bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of qualitative methods to map job tasks and exposures to occupational hazards for commercial fishermen
Authors: McDonald Mary Anne , Loomis Dana , Kucera Kristen L. , Lipscomb Hester J. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractBackgroundUnderstanding job tasks and estimating occupational exposures is difficult for self‐employed or autonomous workers, who tend to be dispersed, with no fixed workplace, employment records, or historical exposure measurements.MethodsWe used ethnographic methods to collect work information for southern commercial fishermen. Major activities were mapped using the seasonal round, an anthropological tool that records activities of groups whose lifeways depend on natural cycles.ResultsFishermen's work schedules depended on boat size, gear, market fluctuations, and regulations, as well as season. The seasonal round guided the analysis of qualitative data on annual cycles of activities increasing understanding of exposures and their variation.ConclusionsCombined with detailed exposure information this framework for organizing and categorizing seasonal activities could improve accuracy of exposure information and guide quantitative analysis in work settings that challenge standard exposure assessment methods. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:23–31, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Ischemic heart disease mortality among heavy equipment operators
Authors: Finkelstein Murray M. , Verma Dave K. , Sahai Dru , Stefov Evelyn 
Published: June 2004

AbstractBackgroundInhalation of fine particulate is hypothesized to increase risk of heart disease events.MethodsSeven Ontario construction unions participated in a retrospective cohort mortality study. Proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) were computed and a mortality odds ratio (MOR) analysis was performed to compare the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality among heavy equipment operators (HEO) to that of members of other unions. Deaths attributed to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and accidental causes were excluded from the comparison.ResultsTwo hundred fifty nine of 1,009 deaths among the HEO were attributed to IHD. The PMR was 1.09 (0.96–1.2). None of the IHD PMRs among the other six unions exceeded 0.89. The MOR for IHD mortality, comparing the HEO to all other workers combined was 1.47 (1.17–1.84) for ages 25–64, was 1.20 (0.96–1.50) for ages 65 or more, and was 1.32 (1.13–1.55) for all ages combined.ConclusionsIncreased risk of IHD mortality among HEO is consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to diesel fume has adverse effects upon the heart and circulatory system. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:16–22, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Nonfatal occupational injuries from slips, trips, and falls among older workers treated in hospital emergency departments, United States 1998
Authors: Layne Larry A. , Pollack Keshia M. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractBackgroundFalls are a leading cause of injury among older adults. As the workforce demographics shift to an older population, the dearth of information on occupational falls among older adults must be addressed.MethodsA national probability sample of hospital emergency departments (EDs) (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System) was utilized to characterize falls at work.ResultsOlder workers were found not to be at increased risk of a fall injury, but were more likely than younger workers to be hospitalized post‐injury. Same‐level falls were the most common type of incident among older workers. Falls from height were more prevalent among men than women. The narrative case descriptions for same‐level falls to the floor primarily implicated floor contamination and tripping hazards.ConclusionsFall prevention programs targeted to older workers must examine extrinsic sources of falls, particularly surface traction, contaminant control, and footwear. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:32–41, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The interleukin 1β gene promoter polymorphism (−511) acts as a risk factor for psychosis in Alzheimer's dementia
Authors: Craig David , Hart Dominic J. , McCool Keira , McIlroy Stephen P. , Passmore A. Peter 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThe explanation for why some patients develop psychotic change in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is unclear. “Psychosis‐modifier genes” may act in the setting of neurodegeneration to produce AD plus psychosis in a similar way to how genetic modulation during neurodevelopment leads to schizophrenia. Because there is increasing interest in the common disruption of cytokine pathways seen in both AD and schizophrenia, we tested the association between the functional interleukin‐1β −511 promoter polymorphism with delusions and hallucinations in AD. Significant associations between psychotic symptoms and the CC genotype (p = 0.001 ‐ p = 0.043) and C allele (p = 0.014 vs p = 0.048) were found, thus confirming the previously noted increased risk in schizophrenia.
Levodopa: Faster and better word learning in normal humans
Authors: Knecht Stefan , Breitenstein Caterina , Bushuven Stefan , Wailke Stefanie , Kamping Sandra , Flöel Agnes , Zwitserlood Pienie , Ringelstein E. Bernd 
Published: June 2004

