bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability Analysis of a Model of Atherogenesis: An Energy Estimate Approach II
Authors: Ibragimov A. I. , McNeal C. J. , Ritter L. R. , Walton J. R.
Published: October 2009

This paper considers modelling atherogenesis, the initiation of atherosclerosis, as an inflammatory instability. Motivated by the disease paradigm articulated by Russell Ross, atherogenesis is viewed as an inflammatory spiral with positive feedback loop involving key cellular and chemical species interacting and reacting within the intimal layer of muscular arteries. The inflammation is modelled through a system of non‐linear reaction–diffusion–convection partial differential equations. The inflammatory spiral is initiated as an instability from a healthy state which is defined to be an equilibrium state devoid of certain key inflammatory markers. Disease initiation is studied through a linear, asymptotic stability analysis of a healthy equilibrium state. Various theorems are proved giving conditions on system parameters guaranteeing stability of the health state and conditions on system parameters leading to instability. Among the questions addressed in the analysis is the possible mitigating effect of anti‐oxidants upon transition to the inflammatory spiral.
Calculating the Number of People with Alzheimer′s Disease in any Country Using Saturated Mutation Models of Brain Cell Loss that also Predict Widespread Natural Immunity to the Disease
Authors: Kramer Ivan
Published: October 2009

The series of mutations that cause brain cells to spontaneously and randomly die leading to Alzheimer′s disease (AD) is modelled. The prevalence of AD as a function of age in males and females is calculated from two very different mutation models of brain cell death. Once the prevalence functions are determined, the number of people with AD in any country or city can be estimated.

The models developed here depend on three independent parameters: the number of mutations necessary for a brain cell associated with AD to spontaneously die, the average time between mutations, and the fraction of the risk population that is immune to developing the disease, if any. The values of these parameters are determined by fitting the model′s AD incidence function to the incidence data.

The best fits to the incidence rate data predict that as much as 74.1% of males and 79.5% of females may be naturally immune to developing AD. Thus, the development of AD is not a normal or inevitable result of the aging process. These fits also predict that males and females develop AD through different pathways, requiring a different number of mutations to cause the disease. The number of people in the USA with AD in the year 2000 is estimated to be 451,000.

It is of paramount importance to determine the nature of the immunity to AD predicted here. Finding ways of blocking the mutations leading to the random, spontaneous death of memory brain cells would prevent AD from developing altogether.
CD1-restricted adaptive immune responses to Mycobacteria in human group 1 CD1 transgenic mice
Authors: Felio Kyrie , Nguyen Hanh , Dascher Christopher C. , Choi Hak-Jong , Li Sha , Zimmer Michael I. , Colmone Angela , Moody D. Branch , Brenner Michael B. , Wang Chyung-Ru
Published: October 2009

Group 1 CD1 (CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c)–restricted T cells recognize mycobacterial lipid antigens and are found at higher frequencies in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)–infected individuals. However, their role and dynamics during infection remain unknown because of the lack of a suitable small animal model. We have generated human group 1 CD1 transgenic (hCD1Tg) mice that express all three human group 1 CD1 isoforms and support the development of group 1 CD1–restricted T cells with diverse T cell receptor usage. Both mycobacterial infection and immunization with Mtb lipids elicit group 1 CD1–restricted Mtb lipid–specific T cell responses in hCD1Tg mice. In contrast to CD1d-restricted NKT cells, which rapidly respond to initial stimulation but exhibit anergy upon reexposure, group 1 CD1–restricted T cells exhibit delayed primary responses and more rapid secondary responses, similar to conventional T cells. Collectively, our data demonstrate that group 1 CD1–restricted T cells participate in adaptive immune responses upon mycobacterial infection and could serve as targets for the development of novel Mtb vaccines.
Co-management: an alternative to enforcement?
Authors: van Hoof Luc
Published: October 2009

van Hoof, L. 2010. Co-management: an alternative to enforcement? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 395–401. The decline in fish stocks worldwide has often been attributed to problems inherent with resources being treated as common property. Government is usually called upon to define and implement solutions, but the issues society face today cannot be dealt with by the classical, state-centred system of the industrial society. In this article, the Dutch case of fisheries management is used to demonstrate how a government-orientated solution, such as the recently inaugurated EU Community Fisheries Control Agency, and a governance-type solution, such as co-management, relate to each other and whether a partnership between government and the market, such as co-management, can serve as an alternative to direct government enforcement. Although the Dutch case is not a true-bred form of co-management, but rather a case of co-enforcement, it can be used to service a theoretical assessment of the possibilities of co-enforcement at a European scale.
Introduction
Authors: Clayton Philip
Published: October 2009

Any discussion of the possibility of ‘science and religion’ as a distinct field of study represented a clear step forward from the dominant prejudice of an earlier age. By contrast, it seems hard to deny that a new area of study has emerged, one devoted to the study of the complex and multifaceted relationships between science and religion. The text in this book testifies to the existence of a distinct field of inquiry. One can hope that carefully studying how differently the various religions conceive their relationship with the sciences will help to overcome the tendency, until recently dominant in Western scholarship, to equate ‘religion and science’ with ‘Christianity and science’.
Hinduism and Science
Authors: Menon Sangeetha
Published: October 2009

