bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Small‐scale genetic structure in a marine population in relation to water circulation and egg characteristics
Authors: Ciannelli Lorenzo , Knutsen Halvor , Olsen Esben M. , Espeland Sigurd H. , Asplin Lars , Jelmert Anders , Knutsen Jan Atle , Stenseth Nils Chr
Published: June 2010

Until the last decade it was assumed that most marine species have pronounced gene flow over vast areas, largely because of their potential for dispersal during early life stages. However, recent genetic, modeling, and field studies have shown that marine populations may be structured at scales that are inconsistent with extensive dispersal of eggs and larvae. Such findings have stimulated the birth of new studies explaining the mechanisms that promote population structure and isolation in the oceans, in the face of high potential for dispersal. Here we study the vertical and horizontal distribution of cod (Gadus morhua) eggs in relation to small‐scale circulation and water column hydrography in a coastal location of southern Norway. Previous studies conducted in this region have shown that cod populations inhabiting fjord locations, which are on average 30 km apart, are genetically differentiated, a remarkable outcome considering that Atlantic cod have pelagic egg stages and long pelagic larval duration. We document that cod eggs are found in greater abundance in shallow water layers, which on average are flowing up the fjord (away from the open ocean), and in the inner portion of the fjord, which is subject to lower current speeds compared to the outer or mouth of the fjord. Eggs were found to be neutrally buoyant at shallow depths, a trait that also favors local retention, given the local circulation. The same patterns held during two environmentally contrasting years. These results strongly suggest that population structure of Atlantic cod is favored and maintained by a balance between water circulation and egg characteristics.
Shifts in phenotypic plasticity constrain the value of seabirds as ecological indicators of marine ecosystems
Authors: Grémillet David , Charmantier Anne
Published: June 2010

Marine ecosystems are critically challenged by human activities, urgently calling for better management practices. It has been proposed that conspicuous top predators such as seabirds may be used as ecological indicators. This approach requires intimate knowledge of relationships connecting seabird parameters to other ecosystem components (i.e., population plasticity, underlined by individual reaction norms), information which remains scarce. Furthermore, if seabirds are to be used as long‐term indicators, the strength of the average plastic response in a studied population has to be sustained through time and space. This second aspect has so far been startlingly neglected, although previous studies underline shifts in the plasticity of seabird traits and detail the tools allowing an evolutionary and ecological study of plasticity in bird populations. Building upon these advances, we argue that gradual or sudden spatiotemporal changes in seabird phenotypic plasticity should not be neglected when designing monitoring schemes. We conclude that seabirds are best used as qualitative sentinels, rather than as quantitative indicators.
Nitrogen regulation of the climate–carbon feedback: evidence from a long‐term global change experiment
Authors: Niu Shuli , Sherry Rebecca A. , Zhou Xuhui , Wan Shiqiang , Luo Yiqi
Published: June 2010

Modeling studies have shown that nitrogen (N) strongly regulates ecosystem responses and feedback to climate warming. However, it remains unclear what mechanisms underlie N regulation of ecosystem–climate interactions. To examine N regulation of ecosystem feedback to climate change, we have conducted a warming and clipping experiment since November 1999 in a tallgrass prairie of the Great Plains, USA. Infrared heaters were used to elevate soil temperature by an average of 1.96°C at a depth of 2.5 cm from 2000 to 2008. Yearly biomass clipping mimicked hay or biofuel feedstock harvest. We measured carbon (C) and N concentrations, estimated their content and C:N ratio in plant, root, litter, and soil pools. Warming significantly stimulated C storage in aboveground plant, root, and litter pools by 17%, 38%, and 29%, respectively, averaged over the nine years (all P < 0.05) but did not change soil C content or N content in any pool. Plant C:N ratio and nitrogen use efficiency increased in the warmed plots compared to the control plots, resulting primarily from increased dominance of C4 plants in the community. Clipping significantly decreased C and N storage in plant and litter pools (all P < 0.05) but did not have interactive effects with warming on either C or N pools over the nine years. Our results suggest that increased ecosystem nitrogen use efficiency via a shift in species composition toward C4 dominance rather than plant N uptake is a key mechanism underlying warming stimulation of plant biomass growth.
On the elasticity of range limits during periods of expansion
Authors: Kubisch Alexander , Hovestadt Thomas , Poethke Hans-Joachim
Published: June 2010

Dispersal is known to play a crucial role in the formation of species' ranges. Recent studies demonstrate that dispersiveness increases rapidly during the range expansion of species due to a fitness increase for dispersers at the expanding front. R. D. Holt concluded, however, that emigration should decline after the period of invasion and hence predicted some range contraction following the initial expansion phase. In this study, we evaluate this hypothesis using a spatially explicit individual‐based model of populations distributed along environmental gradients. In our experiments we allow the species to spread along a gradient of declining conditions. Results show that range contraction did emerge in a gradient of dispersal mortality, caused by the rapid increase in emigration probability during invasion and selection disfavoring dispersal, once a stable range is formed. However, gradients in growth rate, local extinction rate, and patch capacity did not lead to a noticeable contraction of the range. We conclude, that the phenomenon of range contraction may emerge, but only under conditions that select for a reduction in dispersal at the range edge in comparison to the core region once the expansion period is over.
Similar cation exchange capacities among bryophyte species refute a presumed mechanism of peatland acidification
Authors: Soudzilovskaia N. A. , Cornelissen J. H. C. , During H. J. , van Logtestijn R. S. P. , Lang S. I. , Aerts R.
Published: June 2010

