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Selected AbstractsGEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES IN BALTIMORE, MARYLANDJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2009Theresa Cruthird-Rudd BS No abstract is available for this article. [source] Using GIS, Genetic Algorithms, and Visualization in Highway DevelopmentCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2001Manoj K. Jha A model for highway development is presented, which uses geographic information systems (GIS), genetic algorithms (GA), and computer visualization (CV). GIS serves as a repository of geographic information and enables spatial manipulations and database management. GAs are used to optimize highway alignments in a complex search space. CV is a technique used to convey the characteristics of alternative solutions, which can be the basis of decisions. The proposed model implements GIS and GA to find an optimized alignment based on the minimization of highway costs. CV is implemented to investigate the effects of intangible parameters, such as unusual land and environmental characteristics not considered in optimization. Constrained optimization using GAs may be performed at subsequent stages if necessary using feedback received from CVs. Implementation of the model in a real highway project from Maryland indicates that integration of GIS, GAs, and CV greatly enhances the highway development process. [source] Slavery, Memory, and Museum Display in Baltimore: The Great Blacks in Wax and the Reginald F. LewisCURATOR THE MUSEUM JOURNAL, Issue 2 2009Marcus Wood The analysis deals with the question by focusing on the radically contrasting museological, aesthetic, and ethical codes of the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, and the Reginald Lewis Museum, both situated in Baltimore, Maryland. Three key sites are isolated for discussion: the names of the museums, their approaches to the topic of the Middle Passage, and lynching. While both museums have made important cultural contributions to the public memorialization of highly charged subjects, the Great Blacks in Wax emerges as the more radical institution, closely in touch with the dynamic and creative museum aesthetic of the wider Black Atlantic Diaspora, and of Brazil in particular. [source] Evolution of channel morphology and hydrologic response in an urbanizing drainage basinEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 9 2006Peter A. Nelson Abstract The Dead Run catchment in Baltimore County, Maryland, has undergone intense urbanization since the late 1950s. Reconstruction of the channel planform from topographic maps dating back to the 1890s and aerial photographs dating back to the 1930s indicates that the channel has remained stable in planform since at least the 1930s. The relative stability of Dead Run contrasts with the alterations in channel morphology reported for other urbanizing streams in the Piedmont physiographic province of the eastern United States. Trend analyses of discharge records in Dead Run show that urban development and stormwater control measures have had significant impacts on the hydrologic response of the catchment. The flood hydraulics of the Dead Run catchment are examined for the event that occurred on 22 June 1972 in association with Hurricane Agnes. A two-dimensional hydraulic model, TELEMAC-2D, was used with a finite-element mesh constructed from a combination of high-resolution LiDAR topographic data and detailed field survey data to analyse the distribution of boundary shear stress and unit stream power along the channel and floodplain during flooding from Hurricane Agnes. The spatial and temporal distributions of these parameters, relative to channel gradient and channel/valley bottom geometry, provide valuable insights on the stability of the Dean Run channel. The stability of Dead Run's channel planform, in spite of extreme flooding and decades of urban development, is most likely linked to geological controls of channel and floodplain morphology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A social network perspective on heroin and cocaine use among adults: evidence of bidirectional influencesADDICTION, Issue 7 2009Amy S. B. Bohnert ABSTRACT Aims While several studies have documented a relationship between initiation of drug use and social network drug use in youth, the direction of this association is not well understood, particularly among adults or for stages of drug involvement beyond initiation. The present study sought to examine two competing theories (social selection and social influence) in the longitudinal relationship between drug use (heroin and/or cocaine) and social network drug use among drug-experienced adults. Design Three waves of data came from a cohort of 1108 adults reporting a life-time history of heroin and/or cocaine use. Setting Low-income neighborhoods with high rates of drug use in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants Participants had weekly contact with drug users and were 18 years of age or older. Measurements Drug use data were self-report. Network drug use was assessed through a social network inventory. Close friends were individuals whom the participant reported seeing daily or rated as having the highest level of trust. Findings Structural equation modeling indicated significant bidirectional influences. The majority of change in network drug use over time was due to change in the composition of the network rather than change in friends' behavior. Drug use by close peers did not influence participant drug use beyond the total network. Conclusions There is evidence of both social selection and social influence processes in the association between drug use and network drug use among drug-experienced adults. [source] Idol and Gift in VolponeENGLISH LITERARY RENAISSANCE, Issue 3 2005KATHARINE EISAMAN MAUS For their helpful comments on a draft of this essay, I thank John Portmann, Michael Murrin, Howard Marchitello and members of audiences to my lecture version of this material, as presented at the University of Maryland, Cambridge University, University of Virginia, University of Newcastle, University of Liverpool, University of Leeds, the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham at Stratford-upon-Avon, the Pittsburgh Renaissance Consortium, and the University of Utah. [source] Reproductive health of bass in the Potomac, USA, drainage: Part 1.ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 5 2009Exploring the effects of proximity to wastewater treatment plant discharge Abstract Intersex (specifically, testicular oocytes) has been observed in male smallmouth bass (SMB; Micropterus dolomieu) and other centrarchids in the South Branch of the Potomac River, USA, and forks of the Shenandoah River, USA, during the past five years. This condition often is associated with exposure to estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals in some fish species, but such chemicals and their sources have yet to be identified in the Potomac. In an attempt to better understand the plausible causes of this condition, we investigated the reproductive health of bass sampled up- and downstream of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent point sources on the Potomac River in Maryland, USA. Smallmouth bass were sampled from the Conococheague Creek and the Monocacy River, and largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus salmoides) were collected near the Blue Plains WWTP on the mainstem of the Potomac River. Chemical analyses of compounds captured in passive samplers at these locations also were conducted. A high prevalence of intersex (82,100%) was identified in male SMB at all sites regardless of collection area. A lower prevalence of intersex (23%) was identified in male LMB collected at the Blue Plains site. When up- and downstream fish were compared, significant differences were noted only in fish from the Conococheague. Differences included condition factor, gonadosomatic index, plasma vitellogenin concentration, and estrogen to testosterone ratio. In general, chemicals associated with waste-water effluent, storm-water runoff, and agriculture were more prevalent at the downstream sampling sites. An exception was atrazine and its associated metabolites, which were present in greater concentrations at the upstream sites. It appears that proximity to effluent from WWTPs may influence the reproductive health of bass in the Potomac watershed, but inputs from other sources likely contribute to the widespread, high incidence of testicular oocytes. [source] Tumor prevalence and biomarkers of exposure and response in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from the Anacostia River, Washington, DC and Tuckahoe River, Maryland, USAENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2004Alfred E. Pinkney Abstract We valuated liver and skin tumor prevalence and biomarkers of exposure and response in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from three locations in the Anacostia River (Washington, DC, USA), a Chesapeake Bay region of concern. The Tuckahoe River (Maryland, USA) served as a reference. Each river was sampled in fall 2000 and spring 2001. In the Anacostia, prevalence of liver tumors was 50 to 68%, and prevalence of skin tumors was 13 to 23% in large (,260 mm, age ,3 years) bullheads. Liver and skin tumor prevalence was 10 to 17% and 0%, respectively, in small (150,225 mm, age 1,2 years) bullheads. Tuckahoe bullhead liver tumor prevalence was 0 to 3% (large) and 0% (small); none had skin tumors. Biliary polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-like fluorescent metabolites and liver DNA adduct concentrations were elevated in large and small Anacostia bullheads. Mean adduct concentrations were 16 to 28 times higher than those in Tuckahoe fish. Chromatograms revealed a diagonal radioactive zone, indicating polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC)-DNA adducts. The biomarker data and the 10 to 17% liver tumor prevalence at ages 1 to 2 suggest that these year classes are likely to have a high prevalence as they reach age 3 and older. This study provides the strongest evidence to date of the role of PAHs in tumor development in Anacostia bullheads. [source] Bridging Psychiatric and Anthropological Approaches: The Case of "Nerves" in the United StatesETHOS, Issue 3 2009Britt Dahlberg Psychiatrists and anthropologists have taken distinct analytic approaches when confronted with differences between emic and etic models for distress: psychiatrists have translated folk models into diagnostic categories whereas anthropologists have emphasized culture-specific meanings of illness. The rift between psychiatric and anthropological research keeps "individual disease" and "culture" disconnected and thus hinders the study of interrelationships between mental health and culture. In this article we bridge psychiatric and anthropological approaches by using cultural models to explore the experience of nerves among 27 older primary care patients from Baltimore, Maryland. We suggest that cultural models of distress arise in response to personal experiences, and in turn, shape those experiences. Shifting research from a focus on comparing content of emic and etic concepts, to examining how these social realities and concepts are coconstructed, may resolve epistemological and ontological debates surrounding differences between emic and etic concepts, and improve understanding of the interrelationships between culture and health. ["nerves," cultural models, metaphor, psychiatry, embodiment] [source] Short-term outcomes after brief ambulatory opioid detoxification with buprenorphine in young heroin usersADDICTION, Issue 4 2003Devang H. Gandhi Abstract Aims, This study examines the outcomes at 1, 3 and 6 months after a very brief outpatient detoxification with buprenorphine in 18,25-year-old heroin users. Design, Prospective follow-up study. Setting, Outpatient drug treatment clinic, providing brief detoxification in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Participants, One hundred and twenty-three subjects between 18 and 25 years old; 56% male; 95% Caucasian; seeking detoxification; living in Baltimore City and five surrounding counties. Intervention, Detoxification with buprenorphine over 3 days. Follow-up at 1, 3 and 6 