bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Loss of life due to floods
Authors: Jonkman S.N. , Vrijling J.K. 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThis article gives an overview of the research on loss of life due to floods. The limited information regarding this topic is presented and evaluated. Analysis of global data for different flood types shows that the magnitude of mortality is related to the severity of the flood effects and the possibilities for warning and evacuation. Information from historical flood events gives a more detailed insight into the factors that determine mortality for an event, such as flood characteristics and the effectiveness of warning and evacuation. At the individual level, the occurrence of fatalities will be influenced by behaviour and individual vulnerability factors. Existing methods for the estimation of loss of life that have been developed for different types of floods in different regions are briefly discussed. A new method is presented for the estimation of loss of life due to floods of low‐lying areas protected by flood defences. It can be used to analyse the consequences and risks of flooding and thereby provide a basis for risk evaluation and decision‐making. The results of this research can contribute to the development of strategies to prevent and mitigate the loss of life due to floods.
Use of Baculovirus-Expressed Glycoprotein H in an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Developed To Assess Exposure to Chelonid Fibropapillomatosis-Associated Herpesvirus and Its Relationship to the Prevalence of Fibropapillomatosis in Sea Turtles
Authors: Herbst Lawrence H. , Lemaire Shefali , Ene Ada R. , Heslin David J. , Ehrhart Llewellyn M. , Bagley Dean A. , Klein Paul A. , Lenz Jack 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT

Chelonid fibropapillomatosis-associated herpesvirus (CFPHV) is an alphaherpesvirus believed to cause marine turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP). A serodiagnostic assay was developed for monitoring sea turtle populations for CFPHV exposure. CFPHV glycoprotein H (gH) expressed in recombinant baculovirus was used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect virus-specific 7S turtle antibodies. Using captive-reared green turtles (
Chelonia mydas
) with no history of virus exposure as “known negatives” and others with experimentally induced FP as “known positives,” the assay had 100% specificity but low sensitivity, as seroconversion was detected in only half of the turtles bearing experimentally induced tumors. Antibodies were detected only in samples collected after cutaneous fibropapillomas appeared, consistent with observations that tumors are significant sites of virion production and antigen expression and the possibility that prolonged/repeated virus shedding may be required for adequate stimulation of 7S antibody responses to gH. Natural routes of infection, however, may produce higher seroconversion rates. High gH antibody seroprevalences (∼80%) were found among wild green turtles in three Florida localities with different FP prevalences, including one site with no history of FP. In addition, all eight loggerhead turtles (
Caretta caretta
) tested were seropositive despite FP being uncommon in this species. The possibility that CFPHV infection may be common relative to disease suggests roles for environmental and host factors as modulators of disease expression. Alternatively, the possibility of other antigenically similar herpesviruses present in wild populations cannot be excluded, although antibody cross-reactivity with the lung/eye/trachea disease-associated herpesvirus was ruled out in this study.
PCR Method To Identify
Salmonella enterica
Serovars Typhi, Paratyphi A, and Paratyphi B among
Salmonella
Isolates from the Blood of Patients with Clinical Enteric Fever
Authors: Levy Haim , Diallo Souleymane , Tennant Sharon M. , Livio Sofie , Sow Samba O. , Tapia Milagritos , Fields Patricia I. , Mikoleit Matthew , Tamboura Boubou , Kotloff Karen L. , Lagos Rosanna , Nataro James P. , Galen James E. , Levine Myron M. 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT

PCR methodology was developed to identify
Salmonella enterica
serovars Typhi, Paratyphi A, and Paratyphi B. One multiplex PCR identifies serogroup D, A, and B and Vi-positive strains; another confirms flagellar antigen “d,” “a,” or “b.” Blinded testing of 664 Malian and Chilean
Salmonella
blood isolates demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity.