Fen–bog succession is accompanied by strong increases of carbon accumulation rates. We tested the prevailing hypothesis that living Sphagna have extraordinarily high cation exchange capacity (CEC) and therefore acidify their environment by exchanging tissue‐bound protons for basic cations in soil water. AsSphagnuminvasion in a peatland usually coincides with succession from a brown moss‐dominated alkaline fen to an acidic bog, the CEC of Sphagna is widely believed to play an important role in this acidification process. However,SphagnumCEC has never been compared explicitly to that of a wide range of other bryophyte taxa. Whether high CEC directly leads to the ability to acidify the environment in situ also remains to be tested.

We screened 20 predominant subarctic bryophyte species, including fen brown mosses and bog Sphagna for CEC, in situ soil water acidification capacity (AC), and peat acid neutralizing capacity (ANC). All these bryophyte species possessed substantial CEC, which was remarkably similar for brown mosses and Sphagna. This refutes the commonly accepted idea of livingSphagnumCEC being responsible for peatland acidification, asSphagnum's ecological predecessors, brown mosses, can do the same job.SphagnumAC was several times higher than that of other bryophytes, suggesting that CE (cation exchange) sites of Sphagna in situ are not saturated with basic cations, probably due to the virtual absence of these cations in the bog water. Together, these results suggest that Sphagna can not realize their CEC in bogs, while fen mosses can do so in fens. The fen peat ANC was 65% higher than bog ANC, indicating that acidity released by brown mosses in the CE process was neutralized, maintaining an alkaline environment.

We propose two successional pathways indicating boundaries for a fen–bog shift with respect to bryophyte CEC. In neither of them isSphagnumCE an important factor. We conclude that livingSphagnumCEC does not play any considerable role in the fen–bog shift. Alternatively, we propose that exclusively indirect effects ofSphagnumexpansion such as peat accumulation and subsequent blocking of upward alkaline soil water transport are keys to the fen–bog succession and therefore for bog‐associated carbon accumulation.
Dissolved iron supply limits early growth of estuarine mangroves
Authors: Alongi Daniel M.
Published: June 2010

Three mesocosm experiments were performed in an outdoor facility to quantify the responses of five mangrove species grown from seedling to sapling stage to increasing rates of dissolved iron supply. Stem extension and biomass of mangroves were measured in the first two experiments, and in the third experiment, rates of microbial iron reduction were measured in relation to stem extension of two mangrove species. In all experiments, mangrove growth was enhanced by increasing iron supply, although some species showed iron toxicity at the higher supply rates. In the first two experiments, stem extension rates of Rhizophora apiculata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and Xylocarpus moluccensis best fit Gaussian curves with maximal growth at supply rates of 50–60 mmol Fe·m−2·d−1, whereas growth of Avicennia marina and Ceriops tagal increased to the highest rate (100 mmol Fe·m−2·d−1) of iron supply. Changes in leaf chlorophyll concentrations and iron content of roots mirrored the growth responses. In the third experiment, rates of microbial iron reduction were greater with R. apiculata and A. marina than in controls without plants; for both species, there was a positive relationship between stem extension and iron reduction. The rates of iron reduction and rates of iron supplied to the plants were well within the range of interstitial iron concentrations and rates of iron reduction found in the natural mangrove soils from which the seedlings were obtained. The responses of these species show that mangroves growing from seedling to sapling stage have a strong nutritional requirement for iron, and that there is a close relationship between plant roots and the activities of iron‐reducing bacteria. These results suggest that mangrove growth may be limited in some natural forests by the rate at which iron is solubilized by iron‐reducing bacteria. Such biogeochemical conditions have significant implications for successful recruitment, establishment, and early growth of mangroves.
Indirect effects of a key ecosystem engineer alter survival and growth of foundation coral species
Authors: White Jada-Simone S. , O'Donnell James L.
Published: June 2010

