bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidence for climate change relevant to building design in the UK, 1976–2000
Authors: Wright A J
Published: January 2003

Building design has traditionally assumed an unchanging climate. Various weather statistics are used for design calculations. These numbers are by definition fixed in an unchanging climate, but most will change if climate change is occurring. This requires a re-examination of the weather design criteria for buildings. Regular updating may be sufficient, but has the disadvantage of always being retrospective, and other approaches may be needed. Severe weather events and global temperature patterns are well documented, but little work has been done to look at the trends in climate statistics for building design. This paper presents trends in some key weather statistics used in building design over the period 1977–1999. Finally, some conclusions are drawn on the use of climate statistics for building design when climate change is occurring.
Interviewer variation and the co-construction of speaking proficiency
Authors: Brown Annie
Published: January 2003

Whilst claims to validity for conversational oral interviews as measures of nontest conversational skills are based largely on the unpredictable or impromptu nature of the test interaction, ironically this very feature is also likely to lead to a lack of standardisation across interviews, and hence potential unfairness. This article addresses the question of variation amongst interviewers in the ways they elicit demonstrations of communicative ability and the impact of this variation on candidate performance and, hence, raters’ perceptions of candidate ability. Through a discourse analysis of two interviews involving the same candidate with two different interviewers, it illustrates how intimately the interviewer is implicated in the construction of candidate proficiency. The interviewers differed with respect to the ways in which they structured sequences of topical talk, their questioning techniques, and the type of feedback they provided. An analysis of verbal reports produced by some of the raters confirmed that these differences resulted in different impressions of the candidate’s ability: in one interview the candidate was considered to be more ‘effective’ and ‘willing’ as a communicator than in the other. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for rater training and test design.
A closer look at the relationship of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use to EFL reading achievement test performance
Authors: Phakiti Aek
Published: January 2003

This article reports on an investigation into the relationship of test-takers’ use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies to the EFL (English as a foreign language) reading test performance. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative data analyses. The 384 students enrolled in a fundamental English course at a Thai university took an 85-item, multiple-choice reading comprehension achievement test, followed by a cognitive-metacognitive questionnaire on how they thought while completing the test. Eight of these students (4 highly successful and 4 unsuccessful)were selected for retrospective interviews. The results suggested that (1) the use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies had a positive relationship to the reading test performance; and (2) highly successful test-takers reported significantly higher metacognitive strategy use than the moderately successful ones who in turn reported higher use of these strategies than the unsuccessful test-takers. Discussion of the findings and implications for further research are articulated.
Improved methods for measurement of gaseous microbubbles during extracorporeal circulation
Authors: Urbanek Simon , Tiedtke Hans-Jürgen
Published: January 2003

The detection and quantification of gaseous microbubbles in the arterial line of the extracorporeal circuit (ECC) are very important aims for quality assurance of perfusion. A system that allows a continuous measurement of microbubble distribution in the range of 10 and 120 mm was tested. The two-channel ultrasonic bubble counter (UBC) was based on a 2-MHz ultrasound Doppler system with propriety ultrasound probes. The bubble size was determined using the backscattered Doppler signal and was corrected by means of a reference signal based on measurement conditions. Our studies have shown that the quality of this signal can be negatively affected in the clinical environment. Different influences are involved, such as electrocoagulation or electromagnetic disturbances. Various algorithms were tested and new ones were developed in order to minimize the effect of such interferenceson the accuracy of the bubble detection. The on-line data were recorded during the entire surgical time to allow an off-line evaluation with different algorithms. This allowed us to obtain more exact results. Two clinical studies with 91 patients were performed with microbubbles measured in the arterial line during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve replacement. The results confirmed the expected occurrence of microbubbles during various phases of surgery. The measurement itself proved to be resistant to different external disturbances.
Technique to prevent limb ischemia during peripheral cannulation for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Authors: Kasirajan V , Simmons I , King J , Shumaker M D , DeAnda A , Higgins R S
Published: January 2003

Prolonged extracorporeal support using femoral cannulationmay causelimb ischemia.Atechnique isdescribedusing antegrade, retrograde arterial perfusion and venous drainage to prevent limb ischemia.
A combined approach for improving cardiopulmonary bypass in coronary artery surgery: a pilot study
Authors: Baufreton Christophe , de Brux Jean Louis , Binuani Patrice , Corbeau Jean-Jacques , Subayi Jean Baptiste , Daniel Jean Claude , Treanor Patrick
Published: January 2003

Background: This is a pilot study carried out to assess the feasibility and the clinical impact of a combined approach of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with reduced anti-coagulation.

Methods: We used a retrospective, non-randomized analysis of 45 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass using standard CPB with full anticoagulation (activated clotting time, ACT, > 450 s) (Group 1; n= 23) or closed, heparin-coated CPB with low anticoagulation (ACT> 250 s), precise heparin and protamine titration, controlled suction, and retrograde autologous prime (Group 2; n= 22).

