bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence and reporting of occupational illness by company size: Population trends and regulatory implications
Authors: Morse Tim , Dillon Charles , Weber Joseph , Warren Nick , Bruneau Heather , Fu Rongwei 
Published: March 2004

AbstractBackgroundReports of occupational disease using the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)/OSHA survey have shown increasing rates with larger establishment size. The literature is divided on whether this pattern is an artifact of under‐reporting in smaller businesses or is the result of differences in underlying risk factors.MethodsA population‐based survey [the Connecticut Upper‐Extremity Surveillance Project (CUSP)] assessing prevalence of likely work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in CT, coded by establishment size, is compared to CT MSD incidence rates based on the BLS/OSHA survey.ResultsWhen analyses were controlled for age, gender, physical risks, and occupation, there was a marginally significant association between business size and the rate of MSD [odds ratio (OR) = 0.91, CI 0.82–1.01], but in the opposite direction of the BLS/OSHA rates, with larger businesses having somewhat lower rates of MSD. Reported risk factors varied in a similar direction, though with mid‐sized companies having the highest physical risks.ConclusionsThe increased rates of occupational illness in larger businesses reported in the BLS/OSHA survey does not appear to be due to actual incidence or distribution of risk factors, but appears more likely to be due to under‐reporting in smaller businesses. Estimates based on the assumption that the ORs based on size are actually similar to the CUSP population survey results suggest that MSD incidence is approximately 3.6‐times the reported rates. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:361–370, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Co‐worker fatalities from hydrogen sulfide
Authors: Hendrickson Robert G. , Chang Arthur , Hamilton Richard J. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractBackgroundHydrogen sulfide is a colorless, odorless gas that may cause rapid loss of consciousness and respiratory depression without warning. It has produced toxicity in workers in numerous industries and occupations.MethodsA review of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) for occupational deaths related to hydrogen sulfide from 1993 to 1999 was performed.ResultsFifty‐two workers died of hydrogen sulfide toxicity in this 7‐year period. Deaths were most commonly reported in workers who were white (85%), male (98%), and in their first year of employment with the company (48%). Common industries included waste management, petroleum, and natural gas. In 21% of cases, a co‐worker died simultaneously or in the attempt to save the workers.ConclusionsHydrogen sulfide toxicity is uncommon, but potentially deadly. Toxicity is predominantly in new workers and co‐worker fatalities occur in a significant minority of cases. Proper training and education on the warning signs of hydrogen sulfide toxicity may help reduce worker fatalities. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:346–350, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fatal rat bite fever in a pet shop employee
Authors: Shvartsblat Steve , Kochie Mary , Harber Philip , Howard John 
Published: March 2004

AbstractBackgroundRat bite fever is a zoonotic disease that has been described in laboratory personnel as well as the general population.MethodsA 24‐year‐old male pet shop employee contracted the disease through a minor superficial finger wound on a contaminated rat cage. The disease progressed from a flu‐like illness to endocarditis involving first the aortic valve and then the mitral valve and septum. Despite aggressive therapy including two surgical procedures, the patient died from sepsis and multi‐organ system failure 59 days after initial injury.ResultsThis is the first reported case of rat‐bite fever (RBF) in a pet shop work setting.ConclusionsZoonotic infections may present a significant hazard to workers handling animals. Education on hazards of animal contact and other preventive measures are needed in small places of business like pet shops. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:357–360, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Implications of the Precautionary Principle in research and policy‐making
Authors: Grandjean Philippe , Bailar John C. , Gee David , Needleman Herbert L. , Ozonoff David M. , Richter Elihu , Sofritti Morando , Soskolne Colin L. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe Precautionary Principle (PP) has recently been formally introduced into national and international law. The key element is the justification for acting in the face of uncertainty. The PP is thereby a tool for avoiding possible future harm associated with suspected, but not conclusive, environmental risks. Under the PP, the burden of proof is shifted from demonstrating the presence of risk to demonstrating the absence of risk and it is the responsibility of the producer of a technology to demonstrate its safety rather than the responsibility of public authorities to show harm. Past experiences show the costly consequences of disregarding early warnings about environmental hazards. Today, the need for applying the PP is even greater. New research is needed to expand current insight into disease causation, to elucidate the full scope of potential adverse implications resulting from environmental pollutants, and to identify opportunities for prevention. Research approaches should be developed and strengthened to counteract innate ideological biases and to support our confidence in applying the PP for decision‐making in the public policy arena. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:382–385, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessing the accuracy of OSHA's projections of the benefits of new safety standards
