bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of expression profiles of three peroxidase genes associated with lignification in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Tokunaga Naohito , Kaneta Tsuyoshi , Sato Seiichi , Sato Yasushi
Published: March 2009

We have investigated the mechanism of lignification during tracheary element (TE) differentiation using a Zinnia elegans xylogenic culture. In the process, we isolated ZPO‐C, a peroxidase gene of Z. elegans that is expressed specifically in differentiating TEs. ZPO‐C is suggested to be involved in lignification of Z. elegans TEs in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, a peroxidase gene of Arabidopsis thaliana (AtPrx66), which is homologous to ZPO‐C, was identified. The expression profile and functions of the gene in planta remain to be investigated. In this study, we performed promoter::β‐glucuronidase (GUS) assays to investigate the expression profiles and functions of the ZPO‐C‐like peroxidases in A. thaliana. We generated transgenic A. thaliana lines carrying AtPrx66, AtPrx47 or AtPrx64 (peroxidases showing high sequence similarity to AtPrx66) promoter::GUS reporter gene fusions. The GUS activities of AtPrx66, AtPrx47 and AtPrx64 promoter::GUS lines were arranged concentrically from the center to the periphery in the roots of seedlings. Furthermore, histochemical GUS assays using inflorescence stems showed that AtPrx66, AtPrx47 and AtPrx64 promoter‐driven GUS were mainly expressed in the differentiating vessels, xylem parenchyma and sclerenchyma, respectively. These results suggest that the gene expressions of these three peroxidases, which showed high sequence similarity to one another, are differentially regulated in various tissues and organs. In addition, our results suggest that while AtPrx66 and AtPrx47 are associated with lignification of vessels, AtPrx64 is associated with lignification of sclerenchyma.
The evolution of jumping performance in anurans: morphological correlates and ecological implications
Authors: Gomes F. R. , Rezende E. L. , Grizante M. B. , Navas C. A.
Published: March 2009

We investigated the evolution of anuran locomotor performance and its morphological correlates as a function of habitat use and lifestyles. We reanalysed a subset of the data reported byZug (Smithson. Contrib. Zool.1978; 276: 1–31)employing phylogenetically explicit statistical methods (n = 56 species), and assembled morphological data on the ratio between hind‐limb length and snout‐vent length (SVL) from the literature and museum specimens for a large subgroup of the species from the original paper (n = 43 species). Analyses using independent contrasts revealed that classifying anurans into terrestrial, semi‐aquatic, and arboreal categories cannot distinguish between the effects of phylogeny and ecological diversification in anuran locomotor performance. However, a more refined classification subdividing terrestrial species into ‘fossorials’ and ‘non‐fossorials’, and arboreal species into ‘open canopy’, ‘low canopy’ and ‘high canopy’, suggests that part of the variation in locomotor performance and in hind‐limb morphology can be attributed to ecological diversification. In particular, fossorial species had significantly lower jumping performances and shorter hind limbs than other species after controlling for SVL, illustrating how the trade‐off between burrowing efficiency and jumping performance has resulted in morphological specialization in this group.
Parallelism and historical contingency during rapid ecotype divergence in an isopod
Authors: EROUKHMANOFF F. , HARGEBY A. , ARNBERG N. N. , HELLGREN O. , Bensch S. , SVENSSON E. I.
Published: March 2009

Recent studies on parallel evolution have focused on the relative role of selection and historical contingency during adaptive divergence. Here, we study geographically separate and genetically independent lake populations of a freshwater isopod (Asellus aquaticus) in southern Sweden. In two of these lakes, a novel habitat was rapidly colonized by isopods from a source habitat. Rapid phenotypic changes in pigmentation, size and sexual behaviour have occurred, presumably in response to different predatory regimes. We partitioned the phenotypic variation arising fromhabitat(‘selection’: 81–94%),lake(‘history’: 0.1–6%) andlake × habitatinteraction (‘unique diversification’: 0.4–13%) for several traits. There was a limited role for historical contingency but a strong signature of selection. We also found higher phenotypic variation in the source populations. Phenotype sorting during colonization and strong divergent selection might have contributed to these rapid changes. Consequently, phenotypic divergence was only weakly influenced by historical contingency.
Four years after graduation: Occupational therapists' work destinations and perceptions of preparedness for practice
Authors: Brockwell Dione , Wielandt Trish , Clark Michele
Published: March 2009

Objective:  The present study sought to identify the work destinations of graduates and ascertain their perceived preparedness for practice from a regional occupational therapy program, which had been specifically developed to support the health requirements of northern Australians by having an emphasis on rural practice.

Design:  Self‐report questionnaires and semistructured in‐depth telephone interviews.

Participants:  Graduates (n = 15) from the first cohort of occupational therapists from James Cook University, Queensland.

Main outcome measure:  The study enabled comparisons to be made between rural and urban based occupational therapists, while the semistructured interviews provided a deeper understanding of participants' experiences regarding their preparation for practice.

