The impact of community health workers on behavioral outcomes and glycemic control of diabetes patients on the U.S.-Mexico border.

This study attempts to determine the impact of Community Health Workers (promotoras de salud) on the self-management practices of people with diabetes on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Asymmetric synthesis of anticancer beta-lactams via Staudinger reaction: utilization of chiral ketene from carbohydrate.

We describe herein asymmetric synthesis of a novel anticancer beta-lactam following Staudinger reaction with chiral carbohydrate as the ketene component with an achiral imine. The in vitro cytotoxicity studies of these beta-lactams are also reported here.

An exploratory study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and SCCmec elements obtained from a community setting along the Texas border with Mexico.

An exploratory study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and SCCmec elements in bacteria along the Mexican border of south Texas was performed. Between September and December of 2008, 375 swabs of anterior nares were self-collected by students attending the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and cultured for MRSA. Fifty seven bacterial isolates were kept for further analysis that included suspected MRSA and other SCCmec-containing bacteria.

A model to assess the accuracy of detecting arboviruses in mosquito pools.

Vigilant surveillance of virus prevalence in mosquitoes is essential for risk assessment and outbreak prediction. Accurate virus detection methods are essential for arbovirus surveillance. We have developed a model to estimate the probability of accurately detecting a virus-positive mosquito from pooled field collections using standard molecular techniques.

Search similar protein structures with classification, sequence and 3d alignments.

We have developed an algorithm and web tool to search similar protein structures in the PDB (Protein Data Bank). The algorithm is a combination of a series of methods including protein classification, geometric feature extraction, sequence alignment, and 3D structure alignment. Given a protein structure, the tool can efficiently discover similar structures from hundreds of thousands of structures stored in the PDB.

Five beam holographic lithography for simultaneous fabrication of three dimensional photonic crystal templates and line defects using phase tunable diffractive optical element.

This paper demonstrates an approach for laser holographic patterning of three-dimensional photonic lattice structures using a single diffractive optical element. The diffractive optical element is fabricated by recording gratings in a photosensitive polymer using a two-beam interference method and has four diffraction gratings oriented with four-fold symmetry around a central opening. Four first-order diffracted beams from the gratings and one non-diffracted central beam overlap and form a three-dimensional interference pattern.

An investigation of bacillus thuringiensis in rectal-collected fecal samples of cows.

In order to better understand the range and role of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and its toxins in nature, we have undertaken a study of Bt taken directly from the rectum of 117 cows from 37 farms on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Thirty-seven fecal samples (32%) were found to contain at least one Bt. Generally only one or two isolates with a particular crystal morphology were isolated from any one sample, however, a few samples contained more, up to 11 isolates, suggesting post-ingestion amplification.

Hatch plasticity in response to varied inundation frequency in Aedes albopictus.

Eggs of container-breeding mosquitoes are able to withstand drought conditions as an egg and hatch when submerged. Frequent rainfall can be simulated by frequent submersion, and drought conditions can be simulated by infrequent submersion. We examined the hatch response of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) eggs to simulated drought conditions.

Occupational career and risk of mortality among US Civil War veterans.

Previous studies have extended the traditional framework on occupational disparities in health by examining mortality differentials from a career perspective. Few studies, however, have examined the relation between career and mortality in a historical U.S.

Magnetic properties of barium ferrite dispersed within polystyrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers.

Magnetic properties of nanocomposite materials obtained by dispersing barium ferrite nanoparticles within polystyrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, in the temperature range, 300 to 500 K are reported. The temperature dependence of the magnetization at saturation, averaged uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and coercive field of thick films are analyzed. A "matrix effect" was noticed within the glass transition range of the hard component (polystyrene) of the polymeric matrix.

A GIS-based comparison of the Mexican national and IUCN methods for determining extinction risk.

The national systems used in the evaluation of extinction risk are often touted as more readily applied and somehow more regionally appropriate than the system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We compared risk assessments of the Mexican national system (method for evaluation of risk of extinction of wild species [MER]) with the IUCN system for the 16 Polianthes taxa (Agavaceae), a genus of plants with marked variation in distribution sizes. We used a novel combination of herbarium data, geographic information systems (GIS), and species distribution models to provide rapid, repeatable estimates of extinction risk.

Race-norming of neuropsychological tests.

Recent studies in the United States indicate that some neurologically intact minority groupings perform well below White Americans on neuropsychological tests. This has sparked the production of race-norms, especially for African Americans, that seek to reduce false positive rates (i.e.

Locality and stability of the cascades of two-dimensional turbulence.

We investigate and clarify the notion of locality as it pertains to the cascades of two-dimensional turbulence. The mathematical framework underlying our analysis is the infinite system of balance equations that govern the generalized unfused structure functions, first introduced by L'vov and Procaccia. As a point of departure we use a revised version of the system of hypotheses that was proposed by Frisch for three-dimensional turbulence.

