bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retinol-Binding Protein Stability in Dried Blood Spots
Authors: Fujita Masako , Brindle Eleanor , Shofer Jane , Ndemwa Philip , Kombe Yeri , Shell-Duncan Bettina , O’Connor Kathleen A
Published: October 2007

Background: Retinol-binding protein (RBP) is accepted as a surrogate biochemical marker for retinol to determine vitamin A (VA) status. A recently developed enzyme immunoassay for RBP uses serum or whole blood stored as dried blood spots (DBS). However, the stability of RBP in DBS has not been examined.

Methods: RBP stability was studied in a laboratory and in field conditions in northern Kenya. For the laboratory study, 63 DBS collected by finger prick and stored sealed in a plastic bag with desiccant were exposed to 1 of 5 time/storage-temperature treatments: (a) baseline, (b) 30 °C/7 days, (c) 30 °C/14 days, (d) 30 °C/28 days, and (e) 4 °C/38 days. Baseline RBP concentrations were compared to those obtained after the storage treatments. For the field study, 50 paired DBS and serum specimens were prepared from venous blood obtained in northern Kenya. DBS were stored in a sealed plastic bag with desiccant at ambient temperature (12 °C–28 °C) for 13–42 days, and sera were stored at −20 °C to −70 °C. Recovered RBP concentrations were compared with serum retinol for stability, correlation, sensitivity, and specificity.

Results: RBP in DBS stored in the laboratory at 30 °C remained stable for 2–4 weeks, but specimens stored at 4 °C for 38 days produced values below baseline (P = 0.001). DBS stored under field conditions remained stable for 2–6 weeks, as demonstrated by good correlation with serum retinol, a result that suggests that RBP in DBS will have good sensitivity and specificity for predicting VA deficiency.

Conclusion: RBP in DBS can withstand storage at a relatively high ambient temperature and thus facilitate accurate VA assessments in populations in locations where serum collection and storage are unfeasible.
Impact of a Multidisciplinary Intervention for Diabetes in Eritrea
Authors: Windus David W , Ladenson Jack H , Merrins Cindy K , Seyoum Melles , Windus Debra , Morin Susan , Tewelde Beyene , Parvin Curtis A , Scott Mitchell G , Goldfeder Jason
Published: October 2007

Background: When hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing was made available to diabetic patients in the nation of Eritrea, the majority of values were markedly increased. As a result, a multidisciplinary clinical education program was instituted in Eritrea and the rate of HbA1c testing was increased to monitor progress.

Methods: In February 2003, a cooperative diabetes project was initiated in Eritrea to train diabetes educators, enhance physician education, create patient-teaching materials, and promote glucose monitoring. Two additional visits were made in 2003 and 2004. HbA1c values from January 2003 to November 2004 (n = 3606) were reviewed to assess diabetic control for the population and for a subset of individual patients (n = 350). A cohort of 209 diabetic persons were evaluated for demographics, treatment, and prevalence of complications.

Results: The cohort of 209 patients was 34% female and had a mean (SD) age of 50.5 (15.5) years and diabetes duration of 8.6 (6.3) years. Prevalence of hypertension was 37% and proteinuria 6%. For diabetes treatment, 59% received insulin therapy, 35% received oral agents, and 6% received nonpharmacologic treatment. HbA1c values improved significantly between the 1st 6 months of 2003 (median 10.9%) and the last 6 months of 2004 (median 8.5%; P <0.001). Individual patients in whom 2 HbA1c values were measured ≥3 months apart showed a significant mean decrease of 0.5% (P <0.001).

Conclusions: Our experience suggests that the combination of sustainable upgraded laboratory services and training in clinical management leads to sustainable improvement in diabetes care in developing countries.
Mating Systems and the Efficacy of Selection at the Molecular Level
Authors: Glémin Sylvain
Published: October 2007

Mating systems are thought to play a key role in molecular evolution through their effects on effective population size (Ne) and effective recombination rate. Because of reduced Ne, selection in self-fertilizing species is supposed to be less efficient, allowing fixation of weakly deleterious alleles or lowering adaptation, which may jeopardize their long-term evolution. Relaxed selection pressures in selfers should be detectable at the molecular level through the analyses of the ratio of nonsynonymous and synonymous divergence, Dn/Ds, or the ratio of nonsynonymous and synonymous polymorphism, πn/πs. On the other hand, selfing reveals recessive alleles to selection (homozygosity effect), which may counterbalance the reduction in Ne. Through population genetics models, this study investigates which process may prevail in natural populations and which conditions are necessary to detect evidence for relaxed selection signature at the molecular level in selfers. Under a wide range of plausible population and mutation parameters, relaxed selection against deleterious mutations should be detectable, but the differences between the two mating systems can be weak. At equilibrium, differences between outcrossers and selfers should be more pronounced using divergence measures (Dn/Ds ratio) than using polymorphism data (πn/πs ratio). The difference in adaptive substitution rates between outcrossers and selfers is much less predictable because it critically depends on the dominance levels of new advantageous mutations, which are poorly known. Different ways of testing these predictions are suggested, and implications of these results for the evolution of self-fertilizing species are also discussed.
Children of Mothers With HIV/AIDS: Unmet Needs for Mental Health Services
Authors: Bauman Laurie J. , Silver Ellen J. , Draimin Barbara H. , Hudis Jan
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to use multiple measures and sources to assess mental health over time in uninfected 8- to 12-year-old children of HIV-positive mothers.