High Temperature (30°C) Blocks Aerosol but Not Contact Transmission of Influenza Virus
Authors: Lowen Anice C. , Steel John , Mubareka Samira , Palese Peter 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT
Influenza causes significant morbidity in tropical regions; however, unlike in temperate zones, influenza in the tropics is not strongly associated with a given season. We have recently shown that influenza virus transmission in the guinea pig model is most efficient under cold, dry conditions, which are rare in the tropics. Herein, we report the lack of aerosol transmission at 30°C and at all humidities tested. Conversely, transmission via the contact route was equally efficient at 30°C and 20°C. Our data imply that contact or short-range spread predominates in the tropics and offer an explanation for the lack of a well-defined, recurrent influenza season affecting tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
Herpes Simplex Virus Virion Host Shutoff Attenuates Establishment of the Antiviral State
Authors: Pasieka Tracy Jo , Lu Betty , Crosby Seth D. , Wylie Kristine M. , Morrison Lynda A. , Alexander Diane E. , Menachery Vineet D. , Leib David A. 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACTHerpes simplex virus mutants lacking the vhs protein are severely attenuated in animal models of pathogenesis and exhibit reduced growth in primary cell culture. As a result of these properties, viruses withvhsdeleted have been proposed as live-attenuated vaccines. Despite these findings and their implications for vaccines, the mechanisms by which vhs promotes infection in cell culture and in vivo are not understood. In this study we demonstrate that vhs-deficient viruses replicate to reduced levels in interferon (IFN)-primed cells and that this deficit has both IFN-dependent and IFN-independent components. Furthermore, vhs-defective viruses induce increased and physiologically active levels of IFN, increased amounts of IFN-stimulated transcripts, and more phosphorylated eIF2α. In addition, we demonstrate greater accumulation of viral RNAs following infection with a vhs-deficient virus. This leads to the hypothesis that attenuation of viruses lacking vhs may be attributed to increased levels of double-stranded RNA, a potent pathogen-associated molecular pattern. Together these data show that vhs likely functions to reduce innate immune responses and thereby acts as a critical determinant of viral pathogenesis.
Hantaviruses Direct Endothelial Cell Permeability by Sensitizing Cells to the Vascular Permeability Factor VEGF, while Angiopoietin 1 and Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Inhibit Hantavirus-Directed Permeability
Authors: Gavrilovskaya Irina N. , Gorbunova Elena E. , Mackow Natalie A. , Mackow Erich R. 
Published: March 2008

ABSTRACT
Hantaviruses infect human endothelial cells and cause two vascular permeability-based diseases: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hantavirus infection alone does not permeabilize endothelial cell monolayers. However, pathogenic hantaviruses inhibit the function of αvβ3 integrins on endothelial cells, and hemorrhagic disease and vascular permeability deficits are consequences of dysfunctional β3 integrins that normally regulate permeabilizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) responses. Here we show that pathogenic Hantaan, Andes, and New York-1 hantaviruses dramatically enhance the permeability of endothelial cells in response to VEGF, while the nonpathogenic hantaviruses Prospect Hill and Tula have no effect on endothelial cell permeability. Pathogenic hantaviruses directed endothelial cell permeability 2 to 3 days postinfection, coincident with pathogenic hantavirus inhibition of αvβ3 integrin functions, and hantavirus-directed permeability was inhibited by antibodies to VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). These studies demonstrate that pathogenic hantaviruses, similar to αvβ3 integrin-deficient cells, specifically enhance VEGF-directed permeabilizing responses. Using the hantavirus permeability assay we further demonstrate that the endothelial-cell-specific growth factor angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1) and the platelet-derived lipid mediator sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) inhibit hantavirus directed endothelial cell permeability at physiologic concentrations. These results demonstrate the utility of a hantavirus permeability assay and rationalize the testing of Ang-1, S1P, and antibodies to VEGFR2 as potential hantavirus therapeutics. The central importance of β3 integrins and VEGF responses in vascular leak and hemorrhagic disease further suggest that altering β3 or VEGF responses may be a common feature of additional viral hemorrhagic diseases. As a result, our findings provide a potential mechanism for vascular leakage after infection by pathogenic hantaviruses and the means to inhibit hantavirus-directed endothelial cell permeability that may be applicable to additional vascular leak syndromes.
