bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public Health Insurance in Oregon: Underenrollment of Eligible Children and Parental Confusion About Children's Enrollment Status
Authors: DeVoe Jennifer E. , Ray Moira , Graham Alan
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We identified characteristics of Oregon children who were eligible for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), the state's combined Medicaid–Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but were not enrolled in January 2005. We also assessed whether parents’ confusion regarding their children's status affected nonenrollment.

Methods. We conducted cross-sectional analyses of linked statewide Food Stamp Program and OHP administrative databases (n = 10 175) and primary data from a statewide survey (n = 2681).

Results. More than 20% of parents with children not administratively enrolled in OHP reported that their children were enrolled. Parents of 11.3% of children who were administratively enrolled reported that they were not. Eligible but unenrolled children had higher odds of being older, having higher family incomes, and having employed and uninsured parents.

Conclusions. These findings reveal an important discrepancy between administrative data and parent-reported access to public health insurance. This discrepancy may stem from transient coverage or confusion among parents and may result in underutilization of health insurance for eligible children.
Prevalence and Predictors of Food Insecurity in Migrant Farmworkers in Georgia
Authors: Hill Brittany G. , Moloney Ashley G. , Mize Terry , Himelick Tom , Guest Jodie L.
Published: March 2011

We examined the prevalence of food insecurity in migrant farmworkers in Georgia. Of these workers 62.83% did not have enough food, and non–H-2A workers had an adjusted risk of food insecurity almost 3 times higher than did H-2A workers. Lack of access to cooking facilities, transportation problems, and having children were additional risk factors. Migrant farmworkers are at extreme risk for food insecurity, although being an H-2A guestworker was protective within this population. Policy interventions are needed to protect these vulnerable farmworkers.
Readying Health Services for Climate Change: A Policy Framework for Regional Development
Authors: Bell Erica
Published: March 2011

Climate change presents the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century. However, many public health leaders feel ill equipped to face the challenges of climate change and have been unable to make climate change a priority in service development. I explore how to achieve a regionally responsive whole-of-systems approach to climate change in the key operational areas of a health service: service governance and culture, service delivery, workforce development, asset management, and financing. The relative neglect of implementation science means that policymakers need to be proactive about sourcing and developing models and processes to make health services ready for climate change. Health research funding agencies should urgently prioritize applied, regionally responsive health services research for a future of climate change.
Patient Dumping in New York City, 1877–1917
Authors: Abel Emily
Published: March 2011

Although the term “patient dumping” was rarely used before the 1960s, the practice started much earlier. In the late 1870s, the New York Times began to report that private hospitals were using ambulances to shift poor, moribund patients to Bellevue, the city's preeminent public facility. Many trips had serious medical consequences. Private hospitals also instructed ambulances to take critically ill patients directly to Bellevue regardless of the distance. Efforts to combat such practices took various forms. When transfers resulted in death, Manhattan coroners held inquests. In 1902, the Commissioner of Charities issued an order requiring that he be sent a full report from the superintendent of any hospital in which a patient transferred from another facility died within three days after admission. Four years later, the city passed an ordinance imposing a severe penalty on any hospital official who transferred an ill patient. Those reforms were only partially effective at deterring such transfers.
Pakistan and Water: New Pressures on Global Security and Human Health
Authors: Pappas Gregory
Published: March 2011

The Indus River is the major source of water for the more than 180 million people of Pakistan. A rapidly increasing population over the past 60 years has created new pressures on water that was once a plentiful resource for the health and development of the country.

Rising tensions between India and Pakistan, which share the Indus flow, may lead to violent confrontation in an already volatile part of the globe. The recent flooding, which affected more than 20 million people, drew attention to poor management of the rivers of Pakistan.

Public health has the scientific knowledge and professional capacity to help develop water management practices that could improve population health in Pakistan.
Supporting Equitable Food Systems Through Food Assistance at Farmers' Markets
Authors: Jones Paula , Bhatia Rajiv
Published: March 2011

The failure to consider access to food resources in an integrated way may lead to inequalities in nutritional opportunities among populations. Working with community groups and other public agencies, the San Francisco Department of Public Health has led interagency food system planning in San Francisco, California, since 2002. We report on one of the interventions within that initiative—a partnership between a public health agency, a local nonprofit organization, and the local food stamp program to institutionalize improved access to farmers' markets for federal food assistance beneficiaries. We further report on monitoring data collected at farmers' markets that documents significant and sustained increases of utilization by food stamp recipients since the initial intervention.
Exposure to the Above the Influence Antidrug Advertisements and Adolescent Marijuana Use in the United States, 2006–2008
Authors: Carpenter Christopher S. , Pechmann Cornelia
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We examined the relationship between exposure to the Above the Influence antidrug campaign in 210 US media markets and adolescent marijuana and alcohol use from 2006 to 2008.

