bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular Techniques in the Diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the Detection of Drug Resistance
Authors: CAWS M. , DROBNIEWSKI F. A.
Published: February 2006

Abstract: Early diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease is crucial in initiating treatment and interrupting the train of transmission. The increasing incidence of MDR TB worldwide has also placed emphasis on the need for early detection of drug resistance, particularly to isoniazid and rifampicin. Molecular diagnostic techniques and automated culture systems have reduced turn‐around times in the modern mycobacteriology laboratory, and the continuing evaluation and development of such techniques is increasing the use of molecular technology in developed nations. Simple phenotypic methods for the detection of resistance to first‐line drugs and genotypic kit‐form assays for detection of rifampicin resistance have been developed that have become key tools in the containment of MDR TB.
Letting the Genome Out of the Bottle
Authors: YOUNG DOUGLAS
Published: February 2006

Abstract: Use of the information gained from sequencing the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome will enable scientists to accelerate the development of reagents for improved tuberculosis control. Cloning and expressing genes encoding the enzymes involved in cell‐wall biosynthesis will provide the tools for screening millions of novel compounds. Cell wall inhibitors will be mainly useful in treating resistant disease, but cost factors are likely to limit the application of novel compounds in the design of new treatment regimens. More effective might be an approach to target metabolic processes that are essential even in nondividing bacteria. A third target for drug action is elimination of latent disease through a drug that acts in synergy with the immune response.
Pharmacological Issues in the Treatment of Tuberculosis
Authors: PELOQUIN CHARLES A.
Published: February 2006

Abstract: A thorough review of the clinical trial data combined with new in vitro experimental information may make the optimization of dosages of TB drugs possible. Several factors can affect the selection and dosage of TB drugs including hepatic and renal impairment, pregnancy, duration of disease before treatment, and extent of debilitation. Drug interactions and pharmacodynamics must be considered, and their roles are discussed.
Just Coercion? Detention of Nonadherent Tuberculosis Patients
Authors: COKER RICHARD
Published: February 2006

Abstract: The need to balance the rights of individuals and to protect the public health will bring with it demands for the restriction of individuals' liberty. Three points should always be considered when these measures are adopted: (1) the lack of evidence that detention benefits the public health; (2) the risk that fundamental human rights may be overridden unnecessarily; and (3) that coercive practices may act as a smokescreen for improved, but more complex or more costly, public health responses to the causes of TB control failures. The policies of New York City and England are presented, and the argument is made that neither is just.
Missed Opportunities?
Authors: PORTER JOHN D.H. , OGDEN JESSICA A.
Published: February 2006

Abstract: The DOTS strategy (directly observed therapy, short course) has been the cornerstone of international TB control policy since the early 1990s. This strategy has provided the international community with an advocacy tool to harness funds for TB as well as a method for helping country programs to achieve high cure rates for TB. But as much as the strategy is seen as successful by some, it is perceived as unsuccessful by others. This paper looks at the results of the introduction of DOTS into control programs and discusses research relating to direct observation of treatment. It asks how policies like DOTS are created, and how they are administered and transferred from the international to the national and finally to the local level. The discipline of public health policy is used to interrogate the creation and history of the DOTS strategy in order to find ways of aiding the transfer of the policy to national and local levels. Finally, the paper asks whether the concepts of “control” and “elimination” continue to be useful in the management of infectious diseases. We ask whether it is time to change the perspective to policies that focus more on the context of implementation and the importance of the development of care, integration, and flexibility rather than cure, targets, and short‐term solutions.
Trimetazidine improved Ca2+ handling in isoprenalinemediated myocardial injury of rats
Authors: Meng Dan , Feng Lin , Chen Xiang‐Jian , Yang Di , Zhang Ji‐Nan
Published: February 2006

Dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis plays an important role in mediating myocardial injury. We tested the hypothesis that treatment with trimetazidine (TMZ) would improve intracellular Ca2+ handling in myocardial injury of rats. The control group received saline only (10 ml kg−1 day−1, i.p.) for 7 days. In a second group, isoprenaline (ISO; 5 mg kg−1 day−1, s.c.) was administered to rats for 2 days to induce an acute injury of the myocardium. In a third group, treatment with TMZ (10 mg kg−1 day−1, i.p.) was initiated 1 day before ISO administration and continued for 7 days (n= 7 rats in each group). Histopathological evaluation showed that TMZ prevented ISO‐induced myocardial damage. TMZ preserved the ATP levels and decreased the maleic dialdehyde (MDA) content in the hearts compared with ISO‐treated rats. The diastolic [Ca2+]i measured by loading with fura‐2 AM in isolated cardiomyocytes was increased significantly in ISO‐treated rats compared to the control animals. TMZ prevented the rise of diastolic [Ca2+]i and the depression of caffeine‐induced Ca2+ transients caused by ISO administration. The reduction in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ content in the heart cells and in cardiac SR Ca2+‐ATPase activity in ISO‐treated rats was abolished by TMZ, although there were no differences in SR Ca2+‐ATPase protein levels between the control, ISO and ISO + 7 mz‐treated rats. In addition, TMZ prevented the reduction in sarcolemmal L‐type Ca2+ current density in the heart cells induced by ISO treatment. These results demonstrate that the treatment of rats with TMZ inhibited the increase of diastolic [Ca2+]i and prevented the decrease of SR Ca2+ content, SR Ca2+‐ATPase activity and L‐type Ca2+ current density in cardiomyocytes in ISO‐mediated myocardial injury of rats. These changes in Ca2+ handling could help to explain the favourable action of TMZ in myocardial injury.
Propriospinal neurons contribute to bulbospinal transmission of the locomotor command signal in the neonatal rat spinal cord
Authors: Zaporozhets Eugene , Cowley Kristine C. , Schmidt Brian J.
Published: February 2006

