bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Japan's Post‐Disaster Economic Reconstruction: From Kobe to Tohoku
Authors: Hayashi Toshihiko
Published: September 2012

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of how economic reconstruction is carried out after major natural disasters in Japan, where disaster casualties have been declining but economic damage has been increasing over the past century. The Kobe and Tohoku earthquakes were exceptionally rare incidents. The Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake (Kobe) on 17 January 1995 killed more than 6000 people, and the Great East Japan Earthquake (Tohoku) on 11 March 2011 killed approximately 18 000 people. We will recapitulate the post‐disaster reconstruction process in Kobe and draw lessons for Tohoku. After discussing the relative magnitude of economic damage, public and private finance for reconstruction, political leadership and the role of the academic community, we conclude that post‐disaster reconstruction means a whole new process of economic development for the affected people, the communities and the nation alike.
IndianOcean Tsunami: Disaster, Generosity and Recovery
Authors: Athukorala Prema‐chandra
Published: September 2012

This paper is an exploratory investigation into the nature and effectiveness of international humanitarian aid effort after theIndianOcean tsunami disaster. Relief assistance poured in quickly and copiously, and helped avert ‘second mortality’ from exposure and starvation in the tsunami‐affected countries. Foreign aid also provided vital leeway in the reconstruction phase, but limited the aid absorptive capacity of the recipient countries and excessive competition among aid organizations (mostly non‐government organizations) hindered effective aid utilization. The findings of the present study make a strong case for designing policies and programs for dealing with disasters as an integral part of national development strategies and highlight the need for combining international aid commitments with solutions to the limited aid absorptive capacity of disaster‐affected countries.
A COMPUTATIONAL MODEL FOR PLOT UNITS
Authors: Goyal Amit , Riloff Ellen , III Hal Daumé
Published: September 2012

This research revisitsplot units, which were developed in the 1980s as a conceptual knowledge structure to represent the affect states of and emotional tensions between characters in narrative stories. We present a fully automated system, called AESOP, that generates plot unit representations for narrative texts. AESOP performs four steps: affect state recognition, character identification, affect state projection, and link creation. We also identify a type of knowledge that seems to be missing from existing lexical resources: verbs that impart positive or negative polarity onto their patients (e.g., “eat” imparts negative polarity because being eaten is bad, whereas “fed” imparts positive polarity because being fed is good). We develop two techniques to automatically harvest these “patient polarity verbs” (PPVs) from a Web corpus, and show that the PPVs improve affect state recognition. Finally, we evaluate AESOP’s performance on a set of fables, and present several analyses to shed light on the capabilities and limitations of current natural language processing technology for plot unit generation.
The Incumbency Advantage in the US Congress: A Roller-Coaster Relationship
Authors: Stockemer Daniel , Praino Rodrigo
Published: September 2012

While every student in American politics knows that the incumbency advantage grew post-1965, it is less clear as to whether or not this growth has been sustainable throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Focusing on the last three decades, we show that the electoral margins of sitting members of the House of Representatives have not linearly grown over the past 60 years. On the contrary, the constant increase in incumbents' vote shares between the 1960s and 1980s could not be sustained in the 1990s. In fact, in the 1990s, the incumbency advantage dropped sharply to levels experienced in the 1960s. In recent years, the electoral margin of sitting House members seems to have grown again to levels comparable to those in the 1970s.
An Alternative Approach to the Harm of Genocide
Authors: Macleod Christopher
Published: September 2012

It is a widely shared belief that genocide – the ‘crime of crimes’ – is more morally significant than ‘mere’ large-scale mass murder. Various attempts have been made to capture that separate evil of genocide: some have attempted to locate it in damage done to individuals, while others have focused upon the harm done to collectives. In this article, I offer a third, neglected, option. Genocide damages humankind: it is here that the difference is to be found. I show that this understanding has a venerable legal history, and argue that it has the significant benefits of legitimising intervention and justifying universal jurisdiction.
Partisanship and Political Obligation
Authors: Bonotti Matteo
Published: September 2012

Political parties have generally been disregarded in the literature on political obligation. In this article I argue that, regardless of whether ordinary citizens or residents of a polity have any political obligations, partisanship generates its own kind of political obligations. Participating in party politics qua party members, supporters, activists or even mere voters produces benefits that generate corresponding and proportionate political obligations for those who enjoy them. The political obligations of partisans are easier to justify than those of ordinary citizens as the conditions under which the benefits of partisanship can be rendered excludable are easier to obtain.
The Reports of Multiculturalism's Death are Greatly Exaggerated
Authors: Lenard Patti Tamara
Published: September 2012