Methods. We analyzed monthly advertising exposure (targeted rating points) data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and drug use data from the Monitoring the Future study. We estimated multivariate logistic regression models of marijuana use for students in grades 8, 10, and 12, with controls for individual, family, and media market characteristics and year and regional fixed effects.

Results. For eighth-grade adolescent girls, greater exposure to antidrug advertisements was associated with lower rates of past-month marijuana use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.67; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52, 0.87) and lower rates of lifetime marijuana use (AOR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.93), but not alcohol use (AOR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.84, 1.19). Associations were not significant for adolescent boys or for students in grades 10 and 12.

Conclusions. Antidrug advertising may be an effective way to dissuade eighth-grade adolescent girls from initiating marijuana use.
Citizens United, Public Health, and Democracy: The Supreme Court Ruling, Its Implications, and Proposed Action
Authors: Wiist William H.
Published: March 2011

The 2010 US Supreme Court Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 US 876 (2010) case concerned the plans of a nonprofit organization to distribute a film about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Court ruled that prohibiting corporate independent expenditures for advocacy advertising during election campaigns unconstitutionally inhibits free speech.

Corporations can now make unlimited contributions to election advocacy advertising directly from the corporate treasury. Candidates who favor public health positions may be subjected to corporate opposition advertising.

Citizen groups and legislators have proposed remedies to ameliorate the effects of the Court's ruling. The public health field needs to apply its expertise, in collaboration with others, to work to reduce the disproportionate influence of corporate political speech on health policy and democracy.
Racial Disparities in Rehospitalization Among Medicare Patients in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Authors: Li Yue , Glance Laurent G. , Yin Jun , Mukamel Dana B.
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We examined racial disparities in rehospitalization rates among a cohort of non-Hispanic White and Black Medicare beneficiaries admitted to skilled nursing facilities for postacute care.

Methods. We analyzed the 2008 national Nursing Home Minimum Data Set, augmented with other databases. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate overall racial disparities in rehospitalization rates within 30 days and 90 days of nursing facility admission and the extent to which the disparities were explained by patient, facility, market, and state factors. Stratified analyses identified persistent disparities within patient subgroups, facility types, and states.

Results. The 30-day rehospitalization rates were 14.3% for White patients (n = 865 993) and 18.6% for Black patients (n = 94 651); the 90-day rehospitalization rates were 22.1% and 29.5%, respectively. Both patient and admitting facility characteristics accounted for a considerable portion of overall racial disparities, but disparities persisted after multivariable adjustments overall and in patient subgroups.

Conclusions. We found persistent racial disparities in rehospitalization among the nation's skilled nursing facility patients receiving postacute care. Targeted efforts are needed to remove these disparities.
The Impact of Stand-Biased Desks in Classrooms on Calorie Expenditure in Children
Authors: Benden Mark E. , Blake Jamilia J. , Wendel Monica L. , Huber John C.
Published: March 2011

Childhood obesity is a public health concern with significant health and economic impacts. We conducted a prospective experimental study in 4 classrooms in central Texas to determine the effect of desks that encourage standing rather than sitting on caloric expenditure in children. Students were monitored with calorie expenditure–measuring arm-bands worn for 10 days in the fall and spring. The treatment group experienced significant increases in calorie expenditure over the control group, a finding that has implications for policy and practice.
Health-Related Quality of Life Among Central Appalachian Residents in Mountaintop Mining Counties
Authors: Zullig Keith J. , Hendryx Michael
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We examined the health-related quality of life of residents in mountaintop mining counties of Appalachia using the 2006 national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Methods. Dependent variables included self-rated health; the number of poor physical, poor mental, and activity limitation days (in the past 30 days); and the Healthy Days Index. Independent variables included metropolitan status, primary care physician supply, and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System behavioral and demographic variables. We compared dependent variables across 3 categories: mountaintop mining (yes or no), other coal mining (yes or no), and a referent nonmining group. We used SUDAAN MULTILOG and multiple linear regression models with post hoc least squares means to test mountaintop mining effects after adjusting for covariates.

Results. Residents of mountaintop mining counties reported significantly more days of poor physical, mental, and activity limitation and poorer self-rated health (P < .01) compared with the other county groupings. Results were generally consistent in separate analyses by gender and age.

Conclusions. Mountaintop mining areas are associated with the greatest reductions in health-related quality of life even when compared with counties with other forms of coal mining.
Adolescents’ Use of Indoor Tanning: A Large-Scale Evaluation of Psychosocial, Environmental, and Policy-Level Correlates
Authors: Mayer Joni A. , Woodruff Susan I. , Slymen Donald J. , Sallis James F. , Forster Jean L. , Clapp Elizabeth J. , Hoerster Katherine D. , Pichon Latrice C. , Weeks John R. , Belch George E. , Weinstock Martin A. , Gilmer Todd
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We evaluated psychosocial, built-environmental, and policy-related correlates of adolescents’ indoor tanning use.