Results:  Demographic differences were noted between occupational therapists working in rural and urban settings. Rural therapists were predominantly younger and had worked in slightly more positions than their urban counterparts. The study also offered some insights into the value that therapists placed on the subjects taught during their undergraduate occupational therapy training, and had highlighted the differences in perceptions between therapists with rural experience and those with urban experience regarding the subjects that best prepared them for practice. Generally, rural therapists reported that all subjects included in the curriculum had equipped them well for practice.

Conclusions:  Findings suggest the need to undertake further research to determine the actual nature of rural practice, the personal characteristics of rural graduates and the experiences of students while on rural clinical placements.
Urethral mobility at catheter removal predicts early recovery of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy
Authors: Nishida Sachiyo , Utsunomiya Noriaki , Nishiyama Hiroyuki , Kamoto Toshiyuki , Ogawa Osamu , Kinoshita Hidefumi
Published: March 2009

Objectives:  To analyze the clinical parameters correlated with early recovery of urinary continence after radical prostatectomy, focusing especially on urethral mobility during voiding at catheter removal.

Methods:  At the time of catheter removal, a voiding cystourethrography was performed in 58 men (median age 69 years, range 55–76) who had undergone radical prostatectomy. The vertical length of urethral movement between voiding and standstill was measured.

The correlation between continence status and various clinical parameters, including age, prostate volume, International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life score and the length of urethral movement was analyzed.

Results:  An inverse correlation was observed between length of urethral movement and urinary incontinence volume rate (defined as [leakage volume/daily total urine volume] × 100%) on day 7 after catheter removal (r = −0.388, P < 0.05). Classifying patients into two groups according to the length of urethral movement of 2 mm gave the best accuracy for the prediction of postoperative recovery of urinary incontinence with receiver operating characteristic analysis. A statistically significant difference was observed between group 1 (length ≥ 2 mm) and group 2 (<2 mm) for the leakage rate until day 7 after the catheter was removed (P < 0.01). Urethral movement at the time of catheter removal was significantly correlated with early recovery of continence in the two groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:  Urethral mobility after radical prostatectomy, which can be easily evaluated using voiding cystourethrography, may be a good predictor of early recovery of urinary continence.
Combined effect of factors associated with burdens on primary caregiver
Authors: Makizako Hyuma , Abe Tsutomu , Shimada Hiroyuki , Ohnuma Takeshi , Furuna Taketo , Nakamura Yoshio
Published: March 2009

Background:  It is argued that a multidimensional approach is necessary for burden assessment. Reducing caregiver burden is a social problem in the ageing Japan society. We examined the combined effect of factors affecting the care burden among community‐dwelling handicapped people and their caregivers.

Methods:  The participants were 49 handicapped people (aged 53–104 years) who received home‐visit rehabilitation, and their 49 caregivers (age 42–85 years). Caregivers were provided questionnaires consisting of questions on social support, subjective well‐being, self‐efficacy with regard to care continuation, the Motor Fitness Scale and caregiver burden. Care recipients were assessed using the Bedside Mobility Scale and the Barthel Index.

Results:  We prepared the hypothesis model using structural equation modeling with the bootstrap method within outcome measures. The hypothesis model did not fit the data well. The impact of the Motor Fitness Scale was shifted from the caregiver burden to care self‐efficacy and well‐being, having a cooperator for care and variable of spouse caregiver or others associated with caregiver well‐being in the revised model. The fit of the revised model was acceptable (goodness of fit index, 0.903; comparative fit index, 0.998; root mean square error of approximation, 0.017). In the revised model, the care recipients' disabled state was associated with caregiver burden. In addition, higher burden and poor motor fitness of caregivers might lead to lower care self‐efficacy in providing continuous care and lower caregiver well‐being.

Conclusion:  These findings suggested that the program to reduce caregiver burden should focus on aspects of the care recipients' disabled state, the caregivers' well‐being, fitness, and care self‐efficacy.
Evaluation of immune inhibitory cytokine profiles in epithelial ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Chen Li‐li , Ye Feng , LÜ Wei‐guo , Yu Yan , Chen Huai‐zheng , Xie Xing
Published: March 2009

Objective:  The aim of this study was to detect expression of different cytokines in epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) cells and normal ovarian surface epithelial (OSE) cells in vitro and the levels of those with elevated expression in the EOC patients, and to analyze the contribution of cytokine profiles to tumor immune deficiency.

Materials and Methods:  Cytokine antibody array was used to detect cytokine profiles in two cell lines of EOC (SKOV3 and CaoV3), primarily cultured EOC and OSE cells. The levels of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), IL‐4, and transforming growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β1) in peritoneal fluids and sera in the patients with EOC and benign gynecological tumors were detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:  The levels of LIF, IL‐10, and IL‐4 were detected two times higher in the culture supernatants of the EOC cell lines than those in OSE cells by cytokine antibody array. Both LIF and IL‐10 levels were more increased in ascites of EOC patients than in those in benign gynecological tumor patients (P < 0.05). The level of IL‐4 was not detectable in any samples of ascites or sera. No difference of TGF‐β1 value was detected between patients with EOC and benign gynecological tumors.

