bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural post-fire dynamics and serotiny in 10-year-old Pinus halepensis Mill. stands along a geographic gradient
Authors: Moya D. , Espelta J. M. , López-Serrano F. R. , Eugenio M. , Heras J. De Las
Published: April 2008

In 1994, six large fires occurred along a climate gradient in Eastern Spain. Ten-year-old trees were selected in the plots established for each location affected by fire. Each selected tree was measured for height and trunk diameter, the number of female strobili and cones, and grouped into four types. A geographical gradient was determined to study growth by latitude and variations in reproductive characteristics. Height and diameter values decreased southwards with the exception of the lowest-density tree location, where trunk diameters were similar to those in northern locations. Strobilus and cone production were higher in lower tree density locations owing to intraspecific competition and higher availability of water, nutrients and light. Serotiny levels were highest in southern locations, although lower percentages were found in the southern locations with low tree density. The number of reproductive trees was higher with lower tree density. The reproductive phase was reached in the lowest tree density site (also low site quality) and nearly reached in the most northern locations (high tree density as well as high site quality). Results showed a geographical gradient based on growth and reproduction dynamics, where serotiny levels are higher in southern locations. Density was shown to be a significant factor influencing overall pine stand development.
Review of formal methodologies for wind - slope correction of wildfire rate of spread
Authors: Sharples Jason J.
Published: April 2008

The effects of wind and topographic slope are important considerations when determining the rate and direction of spread of wildfires. Accordingly, most models used to predict the direction and rate of spread contain components designed to account for these effects. Over the years, a variety of different approaches have been developed. In the present manuscript, we examine the various mathematical models employed to account for the effects of wind and slope at a formal level, making comparisons where appropriate. The methods reviewed include scalar methods, which ignore the directional nature of wind and slope effects, as well as methods in which the effects of wind and slope are combined in a vectorial manner. Both empirical and physical models for wind–slope correction are considered.
A variable property heat transfer model for predicting soil temperature profiles during simulated wildland fire conditions
Authors: Enninful Ebenezer K. , Torvi David A.
Published: April 2008

A numerical model of heat transfer in dry soil was developed to predict temperatures and depth of lethal heat penetration during cone calorimeter tests used to simulate wildland fire exposures. The model was used to compare predictions made using constant and temperature-dependent thermal properties with experimental results for samples of dry sand exposed to heat fluxes of 25, 50 and 75 kW m–2. Depths of lethal heat penetration predicted using temperature-dependent properties were within 2 to 10% of the values determined using measured temperatures, while predictions made using constant properties were within 10 to 21% of the experimental values. In both cases, predictions made by the model were within the 1-cm accuracy with which the depth of seeds and plant shoots in the soil can be determined in practice. The model generally over-predicted the depth of lethal heat penetration in dry or moist soil when temperature-dependent properties were used, and over-predicted the depth of lethal heat penetration in soils with a moisture content of greater than 10% if constant thermal properties were used.
Development of fuel models for fire behaviour prediction in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) stands
Authors: Cruz Miguel G. , Fernandes Paulo M.
Published: April 2008

A dataset of 42 experimental fires in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) stands was used to develop fuel models to describe pine litter and understorey surface fuel complexes. A backtracking calibration procedure quantified the surface fuel bed characteristics that best explained the observed rate of fire spread. The study suggested the need for two distinct fuel models to adequately characterise the variability in fire behaviour in this fuel type. In these heterogeneous fuel beds the fuel models do not necessarily represent the inventoried average fuel conditions.
Evaluation against the modelling data produced mean absolute errors of 0.8 and 0.6 m min–1 in rate of spread, respectively, for the litter and understorey fuel models, with little evidence of bias. The fuel models predicted the rate of spread of a validation dataset with comparable error. Comparison of the behaviour and evaluation statistics produced by the study fuel models with fuel models developed from inventoried fuel data alone revealed an improvement on model performance for the current study approach for the litter fuel model and comparable behaviour for the understorey one.
We examined model behaviour through comparative analysis with models used operationally to predict fire spread in pine stands. Large departures from model behaviour essentially occur when the models are exercised outside the range of the model development dataset. The discrepancies in predicted fire behaviour were hypothesised to arise not from differences in fuel complex structure but from the selected functional relationships that determine the effect of wind and fuel moisture on rate of spread.
Influence of water and terpenes on flammability in some dominant Mediterranean species
Authors: Alessio G. A. , Peñuelas J. , Llusià J. , Ogaya R. , Estiarte M. , De Lillis M.
Published: April 2008