Results: Patients were similar except for a higher incidence of three-vessel disease in Group 2 (77.3% versus 47.8%; p < 0.03). Heparin was reduced by 41% in Group 2 and protamine by 56% ( p < 0.0001). Total postoperative blood loss was similar between Groups 1 and 2 (429 ± 149 versus 435 ± 168 ml, respectively). However, the operative hematocrit decrease was lower in Group 2 (-1.6± 7.5% versus -6.9± 4.8%; p= 0.007), although hemodilution was similar, as reflected by the blood protein level. The need for postoperative inotropic support was less frequent in Group 2 (36.4% versus 65.2%; p= 0.05). Within the subgroup of patients weaned from CPB without requiring inotropic support ( n= 35), the cardiac index dropped significantly in Group 1 ( p= 0.003) 6 h after the start of CPB, whereas it remained stable in Group 2 ( p= 0.92). Using multivariate analyses, Group 2 was found to be more protected than Group 1 against myocardial cellular injury ( p= 0.046) and need for postoperative inotropic support ( p= 0.014).

Conclusion: The pejorative postoperative outcome in coronary artery surgery was attenuated through a combined approach aimed at improving CPB.
Functional recovery after cardiac rehabilitation
Authors: van Houten C D , Angenot E LD , Lankhorst G J , Devillé W , Beckerman H
Published: January 2003

Objective: To study the effect of a cardiac rehabilitation programme based on the guidelines of the Dutch Heart Association (DHA).

Design: Randomized controlled trial with a waiting list control group.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of Rehabilitation Centre Amsterdam.

Subjects: Forty patients with a first myocardial infarction.

Interventions: Immediately after randomization the experimental group started the rehabilitation programme; the waiting list control group started after six weeks. No other type of treatment was given during the waiting period.

Main outcome measures: Physical recovery, tested by means of an exercise test on a bicycle ergometer, and feelings of well-being (MPVH-W), handicap (MPVH-H) and distress (MPVH-D), tested using a Dutch questionnaire: the Medische Psychologische Vragenlijst voor Hartpatiënten, MPVH (medical psychological questionnaire for cardiac patients).

Results: The adjusted treatment effects of the cardiac rehabilitation programme were 4.72% on the exercise test, 3.43 points on MPVH-W, –1.93 points on MPVH-H, and 0.12 points on MPVH-D. These effects were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Changes after a cardiac rehabilitation programme are relatively small, but are found in both the physical and the psychosocial domain.
Training symmetry of weight distribution after stroke: a randomized controlled pilot study comparing task-related reach, Bo bath and feedback training approaches
Authors: Mudie M H , Winzeler-Mercay U , Radwan S , Lee L
Published: January 2003

Objective: To determine (1) the most effective of three treatment approaches to retrain seated weight distribution long-term after stroke and (2) whether improvements could be generalized to weight distribution in standing.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation unit.

Design: Forty asymmetrical acute stroke subjects were randomly allocated to one of four groups in this pilot study. Changes in weight distribution were compared between the 10 subjects of each of three treatment groups (task-specific reach, Bobath, or Balance Performance Monitor [BPM] feedback training) and a no specific treatment control group. One week of measurement only was followed by two weeks of daily training sessions with the treatment to which the subject was randomly allocated. Measurements were performed using the BPM daily before treatment sessions, two weeks after cessation of treatment and 12 weeks post study. Weight distribution was calculated in terms of mean balance (percentage of total body weight) or the mean of 300 balance points over a 30-s data run.

Results: In the short term, the Bobath approach was the most effective treatment for retraining sitting symmetry after stroke ( p = 0.004). Training with the BPM and no training were also significant ( p = 0.038 and p = 0.035 respectively) and task-specific reach training failed to reach significance ( p = 0.26). At 12 weeks post study 83% of the BPM training group, 38% of the task-specific reach group, 29% of the Bobath group and 0% of the untrained group were found to be distributing their weight to both sides. Some generalization of symmetry training in sitting to standing was noted in the BPM training group which appeared to persist long term.

Conclusions: Results should be treated with caution due to the small group sizes. However, these preliminary endings suggest that it might be possible to restore postural symmetry in sitting in the early stages of rehabilitation with therapy that focuses on creating an awareness of body position.
Follow-up services for stroke survivors after hospital discharge-a randomized control study
Authors: Andersen Hanne Elkjaer , Eriksen Karen , Brown Anne , Schultz-Larsen Kirsten , Forchhammer Birgitte Hysse
Published: January 2003

Objective: To evaluate whether follow-up services for stroke survivors could improve functional outcome and reduce readmission rate. In this paper results of functional outcome are reported.

Design: Randomized controlled trial allocating patients to one of three different types of aftercare: (1) follow-up home visits by a physician, (2) physiotherapist instruction in the patient's home, or (3) standard aftercare.

Subjects: Stroke patients with persisting impairment and disability who, after completing inpatient rehabilitation, were discharged to their homes.

Outcome measures: Six months after discharge, functional outcome was assessed with Functional Quality of Movement, Barthel Index, Frenchay Activity Index and Index of Extended Activites of Daily Living.