Conclusion:  Epithelium ovarian carcinoma cells can produce more LIF, IL‐10 and IL‐4 than OSE cells, and contribute to the elevated levels of those cytokines in EOC patients, which probably participates in the development of immune deficiency in the peritoneal cavity of EOC patients.
The impact of maternal height on intrapartum operative delivery: A reappraisal
Authors: Chan Ben C.‐P. , Lao Terence T.‐H.
Published: March 2009

Aim:  To clarify the relationship between maternal height and intrapartum operative delivery in women with singleton pregnancies.

Methods:  A retrospective cohort study was performed on Asian, mostly southern Chinese, women managed by our department in a 48‐month period. They were categorized into four quartile groups according to their height ranking, with the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile values of height generated from the entire obstetric population. The labor and pregnancy outcomes of different quartile groups were compared.

Results:  A total of 13 606 pregnancies were recruited in the study cohort. The 25th, 50th and 75th percentile values of maternal height were 153 cm, 156 cm, and 160 cm, respectively, and the number of cases from the lowest to the highest quartile groups was 4153, 2698, 3445, and 3310, respectively. Significant differences were found in maternal weight, body mass index, incidences of multiparity and smokers, and birthweight and Apgar score at the first minute among the four quartiles. There was a significantly increasing incidence of cesarean delivery for mechanical reasons in spite of higher incidences of small‐for‐gestational age (SGA) and low birthweight (LBW) infants in decreasing quartiles. Regression analysis confirmed that the lower three quartile groups were associated with significantly increased cesarean delivery rates compared with the highest quartile group.

Conclusion:  Maternal height is inversely correlated with the risk of cesarean delivery for labor arrest. The effect of height acts as a continuum rather than in a dichotomous manner. The use of height percentile ranking may allow comparison between different populations on the effect on labor outcome.
Examining the Relations Among Narcissism, Impulsivity, and Self‐Defeating Behaviors
Authors: Miller Joshua D. , Campbell W. Keith , Young Diana L. , Lakey Chad E. , Reidy Dennis E. , Zeichner Amos , Goodie Adam S.
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACT
A recent meta‐analysis (S. Vazire & D. C. Funder, 2006) suggested that narcissism and impulsivity are related and that impulsivity partially accounts for the relation between narcissism and self‐defeating behaviors (SDB). This research examines these hypotheses in two studies and tests a competing hypothesis that Extraversion and Agreeableness account for this relation. In Study 1, we examined the relations among narcissism, impulsivity, and aggression. Both narcissism and impulsivity predicted aggression, but impulsivity did not mediate the narcissism–aggression relation. In Study 2, narcissism was related to a measure of SDB and manifested divergent relations with a range of impulsivity traits from three measures. None of the impulsivity models accounted for the narcissism–SDB relation, although there were unique mediating paths for traits related to sensation and fun seeking. The domains of Extraversion and low Agreeableness successfully mediated the entire narcissism–SDB relation. We address the discrepancy between the current and meta‐analytic findings.
Shadow Wages and Shadow Income in Farmers’ Labor Supply Functions
Authors: Le Kien T.
Published: March 2009

This article extends the current literature on estimating the labor supply function in agriculture by providing a different method to derive the shadow wage and shadow income. The method is based on the observation that the shadow wage is the marginal product of labor at the optimal point of both farm and household production functions. Thus, under certain assumptions on the functional form of the production functions, both the shadow wage and shadow income can be derived without estimating the production function. Using a sample of Vietnamese farmers, the results from the new method are shown to be consistent with the theory.
Evaluating Alternative Policy Responses to Higher World Food Prices: The Case of Increasing Rice Prices in Madagascar
Authors: Coady David , Dorosh Paul , Minten Bart
Published: March 2009

Higher world food prices have led many developing countries to adopt policies to mitigate the impact on low‐income households. This article sets out a partial equilibrium framework to evaluate the efficiency, distributional, and revenue implications of alternative policy responses. The model is applied to evaluate tariff reductions and targeted transfers in Madagascar. Although lowering tariffs generates substantial efficiency gains, these accrue mainly to the top half of the welfare distribution, and poor net sellers are actually worse off. Developing a system of targeted direct transfers to poor households is likely to be a substantially more cost‐effective approach to poverty alleviation.
Comparing Open‐Ended Choice Experiments and Experimental Auctions: An Application to Golden Rice
Authors: Corrigan Jay R. , Depositario Dinah Pura T. , Nayga Rodolfo M. , Wu Ximing , Laude Tiffany P.
Published: March 2009