This study examines whether propriospinal transmission contributes to descending propagation of the brainstem locomotor command signal in thein vitroneonatal rat spinal cord. Using double bath partitions, synaptic transmission was suppressed in the cervicothoracic region while monitoring locomotor‐like activity on lumbar ventral roots evoked by either chemical or electrical stimulation of the brainstem. Locomotor‐like activity induced by electrical stimulation was more stable (cycle period coefficient of variation (CV) 11.7 ± 6.1%) than the rhythm induced by chemical stimulation (CV 31.3 ± 6.4%). Ca2+‐free bath solution, elevated Mg2+ion concentration, excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists (AP5 and/or CNQX), and the muscarinic receptor antagonist, atropine, were used in attempts to block synaptic transmission. Each of these manipulations, except muscarinic receptor blockade, was capable of blocking locomotor‐like activity induced by brainstem stimulation. However, locomotor‐like activity induced by higher intensity electrical stimulation of the brainstem (1.2–5 times threshold) was relatively refractory to synaptic suppression using AP5 and CNQX, and Ca2+‐free solution was more effective if combined with high Mg2+(15 mm) or EGTA. Enhancement of neuronal excitation in the cervicothoracic region, using Mg2+‐free bath solution, facilitated brainstem activation of locomotor‐like activity in the lumbar cord, consistent with a propriospinal mechanism of locomotor signal propagation. Blockade of brainstem‐induced locomotor‐like activity was related to the number of cervicothoracic segments exposed to synaptic suppression, being most effective if five or more segments were included. These results provide direct evidence that propriospinal pathways contribute to bulbospinal activation of the locomotor network in thein vitroneonatal rat brainstem–spinal cord preparation, and suggest that a propriospinal system is recruited in parallel with long direct projections that activate the locomotor network.
Evidence for altered placental blood flow and vascularity in compromised pregnancies
Authors: Reynolds Lawrence P. , Caton Joel S. , Redmer Dale A. , Grazul‐Bilska Anna T. , Vonnahme Kimberly A. , Borowicz Pawel P. , Luther Justin S. , Wallace Jacqueline M. , Wu Guoyao , Spencer Thomas E.
Published: February 2006

The placenta is the organ that transports nutrients, respiratory gases, and wastes between the maternal and fetal systems. Consequently, placental blood flow and vascular development are essential components of normal placental function and are critical to fetal growth and development. Normal fetal growth and development are important to ensure optimum health of offspring throughout their subsequent life course. In numerous sheep models of compromised pregnancy, in which fetal or placental growth, or both, are impaired, utero‐placental blood flows are reduced. In the models that have been evaluated, placental vascular development also is altered. Recent studies found that treatments designed to increase placental blood flow can ‘rescue’ fetal growth that was reduced due to low maternal dietary intake. Placental blood flow and vascular development are thus potential therapeutic targets in compromised pregnancies.
Placental adaptive responses and fetal programming
Authors: Myatt Leslie
Published: February 2006

Fetal programming occurs when the normal pattern of fetal development is disrupted by an abnormal stimulus or ‘insult’ applied at a critical point in in utero development. This then leads to an effect, for example diabetes or hypertension, which manifests itself in adult life. As the placenta is the regulator of nutrient composition and supply from mother to fetus and the source of hormonal signals that affect maternal and fetal metabolism, appropriate development of the placenta is crucial to normal fetal development. Placental function evolves in a carefully orchestrated developmental cascade throughout gestation. Disruption of this cascade can lead to abnormal development of the placental vasculature or of the trophoblast. Timing of a developmental ‘insult’ will be critical in consequent placental function and hence programming of the fetus. The ‘insults’ that alter placental development include hypoxia and abnormal maternal nutrient status, to which the placenta may adapt by alterations in transporter expression and activity to maintain fetal growth or by epigenetic regulation of placental gene expression. Hypoxia is physiological for organogenesis and placental tissue normally exists in a relatively hypoxic environment, but intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and pre‐eclampsia are associated with a greater degree of trophoblast hypoxia. The metabolic activity of placental mitochondria leads to oxidative stress even in normal pregnancy which is exacerbated further in IUGR, diabetic and pre‐eclamptic pregnancies and may also give nitrative stress known to lead to covalent modification and hence altered activity of proteins. Hypoxia, oxidative and nitrative stress all alter placenta development and may be a general underlying mechanism that links altered placental function to fetal programming.
Fetal programming of hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal function: prenatal stress and glucocorticoids
Authors: Kapoor Amita , Dunn Elizabeth , Kostaki Alice , Andrews Marcus H. , Matthews Stephen G.
Published: February 2006