METHODS. We recruited from the New York City Division of AIDS Services and Income Support a consecutive sample of 157 single mothers who were living with an HIV-negative child aged 8 to 12. Families were randomly assigned to receive a custody planning intervention, Project Care, or standard care. Data were collected at baseline and 4 subsequent times 6 months apart. Children completed the Children's Depression Inventory; 8- to 10-year-olds completed the Terry, and 11- to 12-year-olds completed the Youth Self-Report. Mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist. Each measure has a validated cutoff score to signify clinically significant symptoms.

RESULTS. All 5 data points were available on 129 (82%) children. During 2 years, every child had a score in the clinical range (12% once, 25% twice, 26% 3 times, 27% 4 times, and 9% all 5 times). Clinically significant symptoms were most likely at baseline when mothers were sickest. Few had clinically significant symptoms based on maternal report only (5%) or child report only (8%). Chronicity of clinically significant symptoms was not related to child age or gender, maternal health or depression, parent-child relationship, or being assigned to Project Care. Although two thirds of the children received mental health services during the study, <25% did at any 1 time, and 28% of children with chronic clinically significant symptoms never received care.

CONCLUSIONS. Children who are affected by AIDS should be routinely screened for psychiatric problems by using multiple measures and sources to avoid underidentification and be carefully monitored long-term.
Effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-Positive Children: Evaluation at 12 Months in a Routine Program in Cambodia
Authors: Janssens Bart , Raleigh Brian , Soeung Seithaboth , Akao Kazumi , Te Vantha , Gupta Jitendra , Chhy Vun Mean , Ford Nathan , Nouhin Janin , Nerrienet Eric
Published: October 2007

OBJECTIVE. Increasing access to highly active antiretroviral therapy to reach all those in need in developing countries (scale up) is slowly expanding to HIV-positive children, but documented experience remains limited. We aimed to describe the clinical, immunologic, and virologic outcomes of pediatric patients with >12 months of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 2 routine programs in Cambodia.

METHODS. Between June 2003 and March 2005, 212 children who were younger than 13 years started highly active antiretroviral therapy. Most patients started a standard first-line regimen of lamivudine, stavudine, and nevirapine, using split adult fixed-dosage combinations. CD4 percentage and body weight were monitored routinely. A cross-sectional virologic analysis was conducted in January 2006; genotype resistance testing was performed for patients with a detectable viral load.

RESULTS. Mean age of the subjects was 6 years. Median CD4 percentage at baseline was 6. Survival was 92% at 12 months and 91% at 24 months; 13 patients died, and 4 were lost to follow-up. A total of 81% of all patients had an undetectable viral load. Among the patients with a detectable viral load, most mutations were associated with resistance to lamivudine and non–nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor drugs. Five patients had developed extensive antiretroviral resistance. Being an orphan was found to be a predictor of virologic failure.

CONCLUSIONS. This study provides additional evidence of the effectiveness of integrating HIV/AIDS care with highly active antiretroviral therapy for children in a routine setting, with good virologic suppression and immunologic recovery achieved by using split adult fixed-dosage combinations. Viral load monitoring and HIV genotyping are valuable tools for the clinical follow-up of the patients. Orphans should receive careful follow-up and extra support.
Unique Allacustrine Migration Patterns of a Bull Trout Population in the Pend Oreille River Drainage, Idaho
Authors: DuPont Joseph M. , Brown Richard S. , Geist David R.
Published: October 2007

We captured and radio-tagged six adult bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in a spawning tributary of the East River basin, Idaho. These fish were tracked for a year to determine the type of migration they endured to reach their overwintering and spawning locations. Our tracking efforts revealed that the fish made complex postspawning migrations downstream and then upstream either towards or into Lake Pend Oreille. To reach the lake, bull trout migrated at least 12 km out of the East River basin into the Priest River, traveled 34 km down the Priest River into the Pend Oreille River, and then turned upstream and migrated 36 km to Lake Pend Oreille. Three of the six bull trout returned to the East River basin during the subsequent spring. These movement patterns are uniquely complex and extensive for outlet-spawning or allacustrine bull trout. This work illustrates the type of allacustrine migrations bull trout can have and suggests the need for new approaches for accomplishing bull trout population expansion into historically occupied habitats. Eliminating barriers downstream of lakes could potentially contribute to and increase bull trout populations considerably.
Genetic Evidence for Relict Atlantic Sturgeon Stocks along the Mid-Atlantic Coast of the USA
Authors: Wirgin Isaac , Grunwald Cheryl , Stabile Joseph , Waldman John
Published: October 2007

The Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus is a highly migratory anadromous acipenserid that is distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America. The abundance of Atlantic sturgeon has not increased appreciably in recent years despite the imposition of a moratorium on its harvest in U.S. waters in 1998. Two measures being considered to restore depleted or extirpated populations are designation of Atlantic sturgeon as federally endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the use of hatchery-reared fish to supplement natural reproduction. Implementation of these approaches requires detailed knowledge of this species' population structure. Previous genetic stock identification studies failed to address the discreteness of Atlantic sturgeon populations along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast that historically supported two of the largest fisheries for the species. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequence data to elucidate the population structure of Atlantic sturgeon in the Delaware River and two tributaries of Chesapeake Bay, the James and York rivers. Haplotypes of individuals from these rivers were compared with those from 14 other estuaries. Levels of mtDNA diversity were moderately high; 45 haplotypes were observed among the 860 specimens analyzed. We found significant temporal instability of haplotypes among collections of subadults made in different years from the Delaware River, including haplotypes not seen elsewhere and others that were common in the adjoining Hudson River and Albemarle Sound. This finding suggests that natural reproduction of a genetically distinct population still occurs in the Delaware River, but that it also hosts migrant subadults from elsewhere. In contrast, temporal instability of haplotype frequencies was absent among collections from different years in the Hudson River. Although private haplotypes were absent from the James and York River samples, significant frequency differences between these collections and those from elsewhere suggest that some tributaries of Chesapeake Bay still host genetically unique populations of Atlantic sturgeon.
Bypass System Modification at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River Improved the Survival of Juvenile Salmon
Authors: Ferguson John W. , Sandford Benjamin P. , Reagan Rachel E. , Gilbreath Lyle G. , Meyer Edward B. , Ledgerwood Richard D. , Adams Noah S.
Published: October 2007

From 1987 to 1992, we evaluated a fish bypass system at Bonneville Dam Powerhouse 2 on the Columbia River. The survival of subyearling Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha released into the system ranged from 0.774 to 0.911 and was significantly lower than the survival of test fish released into turbines and the area immediately below the powerhouse where bypass system flow reentered the river. Yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and yearling coho salmon O. kisutch released into the bypass system were injured or descaled. Also, levels of blood plasma cortisol and lactate were significantly higher in yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon that passed through the bypass system than in fish released directly into a net located over the bypass exit. This original system was then extensively modified using updated design criteria, and the site where juvenile fish reentered the river was relocated 2.8 km further downstream to reduce predation on bypassed fish by northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis. Based on studies conducted from 1999 to 2001, the new bypass system resulted in high fish survival, virtually no injuries to fish, fish passage times that were generally similar to water travel times, and mild stress responses from which fish recovered quickly. The mean estimated survival of subyearling Chinook salmon passing through the new bypass system was 0.946 in 2001, which was an usually low‐flow year. Survival, physical condition, passage timing, and blood physiological indicators of stress were all useful metrics for assessing the performance of both bypass systems and are discussed. The engineering and hydraulic criteria used to design the new bypass system that resulted in improved fish passage conditions are described.
Mitochondrial DNA Haplotype Diversity in Apparent XY Female Fall‐Run and Spring‐Run Chinook Salmon in California's Central Valley
Authors: Williamson Kevin S. , May Bernie
Published: October 2007

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype diversity between putative XY females and genetically normal females of fall‐ and spring‐run Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in California's Central Valley were compared to ascertain whether or not a subset of mtDNA haplotypes are unique to putative XY females. Two Y‐chromosome markers, OtY1 and growth hormone pseudogene (GH‐Ψ), were used to screen spring Chinook salmon collected on Butte, Deer, and Mill creeks in 2005 for the presence of XY females. Fall‐run fish collected from 2002 to 2004 had previously been screened for genotypic sex using the same Y markers. A 237‐base‐pair region of the mitochondrial D‐loop segment was sequenced to determine the mtDNA haplotypes of XY females and randomly selected normal females of both runs. Putative XY females, according to OtY1 and GH‐Ψ, were observed in all three newly sampled spring‐run populations: Butte (26%), Deer (33%), and Mill (2%) creeks. No significant differences in haplotype distributions between normal and XY females suggest that these fish are equally represented within the separate fall and spring runs. It is possible that XY female Chinook salmon have been present in the Central Valley of California since before the genetic divergence of the fall and spring runs. Furthermore, XY female Chinook salmon may have become established in this region through a founder event that resulted in fewer modes of variation in genotypic and phenotypic sex compared with populations in the interior Columbia River basin.
Too Poor to Leave, Too Rich to Stay: Developmental and Global Health Correlates of Physician Migration to the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom
Authors: Arah Onyebuchi A. , Ogbu Uzor C. , Okeke Chukwudi E.
Published: October 2007

Objectives. We analyzed the relationship between physician migration from developing source countries to more developed host countries (brain drain) and the developmental and global health profiles of source countries.

