The safer choices project: methodological issues in school-based health promotion intervention research

Randomized trials of school-based health promotion programs present unique design and analytical issues not widely discussed in the research literature. This article describes the Safer Choices study--a school-based program for prevention of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy--to illustrate critical methodological issues involved in large-scale, school-based intervention trials, particularly those evaluating interventions with a school-wide focus. The issues presented are: 1) comparability of the intervention and control groups even when few units are randomized; 2) factors that affect the decision to use a cohort or cross-sectional design; and 3) appropriate analysis strategy when the unit of randomization and intervention is at the school level, but observations are at the student level.     

Kinetics of volume expansion during infusion of Ringer’s solution based on two volume model

In this work mathematical models were developed to represent the kinetics of volume changes of fluid spaces associated with infusion of Ringer’s solution. During infusion of Ringer’s solution, the human body is assumed to be characterized by the two-fluid space model which has second volume space in addition to the first volume so that fluid exchanges between these two spaces are possible. Various infusion types were tested to accommodate different medical situations. Volunteers were given Ringer’s solution and the changes in blood hemoglobin were detected. From the comparison with experimental data, the two-fluid space model was found to represent adequately the kinetics of human volume expansion during infusion of Ringer’s solution.     

Updating the trusted connection of re-organized computing resource under the automated system management platform

The High-Performance Computing (HPC) is an infrastructure to support various research fields. The research using HPC requires big storage for large-scale of raw data and the huge computing resources to analyze. The consolidated operations of the computing center for supporting various researches using HPC are a very effective organization. The consolidated operations are able to increase the utilization. The computing center has to be re-organized continuously in order to support the various fields of research effectively and flexibly. Re-organization to reuse the limited resources enforces the update of the information for verification of the computing resources after the re-allocation of computing resources and the re-distribution of trusted connection between computing resources. Consequently, to maintain effective research support we need automated resource re-organization environment. In this paper, we build an automated update of the trusted connection for re-organized computing resource using puppet which is automated system management platform. Finally, we provide a unified verification point and efficient environment for the re-allocation and re-organization of the integrated computing center.     

An electrochemically regenerative hydrogen-chlorine energy storage system: electrode kinetics and cell performance

The electrochemical oxidation and reduction of hydrogen and chlorine in hydrochloric acid has been investigated on graphite, ruthenized titanium and platinum electrodes. Both steady state and potentiostatic pulse methods were used. Cell studies were also carried out in cells with flow-by and flow-through chlorine electrodes. Results indicate that the electrode kinetics are fast and the electrolysis and fuel cell reactions can be carried out in the same cell with electric-to-electric efficiencies in excess of 75% at current densities of 300 mA cm^–2. Mass transfer limitations at the chlorine electrode during discharge can be eliminated by cell pressurization and the use of flow-through electrodes.This study was carried out under the auspices of the US Department of Energy.in the summers of 1976 and 1977     

The effect of oxygen in resulfurized steels—Part II

Part I of this two-part paper, which appeared in the June issue, covered the effects of deoxidation with silicon, boron, aluminum, or carbon (under vacuum) on the machinability and microstructure of low-carbon resulfurized steels containing nominally 0.1%C-1.0%Mn-0.25%S. Deoxidation reduced machinability and it was concluded that the removal of oxygen was directly responsible. Deoxidation was found to suppress the formation of large random sulfide inclusions so that sufficiently strong deoxidation, such as with aluminum, caused the steel to solidify with a characteristic eutectic structure in which the inter dendritic sulfide inclusions were comparatively small. Consequently, the inclusions in the rolled steel were small and machinability was reduced.     

Fixed-Parameter Complexity of Minimum Profile Problems

The profile of a graph is an integer-valued parameter defined via vertex orderings; it is known that the profile of a graph equals the smallest number of edges of an interval supergraph. Since computing the profile of a graph is an NP-hard problem, we consider parameterized versions of the problem. Namely, we study the problem of deciding whether the profile of a connected graph of order n is at most n−1+k, considering k as the parameter; this is a parameterization above guaranteed value, since n−1 is a tight lower bound for the profile. We present two fixed-parameter algorithms for this problem. The first algorithm is based on a forbidden subgraph characterization of interval graphs. The second algorithm is based on two simple kernelization rules which allow us to produce a kernel with linear number of vertices and edges. For showing the correctness of the second algorithm we need to establish structural properties of graphs with small profile which are of independent interest. A preliminary version of the paper is published in Proc. IWPEC 2006, LNCS vol. 4169, 60–71.     

Neurorehabilitation/geriatric rehabilitation--goals achieved and aims from the viewpoint of the so-called "Vorarlberg Model"

Together with building up a first neurological department in one of the Austrian states we could introduce and organize the 1st scientific institute in literature for neuro-rehabilitation and -prophylaxis. 80% of the neuro-rehabilitation-patients are geriatrics. Hence overlapping of neuro-rehabilitation with rehabilitation in old age is to be postulated. "Rehabilitation of old age groups" as well has been named by us for the 1st time in scientific literature. Moreover we operate such activities on a large scale within a practical and social medical context. As worldover (at least within the civilized countries of high standards) the problem of old age groups is a steadily increasing and important, we are working on a very important scientific sector. Our slogan: "Holistic and permanent" is practically operated as follows: 1. Fluent transition of rehabilitation-adequate acute treatment towards a systematic specialized rehabilitation. 2. Schooling of relatives and follow up rehabilitation service. 3. Introducing rehabilitative thoughts as well in university, teaching as (by separate schoolings) within medical profession and all the other health professions. 4. We emphasize a plurality of methods; to be named here as main examples: integrated physiotherapy as well as integrated psychotherapy. Emphasizing more scientific values for (high age-)rehabilitation, we emphasize as well that it must not be banned into "high age ghettos". Contrarely rehabilitation adapted thinking must be integrated within all the health professions. 5. Innovation, phantasy and pleasure must be introduced into our work. We report of work with lay-groups, animal-visits, hippo-therapy, music, etc. This forms a large interesting territory for an upraising young generation in health professions.     

Ex vivo staining of metastatic lymph nodes by class I major histocompatibility complex tetramers reveals high numbers of antigen-experienced tumor-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes

Characterization of cytolytic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to tumor antigens has been impeded by a lack of direct assays of CTL activity. We have synthesized reagents ("tetramers") that specifically stain CTLs recognizing melanoma antigens. Tetramer staining of tumor-infiltrated lymph nodes ex vivo revealed high frequencies of tumor-specific CTLs which were antigen-experienced by surface phenotype. In vitro culture of lymph node cells with cytokines resulted in very large expansions of tumor-specific CTLs that were dependent on the presence of tumor cells in the lymph nodes. Tetramer-guided sorting by flow cytometer allowed isolation of melanoma-specific CTLs and confirmation of their specificity and their ability to lyse autologous tumor cells. Our results demonstrate the value of these novel reagents for monitoring tumor-specific CTL responses and for generating CTLs for adoptive immunotherapy. These data also indicate that strong CTL responses to melanoma often occur in vivo, and that the reactive CTLs have substantial proliferative and tumoricidal potential.