Smoking rates among gamblers at Nevada casinos mirror US smoking rate
Authors: Pritsos C A , Pritsos K L , Spears K E 
Published: March 2008

Objectives:To determine the percentage of gamblers who smoke while gambling at three of Nevada’s major gambling destinations, Las Vegas, Reno/Sparks and Lake Tahoe.Methods:Teams of two people counted the number of smokers and total number of gamblers at various Nevada casinos. The total number of gamblers observed smoking was then multiplied by three to determine the total number of smokers. This methodology for determining the number of smokers in a room was established by Repace and Lowry in 1980.Results:We observed a total of 14 052 gamblers at the three sites, of which a total of 947 were smoking. We estimated the percentage of smokers at three gaming tourist centres in Nevada (Las Vegas, Reno/Sparks and Lake Tahoe). The percentage of smokers at Las Vegas (20.3% (95% CI 0.9)) and Reno/Sparks (21.5% (95% CI 1.2%)) did not significantly differ from the US population percentage of smokers (20.9% (95% CI 0.6%)) (p>0.05). However, at Lake Tahoe the percentage of smokers (16.4% (95% CI 1.8%)) was significantly lower than the published US population smoker percentage (p<0.0001). Mean percentage of smokers by location did not significantly differ (p = 0.43)Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that the percentage of gamblers who smoke was less than or not different from the overall US percentage of a population who smoke. These findings provide additional evidence to refute the exemption to smoking bans for casinos based upon the supposition that a greater percentage of casino customers are smokers than the general population and therefore a smoking ban for casinos may result in an economic hardship.
Conceptual Flexibility in the Human Brain: Dynamic Recruitment of Semantic Maps from Visual, Motor, and Motion-related Areas
Authors: Hoenig Klaus , Sim Eun-Jin , Bochev Viktor , Herrnberger Bärbel , Kiefer Markus 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Traditionally, concepts are assumed to be situational invariant mental knowledge entities (conceptual stability), which are represented in a unitary brain system distinct from sensory and motor areas (amodality). However, accumulating evidence suggests that concepts are embodied in perception and action in that their conceptual features are stored within modality-specific semantic maps in the sensory and motor cortex. Nonetheless, the first traditional assumption of conceptual stability largely remains unquestioned. Here, we tested the notion of flexible concepts using functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials (ERPs) during the verification of two attribute types (visual, action-related) for words denoting artifactual and natural objects. Functional imaging predominantly revealed crossover interactions between category and attribute type in visual, motor, and motion-related brain areas, indicating that access to conceptual knowledge is strongly modulated by attribute type: Activity in these areas was highest when nondominant conceptual attributes had to be verified. ERPs indicated that these category-attribute interactions emerged as early as 116 msec after stimulus onset, suggesting that they reflect rapid access to conceptual features rather than postconceptual processing. Our results suggest that concepts are situational-dependent mental entities. They are composed of semantic features which are flexibly recruited from distributed, yet localized, semantic maps in modality-specific brain regions depending on contextual constraints.
Mirror Neuron System Differentially Activated by Facial Expressions and Social Hand Gestures: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Authors: Montgomery Kimberly J. , Haxby James V. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Facial expressions and hand gestures are utilized in nonverbal communication to convey socially relevant information. One key process that mediates nonverbal communication is simulation. The mirror neuron system (MNS), which maps observed actions onto the motor representations used when producing those actions, likely plays a role in simulation. Previous neuroimaging experiments have identified a putative human MNS that includes the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and the frontal operculum. Although understanding nonverbal communication presumably involves the MNS, it is unknown whether these two forms of nonverbal social communication have distinct representations within that system. Here we report the results of a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which participants viewed, imitated, and produced facial expressions and social hand gestures. The observation and execution of facial expressions and social hand gestures activated the MNS, but the magnitude of response differed. Activation in the IPL was greater for social hand gestures, whereas activation in the frontal operculum was greater for viewing facial expressions. The locations of neural activity evoked by viewing facial expressions and social hand gestures in the frontal operculum were significantly different. These data argue that there are distinct representations of different types of social nonverbal communication in the MNS.
