bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION OF THE S1 CELL WALL LAYER OF NORWAY SPRUCE TRACHEIDS
Authors: Brändström Jonas , Bardage Stig L. , Daniel Geoffrey , Nilsson Thomas
Published: April 2013

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ultrastructure of the outer layer of the secondary cell wall (S1) of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) tracheids with emphasis on microfibril orientation. Several methods were used to obtain complementary results. Macerated tracheids and wood blocks were exposed to degradation by soft rot fungi, different chemicals and mechanical forces. Observations were made using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy. It was concluded that the S1 layer is rather homogeneous with respect to microfibril orientation. The major part of the S1 is composed of microfibrils oriented approximately perpendicular to the tracheid axis. Evidence for a crossed fibrillar structure with microfibrils in alternate S- and Z-helices was not obtained. The transition of microfibril orientation from the S1 to the S2 layer appeared abrupt. The transitional/intermediate lamella, where a gradual change in microfibril orientation occurs, should be considered to belong to the outer part of S2.
WALL STRUCTURE OF TERMINAL LATEWOOD TRACHEIDS OF HEALTHY AND DECLINING SILVER FIR TREES IN THE DINARIC REGION, SLOVENIA
Authors: Schmitt Uwe , Grünwald Claudia , Gričar Jožica , Koch Gerald , Čufar Katarina
Published: April 2013

Fir trees (Abies alba Mill.) in a permanently monitored forest in the Dinaric region in Slovenia respond to crown damages by distinctly reducing their ring widths. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-microspectrophotometry (UMSP) of cambium-adjacent latewood tracheids of affected trees, the secondary wall formation and lignification were completed by the middle of October. In samples taken at the same date from healthy looking silver firs, the S3 and the warty layer were not yet present in cambium-adjacent latewood tracheids. Additionally, their inner S2 showed lower lignin deposition, whereas the compound middle lamella, S1 and outer S2 were distinctly lignified as revealed by TEM and UMSP. It is assumed that these youngest tracheids of healthy trees will later undergo lignification or remain less lignified. From these observations we conclude that the cambial activity at breast height ends later in healthy silver fir trees as compared to declining trees.
TEMPORAL VARIATION OF THE RING WIDTH–WOOD DENSITY RELATIONSHIP IN NORWAY SPRUCE GROWN UNDER TWO LEVELS OF ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE
Authors: Wimmer Rupert , Downes Geoffrey M.
Published: April 2013

The ring width–wood density relationship (RW–WDR) is somewhat controversial. Most of the literature reports negative, but weak relationships, while others found no significant relationships at all. This study analyses the RW–WDR using a dataset of twenty even-aged Norway spruce trees grown at two different levels of air pollution in the Eastern Ore Mountains, Germany. Ring width, latewood proportion and wood density were measured in each tree ring. The year-to-year (temporal) variability of the RW–WDR was calculated by sequentially taking the rings grown in the same calendar year in trees within a site. In addition, RW–WDR was also calculated across tree rings (pith to bark) of given trees. During the observed period, the temporal RW–WDR fluctuated between negative and positive correlations with certain climatic patterns, as well as forest operations, playing a prominent role. It was shown that increased late-season rainfall favoured a more positive relationship. The temporal RW–WDR illustrated, for given trees of a site, that smaller rings formed in certain years might be related to higher wood density while other years may result to lower wood density. This finding is useful for an improved understanding regarding the effect of ring width on wood density.
TREE RINGS OF CEDRUS LIBANI AT THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF ITS NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Authors: Akkemik Ünal
Published: April 2013

The present study was carried out taking a total of 41 increment cores from three sites located in the northern boundary of Cedrus libani and three site chronologies were constructed. Three response functions were computed and a higher correlation with climate was found in the trees on the steep slopes. The low precipitation was an important limiting factor for growth. At the valley bottom site, neither precipitation, except for December, nor temperature, except for February were a limiting factor. The radial diameters of tracheids were measured, and the tracheid numbers representing the last seven years, from 1994 to 2000, were counted. Although the radial diameters were almost similar in all sites, the numbers of tracheids were greatest at the valley bottom site and lowest at the steep slope site.
TRANSPIERCING IN WOOD CELLS
Authors: Luchi Agnes Elisete
Published: April 2013

This paper discusses the nature of ‘transpierced’ elements in wood. In Croton urucurana and Alchornea triplinervia, different stages of development have been studied. These have provided the possibility of understanding the origin of ‘tranpiercing regions’ from the dissolution of the central core of the trabecula that has pierced the cell from one wall to the opposite one.
EFFECTS OF CELL ANATOMY ON THE PLASTIC AND ELASTIC BEHAVIOUR OF DIFFERENT WOOD SPECIES LOADED PERPENDICULAR TO GRAIN
Authors: Müller Ulrich , Gindl Wolfgang , Teischinger Alfred
Published: April 2013