AbstractDopamine is a potent modulator of learning and has been implicated in the encoding of stimulus salience. Repetition, however, as required for the acquisition and reacquisition of sensorimotor or cognitive skills (e.g., in aphasia therapy), decreases salience. We here tested whether increasing brain levels of dopamine during repetitive training improves learning success. Forty healthy humans took 100mg of the dopamine precursor levodopa or placebo daily for 5 days in a randomized double‐blind and parallel‐group design. Ninety minutes later on each day, subjects were trained on an artificial vocabulary using a high‐frequency repetitive approach. Levodopa significantly enhanced the speed, overall success, and long‐term retention of novel word learning in a dose‐dependent manner. These findings indicate new ways to potentiate learning in a variety of domains if conventional training alone fails.
A natural compound (reuterin) produced by Lactobacillus reuteri for hemoglobin polymerization as a blood substitute
Authors: Chen Yi‐Chien , Chang Wen‐Hsiang , Chang Yen , Huang Chun‐Ming , Sung Hsing‐Wen 
Published: June 2004

AbstractStroma‐free hemoglobin (Hb) has been modified by pyridoxylation and followed by polymerization with glutaraldehyde as a blood substitute. Nevertheless, the reaction rate of pyridoxylated Hb (PLP‐Hb) with glutaraldehyde is too fast to control its molecular weight distribution. Additionally, it was reported that glutaraldehyde is cytotoxic even at low doses. To overcome these problems, another aldehyde, β‐hydroxypropionaldehyde (β‐HPA), was used in the study to polymerize hemoglobin (PLP‐Hb). β‐HPA is a natural compound (reuterin) produced by Lactobacillus reuteri. It was found that the maximum degree of PLP‐Hb polymerization by reuterin (RR‐PLP‐Hb) was approximately 40% if the formation of high molecular (> 500 kDa) polymers should be prevented. In contrast, at the same reaction condition, the glutaraldehyde‐polymerized PLP‐Hb solution became gel‐like, due to overpolymerization. This indicated that the rate of PLP‐Hb polymerization by reuterin was significantly slower than that by glutaraldehyde. With increasing the reaction temperature, PLP‐Hb concentration, or reuterin‐to‐PLP‐Hb molar ratio, the time to reach the maximum degree of PLP‐Hb polymerization by reuterin became significantly shorter. Removal of unpolymerized PLP‐Hb from the RR‐PLP‐Hb solution can be effectively achieved by a gel‐filtration column. The P50 value of the unmodified Hb solution was 14 torr, while that of the RR‐PLP‐Hb solution was 20 torr, an indication of lower oxygen affinity. Additionally, the oxygen‐Hb dissociation curves for both test solutions had a sigmodial shape and a nearly 100% saturation at 100 torr. In the in vivo study, it was found that the animals treated with the RR‐PLP‐Hb solution all survived and remained healthy more than 3 months. In contrast, only one out of six rats survived for the control group treated with the unmodified Hb solution. Furthermore, it was found that the RR‐PLP‐Hb solution resulted in a significantly longer circulation time (≈ 12 h) than the unmodified Hb solution (≈ 1.5 h). These results suggest that the reuterin‐polymerized PLP‐Hb solution may be a new option in the development of blood substitutes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A modified Newton–Raphson method
Authors: He Ji‐Huan 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn this paper, we propose the following modified Newton–Raphson iteration formulation:

In case r=1, the obtained formulation reduces to the Newton–Raphson formulation. The present technique circumvent pitfalls of the Newton–Raphson iteration method. Some examples are illustrated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A simple and efficient numerical method for determination of deformations and stresses in rotating solid shafts with non‐linear strain‐hardening
Authors: You X. Y. , You L. H. , Zhang J. J. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractA simple and efficient numerical method is proposed to investigate deformations and stresses in elastic–plastic rotating solid shafts. Using the assumption of plane strain, the governing equation is derived from the geometric relation, equilibrium equation, deformation theory, von Mises' yield criterion and non‐linear stress–plastic strain relationship. By making use of the information of the second and third derivatives of the radial stress with respect to the radial co‐ordinate and introducing a truncated Taylor's expansion, an iterative algorithm is presented which can solve elastic–plastic problems of rotating solid shafts quickly and effectively. Two numerical examples are given to demonstrate accuracy, efficiency and capacity of the proposed method in both fully elastic and non‐linear strain‐hardening elastic–plastic analyses of rotating solid shafts. Excellent agreement is found between this method and finite element approach. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Data structures in Java for matrix computations
Authors: Gundersen Geir , Steihaug Trond 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn this paper we show how to utilize Java's native arrays for matrix computations. The disadvantages of Java arrays used as a 2D array for dense matrix computation are discussed and ways to improve the performance are examined. We show how to create efficient dynamic data structures for sparse matrix computations using Java's native arrays. This data structure is unique for Java and shown to be more dynamic and efficient than the traditional storage schemes for large sparse matrices. Numerical testing indicates that this new data structure, called Java Sparse Array, is competitive with the traditional Compressed Row Storage scheme on matrix computation routines. Java gives increased flexibility without losing efficiency. Compared with other object‐oriented data structures Java Sparse Array is shown to have the same flexibility. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient parallel implementations of near Delaunay triangulation with High Performance Fortran
Authors: Chen Min‐Bin , Chuang Tyng‐Ruey , Wu Jan‐Jan 
Published: June 2004

AbstractUnstructured mesh generation exposes highly irregular computation patterns, which imposes a challenge in implementing triangulation algorithms on parallel machines. This paper reports on an efficient parallel implementation of near Delaunay triangulation with High Performance Fortran (HPF). Our algorithm exploits embarrassing parallelism by performing sub‐block triangulation and boundary merge independently at the same time. The sub‐block triangulation is a divide & conquer Delaunay algorithm known for its sequential efficiency, and the boundary triangulation is an incremental construction algorithm with low overhead. Compared with prior work, our parallelization method is both simple and efficient. In the paper, we also describe a solution to the collinear points problem that usually arises in large data sets. Our experiences with the HPF implementation show that with careful control of the data distribution, we are able to parallelize the program using HPF's standard directives and extrinsic procedures. Experimental results on several parallel platforms, including an IBM SP2 and a DEC Alpha farm, show that a parallel efficiency of 42–86% can be achieved for an eight‐node distributed memory system. We also compare efficiency of the HPF implementation with that of a similarly hand‐coded MPI implementation. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authentication with 3D pattern communication
Authors: Ito Masahito , Uda Ryuya , Awaya Kohei , Nasu Shoken , Inomae Goro , Shigeno Hiroshi , Okada Ken‐ichi , Matsushita Yutaka 
Published: June 2004

AbstractThis paper proposes an authentication technique by 3D pattern communication, using terminals with a small‐sized screen. 3D pattern communication is a method whereby an arbitrary signal can be transmitted by rewriting the signal patterns on the screen for several times on the terminal screen. The signal is not limited by the display resolution of the screen or the kind of liquid crystal. Consequently, any signal can be sent to the destination through the screen, and secure authentication can be realized by using a portable terminal. It is verified that, even if the terminal is inclined to some extent during reading due to the angle of the hand holding the terminal, or an arbitrary picture is overlaid on the pattern, the 3D pattern can be recognized correctly by utilizing error‐correcting code and interleaving. The proposed scheme is implemented on current models of portable phones with TFT, TFD, STN, and organic EL screens. The communication of 1024‐bit RSA signature data is successfully performed in 0.33 to 0.44 second, except for a single terminal. Using the proposed 3D pattern communication, an authentication service with a strong security requirement can be provided without adding a special device to existing portable phone terminals. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 78–89, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10171
A fundamental study of acoustic and EM wave absorber using resistive films and glass wool
Authors: Yokokawa Hidehiro , Kondo Asuka , Hashimoto Osamu , Soh Tetsu , Ono Kazunori , Toyota Makoto 
Published: June 2004