In the Mediterranean basin, fires are a major concern for forest and shrubland ecosystems. We studied flammability, its seasonality and its relationship with leaf moisture and volatile terpene content and emission in the dominant species of a Mediterranean shrubland and forest in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula). We measured temperatures and time elapsed between the three flammability phases: smoke, pyrolysis and flame, for four seasons. We sampled twice in spring because of an occasional drought period during this season. Flammability had a significant relationship with leaf hydration, in the shrubland and in the forest. Few and only weak correlations were found between terpene content and flammability. In the future, arid conditions projected by climatic and ecophysiological models will increase fire risk through decreased hydration and subsequent increased flammability of the species.
Sparse production but preferential incorporation of recently produced naïve T cells in the human peripheral pool
Authors: Vrisekoop Nienke , den Braber Ineke , de Boer Anne Bregje , Ruiter An F. C. , Ackermans Mariëtte T. , van der Crabben Saskia N. , Schrijver Elise H. R. , Spierenburg Gerrit , Sauerwein Hans P. , Hazenberg Mette D. , de Boer Rob J. , Miedema Frank , Borghans José A. M. , Tesselaar Kiki
Published: April 2008

In mice, recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) make up a large part of the naïve T cell pool and have been suggested to be a distinct short-lived pool. In humans, however, the life span and number of RTEs are unknown. Although2H2O labeling in young mice showed high thymic-dependent daily naïve T cell production, long term up- and down-labeling with2H2O in human adults revealed a low daily production of naïve T cells. Using mathematical modeling, we estimated human naïve CD4 and CD8 T cell half-lives of 4.2 and 6.5 years, respectively, whereas memory CD4 and CD8 T cells had half-lives of 0.4 and 0.7 year. The estimated half-life of recently produced naïve T cells was much longer than these average half-lives. Thus, our data are incompatible with a substantial short-lived RTE population in human adults and suggest that the few naïve T cells that are newly produced are preferentially incorporated in the peripheral pool.
Different phosphorylation states of the anaphase promoting complex in response to antimitotic drugs: A quantitative proteomic analysis
Authors: Steen Judith A. J. , Steen Hanno , Georgi Ann , Parker Kenneth , Springer Michael , Kirchner Marc , Hamprecht Fred , Kirschner Marc W.
Published: April 2008

The anaphase promoting complex (APC) controls the degradation of proteins during exit from mitosis and entry into S-phase. The activity of the APC is regulated by phosphorylation during mitosis. Because the phosphorylation pattern provides insights into the complexity of regulation of the APC, we studied in detail the phosphorylation patterns at a single mitotic state of arrest generated by various antimitotic drugs. We examined the phosphorylation patterns of the APC in HeLa S3 cells after they were arrested in prometaphase with taxol, nocodazole, vincristine, or monastrol. There were 71 phosphorylation sites on nine of the APC subunits. Despite the common state of arrest, the various antimitotic drug treatments resulted in differences in the phosphorylation patterns and phosphorylation stoichiometries. The relative phosphorylation stoichiometries were determined by using a method adapted from the isotope-free quantitation of the extent of modification (iQEM). We could show that during drug arrest the phosphorylation state of the APC changes, indicating that the mitotic arrest is not a static condition. We discuss these findings in terms of the variable efficacy of antimitotic drugs in cancer chemotherapy.
An assessment of fixed-capacity models of visual working memory
Authors: Rouder Jeffrey N. , Morey Richard D. , Cowan Nelson , Zwilling Christopher E. , Morey Candice C. , Pratte Michael S.
Published: April 2008

Visual working memory is often modeled as having a fixed number of slots. We test this model by assessing the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) of participants in a visual-working-memory change-detection task. ROC plots yielded straight lines with a slope of 1.0, a tell-tale characteristic of all-or-none mnemonic representations. Formal model assessment yielded evidence highly consistent with a discrete fixed-capacity model of working memory for this task.
Between ethics and politics: Gramsci's theory of intellectuals
Authors: Martin James
Published: April 2008

This article examines Gramsci's theory of intellectuals in the light of Bauman's distinction between ‘legislators’ and ‘interpreters’. By distinguishing descriptive and prescriptive dimensions to Gramsci's theory, it is possible to see a tension between the dual ethical and political functions that he attributes to ‘organic intellectuals’. In the one, Gramsci effectively deconstructs the intellectual's role as the bearer of universal knowledge, while in the other he reconstructs that role through an emphasis on the revolutionary party. It is argued that the tensions in Gramsci's theory stem from his attachment to a peculiarly modern conception of the relationship between intellectuals, culture and the state.
Introduction
Authors: Gundle Stephen , Riall Lucy
Published: April 2008

In recent decades historiography has moved decisively away from the highly personalized treatments of past events which were once favoured. Not ‘great men’ but ‘labouring men’, collective movements, political forces, social and economic development, women's and local history have been the focus of attention. Nowadays, the problem of political leadership is considered primarily in institutional terms, and the emphasis given to personality has correspondingly diminished. With very few exceptions, biography has been relegated to the level of popular narrative. To raise the question of charisma in these circumstances is almost to violate a taboo, to address an embarrassing topic unworthy of scholarly attention. With the exception of the mainly theoretical work of Luciano Cavalli on the origins and permutations of charisma, there have been no sustained attempts to examine comparatively the various cases of charismatic leadership that Italian political life has produced. Thus, partly because charisma has been abandoned as a scholarly topic, it can appear inexplicable, inaccessible to the historical methods used for the study of social and political structures.
Venice Between Fascism and International Tourism, 1911–45
Authors: Bosworth R.J.B.
Published: April 2008