In radial compression, the shape of the stress-deformation curve varies for different wood species, particularly at the transition from elastic to plastic deformation and along the stress plateau. Due to differences in anatomy and cell wall microstructure, different responses to perpendicular loads were observed in spruce (ductile plastic deformation), oak (brittle failure), and beech (elastomeric yielding). Beginning plastic deformation was examined by SEM after the application of different compression levels and by dynamic observations during the loading process of small samples under a light microscope. It was demonstrated that radial compression of spruce is limited by the critical Euler buckling load of only a few cells closely behind the ring border. The compression behaviour of oak is determined by the buckling of the earlywood vessels and vasicentric tissue, whereas beech is characterised by the densification of the vessels at high plastic deformations.
DEVELOPMENT, TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE AND ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF THE CUTICULAR EPITHELIUM IN THE SANTALALES
Authors: Wilson Carol A. , Calvin Clyde L.
Published: April 2013

All genera in the mistletoe family Viscaceae develop a secondary protective covering, the cuticular epithelium, that replaces the epidermis. The cuticular epithelium also occurs in the Eremolepidaceae and some genera within the related family Santalaceae. This secondary covering, unlike the periderm, lacks lenticels or their functional equivalent. We suggest that the cuticular epithelium provides a greater degree of control over transpirational water loss in older plant parts. The cuticular epithelium may arise in the epidermis, subepidermal layer, or in deeper tissues of the stem. Bark strands of the endophytic system, where they are in contact with either nonliving host tissues or the external environment, also form a cuticular epithelium. The epidermal feature, stomatal orientation, was also studied. All genera in the Viscaceae and Eremolepidaceae have stomata with a transverse orientation. The presence or absence of a cuticular epithelium and stomatal orientation are vegetative characters with potential taxonomic value.
PATTERNS OF CRYSTAL DISTRIBUTION IN THE WOODS OF MELIACEAE FROM INDIA
Authors: Negi Krishna , Gupta Sangeeta , Chauhan Luxmi , Pal Mohinder
Published: April 2013

A detailed wood anatomical survey of 42 species of Meliaceae from India has been made with a view to study the distribution pattern of different types and location of crystals. Interestingly, all the IAWA features of prismatic crystals were found in this family. The confusion regarding presence of crystals in fibres or axial parenchyma strands is clarified.
CLONAL AND SITE VARIATION OF VESSELS IN 7-YEAR-OLD EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS
Authors: Leal Sofia , Pereira Helena , Grabner Michael , Wimmer Rupert
Published: April 2013

Pith to bark variation of vessel anatomy was studied in 17 clones of 7-year-old Eucalyptus globulus trees grown on two sites in Portugal. Vessels were measured by image analysis on transverse microsections cut from radial strips sampled at 25% tree height. The mean vessel area increased gradually from pith to bark, whereas the vessel frequency (number of vessels per unit area) decreased outwards from the innermost ring on and levelled off towards the bark. The proportion of vessels relative to other tissues remained constant across the radius. The vessel variables showed cyclic variations defined by minima (vessel area and proportion) or maxima (number of vessels). The effect of site and clone on vessel variability was significant. Clonal variation accounted for 30% and site explained 67% of the total variance of vessel proportion. At the least water stressed site, vessels appeared to be generally larger and occupied a greater proportion of total cross-sectional area.
RADIAL PERMEABILITY OF SITKA SPRUCE AS AFFECTED BY WOOD STRUCTURE: Permeability of cross-field pits in uniseriate rays
Authors: Usta Ilker , Hale Mike D.
Published: April 2013

The anatomical structure of the cross-field pits in unsieriate rays of Sitka spruce has been examined by scanning electron microscopy. Microscopic images were subjected to image analysis to explain the differences in radial permeability (as assessed by fluid uptake) of dried wood from selected trees of two different seed origins (Queen Charlotte Islands, QCI grown in Rhondda, South Wales vs. South Oregon, SO grown in Dalby, North-East England). Different features of ray pitting were observed. The most radially permeable seed origin (QCI) had considerably larger cross-field pits in latewood than the least permeable (SO). Variation in pit size across the growth rings was minimal in QCI but an abrupt increase in size was noted in the latewood of SO. It is concluded that one of the important anatomical features influencing preservative uptake is the size and number of the cross-field pits.
DISTRIBUTION OF VEGETATIVE STORAGE PROTEINS IN ROSACEAE
Authors: Tian Wei-Min , Hu Zheng-Hai
Published: April 2013

The distribution pattern of vegetative storage proteins is reported for the first time for 18 species and 2 varieties of twelve genera of Rosaceae. Vegetative storage proteins were present in all the species studied of Prunoideae and absent in Maloideae. Their occurrence in a genus seemed to be either universal or entirely absent. Rosaceae trees were poor in vegetative storage proteins and the form of vegetative storage proteins was not protein body-like. Granular and floccular forms of vegetative storage proteins could be distinguished exclusively in the secondary phloem parenchyma cells and their distribution was cell-specific. Our results suggest that the distribution of vegetative storage proteins in Rosaceae can be considered as a taxonomically diagnostic feature. The nature of the bark proteins with seasonal changes in apple trees is discussed.
X-RAY MICROANALYSIS USING THIN SECTIONS OF PRESERVATIVE-TREATED WOOD: Relationship of wood anatomical features to the distribution of copper
Authors: Matsunaga Hiroshi , Matsumura Junji , Oda Kazuyuki
Published: April 2013

