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Treatment with low-dose prasugrel might be more beneficial even in chronic stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients treated with clopidogrel. We compared platelet reactivity between standard maintenance-dose and low-dose prasugrel in stable CAD patients.This multicenter study enrolled 164 stable CAD patients receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel. Patients were randomly assigned to continue treatment with 75-mg clopidogrel daily (n = 80) or switch to 3.75-mg prasugrel daily (n = 84). Platelet reactivity was evaluated by measuring P2YThe PRU level was comparable between the two groups at baseline but was significantly lower in the prasugrel group than in the clopidogrel group on days 5 (133.0 vs. 156.8 PRU, P = 0.005) and 30 (124.3 vs. 158.0 PRU, P 0.001). On day 30, the PRU level was lower in the prasugrel group among patients categorized as poor and intermediate metabolizers but not among extensive metabolizers.Low-dose prasugrel achieves more consistent antiplatelet effects than clopidogrel irrespective of the metabolic phenotype in Japanese patients with stable CAD. Low-dose prasugrel might be also beneficial in the chronic phase without increasing the bleeding risk among stable CAD patients in other countries.

Reducing salt and increasing potassium intake are recommended lifestyle modifications for patients with hypertension. The estimated 24-h urinary salt excretion value from spot urine using Tanaka's formula and the salt check-sheet scores, questionnaire-based scores of salt intake, are practical indices of daily salt intake. However, few studies have evaluated salt intake with these methods in hypertensive outpatients. We examined salt and potassium intake with the spot urine method and the salt check-sheet scores of hypertensive outpatients in a multi-facility, real-world setting and examined whether the salt or potassium intake evaluated with these methods related to inadequate blood pressure control. Hypertensive outpatients from 12 medical facilities in the Okinawa prefecture were enrolled from November 2011 to April 2014 (n = 1559, mean age 63.9 years, 46% women). The mean blood pressure, urinary salt excretion value, urinary potassium excretion value, and total score on the salt check-sheet were 129/75 mmHg, 8.7 g/day, 1.6 g/day, and 10.4 points, respectively. The urinary salt excretion value and total score on the salt check-sheet but not urinary potassium excretion value were associated with inadequate blood pressure control (≥140/90 mmHg). Higher body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary potassium excretion value, total score on the salt check-sheet, and presence of inadequate blood pressure control were associated with high urinary salt excretion (≥10.2 g/day). In conclusion, hypertensive outpatients with high urinary salt excretion values estimated using Tanaka's formula or with high scores on the salt check sheet may be candidates for more intensive salt reduction guidance.

Although numerous studies have confirmed the beneficial effects of pharmacological therapy for arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, which are predictors/therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases, only a few overall quantitative evaluations of MRAs (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) exist. We searched PubMed and Cochrane CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) for randomized trials evaluating MRA effects on arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) or augmentation index and endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilation. Data from the included trials were pooled by using random-effects meta-analysis of the weighted mean difference (MD) between the comparator groups. The primary outcome was the MD of PWV. In 11 trials including 515 patients, the MRA treatment reduced the PWV when compared with control (MD, −0.75 m/s [95% CI, −1.12 to −0.39], P P =0.705 for heterogeneity). The effects of MRA on PWV were independent of blood pressure reduction related to the treatment according to meta-regression analysis. The MRA treatment reduced the augmentation index compared with control in 5 trials including 283 patients (MD, −6.74% [95% CI, −10.26 to −3.21], P =0.0002) and increased the flow-mediated dilation in 11 trials including 570 patients (MD, 1.18% [95% CI, 0.14 to 2.23], P =0.03). In conclusion, the current meta-analysis demonstrates the beneficial effects of MRA on PWV, augmentation index, and flow-mediated dilation.