Authors: Seong Si Kyung , Mendeloff John 
Published: March 2004

AbstractBackgroundIn the preambles to the safety and health standards that it has issued since 1987, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) projected that new safety standards would prevent over 2,600 death each year. For six safety standards issued since 1990, we compare OSHA's projections of the impact of full compliance on fatalities with actual fatality changes and examine the reasons for the differences.MethodsWe reviewed the preambles to OSHA standards and the Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) prepared for them to identify the baseline and the prevention factor that the agency used to project the number of deaths that would be prevented. We used three data sources to track the relevant categories of fatalities: the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality program, and OSHAs Fatality/Catastrophe investigations.ResultsFor all six standards, OSHA appeared to overestimate the number of deaths prevented. The availability of CFOI led to better estimates of the fatality baseline, but the prevention factor was always overestimated, especially for standards which emphasized training.ConclusionsOSHA needs to develop better methods for projecting injury impacts. Research is needed to help OSHA predict the effects of behavioral requirements (e.g., training) on actual work practices and injury outcomes. For non‐fatal injuries, new methods of data collection will be required. Am. J. Ind. Med. 45:313–328, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Survey of Some Global Methods for Solving Two‐Point BVPs
Authors: Cash J. R. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe task of comparing numerical methods which are designed to solve a particular class of problems is a notoriously difficult and inexact one. However it is important to be able to measure the quality of codes in at least a limited sense so that potential users of the software can have some guidance as to which code they might use to solve their particular problem. There are two important aspects that must be considered when numerical comparisons are contemplated. The first is to classify those codes which can be regarded as being reasonably efficient and so can set a standard against which other codes can be compared. The second is to identify some test problems which will challenge the codes and highlight any weaknesses they may have. In the present paper we consider the first of these two problems and we describe some codes which may be regarded as being amongst the most efficient for solving two‐point boundary value problems at the present time. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Sensitivity analysis and fast computation of packet loss probabilities in multiplexer models
Authors: Cuyt A. , Lenin R. B. , Van der Borght K. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractA statistical multiplexer is a basic model used in the design and the dimensioning of communication networks. The multiplexer model consists of a finite buffer, to store incoming packets, served by a single server with constant service time, and a more or less complicated arrival process. The aim is to determine the packet loss probability as a function of the capacity of the buffer. An exact analytic approach is unfeasible in real time, and hence we show how techniques from rational approximation theory can be applied to the computation of the packet loss. Since the parameters used in such networks may not produce precise probabilities of interest without having to introduce drastic assumptions, we also carry out a perturbation analysis with respect to these parameters. Using techniques from interval arithmetic, we can deliver sharp bounds for the true uncertainity effect. The latter is very important because the packet loss probability function can be very sensitive to relatively small changes in the network parameters. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Parallel Adaptive Multilevel Methods with Full Domain Partitions
Authors: Mitchell William F. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAdaptive multilevel methods are methods for solving partial differential equations that combine adaptive grid refinement with multigrid solution techniques. These methods have been shown to be very effective on sequential computers. Recently, a technique for parallelizing these methods for cluster computers has been developed. This paper presents an overview of a particular adaptive multilevel method and the parallelization of that method via the full domain partition. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Exponentially‐fitted algorithms: fixed or frequency dependent knot points?