We use two experimental valuation methods to estimate consumer demand for genetically modified golden rice. The first is an open‐ended choice experiment (OECE) where participants name the quantities of golden rice and conventional rice demanded at each of several price combinations, one of which will be randomly chosen as binding. This allows us to estimate market demand by aggregating demand across participants. This estimate of market demand also allows us to estimate own‐price elasticity and consumer surplus for golden rice. Comparing willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) estimates from the OECE with those from a uniform‐price auction, we find that OECE WTP estimates exhibit less affiliation across rounds, and the effects of positive and negative information under the OECE are more consistent with prior expectations and existing studies. We also find that, while auction WTP estimates more than double across five rounds, OECE WTP estimates are stable across rounds and are always roughly equal to those from the final auction round.
A Nonparametric Analysis of Production Models with Multidimensional Quality
Authors: Zago Angelo
Published: March 2009

This article proposes a methodology to measure the characteristics of intermediate products when quality is multidimensional. It uses a general representation of the multioutput technology via directional distance functions and constructs quality indicators based on differences rather than ratios. The quality indicators may be used to evaluate firms’ output, taking into account the whole set of quality attributes. The paper explores how aggregate quality may vary with the production level and finds a trade‐off between quantity and aggregate quality in wine grapes.
Voices from the margins: Pacific ambassadors and the geopolitics of marginality at the United Nations
Authors: McNamara Karen E.
Published: March 2009

This paper captures some of the structural deficiencies within the United Nations' decision‐making processes at its headquarters in New York. Ideas and methodological approaches from critical geopolitics are adopted here to examine semi‐structured interviews held with Pacific ambassadors (n = 7) at the United Nations and bring new knowledge to an underexplored area. Results demonstrate that the institutional capacities of Pacific small island states hinder their ability to voice their concerns adequately at every United Nations' forum, while shifting imaginaries and a decline in popularity of issues has seen a drop in on‐the‐ground financial assistance for these states. In this way, this paper attempts to contribute to our understanding of the practice of international diplomacy within the United Nations.
Organizational learning and knowledge in public service organizations: A systematic review of the literature
Authors: Rashman Lyndsay , Withers Erin , Hartley Jean
Published: March 2009

This paper is a systematic review of the literature on organizational learning and knowledge with relevance to public service organizations. Organizational learning and knowledge are important to public sector organizations, which share complex external challenges with private organizations, but have different drivers and goals for knowledge. The evidence shows that the concepts of organizational learning and knowledge are under‐researched in relation to the public sector and, importantly, this raises wider questions about the extent to which context is taken into consideration in terms of learning and knowledge more generally across all sectors. A dynamic model of organizational learning within and across organizational boundaries is developed that depends on four sets of factors: features of the source organization; features of the recipient organization; the characteristics of the relationship between organizations; and the environmental context. The review concludes, first, that defining ‘organization’ is an important element of understanding organizational learning and knowledge. Second, public organizations constitute an important, distinctive context for the study of organizational learning and knowledge. Third, there continues to be an over‐reliance on the private sector as the principal source of theoretical understanding and empirical research and this is conceptually limiting for the understanding of organizational learning and knowledge. Fourth, differences as well as similarities between organizational sectors require conceptualization and research that acknowledge sector‐specific aims, values and structures. Finally, it is concluded that frameworks for explaining processes of organizational learning at different levels need to be sufficiently dynamic and complex to accommodate public organizations.
Performance Evaluation of Foreign Subsidiaries: A Review of the Literature and a Contingency Framework
Authors: Schmid Stefan , Kretschmer Katharina
Published: March 2009

During recent years, the literature on the international dimension of business has grown. In particular, the literature on headquarters–subsidiary relationships has expanded. This paper aims to review the literature on performance evaluation and elaborate an integrative contingency framework. This contingency framework helps to clarify the concept of performance evaluation and to classify existing contributions. Furthermore, the framework serves as a tool to identify potential influencing factors on performance evaluation at corporate and at subsidiary level. By reviewing existing studies, the paper analyses the impact of these influencing factors on performance evaluation and reveals mostly contradictory results or no significant impact at all. Based on the findings, more research outside the classical tradition of contingency approaches is suggested.
One‐year incidence of psychiatric disorders and associated risk factors among adolescents in the community
Authors: Roberts Robert E. , Roberts Catherine R. , Chan Wenyaw
Published: March 2009

Background: We have few data on incidence of psychiatric disorders among adolescents. This study examined first incidence of disorders among adolescents and baseline factors which increased or decreased risk of new onset cases a year later.

Methods: Data were analyzed from Teen Health 2000 (TH2K), a probability sample of 4,175 youths 11–17 and their parents assessed at baseline and 3,134 of these youth–parent dyads followed up a year later. Disorders examined were anxiety, mood, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive, and substance abuse/dependence disorders in the past year. Risk and protective factors were assessed from three domains: status factors, personal and social resources, and stressors. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds of incident disorders for each risk and protective factor.