'Riddled' with Guilt: The Mysteries of Transgression, the Sealed Vision, and the Art of Interpretation in 4Q300 and Related Texts
Authors: Thomas Samuel 
Published: March 2008

AbstractThis essay investigates the language of 4Q300, one of the manuscripts of the 'Mysteries' composition from caves 1 and 4 (1Q27, 4Q299–300[1]), for the way in which it participates in the 'prophetic-sapiential' dynamic of Qumran apocalypticism. Though 4Q300 may not have been authored by a member of the Qumran community, it expresses ideas and assumes social categories very much at home within a sectarian context. It presumes a dualistic framework in which the in-group possesses knowledge of 'mysteries' that derives from having access to a 'vision.' This vision is sealed to the opponents, the 'magicians' whose failed interpretations render them 'guilty' of not understanding the true 'root of wisdom.' The essay argues that this 'vision' is best understood to be a written source that is considered by the author/audience of 4Q300 to have prophetic implications.
Midlatitude Static Stability in Simple and Comprehensive General Circulation Models
Authors: Frierson Dargan M. W. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
The static stability of the extratropical troposphere is examined in two atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs) over idealized boundary conditions, with emphasis on the role of moisture in determining the midlatitude stability. The determination of the static stability is compared within two models: an idealized moist model with simplified representations of radiative transfer and other physical processes, and a comprehensive GCM with full physics. The GCMs are run over a zonally symmetric, fixed sea surface temperature (SST) aquaplanet surface, with a multitude of SST distributions to study the response of the extratropical static stability over a wide parameter range.
In both models, the dry static stability averaged over the midlatitudes increases both with increases in the meridional temperature gradients, and with increases in the mean SST. These changes in static stability are compared with both moist theories and dry theories. Dry baroclinic eddy theories are invalid for the entire parameter range in the idealized GCM, and for much of the parameter range considered in the comprehensive GCM. A moist theory, on the other hand, works remarkably well in predicting the midlatitude stability over the entire parameter range for both models. These simulations give strong support for the influence of moisture on the thermal structure of the midlatitudes.
A Generalization of Lorenz’s Model for the Predictability of Flows with Many Scales of Motion
Authors: Rotunno R. , Snyder C. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
In a seminal paper, E. N. Lorenz proposed that flows with many scales of motion in which smaller-scale error spreads to larger scales and in which the error-doubling time decreases with decreasing scale have a finite range of predictability. Although the Lorenz theory of limited predictability is widely understood and accepted, the model upon which the theory is based is less so. The primary objection to the model is that it is based on the two-dimensional vorticity equation (2DV) while simultaneously emphasizing results using a basic turbulent flow with a “−5/3” energy spectrum in the atmospheric synoptic scale instead of those using a more theoretically and observationally consistent “−3” spectrum. The present work generalizes the Lorenz model so that it may apply to the surface quasigeostrophic equations (SQGs), which are mathematically very similar to 2DV but are known to have a −5/3 kinetic energy spectrum downscale from a large-scale forcing. This generalized Lorenz model is applied here to both 2DV (with a −3 spectrum) and SQG (with a −5/3 spectrum), producing examples of flows with unlimited and limited predictability, respectively. Comparative analysis of the two models allows for the identification of the distinctive attributes of a many-scaled flow with limited predictability.