Stegastes nigricans, a “farmerfish” that cultivates algal turf and defends territories from grazers and other intruders, can affect coral indirectly due to increased competition with farmed algal turf and/or reduced predation resulting from territorial aggression directed at corallivores. To investigate the indirect effects of this key ecosystem engineer on coral mortality and growth, we transplanted caged and exposed fragments of four coral species to patch reefs in French Polynesia on which we manipulated the presence of S. nigricans and turf, and to reefs naturally devoid of S. nigricans. Reef access was two to four times higher for herbivorous fishes, and two times higher for corallivorous fishes, when S. nigricans was removed, indicating that reef access is reduced for two important guilds of fishes when S. nigricans is present. Stegastes' territoriality indirectly benefited delicate acroporids (Montipora floweri and Acropora striata), yielding a twofold to fivefold reduction in skeletal loss due to lower predation frequencies in the presence of S. nigricans. Three corals, A. striata, M. floweri, and especially Porites australiensis, suffered mortality due to overgrowth significantly more frequently in the presence of farmed turf, but Pocillopora verrucosa did not. Algal abundance predicted the frequency of overgrowth for only A. striata and P. australiensis. M. floweri were more likely to be overgrown when exposed (uncaged) in the presence of S. nigricans, suggesting an interaction modification, in this case that initial predation increased susceptibility to competition with turf. In this community, the presence of S. nigricans may increase algal overgrowth of massive Porites by facilitating its turf competitors and simultaneously reduce predation of branching corals through territorial exclusion of corallivores. These indirect interactions may underlie previously documented community transitions from disturbance‐resistant massive coral to recovering branching corals within S. nigricans territories.
On the evidence for species coexistence: a critique of the coexistence program
Authors: Siepielski Adam M. , McPeek Mark A.
Published: June 2010

A major challenge in ecology is to understand how the millions of species on Earth are organized into biological communities. Mechanisms promoting coexistence are one such class of organizing processes, which allow multiple species to persist in the same trophic level of a given web of species interactions. If some mechanism promotes the coexistence of two or more species, each species must be able to increase when it is rare and the others are at their typical abundances; this invasibility criterion is fundamental evidence for species coexistence regardless of the mechanism. In an attempt to evaluate the level of empirical support for coexistence mechanisms in nature, we surveyed the literature for empirical studies of coexistence at a local scale (i.e., species found living together in one place) to determine whether these studies satisfied the invasibility criterion. In our survey, only seven of 323 studies that drew conclusions about species coexistence evaluated invasibility in some way in either observational or experimental studies. In addition, only three other studies evaluated necessary but not sufficient conditions for invasibility (i.e., negative density dependence and a trade‐off in performance that influences population regulation). These results indicate that, while species coexistence is a prevalent assumption for why species are able to live together in one place, critical empirical tests of this fundamental assumption of community structure are rarely performed. These tests are central to developing a more robust understanding of the relative contributions of both deterministic and stochastic processes structuring biological communities.
Etiology of Obsessive Beliefs: A Behavioral-Genetic Analysis
Authors: Taylor Steven , Afifi Tracie O. , Stein Murray B. , Asmundson Gordon J. G. , Jang Kerry L.
Published: June 2010

Contemporary cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder, derived from Beck’s cognitive approach to emotional disorders, emphasize the importance of particular dysfunctional beliefs in giving rise to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. These beliefs represent three factor-analytically distinct domains: (a) The overimportance of one’s thoughts and the need to control these thoughts; (b) perfectionism and the intolerance of uncertainty; and (c) inflated personal responsibility and the overestimation of threat. The models suggest that these beliefs arise from environmental factors, such as exposure to particular forms of learning. To test this assumption, we conducted a behavioral-genetic analysis of scores on these dysfunctional beliefs from a community sample of 167 monozygotic and 140 dizygotic twin pairs. Results indicated that the beliefs are significantly heritable, with genetic factors accounting for 32% to 40% of the variance in scores. Over two-thirds of the variance in scores for the three types of beliefs was attributable to a set of genetic and environmental factors that influenced all of these beliefs. Results suggest that contemporary cognitive models require revision, because they erroneously attribute the development of OC-related dysfunctional beliefs entirely to environmental factors.
Obsessive Beliefs in Youth With OCD and Their Mothers
Authors: Pietrefesa Ashley S. , Schofield Casey A. , Whiteside Stephen P. , Sochting Ingrid , Coles Meredith E.
Published: June 2010

The current study builds from mounting support for a role of OCD-related beliefs in pediatric OCD and evidence suggesting a role of both genetic and environmental factors in conferring risk for obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Specifically, data are presented examining the correspondence in OCD-related beliefs in 28 youth with OCD and their mothers. Findings showed a significant, moderate, positive correlation between youth and their mothers’ beliefs regarding inflated perceptions of personal responsibility and the likelihood of threat. However, perfectionism and certainty beliefs were not significantly correlated across generations, and beliefs regarding the importance and control of thoughts were negatively correlated in youth with OCD and their mothers. These initial findings are consistent with previous studies from unselected adolescents and adults with OCD and their relatives in suggesting that familial loading may be particularly strong for responsibility and threat beliefs.
Periodontal Conditions in Elderly Men With and Without Osteoporosis or Osteopenia
Authors: Shum Irma , Leung Ping‐Chung , Kwok Anthony , Corbet Esmonde F. , Orwoll Eric S. , Phipps Kathy R. , Jin Lijian
Published: June 2010

Background: The purpose of this case‐control study is to investigate the periodontal conditions in elderly men with and without osteoporosis or osteopenia and to determine their possible association with periodontal destruction.

