AIMS To examine the potential impact of climate variability on the transmission of Ross River virus (RRv) infection, and to assess the difference in the potential predictors of RRv incidence in coastline and inland regions, Queensland, Australia. METHODS Information on the RRv cases notified between 1985 to 1996 was obtained from the Queensland Department of Health. Climate and population dat...

Surface sediment samples collected from twenty-one sites of Yellow River Estuary and Yangtze River Estuary were determined for sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by isotope dilution GC-MS method. The total PAH contents varied from 10.8 to 252 ng/g in Yellow River Estuary sediment, and from 84.6 to 620 ng/g in Yangtze River Estuary sediment. The mean total PAH content of Ya...

OBJECTIVE On August 31, 1998, the rhesus-human reassortant rotavirus vaccine (RRV-TV) was licensed for use in the U.S. During the next nine months, 15 cases of intussusception were reported among infants who received the vaccine. Case-control and cohort studies showed a significantly increased risk of developing intussusception within one week of receiving the vaccine; subsequent ecologic studi...

Both nonlinear and fractal properties of beat-to-beat R-R interval variability signal (RRV) of freely moving lizards (Gallotia galloti) were studied in baseline and under autonomic nervous system blockade. Nonlinear techniques allowed us to study the complexity, chaotic behavior, nonlinearity, stationarity, and regularity over time of RRV. Scaling behavior of RRV was studied by means of fractal...

In semi-arid environments, 'permanent' rivers are essential sources of surface water for wildlife during 'dry' seasons when rainfall is limited or absent, particularly for species whose resilience to water scarcity is low. The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) requires submersion in water to aid thermoregulation and prevent skin damage by solar radiation; the largest threat to its viability...

OBJECTIVE Rhesus-based rotavirus tetravalent vaccine (RRV-TV; RotaShield) was withdrawn voluntarily from the market in October 1999, and recommendations for use were suspended. Rotavirus infection continues to be a significant health problem affecting children worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate whether pediatricians would either reconsider using RRV-TV or consider other, ...

In recent years, studies have shown that reproductive effort decelerates in response to pathogenic infection. If infection substantially reduces a host's residual reproductive value (RRV), however, then an acceleration of effort may instead occur (e.g. terminal investment). Reproductive acceleration would theoretically allow hosts to maintain or exaggerate their sexual signal upon infection. Th...

A baculovirus-expressed VP4 protein derived from the simian rhesus rotavirus (RRV) was used to parenterally immunize murine dams. VP4-immunized dams developed high levels of neutralizing antibodies against RRV and low levels of cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies against human strains Wa, ST3, and S2 and animal strains SA-11, NCDV, and Eb. Newborn mice suckled on VP4-immunized dams were prot...

Rapid population growth in Western Australia has resulted in increased development of land for residential housing, and new developments are often proposed close to water because of intrinsic aesthetic values. However, this placement may place future residents at risk of mosquito-borne disease, of which Ross River virus (RRV) disease is the most common in Australia. Mosquito dispersal data were...

OBJECTIVE To propose and test a novel methodology to measure changes in QT interval variability (QTV) unrelated to RR interval variability (RRV) in non-stationary conditions. METHODS Time-frequency coherent and residual spectra representing QTV related (QTVrRRV) and unrelated (QTVuRRV) to RRV, respectively, are estimated using time-frequency Cohen's class distributions. The proposed approach ...