Methods. We developed 5 discrete data sets in the 100 most populous US cities, based on interviews of 6125 adolescents (aged 14–17 years) and their parents, analysis of state indoor tanning laws, interviews with enforcement experts, computed density of tanning facilities, and evaluations of these 3399 facilities’ practices regarding access by youths. After univariate analyses, we constructed multilevel models with generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs).

Results. In the past year, 17.1% of girls and 3.2% of boys had used indoor tanning. The GLMMs indicated that several psychosocial or demographic variables significantly predicted use, including being female, older, and White; having a larger allowance and a parent who used indoor tanning and allowed their adolescent to use it; and holding certain beliefs about indoor tanning's consequences. Living within 2 miles of a tanning facility also was a significant predictor. Residing in a state with youth-access legislation was not significantly associated with use.

Conclusions. Current laws appear ineffective in reducing indoor tanning; bans likely are needed. Parents have an important role in prevention efforts.
Comparison of Two Health-Promotion Programs for Older Workers
Authors: Hughes Susan L. , Seymour Rachel B. , Campbell Richard T. , Shaw James W. , Fabiyi Camille , Sokas Rosemary
Published: March 2011

Objectives. We examined the effects of 2 worksite health-promotion interventions (compared with a health-education control) on older workers’ healthy behaviors and health outcomes.

Methods. We conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial with 423 participants aged 40 years and older. Participants were categorized into 3 study arms: the COACH intervention combined Web-based risk assessments with personal coaching support, the RealAge intervention used a Web-based risk assessment and behavior-specific modules, and a control group received printed health-promotion materials. Participants were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Random-effects modeling controlled for baseline stage of change for all behaviors of interest in all groups.

Results. At 6 and 12 months, COACH participants showed significantly increased fruit and vegetable consumption (P = .026; P < .001) and participation in physical activity (P = .05; P = .013), and at 12 months they showed decreased percentage of energy from fat (P = .027). RealAge participants showed significantly decreased waist circumference at 6 and 12 months (P = .05; P = .018).

Conclusions. COACH participants were twice as likely to use the COACH intervention as RealAge participants were to use the RealAge intervention. COACH participants experienced twice the number of positive outcomes that control participants experienced.
The Rush to Drill for Natural Gas: A Public Health Cautionary Tale
Authors: Finkel Madelon L. , Law Adam
Published: March 2011

Efforts to identify alternative sources of energy have focused on extracting natural gas from vast shale deposits. The Marcellus Shale, located in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, is estimated to contain enough natural gas to supply the United States for the next 45 years.

New drilling technology—horizontal drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing of shale (fracking)—has made gas extraction much more economically feasible. However, this technique poses a threat to the environment and to the public's health. There is evidence that many of the chemicals used in fracking can damage the lungs, liver, kidneys, blood, and brain.

We discuss the controversial technique of fracking and raise the issue of how to balance the need for energy with the protection of the public's health.
The removal of thermo-tolerant coliform bacteria by immobilized waste stabilization pond algae
Authors: Pearson H. W. , Marcon A. E. , Melo H. N.
Published: March 2011

This study investigated the potential of laboratory- scale columns of immobilized micro-algae to disinfect effluents using thermo-tolerant coliforms (TTC) as a model system. Cells of a Chlorella species isolated from a waste stabilization pond complex in Northeast Brazil were immobilized in calcium alginate, packed into glass columns and incubated in contact with TTC suspensions for up to 24 hours. Five to six log removals of TTC were achieved in 6 hours and 11 log removals in 12 hours contact time. The results were similar under artificial light and shaded sunlight. However little or no TTC removal occurred in the light in columns of alginate beads without immobilized algae present or when the immobilized algae were incubated in the dark suggesting that the presence of both algae and light were necessary for TTC decay. There was a positive correlation between Kb values for TTC and increasing pH in the effluent from the immobilized algal columns within the range pH 7.2 and 8.9. The potential of immobilized algal technology for wastewater disinfection may warrant further investigation.
Residence time and contact volume in sloped compost and compost/vegetated filter beds
Authors: Coulson K. , Petrell R. J. , Chiu D.
Published: March 2011

Little is known about transport mechanisms in sloped dormant vegetated and compost only filters for roadway runoff. Residence time experiments were carried out in triplicate in 0.254 m wide × 0.65 m long by 0.10 m deep beds using a bromide tracer. Bed slope was 12°. Only at the lowest flow rate tested (0.276 l/min per m of filter width) were mean residence times in compost beds with and without dormant grasses different. Pools formed ahead of beds at higher flow rate, and pool depth reached bed depth at 3.54 l/min/m. The ideal model of a well-mixed pool in series with a plug flow porous bed was a good predictor of effluent concentration data at flows ≥2.66 l/min/m. Theoretical contact volume within the beds increased with flow rate to reach approx. 30% of available pore space, while free drainage volume declined. Data shows that designs for sloped compost filter beds must consider flow, bed depth and length, and whether or not areas for pooling are needed.
Hybrid activated sludge/biofilm process for the treatment of municipal wastewater in a cold climate region: a case study
Authors: Di Trapani Daniele , Christensso Magnus , Ødegaard Hallvard
Published: March 2011