Methods: A total of 200 community‐dwelling Chinese males (age range: 69 to 78 years; mean ± SD age: 71.9 ± 3.3 years) were recruited from the Jockey Club Center for Osteoporosis Care and Control, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, including 67 subjects with osteoporosis, 66 subjects with osteopenia, and 67 age‐matched normal control subjects based on bone mineral density at the hip, spine, and whole body measured by dual‐energy x‐ray densitometry. All subjects were interviewed using questionnaires and received a full‐mouth periodontal examination.

Results: Subjects with osteoporosis exhibited a significantly higher percentage of sites with clinical attachment loss (AL) ≥6 mm compared to subjects with osteopenia (P <0.05); subjects with osteoporosis also showed a greater percentage of sites with interproximal gingival recession (GR) ≥5 mm than did control subjects (P <0.05) after excluding smokers. Subjects with osteoporosis were more likely (odds ratio = 3.3; P <0.05) to exhibit interproximal GR ≥5 mm than were control subjects. Osteoporosis remained significantly associated with severe clinical AL and interproximal GR after adjusting for age, supragingival plaque, and number of teeth lost.

Conclusion: This study suggests that osteoporosis is associated with severe clinical AL and interproximal GR in elderly Chinese men.
Crestal Bone–Level Changes Around Implants Placed in Post‐Extraction Sockets Augmented With Demineralized Freeze‐Dried Bone Allograft: A Retrospective Radiographic Study
Authors: Koutouzis Theofilos , Lundgren Tord
Published: June 2010

Background: There is limited information regarding marginal crestal bone–level changes around implants placed in post‐extraction sockets augmented with demineralized freeze‐dried bone allograft (DFDBA). The aim of this study was to retrospectively compare bone‐level changes around implants placed in post‐extraction sockets augmented with DFDBA to implants placed in native bone.

Methods: Records of 30 consecutive patients treated with dental implants placed in post‐extraction sockets augmented with DFDBA and 30 consecutive patients with implants placed in native bone were reviewed. For each implant, the radiographs from the surgical appointment were compared to those from the last follow‐up visit and evaluated regarding changes of marginal bone level over time.

Results: The overall survival rate from baseline to the last follow‐up visit was 100% for both groups. The mean marginal bone loss was 0.15 mm for both groups for a mean follow‐up time of 12 months. There were no significant differences regarding the percentage of implants and implant surfaces demonstrating marginal bone loss.

Conclusion: The present study indicates implants placed in post‐extraction sockets augmented with DFDBA exhibited minimal marginal bone loss similar to implants placed in native bone.
Performance Evaluation of a Constructed Wetland Treating High‐Ammonium Primary Domestic Wastewater Effluent
Authors: Spokas L.A. , Veneman P.L.M. , Simkins S.C. , Long S.C.
Published: June 2010

An investigation of a top‐loading, vertical‐flow, submerged‐bed constructed wetland system subject to a New York State discharge permit, of mineral nitrogen transformations occurring within the wetland units, and of the effects of local environment on system performance indicated 100% removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and mean 99.0 ± 1.1% removal of ammonium (NH4+). The wetland system, located in Highland, New York, treats primary domestic wastewater effluent and consists of four beds presently operated in series. Influent and effluent samples from each of the four treatment units were analyzed for BOD, ammonium‐nitrogen (NH4+‐N), nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3−‐N), and nitrite‐nitrogen (NO2−‐N). During the study, mean influent wastewater concentrations were 170.8, 3.1, and 0.015 mg/L for NH4+‐N, NO3−‐N, and NO2−‐N, respectively. Mean effluent concentrations of NH4+‐N, NO3−‐N, and NO2−‐N were 1.9, 4.2, and 0.002 mg/L, respectively.
Photo‐Degradation of C.I. Disperse Blue 56 by UV Irradiation Combined with Manganese Minerals
Authors: Fu Jie , Sheng Sheng , Luo Yin , Zhao Hui , Zeng Qing‐Fu , An Shu‐Qing , Zhu Hai‐Liang
Published: June 2010

Photo‐degradation of C.I. Disperse Blue 56 (DB56) by UV irradiation combined with manganese minerals (UV/MM) was investigated in this paper. Through comparative study with the UV/titanium dioxide (TiO2) process, it was found that the UV/MM method had similar photodegradation efficiency to UV/TiO2 and was slightly more effective in removing the toxicity. In the conditions of DB56 concentration = 400 mg/L, pH = 9.0, manganese minerals dosage = 20 g/L, room temperature (25°C), dissolved oxygen (O2) = 50 L/h, and reaction time = 1 hour, the color and chemical oxygen demand removal percentages were up to approximately 94 and 51%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that UV/MM is an alternative approach that should be explored further in the treatment of dyeing wastewaters.
Nitrate Removal from Agricultural Infiltrate by Bioaugmented Free and Alginate Entrapped Cells
Authors: Siripattanakul Sumana , Pochant Carlee J. , Khan Eakalak
Published: June 2010