Methods. We used a cross-section of 141 countries that lost emigrating physicians to the 4 major destinations: the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For each source country, we defined physician migration density as the number of migrant physicians per 1000 population practicing in any of the 4 major destination countries.

Results. Source countries with better human resources for health, more economic and developmental progress, and better health status appear to lose proportionately more physicians than the more disadvantaged countries. Higher physician migration density is associated with higher current physician (r=0.42, P< .001), nurse (r=0.27, P=.001), and public health (r=0.48, P=.001) workforce densities and more medical schools (r=0.53, P<.001).

Conclusions. Policymakers should realize that physician migration is positively related to better health systems and development in source countries. In view of the “train, retain, and sustain” perspective of public health workforce policies, physician retention should become even more important to countries growing richer, whereas poorer countries must invest more in training policies.
Development and implementation of a robust deammonification process
Authors: Wett B.
Published: October 2007

Deammonification represents a short-cut in the N-metabolism pathway and comprises 2 steps: about half the amount of ammonia is oxidised to nitrite and then residual ammonia and nitrite is anaerobically transformed to elementary nitrogen. Implementation of the pH-controlled DEMON® process for deammonification of reject water in a single-sludge SBR system at the WWTP Strass (Austria) contributed essentially to energy self-sufficiency of the plant. The specific energy demand of the side-stream process equals 1.16 kWh per kg ammonia nitrogen removed comparing to about 6.5 kWh of mainstream treatment. Has this resource saving technology already approached state of the art? Deammonification has been operated in full-scale now for almost 3 years without interruption reaching annual ammonia removal rates beyond 90%. Biomass enrichment and DEMON-start-up in Strass took a period of 2.5 years whereas start-up period at the WWTP Glarnerland (Switzerland) was reduced to 50 days due to transfer of substantial amounts of seed sludge.
Settling behaviour of aerobic granular sludge
Authors: Nor Anuar A. , Ujang Z. , van Loosdrecht M.C.M. , de Kreuk M.K.
Published: October 2007

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology has been extensively studied recently to improve sludge settling and behaviour in activated sludge systems. The main advantage is that aerobic granular sludge (AGS) can settle very fast in a reactor or clarifier because AGS is compact and has strong structure. It also has good settleability and a high capacity for biomass retention. Several experimental works have been conducted in this study to observe the settling behaviours of AGS. The study thus has two aims: (1) to compare the settling profile of AGS with other sludge flocs and (2) to observe the influence of mechanical mixing and design of the reactor to the settleability of AGS. The first experimental outcome shows that AGS settles after less than 5 min in a depth of 0.4 m compared to other sludge flocs (from sequencing batch reactor, conventional activated sludge and extended aeration) which takes more than 30 min. This study also shows that the turbulence from the mixing mechanism and shear in the reactor provides an insignificant effect on the AGS settling velocity.
Use of modelling for optimization and upgrade of a tropical wastewater treatment plant in a developing country
Authors: Brdjanovic D. , Mithaiwala M. , Moussa M.S. , Amy G. , van Loosdrecht M.C.M.
Published: October 2007

This paper presents results of a novel application of coupling the Activated Sludge Model No. 3 (ASM3) and the Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) to assess a tropical wastewater treatment plant in a developing country (Surat, India). In general, the coupled model was very capable of predicting current plant operation. The model proved to be a useful tool in investigating various scenarios for optimising treatment performance under present conditions and examination of upgrade options to meet stricter and upcoming effluent discharge criteria regarding N removal. It appears that use of plant-wide modelling of wastewater treatment plants is a promising approach towards addressing often complex interactions within the plant itself. It can also create an enabling environment for the implementations of the novel side processes for treatment of nutrient-rich, side-streams (reject water) from sludge treatment.
Co-degradation of phenol and m-cresols by upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor
Authors: Farooqi Izharul Haq , Basheer Farrukh , Isa M. Hasnain
Published: October 2007

The study was performed to assess the efficacy of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor for the degradation of mixtures of phenol and m-cresol. The experiments were performed in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. The reactor was seeded with digested sewage sludge and was initially operated at 24 HRT. A phenol concentration of 200 mg/L was fed to the reactor to acclimatize the microorganisms to phenols. Subsequently the dosages of phenols were increased to 400 mg/L, 500 mg/L, and 600 mg/L. Cresols were introduced in the reactor when phenol removal efficiency of 77% was achieved at phenol concentration of 600 mg/L. Different phenol to m-cresol ratios were tried and the performance of the reactor was evaluated for each case. The result demonstrates that it is important to consider phenol/ m-cresol ratio to avoid toxic effects and both can be co-degraded successfully under anaerobic conditions provided proper acclimatization time is given.
Electrocoagulation technique in enhancing COD and suspended solids removal to improve wastewater quality
Authors: Ni'am M.F. , Othman F. , Sohaili J. , Fauzia Z.
Published: October 2007

