bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased reversal and oscillatory shear stress cause smooth muscle contraction‐dependent changes in sheep aortic dynamics: role in aortic balloon pump circulatory support
Authors: Bia D. , Zócalo Y. , Armentano R. , Camus J. , Forteza E. de , Cabrera‐Fischer E.
Published: October 2007

Aims:  The intra‐aortic balloon pumping (IABP) changes pressure and increases the aorta shear stress reversal (SSR) and oscillatory (SSO) components. Hence, IABP‐dependent changes in aortic biomechanics would be expected, because of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) tone (i.e. flow‐induced endothelium‐dependent response, related to SSR and SSO variations) and/or pressure changes. To characterize: (i) the IABP effects on the aortic and global (systemic circulation) biomechanics, analysing their dependence on pressure and VSM basic tone changes and (ii) the relation between the SSR and SSO and the aortic biomechanical changes associated with the VSM tone variations.

Methods:  Aortic flow, pressure and diameter were measured in eight sheep during basal, augmented and assisted beats (1 : 1 and 1 : 2 IABP modalities). Calculations: (i) aortic effective and isobaric elasticity, viscosity, circumferential stress, pulse wave velocity, shear stress and buffer and conduit functions, (ii) peripheral resistance, global compliance, reflection coefficient and wave propagation times and (iii) the relation between SSR and SSO and biomechanical changes associated with variations in the aortic VSM tone.

Results:  Augmented and assisted beats showed: global VSM relaxation pattern (reduced peripheral resistance and reflection coefficient; increased propagation times) and local VSM contraction pattern (increased viscosity; reduced diameter, elasticity and circumferential stress), associated with SSR and SSO, levels and changes. The vascular changes reduced the ventricle afterload determinants, increased the vascular buffer performance and kept the conduit capability.

Conclusion:  In addition to pressure‐dependent changes, IABP determined biomechanical changes related to variations in the VSM tone. The increased SSR and SSO were associated with the aortic VSM contraction pattern and biomechanical changes.
Activation of glucose transport and AMP‐activated protein kinase during muscle contraction in adenylate kinase‐1 knockout mice
Authors: Zhang S. ‐J. , Sandström M. E. , Aydin J. , Westerblad H. , Wieringa B. , Katz A.
Published: October 2007

Aim:  Recently it was reported that adenylate kinase‐1 knockout mice (AK−/−) exhibit elevated rates of glucose uptake following repeated contractions and hypoxia, but the mechanism was not investigated. The purpose of the present study was to measure the changes in glucose transport and AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation/activity following repeated contractions in isolated muscles from AK−/− mice.

Methods:  Extensor digitorum longus muscles underwent an intense stimulation protocol that decreased force to less than 10% of initial by the end of 10 min. Glucose uptake was measured with 2‐deoxy‐D‐[1,2‐3H]glucose.

Results:  Muscle glucose uptake in the basal state was identical between control and AK−/− mice and increased twofold in both groups during contraction. The general antioxidant: N‐acetylcysteine, decreased contraction‐mediated glucose uptake by 30% in both groups. AMPK activity and phosphorylation were similar in the two groups in the basal state and, surprisingly, after contraction as well (approximately threefold increase). Both groups exhibited marked decreases in adenosine triphosphate following contraction (60–70% depletion), which coincided with stoichiometric increases in the content of inosine monophosphate, an indirect marker of AMP production. Adenylate kinase activity averaged 2081 ± 106 μmol min−1 (g dry wt)−1 for control and 37 ± 10 for AK−/− muscles; the activity in the AK−/− muscle is likely accounted for by isoforms other than AK1.

Conclusion:  In conclusion, AK−/− mice have a normal capacity for contraction‐mediated glucose uptake. This appears to occur via increases in AMP and reactive oxygen species that result in the activation of AMPK.
Exercise limb blood flow response to acute and chronic hypoxia in Danish lowlanders and Aymara natives
Authors: Rådegran G.
Published: October 2007

Aim:  The femoral artery blood flow response to submaximal, one‐legged, dynamic, knee‐extensor exercise was determined in acute and chronic hypoxia to investigate the hypotheses that with adaptation to chronic hypoxia blood haemoglobin increases, allowing preservation of blood flow as in normoxia.

Methods:  Sixteen Danish lowlanders participated, in groups of six to eight, in the experiments at sea level normoxia (FiO2 ≅ 0.21) and acute hypoxia (FiO2 ≅ 0.11), and chronic hypoxia after ∼7 and 9–10 weeks at ∼5260 m altitude breathing ambient air (FiO2 ≅ 0.21) or a hyperoxic gas (FiO2 ≅ 0.55). The response was compared with that in six Aymara natives.

Results:  The haemoglobin and haematocrit increased (P < 0.003) in the lowlanders at altitude vs. at sea level by ∼39 and 27% respectively; i.e. to a similar (P = ns) level as in the natives. At rest, blood flow was the same (P = ns) in the lowlanders at sea level and altitude, as in the natives at altitude. During the onset of and incremental exercise, blood flow was the same (P = ns) in the lowlanders at sea level and altitude, as in the natives at altitude. Acute hypoxia increased (P < 0.05) blood flow by ∼55% during exercise in the lowlanders at sea level. Acute hyperoxia decreased (P < 0.05) blood flow by ∼22–29% during exercise in the lowlanders and natives at altitude.