The objective of this study was to understand the micro-distribution of a copper-based preservative in wood in connection with anatomical morphology and to consider the fixation of copper in wood. Bulk specimens and semi-ultra thin sections (0.5 μm) obtained from Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) were treated with a CuAz preservative solution. After fixation of the solution in wood components, SEM-EDXA (Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with an Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyzer) was used to investigate the micro-distribution of copper. The use of semi-ultra thin sections improved characteristic X-ray spatial resolution and made it possible to analyze the micro-distribution of copper. In both earlywood and latewood of the sapwood, copper was more abundant in the compound middle lamella than in the secondary wall and concentrated in the tori. Copper was most concentrated as crystalline deposits in longitudinal parecnhyma cells. Semi-quantitative analysis revealed the copper amount to increase in this order: secondary wall in tracheids < middle lamellae < membrane of half-bordered pits < tori in tracheid pits < deposits in longitudinal parenchyma cells. These different concentrations may indicate significant interactions between the amine-copper complex in CuAz and chemical constituents of wood.
NEW SPECIES OF TAPIRIRA (ANACARDIACEAE) FROM EARLY MIOCENE SEDIMENTS OF THE EL CIEN FORMATION, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO
Authors: Martínez-Cabrera Hugo I. , Cevallos-Ferriz Sergio R.S.
Published: April 2013

From the early Miocene El Cien Formation, Baja California Sur, Mexico, a new Tapirira species is described. Among the diagnostic features that relate T. peninsularis Martínez-Cabrera & Cevallos-Ferriz sp. nov. with extant species of the genus are libriform septate fibers, radial canals with 2–4 layers of epithelial cells, and scanty paratracheal to vasicentric axial parenchyma. In order to establish similarity between wood of T. peninsularis and fossil and extant species of the genus, cluster and principal component analyses were carried out. Numerical analyses support that Tapirira peninsularis is distinct from other extant and fossil species of the genus. Quantitative characters like frequency of radial canals, diameter of fibres, vessel element lumen, and height and width of the rays with radial canals are important in distinguishing between these taxa. Though these wood characters are quantitative, they also have been useful in the recognition of two subgenera within the genus. Recognition of this new species, along with the fossil record of the group, and a phytogeographic analysis suggest a low latitude North American origin for the genus, and a subsequent introduction to southern latitudes.
EFFECTS OF MACRO- AND MICRO-STRUCTURAL VARIABILITY ON THE SHEAR BEHAVIOR OF SOFTWOOD
Authors: Müller Ulrich , Sretenovic Aleksandra , Gindl Wolfgang , Grabner Michael , Wimmer Rupert , Teischinger Alfred
Published: April 2013

Longitudinal shear strength and shear modulus of spruce and larch wood with a maximum of micro- and macro-structural variability was determined using a new testing method. Oven-dry density and slope of grain were measured after the shear tests. For the spruce wood samples, a data set of fiber and cell wall properties, i.e., lignin content, microfibril angle, fiber length, lumen diameter, cell wall thickness, latewood proportion, and ring width, was available. A multiple linear regression analysis of all fiber and cell wall properties showed a significant, but not very strong effect on the variability of shear strength (R2 = 0.21). It is thus demonstrated that micro-structural variability plays a minor role in the variability of shear properties. By contrast, a multiple linear regression involving shear modulus, density, and slope of grain as three independent variables revealed an excellent possibility to model the variability of shear strength (R2 = 0.72). This study demonstrates the potential for non-destructive evaluation of the shear strength of solid wood.
THE PERIDERM DEVELOPMENT IN QUERCUS SUBER
Authors: Graça José , Pereira Helena
Published: April 2013

In the cork oak (Quercus suber L.), the phellogen differentiates during the first year of growth in the cell layer immediately under the epidermis and divides to form 3–6 suberized phellem cells. Division of the phellogen only occurs after suberization of the previous divided cell. During the first four years of growth, the phellem cells have tannin-filled lumens and it is only in the 5th to 7th years that they acquire the characteristics of ʻadultʼ cork cells with empty lumens and thin suberized walls. The lenticels are formed by the lenticular phellogen, which differentiates under the stomata and has a high meristematic activity. In this region, the cells are unsuberized, with a loose arrangement and intercellular voids, constituting the filling or complementary tissue. After three years, the lenticels appear as small protuberances that soon become conspicuous. Inclusions of sclerenchymatous nodules and isolated sclereids occur occasionally mostly in the vicinity of, or in, the lenticels.
THE BARK OF THE LATE TRIASSIC ARAUCARIOXYLON ARIZONICUM TREE FROM PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA
Authors: Ash Sidney R. , Savidge Rodney A.
Published: April 2013