This paper presents a preliminary study for the removal of COD and suspended solids in wastewater treatment by combining magnetic field and electrocoagulation (EC) technology. The experiments were carried out using batch apparatus and setup in the static method. Batch experiments with two monopolar iron (Fe) plate anodes and cathodes were employed as electrodes. Wastewater samples were prepared from milk powder with an initial COD of 1,140 mgL−1 and suspended solids of 1,400 mgL−1 and acidic conditions were employed (pH ∼ 3). DC current was varied from 0.5–0.8 A and operating times were between 30 and 50 min. The results show that the effluent wastewater was very clear (turbidity ∼9 NTU) and its quality exceeded the direct discharge standard. The suspended solids and COD removal efficiencies were as high as 30.6 and 75.5%, respectively. In addition, the experimental results also show that the electrocoagulation could neutralise the pH of wastewater.
Arsenic removal by iron and manganese coated sand
Authors: Yang J.K. , Song K.H. , Kim B.K. , Hong S.C. , Cho D.E. , Chang Y.Y.
Published: October 2007

In this study, as a promising technique for the treatment of both As(III) and As(V) at the same time in a single reactor, a column reactor containing both manganese-coated sand (MCS) and iron-coated sand (ICS), at different configuration of MCS and ICS, was used to treat wastewater contaminated with As(III). Prior to column experiments, batch experiments for the adsorption of As(V) by ICS were performed with variation of solution pH, ionic strength and types of background ions to investigate the effect of these parameters on the As(V) adsorption behaviour. As(V) adsorption onto ICS was quite similar with the variation of ionic strength by using NaNO3 as a background ion as well as in the presence of different types of background ions except phosphate. The adsorption curves shifted to the lower pH region with the increase of the initial arsenic concentration due to the finite number of adsorption sites on the ICS. For model prediction on the adsorption of As(V) onto ICS, the MINEQL program employing an inner-sphere complexation and a diffuse layer model was used. Model predictions generally agreed well with experimental results. From the column test, column system packed with equal ratio of MCS and ICS was identified as the best system due to a promising oxidation efficiency of As(III) to As(V) by MCS and adsorption of As(V) by both MCS and ICS.
Potential application of manganese coated sand in the removal of Mn(II) from aqueous solutions
Authors: Tiwari D. , Yu M.R. , Kim M.N. , Lee S.M. , Kwon O.H. , Choi K.M. , Lim G.J. , Yang J.K.
Published: October 2007

The aim of this study was to explore the applicability of manganese coated sand (MCS) in the presence and absence of sodium hypochlorite for the removal of Mn(II) (2 mg/L) from aqueous solutions. Sand itself is widely used as a filter media for the treatment of wastewaters and it was reported that during the treatment, Mn(II), which is present in the wastewater, is to be deposited on the surface of sand in the form of manganese dioxide. The present investigation dealt with various MCS samples, prepared in the laboratory by various doses of Mn(II) (i.e. from 0.05 to 0.2 mol/L) and the samples were obtained from the pilot plant and naturally coated in the water treatment plant for the removal of Mn(II) in the batch and column studies. Moreover, it was realised that the role of hypochlorite is multifunctional as it not only enhances the uptake of Mn(II) on the surface of MCS through oxidation of Mn(II) into Mn(IV) and hence the formation of manganese dioxide, but it was also supposed to disinfect the bacteria or harmful pathogens from the waste/surface waters. The results obtained clearly inferred that various MCS samples used for the removal of Mn(II) from aqueous solutions showed comparable removal efficiency. However, the presence of sodium hypochlorite greatly enhanced the removal of Mn(II) as more than 80% Mn(II) was removed in the presence of sodium hypochlorite at around pH 6.5. Similarly, while comparing the column data it was again noted that the breakthrough points occurred after the 4,100 and 6,500 bed volumes, respectively, in the absence and in the presence of sodium hypochlorite (2 mg/L).
Stormwater quality and pollution loading from an urban residential catchment in Johor, Malaysia
Authors: Nazahiyah R. , Yusop Z. , Abustan I.
Published: October 2007

Sampling of urban runoff was carried out in a small catchment, which represents a residential area (3.34 ha) in Skudai, Johor. One hundred and seventeen runoff samples from ten storm events were analysed. Runoff quality showed large variations in concentrations during storms, especially for SS, BOD5 and COD. Concentrations of NO3−N, NO2−N, NH3−N, and P were also high. Lead (Pb) was also detected but the levels were low (<0.001 mg/L). In general, the river quality is badly polluted and falls in Class V based on the Malaysian Interim National Water Quality Standards. Event mean concentrations for all parameters were found to vary greatly between storms. The values (mg/L) were BOD5 (72), COD (325), SS (386), NO3−N (2.5), NO2−N (0.58), NH3−N (6.8), P (3.4), respectively. First flush phenomena were observed for BOD, COD, SS, NO3−N, NH3−N and P. The first 20–30% of the runoff volume evacuated between 20–59% BOD, 15–69% COD, 15–78% SS, 14–49% NO3−N, 14–19% NO2−N, 23–53% NH3−N and 23–43% P.
Treatment of industrial wastewater using photooxidation and bioaugmentation technology
Authors: Pandya M.T.
Published: October 2007