Conclusion:  In chronic hypoxia, blood haemoglobin increases, allowing normalization of the elevated exercise blood flow response in acute hypoxia, and preservation of the kinetics and steady‐state exercise blood flow as in normoxia, being similar as in the natives at altitude.
Japan's Lost Decade: What Have We Learned and Where Are We Heading?*
Authors: YOSHIKAWA Hiroshi
Published: October 2007

The lost decade has provided us a number of lessons. One of them is the limit of standard macroeconomics. This paper attempts to show that uncertainty plays a much more important role in the macroeconomy than most economists recognize. Once the economy is caught in an uncertainty trap, the effectiveness of standard policy necessarily weakens. The zero‐interest rate may well be a consequence of an uncertainty trap. In fact, whether or not the economy is caught in such an uncertainty trap distinguishes “depression” from the normal cyclical “recession.” The significance of demand‐creating innovation is another point I emphasize in this paper. In my view, a lack of demand‐creating innovation is a part of explanation of the lost decade. At the same time, this paper offers prospects for the future of the Japanese economy.
From Industrial Policy to Innovation Policy: Japan's Pursuit of Competitive Advantage*
Authors: NOLAND Marcus
Published: October 2007

Japan faces significant challenges in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship. Attempts to formally model past industrial policy interventions uniformly uncover little, if any, positive impact on productivity, growth, or welfare. The evidence indicates that most resource flows went to large, politically influential “backwards” sectors, suggesting that political economy considerations may be central to the apparent ineffectiveness of Japanese industrial policy. Rather than traditional industrial or science and technology policy, financial and labor market reforms appear more promising. As a group, Japan's industrial firms are competitive relative to their foreign counterparts. Where Japan falls behind is in the heavily regulated service sector. The problems appear to be due less to a lack of industrial policy than to an excess of regulation. Japan may have more to gain through restructuring the lagging service sector than by expending resources in pursuit of marginal gains in the industrial sector.
Financial Crisis and the Lost Decade*
Authors: FUKAO Mitsuhiro
Published: October 2007

Japanese banks incurred heavy losses in the early 1990s due to the bursting of the bubble economy of the 1980s. Japanese regulators allowed undercapitalized banks to operate under a very lenient application of capital requirement rules. At first, the regulators did not have strong institutional mechanisms and budgetary funds to take care of weakened banks. Even after obtaining strong power and money in 1988 to tackle the banking problem, the regulators would not nationalize a large number of banks because they could not manage nationalized banks themselves. The recent recovery of the Japanese economy gives the Financial Services Agency a chance to make up for the lost decade of regulatory discipline.
Aging, Savings, and Public Pensions in Japan*
Authors: HORIOKA Charles Yuji , SUZUKI Wataru , HATTA Tatsuo
Published: October 2007

We analyze the impact of population aging on Japan's household savings rate and on its public pension system and the impact of that system on Japan's household savings rate and obtain the following results: first, the age structure of Japan's population can explain the level of, and past and future trends in, its household savings rate; second, the rapid aging of Japan's population is causing Japan's household savings rate to decline and this decline can be expected to continue; third, the pay‐as‐you‐go nature of the public pension system, combined with rapid population aging, created considerable intergenerational inequities and increased the savings rates of cohorts born after 1965, which in turn slowed the decline in Japan's household savings rate; and fourth, the 2004 public pension reform alleviated the intergenerational inequities of Japan's public pension system somewhat but will in the long run exacerbate the downward trend in Japan's household savings rate.
Seeking forgiveness in an intergroup context: Angolan, Guinean, Mozambican, and East Timorese perspectives
Authors: Neto Félix , Pinto Conceição , Mullet Etienne
Published: October 2007

Forgiveness is a key concept in many governance and responsive regulation issues. The notion of intergroup forgiveness was examined among people from four countries: Angola, Guinea‐Bissau, Mozambique, and East Timor. Nine hundred and eighty‐five adults who had suffered from the many conflicts in their areas, either personally or through injuries inflicted on members of their family, agreed to participate in a study that was specifically about seeking intergroup forgiveness. In all four countries, most participants of the study agreed with the ideas that (i) seeking intergroup forgiveness makes sense; (ii) the seeking process must be a popular, democratic, and public process, not a secret elite negotiation; (iii) the process must be initiated and conducted by people in charge politically, not by dissident factions; and (iv) the process is aimed at reconciliation, not at humiliating the group requesting forgiveness. Differences between the four countries were found regarding the extent to which (i) international organizations may be involved in the process; (ii) the demand must include the former perpetrators; and (iii) emotions and material compensation are ingredients in the process.
Can non‐state global governance be legitimate? An analytical framework
Authors: Bernstein Steven , Cashore Benjamin
Published: October 2007