This article uses Venice as a case study of the ‘cultural revolution’ urged by some historians as a feature of the totalitarianizing ambition of the Fascist regime. But Bosworth finds a Venice which, though plainly affected by Fascism, nonetheless preserved much that was its own and much that expressed a continuity with the liberal era before 1922 and the liberal democratic one after 1945. He shows that many of the rhythms of Venetian life moved in ways which were different from those of political history, and argues that such differences ensured that Fascism scarcely instituted an all-controlling and completely alienating totalitarian society, at least in this Italian city.
The Geography and Economic Sociology of Recent Immigration to Italy
Authors: King Russell , Andall Jacqueline
Published: April 2008

This article provides an overview of the geography and economic sociology of recent immigration to Italy. Its main purpose is to offer a contextual framework for the mainly place- and nationality-specific studies which follow and make up the main contributions to this special issue of the journal. Throughout our account, stress is laid on the regional diversity of the immigrant experience within Italy, and on the diversity of migratory types and nationalities which have entered the country over the last twenty-thirty years. In the final part of the article we make a brief analysis of the Italian political response to the country's relatively new status as a receiver of large-scale immigration.
Immigration and the City: Milan and Mass Immigration, 1958–98
Authors: Foot John
Published: April 2008

The city of Milan has been host to two separate mass migrations over the last fifty years. The first involved Italians in the 1950s and 1960s, the second, non-Italians from the 1980s onwards. Until now little comparison—historical, sociological or otherwise—has been made of these two processes. The first part of this article draws up a theoretical and definitional framework for this comparison, and sets out the possible bases for such a task. The second part looks in detail at three stories concerning non-Italians in Milan in the 1980s and 1990s: the vicissitudes of one important temporary centre for immigrants in Via Corelli in the city; the story of Driss Moussafir, a Moroccan victim of terrorism; and the violence which erupted in Via Meda in the summer of 1998. Through these micro-stories, the article examines a number of historical questions concerning migration and integration and looks to draw comparisons concerning the role of politics, the state and racialization between these two historical periods.
Tunisian Migrants and Their Experience of Racism in Modena
Authors: Daly Faïçal
Published: April 2008

Based both on the author's personal testimony of living, working and studying in Italy for ten years, and on his more recent sociological fieldwork, this article explores various dimensions of racism in the north Italian city of Modena, paying special attention to the experiences of Tunisian immigrants. The methodology comprises interviews with Tunisian immigrants and their employers, observations in bars and other public places, analysis of racism in the workplace, monitoring of the local media and reference to the national political debate. The findings reveal that being on the receiving end of racism, hostility and violence are regular facets of the everyday lives of Tunisian immigrants in Modena, as well as being part of a wider local and national anti-immigrant discourse.
Senegalese Street-Sellers, Racism and the Discourse on ‘Irregular Trade’ in Rimini
Authors: Riccio Bruno
Published: April 2008

The coast of Emilia-Romagna is a favourite destination for the seasonal movement of Senegalese street-sellers. It is no coincidence that Rimini hosted one of the first racist demonstrations of shopkeepers in 1989. The situation has worsened over time. In fact, the local public discourse on immigration never developed autonomously but has always been connected to the discourse expressing the main concern of the town: irregular trade. Yet discourses do not work alone and are linked also to social relations and to economic trends such as the restructuring of the local retailing economy and the tourist sector. This article therefore shows how racism in Rimini is the fluid product of, first, the overlapping of discourses about differing social phenomena which shape the dominant discourse on immigration; and, secondly, the identification with this dominant discourse that has emerged from everyday social relations and institutional practices. The latter part of the article presents elements of the counter-discourse, based on observations and conversations carried out with Senegalese immigrants in a summer camp outside Rimini. Finally, a proposal by the mayor of Rimini to exclude non-resident immigrants coming from outside the province is analysed as an example of the criminalization of immigrants through the application of a ‘sedentarist metaphysic’.
Children's and Adults’ Processing of Anomaly and Implausibility during Reading: Evidence from Eye Movements
Authors: Joseph Holly S. S. L. , Liversedge Simon P. , Blythe Hazel I. , White Sarah J. , Gathercole Susan E. , Rayner Keith
Published: April 2008

The eye movements of 24 children and 24 adults were monitored to compare how they read sentences containing plausible, implausible, and anomalous thematic relations. In the implausible condition the incongruity occurred due to the incompatibility of two objects involved in the event denoted by the main verb. In the anomalous condition the direct object of the verb was not a possible verb argument. Adults exhibited immediate disruption with the anomalous sentences as compared to the implausible sentences as indexed by longer gaze durations on the target word. Children exhibited the same pattern of effects as adults as far as the anomalous sentences were concerned, but exhibited delayed effects of implausibility. These data indicate that while children and adults are alike in their basic thematic assignment processes during reading, children may be delayed in the efficiency with which they are able to integrate pragmatic and real-world knowledge into their discourse representation.
An Isolation Effect in Serial Memory for Spatial Information
Authors: Guérard Katherine , Hughes Robert W. , Tremblay Sébastien
Published: April 2008