Prenatal stress (PS) and maternal exposure to exogenous glucocorticoids can lead to permanent modification of hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) function and stress‐related behaviour. Both of these manipulations lead to increased fetal exposure to glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids are essential for many aspects of normal brain development, but exposure of the fetal brain to an excess of glucocorticoids can have life‐long effects on neuroendocrine function. Both endogenous glucocorticoid and synthetic glucocorticoid exposure have a number of rapid effects in the fetal brain, including modification of neurotransmitter systems and transcriptional machinery. Such fetal exposure permanently alters HPA function in prepubertal, postpubertal and ageing offspring, in a sex‐dependent manner. Prenatal stress and exogenous glucocorticoid manipulation also lead to the modification of behaviour, brain and organ morphology, as well as altered regulation of other endocrine systems. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that the timing of exposure to PS or synthetic glucocorticoids has tremendous effects on the nature of the phenotypic outcome. Permanent changes in endocrine function will ultimately impact on health in both human and animal populations.
Development of baroreflex function and hind limb vascular reactivity in the horse fetus
Authors: O'Connor Susie J. , Ousey Jenny C. , Gardner David S. , Fowden Abigail L. , Giussani Dino A.
Published: February 2006

This study investigated,in vivo, the mechanisms underlying the development of cardiovascular function in the horse fetus, with particular relevance to baroreflex function and hind limb vascular arterial reactivity to constrictor agonists. Under general anaesthesia, vascular catheters were inserted and a Transonic flow probe was implanted around one of the metatarsal arteries of 13 horse fetuses, either at 0.6 of gestation (n= 6) or at 0.9 of gestation (n= 7, term ∼335 days). At least 5 days after surgery, pressor, vasoconstrictor and cardiac chronotropic responses to exogenous bolus doses of phenylephrine, angiotensin II and arginine vasopressin were recorded. Fetal cardiac baroreflex slopes were obtained using the peak pressor and heart rate responses to increasing doses of phenylephrine. Fetal treatment with phenylephrine, angiotensin II and vasopressin produced significant changes in arterial blood pressure, hind limb vascular resistance and heart rate. Pressor and vasopressor responses to all agonists were greater at 0.9 than at 0.6 of gestation; however, fetal cardiac baroreflex sensitivity decreased with advancing gestational age. Correlation analysis revealed that fetal plasma cortisol rather than gestational age was a greater determinant of pressor and vasopressor reactivity. In contrast, gestational age rather than cortisol better determined heart rate and baroreflex responsiveness in the equine fetus. The data show that development of cardiovascular function in the equine fetus occurs via cortisol‐dependent and ‐independent pathways.
Recognition of Stage-Specific Mycobacterial Antigens Differentiates between Acute and Latent Infections with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Demissie Abebech , Leyten Eliane M. S. , Abebe Markos , Wassie Liya , Aseffa Abraham , Abate Getahun , Fletcher Helen , Owiafe Patrick , Hill Philip C. , Brookes Roger , Rook Graham , Zumla Alimuddin , Arend Sandra M. , Klein Michel , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Andersen Peter , Doherty T. Mark ,   the VACSEL Study Group
Published: February 2006

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
is estimated to infect 80 to 100 million people annually, the majority of whom do not develop clinical tuberculosis (TB) but instead maintain the infection in a latent state. These individuals generally become positive in response to a tuberculin skin test and may develop clinical TB at a later date, particularly if their immune systems are compromised. Latently infected individuals are interesting for two reasons. First, they are an important reservoir of
M. tuberculosis
, which needs to be considered for TB control. Second, if detected prior to recrudescence of the disease, they represent a human population that is making a protective immune response to
M. tuberculosis
, which is very important for defining correlates of protective immunity. In this study, we show that while responsiveness to early secretory antigenic target 6 is a good marker for
M. tuberculosis
infection, a strong response to the 16-kDa Rv2031c antigen (HspX or α-crystallin) is largely restricted to latently infected individuals, offering the possibility of differential immunodiagnosis of, or therapeutic vaccination against, TB.
Cytokine Response to Antigen Stimulation of Whole Blood from Patients with
Mycobacterium ulcerans
Disease Compared to That from Patients with Tuberculosis
Authors: Phillips R. , Horsfield C. , Kuijper S. , Sarfo S. F. , Obeng-Baah J. , Etuaful S. , Nyamekye B. , Awuah P. , Nyarko K. M. , Osei-Sarpong F. , Lucas S. , Kolk A. H. J. , Wansbrough-Jones M.
Published: February 2006

Mycobacterium ulcerans
disease (Buruli ulcer) is a skin-ulcerating infection common in some parts of the tropics. We have investigated cytokine secretion after stimulation of whole blood from Buruli ulcer (BU) patients in a region of endemicity in Ghana with
M. ulcerans
sonicate or culture filtrate antigens to investigate the development of the response over time and its specificity by comparison with the response to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
sonicate in human immunodeficiency virus-negative tuberculosis patients. Significant gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production in response to whole-blood stimulation with
M. ulcerans
sonicate was detected in patients with ulcers, which was higher than that in patients with nodules but similar to subjects with healed BU. The mean IFN-γ response in household contacts of BU patients was not significantly different from that in healthy control subjects from an area of nonendemicity. Results in patients with untreated, smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculosis patients on treatment for more than 2 weeks showed that BU patients responded better to
M. ulcerans
antigens than tuberculosis patients. In contrast, interleukin-10 results were higher in patients with active
M. ulcerans
disease than in those with healed lesions, but the pattern of response was similar to that seen in tuberculosis. A similar pattern of cytokine secretion was found using
M. tuberculosis
sonicate as an antigen. Neither of the two culture filtrate antigens of
M. ulcerans
appeared to be more specific than
M. ulcerans
sonicate. In the early stages of
M. ulcerans
disease there was a mixed Th1 and Th2 cytokine response, but the Th1 response emerged as the dominant type.
A Divergent Transcription Factor TFIIB in Trypanosomes Is Required for RNA Polymerase II-Dependent Spliced Leader RNA Transcription and Cell Viability
Authors: Palenchar Jennifer B. , Liu Wenzhe , Palenchar Peter M. , Bellofatto Vivian
Published: February 2006