The versatile metabolism of microorganisms has an played important role in the biodegradation of recalcitrant toxic compounds entering into the natural environment. The biodegradability of organics can be enhanced using bioaugmentation and advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for aerobic/anaerobic treatment programs. Wastewater from a bulk drug (cresol) plant had high levels of TDS, COD and BOD, whilst the levels from a pigment plant low. Both contained organics difficult to degrade. AOP using hydroxyl radical generated in 1 L glass reactor using UV and H2O2 efficiently oxidised phenol and cresol. COD and sulphite reduction in cresol containing wastewater were 20–60% in 1–6 h. A twenty to thirty percent reduction in copper phthalocyanine pigment effluents was achieved in 6 h using AOP. Strains of Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Nocardia degrading phenol, cresol were isolated from soil and sludge. Mixed biomass of these organisms removed phenols (1,000 ppm) and cresols (500 ppm) completely in 24 and 72 h, respectively. The COD and BOD reductions under the optimum nutritional and physiological conditions were in the range of 70 to 90%. When added to the bioreactor, 20% of the developed biomass of mixed strains of Micrococcus, Nocardia and Pseudomonas increased the rate of COD and BOD reduction gradually and stabilised at 80–90%. Added biomass improved the overall efficiency of the aerobic process.
Teacher Quality, Opportunity Gap, and National Achievement in 46 Countries
Authors: Akiba Motoko , LeTendre Gerald K. , Scribner Jay P.
Published: October 2007

The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study data from 46 countries showed that, although the national level of teacher quality in the United States was similar to the international average, the opportunity gap in students’ access to qualified teachers between students of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) was among the largest in the world. Cross-national analyses revealed that the countries with better teacher quality produced higher mathematics achievement. However, larger opportunity gaps in access to qualified teachers did not predict larger achievement gaps between high-SES and low-SES students cross-nationally. These analyses provide empirical, cross-national evidence of the importance of investing in teacher quality for improving national achievement. National policies and practices related to improving teacher quality appear to be a promising area for future research to identify how other countries have achieved both excellence and equity in student achievement.
Race, Culture, and Researcher Positionality: Working Through Dangers Seen, Unseen, and Unforeseen
Authors: Milner H. Richard
Published: October 2007

This author introduces a framework to guide researchers into a process of racial and cultural awareness, consciousness, and positionality as they conduct education research. The premise of the argument is that dangers seen, unseen, and unforeseen can emerge for researchers when they do not pay careful attention to their own and others’ racialized and cultural systems of coming to know, knowing, and experiencing the world. Education research is used as an analytic site for discussion throughout this article, but the framework may be transferable to other academic disciplines. After a review of literature on race and culture in education and an outline of central tenets of critical race theory, a nonlinear framework is introduced that focuses on several interrelated qualities: researching the self, researching the self in relation to others, engaged reflection and representation, and shifting from the self to system.
Action Research in Education: Addressing Gaps in Ethical Principles and Practices
Authors: Nolen Amanda L. , Putten Jim Vander
Published: October 2007

Action research in education has gained increasing attention in the past 20 years. It is viewed as a practical yet systematic research method that enables teachers to investigate their own teaching and their students’ learning. However, the ethical issues unique to this form of insider research have received less attention. Drawing on several professional associations’ principles for research practice, the authors identify a series of potential ethical issues inherent in action research in K–12 schools and the corresponding difficulties that action researchers encounter with the policies and procedures of institutional review boards. The authors conclude with recommendations for future practice addressed to three groups: institutional review boards, K–12 school professionals and teacher educators, and national professional and representative organizations.
Statistical Power for Random Assignment Evaluations of Education Programs
Authors: Schochet Peter Z.
Published: October 2007

This article examines theoretical and empirical issues related to the statistical power of impact estimates for experimental evaluations of education programs. The author considers designs where random assignment is conducted at the school, classroom, or student level, and employs a unified analytic framework using statistical methods from the literature. Focusing on standardized test scores of elementary school students, this article discusses appropriate precision standards and, for each design, the required number of schools to achieve those standards using empirical values of intraclass correlations, regression R2 values, and other parameters. Clustering effects vary by design but are typically large. Thus, large school samples are required for education trials, and many evaluations will only have sufficient power to detect precise impacts for relatively large subgroups of sites.
High prevalence of accelerated silicosis among gold miners in Jiangxi, China
Authors: Tse Lap Ah , Li Zhi Min , Wong Tze Wai , Fu Zhen Ming , Yu Ignatius Tak Sun
Published: October 2007

Background

Accelerated silicosis has become uncommon in developed countries, whereas serious health threat still exists in small‐scale mining in developing countries. This study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of accelerated silicosis among Chinese gold miners.

Methods

A cross‐sectional medical examination was conducted among 574 Chinese gold miners. All participants were male rock‐drillers. The concentrations of total dust and quartz content were obtained from the government documentations. Descriptive data analyses were performed.