Multiculturalism has been declared dead across Western Europe and, surprisingly, in Canada. In this brief article, I argue that the declaration of its death is premature. Instead, I argue that whether policies designated ‘multicultural’ produce integration or segregation is in large part determined by the context in which they are implemented; in some cases, integration is proceeding smoothly while in others recent discourse concerning ‘integration’ of migrants bears an uncomfortable resemblance to historically discredited calls for ‘assimilation’. Finally, I argue that to the extent (and this extent is limited) that Muslim minorities are failing to integrate, the failure is caused by host country actions that signal their hostility towards Muslim migrants.
Conspiracy Theories in the Post‐Soviet Space
Authors: ORTMANN STEFANIE , HEATHERSHAW JOHN
Published: September 2012

Despite the ubiquity of conspiracy theories in the former Soviet Union, there is an almost total lack of systematic research on the issue. The relative absence of writing about conspiracy theories in Russia and the former Soviet Union is noteworthy as, since the Tsarist era, conspiracy theories have found fertile ground across the Russian empire and indeed the Soviet Union, and they continue to abound during in the post‐Soviet space. Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that anyone recently doing social science or humanities research on the region will have come across conspiracy theories as a form of historical analysis or artistic expression, as has recently been explored with regard to the novels of Andrei Pelevin. The phenomenon seems to operate in fictional and nonfictional accounts both on the level of popular narratives and, in the case of Russia and some regional governments, in the official discourses of state power. Some of the reasons for the rise in popularity of conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet era will be explored below. In fact, this introductory article serves a dual purpose: both to discuss the theoretical implications of analyzing conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet space and to sketch out a research agenda for what is a largely unexplored field. The latter demands that we attend to questions of what might be specific and especially significant about conspiracy theories in the post‐Soviet space, and how the post‐Soviet type adds to the emergence of a field of conspiracy theory studies which seeks to understand this apparently increasingly prominent feature of the post‐modern world.
Conspiracy Narratives as a Mode of Engagement in International Politics: The Case of the 2008 Russo‐Georgian War
Authors: SAKWA RICHARD
Published: September 2012

With the decline in traditional forms of structured ideological contestation in the post‐Cold War era, the role of conspiracy theories as a form of political discourse has been accentuated. The burgeoning literature on the subjects reflects the declining symbolic efficiency of the metanarratives of modernity. There is a long tradition of conspiracy theories in Russia, which has been intensified in recent years as a result of the tribulations following the collapse of communism. Cognate forms of conspiracy narratives represent broader social constructions of reality, and structure representations of national identity. In the Russo‐Georgian War of August 2008 various conspiracy narratives have taken the place of mythic representations, and the conflict on the battlefield has been accompanied by the clash of several major narratives. A similar process was firmly at work in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. In the case of the Caucasus, three main conspiracy theories, with endless subplots and details, have shaped narratives of events: A Russian version, a Georgian one, and a dominant Western one. The three intersect at various points, but differ in both detail and substance. The three reflect central paradigms of contemporary international politics, and thus the war has exposed the deeper substrata of geopolitical visions and a nascent revival of bloc politics.
Locational Stratification by Environment
Authors: CHEN BEEN‐LON , HUANG CHIEN‐CHIEH , WANG PING
Published: September 2012

This paper develops an equilibrium sorting model wherein perfectly mobile agents decide their optimal residential locations, either in a clean city or in a dirty city where production takes place. While residents in a dirty city suffer a higher level of pollution, they incur less commuting cost when going to work. When workers of different abilities choose different locations in which to reside, a segregated spatial configuration emerges, where those residing in a clean city have higher working time, human capital, and income than those in the dirty city. Analytic comparative‐static and numerical welfare analyses are performed.
Behavioral Mechanism Design
Authors: KUCUKSENEL SERKAN
Published: September 2012

This paper studies the mechanism design problem for the class of Bayesian environments where agents do care for the well‐being of others. For these environments, we fully characterize interim efficient (IE) mechanisms and examine their properties. This set of mechanisms is compelling, since IE mechanisms are the best in the sense that there is no other mechanism which generates unanimous improvement. For public good environments, we show that these mechanisms produce public goods closer to the efficient level of production as the degree of altruism in the preferences increases. For private good environments, we show that altruistic agents trade more often than selfish agents.
Identifying the Unique Polarization Index: A Mean‐Preserving Axiomatic Approach
Authors: GENG DIFEI
Published: September 2012

In this paper, we propose a new axiomatic approach to identify the unique polarization index from a class of polarization measures proposed by Esteban and Ray. Methodologically, we consider the absolute income or the mean normalized income instead of the logarithm of income, which in our opinion is useful under various circumstances. Accordingly, we propose a set of mean‐preserving axioms so that the obfuscating effects of income scale can be removed. We also discuss some properties of the polarization indices based on different types of income differences.
Our Schools, Our Country: American Evangelicals, Public Schools, and the Supreme Court Decisions of 1962 and 1963
Authors: LAATS ADAM
Published: September 2012

