One mitigation goal of the Hungry Horse Dam fisheries mitigation program, funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, is to replace lost production of 100,000 adult kokanee in Flathead Lake. The mitigation program calls for a five-year test to determine if kokanee can be reestablished in Flathead Lake. The test consists. of annual stocking of one million hatchery-raised yearling kokanee. There are three benchmarks for judging the success of the kokanee reintroduction effort: (1) Post-stocking survival of 30 percent of planted kokanee one year after stocking; (2) Yearling to adult survival of 10 percent (100,000 adult salmon); (3) Annual kokanee harvest of 50,000 or more fish per year by 1998, with an average length of 11 inches or longer for harvested fish, and fishing pressure of 100,000 angler hours or more. Kokanee were the primary sport fish species in the Flathead Lake fishery in the early 1900s, and up until the late 1980s when the population rapidly ...
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The capacity to maintain internal ion homeostasis amidst changing conditions is particularly important for teleost fishes whose reproductive cycle is dependent upon movement from freshwater to seawater. Although the physiology of seawater osmoregulation in mitochondria-rich cells of fish gill epithelium is well understood, less is known about the underlying causes of inter- and intraspecific variation in salinity tolerance. We used a genome-scan approach in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) correlated with variation in four salinity tolerance performance traits and six body size traits. Comparative genomics approaches allowed us to infer whether allelic variation at candidate gene loci (e.g., ATP1alpha1b, NKCC1, CFTR, and cldn10e) could have underlain observed variation. RESULTS: Combined parental analyses yielded genome-wide significant QTL on linkage groups 8, 14 and 20 for salinity tolerance performance ...
The objective of this animation is to develop a QTL mapping population for locating and characterizing the genes responsible for resistance to tan spot disease of wheat.
Surveillance of a population, such as a weapon stockpile, is needed to discover manufacturing defects as well as deterioration as the population ages. This article considers the risks of sampling rates for surveillance from three perspectives: detection probability of defects in a proportion of a population with pass/fail data, detection of a trend in a defective proportion of the population with pass/fail data, and detection of a trend with quantitative degradation measurements. Understanding of these risks will help the decision maker choose a sampling rate to protect against such problems of a specified size at a tolerable risk.
Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between densely spaced, polymorphic genetic markers in humans and other species contains information about historical population size. Inferring past population size is of...Full Text Available
Feasibility of using sterile females for population suppression of Earias vittella (Fabricius) was evaluated by conducting studies on mating competitiveness of radiation sterilized females, both in individual pairs and in simulated large population conditions. Results showed that sterility induced by using a 10:1:1 ratio (sterile female: normal female: normal male) in single pair experiments and also in simulated large population conditions was more than 99.0 per cent. Release of radiation- sterilized females of E. vittella in natural populations has thus an excellent potential for population suppression. (author)
Removal Sampling is an easy-to-use Windows program which calculates population statistics from removal trapping experiment data. Using maximum likelihood methods it ... ...
PurposeTo describe the prevalence of cataract in older people in 2 areas of north and south India.DesignPopulation-based, cross-sectional study.ParticipantsRandomly...Full Text Available
Comparative Molecular Genetic Monitoring of Myxoviruses Circulating in Populations of Seals Phoca Caspia and Phoca Sibirica in Northern Caspian Region and Lake Baikal
Coral are symbiotic with photosynthetic dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium. There are eight divergent clades (A-H) within the genus which each ... ...
Fungal and oomycete populations and their dynamics were investigated following the introduction of the biocontrol agent Pythium oligandrum into the rhizosphere of tomato plants grown...Full Text Available
Acquisition of detailed knowledge of the structure and evolution of Trypanosoma cruzi populations is essential for control of Chagas disease....Full Text Available
Parasites display considerable phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits such as, body size. Varroa destructor is an ectoparasitic mite of the western honey bee Apis mellifera. Several studies have reported that in V. destructor, there is a wide phenotypic plasticity within a population of mites. However, it is unknown if there are morphologic variations in V. destructor populations affecting different A. mellifera populations. A morphometric study of V. destructor populations was conducted to provide information concerned to the relationships among parasite populations found in different geographic locations from A. mellifera colonies of Argentina. The hypothesis tested was different morphotypes of V. destructor populations parasitizing different A. mellifera populations from Argentina...
Native plant individuals often persist within communities dominated by exotics but the influence of this exposure on native populations is poorly understood. Selection for traits contributing to competitive ability may lead to native plant populations that are more tolerant of the presence of exotic invaders. In this way, long-term coexistence with an exotic may confer competitive advantages to remnant (experienced) native populations and be potentially beneficial to restoration. In past studies we have documented genetic differentiation within native grass populations exposed to the exotic invader Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens). Here, we examine populations of a cool-season grass, needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata [Trin. & Rupr.]) and a warm season, alkali sacaton (Sporobolus a...
Populations living close to high-voltage transmission lines often have residential magnetic field exposures in excess of 1 [mu]T, and sometimes over 2 [mu]T. Yet, populations studied in most epidemiologic investigations of the association between residential magnetic field exposure and cancer typically have exposures below 1 [mu]T and frequently below 0.5 [mu]T. To improve statistical power and precision, it would be useful to compare high exposure populations with low exposure population. Toward this end, we have developed an automated method for identifying populations living near high-voltage transmissions lines. These populations likely have more highly exposed individuals that the population at large. The method uses a geographic information system (GIS) to superimpose digitized transmission line locations on U.S. Census block location ...
Skip to Content Cancer Control and Population Sciences Home Applied Research Home Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Home Diet Usual Dietary Intakes: Background The NCI Method Details of the NCI Method Food Intakes, US Population, 2001-04 Selected Intakes
Skip to Content Cancer Control and Population Sciences Home Applied Research Home Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Home Diet Usual Dietary Intakes: Background The NCI Method Details of the NCI Method Food Intakes, US Population, 2001-04 Selected Intakes
Objectives. This study determined to what extent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations have been studied over the past 20 years of public health research.Methods....Full Text Available
A population based survey of trachoma and blindness was conducted in a rural Nile Delta hamlet. Trachoma remains hyperendemic in this region. Active trachoma was common among preschool children; over...Full Text Available
A community health survey of 438 individuals was taken to detect health problems related to high voltage electrical transmission among an adjacent residential population. Results revealed no significant...Full Text Available
BackgroundDespite having the largest population in Africa, Nigeria has no accurate population based data to plan and evaluate eye care services. A national survey was undertaken...Full Text Available
This investigation will explore the effect that current timber extraction techniques have on plethadontid salamander populations in ... group selection, and two-age harvest. Broad scale timber extraction can d...
BackgroundSeverely disabling chronic pain in the adult population is strongly associated with a range of negative health consequences for individuals and high health care costs,...Full Text Available
This paper presents a new deformable model using both population and patient-specific statistics to segment the prostate from CT images. There are two novelties in the proposed method. First,...Full Text Available
ObjectivesMild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) case-finding criteria have low specificity in general population studies. The present study retrospectively identifies cases...Full Text Available
BackgroundAn abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that is identified when the abdomen is imaged for some other reason is known as an incidental AAA. No population-based studies have...Full Text Available
Production of dissolved macromolecules by ambient autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial populations was measured in a eutrophic Florida reservoir by in situ labeling with various radioactive substrates....Full Text Available
During a study of the health status of children in rural Nigerian communities a gross lack of fit was observed between the sample and the growth attainment standards derived from local longitudinal...Full Text Available
An explicit proposal for experiments leading to abrupt transitions in spatially extended bacterial populations in a Petri dish is presented on the basis of an exact formula obtained through an analytic...Full Text Available
BackgroundLong-term vegetation changes in hyper-arid areas have long been neglected. Mortality, recruitment and change in populations of the ecologically and culturally important...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES. In this study we tested the association between occupational stress--as measured by job demands, decision latitude, and job strain--and hypertension in a population of 1396 Black and White...Full Text Available
Background and AimsMany plants reproduce both clonally and sexually, and the balance between the two modes of reproduction will vary among populations. Clonal reproduction was characterized...Full Text Available
The selection due to the "healthy worker effect" was estimated from a random sample of the total Finnish population. The sample of 20 000 people was followed for changes in occupations from 1960 to...Full Text Available
Natural accumulations of skeletal material (death assemblages) have the potential to provide historical data on species diversity and population structure for regions lacking decades of wildlife monitoring,...Full Text Available
BackgroundBengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris the National Animal of India, is an endangered species. Estimating populations for such species is the main objective...Full Text Available
This is the first report of research for an ongoing study to evaluate the genetic effects of using hatchery-reared fish to supplement natural populations of chinook salmon and steelhead in the Snake River Basin.
AIMS: To examine the frequency of intraocular metastases in patients who had died of cancer, in an eye bank and necropsy population sample. METHODS: The first group included 302 cancer cases received...Full Text Available
Fibroblast cell population kinetics in the developing molar periodontal ligament was investigated in 10, 12, 16 and 20 days old mice by autoradiography after the administration of [3H]thymidine. Labelled...Full Text Available
The effective population size (Ne) is an important parameter in ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. It is, however, notoriously difficult to estimate,...Full Text Available
The roles played by environmental factors in seasonal changes in microbial populations were investigated in the Tvärminne area, off the southern coast of Finland. Surface-layer samples were...Full Text Available
Recently reported technologies for DNA-directed organic synthesis and for DNA computing rely on routing DNA populations through complex networks. The reduction of these ideas to practice has been limited...Full Text Available
The extensive diversity of Plasmodium falciparum antigens is a major obstacle to a broadly effective malaria vaccine but population genetics has rarely been used to guide vaccine design....Full Text Available
BackgroundThis study examines the prevalence and nature of bereavement help-seeking among the population who experienced an "expected" death in the five years before their survey...Full Text Available
AimsTo develop a population pharmacokinetic model for maraviroc, a noncompetitive CCR5 antagonist, after oral administration of tablets to healthy volunteers and asymptomatic HIV-infected...Full Text Available
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are leading causes of morbidity across all populations, with heritability estimates of ∼80% indicating a substantial genetic component. Population genetics...Full Text Available
Variation for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and its component traits was documented in a `Cheyenne¿ x Cheyenne (`Wichita¿ 3A) recombinant inbred chromosome line population. In the present study, a population of 223 Cheyenne (Wichita 3A) recombinant inbred chromosome lines was used to map ...
Populations living close to high-voltage transmission lines often have residential magnetic field exposures in excess of 1 microT, and sometimes over 2 microT. Yet, populations studied in most epidemiologic...Full Text Available
Simple, one-zone models for inhomogeneous chemical evolution of the Galactic halo are used to predict the number fraction of zero-metallicity, Population III stars, which currently is empirically estimated at < 4e-4. These analytic models minimize the number of free parameters, highlighting the most fundamental constraints on halo evolution. There are disagreements of at least an order of magnitude between observations and predictions in limiting cases for both homogeneous Simple Model and Simple Inhomogeneous Model (SIM). Hence, this demonstrates a quantitative, unambiguous discrepancy in the observed and expected fraction of Population III stars. We explore how the metallicity distribution of the parent enrichment events f(z_0) drives the SIM and predictions for the Population III fraction. The SIM shows that the previously-identified "high halo" and "low halo" populations are consistent with a ...
The GSD must be considered as a quantity by means of which the risk in a given population can be described exclusively in terms of genetic risk. In cases of a simultaneous increase in the rate of examinations, the GSD may lead to a misinterpretation of the population exposure, suggesting a decreasing trend, although there is an actual increase in the somatic radiation exposure. It is recommended to indicate not only the GSD but also the amount of somatic radiation exposure of the population for each specific source when comparing and evaluating radiation exposures from different sources. Although the somatically significant dose formally would be suited as a complement to the GSD, it is recommended to use the effective per caput dose equivalent. It must be pointed out that the application of the concept of effective dose equivalent is only appropriate for comparative evaluations of the population ...
A good knowledge of medfly population dynamics is necessary to control it. Population dynamics are being studied by means of the Jackson trap with trimedlure attractant (male, sex-pheromone). Weekly sampling of wild medfly populations was started in June at Aabde and in August at Sour and Jbeil. Trap surveys of medfly density will be carried for at least one year before sterile males releases are started against a long-established infestation. Since populations can vary with season and in different parts of an infested area. Knowledge of this variation is needede to determine when releases should start, because they should begin, just after or during a population decline. Field evaluation will include, ecological data on medfly population distribution number, host preference, and medfly overwintering. Surveys of medfly adults and larvae, host species, and ...
The genetically significant dose (GSD) is an index variable which exclusively allows to describe the genetic risk in the progeny of a population due to the application of ionizing radiation and radioactive substances in one part of this population. It may result in wrong interpretation of population exposure at increasing incidence of examinations in a population involving ionizing radiation and radioactive drugs at simultaneously increasing application of alternative methods in children and adolescents owing to the fact that it indicates a downward trend although somatic exposure of this population has increased. Therefore, it is recommended to state both the GSD and the level of somatic radiation exposure of the population taken from the individual sources for the comparison and assessment of radiation exposure from various sources in future. Although the ...
In a recent survey of the stellar populations of LINERS and LINER/HII Transition Objects (TOs) we identified a numerous class of nuclei which stand out because of their conspicuous 10^8-9 yr populations. These objects were called ``Young-TOs'', since they all have TO-like emission line ratios. In this paper we investigate the radial variations of spectral properties in Low Luminosity AGN. Our analysis is based on high S/N, 3500-5500 A, long-slit spectra for 47 galaxies. The data probe distances of typically up to 850 pc from the nucleus with a resolution of ~ 100 pc and S/N ~ 30. Stellar population gradients are mapped by the radial profiles of absorption line equivalent widths and colours along the slit. These variations are further analyzed by means of a decomposition of each spectrum in terms of template galaxies representative of very young (<= 10^7 yr), intermediate age (10^8-9 yr) and old (10^10 yr) ...
In this paper, we consider the prey-dependent consumption predator-prey (natural enemy-pest) models with age structure for the predator, immature and mature natural enemies are released and pesticide is applied impulsively. We prove that, when the impulsive period is no longer than some threshold, the pest-eradication solution is globally asymptotically stable, or say, the pest population can be eradicated totally. But from the point of ecological balance and saving resources, we only need to control the pest population under the economic threshold level instead of eradicating it totally, so we further prove that, when the impulsive period is longer than the threshold, pest population and natural enemy population can coexist, i.e., the system is uniformly permanent. Considering population communities always are imbedded in periodically varying environments, and the parameters in ...
Examination of measurement invariance provides a powerful method to evaluate the hypothesis that the same set of psychological constructs underlies a set of test scores in different populations. If measurement invariance is observed, then the same psychological meaning can be ascribed to scores in both populations. In this study, the measurement model including core and supplementary subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth edition (WAIS-IV) were compared across the U.S. and Canadian standardization samples. Populations were compared on the 15 subtest version of the test in people aged 70 and younger and on the 12 subtest version in people aged 70 or older. Results indicated that a slightly modified version of the four-factor model reported in the WAIS-IV technical manual provided the best fit in both populations and in both age groups. The null hypothesis of measurement invariance ...
Amphibians are considered reliable indicators of environmental quality. In the western United States, a general decline of frog populations parallels an apparent worldwide decline. The factors thought...Full Text Available
Parthenogenesis-inducing (PI) Wolbachia belong to a class of intracellular symbionts that distort the offspring sex ratio of their hosts toward a female bias. In many PI Wolbachia-infected species sex ratio distortion has reached its ultimate expression-fixation of infection and all-female populations. This is only possible with thelytokous PI symbionts as they provide an alternative form of reproduction and remove the requirement for males and sexual reproduction. Many populations fixed for PI Wolbachia infection have lost the ability to reproduce sexually, even when cured of the infection. We examine one such population in the species Trichogramma pretiosum. Through a series of backcrossing experiments with an uninfected Trichogramma pretiosum population we were able to show that the gen...
We determined the underlying aetiology of blindness for the registered blind population of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In both 1981 and 1984 single-gene disorders accounted for 30% of...Full Text Available
Snakebites are common among the rural population of developing countries. The severity of venomous snakebites depends on several factors, including the location of the bite, the amount of venom injected,...Full Text Available
PurposeTo describe etiologies and clinical characteristics of corneal opacities leading patients to seek cosmetic treatments.MethodsThe medical records...Full Text Available
BackgroundTo identify the differential tuberculosis (TB) characteristics within the immigrant population with respect to natives in Spain.Methodology/Principal...Full Text Available
IntroductionShoulder pain covers a wide range of problems and affects up to 20% of the population. It is not a specific diagnosis. Shoulder pain can be caused by problems with the...Full Text Available
BackgroundCharacterizing and comparing the determinant of cotinine concentrations in different populations should facilitate a better understanding of smoking patterns and addiction....Full Text Available
The resident bald eagles of the lower Columbia River have lower productivity and higher contaminant levels than other bald eagles of the Pacific Northwest. The primary population stressors are believed to be habitat loss, human disturbance, p,p{prime}DDE, PCBs, dioxins and furans. The primary effect of habitat loss is to reduce the carrying capacity of the region for nesting sites, and the primary effects of human disturbance and contamination by organic compounds are to reduce productivity. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the effects of all of, these potential stressors on the bald eagle population dynamics. A model of the population dynamics was developed. The model structure includes a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) submodel to estimate the degree of contamination, which is linked via a toxicology submodel to a population dynamics submodel. The PBTK submodel is ...
Age-related alterations in the cellular composition of the B lineage are a major cause of the poor antibody response to vaccination and to infectious agents among the elderly population. The mechanisms...Full Text Available
This paper focuses on the Internet as a tool for enhancing behavior and lifestyle changes to reduce the burden of cancer at a population level. The premise of this paper is that the Internet...Full Text Available
Despite advances in standard of living of the population, the condition of widows and divorced women remains deplorable in society. The situation is worse in developing nations with their unique social,...Full Text Available
BackgroundA large and increasing part of the European population has a history of migration. Germany, for example, is home to about 15 million people with migrant background, which...Full Text Available
The geographical arrangement of people on the surface of the earth is approximated by a mathematical equation of 361 terms. This is a convenient form for comparison with other distributions and for...Full Text Available
... in western DRC, at the Zaire River near Matadi (Brown 1994). (click map to view full version) ... is available to confirm this. The population of Matadi is increasin...
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated, in a large, heterogeneous population, the outcome of open cholecystectomy as it is currently practiced. SUMMARY BACKGROUND AND DATA: Although cholecystectomy has been...Full Text Available
The binding energy parameter #lambda# plays an important role in common envelope evolution. Previous works have already pointed out that #lambda# varies throughout the stellar evolution, though it has been adopted as a constant in most of the population synthesis calculations. We have systematically calculated the binding energy parameter #lambda# for both Population I and Population II stars of masses 1-20 M _s_u_n, taking into account the contribution from the internal energy of stellar matter. We present fitting formulae for #lambda# that can be incorporated into future population synthesis investigations. We also briefly discuss the possible applications of the results in binary evolutions.
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo explore the prevalence and the demographic predictors of nonmedical use of opioid analgesics in the Canadian adolescent population.DESIGNData...Full Text Available
AIMSTo develop a population pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic model to describe the occurrence and severity of bleeding or bruising as a function of enoxaparin exposure.METHODSData...Full Text Available
BackgroundAs long-term nursing home care is likely to increase with the aging of the population, identifying chronic medical conditions is of particular interest. Although need factors...Full Text Available
Background and AimsIt is well known that genome size differs among species. However, information on the variation and dynamics of genome size in wild populations and on the early...Full Text Available
About a third of the population in the cities of developing countries live in slums and shanty towns. By the year 2000 it is estimated that this number will grow to 2200 million, and by 2025 about 57%...Full Text Available
Genetics, Genomics, and Molecular Biology USGS scientists develop and integrate new genetic and molecular techniques into systematic analyses to describe individuals and populations of fish .....
Behavioral responses to wind are thought to play a critical role in controlling the dispersal and population genetics of wild Drosophila species1,Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: Cuba's response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic has been to conduct mass testing of the population to ascertain seroprevalence, to enforce mandatory relative quarantine...Full Text Available
The study of genetic variability within natural populations of pathogens may provide insight into their evolution and pathogenesis. We used a Mycobacterium tuberculosis high-density...Full Text Available
Abstract: In many biological processes heterogeneity within clonal cell populations is an important issue. One of the most striking examples is a population of cancer cells in which after a common, identical death signal some cells die whereas others survive. The reason for this heterogeneity is intrinsic and extrinsic noise. In this paper we present a mechanistic multi-scale modeling framework for cell populations, in which the dynamics of every individual cell is captured by a parameter dependent stochastic differential equation (SDE). Heterogeneity among individual cells is accounted for by differences in parameter values, modeling extrinsic influences. Based on the statistical properties of the extrinsic noise and the SDE model for the individual cell, a partial differential equation (...
BackgroundMultiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy associated with the development of a destructive osteolytic bone disease.ResultsMathematical...Full Text Available
A community health survey of 438 individuals was taken to detect health problems related to high voltage electrical transmission among an adjacent residential population. Results revealed no significant or consistent relationships between exposure to a high voltage DC power line and the perceived health problems that were measured. The sample was not, however, large enough to draw statistically significant conclusions regarding possible health effects with a very low incidence.
The Ra, Th, and K-40 content of the most important phosphate fertilizers used and authorized in the FRG was determined by #gamma#-spectroscopy. The results, together with statistical data on the consumption and use of fertilizers, were used for an estimation of the contribution of #gamma#-radiation from phosphate fertilizers to the external population exposure in the FRG. (orig./AK).