In the absence of effective national and intergovernmental regulation to ameliorate global environmental and social problems, “private” alternatives have proliferated, including self‐regulation, corporate social responsibility, and public–private partnerships. Of the alternatives, “non‐state market driven” (NSMD) governance systems deserve greater attention because they offer the strongest regulation and potential to socially embed global markets. NSMD systems encourage compliance by recognizing and tracking, along the market’s supply chain, responsibly produced goods and services. They aim to establish “political legitimacy” whereby firms, social actors, and stakeholders are united into a community that accepts “shared rule as appropriate and justified.” Drawing inductively on evidence from a range of NSMD systems, and deductively on theories of institutions and learning, we develop an analytical framework and a preliminary set of causal propositions to explicate whether and how political legitimacy might be achieved. The framework corrects the existing literature’s inattention to the conditioning effects of global social structure, and its tendency to treat actor evaluations of NSMD systems as static and strategic. It identifies a three‐phase process through which NSMD systems might gain political legitimacy. It posits that a “logic of consequences” alone cannot explain actor evaluations: the explanation requires greater reference to a “logic of appropriateness” as systems progress through the phases. The framework aims to guide future empirical work to assess the potential of NSMD systems to socially embed global markets.
Trade liberalization and the spread of regulatory institutions: The case of Chile
Authors: Bull Benedicte
Published: October 2007

It is currently widely recognized that trade liberalization leads not only to deregulation but also to re‐regulation. However, it is less well understood how trade agreements and trade liberalization affect domestic regulatory institutions. This article aims to contribute to such an understanding through a case study of Chile. Since 1990, Chile has pursued a strategy of economic integration through bilateral, regional, and multilateral agreements. The study shows how this strategy has led to the partial implementation of a patchwork of competing regulatory institutions, many of which can trace their roots to the domestically preferred institutions of Chile’s major trading partners.
Identification and treatment of the prodromal phase of psychotic disorders: perspectives from the PACE Clinic
Authors: Yung Alison R.
Published: October 2007

Aim: To describe the development of the field of prodromal intervention in psychotic disorders and to summarize the findings from the PACE Clinic, the inaugural service devoted to this area.

Method: A review of the PACE Clinic studies, with reference to the work of other groups.

Results: The aims of intervention before the onset of psychosis are to alleviate current distress and impairment and to either prevent, delay or ameliorate the onset of more severe psychotic disorder. To do this, it is necessary to be able to first accurately identify those in the earliest stages of a potentially serious psychotic disorder, and second to effectively slow or prevent progression to more advanced illness. Criteria have been developed which have predicted onset of psychotic disorder inover 30% of so‐called ‘ultra high risk’ individuals. Treatment trials have been promising, and to date have examined the effects of antipsychotic medication, cognitive therapy and a combination of the two. Recently, omega‐3 fatty acids have also been shown to be effective. However, there are also pitfalls of working in the prodromal area, including ethical concerns and more recently the possibility that there is a decline in the rate of transition from ultra‐high‐risk state to first‐episode psychosis.

Conclusions: The field of prodromal intervention in psychotic disorders is an exciting one as it offers the possibility of prevention of full‐blown disorder and its related negative sequelae. However, there are many issues that need to be dealt with in order to achieve this goal, and ongoing evaluation of methods to identify and treat such individuals is needed.
Subjective distress in first‐episode psychosis: role of symptoms and self‐esteem
Authors: Vracotas Nadia , Schmitz Norbert , Joober Ridha , Malla Ashok
Published: October 2007

Background: Patients with psychotic disorders are assumed to experience significant distress, especially during their first episode. It is unclear whether such distress is associated with the level of psychotic or other symptoms and/or to other characteristics such as level of self‐esteem.

Methods: One hundred and five patients who presented with first episode psychosis (FEP) (54% male; mean age 22.74 years; 79.4% schizophrenia; 20.6% affective psychosis) were administered the Symptom Checklist 90‐Revised (SCL‐90‐R) at first presentation for treatment. Four indices derived from the SCL‐90‐R were used as measures of distress. Psychopathology was assessed with the Calgary Depression Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and self‐esteem with the Self‐esteem Rating Scale.Spearman's Correlation coefficients were calculated, followed by a regression analysis.

Results: Measures of distress were highly correlated with depression (rho = 0.44–0.56), and anxiety (rho = 0.38–0.48), modestly with lack of judgement and insight (rho = −0.28 to −0.37) and not with positive or negative symptoms of psychosis. In a smaller sample (n = 68) distress measures were also highly correlated with self‐esteem (rho = −0.55 to −0.73). Logistic regression confirmed that self‐esteem explained 53% of the total variance explained (57%) by any combination of the independent variables.

Conclusion: Distress experienced by individuals suffering from FEP is associated with levels of self‐esteem, depression and anxiety and not with the level of psychotic or negative symptoms. Self‐esteem may play a significant role in the magnitude of distress experienced by patients presenting with a FEP.
Reductions in cannabis and other illicit substance use between treatment entry and early recovery in patients with first‐episode psychosis
Authors: Hinton Mark , Edwards Jane , Elkins Kathryn , Harrigan Susy M. , Donovan Kerri , Purcell Rosemary , McGorry Patrick D.
Published: October 2007

Objective: Reductions in cannabis use have been observed during the first year following treatment entry for first‐episode psychosis (FEP), but there is little indication of the pattern of cannabis and substance misuse generally in the very early course of treatment.

Methods: Patterns of cannabis and other substance use (including alcohol) were examined prospectively among 130 FEP patients assessed at treatment entry and again at early follow up (median 9 weeks 4 days). Differences between cannabis users and non‐users at both time‐points were compared on descriptive features, psychopathology, social functioning and functional disability.