American evangelicals have long maintained a tense and paradoxical relationship to mainstream American culture. This article explores the effect of the 1962 and 1963 United States Supreme Court school decisions on that perennial tension. Unlike many conservatives, conservative evangelicals greeted the court's 1962 Engel decision to ban state‐written prayer in public schools with cautious approval; however, evangelicals saw the 1963 Schempp decision to ban Bible reading and the Lord's Prayer from those schools as an affront. The unique relationship between evangelical belief and America's public school system forced evangelicals to reconsider their special place in both schools and society as a whole. They concluded with surprising unanimity that those school decisions had done more than forced evangelical belief out of America's public schools; the decisions had pushed evangelicals themselves out of America's mainstream culture.
“Australianizing” the Local Catholic Church: Polding to Gilroy
Authors: LUTTRELL JOHN
Published: September 2012

The Catholic Church in Australia until around the 1940s has commonly been described as “Irish” and “Roman”. Historians cite the high proportion of Irish clergy and bishops, the latter often educated in in Rome. While the above pattern is accepted, there is evidence of earlier “Australianization.” This article examines such evidence in the foundational Archdiocese of Sydney and focuses on two archbishops, John Bede Polding and Norman Thomas Gilroy. Polding (archbishop 1842–1877) contributed to Australianization by initiating the Australian hierarchy, establishing a local seminary, seeking leaders experienced in Australia, and founding the local Sisters of the Good Samaritan. Gilroy's episcopate (1940–1971) saw the consolidation of the Australianizing trend. Witness to the Anzac landings, the first native‐born archbishop of Sydney and cardinal, Gilroy led the archdiocese as the Australian episcopate and clergy became further Australianized. On his retirement, after being named “Australian of the Year,” the Catholic Church in Australia could best be termed “Australian” and “Roman.”
Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the Eucharist: Review and Prospects
Authors: DOUGLAS BRIAN
Published: September 2012

This article reviews the history of the important dialogue on the Eucharist by the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) underway since the second half of the twentieth century and continuing into the present. Agreed statements from the commission addressing the Eucharist and comments from various bodies of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church are critically reviewed. Prospects for future dialogue are assessed and suggestions made about areas that may be the subject of future dialogue.
Unity and Exclusion in the Roman Catholic Priesthood: Explaining the Creation of the National Council of Priests of Australia
Authors: WILLIAMS DAMIEN
Published: September 2012

The National Council of Priests of Australia (NCP) was created in Sydney in September 1971 and continues to exist today. The organization has undergone some significant changes since its beginnings. It moved, for instance, from representation by delegates to direct membership in the mid‐1970s, which made it unique among other national associations of priests that were sponsored by bishops. Since its beginnings, deciding whether or not to extend membership to ordained men no longer in active ministry has proved to be a vexing issue within the NCP. It has shaped the organization's culture as much as those who qualify to belong. This article explains the significance of the NCP membership criteria and looks to some of the long‐term and short‐term influences on its creation.
Flogging Parsons? Australian Anglican Clergymen, the Magistracy, and Convicts, 1788–1850
Authors: GLADWIN MICHAEL
Published: September 2012

In colonial Australian history the entanglement of clergymen, colony, and empire has made the Anglican clergyman one of the colonies' more controversial figures. Historical and popular understanding of this encounter has been overshadowed by the “flogging parson” and “moral policeman” traditions in Australian historiography. Centring on prominent parson‐magistrates such as the Reverend Samuel Marsden, prevailing interpretations have emphasized individual clergymen's efforts to inculcate convict discipline and deference. Examined collectively, however, a less negative and impressionistic picture of colonial clergymen emerges. In contrast with established views, this article demonstrates that parson‐magistrates consistently provided pastoral care and advocacy at the parish level, while as writers and activists they worked for the structural reform and eventual abolition of the convict system itself. Their collective efforts are the focus of this article, which in turn offers a fresh assessment of the encounter between clergymen and convicts in Australia before 1850.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Mental Health Law
Authors: Bartlett Peter
Published: September 2012

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) took effect in 2008. This paper discusses a number of flashpoints where the CRPD will require real and significant reconsideration of English mental health and mental capacity law. The CRPD introduces a new paradigm into international disability law, relying on the social model of disability. While that is no doubt a good thing, there is as yet no clear sense as to how that is to be implemented. After providing an introduction to the Convention, the paper considers four specific areas: mental capacity law (focussing on the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005), psychiatric treatment without consent, civil detention of people with mental disabilities, and mental disability in the criminal system (fitness to plead, insanity and diminished responsibility).
A Behavioural Understanding of Privacy and its Implications for Privacy Law
Authors: Hughes Kirsty
Published: September 2012