months. Measurements, Drug use history, the Addiction Severity Index at baseline and follow-up, urine drug screens, evaluation of the detoxification experience. Findings, By self-report, 37% of the total sample were not currently using heroin at 1 month, 32% at 3 months and 29% at 6 months, and 6.7%, 10.1% and 11.8% had an opioid negative urine test at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. There was a significant reduction from the baseline in mean Addiction Severity Index drug use composite score, as well as the mean number of days of heroin and cocaine use during past 30 days, that was sustained over the three follow-up points. Engagement in aftercare was generally poor. Conclusions, The findings show a reduced frequency and intensity of drug use, suggesting a possible role for brief outpatient detoxification in reducing the severity of dependence for some younger heroin users who may not yet be ready to engage in long-term abstinence-oriented or opioid substitution treatments. [source] Use of tag data to compare growth rates of Atlantic coast striped bass stocksFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 5 2003S. A. Welsh Abstract Migratory stocks of Atlantic coast striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), range primarily from North Carolina (NC) northward to Canadian waters. Between 1986 and 2000, 267 045 wild striped bass were tagged and released from NC to Massachusetts as part of the Cooperative Striped Bass Tagging Program. Direct measurements of growth of individual fish can be obtained from tag data and are useful for understanding the dynamics of fish populations. Growth rates from regressions of length-increment vs. time-at-liberty were estimated for striped bass tagged and released in three southern states [NC, Virginia (VA) and Maryland (MD)] and three northern states (New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island). Striped bass tagged in waters of northern states grew faster (significantly steeper regression slopes) than those tagged in southern areas. Migratory patterns, stock mixing, and unmeasured biotic and abiotic influences on growth precluded conclusions that observed growth patterns are stock-specific. These results, however, indicate latitudinal differences in growth rates, and should be considered in future research and management of Atlantic coast striped bass. [source] Interregional comparisons of sediment microbial respiration in streamsFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2000B. H. Hill Summary 1The rate of microbial respiration on fine-grained stream sediments was measured at 371 first to fourth-order streams in the Central Appalachian region (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia), Southern Rocky Mountains (Colorado), and California's Central Valley in 1994 and 1995. 2Study streams were randomly selected from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) River Reach File (RF3) using the sample design developed by USEPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). 3Respiration rate ranged from 0 to 0.621 g O2 g -1 AFDM h -1 in Central Appalachian streams, 0-0.254 g O2 g -1 AFDM h -1 in Rocky Mountain streams, and 0-0.436 g O2 g -1 AFDM h -1 in Central Valley streams. 4Respiration was significantly lower in Southern Rocky Mountain streams and in cold water streams (< 15 °C) of the Central Appalachians. 5Within a defined index period, respiration was not significantly different between years, and was significantly correlated with stream temperature and chemistry (DOC, total N, total P, K, Cl, and alkalinity). 6The uniformity of respiration estimates among the three study regions suggests that sediment microbial respiration may be collected at any number of scales above the site-level for reliable prediction of respiration patterns at larger spatial scales. [source] Differential parental transmission of markers in RUNX2 among cleft case-parent trios from four populationsGENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Jae Woong Sull Abstract Isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is among the most common human birth defects, with a prevalence around 1 in 700 live births. The Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) gene has been suggested as a candidate gene for CL/P based largely on mouse models; however, no human studies have focused on RUNX2 as a risk factor for CL/P. This study examines the association between markers in RUNX2 and isolated, nonsyndromic CL/P using a case-parent trio design, while considering parent-of-origin effects. Case-parent trios from four populations (77 from Maryland, 146 from Taiwan, 35 from Singapore, and 40 from Korea) were genotyped for 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RUNX2 gene. We performed the transmission disequilibrium test on individual SNPs. Parent-of-origin effects were assessed using the transmission asymmetry test and the parent-of-origin likelihood ratio test (PO-LRT). When all trios were combined, the transmission asymmetry test revealed a block of 11 SNPs showing excess maternal transmission significant at the P<0.01 level, plus one SNP (rs1934328) showing excess paternal transmission (P=0.002). For the 11 SNPs showing excess maternal transmission, odds ratios of being transmitted to the case from the mother ranged between 3.00 and 4.00. The parent-of-origin likelihood ratio tests for equality of maternal and paternal transmission were significant for three individual SNPs (rs910586, rs2819861, and rs1934328). Thus, RUNX2 appears to influence risk of CL/P through a parent-of-origin effect with excess maternal transmission. Genet. Epidemiol. 