bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of a Multispecies Approach for Assessing the Population Abundance and the Age–Structure of Fish Stocks
Authors: Majkowski Jacek
Published: May 2010

Application of a multispecies approach for assessing the population abundance and the age-structure of fish stocks is proposed. The main objective of this approach is to eliminate a bias in the results of cohort analysis (the most frequently used single-species procedure for assessing the fish population age-structure) caused by uncertainties in the external estimates of natural mortality rates. The approach is applicable if fish predation is a major cause for fish natural mortality and all fish species which significantly interact among themselves through predation are taken into account. It is additionally assumed that these fish species do not leave the area under consideration. Compliance with these conditions allows the prediction, on the basis of ecological theory and required field and laboratory data, of a major component of natural mortality, predation mortality, within extended cohort analysis. The paper describes the proposed procedure (extended cohort analysis) and outlines possible ways of collecting the required input data.Key words: assessment, fish population abundance, age-structure, multispecies approach, natural and fishing mortality
Morphometrics of American Lobster (Homarus americanus) Larvae in Relation to Stock Determinations in the Maritimes, Canada
Authors: Harding Gareth , Kenchington Ellen , Zheng Zhensui
Published: May 2010

Morphological characteristics of the first larval stage of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) enabled the separation of the Maritime population with stepwise discriminant function analysis into three groups: the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and its outflow around Cape Breton Island, the Atlantic inshore region of Nova Scotia, and the offshore banks bordering the Gulf of Maine. Once the effect of environmental temperature on larval size was removed, the differences between Georges and Browns banks and the Atlantic inshore disappeared. The remaining differences, chiefly in the dimensions of the second and fifth abdominal segments and the rostrum, between larvae from the Cape Breton sites and elsewhere may be due to other environmental factors or partial genetic isolation. Conservation and management practices over the past century have increased gene flow between regions, and most of this appears to be from the release of Gulf of St. Lawrence lobsters in the Gulf of Maine. A reassessment of previous studies on adult morphology, benthic movements, larval dispersal, enzyme electrophoresis, and commercial landing patterns supports the separation of the Gulf of St. Lawrence stock from the rest of the Canadian Maritimes.
Growth Rate Variation and Larval Survival: Inferences from an Individual-Based Size-Dependent Predation Model
Authors: Rice James A. , Miller Thomas J. , Rose Kenneth A. , Crowder Larry B. , Marschall Elizabeth A. , Trebitz Anett S. , DeAngelis Donald L.
Published: May 2010

We used an individual-based Monte Carlo simulation model to explore how changes in the mean and variance of growth rates of individuals in a larval fish cohort interact with size-dependent predation to affect the number and characteristics of individual survivors. Small changes in initial cohort mean growth rate can change survival over the first 60 d of life 10-to 30-fold. But when variance in growth rate among individuals is high, survival can be substantially higher than expected from the initial mean cohort growth rate. Selection for faster-growing individuals becomes stronger with increasing variance and increasing predation rate. In some cases, > 80% of the survivors may come from the upper 25% of the initial growth rate distribution, and the mean growth rate of the survivors may exceed twice the initial mean growth rate. When individual growth rates change from day to day rather than remaining constant, the contribution of atypical individuals is accentuated even further. Counterintuitively, most of the selection for faster-growing individuals happens only after the majority of mortality has already taken place. These results suggest that interactions between individual variability and selective mortality may have important cohort-level implications for survival in fishes.
Mitochondrial DNA Variation in Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Chum Salmon (O.keta) Detected by Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Products
Authors: Cronin Matthew A. , Spearman William J. , Wilmot Richard L. , Patton John C. , Bickham John W.
Published: May 2010

We analyzed intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from drainages in the Yukon River (Alaska and Yukon Territory), the Kenai River (Alaska), and Oregon and California rivers; and chum salmon (O. keta) from the Yukon River and Vancouver Island, and Washington rivers. For each species, three different portions of the mtDNA molecule were amplified separately using the polymerase chain reaction and then digested with at least 19 restriction enzymes. Intraspecific sequence divergences between haplotypes were less than 0.01 base substitution per nucleotide. Nine chum salmon haplotypes were identified. Yukon River chum salmon stocks displayed more haplotypes (eight) than the stocks of Vancouver Island and Washington (two). The most common chum salmon haplotype occurred in all areas. Seven chinook salmon haplotypes were identified. Four haplotypes occurred in the Yukon and Kenai rivers and four occurred in Oregon/California, with only one haplotype shared between the regions. Sample sizes were too small to quantify the degree of stock separation among drainages, but the patterns of variation that we observed suggest utility of the technique in genetic stock identification.
Response of the Copepodid Larvae of Caligus elongatus to Light, and the Ultrastructure of the Eyes
Authors: MacKinnon Barbara M.
Published: May 2010