In multidimensional data processing, one of the important data structures is a higher-order tensor or a multidimensional array. In general, the processing related to the higher-order tensor is so complicated that we have been developing understanding support tools for it using 3D puzzles from the viewpoint of making students interested. However, although these tools have been tried by students in graduation studies and other some occasions, their introduction into lectures was one issue. Therefore, in this study, we developed a new programming exercise material for the higher-order tensor, which is supposed to be used in data science subjects, by using a 3D puzzle. This learning material is also composed of Microsoft Teams, and students can access the material remotely to learn programming. In this paper, several students actually tried this material. As a result, it was found that the students themselves could create and submit assignment reports by viewing explanatory videos and performing exercises. From this, it is expected that this material will be able to introduce to data science courses, including online use.

In this paper, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to analyze the causal relationship between the level of sleep and the environmental data. The data used for the analysis was obtained by a care support device used in an elderly care facility. By applying the stepwise selection method to this data, we were able to find four observation variables that affect the level of sleep. And the latent variables are determined by scree plot. We proposed a causal model in which four observed variables and two latent variables affect the level of sleep. Statistical analysis environment R and the lavaan package were used for SEM analysis in this paper. From this model, it was found that the indoor environment and the vital signs affect sleep, and that heart rate should be reduced to obtain deep sleep.

OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine if the ankle--brachial index (ABI) increased with age as a result of increased arterial stiffness and wave reflection, and whether this was associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 396 participants aged 19-89 years who attended a health check-up. Brachial and ankle blood pressures were measured by an automatic oscillometric method. Electrocardiography-determined LVH (ECG-LVH) was defined by computer-interpreted Minnesota codes using resting 12-leads ECG. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 53 years (54% women). The prevalence of ECG-LVH was 13%; this was the lowest in participants with normal blood pressure and increased with an increase in the hypertension grade. The ABI was higher in participants with ECG-LVH than in those without (1.13± 0.07 vs. 1.15 ± 0.07, P

As a new spherical tokamak designed to simplify the engineering requirements of a possible future fusion power source, the EXL-50 experiment features a low aspect ratio vacuum vessel (VV), encircling a central post assembly containing the toroidal field coil conductors without a central solenoid. Multiple electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) resonances are located within the VV to improve current drive effectiveness. Copious energetic electrons are produced and measured with hard x-ray detectors, carry the bulk of the plasma current ranging from 50–150 kA, which is maintained for more than 1 s duration. It is observed that over one ampere current can be sustained per watt of ECRH power issued from the 28 GHz gyrotrons. The plasma current reaches I p > 80 kA for high density (>5 × 1018 m−2) discharge with 150 kW ECRH. An analysis was carried out combining reconstructed multi-fluid equilibrium, guiding-center orbits of energetic electrons, and resonant heating mechanisms. It is verified that in EXL-50 a broadly distributed current of energetic electrons creates a smaller closed magnetic-flux surface of low aspect ratio that in turn confines the thermal plasma electrons and ions and participate in maintaining the equilibrium force balance.

Herein, we describe a rare case of Corynebacterium jeikeium endocarditis that silently progressed in a 65-year-old man undergoing hemodialysis. Because routine monthly blood examination revealed high C-reactive protein levels, blood cultures were collected, although he had no symptom and was afebrile. After 2 days, a Gram-positive rod was detected in one set of the blood culture. Furthermore, transthoracic echocardiography revealed new aortic regurgitation (AR) and vegetations, and, therefore, infective endocarditis was suspected. Transesophageal echocardiography showed vegetations with a maximum diameter of 8 mm on his aortic valve, with some valve destruction. C. jeikeium was identified in three sets of blood cultures. Administration of daptomycin was started because he had vancomycin allergy. Judging from the high risk of embolization due to vegetations, emergency aortic valve replacement was performed on the second day. C. jeikeium was detected in a resected cardiac valve specimen and blood. This case emphasizes that physicians should always consider the possibility of infective endocarditis even in hemodialysis patients without any symptoms.