Hinduism represents the religion and philosophy that originated in India. It is the religion of 16 per cent of the world's population, and India is home to more than 90 per cent of the world's Hindus. Today many historians and philosophers of science have started reviewing the dynamic events and historical processes that led to what is called the European Enlightenment and modern science. This article focuses on how Hinduism as a religion has coexisted with scientific pursuits, the underpinnings of such partnerships, and the significant contributions of such dialogues to the current engagements between science and spirituality. The discussion follows how apparently different enterprises of experience and reporting of experience were given a common space, as well as what the areas of convergence are that Hinduism posits for dialogues between and within science and spirituality. The article particularly looks at the Vedantic (Upanishads) tradition.
Christianity and Science
Authors: Polkinghorne John
Published: October 2009

Christian theology has always resisted a Manichaean opposition between God and the world, believing that the universe is God's creation. All forms of rational inquiry into aspects of reality have their own particular motivating experiences and indispensable concepts. Therefore, neither science nor theology should make the mistake of supposing that it can answer the other's proper questions. The year 1859 certainly did not bring the dialogue between Christianity and science to an end, though it did direct that conversation in new directions. The interaction with science has continued to be a matter of particular concern to Christian thinkers. After a brief historical introduction, this article surveys the contemporary scene. It describes five specific topics that characterize the present-day discussion: creation, natural theology, structures of reality, divine action, and eschatology.
Indigenous Lifeways and Knowing the World
Authors: Grim John A.
Published: October 2009

This article seeks to explore selected examples of diverse indigenous ways of knowing the world. It acknowledges differences not only among indigenous ways of knowing but also between indigenous knowledge and systems of knowing within industrial–technological societies. This latter difference is especially evident with regard to the presentation and organization of indigenous knowledge using the ideas and methods of Western, Enlightenment thought. Typically, indigenous ways of knowing are framed by such Western template ideas as monotheism, social contract theory, private property and individual rights, unilateral views of democratic governance, and scientific views of the objectivity of reality. The discussion considers the organic relationality of lifeway, land, and indigenous knowledge as mutually interactive processes. While differently described by diverse native peoples, indigenous ways of knowing are not simply about creating systems of knowledge; rather, they bring into possibility the lifeway itself.
Religious Naturalism and Science
Authors: Drees Willem B.
Published: October 2009

Religious belief seems to be about the conviction that there is more than nature. Naturalism is perceived as the claim that there is nothing but nature. Is naturalism therefore an atheistic position, that which should be disproved in ‘religion and science’? That seems to be the religious agenda of quite a few in ‘religion and science’. This article holds that it may well be more fruitful to accept ‘naturalism’ as an understanding of reality with which people have to live, and to explore religious options within the context of naturalism. It considers some reasons for and against a naturalistic position. Subsequent sections explore some of the religious and theological options in association with naturalism. Basically, these are treated as pertaining to two kinds of naturalism: namely, theistic naturalism and religious naturalism.
Atheism and Science
Authors: Atkins Peter
Published: October 2009

Science is the only path to understanding. It would be contaminated rather than enriched by any alliance with religion. Such should be the attitude of a scientifically alert atheist. This article elaborates and justifies this core attitude. There are those who consider that the domain of science is restricted to some kind of ‘physical world’, whereas religion deals with the ‘spiritual’. A scientific atheist holds that the domain of science is the physical world, but considers there is no other variety of world, and that the ‘spiritual’ is an illusion generated by a physical brain. The discussion considers the nature of this belief and distinguishes it from religious belief.
Cosmology and Religion
Authors: Carr Bernard
Published: October 2009

Cosmologists are particularly interested in the origin of the universe and what initial conditions could have led to a world like the one we inhabit. Most adopt the hot big bang model, which supposes that the universe started in a state of great compression some ten billion years ago. The crucial point about such large structures is that they are dominated by gravity, electrical interactions being insignificant because the universe has no net charge. Early universe studies have led to an exciting collaboration between particle physicists and cosmologists. The first part of this article shows how astronomical progress has generally drawn cosmology and religion ever further apart. The second part suggests that recent developments in cosmology may have reversed this trend. The third part discusses some current topics that are likely to have an impact upon the future relationship between cosmology and religion.
Fundamental Physics and Religion
Authors: Wegter‐McNelly Kirk
Published: October 2009

What are nature's deepest secrets? Why is there something rather than nothing? The eagerness with which many in modern cultures look to physicists for answers to these and other ultimate life-questions testifies to the aura of prestige and power that surrounds the oldest of the modern natural sciences. Physicists are currently struggling to unite the various theoretical developments surveyed in this article under one conceptual framework. At present, relativity theory, quantum theory, and chaos theory each provide quite distinct lenses onto the world's physical structures and processes. Although both relativity theory and chaos theory transform various aspects of Newton's account of space, time, and causation, they also essentially sustain the determinism of the classical framework. Quantum theory, on the other hand, at least according to the most widely held interpretation, dramatically overturns this tradition.
Evolutionary Theory and Religious Belief
Authors: Schloss Jeffrey P.
Published: October 2009