Dwarf galaxies are generally faint. To derive their age and metallicity distributions, it is critical to optimize the use of any collected photon. Koleva et al., using full spectrum fitting, have found strong population gradients in some dwarf elliptical galaxies. Here, we show that the population profiles derived with this method are consistent and more precise than those obtained with spectrophotometric indices. This allows studying fainter objects in less telescope time.
The consumption of food products obtained in areas subjected to radioactive contamination as a consequence of a radiation accident appears to be the most significant source of irradiation for the population. At the same time, this route can be regulated very effectively. The regularities of contamination of agricultural production, peculiar features of internal dose formation in the population and the effectiveness of countermeasures in agriculture have been analysed using the experience of two major accidents in the former USSR - in the South Urals (Kyshtym accident) in 1957, and at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986. (Author).
The radiation burden of the people of the GDR in relation to biomedical radiography altogether as well as organ doses, gonad doses and genetically significant doses in detail are outlined. The concepts of radiation protection and standards of radiographic examination are demonstrated. Possibilities of influencing radiation exposure by scientifically based indication of X-ray examination, application of new and improvement of usual examination techniques are discussed with regard to quality assurance and control. Proposals concerning the reduction of radiation exposure of the GDR population are presented.
This report revises estimates of population exposure to external natural background made by D. T. Oakley in 1972. The revisions include more recent estimates of dose equivalents from cosmic rays, use of 1970 U.S. census data, and corrections for building shielding and for self-shielding in the body. The dose equivalents calculated are those from cosmic rays and terrestrial radiation, and do not include doses from natural radioactive materials in the body.
From the frequency of diagnostic radiologic examinations and their radiation dose delivered to the population the risk of cancer induction and genetic damage is calculated on the basis of the risk factors given by the ICRP. Thus 0.38 % and 3 % of the total mortality for cancer and leukemia, resp., can be attributed to X-ray diagnostics. Chest examinations alone result in 0.07-0.7 damages per 100,000 persons depending on the imaging technique applied. (author).
It is shown that observations of the lithium isotope ratio in high surface temperature Population II stars may be critical to cosmological nucleosynthesis models. In particular, decaying particle scenarios as derived in some supersymmetric models may stand or fall with such observations. 18 references.
Hematological deficiencies increase with aging leading to anemias, reduced hematopoietic stress responses and myelodysplasias. This study tested the hypothesis that side population hematopoietic...Full Text Available
The theoretical evolution of a horizontal branch star of Population II is followed through the helium burning in the core phase and is compared with the results given by other investigators. The m- fluence of different physics and interpolation schemes in the opacity tables is discussed. Some thoughts are given on the explanation of the erratic period variations observed in some of the RR Lyrae variables in the globular clusters. (auth)
Iron deficiency anaemia is highly prevalent among rural population of Northeast Thailand. The habitual diets are plant-based. Several herbal vegetables and spices such as lead tree leaves, ivy gourd, Thai basil, chilli peppers etc are consumed in a substantial in common Northeast dishes. High contents of phytate and polyphenol compounds including tannin in these herbs and spices may profoundly influence iron bioavailability in the northeast population
Discussion is presented of world CO{sub 2} emissions and the effect rising population and population distribution has on this. Possible ways of decreasing emissions are presented, including potential for heat recovery, exhaust-air purification as an energy supply, shared power supply in industry, the use of cogeneration, and multiple use of heat in industry. 9 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.
The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) are inversely associated with inflammatory processes in an elderly background population.
Using QCT, we made a longitudinal, population-based assessment of rates of bone loss over life at the distal radius, distal tibia, and lumbar spine. Cortical bone loss began in perimenopause in women...Full Text Available
There are many sources of population exposures to power-frequency (50/60 Hz) electric and magnetic fields including household appliances and wiring, neighborhood distribution circuits, and high-voltage transmission lines. Bioeffects studies were unable to demonstrate that exposures to power-frequency fields can affect public health. Researcher have likewise been unable to show that the health effects of such exposures are negligible. State and federal regulatory agencies are, therefore, grappling with questions of whether and how to regulate the sitting or design of new extra high-voltage transmission lines so as to control the ground-level fields to which people are exposed. The purpose of this dissertation is to illuminate some of the exposure-related aspects of these question. A taxonomy of the relationship between field encounter and effect is developed to clarify the meaning of terms such as exposure and dose in the power-frequency context. The major inputs to ...
Annual medical examinations are conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for a population of Marshallese who were accidentally exposed to radioactive fallout in 1954, for a comparison population, and for all inhabitants of the atolls of Rongelap and Utirik. Disease surveillance includes analysis of serum samples. Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels are common along Pacific populations, and modifying environmental factors have been investigated as a cause for this finding. The authors have studied SUA levels of people living in the Marshall Islands, and have found elevated values similar to those reported for other Micronesian populations. The nearly Gaussian distribution of individual serum uric acid values for men, and for women less than or equal to45 years of age, indicates that the elevation is due to a regularized increase in serum uric acid rather than to a subpopulation that has ...
Biomonitoring of human populations for exposure to genotoxic/clastogenic agents in the environment or the workplace must depend upon statistical tests for elevations in the frequencies of the biological endpoints being monitored, usually chromosomal aberrations (CA), micronuclei (MN), or sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Statistical tests are based, in turn, upon certain assumptions regarding the distribution of the test statistic. When they are often not recognized as such, tests of significance can be in error, and any conclusion drawn that there is or is not a statistically significant difference between one population sample and another maybe erroneous. In population monitoring this means either false negatives or false positives can result and it is hard to know which is worse. Furthermore, even the intelligent design of studies whose object is to test for an elevated level in an exposed ...
Female rats were given tritiated drinking water (3 microCi/ml) from 30 days before mating up to and throughout pregnancy. At this low dose, the course and the outcome of pregnancy were normal. The differences between newborn body and cerebral weights of the treated rats and those of control animals were on the borderline of significance. In contrast, cerebral DNA and cerebral protein were highly significantly lower. In 30-35% of the treated population the DNA and protein values were more than 2 standard deviations (SD) below the mean values for the control population. Thus the number of the progeny of the mothers exposed to tritiated water that were considered to have outstandingly low levels of DNA and protein was 14-17 times greater than in the control group. The irradiated population also had 3-5% of severely affected individuals with cerebral DNA and protein values more than 2 SD below the mean of the experimental ...
Abstract Absence of the palmaris longus muscle has been well documented in several populations at a prevalence rate ranging between 2.2 and 63.9% which varies according to race, sex, and side of the body. There is little documentation of the prevalence of absence of this muscle from populations in the Arabian Gulf region. We examined 1,043 subjects, 3 85 years old, from the Kingdom of Bahrain for the presence or absence of the palmaris longus muscle using the conventional test for the presence of this muscle. Statistical analyses investigated the association of muscle absence with sex, hand dominance, and laterality. The palmaris longus muscle was absent in 36.8% of subjects. Bilateral absence (19%) was more common than unilateral absence (17.9%) with preponderance in female subjects. The ...
In this article, we propose a model selection method, the Bayesian composite model space approach, to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) in a half-sib population for continuous and binary traits. In our method, the identity-by-descent-based variance component model is used. To demonstrate the performance of this model, the method was applied to map QTL underlying production traits on BTA6 in a Chinese half-sib dairy cattle population. A total of four QTLs were detected, whereas only one QTL was identified using the traditional least square (LS) method. We also conducted two simulation experiments to validate the efficiency of our method. The results suggest that the proposed method based on a multiple-QTL model is efficient in mapping multiple QTL for an outbred half-sib population and is more powerful than the LS method based on a single-QTL model. PMID:21487433
Abstract It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of population size, predatory senescence may cause wolf populations of equal size but different age structure to have d...
Phenotypic plasticity can facilitate reproductive strategies that maximize mating success in variable environments and lead to differences in sex allocation among populations. For simultaneous hermaphrodites with sperm competition, including Serranus tortugarum a small coral reef fish, proportional male allocation (testis in total gonad) is often greater where local density or mating group size is higher. We tested whether S. tortugarum reduced male allocation when transplanted from a higher density site to a lower density site. After 4?months, transplants mirrored the sex-allocation patterns of the resident population on their new reef. Transplants had significantly lower male allocation than representatives from their source population, largely as a result of reduced testis mass relative...
To determine the proportion of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving preventive health care according to US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations compared with a community-based population sample, with emphasis on dyslipidemia testing, given the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in RA patients. Patients with RA (ICD-9 code 714.0 at ?2 office visits with a rheumatologist) and a primary care physician (PCP) at the Geisinger Health System (GHS) were identified through electronic health records. The records were searched back from 3/31/08 for the length of time required to satisfy each outcome measure. Percentages were compared with population testing rates using the Pearson Chi-square test. Eight hundred and thirty-one RA patients were compared to 169,476 subjects...
Monocelis lineata is a complex of cryptic species (three in the Mediterranean and one in the Atlantic) widespread in midlittoral habitats. Throughout the range, populations with or without an ocular pigmented shield are found. We investigated the genetic structure of the North-East Atlantic populations with the aim of shedding light on their phylogeography and reconstructing possible patterns of recolonization after the Wrmian glaciation. Fourteen samples were investigated using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 13 by inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs). COI did not exhibit a clear pattern of decreased genetic diversity along a latitudinal gradient. Populations from Ferrol (Spain), Doolin (Ireland), and Helsingr (Denmark) showed a higher genetic variability, whereas a reduction in...
ABSTRACT New observations from the Hubble Ultra Deep Field suggest that the star formation rate at Formula Not Shown drops off faster than previously thought. Using a newly determined star formation rate for the normal mode of Population II/I (PopII/I) stars, including this new constraint, we compute the Thomson scattering optical depth and find a result that is marginally consistent with Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe 5 results. We also reconsider the role of Population III (PopIII) stars in light of cosmological and stellar evolution constraints. While this input may be needed for reionization, we show that it is essential in order to account for cosmic chemical evolution in the early universe. We investigate the consequences of PopIII stars on the local metallicity distribution fu...
Despite the many advances in scientific research over the last several decades, cutting edge technologies and therapeutics often take many years to find their way into widespread use. The dissemination and uptake of best practices into clinical care is sometimes a neglected component of research that is essential to improve the population?s health. Type 2 translational research, sometimes called ?Proof in Practice Research,? seeks to maximize the yield of what has been learned from the bench and from carefully controlled clinical trials and to extend those benefits to a larger population. One aspect of type 2 translational research, sometimes called evidence implementation or implementation science, applies what has been learned about clinical medicine to achieve best practices across prov...
The number of immigrants to Western Europe has been increasing, with immigration the subject of much controversy in contemporary Europe. In this article, we investigate the relationship between the size of the immigrant population, how natives perceive this size, and their anti-immigrant attitudes. We use data from the 2002/2003 European Social Survey covering 17 Western European countries, and we find that as a rule Western Europeans think that the immigrant population in their country is much larger than it actually is. The perceived size of an immigrant population has an impact on anti-immigrant prejudices, but the real size does not. Like many authors before us, we find that education reduces prejudice. However, we also find that around 10 percent of the total effect of education is a ...
The somatically significant dose index can be considered as a measure for the somatic radiation risk to which the population is exposed. Figures are stated for conventional tomography of the skull and thorax. These are compared with the corresponding data for other x-ray examinations, especially computerised tomography. PMID:7134769
To evaluate the role of chronic inflammation in the development of gallstones and biliary tract cancer, we examined the risk associated with 62 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including...Full Text Available
Geographic information systems (GIS) are being used with increasing frequency in environmental epidemiology studies. Reported applications include locating the study population by geocoding addresses...Full Text Available
BackgroundExisting studies concerning the health care use of homeless people describe higher utilisation rates for hospital-based care and emergency care, and lower rates for primary...Full Text Available
Demographic and health surveillance (DS) systems monitor and document individual and group-level processes in well-defined populations over long periods of time. The resulting data are complex...Full Text Available
Ecological investigations were made of habitats containing natural populations of the snail Oncomelania hupensis quadrasi and of habitats free from the snail in the island of Leyte,...Full Text Available
Recent reports confirm that, due to the presence of long-lived, latently infected cell populations, eradication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from infected patients by using antiretroviral...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE--To assess the accuracy of the ten questions screen as a measure of childhood disability for epidemiologic studies in populations lacking resources for professional assessment of children's...Full Text Available
Ecological speciation is the process by which barriers to gene flow between populations evolve due to adaptive divergence via natural selection. A relatively unexplored area in ecological speciation...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aim of the study was to examine the role that melatonin production plays in the regulation of sleep consolidation in a population of shiftworkers working and sleeping...Full Text Available
In a cross-sectional study of the pattern of isolated sleep paralysis among the entire population of nursing students at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, Nigeria (consisting of 58 males and...Full Text Available
BackgroundDuring the last ten years, major advances have been made in characterizing and understanding the evolution of mitochondrial DNA, the most popular marker of molecular biodiversity....Full Text Available
Chronic heart failure (HF) is a cardiovascular disease of cardinal importance because of several factors: a) an increasing occurrence due to the aging of the population, primary and secondary prevention...Full Text Available
Most of the general population is exposed to carbaryl and other contemporary-use insecticides at low levels. Studies of laboratory animals, in addition to limited human data, show an association between...Full Text Available
BackgroundCharacterizing infectious disease burden in Africa is important for prioritizing and targeting limited resources for curative and preventive services and monitoring the...Full Text Available
BackgroundEpidemiological studies have shown a J- or U-shaped relation between alcohol and type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD). The underlying mechanisms are not clear....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe link between maternal factors and birth outcomes is well established. Substantial changes in society and medical care over time have influenced women's reproductive...Full Text Available
Background. For unknown reasons, the prevalence of thyroid autoimmune disorders is higher in patients with Down's syndrome than in the general population. The present case strongly...Full Text Available
BackgroundPublic information about prevention of zoonoses should be based on the perceived problem by the public and should be adapted to regional circumstances. Growing fox populations...Full Text Available
High blood pressure (BP) is a major public health problem in India and its prevalence is rapidly increasing among urban and rural populations. Reducing systolic and diastolic BP can decrease cardiovascular...Full Text Available
Gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid hormones affect the brain directly, and the sensitivity to hormones begins in embryonic life with the appearance of hormone receptor sites in discrete populations of neurons....Full Text Available
Objectives: To determine the community based prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in the rural population of the district of Rahim Yaar Khan in Pakistan.Subjects...Full Text Available
Goals of workThe goal of this study was to evaluate, at a population level, the association between specialized palliative care services (SPCS) and short- and long-term caregiver...Full Text Available
BackgroundPrevention of Chagas disease depends mainly on control of the insect vectors that transmit infection. Unfortunately, the vectors have been resurgent in some areas. It is...Full Text Available
The somatically significant dose index can be considered as a measure for the somatic radiation risk to which the population is exposed. Figures are stated for conventional tomography of the skull and thorax. These are compared with the corresponding data for other X-ray examinations, especially computerised tomography.
The somatically significant dose index can be considered as a measure for the somatic radiation risk to which the population is exposed. Figures are stated for conventional tomography of the skull and thorax. These are compared with the corresponding data for other X-ray examinations, especially computerised tomography. (orig.).
Background:Smoking cessation is an important strategy for reducing the harmful effects of tobacco, particularly in the prevention of lung cancer; however, prospective data on the...Full Text Available
Dental caries continues to be a common chronic disease among various population groups. Patient care can be improved with detection at the earliest stage. However, current techniques do not...Full Text Available
BackgroundLarge population growth surveys of children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 y were undertaken in Hong Kong in 1963 and 1993. The global epidemic of obesity is a major public...Full Text Available
Project ZEUS was designed to characterize the effects of long-term gamma irradiation on free-ranging meadow voles, and to determine the lowest level of radiation at which biological effects are discernible in the population. Behavioural tests are consider...
Atypical antipsychotic medications have assumed growing importance for the treatment of bipolar disorder, an illness that affects approximately 1.2%–3.7% of the general population in a given...Full Text Available
PurposeNocturnal rhythms of gene expression in the retina are known to be both darkness- and circadian clock-dependent, but their role and cellular location are not well defined....Full Text Available
Background:Parity has been linked to gallbladder cancer and gallstones, but the effects of other reproductive factors are less clear.Methods:We examined...Full Text Available
Quality reporting tools, integrated with ambulatory electronic health records, can help clinicians and administrators understand performance, manage populations, and improve quality. Report Central...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE--The survey aimed at studying the associations between prevalent respiratory symptoms in an occupational population and sickness absence due to respiratory disorders. METHODS--A cross sectional...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE--To examine the effect of a reduced sodium and increased potassium and magnesium intake on blood pressure. DESIGN--Randomised double blind placebo controlled trial. SETTING--General population...Full Text Available
Several different neuronal populations are involved in regulating energy homeostasis. Among these, agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons are thought to promote feeding and weight gain; however, the...Full Text Available
BackgroundQuality of Life measurements are necessary tools for effectively evaluating health services. In the population of patients afflicted with war-related blindness in Iran,...Full Text Available
A quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis designed for a multi-parent population was carried out and tested in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), which is a diploid cross-fertilising...Full Text Available
Testicular neoplasm accounts for about 1% of all cancers in men. Over the last 40 years, the incidence of testicular cancer has increased in northern European male populations for unknown reasons. When...Full Text Available
Forty species of anaerobes were screened for the ability to produce an ether-extractable mutagen which is present in the feces of 15 to 20% of individuals in populations at high risk for colon cancer....Full Text Available
A patient’s electronic medical record contains a large amount of unstructured textual information. As patient records become increasingly dense owing to an aging population and increased occurrence...Full Text Available
BackgroundMost maternal deaths in developing countries can be prevented. China is among the 13 countries with the most maternal deaths; however, there has been a marked decrease...Full Text Available
AimTo estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in the population aged 40 years and over in Muyuka, a rural district in the South West Province...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND: Although the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in high-risk groups has been proven, vaccine coverage continues to be less than 50% in The Netherlands. To improve vaccination rates,...Full Text Available
Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of human malaria, invades host erythrocytes using several proteins on the surface of the invasive merozoite, which have been proposed...Full Text Available
Factors potentially contributing to the lower incidence of Lyme borreliosis (LB) in the far-western than in the northeastern United States include tick host-seeking behavior resulting in fewer human...Full Text Available
... being reported (Kisseberth et al., 1984; Ma, 1989; Shore and Douben, 1994). Small mammals are useful indicator species because they have relatively small home ranges allowing a direct tie to the source of ...
Orthologous positions of 55 genes associated with height in four human populations were located on the bovine genome. Single nucleotide polymorphisms close to eight of these genes were significantly...Full Text Available
ObjectiveTo evaluate the association of physical activity with left ventricular structure and function in the general population in a community setting.Full Text Available
The sequence in the first hypervariable segment (HVS-I) of the control region has been used as a source of evolutionary information in most phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA. Population genetic inference...Full Text Available
Amphibian populations are declining globally at an alarming rate. Pesticides are among a number of proposed causes for these declines. Although a sizable database examining effects of pesticides on...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVEModerately preterm infants (30–34 6/7 weeks’ gestational age) represent the largest population of NICU residents. Whether their clinical...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeasonal influenza A infection affects a significant cohort of the global population annually, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic strategies...Full Text Available
Background. The Free Radical Theory of Aging mechanistically links oxidative stress to aging. Okinawa has among the world's longest-lived populations but oxidative stress in this...Full Text Available
BackgroundOral cancer is as prevalent as cervical and testicular cancer in the United Kingdom. Nursing staff provide the oral health care for the patient population in hospital....Full Text Available
Rapid changes in China over the past two decades have led to significant problems associated with population migration and changing social attitudes, including a growing sex industry and concurrent...Full Text Available
Marine ecosystems are suffering severe depletion of apex predators worldwide; shark declines are principally due to conservative life-histories and fisheries overexploitation. On coral reefs, sharks are strongly interacting apex predators and play a key role in maintaining healthy reef ecosystems. Despite increasing fishing pressure, reef shark catches are rarely subject to specific limits, with management approaches typically depending upon no-take marine reserves to maintain populations. Here, we reveal that this approach is failing by documenting an ongoing collapse in two of the most abundant reef shark species on the Great Barrier Reef (Australia). We find an order of magnitude fewer sharks on fished reefs compared to no-entry management zones that encompass only 1% of reefs. No-take zones, which are more difficult to enforce than no-entry zones, offer almost no protection for shark populations. Population viability ...