Results: Of 72 patients using cannabis at treatment entry, 29 (40.3%)were abstinent at follow up. Notably, almost half (41%) of those cannabis users who were abstaining at follow up had been using on a daily or multiple daily basis. Among 58 individuals abstinent at treatment entry, 11 (19%) had commenced cannabis use at follow up. There were no significant differences between cannabis users and non‐users on any psychopathology measure at treatment entry, however, those using cannabis at early follow up scored significantly higher than non‐users on general psychopathology and positive symptomatology, and lower on health functioning.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates significant fluctuation in cannabis use in the context of receiving specialist treatment for FEP, and suggests that a substantial proportion of young patients are contemplating changing harmful patterns of use in this critical early phase.
Defining, operationalizing and measuring the duration of untreated psychosis: advances, limitations and future directions
Authors: Compton Michael T. , Carter Tandrea , Bergner Erin , Franz Lauren , Stewart Tarianna , Trotman Hanan , McGlashan Thomas H. , McGorry Patrick D.
Published: October 2007

Objective: Substantial converging evidence from schizophrenia researchers indicates that the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) represents a modifiable predictor of outcome during the early course of schizophrenia. As DUP is increasingly assessed in research settings, focused attention should be given to the complexities of measurement of this critical construct. In this review, three aspects of measurement are addressed: (i) definition of DUP, (ii) operational criteria for the construct, and (iii) methods used for measurement. Recent advances, current limitations and future directions are discussed.

Methods: Inclusion of published articles for this systematic review was based on two recent seminal meta‐analyses examining associations between DUP and outcomes. Other relevant articles were reviewed to glean information on standardized instruments used to date and limitations regarding measurement of DUP.

Results: Whereas the general definition of the DUP construct has been quite consistent across research groups, considerable variability exists in the operationalizations of the onset and endpoint of DUP. Several standardized instruments have been developed to measure DUP, although many articles fail to discuss reliability and validity of measurements. The literature lacks comparative assessments of the relative reliability and validity of the various measures and methods used to assess DUP.

Conclusions: Given the importance of DUP and implications for secondary prevention, the complicated measurement issues that arise in quantifying this construct are addressed. A number of important advances from a variety of research groups have made the systematic assessment of DUP feasible and of great value for early psychosis research. Yet, several limitations must be considered as measurement of DUP progresses.
The service for Monitoring and Early Intervention against psychoLogical and mEntal suffering in young people (SMILE) at the University of L'Aquila: first year experience
Authors: Pollice Rocco , Di Giovambattista Emanuela , Ussorio Donatella , Di Pucchio Alessia , Tomassini Annarita , Mazza Monica , Roncone Rita , Casacchia Massimo
Published: October 2007

Aim: To establish a comprehensive early intervention service for young people with mental suffering in L'Aquila, Italy, and to evaluate its effectiveness in delivering user friendly integrated interventions.

Methods: The Service for Monitoring and early Intervention against psychoLogical and mEntal suffering in young people (SMILE) began operation in November 2005 under the auspices of the Department of Mental Health, University of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the mission of our service to reduce the burden of mental suffering in young people by means of an earlier recognition of signs and symptoms, systematic evaluation of psychological distress and promotion of attitudes that encourage young people to seek care. We also aim to reduce the delays that young people at incipient risk of severe psychiatric illness experience in accessing appropriate psychiatric care.

Results: Between November 2005 and November 2006, 216 young people (127 women, 89 men; mean age 21.8 ± 5.7 years) were referred for assessment. Thirty‐five per cent of patients had a diagnosis of severe mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, incipient risk of psychosis). In addition, 80.5% of patients were admitted to the service more than once, totalling 685 admissions. Treatment modalities comprised cognitive behavioural treatment (61.5%), integrated psychosocial treatment (25.5%) and psychopharmacotherapy (15.9%).

Conclusions: The SMILE service provides most of the mental health service requirements for young people with various forms of psychological suffering in Italy. Moreover, it offers appropriate case management with an early multimodal approach.
Is untreated psychosis socially toxic?
Authors: Norman Ross M. G. , Malla Ashok K. , Manchanda Rahula
Published: October 2007

Aim: This study was to assess whether any relationship between duration of untreated psychosis and social support can be explained by the role of an individual's family and friends in recognizing the need for help or by other confounds.

Method: Data were carefully collected on 122 first episode patients concerning their length of duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), social support at time of presenting for treatment and after 1 year, and various clinical and premorbid characteristics.

Results: We found a significant relationship between DUP and social support. We then tested an alternative hypothesis that this reflects low social support bringing about treatment delay through delay in recognition by others of need for help. We also assessed whether the relationship between DUP and social support is a result of confounding by other clinical or demographic characteristics. No support was found for either of these alternate explanations.

Conclusions: The results suggest that DUP may be socially toxic.
One‐year outcome of an early intervention in psychosis service: a naturalistic evaluation
Authors: Singh Swaran P. , Grange Tom , Vijaykrishnan Ajay , Francis Sasha , White Sarah , Fisher Helen , Chisholm Brock , Firn Mike
Published: October 2007

Aim: We conducted a 1‐year prospective evaluation of an early intervention in psychosis service (Early Treatment and Home‐based Outreach Service (ETHOS)) during its first 3 years of operation in South‐west London, UK.