Contemporary historiographic critiques of science–religion warfare notwithstanding, there is no denying that Darwinism has been seen by both advocates and critics as challenging important theological beliefs of the Abrahamic traditions. This article explores the three impacts of Darwin: contradicting Scripture, obviating divine design, and magnifying the problem of evil. The ‘debate’ is not just over scientific and religious understandings of origins, but over the very character of the natural world. Almost every issue involves not a two-sided debate – evolution versus creation – but a continuum, often an entire landscape, of nuanced positions. The nomenclature of evolution and creation fails to represent not only the variable landscape of topics and positions, but also the complex explanatory hierarchy in scientific and religious understanding. Evolutionary biology and theology entail, and therefore interact at, various levels of interpretive scale.
Ecology and Religion
Authors: Bratton Susan Power
Published: October 2009

Non-specialists often confuse ecology with environmental science, or even with environmental management and politics. Ecology explicitly investigates the interaction of biotic systems with their environment. This article first covers religious interaction with ecological phenomena prior to or independently of the rise of modern life science. The second half investigates the past two centuries of religious interaction with the development of ecological thought in the Euro-American context, and concludes with a brief survey of the last quarter-century of ecological and environmental science dialogue with world religions. Rather than merely offering a summary of some idealized human interaction with nature, religious interaction with environmental science is becoming more specific. It is now engaging individual environmental issues, including human population growth, global warming, the preservation of endangered species, and the management of specific ecosystems such as oceans, forests, and rivers.
Neurophenomenology and Contemplative Experience
Authors: Thompson Evan
Published: October 2009

Any discussion of the relationship between cognitive science and religion for different theoretical perspectives in cognitive science can combine with different scientific approaches to religion. This article proposes that certain contemplative wisdom traditions – Buddhism most notably, though not exclusively – and certain approaches in cognitive science – the embodied approach and neurophenomenology – are mutually informative and enlightening. Through back-and-forth circulation, each approach can reshape the other, leading to new conceptual and practical understandings for both. At stake in this possibility is nothing less than the prospect of a mature science of the mind that can begin to do justice to the rich and diverse traditions of human contemplative experience.
Anglo‐American Post‐modernity and the End of Theology— Science Dialogue?
Authors: Murphy Nancey
Published: October 2009

This article describes emerging patterns in Anglo-American philosophy that represent radical breaks from the thought patterns of Enlightened modernity, and spells out consequences of these changes for the theology–science dialogue. The rationale is based on the relation that philosophy bears to the rest of culture. The discussion describes new moves in three traditional branches of philosophy: metaphysics, philosophy of language, and epistemology. It contends that, beginning half a century ago, whole clusters of terms in each of these domains have taken on new uses, and that these changes have radical consequences for all areas of academia. The discussion notes their actual and potential contributions to the dialogue between theology and science.
Religion‐and‐Science
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: October 2009

This article presents a meta-analysis, an exercise in philosophical reflection on religion-and-science. It engages in thinking about religion-and-science thinking, and to refers readers who are familiar with proposals concerning humans as created co-creators. The article elaborates the view that religion-and-science is more than either religion alone, as it is commonly understood, or science alone, as it is commonly practised. In this respect, religion-and-science is a tertium quid. For some, that meaning is a discovery or a revelation that is grounded in transcendence, while for others it is a human construction of meaning. Religion-and-science privileges science, in that it believes that the world presents itself to us in terms of embodied scientific understandings. At the same time, religion-and-science is itself religious in nature, in that it is always oriented toward what people deem most important.
Ground‐ of‐Being Theologies
Authors: Wildman Wesley J.
Published: October 2009

This article deals with a complex family of theological viewpoints, collected under the name ‘ground-of-being’ theologies. It discusses their relationship to various forms of theism, their shared themes, and their connections with the natural sciences. Ground-of-being theologies have in common two important negations: they deny that ultimate reality is a determinate entity, and they deny that the universe is ontologically self-explanatory. The positive formulations of ground-of-being theologies vary. Ground-of-being theologies are important, because their denial that ultimate reality is a determinate entity establishes a valuable theological contrast with determinate entity theisms such as personal theism and process theism – two ideas of God prominent both in modern theology and in the contemporary science–religion dialogue.
The Potential of Panentheism for Dialogue Between Science and Religion
Authors: Brierley Michael W.
Published: October 2009

After exploring the meaning of panentheism, this article looks at divine action as an example of current debate in science and religion where panentheism makes important contributions. But the essay thens also draws attention to the areas of experience and ethics implied by Rowan Williams's words, in the belief that panentheism is able to aid the connection of science to the subjective realities of religious experience and moral decision making. Panentheism represents theology that is engaging and creative, and a metaphysic with rich and sensitive moral resources. And given the moral questions which now press so urgently on science and the contemporary world, that contribution of panentheism could be of paramount importance.
The Pre‐modern Sins of Intelligent Design
Authors: Pennock Robert T.
Published: October 2009