Results: Incidence rates were 2.8% for anxiety, 1.5% for mood, 1.2% for ADHD, 2.5% for disruptive, 2.9% for substance abuse/dependence, and 7.5% for one or more DSM‐IV disorders. Multivariate analyses identified few independent predictors of incidence. The most consistent factors across disorders involved indicators of stress. The role of adverse family context was particularly noteworthy, predicting incidence of every disorder examined. Personal resources such as mastery consistently enhanced resilience to onset of first episodes. The presence of multiple risk factors, cumulative burden, substantially increased risk of first incidence of all disorders examined.

Conclusions: The incidence of any disorder of 7.5% was similar to two earlier studies using DSM‐III‐R criteria (8.9 and 10.6, respectively). This is the first study to estimate incidence of DSM‐IV disorders for a range of diagnostic categories, and with the exception of substance use disorders, the rates are quite different from one earlier study using DSM‐II‐R criteria. A clear pattern emerged from the analyses. That is, psychiatric disorders, like other chronic diseases, are the product of multiple factors and these factors in turn have effects on multiple disorders.
Exploring the clinical utility of the Development And Well‐Being Assessment (DAWBA) in the detection of hyperkinetic disorders and associated diagnoses in clinical practice
Authors: Foreman David , Morton Stephanie , Ford Tamsin
Published: March 2009

Background:  The clinical diagnosis of ADHD is time‐consuming and error‐prone. Secondary care referral results in long waiting times, but primary care staff may not provide reliable diagnoses. The Development And Well‐Being Assessment (DAWBA) is a standardised assessment for common child mental health problems, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can be rapidly scored by skilled specialist clinicians, who may be remote from the interview, thus avoiding referral.

Method:  A representative clinic sample of routine cases suspected of ADHD underwent an assessment which included the DAWBA alongside a confirmatory assessment with a skilled clinician. Another clinician provided DAWBA‐based diagnoses blind to the clinic view. Bayesian statistical modelling was used to include clinic diagnostic uncertainty in the analyses.

Results:  Eighty‐four cases were assessed. For ADHD, the predictive value of a positive or negative DAWBA diagnosis was greater than .8, with negligible bias. Non‐hyperkinetic behaviour disorders had higher, emotional and autistic disorders lower predictive values, though all greater than .75: there was, however, evidence of bias.

Conclusions:  Diagnoses of ADHD based on senior clinician review of the DAWBA completed by parents, teachers and young people aged 11 plus may be sufficiently accurate to permit clinical diagnosis without direct patient contact by the diagnosing clinician. This could improve access to accurate diagnoses of ADHD in primary care while freeing up senior clinicians to focus on complex and refractory cases in secondary care.
Animal foods and climate change: shadowing eating practices
Authors: Cole Matthew , Miele Mara , Hines Peter , Zokaei Keivan , Evans Barry , Beale Jo
Published: March 2009

Animal farming exceeds all forms of transport in terms of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Despite the implications of the seriousness of addressing animal farming in relation to mitigating the effects of GHG emissions, to date, the relationship between consumer behaviour and climate change has tended to neglect the role of animal foods. This paper reports on a pilot study in which six UK households were ‘shadowed’ to facilitate the investigation of the relationship between animal food practices and environmental practices, as they emerge in day‐to‐day life. Results indicate that most participants make no connection between the two issues at present, in terms of awareness or practice. However, animal foods do have an ambiguous and complex status in most participants' food practices; for instance, being viewed as problematic for reasons of health or animal welfare. This finding suggests that further research is needed into the potential for raising awareness of the link between animal‐based foods and climate change. This might have a role to play in shifting food practices towards more plant‐based, less GHG intensive, foods.
Mediated communication of ‘sustainable consumption’ in the alternative media: a case study exploring a message framing strategy
Authors: Kolandai‐Matchett Komathi
Published: March 2009

In view of previous effects of mediated communication on public knowledge, perceptions and concern about sustainability problems, this case study explores a message framing strategy for improving the effectiveness of mediated communication of the somewhat neglected topic of sustainable consumption. It describes how an information campaign on sustainable consumption was strategically framed, employing theories on effective and persuasive communication, and implemented through a community news medium in Christchurch, New Zealand. The resultant impacts of the campaign (significant increases in understanding of sustainable consumption and in the number of parents expressing concern over advertising effects on their children's material desires) were indicative of the potentials of employing strategic message framing for improving mediated communication about sustainability. The study also illustrates the potentials for engaging alternative media in such communication. This paper argues that further steps to develop message framing strategies for mediated communication of sustainable consumption is necessary, as this appears to be a largely neglected area in communication and consumer studies, and concludes with an overview of aspects that may be considered in future communication and other initiatives promoting sustainable consumption as a means for achieving sustainability.
Sustainable consumption and the financial sector: analysing the markets for responsible investment in Hong Kong and Japan
Authors: Park Jacob
Published: March 2009

The origins of the modern socially responsible investment (SRI) movement can be traced to the turbulent period in the 1960s when powerful social undercurrents including environmentalism and anti‐war activism fuelled a rise, in a radical change, in the way society viewed faith, values and commerce.

