A highly efficient bismuth salts-catalyzed route for the synthesis of α-aminophosphonates.

A convenient synthesis of different types of α-amino phosphonates via one-pot solvent-free three component reactions of aldehydes, amines and phosphites catalyzed by bismuth salts has been investigated. Bismuth triflate is found to be the most effective catalyst for this reaction.

Novel disubstituted chrysene as a potent agent against colon cancer.

Research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives has received significant attention from the scientific community. The present study involved the synthesis of several novel 6,12-disubstituted chrysene derivatives. Nitration of chrysene with nitric acid produced 6,12-dinitrochrysene which when reduced yielded 6,12-diaminochrysene.

What does free cash flow tell us about hospital efficiency? A stochastic frontier analysis of cost inefficiency in California hospitals.

Hospitals are facing substantial financial and economic pressure as a result of health plan payment restructuring, unfunded mandates, and other factors. This article analyzes the relationship between free cash flow (FCF) and hospital efficiency given these financial challenges. Data from 270 California hospitals were used to estimate a stochastic frontier model of hospital cost efficiency that explicitly takes into account outpatient heterogeneity.

Acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits among Hispanics in United States-Mexico border communities.

Objective: To explore the relationship between acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits in the largely Hispanic populations living in underserved communities in the United States of America along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Holographically formed three-dimensional Penrose-type photonic quasicrystal through a lab-made single diffractive optical element.

Large-area three-dimensional Penrose-type photonic quasicrystals are fabricated through a holographic lithography method using a lab-made diffractive optical element and a single laser exposure. The diffractive optical element consists of five polymer gratings symmetrically orientated around a central opening. The fabricated Penrose-type photonic quasicrystal shows ten-fold rotational symmetry.

Flocking of multiple mobile robots based on backstepping.

This paper considers the flocking of multiple nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots. Distributed controllers are proposed with the aid of backstepping techniques, results from graph theory, and singular perturbation theory. The proposed controllers can make the states of a group of robots converge to a desired geometric pattern whose centroid moves along a desired trajectory under the condition that the desired trajectory is available to a portion of the group of robots.

Novel 6,12-disubstituted chrysene as potent anticancer agent: synthesis, in vitro and in vivo study.

We describe herein the synthesis of novel 6,12-distributed chrysene as potent anticancer agents. In vitro and in vivo studies are also reported here.

Discovery and analysis of 4H-pyridopyrimidines, a class of selective bacterial protein synthesis inhibitors.

Bacterial protein synthesis is the target for numerous natural and synthetic antibacterial agents. We have developed a poly(U) mRNA-directed aminoacylation/translation protein synthesis system composed of phenyl-tRNA synthetases, ribosomes, and ribosomal factors from Escherichia coli. This system, utilizing purified components, has been used for high-throughput screening of a small-molecule chemical library.

An effective microwave-induced iodine-catalyzed method for the synthesis of quinoxalines via condensation of 1,2-diamines with 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds.

A microwave-induced iodine-catalyzed simple, rapid and convenient synthesis of different types of quinoxalines via condensation of 1,2-diamines with 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds has been accomplished with an excellent yield.

Microscopic and Spectroscopic Studies of Thermally Enhanced Electrospun PMMA Micro- and Nanofibers.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been incorporated into poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) through electrospinning. The resulting micro- and nanofibers have been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which confirmed fiber formation and demonstrated a core-sheath structure of the PMMA fibers. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to obtain the thermal properties of the materials, indicating an enhancement in the thermal properties of the composite fibers.

Two paradigms of measuring serial-order memory: two different patterns of serial-position functions.

There are two research paradigms in the area of serial-order memory. One typically uses serial recall (accuracy), and the other comparative judgment (reaction time) for measuring serial-order memory. Spontaneous subgrouping is commonly observed in the recall serial-position function in the form of multiple bowings.

The serial position, distance, and congruity effects of reference point setting in comparative judgments.

This study tested the hypothesis that the serial position function in serial order memory derives from a gradient of activation strength, with the end anchor point having the highest strength and accessibility. Subjects memorized an ordered series of names and were tested on their memory of the order with a comparative judgment task. In Experiment 1, a traditional comparative judgment task was used in which they chose the one member in a pair that was either higher or lower in the ranking on the attribute dimension.

Physician career satisfaction: examining perspectives of the working environment.