Is it really possible to detect God's hand in the operations of the world? That is the religious question that is at issue in the intelligent design (ID) debate. ID theorists believe that they can do this, and claim to do it scientifically. ID creationists (IDCs) usually point to biology, but the patterns that they believe are signs of intelligence are also found in physics, chemistry, and meteorology. They point to the complexities of the eye, the immune system, and the bacterial flagellum, but for every system that serves a benign purpose, one finds those designed to cause suffering and devastation. Such issues, known as the problem of evil, are made particularly poignant by the ID analysis of divine design. This article examines these and other theological problems. It also examines whether scientists are really committing some pre-modern sin and whether IDCs should consider the beam in their own eye.
Physics, Complexity, and the Science—Religion Debate
Authors: Ellis George F. R.
Published: October 2009

The extraordinarily successful reductionist approach of present-day physics is based on the concept of an isolated system. However, the physics approach tends to ignore three crucial features that enable the emergence of biological complexity out of the underlying physical substratum: namely, top-down action in the hierarchy of complexity; the causal efficacy of stored information; and the origin of biological information through evolutionary adaptation. Overall, it can be important in emphasizing all the dimensions of humanity as well as what we can access by scientific observations and theories. This can be an important integrative factor, helping us fully to see ourselves and the universe in which we live. The kinds of analysis of emergence and the limits of physics undertaken in this article can be helpful in this endeavour, providing support for understanding the reality of higher levels of meaning and affirming multiple levels and natures of existence.
Emergence, Theology, and the Manifest Image
Authors: Silberstein Michael
Published: October 2009

The first section of this article discusses the relevance of emergence to theology. The second section characterizes different varieties of emergence. It argues that only radical mereological/causal emergence and nomological emergence – both of which are forms of ontological emergence – have any real relevance for theology. The third section focuses on the promises and pitfalls of using ontological emergence to argue for the existence of God and divine action. Finally, the last section makes a variety of friendly suggestions to theologians, focusing on the direction of future work in emergence, theology, and the manifest image.
Science, Ethics, and the Human Spirit
Authors: Hurlbut William B.
Published: October 2009

The naturalistic methodologies of modern science have uncovered a vast wealth of understandings of the human condition that Blaise Pascal could not have imagined. These understandings have informed new naturalistic philosophical perspectives on the very nature of human nature, together with heretofore unimagined technological powers to manipulate it. Somehow the new conceptions of human nature fall short of cohering with the fullness of life as actually lived and experienced. However, people may discern in the evolutionary emergence of human personhood and its moral sociality intimations of a richer conception both of human nature and of the natural order in and to which it has adapted. When coupled with the perspective of Christian faith, such an expanded conception of the world culminates in an ethic that rises above mere moral duty and social utility to an alignment of life with the very source and power of self-giving love.
Biotechnology and the Religion—Science Discussion
Authors: Cole‐Turner Ronald
Published: October 2009

While giving attention to the embryo question and indeed to the meaning of ‘playing God’, this article surveys more generally some religiously significant aspects of recent genetics and biotechnology. The first section considers what genetics suggests about human nature. The next section, on biotechnology, looks first at work on plants and animals, but moves quickly to human applications, from gene therapy to cloning and stem cells, asking about the moral implications. The final section offers a theological interpretation of genetics and biotechnology, reflective of Christianity but intended for a wider readership. The article also looks at the question of the human embryo and its role in research, the theological implications of the technological transformation of the human self, and how we are to understand in religious terms our new role in creation.
Role of syndecan‐1 (CD138) in cell survival of human urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Shimada Keiji , Nakamura Mitsutoshi , De Velasco Marco A. , Tanaka Motoyoshi , Ouji Yukiteru , Miyake Makito , Fujimoto Kiyohide , Hirao Kazuya , Konishi Noboru
Published: October 2009

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan‐1, CD138, is well known to be associated with cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration in various types of malignancies. In the present study, we focused on the role of syndecan‐1 in human urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Silencing of syndecan‐1 by siRNA transfection down‐regulated transcriptional factor junB and the long isoform of FLICE‐inhibitory protein (FLIP long), resulting in the induction of apoptosis in the urothelial carcinoma cell lines UMUC2 and UMUC3. Knockdown of junB and FLIP long as well as syndecan‐1 silencing mediated apoptosis that was inhibited by pan‐caspase inhibitors. Transurethral injection of syndecan‐1 siRNA into the urinary bladder significantly reduced syndecan‐1 gene expression and growth of red fluorescent‐labeled KU‐7/RFP bladder cancer cells in the mouse orthotopic bladder cancer model. Immunohistochemical examination showed high syndecan‐1 protein expression in high‐grade, superficial, and deep invasive carcinomas (pT1 and ≥pT2) as well as carcinoma in situ, but not in low‐grade and noninvasive phenotypes (pTa). In addition, the percentage of cancer cells positive for syndecan‐1 at initial diagnosis was statistically associated with the frequency of bladder cancer recurrence after transurethral resection. In conclusion, syndecan‐1 might contribute to urothelial carcinoma cell survival and progression; therefore, this molecule could be a new therapeutic target in human urinary bladder cancer. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Histone deacetylase inhibitor (SAHA) and repression of EZH2 synergistically inhibit proliferation of gallbladder carcinoma
Authors: Yamaguchi Junpei , Sasaki Motoko , Sato Yasunori , Itatsu Keita , Harada Kenichi , Zen Yoh , Ikeda Hiroko , Nimura Yuji , Nagino Masato , Nakanuma Yasuni
Published: October 2009