The copepodid larvae of Caligus elongatus are positively attracted to light over increasing light intensities using a vertical light source of 400 lx placed 25 cm from the larvae. The larvae are not attracted to the light source from a distance of 50 cm. Larvae in the dark did not migrate in any one particular direction. The copepodid larvae, examined ultrastructurally, have paired eyes with a triangular lensless third eye located below and between the two main eyes. The two main eyes each have an anterolaterally directed dorsal lens contained within a lens cell. Six rhabdomeric sensory cells and cup-shaped platelet sensory cells are contained by a pigment granule cup-shaped cell in each eye. Nerve axons from the sensory cells exit the eyes posterioventrally.
Influence of Overwintering Stresses on Respiration Throughout the Life History of the Freshwater Leech,Nephelopsis obscura
Authors: Davies Ronald W. , Kalarani V.
Published: May 2010

The effects of overwintering stresses (low temperature, low oxygen concentration) on the life history patterns of activity-specific oxygen consumption by Nephelopsis obscura were determined using a flow-through respirometer system and compared with leeches hatched and maintained under summer conditions. While resting and active oxygen consumption increased with body dry weight, weight-specific resting (Rm) and active (Ra) oxygen consumption and aerobic scope (AS) decreased with increase in body weight in both winter and summer N. obscura. Rm in winter leeches was higher than in summer leeches, probably reflecting the higher metabolic costs of tissue repair and maintenance after winter stresses. Although Ra and AS in winter leeches were initially lower than in summer leeches, by stage 4, compensation in winter leeches was complete and by stage 6, over-compensation occurred. The effects of overwintering on oxygen consumption and AS persisted throughout the life history and help explain some of the differences in allocation of energy storage observed in winter and summer leeches.
Whole-Lake Burdens and Spatial Distribution of Mercury in Surficial Sediments in Wisconsin Seepage Lakes
Authors: Rada Ronald G. , Powell David E. , Wiener James G.
Published: May 2010

We quantified total mercury in surficial sediments (uppermost 5 cm) of six small seepage lakes. Fifty cores were taken from each lake, based on a random sampling design stratified by water depth. Volumetric concentrations (mass per volume of wet sediment) more accurately portrayed the depth distribution of mercury in the lakes than did dry-weight concentrations, which underrepresented the significance of the shallow-water sediments as a reservoir of potentially available mercury. Estimates of whole-lake burdens (masses) of mercury in the surficial sediment, which represent the maximum amount of sedimentary mercury available for methylation, ranged from 45 to 149 g. These sedimentary pools of mercury greatly exceeded the inventories of the metal in water, seston, and fish, and the release of mercury from the sediments could significantly increase its bioaccumulation. Areal burdens of mercury (mass per unit of lake area) varied fivefold among lakes (1.65–7.84 g/ha) and were strongly correlated with lake pH, but were not correlated with dissolved organic carbon, conductance, or chlorophyll a of lakes. We hypothesize that the observed variation in areal burdens of mercury was partly due to variation among lakes in the pH-related efflux of gaseous mercury (Hg0) from the lakes to the atmosphere.
ON DISTINGUISHING VIRTUAL KNOT GROUPS FROM KNOT GROUPS
Authors: HARLANDER JENS , ROSEBROCK STEPHAN
Published: May 2010

We use curvature techniques from geometric group theory to produce examples of virtual knot groups that are not classical knot groups.
Identification of specific targets for the gut mucosal defense factor intestinal alkaline phosphatase
Authors: Chen Kathryn T. , Malo Madhu S. , Moss Angela K. , Zeller Skye , Johnson Paul , Ebrahimi Farzad , Mostafa Golam , Alam Sayeda N. , Ramasamy Sundaram , Warren H. Shaw , Hohmann Elizabeth L. , Hodin Richard A.
Published: May 2010

Intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) is a small intestinal brush border enzyme that has been shown to function as a gut mucosal defense factor, but its precise mechanism of action remains unclear. We investigated the effects of IAP on specific bacteria and bacterial components to determine its molecular targets. Purulent fluid from a cecal ligation and puncture model, specific live and heat-killed bacteria ( Escherichia coli , Salmonella typhimurium , and Listeria monocytogenes ), and a variety of proinflammatory ligands (LPS, CpG DNA, Pam-3-Cys, flagellin, and TNF) were incubated with or without calf IAP (cIAP). Phosphate release was determined by using a malachite green assay. The various fluids were applied to target cells (THP-1, parent HT-29, and IAP-expressing HT-29 cells) and IL-8 secretion measured by ELISA. cIAP inhibited IL-8 induction by purulent fluid in THP-1 cells by >35% ( P < 0.005). HT29-IAP cells had a reduced IL-8 response specifically to gram-negative bacteria; >90% reduction compared with parent cells ( P < 0.005). cIAP had no effect on live bacteria but attenuated IL-8 induction by heat-killed bacteria by >40% ( P < 0.005). cIAP exposure to LPS and CpG DNA caused phosphate release and reduced IL-8 in cell culture by >50% ( P < 0.005). Flagellin exposure to cIAP also resulted in reduced IL-8 secretion by >40% ( P < 0.005). In contrast, cIAP had no effect on TNF or Pam-3-Cys. The mechanism of IAP action appears to be through dephosphorylation of specific bacterial components, including LPS, CpG DNA, and flagellin, and not on live bacteria themselves. IAP likely targets these bacterially derived molecules in its role as a gut mucosal defense factor.
Prediction of Molar Volumes of the Sudanese Reservoir Fluids
Authors: Rabah A. A. , Mohamed S. A.
Published: May 2010