This article draws upon social interaction theory (the work of Irwin Altman) to develop a theory of the right to privacy, which reflects the way that privacy is experienced. This theory states that the right to privacy is a right to respect for barriers, and that an invasion of privacy occurs when a privacy barrier is penetrated. The first part of the paper establishes the position of the author's theory in the existing scholarship. The second part of the paper expands upon the theory to explain the nature of privacy barriers and the way that the author's theory manages a number of specific privacy issues, including threats to privacy, attempted invasions of privacy, unforeseeable interferences with privacy and waiving the right to privacy. The final part of the paper demonstrates the impact that this approach to privacy could have upon judicial reasoning, in particular Article 8 European Convention on Human Rights.
EuropeanUnion Soft Law: New Developments Concerning the Divide Between Legally Binding Force and Legal Effects
Authors: Stefan Oana
Published: September 2012

The judgment inPolska Telefonia Cyfrowasheds light on the legal effects of soft law instruments that the Court of Justice of theEuropeanUnion (CJEU) will recognise, while distinguishing between their legally binding force and their legal or practical effects. European soft law is now often relied on in national courts, and can have an important impact on the rights and obligations of individuals. However, some of the goals of the Commission are only partly attainable due to the specific legal status of soft law instruments, and the current languages policy of theEuropeanUnion. Given that soft law was not found to expressly impose obligations on individuals, the Court held that there was no requirement to publish it in all the official languages of theEuropeanUnion. This has a negative impact on transparency and legal certainty, diminishing the role of soft law instruments in promoting such goals.
Age‐related change of location‐based visual selectivity depending on conflict frequency
Authors: YOSHIZAKI KAZUHITO , KURATOMI KEI , KIMURA YUMI , KATO KIMIKO
Published: September 2012

Age‐related change in cognitive control for visual selectivity was examined using a conflict adaptation effect (CAE). The CAE reflects an increased stimulus compatibility effect for low levels of conflict frequency within blocks of trials. Younger (n = 20) and elderly (n = 20) adults received an Eriksen‐type flanker task involving compatible (e.g., “44444”) or incompatible (e.g., “44644”) arrays presented to either the left or right visual field (VF). The participants identified the central digit of an array. Relative frequency of conflict (incompatible) trials varied as a function of the VF. Also manipulated was the presentation order of more‐conflict VF and less‐conflict VF conditions over trial blocks. The results showed that a location‐based CAE appeared for both age groups in the first set of trial blocks, whereas in the final set of trial blocks the location‐based CAE appeared only for the younger adults. These results suggested that cognitive flexibility related to context‐dependent cognitive control diminishes with age.
Individual differences in empathizing and systemizing in Japanese children: Psychometric properties of the children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ)
Authors: WAKABAYASHI AKIO
Published: September 2012

In the present study, children's versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ‐C) and the Systemizing Quotient (SQ‐C) were administered to 626 Japanese children (313 boys, 313 girls) aged 6–15 years. The psychometric properties of both quotients were found to be satisfactory. Sex differences were found in the scores for both quotients. The girls scored higher than the boys on the EQ‐C, while the boys scored higher than the girls on the SQ‐C. Proportions of cognitive styles, which were determined by differences between the standardized scores of the EQ‐C and SQ‐C, showed clear sex differences. The proportion of participants whose cognitive style was classified as empathizing‐dominant was greater for the girls, while the proportion of participants classified as systemizing‐dominant was greater for the boys. No developmental changes were found in either the scores for the EQ‐C and SQ‐C or the proportions of the cognitive styles.
The importance of metacommunity ecology for environmental assessment research in the freshwater realm
Authors: Heino Jani
Published: September 2012

Most bioassessment programs rest on the assumption that species have different niches, and that abiotic environmental conditions and changes therein determine community structure. This assumption is thus equivalent to the species sorting perspective (i.e. that species differ in their responses to environmental variation) in metacommunity ecology. The degree to which basing bioassessment on the species sorting perspective is reasonable is likely to be related to the spatial extent of a study and the characteristics of the organism groups (e.g. dispersal ability) with which the effects of anthropogenic changes are assessed. Recent findings in metacommunity research have stressed that community structure is determined not only by local abiotic environmental conditions but also by biotic interactions and dispersal‐related effects. For example, dispersal limitation may prevent community structure recovery from the effects of a putative stressor, as organisms may not be able to disperse to all sites in a region. Mass effects (i.e. the presence of species in environmentally suboptimal sites due to high dispersal rates from environmentally suitable sites) may, in turn, obscure the effects of a stressor, as dispersal from source sites (e.g. an unaltered site) allows persistence at sink sites (e.g. an anthropogenically altered site). Better bioassessment should thus take both niche‐ and dispersal‐related processes simultaneously into consideration, which can be accomplished by explicitly modelling spatial location as a proxy for dispersal effects. Such an integrated approach should be included in bioassessment programs using general multivariate approaches, predictive modelling, and multimetric indices.
Anatomical, architectural, and biochemical diversity of the murine forelimb muscles
Authors: Mathewson Margie A. , Chapman Mark A. , Hentzen Eric R. , Fridén Jan , Lieber Richard L.
Published: September 2012