A hybrid activated sludge/biofilm process was investigated for wastewater treatment in a cold climate region. This process, which contains both suspended biomass and biofilm, usually referred as IFAS process, is created by introducing plastic elements as biofilm carrier media into a conventional activated sludge reactor. In the present study, a hybrid process, composed of an activated sludge and a moving bed biofilm reactor was used. The aim of this paper has been to investigate the performances of a hybrid process, and in particular to gain insight the nitrification process, when operated at relatively low MLSS SRT and low temperatures. The results of a pilot-scale study carried out at the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim are presented. The experimental campaign was divided into two periods. The pilot plant was first operated with a constant HRT of 4.5 hours, while in the second period the influent flow was increased so that HRT was 3.5 hours. The average temperature was near 11.5°C in the overall experimental campaign. The average mixed liquor SRT was 5.7 days. Batch tests on both carriers and suspended biomass were performed in order to evaluate the nitrification rate of the two different biomasses. The results demonstrated that this kind of reactor can efficiently be used for the upgrading of conventional activated sludge plant for achieving year-round nitrification, also in presence of low temperatures, and without the need of additional volumes.
Novel bacterial strains for the removal of microcystins from drinking water
Authors: Lawton L. A. , Welgamage A. , Manage P. M. , Edwards C.
Published: March 2011

Microcystins (MC) and nodularin (NOD) are common contaminants of drinking water around the world and due to their significant health impact it is important to explore suitable approaches for their removal. Unfortunately, these toxins are not always removed by conventional water treatments. One of the most exciting areas that hold promise for a successful and cost effective solution is bioremediation of microcystins. Recent work resulted in successful isolation and characterisation of 10 novel bacterial strains (Rhodococcus sp., Arthrobacter spp. and Brevibacterium sp.) capable of metabolizing microcystin-LR (MC-LR) in a Biolog MT2 assay. The work presented here aims to further investigate and evaluate the metabolism and the degradation of multiple microcystins (MC-LR, MC-LF, MC-LY, MC-LW and MC-RR) and nodularin by the bacterial isolates. A total of five bacterial isolates representing the three genera were evaluated using Biolog MT2 assay with a range of MCs where they all demonstrated an overall metabolism on all MCs and NOD. Subsequently, the results were confirmed by observing the degradation of the range of toxins in a separate batch experiment.
Contribution of hydrodynamic characteristics on the performance of an aerobic biofilm conical fluidized bed
Authors: Zhou D. , Bi X. T. , Dong S.
Published: March 2011

The performance of a conical fluidized bed (TFB) bioreactor, including the biofilm thickness, microbial space density, microbial cell matrix and its efficiency for COD degradation at a bed expansion ratio of 14 to 90%, was studied and compared with a cylindrical fluidized bed (CFB) bioreactor. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the TFB, especially the internal-circulation of bioparticles associated with its unique tapered geometry of the bed, created a much more uniform axial distribution of the bioparticles, leading to the formation of thinner and more compacted biofilms in the TFB compared to that in the CFB. The thinner biofilm in the TFB tended to be stable and possessed more than 6 times of microbial population density compared to the CFB. As a result, thinner biofilms in the TFB contributed to a higher COD removal efficiency, which remained at over 95% at operated expansion ratios, about 15 to 25% higher than that in the CFB.
Combined consideration for decentralised non-potable water supply from local groundwater and nutrient load reduction in urban drainage
Authors: Barron O. , Barr A. , Donn M. , Pollock D.
Published: March 2011

Integrated analysis of land use change and its effect on catchment water balance allows the selection of appropriate water and land management options for new urban developments to minimise the environmental impacts of urbanisation. A process-based coupled surface water-groundwater model was developed for Southern River catchment (Perth, Western Australia) to investigate the effect of urban development on catchment water balance. It was shown that urbanisation of highly permeable flat catchments with shallow groundwater resulted in significant increase in net groundwater recharge. The increased recharge creates the opportunity to use local groundwater resources for non-potable water supply with the added advantage of reducing the total discharge from new urban developments. This minimises the environmental impacts of increased urbanisation, as higher discharge is often associated with greater nutrient loads to receiving environments. Through the used of water balance modelling it was demonstrated that there are both water and nutrient benefits from local groundwater use in terms of reduced nutrient exports to receiving waters and additional water resources for non-potable water supply.
The Colombian Health Insurance System and its Effect on Access to Health Care
Authors: Alvarez Luz Stella , Salmon J. Warren , Swartzman Dan
Published: March 2011