Results: One-hundred and fifty-five stroke patients were included in the study. Fifty-four received follow-up home visits by a physician, 53 were given instructions by a physiotherapist in their home and 48 received standard aftercare only.

No statistically signi cant differences in functional outcome six months after discharge were demonstrated between the three groups. However, all measurements showed a tendency towards higher scores indicating better function in both interventions groups compared with the control group.

Conclusion: Follow-up services after stroke may be a way of improving functional outcome. The results of the present study should be evaluated in future trials. More research in this eld is needed, especially studies of how to support stroke survivors to resume social and leisure activities.
Cervical myelopathy and rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective analysis of management
Authors: Falope Z F , Griffiths I D , Platt P N , Todd N V
Published: January 2003

Background: Although a number of recent studies have described the outcome of surgical treatment of patients with rheumatoid cervical myelopathy, few have reported outcome in those unable to have surgery. We sought to examine the outcome in this group of patients regardless of surgical intervention.

Design: Retrospective and descriptive.

Setting: Department of Rheumatology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Methods: Retrospective review of case notes of 40 patients (31 females, 9 males) with rheumatoid cervical myelopathy diagnosed 1988–1997.

Results: The mean age was 64 years (range 36–80 years). The mean duration of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before the development of myelopathy was 21 years (range 5–44 years). The common impairments were paraesthesia in the arms, neck pain and weakness. Twenty-five patients (60%) were deemed fit for surgery (group I). Twenty-two patients successfully had operative treatment and the others refused.

Twelve of the 15 patients who reported pain preoperatively obtained pain relief. Six of the 11 patients who were nonambulant (Ranawat class IIIB) were able to walk postoperatively. There were two deaths within six months (9% mortality) after primary surgery due to pneumonia and sepsis. Seven of the 15 patients managed conservatively (group II) because of coexisting medical complications died within six months of presentation (47% mortality).

Conclusions: The study confirms the overall benefit of surgical intervention in those who are medically stable. Following surgery some functional improvement may occur even in patients with severe myelopathy.
Improving the Action Research Arm test: a unidimensional hierarchical scale
Authors: van der Lee Johanna H , Roorda Leo D , Beckerman Heleen , Lankhorst Gustaaf J , Bouter Lex M
Published: January 2003

Background: The Action Research Arm (ARA) test is a performance test of upper extremity motor function which consists of 19 items divided into four hierarchical subtests. This multidimensionality has not yet been tested empirically.

Objective: To investigate the dimensionality of the ARA test.

Design: Cross-sectional study involving a sample of 63 chronic stroke patients.

Methods: A Mokken scale analysis was performed.

Results: The Mokken scale analysis revealed one strong unidimensional scale containing all 19 items, of which the scalability coefficient H was 0.79, while H per item ranged from 0.69 to 0.86. The reliability coefficient rho equalled 0.98, indicating a very high internal consistency. A subset of 15 out of 19 items showed an invariant hierarchical item-ordering.

Conclusion: The ARA test is a unidimensional scale. The use of subtests, as proposed in the original description of the instrument, is not supported by the present findings. The 15-item scale presented here can be used for adaptive testing, i.e. using only a selected subset of items based on prior knowledge about the patient's abilities, thus minimizing testing time.
Subjective quality of life, health, I-ADL ability and adaptation strategies in fibromyalgia
Authors: Lindberg Lorry , Iwarsson Susanne
Published: January 2003

Objectives: To describe subjective quality of life and health, self-perceived instrumental activities of daily living (I-ADL) ability and adaptation strategies, and to explore possible relationships between these variables in fibromyalgia patients.

Design: Two instruments were used with fibromyalgia patients: the Fibrositis Impact Questionnaire and ‘Living with fibromyalgia – adaptation to chronic disease and handicap’, and correlative analyses were performed.

Subjects: A sample of 34 patients undergoing rehabilitation (in a specific programme).

Results: The majority of the patients used many adaptation strategies, demonstrating some significant relationships with perceived I-ADL ability and subjective quality of life and health. Different symptoms correlated highly significantly with self-perceived ability in I-ADL.

Conclusion: The significant relationships between adaptation strategies and I-ADL ability and health demonstrated deserve clinical awareness and further research efforts.
Resistance amongst yeasts isolated from the oral cavities of patients with advanced cancer
Authors: Davies Andrew , Brailsford Susan , Broadley Karen , Beighton David
Published: January 2003

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of in vitro resistance amongst yeasts isolated from the oral cavities of patients with advanced cancer. The National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards' broth microdilution method was used to determine the sensitivities to fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and nystatin, whilst the Etest® method was used to determine the sensitivity to amphotericin B. The prevalence of in vitro resistance was: amphotericin B, 2%; fluconazole, 8%; itraconazole, 22%; ketoconazole, 7%; nystatin, 0%. Moreover, 28% of the yeasts was resistant to one or more of the azole group of anti-fungal drugs. The results of this study suggest that azole resistance may become a clinical problem in palliative care.
Differences in assessment of symptoms and quality of life between patients with advanced cancer and their specialist palliative care nurses in a home care setting
Authors: Horton Robert
Published: January 2003