This paper provided important experimental PVT data of the Sudanese reservoir fluids. It includes composition analysis of 11 mixtures and about 148 PVT data points of constant mass expansion (CME) tests at pressures below the bubble point. The datasets are compared with eight equations of state (EOS), namely, Peng Robinson (PR), Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK), Lawal-Lake-Silberberg (LLS), Adachi-Lu-Sugie (ALS), Schmidt-Wenzel (SW), Patel-Teja (PT), Modified-Nasrifar-Moshfeghian (MNM), and Harmens-Knapp (HK). The results of comparison reveals that, with the exception of PR and ALS EOSs, all other EOSs yield consistently a higher average absolute percent deviation (AAPD) in the prediction of molar volume; it exceeds 20% by all mixtures. The grand average AAPD of all mixtures is 17 and 16 for PR and ALS, respectively. ALS is selected to represents the mixtures. It is modified by replacing the coefficient (Ωb1) of the parameter (b1) in the dominator of repulsive term by that of PR. This procedure enhanced the accuracy of ALS by 30 to 90% for individual mixtures and the grand average AAPD is significantly reduced from 16 to about 7.
Myeloid Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment: Modulation of Tumor Angiogenesis and Tumor Inflammation
Authors: Schmid Michael C. , Varner Judith A.
Published: May 2010

Myeloid cells are a heterogeneous population of bone marrow-derived cells that play a critical role during growth and metastasis of malignant tumors. Tumors exhibit significant myeloid cell infiltrates, which are actively recruited to the tumor microenvironment. Myeloid cells promote tumor growth by stimulating tumor angiogenesis, suppressing tumor immunity, and promoting metastasis to distinct sites. In this review, we discuss the role of myeloid cells in promoting tumor angiogenesis. Furthermore, we describe a subset of myeloid cells with immunosuppressive activity (known as myeloid-derived suppressor cells). Finally, we will comment on the mechanisms regulating myeloid cell recruitment to the tumor microenvironment and on the potential of myeloid cells as new targets for cancer therapy.
Clostridium septicumEmpyema in an Immunocompetent Woman
Authors: Granok Alexander B. , Mahon Patrick A. , Biesek Genesio W.
Published: May 2010

We report a case of aClostridium septicumempyema in an immunocompetent woman following operation for an incarcerated internal hernia. The patient was successfully treated with pleural decortication and an extended course of postoperative antibiotics. This is the first report of such an infection in the medical literature.
Ergodic Retractions for Families of Asymptotically Nonexpansive Mappings
Authors: Saeidi Shahram
Published: May 2010

We prove some theorems for the existence of ergodic retractions onto the set of common fixed points of a family of asymptotically nonexpansive mappings. Our results extend corresponding results of Benavides and Ramírez (2001), and Li and Sims (2002).
Conservative Treatment of a Patient with Epidermolysis Bullosa Presenting as Bart Syndrome: A Case Report
Authors: Kuvat Samet Vasfi , Bozkurt Mehmet
Published: May 2010

We presented a case of a newborn male with aplasia cutis congenita on the lower limb. The case was treated with conservative method. As for the conservative treatment, daily hydrodebridement with 1/200 diluted povidone-iodine and serum physiologic was performed, followed by closure of the wound with a dexpanthenol chlorhexidine fusidic acid-impregnated sterile gauze bandage. the followup that occured after three weeks, the wound was completely epithelialized, but a hypopigmented scar remained in the limb.
Cytokines and Metabolic Patterns in Pediatric Patients with Critical Illness
Authors: Briassoulis George , Venkataraman Shekhar , Thompson Ann
Published: May 2010

It is not known if cytokines, which are cell‐derived mediators released during the host immune response to stress, affect metabolic response to stress during critical illness. The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether the metabolic response to stress is related to the inflammatory interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), 10 (IL‐10), and other stress mediators′ responses and to assess their relationships with different feeding patterns, nutritional markers, the severity of illness as assessed by the Multiple Organ System Failure (MOSF), the Pediatric Risk of Mortality Score (PRISM), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and mortality in critically ill children. Patients were classified as hypermetabolic, normometabolic, and hypometabolic when the measured resting energy expenditures (REE) were >110%, 90–110% and, <90% of the predicted basal metabolic rate, respectively. The initial predominance of the hypometabolic pattern (48.6%) declined within 1 week of acute stress (20%), and the hypermetabolic patterns dominated only after 2 weeks (60%). Only oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) (P < .0001) but none of the cytokines and nutritional markers, were independently associated with a hypometabolic pattern. REE correlated with the IL‐10 but not PRISM. In the presence of SIRS or sepsis, CRP, IL‐6, IL‐10, Prognostic Inflammatory and Nutritional Index (NI), and triglycerides—but not glucose, VO2, or VCO2 increased significantly. High IL‐10 levels (P = .0000) and low measured REE (P = .0000) were independently associated with mortality (11.7%), which was higher in the hypometabolic compared to other metabolic patterns (P < .005). Our results showed that only VO2 and VCO2, but not IL‐6 or IL‐10, were associated with a hypometabolic pattern which predominated the acute phase of stress, and was associated with increased mortality. Although in SIRS or sepsis, the cytokine response was reliably reflected by increases in NI and triglycerides, it was different from the metabolic (VO2, VCO2) or glucose response.
Design of a Child Localization System on RFID and Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Chen Chao
Published: May 2010

