Titanium Dioxide Nanofibers and Microparticles Containing Nickel Nanoparticles.

The present study reports on the introduction of various nanocatalysts containing nickel (Ni) nanoparticles (NPs) embedded within TiO nanofibers and TiO microparticles. Typically, a sol-gel consisting of titanium isopropoxide and Ni NPs was prepared to produce TiO nanofibers by the electrospinning process. Similarly, TiO microparticles containing Ni were prepared using a sol-gel syntheses process.

An investigation of the efficacy of online expressive writing for trauma-related psychological distress in Hispanic individuals.

This study compared the efficacy of 2 online expressive writing protocols for a traumatic/stressful life event in a Hispanic student sample. Participants who had reported a traumatic event were randomly assigned to either the emotion-focused group or the fact-focused group. The emotion-focused group focused their written accounts on emotions and feelings as well as facts about a stressful/traumatic experience, whereas the fact-focused group focused on facts of a stressful/traumatic event.

An expeditious iodine-catalyzed synthesis of 3-pyrrole-substituted 2-azetidinones.

2-Azetidinones and pyrroles are two highly important classes of molecules in organic and medicinal chemistry. A green and practical method for the synthesis of 3-pyrrole-substituted 2-azetidinones using catalytic amounts of molecular iodine under microwave irradiation has been developed. Following this method, a series of 3-pyrrole- substituted 2-azetidinones have been synthesized with a variety of substituents at N-1 and at C-4.

Negative-order Korteweg-de Vries equations.

In this paper, based on the regular Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) system, we study negative-order KdV (NKdV) equations, particularly their Hamiltonian structures, Lax pairs, conservation laws, and explicit multisoliton and multikink wave solutions thorough bilinear Bäcklund transformations. The NKdV equations studied in our paper are differential and actually derived from the first member in the negative-order KdV hierarchy. The NKdV equations are not only gauge equivalent to the Camassa-Holm equation through reciprocal transformations but also closely related to the Ermakov-Pinney systems and the Kupershmidt deformation.

Can people strategically control the encoding and retrieval of some morphologic and typographic details of words?

This study investigated whether the encoding and retrieval of plurality information and letter-case information of words in recognition memory can be inhibited. Response-deadline experiments (Hintzman & Curran, 1994) using single words have indicted a controlled processing mode, whereas studies using meaningful sentences (e.g.

Polycyclic aromatic compounds as anticancer agents: Evaluation of synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered to be significant environmental carcinogens. Additionally, various planar ring systems are capable of intercalating with DNA, leading to a number of drugs that possess chemotherapeutic activity. In this study, three new polyaromatic compounds with a side chain were synthesized, and spectroscopic as well as elemental analyses were performed.

Do Marmorkrebs, Procambarus fallax f. virginalis, threaten freshwater Japanese ecosystems?

Background: One marbled crayfish, Marmorkrebs, Procambarus fallax f. virginalis (Hagen, 1870), was discovered in a natural ecosystem in Japan in 2006. Because Marmorkrebs are parthenogenetic, they could establish a population from only a single individual, and thus pose a risk for becoming established in Japan, as they have in other countries.

Microwave-assisted polystyrene sulfonate-catalyzed synthesis of novel pyrroles.

Background: Pyrroles are widely distributed in nature and important biologically active molecules. The reaction of amines with 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran is a promising pathway for the synthesis of pharmacologically active pyrroles under microwave irradiation.

Results: Microwave-induced polystyrenesulfonate-catalyzed synthesis of pyrroles from amines and 2,5-diemthoxytetrahydrofuran has been accomplished with excellent yield.

Identifying Occupational Performance Barriers of Stroke Survivors: Utilization of a Home Assessment.

Background: Stroke survivors often have impairments that make it difficult for them to function safely in their home environment.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify occupational performance barriers in the home and describe the subsequent recommendations offered to stroke survivors and their caregivers.