This study examined differences in the assessment of symptoms and quality of life (QoL) between patients with advanced cancer living at home and their specialist palliative care nurses. Nurses introduced a recently validated outcome measure, the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), to patients referred to their hospice at their first or second home visit. The POS has two components: a patient questionnaire mirrored almost exactly by a staff questionnaire, which are both completed independently. The POS contains 10 core questions examining aspects of symptom control and QoL. Of the 338 patients referred during the study period, 174 (51%) were eligible for inclusion in the study. Of these, 55 (32%) pairs of patient and nurse questionnaires were returned and suitable for assessment. Not all questionnaires were returned by nurse and patient to form a matched pair. There was good agreement and correlation between patients and nurses in the assessment of pain and symptom control. However, important differences were found in other areas explored including anxiety levels of patients and their families, personal thoughts, practical matters and information received. The study confirms the importance of evaluating the needs, feelings and concerns of patients with advanced cancer cared for at home and highlights both the significance and necessity of the patient's contribution to any such assessment.
An assessment of the efficacy and tolerability of a ‘double dose’ of normal-release morphine sulphate at bedtime
Authors: Todd Jennifer , Rees Elizabeth , Gwilliam Bridget , Davies Andrew
Published: January 2003

This study was a prospective, randomized, open, crossover study comparing a double dose (DD) of normal-release (NR) morphine at bedtime with a single dose (SD) of NR morphine at bedtime and 4 h later. Twenty patients completed the study. Four patients required breakthrough analgesia during the SD phase of the study, whilst 11 patients required breakthrough analgesia during the DD phase of the study (P=0.016). Moreover, all of the pain scores were worse during the DD phase (overnight pain, P <0.01; morning pain, P<0.01), and some of the opioid-related side effect scores were worse during the DD phase (xerostomia, P=0.033; vivid dreams, P=0.05). This study does not support the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) recommendations on the use of a double dose of NR morphine at bedtime.
The provision of palliative care in nursing homes and residential care homes: a survey of clinical nurse specialist work
Authors: Froggatt Katherine A , Poole Karen , Hoult Lizzy
Published: January 2003

The provision of end-of-life care within nursing and residential care homes is of concern to policy makers and specialist palliative care providers. There is evidence of an increasing number of initiatives involving clinical nurse specialists (CNS) with the care of residents within these care settings, but the extent to which this is occurring in the UK has not been documented. A survey of 730 community CNS in palliative care was undertaken to describe the extent to which these practitioners are involved with the care of residents in nursing and residential care homes and the nature of this work. Although 92% of the CNS surveyed had worked with nursing homes and 80% of the CNS with residential care homes, the responses showed that this work was primarily reactive and undertaken infrequently. The majority of the work undertaken by CNS involved caring for patients with malignant conditions with a clinical focus addressing the management of physical symptoms.
Loss of weight and loss of appetite in advanced cancer: a problem for the patient, the carer, or the health professional?
Authors: Poole Karen , Froggatt Katherine
Published: January 2003

This paper aims to examine the loss of weight and loss of appetite as ‘problems’ experienced by patients with advanced cancer and those that care for them. It reports the results of a systematic search of the literature and presents the findings as a narrative review. Research to date has focused upon charting the prevalence and incidence of these symptoms, but little empirical work has been conducted to investigate how patients and carers experience these problems. There is some evidence to suggest that anorexia may be more distressing for those caring for the patient than the person suffering from the symptom itself. Understanding the reason for this anguish requires an appreciation of the meaning of food refusal and constitutes the first step towards informing the development of effective interventions. Such exploratory work is mandatory if health professionals wish to move beyond speculation and deliver interventions that provide meaningful benefits for the cancer patient and their family.
Palliative physicians persuade procurators fiscal
Authors: Downs F M , Giles G M , Johnson M J
Published: January 2003

Mesothelioma caused by occupational exposure to asbestos is well recognized and sufferers who have been employed in a prescribed occupation can claim compensation. Stringent criteria must be fulfilled in order to establish the link between occupational exposure and mesothelioma, and to this end the procurator fiscal is involved after the patient's death, both to elucidate the individual situation and ‘for the common good’. Problems were experienced locally by the use of uniformed police officers, as the appointed Crown agents, as interviewers of recently bereaved relatives, irrespective of the degree of tact and sensitivity shown. The likelihood of an autopsy was also distressing. It is important to recognize the role of the procurator fiscal and to ensure that workers' compensation procedures exist and are followed. However, in order to minimize grief and distress to relatives, discussion took place with the local procurator fiscal. He was appreciative of the issues raised and practice has now changed substantially. In particular, police officers are no longer required to interview relatives either for the purpose of identification or to ascertain the deceased's occupational history. A pro forma has been produced and agreed locally to obviate the need for medical staff to be interviewed by police officers. Following subsequent discussion with the Crown Office our local arrangements have been incorporated in Crown Office guidance for national use.
Re-scaling, ‘scale fragmentation’ and the regulation of antagonistic relationships
Authors: Uitermark Justus
Published: January 2003

