bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mortality patterns among residents in Louisiana’s industrial corridor, USA, 1970–99
Authors: Tsai S P , Cardarelli K M , Wendt J K , Fraser A E 
Published: March 2004

Background:Because of the high concentration of oil refining and petrochemical facilities, the industrial area of the lower Mississippi River of South Louisiana has been termed the Industrial Corridor and has frequently been referred to as the “Cancer Corridor”.Aims:To quantitatively assess the “Cancer Corridor” controversy based on mortality data available in the public domain, and to identify potential contributing factors to the observed differences in mortality.Methods:Age adjusted mortality rates were calculated for white and non-white males and females in the Industrial Corridor, Louisiana, and the United States for the time periods 1970–79, 1980–89, and 1990–99.Results:All-cause mortality and all cancer combined for white males in the Industrial Corridor were significantly lower than the corresponding Louisiana population while Louisiana had significantly higher rates than the US population for all three time periods. Cancer of the lung was consistently higher in the Industrial Corridor region relative to national rates but lower than or similar to Louisiana. Non-respiratory disease and cerebrovascular disease mortality for white males in the Industrial Corridor were consistently lower than either Louisiana or the USA. However, mortality due to diabetes and heart disease, particularly during the 1990s, was significantly higher in the Industrial Corridor and Louisiana when compared to the USA. Similar mortality patterns were observed for white females. The mortality for non-white males and females in the Industrial Corridor was generally similar to the corresponding populations in Louisiana. There were no consistent patterns for all cancer mortality combined. Stomach cancer was increased among non-whites in both the Industrial Corridor and Louisiana when compared to the corresponding US data. Mortality from diabetes and heart disease among non-whites was significantly higher in the Industrial Corridor and Louisiana than in the USA.Conclusions:Mortality rates in the Industrial Corridor area were generally similar to or lower than the State of Louisiana, which were increased compared to the United States. Contrary to prior public perceptions, mortality due to cancer in the Industrial Corridor does not exceed that for the State of Louisiana.
Malignant pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas in former miners and millers of crocidolite at Wittenoom, Western Australia
Authors: Berry G , de Klerk N H , Reid A , Ambrosini G L , Fritschi L , Olsen N J , Merler E , Musk A W 
Published: March 2004

Aims:To report the number of malignant pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas that have occurred in former Wittenoom crocidolite workers to the end of 2000, and to compare this with earlier predictions.Methods:A group of 6493 men and 415 women who had worked at the former Wittenoom crocidolite mine and mill at some time between 1943 and 1966 have been followed up throughout Australia and Italy to the end of 2000.Results:The cumulative number of mesotheliomas up to 2000 was 235 in men (202 pleural, 33 peritoneal) and seven (all pleural) in women. There had been 231 deaths with mesothelioma (9% of known deaths).Conclusions:The number of deaths in men with mesothelioma between 1987 and 2000 was at the low end of the predictions made earlier based on the number of cases to 1986. If this trend continues, it is predicted that about another 110 deaths with mesothelioma will occur in men by 2020.
Paternal exposure to agricultural pesticides and cause specific fetal death
Authors: Regidor E , Ronda E , García A M , Domínguez V 
Published: March 2004

Aims:To study the association between fetal death and paternal agricultural occupation in areas and time periods with different levels of use of agricultural pesticides.Methods:A total of 1 473 146 stillbirths and births occurring in Spain between 1995 and 1999 were analysed.Results:The offspring of agricultural workers had the highest risk of fetal death from congenital anomalies in the southern and eastern area (where pesticide use is greatest) and the lowest risk in the rest of Spain. In both areas the offspring of agricultural workers had a similar excess risk of fetal death from the remaining causes of death. The relative risk of fetal death from congenital anomalies in infants conceived between April and September (the months of greater use of pesticides) in the southern and eastern area was 0.90 in manual workers and 1.62 in agricultural workers, compared to non-manual workers; in individuals who were conceived during the rest of the year, the relative risk was 0.87 and 0.85, respectively. In both periods the offspring of agricultural workers had an excess risk of fetal death from the remaining causes of death.Conclusions:Paternal agricultural work in the areas where pesticides are massively used increases the risk of fetal death from congenital anomalies. The risk is also increased for fetuses conceived during the time periods of maximum use of pesticides The higher risk of fetal death from the remaining causes of death in the offspring of agricultural workers seems unrelated to pesticide exposure.
Cigarette smoking, occupational exposure to noise, and self reported hearing difficulties: Table 1
Authors: Palmer K T , Griffin M J , Syddall H E , Coggon D 
Published: March 2004

