bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Changing Fate of Pneumonia as a Public Health Concern in 20th-Century America and Beyond
Authors: Podolsky Scott H. 
Published: October 2005

For a brief period from the 1930s through the early 1940s, public health advocates made pneumonia a leading public health concern. Predicated on the need for antipneumococcal antiserum, but also incorporating physician reeducation, state “pneumonia control programs” were established nationwide. However, with the advent of penicillin and the sulfonamides, the pneumonia control programs soon collapsed. Pneumonia reverted to the domain of the private practitioner, which was devoid of state oversight. With the emergence of pneumococcal antibiotic resistance in the 1990s, the possibility again arose that pneumonia could become a public health concern, given the nationwide need to curb unnecessary antibiotic usage and to encourage vaccination. An understanding of the history of pneumonia’s changing status could shed light on current attempts to reformulate the disease and elucidate the contested domains of private practice and public health.
Building Geographic Information System Capacity in Local Health Departments: Lessons From a North Carolina Project
Authors: Miranda Marie Lynn , Silva Jennifer M. , Overstreet Galeano M. Alicia , Brown Jeffrey P. , Campbell Douglas S. , Coley Evelyn , Cowan Christopher S. , Harvell Dianne , Lassiter Jenny , Parks Jerry L. , Sandelé Wanda 
Published: October 2005

State government, university, and local health department (LHD) partners collaborated to build the geographic information system (GIS) capacity of 5 LHDs in North Carolina. Project elements included procuring hardware and software, conducting individualized and group training, developing data layers, guiding the project development process, coordinating participation in technical conferences, providing ongoing project consultation, and evaluating project milestones. The project provided health department personnel with the skills and resources required to use sophisticated information management systems, particularly those that address spatial dimensions of public health practice. This capacity-building project helped LHDs incorporate GIS technology into daily operations, resulting in improved time and cost efficiency. Keys to success included (1) methods training rooted in problems specific to the LHD, (2) required project identification by LHD staff with associated timelines for development, (3) ongoing technical support as staff returned to home offices after training, (4) subgrants to LHDs to ease hardware and software resource constraints, (5) networks of relationships among LHDs and other professional GIS users, and (6) senior LHD leadership who supported the professional development activities being undertaken by staff.
Rural American Indian Medicaid Health Care Services Use and Health Care Costs in California
Authors: Wong Sabrina T. , Kao Chi , Crouch James A. , Korenbrot Carol C. 
Published: October 2005

Objectives. We determined differences in Medicaid service use and health care costs in a rural Indian Health Service (IHS) user population of American Indians and Alaska Natives as compared with Whites. Methods. California Medicaid eligibility and claims files were linked to IHS user files to obtain a sample of Medicaid-eligible American Indian/Alaska Native users (n=7910). A random sample of Whites was matched for age, gender, aid category, length of eligibility, and county of residence (n=15075). We used generalized linear models to compare risk-adjusted use of resources—ambulatory visits, prescriptions, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and costs—both adjusting and stratifying for dominant source of ambulatory visits. Results. American Indians/Alaska Natives had significantly lower use of Medicaid-paid ambulatory visits, prescriptions, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations and lower associated costs than Whites. Medicaid-paid total costs and use of services were lower for those who predominantly used Indian health program clinics, as well as for those who predominantly used other sources of ambulatory care. Conclusions. Barriers to receiving Medicaid services and payments exist for American Indians/Alaska Natives in the rural IHS-user population. If American Indians/Alaska Natives are to have Medicaid resources comparable to those of Whites, these barriers must be reduced.
Social Disparities in Maternal Morbidity During Labor and Delivery Between Mexican-Born and US-Born White Californians, 1996–1998
Authors: Guendelman Sylvia , Thornton Dorothy , Gould Jeffrey , Hosang Nap 
Published: October 2005

Objectives. To assess maternal health disparities, we compared maternal morbidities during labor and delivery among Mexican-born and US-born White, non-Latina women residing in California. Methods. This population-based study used linked hospital discharge and birth certificate data for 1996–1998 (862723 deliveries). We calculated the frequency, and observed and adjusted odds ratios for obstetric complications. Covariates included maternal age, parity, education, prenatal care initiation and payment source, and hospital quality of care. Results. Approximately 1 in 5 deliveries resulted in a obstetric complication. After control for covariates, Mexican-born women were significantly less likely to have 1 or more maternal morbidities than White, non-Latina women but more likely to have complications that reflect the quality of intrapartum care. Conclusions. Maternal morbidities during labor and delivery are a substantial burden for women in California. The favorable overall outcome of Mexican-born women over US-born White, non-Latinas is surprising given their lower educational attainment, relative poverty, and greater barriers to health care access. The favorable outcomes obscure vulnerabilities in those complications that are sensitive to the quality of intrapartum care.
Cancer Disparities Research Partnership in Lakota Country: Clinical Trials, Patient Services, and Community Education for the Oglala, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes
Authors: Rogers Deborah , Petereit Daniel G. 
Published: October 2005