Recent years have seen the emergence of what might be called a ‘re-scaling’ literature. This paper tries to combine this literature with insights from regulation theory in order to identify some of the ways in which antagonistic relationships are regulated in the after-Fordist period. It is argued that re-scaling not only affects (anti-)regulatory forces by manipulating the power distribution among different agents but also manipulates the ways in which agents perceive their own positionality. The propositions are illustrated with evidence from The Netherlands.
What is the ‘social construction of nature’? A typology and sympathetic critique
Authors: Demeritt David
Published: January 2003

This paper seeks to clarify what is meant by the ‘social construction of nature’, which has become a crude but common term used to describe very different understandings of nature, knowledge and the world. I distinguish two broad varieties of construction talk in the social sciences: construction-as-refutation and construction-as-philosophical-critique. The first uses the construction metaphor to refute false beliefs about the world and is consistent with orthodox philosophical stances, such as positivism and realism. By contrast, I identify four other, more radical sorts of construction-as-philosophical-critique that use the construction metaphor to question the culture/nature, subject/object and representation/reality dualisms that provide the conventional philosophical foundation for distinguishing true conceptions of nature from false ones. Another source of confusion has been the question of precisely what is meant by the term ‘nature’. Making distinctions among different senses of that term can provide some badly needed clarity in debates about the social construction of nature. It also highlights a broad difference between those for whom the social construction of nature refers to the construction of our concepts of nature and those for whom the construction of nature refers to the process of constructing nature in the physical and material sense. That distinction, in turn, suggests two major, if also somewhat related, points of theoretical contention: first, the epistemological significance of understanding concepts of nature as constructed; second, the philosophical and political implications of arguing that nature is a socially constructed and contingent phenomenon. These are difficult philosophical and political questions, and the variety of constructionisms suggests that it is possible to answer them in a number of different ways.
Late-Holocene terrestrial glacial history of Miki and I.C. Jacobsen Fjords, East Greenland
Authors: Geirsdóttir Áslaug , Hardardóttir Jórunn , Andrews John T.
Published: January 2003

We present a late-Holocene glacial and environmental history of three valleys within Miki and I.C. Jacobsen Fjords, East Greenland (68°N). The fjords have no direct connection with the main ice sheet and are presently glacierized by a series of local ice caps and glaciers. Little sediment has been deposited within the study area, but bedrock is distinctly glacially striated, which suggests that extensive valley glaciers reached the present coastline in the past. Moraines are the prominent morphological features including distinct end and lateral moraines. Most of the moraines are related to the existing glaciers in the area. Apparent moraines extend as far as 2 to 2.5 km in front of present-day glaciers. Based on morphological and stratigraphical studies of the sediments in these valleys, five glacier advances during the late Holocene are implied. Stabilization of the oldest moraines is lichenometrically dated to c. 1450 to 1650 years ago. Younger moraines in both Miki and I.C. Jacobsen Fjords are lichenometrically dated to c. 1050–1100 years ago, c. 750–950 years ago and c. 600–700 years ago. The youngest moraines containing measurable lichens stabilized c. 300–400 years ago. The timing of this moraine formation correlates to marine records from previous research on the inner part of Miki Fjord, where apparent intensification in sediment stratification is related to a glacier advance into the fjord c. 290 years ago. This glacial advance may correlate to the‘Little Ice Age’ cooling observed in many records from the North Atlantic region. Our glacial record from Miki and I.C. Jacobsen Fjords also shows good correlation with temperature proxies within the GRIP ice core in Greenland and foraminifera records from Nansen Fjord, East Greenland. Less pronounced correlation is observed with the Icelandic Sea Ice Index and records of glacier fluctuation in Iceland during the last .1000 years. These results suggest that widespread climatic cooling was the direct cause of many of the late-Holocene glacier variations documented in this study, although the glacial advance at c. 1050–1100 years ago coincides with the so-called‘Medieval Warm Period’, and could reflect the response of glaciers to increased precipitation within the area.
The role of 14C dating in ironpan formation
Authors: Lascelles Bruce , Bol Roland , Jenkins David
Published: January 2003

The results of novel experiments undertaken to attempt to date ironpans using AMS radiocarbon dating are reported. In the absence of clear stratigraphic control, for example where buried soils are present, it is difficult to put into sequence the events which have led to the formation of present-day soil profiles. Micromorphology can give some indications of sequence, particularly when evidence of one process has been superimposed onto another. However, this still does not give absolute dates that can be tied in accurately with archaeological and other environmental (particularly palynological) information. Problems exist in the interpretation of radiocarbon dates of organic matter from mineral soils. However, some of the organic C fraction of a soil can become protected, particularly by clay minerals and pedological features such as ironpans,and dating of this should, in theory, provide a date for the formation of that feature. This technique was applied to ironpans of the ironpan stagnopodzols from the Hiraethog Moors in North Wales. This is a novel use of 14C dating which has begun the process of clarifying the techniques which need to be employed in the preparation of such samples and in the interpretation of the results.
Tsunamis and tectonic deformation at the northern Cascadia margin: a 3000-year record from Deserted Lake, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Hutchinson I. , Guilbault J. -P. , Clague J. J. , Bobrowsky P. T.
Published: January 2003