Polycomb group protein EZH2, frequently overexpressed in malignant tumors, is the catalytic subunit of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). PRC2 interacts with HDACs in transcriptional silencing and relates to tumor suppressor loss. We examined the expression of HDAC isoforms (HDAC 1 and 2) and EZH2, and evaluated the possible use of HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and EZH2 repressor for gallbladder carcinoma. We used 48 surgically resected gallbladders and cultures of human gallbladder epithelial cells (HGECs), gallbladder carcinoma (TGBC2TKB), and cholangiocarcinoma (HuCCT‐1 and TFK‐1) cell lines for examination. Immunohistochemically, EZH2 was overexpressed in gallbladder carcinoma, especially poorly differentiated carcinoma, but not in normal epithelium. In contrast, HDAC1/2 were expressed in both carcinoma and normal epithelium in vivo. This pattern was verified in cultured cells; EZH2 was highly expressed only in TGBC2TKB, whereas HDAC1/2 were expressed in HGECs and TGBC2TKB. Interestingly, SAHA treatment caused significant cell number decline in three carcinoma cells, and this effect was synergized with EZH2 siRNA treatment; however, HGECs were resistant to SAHA. In TGBC2TKB cells, the expression of EZH2 and HDAC1/2 were decreased by SAHA treatment, and p16INK4a, E‐cadherin, and p21were simultaneously activated; however, no such findings were obtained in HGECs, suggesting that the effect of SAHA depends on the EZH2‐mediated tumor suppressor loss. In conclusion, this study suggests a possible mechanism by which carcinoma cells but not normal cells are sensitive to SAHA and indicates the efficacy of this new anticancer agent in combination with EZH2 repression in gallbladder carcinoma. (Cancer Sci 2009)
Gene silencing of MIR22 in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia involves histone modifications independent of promoter DNA methylation
Authors: Li Xiaoqing , Liu Jun , Zhou Rui , Huang Shi , Huang Shiang , Chen Xian‐Ming
Published: October 2009

Aberrant epigenetic regulation has recently been implicated in the downregulation of tumour suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs). Histone modification and DNA methylation can have different roles in gene silencing in cancer. To investigate whether histone modifications would contribute to the dysregulation of miRNAs in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the effect of a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), on miRNA expression profile was analysed by microarray assay in a precursor B‐cell ALL cell line NALM‐6. A total of 10 miRNAs were downregulated and 31 were upregulated significantly following TSA treatment. Among TSA‐upregulated miRNAs, MIR22 is an extronic miRNA and resides in the second exon of the non‐coding transcript MGC14376. Upregulation of MIR22 transcription was found in both NALM‐6 cells and primary human ALL malignant cells treated with TSA. Whereas a CpG island was identified within the promoter element of MIR22, no promoter DNA methylation was detected in these cells. In contrast, accumulation of the repressive histone marker H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27triM) was indentified around the transcriptional start point of the gene, which was reduced by TSA treatment. Thus, accumulation of H3K27triM independent of promoter DNA methylation may be a novel epigenetic mechanism for MIR22 silencing in ALL.
Generation and characterisation of Rhd and Rhag null mice
Authors: Goossens Dominique , Trinh‐Trang‐Tan Marie‐Marcelle , Debbia Martine , Ripoche Pierre , Vilela‐Lamego Camilo , Louache Fawzia , Vainchenker William , Colin Yves , Cartron Jean‐Pierre
Published: October 2009

Mouse Rhd* and Rhag* genes were targeted using insertional vectors; the resulting knockout mice, and double‐knockout descendants, were analysed. Rhag glycoprotein deficiency entailed defective assembly of the erythroid Rh complex with complete loss of Rh and intercellular adhesion molecule 4 (ICAM‐4), but not CD47, expression. Absence of the Rh protein induced a loss of ICAM‐4, and only a moderate reduction of Rhag expression. Double knockout phenotype was similar to that of Rhag targeted mice. Rhd and Rhag deficient mice exhibited neither the equivalent of human Rhnull haemolytic anaemia nor any clinical or cellular abnormalities. Rhd−/− and Rhag−/− erythrocytes showed decreased basal adhesion to an endothelial cell line resulting from defective ICAM‐4 membrane expression. There was no difference in recovery from phenylhydrazine‐induced haematopoietic stress for double knockout mice as compared to controls, suggesting that ICAM‐4 might be dispensable during stress erythropoiesis. Ammonia and methylammonia transport in erythrocytes was severely impaired in Rhag−/− but only slightly in Rhd−/− animals that significantly expressed Rhag, supporting the view that RhAG and Rhag, but not Rh, may act as ammonium transporters in human and mouse erythrocytes. These knockout mice should prove useful for further dissecting the physiological roles of Rh and Rhag proteins in the red cell membrane.
Antegrade flow and peripheral resistance determine the level of endogenous arteriogenesis in patients with superficial femoral artery occlusion
Authors: Vajanto I. , Korpisalo P. , Karjalainen J. , Hakala T. , Mäkinen K. , Ylä‐Herttuala S.
Published: October 2009