Transcription by RNA polymerase II in trypanosomes deviates from the standard eukaryotic paradigm. Genes are transcribed polycistronically and subsequently cleaved into functional mRNAs, requiring
trans
splicing of a capped 39-nucleotide leader RNA derived from a short transcript, the spliced leader (SL) RNA. The only identified trypanosome RNA polymerase II promoter is that of the SL RNA gene. We have previously shown that transcription of SL RNA requires divergent trypanosome homologs of RNA polymerase II, TATA binding protein, and the small nuclear RNA (snRNA)-activating protein complex. In other eukaryotes, TFIIB is an additional key component of transcription for both mRNAs and polymerase II-dependent snRNAs. We have identified a divergent homolog of the usually highly conserved basal transcription factor, TFIIB, from the pathogenic parasite
Trypanosoma brucei. T. brucei
TFIIB (TbTFIIB) interacted directly with the trypanosome TATA binding protein and RNA polymerase II, confirming its identity. Functionally, in vitro transcription studies demonstrated that TbTFIIB is indispensable in SL RNA gene transcription. RNA interference (RNAi) studies corroborated the essential nature of TbTFIIB, as depletion of this protein led to growth arrest of parasites. Furthermore, nuclear extracts prepared from parasites depleted of TbTFIIB, after the induction of RNAi, required recombinant TbTFIIB to support spliced leader transcription. The information gleaned from TbTFIIB studies furthers our understanding of SL RNA gene transcription and the elusive overall transcriptional processes in trypanosomes.
The Pb
MDJ1
Gene Belongs to a Conserved
MDJ1/LON
Locus in Thermodimorphic Pathogenic Fungi and Encodes a Heat Shock Protein That Localizes to both the Mitochondria and Cell Wall of
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
Authors: Batista Wagner L. , Matsuo Alisson L. , Ganiko Luciane , Barros Tânia F. , Veiga Thiago R. , Freymüller Edna , Puccia Rosana
Published: February 2006

J-domain (DnaJ) proteins, of the Hsp40 family, are essential cofactors of their cognate Hsp70 chaperones, besides acting as independent chaperones. In the present study, we have demonstrated the presence of Mdj1, a mitochondrial DnaJ member, not only in the mitochondria, where it is apparently sorted, but also in the cell wall of
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
, a thermodimorphic pathogenic fungus. The molecule (PbMdj1) was localized to fungal yeast cells using both confocal and electron microscopy and also flow cytometry. The anti-recombinant PbMdj1 antibodies used in the reactions specifically recognized a single 55-kDa mitochondrial and cell wall (alkaline β-mercaptoethanol extract) component, compatible with the predicted size of the protein devoid of its matrix peptide-targeting signal. Labeling was abundant throughout the cell wall and especially in the budding regions; however, anti-PbMdj1 did not affect fungal growth in the concentrations tested in vitro, possibly due to the poor access of the antibodies to their target in growing cells. Labeled mitochondria stood preferentially close to the plasma membrane, and gold particles were detected in the thin space between them, toward the cell surface. We show that Mdj1 and the mitochondrial proteinase Lon homologues are heat shock proteins in
P. brasiliensis
and that their gene organizations are conserved among thermodimorphic fungi and
Aspergillus
, where the genes are adjacent and have a common 5′ region. This is the first time a DnaJ member has been observed on the cell surface, where its function is speculative.
Loss of human leucocyte antigen class I and gain of class II expression are early events in carcinogenesis: clues from a study of Barrett’s oesophagus
Authors: Rajendra S , Ackroyd R , Karim N , Mohan C , Ho J J , Kutty M K
Published: February 2006

Background:Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) expression is altered in oesophageal carcinomas compared with normal tissue. It is unclear, however, whether this phenotype precedes malignant transformation or results as a consequence of it.

Aim:To investigate HLA class I and II expression in Barrett’s oesophagus and normal squamous oesophageal tissue.

Methods:Asian patients with Barrett’s oesophagus (n = 64) and a control group (n = 60) with a normal oesophagus but without reflux symptoms were recruited using endoscopic and histopathological criteria. Tissue samples were stained with monoclonal antibodies specific for HLA-ABC, HLA-DR α chain or HLA-DP/DQ/DR, and scored semiquantitatively. The results of immunohistochemical staining were correlated with clinical and histopathological characteristics of patients.

Results:Marked expression of HLA-ABC was observed in 50% of Barrett’s oesophagus sections as compared with 68.3% of controls (p = 0.038). HLA-DR staining was seen in 51.6% of Barrett’s oesophagus samples versus 11.7% of controls (p<0.001). Expression of HLA-DP/DQ/DR was evident in 73.4% of oesophageal intestinal metaplasia tissue as opposed to 18.3% of controls (p<0.001). Importantly, a total loss of HLA-ABC and a concomitant gain of HLA-DP/DQ/DR expression were seen in 37.5% of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus but in none of the controls (p<0.001). Interestingly, this phenotype was associated positively with dysplasia (adjusted p, p* = 0.031) but negatively with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use (p* = 0.004).