We characterized the architecture, fiber type, titin isoform distribution, and collagen content of 27 portions of 22 muscles in the murine forelimb. The mouse forelimb was different from the human arm in that it had the extensor digitorum lateralis muscle and no brachioradialis muscle. Architecturally, the mouse forelimb differed from humans with regard to load bearing, having a much larger contribution from extensors than flexors. In mice, the extensor : flexor PCSA ratio is 2.7, whereas in humans it is only 1.4. When the architectural difference index was calculated, similarities became especially apparent between flexors and extensors of the distal forelimb, as well as pronators. Discriminant analysis revealed that biochemical measures of collagen, titin, and myosin heavy chain were all strong between‐species discriminators. In terms of composition, when compared with similar muscles in humans, mice had, on average, faster muscles with higher collagen content and larger titin isoforms. This report establishes the anatomical and biochemical properties of mouse forelimb muscles. Given the prevalence of this species in biological studies, these data will be invaluable for studying the biological basis of mouse muscle structure and function.
Structural tissue organization in the beak of Java and Darwin's finches
Authors: Genbrugge Annelies , Adriaens Dominique , De Kegel Barbara , Brabant Loes , Van Hoorebeke Luc , Podos Jeffrey , Dirckx Joris , Aerts Peter , Herrel Anthony
Published: September 2012

Birds are well known for occupying diverse feeding niches, and for having evolved diverse beak morphologies associated with dietary specialization. Birds that feed on hard seeds typically possess beaks that are both deep and wide, presumably because of selection for fracture avoidance, as suggested by prior studies. It follows then that birds that eat seeds of different size and hardness should vary in one or more aspects of beak morphology, including the histological organization of the rhamphotheca, the cellular interface that binds the rhamphotheca to the bone, and the organization of trabeculae in the beak. To explore this expectation we here investigate tissue organization in the rhamphotheca of the Java finch, a large granivorous bird, and describe interspecific differences in the trabecular organization of the beak across 11 species of Darwin's finches. We identify specializations in multiple layers of the horny beak, with the dermis anchored to the bone by Sharpey's fibers in those regions that are subjected to high stresses during biting. Moreover, the rhamphotheca is characterized by a tight dermo‐epidermal junction through interdigitations of these two tissues. Herbst corpuscles are observed in high density in the dermis of the lateral aspect of the beak as observed in other birds. Finally, the trabecular organization of the beak in Darwin's finches appears most variable in regions involved most in food manipulation, with the density of trabeculae in the beak generally mirroring loading regimes imposed by different feeding habits and beak use in this clade.
The inner ear of Diacodexis, the oldest artiodactyl mammal
Authors: Orliac M. J. , Benoit J. , O'Leary M. A.
Published: September 2012

We provide the first detailed description of the inner ear of the oldest artiodactyl, Diacodexis, based on a three‐dimensional reconstruction extracted from computed tomography imagery of a skull of Diacodexis ilicis of earliest Wasatchian age (ca. 55 Ma). This description provides new anatomical data for the earliest artiodactyls, and reveals that the bony labyrinth of Diacodexis differs greatly from that of modern artiodactyls described so far. The bony labyrinth of Diacodexis presents a weakly coiled cochlea (720 °), a secondary common crus, a dorsal extension of the anterior semicircular canal more pronounced than that of the posterior one, and a small angle between the basal turn of the bony cochlear canal and the lateral semicircular canal. This suite of characters also occurs in basal eutherian mammals. Diacodexis strongly resembles small living tragulid ruminants in its overall body shape and hindlimb proportions. Comparison of the bony labyrinth of Diacodexis to that of the tragulid Moschiola meminna (Indian mouse deer) reveals great morphological difference in cochlear shape and semicircular canal disposition. The shape of the cochlea suggests that Diacodexis was a high‐frequency hearing specialist, with a high low‐frequency hearing limit (543 Hz at 60 dB). By comparison, the estimated low‐frequency limit of Moschiola meminna is much lower (186.0 Hz at 60 dB). We also assess the locomotor agility of Diacodexis based on measurements of the semicircular canals. Locomotor agility estimates for Diacodexis range between 3.62 and 3.93, and suggest a degree of agility compatible with a nimble, fast running to jumping animal. These results are congruent with the postcranial functional analysis for this extinct taxon.
THE INFLUENCE OF CATIONS ON GLUCOSE UPTAKE BY THE FUNGUS DENDRYPHIELLA SALINA
Authors: ALLAWAY A. E. , JENNINGS D. H.
Published: September 2012