This paper reports the first demonstration of an isolation effect or von Restorff effect (von Restorff, 1933) in the context of a spatial-memory task: Short-term serial recall was enhanced for both the location and the serial position of one red dot presented amongst a sequence of otherwise black dots. When the serial position of the isolate was fixed, the spatial isolation effect only emerged when participants received a control block of trials before the block of isolation trials (Experiment 1). However, when the serial position of the isolate was varied across isolation trials, an isolation effect was still produced regardless of condition order (Experiment 2). It is suggested that both temporal grouping strategies and greater item-specific processing may have contributed to the enhanced retention of the isolate.
The Effect of Word Length in Short-Term Memory: Is Rehearsal Necessary?
Authors: Campoy Guillermo
Published: April 2008

Three experiments investigated the effect of word length on a serial recognition task when rehearsal was prevented by a high presentation rate with no delay between study and test lists. Results showed that lists of short four-phoneme words were better recognized than lists of long six-phoneme words. Moreover, this effect was equivalent to that observed in conditions in which there was a delay between lists, thereby making rehearsal possible in the interval. These findings imply that rehearsal does not play a central role in the origin of the word length effect. An alternative explanation based on differences in the degree of retroactive interference generated by long and short words is proposed.
The new fisheries multibeam echosounder ME70: description and expected contribution to fisheries research
Authors: Trenkel Verena M. , Mazauric Valérie , Berger Laurent
Published: April 2008

Trenkel, V. M., Mazauric, V., and Berger, L. 2008. The new fisheries multibeam echosounder ME70: description and expected contribution to fisheries research. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 645–655. Recently, Simrad in collaboration with Ifremer developed a calibrated, multibeam, vertical echosounder (ME70) for fisheries research. We describe its capabilities and technical limitations. The ME70 has up to 45 beams with distinct frequencies in the range 70–120 kHz, spanning at most 150°. All beams are stabilized in vessel roll and pitch. It has reduced side-lobe levels, up to −70 dB (two-way) instead of the −25 dB (one-way) of conventional systems. We outline research areas for which the ME70 might provide new types of information and hence lead to novel insights. We illustrate the potential contributions with datasets collected in the English Channel and on the continental-shelf break of the Bay of Biscay. Finally, future research and developments using the new system are outlined.
Predicting the potential distribution of the vase tunicate Ciona intestinalis in Canadian waters: informing a risk assessment
Authors: Therriault Thomas W. , Herborg Leif-Matthias
Published: April 2008

Therriault, T. W., and Herborg, L-M. 2008. Predicting the potential distribution of the vase tunicate Ciona intestinalis in Canadian waters: informing a risk assessment. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 788–794. A crucial step in characterizing the potential risk posed by non-native species is determining whether a potential invader can establish in the introduced range and what its potential distribution could be. To this end, various environmental models ranging from simple to complex have been applied to predict the potential distribution of an invader, with varying levels of success. Recently, in marine waters, tunicates have received much attention, largely because of their negative impacts on shellfish aquaculture. One of these species is the vase tunicate Ciona intestinalis, which recently has had a negative impact on aquaculture operations in Atlantic Canada and could pose a risk in Pacific Canada. To inform the risk assessment of this species, we evaluated two different types of environmental model. Simple models based on reported temperature or salinity tolerances were relatively uninformative, because almost all waters were deemed suitable. In contrast, a more complex genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction (GARP) environmental niche model, based on documented Canadian occurrence points, provided informative projections of the potential distribution in Canadian waters. In addition to informing risk assessments, these predictions can be used to focus monitoring activities, particularly towards vectors that could transport C. intestinalis to these favourable environments.
A Yb3+-doped NaY(WO4)2crystal grown by the Czochralski technique
Authors: Fan Jiandong , Zhang Huaijin , Yu Wentao , Yu Haohai , Wang Jiyang , Jiang Minhua
Published: April 2008