A bench‐scale sand column experiment was conducted to investigate nitrate removal from synthetic agricultural infiltrate by denitrifying bacterial cells entrapped in calcium alginate compared to free cells. The effects of methanol as a carbon source and cell loading were examined. Low (0 to 50%) nitrate removal was observed in both entrapped and free‐cell columns without methanol supplement. In the presence of methanol, nitrate removals of 90 to 99% and 56 to 75% were obtained for entrapped and free‐cell columns, respectively. Nitrate removal followed first‐order kinetics. The entrapped‐cell columns achieved higher nitrate removal than the free‐cell columns because of less bacterial losses. Scanning electron microscopic images supported the nitrate removal results that the denitrifying bacteria proliferated in the entrapment matrix, and several nitrogen gas voids were produced from denitrification.
Nest Turnover Rates and List‐Frame Decay in Bald Eagles: Implications for the National Monitoring Plan
Authors: WATTS BRYAN D. , DUERR ADAM E.
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT  In accordance with federal regulations, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service developed a postdelisting monitoring plan for the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) designed to detect a change in the number of occupied nests on a national scale. The plan employs a dual‐frame approach to the survey design where a list frame (list of known nests) and an area frame (set of survey plots) are used in concert to estimate the number of occupied nests in 5‐year intervals over a 20‐year period. The plan offers no provisions for changes in list‐frame integrity, nor does it contemplate the impact of such changes on survey performance. We used a long‐term data set to quantify occupancy patterns for nests in Virginia, USA, and evaluated their influence on integrity of the list frame and performance of the proposed dual‐frame monitoring approach. The average annual turnover rate for nests was 0.261, resulting in a rapid decay of the list frame. Decay of the list frame leads to a functional collapse of the dual‐frame approach, down to the area‐frame survey alone, early within the monitoring time horizon. This early decay of the list frame implies that the area‐frame coverage needed to maintain the same statistical power as stated in the monitoring plan would have to be increased by a factor of 3 to 5 beyond that recommended in the current plan. Remedies for this deficiency undermine the cost benefit associated with inclusion of the list frame. We examined response of the dual‐frame survey to variation in nest turnover rates and population growth rates and defined a state space where time to collapse is beyond the proposed 20‐year time horizon. Because, under realistic estimates of turnover rates, the dual‐frame approach collapses to the area frame within the proposed monitoring window, we recommend that the costs of list‐frame maintenance be included in the procedure to optimize allocation of survey effort.
Does Supplemental Feed Increase Selective Foraging in a Browsing Ungulate?
Authors: TIMMONS GARRETT R. , HEWITT DAVID G. , DEYOUNG CHARLES A. , FULBRIGHT TIMOTHY E. , DRAEGER DON A.
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT  Provision of supplemental feed to large herbivores is a common management practice that may motivate selective foraging, thereby influencing plant community composition. Our objective was to assess the effect of a high‐quality supplement on diet composition and nutritional quality for white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We permanently released hand‐reared deer into 4 81‐ha enclosures; in 2 enclosures we provided a pelleted supplement. We conducted bite‐count studies seasonally to assess diet composition and quality. Supplemented deer reduced mast (fruits and pods of woody plants and cacti) in their diets (P < 0.019) during spring and autumn compared to unsupplemented deer. Diets of deer in supplemented enclosures had 2 times greater proportion of browse during spring (P = 0.065) and 5 times greater proportion of forbs during autumn (P = 0.007). Quality of the forage portion of the diet did not vary by treatment during winter or summer. Metabolizable energy concentration was 13% greater (P = 0.054) in spring and digestible protein content was 3 times greater (P = 0.006) during autumn in diets of supplemented compared to unsupplemented deer. Our results support the selective foraging hypothesis during autumn but not during winter, spring, or summer. Furthermore, white‐tailed deer did not reduce the proportion of their diet composed of browse, but did reduce consumption of mast. Supplemented deer continued to eat poor‐quality, chemically defended forage, perhaps to alleviate ruminal acidosis induced by the supplement or because nutrients in the supplement increased the deer's ability to detoxify chemically defended browses. A decline in mast consumption by supplemented deer could influence plant communities, depending on the role of deer in seed dispersal and seed predation. Impacts of supplemental feed on selective foraging of white‐tailed deer in shrub‐dominated rangelands are more complex than suggested by previous research. Long‐term studies of vegetation communities are needed before wildlife managers will be able to fully incorporate effects of supplemental feed into management decisions.
Encounter Rates From Road‐Based Surveys of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys in Texas
Authors: ERXLEBEN DEVIN R. , BUTLER MATTHEW J. , BALLARD WARREN B. , WALLACE MARK C. , HARDIN JASON B. , DEMASO STEPHEN J.
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT Traditional index‐based techniques have indicated declines in Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia; hereafter, wild turkey) populations across much of Texas, USA. However, population indices can be unreliable. Research has indicated that road‐based surveys may be an efficacious technique for monitoring wild turkey populations on an ecoregion level. Therefore, our goal was to evaluate applicability of road‐based distance sampling in the Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Rolling Plains, and South Texas ecoregions of Texas. We conducted road‐based surveys in each ecoregion during December 2007—March 2008 to estimate wild turkey flock encounter rates and to determine survey effort (i.e., km of roads) required to obtain adequate sample sizes for distance sampling in each ecoregion. With simulations using inflatable turkey decoys, we also evaluated effects of distance to a flock, flock size, and vegetative cover on turkey flock detectability. Encounter rates of wild turkey flocks from road‐based surveys varied from 0.1 (95% CI = 0.0–0.6) to 2.2 (95% CI = 0.8–6.0) flocks/100 km surveyed. Encounter rates from surveys restricted to riparian communities (i.e., areas ≤1 km from a river or stream) varied from 0.2 (95% CI = 0.1–0.6) to 2.9 (95% CI = 1.5–6.7) flocks/100 km surveyed. Flock detection probabilities from field simulations ranged from 22.5% (95% CI = 16.3–29.8%) to 25.0% (95% CI = 13.6–39.6%). Flock detection probabilities were lower than expected in all 4 ecoregions, which resulted in low encounter rates. Estimated survey effort required to obtain adequate sample sizes for distance sampling ranged from 2,765 km (95% CI = 2,597–2,956 km) in the Edwards Plateau to 37,153 km (95% CI = 12,861–107,329 km) in South Texas. When we restricted road‐based surveys to riparian communities, estimated survey effort ranged from 2,222 km (95% CI = 2,092–2,370 km) in the Edwards Plateau to 22,222 km (95% CI = 19,782–25,349 km) in South Texas.
Population Structure of Tundra Swans Wintering in Eastern North America
Authors: WILKINS KHRISTI A. , MALECKI RICHARD A. , SULLIVAN PATRICK J. , FULLER JOSEPH C. , DUNN JOHN P. , HINDMAN LARRY J. , COSTANZO GARY R. , PETRIE SCOTT A. , LUSZCZ DENNIS
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT  Our objective was to determine whether there were subpopulations within the eastern population of tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) wintering along the mid‐Atlantic coast. Movement rates between regions were substantial enough to result in continual mixing of wintering birds. Thus, we were unable to identify distinct subpopulations based on exclusive use of specific wintering areas. These birds should therefore be monitored, and their harvest managed, as if they were one population.
Calibrating Recruitment Estimates for Mourning Doves From Harvest Age Ratios
Authors: MILLER DAVID A. , OTIS DAVID L.
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT  We examined results from the first national‐scale effort to estimate mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) age ratios and developed a simple, efficient, and generalizable methodology for calibrating estimates. Our method predicted age classes of unknown‐age wings based on backward projection of molt distributions from fall harvest collections to preseason banding. We estimated 1) the proportion of late‐molt individuals in each age class, and 2) the molt rates of juvenile and adult birds. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrated our estimator was minimally biased. We estimated model parameters using 96,811 wings collected from hunters and 42,189 birds banded during preseason from 68 collection blocks in 22 states during the 2005–2007 hunting seasons. We also used estimates to derive a correction factor, based on latitude and longitude of samples, which can be applied to future surveys. We estimated differential vulnerability of age classes to harvest using data from banded birds and applied that to harvest age ratios to estimate population age ratios. Average, uncorrected age ratio of known‐age wings for states that allow hunting was 2.25 (SD 0.85) juveniles:adult, and average, corrected ratio was 1.91 (SD 0.68), as determined from harvest age ratios from an independent sample of 41,084 wings collected from random hunters in 2007 and 2008. We used an independent estimate of differential vulnerability to adjust corrected harvest age ratios and estimated the average population age ratio as 1.45 (SD 0.52), a direct measure of recruitment rates. Average annual recruitment rates were highest east of the Mississippi River and in the northwestern United States, with lower rates between. Our results demonstrate a robust methodology for calibrating recruitment estimates for mourning doves and represent the first large‐scale estimates of recruitment for the species. Our methods can be used by managers to correct future harvest survey data to generate recruitment estimates for use in formulating harvest management strategies.
Sound Intensity of Booming in Lesser Prairie‐Chickens
Authors: BUTLER MATTHEW J. , BALLARD WARREN B. , HOLT R. DOUGLAS , WHITLAW HEATHER A.
Published: June 2010