Aims:To explore the interaction of smoking and occupational exposure to noise as risk factors for hearing difficulty in the general population.Methods:A questionnaire was mailed to 21 201 adults of working age, selected at random from the age-sex registers of 34 British general practices, and to 993 members of the armed services, randomly selected from pay records. Questions were asked about smoking habits, years spent in a noisy occupation, difficulty in hearing conversation, and wearing of a hearing aid. Associations of hearing difficulty with smoking habit were examined by logistic regression and compared across strata of noise exposure, with adjustment for potential confounders.Results:Around half of the respondents had ever smoked, and half of these still smoked. Among 10 418 who provided details on hearing, 348 were classed as having moderate and 311 as having severe hearing difficulty. Risk of hearing difficulty was 3–5-fold higher in those employed for >5 years in noisy work compared with those never employed in a noisy job. Within strata of noise exposure (including those who had never worked in a noisy job), ex- and current smokers had a higher risk of hearing difficulty than lifetime non-smokers. The additional risks were small compared with those of long term noise exposure, and the combination of effects was more consistent with an additive than a multiplicative interaction.Conclusions:Smoking may adversely affect hearing, and workers should be encouraged to refrain from both smoking and exposure to noise. However, the extra risk to hearing incurred by smoking in high ambient noise levels is small relative to that from the noise itself, which should be the main target for preventive measures.
CLASSIFYING SOFTWARE MODULES INTO THREE RISK GROUPS
Authors: SZABO ROBERT M. , KHOSHGOFTAAR TAGHI M. 
Published: March 2004

Building on our earlier work in detecting high risk software modules in object-oriented systems, we extend the two group discriminant classification model to three risk groups. First, we give an overview of the discriminant modeling methodology. Using traditional and object-oriented software product measures collected from a commercial system, we develop two discriminant fault models. One model incorporates only traditional measures while the other model includes both traditional and object-oriented measures. The independent variables of both models are principal components derived from the observed software measures. The models are used to classify the modules comprising the system into three groups: high, medium, and low risk. Quality of fit and classification performance of both models are reported. We show that for this case study, the addition of the object-oriented measures enhances the model by reducing the overall misclassification rate and significantly reducing the misclassifications in the medium group. Last of all, we tender a cost based method to determine under what condition a three group model is superior to the simpler two group model. Our results suggest that additional case studies are needed to help develop a clearer picture of three group discriminant models and the utility of object-oriented software measures in general.
SYNCHRONIZATION ANALYSIS FOR DECENTRALIZING COMPOSITE WEB SERVICES
Authors: NANDA MANGALA GOWRI , KARNIK NEERAN 
Published: March 2004

Web Services are emerging as the standard mechanism for making information and software available programmatically via the Internet, and as building blocks for applications. A composite web service may be built using multiple component web services. Once its specification has been developed, the composite service may be orchestrated either using a centralized engine or in a decentralized fashion. Decentralized orchestration brings performance benefits, and improves scalability and concurrency. Dynamic binding coupled with decentralized orchestration adds high availability and fault tolerance to the system. However in such systems, the coordination between components needs to be carefully designed to ensure correct execution of the composite and to limit the synchronization overheads. In this paper, we categorize different forms of concurrency and provide an algorithm to identify these forms in a composite service specification. We explore different mechanisms for transferring data between the components in the presence of different forms of concurrency. Then we experimentally evaluate the efficiency and scalability of each mechanism. We also analyze the coordination requirements of a decentralized orchestration in the presence of dynamic binding and fault propagation.
Hyperglycaemic index as a tool to assess glucose control: a retrospective study
Authors: Vogelzang Mathijs , van der Horst Iwan CC , Nijsten Maarten WN 
Published: March 2004