Native Americans served by the Aberdeen, Billings, and Bemidji areas of the Indian Health Service (IHS) have a cancer mortality rate approximately 40% higher than that of the overall US population. The National Cancer Institute has funded Rapid City Regional Hospital to provide clinical trials, behavioral research, a genetic protocol, patient navigator services (assisting patients with health care coordination and financial issues and helping them to understand their options), and community education for members of 3 western South Dakota tribes. Challenges faced by the project included obtaining multiple approvals from 3 tribes, 4 IHS facilities, and 5 institutional review boards; travel distances; lack of screening; red tape of referrals; and refusal by some payers to cover clinical trials. Building trust through ongoing communication and community presence is key to a successful project.
Breast Cancer Treatment Experiences of Latinas in Los Angeles County
Authors: Katz Steven J. , Lantz Paula M. , Paredes Yvonne , Janz Nancy K. , Fagerlin Angela , Liu Lihua , Deapen Dennis 
Published: October 2005

Objective. We examined breast cancer treatment experiences of and outcomes for Latinas in Los Angeles County. Methods. We conducted a population-based survey of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between December 2001 and November 2002 (n=910) to evaluate the types of treatments received, communication with clinicians, and satisfaction. Results. About two thirds were non-Latina White, 18.8% were African American, and 18.9% were Latina (with 11.0% preferring English and 7.9% preferring Spanish). The rest indicated other ethnic groups. Latinas who preferred Spanish were more likely to experience a delay of 3 months or more from diagnosis to surgical treatment (36.4% vs 9.1% for non-Latina Whites, 18.6% for African Americans, and 12.7%, for other Latinas, P<.001). African Americans and Latinas who preferred Spanish had very low rates of reconstruction (13.8% and 9.2%, respectively, compared with 42.1% for Whites and 34.5% for Latinas who preferred English, P=.009). Latinas who preferred Spanish had the highest odds ratio for low satisfaction. Conclusion. Latinas who preferred Spanish received different treatments and perceived a different treatment experience than did other cultural groups.
Changes in Veterans’ Use of Outpatient Care From 1992 to 2000
Authors: Long Judith A. , Polsky Daniel , Metlay Joshua P. 
Published: October 2005

Objectives. During the mid-1990s, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) reorganized and placed greater emphasis on high-quality primary care. To determine whether the reorganization was associated with changes in patterns of out-patient VHA use, we sought to evaluate changes in characteristics of veterans who use VHA outpatient services between 1992 and 2000. Methods. We merged 2 waves of the National Survey of Veterans to determine changes in patterns of outpatient care use. We evaluated the extent to which veterans who received outpatient care received that care from the VHA. Results. The odds ratio for VHA-only outpatient care relative to non-VHA–only care in 2000 relative to 1992 was 1.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.51, 2.04), and the odds ratio for dual relative to non-VHA-only care was 1.22 (95% CI=1.08, 1.37). Veterans who were older, had low incomes, and had no additional health insurance coverage were most likely to increase their use of VHA outpatient care. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the VHA is increasingly serving veterans who have trouble accessing the private health care system.
Skin Color, Social Classification, and Blood Pressure in Southeastern Puerto Rico
Authors: Gravlee Clarence C. , Dressler William W. , Bernard H. Russell 
Published: October 2005

Objectives. We tested competing hypotheses for the skin color–blood pressure relationship by analyzing the association between blood pressure and 2 skin color variables: skin pigmentation and social classification. Methods. We measured skin pigmentation by reflectance spectrophotometry and social classification by linking respondents to ethnographic data on the cultural model of “color” in southeastern Puerto Rico. We used multiple regression analysis to test the associations between these variables and blood pressure in a community-based sample of Puerto Rican adults aged 25–55 years (n=100). Regression models included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), self-reported use of antihypertensive medication, and socioeconomic status (SES). Results. Social classification, but not skin pigmentation, is associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure through a statistical interaction with SES, independent of age, gender, BMI, self-reported use of antihypertensive medication, and skin reflectance. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that sociocultural processes mediate the relationship between skin color and blood pressure. They also help to clarify the meaning and measurement of skin color and “race” as social variables in health research.
Stormy Weather: Race, Gene Expression, and the Science of Health Disparities
Authors: Krieger Nancy 
Published: October 2005