Bone marrow-derived cells exert anti-inflammatory actions and can migrate into the brain. However, their role in the development of neurogenic hypertension remains unclear. A hyperactive renin–angiotensin system and inflammation in the brain are mechanisms that contribute to angiotensin II-initiated neurogenic hypertension. We hypothesized that bone marrow-derived cells in the brain attenuate the overactive brain renin–angiotensin system and inflammation, thereby reducing neurogenic hypertension. We cultured plastic-adherent bone marrow-derived cells for 3 weeks. Seven days after initiation of vehicle or angiotensin II infusions, the rats underwent intracerebroventricular administration of either serum-free medium or autologous bone marrow-derived cells (106 cells). After 23 days of infusion, the mean arterial pressure was recorded, and the sympathetic tone was evaluated. Rats infused with angiotensin II demonstrated significant increases in the resting mean arterial pressure and the peak depressor response to ganglionic blockade (vehicle vs. angiotensin II infusion, 119 ± 4 vs. 178 ± 6 mmHg and −34 ± 6 vs. −74 ± 5 mmHg, respectively). Intracerebroventricularly administered bone marrow-derived cells attenuated the angiotensin II-mediated increases in the resting mean arterial pressure and peak depressor response (142 ± 11 and −52 ± 4 mmHg, respectively). The cells also reduced the angiotensin II-induced increases in angiotensin II type 1 receptor and transforming growth factor-β expression in the brain. In conclusion, bone marrow-derived cells in the brain may have a protective role against the development of angiotensin II-induced neurogenic hypertension by modulating angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression and inflammatory processes.

Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and arterial stiffness are closely related and may behave reciprocally as cause or effect, interacting in a vicious cycle. Both SBP and arterial stiffness increase with age in populations in most developed countries. However, the age-related increase in SBP appears to be absent in indigenous populations, partially because of their lifelong low-sodium and high-potassium diets, whereas age-related arterial stiffening in these populations remains to be determined. We performed a field survey of the indigenous population of Soroba, a small village located in the central highlands of Papua, Indonesia. Blood pressure levels and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured using an automatic device. A total of 125 native Papuans 16-75 years of age (59% women) were included in this study. SBP and pulse pressure were not correlated with age. However, diastolic and mean arterial pressure levels increased with age. The prevalence of hypertension was 5% (n = 6; all women), and baPWV significantly increased with age. Compared with participants 45 years of age and older, those younger than 45 years had a higher body mass index (BMI) and spot urine sodium-to-potassium ratio but lower baPWV; however, SBP was not different between these age groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that SBP was independently associated with baPWV, sex and BMI but not with age; baPWV was independently associated with SBP, age, BMI, sex and heart rate. SBP and baPWV were closely related, but the age-related changes in these measurements differed in this highland Papuan population.

Inflammation is a feature of lung injury and plays a critical role in pulmonary vascular remodeling. Bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) have anti-inflammatory properties and favor macrophage differentiation into an alternatively activated regulatory M2 profile. We investigated the effect of autologous BMCs on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary vessel remodeling and lung inflammation in rats, by direct administration into lungs via the airway.BMCs were isolated and plastic-adherent cells were cultured for 3 weeks. 1 week following monocrotaline (60 mg/kg) treatment, fluorescently labeled autologous BMCs (1 × 10Monocrotaline increased pulmonary vessel wall thickness, perivascular infiltration, alveolar septal thickening, and inflammatory cell infiltration including T lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages in alveolar areas, and also increased mRNA expression of inflammatory-related cytokines including IL-10 in the lung. Intratracheal administration of autologous BMCs prevented pulmonary vessel wall thickening and perivascular infiltration, and increased CD163-positive M2-like macrophages in perivascular areas. BMC administration inhibited the thickening of alveolar septa and reduced monocrotaline-induced inflammatory cell infiltration in lung parenchyma compared with monocrotaline-vehicle-treated-rats. Furthermore, BMCs administration increased expression of CD163-positive cells in perivascular areas and maintained the increased mRNA expression of IL-10.Intratracheal administration of autologous BMCs prevented monocrotaline-induced pulmonary vessel remodeling and lung inflammation, at least in part, through induction of alternatively activated macrophages and regulation of the local lung environment toward resolving inflammation.