Today, nearly 1 out of every US$9 under professional management in the US is currently invested using social investment strategies while the European green and ethical investment market is estimated to be €1 trillion or as much as 10–15% of the total funds under management.

While some preliminary figures and analyses exist for countries outside these two regions, SRI has been, to date, largely explored within the context of North America and Europe. This is unfortunate as the sustainability of SRI as a consumer market is going to depend, to a great extent, to what happens outside of North America and Europe, and most notably in the rapidly developing Asian economies. In this article, I will explore the development of SRI as a mainstream financial consumer instrument in industrialized (Japan) and emerging (Hong Kong/China) economies of the Asia Pacific region.

To fully analyse the SRI market development in Hong Kong and Japan, I will examine the following three issues and questions: first, how does the sustainable consumption framework offer a useful lens from which to explore SRI, and why is the Asia Pacific market and policy context so important for the broader issue of sustainable consumption? Second, what precisely is SRI and how did it develop into an important global financial investment vehicle? Third, how did the SRI market develop in the case of Hong Kong and Japan? I will then conclude the article with some analysis on the important lessons SRI market development in Hong Kong and Japan hold for market sustainability of the financial sector and sustainable consumption.
Environmental dialogue in online communities: negotiating ecological citizenship among global travellers
Authors: Rokka Joonas , Moisander Johanna
Published: March 2009

The aim of this paper is to investigate how web‐based online communities bring about new forms of environmental dialogue. We suggest that these online sites play an important role in setting the stage for new forms of cultural production, dissemination of environmental knowledge and environmental dialogue, through which particular forms of ecological citizenship and consumer culture are being created and sustained. Based on an empirical study of an online community of ‘global travelers’ carried out using netnographic methods, the study shows how environmental knowledge is being disseminated, negotiated and made sense of in the online environments of the global marketplace. Our findings illustrate, in particular, how online communities may work out an agenda for sustainable consumption practices and lifestyles, and create new forms of consumer citizenship. Regarding the environmental policy implications of our study, we argue that there is a need to facilitate the creation of online environments where consumers can participate in the construction of active consumer citizenship.
Voluntary simplicity: an exploration of market interactions
Authors: Shaw Deirdre , Moraes Caroline
Published: March 2009

Voluntary simplicity is often considered to be a sustainable lifestyle phenomenon buttressed by environment‐friendly consumption practices. Voluntary simplicity is shaped by the individual as well as the society, and marketplace interactions often impact voluntarily simplified approaches to consumption. Pertinent, therefore, is a consideration of how voluntary simplifiers negotiate the tensions between marketplace interactions and decisions (not) to consume, as the exploration of interactions between consumption and non‐consumption choices has relevant implications for the advancement of sustainable consumption. Specifically, we seek to answer the following question: how have voluntary simplifiers in a rural context negotiated the relationship between voluntary simplicity and market‐based (non‐) consumption? This paper reports on a study of 28 rural voluntary simplifiers to explore the intersections between voluntary simplicity and rural markets. Findings highlight the convoluted nature and the multiple manifestations of voluntary simplicity, while the rural context allows an exploration of such tensions in relation to individual voluntary simplicity, local economy, supermarkets, fair trade and consumer culture.
Determinants of environmentally responsible behaviours for greenhouse gas reduction
Authors: Ngo Anh‐Thu , West Gale E. , Calkins Peter H.
Published: March 2009

Canadian household consumption and driving behaviours are responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced across Canada. This paper examines and characterizes two sets of consumer behaviours, indoor GHG reduction behaviours and automobile GHG emissions, using data from a 2006 telephone survey of a representative random sample of 1002 Canadian households with cars. Two statistical models are used to analyse the impact of four groups of variables (environmental attitudes, policy opinions, automobile‐related indices and socio‐demographics) on GHG reduction at the household level. Results were obtained using ordered probit and Ordinary Least Squares regressions. Indoor GHG reduction behaviours were not correlated with automobile GHG emissions. Dominant factors increasing consumer GHG reduction behaviours both indoors and on the road were sense of personal responsibility and previous environmental activism. Canadians who least actively participate in GHG reduction activities were more likely to be living in the Prairie provinces and to be male.
Toxic effect of blood components on perinatal rat subventricular zone cells and oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation, differentiation and migration in culture
Authors: Juliet Packiasamy A. R. , Frost Emma E. , Balasubramaniam Janani , Del Bigio Marc R.
Published: March 2009

