bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Religious Education in Contemporary Japan
Authors: Inoue Nobutaka
Published: July 2009

In Japan, religious education is usually divided into three categories: education concerning knowledge about religions or religious knowledge; the inculcation of religious sentiment; and confessional education. Education regarding religious knowledge can be taught at public schools, while confessional education is prohibited. There have been extensive discussions on the inculcation of religious sentiment since the postwar period. Some insist that it should be taught even within public schools. Others strongly oppose this view due primarily to the perceived negative consequences of the imposition of state Shinto during the prewar period when the state and religion (Shrine Shinto) were inextricably bound. The Basic Law on Education was revised in December 2006, soon after the inauguration of Abe Shinzo cabinet. The article concerning religious education was moderated slightly with ‘a general learning regarding religion’ added to the statute language. However, as Japanese society has tended to avoid discussions regarding religious education in the postwar period, it is likely to be quite difficult to establish a new education plan based on the already well‐entrenched positions, particularly with respect to the inculcation of religious sentiment. The idea of ‘religious culture education’ has been introduced recently as a possible way through this impasse. It aims to promote deeper understanding of both Japanese and foreign religious culture. Such a religious education could be practiced, it is argued, even at public schools. The result of questionnaire surveys and other research carried out in recent years shows that religious culture education would be far more acceptable to people, including students, than the inculcation of religious sentiment. Proponents argue that religious culture education is particularly necessary when considered in the context of globalization, the information age (i.e., Internet), and the ‘cults’ problem in the wake of the Aum affair. This essay reviews the historical background to this important and highly debated issue in contemporary Japan and provides a summary of the ‘religious culture education’ proposal currently under consideration.
Development of a Multilocus Microsatellite Typing Approach for Discriminating Strains of
Leishmania
(
Viannia
) Species
Authors: Oddone Rolando , Schweynoch Carola , Schönian Gabriele , dos Santos de Sousa Cintia , Cupolillo Elisa , Espinosa Diego , Arevalo Jorge , Noyes Harry , Mauricio Isabel , Kuhls Katrin
Published: July 2009

A multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) approach based on the analysis of 15 independent loci has been developed for the discrimination of strains belonging to different
Viannia
species. Thirteen microsatellite loci were isolated de novo from microsatellite-enriched libraries for both
Leishmania braziliensis
and
L. guyanensis
. Two previously identified markers, AC01 and AC16, were modified and added to our marker set. Markers were designed to contain simple dinucleotide repeats flanked by the minimal possible number of nucleotides in order to allow variations in repeat numbers to be scored as size variations of the PCR products. The 15 markers in total were amplified for almost all of the strains of
Viannia
tested; one marker did not amplify from the two
L. peruviana
strains included in the study. When 30 strains of
L. braziliensis
, 21 strains of
L. guyanensis
, and 2 strains of
L. peruviana
were tested for polymorphisms, all strains except two strains of
L. guyanensis
had individual MLMT types. Distance-based analysis identified three main clusters. All strains except one strain of
L. guyanensis
grouped together. Two clusters consisted of strains of
L. braziliensis
according to their geographical origins. The two strains of
L. peruviana
grouped together with strains of
L. braziliensis
from Peru and the adjacent Brazilian state of Acre. MLMT has proven capable of individualizing strains even from the same areas of endemicity and of detecting genetic structures at different levels. MLMT is thus applicable for epidemiological and population genetic studies of strains within the subgenus
Viannia
.
Convenient one-pot synthesis of 5-(substituted amino)-1,2,3,4-thiatriazoles
Authors: Katritzky Alan R. , Meher Geeta , Narindoshvili Tamari
Published: July 2009

5-(Substituted amino)-1,2,3,4-thiatriazoles 15a–15i were conveniently synthesized in 73–97% yields in a one-pot procedure from bis(1H-benzotriazol-1-yl)methanethione and amines.
A mutant deficient inS-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase inArabidopsisshows defects in root-hair developmentThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in a Special Issue from the National Research Council of Canada – Plant Biotechnology Institute.
Authors: Wu Xianzhong , Li Fengling , Kolenovsky Allan , Caplan Allan , Cui Yuhai , Cutler Adrian , Tsang Edward W.T.
Published: July 2009