A transparent Yb3+:NaY(WO4)2single crystal with dimensions of 30 mm (diameter) × 40 mm has been grown by the Czochralski method. The high crystalline quality of the as-grown Yb3+:NaY(WO4)2crystals was confirmed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction. The effective segregation coefficients of elemental Yb, Na, Y and W in Yb3+:NaY(WO4)2were measured using the X-ray fluorescence method. Powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of NaYb0.05Y0.95(WO4)2are reported. The structure refinement shows that NaYb0.05Y0.95(WO4)2crystallizes in the tetragonal space groupI41/a, witha=b= 5.2039 (2),c= 11.2838 (9) Å, α = β = γ = 90°,V= 305.57 (3) Å3andZ= 2. A series of possible growth faces (hkl) were determined from the crystal lattice and symmetry according to the Bravais–Friedel Donnay–Harker theory, and the relationship among crystal structure, growth habits and crystal morphology is discussed. In addition, the thermal properties of the crystal, including the specific heat, thermal expansion, thermal diffusion and thermal conductivity, were carefully investigated. The anisotropy of the crystal thermal conductivities is explained from the point of view of the crystal structure.
Routine bone marrow examination in the initial evaluation of paediatric Hodgkin lymphoma: the Canadian perspective
Authors: Simpson C. David , Gao Jun , Fernandez Conrad V. , Yhap Margaret , Price Victoria E. , Berman Jason N.
Published: April 2008

Bone marrow examination (BME) in paediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was evaluated, as evidence from adult HL suggests it may be unnecessary. An internet‐based survey was used to examine the practice of Canadian paediatric oncologists regarding BME in children and the impact of routine BME was evaluated in patients with HL treated at our institution. Sixteen of 17 paediatric oncology centres were represented. Forty‐three percent of eligible doctors completed the survey. Routine BME for stages III and IV disease was consistent nationally. By contrast, 54% and 70% of respondents reported performing routine BME for stages I and II HL respectively. Respondents were more likely to report performing routine BME in low‐stage HL if trained outside Canada (P = 0·04, stage I; P = 0·07, stage II) or practicing at smaller centres (P = 0·05, stage I; P = 0·03, stage II). At our institution, 62 patients were eligible for analysis. Only four patients (6·5%) had a positive BME. Anaemia was the only significant risk factor (P = 0·006). No patient with otherwise low stage was found to have marrow involvement. Comparison of staging with and without BME demonstrated no significant difference to final risk classification. BME in paediatric patients with low‐stage HL has extremely low yield and may be unnecessary.
Abundant anti‐apoptotic BCL‐2 is a molecular target in leukaemias with t(4;11) translocation
Authors: Robinson Blaine W. , Behling Kathryn C. , Gupta Manish , Zhang Alena Y. , Moore Jonni S. , Bantly Andrew D. , Willman Cheryl L. , Carroll Andrew J. , Adamson Peter C. , Barrett Jeffrey S. , Felix Carolyn A.
Published: April 2008

Chemotherapy resistance from imbalanced apoptosis regulation may contribute to poor outcome in leukaemias with t(4;11). Anti‐apoptotic BCL‐2 expression and target modulation were characterized in cell lines with t(4;11) and BCL‐2 expression was examined in MLL and non‐MLL infant/paediatric leukaemia cases by Western blot analysis and/or real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Cytotoxicity of Genasense™ (Oblimersen Sodium, G3139) alone or combined with cytotoxic drugs was assessed by MTT [(3‐4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assays of the cell lines, applying pharmacostatistical response surface modelling of drug interactions. Apoptosis and cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry in RS4:11 cells. Primary leukaemias and cell lines with t(4;11) expressed abundant BCL2 mRNA and protein. Variable, sometimes substantial BCL2 mRNA was detected in other leukaemia subtypes. G3139 reduced BCL2 mRNA and protein in RS4:11 cells. The most sensitive cell line to single‐agent G3139 was RS4:11. Low G3139 concentrations sensitized RS4:11 and MV4‐11 cells to select anti‐leukaemia cytotoxic drugs. In RS4:11 cells, combining G3139 with doxorubicin (ADR) increased active caspase 3 and TUNEL staining compared to ADR alone, indicating greater apoptosis, and G3139 increased S‐phase progression. The abundant BCL‐2 affords a molecular target in leukaemias with t(4;11). G3139 exhibits preclinical activity and synergy with select cytotoxic agents in RS4:11 and MV4‐11 cells, and these effects occur through apoptosis.
Distribution patterns of leptocephali in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transitional region of the western North Pacific
Authors: TAKAHASHI MASANORI , MOCHIOKA NORITAKA , SHINAGAWA SEKIO , YATSU AKIHIKO , NAKAZONO AKINOBU
Published: April 2008

Leptocephalus assemblages and distribution patterns were studied in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transitional region of the western North Pacific. A total of 479 leptocephali, representing at least 21 species (types) including eight undescribed types, were collected during a cruise of the T/V Hokuho Maru from 8 to 30 May 2002. The most abundant leptocephali were the congrids Gnathophis nystromi nystromi and Gnathophis nystromi ginanago. The assemblages at each station were clustered into four groups (one group in the Kuroshio region and three in the transition zone) using the ordination and the fuzzy c‐means method based on species composition similarities between stations. Each leptocephalus species was also clustered by the same method into one of three groups. The first group had the greatest numbers of species and mainly occurred at the station group in the Kuroshio region, sharing a similar distribution to G. n. nystromi. The second group had the greatest abundance, especially in the transition zone, but contained only one species, G. n. ginanago, which also occurred at all stations. Moreover discrimination of station groups in the transition zone corresponded well with the assemblage pattern of this species group. The last species group comprised rare and low abundance species. Most leptocephali in the study area were reported from the Kuroshio upstream region, so the discrimination of leptocephali assemblages in the study area may reflect their different ecology. Furthermore, the analytical methods used in this study yielded more meaningful and clearer groups than the other usual methods, validating application of this analysis to complex areas such as the transition zone.
Environmental factors influencing larval sprat Sprattus sprattus feeding during spawning time in the Baltic Sea
Authors: VOSS R. , DICKMANN M. , HINRICHSEN H.‐H. , FLOETER J.
Published: April 2008