ABSTRACT  Wildlife managers traditionally monitored lesser prairie‐chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) populations using road‐based lek surveys and assumed booming can be heard ≥1.6 km from a lek. To assess this assumption, we measured sound intensity (decibels) of booming lesser prairie‐chickens. Our results indicated sound intensity 1.6 km from a lek would be less than or equal to the sound intensity of a whisper. Thus, 1.6 km is probably too great a distance for audible detection of booming in many conditions.
Prediction of Minimum Fluidization Velocity in Two-Phase and Three-Phase Fluidized Beds: Air/Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Liquids
Authors: Venkatachalam Sivakumar , Kandasamy Senthilkumar
Published: June 2010

The present experimental data on minimum fluidization velocity for two-phase and three-phase fluidized beds, involving 459 measurements were used for the analysis. Apart from this, 70 literature data points from different published sources, using 11 different liquids and 11 different particles have been used for the development of minimum fluidization velocity correlation. The developed correlation for the prediction of the minimum fluidization velocity for two-phase and three-phase fluidized beds was found to be satisfactory for the Newtonian and non-Newtonian systems with a wide range of variables covered in the present investigation.
Biomass Sourcing and Logistics: From Theory to Practice
Authors: Veringa Niemela Marita , Roder Hubert , Murray Gordon
Published: June 2010