Background Age-related increase in systolic pressure is known to be absent in indigenous Papuan populations, partially because of their life-long low-sodium and high-potassium diets. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the age-related change in left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function and the relationship with arterial hemodynamics among the indigenous Papuan highland people. Methods Indices of arterial hemodynamics were measured using oscillometric brachial cuff-based sphygmomanometer (Mobil-O-Graph). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured using a semiautomatic device (form ABI/baPWV). LV systolic and diastolic function was evaluated by 2-dimensional echocardiography and tissue-Doppler imaging using Vivid iq. Results A total of 81 native Papuans (median age 42 years, 47% women) were enrolled in this study. None of the subjects took any medicines, particularly antihypertensive drugs. All participants presented in sinus rhythm. With ageing, LV mass index remained unchanged, and LV ejection fraction increased, but mildly reduced (40–50%) in 3 participants. Transmitral E-wave velocity slightly decrease but the change was not significant. Transmitral A-wave velocity markedly increased (ρ=0.60, P Conclusion LV systolic function was preserved in indigenous Papuan populations; however, LV diastolic function decreased with ageing. Age-related arterial stiffening, not wave reflection, was inversely related to LV diastolic function.

A significant relationship has been established between central hemodynamics and renal microvascular damage. We hypothesized that the increase in the ankle-brachial index (ABI) with age is due to increased arterial stiffness and wave reflection and is thus associated with the pathogenesis of the renal small artery in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We recruited 122 patients with CKD (stages 1–5) who underwent renal biopsy and ABI measurements between 2010 and 2013. Renal small artery intimal thickening (SA-IT) severity was assessed by semiquantitative grading. The median age was 47 years, with a range of 15–86 years (47% women). The median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 62 mL/min/1.73 m2. Compared with patients with the lowest 1–3 SA-IT index quartile, those with the highest quartile of the SA-IT index were older in age had higher mean arterial pressure, ABI, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, and lower eGFR. ABI was positively associated with SA-IT severity and inversely associated with eGFR. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that ABI was significantly associated with the highest quartile of the SA-IT index (odds ratio per SD increase in ABI, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–3.26) and low eGFR (

Objectives Arterial stiffness is associated with longitudinal increases in blood pressure and hypertension development. A screened cohort was used to test whether increases in the ankle-brachial index (ABI) with age occur as a result of increasing arterial stiffness and wave reflection and is associated with hypertension incidence. Methods We analysed the data of 1344 participants without hypertension at baseline who underwent ABI measurements at least twice with an interval of at least 36 months. Participants with abnormal ABI values were excluded. Results The median age of participants was 51 years (55% women). The ABI was lowest for participants younger than 40 years and increased with age. At the time of the follow-up visit (median follow-up period, 47 months), 224 (17%) participants had developed hypertension. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that baseline ABI was positively and independently associated with the yearly change in brachial SBP and hypertension incidence. Compared with participants with a normal ABI (1.00-1.19), the adjusted odds ratio for hypertension incidence was significantly higher for participants with a high-normal ABI (1.20-1.39) before and after multivariate adjustment for conventional risk factors (odds ratio, 2.17, 95% confidence interval 1.20-3.95). Addition of ABI to a model containing conventional risk factors did not improve the c-statistics but the net reclassification index of ABI was 0.17 (95% confidence index 0.01-0.37) for hypertension incidence. Conclusion Baseline ABI was positively and independently associated with the yearly change in SBP and hypertension incidence.

BACKGROUND The temporal change in ankle-brachial index (ABI) in the general population, especially in those aged

This paper investigates relationships between the ADL evaluations of convalescent stroke patients in rehabilitation and their physical activity amounts measured by an accelerometer. A previous study performed a correlation analysis between the activity amount and two FIM items (i.e., motor FIM and cognitive FIM), which is one of the ADL evaluations, and showed the existence of a significant correlation between both of them. In this paper, we performed a correlation analysis and also did a multidimensional PCA (MPCA) of data matrix and tensors, respectively, constructed from more detailed FIM items than above. As the results of the correlation analysis, we showed that the correlation coefficients of the activity amount of walking when compared the motor and cognitive FIM were relatively large, and that the similar tendency to the result of the previous study was obtained. By considering the detailed FIM items, we noticed that correlation coefficients of the locomotion subscale of FIM compared with the walking calories and the number of walking steps were the largest. Furthermore, from the results of performing MPCA, we found several pairs of principal component scores with higher correlation coefficients. The above-mentioned results suggest that the use of accelerometer is considered to be effective in grasping patients’ FIM scores.