This paper contains a description of the only known non-banded bark in the geologic record. The bark is attached to a branch of the Araucarioxylon arizonicum tree that was found recently in the Late Triassic Chinle Formation (~ 220 Mya) in Arizona. In the fossil the vascular cylinder is almost totally enclosed in rough bark 2–11 mm in thickness. The inner bark is less than 1 mm thick and comprises a very narrow zone of presumed phloem containing infrequent fibers. The outer bark varies in thickness up to 10 mm, and consists of curving lenses of sequent periderm free of both dilation tissue and resin canals but is quite unlike the banded bark of Araucaria heterophylla. Wide zones of very thin-walled rectangular parenchyma cells arranged in radial files and groups of thin-walled spongy parenchyma, and small clusters as well as solitary sclerenchyma occur in the rhytidome. The vascular cambium contains 1–4 fusiform cells per radial file. Uniseriate rays are common in the secondary xylem and extend to the cambial zone. Small (1 mm in diameter), simple tunnels in the bark and wood indicate that the branch was attacked by phytophagous insects. A possible petrified beetle larva similar in form and size to Anobium is associated with these tunnels.
PATTERNS OF DECAY CAUSED BY PYCNOPORUS SANGUINEUS AND GANODERMA LUCIDUM (APHYLLOPHORALES) IN POPLAR WOOD
Authors: Luna María Luján , Murace Mónica Adriana , Keil Gabriel Darío , Otaño Marcelo Eduardo
Published: April 2013

Populus deltoides clones are widely planted in Argentina, in a region called “Paraná River Delta”. In this site, Pycnoporus sanguineus and Ganoderma lucidum (Aphyllophorales) cause white-rot decay in both living and felled poplar trees. The purpose of this work was to estimate, through laboratory decay tests, the ability of both fungi to degrade poplar wood and to describe the patterns of decay using light and scanning electron microscopy. Two exposure times were analyzed: 75 and 150 days. The percent weight loss produced by both fungal strains was similar for both exposure periods (c. 50–60% of wood mass) but microscopic observations showed there were different patterns of decay. Samples inoculated with P. sanguineus showed a selective delignification, whereas those inoculated with G. lucidum exhibited a combination of simultaneous decay and selective delignification. Separation among cells was the main diagnostic feature for selective decay. By contrast, the presence of erosion troughs, cell wall thinning, bore holes, rounded pit erosion and erosion channels were diagnostic for the simultaneous type of decay.
TORUS LIGNIFICATION IN HARDWOODS
Authors: Coleman Christina M. , Prather Brian L. , Valente Matthew J. , Dute Roland R. , Miller Michael E.
Published: April 2013

Tori in wood of Osmanthus americanus, Daphne odora, Celtis occidentalis and Ulmus alata were tested for lignins using KMnO4 staining in conjunction with TEM, and acriflavine staining in concert with CLSM. It was hypothesized that impregnation with lignin could explain torus survival during cytoplasmic apoptosis. KMnO4 staining indicated torus lignification in all four woods, whereas only Osmanthus and Daphne tested positive for lignin with acriflavine. Tori in Celtis and Ulmus showed some evidence of partial breakdown during cell maturation, which might expose non-lignin sites for KMnO4 binding and thus produce spurious results. The acriflavine data correlate with developmental studies in which torus ontogeny occurs by one method in Osmanthus and Daphne and by another method in Celtis and Ulmus.
DISTRIBUTION AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF VEGETATIVE STORAGE PROTEINS IN LEGUMINOSAE
Authors: Tian Wei-Min , Hu Zheng-Hai
Published: April 2013

The distribution and ultrastructure of vegetative storage proteins in 44 species and one variety of 31 genera of Leguminosae were investigated by light- and electron microscopy and SDS-PAGE. Leguminosae are as a whole a vegetative storage protein-rich family, abundant with vacuolar protein inclusions in deciduous trees while much less so in evergreen trees. Several prominent proteins with molecular weights ranging from 15 to 45 kDa were isolated and identified to be vegetative storage proteins on the basis of their association with vacuolar protein inclusions and seasonal fluctuation. Vacuolar protein inclusions were present in protein body-like organelles in temperate species while localized in large central vacuoles in tropical ones during leafless periods. The inclusions varied in forms among species or in the same species, but the different forms were present in different cells, suggesting that vegetative storage proteins may be cell-type specific to some extent.
TREE RING ANALYSIS OF BRACHYSTEGIA SPICIFORMIS AND ISOBERLINIA TOMENTOSA: EVALUATION OF THE ENSO-SIGNAL IN THE MIOMBO WOODLAND OF EASTERN AFRICA
Authors: Trouet Valérie , Haneca Kristof , Coppin Pol , Beeckman Hans
Published: April 2013

The value of growth rings as proxy data for climate reconstruction was studied in two miombo woodland species in eastern Africa. Growth rings, marked by terminal parenchyma, were visually detectable on carefully prepared stem discs of Isoberlinia tomentosa and Brachystegia spiciformis, dominant species of the miombo woodland in north-western Tanzania. However, the presence of multiple growth ring anomalies rendered cross-dating of the growth ring series between trees difficult. Cross-dating succeeded for eight out of thirteen samples for Isoberlinia tomentosa, but was unsuccessful for Brachystegia spiciformis. A mean series of 38 years was calculated for Isoberlinia tomentosa only. Monthly precipitation, monthly maximum air temperature and monthly SOI-value (Southern Oscillation Index) correlated significantly with tree ring widths of the mean series. These correlations are strong indicators of the annual character of the growth rings. They also suggest that Isoberlinia tomentosa provides an appropriate paleoclimatic record for dendroclimatic reconstruction.
REACTION TISSUES IN GNETUM GNEMON A PRELIMINARY REPORT
Authors: Tomlinson P. B.
Published: April 2013