In 1993, the Colombian government sought to reform its health care system under the guidance of international financial institutions (the World Bank and International Monetary Fund). These institutions maintain that individual private health insurance systems are more appropriate than previously established national public health structures for overcoming inequities in health care in developing countries. The reforms carried out following international financial institution guidelines are known as “neoliberal reforms.” This qualitative study explores consumer health choices and associated factors, based on interviews with citizens living in Medellín, Colombia, in 2005–2006. The results show that most study participants belonging to low-income and middle-income strata, even with medical expense subsidies, faced significant barriers to accessing health care. Only upper-income participants reported a selection of different options without barriers, such as complementary and alternative medicines, along with private Western biomedicine. This study is unique in that the informal health system is linked to overall neoliberal policy change.
The Revised Listening Concepts Inventory (LCI-R): Assessing Individual and Situational Differences in the Conceptualization of Listening
Authors: Bodie Graham D.
Published: March 2011

Although research at the crossroads of communication and social cognition recognizes the importance of thought to the message reception process, none to date has systematically tested how “thinking for listening” might influence the listening process. One reason for this lacuna is the lack of a valid scale capable of measuring the many conceptualizations people have about listening. Consequently, this article sets out to develop and provide validity evidence for a measure to assess individual conceptualizations of listening. In Studies 1 through 3, evidence is gathered for the construct and nomological validity of the Revised Listening Concepts Inventory (LCI-R), whereas Study 4 provides evidence that listening conceptualizations vary across four listening situations. The general discussion argues for the importance of studying message reception processes as they occur in interaction and the role the LCI-R can play in helping to advance the theory building and practice of listening.
Regionalism as a Building Block for Multilateralism
Authors: Herz Bernhard , Wagner Marco
Published: March 2011

The well-known question whether regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the multilateral trading system (MTS) are “strangers, friends, or foes” (Bhagwati and Panagariya, 1996) has gained new importance with the widespread proliferation of RTAs in recent years. Based on an extensive data set which covers most of world trade over the past 60 years and about 240 regional trade agreements, we analyze the relationship between RTAs and the MTS by combining the gravity model framework with vector auto-regression analysis. Impulse-response-functions robustly suggest that multilateral trade liberalization responds in a significantly positive way to regional trade liberalization. We also find robust evidence that RTA liberalization Granger-causes GATT/WTO liberalization. Thus, our results indicate that RTAs do not undermine the MTS but serve as building blocks to multilateral trade liberalization.
Reflections in Twenty Years of Political and Economic Change in Poland
Authors: Hunter Richard J. , Ryan Leo V.
Published: March 2011

This article deals with a discussion of the policy perspectives on the past 20 years of economic change in Poland. The article looks at the range of areas (political and economic systems) subject to transition; the evolutionary nature of the change; and the sequence of change. The article calls upon more than 20 years of research into these areas and questions and discusses the nature of change in the stabilization, liberalization and privatization programs. It concludes by providing insights on lessons that may be learned from reform efforts. The authors conclude that the Polish experience proved conclusively that reducing the budget deficit through the elimination of state subsidies, controlling the money supply, and creating a stabilized rate of exchange and a fully convertible currency can be successful even in a state-controlled, state sector-dominated socialist economy as existed in Poland in 1989-1990. The article further asserts that it is also now apparent that only a radical stabilization-liberalization program is capable of abolishing the massive shortages which became the main characteristics of the failed socialist system. Further, the authors argue that the changes initiated in Poland as a result of the implementation of the Balcerowicz Plan fundamentally changed the mentality of economic activity from state-centered to private-centered. It is this change in the dynamic mentality that may be most important in Poland achieving success over the past 20 years.
Market Provision of Program Quality in the Television Broadcasting Industry
Authors: Lin Panlang
Published: March 2011

This paper uses a simple model of duopoly competition to study the market provision of program quality offered by television broadcasters under three different regimes. In regime 1, two broadcasters are financed only with subscription fees (i.e., fee-based or pay TV). In regime 2, the two broadcasters generate their revenues only from advertising (i.e., free TV). In regime 3, one pay TV broadcaster competes with one free TV broadcaster. We show that the broadcasters in regime 3 (but not in regimes 1 and 2) vertically differentiate their channel programs if, for a given level of advertising market profitability, viewers strongly or weakly dislike the presence of advertising. In such cases, although the two pay TV broadcasters in regime 1 will unambiguously offer higher or lower quality programming than the two free TV broadcasters under regime 2, it is not clear which broadcaster will provide higher or lower program quality in regime 3 because this depends on the degree of horizontal differentiation between the channel programs. However, the levels of quality offered under regimes 1 and 2 fall between the quality levels offered by the two broadcasters in regime 3.
New trends and challenges in lactic acid production on renewable biomass
Authors: Djukic-Vukovic Aleksandra , Mojovic Ljiljana , Pejin Dusanka , Vukasinovic-Sekulic Maja , Rakin Marica , Nikolic Svetlana , Pejin Jelena
Published: March 2011