Objectives  Occlusion in a limb artery leads to impaired blood supply and ischaemia. Collateral artery growth (arteriogenesis) is one of the most effective natural response mechanisms to compensate this pathologic situation. However, it is unknown if clinically important features, like poor run‐off, have an impact on compensatory vessel growth.

Methods  Study population of this retrospective study consisted of 70 patients who suffered from lower limb ischaemia and underwent bypass surgery because of an occlusion of the superficial femoral artery. Clinical data were collected and pre‐ and postoperative angiograms were reviewed. Number of collateral vessels bypassing the occluded segment was counted. Features of inflow and outflow vessels were recorded.

Results  The mean number of collaterals was 13 ± 0·5 per patient. In univariate analysis, short daily walking distance, chronic critical leg ischaemia, low ankle brachial index, low number of patent calf arteries and stenosed inflow arteries predicted low number of collateral arteries. In the multivariate analysis, only the quality of inflow and the number of patent calf vessels demonstrated an independent association (P < 0·05) with the number of collaterals.

Conclusions  Ankle‐brachial index, grade of symptoms and daily walking capacity could be used to predict collateral density. Importantly, a good antegrade flow and peripheral runoff seem to have a significant effect on collateral density, implying an impact on the activation of arteriogenesis.
Improvement of a dendritic cell‐based tumour vaccine by an influenza virus
Authors: Sachet M. , Friedl J. , Hassler M. , Ploder M. , Stary G. , Stift A. , Bergmann M.
Published: October 2009

Background  Induction of cytotoxic T cells by dendritic cells (DCs) is a promising approach to tumour‐immunotherapy. A standardized effective preparation of DCs remains a challenge for clinical application.

Material and methods  We assessed whether influenza A partial NS1 deletion (NS1–124) – or complete NS1 deletion (delNS1) vaccine viruses can be employed to enhance monocyte‐derived dendritic cell (MODC)‐based T‐cell stimulation directed against malignant cells in vitro.

Results  Infection of cultures containing human MODCs and CD3+ T cells with NS1 deletion viruses led to an increased induction of type I interferons and IL‐6 compared with infection with wild‐type virus. This correlated with the fact that infection of MODCs with NS1 deletion viruses but not with wild type virus led to stimulation of a cytotoxic T‐cell (CTL) response against the Panc‐1 cells, which were used as cell lysate to prime the MODCs. Moreover, stimulation of MODCs with Panc‐1 tumour cell lysate obtained via lysis with the complete deletion virus delNS1, but not with the partial NS1 deletion virus also enhanced the CTL response against the tumour cells. Induction of function CTL response in those assays correlated with an increased proliferation of CD8+ T cells.

Conclusions  The pro‐inflammatory capacity of influenza NS1 deletion vaccine viruses could serve as an adjuvant‐like agent to improve preparations of MODC‐based anti‐cancer vaccines. The complete NS1 deletion virus appears to be more potent as adjuvant when used for production of tumour lysates.
Spontaneous and bleomycin‐induced chromosome damage in non cancer thyroid patients
Authors: Scarpato R. , Tusa I. , Antonelli A. , Fallhai P. , Sbrana I.
Published: October 2009

Background  Presence of chromosome damage in lymphocytes of patients affected by several diseases, including cancer, was detected by the micronucleus (MN) assay. Individual susceptibility to DNA damage, considered as a risk factor for cancer, can be also evaluated using the bleomycin (BLM) sensitivity test.

Materials and methods  We aimed to evaluate spontaneous or BLM‐induced MN frequencies in autoimmune (AI, n = 19) and non autoimmune (NAI, n = 11) thyroid patients, not receiving 131I radiometabolic therapy with respect to a control group of 18 healthy subjects. According to thyroid function, patients were also divided into hypothyroid (n = 10), euthyroid (n = 13) or hyperthyroid (n = 7) subjects.

Results  Spontaneous MN frequencies of AI and NAI patients did not differ from those of controls. Hypothyroid patients had more elevated MN basal levels (9·00 ± 1·71‰) than hyperthyroid (3·75 ± 1·17‰, P < 0·05) and euthyroid (5·38 ± 0·97‰, P < 0·01) patients or healthy subjects (4·17 ± 0·63‰, P < 0·01). In particular, the hypothyroid AI group showed the highest value (9·79 ± 2·26‰, P < 0·01). All thyroid patients responded differently to BLM than controls (39·90 ± 2·48‰ vs. 31·08 ± 2·51‰, P = 0·0377). The NAI group had BLM‐induced MN levels (45·00 ± 2·56‰) significantly higher (P = 0·0215) than AI patients (36·95 ± 3·49‰) or healthy subjects (31·08 ± 2·51‰). No significant difference was seen when patients were stratified according to autoimmunity.