In recent years, we have been studied about medical data analysis, especially for the rehabilitation data provided by a hospital, and extracted the recovery tendency of patients from their Functional Independence Measure (FIM) data. This time, we adopt the nonnegative Tucker decomposition (NTD) method, which is known as an extension of the nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) to higher-dimensional data, to the medical data built up by piling each FIM data at some time points for several patients. Since the all elements of the tensor and matrices obtained by the NTD are nonnegative, it is expected that this method makes the interpretation of the characteristic vectors which are obtained from the resulting matrices easy and intelligible in comparison with our former approach, which used the multi-dimensional principal component analysis (MPCA). The experimental results show the effectiveness of proposed approach.

We studied an adsorption method as a technique of collection, and a vitrification method of iodine toward safekeeping. In this study, iodine-adsorptions on magnesium compounds were evaluated, and fixation of iodine into glass was tried. As a result, it was revealed that 1 g of magnesium oxide with high surface area successfully adsorbed 2.23 g of iodine. Iodine-adsorbed magnesium compound was tried to be vitrified with MgO-P2O5 glass.

Background: Adults 80 years and older are the fastest-growing segment of the Japanese population and face a high risk of cognitive decline. There are some evidences connecting hypertension to cognitive decline. In mid-life hypertension is known to have influence the cognitive decline in older age. However, a few study have examined the association between hypertension or vascular stiffness and cognitive function among elderly over 80 years old. We analyzed the associations between vascular stiffness and cognitive function among relatively healthy community-dwelling non-demented oldest old. Method: Data came from the Keys to Optimal Cognitive Aging (KOCOA) study; an ongoing cohort of relatively healthy volunteers aged over 80 years old, living in Okinawa, Japan. In 2017, 105 non-demented (Clinical Dementia Rating < 1) subjects completed three kinds of examination for vascular function (75 % female, mean age (SD) 84.0 (3.0)). We categorized subjects into low and high cognitive function groups using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (25/26 as a cutpoint). Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between cognitive and vascular functions. Results: Narrower pulse pressure, an indicator of lower arterial stiffness, was associated with better cognitive function among subjects, after adjusting for gender, age, and education (p≦0.05), although systolic and diastolic blood pressure were not. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that narrower pulse pressure is related with cognitive preservation. The present study supports the hypothesis that lower arterial stiffness is related with better cognitive function even among the oldest old.

The multi-dimensional principal component analysis (MPCA), which is an extension of the well-known principal component analysis (PCA), is proposed to reduce the dimension and to extract the feature of the multi-dimensional data. We have analyzed the rehabilitation data, which is known as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), routinely measured from inpatients of a hospital by using MPCA. This time, we implemented the MPCA program by the statistical software R, and carried out the analysis of that data with changed configuration from the previous works in the environment of the R statistical system. From the results, the usefulness and the effectiveness of MPCA analysis in the R environment are confirmed.

Higher-order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) is known as an effective technique to reduce the dimension of multidimensional data. We have proposed a method to perform third-order tensor product expansion (3OTPE) by using the power method for the same purpose as HOSVD, and showed that our method had a better accuracy property than HOSVD, and furthermore, required fewer computation time than that. Since our method could not be applied to the tensors of fourth-order (or more) in spite of having those useful properties, we extend our algorithm of 3OTPE calculation to forth-order tensors in this paper. The results of newly developed method are compared to those obtained by HOSVD. We show that the results follow the same trend as the case of 3OTPE.

Little is known about the sensitivity of Antarctic krill, a key part of the food chain, to ocean acidification. A circumpolar risk map of krill hatching success is presented for projected ocean acidification levels. Important krill recruitment habitats are likely to become high-risk this century, with the possibility of collapse of the krill population by 2300 without mitigation of CO2 emissions.