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and wireless sensor networks are wireless technologies that rapidly emerge and show great potential. Combining RFID and wireless sensor networks provides a cost-efficient way to expand the RFID system's range and to enable an RFID system in areas without a network infrastructure. These two technologies are employed to build a wireless localization system in a children's theme park. The main purpose of this child localization system is to track and locate children within a certain range near some landmarks in the park. The design experience in this project can be exported to other applications such as object tracking and surveillance.
Resource Allocation with MAC Layer Node Cooperation in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Merentitis Andreas , Triantafyllopoulou Dionysia
Published: May 2010

An algorithm for cooperative Dynamic Spectrum Access in Cognitive Radio networks is presented. The proposed algorithm utilizes Medium Access Control layer mechanisms for message exchange between secondary nodes that operate in license exempt spectrum bands, in order to achieve interference mitigation. A fuzzy logic reasoner is utilized in order to take into account the effect of the coexistence of a large number of users in the interference as well as to cope for uncertainties in the message exchange, caused by the nodes' mobility and the large delays in the updating of the necessary information. The proposed algorithm is applied in Filter Bank Multicarrier, as well as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing systems, and its performance is evaluated through extensive simulations that cover a wide range of typical scenarios. Experimental results indicate improved behaviour compared to previous schemes, especially in the case of uncertainties that cause underestimation of the interference levels.
Gear Fault Detection Based on Teager-Huang Transform
Authors: Li Hui , Zheng Haiqi , Tang Liwei
Published: May 2010

Gear fault detection based on Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Teager Kaiser Energy Operator (TKEO) technique is presented. This novel method is named as Teager-Huang transform (THT). EMD can adaptively decompose the vibration signal into a series of zero mean Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). TKEO can track the instantaneous amplitude and instantaneous frequency of the Intrinsic Mode Functions at any instant. The experimental results provide effective evidence that Teager-Huang transform has better resolution than that of Hilbert-Huang transform. The Teager-Huang transform can effectively diagnose the fault of the gear, thus providing a viable processing tool for gearbox defect detection and diagnosis.
Existence of Fixed Points of Firmly Nonexpansive-Like Mappings in Banach Spaces
Authors: Aoyama Koji , Kohsaka Fumiaki
Published: May 2010

The aim of this paper is to obtain some existence theorems related to a hybrid projection method and a hybrid shrinking projection method for firmly nonexpansive-like mappings (mappings of type (P)) in a Banach space. The class of mappings of type (P) contains the classes of resolvents of maximal monotone operators in Banach spaces and firmly nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert spaces.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Mediated Apoptosis Involved in Indirect Recognition Pathway Blockade Induces Long-Term Heart Allograft Survival
Authors: Xiang Jianbin , Gu Xiaodong , Qian Shiguang , Chen Zongyou
Published: May 2010

Implementation of dendritic cell- (DC-) based therapies in organ transplantation can reduce dependency on nonspecific immunosuppression. Despite extensive research, mechanisms of equipped DCs inducing transplant tolerance remain incomplete. Here, we applied RNA interference technique to inhibit CD80 and CD86 expression in host bone marrow-derived DCs. This approach could specifically and effectively knock down CD80 and CD86 expression. T cells primed by these DCs inhibited allogeneic responses. Administration of recipient DCs loaded with alloantigen after CD80 and CD86 blockade prolonged cardiac allograft survival. We also found a higher percentage of apoptotic T cells in lymph tissues and grafts than that detected in control group. In addition, these T cells expressed high expression of GRP78 than controls, indicating activation of unfolded protein responses. Upregulation of CHOP expression among these cells suggested that the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) response switched to a proapoptotic response. Our results indicated that ERS-induced apoptosis may be involved in allogeneic T-cell apoptosis, and the ERS-mediated apoptosis pathway may be a novel target in clinical prevention and therapy of allograft rejection.
A Decomposition and Noise Removal Method Combining Diffusion Equation and Wave Atoms for Textured Images
Authors: Casaca Wallace Correa de Oliveira , Boaventura Maurílio
Published: May 2010

We propose a new method that is aimed at denoising images having textures. The method
combines a balanced nonlinear partial differential equation driven by optimal parameters, mathematical morphology
operators, weighting techniques, and some recent works in harmonic analysis. Furthermore, the new scheme
decomposes the observed image into three components that are well defined as structure/cartoon, texture, and
noise‐background. Experimental results are provided to show the improved performance of our method for the
texture‐preserving denoising problem.
Skill Evaluation from Observation of Discrete Hand Movements during Console Operation
Authors: Suzuki Satoshi , Harashima Fumio
Published: May 2010