Renewable raw materials are increasingly utilized as primary energy or converted to solid, gaseous or liquid secondary fuels. Biomass sourcing and logistics is a key consideration when striving to successful industrial scale operation. Many studies in theory show sufficient biomass potentials and also address logistics. In reality, expert knowledge is required for a sound biomass procurement strategy when making investment decisions. This study demonstrates how sustainable biomass chains are evaluated for commercial plants considering all aspects of cost, risk, and partnerships in global view while also keeping in mind the local site specific operations.
Influence of Phase Compositions, pH and Temperature on Bovine Serum Albumin Partitioning in Aqueous Biphasic System
Authors: Muthiah Perumalsamy , Pampana Bharat Kumar
Published: June 2010

The partitioning of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated in polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000-sodium citrate system at 308K and 318K with varying pHs and tie line lengths (TLL). The systems were prepared at a pH of 5.2, 7.1 and 9.2 with different TLL compositions. The affinity of the BSA for the lower phase increases with an increase in pH, which is due to an increase of trivalent to divalent citrate ions in the two phase system. The affinity of the BSA to the upper phase increases with an increase in TLL, which is due to the increase in available free volume in the upper phase. As the temperature increases, the partition coefficient of BSA shows increment.
On the number of Kekulé structures of fluoranthene congeners
Authors: Vukicevic Damir , Djurdjevic Jelena , Gutman Ivan
Published: June 2010

The Kekul? structure count K of fluoranthene congeners is studied. It is shown that for such polycyclic conjugated ?-electron systems, either K = 0 or K ? 3. Moreover, for every t ? 3, there are infinitely many fluoranthene congeners having exactly t Kekul? structures. Three classes of Kekul?an fluoranthenes are distinguished: (i) ?0 - fluoranthene congeners in which neither the male nor the female benzenoid fragment has Kekul? structures, (ii) ?m - fluoranthene congeners in which the male benzenoid fragment has Kekul? structures, but the female does not, and (iii) ?fm - fluoranthene congeners in which both the male and female benzenoid fragments have Kekul? structures. Necessary and sufficient conditions are established for each class, ? = ?0, ?m, ?fm, such that for a given positive integer t, there exist fluoranthene congeners in ? with the property K = t.
Knowledge and attitudes of allied health professional students regarding the stroke rehabilitation team and the role of the Speech and Language Therapist
Authors: Byrne Áine , Pettigrew Catharine M.
Published: June 2010

Background: One of the major barriers to effective team working among healthcare professionals is a lack of knowledge of each other's roles. The importance of understanding Irish healthcare students' attitudes towards team working and each other's roles led to the development of this study.

Aims: The aims were to investigate allied health professional students' perceptions and experiences of the stroke rehabilitation team and the role of the Speech and Language Therapist (SLT).

Methods & Procedures: A survey first developed by Felsher and Ross (1994) and further developed by Insalaco et al. (2007) was adapted to the Irish healthcare setting. The survey was administered to final‐year Occupational Therapy (n = 23), Speech and Language Therapy (21) students and Physiotherapy (20) students (64 in total) (a 98.5% response rate).

Outcomes & Results: Results indicate that students had a good understanding of teamwork in the healthcare setting and the possible benefits and challenges it presents. Students had a strong appreciation for interprofessional collaboration, with the majority (79%) choosing shared leadership as their preferred option for the stroke rehabilitation team. Further to this, the team approaches that students felt were most appropriate for the stroke rehabilitation setting were the more collaborative approaches of interdisciplinary (43.5%) and transdisciplinary (37.1%). The students had clear perceptions of the SLT's role in aphasia, dysphagia, dysarthria, apraxia and auditory agnosia, but were less knowledgeable of the SLT's role in the acquired disorders of alexia and agraphia (p < 0.05). More than half of all students perceived that the SLT is involved in the treatment of hemispatial neglect (55.5%), depression (71.5%) and visual agnosia (59.4%).

Conclusions & Implications: The results provide valuable information for further developments in interprofessional education at an undergraduate level. Further opportunities should be provided to students to collaborate with each other, particularly in their final year of training as, by then, students have a well‐established knowledge of their own roles and would be more capable of sharing this role with other professions. Through this collaboration students would also gain valuable insight into the importance of teamwork, which they could take with them into their professional careers.
On the Taste of the Regions
Authors: Tschofen Bernhard
Published: June 2010

Regional culinary 'specialities' are usually considered as indicative of the culture of specific areas, of their traditions and ways of life. Only recently has research begun to focus on the processes that constitute regional food cultures. This article traces the use of 'culinary heritage' as a concept in regional practices and European politics, developing an analysis of how everyday food practices are transformed first into cultural heritage, and then into cultural property. It then presents a comparative ethnographic project aiming at a cultural analysis of procedures involved in the EU food quality assurance system. In conclusion, the article proposes perspectives that may help fill the gaps in research identified in this context.
Towards a New Ethnology
Authors: Kockel Ullrich
Published: June 2010

