 were significantly decreased in rats treated with ESC than those in rats treated with CCl4 alone. ESC significantly reduced CCl4-induced hepatic apoptosis in rats.
Automatic Forest-Fire Measuring Using Ground Stations and Unmanned Aerial Systems
Authors: Martínez-de Dios José   Ramiro , Merino Luis , Caballero Fernando , Ollero Anibal
Published: June 2011

This paper presents a novel system for automatic forest-fire measurement using cameras distributed at ground stations and mounted on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). It can obtain geometrical measurements of forest fires in real-time such as the location and shape of the fire front, flame height and rate of spread, among others. Measurement of forest fires is a challenging problem that is affected by numerous potential sources of error. The proposed system addresses them by exploiting the complementarities between infrared and visual cameras located at different ground locations together with others onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The system applies image processing and geo-location techniques to obtain forest-fire measurements individually from each camera and then integrates the results from all the cameras using statistical data fusion techniques. The proposed system has been extensively tested and validated in close-to-operational conditions in field fire experiments with controlled safety conditions carried out in Portugal and Spain from 2001 to 2006.
FRET-Based Quantum Dot Immunoassay for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Aspergillus amstelodami
Authors: Kattke Michele D. , Gao Elizabeth J. , Sapsford Kim E. , Stephenson Larry D. , Kumar Ashok
Published: June 2011

In this study, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based quantum dot (QD) immunoassay for detection and identification of Aspergillus amstelodami was developed. Biosensors were formed by conjugating QDs to IgG antibodies and incubating with quencher-labeled analytes; QD energy was transferred to the quencher species through FRET, resulting in diminished fluorescence from the QD donor. During a detection event, quencher-labeled analytes are displaced by higher affinity target analytes, creating a detectable fluorescence signal increase from the QD donor. Conjugation and the resulting antibody:QD ratios were characterized with UV-Vis spectroscopy and QuantiT protein assay. The sensitivity of initial fluorescence experiments was compromised by inherent autofluorescence of mold spores, which produced low signal-to-noise and inconsistent readings. Therefore, excitation wavelength, QD, and quencher were adjusted to provide optimal signal-to-noise over spore background. Affinities of anti-Aspergillus antibody for different mold species were estimated with sandwich immunoassays, which identified A. fumigatus and A. amstelodami for use as quencher-labeled- and target-analytes, respectively. The optimized displacement immunoassay detected A. amstelodami concentrations as low as 103 spores/mL in five minutes or less. Additionally, baseline fluorescence was produced in the presence of 105 CFU/mL heat-killed E. coli O157:H7, demonstrating high specificity. This sensing modality may be useful for identification and detection of other biological threat agents, pending identification of suitable antibodies. Overall, these FRET-based QD-antibody biosensors represent a significant advancement in detection capabilities, offering sensitive and reliable detection of targets with applications in areas from biological terrorism defense to clinical analysis.
The effect of surface anisotropy in the slippery zone of Nepenthes alata pitchers on beetle attachment
Authors: Gorb Elena V , Gorb Stanislav N
Published: June 2011

The slippery zone in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata bears scattered prominent lunate cells and displays continuous epicuticular crystalline wax coverage. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the surface anisotropy, caused by the shape of lunate cells, on insect attachment ability. Traction tests with ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata were performed in two types of experiments, where surface samples of (1) intact pitchers, (2) chemically de-waxed pitchers, and (3) their polymer replicas were placed horizontally. Beetle traction forces were measured when they walked on test surfaces in either an upward (towards the peristome) or downward (towards the pitcher bottom) direction, corresponding to the upright or inverted positions of the pitcher. On intact pitcher surfaces covered with both lunate cells and wax crystals, experiments showed significantly higher forces in the direction towards the pitcher bottom. To distinguish between the contributions, from claw interlocking and pad adhesion, to insect attachment on the pitcher surfaces, intact versus claw-ablated beetles were used in the second type of experiment. On both de-waxed plant samples and their replicas, intact insects generated much higher forces in the downward direction compared to the upward one, whereas clawless insects did not. These results led to the conclusion that, (i) due to the particular shape of lunate cells, the pitcher surface has anisotropic properties in terms of insect attachment, and (ii) claws were mainly responsible for attachment enhancement in the downward pitcher direction, since, in this direction, they could interlock with overhanging edges of lunate cells.
Structures et généralité en théorie combinatoire : les mathématiques et les lettres
Authors: Halimi Brice
Published: June 2011