This paper focused on discrete movements of hand in reaching actions, which necessarily occur during machine operation. The relationship between the performance of a console operation and the operator's reaching actions was investigated by applying Fitts' law and by examining a state transition of the operation. A remote operation experimental system was built using two radio controlled construction equipments, and the operator training process was analyzed empirically with those methods. The results showed the covariance of the fitting error to Fitts' law decreased as the operators' skill improved, although the fitting itself to the law was not sufficiently good. And it was confirmed that the covariance of difficulty index of the reaching action increased. These facts indicated that skill level of the discrete motion during operation can be estimated by investigating two types of the covariance.
Endovascular Injury Induces Rapid Phenotypic Changes in Perivascular Adipose Tissue
Authors: Takaoka Minoru , Suzuki Hiroshi , Shioda Seiji , Sekikawa Kenji , Saito Yoshihiko , Nagai Ryozo , Sata Masataka
Published: May 2010

Objective—

Accumulating evidence suggests that adipose tissue not only stores energy but also secretes various bioactive substances called adipocytokines. Periadventitial fat is distributed ubiquitously around arteries throughout the body. It was reported that inflammatory changes in the periadventitial fat may have a direct role in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases accelerated by obesity. We investigated the effect of endovascular injury on the phenotype of perivascular fat.

Methods and Results—

Endovascular injury significantly upregulated proinflammatory adipocytokines and downregulated adiponectin within periadventitial fat tissue in models of mouse femoral artery wire injury and rat iliac artery balloon injury. Genetic disruption of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α attenuated upregulation of proinflammatory adipocytokine expression, with reduced neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. Local delivery of TNF-α to the periadventitial area enhanced inflammatory adipocytokine expression, which was associated with augmented neointimal hyperplasia in TNF-α-deficient mice. Conditioned medium from a coculture of 3T3-L1 and RAW264 cells stimulated vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. An anti-TNF-α neutralizing antibody in the coculture abrogated the stimulating effect of the conditioned medium.

Conclusion—

Our findings indicate that endovascular injury induces rapid and marked changes in perivascular adipose tissue, mainly mediated by TNF-α. It is suggested that the phenotypic changes in perivascular adipose tissue may have a role in the pathogenesis of neointimal hyperplasia after angioplasty.
Niemann-Pick C1 Modulates Hepatic Triglyceride Metabolism and Its Genetic Variation Contributes to Serum Triglyceride Levels
Authors: Uronen Riikka-Liisa , Lundmark Per , Orho-Melander Marju , Jauhiainen Matti , Larsson Kristina , Siegbahn Agneta , Wallentin Lars , Zethelius Björn , Melander Olle , Syvänen Ann-Christine , Ikonen Elina
Published: May 2010

Objective—

To study how Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1) influences hepatic triacylglycerol (TG) metabolism and to determine whether this is reflected in circulating lipid levels.

Methods and Results—

In

Npc1
−/−

mice, the hepatic cholesterol content is increased but the TG content is decreased. We investigated lipid metabolism in

Npc1
−/−

mouse hepatocytes and the association of
NPC1
single-nucleotide polymorphisms with circulating TGs in humans. TGs were reduced in

Npc1
−/−

mouse serum and hepatocytes. In

Npc1
−/−

hepatocytes, the incorporation of [
3
H]oleic acid and [
3
H]acetate into TG was decreased, but shunting of oleic acid- or acetate-derived [
3
H]carbons into cholesterol was increased. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis normalized TG synthesis, content, and secretion in

Npc1
−/−

hepatocytes, suggesting increased hepatic cholesterol neogenesis as a cause for the reduced TG content and secretion. We found a significant association between serum TG levels and 5 common
NPC1
single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a cohort of 1053 men, with the lowest
P
=8.7×10
−4
for the single-nucleotide polymorphism
rs1429934
. The association between the
rs1429934
A
allele and higher TG levels was replicated in 2 additional cohorts, which included 8041 individuals.

Conclusion—

This study provides evidence of the following: (1) in mice, loss of NPC1 function reduces hepatocyte TG content and secretion by increasing the metabolic flux of carbons into cholesterol synthesis; and (2) common variation in
NPC1
contributes to serum TG levels in humans.
Incidence, Correlates, and Outcomes of Acute, Hospital-Acquired Anemia in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Salisbury Adam C. , Alexander Karen P. , Reid Kimberly J. , Masoudi Frederick A. , Rathore Saif S. , Wang Tracy Y. , Bach Richard G. , Marso Steven P. , Spertus John A. , Kosiborod Mikhail
Published: May 2010

Background—

Anemia is common among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction and is associated with poor outcomes. Less is known about the incidence, correlates, and prognostic implications of acute, hospital-acquired anemia (HAA).