Conclusions:HLA class I expression is down regulated and class II expression is up regulated in Barrett’s oesophagus. As these changes predate malignant transformation, altered major histocompatibility complex expression may be a key event in disease progression, possibly in facilitating evasion from immune surveillance.
Rectal adenocarcinoma with oncocytic features: possible relationship with preoperative chemoradiotherapy
Authors: Rouzbahman M , Serra S , Chetty R
Published: February 2006

Background:The introduction of preoperative chemoradiation into the treatment protocol of rectal adenocarcinomas has affected the microscopical morphology in subsequent resection specimens. The constellation of histopathological changes is varied and well documented.

Aim:To describe oncocytic change in rectal cancers that have been treated with chemoradiation before surgery.

Methods:7 of 54 patients with rectal cancer were identified with a history of chemoradiation, specifically directed to the rectal tumours in fractions of 4500–5000 cGy of radiation and 5-fluorouracil. The rectal tumours in five of these seven patients were composed of oncocytes that constituted 30–80% of the cancers. The patients were three men and two women aged 65–73 years, all with T3 N0 tumours. The intervals between chemoradiation and resection varied from 3 to 12 weeks.

Results:The tumour cells conformed to oncocytes morphologically (large size with abundant, granular eosinophilic cytoplasm, vesicular nuclei and prominent acidophilic nucleoli), immunohistochemically (positive for carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin 20 and caudal type homeo box transcription factor 2, but negative for both chromogranin and synaptophysin) and ultrastructurally (large cells showing tight junctions, cytoplasmic engorgement by mitochondria and absence of neurosecretory granules).

Conclusions:The changes in these cells differ from those described previously in endocrine cells encountered in pretreated rectal cancers. Oncocytic change in this particular clinical context occurs as a reflection of cytotoxic damage or cellular hypoxia induced by chemoradiation resulting in degeneration of the cell and the oncocytic phenotype. Oncocytic change may be an under-recognised histopathological change in rectal cancers receiving preoperative chemoradiation.
The French National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program
Authors: Goldberg M , Imbernon E , Rolland P , Soit Ilg A Gilg , Savès M , de Quillacq A , Frenay C , Chamming’s S , Arveux P , Boutin C , Launoy G , Pairon J C , Astoul P , Galateau-Sallé F , Brochard P
Published: February 2006

Objectives:The French National Mesothelioma Surveillance Program (NMSP) was established in 1998 by the National Institute for Health Surveillance (InVS). Its objectives are to estimate the trends in mesothelioma incidence and the proportion attributable to occupational asbestos exposure, to help improve its pathology diagnosis, to assess its compensation as an occupational disease, and to contribute to research.

Methods:The NMSP records incident pleural tumours in 21 French districts that cover a population of approximately 16 million people (a quarter of the French population). A standardised procedure of pathological and clinical diagnosis ascertainment is used. Lifetime exposure to asbestos and to other factors (man made mineral fibres, ionising radiation, SV40 virus) is reconstructed, and a case-control study was also conducted. The proportion of mesothelioma compensated as an occupational disease was assessed.

Results:Depending on the hypothesis, the estimated number of incident cases in 1998 ranged from 660 to 761 (women: 127 to 146; men: 533 to 615). Among men, the industries with the highest risks of mesothelioma are construction and ship repair, asbestos industry, and manufacture of metal construction materials; the occupations at highest risk are plumbers, pipe-fitters, and sheet-metal workers. The attributable risk fraction for occupational asbestos exposure in men was 83.2% (95% CI 76.8 to 89.6). The initial pathologist’s diagnosis was confirmed in 67% of cases, ruled out in 13%, and left uncertain in the others; for half of the latter, the clinical findings supported a mesothelioma diagnosis. In all, 62% applied for designation of an occupational disease, and 91% of these were receiving workers’ compensation.

Conclusions:The NMSP is a large scale epidemiological surveillance system with several original aspects, providing important information to improve the knowledge of malignant pleural mesothelioma, such as monitoring the evolution of its incidence, of high risk occupations and economic sectors, and improving pathology techniques.
SYMMETRIES AND AMBIGUITIES IN THE LINEAR SIGMA MODEL WITH LIGHT QUARKS
Authors: DIAS E. W. , HILLER B. , MOTA A. L. , NEMES M. C. , SAMPAIO M. , OSIPOV A. A.
Published: February 2006

We investigate the role of undetermined finite contributions generated by radiative corrections in an SU (2)× SU (2) linear sigma model with quarks. Although some of such terms can be absorbed in the renormalization procedure, one such contribution is left in the expression for the pion decay constant. This arbitrariness is eliminated by chiral symmetry.
LABORATORY BOUNDS ON LORENTZ SYMMETRY VIOLATION IN LOW ENERGY NEUTRINO PHYSICS
Authors: DI GREZIA E. , ESPOSITO S. , SALESI G.
Published: February 2006