The evolution of drug resistant bacteria is a severe public health problem, both in hospitals and in the community. Currently, some countries aim at concentrating highly specialized services in large...Full Text Available
BackgroundIt is a priority to achieve an adequate nutritional status of iodine during pregnancy since iodine deficiency in this population may have repercussions on the mother during...Full Text Available
Listeria monocytogenes, isolated from outbreaks in either human or nonhuman primate populations, was administered orally at doses ranging from 106 to 1010 CFU....Full Text Available
Neurodegenerative and infectious disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke are rapidly increasing as population’s...Full Text Available
PurposeThe size of neuronal populations is modulated by gene variants that influence cell production and survival, in turn influencing neuronal connectivity, function,...Full Text Available
BackgroundRecent advances in the understanding of the maternal and paternal heritage of south and southwest Asian populations have highlighted their role in the colonization of Eurasia...Full Text Available
BackgroundIdentification of global livestock diversity hotspots and their importance in diversity maintenance is essential for making global conservation efforts. We screened 52...Full Text Available
Nutrient transport affinities of nutrient-starved microbial populations were measured as initial slopes of plots of limiting-nutrient transport rates versus extracellular limiting-nutrient concentrations....Full Text Available
BackgroundTwo planned trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis tenofovir in Cambodia and Cameroon to prevent HIV infection in high-risk populations were closed due to activist pressure...Full Text Available
Within the next 30 years, the proportion of urban dwellers will rise from under half to two thirds of the world’s population. Such a shift will entail massive public health consequences,...Full Text Available
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the leading cause of lower urinary tract symptoms among the aging male population. Epidemiological, pathophysiological and clinical studies indicate that...Full Text Available
IntroductionNormal and neoplastic breast tissues are comprised of heterogeneous populations of epithelial cells exhibiting various degrees of maturation and differentiation. While...Full Text Available
We have exploited ``progeny testing'' to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying the genetic variation of milk production in a selected dairy cattle population. A total of 1,518 sires, with progeny...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe complications of hypertension cause severe health problems in rural areas in China. We (i) screened the major factors inducing hypertensive complications and provided...Full Text Available
Dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation, caused by mutations or polymorphisms in the genes encoding factor H, membrane co-factor protein, factor I or factor B, is associated...Full Text Available
The somatic sensory system responds to stimuli of distinct modalities, including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity. In the past century, great progress has been made in understanding the...Full Text Available
Kin form important political groups, which change in size and relative inequality with demographic shifts. Increases in the rate of population growth increase the size of kin groups but decrease their...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe maternally inherited, bacterial symbiont, parthenogenesis inducing (PI) Wolbachia, causes females in some haplodiploid insects to produce daughters...Full Text Available
Large population sizes, rapid growth and 3.8 billion years of evolution firmly establish microorganisms as a major source of the planet's biological and genetic diversity. However, up to 99% of the...Full Text Available
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are highly polymorphic components of the vertebrate immune system, which play a key role in pathogen resistance. MHC genes may also function as odour-related...Full Text Available
Populations of a common forage fish, red shiner Notropis lutrensis, were sampled from four localities on the Brazos River, Texas, affected by cold-water discharge from a hydroelectric dam and from unaltered sites in the same region. Polymorphism at the Mdh-B locus, encoding supernatant malate dehydrogenase, indicates that populations within 57 km of the dam are distinctive from other regional populations and possess a unique Mdh-B allele, have significantly higher levels of heterozygosity at the Mdh-B locus, represent a homogeneous set that have significantly different Mdh-B zygotic frequencies from other regional populations, and have significantly different Mdh-B zygotic proportions than would be expected under a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Increased levels of heterozygosity in fish within 57 km of the dam were correlated with discharge-associated fluctuations in water temperature at sampling ...
A collaborative research effort by scientists in several states and in Canada has produced information to develop a formal risk assessment of the impact of Bt corn on monarch butterfly...Full Text Available
IntroductionPrevious observations suggest that active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is associated with a prominent erythropoiesis gene-expression signature. The aim...Full Text Available
The Carassius auratus complex in natural populations includes diploid triploid and polyploidy individuals. Diploid individuals belong to the species Carassius auratus...Full Text Available
Epigenetic remodeling is a hallmark of cancer, with the frequent acquisition of de novo DNA methylation in CpG islands. However, the functional relevance of de novo...Full Text Available
... M. Taylor, T. Kurt Kyser. (2009) Feather isotope analysis discriminates age-classes of Western, Least, and Semipalmated sandpipers when plumage ... ...
Of 868 patients admitted with pancreatitis between 1971 and 1976, coexisting hyperbilirubinemia was noted in 125 (14%). The patient population was primarily composed of alcoholics (84%) with chronic...Full Text Available
BackgroundPopulation densities of many species throughout the world are changing due to direct persecution as well as anthropogenic habitat modification. These changes may induce...Full Text Available
Background:No recent data exist on human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in Beijing, People's Republic of China.Materials and methodWe interviewed...Full Text Available
We have developed a new strategy for immunization of wild rabbit populations against myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) that uses recombinant viruses based on a naturally attenuated field...Full Text Available
It is now widely accepted that novel infectious disease can be a leading cause of serious population decline and even outright extinction in some invertebrate and vertebrate groups (e.g., amphibians)....Full Text Available
Childhood cancer survivors often experience complications related to cancer and its treatment that may adversely affect quality of life and increase the risk of premature death. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ecologically important root symbionts of most terrestrial plants. Ecological studies of AMF have concentrated on differences between species; largely assuming...Full Text Available
Background and objectives: Few studies have examined health literacy in patients with end stage kidney disease. We hypothesized that inadequate health literacy in a hemodialysis population is common...Full Text Available
High rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among jail and prison inmates suggest that HIV prevention efforts should focus on incarcerated populations. Overcrowding, the high prevalence...Full Text Available
Every year nearly 200,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa), and another 29,000 men succumb to the disease. Within certain regions of the world population based...Full Text Available
A fundamental property of neuronal networks in Ammon’s horn is that each area is comprised of a single glutamatergic cell population and various types of GABAergic neurons. Here we describe...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe objective of the study was to analyse the evolution of Bordetella pertussis population and the influence of herd immunity in different areas of the...Full Text Available
With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms...Full Text Available
Giardiasis is recognized as a worldwide public health problem. Seroprevalence data from both the developing and developed world show high rates of carriage in populations at risk for fecal-oral transmission,...Full Text Available
Amphibian population declines and sudden species' extinctions began to be noted at the beginning of the 1980s. Understanding the causes of the losses is hampered by our poor knowledge of the amphibian...Full Text Available
Background and Aim: The purpose of this study was to establish for the first time reference curves for body fat levels in a Greek pediatric population aged 7-15y.Methods:...Full Text Available
The inflammatory and immune cell populations of the human lung parenchyma have not been characterized in detail. This report describes a novel and efficient procedure for their extraction. Histologically...Full Text Available
Forty-one Spanish families with polycystic kidney disease 1 (PKD1) were studied for evidence of linkage disequilibrium between the disease locus and six closely linked markers. Four of these loci--three...Full Text Available
There is increasing recognition of intraspecific diversity and population structure within marine fish species, yet there is little direct evidence of the isolating mechanisms that maintain it or documentation...Full Text Available
Quality research, requiring large numbers of participants, in the intensive care unit (ICU) population requires multicentre collaboration. Although logistically challenging, this methodology reduces...Full Text Available
In the period November 1, 1985 to January 31, 1986, 703 cases of giardiasis were reported in Pittsfield, Massachusetts (population 50,265). The community obtained its water from two main reservoirs...Full Text Available
AimsTo describe the pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK–PD) characteristics of the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran in hip replacement patients by assessing coagulation...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection on production, reproduction and longevity in dairy cattle. The study population was a commercial Holstein...Full Text Available
Methyl fluoride is frequently used to specifically inhibit acetoclastic methanogenesis, thus allowing determination of the relative contribution of acetate versus H2/CO2 to total...Full Text Available
Dogs are domestic reservoir hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. We evaluated the effect of deltamethrin-treated dog collars (DTDCs) over time...Full Text Available
Analysis of gestation length in an obstetric population of indigenous African women revealed a mean pregnancy duration of 274.8 days, which is similar to values recorded in women of African descent...Full Text Available
BackgroundStudies from various countries have observed worse population health in geographical areas with more income inequality. The psychosocial interpretation of this association...Full Text Available
Data from 8,032 Manitoba respondents to the 1996/97 Canadian National Population Health Survey were linked to the 1996 census to study whether measures of morbidity, both self-reported and objectively...Full Text Available
BackgroundLittle is known about differences in professional care seeking based on marital status. The few existing studies show more professional care seeking among the divorced...Full Text Available
Many pathogens colonize different anatomical sites, but the selective pressures contributing to survival in the diverse niches are poorly understood. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is...Full Text Available
BackgroundDiet is considered an important factor for bone health, but is composed of a wide variety of foods containing complex combinations of nutrients. Therefore we investigated...Full Text Available
The association of dietary glycaemic index (GI) and glycaemic load (GL) with cardiovascular diseases has been examined in several populations with varying results. We tested the hypothesis that...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES: To assess the subjective quality of life (QOL) of family caregivers of Sudanese type-1 and type-2 diabetic outpatients, using the WHO 26-item QOL instrument, compared with a general population...Full Text Available
In rats, damage to neuronal populations in some brain regions occurs in response to neonatal alcohol exposure coinciding with the period of rapid brain growth. These alcohol-induced defects...Full Text Available
The primary mode of transmission of Helicobacter pylori, a human pathogen carried by more than half the population worldwide, is still unresolved. Some epidemiological data suggest...Full Text Available
BACKGROUND AND AIMS:In view of increasing therapeutic efficacy, the delivery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral treatment is expected to increase. Yet practical experience reveals...Full Text Available
Will the aging of Canada's population bankrupt the health care system? In this issue (see pages 1555 to 1560) Dr. Marie Demers reports that the increase in physician service costs for elderly people...Full Text Available
Accurate prediction of the pathogenic effects of specific genotypes is important for the design and execution of clinical trials as well as for meaningful counseling of individual patients. However,...Full Text Available
ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to describe the levels of daily spiritual experiences in community-dwelling older adults, to compare levels of spiritual...Full Text Available
Cystic dysplasia of the rete testis (CDT) is a very rare congenital benign testicular tumor that is often associated with ipsilateral genitourinary anomalies. It is usually found in the pediatric population...Full Text Available
Determine the degree to which different precautionary themes are dominant in various target populations and how these themes are acquired. Assess cultural signals of potential danger: are there different kinds of potential danger in different cultures. Do...
BackgroundBreast-feeding rates in the UK are known to vary by maternal socio-economic status but the latter function is imperfectly defined. We test if CTVB (Council Tax Valuation...Full Text Available
Post amputation pain can be debilitating for patients and families. Chronic pain is a common phenomenon after lower extremity amputation, occurring in up to 80% of this population. The purpose of this...Full Text Available
BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with a population prevalence of about 1%. Natriuretic peptide level is elevated in patients with AF with...Full Text Available
Parasite transmission generally exhibits some form of positive density dependence. Thus, as population density increases, so too does the per capita risk of becoming infected. Under...Full Text Available
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a leading cause of diarrhea in travelers to countries where the disease is endemic and causes a major disease burden in the indigenous population,...Full Text Available
ObjectiveFish consumption advisories are issued to warn the public of possible toxicological threats from consuming certain fish species. Although developing fetuses and children...Full Text Available
There is limited information about the true incidence of acute renal failure (ARF). Most studies could not quantify disease frequency in the general population as they are hospital-based and...Full Text Available
A cross sectional population based epidemiological survey of 899 adults aged between 15 and 59 was undertaken in two urban areas of demographic surveillance sites in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, using the...Full Text Available
In world Helminthes infections are the most widespread of all the infections in humans. The morbidity due to parasitic diseases has been increasing in our population. The gastrointestinal helminthes...Full Text Available
Calcium, vitamin D, exposure to sunshine, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) genotypes have been associated rectal cancer. We used data from 750 rectal tumors and 1,205 population-based...Full Text Available
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in a number of solid tumors, but not yet in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most frequently occurring soft tissue tumor in childhood. Hence, the aim of this...Full Text Available
BackgroundLevels of brominated flame retardants are increasing in U.S. populations, yet little data are available on body burdens of these and other persistent hormonally-active...Full Text Available
Global hypomethylation has been shown to increase genome instability potentially leading to increased cancer risk. We determined whether global methylation in blood leukocyte DNA was associated...Full Text Available
The importance of algal and detrital food supplies to the planktonic food web of a highly disturbed, estuarine ecosystem was evaluated in response to declining zooplankton and fish populations. We assessed...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn 1988, the SPILI project was established in order to evaluate the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profile of the inhabitants of Spili, in rural Crete, Greece. The first...Full Text Available
BK virus (BKV) is a polyomavirus that ubiquitously infects the human population. Following a typically subclinical primary infection, BKV establishes a lifelong persistent infection in the kidney...Full Text Available
Baldwin County is located on the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama and has a rapidly growing population. Almost 3,000 permits for septic systems are approved annually by by the Baldwin County Health Department. More than 50% of the county's residents rely on septic systems for their d...
Objective: Determine and compare the prevalence of known risk factors for cardiovascular disease among unselected individuals presenting with their first ever episode of...Full Text Available
... hearing protection since you play, sit or stand near loud instruments and speakers. Here are a few ... piper's calling you to join him" Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant), "Stairway to Heaven" "My ears are ringin' ...
Teleost gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) consists of leucocyte populations located both intraepithelially and in the lamina propria with no structural organization. The present study aims to assess...Full Text Available
The different radiation loads caused by natural and artificial radionuclides are compared in this paper. This examples will serve to illustrate that the problem of population exposure to radiation can only be solved in consideration of all components and to show which effects of the radiation from natural sources are of special importance in this connexion. (orig./AK).
Many species introduced by humans for social and economic benefits have invaded new ranges by escaping from captivity. Such invasive species can negatively affect biodiversity and economies. Understanding...Full Text Available
The distribution and activity of communities of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea in two contrasting Antarctic sediments were investigated. Methanogenesis dominated in freshwater...Full Text Available
A goal of our research is to identify biochemical factors that underlie the susceptibility of bone marrow cell populations to benzene metabolites so as to develop a mechanistically based chemoprotective...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe goat (Capra hircus) represents one of the most important farm animal species. It is reared in all continents with an estimated world population of...Full Text Available
BackgroundTraumatic pneumothoraces are common. Many are managed with tube thoracostomy. However, there is a high complication rate from chest tube placement, particularly in patients...Full Text Available
IntroductionMale circumcision is being promoted for HIV prevention in high-risk heterosexual populations. However, there is a concern that circumcision may impair...Full Text Available
Besides ethanol, acetic acid is produced in naturally fermenting sweet resources and is a significant environmental stress for fruit-breeding Drosophila populations and species. Although not related...Full Text Available
BackgroundChronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease are major causes of morbidity and mortality that are seen far more commonly in the aged population. Interestingly, kidney...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn malarious areas of the world, a higher proportion of the population has blood group O than in non-malarious areas. This is probably due to a survival advantage conferred...Full Text Available
We describe the Phase II HapMap, which characterizes over 3.1 million human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 270 individuals from four geographically diverse populations and...Full Text Available
AIM: To examine the determinants of maternal-neonatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV).METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted in Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic...Full Text Available
A generalized Fisher equation (GFE) relates the time derivative of the average of the intrinsic rate of growth to its variance. The GFE is an exact mathematical result that has been widely used in population...Full Text Available
During the autumn of 1994 an investigation of foodstuffs has been accomplished to assess the average intake of {sup 137}Cs by the Swedish population due to the Chernobyl accident. A standardized food basket has been collected from two grocers in 10 localities, of which the majority came from areas with the highest fallout. The estimated maximum intake of {sup 137}Cs was 815 Bq/year in the inland of the county of Vaesterbotten. The population weighted average intake for the fallout affected counties was 435 Bq/year. The rest of the county received an intake of 235 Bq/year. The population weighted average of the intake for the whole county was estimated to 274 Bq/year. From this intake the calculated body burden would be 1.3 Bq/kg for the average citizen. Whole-body measurements of a sample of the population gave 2.0 Bq/kg. A plausible explanation would be that 40% of the intake of {sup 137}Cs can have ...
OBJECTIVES--This case cohort study examines whether there is an association between exposure to electric and magnetic fields and suicide in a population of 21,744 male electrical utility workers from...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and the long-term risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the role of age as a modifier of this association.PARTICIPANTS...Full Text Available
BackgroundInsurance coverage of tobacco cessation medications increases their use and reduces smoking prevalence in a population. However, uncertainty about the impact of this coverage...Full Text Available
Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is an important animal model of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a β-Herpesvirus that infects the majority of the world's population and causes disease in neonates...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVESTo examine the association between α-blocker use and sexual dysfunction among men participating in a population-based cohort of...Full Text Available
"The focus of this study was to examine the structural, social, and attitudinal factors that influence an individual?s decision to choose an IT career. The findings revealed many differences among male and female high school students? attitudes and intentions. Although many stereotypes existed among the male and female students, perceptions appeared to be similar within the population. For boys, computer and technical skills had a stronger association with attitudes toward IT than for girls. For girls, social issues showed a strong association with attitudes toward IT. Overall, the intention to pursue IT as a career was most likely to prevail within the population of the high school boys."
Microbial population and moisture content of traditional herbal medicines contaminated with 3 kinds of aerobic microbes, packed in 5 kinds of plastic packaging materials, followed by irradiation at minimum dose of 5 kGy and stored for 6 months were investigated. The highest reduction of microbial counts during storage was observed on samples packed in polyethylene bags. All of packaging materials used were found to be impermeable to microbes and water vapour. Radiation and packaging materials used acted synergistically to inactivate microbes durind storage. The microbial counts decreased as much as 2 to 4 log cycles during storage. (author).
The author describes the history of the Soviet Unions nuclear weapons testing in Siberia from the first bomb on 29th August 1949 until the test-ban treaty of 1963. The effects of the weapons testing on the local population is only now becoming widely known. Levels of cancers and cataracts are significantly higher than in uneffected populations, and there are also high levels of some lung, bone, skin and digestive conditions. Perhaps the most important information relates to cataracts, previously thought to be caused by single large bursts of radiation. Regulatory authorities worldwide will need to tighten the safety limits for eye radiation exposure to these findings. (U.K.).
The author describes the history of the Soviet Unions nuclear weapons testing in Siberia from the first bomb on 29th August 1949 until the test-ban treaty of 1963. The effects of the weapons testing on the local population is only now becoming widely known. Levels of cancers and cataracts are significantly higher than in uneffected populations, and there are also high levels of some lung, bone, skin and digestive conditions. Perhaps the most important information relates to cataracts, previously thought to be caused by single large bursts of radiation. Regulatory authorities worldwide will need to tighten the safety limits for eye radiation exposure to these findings. (U.K.).
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained atrial arrhythmia and it is independently associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. As a result of the high prevalence of AF, the economic and clinical impact of the disease is substantial. This study describes the economic and clinical impact of AF in the Netherlands. Methods Epidemiological data on AF in the Netherlands were projected on population estimates of the Netherlands in 2009 and combined with data on the cost of AF and its interventions. Results Overall prevalence of AF in the Netherlands is 5.5% in the population over 55?years, corresponding to about 250,000 AF patients. The prevalence increases with age, and the mean age of AF patients is 69.3?years. Incidence of AF in the Netherlands varies with age...
A survey is presented of the consequences of the irradiation of the population with ionizing radiation. There is an increased incidence of leukemia in irradiated population groups. Among the inhabitants of Hiroshima and Nagasaki maximum death of leukemia was observed in the years 1951 to 1952. The results are summed up of the observation of carcinoma of the breast, lungs and bronchi, bones, and carcinoma of the thyroid. The effect of radiation on experimental animals is described. It was found that the scatter of the dependence of the incidence of various types of cancer on the dose equivalent apparently reflects differences in the biological mechanism of this incidence and that a proportional relationship cannot be expected between the primary damage of cells during irradiation and the actual manifestation of the disease. (E.S.).
The role of natural enemies in the regulation of populations is one of the major questions facing population ecologists. Simplification have led to two theoretical ways of incorporating the role of natural enemies in single ecological models: diffusion models and patch-type models. The predictions of the models are different because of the way variability is incorporated. Three equations are presented for diffusion models and one for patch models. Since the two types of models apply at different combinations of spatial and temporal scales, the right model(s) to choose for a particular study requires careful assessment. A continuing dialogue between experimentalists and theoreticians will lead to a better understanding of natural systems such as those that occur in biological control.
The development of Callossobruchus chinensis (L.) in different packaging materials were conducted with gram and lentil seeds under control temperature. The highest population rise was recorded in laminated jute bags and the weight loss of gram increased with the increase of the number of insects. A doses of 0.1 kGy inhibit all metamorphic stages of the beetle. The use of appropriate packaging materials can reduce the risk of re infestation in the post-irradiated food items. 9 refs., 1 fig., 2 tables (author).
A database has been compiled on human dietary intakes of trace elements by populations groups living in various countries. The main sources of information used were (1) publications in the open scientific literature, and (2) data submitted to the IAEA in response to a questionnaire. The database contains 1,758 intake values covering 35 elements and 47 countries. In this report the data are listed in various ways to facilitate identification of intake values for any specified country, element and population group. 4 refs, 5 tabs.
The genetically and leukemia-significant doses (GSD and LSD) were calculated from the average gonad and bone marrow doses caused by the most frequently applied radiopharmaceuticals in Bulgaria in 1976. Because of the lack of information about the age groups of the patients examined assumptions have been made which led to estimated values of 0.97 mrad for GSD and 2.0 mrad for LSD which must be considered as the upper limit of the real GSD and LSD. The influence of the different radiopharmaceuticals on the average radiation exposure of the population is discussed. (author).
Abstract The white sea bream, Diplodus sargus (Teleostei, Sparidae), is a species with a high commercial importance in Mediterranean aquaculture. There is currently little information available about the genetic characteristics of cultured populations. In this survey, we have developed eight polymorphic microsatellites for the white sea bream using an enriched genome library protocol. All of them were polymorphic in the 67 individuals tested, 32 of which were wild specimens, and 35 were individuals from a captive F1 broodstock. These markers can potentially be useful tools for use in population genetic studies.