Methods and Results—

We identified 2909 patients with acute myocardial infarction who had normal hemoglobin (Hgb) on admission in the multicenter TRIUMPH registry and defined HAA by criteria proposed by Beutler and Waalen. We used hierarchical Poisson regression to identify independent correlates of HAA and multivariable proportional hazards regression to identify the association of HAA with mortality and health status. At discharge, 1321 (45.4%) patients had HAA, of whom 348 (26.3%) developed moderate-severe HAA (Hgb <11 g/dL). The incidence of HAA varied significantly across hospitals (range, 33% to 69%; median rate ratio for HAA, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.23, adjusting for patient characteristics). Although documented bleeding was more frequent with more severe HAA, fewer than half of the patients with moderate-severe HAA had any documented bleeding. Independent correlates of HAA included age, female sex, white race, chronic kidney disease, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, acute renal failure, use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, in-hospital complications (cardiogenic shock, bleeding and bleeding severity), and length of stay. After adjustment for GRACE score and bleeding, patients with moderate-severe HAA had higher mortality rates (hazard ratio, 1.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 2.98 versus no HAA) and poorer health status at 1 year.

Conclusions—

HAA develops in nearly half of acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations among patients treated medically or with percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly in the absence of documented bleeding, and is associated with worse mortality and health status. Better understanding of how HAA can be prevented and whether its prevention can improve patient outcomes is needed.
Genetic Linkage of Serum Homocysteine in Dominican Families
Authors: Della-Morte David , Beecham Ashley , Rundek Tatjana , Slifer Susan , Boden-Albala Bernadette , McClendon Mark S. , Blanton Susan H. , Sacco Ralph L.
Published: May 2010

Background and Purpose—

Homocysteine levels are determined by genetic and environmental factors. Several studies have linked high plasma levels of total homocysteine to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and many other conditions. However, the exact mechanism of documented and novel total homocysteine quantitative trait loci to that risk is unknown.

Methods—

We have performed linkage analysis in 100 high-risk Dominican families with 1362 members. Probands were selected from the population-based Northern Manhattan Study. A set of 405 microsatellite markers was used to screen the whole genome. Variance components analysis was used to detect evidence for linkage after adjusting for stroke risk factors. Ordered-subset analysis based on Dominican Republic enrollment was conducted.

Results—

Total homocysteine levels had a heritability of 0.44 (
P
<0.0001). The most significant evidence for linkage was found at chromosome 17q24 (maximum logarithm of odds [MLOD]=2.66,
P
=0.0005) with a peak at D17S2193 and was significantly increased in a subset of families with a high proportion of Dominican Republic enrollment (MLOD=3.92,
P
=0.0022). Additionally, modest evidence for linkage was found at chromosome 2p21 (MLOD=1.77,
P
=0.0033) with a peak at D2S1356 and was significantly increased in a subset of families with a low proportion of Dominican Republic enrollment (MLOD=2.82,
P
=0.0097).

Conclusions—

We found a strong evidence for novel quantitative trait loci on chromosomes 2 and 17 for total homocysteine plasma levels in Dominican families. Our family study provides essential data for a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms associated with elevated total homocysteine levels leading to cardiovascular disease after accounting for environmental risk factors.
Blood Pressure Levels and Bleeding Events During Antithrombotic Therapy
Authors: Toyoda Kazunori , Yasaka Masahiro , Uchiyama Shinichiro , Nagao Takehiko , Gotoh Jun , Nagata Ken , Koretsune Yukihiro , Sakamoto Tomohiro , Iwade Kazunori , Yamamoto Masahiro , Takahashi Jun C. , Minematsu Kazuo
Published: May 2010

Background and Purpose—

A prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study was conducted to clarify the association between major bleeding events and blood pressure (BP) levels during follow-up before development of bleeding events in antithrombotic users.

Methods—

A total of 4009 patients taking oral antithrombotic agents for cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases (2728 men, 69±10 years old) were followed. Changes in systolic and diastolic BPs between entry and the last clinic visit before intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) or extracranial hemorrhage were assessed.

Results—

Over a median follow-up of 19 months, ICH developed in 31 patients and extracranial hemorrhage developed in 77. Entry BP levels were similar among patients with ICH, those with extracranial hemorrhage, and those without hemorrhagic events. Both systolic BP and diastolic BP were relatively high during follow-up as compared with the levels at entry in patients with ICH, whereas they showed plateaus in patients with extracranial hemorrhage and patients without hemorrhagic events. Average systolic BP levels between 1 and 6 months (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.92 per 10-mm Hg increase) and between 7 and 12 months (hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.01) as well as average diastolic BP levels between 7 and 12 months (hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.15 to 3.62) were independently associated with development of ICH after adjustment for established ICH predictors. The optimal cutoff BP level to predict impending risk of ICH was ≥130/81 mm Hg using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

Conclusions—

An increase in BP levels during antithrombotic medication was positively associated with development of ICH, suggesting the importance of adequate BP control for avoiding ICH. BP levels did not appear to be associated with extracranial hemorrhage.
Lifetime Risk of Stroke in Japan
Authors: Turin Tanvir Chowdhury , Kokubo Yoshihiro , Murakami Yoshitaka , Higashiyama Aya , Rumana Nahid , Watanabe Makoto , Okamura Tomonori
Published: May 2010

Background and Purpose—

Lifetime risk (LTR) is an epidemiologic measure that expresses the probability of disease in the remaining lifetime for an index age. The LTR for stroke has not been reported for the Japanese population.