In the current US political climate, conservative foundations are seeking to frame debates over determinants of racial/ethnic health disparities as a matter of “politically correct” unscientific ideology (concerning the health impacts of discrimination) vs scientific yet “politically incorrect” expertise rooted in biological facts (concerning genes). I draw on historical and contemporary examples to place conservative polemics in context, and also highlight fundamental flaws in their arguments involving the use of spurious categories (e.g., Caucasian), logical fallacies, temporal fallacies, and an erroneous emphasis on gene frequency over gene expression. The larger goal is to strengthen development of a more critical, reflexive, and rigorous science capable of generating evidence useful for rectifying—rather than perpetuating—social disparities in health.
Racializing Drug Design: Implications of Pharmacogenomics for Health Disparities
Authors: Lee Sandra Soo-Jin 
Published: October 2005

Current practices of using “race” in pharmacogenomics research demands consideration of the ethical and social implications for understandings of group difference and for efforts to eliminate health disparities. This discussion focuses on an “infrastructure of racialization” created by current trajectories of research on genetic differences among racially identified groups, the use of race as a proxy for risk in clinical practice, and increasing interest in new market niches by the pharmaceutical industry. The confluence of these factors has resulted in the conflation of genes, disease, and race. I argue that public investment in pharmacogenomics requires careful consideration of current inequities in health status and social and ethical concerns over reifying race and issues of distributive justice.
Prediction of transient bed height in batch sedimentation at large times
Authors: Usher Shane P. , Scales Peter J. , White Lee R. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractSedimentation of particulate slurries in industrial sedimentation ponds and laboratory‐based batch settling tests is difficult to describe analytically. Understanding long‐time settling behavior is of particular importance when extrapolating existing sedimentation data to predict the final extent and how long it will take. A simple analytical equation has been derived to describe the final stage of compression in batch settling. In addition, numerical methods for determining the equation parameters have been proposed and demonstrated. The validity of the analytical equation and the parameters determined has been verified by comparison with finite element predictions. This new knowledge has the potential to significantly reduce the computational time requirements of predicting long‐time batch settling behavior. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Producing chromium carbide using reduction of chromium oxide with methane
Authors: Khoshandam B. , Kumar R. V. , Jamshidi E. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractIn the present work, reduction of chromium oxide using methane is investigated. The thermogravimetric method was used to obtain kinetic parameters of the reaction in the temperature range of 870‐975°C under atmospheric pressure. The experimental data was analyzed using the grain model. The reaction product, chromium carbide, was observed to be produced at a temperature of about 140°C lower than by other conventional methods. Carbon deposition, which is highly undesirable in the synthesis of chromium carbide, was negligible in the present experiments. The experiments were conducted in two modes, either under the conditions of reaction control or under the conditions of diffusion control for determining reaction rate constants and diffusion rates to study pore diffusion, respectively. The pore diffusion studies were carried out with and without considering the bulk flow effect. The gas phase diffusion coefficient through the product layer around the grains was calculated with an approximate method. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Density functional theory for chemical engineering: From capillarity to soft materials
Authors: Wu Jianzhong 
Published: October 2005

AbstractUnderstanding the microscopic structure and macroscopic properties of condensed matter from a molecular perspective is important for both traditional and modern chemical engineering. A cornerstone of such understanding is provided by statistical mechanics, which bridges the gap between molecular events and the structural and physiochemical properties of macro‐ and mesoscopic systems. With ever‐increasing computer power, molecular simulations and ab initio quantum mechanics are promising to provide a nearly exact route to accomplishing the full potential of statistical mechanics. However, in light of their versatility for solving problems involving multiple length and timescales that are yet unreachable by direct simulations, phenomenological and semiempirical methods remain relevant for chemical engineering applications in the foreseeable future. Classical density functional theory offers a compromise: on the one hand, it is able to retain the theoretical rigor of statistical mechanics and, on the other hand, similar to a phenomenological method, it demands only modest computational cost for modeling the properties of uniform and inhomogeneous systems. Recent advances are summarized of classical density functional theory with emphasis on applications to quantitative modeling of the phase and interfacial behavior of condensed fluids and soft materials, including colloids, polymer solutions, nanocomposites, liquid crystals, and biological systems. Attention is also given to some potential applications of density functional theory to material fabrications and biomolecular engineering. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Global optimization of a combinatorially complex generalized pooling problem
Authors: Meyer Clifford A. , Floudas Christodoulos A. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractGlobal optimization strategies are described for a generalization of the pooling problem that is important to the petrochemical, chemical, and wastewater treatment industries. The problem involves both discrete variables, modeling the structure of a flow network, and continuous variables, modeling flow rates, and stream attributes. The continuous relaxation of this mixed integer nonlinear programming problem is nonconvex because of the presence of bilinear terms in the constraint functions. We propose an algorithm to find the global solution using the principles of the reformulation‐linearization technique (RLT). A novel piecewise linear RLT formulation is proposed and applied to the class of generalized pooling problems. Using this approach we verify the global solution of a combinatorially complex industrial problem containing 156 bilinear terms and 55 binary variables, reducing the gap between upper and lower bounds to within 1.2%. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
The use of alumatrane for the preparation of high‐surface‐area nickel aluminate and its activity for CO oxidation
Authors: Utchariyajit K. , Gulari E. , Wongkasemjit S. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractSupported nickel has been used in a wide range of applications for industrial reactions, such as steam reforming, hydrogenation and methanation. In this work, nickel aluminate was prepared by the sol–gel process using alumatrane as the alkoxide precursor, directly synthesized from the reaction of inexpensive and available compounds, aluminum hydroxide and TIS (triisopropanolamine) via the oxide one pot synthesis (OOPS) process. Various conditions of the sol–gel process, such as pH, calcination temperature, hydrolysis ratio and ratio of nickel to aluminum, were studied. All samples were characterized using FTIR, TGA, XRD, TPR, DR‐UV and BET. The BET surface area was in the range of 340–450 m2/g at the calcination temperature of 500 °C with a mesoporous pore size distribution. Catalyst activity testing in CO oxidation reaction depended on Ni:Al ratio and calcination temperature. Higher activity was obtained from higher Ni content and lower calcination temperature. In addition, catalysts prepared using alumatrane precursor had higher percentage conversion than those prepared using aluminum hydroxide precursor. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Formation of thermosensitive copolymer beads having phosphinic acid groups and adsorption ability for metal ions
Authors: Nonaka Takamasa , Yasunaga Atsushi , Ogata Tomonari , Kurihara Seiji 
Published: October 2005