Root-hair development is a process involving the interplay between genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. An Arabidopsis mutant, referred to as sahh1, was initially recovered from a screen for delayed germination. Molecular characterization of the sahh1 mutant revealed that it contained a T-DNA insertion 82 bp 5′ to the coding sequence of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase 1 (SAHH1, At4g13940), resulting in the reduction of SAHH1 expression. The resulting reduction in expression of SAHH1 produced plants with short, hairless roots, delayed germination, and slow growth. All of these phenotypes were restored to normal by complementing the sahh1 mutant with a full length cDNA. In plants, SAHH1 converts S-adenosylhomocysteine to homocysteine in the activated methyl cycle, and is a precursor for methionine and S-adenosylmethionine. Using the root hairless phenotype of the sahh1 mutant as a visual assay, the effects of SAHH1 deficiency on the synthesis of homocysteine, S-adenosylmethionine, 1-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, and spermidine were investigated.
NPR1 enhances the DNA binding activity of theArabidopsisbZIP transcription factor TGA7This paper is one of a selection of papers published in a Special Issue from the National Research Council of Canada – Plant Biotechnology Institute.
Authors: Shearer Heather L. , Wang Lipu , DeLong Catherine , Despres Charles , Fobert Pierre R.
Published: July 2009

Pathogen-induced transcriptional reprogramming of the plant genome is mediated predominantly by the cofactor NPR1 (NON-EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1). NPR1 lacks any known DNA-binding domain and is proposed to regulate transcription through interactions with TGA transcription factors that bind to as-1-like promoter elements. Previous studies have focused on the interaction of NPR1 with subgroup I (TGA1, TGA4) or subgroup II (TGA2, TGA5, TGA6) factors. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we showed that a member of subgroup III (TGA7) interacts with wild-type NPR1 but not with mutants in the ankyrin repeats that are important for disease resistance. Mutations in the NPR1 BTB/POZ domain also greatly reduced interaction with TGA7. NPR1 substantially increased the binding of TGA7 to cognate promoter elements in vitro, including a salicylic-acid-inducible element of the PR-1 promoter. While TGA7 interacted with all TGA factors tested, interactions were not observed between TGA2 and subgroup I factors, indicating that cross-clade interaction is not a general property of the family. Transcripts from subgroup III TGA factors were weakly inducible by salicylic acid and pathogens, but only TGA3 expression was dependent on NPR1. These results suggest that NPR1-mediated DNA binding of TGA7 could regulate the activation of defense genes.
A membrane-bound glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase fromThalassiosira pseudonanaregulates acyl composition of glycerolipidsThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in a Special Issue from the National Research Council of Canada – Plant Biotechnology Institute.
Authors: Xu Jingyu , Zheng Zhifu , Zou Jitao
Published: July 2009

To what extent fatty acyltransferases control fatty acid composition in glycerolipids is largely unknown. To gain some insight into this process, we characterized a membrane-bound glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), designated TpGPAT, from the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana Hasle & Heim. The glycerolipids from T. pseudonana consist predominantly of 16:0, 16:1ω7, and 20:5ω3 fatty acids. Heterologous expression of TpGPAT in a yeast GPAT-deficient mutant (gat1) demonstrated that TpGPAT could effectively use glycerol-3-phosphate, but not dihydroxyacetone phosphate, as fatty acyl acceptor. This enzyme highly preferred 16:0 in an in vitro enzyme assay, and discriminated against the monounsaturated 16-carbon fatty acid. Accordingly, expression of TpGPAT in gat1 resulted in approximately 18% and 12% increases of 16:0 in triacylglycerols and phospholipids, respectively. The unsaturated fatty acids, 16:1 and 18:1, on the other hand, were reduced by 15% and 21% in these two lipid species. Collectively, the results demonstrate that TpGPAT possesses a high substrate preference for 16:0-CoA and it exerts a large effect on the fatty-acid composition of glycerolipids.
Progress and opportunities in seed genomics research at the Plant Biotechnology InstituteThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in a Special Issue from the National Research Council of Canada – Plant Biotechnology Institute.
Authors: Keller Wilf , Bekkaoui Faouzi
Published: July 2009