OBJECTIVES Arterial stiffness is associated with the pathogenesis of cerebral microbleeds (CMBs). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is used to predict arterial stiffness. We hypothesized that the increase in ABI with age occurs as a result of increasing arterial stiffness and wave reflection, and is thus associated with target organ damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ABI, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and CMBs. METHODS We recruited 990 cardiovascular disease-free and stroke-free participants [median age 53 (24-86) years, 531 were woman] who underwent brain MRI, ABI, and baPWV at a health checkup. RESULTS The prevalence of CMBs was 4%. Both ABI (1.14 vs. 1.10) and baPWV (17.29 vs. 14.68 m/s) were higher in participants with CMBs than those without. Cutoff values of ABI and baPWV for the presence of CMBs were 1.12 and 16.07 m/s, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ABI at least 1.12 [odds ratio (OR) 2.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-5.37, P

The response of phytoplankton to the Beaufort shelf-break eddies in the western Arctic Ocean is examined using the eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model including a lower-trophic marine ecosystem formulation. The regional model driven by the reanalysis 2003 atmospheric forcing from March to November captures the major spatial and temporal features of phytoplankton bloom following summertime sea ice retreat in the shallow Chukchi shelf and Barrow Canyon. The shelf-break warm eddies spawned north of the Barrow Canyon initially transport the Chukchi shelf water with high primary productivity toward the Canada Basin interior. In the eddy-developing period, the anti-cyclonic rotational flow along the outer edge of each eddy moving offshore occasionally traps the shelf water. The primary production inside the warm eddies is maintained by internal dynamics in the eddy-maturity period. In particular, the surface central area of an anti-cyclonic eddy acquires adequate light, nutrient, and warm environment for photosynthetic activity partly attributed to turbulent mixing with underlying nutrient-rich water. The simulated biogeochemical properties with the dominance of small-size phytoplankton inside the warm eddies are consistent with the observational findings in the western Arctic Ocean. It is also suggested that the light limitation before autumn sea ice freezing shuts down the primary production in the shelf-break eddies in spite of nutrient recovery. These results indicate that the time lag between the phytoplankton bloom in the shelf region following the summertime sea ice retreat and the eddy generation along the Beaufort shelf break is an important index to determine biological regimes in the Canada Basin.

A global eddy-resolving coupled physical–biological model is used to investigate the seasonal and interannual variabilities of the chlorophyll in the northeastern tropical Pacific during 2000–2007. The seasonal variability of the surface chlorophyll concentration in the model agrees well with satellite ocean color data, except for the equatorial region. High chlorophyll levels off the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Papagayo, and Panama in winter and in the Costa Rica Dome in summer are well reproduced. Production in these areas is controlled by the supply of nitrate rich-waters through vertical mixing and coastal and open ocean upwelling. The variability of the thermocline depth is strongly connected to the seasonal variability of surface chlorophyll. El Nino Southern Ocean (ENSO) variability has a marked effect on the marine ecosystem. The model reproduces the variability of chlorophyll corresponding to the observed ENSO variability. During cold SST anomaly phases (2000, 2001 and 2007), the chlorophyll concentration is considerably higher than other years (2002–2006). Chlorophyll variance is largest off the Gulf of Papagayo and over the Costa Rica Dome where the changes to chlorophyll levels are related to changes in the supply of nitrate rich-waters through vertical mixing and upwelling.