The management of Baltic sprat is challenged by highly variable recruitment success and hence large stock fluctuations. Recent studies have identified the larval and early juvenile life stages to be critical for the survival rate of a sprat year class. Although prey abundance was found to be linked to larval survival success, an analysis identifying the functional relationship and relative importance of other environmental factors is still missing. Sprat larval feeding was investigated in 2002 during three cruises, covering the main spawning time in the Bornholm Basin, Baltic Sea. The aim of the study was to identify the key environmental factors determining the feeding success of larval sprat taking their potential interactions explicitly into account. An extension of generalized additive models (GAMs) was adopted that allows the inclusion of interaction terms in a non‐parametric regression model. The final model of sprat larval feeding success explained ∼80% of the variance in the data and was based on the following environmental factors: bottom depth, cubed wind speed as proxy for small‐scale turbulence rates, degree of cloudiness as proxy for light conditions and prey density in combination with a feeding period–cloudiness interaction term. Our study demonstrates that the feeding success of sprat larvae in the Baltic Sea is controlled by a number of simultaneously acting key environmental factors.
Decadal changes in the diet of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) migrating off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan
Authors: YONEZAKI SHIROH , KIYOTA MASASHI , BABA NORIHISA
Published: April 2008

Decadal changes in northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) diet were examined based on the stomach contents data collected off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan from January to April, 1953–1988. Seventeen families of fish and seven families of squid were identified from the stomach contents. Dominant prey species in terms of percentage of occurrence and wet weight were Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus), chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), and myctophid fishes. Demersal fishes, sparkling enope squid (Watasenia scintillans), and oceanic squids were also preyed on at low incidences. Decadal‐scale diet composition of northern fur seals revealed shifts in the significance of Japanese sardine and chub mackerel in parallel with the decadal alternation in the dominance of these species within the pelagic fish community off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. These results suggest that northern fur seals can use a variety of prey resources in this wintering area by switching the diet according to the distribution and abundance of prey species.
Both global and local: ICTs and joint ventures in China
Authors: Westrup Chris , Liu Wei
Published: April 2008

Abstract.  The expansion of global firms, supported by extensive information and communication technology (ICT) systems, is frequently seen as leading to the spread of best practices to different regions of the world. Some argue that these practices are bound up with the national origins of these firms, while others propose that local circumstances in specific economies are of prime importance. According to the first perspective, global firms will use ICTs in China that reflect their national origins, but the second approach emphasizes the importance of the Chinese local context in how and what ICTs are used. Based on evidence from two case studies of global UK multinationals with Chinese joint ventures, this paper argues that the ICTs used by these companies do relate to their national roots and that China is seen by them as a very unusual setting that is treated as a special case. For example, one company was prepared to roll out a global enterprise planning system elsewhere but refused to implement it in China, while the second company cordoned off their ICT systems in China from their other, more global systems. Cultural frames of reference are advanced as an important explanation of differences in the usage of ICTs in China. Building on these ideas, this paper argues that how difference is recognized, accommodated and (re)affirmed is significant for the performance of formal business processes. Formal and ICT‐enabled systems ‘work’ by being embedded in changing Chinese cultural practices such as guanxi, though this is frequently not recognized by Western managers. While the global nature of global firms may be overplayed, the local arrangements of joint ventures are very important in how ICT systems are implemented in which the embedding and disembedding require an understanding of sited cultural practices that underpin the performance of formal systems. What is at stake is how global firms and their ICT systems are able to adapt to Chinese circumstances, and, in the longer term, how Chinese joint venture partners, often previously state‐owned enterprises, adapt to different forms of control mediated by ICTs.
Nurses’ leaving intentions: antecedents and mediating factors
Authors: Takase Miyuki , Yamashita Noriko , Oba Keiko
Published: April 2008

Title. Nurses’ leaving intentions: antecedents and mediating factors.

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to investigate how nurses’ work values, perceptions of environmental characteristics, and organizational commitment are related to their leaving intentions.

Background. Nurse leaving is a serious international problem as it contributes to the nursing shortage that threatens the welfare of society. The characteristics of nurses, the work environment and nurses’ feelings towards their jobs (or organizations) have an impact on their leaving intentions.

Method. A convenience sample of 849 Registered Nurses was recruited from three public hospitals in the central‐west region of Japan during 2006 and 319 completed questionnaires were returned (response rate 39%). Data were analysed using regression analysis.