Methods: All patients referred to ETHOS underwent structured assessments at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up. In addition, hospitalization rates of ETHOS patients (intervention group) were compared with a non‐randomized parallel cohort (comparison group) of first‐episode patients treated by community mental health teams.

Results: The Early Treatment and Home‐based Outreach Servicepatients experienced significant improvements in symptomatic and functional outcomes, especially vocational recovery. The service received only a quarter of eligible patients from referring teams. ETHOS patients did not differ from the comparison group in number of admissions, inpatient days or detention rates. Although number of referrals increased over time, there was no evidence that patients were being referred earlier.

Conclusions: There is now robust evidence for the effectiveness of specialist early intervention services. However, such services must be adequate resourced, including an early detection team and provision of their own inpatient unit.
A comparison between patients with dysfunctional breathing and patients with asthma
Authors: Hagman Carina , Janson Christer , Emtner Margareta
Published: October 2007

Introduction:  The term dysfunctional breathing (DB) has been introduced to describe patients who display a divergent breathing pattern and have breathing problems that cannot be attributed to a specific medical diagnosis such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or sensory hyper‐reactivity.

Objective:  The objective of this study was to investigate similarities and differences in patients with DB, and patients with well‐controlled asthma regarding health‐related quality of life, anxiety, depression, sense of coherence (SOC), hyperventilation and effects on daily life.

Methods:  Twenty‐five consecutive patients with DB, and 25 age‐ and sex‐matched patients with asthma (ages 20–73 years) participated in the study. The diagnosis of DB was based on the presence of a dysfunctional breathing pattern and at least five symptoms associated with DB.

Results:  The group with DB had lower health‐related quality of life (short form 36): vitality (mean) 47 vs 62, social functioning 70 vs 94 and role emotional 64 vs 94 (P < 0.05) than the asthmatic group. The DB group also had a higher prevalence of anxiety (56% vs 24%) and a lower SOC (134 vs 156) (P < 0.05). Hyperventilation, defined according to the Nijmegen symptoms questionnaire, was observed in 56% of patients with DB vs 20% in the asthma group (P = 0.02).

Conclusions:  The results of the study indicate that patients with DB are more disabled than patients with well‐controlled asthma. There is a great need for more knowledge about breathing symptoms of a dysfunctional nature, to be able to identify and manage these patients adequately.

Please cite this paper as: Hagman C, Janson C and Emtner M. A comparison between patients with dysfunctional breathing and patients with asthma. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2008; 2: 86–91.
Mastitis Caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in Israeli Dairy Cattle and Public Health Implications
Authors: Shwimmer A. , Freed M. , Blum S. , Khatib N. , Weissblit L. , Friedman S. , Elad D.
Published: October 2007

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was isolated from mastitis cases in nine dairy cows in Israel. Six cases occurred on one farm (three instances of two cows, 2 months apart) and three cases on one farm each. Seven cows suffered from clinical and two from subclinical mastitis. All but two of the cows were culled. The literature describing cases of bovine mastitis caused by Y. pseudotuberculosis is reviewed and the human public health implications are discussed.
Risk Factors for the Introduction of Avian Influenza Virus into Commercial Layer Chicken Farms During the Outbreaks Caused by a Low‐Pathogenic H5N2 Virus in Japan in 2005
Authors: Nishiguchi A. , Kobayashi S. , Yamamoto T. , Ouchi Y. , Sugizaki T. , Tsutsui T.
Published: October 2007

Avian influenza outbreaks caused by a low‐pathogenic H5N2 virus occurred in Japan from June to December 2005. All 41 affected farms housed layer chickens. Therefore, we conducted a case–control study targeting all commercial layer chicken farms within the movement restriction areas in Ibaraki prefecture, where most outbreaks were detected, to investigate the risk factors for the introduction of avian influenza virus (AIV). Four variables were identified as risk factors associated with the introduction of AIV by multivariate logistic regression: ‘introduction of end‐of‐lay chickens ‘ (odds ratio (OR) = 36.6), ‘sharing of farm equipment among farms’ (OR = 29.4), ‘incomplete hygiene measures of farm visitors on shoes, clothes and hands’ (OR = 7.0), and ‘direct distance to the nearest case farm’ (0–500 m, OR = 8.6; 500–1000 m, OR = 0.8; 1000–1500 m, OR = 20.1; referenced more than 1500 m). We fully believe that strict biosecurity measures should be applied against any incursion points so as not to introduce AIV into more farms.
OPERATIONAL AND LABORATORY VERIFICATION TESTING OF A HEURISTIC ON-LINE WATER MONITORING SYSTEM FOR SECURITY
Authors: KROLL DAN , KING KARL
Published: October 2007