The largest pH decline and widespread undersaturation with respect to aragonite in this century due to uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the Arctic Ocean have been projected. The reductions in pH and aragonite saturation state in the Arctic Ocean have been caused by the melting of sea ice as well as by an increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Therefore, future projections of pH and aragonite saturation in the Arctic Ocean will be affected by how rapidly the reduction in sea ice occurs. The observed recent Arctic sea-ice loss has been more rapid than projected by many of the climate models that contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. In this study, the impact of sea-ice reduction rate on projected pH and aragonite saturation state in the Arctic surface waters was investigated. Reductions in pH and aragonite saturation were calculated from the outputs of two versions of an Earth system model with different sea-ice reduction rates under similar CO2 emission scenarios. The newer model version projects that Arctic summer ice-free condition will be achieved by the year 2040, and the older version predicts ice-free condition by 2090. The Arctic surface water was projected to be undersaturated with respect to aragonite in the annual mean when atmospheric CO2 concentration reaches 513 (606) ppm in year 2046 (2056) in new (old) version. At an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 520 ppm, the maximum differences in pH and aragonite saturation state between the two versions were 0.1 and 0.21 respectively. The analysis showed that the decreases in pH and aragonite saturation state due to rapid sea-ice reduction were caused by increases in both CO2 uptake and freshwater input. Thus, the reductions in pH and aragonite saturation state in the Arctic surface waters are significantly affected by the difference in future projections for sea-ice reduction rate. Our results suggest that the future reductions in pH and aragonite saturation state could be significantly faster than previously projected if the sea-ice reduction in the Arctic Ocean keeps its present pace.

Ocean variations at semiannual, annual, and interannual time scales in the Mindanao Dome (MD) region of the southern Philippine Sea were examined using data derived from underwater sensors on Triangle Trans-Ocean Buoy Network (TRITON) buoys at 8°N, 137°E; 5°N, 137°E; and 8°N, 130°E. Annual signal dominated above 300-m depth in the MD region. At 5°N, 137°E, saline water exceeding 35 psu was observed at 100–200-m depth from boreal winter to spring, seemingly associated with the meridional migration of the North Equatorial Countercurrent during these seasons. Thermocline ascent, probably related to the MD, was also observed from boreal winter to spring. An important mechanism of the annual variation of the MD at 5°N seems to be the annual variability of local wind, as mentioned in past studies. However, annual variability at 8°N seems to be due to Rossby waves originating west of 150°W rather than to local wind effects. Semiannual variation was also observed, with its amplitude reaching 40%–70% of the annual signal. With regard to interannual variability, ocean variation on the time scale of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was seen; upper heat content (above 300-m depth) in the Mindanao Dome region decreased during the 2002–03 and 2006–07 El Niño periods and increased between those periods. Increasing upper heat content in this region after 2005 was probably associated with large negative anomalies of Ekman pumping (downwelling) that appeared from 2005 to 2006 east of 150°E and north of 5°N.

Objectives:Increaseing dose of angintensin receptor inhibitors (ARB) could augument blood pressure (BP) lowering effect in the hypertensive patients with ARB and diuretics, while it may cause hyperuricemia. Dosigng up losartan which has urate lowering effect may augment BP lowering effect without hy

Antarctic krill embryos and larvae were experimentally exposed to 380 (control), 1000 and 2000 µatm p CO 2 in order to assess the possible impact of ocean acidification on early development of krill. No significant effects were detected on embryonic development or larval behaviour at 1000 µatm p CO 2 ; however, at 2000 µatm p CO 2 development was disrupted before gastrulation in 90 per cent of embryos, and no larvae hatched successfully. Our model projections demonstrated that Southern Ocean sea water p CO 2 could rise up to 1400 µatm in krill's depth range under the IPCC IS92a scenario by the year 2100 (atmospheric p CO 2 788 µatm). These results point out the urgent need for understanding the p CO 2 -response relationship for krill developmental and later stages, in order to predict the possible fate of this key species in the Southern Ocean.

Effects of mesoscale eddies on the marine ecosystem in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region are investigated using an eddy-resolving coupled physical-biological model. The model captures the seasonal and intra-seasonal variability of chlorophyll distribution associated with the mesoscale eddies, front variability, Kuroshio meanders, and upwelling. The model also reproduces the observed interannual variability of sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) in the KE region along a zonal band of 32–34°N from 2002 to 2006. The distribution of high surface chlorophyll corresponds to low SSHA. Cyclonic eddies are found to detach from the KE jet near 150°E and 158°E and propagate westward. The westward propagating cyclonic eddies lift the nutrient-rich thermocline into the euphotic zone and maintain high levels of chlorophyll in summer. In the subsurface layer, the pattern in chlorophyll is influenced by both lateral and vertical advection. In winter, convection inside the eddy entrains high levels of nutrients into the mixed layer, increasing production, and resulting in high chlorophyll concentration throughout the surface mixed layer. There is significant interannual variability in both the cyclonic eddy activity and the surface phytoplankton bloom south of the KE jet, although whether or not there is a causal link is unclear.