Seed crops play a major role in the global food and feed supply industries. Cereals, oilseeds, and legumes are the predominant seed crops grown in Canada. Brassica napus  L. (canola) is the most important oilseed, and currently contributes over $13 billion to the Canadian economy (Canola Council of Canada). The value of oilseed crops, canola in particular, is expected to grow owing to the increasing demand for food, feed, and bioproduct (including biodiesel) applications. In the last 6 years, the Plant Biotechnology Institute (PBI) of the National Research Council Canada, in partnership with several collaborators, has been involved in the study of oilseed crops genomics, in particular Brassica spp., to improve our understanding of this important crop. The research is providing insights into key gene function that can be applied to the improvement of crop performance, productivity, and quality, to meet the increased demand. PBI has focused its activities on two strategic areas. First, the generation of genomics resources that can be used for the study of B. napus and related species. The resources include the development of expressed sequence tags (ESTs), genomic DNA sequences, and the development of DNA arrays. Secondly, a systematic analysis of seed development and composition aimed at improving our understanding of the seed biology. Similar genomics tools developed in Brassica are now being developed in other crops including flax and legumes. Progressing from genomics to functional genomics, these research engagements will be a significant step towards understanding the molecular processes underlying seed composition, quality, yield, and stress resistance of plants thus facilitating the development of elite germplasm.
Down-regulation of galactinol synthesis in oilseedBrassica napusleads to significant reduction of antinutritional oligosaccharidesThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in a Special Issue from the National Research Council of Canada – Plant Biotechnology Institute.
Authors: Bock Cheryl , Ray Heather , Georges Fawzy
Published: July 2009

The utility of defatted seed meal from many crops such as canola ( Brassica napus  L.) is limited by the presence of antinutritional factors, including sucrose galactosides, raffinose, and stachyose. Anaerobic breakdown of these sugars in the digestive tract of livestock is a major source of production of farm gases. In this report, the gene encoding galactinol synthase was isolated from B. napus and reintroduced into the same species in an antisense orientation to limit the production of galactinol, an important intermediate in the biosynthesis of raffinose and stachyose. This approach substantially reduced the accumulation of galactinol and stachyose in mature transgenic canola seed. Substantial changes in the mRNA levels of galactinol synthase and several sugar-related genes were also observed.
Paleomagnetism and U–Pb geochronology of the Clarence Head dykes, Arctic Canada: orthogonal emplacement of mafic dykes in a large igneous province
Authors: Denyszyn Steven W. , Davis Don W. , Halls Henry C.
Published: July 2009

The north–south-trending Clarence Head dyke swarm, located on Devon and Ellesmere Islands in the Canadian High Arctic, has a trend orthogonal to that of the Neoproterozoic Franklin swarm that surrounds it. The Clarence Head dykes are dated by the U–Pb method on baddeleyite to between 716 ± 1 and 713 ± 1 Ma, ages apparently younger than, but within the published age range of, the Franklin dykes. Alpha recoil in baddeleyite is considered as a possible explanation for the difference in ages, but a comparison of the U–Pb ages of grains of equal size from both swarms suggests that recoil distances in baddeleyite are lower than those in zircon and that the Clarence Head dykes are indeed a distinctly younger event within the period of Franklin magmatism. The Clarence Head dykes represent a large swarm tangential to, and cogenetic with, a giant radiating dyke swarm ∼800 km from the indicated source. The preferred mechanism for the emplacement of the Clarence Head dykes is the exploitation of concentric zones of extension around a depleting and collapsing plume source. While the paleomagnetism of most Clarence Head dykes agrees with that of the Franklin dykes, two dykes have anomalous remanence directions, interpreted to be a chemical remanent magnetization carried by pyrrhotite. The pyrrhotite was likely deposited from fluids mobilized southward from the Devonian Ellesmerian Orogeny to the north that used the interiors of the dykes as conduits and precipitated pyrrhotite en route.
Evaluating debris slide occurrence using digital data: paraglacial activity in Chilliwack Valley, British Columbia
Authors: Barlow John , Martin Yvonne , Franklin Steven
Published: July 2009