Abstract
Introduction
Critically ill patients may benefit from strict glucose control. An objective measure of hyperglycaemia for assessing glucose control in acutely ill patients should reflect the magnitude and duration of hyperglycaemia, should be independent of the number of measurements, and should not be falsely lowered by hypoglycaemic values. The time average of glucose values above the normal range meets these requirements.

Methods
A retrospective, single-centre study was performed at a 12-bed surgical intensive care unit. From 1990 through 2001 all patients over 15 years, staying at least 4 days, were included. Admission type, sex, age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and outcome were recorded. The hyperglycaemic index (HGI) was defined as the area under the curve above the upper limit of normal (glucose level 6.0 mmol/l) divided by the total length of stay. HGI, admission glucose, mean morning glucose, mean glucose and maximal glucose were calculated for each patient. The relations between these measures and 30-day mortality were determined.

Results
In 1779 patients with a median stay in the intensive care unit of 10 days, the 30-day mortality was 17%. A total of 65,528 glucose values were analyzed. Median HGI was 0.9 mmol/l (interquartile range 0.3–2.1 mmol/l) in survivors versus 1.8 mmol/l (interquartile range 0.7–3.4 mmol/l) in nonsurvivors (P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.64 for HGI, as compared with 0.61 and 0.62 for mean morning glucose and mean glucose. HGI was the only significant glucose measure in binary logistic regression.

Conclusion
HGI exhibited a better relation with outcome than other glucose indices. HGI is a useful measure of glucose control in critically ill patients.
Predictors of maternal HIV infection at the primary care level in inner city Ibadan
Authors: Lawoyin T O , Adewole D A 
Published: March 2004

National HIV prevalence rate is derived from the sentinel surveys, which are carried out once in two years and remain anonymized. Epidemiological data are largely unavailable on the pregnant HIV-positive mothers particularly at the grass root level. This information is urgently needed when developing a realistic intervention programme. Three hundred and forty-three consenting pregnant women attending a randomly selected primary health care clinic in inner city Ibadan from April to November 2001 were enrolled at booking and followed up till delivery of their babies. Sociodemographic and reproductive health data were collected by questionnaire and all mothers were screened for HIV/AIDS using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based rapid test. Results showed that about one in three teenage mothers screened positive, having the highest HIV rate. HIV prevalence rate reduced, though not significantly, in mothers 20-29 years and those 30-39 years with mothers in these groups having similar rates. No mother over 39 years screened positive. Following logistic regression analysis, young age 15-19 years, was associated with a significantly increased risk for infection at the primary health care level ( P =0.046). Christian religion was associated with a lower risk ( P =0.038), and mothers who booked late in pregnancy ( P =0.025) or had husbands in the lower socio-economic class ( P =0.001) were less likely to be infected. None of the women were aware of their HIV status prior to the study. With a predominantly heterosexual mode of HIV transmission, it is necessary to identify infected pregnant women early through voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), so that they can be given the option to take preventive drugs, which would among other benefits reduce mother-to-child transmission, and help infected mothers stay healthy and productive for longer.
Management of sexually acquired reactive arthritis in 19 North Thames GUM clinics
Authors: Bell Charlotte , Brook Gary , Jones Karen , Carlin Elizabeth , Daniels David , Forster Greta , Miller Robert ,   on behalf of the North Thames GUM/HIV Audit Group
Published: March 2004