Findings. Nurses’ work values and their perceptions of their workplace environment interacted to influence leaving intentions. When there was a match between the importance nurses placed on being able to challenge current clinical practices and the number of the actual opportunities to do so, leaving intentions were low. When there was a mismatch, intention to quit the job became stronger. In addition, organizational commitment intervened between nurses’ perceptions of the match in clinical challenges and leaving intention.

Conclusion. Nurses’ leaving intentions, deserve extensive exploration of their causes. Such exploration should include attending to both nurses’ needs and organizational characteristics, investigating how the match between them could affect nurses’ leaving intention, and exploring factors that intervene between nurses’ perceptions of the match and leaving intention.
Types of nursing knowledge used to guide care of hospitalized patients
Authors: Mantzoukas Stefanos , Jasper Melanie
Published: April 2008

Title.  Types of nursing knowledge used to guide care of hospitalized patients.

Aim.  This paper is a report of a study to identify the types of nursing knowledge used to guide care of hospitalized patients.

Background.  The history of nursing knowledge is discerned in three distinct moments. The first historical moment conceives nursing knowledge as the acquisition of a set of descriptive rules, the second as the development of dualist explanatory theories and the third as the production of critical and/or integrative understandings. It remains unclear how these different types of knowledge are implemented in practice and how they affect the care of hospitalized patients.

Method.  A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted in 2007 on original data collected in 2002. The data were read with focus on the knowledge used by participants to confront practice situations. They were interpreted, classified and indexed to identify types of knowledge nurses use to care for hospitalized patients.

Findings.  Five discrete types of nursing knowledge that nurses use in practice emerged: personal practice knowledge, theoretical knowledge, procedural knowledge, ward cultural knowledge and reflexive knowledge.

Conclusion.  All three moments in the history of nursing knowledge were found to be concurrently present in nursing practice. Ward cultural knowledge and procedural knowledge reflect the rule‐based descriptive knowledge of the first moment, theoretical knowledge and personal practice knowledge reflect the explanatory dualist knowledge of the second moment and reflexive knowledge reflects the critical and integrative knowledge of the third moment.
Music improves sleep quality in students
Authors: Harmat László , Takács Johanna , Bódizs Róbert
Published: April 2008

Title. Music improves sleep quality in students.

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to investigate the effects of music on sleep quality in young participants with poor sleep.

Background. Sleep disorders may result in fatigue, tiredness, depression and problems in daytime functioning. Music can reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, decrease anxiety, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate and may have positive effects on sleep via muscle relaxation and distraction from thoughts. Control groups have not been used in most previous studies.

Methods. We used a three‐group repeated measures design. Ninety‐four students (aged between 19 and 28 years) with sleep complaints were studied in 2006. Participants listened for 45 minutes either to relaxing classical music (Group 1) or an audiobook (Group 2) at bedtime for 3 weeks. The control group (Group 3) received no intervention. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index before the study and weekly during the intervention. Depressive symptoms in experimental group participants were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results. Repeated measuresanovarevealed a main effect of TIME (P < 0·0001) and an interaction between TIME and GROUPS (P < 0·0001).Post hoctests with Bonferroni correction showed that music statistically significantly improved sleep quality (P < 0·0001). Sleep quality did not improve statistically significantly in the audiobook and the control group. Depressive symptoms decreased statistically significantly in the music group (P < 0·0001), but not in the group listening to audiobooks.

Conclusion. Relaxing classical music is an effective intervention in reducing sleeping problems. Nurses could use this safe, cheap and easy to learn method to treat insomnia.
Factors influencing osteoporosis preventive behaviours: testing a path model
Authors: Hsieh Ching‐Hsing , Wang Chen‐Yen , McCubbin Marilyn , Zhang Shuqiang , Inouye Jillian
Published: April 2008

Title. Factors influencing osteoporosis preventive behaviours: testing a path model.

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to test a model of certain factors influencing people engaging in osteoporosis preventive behaviours, and to estimate the direct and indirect effects of personal and social factors on whether people engage in those behaviours.

Background. Osteoporosis preventive behaviours, including exercise and calcium intake, help decreasing the risk of developing osteoporosis. Reasons for engaging in osteoporosis preventive behaviours are complex and influenced by personal and social factors. Years of education, self‐efficacy, knowledge of osteoporosis, social support and social capital have been indicated to increase people engaging in osteoporosis preventive behaviours; but age has been shown to decrease those behaviours.

Methods. The proposed model was developed using Social Cognitive Theory and a conceptual framework for addressing the social context of health behaviour. A correlational cross‐sectional study was carried out in 2005, using questionnaires and a convenience sample of 243 participants. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation techniques and path analysis.

Results. Self‐efficacy was a better predictor of engaging in osteoporosis preventive behaviours than were the other variables. Social capital had a statistically significant direct and indirect effect on osteoporosis preventive behaviours. The modified path model showed good fit with the data.