AbstractOver the past few years, the use of electromagnetic (EM) waves on highways has increased due to the spread of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITSs). Conventionally, roadside walls have been set up while considering the sound absorption of noise, but the need has developed for a structure also equipped with an EM wave absorption effect with the objective of preventing unwanted EM waves when EM waves are used. In addition, based on the properties of the EM waves used in Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), the EM wave absorber used in the roadside walls should handle the circularly polarized waves that are second‐order reflections due to the wall surface and have ultrawide angle characteristics. In this paper, we place an EM wave absorber that does not harm the acoustic absorption characteristics behind a commercial acoustic absorber (standard acoustic panel of the Japan Highway Public Corporation) and unify the acoustic absorber and the EM wave absorber in a single structure. We then study the implementation of an acoustic and EM wave absorber having both functions of absorbing sound and EM waves, and wide angle characteristics for circularly polarized waves. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 60–67, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10195
Proposal and implementation of IPv4–IPv6 bidirectional communication system
Authors: Hei Yuichiro , Kubota Ayumu , Hotta Takao , Yamazaki Katsuyuki 
Published: June 2004

AbstractCommunication between an IPv6 host and an IPv4 host requires a name server that makes a mapping between an IPv4 address and an IPv6 address, and a translator that performs IP packet conversion. In this paper, we propose an IPv4–IPv6 bidirectional communication system, implement our proposed method, and present the results of performance evaluation. Our system can provide IPv4 hosts with connectivity to more IPv6 hosts in spite of pooling fewer IPv4 addresses. It is realized by adding a source IPv4 address and a port number to an address mapping with cooperation between a name server and a translator. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 49–59, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10203
Compensation of carrier frequency offset for MMSE‐SMI adaptive array antenna
Authors: Ichikawa Yoshihiro , Obote Shigeki , Kagoshima Kenichi 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWhen a frequency offset exists in an MMSE‐SMI adaptive array antenna, the correlation vector varies and as a result the SINR varies and the average BER is degraded. In order to resolve this problem, a method for compensation of the frequency offset at the array input stage is proposed in which an AFC (Auto Frequency Control) is used to estimate the frequency offset. In the proposed method, the weights are averaged (AW: Averaging of Weights) to stabilize the correlation vector (SCV: Stabilizing Correlation Vector) so that the complex conjugate of the frequency offset estimated is multiplied by the array input signal for compensation of the frequency offset (SCV‐AW method). As a conventional method, the one estimating and compensating the frequency offset with fixed weights is simulated and the effectiveness of the SCV‐AW method is demonstrated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 28–38, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10220
The largest eigenvalue characteristics for MIMO channel with spatial correlation
Authors: Fu Jianyu , Taniguchi Tetsuki , Karasawa Yoshio 
Published: June 2004

AbstractIn this paper, a typical mobile communication environment is assumed and the eigenvalue distributions of the correlation matrix of a MIMO channel with the spatial correlation of the multipath taken into account are studied by simulation. Based on this study, a simple method is proposed for accurately deriving the probability distribution of the largest eigenvalue of the correlation matrix. The proposed approximation equation is compared with simulation results and good agreement is obtained. In order to understand the information transmission capability of MIMO in a multipath fading environment with spatial correlation, the proposed equation is used for studying the effect of the spatial correlation on channel capacity. Finally, the digital transmission characteristics (relationship between the BER and the CNR) with correlation taken into account are obtained. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 18–27, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.10223
Analysis of uplink capacity in W‐CDMA systems with adaptive antenna array
Authors: Imai Tetsuro , Taga Tokio 
Published: June 2004