Debris sliding is one of the most important processes acting to transport sediment within mountainous regions. Detailed study of debris slide activity at the basin scale typically involves landslide inventories generated from aerial photographs. However, it has been shown that some types of rapid mass movement can be accurately identified using a combination of high-resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation data. This approach is beneficial as the digital products allow for a more accurate and efficient data throughput into various types of geomorphic analysis. Here, we demonstrate the use of an automated inventory in the geomorphometric evaluation of debris slide initiation for the Chilliwack Basin, British Columbia, Canada. Our results indicate that the occurrence of debris sliding is primarily determined by topographical controls. For basins that are in equilibrium with the existing climate, the frequency of debris sliding should demonstrate a strong relationship to bedrock geology as the production of unconsolidated materials available for failure is a function of weathering rates under these conditions. The lack of bedrock control within the Chilliwack Basin suggests a state of paraglacial relaxation, wherein glacial deposits dominate the sediment cascade within the area. Therefore, topographic parameters can be used to discriminate the location of metastable slopes where debris slide erosion will be active. The use of digital data in the characterization of debris slide occurrence would seem to be a viable alternative to the more traditional methods.
Provenance of detrital muscovite in Cambrian Avalonia of Maritime Canada: 40Ar/39Ar ages and chemical compositions
Authors: Reynolds Peter H. , Barr Sandra M. , White Chris E.
Published: July 2009

We report single-grain ages for detrital muscovite separated from sandstone samples from five localities in southern New Brunswick and southeastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and from two quartzite clasts from a quartzite-pebble conglomerate that underlies the sampled sandstone units in New Brunswick. The oldest detrital grains were found in one of the quartzite clasts; their age range, ca. 650−630 Ma, is defined not only by the single-grain analyses but also by spot dating (using a UV laser) within a single large grain, suggesting that these grains came from a single source. The second quartzite clast has a blastomylonitic fabric with muscovite “fish,” and most of the muscovite ages have been partially reset (at ca. 550 Ma) from the original ca. 650–630 Ma ages. The age distribution plots obtained for the sandstone samples suggest the presence of muscovite that still retains the original source age, but most of the grains have been partially reset by the same ca. 550 Ma event that reset muscovite ages in the second quartzite clast. We suggest that the quartzite source that produced the two clasts was also the source of muscovite in the Avalonian Cambrian rocks of Maritime Canada. The original source rock was likely a metamorphic or perhaps granitic rock unit situated relatively proximal to the site of deposition of the quartzite protolith, but the actual source is not known, and locally, no potential candidates are exposed. The resetting event at ca. 550 Ma may be linked to initial stages of regional transtension associated with rifting of Avalonia from Gondwana.
Pilot study of fossil evidence of onshore-directed storm events in estuarine sediments: Chezzetcook Inlet, Nova ScotiaNatural Resources Canada Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program SST 20090027.
Authors: Schafer Charles T. , Medioli Franco S.
Published: July 2009

Sediment cores collected from the landward side of a baymouth barrier in a lower estuarine environment of Chezzetcook Inlet contain proxy “signals” of onshore-directed storms that are manifested by the sudden appearance of benthic and planktic Foraminifera species. These taxa have been eroded and transported from adjacent inner shelf open-marine environments. One relatively strong onshore-directed storm (hurricane?) event appears to have caused a reduction in seawater exchange in the southeastern part of the inlet that persisted for at least several decades. In this particular barrier-protected lower estuarine depositional environment, foraminiferal storm-indicator species distributions in older sediments seem to be spatially patchy. Consequently, in this Chezzetcook depositional setting, the successful reconstruction of a complete proxy storm record will require replicate coring and high-frequency core subsampling strategies.
Stratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta, Canada
Authors: Fanti Federico , Catuneanu Octavian
Published: July 2009