Résumé Intervertir a et b , c’est mettre b à la place de a et a à la place de b . Dans le cas où a occupait la première place et b la deuxième, c’est mettre b à la première place et a à la deuxième. Dans le cas où, de plus, a est le chiffre ‘1’ et b le chiffre ‘2’, c’est mettre 2 à la place n? 1 et 1 à la place n? 2. La théorie des substitutions combine ainsi naturellement chiffres et numéros de place. Cet article montre que la confusion de ces deux éléments (chiffres et numéros) constitue un cas exemplaire de mécompréhension en mathématiques. Positivement, reconnaître à leur juste valeur toutes les numérotations ou paramétrisations qui interviennent en mathématiques, c’est reconnaître que les mathématiques ont rarement affaire à des structures sans l’intermédiaire essentiel de repères permettant de « fixer les idées ». L’article montre en particulier qu’une description structuraliste satisfaisante de l’objectivité mathématique ne peut faire l’économie de tels repères.
In Peritoneal Dialysis, Is There Sufficient Evidence to Make “PD First” Therapy?
Authors: Dalal Pranav , Sangha Harbaksh , Chaudhary Kunal
Published: June 2011

Since its introduction more than 3 decades ago, the use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) has increased greatly due to its simplicity, convenience, and low cost. Advances in technique, antibiotic prophylaxis, and the introduction of newer solutions have improved survival, quality of life, and reduced rate of complications with PD. In Hong Kong, approximately 80% end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients perform PD; in others, that is, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, 20%–30% patients use PD. However, in the United States, the annual rate of prevalent patients receiving PD has reduced to 8% from its peak of 15% in mid-1980s. PD as the initial modality is being offered to far less patients than hemodialysis (HD), resulting in the current annual incidence rate of less than 10% in USA. There are many reasons preventing the PD first initiative including the increased numbers of in-center hemodialysis units, physician comfort with the modality, perceived superiority of HD, risk of peritonitis, achieving adequate clearances, and reimbursement incentives to providers. Patient fatigue, membrane failure, and catheter problems are other reasons which discourage PD utilization. In this paper, we discuss the available evidence and provide rationale to support PD as the initial renal replacement modality for ESRD patients.
Detection ofMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisby a Direct In Situ PCR Method
Authors: Delgado Fernando , Aguilar Diana , Garbaccio Sergio , Francinelli Gladys , Hernández-Pando R. , Romano María Isabel
Published: June 2011

In situ detection ofMycobacterium aviumsubsp.paratuberculosisis useful for diagnosis and research of paratuberculosis. The aim of this paper was to detect this agent in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples by a direct in situ PCR. The technique was performed on ileum or ileocaecal lymph node samples from 8 naturally infected cattle and 1 healthy calf, by using p89 and p92 primers for amplification of IS900 sequence. Moderate positive signal was detected in all positive samples and not in negative control, but tissues resulted were affected in many cases due to the enzymatic treatment and the high temperature exposition. Although the technique was useful for Map detection, the signal was lower than immunohistochemistry probably because of the fixation process. In one case, signal was higher, which might be due to the detection of spheroplasts. Thus, the described method should be recommended when others resulted negative or for spheroplasts detection.
Morbidity profile in a rural community-based rehabilitation programme in Butembo, North Kivu Province, Congo
Authors: Masika Prosperine V. , Lutala Prosper M.
Published: June 2011