Our objective was to describe how genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the North Thames region manage sexually acquired reactive arthritis (SARA), and to compare management with national guidelines. A self-completed questionnaire survey and retrospective case note review was conducted between September and October 2001. Clinicians in 33 clinics were asked to describe their clinic's policy on the management of SARA, and to review the last five cases seen or the last cases seen in the preceding two years, if less than five. Nineteen (58%) clinics took part. There were inter-clinic variations in the investigation and management of patients, with only 63% (12/19) of clinics offering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and 58% (11/19) giving doxycycline 1001mg. twice daily for two weeks for urethritis - the rest using any of three other antibiotic regimens. There was no consistent policy of referral between other specialties and GUM for genital screening and partner notification. A total of 36 male and female case notes were reviewed. Patients without arthritis or joint swelling (5/38, 13%), or with non-typical symptoms such as diarrhoea (5/38, 13%) were diagnosed inappropriately with SARA. Only 33 (87%) had evidence of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) with at least two (5%) of patients being treated with antibiotics despite no apparent indication being present. Only 21 (55%) had documented NSAID therapy. Case identification was difficult due to the lack of a national disease code (KC60) for SARA. The data suggest that a diagnosis of SARA is sometimes being made with no identifiable STI, or where symptoms are more suggestive that another route of infection is likely. A clear guideline within clinics to standardize prescribing of antibiotics is needed and collaborative policies with GUM are needed for other specialties to use when investigating and managing patients with seronegative arthritis. GUM should consider re-introducing a KC60 code for SARA for better case identification.
Sur une conjecture de Mukai
Authors: Bonavero Laurent , Casagrande Cinzia , Debarre Olivier , Druel Stéphane 
Published: March 2004

Generalizing a question of Mukai, we conjecture that a Fano manifold

X

with Picard number

\rho_X

and pseudo-index

\iota_X

satisfies

\rho_X(\iota_X - 1) \leq \mathrm{dim}(X)

. We prove this inequality in several situations:

X

is a Fano manifold of dimension

\leq 4

,

X

is a toric Fano manifold of dimension

\leq 7

, or

X

is a toric Fano manifold of arbitrary dimension with

\iota_X\geq \mathrm{dim}(X) / 3 + 1

. Finally, we offer a new approach to the general case.

Résumé

Généralisant une question de Mukai, nous conjecturons quáune variété de Fano

X

de nombre de Picard

ρ_X

et de pseudo-indice

ι_X

vérifie

ρ_X(ι_X − 1) ≤ \mathrm{dim}(X)

. Nous démontrons cette conjecture dans plusieurs situations :

