An experiment performed in London nearly 120 years ago, which by today's standards would be considered unacceptably sloppy, marked the beginning of the calcium (Ca(2+)) signaling saga. Sidney Ringer [Ringer, S. (1883) J. Physiol. 4, 29-43] was studying the contraction of isolated rat hearts. In earlier experiments, Ringer had suspended them in a saline medium for which he admitted to having use...

The evolutions of ENSO modes in the seasonal rainfall patterns over East Africa are examined in this study. The study covers the period 1961–1990. Both rotated empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and simple correlation analyses were used to delineate a network of 136 stations over East Africa into homogeneous rainfall regions in order to derive rainfall indices. Time series generated from the d...

The incidence of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis and the molecular epidemiology of norovirus strains were studied during three seasons (2000-2001, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003) among patients of all ages, mainly from the Stockholm region in Sweden. A total of 3,252 fecal samples were analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR. The incidences of norovirus infection among adults were 23, 26, and 30% ...

The long term archiving of both Landsat imagery and wheat yield mapping datasets sensed by precision agriculture technology has the potential through the development of statistical relationships to predict high resolution estimates of wheat yield over large areas for multiple seasons. Quantifying past yield performance over different growing seasons can inform agricultural management decisions ...

BACKGROUND Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity, and vaccination is the preferred preventive strategy. Data regarding the preferred influenza vaccine type among adults are limited. METHODS The effectiveness of 2 currently available influenza vaccines LAIV and TIV in preventing influenza-like illness (ILI) was compared among US military members (aged 18-49 years) during 3 consecutive ...

In the midst of a worse than average influenza season, clinicians are increasingly prescribing antiviral agents, especially oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Oseltamivir, an oral neuraminidase inhibitor, was first approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1999. It is indicated “for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated illness due to influenza infection in patients 2 weeks of age and olde...

THE NEUROPEPTIDES OREXIN (ORX) A and B were first identified by a screen for novel hypothalamic homeostatic regulatory peptides (15). Because of the substantial homology in amino acid sequences with secretin, they were named hypocretins by one group (9). Because they stimulated food intake, they were called ORXs by another (42). While the relatively small number of ORX-expressing neurons are lo...

We surely need to apply the same stringent rules about informed consent to the postsurgery situation as we do for the preoperative scenario. A ‘return to sport’ consent form should be mandated for every patient who undergoes sport-related surgery, and the form should clearly identify all the short and long-term risks involved in this course of action. There is ample evidence from the past 5 yea...

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Biogeosciences Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Full Screen / Esc Abstract Chemical transport models (CTMs), used for...

It is well known that the numerical solution of stochastic ordinary differential equations leads to a step size reduction when explicit methods are used. This has led to a plethora of implicit methods with a wide variety of stability properties. However, for stochastic problems whose eigenvalues lie near the negative real axis, explicit methods with extended stability regions can be very effect...