The germinal matrix of human brain gives rise to oligodendrocytes and astrocytes after mid‐gestation. Hemorrhage in the germinal matrix of premature infants is associated with suppressed cell proliferation. We hypothesize that soluble blood constituents have an adverse effect on the proliferation of cultured rat subventricular zone (SVZ) cells and the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC). Using caspase 3 activation and lactate dehydrogenase release assays, rat plasma, serum, thrombin, and kallikrein killed SVZ cells when grown in the presence (but not absence) of platelet derived growth factor. Plasma and serum killed OPC at 1 : 1 to 1 : 100 dilutions. Using a bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assay OPC proliferation was reduced by plasma, serum, thrombin and plasmin. Blood proteins also suppressed OPC migration in a concentration dependent manner. However, differentiation of OPC into myelin basic protein expressing cells was suppressed only by thrombin. We conclude that soluble blood components, particularly thrombin, have an adverse effect on maturing SVZ cells and OPC derived from newborn rat brain.
Inadequate care in Norwegian nursing homes – as reported by nursing staff
Authors: Malmedal Wenche , Ingebrigtsen Oddbjørn , Saveman Britt‐Inger
Published: March 2009

Studies have shown that inadequate care, also referred to as abuse, violence, neglect and maltreatment occur in nursing homes in many countries. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency and types of inadequate care committed by staff in nursing homes. Another aim was to investigate if nursing staff reported differently depending on age, education level and years of experience working at nursing homes. A questionnaire survey was conducted among nursing staff (n = 616) in 16 nursing homes in the central part of Norway. Twenty items concerned staff behaviour in forms of acts of inadequate care. The respondents were asked to report how often they had observed colleagues commit acts and how often they themselves had committed such acts. The response rate was 79%. All in all, 91% of the nursing staff reported that they had observed at least one act of inadequate care and 87% reported that they had committed at least one act of inadequate care. Acts of negligent and emotional character were most frequently reported, both as observed and committed. Depending on the higher educational level that the nursing staff had more acts of all types were observed and committed. The oldest staff and those with longest experience at the present nursing home reported more observed and committed acts of physical character than did the others. The extent of inadequate care confirms that this is a common part of activities in nursing homes. Because emotional and negligent acts can be just as harmful as physical acts, more knowledge is needed about the reasons in order to take preventive actions.
A novel host shift and invaded range of a seed predator, Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), of an invasive weed, Leucaena leucocephala
Authors: TUDA Midori , WU Li‐Hsin , TATEISHI Yoichi , NIYOMDHAM Chawalit , BURANAPANICHPAN Sawai , MORIMOTO Katsura , WU Wen‐Jer , WANG Chiao‐Ping , CHEN Zong‐Qi , ZHU Hong‐Ye , ZHANG Ying‐Cui , MURUGAN Kadarkarai , CHOU Liang‐Yih , JOHNSON Clarence D.
Published: March 2009

An endophagous seed predator, Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), utilizes Neotropical Leucaena (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae). One of its hosts, Leucaena leucocephala, is a fast‐growing nitrogen‐fixing tree that serves as a multipurpose beneficial plant but eventually becomes an aggressive invader where it was introduced. Herein, we report A. macrophthalmus invasion of the Far East, South Asian tropics and subtropics (Japanese Pacific Islands, Taiwan, Southern China, Northern Thailand and Southern India). Of other field‐collected mimosoid legumes, an introduced tree, Falcataria moluccana, in Taiwan was found to be used by the seed predator. Conversely, our published work review revealed that the seed predator had retained high host specificity to Leucaena species in its native and introduced regions. Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus was able to utilize aphagously postharvest mature seeds for oviposition and larval development, which is a trait of post‐dispersal seed predators. We confirmed that A. macrophthalmus that was reared on L. leucocephala was able to utilize F. moluccana as well. Although the relatively high host specificity of the oligophagous beetle is suitable for controlling the weedy L. leucocephala, the potential host range expansion confirmed by this study must be cautioned.
Clusiidae (Diptera) from log emergence traps in the Yambaru, a subtropical forest of Japan
Authors: SUEYOSHI Masahiro , GOTO Hideaki , SATO Hiroki , HATTORI Tsutomu , KOTAKA Nobuhiko , SAITO Kazuhiko
Published: March 2009

Five species of Clusiidae (Diptera), Craspedochaeta biseta (Hendel), hendelia plumosa (Sasakawa), Heteromeringia sexramifera Sueyoshi, Phylloclusia yambarensis sp. n., and Sobarocephala uncinata Sueyoshi, were collected from log emergence traps installed in a subtropical forest of Japan from February 2006 to February 2008. Craspedochaeta biseta (Hendel) was newly recorded in Japan. Wood debris was gathered from 1–22 year old secondary stands managed by the improvement cutting of natural forest (ICNF) and unmanaged stands, and categorized by stage of decay and size, and then enveloped in fine net bags (emergence trap). In total, 84 clusiid adults were obtained. Most were reared from wood debris in an advanced stage of decay and from 2 year old or older managed and unmanaged forest stands, although P. yambarensis was reared from wood debris in an early stage of decay and from 1 year old forests after cuttings. Log emergence traps effectively sample clusiids, taking both sexes in approximately equal numbers. Specimens collected by this trap may resolve the difficulty in identifying male and female specimens of several clusiid species that show sexual dimorphism.
Purification and characterization of midgut α‐amylases ofEurygaster integriceps
Authors: BANDANI Ali R. , KAZZAZI Majid , MEHRABADI Mohammad
Published: March 2009