Conclusion. The associations between personal and social factors extend our knowledge from previous studies and increase our understanding of the complex relationships among the study variables. The model provides guidance for future nursing practice, research, and education programs related to osteoporosis prevention.
Riparian arthropod responses to flow regulation and river channelization
Authors: Paetzold Achim , Yoshimura Chihiro , Tockner Klement
Published: April 2008

Alterations to river flow and morphology widely impact riverine habitats. Little is known about the consequences of such alterations on riparian arthropods, although they contribute substantially to riverine biodiversity and play a critical role in linking aquatic and terrestrial food webs.

We investigated the interactive effects of flow regulation (hydropeaking) and river channelization on gravel‐bar habitat characteristics and riparian arthropods in seven Alpine rivers. Digital elevation models were developed to simulate inundation dynamics of each gravel bar.

Channelization significantly increased inundation frequency, and hydropeaking increased substrate embeddedness. The total abundance of riparian arthropods was significantly reduced by hydropeaking, whereas arthropod species richness was reduced by both hydropeaking and channelization. Sites that were affected by both hydrological and morphological modifications together were almost devoid of arthropods.

The sensitivity of riparian arthropods to alterations in flow and morphology differed among taxa. Spider abundance and richness were significantly reduced by channelization only. Ground beetles showed no significant response. Rove beetle abundance and richness were negatively affected by hydropeaking whereas channelization had a negative effect only in rivers with hydropeaking.

Abundance and richness of all taxa combined, and of spiders independently, were negatively correlated with inundation frequency and substrate embeddedness. Rove beetle abundance and richness were negatively correlated with embeddedness. Spider and rove beetle richness were also correlated with gravel bar area.

Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that the richness and abundance of riparian arthropods were predominantly affected by the availability of exposed gravel above the average high‐water level and substrate embeddedness. Restoration of riverbank morphology and mitigation of hydropeaking are likely to benefit riparian arthropods. Riparian arthropods, particularly spiders and rove beetles, appear to be sensitive indicators of the ecological effects of hydromorphological alterations in rivers.
Do male moor frogs (Rana arvalis) lek with kin?
Authors: KNOPP T. , HEIMOVIRTA M. , KOKKO H. , MERILÄ J.
Published: April 2008

Many amphibian species are known to form leks during breeding season, yet it has seldom been tested which evolutionary forces are likely to act on lek formation in this taxon. We tested the kin selection hypothesis for lek formation by using eight variable microsatellite loci to compare the genetic relationship of 203 males in seven Rana arvalis leks. The results indicate that moor frog males do not lek with kin: their relatedness within leks was not higher than expected by chance. Furthermore, spatially distinct leks within same water bodies could not be distinguished from each other as separate units. These results are not expected if kin selection underlie lek formation. On the basis of these results and general knowledge of anuran breeding biology, we suggest that lek formation in explosively breeding amphibians might have evolved by female choice for breeding aggregations, combined with female choice of habitat. Future work should aim at predicting aggregations based on rules of phonotaxis over different spatial scales, and empirical work should document visitation rates not only for leks of a specific size, but also for different travel distances that visiting females may have had to cover.
Ancestry and divergence of subtropical montane forest isolates: molecular biogeography of the genusAbies(Pinaceae) in southern México and Guatemala
Authors: JARAMILLO‐CORREA JUAN P. , AGUIRRE‐PLANTER ERIKA , KHASA DAMASE P. , EGUIARTE LUIS E. , PIÑERO DANIEL , FURNIER GLENN R. , BOUSQUET JEAN
Published: April 2008

The genusAbieshas a complex history in southern México and Guatemala. In this region, four closely related species,Abies flinckii,A. guatemalensis,A. hickelii, andA. religiosa, are distributed in fragmented and isolated montane populations. Range‐wide genetic variation was investigated across species using cytoplasmic DNA markers with contrasted inheritance. Variation at two maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA markers was low. All species shared two of the nine mitotypes detected, while the remaining seven mitochondrial DNA types were restricted to a few isolated stands. Mitochondrial genetic differentiation across taxa was high (GST = 0.933), it was not related to the taxonomic identity (amova;P > 0.05) of the populations, and it was not phylogeographically structured (GST ≈ NST). In contrast, variation at three paternally inherited chloroplast DNA microsatellites was high. Chloroplast genetic differentiation was lower (GST = 0.402;RST = 0.547) than for mitochondrial DNA, but it was significantly related to taxonomy (amova;P < 0.001), and exhibited a significant phylogeographical structure (GST < RST). Different analyses of population structure indicated thatA. flinckiiwas the most divergent taxon, while the remaining three species formed a relatively homogeneous group. However, a small number of the populations of these three taxa, all located at the limits of their respective ranges or in the Transverse Volcanic Belt, diverged from this main cluster. These trends suggest that the MesoamericanAbiesshare a recent common ancestor and that their divergence and speciation is mainly driven by genetic drift and isolation during the warm interglacial periods.