Authors: Vanden Berghe G. , Van Daele M. , Vande Vyver H. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractExponentially‐fitted algorithms are constructed for the derivation of Gauss formulae and implicit Runge‐Kutta methods of collocation type making them tuned for oscillatory (or exponential) functions. The weights and the abscissas of these formulae can depend naturally on the frequency ω by the very construction. For twopoints Gauss formulae and two‐step Runge‐Kutta methods a detailed study of the obtained results is made. In particular the difference in the numerical application of these algorithms with fixed points and/or frequency dependent nodes is analysed. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Fitting circular arcs by orthogonal distance regression
Authors: Atieg A. , Watson G. A. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe problem is considered of fitting circular arcs to discrete data using orthogonal distance regression. This can be formulated as a constrained nonlinear least squares problem, and an efficient Gauss‐Newton method is developed. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Mean Square Stability of a Class of Runge‐Kutta Methods for 2‐Dimensional Stochastic Differential Systems
Authors: Abukhaled Marwan I. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractDespite the intensive work done on developing numerical schemes for stochastic differential equations, stability analysis of these schemes when applied to stochastic differential systems is still under premature stage. Motivated by the work of Saito and Mitsui in [11], we investigate mean square stability for a class of weak second order Runge‐Kutta schemes applied to 2‐dimensional stochastic differential systems. Stability criteria will be established, and numerical examples in support of the theoretical analysis will be provided. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Finite difference time domain simulation of soil ionization in grounding systems under lightning surge conditions
Authors: Ala G. , Francomano E. , Toscano E. , Viola F. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThis paper proposes a Maxwell's equations finite difference time domain (FDTD) approach for electromagnetic transients in ground electrodes in order to take into account the non linear effects due to soil ionization. A time variable soil resistivity method is used in order to simulate the soil breakdown, without the formulation of an initial hypothesis about the geometrical shape of the ionized zone around the electrodes. The model has been validated by comparing the computed results with available data found in technical literature referred to concentrated earths. Some application examples referred to complex grounding systems are reported to show the computational capability of the proposed model. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
An advanced variant of an interpolatory graphical display algorithm
Authors: Ala G. , Francomano E. , Tortorici A. , Toscano E. , Viola F. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractIn this paper an advanced interpolatory graphical display algorithm based on cardinal B‐spline functions is provided. It is well‐known that B‐spline functions are a flexible tool to design various scale rapresentations of a signal. The proposed method allows to display without recursion a function at any desiderable resolution so that only initial data and opportune vectors weight are involved. In this way the structure of the algorithm is independent across the scale and a computational efficiency is reached. In this paper mono and bi‐dimensional vectors weight generated by means of centered cubic cardinal B‐spline functions have been supplied. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Characteristic directions approach to solving scalar one‐dimensional nonlinear advection equation with non‐convex flow function
Authors: Bokov D. N. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractA concept of the characteristic technique used to obtain a generalized solution of the scalar one‐dimensional nonlinear advection equation with the non‐convex flow function is presented. Two grids: characteristic and Eulerian are used to obtain numerical solution. A characteristic grid is adaptive both to the properties of the initial distribution function and to the properties of the boundary condition function. This allows: development of the algorithm for obtaining a numerical solution on characteristic grid using the properties of the solution of nonlinear advection equation in smooth region; to reproduce spatial location and solution value at the discontinuity points and extreme points at the accuracy determined by interpolation and approximation of initial values and boundary condition functions. For the non‐convex flow function, algorithms are proposed for the definition of the sequence of Riemann problems (strong discontinuity) and for their solving. Refined expressions are derived for the velocity of a strong non‐stationary discontinuity. Construction of the solution with satisfying of integral preservation law for the non‐convex flow function is presented. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Comparison of Least Squares FEM, Mixed Galerkin FEM and an Implicit FDM Applied to Acoustic Scattering
Authors: Cadenas Carlos E. , Villamizar Vianey 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThis paper compares the performances of a least squares finite element method (LSFEM), a mixed Galerkin finite element method (MGFEM), and an implicit finite difference method (IFDM), when they are applied to an acoustic scattering problem modelled by the one‐dimensional Helmholtz equation. First, the boundary value problem is written as a first order system of differential equations, and variational formulations for the LSFEM and MGFEM are derived. Then, by using appropriate basis functions, the stiffness matrices and load vectors which define the corresponding linear algebraic systems are obtained. In all cases, the stiffness matrix is banded and for the LSFEM it is also Hermitian. Numerical tests show that all these methods have quadratic convergence to the exact solution. However, their efficiency assessed in terms of the number of nodes and computing time required to reach quadratic convergence varies. It is observed that LSFEM requires many more nodes and employs much more time than MGFEM and IFDM to reach the quadratic convergence for high frequencies. It is also found that MGFEM has less numerical dispersion and, as a consequence, performs better than IFDM and LSFEM for high frequencies. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Constraint Reasoning with Differential Equations