Impact of Saharan Dust on Tropical North Atlantic SST*
Authors: Foltz Gregory R. , McPhaden Michael J. 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
A combination of satellite and in situ datasets is used to investigate the impact of interannual changes in atmospheric dust content on the sea surface temperature (SST) of the tropical North Atlantic Ocean. Throughout most of the region the authors find, in agreement with previous studies, that positive anomalies of dust are associated with a significant reduction in surface shortwave radiation (SWR), while negative anomalies of dust are associated with an enhancement of SWR. Statistical analysis for 1984–2000 suggests that changes in dustiness in the tropical North Atlantic (10°–25°N, 20°–60°W) explained approximately 35% of the observed interannual SST variability during boreal summer, when climatological dust concentrations are highest. Measurements from a long-term moored buoy in the central tropical North Atlantic are used to investigate the causes of anomalously cool SST that occurred in conjunction with a period of enhanced dustiness at the start of the unexpectedly quiet 2006 hurricane season. It is found that surface SWR varied out of phase with dustiness, consistent with historical analyses. However, most of the anomalous cooling occurred prior to the period of enhanced dustiness and was driven primarily by wind-induced latent heat loss, with horizontal oceanic heat advection and SWR playing secondary roles. These results indicate that dust-induced changes in SWR did not play a major direct role in the cooling that led up to the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season.
Large-Scale Oceanographic Constraints on the Distribution of Melting and Freezing under Ice Shelves
Authors: Little Christopher M. , Gnanadesikan Anand , Hallberg Robert 
Published: March 2008

Abstract
Previous studies suggest that ice shelves experience asymmetric melting and freezing. Topography may constrain oceanic circulation (and thus basal melt–freeze patterns) through its influence on the potential vorticity (PV) field. However, melting and freezing induce a local circulation that may modify locations of heat transport to the ice shelf. This paper investigates the influence of buoyancy fluxes on locations of melting and freezing under different bathymetric conditions. An idealized set of numerical simulations (the “decoupled” simulations) employs spatially and temporally fixed diapycnal fluxes. These experiments, in combination with scaling considerations, indicate that while flow in the interior is governed by large-scale topographic gradients, recirculation plumes dominate near buoyancy fluxes. Thermodynamically decoupled models are then compared to those in which ice–ocean heat and freshwater fluxes are driven by the interior flow (the “coupled” simulations). Near the southern boundary, strong cyclonic flow forced by melt-induced upwelling drives inflow and melting to the east. Recirculation is less evident in the upper water column, as shoaling of meltwater-freshened layers dissipates the dynamic influence of buoyancy forcing, yet freezing remains intensified in the west. In coupled simulations, the flow throughout the cavity is relatively insensitive to bathymetry; stratification, the slope of the ice shelf, and strong, meridionally distributed buoyancy fluxes weaken its influence.
Pactolus
Authors: Brennan Robert D. 
Published: March 2008

In the last 10 years over a dozen block-oriented sim ulation languages have been developed for general- purpose digital computers. Several of these succeeded rather well in the semantics aspect of the problem. Almost without exception, however, they failed to provide the human operator with the operational flexibility which is the forte of the analog computer. In the opinion of the author, digital simulation has a most promising future. Unfortunately, at present it seems "stuck dead-center," and will probably remain so until we achieve a much greater measure of man- machine intimacy. PACTOLUS is an attempt to make a small, general-purpose digital computer not only act but, more importantly, feel like an analog com puter. Alas, it can't be called an unqualified success; it is hopefully a step in the right direction. PACTOLUS is a digital analog simulator program developed for the IBM 1620. Plotter, typewriter, and sense switches are combined to provide a flexible modus operandi. The configuration, initial condi tions, and parameters of the simulation are simply and conveniently specified and may be varied at will. The operator may monitor the results as they are being plotted and interrupt the run if the results suggest a change in the specifications. Variables of secondary interest are recorded at specified time intervals by the typewriter. The program includes all standard analog computer elements plus many spe cial circuit elements: e.g., bang-bang, absolute value, clipper, pulse generator, and zero-order hold.
Iterative-Differential-Analyzer Study of Prediction Networks
Authors: Melsa James L. , Wozny Michael J. 
Published: March 2008

Iterative-differential-analyzer methods are presented which allow experimental studies of prediction net works to be performed without the use of delay lines. Two classes of problems are examined in this paper: 1. Prediction of stochastic signals with no noise present. 2. Prediction and filtering of deterministic signals masked by noise. Measurement techniques are de veloped for each case, and experimental verification is included.