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Early and Middle Miocene transgression at the southern border of the North Sea Basin (northern Belgium)GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2005Stephen Louwye Abstract The Lower,Middle Miocene Berchem Formation of northern Belgium is an essentially sandy sequence with a varying glauconite content and often abundant shelly intervals. The formation was deposited in a shallow marine environment and rests unconformably on stiff Rupelian clays or Chattian sands. The lithological recognition of the four members (Edegem Sands, Kiel Sands, Antwerpen Sands and Zonderschot Sands members) of the Berchem Formation solely based on lithological criteria proved to be difficult, especially in boreholes. The geometry of the Formation in the subsurface of northern Belgium remained largely unknown. Diverse and well preserved dinoflagellate cyst associations have been recovered from the four members in seven boreholes and two outcrops, and allow a refinement of the biostratigraphy of these deposits. A Miocene biozonation defined in mid-latitude shallow marine deposits in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the USA (Salisbury Embayment, Maryland) is readily applicable to this material, and has led to a detailed stratigraphic assessment of each member. Three detailed profiles depicting the distribution of the biozones in the subsurface of northern Belgium allow the reconstruction of the geometry and depositional history of the Berchem Formation. The oldest Miocene deposits are of early Burdigalian age and they testify to a transgression, which invaded Belgium from a north,northwestern direction. The maximum flooding took place during early Serravallian times. The upper boundary of the formation is a major erosional surface of late Serravallian or (slightly) younger age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Succession, palaeoecology, evolution, and speciation of Pennsylvanian non-marine bivalves, Northern Appalachian Basin, USAGEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2003R. M. C. Eagar Abstract Seventeen horizons of non-marine bivalves are described within the Appalachian succession from the base of the Pottsville Group of Westphalian A-B age to the Uniontown coal of Stephanian C age at the top of the Carboniferous System. A new highly variable fauna of Anthraconaia from the roof shales of the Upper Freeport coal near Kempton, west Maryland, dates from late Westphalian D or very early Cantabrian time, on the evidence of non-marine shells and megafloras. Below this horizon, the Appalachian sequence reveals zones of Anthraconauta phillipsii and Anthraconauta tenuis in the same order as in Britain, whereas faunas of Anthraconaia of these zones are less common and differ from those of Britain. In all horizons above the Upper Freeport coal all non-marine bivalve faunas consist of stages in the sequences of two natural species, the groups of Anthraconaia prolifera and Anthraconaia puella-saravana. The first shows evidence of having lived in well-oxygenated, probably shallow, fresh water conditions of relatively wide extent. The second group lived preferentially in a plant-rich environment of relatively stagnant fresh water. Both groups are found in horizons associated with coal seams and may be seen together in the same habitats, but diagrams of variation (pictographs) suggest that there was no interbreeding between the two groups in either the Northern Appalachians or in southern Germany where the species split was first recognized. In the northern Spanish coalfields of Guardo-Valderrueda and Central Asturia, facies evidence suggests how an initial split may have taken place in the same morphological directions and into the same palaeoenvironments as the later split into two species. Appalachian deposition was generally slow and intermittent with frequent palaeosols. There is also evidence of erosion and of small palaeontological breaks in the sequence, especially near the eastern edge of the Northern Appalachian Basin in western Maryland. The amount of accumulated sediment was less than one-tenth of that of western Europe when basin centre deposition is compared. We found no evidence of a major palaeontological break representing Westphalian D strata overlain by Stephanian C strata. We figure non-marine bivalve faunas of Stephanian B age in association with the Pittsburgh and the Little Pittsburgh coals. Two new species of non-marine bivalves are described: Anthraconaia anthraconautiformis sp. nov. and Anthraconaia extrema sp. nov. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Physician Referral Patterns and Race Differences in Receipt of Coronary AngiographyHEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, Issue 4 2002Thomas A. LaVeist Objective. This study addresses the following research questions: (1) Is race a predictor of obtaining a referral for coronary angiography (CA) among patients who are appropriate candidates for the procedure? (2) Is there a race disparity in obtaining CA among patients who obtain a referral for the procedure? Study Setting. Three community hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland. Study Design. We abstracted hospital records of 7,927 patients from three hospitals to identify 2,653 patients who were candidates for CA. Patients were contacted by telephone to determine if they received a referral for CA. Logistic regression was used to assess whether racial differences in obtaining a referral were affected by adjustment for several potential confounders. A second set of analyses examined race differences in use of the procedure among a subsample of patients that obtained a referral. Principal Findings. After controlling for having been hospitalized at a hospital with in-house catheterization facilities, ACC/AHA (American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association) classification, sex, age, and health insurance status, race remained a significant determinant of referral (OR=3.0, p<.05). Additionally, we found no significant race differences in receipt of the procedure among patients who obtained a referral. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate that race differences in utilization of CA tend to occur during the process of determining the course of treatment. Once a referral is obtained, African American patients are not less likely than white patients to follow through with the procedure. Thus, future research should seek to better understand the process by which the decision is made to refer or not refer patients. [source] Student Relationships Across Social Markers of Difference in a Baltimore County, Maryland, Comprehensive High School, 1950,1969HISTORY OF EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2010Caroline Eick First page of article [source] Suspended-sediment sources in an urban watershed, Northeast Branch Anacostia River, MarylandHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 11 2010Olivia H. Devereux Abstract Fine sediment sources were characterized by chemical composition in an urban watershed, the Northeast Branch Anacostia River, which drains to the Chesapeake Bay. Concentrations of 63 elements and two radionuclides were measured in possible land-based sediment sources and suspended sediment collected from the water column at the watershed outlet during storm events. These tracer concentrations were used to determine the relative quantity of suspended sediment contributed by each source. Although this is an urbanized watershed, there was not a distinct urban signature that can be evaluated except for the contributions from road surfaces. We identified the sources of fine sediment by both physiographic province (Piedmont and Coastal Plain) and source locale (streambanks, upland and street residue) by using different sets of elemental tracers. The Piedmont contributed the majority of the fine sediment for seven of the eight measured storms. The streambanks contributed the greatest quantity of fine sediment when evaluated by source locale. Street residue contributed 13% of the total suspended sediment on average and was the source most concentrated in anthropogenically enriched elements. Combining results from the source locale and physiographic province analyses, most fine sediment in the Northeast Branch watershed is derived from streambanks that contain sediment eroded from the Piedmont physiographic province of the watershed. Sediment fingerprinting analyses are most useful when longer term evaluations of sediment erosion and storage are also available from streambank-erosion measurements, sediment budget and other methods. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysis of soil moisture patterns in forested and suburban catchments in Baltimore, Maryland, using high-resolution photogrammetric and LIDAR digital elevation datasetsHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 2 2006D. E. Tenenbaum Abstract Field observations of near-surface soil moisture, collected over several seasons in a watershed in suburban Maryland, are compared with values of the topographic soil moisture index generated using digital elevation models (DEMs) at a range of grid cell sizes from photogrammetric and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data sources. A companion set of near-surface soil moisture observations, DEMs and topographic index values are also presented for a nearby forested catchment. The degree to which topographic index values are an effective indicator of near-surface soil moisture conditions varies in the two environments. The urbanizing environment requires topographic index values from a DEM with a much finer grid cell resolution than the LIDAR data can provide, and the relationship is stronger in wetter conditions. In the forested environment, the DEM resolution required is considerably lower and adequately supported by the photogrammetric data, and the relationship is strong under all moisture conditions. These results provide some insights into the length scales of near-surface hydrological processes in the urbanizing environment, and the resolution of terrain data required to model those processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessing mild cognitive impairment among older African AmericansINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 7 2010Alyssa A. Gamaldo Abstract Objectives To examine the frequency of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in African American older adults. The study also plans to explore the specific cognitive domains of impairment as well as whether there are differences in demographics, health, and cognitive performance between MCI and normal participants. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Independent-living sample of urban dwelling elders in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants The sample consisted of 554 subjects ranging in age from 50 to 95 (Mean,=,68.79,±,9.60). Measurements Socio-demographics and health were assessed. Several cognitive measures were administered to assess inductive reasoning, declarative memory, perceptual speed, working memory, executive functioning, language and global cognitive functioning. Results Approximately 22% of participants were considered MCI (i.e. 18% non-amnestic vs. 4% amnestic). A majority of the non-amnestic MCI participants had impairment in one cognitive domain, particularly language and executive function. Individuals classified as non-amnestic MCI were significantly older and had more years of education than normal individuals. The MCI groups were not significantly different than cognitively normal individuals on health factors. Individuals classified as MCI performed significantly worse on global cognitive measures as well as across specific cognitive domains than cognitively normal individuals. Conclusion This study demonstrates that impairment in a non-memory domain may be an early indicator of cognitive impairment, particularly among African Americans. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Assessing the preservation of biogenic strontium in fossil bones and tooth enamelINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 1-2 2003K. A. Hoppe Abstract Analyses of the strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) of vertebrate fossils can provide information about palaeobiological attributes such as habitat use and movement patterns. Diagenetic contaminants can alter the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of fossils, however, complicating palaeobiological interpretations. Several pretreatment protocols have been developed to separate diagenetic contaminants from biogenic Sr. While these methods can remove some diagenetic Sr, it has not been shown that any technique removes all contamination. The extent to which pretreatment removes diagenetic Sr can be quantified through analysis of the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of fossil marine mammal bones and teeth buried in sediments with non-marine diagenetic 87Sr/86Sr signatures. To do this, we examined Holocene seals recovered from archaeological sites in Greenland and California, as well as a Miocene whale from Maryland. Our results demonstrate that although pretreatment eliminated some contaminants from bone, a large percentage (up to 80%) of diagenetic Sr remained after treatment. In contrast, pretreatment does appear to remove nearly all (,,95%) diagenetic Sr from tooth enamel. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Path analysis of efficacy expectations and exercise behaviour in older adultsJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2000Barbara Resnick PhD CRNP Path analysis of efficacy expectations and exercise behaviour in older adults The benefits of regular exercise for older adults are well documented and include improvements in physical, functional, as well as psychological, health. The purpose of this descriptive study was to test a theoretically and empirically based model describing the factors that influence exercise behaviour of older adults in the United States of America. The hypothesized model suggested that age, gender, and mental and physical health have an effect on self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and that all these variables influence exercise behaviour. Exercise behaviour was hypothesized to have a reciprocal relationship with self-efficacy expectations and mental and physical health. The convenience sample was 187 older adults living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Baltimore, Maryland. A one-time health interview was conducted which included a measure of self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to exercise, a measure of health status (SF-12), and gathering of information from participants about their actual exercise behaviour. Of the 187, 71 (38%) reported participating in 20 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise at least three times per week over the previous 3 months. Six hypothesized paths were significant. The model fitted the data and accounted for 32% of the variance in exercise behaviour. Interventions that focus on strengthening self-efficacy and outcome expectations can improve exercise behaviour in older adults. [source] Prediction of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Older Men Infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Clinical Factors and Value of the Six-Minute Walk DistanceJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2009Krisann K. Oursler MD OBJECTIVES: To investigate factors related to cardiorespiratory fitness in older human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and to explore the utility of 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) in measuring fitness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in clinic-based cohort. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-three HIV-infected men, median age 57 (range 50,82), without recent acquired immunodeficiency syndrome,related illness and receiving antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. MEASUREMENTS: Peak oxygen utilization (VO2peak) according to treadmill graded exercise testing, 6-MWD, grip strength, quadriceps maximum voluntary isometric contraction, cross-sectional area, muscle quality, and muscle adiposity. RESULTS: There was a moderate correlation between VO2peak (mean ± SD; 18.4 ± 5.6 mL/kg per minute) and 6-MWD (514 ± 91 m) (r=0.60, P<.001). VO2peak was lower in subjects with hypertension (16%, P<.01) and moderate anemia (hemoglobin 10,13 gm/dL; 15%, P=.09) than in subjects without these conditions. CD4 cell count (median 356 cells/mL, range 20,1,401) and HIV-1 viral load (84% nondetectable) were not related to VO2peak. Among muscle parameters, only grip strength was an independent predictor of VO2peak. Estimation of VO2peak using linear regression, including age, 6-MWD, grip strength, and hypertension as independent variables, explained 61% of the variance in VO2peak. CONCLUSION: Non-AIDS-related comorbidity predicts cardiorespiratory fitness in older HIV-infected men receiving ARV therapy. The 6-MWD is a valuable measure of fitness in this patient population, but a larger study with diverse subjects is needed. [source] Anemia and 9-Year Domain-Specific Cognitive Decline in Community-Dwelling Older Women: The Women's Health and Aging Study IIJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2009Jennifer A. Deal MHS OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dL) is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline over 9 years in a community-dwelling sample of women aged 70 to 80 at baseline. DESIGN: A population-based, prospective cohort study. SETTING: East Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred thirty-six women sampled to be representative of the two-thirds least-disabled women aged 70 to 80 at baseline (1994,1996). MEASUREMENTS: Nine-year trajectories of cognitive decline, analyzed using linear random effects models, in the domains of immediate verbal recall, delayed verbal recall, psychomotor speed, and executive function. RESULTS: At baseline and after adjustment for demographic and disease covariates, women with anemia were slower to complete a test of executive function; the difference in baseline function between women with anemia and those without was ,0.43 standard deviations (SDs) (95% confidence interval (CI)=,0.74 to ,0.13) on the Trail Making Test Part B. During follow-up, anemia was associated with a faster rate of decline in memory. Between baseline and Year 3, the difference in the rates of decline between women with anemia and those without was ,0.18 SDs per year (95% CI=,0.29 to ,0.06) on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) and ,0.15 SDs per year (95% CI=,0.26 to ,0.04) on the HVLT-Delayed. CONCLUSION: Anemia was associated with poorer baseline performance on a test of executive function and with faster rates of decline on tests of immediate and delayed verbal recall. If this relationship is causal, it is possible that treatment of anemia could prevent