Authors: Cruz Jorge , Barahona Pedro 
Published: March 2004

AbstractSystem dynamics is naturally expressed by means of differential equations. Despite their expressive power, they are difficult to reason about and to make decisions upon, given their non‐linearity and the important effects that the uncertainty on data may cause. In contrast with traditional numerical simulations that may only provide a likelihood of the results obtained, we propose a constraint reasoning framework that enables safe decision support despite data uncertainty. The approach is illustrated in the tuning of drug design and in an epidemiological study. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A Preconditioned Finite Element Method for the p‐Laplacian Parabolic Equation
Authors: Gerace I. , Pucci P. , Ceccarelli N. , Discepoli M. , Mariani R. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractIn this paper we propose a method for the discretization of the parabolic p‐Laplacian equation. In particular we use alternately either the backward Euler scheme or the Crank‐Nicolson scheme for the time‐discretization and the first order Finite Element Method for space‐discretization as in [7]. To obtain the numerical solution we have to invert a block Toeplitz matrix with Toeplitz blocks. To this aim we use a Conjugate Gradient (CG) algorithm preconditioned by a block circulant matrix with circulant blocks. A Two‐Dimensional Discrete Fast Sine‐Cosine Transform (2D‐DFSCT) is applied to invert the block circulant matrix with circulant blocks. The experimental results show how the application of the preconditioner reduces the iterations of the CG algorithm of about the 56% –75%. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Iteratively Weighted Approximation Algorithms For Nonlinear Problems Using Radial Basis Function Examples
Authors: Jenkinson D. P. , Mason J. C. , Crampton A. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractA set of discrete data (xk, f (xk)) (k = 1, 2, …, m) may be fitted in any lp norm by a nonlinear form derived from a function g (L) of a linear form L = L(x). Such a nonlinear approximation problem may under appropriate conditions be (asymptotically) replaced by the fitting of g–1 (f) by L in any lp norm with respect to a weight function w = g′ (g–1 (f)). In practice this “direct method” can yield very good results, sometimes coming close to a best approximation. However, to ensure a near‐best approximation, by using an iterative procedure based on fitting L, two algorithms are proposed in the l2 norm ‐ one already established by Mason and Upton (1989) and one completely new, based on minimising the two algorithms and multiplicative combinations of errors, respectively. For a general g we prove they converge locally and linearly with small constants. Moreover it is established that they converge to different (nonlinear) “Galerkin type” approximations, the first based on making the explicit error ϵ ≡ f – g (L) orthogonal to a set of functions forming a basis for L, and the second based on making the implicit error ϵ* ≡ w(g–1 (f) – L) orthogonal to such a basis. Finally, and mainly for comparison purposes, the well known Gauss‐Newton algorithm is adopted for the determination of a best (nonlinear) approximation. Illustrative problems are tackled and numerical results show how effective all of the algorithms can be. To add a further novel feature, L is here chosen throughout to be a radial basis function (RBF), and, as far as we are aware, this is one of the first successful uses of a (nonlinear) function of an RBF as an approximation form in data fitting. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Weighted Upwinding Finite Volume Method for the Convection Diffusion Problem on a Nonstandard Covolume Grid
Authors: Liang Dong , Zhao Weidong 
Published: March 2004

AbstractIn this paper we propose a weighted upwinding finite volume method on a nonstandard covolume grid for the variable coefficient convection‐diffusion problems. We give a simple method of choosing the optimal weighted factors depending on the local Peclet's numbers of the original problem. With the optimal factors the method overcomes numerical oscillation and avoids the numerical dispersion and has high‐order computing accuracy. The conservation law and the maximum principle are proved. The second‐order error estimates in L2 and discrete H1 norms are obtained for the optimal weighted upwinding finite volume method. Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the performance of the method. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Numerical Solution of the two‐dimensional time independent Schrödinger Equation by symplectic schemes
Authors: Monovasilis Th. , Kalogiratou Z. , Simos T. E. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractThe solution of the two‐dimensional time‐independent Schrödinger equation is considered by partial discretization. The discretized problem is treated as an ordinary differential equation problem and solved numerically by asymptotically symplectic methods. The problem is then transformed into an algebraic eigenvalue problem involving real, symmetric matrices. The eigenvalues of the two‐dimensional harmonic oscillator and the twodimensional Henon‐Heils potential are computed by the application of the methods developed. The results are compared with the results produced by full discretization. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Effective Numerical Approximation of Schrödinger type Equations through Multiderivative Exponentially‐fitted Schemes
Authors: Psihoyios G. , Simos T. E. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractIn this paper an exponentially‐fitted multiderivative method is developed for the numerical integration of the Schrödinger equation. We call the method multi‐derivative since it uses derivatives of orders two and four. An application to the resonance problem of the radial Schrödinger equation indicates that the new method is more efficient than the Numerov method and other known methods found in the literature. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Efficient Numerical Solution of Orbital Problems with the use of Symmetric Four‐step Trigonometrically‐fitted Methods
Authors: Psihoyios G. , Simos T. E. 
Published: March 2004

AbstractAn explicit hybrid symmetric four‐step method of algebraic order six is developed in this paper. Numerical comparative results from the application of the new method to well known periodic orbital problems, demonstrate the efficiency of the method presented here. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)