Background: Medicine in low socio-economic countries is primarily disease-oriented; prevention and rehabilitative care are secondary concerns. Hence, curative care erodes the few resources allocated to health. Despite the well-documented benefits of communityrehabilitation in the management of chronic conditions, little is known about common conditions present in the community in Butembo. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the conditions encountered during rehabilitation in Butembo and to identify the trends of the five most common conditions during the study period. Method: Data were extracted from a rehabilitation programme connect to one centre in Butembo. A descriptive retrospective medical study was performed for the period between 2004 and 2007. Descriptive statistics with percentages were computed. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences with a probability of 5%. Results: Cerebral palsy (46.9%), cataract (17.3%), clubfoot (11.8%), glaucoma (6.8%), and cleft lip (4.5%) were the most commonly encountered conditions, with cerebral palsy the most common condition throughout the study period. With regard to gender, male patients were significantly more affected by cataracts (p = 0.0290), clubfoot (p < 0.0100) and glaucoma (p < 0.0100) than female patients. Children aged five or younger had a higher incidence of cerebral palsy (χ2 = 263.2, df = 1, p = 0.0000) cataract (p = 0.0170), clubfoot (p < 0.0010), and glaucoma (p = 0.0010). Additionally, the overall comparisons by gender and age demonstrated differences for the five most common conditions (χ2 = 15.3, df = 4, and p = 0.0040; and χ2 = 114, df = 4, and p < 0.0001 for gender and age, respectively).Conclusion: Common conditions and associated factors were identified that will add to the effectiveness of the programme in terms of materials needed, staff skills, and programming. Special skills are still needed to help treat some acute conditions that can be handled at the rehabilitation centre, and a triage of attending rehabilitation centres could improve the effectiveness of the programme and lower the possibility of missed opportunities for acute stage patients.
Validation of cloud property retrievals with simulated satellite radiances: a case study for SEVIRI
Authors: Bugliaro L. , Zinner T. , Keil C. , Mayer B. , Hollmann R. , Reuter M. , Thomas W.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. Validation of cloud properties retrieved from passive spaceborne imagers is essential for cloud and climate applications but complicated due to the large differences in scale and observation geometry between the satellite footprint and the independent ground based or airborne observations. Here we illustrate and demonstrate an alternative approach: starting from the output of the COSMO-EU weather model of the German Weather Service realistic three-dimensional cloud structures at a spatial scale of 2.33 km are produced by statistical downscaling and microphysical properties are associated to them. The resulting data sets are used as input to the one-dimensional radiative transfer model libRadtran to simulate radiance observations for all eleven low resolution channels of MET-8/SEVIRI. At this point, both cloud properties and satellite radiances are known such that cloud property retrieval results can be tested and tuned against the objective input "truth". As an example, we validate a cloud property retrieval of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of DLR and that of EUMETSAT's Climate Monitoring Science Application Facility CMSAF. Cloud detection and cloud phase assignment perform well. By both retrievals 88% of the pixels are correctly classified as clear or cloudy. The DLR algorithm assigns the correct thermodynamic phase to 95% of the cloudy pixels and the CMSAF retrieval to 84%. Cloud top temperature is slightly overestimated by the DLR code (+3.1 K mean difference with a standard deviation of 10.6 K) and to a very low extent by the CMSAF code (−0.12 K with a standard deviation of 7.6 K). Both retrievals account reasonably well for the distribution of optical thickness for both water and ice clouds, with a tendency to underestimation. Cloud effective radii are most difficult to evaluate but the APICS algorithm shows that realistic histograms of occurrences can be derived (CMSAF was not evaluated in this context). Cloud water path, which is a combination of the last two quantities, is slightly underestimated by APICS, while CMSAF shows a larger scattering.
Organic carbon and non-refractory aerosol over the remote Southeast Pacific: oceanic and combustion sources
Authors: Shank L. M. , Howell S. , Clarke A. D. , Freitag S. , Brekhovskikh V. , Kapustin V. , McNaughton C. , Campos T. , Wood R.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. Submicron aerosol physical and chemical properties in remote marine air were measured from aircraft over the Southeast Pacific during VOCALS-REx in 2008 and the North Pacific during IMPEX in 2006, and aboard a ship in the Equatorial Pacific in 2009. A High Resolution – Particle Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) measured non-refractory submicron aerosol composition during all campaigns. Sulfate (SO4) and organics (Org), during VOCALS and the cruise show lower absolute values than those reported for previous "clean air" studies. In the marine boundary layer, average concentrations for SO4 were 0.52 μg m−3 for the VOCALS region and 0.85 μg m−3 for the equatorial region while average Org concentrations were 0.10 and 0.07 μg m−3, respectively. Campaign average Org/SO4 ratios were 0.19 (VOCALS) and 0.08 (Equatorial Pacific), while previous studies report "clean marine" Org/SO4 ratios between 0.25 and 0.40, and in some cases as high as 3.5. CO and black carbon (BC) measurements over the Southeast Pacific provided sensitive indicators of pollution, and were used to identify the least polluted air, which had average concentrations of SO4 and Org of 0.14 and 0.01 μg m−3, respectively, with an average Org/SO4 of 0.10. Furthermore, under cleanest MBL conditions, identified by CO below 60 ppbv, we found a robust linear relationship between Org and combustion derived BC concentrations between 2 and 15 ng m−3, suggesting little to no marine source of submicrometer Org to the atmosphere over the Eastern South Pacific. This suggests that identification of Org in clean marine air may require a BC threshold below 4 ng m−3, an order of magnitude lower than has been used in prior studies. Data from IMPEX was constrained to similar clean air criterion, and resulted in an average Org/SO4 ratio of 0.19.