Conclusions  We report that hypothyroid patients exhibit a moderate increase in the level of spontaneous genome damage, and that AI thyroid patients resulted to be less sensitive than NAI patients to the mutagen sensitivity test. In prospective, it may be of interest to reinvestigate hypothyroid patients when correction of their dysfunction is achieved.
Importance of the Straits of Florida spawning ground to Atlantic sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans)
Authors: RICHARDSON DAVID E. , COWEN ROBERT K. , PRINCE ERIC D. , SPONAUGLE Su
Published: October 2009

Much of the uncertainty in managing highly migratory pelagic species results from the scarcity of fisheries‐independent data relevant to determining long‐term trends in abundance, migratory movements, and the relative importance of different spawning grounds. To address these issues, we used an ichthyoplankton‐based method to quantify the overall level of spawning of sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) and blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) in the Straits of Florida (SF). We estimated that during the 2 years (2003–2004) of the study, 4.60 × 1011sailfish eggs and 4.49 × 1011blue marlin eggs were produced on an annual basis in this region. These egg production values, when combined with estimates of annual fecundity for each species and the most recent stock assessment estimate of total biomass, indicate that about 2.1% of Western Atlantic sailfish spawning and 1.6% of Atlantic‐wide blue marlin spawning occurs in the SF. Additionally, pop‐up satellite tags deployed on sailfish at the start of the spawning season revealed their short residency times in the SF, suggesting that a large (≈13%) transient portion of the sailfish population is responsible for the SF egg production. Overall, this study provides a critically needed fisheries‐independent method of quantifying spatial and temporal trends in the abundance of highly migratory species. The application of this methodology in the SF indicated that above‐average levels of sailfish and blue marlin spawning occur in this area and, possibly more importantly, that the SF is a migratory bottleneck for these species.
Environmental effects on forage and longline fishery performance for albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in the American Samoa Exclusive Economic Zone
Authors: DOMOKOS RÉKA
Published: October 2009

The South Equatorial Counter Current (SECC) strongly influences the American Samoa Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and changes strength on a seasonal and ENSO cycle. A strong SECC is associated with a predominantly anticyclonic eddy field as well as increased micronekton biomass and catch‐per‐unit‐effort (CPUE) for albacore tuna, the economically important target species of the local longline fishery. A strong SECC carries chlorophyll a‐rich waters from upwelling regions at the north coast of New Guinea towards the EEZ, most likely resulting in the observed increase in micronekton biomass, forage for albacore. Relatively stable anticyclonic eddies show a further increase in micronekton biomass, apparently advected from neighboring SECC waters. The presence of forage presumably concentrates albacore, thus resulting in the observed increase in CPUE. High shear regions of neither anticyclonic nor cyclonic eddies correlate with increased micronekton biomass. Areas characterized by South Equatorial Current (SEC) waters correspond to areas with the lowest micronekton biomass and the highest number of aggregative structures, which are most likely small pelagic fish shoals. Micronekton composition in SEC waters differs from that in the SECC. During El Niños, the seasonal signals at the north shore of New Guinea and in the SECC are exceptionally strong and correspond to higher albacore CPUE in the EEZ. My results suggest that the strength of upwelling and the resulting increase in chlorophyll a at New Guinea, as well as the Southern Oscillation Index, could be used to predict the performance of the local longline fishery for albacore tuna in the American Samoa EEZ.
Spatiotemporal distribution and habitat use of commercial demersal species in the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Authors: KATSANEVAKIS STELIOS , MARAVELIAS CHRISTOS D. , DAMALAS DIMITRIOS , KARAGEORGIS ARISTOMENIS P. , TSITSIKA EFTHYMIA V. , ANAGNOSTOU CHRISTOS , PAPACONSTANTINOU COSTAS
Published: October 2009

Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied to investigate the influence of spatial (subarea), temporal (season) and environmental variables (substrate characteristics, depth, temperature and salinity) on the relative abundance of 27 demersal species of commercial importance in the Aegean Sea. Twelve species exhibited decreasing population density with increasing depth, whereas the abundance of the remaining species peaked at intermediate depths. Most of the species were mainly distributed on the continental shelf and upper continental slope. The dry weight percentage of sand in the sediment was included as an important predictor in the best models of all species with a lifecycle closely related to the substrate (flatfish, skates, gurnards, mullets, anglers, scorpionfish) and in most benthopelagic species (seven of 12). The weight percentage of carbonates in the sediment was also included in the best models of most species (19 of 27). Seasonal patterns in the relative abundance of species were observed, related in most cases to the seasonal differentiation of temperature and salinity gradients. During the period of water stratification (summer and autumn) the influence of temperature or salinity on fish abundance was always greater than during the period of vertical mixing (winter). The present results are discussed in the light of fostering the current perception as to factors influencing the spatiotemporal distribution of fish, which is a prerequisite for the sustainable exploitation of commercial stocks.
Distribution patterns of ichthyoplankton communities in different ecosystems of the Northeast Atlantic
Authors: DRANSFELD LEONIE , DWANE OONAGH , ZUUR ALAIN F.
Published: October 2009