Quantitative bounds on Lorentz symmetry violation in the neutrino sector have been obtained by analyzing existing laboratory data on neutron β decay and pion leptonic decays. In particular some parameters appearing in the energy–momentum dispersion relations for νe and νμ have been constrained in two typical cases arising in many models accounting for Lorentz violation.
SELF-TRAPPING AT THE LIQUID-VAPOR CRITICAL POINT
Authors: MILLER BRUCE N. , REESE TERRENCE L.
Published: February 2006

Experiments suggest that localization via self-trapping plays a central role in the behavior of equilibrated low mass particles in both liquids and in supercritical fluids. In the latter case, the behavior is dominated by the liquid-vapor critical point which is difficult to probe, both experimentally and theoretically. Here, for the first time, we present the results of path-integral computations of the characteristics of a self-trapped particle at the critical point of a Lennard-Jones fluid for a positive particle-atom scattering length. We investigate the influence of the range of the particle-atom interaction on trapping properties, and the pick-off decay rate for the case where the particle is ortho-positronium. We find that, at the critical point, the transition from the self-trapped inhomogeneity to the density of the surrounding fluid is more gradual than in the liquid, or dense gas, away from the critical point. In addition the "shell structure" in fluid density surrounding the droplet is effaced.
THE Ck-GORDIAN COMPLEX OF KNOTS
Authors: OHYAMA YOSHIYUKI
Published: February 2006

Hirasawa and Uchida defined the Gordian complex of knots which is a simplicial complex whose vertices consist of all knot types in S3by using "a crossing change". In this paper, we define the Ck-Gordian complex of knots which is an extension of the Gordian complex of knots. Let k be a natural number more than 2 and we show that for any knot K0and any given natural number n, there exists a family of knots {K0, K1,…, Kn} such that for any pair (Ki, Kj) of distinct elements of the family, the Ck-distance dCk(Ki, Kj) = 1.
ON HYPERBOLIC KNOTS REALIZING THE MAXIMAL DISTANCE BETWEEN TOROIDAL SURGERIES
Authors: TERAGAITO MASAKAZU
Published: February 2006

For a hyperbolic knot in the 3-sphere, the distance between toroidal surgeries is at most 5, except the figure eight knot. In this paper, we determine all hyperbolic knots that admit two toroidal surgeries with distance 5.
HAMILTONIAN CYCLES AND ROPE LENGTHS OF CONWAY ALGEBRAIC KNOTS
Authors: DIAO YUANAN , ERNST CLAUS
Published: February 2006

For a knot or link K, let L(K) denote the rope length of K and let Cr (K) denote the crossing number of K. An important problem in geometric knot theory concerns the bound on L(K) in terms of Cr (K). It is well-known that there exist positive constants c1, c2 such that for any knot or link K, c1 · ( Cr (K))3/4 ≤ L(K) ≤ c2 · ( Cr (K))3/2. It is also known that for any real number p such that 3/4 ≤ p ≤ 1, there exists a family of knots {Kn} with the property that Cr (Kn) → ∞ ( as n → ∞) such that L(Kn) = O( Cr (Kn)p). However, it is still an open question whether there exists a family of knots {Kn} with the property that Cr (Kn) → ∞ ( as n → ∞) such that L(Kn) = O( Cr (Kn)p) for some 1 < p ≤ 3/2. In this paper, we show that there are many families of prime alternating Conway algebraic knots {Kn} with the property that Cr (Kn) → ∞ ( as n → ∞) such that L(Kn) can grow no faster than linearly with respect to Cr (Kn).
ALEXANDER GROUPS OF LONG VIRTUAL KNOTS
Authors: SILVER DANIEL S. , WILLIAMS SUSAN G.
Published: February 2006

Alexander group systems for virtual long knots are defined and used to show that any virtual knot is the closure of infinitely many long virtual knots. Manturov's result that there exists a pair of long virtual knots that do not commute is reproved.
A TAXONOMY OF TRANSACTIONAL WORKFLOW SUPPORT
Authors: GREFEN PAUL , VONK JOCHEM
Published: February 2006

Structured business processes are the veins of complex business organizations. Workflows have generally been accepted as a means to model and support these processes, be they interactive or completely automated. The fact that these processes require robustness and clear semantics has generally been observed and has led to the combination of workflow and transaction concepts. Many variations on this combination exist, leading to many approaches to transactional workflow support. No clear classification of these approaches has been developed, however, resulting in a badly understood field. To deal with this problem, we describe a clear taxonomy of transactional workflow models in this paper, based on the relation between workflow and transaction concepts. We show that the classes in the taxonomy can be directly related to specification language and architecture types for workflow and transaction management systems. We compare the various classes with respect to their characteristics and place existing approaches in the taxonomy. We cover both "traditional" workflow approaches and more recent web-based approaches, including inter-organizational workflow approaches. Together, this paper offers a well-structured and concise analysis of the field of transactional business process support.
PREDICTION OF FINANCIAL DISTRESS BY MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: THE CASE OF FIRMS TAKEN INTO THE SURVEILLANCE MARKET IN THE ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE
Authors: CANBAŞ SERPIL , ÖNAL YILDIRIM B. , DÜZAKIN HATICE G. , KILIÇ SÜLEYMAN B.
Published: February 2006