Microbial dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) often stops although a significant number of removable chlorines remain. To determine the reason for the cessation, we investigated the limitation of organic carbon, PCB bioavailability, and inhibition by metabolic products. Enrichment with carbon sources did not induce additional chlorination, indicating the plateau was not due to depletion of organic carbon. The bioavailability was not limiting, since a subcritical micelle concentration of the surfactant, which enhanced desorption without inhibiting dechlorinating microorganisms, failed to lower the plateau. Neither was it due to accumulation of metabolites, since no additional dechlorination was detected when plateau sediments were incubated with fresh medium. Similarly, dechlorination was not inhibited in freshly spiked sediment slurries. Dechlorination ended up at the same level with nearly identical congener profiles, regardless of treatment. These results indicate that ...
The population doses and risks of stochastic effects from occupational exposures in Japan in 1978 were estimated on the basis of a nation-wide survey. The survey was conducted on annual collective dose equivalents by sex, age group and type of radiation work for about 82,500 workers other than the workers in nuclear power stations. The data on the workers in nuclear power stations were obtained from the offitial publication of the Japan Nuclear Safety Commission. The total number of workers except for nuclear power stations was estimated to be about 170,000 persons. Radiation works were subdivided as follows: medical works including dental; nondestructive inspectional; non-atomic energy industrial; research and educational; atomic energy industrial and nuclear power industrial. The annual collective dose equivalents were estimated to be about 6,000 man rem for medical workers, 450 man rem for non-destructive inspectional, 450 man rem for non-atomic energy ...
Collective dose equivalent and population dose from occupational exposures in Japan, 1988 were estimated on the basis of a nationwide survey. The survey was conducted on annual collective dose equivalents by sex, age group and type of radiation work for about 0.21 million workers except for the workers in nuclear power stations. The data on the workers in nuclear power stations were obtained from the official report of the Japan Nuclear Safety Commission. The total number of workers including nuclear power stations was estimated to be about 0.26 million. Radiation works were subdivided as follows: medical works including dental; non-atomic energy industry; research and education; atomic energy industry and nuclear power station. For the determination of effective dose equivalent and population dose, organ or tissue doses were measured with a phantom experiment. The resultant doses were compared with the doses previously calculated using a chord ...
Collective dose equivalent and population dose from occupational exposures in Japan, 1988 were estimated on the basis of a nationwide survey. The survey was conducted on annual collective dose equivalents by sex, age group and type of radiation work for about 0.21 million workers except for the workers in nuclear power stations. The data on the workers in nuclear power stations were obtained from the official report of the Japan Nuclear Safety Commission. The total number of workers including nuclear power stations was estimated to be about 0.26 million. Radiation works were subdivided as follows: medical works including dental; non-atomic energy industry; research and education; atomic energy industry and nuclear power station. For the determination of effective dose equivalent and population dose, organ or tissue doses were measured with a phantom experiment. The resultant doses were compared with the doses previously calculated using a chord ...
We have developed refined statistical and modeling techniques to assess low-level uptake and urinary excretion of plutonium from different population group in the northern Marshall Islands. Urinary excretion rates of plutonium from the resident population on Enewetak Atoll and from resettlement workers living on Rongelap Atoll range from <1 to 8 {micro}Bq per day and are well below action levels established under the latest Department regulation 10 CFR 835 in the United States for in vitro bioassay monitoring of {sup 239}Pu. However, our statistical analyses show that urinary excretion of plutonium-239 ({sup 239}Pu) from both cohort groups is significantly positively associated with volunteer age, especially for the resident population living on Enewetak Atoll. Urinary excretion of {sup 239}Pu from the Enewetak cohort was also found to be positively associated with estimates of cumulative exposure to worldwide ...
In the case of a serious accident and as a precautionary measure, several protection actions can be implemented by the prefect during the emergency phase. In France the levels of intervention are given by a ministerial decree of the 13. october 2003, resuming recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The selected values are: an efficient dose of 10 mSv for the stake under cover and in the listening: the concerned persons have to put under cover in a building, any openings carefully closed and stay in the listening of the orders of the prefect; an efficient dose of 50 mSv for evacuation; an efficient dose to the thyroid of 100 mSv for the taking of stable iodine tablets. In order to help the authorities to choose between the keeping of populations at their place or immediate evacuation the decision criteria are: if the forecasted efficient dose of the first month is under 1 mSv, the populations stay in place; if the forecasted ...
Background: Anxiety disorders are known to be common in the general population. Previous studies with adults with intellectual disabilities (IDs) report a prevalence of general anxiety disorder ranging from less than 2% to 17.4%. Little is known about associated factors in this population. This study investigates point prevalence of anxiety disorders and determines the factors independently associated with them. Methods: Information was collected with 1023 adults with IDs who participated in a large-scale, population-based study. All had a comprehensive physical and mental health assessment. The point prevalence of anxiety disorders according to different diagnostic criteria was determined, as were independently associated factors by using logistic regression analysis. Results: Three point eight per cent (95% CI = 2.7-5.2%) of the cohort had an anxiety disorder at the time of assessment. Generalised anxiety disorder was the ...
During outbreaks, Microdiprion pallipes (Fall.) is the most destructive of the pine sawflies in Sweden. Its distribution includes most provinces, but damaging outbreaks have until recently occurred only in two inland areas in northern Sweden. These areas are characterised by high elevation, a harsh climate, and slow tree growth. The four recorded outbreak periods showed a 10 year periodicity. Outside these areas, a lesser outbreak occurred in 1988 to 1990, on the east coast (province of Uppland). Outbreak patterns, life history variation, and mortality factors were studied. Factors that may explain the distribution of outbreaks and the population patterns were identified.Experimental and observational evidence on the potential of various factors to influence fecundity, dispersal, and survival was evaluated. In the outbreak areas, there were few major population factors. Parasitism by Rhorus substitutor (Thunb.) was the largest cause of larval ...
The most important factor in assessing radiologic risk is ensuring scientific means for evaluation of the radioactive release impact upon humans and organisms. To evaluate quantitatively this impact not only knowledge of radioactivity distribution in these dynamical systems is necessary but also understanding the transfer mechanisms between ecosystem components is needed. Thus a complete radioecologic study appear to be very complex and needs defining the source term, dynamic description of radionuclides behavior in the ecosystem, estimation of radiation doses in the major components of the ecosystem and finally the effects of radiation doses upon different parts of the systems. A diagram of the steps implied in evaluation of the effects due to radioactive effluent release in the environment is presented and discussed. The following steps are described: - identification of radioactive sources, as well as their input rate. Presence of noxious materials such as heavy metals or some ...
Boxy and peanut-shaped bulges are seen in about half of edge-on disc galaxies. Comparisons of the photometry and major-axis gas and stellar kinematics of these bulges to simulations of bar formation and evolution indicate that they are bars viewed in projection. If the properties of boxy bulges can be entirely explained by assuming they are bars, then this may imply that their hosts are pure disc galaxies with no classical bulge. A handful of these bulges, including that of the Milky Way, have been observed to rotate cylindrically, i.e. with a mean stellar velocity independent of height above the disc. In order to assess whether such behaviour is ubiquitous in boxy bulges, and whether a pure disc interpretation is consistent with their stellar populations, we have analysed the stellar kinematics and populations of the boxy or peanut-shaped bulges in a sample of five edge-on galaxies. We placed slits along the major axis of each galaxy and at ...
We study the stellar and dust properties of a well-defined sample of local elliptical galaxies to investigate the relationship between host galaxy properties and nuclear activity. We select a complete sample of 45 ellipticals from the Palomar spectroscopic survey of nearby galaxies, which includes 20 low-luminosity active galactic nuclei classified as LINERs and 25 inactive galaxies. Using a stellar population synthesis method, we compare the derived stellar population properties of the LINER versus the inactive subsamples. We also study the dust and stellar surface brightness distributions of the central regions of these galaxies using high-resolution images obtained with the {\\it Hubble Space Telescope}. Relative to the inactive subsample, ellipticals hosting LINERs share similar total optical and near-infrared luminosity, central stellar velocity dispersions, and nuclear stellar populations as judged from their ...
(abridged) We present a study of stellar population of LAEs at z=4.86 in GOODS-N and its flanking field. With the publicly available IRAC data in GOODS-N and further IRAC observations in the flanking fields, we select five LAEs which are not contaminated by neighboring objects in IRAC images and construct their observed SEDs with I_c, z', IRAC 3.6micron, and 4.5micron band photometry. The SEDs cover the rest-frame UV to optical wavelengths. We derive stellar masses, ages, color excesses, and star formation rates of five LAEs using SED fitting method. Assuming the constant star formation history, we find that the stellar masses range from 10^8 to $10^{10} Msun with the median value of 2.5x10^9 Msun. The derived ages range from very young ages (7.4 Myr) to 437 Myr with a median age of 25 Myr. The color excess E(B-V) are between 0.1-0.4 mag. Star formation rates are 55-209 Msun/yr. A comparison of the stellar populations is made between three LAEs ...
The hazards of smoking in relation to lung cancer can never be over emphasized. In recent times shortly after Ebonyi State was created in 1996, the capital territory has increasingly been polluted by either quarry operators, motorcycle (Okada) riders or reckless cigarette smokers and bush burning. To investigate the havoc caused by all these on people, questionnaire was distributed among smokers and non smokers in various areas of specialization and habitations. In measuring the significance of association and the degree of association, a chi2 test and odds ratio method of analysis was employed. The result of the analysis showed that non-smokers do suffer lung cancer. It also revealed that the chances of a smoker to have lung cancer is 1.765 times higher than that of a non-smoker. Analysis also showed that lung cancer depends on age of smokers. It was later discovered that middle aged population are mostly affected, by the reason of chi2 partitioning. This research ...
An attempt to determine lysozyme hydration by employing a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-echo technique and to correlated such measurements with the 20 "0C sorption equilibrium data is made. Determinations of specific site hydration for lysozyme, as well as proton NMR transverse relaxation rates for five different types of water populations in the lysozyme-water system, are presented over the whole range of lysozyme concentrations. The proton spin-echo NMR results are consistent with a three-component analysis of the sorption isotherm up to 70% water content, above which two additional water populations are identified by 360-MHz proton NMR spin-echoes. On the basis of the proton NMR results, a major component (III) of the lysozyme sorption isotherm is assigned to the water trapped between lysozyem molecules, whose relaxation rate is increased by diffusion barriers. The trapped water population dominates the ...
For a long time, signal processing applications, and most particularly detection and parameter estimation methods, have relied on the limiting behaviour of test statistics and estimators, as the number n of observations of a population grows large comparatively to the population size N, i.e. n>>N. Modern technological and societal advances now demand the study of sometimes extremely large populations, while simultaneously requiring fast signal processing due to accelerated system dynamics; this results in not-so-large practical ratios n/N, sometimes even smaller than one. A disruptive change in classical signal processing methods has therefore been initiated in the past ten years, mostly spurred by the field of large dimensional random matrix theory. The early literature in random matrix theory for signal processing applications is however scarce and highly technical. This tutorial proposes an accessible ...
The principal paradigm for gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) suggests that the prompt transient gamma-ray signal arises from multiple shocks internal to the relativistic expansion. This paper explores how GRB prompt emission spectra can constrain electron (or ion) acceleration properties at the relativistic shocks that pertain to GRB models. The array of possible high-energy power-law indices in accelerated populations is highlighted, focusing on how spectra above 1 MeV can probe the field obliquity in GRB internal shocks, and the character of hydromagnetic turbulence in their environs. When encompassing the MeV-band spectral break, fits to BATSE/EGRET burst data indicate that the preponderance of electrons responsible for the prompt emission reside in an intrinsically non-thermal population. This differs markedly from typical populations generated in acceleration simulations; potential resolutions of this conflict such as the action ...
The release of any potential radioactive pollutant to the environment during routine operation of a Nuclear Power Plant should be the subject of appropriate controls and assessments. It is impossible to monitor directly the dose contribution of normal releases because the environmental radioactivity levels are very small but source monitoring provides a means of assessing the radiation exposure of population groups, critical groups and individual members of the public. Derived emissions limits ( DELs ) are used to quantify the relationship between releases of radioactivity and doses to public - critical groups. CNE Cernavoda DELs are based on a pathway analysis conducted for Cernavoda site specific conditions and they were computed using a compartment transfer model. Annual air and water emissions for the most significant radionuclides between 1997 and 2008 are presented in terms of doses and can be observed that population doses are far below ...
We present new results from BRAVA, a large-scale radial velocity survey of the Galactic bulge, using M giant stars selected from the Two Micron All Sky Survey catalog as targets for the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory 4 m Hydra multi-object spectrograph. The purpose of this survey is to construct a new generation of self-consistent bar models that conform to these observations. We report the dynamics for fields at the edge of the Galactic bulge at latitudes b = -8 deg. and compare to the dynamics at b = -4 deg. We find that the rotation curve V(r) is the same at b = -8 deg. as at b = -4 deg. That is, the Galactic boxy bulge rotates cylindrically, as do boxy bulges of other galaxies. The summed line-of-sight velocity distribution at b = -8 deg. is Gaussian, and the binned longitude-velocity plot shows no evidence for either a (disk) population with cold dynamics or for a (classical bulge) population with hot dynamics. The observed ...
Men who have sex with men (MSM) have become one of the populations with severely HIV prevalence in China. However, very few genetic studies have been done on HIV-1 spreading in this population. In this study, the genetic characterization of HIV-1 strains prevalent in the MSM in Shijiazhuang, China, was analyzed basing on the HIV-1 full-length gag, pol, and partial env gene. 21 drug-naive HIV-1 sero-positive patients were enrolled into the study. Full length gag, pol, partial env genes and some near full length genomes were amplified with nest RT-PCR followed by sequencing. Multiple subtypes, including CRF01_AE (52.9%), subtype B (35.3%) and CRF07_BC (11.8%), were found in the population. Phylogenetic analysis showed close relationship between our strains with those from Beijing MSM but not...
Glycosaminoglycan synthesis by two subpopulations of a mouse mammary tumor cell line was compared. The two sublines express distinctly different growth characteristics in vitro and in vivo which indicate differences in growth regulation. Newly made glycosaminoglycans were recovered from the culture media, the cell surfaces, and residual cellular material. The cell population which grows more aggressively in vivo (+SA subline, a subline that grows in soft agarose) incorporated about 8 times more (/sup 14/C)glucosamine per cell into total glycosaminoglycans than did the slower-growing population (-SA subline, which does not grow in soft agarose). Appropriate control experiments indicated that the apparent difference in rates of synthesis was not due to discrepancies in glucosamine uptake. The main residual cellular molecule labeled was heparan sulfate, but the predominant molecule at the cell surface and in the culture fluid was hyaluronic acid. ...
In this 150-day study, chicken manure, kenaf, and white rot fungus were added to soil microcosms in an attempt to enhance the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls. The soil was contaminated with commercial PCB mixtures. Dishes were ammended with 5% dry weight chicken manure, 1% dry weight kenaf, and 1% dry weight kenaf plus Phanerochaete chrysosporium inoculant. PCB concentrations were determined at 30 day intervals by soxhlet extraction and gas chromatography analyses. Preliminary results of microbial populations and PCB degradation are presented. At 90 days, the microcosms amended with chicken manure had significantly higher populations of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. However, at 120 days, these soils underwent great reductions in actinomycete and bacterial populations. Through 60 days, the concentration of the PCBs Aroclor 1242 and 1248 had its greatest reduction in the kenaf amended soils. The concentration ...
Population doses from diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radiopharmaceuticals have been estimated on the basis of a nation wide survey data on the number of investigations and treatments used radiopharmaceuticals in the nuclear medicine and the annual amount of their activities. The gonad and marrow doses were calculated from published biokinetics data from humans, employing the MIRD method. The resultant annual genetically significant dose from diagnostic and therapeutic uses of radiopharmaceuticals was 0.36 and 0.02 mrad (3.6 and 0.2 #mu#Gy) per person, respectively, with a total 0.38 mrad (3.8 #mu#Gy) per person. The annual per Caput mean bone marrow dose was 2.3 mrad (23 #mu#Gy) for diagnosis and 0.2 mrad (2 #mu#Gy), for therapy. The resultant annual leukemia significant dose was 1.8 mrad (18 #mu#Gy) per person for diagnostic uses and 0.2 mrad (2 #mu#Gy) per person for therapeutic use, with a total of 2.0 mrad (20 #mu#Gy) per person. These ...
Live cores were obtained from five reservoirs using special precautions to prevent contamination by exogenous microorganisms and minimize exposure to oxygen. The depths from which the cores were obtained ranged from 2,705 ft to 6,568 ft. Core plugs were cut radially from live cores, encased in heat-shrink plastic tubes, placed in core holders, and fitted with inlets and outlets. Nutrient additions stimulated the in-situ microbial population to increase, dissolve stratal material, produce gases, and release oil. Reduction in flow through the core plugs was observed in some cases, while in other cases flow was increased, probably due to the dissolution of carbonates in the formation. A field demonstration of the ability of the in-situ microbial population to increase oil recovery by blocking the more permeable zones of the reservoir is currently underway. This demonstration is being conducted in the North Blowhorn Creek Unit situated in Lamar ...
Containing an epidemic at its origin is the most desirable mitigation. Epidemics have often originated in rural areas, with rural communities among the first affected. Disease dynamics in rural regions have received limited attention, and results of general studies cannot be directly applied since population densities and human mobility factors are very different in rural regions from those in cities. We create a network model of a rural community in Kansas, USA, by collecting data on the contact patterns and computing rates of contact among a sampled population. We model the impact of different mitigation strategies detecting closely connected groups of people and frequently visited locations. Within those groups and locations, we compare the effectiveness of random and targeted vaccinations using a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered compartmental model on the contact network. Our simulations show that the targeted vaccinations of only 10% ...
With the recent advance of the utilization of nuclear energy in a large scale, social interest is being focussed in the potential risk which the nuclear technology will accompany. Especially after the accidents in Chernobyl and other nuclear facilities, serious anxiety to the utilization of nuclear energy is prevailing among the general public. In order to meet the anxiety and distrust of the population in the use of the nuclear power, the health effect or risk which radioactive materials released into the environment will bring about should be comprehensively and properly evaluated, and then should be widely reported to the population. The development of HESANS code system (Health and Environmental Safety Assessment Network System) was planned to set up such a comprehensive computer code that covers a whole pathway of radioactive material from its release to estimates of derived health effects in the population, including ...
Blomqvist M, Ahadi S, Fernell E, Ek U, Dahllf G. Dental caries in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a population-based follow-up study. Eur J Oral Sci 2011; 119: 381-385. 2011 Eur J Oral Sci This study tested the hypothesis that adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit a higher prevalence of caries than adolescents in a control group. Thirty-two adolescents with ADHD and a control group of 55 adolescents from a population-based sample, all 17-yr of age, underwent a clinical and radiographic dental examination. The mean--SD number of decayed surfaces (DS) was 2.0--2.2 in adolescents with ADHD and 0.9--1.4 in adolescents of the control group. Thirty-one per cent of the adolescents in the ADHD group had no new caries lesions (DS-=-0) co...
Naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials are a source of external and interal radiation exposure to essentially the entire US population. Although detailed data are not available, estimates are that the average contribution from such sources to the external dose equilvaent rate in brick and masonry houses is about 5 to 10 mrem/year. For critical population groups, values reported in the literature for the contribution from such sources range up to a hundred mrem/year or more. Dose equivalent rates to the lungs are even higher and, for abnormal situations, it would appear that control measures, either on a voluntary or mandatory (legislative) basis should be considered. Such measures include: (1) material substitution; (2) improved manufacturing standards; (3) changes in basic building designs; (4) application of surface sealants; and (5) increased ventilation accompanied by processes for the adsorption and/or filtration of ...
The role of intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i) on hematopoiesis was investigated in long term bone marrow cultures using cytokines and agonists of P2 receptors. Cytokines interleukin 3 and granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulator factor promoted a modest increase in Ca2+i concentration ([Ca2+]i) with activation of phospholipase Cgamma, MEK1/2, and Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II. Involvement of protein kinase C was restricted to stimulation with interleukin 3. In addition, these cytokines promoted proliferation (20 times) and an increase in the Gr-1(-)Mac-1+ population with participation of gap junctions (GJ). Nevertheless ATP, ADP, and UTP promoted a large increase in [Ca2+]i, moderate proliferation (6 times), a reduction in the primitive Gr-1(-)Mac-1(-)c-Kit+ population, and differentiation into macrophages without participation of GJ. It is likely that Ca2+i participates as a regulator of hematopoietic signaling: moderate increases in [Ca2+]i would be ...
The program package COSYMA for assessing the radiological and economic consequences of nuclear accidents, developed with the support of the European Commission, was applied to investigate the health effects and risks from accidental releases of radioactive material from the Daya Bay nuclear power plant. Population distribution data in the range of 80 km around the site and hourly meteorological data for the year 1985 representative of accident consequence analysis were used. The results showed that early effects are more important at distances closer to the site, while the number of fatal cancers is closely related to the population density and the late effects are still important at distances larger than 50 km from the site. The mean annual expected values for early mortality and late mortality estimated for the population within a circle of 80 km around the Daya Bay nuclear power plant are 4.5x10"-"3 and 0.1 yr"-"1, ...