Three layers of sand occur within a sequence of muddy gyttja in a 3 m core recovered from Deserted Lake, which lies at the head of a fjord on the central west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The sedimentology and microfossil assemblages of these layers are consistent with deposition by tsunamis. Radiocarbon ages suggest that the tsunamis were generated by plate-boundary earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone about 2600, 1600 and 300 years ago. Diatom and protozoan contents of the gyttja layers indicate that relative sea level fell in the periods between tsunamis. The sea-level changes are probably a product of interseismic uplift of the North America plate margin. Post-tsunami diatom and protozoan assemblages are generally more marine than their pre-tsunami counterparts, suggesting that the study site subsided during earth quakes. Estimates of interseismic and coseismic deformation during one earthquake cycle indicate that less than half of the interseismic uplift was recovered during the earthquake, leading to cumulative, or permanent, uplift of the area.
Interpretation of the charcoal record in forest soils: forest fires and their production and deposition of macroscopic charcoal
Authors: Ohlson Mikael , Tryterud Elling
Published: January 2003

Traps were used to quantify charcoal production and transport during three experimental forest fires in Boreal Scandinavia. The traps were spatially arranged to collect charcoal particles inside burn areas, and outside burn areas at different distances (0.1–100 m) from the fire edge. The number of inside and outside traps was 280 and 424, respectively. Trap area was 48 cm2. After the burn, trap content was sorted and sieved in two size-classes of charcoal particles, namely small (0.5–2.0 mm) and large (. 2.0 mm), and number and mass of particles were determined. The production and distribution of charcoal were highly variable at fine spatial scales inside burn areas. On average, inside traps contained 12.1 small and 10.1 large particles, and the average charcoal mass was 0.112 g per trap (corresponding to 235 kg ha-1). The largest size-class made up 94% of the mass. Outside traps contained 0.3 small and 0.1 large particles per trap, and 45% of the outside particles were distributed, 1 m from the fire edge. It is concluded that the occurrence of macroscopic charcoal ($ 0.5 mm) in forest soils provides a solid evidence for local fire influence, and that the presence of large charcoal particles can be used to distinguish between fire-prone and fire-free areas with high spatial precision. Absence of large particles must, however, be more carefully interpreted as 14% of the inside traps lacked macroscopic charcoal. We argue that the charcoal in Boreal forest soils should be less persistent than previously suggested because documented fire-return intervals result in an unrealistic charcoal accumulation presupposing high persistence.
Evidence for Lateglacial and Holocene tree-line fluctuations from pollen diagrams from the Subalpine zone on Mt Hauhungatahi, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
Authors: Horrocks Mark , Ogden John
Published: January 2003

Pollen diagrams from four sites along an altitudinal sequence on Mt Hauhungatahi support fossil wood data (Ogden et al., 1997) in suggesting a fluctuating Holocene tree-line not exceeding the altitude reached in the early Holocene. Tree-line forest at 1340–1390 m during the periods 10 100–7500 and 5400–3800 cal. BP was associated with patchy Subalpine scrub communities above and below this altitude. Rapid decline of this Halocarpus-Phyllocladus forest at c. 7500 cal. BP, and again c. 3800 cal. BP was probably due to volcan ism. During 7500–5400 and 3800–1718 cal. BP tree-line forest was replaced by Subalpine scrub. The failure of forest to replace scrub during these two periods implies a long-lasting influence of the event which destroyed the forest, a continuation of disturbance events, or changed environmental conditions. After the Taupo volcanic eruption (1718 cal. BP) expansion of Libocedrus indicates an upwards movement of forest species into Subalpine scrub, followed by a decline. Volcanism has probably affected the vegetation of Mt Hauhungatahi directly and indirectly (through effects on soil drainage) throughout the Holocene. Results are consistent with increased climatic variability since 7500 cal. BP, and support the hypothesis that disturbance events can have persistent long-term effects on community composition and species distribution patterns.
A 2860-year high-resolution pollen and charcoal record from the Cordillera de Talamanca in Panama: a history of human and volcanic forest disturbance
Authors: Behling Hermann
Published: January 2003

Late-Holocene vegetational disturbance by human and volcanic activity in the lower montane rain forest region of Cordillera de Talamanca, Province of Chiriqui in Panama, have been studied on the sedimentary archive from Laguna Volcán (1500 m elevation). The pollen and charcoal record, dated by four radiocarbon AMS dates, provides evidence of Amerindian occupation and strong impact on the lower montane rain forest region since the beginning of the record at 2860 14C yr BP. There is evidence of at least three eruptions of Volcán Barú, which affected the study region at 1800, 1000 and 500 14C yr BP. The first two events had apparently relatively little effects, while the latest volcanic eruption, which deposited a 20 cm thick tephra layer in the studied lake, had a catastrophic impact. Amerindian life and culture of the study area was destroyed. After the last eruption the montane rain forest recovered markedly, fires were rare and agriculture activity stopped in the surroundings of the lake, suggesting that Amerindians left the region.
Palaeoenvironments and cultural landscapes of the last 2000 years reconstructed from pollen and Coleopteran records in the Lower Rhône Valley, southern France
Authors: Andrieu-Ponel Valérie , Ponel Philippe , Bruneton Hélène , Leveau Philippe , de Beaulieu Jacques-Louis
Published: January 2003