Exploring Earth's atmosphere with radio occultation: contributions to weather, climate and space weather
Authors: Anthes R. A.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. The launch of the proof-of-concept mission GPS/MET (Global Positioning System/Meteorology) in 1995 began a revolution in profiling Earth's atmosphere through radio occultation (RO). GPS/MET; subsequent single-satellite missions CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload), SAC-C (Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-C), GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), METOP-A, and TerraSAR-X (Beyerle et al., 2010); and the six-satellite constellation, FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (Formosa Satellite mission {#}3/Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) have proven the theoretical capabilities of RO to provide accurate and precise profiles of electron density in the ionosphere and refractivity, containing information on temperature and water vapor, in the stratosphere and troposphere. This paper summarizes results from these RO missions and the applications of RO observations to atmospheric research and operational weather analysis and prediction.
Assimilation of GPS radio occultation data at DWD
Authors: Anlauf H. , Pingel D. , Rhodin A.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. We describe the status of the assimilation of bending angles from GPS radio occultations in the 3D-Var for DWD's operational global forecast model GME ("Global Model for Europe"). Experiments show that the assimilation of GPSRO data leads to a significant reduction of biases in the analyses of temperature, humidity and wind in the upper troposphere and the stratosphere, as well as a better r. m. s. fit in the comparison to radiosondes. The impact on forecasts is most prominent in the data sparse Southern Hemisphere, but is also quite notable in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropics. The positive results found in the impact experiments lead to the implementation of the assimilation of GPS radio occultations from GRACE-A, FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC and GRAS/MetOp-A into the operational suite on 3 August 2010. We also show some initial results from assimilation experiments using radio occultation data from the German research satellite TerraSAR-X.
A 3-D tomographic trajectory retrieval for the air-borne limb-imager GLORIA
Authors: Ungermann J. , Blank J. , Lotz J. , Leppkes K. , Guggenmoser T. , Kaufmann M. , Preusse P. , Naumann U. , Riese M.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. Infrared limb sounding from aircraft can provide 2-D curtains of multiple trace gas species. However, conventional limb sounders view perpendicular to the aircraft axis and are unable to resolve the observed airmass along their line-of-sight. GLORIA (Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere) is a new remote sensing instrument able to adjust its horizontal view angle with respect to the aircraft flight direction from 45° to 135°. This will allow for tomographic measurements of mesoscale structures for a wide variety of atmospheric constituents. Many flights of the GLORIA instrument will not follow closed curves that allow measuring an airmass from all directions. Consequently, it is examined by means of simulations, what results can be expected from tomographic evaluation of measurements made during a straight flight. It is demonstrated that the achievable resolution and stability is enhanced compared to conventional retrievals. In a second step, it is shown that the incorporation of channels exhibiting different optical depth can greatly enhance the 3-D retrieval quality enabling the exploitation of previously unused spectral samples. A second problem for tomographic retrievals is that advection, which can be neglected for conventional retrievals, plays an important role for the time-scales involved in a tomographic measurement flight. This paper presents a method to diagnose the effect of a time-varying atmosphere on a 3-D retrieval and demonstrates an effective way to compensate for effects of advection by incorporating wind-fields from meteorological datasets as a priori information.
Average properties and small-scale variations of the mesospheric Na and Fe layers as observed simultaneously by two closely colocated lidars at 30° N
Authors: Chen L. , Yi F.
Published: June 2011

Abstract. We report the average properties and small-scale variation features of the mesospheric Na and Fe layers at 30° N from extensive simultaneous and common-volume Na and Fe lidar measurements at Wuhan, China. The annual mean Na and Fe density profiles are derived in terms of an averaging method taken from an early literature. The mean Na and Fe profiles preserve the sharp gradients present in most individual density profiles near the layer bottom. Near the bottommost of the layers the mean Na and Fe scale heights are respectively −0.42 and −0.30 km. The mean layer parameters coincide well with the previous report. The Na and Fe densities in the lowest several kilometers of the layers consistently exhibit nearly the same time variations. A clear-cut distinction between the Na and Fe time variations always appears in an altitude range near 90 km. A relatively weak positive correlation between them persistently occurs also in an altitude range near 100 km. The mean increase and decrease rates for both Na and Fe are altitude dependent and have a single-peak structure. The time constant of the layer variation is ~0.07–2.0 h for Na and ~0.02–1.7 h for Fe, suggesting that the variability is dominated by small-scale processes. However, there is also a slow net increase in each of the annual mean column abundances (Na and Fe) during night.