Drinking water systems are vulnerable to attack. While homeland security initiatives commonly focus on aerial CW/BW attacks, they have tended to ignore the far more inexpensive and easy to orchestrate attacks on drinking water distribution networks. An approach that utilizes off-the-shelf broad-spectrum analytical instruments coupled with advanced interpretive algorithms to provide detection-response networks for water is described. This report summarizes the development of interpretive algorithms applied to drinking water instrumentation and the implications for immediately engineering and deploying distribution based detection-protection systems. Data obtained from in house testing along with testing at ECBC was used to produce fingerprint response data from traditional as well as non-military threat agents. Data obtained from a Battelle/EPA ETV study addresses issues such as long-term deployment and ability to detect and characterize contaminants. Loop testing at ECBC and Battelle demonstrates extrapolation of beaker testing fingerprints to flowing systems. Real world deployment data is used to demonstrate recognition and classification of actual events and heuristic capabilities of the system along with its potential role in enhancing water quality above and beyond its obvious security aspects. The system is shown to be a practical measure to detect and characterize backflow events involving both chemicals and bioagents.
CLASS IDENTIFICATION OF BIO-MOLECULES BASED ON MULTI-COLOR NATIVE FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
Authors: BASSLER MICHAEL , SCHMIDT OLIVER , KIESEL PETER , JOHNSON NOBLE M.
Published: October 2007

Laser-induced native fluorescence is measured on a set of bio-molecules from different classes (bacteria, proteins, fungi) for excitation at 266nm and 355nm. A method of preprocessing the spectra to obtain an inherently normalized set of data is described. Class identification on the normalized data set is demonstrated.
CHESAPEAKE BAY WATER QUALITY MONITORING USING SATELLITE IMAGERY
Authors: RAMAKRISHNA BHARATH , CHANG CHEIN-I , TROU BRUCE , HENQEMIHLE JERRY
Published: October 2007

The Chesapeake Bay is a valued ecological, economic, recreational, cultural and scenic resource. The Bay watershed States and the District of Columbia, in conjunction with the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program, have worked and teamed together over the past 20 years to protect and restore the Bay ecosystem. A key component of this effort is water quality and habitat monitoring to assess the impact of management actions and natural processes, and evaluate habitat parameters on living resources such as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), oysters, and fisheries. Using aerial and satellite remote sensing imagery has become a practical and effective means of monitoring water quality in a timely manner. Of particular interest in evaluation of water clarity are several initiative measures. Specifically, Secchi-Disk Transparency (SDT) and Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) have been widely accepted as critical indicators of water quality and their reliable estimation using satellite imagery provides a cost effective and speedy means for water quality monitoring. Work done at Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota has demonstrated the feasibility of performing regional assessment of lake water quality using LANDSAT image data. This paper investigates an approach similar to their work but uses a different type of satellite imagery, EO-1 ALI imagery where the SDT and Chl-a are also used as indicators to estimate water quality for the Chesapeake Bay and DC area (Potomac River). In doing so, three major issues are investigated, which are (1) the study site that is an open Bay area, not a self-contained lake; (2) investigation of applicability of equations that are used to specify the SDT and Chl-a to our Bay area study; (3) the use of a different type of satellite imagery for water quality monitoring. This paper develops techniques to address these three issues and presents preliminary experiments which show encouraging results.
LIF DETECTION OF TRACE SPECIES IN WATER USING DIFFERENT UV LASER WAVELENGTHS
Authors: SHARIKOVA ANNA V. , KILLINGER DENNIS K.
Published: October 2007

We have conducted studies of deep UV laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) for the reagentless detection of trace species and Dissolved Organic Compounds (DOC's) in water. Our LIF detection system had two interchangeable UV lasers, 266 nm and 355 nm, illuminating a flow cell containing a water sample. The fluorescence emitted at 90 degrees to the laser beam was collected by focusing optics, passed through cut-off and interference filters with 21 optical bandpass channels (240–680 nm ), and detected by a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The samples analyzed by the system included bottled, tap and river water; we have also worked with biological and chemical species (Bacillus Globigii, malathion). In terms of the excitation wavelength, it was observed that the deep UV excitation resulted in spectra that contained more features, and had better separation of the LIF from the Raman peak, thus enhancing the detection of unique spectral features.
DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS AND SAMPLING METHODS FOR IR-BASED DETECTION OF TOXIC COMPOUNDS IN WATER
Authors: NINNESS BRIAN J. , DOUCETTE LUKE D. , MCCOOL BEN , TRIPP CARL P.
Published: October 2007

A detection approach based on the principles of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is presented for the trace level detection of toxic compounds in water. The main advantages of this approach are that it operates in heterogeneous aqueous environments, provides fast detection (< 10 min), and exhibits high sensitivity/selectivity to nonvolatile toxic materials with minimal false alarms. The key enablers to using FTIR for aqueous-based detection is the development of a selective and robust sampling protocol coupled to a miniaturized portable FTIR unit. The sampling approaches involve synthesizing and tailoring microporous, mesoporous, and nonporous metal oxide powders/films that are amenable for in situ FTIR measurements. In this paper we provide an overview of the material synthesis and surface modification strategies, and present results obtained using these materials for the low level detection of the organophosphate pesticide phosmet. Phosmet is used as a surrogate for the nerve agent VX.
THz SPECTROSCOPY OF PROTEINS IN WATER: DIRECT ABSORPTION AND CIRCULAR DICHROISM
Authors: XU JING , PLAXCO KEVIN W. , ALLEN S. JAMES
Published: October 2007