The effect of potassium, sodium and bivalent cations, particularly calcium, on glucose uptake by Dendryphiella salina was investigated. Sodium reduces glucose uptake, but calcium ions overcome this inhibition. In all instances, there is a linear relationship between glucose uptake and the mycelial potassium content. If the mycelium is allowed to reabsorb potassium ions which have been lost, there is a different relationship, the exact form of which has been difficult to determine. When potassium ions are added to the medium, glucose uptake is slightly inhibited. Suggestions are put forward for these differences.
THE INFLUENCE OF CATIONS ON GLUCOSE TRANSPORT AND METABOLISM BY, AND THE LOSS OF SUGAR ALCOHOLS FROM, THE FUNGUS DENDRYPHIELLA SALINA
Authors: ALLAWAY A. E. , JENNINGS D. H.
Published: September 2012

The carbohydrate changes which occur in Dendryphiella salina during glucose uptake over a 5‐hour period in different ionic media were analysed. In all treatments the mannitol and arabitol concentration in the hyphae increased, which in 200 mM NaCl were equivalent to 85% of the glucose absorbed, and in other treatments about 30%. Polysaccharide content of the fungus either remained steady or fell, depending on the medium. From an analysis of the data, it has been possible to suggest where potassium and sodium ions might be acting in cell metabolism. Cations in the medium can affect the ability of the fungus to retain mannitol, arabitol and some unidentified compounds inside the mycelium. Sodium ions increase permeability; calcium ions decrease it. The results are discussed in terms of the effect of potassium, sodium and calcium ions on growth.
FURTHER STUDIES ON THE EFFECT OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE ON LICHENS AND BRYOPHYTES
Authors: GILBERT O. L.
Published: September 2012

After comparing sixteen aspects of their biology it is clear that despite wide differences in botanical affinity bryophytes and lichens are outstandingly similar in their response to SO2. This suggests that these lower plants can only colonize inhospitable habitats by adaptations which carry with them an inherent susceptibility to air pollution. Extensive laboratory and field work has emphasized the controlling influence of habitat on the survival of species. Among the strongest modifying influences are shelter, the pH and buffer capacity of the substratum and nutrient flushing. There is an apparent connection between survival and age of substratum. Water relations were found to have little effect. The extreme sensitivity of most epiphytes and the problems raised by resistant species are discussed.
A BIOLOGICAL SCALE FOR THE ESTIMATION OF SULPHUR DIOXIDE POLLUTION
Authors: GILBERT O. L.
Published: September 2012

By observing the distribution of lichens and bryophytes in an area where levels of SO2 are well known it has been possible to produce a scale from which annual average levels of this pollutant can be estimated. Instructions on how to use the scale are given and its accuracy and possible usefulness are discussed.
Plant facilitation occurs between species differing in their associated arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Authors: Montesinos‐Navarro A. , Segarra‐Moragues J. G. , Valiente‐Banuet A. , Verdú M.
Published: September 2012

Complementary beneficial effects of different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can result in a more efficient exploitation of the soil nutrients available, thus influencing plant communities. Here, we hypothesize that plant–AMF specificity is mediated by phylogenetic constraints defining possible interactions, and that plant–AMF interaction patterns can influence plant–plant facilitation specificity.

We reanalyzed previous data describing plant–plant and plant–AMF interaction at the community level to specifically test for a phylogenetic signal on plant and AMF interactions and for a relationship between plant–plant facilitation specificity and plant species differences in their AMF associates.

Closely related AMF operational taxonomical units (OTUs) tend to interact with the same plant species, but there is not a significant signal in the interaction through the plant phylogeny. This indicates that the similarity in the AMF associates of two plant species is independent of their phylogenetic relatedness. Interestingly, plant–AMF interactions match plant facilitation specificity, with pairs of plant species recruiting more frequently under each other tending to have different AMF associates.

An increment of AMF diversity in the rhizosphere, as a result of plant–AMF and plant–plant selectivity, is suggested as a potential driver of plant–plant facilitation. This study highlights the role of plant–AMF interactions in shaping plant community assemblages.
Naturalization of introduced plants: ecological drivers of biogeographical patterns
Authors: Richardson David M. , Pyšek Petr
Published: September 2012

The literature on biological invasions is biased in favour of invasive species – those that spread and often reach high abundance following introduction by humans. It is, however, also important to understand previous stages in the introduction–naturalization–invasion continuum (‘the continuum’), especially the factors that mediate naturalization. The emphasis on invasiveness is partly because most invasions are only recognized once species occupy large adventive ranges or start to spread. Also, many studies lump all alien species, and fail to separate introduced, naturalized and invasive populations and species. These biases impede our ability to elucidate the full suite of drivers of invasion and to predict invasion dynamics, because different factors mediate progression along different sections of the continuum. A better understanding of the determinants of naturalization is important because all naturalized species are potential invaders. Processes leading to naturalization act differently in different regions and global biogeographical patterns of plant invasions result from the interaction of population‐biological, macroecological and human‐induced factors. We explore what is known about how determinants of naturalization in plants interact at various scales, and how their importance varies along the continuum. Research that is explicitly linked to particular stages of the continuum can generate new information that is appropriate for improving the management of biological invasions if, for example, potentially invasive species are identified before they exert an impact.