Gnetum gnemon exhibits Rouxʼs model of tree architecture, with clear differentiation of orthotropic from plagiotropic axes. All axes have similar anatomy and react to displacement in the same way. Secondary xylem of displaced stems shows little eccentricity of development and no reaction anatomy. In contrast, there is considerable eccentricity in extra-xylary tissue involving both primary and secondary production of apparent tension-wood fibres (gelatinous fibres) of three main kinds. Narrow primary fibres occur concentrically in all axes in the outer cortex as a normal developmental feature. In displaced axes gelatinous fibres are developed abundantly and eccentrically on the topographically upper side, from pre-existing and previously undetermined primary cortical cells. They are wide with lamellate cell walls. In addition narrow secondary phloem fibres are also differentiated abundantly and eccentrically on the upper side of displaced axes. These gelatinous fibres are narrow and without obviously lamellate cell walls. Eccentric gelatinous fibres thus occupy a position that suggests they have the function of tension wood fibres as found in angiosperms. This may be the first report in a gymnosperm of fibres with tension capability. Gnetum gne-mon thus exhibits reaction tissues of unique types, which are neither gymnospermous nor angiospermous. Reaction tissues seem important in maintaining the distinctive architecture of the tree.
APPLICATION OF NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY TO A DIVERSE RANGE OF SPECIES DEMONSTRATING WIDE DENSITY AND STIFFNESS VARIATION
Authors: Schimleck Laurence , Evans Robert , Ilic Jugo
Published: April 2013

The application of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to a large number of mixed species that display extremely wide variations in wood chemistry, anatomy and physical properties, is described. The mixed species samples were characterized in terms of density, longitudinal modulus of elasticity and microfibril angle. NIR spectra were obtained from the radial / longitudinal face of each sample and used to generate calibrations for the measured physical properties. The calibrations developed for density and longitudinal modulus of elasticity had the highest coefficients of determination (R2) and demonstrated that it is possible to develop general calibrations for these important wood properties across a wide range of species.

The mixed species calibrations were used to estimate wood properties of two species, Eucalyptus delegatensis R.T. Baker and Pinus radiata D.Don. The results obtained for density and longitudinal modulus of elasticity indicated that mixed species calibrations can be used to rank trees. In practice the extreme variation of samples selected for this study would not be required. It is expected that refinement of calibrations, through sample selection, would provide more accurate prediction of physical properties.
Deyeuxia gaoligongensis (Poaceae: Agrostidinae), a new species from Gaoligong Shan in Yunnan, China
Authors: PASZKO BEATA , PENDRY COLIN
Published: April 2013

Deyeuxia gaoligongensis, a new species from the Gaoligong Shan region of NW Yunnan, SW China, is described and illustrated. The new grass is morphologically similar to D. debilis, but differs from the latter by its well-developed lemma awn that is twisted at the base, geniculate, and inserted on the lower half of the back of the lemma.
New Zealand species of the genus Tripyla Bastian, 1865 (Nematoda: Triplonchida: Tripylidae). II: Two new, a known species and key to species
Authors: ZHAO ZENGQI , XU YUMEI
Published: April 2013

This paper describes three species of the genus Tripyla from New Zealand and provides a key to species based on the mor-phology of females. Tripyla daviesae sp. nov. is characterized by its short body length (L = 1143–1363 μm), relatively anterior vulva (V = 50–51%), and the length of the gubernaculum (13–17 μm). Tripyla tirau sp. nov. is characterized by its relatively posterior vulva (V = 55.5–59.5%), relatively short body length (930–1214 μm) and relatively short tail (c = 7.9–9.8). Tripyla affinis de Man, 1880 was recorded from New Zealand but without a detailed description which is pro-vided here. In addition, the phylogenetic relationships among the species were analyzed using data from the near full length small subunit (SSU) of the ribosomal rRNA genes, and confirmed that T. daviesae sp. nov. and T. tirau sp. nov. are distinct from all other species for which sequences are available.
The larvae of the Aegean endemic caddisflies Hydropsyche debirasi Malicky 1974 and Hydropsyche kleobis Malicky 2001 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) with notes on their ecology and zoogeography
Authors: KARAOUZAS IOANNIS
Published: April 2013

The larvae of Hydropsyche debirasi Malicky 1974 and Hydropsyche kleobis Malicky 2001, endemics of the Aegean Is-lands, Greece, are described for the first time. The diagnostic features of the species are described and illustrated and some information regarding their ecology and zoogeography are included.
Decadal Climate Prediction: An Update from the Trenches
Authors: Meehl Gerald A. , Goddard Lisa , Boer George , Burgman Robert , Branstator Grant , Cassou Christophe , Corti Susanna , Danabasoglu Gokhan , Doblas-Reyes Francisco , Hawkins Ed , Karspeck Alicia , Kimoto Masahide , Kumar Arun , Matei Daniela , Mignot Juliette , Msadek Rym , Navarra Antonio , Pohlmann Holger , Rienecker Michele , Rosati Tony , Schneider Edwin , Smith Doug , Sutton Rowan , Teng Haiyan , van Oldenborgh Geert Jan , Vecchi Gabriel , Yeager Stephen
Published: April 2013