AbstractWith regard to the uplink channel in the case of a W‐CDMA system with an adaptive antenna array technology, a method is presented that theoretically analyzes the uplink channel capacity with consideration of the effects of RAKE reception and of soft handover between sectors. A propagation model presuming the angle of arrival profile on the base station side and a rather realistic delay profile is applied to the proposed analysis method, making it possible to evaluate the effect on the capacity by the angular spread on the base station side and the level threshold that determines the soft handover region. It is demonstrated that system parameters such as the number of elements in the array antenna, the level threshold at the time of using the above‐described soft handover, and the half‐value width of the sector pattern can be optimized. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 87(12): 1–17, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.20140
Relative sensitivity of fish and mammalian cells to sodium arsenate and arsenite as determined by alkaline single‐cell gel electrophoresis and cytokinesis‐block micronucleus assay
Authors: Raisuddin Sheikh , Jha Awadhesh N. 
Published: June 2004

AbstractTo protect human and ecosystem health, it is necessary to develop sensitive assays and to identify responsive cells and species (and their life stages). In this study, the relative genotoxicity of two inorganic arsenicals: trivalent sodium arsenite (As3+) and pentavalent sodium arsenate (As5+), was evaluated in two cell lines of phylogenetically different origin, using alkaline single‐cell gel electrophoresis (i.e., the Comet assay) and the cytokinesis‐block micronucleus (MN) assay. The cell lines were the rainbow trout gonad‐2 (RTG‐2) and Chinese hamster ovary‐K1 (CHO‐K1) lines. Following optimization and validation of both assays using reference chemicals (i.e., 1–100 μM hydrogen peroxide for the Comet assay and 1–10 mM ethylmethane sulfonate for the MN assay), cells were exposed to 1–10 μM of both arsenicals to determine the relative extent of genetic damage. The unexposed controls showed similar (background) levels of damage in both cell lines and for both assays. Treatment with the arsenicals induced concentration‐dependent increases in genetic damage in the two cell lines. Arsenite was more potent than arsenate in inducing DNA strand breaks in the Comet assay; at the highest concentration (10 μM) arsenite produced similar levels of DNA damage in CHO‐K1 and RTG‐2 cells, while 10 μM arsenate was significantly more genotoxic in RTG‐2 cells. MN induction was consistently higher in RTG‐2 cells than in CHO‐K1 cells, with 10 μM arsenite inducing an approximate 10‐fold increase in both cell lines. MN induction also was positively correlated with DNA strand breaks for both arsenicals. Overall, the study demonstrated that the fish cells are more sensitive than the mammalian cells at environmentally realistic concentrations of both arsenicals, with arsenite being more toxic. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 44:83–89, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Promoter methylation of the PTEN gene is a common molecular change in breast cancer
Authors: García Jose M. , Silva Javier , Peña Cristina , Garcia Vanesa , Rodríguez Rufo , Cruz Miguel A. , Cantos Blanca , Provencio Mariano , España Pilar , Bonilla Felix 
Published: June 2004

AbstractAbout 25–50% of women with Cowden disease, a syndrome associated with germ‐line mutations of the PTEN gene (at 10q23), develop breast cancer (BC), but PTEN mutations have been found in only 5% of sporadic BCs. However, 29–48% of BCs display loss of heterozygosity in 10q23, and about 40% of BCs show a decrease or absence of PTEN protein levels at the time of diagnosis. Promoter hypermethylation has been identified as an alternative mechanism of tumor‐suppressor gene inactivation, but its importance in PTEN silencing in sporadic BC is unknown. We investigated PTEN promoter hypermethylation in 90 sporadic BCs and its correlations with 11 molecular and pathologic parameters, including mRNA levels of PTEN. The study, a methylation‐specific PCR assay, was carried out with methylated specific primers designed in a region with scarce homology with the psiPTEN pseudogene. Expression was analyzed by real‐time PCR. We found that the PTEN promoter was hypermethylated in 43 BCs (48%). PTEN hypermethylation was associated with ERBB2 overexpression, larger size, and higher histologic grade (P = 0.012, 0.03, and 0.009, respectively). We concluded that PTEN promoter hypermethylation is a common event in sporadic BC, correlating with other well‐established prognostic factors of this malignancy. Additionally, PTEN mRNA expression was lower in tumors with aberrant methylation. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.