X

est une variété de Fano de dimension

≤ 4

,

X

est une variété de Fano torique de dimension

≤ 7

ou

X

est une varété de Fano torique de dimension arbitraire avec

ι_X ≥ \mathrm{dim}(X)/3 + 1

. Enfin, nous présentons une approche nouvelle pour le cas général.
How genes causing unfit hybrids evolve within populations: a review of models of postzygotic isolation
Authors: Hayashi T. I. , Kawata M. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe main subject for models of postzygotic isolation has been how reproductive isolation genes (RI genes) which cause hybrid inviability or sterility spread within populations despite their deleterious effects. The models are divided into three categories according to the within‐population effect of RI genes in their fixation process. (1) The beneficial effect model, where RI genes are assumed to spread within populations by a positive selective force via natural or sexual selection. (2) The neutral effect model, where RI genes are assumed not to affect the fitness of individuals in their fixation process and to be spread by genetic drift. (3) The deleterious effect model, where RI genes are assumed to exhibit some (slightly) deleterious effects in their fixation process and to be spread by genetic drift. Factors that affect the applicability of these models are discussed. If a selective force such as sexual conflict or natural selection facilitates the evolution of RI genes, the beneficial effect model should be applied. Many empirical studies have suggested that positive selection plays an important role in the evolution of hybrid male sterility. If the mutation rates of RI genes are low, and the specificity of epistatic interaction causing hybrid inviability or sterility is high, the neutral effect model should be applied. However, if the opposite condition applies, the deleterious effect model should be applied.
Biology of reproductive isolation in Drosophila: toward a better understanding of speciation
Authors: Sawamura K. , Tomaru M. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractMechanisms of premating and postmating isolation between Drosophila melanogaster and its sibling species, D. simulans, D. mauritiana, and D. sechellia, are reviewed here. As D. melanogaster has been used as a “model organism” in a variety of studies, we can apply much knowledge about this species to interspecific hybridizations. Mating success between species is low because of species specificity of pheromonal and acoustic signals and the receivers, although other factors are also involved. On the other hand, genetic incompatibility between species results in inviability and sterility in F1 and backcross hybrids. Studies of reproductive isolation between these Drosophila species will shed light on animal speciation and the origin of biodiversity.
Indirect effects mediated by compensatory shoot growth on subsequent generations of a willow spittlebug
Authors: Nozawa A. , Ohgushi T. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractWe investigated whether oviposition by the spittlebug Aphrophora pectoralis on Salix miyabeana and S. sachalinensis in fall 1998 affected shoot growth pattern and further oviposition by subsequent generations of the willow spittlebug in early September 1999 and 2000. Spittlebug oviposition enhanced the growth of current‐year shoots on 1‐year shoots with oviposition (O‐shoots) compared to those without oviposition (N‐shoots): the length of current‐year shoots increased in 1999 and 2000, the number of current‐year shoots increased in 2000 despite a decrease in 1999, and the shoot abscission rate decreased during the 1999 winter. The number of egg masses per current‐year shoot was greater on O‐shoots than on N‐shoots in 1999, and this tendency was reinforced in 2000. The total number of egg masses was greater on O‐shoots than on N‐shoots in 2000, although there was no significant difference in 1999. There is thus a positive feedback system between spittlebug attack and compensatory growth on willow.
Backward chromosome movement in crane‐fly spermatocytes after UV microbeam irradiation of the interzone and a kinetochore
Authors: Wong Raymond , Forer Arthur 
Published: March 2004

AbstractSingle anaphase chromosomes (in crane‐fly spermatocytes) moved backwards after double irradiations with an ultraviolet light (UV) microbeam, first of the interzone and then of a kinetochore: the chromosome irradiated at the kinetochore moved backwards rapidly, across the equator and into the other half‐spindle. High irradiation doses at the kinetochore were required to induce backward movement. Single irradiations of kinetochores or interzones were ineffective in inducing backward movements.
CD40 is Necessary for Activation of Naïve T Cells by a Dendritic Cell Line In Vivo but not In Vitro
Authors: Haase C. , Michelsen B. K. , Jørgensen T. N. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe importance of CD40–CD40L interactions during CD4+ T‐cell activation has been extensively investigated over the years; however, it still remains questionable whether the interaction is a prerequisite for dendritic cell (DC)‐mediated antigen‐specific priming in vivo. Naïve CD4+ T cells require two signals for proper activation and induction of differentiation: signal 1 is provided by peptide antigens in the context of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, while signal 2 is delivered by costimulatory molecules such as CD80 or CD86 present on the antigen‐presenting cell (APC). It is well known that the expression of CD80/CD86 is upregulated after interaction between CD40 on APCs and CD40L expressed by at least partly activated T cells. We used a DC line, JawsII, to compare the importance of CD40 expression and downstream signalling in vitro and in vivo. JawsII cells represent pre‐immature bone marrow‐derived DCs expressing low levels of MHC molecules, low levels of B7 molecules and no CD40. We have previously shown that JawsII cells, despite the lack of CD40 expression, are capable of priming naïve allogeneic T cells in vitro. In correlation with the current literature, we present data showing that constitutive expression of CD40 significantly increases the priming capacity of JawsII cells in vitro. In addition, we show that CD40 expression is required for JawsII cell‐dependent T‐cell priming in vivo.