For the first time, a high-resolution pollen/Coleoptera joint analysis is performed on a late Holocene sedimentary sequence located in the Lower Rhône Valley. 14C dates validated by pollen data show that the bottom of the sequence is contemporaneous with the Greco-Roman period whereas the top is attributed to the present. This sequence yielded very rich pollen and insect assemblages, enabling a detailed reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment succession during the two last millennia around the site itself and more widely in the Arles plain. The very low pollen representation of trees and the near absence of tree-dependent Coleoptera suggest a marked deforestation of the area. The abundance of dung-beetles and nitrophytes is also in keeping with a strong grazing impact throughout the sequence. Three agricultural phases reflecting a growing level of human activities are identified. Phase 1 is contemporaneous with Celto-ligurian, Greek and Roman civilizations in Provence. At this time the forest cover was already largely destroyed, and pastoralism, cultivation of cereals, olives, vines and walnuts, was practised. Phase 2 is contemporaneous with a period spanning the Merovingian time and the Upper Middle Ages. It is characterized by increased agro-pastoral activities, probably related to the establishment of a monastic community at the Montmajour Abbey and to the settlement of farmers on the nearby Castellet hill. The major characteristic of agricultural phase 3 is the very high pollen percentages of Dipsacus fullonum or teasel, which was formerly extensively cultivated for cloth teasing. This early cultivation of an industrial plant, dated at La Calade to the twelfth century, is recorded for the first time in Provence. It may be connected with craft industries performed by monks at Montmajour Abbey. The sedimentological data suggest a succession of two stability phases interrupted by three flood phases. This interpretation agrees both with insect data, the fluctuating abundances of which are certainly connected with the alternation of ground submersion and dry periods, and with pollen data, marked by the impact of the floods upon the marshy veg etation. However, no clear climatic signal is recorded.
Sediments from Lago di Mezzano, central Italy: a record of Lateglacial/Holocene climatic variations and anthropogenic impact
Authors: Ramrath Antje , Sadori Laura , Negendank Jörg F.W.
Published: January 2003

Microscopic, geochemical and pollen analysis of sediment samples of a Lateglacial/Holocene profile from Lago di Mezzano, a maar lake in central Italy, reveals evidence of significant climatic and human-induced environmental changes. Time control is provided by a combination of varve chronology and radiocarbon dating. The well-known Lateglacial climatic variations, a warmer interstadial and the Younger Dryas cold phase are clearly represented in all the parameters. During the interval between 9200 and 5600 cal. BP of the Holocene climatic optimum, annually laminated, organic-rich diatom gyttja was deposited. Two periods of diminished total organic carbon are identified within this interval. The first one (P1) ranges from 8200 to 7800 cal. BP while the second (P2) is centred around 6500 cal. BP. During P1, a predominance of diatoms ( Stephanodiscus parvus and S. minutulus) over other algae (represented by the total organic carbon content) is observed. The timing of this period coincides with the early to mid-Holocene climatic transition, reported from ice cores and lake sediments (Stager and Mayewski, 1997). P2 is characterized by a decrease in all biogenic parameters including biogenic opal, organic carbon as well as arboreal pollen. From 5000 cal. BP to date, the sediment pattern changes coincide with the mid-Holocene climatic deterioration. In addition to these natural variations, human impact has been recorded and recognized from sedimentological features such as turbidites and charcoal, as well as from reduced arboreal pollen content. Two Middle Bronze Age (3700 cal. BP and 3300 cal. BP), Etruscan/early Roman (2500 cal. BP), Longobardic (ad 900) and‘modern settlements’ (since ad 1700) have been distinguished on the basis of these data.
Using foraminiferal transfer functions to produce high-resolution sea-level records from salt-marsh deposits, Maine, USA
Authors: Gehrels W. Roland
Published: January 2003

Quantitative analyses of foraminiferal distributions along the coast of Maine are used to provide transfer functions for reconstruction of sea-level changes from fossil foraminiferal assemblages. The indicative meaning of fossil assemblages is most accurately predicted by a training set that incorporates live and dead foraminifera and that uses flooding duration, not height, as the predictor variable. Sea-level records are produced for two sites in Maine (USA): a middle marsh site in Scarboro and a high marsh site in Machiasport. These records offer temporal resolution of five to seven years and span the past century. They are compared with instrumental data from a nearby tidal station to assess their accuracy. Strong correlations are found between the geologic records and the observational data, in particular between the foraminiferal record from Machiasport and the tide-gauge record from Eastport (r2 = 0.83, p = 0.005). Thus a foraminifera-based transfer-function approach offers great potential for resolving decadal-scale sea-level changes from the geologic record.
Evidence for the possible role of beaver (Castor fiber) in the prehistoric ontogenesis of a mire in northwest England, UK
Authors: Wells Colin E. , Hodgkinson David , Huckerby Elizabeth
Published: January 2003