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether or not firms that are taken into the surveillance market in Istanbul Stock Exchange are experiencing financial distress. The surveillance firms present irregular behaviors and have difficulty complying with current regulation. It can be expected that the basic reason behind these irregular behaviors is financial distress. Results of the study support this expectation and show that it is possible to predict financial distress one year in advance. Principal component analysis and discriminant analysis are combined in order to estimate an integrated early warning model for financial distress prediction.
LIPSCHITZ CONTINUITY FOR H-CONVEX FUNCTIONS IN CARNOT GROUPS
Authors: SUN MINGBAO , YANG XIAOPING
Published: February 2006

For a Carnot group G of step two, we prove that H-convex functions are locally bounded from above. Therefore, H-convex functions on a Carnot group G of step two are locally Lipschitz continuous by using recent results by Magnani.
1/f NOISE IN DBR TUNABLE LASERS
Authors: MYARA M. , SIGNORET P. , TOURRENC J. P. , ORSAL B. , JACQUET J.
Published: February 2006

Tunable Lasers are key-components for Wavelength Division Multiplexing optical communication applications at 1.55μm. In this paper, we compare a rate equation model with measurements performed in order to study the Bragg section contribution in the 1/f-optical-beam noise power spectral density.
DATA GATHERING AND COMMUNICATION FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS — A CENTRALIZED APPROACH
Authors: LIU PETER X. , DING NANCY
Published: February 2006

This paper introduces a centralized approach to data gathering and communication for wireless sensor networks. Inspired by the social behaviors of natural ants, we clearly partition the task for the base station and sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network according to their different functions and capabilities. An ant colony optimization method is employed at the base station to form a near-optimal chain for sensor nodes to transmit collected data. Sensor nodes in the network then form a bi-direction chain structure, which is self-adaptive to any minor changes of the network topology. The simulation results show that the developed algorithm, which we call AntChain algorithm, performs much better than many other protocols in terms of energy efficiency, data integrity and life time when the base station is near where the sensor nodes are deployed.
REAL-TIME SURVEILLANCE BASED ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
Authors: OU YONGSHENG , QIAN HUIHUAN , WU XINYU , XU YANGSHENG
Published: February 2006

This paper introduces a real-time video surveillance system which can track people and detect human abnormal behaviors. In the blob detection part, an optical flow algorithm for crowd environment is studied experimentally and a comparison study with respect to traditional subtraction approach is carried out. The different approaches in segmentation and tracking enable the system to track persons when they change movement unpredictably in occlusion. We developed two methods for the human abnormal behavior analysis. The first one employs Principal Component Analysis for feature selection and Support Vector Machine for classification of human behaviors. The proposed feature selection method is based on the border information of four consecutive blobs. The second approach computes optical flow to obtain the velocity of each pixel for determining whether a human behavior is normal or not. Both algorithms are successfully developed in crowded environments to detect the following human abnormal behaviors: (1) Running people in a crowded environment; (2) falling down movement while most are walking or standing; (3) a person carrying an abnormal bar in a square; (4) a person waving hand in the crowd. Experimental results demonstrate these two methods are robust in detecting human abnormal behaviors.
HIGH PRECISION RING LOCATION FOR A NEW ROTATIONALLY SYMMETRIC TRIANGULATION SENSOR
Authors: GAO JUN , WANG XIAOJIA , ECKSTEIN JOHANNES , OTT PETER
Published: February 2006

For a growing range of optical measurement task, like gap measurement in automotive industry, traditional triangulation sensors have several disadvantages due to the fact that the measurement result is dependent on the orientation of the sensor because of the non-rotational symmetry of the optics. Consequently a design method was proposed recently for a new class of rotationally symmetric triangulation sensors. Such designs can be realized with aspheric reflection optics and area detectors, such as CCD or CMOS. The optics of the sensor can be extended by an imaging optics which allows at the same time image capturing and distance measurement. In this paper we show the first prototype. This system is based on an optical system of one part manufactured by commercially available diamond turning. The layout of the optical system for distance measurement consists of two reflecting aspheric surfaces.

The high precision algorithm for ring location was needed because the performance of the sensor is based on the detection of ring, especially the radius of the ring. In this paper, we try to give the different evaluation function for high precision location of ring. Then we used various methods to solve it and got optimized result. The comparison of algorithms for simulation was listed in the paper. And the measurement result for the real image got by the prototype was also presented. It seems the algorithm meets the precision demand of the sensor.
Correlation of Eocene–Oligocene marine and continental records: orbital cyclicity, magnetostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of the Solent Group, Isle of Wight, UK
Authors: Gale A.S. , Huggett J.M. , PÄlike H. , Laurie E. , Hailwood E.A. , Hardenbol J.
Published: February 2006

The magnetostratigraphy, clay mineralogy, cyclostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of the estuarine and continental Solent Group (Isle of Wight, Hampshire Basin, UK), which is of Late Eocene–Early Oligocene age, were investigated. A new magnetostratigraphy for the Solent Group is correlated to the chronostratigraphic standard using limited biostratigraphical data, and it is concluded that the base of the Oligocene falls close to the base of the Bembridge Limestone Formation. A long time-series of clay mineral XRD data was generated, which shows striking variation in illitic clay abundance. Illite is interpreted to have formed in gley palaeosols through repeated wetting and drying in response to high seasonality. High illitic clay values are tuned to
c
. 400 ka eccentricity maxima to develop an age model. In addition to a very strong
c
. 400 ka signal in the data, spectral analysis of the clay data also confirms the influence of short eccentricity (
c
. 100 ka) and obliquity (
c
. 40 ka) cycles. The succession displays seven conspicuous 10–20 m thick sequences, which represent transitions from transgressive estuarine environments through highstand floodplains to freshwater lakes. The sequences correspond exactly to the long eccentricity (
c
. 400 ka) cycles. A sea-level curve is derived using the amount of incision as a minimum measure of eustatic fall, but there is no evidence of a major eustatic drop of 30–90 m corresponding to the early Oligocene glaciation of Antarctica. It is likely that incision was suppressed by rapid rates of subsidence.
Linking the Palaeoproterozoic Nagssugtoqidian and Rinkian orogens through the Disko Bugt region of West Greenland
Authors: Connelly James N. , Thrane Kristine , Krawiec Adam W. , Garde Adam A.
Published: February 2006