Lactic acid is a relatively cheap chemical with a wide range of applications:
as a preservative and acidifying agent in food and dairy industry, a monomer
for biodegradable poly-lactide polymers (PLA) in pharmaceutical industry,
precursor and chemical feedstock for chemical, textile and leather
industries. Traditional raw materials for fermentative production of lactic
acid, refined sugars, are now being replaced with starch from corn, rice and
other crops for industrial production, with a tendency for utilization of
agro industrial wastes. Processes based on renewable waste sources have
ecological (zero CO2 emission, eco-friendly by-products) and economical
(cheap raw materials, reduction of storage costs) advantages. An intensive
research interest has been recently devoted to develop and improve the lactic
acid production on more complex industrial by-products, like thin stillage
from bioethanol production, corncobs, paper waste, straw etc. Complex and
variable chemical composition and purity of these raw materials and high
nutritional requirements of Lare the main obstacles in these production
processes. Media supplementation to improve the fermentation is an important
factor, especially from an economic point of view. Today, a particular
challenge is to increase the productivity of lactic acid production on
complex renewable biomass. Several strategies are currently being explored
for this purpose such as process integration, use of Lwith amylolytic
activity, employment of mixed cultures of Land/or utilization of
genetically engineered microorganisms. Modern techniques of genetic
engineering enable construction of microorganisms with desired
characteristics and implementation of single step processes without or with
minimal pre-treatment. In addition, new bioreactor constructions (such as
membrane bioreactors), utilization of immobilized systems are also being
explored. Electrodialysis, bipolar membrane separation process, enhanced
filtration techniques etc. can provide some progress in purification
technologies, although it is still remaining the most expensive phase in the
lactic acid production. A new approach of parallel production of lactic
bacteria biomass with probiotic activity and lactic acid could provide
additional benefit and profit rise in the production process.
Mechanical and microstructural characteristics of the dissimilar materials butt joints by hybrid CO2 laser-gas metal arc welding
Authors: Bang HeeSeon , Bang HanSur , Kim YouChul , Oh IkHyun , Sung BackSub
Published: March 2011

This paper intends to present the applicability of hybrid [CO2 laser+gas metal arc (GMA)] welding process to dissimilar materials AH32 and STS304L by clarifying the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of hybrid welded joints. In order to observe the mechanical phenomena on dissimilar material hybrid welded butt joints, two-dimensional thermal elastoplastic numerical analysis has been carried out. For this, the quasistate heat source model for simulation has been determined considering the hybrid welding characteristics. Based on the thermal history obtained by using this heat source model, the residual stress distribution in welded joints is predicted and found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimentally measured values. The result shows that maximum welding residual stress in longitudinal direction (σzz) in dissimilar material (AH32-STS304L) welded joints has occurred in the STS304L side by about 5% than in the AH32 side of welded joints. However, the equivalent stress of dissimilar material welded joints shows almost identical values as those of similar material (AH32 and STS304L) welded joints. The microstructures of weld metal exhibit well distributed platelike shaped ferrite in the matrix instead of dendritic structure. No weld defect has been detected and the second phase strong in brittleness is not observed on the interface between head affected zone (HAZ) and base metal as the scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDAX) analysis shows.
Influence of aging and neurodegeneration on dendritic spine morphology
Authors: Bloss Erik , Morrison John , Hof Patrick , Dickstein Dara
Published: March 2011

In neuronal circuits, excitatory synaptic transmission predominantly occurs at postsynaptic protrusions called dendritic spines. Spines are highly plastic structures capable of formation, enlargement, shrinkage, and elimination over time. Individual spine morphology is widely variable, and evidence suggests these differences in morphology are relevant to spine function. Recent reports provide evidence that spine structural plasticity underlies functional synaptic changes, including those seen in animal models of learning and memory plasticity. Conversely, impairments in cognitive functions, such as those commonly seen in aging, have recently been linked to and correlated with alterations in spine density and morphology. In addition, dendritic spine density and morphology also appear to be altered in various transgenic animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Ultimately, an understanding of the synaptic basis of age- and disease-related cognitive impairments may lead to the development of drug treatments that can restore or protect synaptic profiles in neural circuits that mediate cognition.
Mitochondrial bioenergetics is defective in presymptomatic Tg2576 AD Mice
Authors: Varghese Merina , Zhao Wei , Wang Jun , Cheng Alice , Qian Xianjuan , Chaudhry Amna , Ho Lap , Pasinetti Giulio
Published: March 2011