A technique has been developed to estimate the percent population having electric power access based on the presence of satellite detected nighttime lighting. A global survey was conducted for the year 2006 using nighttime lights collected by the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) in combination with the U.S. Department of Energy Landscan population dataset. The survey includes results for 229 countries and more than 2000 subnational units. The results are compared to reported electrification rates for 87 countries compiled from a variety of sources by the International Energy Agency. The DMSP derived estimate of number of people worldwide who lack access to electricity is 1.62 billion, only slightly larger than the 1.58 billion estimated by the International Energy Agency.
This paper reports that at present geothermal energy is utilized in the USSR mostly for district heating, and for industrial and agricultural purposes. The populations of 7 towns have district heating that is supplied by thermal waters. The population supplied totals about 125,000 people. The total area of greenhouses is 850,000 m"2. Electric energy generated at geothermal power stations still remains negligible with the installed capacity of the single Pauzhetka station (Kamchatka) being 11 MW. another station at Mutnovka is currently under construction and is expected to be producing 50 MW by 1992 and 200 MW by 1998. The proven geothermal resources in the USSR provide hope for a significant increase in the utilization of the earth's deep heat in the near future.
Energy in general is essential for economic and social development, prosperity, health and security of citizens. of the other hand, world population over the last 10 years has increased by more than 12%, and now it is exactly about 6.4 billion people and it means more demand for energy. Meanwhile, global primary energy consumption has seen an increase of 20%. Energy supply has some sources and unfortunately most of them have impact on life cycle in biosphere. However, the developed countries, that are only 16% in the population in 2000, consume the energy of 80%. This article deals with the threat of global climate change and its implications throughout the world.
Abstract We address the fundamental question of matching the rest-frame K-band luminosity function (LF) of galaxies over the Hubble time using semi-analytic models after modification of the stellar population modelling. We include the Maraston evolutionary synthesis models, which feature a higher contribution by the thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stellar phase, into three different semi-analytic models, namely the De Lucia and Blaizot version of the Munich model, morgana and the Menci model. We leave all other input physics and parameters unchanged. We find that the modification of the stellar population emission can solve the mismatch between models and the observed rest-frame K-band luminosity from the brightest galaxies derived from UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey d...
Home economics is a dynamic field that imparts knowledge intended to help people adapt to their environment by making effective use of human and material resources. Hence, the profession values global concerns for the environment, human rights, health, and well-being. In Nigeria, home economics teachers must also consider the role they play in programs such as family life education, poverty alleviation, and universal basic education. In particular, home economics is one of the subjects through which core messages of the country's Population and Family Life Education program are to be integrated at the secondary school level. In this article, the author discusses the outcomes of this program and provides recommendations for teachers teaching this subject. (Contains 1 table and 1 resource.)
The long-term health consequences of war service remain unclear, despite burgeoning scientific interest. A longitudinal cohort study of a random sample of Australian Vietnam veterans was designed to assess veterans' postwar physical and mental health 36 years after the war (2005-2006) and to examine its relation to Army service, combat, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessed 14 years previously (1990-1993). Prevalences in veterans (n = 450) were compared with those in the Australian general population. Veterans' Army service and data from the first assessments were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression prediction modeling. Veterans' general health and some health risk factors were poorer and medical consultation rates were higher than Australian population expectatio...
Abstract An increase in chronic disease prevalence is contributing to health care cost growth and decreased quality of life in industrialized nations worldwide. Inadequate management of chronic diseases is a leading cause of hospitalizations and, thus, avoidable expenditures. In this study, we evaluated the impact of nurse-delivered care calls, the primary intervention of a proactive chronic care management (CCM) program, in a population aged 65 and older in Germany. In this analysis, hospital admission rates were evaluated among program enrollees who were diagnosed with diabetes, heart failure, coronary heart disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Intervention group comprised those members who participated in care calls (n?=?13,486), whereas the Comparison group included e...
Study Design Best evidence synthesis. Objective To undertake a best evidence synthesis of the published evidence on the burden and determinants of neck pain and its associated disorders in the general population. Summary of Background Data The evidence on burden and determinants of neck has not previously been summarized. Methods The Bone and Joint Decade 2000?2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders performed a systematic search and critical review of literature published between 1980 and 2006 to assemble the best evidence on neck pain. Studies meeting criteria for scientific validity were included in a best evidence synthesis. Results We identified 469 studies on burden and determinants of neck pain, and judged 249 to be scientifically admissible; 101 articles related to...
Most heat shock proteins (Hsps) function as molecular chaperones that help organisms to cope with stress. Although the best empirical evidence is related to heat shock, there is evidence that Hsps and their encoding genes are involved in resistance to other ecologically relevant types of stresses such as those imposed by high population density. We quantified density-dependent gene expression of large (i.e. Hsp40, Hsc70 and Hsp90) and small (Hsp20.5, Hsp20.6 and Hsp20.7) heat shock genes in neural tissue of fifth-instar nymphs of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Locusts are of particular interest when studying the influence of stress induced by high population density since they show an extreme form of phenotypic plastici...
Abstract Mitochondrial ribosomal gene sequences were used to investigate the status of several populations of hydromedusae belonging to the genus Turritopsis (family Oceaniidae). Several nominal species have been described for this genus, but most of them had been synonymized and attributed to one cosmopolitan species, Turritopsis nutricula. A recent revision based on morphological and reproductive characters, however, has shown that many different populations can be distinguished and that several of the nominal Turritopsis species are likely valid biological species. Our investigation using molecular sequence data of 16S mitochondrial gene confirms these results. The Mediterranean Turritopsis must be attributed to Turritopsis dohrnii and the Turritopsis of New Zealand must be referred to ...
Summary 1. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, bison Bison bison and elk Cervus canadensis nelsoni act as hosts for Brucella abortus. The presence of B. abortus within wildlife populations is an important conservation issue because of the risk of brucellosis transmission from wildlife to cattle. 2. We investigated conditions facilitating contact between bison (40-60% seroprevalence) and elk on a shared winter range in the Madison headwaters area of Yellowstone National Park. We evaluated the effects of snow pack, season, elk and bison population sizes, and wolf Canis lupus predation risk on the degree of spatial overlap between bison and elk from 1991 to 2006. 3. Sixty-eight per cent of 10 093 independent elk observations occurred within the known bison wintering range, 29% occurred with...
Abstract Iodine concentrates in gastric tissue and may act as an antioxidant for the stomach. We previously showed that self-reported goiter was associated with significantly increased risk of gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma (GNCA) and nonsignificantly increased risks of gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a prospective case-cohort study in a high-risk population in China. Negatively correlated with iodine levels, serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is a more sensitive biomarker of iodine deficiency than goiter. Our study aimed to determine whether baseline serum Tg was also associated with development of GNCA, GCA and ESCC in the same cohort, the Linxian General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial. Sera from -200 subjects of each case type and 40...
Background: This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) in the general population of Hong Kong. Methods: Random sampling was used to recruit 6028 participants aged 15years or over. Among them, 203 were surveyed twice within a two-week period. Participants completed the Chinese version of the PHQ-9 (including 2 items of the PHQ-2), the Chinese Health Questionnaire, the Happiness Scale, the SF-12, and questions about diagnosis and health service utilization. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct and discriminant validity of the PHQ-2 were assessed. Results: Cronbach's a was 0.76. The test-retest reliability over two weeks calculated by intraclass correlation was 0.70. Spearman correlation results showed that the PHQ-2 s...
Immune function is critical in health and disease. The control and regulation of immune reactions is an area of intense investigation that has important implications for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Immune reactions are regulated in a number of important ways. Compartmentalization of immune responses and the production of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines play a major role. More recently several populations of T cells that regulate immune responses termed regulatory T cells have been identified. This manuscript will focus on CD4^+CD25^+FoxP3^+ natural regulatory T cells (T"r"e"g) and @a@bTCR^+CD4^+NK1.1^+ natural killer T (NK-T) cells which both suppress graft vs host disease but appear to function by distinct mechanisms.
HCV infection continues to spread at an alarming rate among IDU populations. The available evidence suggests that HCV is acquired relatively quickly following onset of injection. However, there are few prospective studies of HCV acquisition, particularly among IDU populations in resource-poor settings. A sample of young male heroin injectors with recent onset of injection (<4?years) was recruited in Hanoi, Vietnam for a prospective assessment of the early course of injection (n?=?179). Both behavioral and biological assessments (including detailed retrospective assessment of injection initiation) were conducted at baseline and repeated at 6-month intervals for a period of 16?months. Variables associated with HCV infection (p value?p value?=?0.0005). In multivariate logistic regression anal...
As a consequence of the close integration of cattle into the food chain of humans, forensically relevant cases involving cattle (Bos taurus) DNA analysis are common. However, scientific publications reporting the information content of the commonly used bovine short tandem repeat (STR) loci remains scarce. Population studies were performed for 16 polymorphic STR loci (BM1818, BM1824, BM2113, CSRM60, CSSM66, ETH3, ETH10, ETH225, HAUT27, ILSTS006, INRA023, SPS115, TGLA53, TGLA122, TGLA126, and TGLA227) including 4,162 randomly selected cattle representing 20 distinct breeds. The power of parental exclusion, expected and observed heterozygosity, probability of identity, and non-amplifying (?null?) allele frequencies were calculated. Major differences existed in the information content between...
We model coral community response to bleaching and mass mortality events which are predicted to increase in frequency with climate change. The model was parameterized for the Arabian/Persian Gulf, but is generally applicable. We assume three species groups (Acropora, faviids, and Porites) in two life-stages each where the juveniles are in competition but the adults can enter a size-refuge in which they cannot be competitively displaced. An aggressive group (Acropora species) dominates at equilibrium, which is not reached due to mass mortality events that primarily disadvantage this group (compensatory mortality, >90% versus 25% in faviids and Porites) roughly every 15 years. Population parameters (N individuals, carrying capacity) were calculated from satellite imagery and in situ transect...
Microreserves may be useful in protecting native arthropod diversity in urbanized landscapes. However, species that do not disperse through the urban matrix may eventually be lost from these fragments. Population extinctions may be precipitated by an increase in genetic differentiation among fragments and loss of genetic diversity within fragments, and these effects should become stronger with time. We analyzed population genetic structure in the dispersal limited Jerusalem cricket Stenopelmatus n. sp. ?santa monica?? in the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills north of Los Angeles, California (CA), to determine the impacts of fragmentation over the past 70 years. MtDNA divergence was greater among urban fragments than within contiguous habitat and was positively correlated with fragment ...
During helium beam fuelling experiments in JET, distinctive anisotropic features have been observed in the velocity distribution function describing both fast and thermal alpha particle populations. During the initial fuelling phase the central helium ion temperature observed perpendicular to the magnetic field is higher than the central electron temperature, while the central helium ion temperature observed parallel to the magnetic field is lower than or equal to the central electron temperature. In order to verify temperature measurements of both perpendicular and parallel lines of sight, other independent methods of deducing the ion temperature are investigated: deuterium ion temperature, deuterium density, comparison with neutron rates and profiles (influence of a possible metastable population of helium). 6 refs., 7 figs.
Culture-independent microbiological technologies that interrogate complex microbial populations without prior axenic culture, coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing, have revolutionized the scale, speed and economics of microbial ecological studies. Their application to the medical realm has led to a highly productive merger of clinical, experimental and environmental microbiology. The functional roles played by members of the human microbiota are being actively explored through experimental manipulation of animal model systems and studies of human populations. In concert, these studies have appreciably expanded our understanding of the composition and dynamics of human-associated microbial communities (microbiota). Of note, several human diseases have been linked to alterations in th...
The United States deployed 118 military working dogs (MWDs) to the Persian Gulf theater during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This study is a retrospective descriptive study of medical records of these deployed dogs, with the objective to determine whether there were infectious or parasitic diseases with a zoonotic potential in a sentinel population of MWDs that may be of concern to Persian Gulf veterans. Fifty-one percent of visits to veterinary treatment facilities during deployment were for illness or injury. Potential zoonotic conditions accounted for 21% of the total visits, 41% of the "sick-call" visits, and 63% of presentations for illness to veterinary treatment facilities. This study did not determine whether the diseases treated were transmitted between MWDs and the troops. Although the etiologic agents were not determined in these cases, no evidence was found supporting new or reemerging illnesses in this population of ...
The heat-shock gene, Hsp90, was targeted as a new variable genomic region to supplement other DNA-based tests for identification and discrimination of Globodera pallida, G. rostochiensis and G. tabacum tabacum. Populations of the potato cyst nematodes, G. pallida and G. rostochiensis (PCN), originating from Canada, France, Belgium and USA, together with two populations of G. tabacum tabacum from the USA and France were used for the amplification of a fragment of the Hsp90 gene. General and specific primers and probes for each species were derived from the consensus and non-consensus regions of the aligned sequences, respectively. A triplex conventional PCR assay, using a general forward and reverse or three specific reverse primers, as well as a real-time PCR using general primers and spec...
The population of the hyporheic interstice and moss cushions by meso- and macroinvertebrates as found at the three measuring points along the Alte Riefensbeek and the Grosse Soese, respectively, in the period from March 1987 to May 1988 is studied and evaluated together with chemical measurements performed between 1987 and 1990. The six measuring points are positioned along an acidification gradient ranging from non-acid to severely acidified. Chemical and biological paramerters are studied with regard to their suitability as indicators of acidification. A model is presented which decribes the influence of abiotic anthropogenic and natural factors on invertebrate species diversity and populations and which can serve as a basis for the calculation of critical deposition burdens. (orig.).
We investigated gathering and cultivating practices and how they complement each other in a rural population of Northwestern Patagonia. We analyzed plant diversity, species similarity, biogeographic origin, and plant use by means of semi-structured interviews and field visits. Pichi Leufu inhabitants used 173 species: 138 cultivated plants, mainly for edible purposes, and 45 wild species principally for medicinal use. Most cultivated species were exotic (91.3%), whereas gathered plants were both native and exotic. While locals maintained vegetable gardens, the adoption of greenhouses improved conditions for certain crops. The integration of novel practices with ancestral knowledge suggests resilient processes in this community, probably reflected in the dynamics of current horticultural an...
Entorhinal grid cells in mammals fire as a function of animal location, with spatially periodic response patterns. This nonlocal periodic representation of location, a local variable, is unlike other neural codes. There is no theoretical explanation for why such a code should exist. We examined how accurately the grid code with noisy neurons allows an ideal observer to estimate location and found this code to be a previously unknown type of population code with unprecedented robustness to noise. In particular, the representational accuracy attained by grid cells over the coding range was in a qualitatively different class from what is possible with observed sensory and motor population codes. We found that a simple neural network can effectively correct the grid code. To the best of our kn...
The gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata, represents an important economic resource for Mediterranean aquaculture. In spite of its wide geographic distribution and economic importance, only recently studies have been carried out on the genetic composition of natural populations, which have revealed a picture of a heterogeneous degree of genetic differentiation among S. aurata populations. In this study an allozyme analysis of samples from six different collecting sites along the Italian and Croatian coasts was carried out, covering an area in the Central Mediterranean sea that has yet to be investigated through gene-enzyme systems. Data on 26 gene loci, 10 of which are polymorphic, indicate a slight but significant genetic structure (FST = 0.0167) of the species. A hierarchical analysis of pop...
Stellar rotation velocities and velocity dispersions along three slit positions in M31 have been measured, and three-dimensional velocity and velocity dispersion fields are obtained in order to search for a central black hole. Synthetic apparent spectra are constructed to eliminate problems with the reaction of the Fourier quotient program to stellar population mixes. Models are constructed to explore parameter space. The large velocities and velocity gradients that are found imply that the total mass-to-light ratio rises sharply at r of 0.5 arcsec or less to values greater than 100. This is much larger than normal for old stellar populations. Velocity anisotropies are not a major uncertainty because of the rapid rotation. There is thus strong evidence for a dark central mass, probably a supermassive black hole. 48 references.
Recently it is strongly required to reduce energy consumption to cope with the global warming. Since energy consumption in commercial and residential sectors are increasing while industrial sector is almost constant in Japan, policies to lead energy conservation in urban areas is quite important. This study aims at investigating the performance of urban energy systems which install combined heat and power (CHP) as a district heating and cooling (DHC) plant and the influence of CHP on the structure of electric power systems of utilities. The behavior of energy technologies and the possibility of energy conservation are evaluated based on an optimization model with respect to total system cost. Sensitivity analysis of population allocation into urban areas indicates that fossil fuel consumption varies in the range of 10--20% compared with conventional systems.
Ecosystems worldwide are experiencing unprecedented nitrogen enrichment through fertilization and pollution. While longterm ecological consequences are difficult to predict, it seems that plants and animals adapted to nitrogen-limited environments are at particular risk from these changes. This report summarizes the limited body of literature which addresses this important topic. From a herbivoreAes perspective, fertilization increases the nutritional quality of host plant tissues. In some cases fertilization has lead to decreased production of defensive compounds. How this affects populations of insects is unclear because fertilization affects not only herbivores but their natural enemies. This report outlines how fertilization affects tree processes such as growth, photosynthesis, and production of defensive compounds. The many factors that affect insect repsonse to fertilization and the difficulties in assessing how fertilization affects insect ...
In this paper, we study some general models suggested to describe the effects of chemical compounds produced by an algal population on its survival in a chemostat-like environment. The conditions for its persistence and extinction are found. In particular, in the first model we make very general assumptions to represent the uptake, the regulative and the inhibiting functions, and analyze its global stability completely. In the second one we specify the first two functions and leave general the third one. Here the regulative function has different property from that in the first model, and a saddle-node bifurcation phenomenon occurs. In addition, according to the experimental data reported in DellaGreca et al. [2010. Fatty acids released by Clorella vulgaris and their role in interference w...
The Effective Dose Equivalent Concept defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in 1977 considers the risk from irradiation including both hereditary and somatic effects. This paper will deal with the definition of a concept for somatic effects only, the somatically significant dose equivalent. This is defined as the dose equivalent which if received by every member of the population, would be expected to produce the same total somatic injury to the population as does the actual dose equivalent received by various individuals. The somatically effective dose equivalent for a particular radiopharmaceutical is the weighted sum of the average dose equivalent to various organs. The dose equivalent to various organs can be derived from an extended MIRD formalism also considering the rest of body excluding the source volumes and the re iden e times in total body and the target organs. Examples are given for the calculation of ...
The Effective Dose Equivalent Concept defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in 1977 considers the risk from irradiation including both hereditary and somatic effects. This paper will deal with the definition of a concept for somatic effects only, the somatically significant dose equivalent. This is defined as the dose equivalent which if received by every member of the population, would be expected to produce the same total somatic injury to the population as does the actual dose equivalent received by various individuals. The somatically effective dose equivalent for a particular radiopharmaceutical is the weighted sum of the average dose equivalent to various organs. The dose equivalent to various organs can be derived from an extended MIRD formalism also considering the rest of body excluding the source volumes and the re iden e times in total body and the target organs. Examples are given for the calculation of ...
The role of adaptation in the divergence of lineages has long been a central question in evolutionary biology, and as multilocus sequence data sets have become available for a wide range of taxa, empirical estimates of levels of adaptive molecular evolution are increasingly common. Estimates vary widely among taxa, with high levels of adaptive evolution in Drosophila, bacteria, and viruses but very little evidence of widespread adaptive evolution in hominids. Although estimates in plants are more limited, some recent work has suggested that rates of adaptive evolution in a range of plant taxa are surprisingly low and that there is little association between adaptive evolution and effective population size in contrast to patterns seen in other taxa. Here, we analyze data from 35 loci for si...
The main sources of energy that might be available in remote low populated areas of Libya are either diesel generating units or wind mills for water pumping. Several problems in the working performance of these two types of energy production may arise due to environmental conditions. Direct conversion of solar energy can replace other ways of energy delivery or production, especially in this country where the solar radiation all year is relatively high. Direct conversion of solar energy is relatively expensive, however the cost of erecting long feeders and supervising them may be much more expensive than the usage of solar systems. This paper investigates the economics associated with either solutions of energy production. A case study is given in detail to supply one of the remote areas with a population of about 250. (author)
Data are presented to support the hypothesis that the initial step in the morphologic transformation of irradiated rodent (BALB/3T3) cells is a frequent cellular event involving a large fraction of the irradiated population. This process appears to involve DNA damage, but not to represent a targeted mutation in specific structural gene(s). Morphologic transformation and immortalization appear to be distinct steps in the overall process of transformation. In contradistinction to rodent cells, immortalization is a very rare event in human diploid cells which is induced at extremely low frequencies. The hypothesis is presented that immortality develops among clones of cells bearing stable chromosomal rearrangements which emerge during the proliferation of a population of radiation damaged cells.
Biodynamic parameters of the ragworm Nereis diversicolor from southern Spain and south England were experimentally derived to assess the inter-population variability of physiological parameters of the bioaccumulation of Ag, Cd and Zn from water and sediment. Although there were some limited variations, these were not consistent with the local metal bioavailability nor with temperature changes. Incorporating the biodynamic parameters into a defined biodynamic model, confirmed that sediment is the predominant source of Cd and Zn accumulated by the worms, accounting in each case for 99% of the overall accumulated metals, whereas the contribution of dissolved Ag to the total accumulated by the worm increased from about 27 to about 53% with increasing dissolved Ag concentration. Standardised va...