Aims: Several Gram-negative bacterial species use N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules as quorum-sensing (QS) signals to regulate various biological functions. Similarly, various bacteria can stimulate, inhibit or inactivate QS signals in other bacteria by producing molecules called as quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSI). Our aim was to screen and identify the epibiotic bacteria associated with brown algae for their ability of producing QS-inhibiting activity. Methods and Results: QSI screenings were conducted on several epibiotic bacteria isolated from a marine brown alga Colpomenia sinuosa, using Serratia rubidaea JCM 14263 as an indicator organism. Strain JCM 14263 controls the production of red pigment, prodigiosin by AHL QS. Out of 96 bacteria, which were isolated from the surface of the brown alga, 12% of strains showed the ability to produce QSI, which was observed from the pigmentation inhibition on Ser. rubidaea JCM 14263 without affecting its growth. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing method demonstrated bacterial isolates showing QS inhibition-producing bacteria belonging to the Bacillaceae (Firmicutes), Pseudomonadaceae (Proteobacteria), Pseudoalteromonadaceae (Proteobacteria) and Vibrionaceae (Proteobacteria). Conclusion: An appreciable percentage of bacteria isolated from the brown alga produced QSI-like compounds. Significance and Impact of the Study: The screening method using Ser. rubidaea described in this report will facilitate the rapid identification of QSI-producing bacteria from marine environment. This study reveals new avenue for future environmental applications. This study also suggests that these algal epibiotic bacteria may play a role in the defensive mechanism for their host by producing QSI or QSI-like compounds to suppress the settlement of other competitive bacteria.

Two onboard observation campaigns were carried out in the western boundary region of the Philippine Sea in December 2006 and January 2008 during the 2006/07 El Nino and the 2007/08 La Nina to observe the North Equatorial Current (NEC), Mindanao Current (MC), and Kuroshio current system. The NEC and MC measured in late 2006 under El Nino conditions were stronger than those measured during early 2008 under La Nina conditions. The opposite was true for the current speed of the Kuroshio, which was stronger in early 2008 than in late 2006. The increase in dynamic height around 8°N, 130°E from December 2006 to January 2008 resulted in a weakening of the NEC and MC. Local wind variability in this region did not appear to contribute to changes in the current system.

We compare modeled oceanic carbon uptake in response to pulse CO2 emissions using a suite of global ocean models and Earth system models. In response to a CO2 pulse emission of 590 Pg C (corresponding to an instantaneous doubling of atmospheric CO2 from 278 to 556 ppm), the fraction of CO2 emitted that is absorbed by the ocean is: 37±8%, 56±10%, and 81±4% (model mean ±2σ ) in year 30, 100, and 1000 after the emission pulse, respectively. Modeled oceanic uptake of pulse CO2 on timescales from decades to about a century is strongly correlated with simulated present-day uptake of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and CO2 across all models, while the amount of pulse CO2 absorbed by the ocean from a century to a millennium is strongly correlated with modeled radiocarbon in the deep Southern and Pacific Ocean. However, restricting the analysis to models that are capable of reproducing observations within uncertainty, the correlation is generally much weaker. The rates of surface-to-deep ocean transport are determined for individual models from the instantaneous doubling CO2 simulations, and they are used to calculate oceanic CO2 uptake in response to pulse CO2 emissions of different sizes pulses of 1000 and 5000 Pg C. These results are compared with simulated oceanic uptake of CO2 by a number of models simulations with the coupling of climate-ocean carbon cycle and without it. This comparison demonstrates that the impact of different ocean transport rates across models on oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2 is of similar magnitude as that of climate-carbon cycle feedbacks in a single model, emphasizing the important role of ocean transport in the uptake of anthropogenic CO2.