Methods: An occupational therapist administered a home safety tool to assess stroke survivors' home environments, determine home safety problems, and provide recommendations.

SHP-2 and PTP-pest induction during Rb-E2F associated apoptosis.

Apoptosis is intimately connected to cell cycle regulation via the Retinoblastoma (Rb)-E2F pathway and thereby serves an essential role in tumor suppression by eliminating aberrant hyperproliferative cells. Upon loss of Rb activity, an apoptotic response can be elicited through both p53-dependent and p53-independent mechanisms. While much of this apoptotic response has been attributed to the p19ARF/p53 pathway, increasing evidence has supported the role of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in contributing to the initiation of the Rb-E2F-associated apoptotic response.

An apparatus to control and automate the formation of continuous density gradients.

A common problem associated with making a continuous density gradient is the unwanted mixing of liquids as the gradient solution is being delivered from the gradient mixer to the centrifuge tube. We show that by using a Styrofoam float on a thin drawn-out glass pipette, liquids from the gradient mixer will flow down the outside surface of the glass fiber and contact the float, after which the liquid spreads across the gradient surface without unwanted mixing. As the liquid in the tube rises, the float rises up the glass fiber, thereby allowing the creation of gradients without the need to monitor the process.

Increased surfacing behavior in longnose killifish infected by brain-encysting trematode.

Some parasites modify the behavior of intermediate hosts to increase the probability of transmission to the next host in their life cycle. In habitats where this is common, parasites play an important role in predator-prey links and food web dynamics. In this study we used laboratory observations to investigate the behavior of longnose killifish, Fundulus similis, that were naturally infected with metacercariae of the trematode, Euhaplorchis sp.

Bismuth nitrate-induced microwave-assisted expeditious synthesis of vanillin from curcumin.

Background: Curcumin and vanillin are the two useful compounds in food and medicine. Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate is an economical and ecofriendly reagent.

Method: Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate impregnated montmorillonite KSF clay and curcumin were subjected to microwave irradiation.

Alliance for a Healthy Border: factors related to weight reduction and glycemic success.

We examined the factors related to success in achieving weight reduction and glycemic control in Alliance for a Healthy Border (AHB), a chronic disease prevention program implemented from 2006 to 2009 through 12 federally qualified community health centers serving primarily Hispanics in communities located along the US-Mexico border region. We analyzed data from Phase I of AHB using logistic regression to examine the determinants of success in achieving weight reduction and glycemic control among the participants in AHB programs. Factors affecting weight reduction success were sex, age, employment status, income, insurance, diabetes, baseline body mass index (BMI), smoking status, family history of diabetes, session type, program duration, and physical activity changes.

Phenotypic characterization and 16S rDNA identification of culturable non-obligate halophilic bacterial communities from a hypersaline lake, La Sal del Rey, in extreme South Texas (USA).

Background: La Sal del Rey ("the King's Salt") is one of several naturally-occurring salt lakes in Hidalgo County, Texas and is part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The research objective was to isolate and characterize halophilic microorganisms from La Sal del Rey. Water samples were collected from the lake and a small creek that feeds into the lake.

Polystyrenesulfonate-catalyzed synthesis of novel pyrroles through Paal-Knorr reaction.

Background: The classical Paal-Knorr reaction is one of the simplest and most economical methods for the synthesis of biologically important and pharmacologically useful pyrrole derivatives.

Results: Polystyrenesulfonate-catalyzed simple synthesis of substituted pyrroles following Paal-Knorr reaction has been accomplished with an excellent yield in aqueous solution. This method also produces pyrroles with multicyclic polyaromatic amines.

A microwave-assisted bismuth nitrate-catalyzed unique route toward 1,4-dihydropyridines.