This paper provides an update on research in the relatively new and fast-moving field of decadal climate prediction, and addresses the use of decadal climate predictions not only for potential users of such information but also for improving our understanding of processes in the climate system. External forcing influences the predictions throughout, but their contributions to predictive skill become dominant after most of the improved skill from initialization with observations vanishes after about 6–9 years. Recent multimodel results suggest that there is relatively more decadal predictive skill in the North Atlantic, western Pacific, and Indian Oceans than in other regions of the world oceans. Aspects of decadal variability of SSTs, like the mid-1970s shift in the Pacific, the mid-1990s shift in the northern North Atlantic and western Pacific, and the early-2000s hiatus, are better represented in initialized hindcasts compared to uninitialized simulations. There is evidence of higher skill in initialized multimodel ensemble decadal hindcasts than in single model results, with multimodel initialized predictions for near-term climate showing somewhat less global warming than uninitialized simulations. Some decadal hindcasts have shown statistically reliable predictions of surface temperature over various land and ocean regions for lead times of up to 6–9 years, but this needs to be investigated in a wider set of models. As in the early days of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) prediction, improvements to models will reduce the need for bias adjustment, and increase the reliability, and thus usefulness, of decadal climate predictions in the future.
A Dream of Freedom
Authors: Hristeva Galina
Published: April 2013

The correspondence of Sigmund Freud and Nikolay Y. Ossipov, a Russian psychoanalyst and emigré from the Bolshevik terror, was published for the first time in Germany in 2009. It reveals various ways in which psychoanalysis was first disseminated in Eastern Europe and sheds light on Ossipov’s contribution to psychoanalysis, especially his concept of the ego’s “cooperative complexity.” Along with viewing the correspondence as a tool capable of liberating creativity and stimulating scientific production—a perspective that may open up a new and promising research field—special focus is placed on Freud’s response to Ossipov’s efforts to expand psychoanalysis and link it with literature and speculative philosophy. A leitmotif of the letters is the freedom of science and the different reactions of the two men to the threats posed by politics. Freud’s warm and compassionate response to the precarious situation and creative efforts of Ossipov, the first analyst in exile, is examined.
Prediction of patient contacts by cognition in schizophrenia
Authors: Ernst Nielsen René , Haugaard Christoffer , Olrik Wallenstein Jensen Signe , Munk-Jørgensen Povl , Østergaard Christensen Torben
Published: April 2013

Objective:

To investigate the correlations between cognitive function and clinical outcome variables.

Method:

Patients diagnosed for the first time with schizophrenia between January 2004 and June 2010 were cognitively tested in conjunction with diagnostic procedures. Cognitive test data were connected to Danish healthcare registers and patients were followed in the registers from their first contact with psychiatric in- and outpatient care until October 2011.

Results:

Patients had impaired attention, processing speed and executive function as measured by Trail Making Test part B; their executive functions, as measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and working memory, as measured by Rigshospitalet’s digit span test, were unaffected as compared to norms. The admission rate, from schizophrenia diagnosis to the end of the study, was predicted by Trail Making Test part A, Rey’s Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), RAVLT (total learning), RAVLT (memory), d2 Test of Attention (total) and d2 type 2 error (error of commission), independent of gender, age and schizophrenia subtype. The length of hospitalization after the schizophrenia diagnosis was mainly determined by the schizophrenia subtype (schizophrenia simplex: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15–0.40, p < 0.001). Diagnosis was secondarily determined by deficits in attention and executive function, Trail Making Test part B, d2 Test of Attention (total), d2 type 1 error (error of omission), d2 type 2 error, and also by age and substance use disorder. The outpatient contact rate from schizophrenia diagnosis to the end of the study was predicted by d2 Test of Attention, Trail Making Test part A, and d2 type 2 error. The annual rate of criminal conviction, institutionalization and social retirement pension was mainly predicted by substance misuse.

Conclusion:

Cognitive function only predicted hospitalization and outpatient contacts to a minor degree in a cohort of newly diagnosed patients with schizophrenia.
ReadingMate
Authors: Kwon Bum chul , Yi Ji Soo , Zhu Yu
Published: April 2013

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of font size, interline spacing, and a technology called ReadingMate on the letter-counting task performance of users running on a treadmill.

Background:

Few researchers have investigated how runners read text while running on a treadmill. Our previous studies showed that ReadingMate had positive effects on the reading-while-running experience; however, the effect of other text conditions (i.e., font size and interline spacing) and the interplay between ReadingMate and such text conditions on the letter-counting task performance are not clearly understood.

Method:

Fifteen participants were recruited for the experiment. There were three main factors: display types (normal and ReadingMate), font sizes (8, 12, 16, and 20 point), and interline spacing (1.0×, 1.5×, 2.0×, and 2.5×). The researchers employed a letter-counting task. The performance was measured regarding task performance time, success rate of counting the target letter f, and number of give-ups.