Results

The prevalence of accelerated silicosis was 29.1% (95% CI: 24.8–33.4%, 167 cases) after an average of 5.6 years of dust exposure, and a history of tuberculosis seemed to increase the risk. The concentration of respirable silica dust was estimated to be 89.5 mg/m3 (ranged: 70.2–108.8) in the underground goldmine, far exceeding the permissible exposure limits.

Conclusions

This study illustrates a serious health threat to small‐scale goldmine in China and indicates an urgent need for environmental control and disease prevention. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50:876–880, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Divergent backward masking performance in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: Association with COMT
Authors: Goghari Vina M. , Sponheim Scott R.
Published: October 2007

Schizophrenia has been reliably associated with impairments in backward masking performance, while bipolar disorder has less consistently been tied to such a deficit. To examine the genetic determinants of visual perception abnormalities in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, this study evaluated the diagnostic specificity of backward masking performance deficits and whether masking deficits were associated with catechol‐O‐methyl transferase (COMT) genotype. A location‐based backward masking task, which equated participants on the perceptual intensity of stimuli, was completed by 41 schizophrenia outpatients, 28 bipolar outpatients, and 43 nonpsychiatric controls. COMT genotype data were available for 39 schizophrenia outpatients, 28 bipolar outpatients, and 20 nonpsychiatric controls. Schizophrenia patients demonstrated impaired backward masking performance compared to controls and bipolar patients. A group by COMT genotype interaction was detected with schizophrenia Met homozygotes performing more poorly than control and bipolar Met homozygotes, and worse than Val homozygote and heterozygote schizophrenia patients. This study provides novel evidence for differential effects of the COMT gene on neural systems underlying visual perception in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The COMT Met allele may be associated with deficits in schizophrenia that are unrelated to neural systems supporting sustained attention or working memory. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The association analysis of RELN and GRM8 genes with autistic spectrum disorder in chinese han population
Authors: Li Hui , Li Yun , Shao Jie , Li Rong , Qin Yufeng , Xie Chunhong , Zhao Zhengyan
Published: October 2007

The region on chromosome 7q stands out as the region of suggestive linkage to aetiology of autism with the greatest concordance in many independent genome‐wide scans. RELN and GRM8, the two genes selected in this study, are located within this region. The protein products of both genes are considered to play a pivotal role in the development of the central nervous system. In addition, biochemical and neuroanatomical data indicated that RELN and GRM8 genes are likely involved in the pathogenesis of autistic disorder. Therefore, both RELN and GRM8 genes are considered to be not only the positional but also the functional candidate genes to autism for association research. In this study, we genotyped 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located within the RELN and GRM8 genes in 213 children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and 160 controls. A significant genetic association between SNP2 (located in intron 59 of RELN) and ASD was observed, and the log‐additive model was accepted as the best inheritance model fitting this data (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54–0.97, P = 0.03). Haplotype‐specific association analysis revealed that the result was consistent with the individual SNP study; the combination of SNP1/SNP2/SNP3/SNP4 which are in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) (D′ > 0.75) showed significant association with ASD (P = 0.027). Neither the single SNP nor the haplotype analysis showed significant association between ASD and the markers of GRM8 gene. Hence, our study suggested the possible involvement of RELN gene in the susceptibility to ASD. Future replications are warranted before definitive conclusion can be drawn. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Response to methylphenidate in adults with ADHD is associated with a polymorphism in SLC6A3 (DAT1)
Authors: Kooij J. Sandra , Boonstra A. Marije , Vermeulen Sita H. , Heister Angelien G. , Burger Huibert , Buitelaar Jan K. , Franke Barbara
Published: October 2007

In this pharmacogenetic study in adults with ADHD (n = 42), a stratified analysis was performed of the association between response to methylphenidate (MPH), assessed under double‐blind conditions, and polymorphisms in the genes encoding the dopamine transporter, SLC6A3 (DAT1), the norepinephrine transporter, SLC6A2 (NET), and the dopamine receptor D4, DRD4. The VNTR polymorphism in the 3′ untranslated region of SLC6A3 was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of a response to MPH treatment (OR 3.8; 95% CI 1.0–15.2, and OR 5.4; 95% CI 1.4–21.9, depending on the definition of response) in carriers of a single 10‐repeat allele compared to patients with the 10/10 genotype. The polymorphisms in DRD4 and the SLC6A2 were not associated with treatment response. This study supports a role of the SLC6A3 genotype in determining the response to MPH in the treatment of adults with ADHD. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Humanists as information users in the digital age: The case of Jewish studies scholars in Israel
Authors: Baruchson‐Arbib Shifra , Bronstein Jenny
Published: October 2007

User studies provide libraries with invaluable insight into their users' information needs and behaviors, allowing them to develop services that correspond to these needs. This insight has become even more important for libraries since the advent of the Internet. The Internet has brought about a development of information technologies and electronic information sources that have had a great impact on both the ways users search for information and the ways libraries manage information. Although humanists represent an important group of users for academic libraries, research studies into their information‐seeking behavior since the advent of the Internet have been quite scarce (Ellis & Oldman, 2005) in the past decade. This study presents updated research on a group of humanists, Jewish studies scholars living in Israel, as information users in the digital age based on two categories: (a) the use of formal and informal information channels, and (b) the use of information technologies and their impact on humanistic research.
Extending the simple knowledge organization system for concept management in vocabulary development applications
Authors: Tennis Joseph T. , Sutton Stuart A.
Published: October 2007