Many of the functionally relevant collective vibrations of proteins and other biopolymers are expected to occur at terahertz frequencies. Precise absorption measurements combined with careful titration of biopolymers in water have allowed us to directly measure the terahertz absorption spectra associated with these motions, despite the strong background absorption of the solvent. We have also explored the circular dichroism spectroscopy of biomolecules over this same frequency range. Since circular dichroism requires the presence of net chirality in a molecule and chirality is present in nearly all biomaterial, it has the potential to capture the background free spectral features in biopolymers. To undertake these studies we have developed a broad band terahertz spectrometer suitable for both direct absorption and circular dichroism measurements of proteins in water between 0.75 – 3.72 THz. Direct terahertz absorption spectra of prototypical proteins bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hen egg white lysozyme have been documented and are described here. We have also successfully demonstrated the magnetic circular dichroism in semiconductors, and placed an upper bound on the terahertz circular dichroism signature of solvated BSA. In the terahertz frequency range, it appears that circular dichroism signatures are exceedingly small and detection remains a challenge.
A SERS-BASED ANALYZER FOR POINT AND CONTINUOUS WATER MONITORING OF CHEMICAL AGENTS AND THEIR HYDROLYSIS PRODUCTS
Authors: FARQUHARSON STUART , INSCORE FRANK E.
Published: October 2007

Protection of military personnel and civilians from water supplies poisoned by chemical warfare agents (CWAs) requires an analyzer that has sufficient sensitivity (μg/L, ppb), specificity (differentiate the CWA from its hydrolysis products), and speed (less than 10 minutes) to be of value. In an effort to meet these requirements, we have been investigating the ability of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect cyanide and sulfur mustard in water. In our work, we have developed a novel SERS-active material that consists of a porous glass with trapped metal particles. Previously, we coated the inside walls of glass vials and measured cyanide at 1 mg/L in water in as little as 1 minute. However, measurements of sulfur mustard have only been measured to 10 mg/L. Recently, we filled glass capillaries with the SERS-active material. Here we describe measurements of cyanide, sulfur mustard, and it's hydrolysis product, thiodiglycol, using these capillaries and a portable Raman analyzer suitable for point and continuous water monitoring.
REAGENTLESS BIO-SAMPLING METHODS FOR IR DETECTION
Authors: DOUCETTE LUKE D. , LI HE , NINNESS BRIAN J. , TRIPP CARL P.
Published: October 2007

Currently there exists a critical need within the military and homeland defense for highly sophisticated yet, small, lightweight portable sensors and detection systems for identifying and quantifying biological and biowarfare agents (BWA) in both liquid and aerosolized form. Our proposed BWA detection system is based upon Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), where the main advantages of this approach are that it is reagentless, operates in heterogeneous aqueous environments, and provides fast detection and high sensitivity/selectivity to bacterial spores with minimal false alarms.

The key enabler to using FTIR for BWA detection is to develop selective and robust sampling protocols coupled to a miniaturized, portable FTIR unit. To that end, we have developed front-end liquid flow cells which incorporate electric field (E-Field) concentration methods for spores onto the surface of an Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) IR crystal. IR spectra are presented which show collection and detection results with BG spores in water. The approaches we have developed take advantage of the fact that all spores are negatively charged in neutral pH solutions. Therefore, E-Field concentration of spores directly onto an ATR sampling element enables low level concentration measurements to be possible.
PRECONCENTRATION OF MICROORGANISMS INTO A TINY VOLUME OF LIQUID FOR ENHANCED SPECTRAL DETECTION
Authors: ZAROMB SOLOMON , MARTELL DENNIS , SCHATTKE NATHAN , HANKINS GARY
Published: October 2007

Concentration of 1-micron-size micro-organisms from about 100 ml of liquid, whether drawn from a bio-aerosol collector or from an environmental water source, into a volume of 1 to 2 ml. is achieved by a liquid flow system including a reversible filter through which filtered liquid can be recirculated or disposed of and from which a concentrated sample is recovered by opening a solenoid valve leading to a detector or to a collection container and reversing the pump for a short time. The reversing action flushes the collected particles off the filter and into the detector or container.

The effectiveness of this approach was demonstrated by measuring the cumulative fluorescence of 1-micron-size blue fluorescent microspheres versus cumulative volume withdrawn from our WEP collector after capture from an aerosol suspension of about 140 particles/ml drawn from a test chamber over a 5-minute period at a sampling rate of 500 liters/minute. As the liquid was being withdrawn from the WEP collector, it was filtered at a rate of 1 ml/second and the filter back-flushed with small portions of filtrate at 1-minute intervals. The relative cumulative concentration of captured particles in the first back-flushed 1-ml fraction was around 56 as compared with a value of 1.4 in the first 60-ml filtered fraction, which constitutes a liquid-to-liquid concentration enhancement by a factor of 40 and an air-to-liquid concentration factor of >1.25 × 106.
DESIGN & OPTIMIZATION OF AN I-RTD HYBRID THz OSCILLATOR BASED UPON In1−xGaxAs/GaSbyAs1−y HETEROSTRUCTURE SYSTEMS
Authors: ZHANG WEIDONG , WOOLARD DWIGHT , BROWN ELLIOTT , GELMONT BORIS , TREW ROBERT
Published: October 2007