Results:

Overall, the letter-counting task performance while running on a treadmill improved as font size and interline spacing increased, as expected. ReadingMate was more effective than normal display particularly when text was displayed in a small font size and with dense interline spacing.

Conclusion:

When text must be displayed in a small font size and with dense interline spacing, ReadingMate can be used to improve the users’ task performance.

Application:

Practical applications of ReadingMate include improving the text-reading experience in shaky environments, such as in aviation, construction, and transportation.
South African literature in the time of AIDS
Authors: Woods Tim
Published: April 2013

The political response to the crisis of HIV/AIDS in South Africa has been notoriously slow and chequered during the late 1990s and early 2000s. A sustained literary response, alert to the impact of the disease has been even slower, although this gathered pace by the mid-2000s in South Africa. This article investigates a number of these significant literary representations in relation to the understanding of HIV/AIDS in the South African public sphere. It focuses upon the ways in which representations of HIV/AIDS raise semiotic and political complexities, the problem of granting or denying sympathy, issues of literature’s attention to silences and differences, especially regarding those who have been culturally marginalized, and the ways in which HIV/AIDS is linked to changing representations of gender in South Africa. It seeks to demonstrate that, no longer constructing HIV/AIDS sufferers as dying subjects for whom nothing can be done, these literary narratives engineer a symbolic reorganization of subjectivity in the public sphere. Literary representations form part of a body of texts that are exhorting more transparency in public debate, demonstrating ways in which people can take greater responsibility for their health, and representing ordinary citizens as subjects with social, political, and psychological power and agency to alter their “life roles”. The article examines the ways in which this symbolic reorganization of subjectivity not only reflects but also projects a change in socio-medical power relations within South African society. Building a social responsibility, imagining new forms of citizenship, and creating new spaces for social justice, such literary narratives demonstrate a narrative transition from a depressed, debilitating doom to a new defiant defence; and in so doing, contribute to a transformative intervention in the public discourse of HIV/AIDS.
The Dynamics and Correlates of Religious Service Attendance in Adolescence
Authors: Hardie Jessica Halliday , Pearce Lisa D. , Denton Melinda Lundquist
Published: April 2013

This study examines changes in religious service attendance over time for a contemporary cohort of adolescents moving from middle to late adolescence. We use two waves of a nationally representative panel survey of youth from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to examine the dynamics of religious involvement during adolescence. We then follow with an analysis of how demographic characteristics, family background, and life course transitions relate to changes in religious service attendance during adolescence. Our findings suggest that, on average, adolescent religious service attendance declines over time, related to major life course transitions such as becoming employed, leaving home, and initiating sexual activity. Parents’ affiliation and attendance, on the other hand, are protective factors against decreasing attendance.
What Are the Odds?
Authors: Baker Thomas , Falco Metcalfe Christi , Jennings Wesley G.
Published: April 2013

A number of methodological techniques and theoretical propositions have been used in the extant literature on specialization/versatility. These various methodologies and theories have created an ongoing debate that has revealed several areas of focus that need to be addressed. The current study applies Moffitt’s (1993) taxonomy and uses a series of random effects logistic regression models to estimate the impact of a violent, property, drug, or other prior offense on the commission of a subsequent offense across different types of criminal careers. Specifically, we attempt to determine the odds a prior offense has on predicting a subsequent offense among four offender trajectories, controlling for various aspects of the criminal career and demographic characteristics. Findings suggest that the odds of committing any offense type over the life course are greater if the prior offense was of the same type. This relationship remains consistent across offender trajectories.
Measuring Deviant Sexual Interest Using the Emotional Stroop Task
Authors: Price Shelley A. , Beech Anthony R. , Mitchell Ian , Humphreys Glyn W.
Published: April 2013

The emotional Stroop task has been used to assess deviant sexual interests of sexual abusers. Two limitations noted in the literature are difficulties surrounding the choice of word stimuli and the task’s inability to elicit significant differences between offender subtypes thus far. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in emotional Stroop bias between three adult groups using new, empirically derived word stimuli intended to reflect sexual interests more specific to sexual abusers. Significant differences were found between sexual abusers and nonoffending controls for affective and sexual word stimuli. The results further support differential processing biases between sexual offenders and nonoffenders; however, difficulties in differentiating between offender groups are still evident. Implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Geographical movement of doctors from education to training and eventual career post: UK cohort studies
Authors: Goldacre Michael , Davidson Jean , Maisonneuve Jenny , Lambert Trevor
Published: April 2013

Summary

Objective

To investigate the geographical mobility of UK-trained doctors.

Design

Cohort studies conducted by postal questionnaires.

Setting

UK.

Participants

A total 31,353 UK-trained doctors in 11 cohorts defined by year of qualification, from 1974 to 2008.

Main outcome measures

Location of family home prior to medical school, location of medical school, region of first training post, region of first career post. Analysis for the UK divided into 17 standard geographical regions.