The author examined the relationship among factors influencing the career satisfaction of 2,105 physicians. Data from the 2005 Community Tracking Study Physician Survey were used to obtain 5 latent factors. Structural equation modeling was then applied to extract information on factor interrelationships with physician satisfaction.

An expeditious synthesis of N-substituted pyrroles via microwave-induced iodine-catalyzed reactions under solventless conditions.

An expeditious synthesis of N-substituted pyrroles has been developed by reacting 2,5-dimethoxy tetrahydrofuran and several amines using a microwave-induced molecular iodine-catalyzed reaction under solventless conditions.

Do decapod crustaceans have nociceptors for extreme pH?

Background: Nociception is the physiological detection of noxious stimuli. Because of its obvious importance, nociception is expected to be widespread across animal taxa and to trigger robust behaviours reliably. Nociception in invertebrates, such as crustaceans, is poorly studied.

Decreased static and dynamic postural control in children with autism spectrum disorders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate postural control in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) during static and dynamic postural challenges. We evaluated postural sway during quiet stance and the center of pressure (COP) shift mechanism during gait initiation for 13 children with ASD and 12 age-matched typically developing (TD) children. Children with ASD produced 438% greater normalized mediolateral sway (p<0.

Remarkable iodine-catalyzed synthesis of novel pyrrole-bearing N-polyaromatic beta-lactams.

Because of their interesting biological properties various methods for the synthesis of substituted pyrroles are described in the literature. However, synthesis of pyrroles fused with a beta-lactam ring has not been reported. Our group has demonstrated synthesis and biological evaluation of various beta-lactams as anticancer agents.

A comparison of blood pressure, body mass index, and acanthosis nigricans in school-age children.

The purpose of this retrospective quantitative study was to examine the relationships among acanthosis nigricans (AN), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), school grade, and gender in children attending elementary school located in South West Texas. Data were collected by attending school district nurses. Researchers reviewed 7,026 previously collected records from a state mandated public school health screening program in elementary school Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9, conducted by school nurses.

Risk Exposures in Early Life and Mortality at Older Ages: Evidence from Union Army Veterans.

This study examines the relation between risk exposures in early life and hazard of mortality among 11,978 Union Army veterans aged 50 and over in 1900. Veterans' risk exposures prior to enlistment-as approximated by birth season, country of origin, residential region, city size, and height at enlistment-significantly influence their chance of survival after 1900. These effects are robust irrespective of whether or not socioeconomic well-being circa 1900 has been taken into account; however, they are sensitive to the particular age periods that have been selected for survival analysis.

Efficient protein alignment algorithm for protein search.

Background: Proteins show a great variety of 3D conformations, which can be used to infer their evolutionary relationship and to classify them into more general groups; therefore protein structure alignment algorithms are very helpful for protein biologists. However, an accurate alignment algorithm itself may be insufficient for effective discovering of structural relationships among tens of thousands of proteins. Due to the exponentially increasing amount of protein structural data, a fast and accurate structure alignment tool is necessary to access protein classification and protein similarity search; however, the complexity of current alignment algorithms are usually too high to make a fully alignment-based classification and search practical.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel dibenzofluorene derivatives as anticancer agents.

The novel synthesis of dibenzofluorene has been achieved by a cyclodehydration method. Several derivatives have also been prepared using this hydrocarbon. These compounds have been tested against a number of cancer cell lines in vitro, and useful selectivity has been observed.

Sterilization of companion animals: exploring the attitudes and behaviors of Latino students in south Texas.

A sample of 131 Latino students attending a university in south Texas near the United States-Mexico border completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding their companion animals (pets). Compared with dog caregivers (owners) (n = 106), cat caregivers (n = 25) were significantly more likely to favor early spay/neuter of pets and to report that the primary benefit received from their own pet was relational (for example, companionship) rather than functional (for example, sense of safety). The rate of sterilization was significantly higher for cats (60%) than for dogs (26.

Brief report: attitudes about responding to survey questions concerning childhood sexual abuse by Hispanic female college students.

In no studies have research participants been asked how they feel about answering questions concerning childhood sexual abuse. We have performed searches from two different search engines again and have found nothing published which specifically addresses this question in the way we have. A questionnaire about childhood sexual abuse was administered to a sample of Mexican-American female college students.

The moral problem of health disparities.

Health disparities exist along lines of race/ethnicity and socioeconomic class in US society. I argue that we should work to eliminate these health disparities because their existence is a moral wrong that needs to be addressed. Health disparities are morally wrong because they exemplify historical injustices.