The classical Hantzsch reaction is one of the simplest and most economical methods for the synthesis of biologically important and pharmacologically useful 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives. Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate under microwave irradiation is proven to act as a very efficient catalyst for a one-pot, three-component synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines in excellent yields from diverse amines/ammonium acetate, aldehydes and 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds within 1-3 min under solvent-free conditions. The present environmentally benign procedure for the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines is suitable for library synthesis and it will find application in the synthesis of potent biologically active molecules.

Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate-induced novel nitration of eugenol.

Background: Eugenol, the main constituent of clove oil possesses a number of medicinal activities. To enhance the medicinal property, structural modification is required. On the other hand, bismuth nitrate pentahydrate has been established as an excellent eco-friendly nitrating agent for several classes of organic compounds.

A truly green synthesis of α-aminonitriles via Strecker reaction.

Background: The classical Strecker reaction is one of the simplest and most economical methods for the synthesis of racemic α-aminonitriles (precursor of α-amino acids) and pharmacologically useful compounds.

Results: Indium powder in water is shown to act as a very efficient catalyst for one-pot, three-component synthesis of α-aminonitriles from diverse amines, aldehydes and TMSCN. This general rapid method is applicable to a wide range of amines and aldehydes and produces products in excellent yield.

Ultrasound-assisted bismuth nitrate-induced green synthesis of novel pyrrole derivatives and their biological evaluation as anticancer agents.

A series of novel N-substituted pyrrole derivatives have been designed and synthesized following ultrasound-assisted and bismuth nitrate-catalyzed eco-friendly route. This reaction has also provided a general method to prepare diverse varieties of N-substituted pyrroles with less nucleophilic polyaromatic amines. Based on (1)H NMR spectroscopy, a plausible mechanistic pathway has been advanced.

Using monolingual neuropsychological test norms with bilingual Hispanic americans: application of an individual comparison standard.

Conventional neuropsychological norms developed for monolinguals likely overestimate normal performance in bilinguals on language but not visual-perceptual format tests. This was studied by comparing neuropsychological false-positive rates using the 50th percentile of conventional norms and individual comparison standards (Picture Vocabulary or Matrix Reasoning scores) as estimates of preexisting neuropsychological skill level against the number expected from the normal distribution for a consecutive sample of 56 neurologically intact, bilingual, Hispanic Americans. Participants were tested in separate sessions in Spanish and English in the counterbalanced order on La Bateria Neuropsicologica and the original English language tests on which this battery was based.

Dynamical probing of allosteric control in nuclear receptors.

The dynamical behavior of the nuclear receptor LXR/RXR heterodimer was investigated with molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations reveal correlated motion between residues across the dimer interface that depends significantly on occupation of the ligand binding sites of the monomers. These results are broadly consistent with the observed experimental behavior of the dimers, where structural perturbation is thought to be a key element in signal transduction.

Income inequality and obesity prevalence among OECD countries.

Using recent pooled data from the World Health Organization Global Infobase and the World Factbook compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States, this study assesses the relation between income inequality and obesity prevalence among 31 OECD countries through a series of bivariate and multivariate linear regressions. The United States and Mexico well lead OECD countries in both obesity prevalence and income inequality. A sensitivity analysis suggests that the inclusion or exclusion of these two extreme cases can fundamentally change the findings.

Supply and Demand: The Mutual Dependency of Children's Institutions and The American Farmer .

The family farm played an important role in the development of a welfare system for dependent children in the United States. This became increasingly true in the second half of the nineteenth century as the population of institutionalized children grew alongside the desire to place those children into the homes of families. Farm families, which held a special place in the ideology of a self-sufficient United States, partnered with institutions and child-placing agencies to house tens of thousands of dependent children.

Breast cancer genetic testing awareness, attitudes and intentions of Latinas living along the US-Mexico border: a qualitative study.

Background: Genetic testing for breast cancer may facilitate better-informed decisions regarding cancer prevention, risk reduction, more effective early detection, and better determination of risk for family members. Despite these potential benefits, significant portions of the US population-particularly Latinas-lack awareness of genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility. Among women who are tested, less than 4% are Latina.