The previous issue of AJEC had ‘Ethnological Approaches to Cultural Heritages’ as its theme. As that issue was being produced, the Société Internationale d’Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF) held its 9th Congress, entitled ‘Transcending European Heritages: Liberating the Ethnological Imagination’, at the University of Ulster during the week 16–20 June, 2008 (see Fenske 2008 for details). This offered an opportunity to explore our theme further, and therefore the plenary speakers at that congress, representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds and approaches, nationalities and intellectual biographies, were invited to submit their texts for the present issue.
Expressive Resources
Authors: Bendix Regina
Published: June 2010

Drawing examples from ethnic and popular music as well as from folk art, the paper explores the multivalence of expressive forms as local and European, even global aesthetic resources, whose territorial or ethno-national connection is - due to the power of aesthetic affect - but one among many possibilities of identification. It is argued first that the resource dimension of cultural expression has been furthered by the documentation and classification techniques of ethnological and folkloristic knowledge production, which in turn also facilitated circulation in multiple context. Second, the paper encourages that scholarship expand from recognising a political identification and instrumentalisation of aesthetic resources to understanding the economic appropriation of the production and consumption of such resources.
Pelasgic Encounters in the Greek-Albanian Borderland
Authors: de Rapper Gilles
Published: June 2010

In the last ten years, many books and articles dedicated to Pelasgians have been published in Albania, mostly by amateur historians and linguists. These works question the official discourse on the Illyrian origin of Albanians inherited from the socialist era. They also question the relationship of Albanians with Greeks, both in ancient times and in the present. Considering the fact that a significant number of those authors originate from southern Albania and that their books are widely read and appreciated in this Albanian borderland, this article argues that the recent success of Pelasgic theories can be partially explained by the new uses of the border in the post-1991 context and by the state of relations between Albanians and Greeks as experienced at the local level. Imagining the Pelasgians as prestigious ancestors appears as an answer to feelings of inequality and marginality related to new practices of the border.
Teaching and Learning in a Globalizing World
Authors: Schissler Hanna
Published: June 2010

The globalizing world with its entanglements and multiple interactions, shifting notions of place and time, unifying as well as fragmenting tendencies, new forms of boundary drawing, and old and new lines of conflict, influences our lives and public awareness in the “information age.” As far as education is concerned, this situation demands a critical stock taking and new reference frames for understanding this globalizing world, which on the one hand provides great new opportunities and on the other hand generates enormous risks. It requires teachers to offer guidance and teaching materials to provide young people with orientation. Rapidly shifting contexts demand new abilities to act and to maneuver. Collectives and individuals are equally impacted by the uneven processes that are customarily summarized as “globalization.” To understand what is happening in this complex world is crucial. From the perspective of old or insuffi cient reference frames, the world will seem erratic, unpredictable, and arbitrary. Schools as the transmitters of knowledge and as socializing agencies play a crucial role in preparing young people for this world of multiple modernities and development. It is their responsibility to provide orientation and guidance. How well they do this depends on any number of factors, and not least on the quality of educational materials. Such materials, however, are frequently more than simply educational media. They are sources via which the societies in which they are produced and put to use may be understood.
Navigating a Globalizing World
Authors: Schissler Hanna
Published: June 2010

History textbooks are sources of collective memory and can thus be read as "autobiographies" of nation-states. History textbooks used to be anchored in national traditions, ultimately legitimizing the rationale of nation-states. In questioning the sole validity of national history, social movements since the 1960s and the process of globalization became the seedbeds for the deconstruction of master narratives. Because of their instrumental character as teaching tools, textbooks in general allow researchers to decipher the normative structures of societies. The information revolution since the 1970s has dethroned textbooks as the sole means of instruction in classrooms, and led to the development of different approaches for the analysis of textbooks. Today's globalizing world demands new reference frames for teaching and learning. In the second part of this article, eight clusters that are pertinent for orientation in the perplexing realities of the present are drafted: challenges resulting from the revolution in information technologies; the changing world of work; contradictory tendencies in globalizing processes; the impact of a new turbo-capitalism with its de-legitimizing impact on political systems; unequal developments leading to an ever increasing inequality on a global as well as on local levels; the increase of worldwide migration and its impact on classrooms; contested memories in societies that reposition themselves in a world that has grown together and re-fragmented at new seams; and finally, the crisis in orientation and values and the personal costs resulting from the perplexities and insecurities of the world.
Myths of Europe
Authors: Bottici Chiara
Published: June 2010

What are the myths of Europe? This article provides the conceptual framework through which this question may be approached. It begins by defining myth in such a way as to distinguish it from other forms of political symbolism and points to the distinction between cultural and political myths. From here, the relationship between mythical and historical narratives is analyzed via a study of how the main narrative cores through which Europeans have perceived themselves have worked in different periods and contexts as both. It concludes with a more detailed analysis of some of the icons that convey the myths of Europe.