Methods—

We included all participants from the Suita Study who were cardiovascular disease–free at baseline. Age (in years) was used as the time scale. Age-specific stroke incidence and all-cause mortality were calculated with the person-year method, and we estimated the sex- and index age–specific LTRs of first-ever stroke and its subtypes, taking into account the competing risk of death.

Results—

We followed up 5498 participants from 1989 to 2005 for a total of 67 475 person-years. At age 55 years, the LTR for stroke, after accounting for competing risks of death, was 18.3% for men and 19.6% for women. The LTR for cerebral infarction was 14.6% for men and 15.5% for women, and the LTR for intracerebral hemorrhage was 2.4% for men and 1.4% for women at the index age of 55 years. The LTR for stroke remained similar across other index ages of 45, 55, and 65 years.

Conclusions—

The observed probabilities illustrate that ≈1 in 5 men and women of middle age will experience stroke in their remaining lifetime. This easy understandable information can be used as an important index to assist in public health education and planning.
The Staff of Jesus in Early Christian Art
Authors: Lee M. Jefferson
Published: May 2010

When surveying examples from Christian art of the third and fourth centuries, a viewer will invariably encounter the puzzling image of Jesus performing miracles holding a staff or wand. Theologians, art historians, and even the current pope have interpreted Christ’s miracle-working implement as a symbol denoting Jesus as a philosopher or a magician. However, the most reasonable explanation of the staff can be discovered by examining the only other two staff-bearers featured in the corpus of early Christian art: Moses and Peter. Miracles and the figures who wrought them were the primary currency of faith in late antiquity. Such an emphasis is readily apparent in early Christian texts. This article will demonstrate the emphasis on miracles in early Christian art by focusing on the peculiar iconographic feature of the staff. The staff in Christian art of the third and fourth centuries is not evocative of magic, philosophy, or any other non-Christian influence. Instead, the staff is meant to recall the miracle worker Moses and to characterize Jesus and Peter as the “New Moses” of the Christian faith.
Prospero’s Exile and the Tempest of the English Reformation
Authors: Edmondson Todd
Published: May 2010

As one of Shakespeare’s most compelling and dynamic creations, Prospero, the protagonist of The Tempest, has long been a source of scholarly interest. This essay attempts to situate the image of Prospero in the specific religious context of Shakespeare’s world. Prospero’s exile and his return can be understood more fully by looking at it through the lens of the English Reformation, in particular the situation in which Roman Catholics and their clergy found themselves under the reigns of Elizabeth and James. As with Prospero, a complex web of factors led to the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in England; and, like Prospero, the clergy of that Church faced difficult questions about the relationship between supernatural and temporal power, questions that would ultimately decide their place in a new order.
Catholic Predilections in the Poetics of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Seamus Heaney
Authors: Jiong Liu
Published: May 2010

Seamus Heaney has reiterated the importance of Gerard Manley Hopkins in shaping his own poetic voice. This essay studies the way Hopkins’s and Heaney’s poetics are related to their Catholic formation. While their sacramental approaches to language and their ideas of grace and self-discipline result in similar linguistic and formal features in their poems, the two poets’ different understandings of the temporality of the world/Word also gives rise to the contrast between Hopkins’s poetic rendering of dynamic, variegated existence and Heaney’s vision of a realm of “verbless” purity. Based on an understanding of the world as everoccurring Incarnation, Hopkins’s poems often foreground a dialogic, transgressive element, trying to capture the vivifying principle of the Word, whereas Heaney’s anxiety to override the contingencies of time gradually lures him to a visionary space where time is momentarily suspended and actions frozen.
Implicit Racism among Norwegian Missionaries: A Case Study on the Description of Africans by Olav Guttorm Myklebust
Authors: Bakke Odd Magne
Published: May 2010

Researchers into the history of missions who have studied Norwegian missionaries in Zululand from the 1850’s onward claim that, in contrast to the racism of their contemporaries, there is no trace of racism to be found among the missionaries. A case study on the description of the Africans by Olav Guttorm Myklebust, a missionary in South Africa who later became a well-known missiologist and a founding member of the International Association for Mission Studies, this article draws attention to some problems entailed in this position and nuance the issue. Although his intention is to give a friendly and balanced portrait of the Africans, Myklebust largely ends up reproducing and confirming traditional stereotypes. Examples include the understanding that Africans are governed by emotions, that they have little aptitude for logical and rational thinking, and that they are like children. These stereotypes formed part of a colonial ideology that legitimated the idea that the Africans were mentally, socially, and culturally inferior to the Europeans.Should Myklebusts’ description of the Africans, be called racist? He clearly breaks with biological and essentialist theories of race. If however, we take our starting point in broader and more recent definitions of racism, which emphasize the function of a discourse, of processes, and of behavioral patterns with regard to establishing and maintaining asymmetrical relationships of power, the conclusion is that his representation of the Africans contains elements that should be classified as racist.
A Mission to the “Graveyard of Empires”? Neocolonialism and the Contemporary Evangelical Missions of the Global South
Authors: Nami Kim
Published: May 2010