Contents

Summary
383

I.
Introduction
383

II.
The introduction–naturalization–invasion continuum for conceptualizing biological invasions
384

III.
The biogeographical background for studying naturalization: variation among populations and regions
385

IV.
Factors determining naturalization in plants
388

Acknowledgements
392

References
392
Phylogenetic niche conservatism: what are the underlying evolutionary and ecological causes?
Authors: Crisp Michael D. , Cook Lyn G.
Published: September 2012

Phylogenetic niche conservatism (PNC) is the tendency of lineages to retain their niche‐related traits through speciation events. A recent surge in the availability of well‐sampled molecular phylogenies has stimulated phylogenetic approaches to understanding ecological processes at large geographical scales and through macroevolutionary time. We stress thatPNCis a pattern, not a process, and is found only in some traits and some lineages. At the simplest level, a pattern ofPNCis an inevitable consequence of evolution – descent with modification and divergence of lineages – but several intrinsic causes, including physicochemical, developmental and genetic constraints, can lead directly to a marked pattern ofPNC. A pattern ofPNCcan also be caused indirectly, as a by‐product of other causes, such as extinction, dispersal limitation, competition and predation. Recognition of patterns ofPNCcan contribute to understanding macroevolutionary processes: for example, release from constraint in traits has been hypothesized to trigger adaptive radiations such as that of the angiosperms. Given the multiple causes of patterns ofPNC, tests should address explicit questions about hypothesized processes. We conclude thatPNCis a scientifically useful concept with applications to the practice of ecological research.

ContentsSummary681I.Introduction681II.What is phylogenetic niche conservatism?682III.Pattern or process?683IV.What causes a pattern of PNC?683V.Tests for PNC687VI.Conclusion: is a concept of PNC scientifically useful?961Acknowledgements692References692
Health risk behaviors among young adults with spina bifida
Authors: SOE MINN M , SWANSON MARK E , BOLEN JULIE C , THIBADEAU JUDY K , JOHNSON NATALIE
Published: September 2012

Aim  Persons with spina bifida who adopt unhealthy lifestyles could be at increased risk of adverse health outcomes because the presence of spina bifida may magnify this risk. We estimated overall and age‐specific prevalence of selected health risk behaviors (HRBs) in young people with spina bifida and examined the association between HRBs and depression.

Method  We performed analyses on data obtained from individuals with spina bifida (n=130; mean age 23y SD 4y 5mo; 64 males, 66 females; 64% lumbosacral lesion; 77% with shunt) who participated in a population‐based survey conducted by the Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission in 2005.

Results  Compared with national estimates, young people with spina bifida tend to eat less healthy diets, do less exercise, and engage in more sedentary activities. Respondents were less likely to use substances (alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs), which peaked among 25 to 31 year olds. About 90% saw a doctor in the previous year. Nearly one half reported mild or major depressive symptoms. In the logistic regression analysis after controlling for potential confounders (age, sex, ethnic group, education, employment, marital status, living arrangement, level of lesion, presence of shunt, mobility, self‐rated health and healthcare utilization), major depressive symptoms were associated with current alcohol drinking (adjusted odds ratio: 4.74; 95% CI 1.18–19.04).

Interpretation  Young adults with spina bifida exhibit unhealthy behaviors that continue into their late 20s. The findings highlight the need to increase awareness of their health risk profiles in the spina bifida community and show opportunities for mental health and health risk screening and counseling by healthcare providers.
Febrile seizures and behavioural and cognitive outcomes in preschool children: the Generation R Study
Authors: VISSER ANNEMARIE M , JADDOE VINCENT WV , GHASSABIAN AKHGAR , SCHENK JACQUELINE J , VERHULST FRANK C , HOFMAN ALBERT , TIEMEIER HENNING , MOLL HENRIETTE A , ARTS WILLEM FRANS M
Published: September 2012

Aim  General developmental outcome is known to be good in school‐aged children who experienced febrile seizures. We examined cognitive and behavioural outcomes in preschool children with febrile seizures, including language and executive functioning outcomes.

Method  This work was performed in the Generation R Study, a population‐based cohort study in Rotterdam from early fetal life onwards. Information about the occurrence of febrile seizures was collected by questionnaires at the ages of 1, 2, and 3 years. At the age of 3 years, behaviour and emotion were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist. Information on expressive language development was obtained by the Language Development Survey at the age of 2 years 6 months. To assess executive functioning, parents completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Preschool Version when their children were 4 years old. Final analyses were based on 3157 children.

Results  No associations were found between febrile seizures and the risk of behavioural problems or executive functioning. In contrast to single febrile seizures, recurrent febrile seizures were significantly associated with an increased risk of delayed vocabulary development (odds ratio 3.22, [95% confidence interval 1.30–7.94]).