In this article, we describe the development of an extension to the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) to accommodate the needs of vocabulary development applications (VDA) managing metadata schemes and requiring close tracking of change to both those schemes and their member concepts. We take a neopragmatic epistemic stance in asserting the need for an entity in SKOS modeling to mediate between the abstract concept and the concrete scheme. While the SKOS model sufficiently describes entities for modeling the current state of a scheme in support of indexing and search on the Semantic Web, it lacks the expressive power to serve the needs of VDA needing to maintain scheme historical continuity. We demonstrate preliminarily that conceptualizations drawn from empirical work in modeling entities in the bibliographic universe, such as works, texts, and exemplars, can provide the basis for SKOS extension in ways that support more rigorous demands of capturing concept evolution in VDA.
Blind men and elephants: What do citation summaries tell us about a research article?
Authors: Elkiss Aaron , Shen Siwei , Fader Anthony , Erkan Güneş , States David , Radev Dragomir
Published: October 2007

The old Asian legend about the blind men and the elephant comes to mind when looking at how different authors of scientific papers describe a piece of related prior work. It turns out that different citations to the same paper often focus on different aspects of that paper and that neither provides a full description of its full set of contributions. In this article, we will describe our investigation of this phenomenon. We studied citation summaries in the context of research papers in the biomedical domain. A citation summary is the set of citing sentences for a given article and can be used as a surrogate for the actual article in a variety of scenarios. It contains information that was deemed by peers to be important. Our study shows that citation summaries overlap to some extent with the abstracts of the papers and that they also differ from them in that they focus on different aspects of these papers than do the abstracts. In addition to this, co‐cited articles (which are pairs of articles cited by another article) tend to be similar. We show results based on a lexical similarity metric called cohesion to justify our claims.
Long‐term variations in the aging of scientific literature: From exponential growth to steady‐state science (1900–2004)
Authors: Larivière Vincent , Archambault Éric , Gingras Yves
Published: October 2007

Despite a very large number of studies on the aging and obsolescence of scientific literature, no study has yet measured, over a very long time period, the changes in the rates at which scientific literature becomes obsolete. This article studies the evolution of the aging phenomenon and, in particular, how the age of cited literature has changed over more than 100 years of scientific activity. It shows that the average and median ages of cited literature have undergone several changes over the period. Specifically, both World War I and World War II had the effect of significantly increasing the age of the cited literature. The major finding of this article is that contrary to a widely held belief, the age of cited material has risen continuously since the mid‐1960s. In other words, during that period, researchers were relying on an increasingly old body of literature. Our data suggest that this phenomenon is a direct response to the steady‐state dynamics of modern science that followed its exponential growth; however, we also have observed that online preprint archives such as arXiv have had the opposite effect in some subfields.
Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on circumferential margin positivity and its impact on prognosis in patients with resectable oesophageal cancer
Authors: Sujendran V , Wheeler J , Baron R , Warren B F , Maynard N
Published: October 2007

Background

The significance of circumferential resection margin (CRM) involvement in oesophageal cancer surgery is controversial. This study investigated the relationship between CRM involvement, locoregional recurrence and survival, after surgery alone or with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

Patients operated on by one surgeon at a tertiary referral centre between October 1997 and May 2004 were identified from a prospective database.

Results

Some 242 patients underwent oesophagectomy; 91 had surgery alone, 142 had neoadjuvant chemotherapy and nine neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Among patients with histologically confirmed T3 tumours, 26 (55 per cent) of 47 who underwent surgery alone had CRM involvement, compared with 27 (31 per cent) of 88 patients who completed two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0·005). Thirty-seven (42 per cent) of 89 patients with a negative CRM developed locoregional recurrence, compared with 33 (59 per cent) of 56 with a positive margin (P = 0·032); median survival was 28 and 12 months respectively (P < 0·001). Cox multivariable regression analysis identified CRM involvement as an independent prognostic factor (P = 0·006).

Conclusion

A positive CRM is an independent predictor of overall survival after oesophageal cancer resection. There has been a significant decrease in CRM involvement with the introduction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
(M,R)‐Systems, (P,M,C)‐Nets, Hierarchical Decay, and Biological Aging: Reminiscences of Robert Rosen
Authors: Witten Tarynn M.
Published: October 2007

I have the pleasure to present a number of personal experiences that I had with Robert Rosen, both as his student and as a research colleague, and I will describe how this affected my academic career over the past decades. As a matter of fact, Rosen's work with (M,R)‐systems as well as his continuing mentorship guided me into my own research in gerontology and geriatrics. Amazingly, this still continues to affect my work in complexity theory after 30 years.