Teleost gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) consists of leucocyte populations located both intraepithelially and in the lamina propria with no structural organization. The present study aims to assess different protocols for the isolation of GALT cells from an important fish species in the Mediterranean aquaculture, the gilthead seabream. Mechanical, chemical and enzymatic treatments were assayed. Nylon wool columns and continuous density gradients were used for further separation of cell subpopulations. Light microscopy and flow cytometry showed that the highest density band (HD) consisted of a homogeneous lymphocytic population, whereas the intermediate density band (ID) corresponded to epithelial and secretory cells and some lymphocytes. Respiratory burst activity of total cell suspen...
Calcaneus quantitative ultrasound (QUS) assessment is a safe and reliable method for evaluating skeletal status. Until now, considerable data have been accumulated on the distribution of QUS in Caucasian populations, whereas such data are still insufficient in Asian populations, especially in Chinese mainland. The present study aimed to obtain the distribution characteristic of calcaneus QUS in healthy Chinese women, and to further investigate the distribution of low bone mass by QUS stiffness index (SI). This study included 2,498 healthy Chinese females aged 10-87 yr. The QUS exhibited a characteristic mild rise and then fall pattern with increasing age. Age, body height, and weight were significant influencing factors on SI, especially age and weight. The prevalence of osteoporosis detec...
AbstractBackground Few published data are available on the benefits of aspirin use in patients with unstable angina (UA). Hypothesis Aspirin use carries a mortality benefit in a population-based cohort of patients presenting with UA. Methods All residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota presenting to local emergency departments with acute chest pain from January 1985 through December 1992 having symptoms consistent with UA were identified through medical records. A total of 1628 patients were identified with UA and were stratified by aspirin use in-hospital and at discharge. Cardiovascular mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke were assessed over a median of 7.5 years follow-up and all-cause mortality data over a median of 16.7 years. The mean age of patients with UA was 65 y...
Application of the Geographic Information System (GIS) with a statistical model to evaluate the magnetic field exposure of a population from high-voltage transmission lines near residential areas is discussed, focusing on the interaction of the GIS with the statistical model. In an effort to validate the model measurements of the magnetic field, profiles were taken at two sites and these profiles have been compared with calculated values. Two conclusions have been drawn from the results: (1) the statistical model linked with the GIS is a very powerful tool for the evaluation of exposure of a population to magnetic fields, and (2) success depends on the presence of other sources of magnetic fields and on the exactness of the data used in the model. 4 refs., 5 figs.
The authors report an effort to determine the basis for the altered migration of seven inherited albumin variants detected by one-dimensional electrophoresis in population surveys involving tribal Amerindians and Japanese children. An amino acid substitution has thus far been determined for four of the variants. The randomness in the albumin polypeptide of these and the other sixteen independently ascertained amino acid substitutions of albumin and proalbumin thus far established was analyzed; the clustering of eight of these at two positions in the six-amino acid propeptide sequence seems noteworthy. By comparison with other proteins studied by electrophoresis, albumin exhibits average variability. It is a paradox that individuals who, for genetic reasons, lack albumin exhibit no obvious ill effects; yet, electrophoretic variants of albumin are no more numerous than are variants of proteins, the absence of which results in severe disease.
The evolution of clinal variation has become a topic widely studied for invasive species. Most studies of this kind have found significant correlations between latitude and various plant traits, usually using univariate analytic methods. However, plants are composed of multiple, interacting traits, and it is this correlation among traits that can affect how quickly or even whether the populations of invasive plants adapt to their local climatic conditions. We used data from a common garden experiment to determine the possible formation of latitudinal clines in invasive North American populations of Lythrum salicaria L. (purple loosestrife) from the central portion of its invasive range. Analyses were conducted using the more common univariate approach (nested and oneway ANOVAs; linear regr...
DescriptionThis project investigates in silico the interactive consequences of breeding for parasite resistance and nutritional environment on livestock productivity. The thesis of the work is that conflicting evidence regarding the consequences of breeding for parasite resistance arises from the failure to consider the interactions between host genetics and nutritional environment. Starting with a framework that accounts for the consequences of host nutrition on the development of parasitism, we will (1 [continued...
The project is intended to yield information on the transfer factors describing the transfer of ingested radionuclides to breast milk for the following elements: antimony, cerium, chromium, cobalt, gallium, lanthanum, molybdenum, niobium, radium, ruthenium, silver, thorium, titanium, and uranium. Those yet unknown or poorly known transfer factors are required in order to be able to develop a reliable model for description and assessment of the transfer of the radionuclides and the possibly resulting hazardous doses to infants, and for subsequent formulation of recommendations for radiological protection of the population. (orig./CB)
The suggestion has often been made that an additional radiation exposure imposed on humanity as a result of some important activity such as electricity generation would be acceptable if the exposure was 'small' compared to the natural background. In order to make this concept quantitative and objective, we propose that 'small compared with the natural background' be interpreted as the standard deviation (weighted with the exposed population) of the natural background. We believe that this use of the variation in natural background radiation is less arbitrary and requires fewer unfounded assumptions than some current approaches to standard-setting. The standard deviation is an easily calculated statistic that is small compared with the mean value for natural exposures of populations. It is an objectively determined quantity and its significance is generally understood. Its determination does not omit any of the pertinent data. When this method ...
Bacteriocins are an abundant class of antimicrobial molecules that appear to mediate population dynamics within species. The bacteriocins of Escherichia coli have served as a model for exploring the ecological role of these potent toxins. Studies suggest that colicins provide a competitive edge in nutrient-poor environments and that there might be a trade-off between the costs and benefits of colicin production. PMID:10203843
Fragile volatile aggregates with extremely low albedo, gravitationally drawn into the solar system are likely from the dark matter dominating the universal mass. Characteristics of this meteoric population permitted avoiding detection through a half-century's search. Measurements from space probes and in the upper atmosphere prove their existence and confirm their elusive properties.
Autoimmune pancreatitis is frequently associated with elevated serum and tissue IgG4 levels in the adult population, but there are few reports of pediatric autoimmune pancreatitis, and even fewer reports...Full Text Available
The structure of polydispersed populations of unilamellar vesicles is studied by small-angle neutron scattering for three types of lipid systems, namely, single-, two-and four-component vesicular systems. Results of the numerical analysis based on the separated-form-factor model are reported.
In the case of a serious accident and as a precautionary measure, several protection actions can be implemented by the prefect during the emergency phase. In France the levels of intervention are given by a ministerial decree of the 13. october 2003, resuming recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The selected values are: an efficient dose of 10 mSv for the stake under cover and in the listening: the concerned persons have to put under cover in a building, any openings carefully closed and stay in the listening of the orders of the prefect; an efficient dose of 50 mSv for evacuation; an efficient dose to the thyroid of 100 mSv for the taking of stable iodine tablets. In order to help the authorities to choose between the keeping of populations at their place or immediate evacuation the decision criteria are: if the forecasted efficient dose of the first month is under 1 mSv, the populations stay in place; if the forecasted ...
This report contains studies which are part of the Bonneville Power Administration`s program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. Attention is focused on population monitoring studies in the Sawtooth Valley Lakes. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.
Addresses factors affecting rural education in Tasmania (Australia), including population trends, financial support, student enrollment, socioeconomic status of rural residents, and geographic isolation. Issues that need to be addressed include the status of small schools in Tasmania, costs associated with transporting students, staffing, low student retention, and limited availability of special services. (LP)
A population-based, cohort study was conducted to determine the importance of Gulf War deployment to Southwest Asia, from 1 August 1990 to 31 December 1991, in explaining neurologic mortality and peripheral nerve disease among United States military worki...
BackgroundUnderstanding immunity, incidence and risk factors of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic (2009 H1N1) through a national seroprevalence study is necessary for informing...Full Text Available
As a result of the accident at the Chernobyl Power Plant the larger part of Belarus turned out to be polluted by radionuclides. At present isotopes of Cs, Sr and Pu, characterized by long half-lives are most dangerous for the health of the population of the polluted territories. The aim of the present work was to characterize plant species with high "1"3"7Cs and "9"0Sr accumulation ability and to determine the dependence of the accumulation on the treatment with biologically active substances. (author)
A survey carried out in 2005 among members of a healthy population of children living in Bolivia and Peru revealed that fecal carriage of Escherichia coli strains resistant to expanded-spectrum...Full Text Available
An indoor survey in order to estimate the population exposure in five towns of an Italian Region is presented. A particular methodology for the campaign was planned and is being applied. Gamma spectrometry of building materials, exposure rate measurements indoors and outdoors and radon concentration measurements indoors were taken with different techniques. A correlation was found between mean gamma exposure rate and mean radon concentration in the houses investigated. An evaluation of mean effective dose equivalents for the inhabitants of the five towns is reported.
An introduction is presented on the radiation hazards connected with biomedical radiography and nuclear medicine. The frequency of radiodiagnostic efforts was rather high in the Netherlands. This was reduced considerably by abolishing the thorax screening of the population. About diagnostic nuclear medicine less can be said because far fewer numerical data are available. An exposition of genetically and somatically significant doses and how to compute them is given. The drawing up of a profit versus risk evaluation for medical applications of ionizing radiations is recommended. (Auth.).
A retrospective epidemiological study (n = 7,875) of neurologically expressed disorders (NED) in ruminants before the onset of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic...Full Text Available
Pregnant Swiss albino mice of 18 days post conception were exposed to 0.80 Gy, 0.40 Gy and 0.20 Gy of gamma rays from a Cobalt-60 source at different dose rates (.0584 Gy/min and .00091 Gy/min). Post irradiation variations in the cell population of crypts and villus of jejunum were studied in the F_1-generation at 1 day, 3 day and 1,2,4,6 and 12 weeks of post-partum age. In all the exposure groups at 1 day post-partum age, crypts show a decrease in total cells, mitotic figures and goblet cells on one hand and an increase in PNNC on the other hand in comparison to coeval controls. At this interval a decrease in the number of total cells as well as goblet cells/villus column was also noticeable. Dead cells which were prominently seen in crypts were totally absent in villi. The first signs of recovery can be observed on day 3 p.p. when total cell population, mitotic activity and goblet cells of crypt registered an increase while percentage of PNNC ...
As a series of estimations of population doses and of risk estimates from medical exposures in Japan, the malignancy significant dose (MSD) and the fatal malignant risk from beam therapy were estimated based on a nationwide survey of radiotherapeutic treatments, using a malignancy significant factor and a weighting factor determined from the data on the cancer mortality among the atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki. The effective dose was defined as a sum of the product of the weighting factor and the organ or tissue doses with respect to the malignant diseases. The organ or tissue doses were determined with ionization chambers placed at the positions of their center in a MixDp-phantom simulated lung tissues by a block of cork, using a telecobalt unit, a conventional X-ray unit and a medical linear accelerator. The organ or tissue doses were categorized into three dose components; namely 1) dose from useful beams; 2) scattered radiation dose from irradiated materials ...
We introduce a discrete multiplicative process as a generic model of competition. Players with different abilities successively join the game and compete for finite resources. Emergence of dominant players and evolutionary development occur as a phase transition. The competitive dynamics underlying this transition is understood from a formal analogy to statistical mechanics. The theory is applicable to bacterial competition, predicting novel population dynamics near criticality.
A survey to determine the annual genetically significant dose and mean bone-marrow dose to the Australian population from radiological procedures has been undertaken. For diagnostic radiology the following were carried out: determination of the frequency of a procedure; measurement of patient doses using TLD and processing of data and calculation of gonadal and bone-marrow doses.
We report acceleration of electrons moving in free space near an active Nd:YAG slab. The power of a non-relativistic beam of electrons has increased by more than 30% when the medium was excited. It is demonstrated experimentally that the energy gained by the electrons is linearly proportional to the energy stored in the medium. Moreover, the energy gain traces closely the population inversion inferred by monitoring the spontaneous radiation.
Using spectral hole-burning-based ultraslow group velocity in a dilute solid medium, we report enhanced photon echo efficiency three orders of magnitude higher than that in a nonslow light regime. The enhancement is due to exponentially increased absorption of an optical data pulse owing to the enhanced photon-atom interaction in an ultraslow light regime, whereas echo reabsorption is negligibly small due to group-velocity dependent population depletion.
ObjectivesObjectives Not AvailableDescriptionOne significant research challenge posed by the growing number of older people in the population concerns the mobility-related problems which increase with age, inhibit independence, and can be a prime cause of admission to expensive institutional settings. The scope for engineering advances, particularly in the field of rehabilitation and assistive technology, is immense. The challenge is to produce aids, devices and products that are attractive to older people themselves, since without such [continued...
Assisted users with expired passwords Closed 233 NCICB Support Wizard Accounts Tickets Set up Resource Accounts for individual developers to control and track access on QA Application servers Maintained daily account synchronization between GForge project developers and CVS write access accounts Created FTP and SFTP user accounts for TCGA test, analysis datasets downloads and analysis datasets management.
Chronic and adult-onset GM2 gangliosidoses are neurological disorders caused by marked deficiency of the A isoenzyme of beta-hexosaminidase; they occur in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, though less...Full Text Available
The Commission of the European Communities has submitted a directive for the protection against microwaves. According to this directive, exposures above the upper limit established for the protection of individuals and the general population are permissible only if the respective individuals are required to submit to occupational medical control. An introductory overview is presented giving information on microwaves, applied techniques and available protective means.
The operation of nuclear processing facilities and defense-related nuclear activities has resulted in contamination of near-surface and deep-subsurface sediments with both radionuclides and metals. The presence of mixed inorganic contaminants may result in undetectable microbial populations or microbial populations that are different from those present in uncontaminated sediments. To determine the impact of mixed radionuclide and metal contaminants on sediment microbial communities, we sampled a processing pond that was used from 1948 to 1975 for the disposal of radioactive and metal-contaminated wastewaters from laboratories and nuclear fuel fabrication facilities on the Hanford Site in Washington State. Because the Hanford Site is located in a semiarid environment with average rainfall of 159 mm/year, the pond dried and a settling basin remained after wastewater input into the pond ceased in 1975. This processing pond basin offered a unique ...
Medico-biological aspects of Chernobyl accident among suffered children and adult population in Ukraine are exposed. Health condition of children irradiated in postnatal period and born from irradiated parents are described. Results of the most important organs and systems monitoring in different categories of suffered adults and data about non-stochastic and stochastic effects are given. Special attention is given to neuropsychiatric and endocrinological effects, conditions of visceral systems
This report contains the results of a survey of reactor coolant pump shaft seal reliability. The survey sample is representatively large (approx. = 27% of total US commercial plant population) and includes the three industry seal suppliers (Bingham-Williamette, Byron Jackson, and Westinghouse). Operationally incurred/induced problems and seal redesign parameters are identified. Failure hypotheses in the form of fault trees have been developed to describe the failure mechanisms. Recommendations are made for seal reliability improvement.
Biased above threshold (VT), pulsed photocurrent (u) measurements on windowed silicon Pd gate MOS capacitors are shifted (DV) negatively by H2/N2, whereas Au gates shift positively under NO2/air. Below VT, the shifts are reversed by adjustments of interface state population. Minor temperature increases may coax the device from inversion to depletion, inducing sign reversal of the chemical response.
To obtain the low birth weight (LBW) rate, the very low birth weight (VLBW) rate, and gestational age (GA)-specific birth weight distribution based on a large population in Korea, we collected and analyzed...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeventy percent of urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums. Sustaining HIV patients in these high-risk and highly mobile settings is a major future challenge....Full Text Available
BackgroundAfrican horse sickness virus (AHSV) causes a non-contagious, infectious disease in equids, with mortality rates that can exceed 90% in susceptible horse populations....Full Text Available
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 2,000 trait-SNP associations, and the number continues to increase. GWAS have focused on traits with potential consequences for human...Full Text Available
BackgroundCotton, with a large genome, is an important crop throughout the world. A high-density genetic linkage map is the prerequisite for cotton genetics and breeding. A genetic...Full Text Available
A total of 172 persons from nine South Amerindian, three African and one Eskimo populations were studied in relation to the Paired box gene 9 (PAX9) exon 3 (138 base...Full Text Available
Electricity is a universal energy and one of the driving powers of civilisation. World-wide, future developments like growing economies and structural changes in industry, a higher standard of living and a bigger world population - are impossible without appropriate supply of power and electricity. An expert of Siemens Power Generation presents his views. (orig.)
We present an estimate of the Gamma Ray Bursts which should be expected from metal-free, elusive first generation of stars known as PopulationIII (PopIII). We derive the GRB rate from these stars from the Stellar Formation Rate obtained in several Reionization scenarios available in the literature. In all of the analyzed models we find that GRBs from PopIII are subdominant with respect to the ''standard'' (PopII) ones up to z {approx} 10.
An analytic solution is obtained for the equations of resonance coherent SRS by neglecting the population of the final level of the Raman transition for the systems with the active-medium length that is smaller than the wavelength of the incident light. For the extended systems, a numerical solution is obtained. The energy distribution of the Stokes pulses is found. The large-scale (about 100%) fluctuations of the Stokes radiation energy were observed in the case of unsaturated amplified spontaneous emission. (nonlinear optical phenomena)
Depletion of stratospheric ozone increases irradiance of terrestrial ultraviolet (UV) radiation at short wavelengths, which may be harmful to the human health. To understand quantitatively the risks caused by increasing UV radiation to the Finnish population, the actual UV exposure of the population has to be assessed. It was shown that the snow reflection increases the UV exposure to the face and eyes particularly in the northern Finland. In 1993 exceptionally low ozone levels persisted up to the end of May, which resulted in a theoretical increase in the annual UV dose ranging from 8 % to 13 % in Finland. The maximal increase in the measured erythemally effective dose rate was 34 % on 23 April, when compared with the theoretical normal value. During this study exposure models have been developed. The models have been combined them with Green`s radiation transfer model to estimate annual facial UV doses received by different groups of Finnish ...
Seven hundred thirty-two female urogenital samples were collected for Chlamydia trachomatis testing by both the Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur (Chaska, Minn.) Chlamydia Microplate EIA by the shortened protocol...Full Text Available
Occupational and environmental exposure to organic ligands, solvents, fuel hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls are linked with increased risk of hematologic malignancies. DOE facilities and waste sites in the U.S. are contaminated with mixtures of potentially hazardous chemicals such as metals, organic ligands, solvents, fuel hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls and radioactive isotopes. A major goal of this project was to establish linkage between chemical/radiation exposure and induction of genomic damage in target populations with the capability to undergo transformation.
An overview of the present status of energy sector in Lebanon and requirements of its future development is presented. The study is based on an economic analysis of needs and energy consumption among the population and on a comparison with other developing countries. Tables and graphs on energy distribution, needs and demands per habitant and national income are included. 3 figs. 3 tabs.
Background: Diet plays a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but little is known about the contributions of specific nutrients in populations in which dietary patterns...Full Text Available
Developing DB system of piping reliability including the population data and service history of damaged piping for pilot power plant. Total weld counts of shop welds, field welds and welds for measuring instruments for 14 systems of Kori unit 3. Total weld counts of shop welds, field welds and welds for measuring instruments for 12 systems of Wolsung unit 2.
The abundant microbial population in a 3,043-m-deep Greenland glacier ice core was dominated by ultrasmall cells (<0.1 μm3) that may represent intrinsically small organisms...Full Text Available
Preparation of the clinician to work in multicultural contexts involves the identification of a range of skills, knowledge and values. The field of narrative medicine as well as an increased understanding of the dynamics of interpreting are areas which can add considerably to clinical effectiveness. The paper outlines some cornerstones of narrative medicine and their potential application to the field of speech-language pathology and audiology. PMID:12037426
The contribution of pulsar accelerated nuclei to the cosmic rays inside the Galaxy is calculated assuming that a significant part of the pulsar rotational energy is lost on acceleration of iron nuclei extracted from the surface of the neutron star. Different models of the galactic pulsar population are discussed. It is shown that the best description of the observed cosmic ray spectrum and the mass composition between a few 10{sup 15} eV and a few 10{sup 18} eV is obtained for the model B of Lorimer et al. (1993)
Identity is a part of self-consciousness, which is also expressed as ''being in the world'' which one in turn shows to others as the Self. The assessment of the Self in a population of patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a multidimensional definition (physical, social, spiritual), showed that the social self was impaired, and the severity of impairment of the self was correlated to apathy and lack of semantic autobiographical memory. It also appears that ipseity is selectively affected by the disease.
Human serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase (3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine, ascorbate:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.14.17.1) has been measured in a normal adult population by both enzymatic assay and by...Full Text Available
Collisional-Radiative numerical models are commonly used to design or interpret experiments in atomic physics of laser-created plasmas, including X-ray laser studies. We describe our new code containing several options: average ion, more or less detailed configurations. It consists of an atomic data base coupled to subroutines evaluating ionic populations and emission and absorption coefficients. Numerical results are given to illustrate the capabilities of the code and to compare different models and types of approximation.
The transformation of two different types of glial cells has been studied using an in vivo-/in vitro model and a complete in vitro model. The purpose of the study and to define in vitro model systems is to study the the neoplastic transformation of pure populations of glial cells. Data are presented to demonstrate that the transformed cells are glial and tumorigenic. (ACR)
3d occupation numbers of the transition elements corresponding to various types of atomic configurations are calculated by means of the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) method. This data is used with the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) X-ray intensity ratios to estimate the electron populations of the 3d metals in alloys.
3d occupation numbers of the transition elements corresponding to various types of atomic configurations are calculated by means of the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) method. This data is used with the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) X-ray intensity ratios to estimate the electron populations of the 3d metals in alloys.