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related dementia, with the pathological hallmarks of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, brain atrophy and loss of synaptic terminals. Dysfunctional mitochondrial bioenergetics is implicated as a contributing factor to the cognitive decline observed in AD. We hypothesized that, in the presence of the AD neurotoxic peptide beta-amyloid, mitochondrial respiration is impaired early in synaptic terminals, which are vital to cognitive performance, preferentially in cognitive centers of the brain. We compared oxygen consumption in synaptosomal and perikaryal mitochondria prepared from the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of wild type (WT) and AD transgenic Tg2576 mice. Compared to WT mice, Tg2576 mice showed decreased mitochondrial respiration in the cerebral cortex specifically in synaptosomal fraction, while the perikaryal mitochondria were unaffected. Neither mitochondrial fraction was affected in the cerebellum of Tg2576 mice as compared to WT. The occurrence of a bioenergetic defect in synaptic terminals of mice overexpressing mutant beta-amyloid, in particular in an area of the brain important to cognition, points to an early role of mitochondrial defects in the onset of cognitive deficits in AD.
Winter Oilseed-Rape Yield Estimates from Hyperspectral Radiometer Measurements
Authors: Piekarczyk Jan , Sulewska Hanna , Szymańska Grażyna
Published: March 2011

Winter Oilseed-Rape Yield Estimates from Hyperspectral Radiometer Measurements

Spectral reflectance data can be used for estimation of plant biophysical parameters such as seed yield, related to the use of solar energy. A field experiment was conducted to investigate relationships between canopy reflectance and seed yield of winter oilseed rape sown on four different dates. Ground hyperspectral reflectance measurements were made using a hand-held radiometer and multispectral images were taken with a VIS-NIR camera. The different sowing dates generated a wide range of difference in crop spectral response and seed yields. The strongest relationships (R2=0.87) between the yield and spectral data recorded by both sensors occurred at early flowering stages. Later, the presence of flowers caused a decline in the relationship between yield and spectral data especially in the visible (VIS) range. In the full flowering stage the strongest correlation (R2=0.72) with the yield showed vegetation indices of the near-infrared (NIR) bands.
Influence of the stand position on the slope and climate on latewood characteristics of Scots pine on dunes of South-West Estonia
Authors: Pärn Henn
Published: March 2011

Influence of the stand position on the slope and climate on latewood characteristics of Scots pine on dunes of South-West Estonia

Radial growth, latewood width and relationships between climatic variables and latewood width of Scots pines from stands of different age growing at different positions on the slopes of dunes (foot and top) were investigated in two study sites (Hdm-1 and Hdm-2) in the region of dunes in South-West Estonia. Analysis revealed no obvious regularity between tree-ring widths of pines on the top and at the foot of the dunes. Young pines showed a better radial growth at the foot. Old pines had a slightly larger average tree ring width on the top of the dunes. The average latewood width of young pines was significantly larger at the foot of the dunes. The position on the slope had no significant effect on the average latewood percentage in tree-rings. The average latewood width of the old pines was rather equal at both positions on the slope. The average latewood percentage in tree-rings was larger at the foot of the dunes. The slightly lesser latewood percentage observed in the case of the young stand was obviously related to the young age of this stand. The latewood width of young pines was not sensitive to the temperature conditions. The latewood width was positively correlated with mean monthly temperatures of December of the previous year and of June of the current season only at the foot of the slope. The high temperatures of the winter and spring months (January-June) had a positive and the warm August of the previous year a negative effect on the latewood formation in old pines in both positions. The latewood of old pines on the top of the dunes was more sensitive to the mean temperatures of the spring months and at the foot of the dunes, to the winter temperatures. Significant correlations between latewood width and precipitation were mostly observed in the case of the old pine stand. Precipitation in all months of the previous summer and autumn and in the winter months of the current year favoured latewood formation in both positions. The latewood width in the young stand was positively correlated with the precipitation in July of the current growth season but significantly only on the top of the dune.
Spinal surgery following organ transplantation
Authors: Shaikh Kashif A. , Helbig Gregory M. , Shapiro Scott A. , Shah Mitesh V. , Khairi Saad A. , Horn Eric M.
Published: March 2011

Object

Organ transplantation for renal, liver, cardiac, and pulmonary failure has become more common in recent years, and patients are living longer as a result of improved organ preservation methods, immunosuppressive regimens, and general posttransplant care. Some of these patients undergo spine fusion surgery following organ transplantation, and there is little available information concerning outcomes. The authors report on their experience with and the outcomes of spine fusion in this rare and unique immunosuppressed patient group.

Methods

Using the Current Procedural Terminology and ICD-9 codes for solid organ transplants, bone marrow transplantations (BMTs), and spine fusion surgeries, the authors searched their patient database between 1997 and 2008. Data points of interest included primary diagnosis, type of organ transplant, immunosuppressant drug therapy, complications from spine surgery, and radiographic analysis of spine fusion. Spine fusion was assessed with CT or radiography at the latest follow-up.