The parallel Trans-Hudson-aged Nagssugtoqidian Orogen and Rinkian Fold Belt of West Greenland have long been considered distinct orogenic belts separated by a zone of low or no Palaeoproterozoic strain in the intervening Disko Bugt region. New U–Pb geochronology confirms the continuity of Palaeoproterozoic deformation and metamorphism through this region, thereby directly linking the Nagssugtoqidian Orogen and Rinkian Fold Belt. Furthermore, two newly identified Archaean blocks in this region are interpreted to represent the southern and northern extensions of the Rae and North Atlantic cratons, respectively. Their boundary comprises a 15 km wide belt of distributed, NW-vergent ductile thrusts that deform ultramafic pods and is interpreted to represent the main collisional suture of a single, variably exhumed, >1100 km wide Nagssugtoqidian–Rinkian orogenic system. We conclude that Palaeoproterozoic convergence of a northern Archaean craton carried a south-facing passive margin sedimentary sequence (Karrat Group) towards a south-dipping subduction zone along the North Atlantic Craton. Terminal collision created a high-grade core centred on the magmatic arc of the central Nagssugtoqidian Orogen and a NW-vergent fold and thrust belt in the Rinkian Fold Belt.
Mid–Late Ordovician magmatism and metamorphism along the Gander margin in central Newfoundland
Authors: Valverde-Vaquero Pablo , van Staal Cees R. , McNicoll Vicki , Dunning Greg R.
Published: February 2006

Fieldwork coupled with U–Pb dating has clarified the relationships between the Exploits and Gander-derived rocks in central Newfoundland during the Mid-Ordovician opening of the Exploits back-arc basin, reinforcing correlation across the peri-Gondwanan segments of the Appalachian–Caledonian orogen. We have separated a new back-arc-related unit, the Red Cross Group, from the arc-related Victoria Lake Supergroup. This group includes 466 ± 3 Ma felsic volcanic rock interlayered with alkali basalt–enriched mid-ocean ridge basalt, 457 ± 6 Ma gabbro, Llanvirn–Caradoc normal mid-ocean ridge basalt–island arc tholeite, limestone, black shale and mélange. Locally the Red Cross Group is in parautochthonous contact with low-grade Gander psammite. This contact was overrun by the Meelpaeg Metamorphic Nappe during the Devonian. The nappe contains Gander metapsammite (Meelpaeg Subzone) and the coticule-bearing Howley Waters Complex (Exploits), which hosts 467 ± 3 Ma felsic porphyry. The Gander and Exploits metasediments in the nappe are stitched by Arenig–Llanvirn granite (467 ± 6 Ma and 468 +3.5/−3 Ma) and Caradoc intrusions (458 ± 3 Ma and 454 ± 2 Ma). Metamorphic monazite (462 ± 1 Ma) and titanite (460 ± 3 Ma) from the nearby Mount Cormack Subzone (Gander) indicate the coeval formation of a low-pressure–high-temperature metamorphic dome. The widespread presence of Caradoc magmatism suggests that the width of the back-arc basin remained relatively narrow.
Late Neoproterozoic proto-arc ocean crust in the Dariv Range, Western Mongolia: a supra-subduction zone end-member ophiolite
Authors: Dijkstra Arjan H. , Brouwer Fraukje M. , Cunningham W. Dickson , Buchan Craig , Badarch Gombosuren , Mason Paul R.D.
Published: February 2006

An unusual late Neoproterozoic (
c
. 572 Ma) ophiolite is exposed in the Dariv Range (western Mongolia), which contains intermediate to acidic lavas and sheeted dykes, and an igneous layered complex consisting of gabbro–norites, websterites, orthopyroxenites and dunites underlain by serpentinized mantle harzburgites. Based on the compositions of the crustal units and the crystallization sequences in the mafic and ultramafic cumulates we conclude that the entire oceanic crust, including the cumulates, was made from arc magmas with boninitic characteristics. The Dariv rocks bear a strong resemblance to rocks recovered from the modern Izu–Bonin–Mariana fore-arc, a fragment of proto-arc oceanic basement, and we propose that the Dariv Ophiolite originated in a similar tectonic setting. A metamorphic complex consisting of amphibolite- to granulite-facies metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks was thrust over the ophiolite. This metamorphic complex probably represents a Cambrian arc. Thrusting started before 514.7 ± 7.6 Ma as constrained by new sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb zircon analyses from a syn- to post-tectonic diorite. The Dariv Ophiolite is a type-example of a proto-arc ophiolite, a special class of supra-subduction zone ophiolites.