or postpone cognitive decline. [source] Agreement Between Nosologist and Cardiovascular Health Study Review of Deaths: Implications of Coding DifferencesJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009Diane G. Ives MPH OBJECTIVES: To compare nosologist coding of underlying cause of death according to the death certificate with adjudicated cause of death for subjects aged 65 and older in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). DESIGN: Observational. SETTING: Four communities: Forsyth County, North Carolina (Wake Forest University); Sacramento County, California (University of California at Davis); Washington County, Maryland (Johns Hopkins University); and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (University of Pittsburgh). PARTICIPANTS: Men and women aged 65 and older participating in CHS, a longitudinal study of coronary heart disease and stroke, who died through June 2004. MEASUREMENTS: The CHS centrally adjudicated underlying cause of death for 3,194 fatal events from June 1989 to June 2004 using medical records, death certificates, proxy interviews, and autopsies, and results were compared with underlying cause of death assigned by a trained nosologist based on death certificate only. RESULTS: Comparison of 3,194 CHS versus nosologist underlying cause of death revealed moderate agreement except for cancer (kappa=0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.89,0.93). kappas varied according to category (coronary heart disease, kappa=0.61, 95% CI=0.58,0.64; stroke, kappa=0.59, 95% CI=0.54,0.64; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kappa=0.58, 95% CI=0.51,0.65; dementia, kappa=0.40, 95% CI=0.34,0.45; and pneumonia, kappa=0.35, 95% CI=0.29,0.42). Differences between CHS and nosologist coding of dementia were found especially in older ages in the sex and race categories. CHS attributed 340 (10.6%) deaths due to dementia, whereas nosologist coding attributed only 113 (3.5%) to dementia as the underlying cause. CONCLUSION: Studies that use only death certificates to determine cause of death may result in misclassification and potential bias. Changing trends in cause-specific mortality in older individuals may be a function of classification process rather than incidence and case fatality. [source] Weight, Mortality, Years of Healthy Life, and Active Life Expectancy in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008Paula Diehr PhD OBJECTIVES: To determine whether weight categories predict subsequent mortality and morbidity in older adults. DESIGN: Multistate life tables, using data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal population-based cohort of older adults. SETTING: Data were provided by community-dwelling seniors in four U.S. counties: Forsyth County, North Carolina; Sacramento County, California; Washington County, Maryland; and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand eight hundred eighty-eight adults aged 65 and older at baseline. MEASUREMENTS: The age- and sex-specific probabilities of transition from one health state to another and from one weight category to another were estimated. From these probabilities, future life expectancy, years of healthy life, active life expectancy, and the number of years spent in each weight and health category after age 65 were estimated. RESULTS: Women who are healthy and of normal weight at age 65 have a life expectancy of 22.1 years. Of that, they spend, on average, 9.6 years as overweight or obese and 5.3 years in fair or poor health. For both men and women, being underweight at age 65 was associated with worse outcomes than being normal weight, whereas being overweight or obese was rarely associated with worse outcomes than being normal weight and was sometimes associated with significantly better outcomes. CONCLUSION: Similar to middle-aged populations, older adults are likely to be or to become overweight or obese, but higher weight is not associated with worse health in this age group. Thus, the number of older adults at a "healthy" weight may be much higher than currently believed. [source] How Would Terminally Ill Patients Have Others Make Decisions for Them in the Event of Decisional Incapacity?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2007A Longitudinal Study OBJECTIVES: To determine the role terminally ill patients would opt to have their loved ones and physicians play in healthcare decisions should they lose decision-making capacity and how this changes over time. DESIGN: Serial interviews. SETTING: The study institutions were The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, and St. Vincent's Hospital, in New York. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-seven patients with cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or heart failure, at baseline and 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: Patients' baseline decision control preferences varied widely, but most opted for shared decision-making, leaning slightly toward independence from their loved ones. This did not change significantly at 3 or 6 months. Fifty-seven percent opted for the same degree of decision control at 3 months as at baseline. In a generalized estimating equation model adjusted for time, more-independent decision-making was associated with college education (P=.046) and being female (P=.01), whereas more-reliant decision-making was associated with age (P<.001). Patients leaned toward more reliance upon physicians to make best-interest determinations at diagnosis but opted for physicians to decide based upon their own independent wishes (substituted judgment) over time, especially if college educated. CONCLUSION: Terminally ill patients vary in how much they wish their own preferences to control decisions made on their behalf, but most would opt for shared decision-making with loved ones and physicians. Control preferences are stable over time with respect to loved ones, but as they live longer with their illnesses, patients prefer somewhat less reliance upon physicians. [source] Self-Reported Sleep and Nap Habits and Risk of Falls and Fractures in Older Women: The Study of Osteoporotic FracturesJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2006Katie