Results are presented of an extensive ichthyoplankton survey that covered the continental slope, the offshore banks and oceanic regions west of Ireland. Oceanographic measurements revealed domes of cold, less saline water over the Porcupine, Rockall and Faroese Banks, constituting Taylor columns. The most species‐rich stations were those found on and close to the offshore banks and the shelf edge. Larvae found in these areas were mainly from demersal fish species, including some commercial species such as haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, lemon sole Microstomus kitt (Walbaum, 1792), ling Molva molva (L.) and witch Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (L.). The deep water stations of the Rockall Trough and the north and west stations off the Rockall and Hatton Banks were characterized by a low number of species and high numbers of individuals of mesopelagic species such as Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale. Results from multivariate statistical analysis confirmed that species compositions varied significantly at different sites and were related to environmental conditions, whereby sites of similar temperature, salinity and bottom depth harboured similar species assemblages. Generalized additive mixed modelling was used to model the relationship between species richness and environmental variables and confirmed that there was a significant negative relationship between species richness and bottom depth indicating that the offshore banks and the slope stations present favourable habitats for a large number of species.
Spawning of North Sea fishes linked to hydrographic features
Authors: MUNK PETER , FOX CLIVE J. , BOLLE LOES J. , Van DAMME CINDY J. G. , FOSSUM PETTER , KRAUS GERD
Published: October 2009

Spawning of fishes takes place across a wide area of the North Sea. However, more intense spawning is seen in restricted areas, indicating that such areas present favorable conditions. To update information on fish spawning in the North Sea and analyze potential linkages to hydrographic characteristics, an internationally coordinated survey was conducted in the winter/spring of 2004. Oblique hauls for fish eggs and larvae and vertical profiles of temperature and salinity were carried out at 393 stations across the entire North Sea. The hydrography was strongly influenced by the interfacing of water masses of different salinity, and frontal zones were seen along all coastal areas and off the Dogger and Fisher Banks. Total abundances of eggs and larvae, including fish species such as cod, haddock, plaice, long rough dab and sandeel, peaked in the vicinity of the frontal areas. Hence our findings indicate that the main spawning locations of fish are linked to recurrent hydrographic features such as salinity fronts. Such a linkage may provide survival advantages, as the fronts present favorable feeding conditions, and the related physical processes may confine egg and larval dispersal and transport them towards suitable nursery habitats.
Yield, nutritive value and silage fermentation of kura clover‐reed canarygrass and lucerne herbages in northern USA
Authors: Contreras‐Govea F. E. , Muck R. E. , Albrecht K. A.
Published: October 2009

Excellent winter hardiness, persistence and nutritive value of both kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.) and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) suggest that intercropping these species could substitute for lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). The dry matter (DM) yield and nutritive value of herbage, and silage characteristics of kura clover‐reed canarygrass (KC‐RCG) herbage, were compared to those of lucerne over two growth cycles near Arlington, WI, USA. First and second growths of lucerne and KC‐RCG herbage were sampled four times at 1‐week intervals and ensiled for 100 d. Yield of DM of the KC‐RCG was 0·23–0·57 greater than that of lucerne on sampling dates in the first growth cycle, with no differences in DM yield in the second growth cycle. The pH of lucerne silage was lower than that of KC‐RCG silage in the first growth, and the opposite occurred in second growth, which was attributed to maturity differences and the proportion of kura clover in the mixture. Lactate concentration was lower in KC‐RCG than lucerne silages in both growth cycles. The lucerne and KC‐RCG silages had similar in vitro DM digestibility except for the final sampling date in the first growth cycle when neutral‐detergent fibre concentration of KC‐RCG herbage exceeded 550 g kg−1 DM. Crude protein concentration was greater in lucerne silage than in KC‐RCG silage in both growth cycles. Overall, differences in nutritive value and silage fermentation between the two herbages were minimal across growth cycles. These results suggest that a KC‐RCG sward is a viable alternative to lucerne in northern environments of the USA where lucerne production may be limited by winter injury or edaphic factors.
Dual channel heterodyne microscope
Authors: PROTOPOPOV V.
Published: October 2009

Heterodyne measurement of the amplitude and phase of a cross‐polarized two‐frequency laser beam reflected from a patterned surface enables simultaneous imaging in both the amplitude and phase‐contrast modes. Such imaging duality provides additional information for inspection. Besides, spatial resolution in the phase‐contrast mode of operation is not limited by the width of the focused beam and, therefore, may be better than that of traditional imaging techniques. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as super‐resolution, was experimentally observed.