AbstractHydrophilic thermosensitive copolymer beads having phosphinic acid groups were prepared by suspension copolymerization of acryloyloxypropyl n‐octylphosphinic acid (APPO), N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm), and tetraethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (4G). The thermosensitivity and the adsorption ability of the copolymer beads for metal ions beads were studied. The APPO‐NIPAAm‐4G copolymer beads were obtained in a good yield by suspension copolymerization of monomers (APPO, NIPAAm, and 4G) dissolved in chloroform, in a saturated Na2SO4 aqueous solution in the presence of surfactant and MgCO3. The APPO‐NIPAAm‐4G copolymer beads had higher adsorption ability for lanthanide metal ions (Eu3+, Sm3+, Nd3+, or La3+) than for main transition metal ions (Cu2+, Ni2+, or Co2+). Furthermore, it was also found that the APPO‐NIPAAm‐4G copolymer beads had selective adsorption ability between lanthanide metal ions, and the order of adsorption ability for lanthanide metal ions was as follows: Eu3+ > Sm3+ > Nd3+ > La3+. The selective adsorption for these metal ions from their mixed solutions was performed by both a batch method and a column method. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 449–460, 2006
Preliminary investigation of poly(ether sulfone)/poly(aryl ether ketone) containing 1,4‐naphthalene blends
Authors: Jiang Dong , Chen Xing‐Bo , Niu Ya‐Ming , Zhang Yun‐He , Jiang Zhen‐Hua , Ma Rong‐Tang 
Published: October 2005

AbstractThe blends of poly(ether sulfone) and poly(aryl ether ketone) containing 1,4‐naphthalene were prepared by melt mixing in a Brabender‐like apparatus. The specimens for measurements were made by compression molding under pressure and then were water‐quenched at room temperature. The tensile strength, tensile modulus, elongation at break, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy were each measured. The dependence of tensile strength, tensile modulus, and elongation at break on blend systems was obtained. The effects of composition and miscibility on the mechanical properties are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 472–476, 2006
Morphology studies of multilayered HDPE/PS systems
Authors: Bernal‐Lara T. E. , Masirek R. , Hiltner A. , Baer E. , Piorkowska E. , Galeski A. 
Published: October 2005

AbstractFilms with alternating layers of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polystyrene (PS) were prepared by layer‐multiplying coextrusion, using two HDPEs differing in molecular weight. The crystal structure of extremely thin PE layers confined between PS layers was studied by small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXS), and also by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique including MDSC. The morphology of HDPE in the systems studied is greatly affected by the presence of HDPE/PS interfaces. In the HDPE layers, the texture component was observed with lamellae with their basal planes normal to the interface and (200) crystallographic planes parallel to the interface. Thus, the polymer chains in this texture component are parallel to the interface between both polymers. The small fraction of lamellae parallel to the interface in thicker HDPE layers disappears with the thinning of the layers beyond 100 nm. AFM images show in these samples straight, long lamellae positioned edge‐on at HDPE/PS interface. The thickness and perfection of lamellae decrease with the decrease of individual HDPE layer thickness. Those thinner and less perfect lamellae are more susceptible to reorganization during heating as it is observed by MDSC. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 597–612, 2006