Results

The database search results revealed 5999 patients who underwent heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, intestine, or bone marrow transplant between 1997 and 2008. Eighteen of the 5999 patients underwent a spine fusion surgery while receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Organ transplants included kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, and allogenic BMT. There were 3 deaths unrelated to spine fusion within 1 year of the surgery and 1 death immediately after spine surgery. Graft-versus-host disease developed in 1 patient when prednisone was stopped prior to the spine surgery. Thirteen patients underwent follow-up radiographic imaging at an average of 25 months after spine surgery; 12 demonstrated radiographic fusion.

Conclusions

The results suggest that spine fusion rates are adequate despite immunosuppressive therapy in patients undergoing spinal fusion after transplant procedures. The data also illustrate the high morbidity and mortality rates found in the organ transplant patient population.
‘Man Is Ill Because He Is Badly Constructed’: Artaud, Klossowski and Deleuze in Search for the Earth Inside
Authors: Dolphijn Rick
Published: March 2011

Starting with Antonin Artaud's radio play To Have Done With The Judgement Of God, this article analyses the ways in which Artaud's idea of the body without organs links up with various of his writings on the body and bodily theatre and with Deleuze and Guattari's later development of his ideas. Using Klossowski (or Klossowski's Nietzsche) to explain how the dominance of dialogue equals the dominance of God, I go on to examine how the Son (the facialised body), the Father (Language) and the Holy Spirit (Subjectification), need to be warded off in order to revitalize the body, reuniting it with ‘the earth’ it has been separated from. Artaud's writings on Balinese dancing and the Tarahumaran people pave the way for the new body to appear. Reconstructing the body through bodily practices, through religion and above all through art, as Deleuze and Guattari suggest, we are introduced not only to new ways of thinking theatre and performance art, but to life itself.
Autism: Schizo of Postmodern Capital
Authors: Skott-Myhre Hans A. , Taylor Christina
Published: March 2011

This article follows Deleuze in investigating the ways in which the symptom as a form of representation can be collapsed into immanence. Exploring the symptoms of schizophrenia and autism, it examines what implications such a collapse may have for the production of the symptom in its double articulation as representation and immanent production. The argument follows Deleuze and Guattari in asserting that symptoms hold an implicit limit for the social forms that deploy them. Arguing that schizophrenia, as one such limit, has been successfully appropriated and deferred by postmodern capitalism, it is proposed that the proliferating symptom cluster of autism may indicate a new form of limit and that ‘becoming autistic’ thus may have potential as revolutionary practice.
Epigenetic Regulation of Glucose Transporters in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: O'Byrne Kenneth J. , Baird Anne-Marie , Kilmartin Lisa , Leonard Jennifer , Sacevich Calen , Gray Steven G.
Published: March 2011

Due to their inherently hypoxic environment, cancer cells often resort to glycolysis, or the anaerobic breakdown of glucose to form ATP to provide for their energy needs, known as the Warburg effect. At the same time, overexpression of the insulin receptor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with an increased risk of metastasis and decreased survival. The uptake of glucose into cells is carried out via glucose transporters or GLUTs. Of these, GLUT-4 is essential for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Following treatment with the epigenetic targeting agents histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), GLUT-3 and GLUT-4 expression were found to be induced in NSCLC cell lines, with minimal responses in transformed normal human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). Similar results for GLUT-4 were observed in cells derived from liver, muscle, kidney and pre-adipocytes. Bioinformatic analysis of the promoter for GLUT-4 indicates that it may also be regulated by several chromatin binding factors or complexes including CTCF, SP1 and SMYD3. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that the promoter for GLUT-4 is dynamically remodeled in response to HDACi. Overall, these results may have value within the clinical setting as (a) it may be possible to use this to enhance fluorodeoxyglucose (18F) positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) imaging sensitivity; (b) it may be possible to target NSCLC through the use of HDACi and insulin mediated uptake of the metabolic targeting drugs such as 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG); or (c) enhance or sensitize NSCLC to chemotherapy.
Climate Change and Vector-borne Diseases: An Economic Impact Analysis of Malaria in Africa
Authors: Egbendewe-Mondzozo Aklesso , Musumba Mark , McCarl Bruce A. , Wu Ximing
Published: March 2011

A semi-parametric econometric model is used to study the relationship between malaria cases and climatic factors in 25 African countries. Results show that a marginal change in temperature and precipitation levels would lead to a significant change in the number of malaria cases for most countries by the end of the century. Consistent with the existing biophysical malaria model results, the projected effects of climate change are mixed. Our model projects that some countries will see an increase in malaria cases but others will see a decrease. We estimate projected malaria inpatient and outpatient treatment costs as a proportion of annual 2000 health expenditures per 1,000 people. We found that even under minimal climate change scenario, some countries may see their inpatient treatment cost of malaria increase more than 20%.