The CNS is a unique organ due to its limited capacity for immune surveillance. As macrophages of the CNS, microglia represent a population originally known for the ability to assist neuronal stability,...Full Text Available
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a retrovirus related to human T-cell leukemia virus types 1 and 2, can induce persistent nonneoplastic expansion of the CD5+ B-cell population, termed...Full Text Available
The beam-beam interaction in the Tevatron produce the betatron tune spread in each bunch and a bunch-to-bunch tune spread. The tune spread sets limits on bunch intensity and luminosity. The beam-beam effects for antiprotons are usually more severe since the proton bunch population is higher. The beam-beam effects for antiprotons can in principle be compensated with the use of an electron beam with a corresponding charge density. The status of studies of possibilities of the beam-beam compensation is reviewed in this paper.
Cell death after irradiation occurs by apoptosis in certain cell populations in tissues. The phenomenon also occurs after high linear energy transfer (LET) irradiation, and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is 3 to 4 (with respect to low-LET radiation and apoptosis in intestinal crypts) for neutrons with energies of 14 MeV and up to 600 MeV. It is thought that p53 plays a role in the phenomenon, as radiation-induced apoptosis is not observed in p53-null animals. (orig.).
Nitrogen-fixing microbial populations in a Douglas fir forest on the western slope of the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range were analyzed. The complexity of the nifH gene pool (nifH...Full Text Available
Implementation of quantum logical gates for multilevel systems is demonstrated through decoherence control under the quantum adiabatic method using simple phase modulated laser pulses. We make use of selective population inversion and Hamiltonian evolution with time to achieve such goals robustly instead of the standard unitary transformation language. (letter to the editor)
A new era for the field of Galactic structure is about to be opened with the advent of wide-area digital sky surveys. In this article, the author reviews the status and prospects for research for 3 new ground-based surveys: the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), the Deep Near-Infrared Survey of the Southern Sky (DENIS) and the Two Micron AU Sky Survey (2MASS). These surveys will permit detailed studies of Galactic structure and stellar populations in the Galaxy with unprecedented detail. Extracting the information, however, will be challenging.
The genetically significant dose (GSD), per Caput mean bone marrow dose (CMD), leukemia significant dose (LSD) and malignancy significant dose (MSD) from medical diagnostic X-ray examinations in Japan were estimated based on a 1979 nationwide survey of randomly sampled hospitals and clinics. The population risk estimates were carried out using the resultant values of GSD, LSD and MSD. In the risk estimates, the significant factors, namely, the relative child expectancy, the leukemia significant factor and the malignancy significant factor, for patients were assumed to be same as those of general population. The risk factors used were 185 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for genetic risk of all generations, 20 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for fatal leukemia and 165 x 10"-"6 rad"-"1 for fatal malignant diseases, respectively. The resultant annual population doses per person were 15 mrad (0.15 mGy) for GSD, 107 mrad (1.07 mGy) for CMD, 86 mrad (0.86 mGy) ...
Population residing in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the south eastern part of the Sverdlovsk oblast of Russia affected to accidental exposure since 1957. The territory (East Ural Radioactive Trace - EURT) was contaminated after explosion of container with highly radioactive wastes at the Mayak Production Association. Studies of health effects of exposure in the southern, head part of EURT are conducted in the Ural Research and Practical Center of Radiation Medicine (U.R.P.R.M.). In the 1990's U.R.P.C.R.M. formed a cohort of EURT within Chelyabinsk oblast (14,500 cases and 19,400 external controls). The cohort was followed in 1957-1987 and the results of the study are discussed by Crestinina et al. First results of study on exposure late health effects among rural population in the northern part of the EURT are presented in this paper. Firstly, or the period 1958-2000 a statistically significant increase in cancer ...
The aims of this study were (a) to assess blood cadmium (B-Cd) concentrations and to establish a tentative reference interval; (b) to identify significant determinants of B-Cd, in a population from Umbria, Central Italy, which was not occupationally exposed to cadmium (Cd). Four hundred and thirty-four healthy blood-donors volunteered to answer a questionnaire and provide a blood sample for B-Cd analysis, which was performed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Blood Cd concentrations ranged from non-detectable values, i.e. below 0.1 {mu}g/l up to 3.4 {mu}g/l and were not normally distributed. The median values and the 95th percentiles were 0.7 and 2.0 {mu}g/l, respectively. Concentrations of B-Cd were more than double in smokers than in non-smokers, median values being 1.1 {mu}g/l and 0.5 {mu}g/l, respectively. In current smokers, B-Cd values correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked daily (r{sub s}=0.40, P=0.0001) and with the cumulative ...
In 1978 the Marshall Islands Radiological Safety Program was organized to perform radiation measurements and assess radiation doses for the people of the Bikini, Enewetak, Rongelap and Utirik Atolls. One of the major field components of this program is whole- body counting (WBC). WBC is used to monitor the quantity of gamma- emitting radionuclides present in individuals. A primary objective of the program was to establish {sup 137}Cesium body contents among the Enewetak, Rongelap and Utirik populations. {sup 137}Cs was the only gamma-emitting fission radionuclide detected in the 1,967 persons monitored. {sup 137}Cs body burdens tended to increase with age for both sexes, and were higher in males. The average {sup 137}Cs dose Annual Effective Dose for the three populations was as follows: For Enewetak, the dose was 22{+-}4 {mu}Sv. For Utirik, the dose was 33{+-} 3 {mu}Sv. Since 1985 the Rongelap people have been self-exiled to Mejatto. ...
Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) on the unilamellar vesicle populations (diameter 500 and 1000 angstrom) was used to characterize lipid vesicles from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) at three phases (gel, ripple, and liquid). Parameters of vesicle populations and internal structure of the DMPC bilayer were characterized on the basis of the Separated Form Factor (SFF) model. Parameters of the internal bilayer structure (thickness of the membrane and the hydrophobic core, hydration, and surface area of lipid molecule) were determined on the basis of the Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic (HH) approximation of neutron scattering length density across the bilayer r(x) and of the Step Function (SF) approximation of r(x). It was demonstrated in frame of HH approximation that DMPC membrane thickness in liquid phase (T=30 degrees) depends on the membrane curvature. The dependence of the DMPC membrane thickness on temperature was restored from the SANS ...
The near-yrast states of "1"0"1_4_2Mo_5_9 and "1"0"3","4_4_4 Ru_5_9_,_6_0 have been studied following their population via heavy-ion multinucleon transfer reactions between a "1"3"6Xe beam and a thin, self-supporting "1"0"0Mo target. The ground state sequence in "1"0"4Ru can be understood as demonstrating a simple evolution from a quasi-vibrational structure at lower spins to statically deformed, quasi-rotational excitation involving the population of a pair of low-#OMEGA# h_1_1_/_2 neutron orbitals. The effect of the decoupled h_1_1_/_2 orbital on this vibration-to-rotational evolution is demonstrated by an extension of the ''E-GOS'' prescription to include odd-A nuclei. The experimental results are also compared with self-consistent Total Routhian Surface calculations which also highlight the polarising role of the highly aligned neutron h_1_1_/_2 orbital in these nuclei. (author)
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently considering revision of rule 10 CFR Part 20, which covers disposal of solid wastes containing minimal radioactivity. In support of these revised rules, we have evaluated the consequences of disposing of four waste streams at four types of disposal areas located in three different geographic regions. Consequences are expressed in terms of human exposures and associated health effects. Each geographic region has its own climate and geology. Example waste streams, waste disposal methods, and geographic regions chosen for this study are clearly specified. Monetary consequences of minimal activity waste disposal are briefly discussed. The PRESTO methodology was used to evaluate radionuclide transport and health effects. This methodology was developed to assess radiological impacts to a static local population for a 1000-year period following disposal. Pathways and processes of transit from the trench to exposed ...
The "1"3"1-radioiodine use in Guanabara area, during 1972-1973, is analysed. References are made to the radiation levels delivered to thyroid, bone marrow and gonads in a population of 27000 people examined by tracer techniques, 190 submitted to hyperthyroidism treatment and 50 treated for thyroid cancer. The pertinent literature gives some data concerning radiation induced cancer (leukaemia and thyroid cancer). By this, it was possible to estimate the probability of tumour occurrence in that population, assuming a linear relationship between dose and effect. The conclusions are the followings: 1 - there are many duties in this field at the present; 2 - the leukaemia incidence related to the 131-radioiodine use is negligible, either in diagnostic or therapeutic modalities; 3 - the possibility of thyroid tumors induced by radiation is real, specially in hyperthyroidism treatment; 4 - the use of tracer techniques that cause lower irradiation to ...
The entomopathogenic nematode (EPN), Steinernema feltiae, is a commonly occurring nematode in the soil in Ireland. Consequently, we have conducted investigations as to the utility of this species as a candidate organism for the detection of chromium in Irish soils. These experiments have demonstrated that S. feltiae can survive and reproduce in the presence of high concentrations of chromium VI. It was observed that concentrations as high as 1000 ppm have little effect on the ability of this organism to produce large numbers of progeny. Nematodes were not observed to reproduce above 1800 ppm. However, an increase in development times for the nematode in vivo was noted at concentrations of 400 ppm upwards. This paper also illustrates the effects upon the beta-tubulin genes within nematode populations exposed to chromium VI in vivo. DNA sequencing has shown that elevated levels of variations occur among the population treatments, although these ...
High energy radiation was studied as a means for destroying hazardous organic chemical wastes. Tests were conducted at bench scale with a {sup 60}Co source, and at full scale (387 l/min) with a 1.5 MV electron beam source. Bench scale tests for both benzene and phenol included 32 permutations of water quality factors. For some water qualities, as much as 99.99% of benzene or 90% of phenol were removed by 775 krads of {sup 60}Co irradiation. Full scale testing for destruction of benzene in a simulated waste-water mix showed loss of 97% of benzene following an 800 krad dose and 88% following a 500 krad dose. At these loss rates, approximately 5 Mrad of electron beam irradiation is required to reduce concentrations from 100 g/l to drinking water quality (5 {mu}g/l). Since many waste streams are also inhabited by bacterial populations which may affect filtering operations, the effect of irradiation on those populations was also studied. {sup 60}Co ...
We introduce a novel search technique that can identify trans-Neptunian objects in three to five exposures of a pointing within a single Hubble Space Telescope (HST) orbit. The process is fast enough to allow the discovery of candidates soon after the data are available. This allows sufficient time to schedule follow-up observations with HST within a month. We report the discovery of 14 slow-moving objects found within 50 of the ecliptic in archival data taken with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys. The luminosity function of these objects is consistent with previous ground-based and space-based results. We show evidence that the size distribution of both high and low inclination populations is similar for objects smaller than 100 km, as expected from collisional evolution models, while their size distribution differs for brighter objects. We suggest that the two populations formed in different parts of the ...
The aim of this research work has been the estimation of the stochastic risk for five barium examinations. The sample was the population attending the Radiological Service of the 'Nuestra Senora de la Victoria' University Hospital, who had been treated with some barium examinations, set in five different groups: oesophagus tract, oesophagus-gastric-duodenal tract, intestinal tract, enteroclysis and double enema. To estimate the stochastic risk, it is necessary to know the organ dose. This can be calculated from the dose-area product which allows us to determine the effective dose using software. The dose-area product is the most suitable quantity to measure in these types of examination. We have evaluated the contribution that each procedure provides to the genetically significant dose, somatically significant dose, collective effective dose, annual effective dose 'per capita' and detriment, which are useful for assessing the population risk of ...
We consider a general, neutral, dynamical model of biodiversity. Individuals have i.i.d. lifetime durations, which are not necessarily exponentially distributed, and each individual gives birth independently at constant rate \\lambda. We assume that types are clonally inherited. We consider two classes of speciation models in this setting. In the immigration model, new individuals of an entirely new species singly enter the population at constant rate \\mu (e.g., from the mainland into the island). In the mutation model, each individual independently experiences point mutations in its germ line, at constant rate \\theta. We are interested in the species abundance distribution, i.e., in the numbers, denoted I_n(k) in the immigration model and A_n(k) in the mutation model, of species represented by k individuals, k=1,2,...,n, when there are n individuals in the total population. In the immigration model, we prove that the numbers (I_t(k);k\\ge 1) ...
In this paper, molecular quantum computation is numerically studied with the quantum search algorithm (Grover's algorithm) by means of optimal control simulation. Qubits are implemented in the vibronic states of I_2, while gate operations are realized by optimally designed laser pulses. The methodological aspects of the simulation are discussed in detail. We show that the algorithm for solving a gate pulse-design problem has the same mathematical form as a state-to-state control problem in the density matrix formalism, which provides monotonically convergent algorithms as an alternative to the Krotov method. The sequential irradiation of separately designed gate pulses leads to the population distribution predicted by Grover's algorithm. The computational accuracy is reduced by the imperfect quality of the pulse design and by the electronic decoherence processes that are modeled by the non-Markovian master equation. However, as long as we focus on the ...
Nuclear Hartree-Fock (HF) + BCS calculations have led to predictions of shape isomerism in isotopes of Pt, Hg and Os nuclei. These have been confirmed through the observation of superdeformed rotational bands in {sup 190,{hor ellipsis},194}Hg. Encouraged by these measurements and similar observations in {sup 194}Pb, we have extended these calculations to a wide range of contiguous nuclei. These HF results, for {sup 192,194}Pt, {sup 190,{hor ellipsis},198}Hg and {sup 194}Pb, have been employed in a Generator Coordinate Method (GCM) calculation utilizing the quadrupole deformation as the generating variable. The resulting spectra confirm the conclusions drawn from the HF results and agree with those experiments which have been performed. Adding a phenomenological assumption for the moments of inertia of our GCM states, we can construct the radiative transitions within and out of the superdeformed band. The results are in good agreement with the observed de-population ...
We investigate the environmental dependence of stellar population properties of galaxies in the local universe. Physical quantities related to the stellar content of galaxies are derived from a spectral synthesis method applied to a volume-limited sample containing about 50 thousand galaxies (0.05 < z < 0.1; M_r < -20.5), extracted from the Data Release 2 of the SDSS. Mean stellar ages, mean stellar metallicities and stellar masses are obtained from this method and used to characterise the stellar populations of galaxies. The environment is defined by the projected local galaxy density estimated from a nearest neighbour approach. We recover the star formation--density relation in terms of the mean light-weighted stellar age, which is strongly correlated with star formation parameters derived from Halpha. We find that the age--density relation is distinct when we divide galaxies according to luminosity or stellar mass. The relation is ...
We numerically investigate whether and how gaseous ejecta from AGB stars can be converted into new stars within originally massive star clusters (MSCs) in order to understand the origin of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters (GCs). We adopt a scenario in which (i) MSCs with masses of M_s can be formed from high-mass, high-density giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in their host galactic building blocks embedded in dark matter halos at high redshifts and (ii) their evolution therefore can be significantly influenced by M_s, their initial locations, and physical properties of their hosts. Our 3D hydrodynamical simulations show that gaseous ejecta from AGB stars can be retained within MSCs and consequently converted into new stars very efficiently in the central regions of MSCs, only if M_s exceed a threshold mass (M_th) of ~10^6 M_sun. The new stars can correspond to the ``second generation (SG)'' of stars with higher Na and lower O abundances observed in ...
A 1984 American Association of the Academy of Sciences study of more than 150 successful science in-service programs developed a list of their characteristics, which included: Strong academic component in mathematics, science, and communications, focused on enrichment rather than remediation; academic subjects taught by teachers who are highly competent in the subject matter and believe that students can learn the materials; heavy emphasis on the applications of science and mathematics and careers in these fields; integrative approach to teaching that incorporates all subject areas, hands-on opportunities, and computers; multiyear involvement with students; recruitment of participants from all relevant target populations; opportunities for in-school and out-of-school learning experiences; parental involvement and development of base of community support; specific attention to removing educational inequalities related to race and gender; involvement of professionals ...
A 1984 American Association of the Academy of Sciences study of more than 150 successful science in-service programs developed a list of their characteristics, which included: Strong academic component in mathematics, science, and communications, focused on enrichment rather than remediation; academic subjects taught by teachers who are highly competent in the subject matter and believe that students can learn the materials; heavy emphasis on the applications of science and mathematics and careers in these fields; integrative approach to teaching that incorporates all subject areas, hands-on opportunities, and computers; multiyear involvement with students; recruitment of participants from all relevant target populations; opportunities for in-school and out-of-school learning experiences; parental involvement and development of base of community support; specific attention to removing educational inequalities related to race and gender; involvement of professionals ...
The main problems arising in decommissioning nuclear-powered submarines (NPS) relate to choosing a concept of handling reactor compartments followed by handling technology development. Reactor compartments (RC) are characterized with extremely space-saving or integral layout of large-size power equipment and systems, restricted access for dismantling, high radiation dose rates in a number of bays of RC. The above RC features pose a problem to find optimum option of RC utilization which on the one hand would be the most cost efficient, and the safest as possible on the other, i.e. dose commitments of personnel involved should be minimum, and effect on population and environment should be negligible. The main radiation factors specifying safety in RC handling at any decommissioning stage are as follows: (1) total radioactivity integrated in reactor facility (RF); (2) distribution of this radioactivity through RF equipment and structures; (3) forms the radioactivity ...
A population of female civil servants in Rome, Italy, was investigated to determine the prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic gallstone disease and to define the associated factors. Field activities started in February 1981 and concluded in April 1982. Diagnosis was assessed by real time ultrasonography. Prevalence of gallstone disease increased with age from 2.5% in the 20- to 29-year-old age group to 25.0% in the 60- to 64-year-old age group, based on both presence of gallstones and history of cholecystectomy. Only one third of the women with gallstones had complained of at least one episode of biliary pain in the last five years. Frequency of "minor" dyspeptic symptoms was not different between women with and those without gallstones. In a multiple logistic function analysis, a positive association was found between age, body mass index, parity, and prevalence of gallstone disease. No association was demonstrated between the presence of gallstones or ...
Biogas, produced from anaerobic digestion of organic matter in domestic, industrial and rural wastewaters and residuals, represent an alternative and renewable source of energy, with growing use worldwide. In Brazil, high population and its spatial concentration and expressive agricultural and agricultural-industrial production indicate a substantial potential of biogas production. The results presented in this work show a potential of biogas production of almost 2 billion cubic feet a day of CH{sub 4}. Viability of biogas production and use depends substantially on project scale. Generally, biogas projects are viable from landfills and domestic wastewater treatment for populations higher than 50,000 inhabitants and swine and dairy farms with at least 5,000 and 1,000 animals, respectively. Biogas is also competitive when compared to fossil fuels used in industry and transport. Despite incentive mechanisms for biogas production and use, like ...
High spin states of the proton rich nuclei in the mass region A {approx} 100 have been studied at the GASP spectrometer through the evaporation of light charged particles and heavier ions detected in the 4{pi} Si-ball Isis. Rear side injection and pulse shape analysis have allowed a good discrimination among protons, alpha particles and heavy ions up to C. Of the several nuclei populated in the reactions we will discuss here the high spin states of {sup 105} Sn. In addition to an extension of the spherical level, scheme, a regular sequence of dipole transitions has been found, The states of the dipole band are suggested to be built on a neutron h{sup 2}{sub 11/2} excitation coupled to proton particle-hole states, which polarize the core to a slightly prolate shape. The experimental results are in agreement with the prediction of tilted axis cranking calculations, which satisfactorily explain the properties of the band. (author) 17 refs., 4 figs.
Although hearing loss has been the focus of national surveys in the civilian population, these surveys typically do not include occupational exposure information. Furthermore, very few studies have addressed this problem in the military, particularly in industrial settings. Audiometric data, including hearing loss information, recorded and stored in the prototype application of the Navy's Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS) has not been systematically evaluated to identify military and civilian populations that are at high risk for hearing loss. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hearing loss in a cohort of Navy civilian workers employed at an industrialized facility. It is both appropriate and timely to look at hearing loss among civilian workers, as well as among the military, especially in relation to the recent Presidential initiative that established a government-wide five year ...
A competitive repopulation assay utilizing chromosome markers was used to assay the reconstituting potential of hematopoietic populations. The test populations consisted of tibial murine marrow locally irradiated with doses ranging from 1.5 Gy to 8.5 Gy and of marrow generated from either murine splenic or marrow stem cells. The purpose of this assay was to assess the innate proliferative potential and microenvironmental influences on the ability to repopulate. Regardless of origin, spleen repopulating ability consistently agreed with spleen colony-forming unit (CFU-s) content. Doses of radiation from 5 Gy to 8.5 Gy diminished, by a factor of 2, the ability to repopulate marrow despite maintenance of CFU-s levels. Marrow generated from splenic stem cells had one-fifth the repopulating ability of marrow derived from marrow stem cells, even though CFU-s levels were equivalent. The results imply that the splenic environment can only maintain stem ...
Full text: The IRSN has been organizing enquiries with the French population about risk and risk perception for a long time. In 2002, a collaboration between the IRSN in France and the SCK.CEN in Belgium has been set-up to simultaneously (November 2002) organise this poll in both countries. In each country, a representative sample of the population (over 1000 participants per country) has been consulted by Computer Aided Personal Interviews of about 30 minutes with the professional help of commercial companies: BVA in France and Research International in Belgium. The enquiry yields a broad spectrum of interesting data; here only the results relevant for the emergency context will be presented. One should be aware that these data were collected in a 'normal' period; important differences in behaviour may occur given a serious crisis. A first finding is that more than half of the respondents are convinced that an accident as severe as the ...