Results

The response rate was 81.2% (31,353/45,061; denominators, below, depended on how far the doctors’ careers had progressed). Of all respondents, 36% (11,381/31,353) attended a medical school in their home region and 48% (10,370/21,740) undertook specialty training in the same region as their medical school. Of respondents who had reached the grade of consultant or principal in general practice in the UK, 34% (4169/12,119) settled in the same region as their home before entering medical school. Of those in the UK, 70% (7643/ 10,887) held their first career post in the same region as either their home before medical school, or their medical school or their location of training. For 18% (1938/10,887), all four locations - family home, medical school, place of training, place of first career post - were within the same region. A higher percentage of doctors from the more recent than from the older cohorts settled in the region of their family home.

Conclusion

Many doctors do not change geographical region in their successive career moves, and recent cohorts appear less inclined to do so.
The long-term impact of early parental death: lessons from a narrative study
Authors: Ellis Jackie , Dowrick Chris , Lloyd-Williams Mari
Published: April 2013

Summary

Objective

To explore the individual experiences of those who had experienced the death of a parent(s) before the age of 18, and investigate how such experiences were perceived to impact on adult life.

Design

An exploratory qualitative design using written (n = 5) and oral (n= 28) narratives and narrative analysis was adopted to explore the experiences 33 adults (7 men and 26 women) who had experienced parental death during childhood.

Setting

UK

Participants

Individuals living in the North West of England who had lost a parent(s) before the age of 18.

Main outcome measures

Views of adults bereaved of a parent before the age of 18 of impact of parental loss in adult life.

Results

While individual experiences of bereavement in childhood were unique and context bound, the narratives were organized around three common themes: disruptions and continuity, the role of social networks and affiliations and communication and the extent to which these dynamics mediated the bereavement experience and the subsequent impact on adult life. Specifically they illustrate how discontinuity (or continuity that does not meet the child's needs), a lack of appropriate social support for both the child and surviving parent and a failure to provide clear and honest information at appropriate time points relevant to the child's level of understanding was perceived to have a negative impact in adulthood with regards to trust, relationships, self-esteem, feeling of self-worth loneliness and isolation and the ability to express feelings. A model is suggested for identifying and supporting those that may be more vulnerable to less favourable outcomes in adult life.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that if the negative consequences are to be minimized it is crucial that guidelines for ‘best practice’ that recognize the complex nature of the bereavement experience are followed.
James Lancaster's prevention of scurvy
Authors: Griffin Jp
Published: April 2013

To submit a letter in response to a JRSM article, please visit: http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com to find the article concerned, then click on the ‘send a quick comment’ link found in the article information section. Quick comments will automatically he considered for publication in print.
Interaction patterns in a steering group: Power and action outcome
Authors: Arnesson Kerstin , Albinsson Gunilla
Published: April 2013

The purpose of this article is to study interaction patterns within a steering group. Most large projects include a group of this kind whose task it is to steer towards set goals and provide the required resources. The origin of the research area lies in the observation that steering groups seem to have difficulties in living up to the expectations of project management and project participants, despite structured working methods such as regular meetings, distribution of responsibility and cooperation with different interested parties. By means of interviews and observations the article attempts to capture interaction patterns in a specific steering group. The study is anchored in theories of power with the purpose of supplying theoretical concepts and analytical tools. The most important conclusion is that the interaction patterns that emerged in the steering group rested on two foundations. The first one was that social relations in the steering group created power that was produced and manifested in different ways. The second one was that the exercise of power affected the action outcome, that is, the results of the actions and consequences for future actions. Another conclusion is that the exercising of the assignment presupposes four premises: the steering group member needs to have a positive approach to the project idea and the set goals, to have knowledge of the assignment, to have a position with the authority to make and carry out strategic decisions of the project, and be able to allocate time for active work and participation in meetings.
Perceived Environmental Dynamism, Relative Competitive Performance, and Top Management Team Heterogeneity: Examining Correlates of Upper Echelons’ Advice-Seeking
Authors: Heyden Mariano L. M. , van Doorn Sebastiaan , Reimer Marko , Van Den Bosch Frans A. J. , Volberda Henk W.
Published: April 2013

Advice-seeking is one of the most basic practices in making real-life decisions and has been shown to be a predominant mode of knowledge acquisition at the upper echelons level. Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in particular seek advice to obtain formulated judgments, opinions, and suggestions about current strategic directions and recommended alternatives for future courses of action. In this study we distinguish between intra-organizational and extra-organizational sources of advice and examine how factors at the environmental, firm, and top management team (TMT) level relate to patterns of CEO advice-seeking. We develop and test hypotheses linking perceived environmental dynamism, relative competitive firm performance, and TMT heterogeneity to CEO advice-seeking from internal and external sources and uncover asymmetric patterns. We discuss implications for upper echelons theory and strategic decision-making research.
Maria Helena Novaes – creative person, creative life
Authors: de Alencar Eunice ML Soriano
Published: April 2013

This article describes the characteristics and accomplishments of Maria Helena Novaes, one of the most creative school psychologists of Brazil. It identifies the people who influenced her and some of the factors that may have contributed to her achievements and rise to eminence. It highlights the numerous opportunities she received during her life for learning and personal growth, her enjoyment of reading and writing, as well as her leadership qualities and personal values. This article also illustrates the diversity of elements that led to the development of her talents throughout her life.