In the current study, midgut α‐amylase from Sunn pest (Eurygaster integricepsPuton) (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae), one of the most serious pests of wheat and barley in the wide area of the Near and Middle East, West Asia, and many of the new independent states of central Asia, were purified and characterized. Amylase activity was detected in the midgut of the insects which were collected from both over‐wintering sites during winter and feeding insects during spring. Amylase activities in the midgut of over‐wintering and feeding insects were 5.71 and 3.43 U/mg protein, respectively. Initially, a native electrophoretic analysis ofE. integricepscrude midgut extract showed that there are two major amylase forms in the midgut. Through the sequence of ammonium sulfate precipitation, first by gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G‐75), anion exchange chromatography (diethylaminoethylcellulose) and second by gel filtration chromatography, specific activity of α‐amylase ofE. integricepsincreased 44‐fold from approximately 3 to 133 U/mg protein. Analysis of purified amylases by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that these proteins had estimated molecular masses of 49 and 52 kDa. Optimum temperature was determined to be 30–40°C. The optimum pH value was 6.5 and theKmappfor soluble starch was 0.54%.
Descriptions of two new species of Vietomartyria Hashimoto & Mey (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae) from South China, with reference to autapomorphies of the genus
Authors: HIROWATARI Toshiya , HASHIMOTO Satoshi , JINBO Utsugi , WANG Min
Published: March 2009

Two new species of micropterigids, Vietomartyria nankunshana Hirowatari & Hashimoto sp. nov. and V. nanlingana Hirowatari & Jinbo sp. nov., are described from Nankunshan and Nanling (Guangdong, China), respectively. The genus Vietomartyria Hashimoto & Mey, 2000, which was originally established as a monotypic genus, is redefined based on the following autapomorphies shared by the three species: (i) the long basal stalk of each flagellomere; (ii) the many (>100) minute serrate projections near the gonopore of aedeagus; and (iii) the gonopore situated dorsally near the apex.
A new stem‐borer of the genus Bucculatrix (Lepidoptera: Bucculatricidae) from Japan, with description of the life history
Authors: KOBAYASHI Shigeki , HIROWATARI Toshiya , MURASE Masumi , KUROKO Hiroshi
Published: March 2009

A new species of bucculaticid moth, Bucculatrix hamaboella sp. nov. (Host plant: Hibiscus hamabo, Malvaceae) is described from Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The feeding habit of the new species is unique in that: (i) the young larva is a leaf miner forming a long red linear mine but in the later instars the larva becomes a stem borer; (ii) later instar larvae undergo double molts within a cocoonet (molting cocoon); and (iii) penultimate and final instars appear on the surface of the leaf as non‐feeding stages. The external non‐feeding larvae of B. hamaboella undergoing double molts within one cocoonet are considered to be an abbreviated form of the external feeding instars of other bucculatricids typically making first and second cocoonets, undergoing a single molt within each cocoonet. On the basis of morphological characters, this species is related to the species of Sections I and II (Host: Asteraceae) of Braun (1963), rather than to the species of Section VIII (Host: Malvaceae).
Ranking Lepidopteran Use of Native Versus Introduced Plants
Authors: TALLAMY DOUGLAS W. , SHROPSHIRE KIMBERLEY J.
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  In light of the wide‐scale replacement of native plants in North America with introduced, invasive species and noninvasive ornamental plants that evolved elsewhere, we compared the value of native and introduced plants in terms of their ability to serve as host plants for Lepidoptera. Insect herbivores such as Lepidoptera larvae are critically important components of terrestrial food webs and any reduction in their biomass or diversity due to the loss of acceptable host plants is predicted to reduce the production of the many insectivores in higher trophic levels. We conducted an exhaustive search of host records in the literature. We used the data we gathered to rank all 1385 plant genera that occur in the mid‐Atlantic states of the United States by their ability to support Lepidoptera richness. Statistical comparisons were made with Welch's test for equality of means. Woody plants supported more species of moths and butterflies than herbaceous plants, native plants supported more species than introduced plants, and native woody plants with ornamental value supported more Lepidoptera species than introduced woody ornamentals. All these differences were highly significant. Our rankings provide a relative measure that will be useful for restoration ecologists, landscape architects and designers, land managers, and landowners who wish to raise the carrying capacity of particular areas by selecting plants with the greatest capacity for supporting biodiversity.