Interpretation  Febrile seizures are not associated with problem behaviour or executive functioning in preschool children, but the results suggest that children with recurrent febrile seizures might be at risk for delayed language development.
UVB irradiation down‐regulates type XVI collagen expression in mouse and human skin
Authors: Abe Hiroyuki , Tajima Shingo
Published: September 2012

Background  Type XVI collagen is a member of the fibril‐associated collagens with interrupted triple helices; however, its function or regulation remain unclear.

Aims  This study is to examine the effect of ultraviolet B (UVB) or photoaging on type XVI collagen expression in various cultured cells, mouse, and human skin.

Methods  The level of α1 (XVI) collagen mRNA was determined by quantitative real‐time reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction and the localization of type XVI collagen in normal human skins was detected by theα1 (XVI) collagen polypeptide antibody.

Results  Exposure of keratinocytes resulted in suppression of mRNA level in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner and in normal fibroblasts or organotypic cocultures was also inhibited. Expression level in hairless mouse skin was decreased by UVB exposure. Messenger RNA level of human skins in the sun‐protected area appeared to be greater than that in the sun‐exposed area. Sun‐protected and sun‐exposed normal skin taken from young subjects showed positive immunoreactivities with the anti‐α1 (XVI) collagen antibody in the subepidermal region, whereas sun‐exposed skin from elderly subjects exhibited negative immunoreaction.

Conclusions  Reduction of type XVI collagen by UVB irradiation in vitro and in vivo may be related to the alteration of extracellular matrix in the photodamaged skin.
Clinical efficacy of a serum integrating multiple cosmetic ingredients in the management of erythema of the face in aging skin
Authors: Dupont Eric , Léveillé Claude , Gomez Juan , Loigeret Manuel , Loing Estelle , Bilodeau Diane
Published: September 2012

Background  Skin redness is a common cosmetic concern affecting predominantly fair‐skin individuals and often leading to rosacea. On the basis of the current scientific knowledge of the physiological mechanisms underlying the problem, a complex and integral skin care serum (100RXED2025) was developed and tested clinically for efficacy.

Method  Forty‐five healthy men and women volunteers, age 30–65, were recruited. All subjects had fair skin (phototype I, II, or III) and presented some degree of skin redness with telangiectasia on the cheeks, the nose, or the nose sides, at baseline. In the course of this open label study, subjects applied the test product on their face, twice daily for 56 days. For each subject, skin redness was evaluated through colorimetric and visual analysis of photographs taken under cross‐polarized light at T = 28 (week 4) and T = 56 (week 8), then compared to baseline measurements obtained at day 0.

Results  Forty‐four volunteers completed the study. On visual evaluation, skin redness had decreased in average by 32.2% at T = 28 (P < 0.001) and by 48.0% at T = 56 (P < 0.001). Importantly, 91% of the subjects showed improvement of skin redness at T = 28, reaching 100% at T = 56. Colorimetric analysis gave an average reduction in redness of 11.6% at T = 28 (P < 0.001) and 13.7% at T = 56 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion  The anti‐redness efficacy of the test product was demonstrated after 28 days with further increase following 56 days of application.
Reduction of facial wrinkles depth by sleeping on copper oxide‐containing pillowcases: a double blind, placebo controlled, parallel, randomized clinical study
Authors: Baek Ji Hwoon , Yoo Mi Ae , Koh Jae Sook , Borkow Gadi
Published: September 2012

Background  Copper up‐regulates the secretion of extracellular skin proteins and stabilizes the extracellular matrix once formed. As copper can be absorbed through intact skin, we reasoned that sleeping on pillowcases containing copper‐impregnated fibers would reduce skin wrinkles.

Objective  Demonstrate that sleeping on pillowcases containing copper‐impregnated fibers reduce facial skin wrinkles.

Patients/Methods  An 8‐week, double blind, parallel, randomized study was carried out, in which healthy volunteers, aged 30–60, used either copper oxide‐containing pillowcases (1% weight/weight) (test group, n = 30) or control pillowcases without copper (control group, n = 31). Skin conditions of the subjects were evaluated by visual grading by two expert graders and by 3D Image Analysis GFM PRIMOS® at baseline (before treatment) and following 4 and 8 weeks of sleeping on the pillowcases.

Results  The use of the copper oxide‐containing pillowcase resulted in significant decrease of crow’s feet after 4 (P = 0.01) and 8 (P = 0.002) weeks, but none was observed in the control group, as determined by the expert graders. On the basis of the 3D measurements, three roughness (R) parameters were improved after 4 and 8 weeks (P < 0.02) and the Rmax parameter at 8 weeks (P = 0.016) in the test group, but there were no changes in the R‐parameters during the course of the study in the control group. The average reduction per month in the R‐parameters was approximately 9%. No adverse reactions were observed or reported during the 8 weeks study.

Conclusions  Sleeping on copper oxide‐containing pillowcases results in reduction of wrinkles depth and overall improvement of skin appearance.