Robust spots finding in microarray images with distortions.

Microarray images, which allow the analysis of hybridization expressions of genes, have been one of the most widely used high-throughput technologies with many different applications. Accurate and automatic microarray image analysis is very important since researchers trust the information provided in these experiments and construct conclusions based on the results produced by the software responsible in analyzing the hybridized arrays. Every microarray image contains thousands of spots, so how to do the spots finding in microarray images accurately and automatically is very meaningful.

Fungal phyllosphere communities are altered by indirect interactions among trophic levels.

Trophic interactions involving predators, herbivores, and plants have been described in terrestrial systems. However, there is almost no information on the effect of trophic interactions on microbial phyllosphere community abundance, diversity, or structure. In this study, the interaction between a parasitoid, an insect herbivore, and the fungal phyllosphere community is examined.

A randomized control trial of a supervised versus a self-directed exercise program for allogeneic stem cell transplant patients.

Objectives: To determine if therapist supervision of an exercise program produced better functional outcomes in allogeneic stem cell transplant patients than a patient-directed exercise program.

Methods: Sixty-one patients who were less than 6 months post allogeneic stem cell transplant were randomly assigned to either a therapist supervised training group (supervised) or a patient-directed training group (Self-directed). Training consisted of aerobic exercises (treadmill, bicycle ergometer versus walking) and resistance exercises (free weights, weight machines versus resistive band activities).

Turning loss into opportunity: the key deletion of an escape circuit in decapod crustaceans.

Decapod crustacean escape responses are adaptive behaviors whose neural bases are well understood. The escape circuit is composed of giant neurons. Lateral giant interneurons (LGs) respond to posterior stimuli by generating a somersaulting tailflip; medial giant interneurons (MGs) respond to anterior stimuli with a backwards tailflip.

Effects of risk-focused and recommendation-focused mental imagery on occupational risk communication.

This study examined the impact of mental imagery instructions in a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) safety document conveying risk and safety information to farmers. A sample of 314 farmers recruited from a large Southeastern state fair was randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 x 2 design. Participants received a NIOSH safety document about skid steer loader safety in which 2 types of mental imagery instructions were manipulated: (a) risk-focused (imagery vs.

Communicating the death of a child in the emergency department: managing dialectical tensions.

This study highlighted the tensions that physicians face when communicating the death of a child to parents. Ten pediatric physicians participated in interviews in which they were asked to provide specific details about end-of-life discussions they have had with families in pediatric emergency rooms. From these findings, it is evident that physicians are required to balance multiple external and internal tensions embedded in these difficult conversations.

Maternal milk concentration of zinc, iron, selenium, and iodine and its relationship to dietary intakes.

The dietary intake of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), selenium (Se), and iodine (I) of 31 lactating Mexican-American women attending the Hidalgo County WIC program in Rio Grande Valley (RGV), Texas was estimated from 24-h dietary recall interviews. Milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers who had infants 3 months of age and younger. Milk samples were collected in two visits to assess change in breast milk composition after 1-3 months postpartum: group A--after 30-45 days and group B--75-90 days.

Persistent disparities in the use of health care along the US-Mexico border: an ecological perspective.

Objectives: We examined disparities in health care use among US-Mexico border residents, with a focus on the unique binational environment of the region, to determine factors that may influence health care use in Mexico.

Methods: Data were from 2 waves of a population-based study of 1048 Latino residents of selected Texas border counties. Logistic regression models examined predictors of health insurance coverage.

Perceived stress in occupational therapy students.

The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress of entry-level master's occupational therapy (OT) students enrolled at a Texas university. A total of 29 students including nine men and 20 women participated in the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection.

Psychosocial variables related to the adoption of video relay services among deaf or hard-of-hearing employees at the Texas School for the Deaf.

Assistive technology (AT) can help individuals with disabilities address a range of barriers and increase community and work participation, yet many devices are abandoned soon after acquisition. Video Relay Service (VRS) is a new communication technology available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but little is known about VRS adoption and use by intended consumers. Previous research suggests that psychosocial factors may have significant impact on adoption and use of AT, thus a nonexperimental research design was used to investigate the impact of psychosocial and demographic variables on adoption of VRS by deaf or hard-of-hearing adults.

Which physicians have access to electronic prescribing and which ones end up using it?

Objectives: This study examines the availability of electronic prescription and the utilization of e-prescribing by physicians in the US.

Methods: Nationally representative data from the 2004-2005 Community Tracking Study Physician Survey were used to identify which subgroups of physicians have access to e-prescribing technology and which subgroups are using this technology more or less intensively. Exhaustive Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) was employed for statistical data segmentation.