L. Stone PhD OBJECTIVES: To test the association between self-reported sleep and nap habits and risk of falls and fractures in a large cohort of older women. DESIGN: Study of Osteoporotic Fractures prospective cohort study. SETTING: Clinical centers in Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and the Monongahela Valley, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Eight thousand one hundred one community-dwelling Caucasian women aged 69 and older (mean 77.0). MEASUREMENTS: Sleep and nap habits were assessed using a questionnaire at the fourth clinic visit (1993/94). Fall frequency during the subsequent year was ascertained using tri-annual questionnaire. Incident hip and nonspinal fractures during 6 years of follow-up were confirmed using radiographic reports. RESULTS: Five hundred fifty-three women suffered hip fractures, and 1,938 suffered nonspinal fractures. In multivariate models, women who reported napping daily had significantly higher odds of suffering two or more falls during the subsequent year (odds ratio=1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03,1.69) and were more likely to suffer a hip fracture (hazard ratio (HR)=1.33, 95% CI=0.99,1.78) than women who did not nap daily. Those sleeping at least 10 hours per 24 hours had a higher risk of nonspinal fracture than (HR=1.26, 95% CI=1.00,1.58) and a similar but nonsignificant increased risk of hip fracture to (HR=1.43, 95% CI=0.95,2.15) those who reported sleeping between 8 and 9 hours. CONCLUSION: Self-reported long sleep and daily napping are associated with greater risk of falls and fractures in older women. Interventions to improve sleep may reduce their risk of falls and fractures. Future research is needed to determine whether specific sleep disorders contribute to these relationships. [source] Can High-Risk Older Drivers Be Identified Through Performance-Based Measures in a Department of Motor Vehicles Setting?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006Karlene K. Ball PhD OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between performance-based risk factors and subsequent at-fault motor vehicle collision (MVC) involvement in a cohort of older drivers. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) field sites in Maryland. PARTICIPANTS: Of the 4,173 older drivers invited to participate in the study, 2,114 individuals aged 55 to 96 agreed to do so. These analyses focus on 1,910 individuals recruited through MVA field sites. MEASUREMENTS: Gross Impairment Screening Battery, which included Rapid Pace Walk, Head/Neck Rotation, Foot Tap, Arm Reach, Cued Recall, Symbol Scan, Visual Closure subtest of the Motor Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT), Delayed Recall, and Trail Making Test with an Abbreviated Part A and standard Part B; Useful Field of View (UFOV®) subtest 2; a Mobility Questionnaire; and MVC occurrence. RESULTS: In drivers aged 55 and older with intact vision (20/70 far visual acuity and 140° visual field), age, sex, history of falls, and poorer cognitive performance, as measured using Trails B, MVPT, and UFOV subtest 2, were predictive of future at-fault MVC involvement. After adjusting for annual mileage, participants aged 78 and older were 2.11 as more likely to be involved in an at-fault MVC, those who made four or more errors on the MVPT were 2.10 times as likely to crash, those who took 147 seconds or longer to complete Trails B were 2.01 times as likely to crash, and those who took 353 ms or longer on subtest 2 of the UFOV were 2.02 times as likely to incur an at-fault MVC. Older adults, men, and individuals with a history of falls were more likely to be involved in subsequent at-fault MVCs. CONCLUSION: Performance-based cognitive measures are predictive of future at-fault MVCs in older adults. Cognitive performance, in particular, is a salient predictor of subsequent crash involvement in older adults. High-risk older drivers can be identified through brief, performance-based measures administered in a MVA setting. [source] Estimating Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Well-Functioning Older Adults: Treadmill Validation of the Long Distance Corridor WalkJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2006Eleanor M. Simonsick PhD Objectives: To determine criterion validity of the 400-m walk component of the Long Distance Corridor Walk (LDCW) and develop equations for estimating peak oxygen consumption (VO2) from 400-m time and factors intrinsic to test performance (e.g., heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) response) in older adults. Design: Cross-sectional validation study. Setting: Gerontology Research Center, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland. Participants: Healthy volunteers (56 men and 46 women) aged 60 to 91 participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging between August 1999 and July 2000. Measurements: The LDCW, consisting of a 2-minute walk followed immediately by a 400-m walk "done as quickly as possible" over a 20-m course was administered the day after maximal treadmill testing. HR and SBP were measured before testing and at the end of the 400-m walk. Weight, height, activity level, perceived effort, and stride length were also acquired. Results: Peak VO2 ranged from 12.2 to 31.1 mL oxygen/kg per minute, and 400-m time ranged from 2 minutes 52 seconds to 6 minutes 18 seconds. Correlation between 400-m time and peak VO2 was ,0.79. The estimating equation from linear regression included 400-m time (partial coefficient of determination (R2)=0.625), long versus short stride (partial R2=0.090), ending SBP (partial R2=0.019), and a correction factor for fast 400-m time (<240 seconds; partial R2=0.020) and explained 75.5% of the variance in peak VO2 (correlation coefficient=0.87). Conclusion: A 400-m walk performed as part of the LDCW provides a valid estimate of peak VO2 in older adults. Incorporating low-cost, safe assessments of fitness in clinical and research settings can identify early evidence of physical decline and individuals who may benefit from therapeutic interventions. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||