This essay examines how contemporary evangelical overseas missions carried out by the churches of the so-called majority world are imbricated with neocolonialism, especially U.S. neocolonialism underpinned by its military hegemony, in light of the South Korean mission fiasco in Afghanistan in summer 2007. Author situates the 2007 South Korean missionary hostage case within the transnational social field of evangelical Christians, which helps the reader understand the South Korean hostage incident as not just a single isolated case of Korean Christianity. Through the examination of the common biblical, theological, and cultural references in which transnational connections among evangelical Christians are rooted, this essay illuminates how contemporary evangelical missions are involved in the neocolonial systems of power in the current global context. This essay also pays closer attention to the ways in which the 2007 South Korean mission in Afghanistan has revealed, wittingly or unwittingly, “cracks and contradictions” in the U.S. imperialist military interventions in Afghanistan, a region once called the “graveyard of empires.”
Mission, Liturgy, and the Transformation of Identity
Authors: Miyamoto Ken Christoph
Published: May 2010

This article considers the significance of liturgical worship for the purpose of overcoming the problem of intellectualism and rationalism that have been prevalent in the modern Christian missions since the 19th century. Despite its centrality in Christian life, worship has been given a marginal place in the discussions of Christian mission. The author, however, maintains that it should play a crucial and powerful role in mission at the age when human identity is increasingly becoming fluid and problematic, as it is capable of producing profound spiritual transformation among worshippers and thus establishing in them a new identity centered on Christ without eradicating “primordial attachments.” This is because liturgy has a holistic nature with its rich symbolism and is able to reach the non-rational level of personality where the primordial attachments operate. The author, who teaches courses in Christianity at a Christian college in Kobe, Japan, takes as his starting point the apparent impasse of Christian higher education in today’s Japan which still operates on the Enlightenment model of mission with its emphasis on knowledge as the foundation of faith. He takes advantage of some insights of recent Ritual Studies to illuminate the identity-forming character of liturgical rituals.
Integration, Isolation or Deviation: Reading Galatians 3:27‐28 in Indonesia Today
Authors: Prior John Mansford
Published: May 2010

Galatians 3:27‐28 has been interpreted as referring either solely to God’s impartiality and to future life under God’s Reign or as also implying the way we should order our Christian communities, and so mission in the wider world today. The former spiritualised reading strongly influences the minority Christian communities in Indonesian cities today. This essay looks at the mission imperative of returning to a social reading of Gal 3:27‐28 and living out the egalitarian baptismal confession in its prophetic radicality in multi-ethnic and multi-religious contexts such as Southeast Asia.
Dual Belonging: A Missiological Critique and Appreciation from an Asian Evangelical Perspective
Authors: Tan Kang-San
Published: May 2010

Multi-religious belonging is a phenomenon of individuals who identify themselves as followers of more than one religious tradition. People of faiths may find themselves in dual or multi-religious backgrounds due to inter-religious marriages of parents, exposures to multi-religious traditions or conversions to another faith. In Asia, there is a growing phenomenon of insider movements or devotees of Jesus from other religious traditions such as Islam and Hinduism. Previously, Christian theology has tended to treat non-Christian religions as tight and separate religious systems. Such a treatment is increasingly problematic as it does not reflect the multi-religious realities in Asia where influences and cross fertilization of religious beliefs are daily faith experiences. In particular, there is a need to take into account the experiences and struggles of Christian converts from Asian religions, namely, the converts’ own relationship with their previous faiths.The paper seeks to explore the notion of multi-religious belonging and evaluate whether it is theologically possible for a Christian to follow Christ while retaining some form of identification with one’s previous religion such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Chinese religions. Instead of a total rejection of past faiths, is it possible for a Christian, without falling into syncretism, to belong to more than one religious tradition?Firstly, the paper will evaluate three models of multi-religious belonging. Secondly, after discussing some methodological considerations, we will explore whether dual belonging is syncretistic. Finally, we hope to suggest a critical and missiological appreciation of dual belonging.
Characteristics of Baroclinic Wave Packets during Strong and Weak Stratospheric Polar Vortex Events
Authors: Williams Ian N. , Colucci Stephen J.
Published: May 2010

This study tested a numerical and theoretical prediction that the stratosphere and troposphere are coupled through the effect of stratospheric vertical wind shear on baroclinic waves. Wavelengths, phase speeds, and background quasigeostrophic potential vorticity gradients were analyzed over the Pacific and Atlantic during strong and weak stratospheric polar vortex events and interpreted in terms of the counterpropagating Rossby wave perspective on baroclinic instability. Effects of zonal variations in the background flow were included in the analysis of phase speeds. Observed changes in wave packet average wavelength and phase speed support the vertical shear hypothesis for stratosphere–troposphere coupling; however, changes in the intrinsic phase speed contradict the hypothesis. This inconsistency was resolved by considering the change in zonal wind speed in the lower stratosphere, which accounts for most of the change in phase speeds during strong and weak vortex events. Changes in the average wavelengths and meridional wave activity flux are also consistent with this modified hypothesis involving the stratospheric zonal wind. The results demonstrate that a simple mechanism for stratosphere–troposphere coupling can be found in the observational record.