By applying the linear-dose effect relation, the weighting factors for total risks recommended by IRCP can be transformed to weighting factors for somatic effects. Another weighting factor Msub(s) has to be used which takes into account the dependence of the latent period for occurrence of malignant disease and the variation of the incidence with time. On this basis a somatically significant dose equivalent can be defined as 'the dose equivalent which if received by every member of the population, would be expected to produce the same total somatic injury to the population as does the actual dose equivalent received by the various individuals', and an approximation has been derived for this. Tables are presented of the somatic effective dose equivalents calculated for different x-ray examinations for various organs and tissues. The S.E.D. equivalents have also been calculated for some of the most frequent radiopharmaceutical examinations, ...
We have exploited {open_quotes}progeny testing{close_quotes} to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying the genetic variation of milk production in a selected dairy cattle population. A total of 1,518 sires, with progeny tests based on the milking performances of >150,000 daughters jointly, was genotyped for 159 autosomal microsatellites bracketing 1645 centimorgan or approximately two thirds of the bovine genome. Using a maximum likelihood multilocus linkage analysis accounting for variance heterogeneity of the phenotypes, we identified five chromosomes giving very strong evidence (LOD score {ge} 3) for the presence of a QTL controlling milk production: chromosomes 1, 6, 9, 10 and 20. These findings demonstrate that loci with considerable effects on milk production are still segregating in highly selected populations and pave the way toward marker-assisted selection in dairy cattle breeding. 44 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for growth traits, water use efficiency and tolerance/resistance against metals and herbivores have been identified. A hybrid F2 population originating from a cross between a Salix dasyclados-clone (SW901290) and a S. viminalis-clone ('Jorunn') was used for the different studies in this project. The growth response was analyzed in a greenhouse experiment with two water treatments, normal and drought. In addition, three field experiments with contrasting soils and climates were established. QTL specific for each treatment or field environment but also QTL stable over the treatments or field environments were detected. Each QTL explained from 8 to 29 % of the phenotypic variation depending on trait, treatment or field environment. Clusters of QTL for different traits were mapped indicating a common genetic base or tightly-linked QTL. Stable QTL identified for dryweight can be useful tools for early selection in Salix. ...
Renewable energy systems have been suggested as appropriate technologies for developing countries for many years. But they are less attractive to low-income rural and urban populations for reasons of risk and initial capital outlay, and market penetration is usually small as a result. Technology transfer by outside intervention appears unlikely to deliver to enough people in Africa; only self propagating technologies have managed that to date. Unfortunately target populations in developing countries have little capital and are understandably reluctant to take risks. Outside interests see little likelihood of profit and have already demonstrated reluctance to invest in many developing countries. Benefit from technology relies on continued use after purchase and is rightly associated with reliability and availability. Mean time to repair may be a better measure of appropriateness than mean time between failures. Technology based on the idea of ...
RNA interference has become a powerful biological tool over the last decade. In this study, a tetracycline-inducible shRNA vector system was designed for silencing CFP expression and delivered alongside the yfp marker gene into Chinese hamster ovary cells using impalefection on spatially indexed vertically aligned carbon nanofiber arrays (VACNFs). The VACNF architecture provided simultaneous delivery of multiple genes, subsequent adherence and proliferation of interfaced cells, and repeated monitoring of single cells over time. Following impalefection and tetracycline induction, 53.1% 10.4% of impalefected cells were fully silenced by the inducible CFP-silencing shRNA vector. Additionally, efficient CFP-silencing was observed in single cells among a population of cells that remained CFP-expressing. This effective transient expression system enables rapid analysis of gene silencing effects using RNAi in single cells and cell populations.
Environmental targets and saving energy have become ones of the world main concerns over the last years and it will increase and become more important in a near future. The world population growth rate is the major factor contributing for the increase in global pollution and energy and water consumption. In 2005, the world population was approximately 6.5 billion and this number is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 [United Nations, 2008. (www.un.org), accessed on July]. Water supply systems use energy for pumping water, so new strategies must be developed and implemented in order to reduce this consumption. In addition, if there is excess of hydraulic energy in a water system, some type of water power generation can be implemented. This paper presents an optimization model that determines the best hourly operation for 1 day, according to the electricity tariff, for a pumped storage system with water consumption and inlet discharge. Wind ...
In 1959, the Test Manager's Committee to Establish Fallout Doses calculated estimated external gamma exposure at populated locations based upon measurements of external gamma-exposure rate. Using these calculations and estimates of population, we have tabulated the collective estimated external gamma exposures for communities within established fallout patterns. The total collective estimated external gamma exposure is 85,000 person-R. The greatest collective exposures occurred in three general areas: Saint George, Utah; Ely, Nevada; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Three events, HARRY (May 19, 1953), BEE (March 22, 1955), and SMOKY (August 31, 1957), accounted for over half of the total collective estimated external gamma exposure. The bases of the calculational models for external gamma exposure of ''infinite exposure,'' ''estimated exposure,'' and ''one ...
We have been investigating radiation-induced neoplastic transformants of C3H 10T1/2 mouse fibroblasts for evidence of heritable changes. C3H 10T1/2 cells were treated with 8 Gy X rays. After approximately 8 weeks of culture, type II/III foci were isolated from the monolayer using cloning rings. Cell lines developed from these foci, and clones established from these cell lines, were examined for DNA content. The isolated focus-derived populations and derived clones often display aneuploidy and/or polyploidization. In one instance a clone (derived from a single cell) displayed multiple polyploidies. During passage the ploidy of many of the anomalous populations gradually reverted to the ploidy of the non-neoplastically transformed state. The morphological features associated with the neoplastic transformation event were nevertheless retained. The results demonstrate that exposure to radiation can induce, in association with morphological ...
Establishment of a continuous population has been prevented over a 24 year period in the San Joaquin Valley, USA, through continuous, daily in-season release of sterile pink bollworms based on an extensive trap monitoring programme. A post-harvest crop destruction ordinance and occasional use of pheromones as disruptants were the only other factors used by programme management, except in 1990. In 1990, the programme used a conventional insecticide on 280 acres (113 ha) out of 1.18 million acres (477,546 ha) of cotton. During the four year period 1986-1989, a management system was explored using a high rate pheromone disruption system and sterile insects. Major reductions in conventional insecticide usage, while maintaining extremely low populations, were evident in this semi-isolated valley of southern California. It is hoped that this will provide a model for a future large scale test on up to 20,000 acres (8100 ha) of cotton. (author). 11 ...
Based on the replies to a questionnaire distributed throughout Japan in 1983, genetically significant dose (GSD), per Caput mean bone marrow dose (CMD), leukemogenically significant dose (LSD), malignantly significant dose (MSD), and per Caput effective dose equivalent (EDE) from using small sealed radiation sources for radiotherapy were estimated. Annual frequencies of brachytherapy were estimated to be 2.6 x 10"3 for men and 36.3 x 10"3 for women, with a total of 38.9 x 10"3. The annual frequencies of using afterloading technique were 0.3 x 10"3 for men and 18.8 x 10"3 for women, with a total of 19.1 x 10"3. The annual population doses per person were 7.9 nGy for GSD, 118 #mu#Gy for CMD, 19.3 #mu#Gy for LSD, 172 #mu#Gy for MSD, and 428 #mu#Gy for EDE. The annual collective effective dose equivalent was estimated to be 5.13 x 10"4 man Sv. (Namekawa, K.).
The purpose of the Air Force Health Study is to determine whether those individuals involved in the spraying of herbicides in Vietnam during the Ranch Hand operation have experienced any adverse health effects as a result of their participation in that program. The study is designed to evaluate both the mortality (death) and morbidity (disease) in these individuals over a 20-year beginning in 1982. The Baseline Mortality Report was released in June 1983, the Baseline Morbidity Report in February 1984. Follow-up mortality reports were released in 1984, 1985, and 1986. This study has not demonstrated health effects which can be conclusively attributed to herbicide or dioxin exposure. This report contains analyses of cumulative deaths occurring up to 31 December 1987. The overall cumulative mortality of the Ranch Hands remains statistically indistinguishable from that of both their matched Comparisons and the entire Comparison, population, although there is a ...
ACRO, a NGO equipped with a laboratory to measure radioactivity, runs the Citizen Watchdog of Radioactivity in the Environment. Involving many volunteers, it monitors regularly the French coast of the Channel and many rivers of the North half of France. It also makes investigations in other places. Such an action is aimed to supplement the official monitoring, not to replace it, in order to answer to the worries of the population. This monitoring shows that some radioelements, such as iodine 129, cobalt 60, tritium, etc. released in the environment by nuclear facilities can be detected on very large areas. Carbon 14 was detected up to almost 4 times the background in vegetables around the reprocessing plant of La Hague. ACRO also sits in many official committees to transmit the point of view of the populations exposed to the radioactive pollution. It is lobbying for a decrease of the release authorization, especially for the elements that are ...
For the estimation of the dispersion trend of tritium discharged from the Wolsung nuclear power plant, the present level of tritium in environmental samples in the vicinity of the Wolsong site has been studied. On the basis of tritium concentrations in environmental samples, the effective dose due to tritium has been estimated for an individual and population within a 16 km radius from the Wolsong site. The annual effective dose of tritium to an inhabitant around the Wolsong site ranged from 0.15 microSv y-1 to 1.3 microSv y-1. The dose level was negligible and much lower than some applicable standards, i.e. the limit on exposure from nuclear fuel cycle to the general public as recommended by ICRP (1 mSv y-1) or US EPA's limit (0.25 mSv y-1). The collective dose to the total population within a 16 km radius from the site, 1.2 x 10(-2) man.Sv y-1 was much lower than 1 man.Sv y-1, an applicable criterion for the so-called "exemption" of radiation ...
To understand evolutionary and environmental effects during the formation of high-mass stars, we observed three regions of massive star formation at different evolutionary stages that reside in the same natal molecular cloud. Methods. The three regions S255IR, S255N and S255S were observed at 1.3 mm with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and followup short spacing information was obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. Near infrared (NIR) H + K-band spectra and continuum observations were taken for S255IR with VLT-SINFONI to study the different stellar populations in this region. The combination of millimeter (mm) and near infrared data allow us to characterize different stellar populations within the young forming cluster in detail. While we find multiple mm continuum sources toward all regions, their outflow, disk and chemical properties vary considerably. The most evolved source S255IR exhibits a collimated bipolar outflow visible in CO and H2 ...
We evaluated the role of tea and coffee and substances added (sugar/honey, creamers, and milk) on endometrial cancer risk in a population-based case?control study in six counties in New Jersey, including 417 cases and 395 controls. Multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed using unconditional logistic regression. There was a moderate inverse association with coffee consumption, with an adjusted OR of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.36?1.17) for women who reported more than two cups/day of coffee compared to none. Tea consumption appeared to increase risk (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.08?3.45), but after including the variables sugar/honey and cream/milk added to tea in the model, the risk estimate was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 0.96?3.2...
The population masses in many coastal zones in Japan, and human activities are greatly effected. The representative water area is the Tokyo Bay. The population of the Tokyo Bay reaches 26 million at present, and a mass of organic substance and nutrient salt flow into it through rivers and sewage-treatment plants, etc. With the improvement of pollution source countermeasure and sewerage in the area, the inflow load to the Bay gradually decreases, but in the inner bay, red tide is generating in the summertime mainly. And, the anoxic water areas observed in bottom layer in summertime make large effects on the seafood. It is a large theme to clarify formation process of the anoxic water area and to solve this problem for the Tokyo Bay in the twenty-first century. In this paper, changes in water qualities and human activities and fundamental approach of water quality conservation of the Tokyo Bay are described. As maintenance and regeneration ...
A CRC cooperative program was conducted to determine the difference in octane requirements between technical raters and 'customers' (the general driving public). The tests were conducted in two phases, with the second being a repeat of the first to verify the results obtained. The trained raters used the CRC E-15 procedure to determine the octane requirement of the vehicles while the customers' perception and objection to knock were determined through the use of a questionnaire. The customers' responses (perception and objection level) were based upon audible knock, acceleration performance, and after-run on a series of full-boiling-range customer/rater unleaded (FBRCU) reference-fuels. Data were analyzed from 168 1988-1991 model-year vehicles, with 126 of these tested in Phase II. The results showed that the customers, objections and perceptions were overwhelmingly based on knock, rather than acceleration performance or after-run. Two general ...
The spectral properties of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) offer a means to isolate pure samples displaying either dominant Ly-alpha in absorption or Ly-alpha in emission using broadband information alone. We present criteria developed using a large z ~ 3 LBG spectroscopic sample from the literature that enables large numbers of each spectral type to be gathered in photometric data, providing good statistics for multiple applications. In addition, we find that the truncated faint, blue-end tail of z ~ 3 LBG population overlaps and leads directly into an expected Ly-alpha emitter (LAE) population. As a result, we present simple criteria to cleanly select large numbers of z ~ 3 LAEs in deep broadband surveys. We present the spectroscopic results of 32 r' <~ 25.5 LBGs and r' <~ 27.0 LAEs at z ~ 3 pre-selected in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey that confirm these criteria.
Abstract We present the first numerical,-N-body, hydrodynamical, chemical simulations of cosmic structure formation in the framework of non-Gaussian models. We study the impact of primordial non-Gaussianities on early chemistry (e-, H, H+, H-, He, He+, He++, H2, H+2, D, D+, HD, HeH+), molecular and atomic gas cooling, star formation, metal (C, O, Si, Fe, Mg, S) enrichment, Population-III (popIII) and Population-II-I (popII) transition and on the evolution of -visible- objects. We find that non-Gaussianities can have some consequences on baryonic structure formation at very early epochs, but the subsequent evolution at later times washes out any difference among the various models. When assuming reasonable values for primordial non-Gaussian perturbations, it turns out that they are responsi...
Abstract. Objective: Lapatinib (Tykerb, GW572016), a potent inhibitor of the catalytic activities of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (ErbB2), inhibits population growth of selected EGFR and HER2 overexpressing cell lines. Previous studies with a small number of cell lines suggest a correlation between overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2 and sensitivity to growth inhibition by lapatinib; however, the precise determinants of lapatinib selectivity for tumour and/or other cells remain unclear. Materials and methods: To clarify the determinants of its selectivity in cultured cells, lapatinib-induced cell population growth inhibition and relative EGFR and HER2 protein expression were quantified in 61 different human tumour cell lines fro...
The "2"0 "2"1 "2"2Ne("6Li, d)"2"4 "2"5 "2"6Mg reactions have been studied at a bombarding energy of 32 MeV. Alpha particle spectroscopic strengths have been extracted for several low-lying levels by a finite-range distorted wave analysis. These are compared with theoretical predictions. The agreement is good both for relative strengths to different levels within a nucleus and for ground-state strengths relative to the "1"6O("6Li, d) result. Strengths calculated using eigenfunctions determined in large shell-model computations agree well with pure symmetry SU(3) predictions. The "2"1Ne("6Li, d) angular distributions for transitions to the ground-state band of "2"5Mg are characterized by the lower of the two L-transfers allowed for populating each level. For the 3"+(5.24 MeV) unnatural parity level in "2"4Mg, a two-step calculation gives a better account of the data than does a compound nuclear calculation. (Auth.).
It is currently unclear if the potential for West Nile virus transmission by mosquito vectors in the eastern United States is related to landscape or climate factors or both. We compared abundance of vector species between urban and suburban neighborhoods of Henrico County, VA, in relation to the following factors: temperature, precipitation, canopy cover, building footprint, and proximity to drainage infrastructure. Mosquitoes were collected throughout the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons and tested for West Nile virus (WNV) in pools of 10-50. Test results of mosquito pools were compared to average site abundance from 37 sites in Henrico County, VA; abundance was then examined in relation to ecological variables. Urban infrastructure was positively correlated with the abundance of Culex pipiens L./Cx. restuans, and our findings implicate combined sewer overflow systems as large contributors to Culex vector populations. No measure of urbanization examined in our study ...
Attention deficit disorder (ADHD) is a complex biobehavioral phenotype which affects up to 8% of the general population and often impairs social, academic, and job performance. Its origins are heterogeneous, but a significant genetic component is suggested by family and twin studies. The murine strain, coloboma, displays a spontaneously hyperactive phenotype that is responsive to dextroamphetamine and has been proposed as a genetic model for ADHD. Coloboma is a semi-dominant mutation that is caused by a hemizygous deletion of the SNAP-25 and other genes on mouse chromosome 2q. To test the possibility that the human homolog of the mouse coloboma gene(s) could be responsible for ADHD, we have carried out linkage studies with polymorphic markers in the region syntenic to coloboma (20p11-p12). Five families in which the pattern of inheritance of ADHD appears to be autosomal dominant were studied. Segregation analysis of the traits studied suggested that the best ...
Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica SA is the operator of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and the second largest energy producer in Romania, after Hidroelectrica, ensuring 18% of the internal energy demand. The production of nuclear power differs from other industrial activities through the risks it involves and through the legacy it leaves to the future generations, i.e. the nuclear waste. Taking into account these considerations, public acceptance represents a constant preoccupation for nuclear companies around the world. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a new practice in the nuclear industry. After a long tradition of involvement in the life of the local community through the Social Program for Cernavoda, Nuclearelectrica has initiated a CSR campaign with the theme 'Welcome a tree in your family', addressed to pupils and high school students from Cernavoda. By this campaign, we aimed at creating relevance, not just green lots and to launch a chain of reactions among the ...
A risk-based sensor placement methodology is proposed to solve the problem of optimal location of sensors or detectors to protect population against the exposure to and effects of known and/or postulated chemical, biological, and/or radiological threats. Risk is calculated as a quantitative value representing population at risk from exposure against standard exposure levels. Historical meteorological data are used to characterize weather conditions as the frequency of wind speed and direction pairs. The meteorological data drive atmospheric transport and dispersion modeling of the threats, the results of which are used to calculate risk values. Sensor locations are determined via an iterative dynamic programming algorithm whereby threats captured or detected by sensors placed in prior stages are removed from consideration in subsequent stages. In addition to the risk-based placement algorithm, the proposed methodology provides a quantification ...
The assumed linear relationship between exposure to radiation and cancer incidence is questioned in this article. The current research data on radiation effects at the cellular level is reviewed, as are epidemiological studies of background radiation effects and health effects of populations exposed to low levels of radiation exposure via employment or medical treatments. Statistics reveal that threshold levels currently in force need to be reviewed. Some evidence of beneficial effects of low level radiation exposure effects of low level radiation exposure is also presented, and so regulations should be reviewed at an international level. (UK).
The long term goal is to determine the ecological importance of specific toxic metals (copper and zinc) in harbors, through an understanding of their chemistry and biological effects at the base of marine food chains. This work provides information on potential problems with Zn and Cu, which may help to foresee problems in the future. Anthropogenic inputs of both metals are increasing; they are derived from diverse sources and are a simple function of population growth in coastal regions.
Contributions to the population dose due to medical applications of ionising radiation are presented. It appears that contributions due to radiotherapy and X ray diagnosis are of comparable magnitude. To account for the age dependency of the radiation risks, contributions in terms of somatically significant dose equivalent are calculated as 0.3 mSv per caput per annum for X ray diagnosis and as 0.2 mSv per caput per annum for radiotherapy, the latter referring to only doses to organs outside the target volume. (author).
Organ and tissue doses and integral doses in patients due to diagnostic x-ray examinations of the chest and of the head will be presented. These data have been obtained by measuring the dose distributions in man phantoms by LiF-dosimetry. The data will be compared with data obtained by Monte-Carlo calculations. To obtain average organ doses for a special type of examination for the population or for a specified subpopulation in the variation of the exposure, data due to the different techniques used by the different radiologists has to be known. Such data will be presented. The results of the investigation will be discussed in connection with the concept of the 'somatic significant.
To improve the detection rate of lung cancer, we have introduced low-dose CT and CR technique into a population-based annual mass screening. From December 1999, 3868 and 12618 individuals participated in this screening program with CT and with CR, respectively. Primary lung cancer was detected in 15 (0.39%) by CT and 8 (0.06%) by CR. This results show high detection rate of primary lung cancer as had been previously reported. (author)
The energy spectra of few-nucleon transfer reactions obtained by bombarding a /sup 197/Au nucleus with the 341 MeV /sup 20/Ne beam of the Berkeley cyclotron have been analysed successfully in terms of direct surface transfer reactions populating the continuum states. At the grazing angle we are dealing with one-step processes; at forward angle two-step processes have to be taken into account.
Patients with end stage renal failure (ESRD) require renal replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or renal transplantation. There is an increasing number of people receiving maintenance dialysis as patients with ESRD are increasing faster than the supply of transplantable organs. The mortality rate on dialysis is 4-6 times that of the general population and is substantially reduced by transplantation. For the past 8 years, dialysis research has focused on improving patient outcomes and quality of life on dialysis. This review examines recent advances in haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in a historical context and considers future research possibilities. PMID:19329705
Irradiation of the human body in diagnostic X-ray procedures results in different absorbed doses in the various body organs. A somatic dose index in formulated by applying the relative sensitivity of the human to each of the most important somatic effects and utilizing the absorbed dose in the affected organs. This quantity is used to convey a cumulative somatic impact and is computed for common radiographic views in diagnostic radiology as a function of beam quality for a nominal IR entrance exposure. Using typical X-ray beam qualities and exposures, the frequency of the various radiographic views that make up an examination and the frequencies of the various examinations in the national population, illustrative examples of the application of the somatic dose index are presented. (author).