Excavation of the relict stratigraphy of a drained, agriculturally reclaimed mire in Lancashire, northwest England, has revealed evidence for prehistoric (i.e., c. 820–520 cal. bc) beaver activity in the form of gnawed timber stratified in the basal sediments. The lowest horizons of the peat deposits contained the intact root systems of a dense hazel wood, indicating that the mire probably owed its origins to the rapid flooding of a relatively dry landscape. The exact cause of this inundation remains uncertain, although beaver damming is a strong candidate. The possibility that beaver activity is implicated in the flooding of the site is potentially of great significance both palaeoecologically and archaeologically. The site may represent the first recorded example in British prehistory of a non-human animal playing a role in inducing mire development. It also adds weight to the possibility that some small-scale woodland clearances identified in British pollen diagrams (which have been attributed to anthropogenic activity) may be due to the effects of beaver.
A new estimate of the Holocene lowstand level of Lake Titicaca, central Andes, and implications for tropical palaeohydrology
Authors: Cross Scott L. , Baker Paul A. , Seltzer Geoffrey O. , Fritz Sherilyn C. , Dunbar Robert B.
Published: January 2003

New evidence from piston cores and high-resolution seismic reflection data shows that water levels in Lake Titicaca were as much as 100 m below the present level during the early to mid-Holocene (between .6 and 3.8 14C kyr BP). Climatological and modelling studies indicate that Lake Titicaca rainfall depends on convective activity in upwind Amazonia; the lake-level data therefore suggest a drier Amazon Basin during this time. This view is bolstered by an excellent match between the Titicaca lake-level curve and decreased methane concentrations in Greenland ice, previously ascribed to drying of low-latitude wetlands (Blunier et al., 1995). The postglacial history of Lake Titicaca fits a global pattern of lake-level change in the tropics, characterized by opposite phasing between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. This pattern is most likely the result of orbital controls over the intensity of summer insolation.
Carbon accumulation in permafrost peatlands in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada
Authors: Vardy S. R. , Warner B. G. , Turunen J. , Aravena R.
Published: January 2003

Average long-term apparent rates of carbon (C) accumulation (LARCA) were estimated for four peat cores from Arctic and Subarctic Canada. Detailed analyses of dry bulk-density and C content were used to determine variations in C accumulation rates throughout the cores. LARCA range from 12.5 to 16.5 g C m-2 yr-1 over the past 6700-10000 years. Rates are lower for the surface layers of Arctic high-centred peat polygons, at 5.3 to 7.1 g C m-2 yr-1 for the last 3500-4500 years. By comparison, the rate for the near-surface peat from a Sphagnum fuscum hummock in the high Subarctic was considerably higher, at 24.1 g C m-2 yr-1. The highest carbon accumulation rates were from core segments older than 4500 BP, which represent fen stages according to palaeoecological analysis. The average LARCA in our study are considerably lower than recent estimates of average carbon accumulation in Boreal peatlands. This difference is attributable partly to lower carbon percentages in our cores compared to the mean or estimated values of 50 to 51.7% used in those studies. Another factor is the presence of ground ice, which exaggerates the apparent peat depth and leads to erroneously high values if cumulative carbon estimates are based on depth. Using cumulative dry bulk-density, as we have done, eliminates the influence of ground ice and thus makes more accurate estimates possible.
Ice-push disturbances in high-Boreal and Subarctic lakeshore ecosystems since AD 1830, northern Québec, Canada
Authors: Bégin Yves
Published: January 2003

Ice scars on lakeshore trees were surveyed on the islands of two large lakes in northern Québec: Clearwater Lake (1270 km2) and Bienville Lake (900 km2), respectively at the southern edge of the Subarctic and at the northern limit of the Boreal zones. Correspondence of ice-scar chronologies with hydrological and climatological instrumental registers indicated that shore ice pushes are due to lake floods. In the AD 1930s, a shift in the flood regimes occurred. In the high Boreal, ice-push activity was much more frequent prior to 1930 than in the Subarctic. Major regional ice pushes occurred in AD 1854, 1903, 1914, 1936, 1947, 1954,1959-60, 1970 and 1979. Prior to 1930, local major events were concentrated south of the Subarctic zone, but the situation inverted after 1930. A northward shift in the average position of the Arctic front is postulated as having been the driving force of local hydrologic regimes that allowed ice disturbances to occur, especially A in controlling the amount of snowfall. Ice scars provide proxy indicators of an increase in the frequency of snowy winters between the mid-1930s and 1980. The recent period of low levels represents an anomalous incursion in the century trend, but equivalent long episodes of low seasonal lake levels occurred prior to 1930.