An In 1− x Ga x As / GaSb y As 1− y hetero-system with staggered band-lineups as solid-state platform for design of an interband resonant double-barrier tunneling diode (I-RTD) based optically-pulsed (OT) hybrid device for generating THz oscillations is theoretically investigated. It is demonstrated that this optical I-RTD hybrid is compatible with the robust state-of-art 1.55 micron laser technology Multi-band wave equations in the framework of six-band Kane's model are applied for understanding the carrier dynamics when strain-induced effects are present. Simulation results for practical circuit implementations clearly show the superiority of this new oscillator concept.
STUDY OF TRANSPORT AND DEVICES BASED ON THE PHOTO-EXCITED TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELECTRONIC SYSTEM
Authors: MANI R. G.
Published: October 2007

A high mobility two-dimensional electron system exhibits large changes in the resistance, and zero-resistance states, under microwave and Terahertz excitation. We describe associated experimental results and the possibility of using this system as a radiation detector.
VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPY OF CHEMICAL AGENTS SIMULANTS, DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF CHEMICAL AGENTS AND TOXIC INDUSTRIAL COMPOUNDS
Authors: HERNÁNDEZ-RIVERA SAMUEL P. , PACHECO-LONDOÑO LEONARDO C. , PRIMERA-PEDROZO OLIVA M. , RUIZ ORLANDO , SOTO-FELICIANO YADIRA , ORTIZ WILLIAM
Published: October 2007

This paper focuses on the measurement of spectroscopic signatures of Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants (CWAS), degradation products of chemical agents and Toxic Industrial Compounds (TIC) using vibrational spectroscopy. Raman Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in liquid and gas phase and Fiber Optics Coupled-Grazing Angle Probe-FTIR were used to characterize the spectroscopic information of target threat agents. Ab initio chemical calculations of energy minimization and FTIR spectra of Chemical Warfare Agents were accompanied by Cluster Analysis to correlate spectral information of real agents and simulants.
HYPERSPECTRAL AND POLARIZATION IMAGING WITH DOUBLE-TRANSDUCER AOTFS FOR WIDER SPECTRAL COVERAGE
Authors: GUPTA NEELAM
Published: October 2007

We have developed a number of programmable hyperspectral imagers operating from the ultraviolet to the longwave infrared using an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) in conjunction with a suitable camera. Each of these AOTFs is fabricated with a single transducer to operate over only one octave in wavelength. Recently, we have developed two separate tellurium dioxide ( TeO 2) noncollinear AOTF cells that operate over two octave range. Each cell has an aperture of 1.5 × 1.5 cm 2 with a field-of-view of 4.2°, and two thin-plate lithium niobate transducers are bonded on it. The tuning range of the first cell is 0.43–2.1 μm , and 0.69–4.0 μm for the second cell. We have used each of these cells to carry out spectral imaging experiments with CCD, InGaAs , and InSb cameras to cover the spectral region from the visible to the midwave infrared. We image the two orthogonally polarized diffracted beams to get spectropolarimetric information from the scene, as well as a broadband image by using one of the undiffracted beams. In this paper, we discuss the two AOTF cells, the imaging experiments, and present the results obtained.
DEEP-UV BASED ACOUSTO-OPTIC TUNABLE FILTER FOR SPECTRAL SENSING APPLICATIONS
Authors: PRASAD NARASIMHA S.
Published: October 2007

In this paper, recent progress made in the development of quartz and KDP crystal based acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTF) are presented. These AOTFs are developed for operation over deep-UV to near-UV wavelengths of 190 nm to 400 nm. Preliminary output performance measurements of quartz AOTF and design specifications of KDP AOTF are presented. At 355 nm, the quartz AOTF device offered ∼15% diffraction efficiency with a passband full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of less than 0.0625 nm. Further characterization of quartz AOTF devices at deep-UV wavelengths is progressing. The hermetic packaging of KDP AOTF is nearing completion. The solid-state optical sources being used for excitation include nonlinear optics based high-energy tunable UV transmitters that operate around 320 nm and 308 nm wavelengths, and a tunable deep-UV laser operating over 193 nm to 210 nm. These AOTF devices have been developed as turn-key devices for primarily for space-based chemical and biological sensing applications using laser induced Fluorescence and resonance Raman techniques.
DEVELOPMENT OF MINIATURE ACOUSTO OPTIC TUNABLE FILTER (AOTF) SPECTROMETER FOR DETECTION OF TOXIC INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS (TICS)
Authors: STOPA PETER J. , SOOS JOLANTA I. , ROSEMEIER RONALD G. , TRIVEDI SUDHIR B. , KUTCHER SUSAN W.
Published: October 2007

This paper describes a remotely operable miniature spectrometer for the detection of Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TIC) using Near Infra-Red (NIR) spectroscopy. The spectrometer discussed here is compact, rugged and capable of operating on either as a handheld unit or on robotic platforms. The packaged unit consists of two modules: an optical head unit and an electronics unit. The optical head contains an infra-red light source, an Acousto-Optical Tunable Filter (AOTF) spectrometer, and associated electronics. The other module is contains the associated electronics assembly and cables connecting it with the optical head. This unit has fiber optic and free space detection capabilities and can be operated using 24 V battery power packs. We have developed a method to detect unknown chemical threat using measured signatures of known chemicals and chemometric techniques. At this time the system can detect chemicals in solid and liquid forms. We are currently optimizing the system for detection of chemicals in gaseous/vapor forms.