The lithostratigraphic interval between the marine Puskwaskau Formation (Smoky Group, Santonian–Campanian) and the fluvial Scollard Formation (early Maastrichtian) in west-central Alberta and easternmost British Columbia (Canada) is represented by the nonmarine deposits of the Wapiti Formation. Its subdivision into regionally mappable stratigraphic units and the correlation of such units with the better known successions of central and southern Alberta are the main goals of this study. We present a detailed stratigraphic revision of the Wapiti Formation in the Grande Prairie region, where the entire succession crops out extensively and intensive oil and gas exploration activity provides excellent subsurface control. This study indicates that the Wapiti Formation consists in five stratigraphic units: their description has been based in particular on facies analysis and well-log signatures. In ascending order, units 1 to 5 record major differences in depositional architecture related to variation in accommodation and climatic conditions. Upper and lower contacts of these units are represented by regionally mappable subaerial unconformities or conformable facies contacts. Three major coal zones are identified within the Wapiti Formation, the Basal, Red Willow, and Cutbank: coals referred to these intervals have been documented in both outcrop and subsurface in the entire study area, thus representing a reliable tool for regional correlations. Furthermore, results presented here indicate that the maximum flooding surfaces of the Bearpaw seaway and the Drumheller Marine Tongue, both marine reference units in central and southern Alberta, lie, respectively, within coals of unit 3 and the Red Willow coal zone.
Structural history and granite emplacement in the Rottenstone Domain during closure of the Trans-Hudson Orogen, Davin Lake, northern Saskatchewan
Authors: Culshaw Nicholas G. , Clarke D. Barrie
Published: July 2009

The Rottenstone Domain at Davin Lake northern Saskatchewan, exhibits structural and granite-emplacement evidence for crustal thickening, and possible Himalayan-style extrusion, overprinted by transpressional strain increasing toward the contact with the Wathaman Batholith. Three discrete Rottenstone subdomains parallel the regional strike of the Trans-Hudson Orogen: (i) the southeast Rottenstone subdomain (SERSD) with gently northwest-dipping migmatitic straight gneiss (S1) and white granitoid rocks with pinch-and-swell structures parallel to the straight gneissosity; (ii) the central Rottenstone subdomain (CRSD), which partly preserves the same NW-dipping fabric (S1) but is overprinted at its margins by tight upright F2 folds and includes a stockwork of pink monzogranitic aplites and pegmatites; and (iii) the northwest Rottenstone subdomain (NWRSD) in which the F2 folds are generally tighter and penetrative and its network of narrow white granitoid rocks is deformed and transposed by the F2 folds; but in the northwestern part, a wide, syn-D2 complex of schlieric white tonalitic and diatexite sheets strikes parallel the orogen. The SERSD D1 straight zone may be a remnant of Himalayan-type extrusion zone although it could be the lowest member of a stack of ductile thrust sheets. The CRSD stockwork may represent fluid-assisted magma injection into extensional fractures above the postulated extrusion zone. The increasing transpressional strain northwestward expressed primarily by the F2 folds in CRSD and NWRSD defines the Davin Lake shear zone, into which the NWRSD granitoid dyke complex represents syntectonic magma injection. Both the postulated extrusion and transpression are related to oblique convergence of the Archean Sask craton with the Archean Rae–Hearne craton.
Overprinting of early, redistributed Fe and Pb–Zn mineralization by late-stage Au–Ag–Cu deposition at the Dumagami mine, Bousquet district, Abitibi, Quebec
Authors: Marquis P. , Hubert C. , Brown A. C. , Rigg D. M.
Published: July 2009

The Dumagami Au–Ag–Cu deposits are hosted by strongly deformed and altered Archean felsic metavolcanites of the Blake River Group (BRG), southern Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada. Textural and structural features recorded within the lithologies of the BRG at Dumagami indicate that two stages of hydrothermal alteration, separated by a dynamometamorphic event, have affected the volcanic protoliths in the deposit area. Advanced argillic and sericitic alteration zones, massive pyrite bodies, and massive sphalerite–galena bodies resulted from the first stage of hydrothermal activity. Sericitic shells surround peraluminous cores, which host the massive pyrite bodies and massive sphalerite–galena bodies within the altered zones.This early-stage alteration was followed by a dynamometamorphic event that reached the greenschist–amphibolite grade and almost completely recrystallized both fresh and altered rocks and the enclosed massive sulphide bodies. White-mica schists and andalusite–kyanite schists represent the dynamometamorphic equivalents of the earlier sericitic and advanced argillic zones. Mesoscopic and microscopic structures and textures attest to the ductile behaviour of the massive pyrite bodies during this deformation and accompanying metamorphism.Portions of the deformed and metamorphosed altered zones are characterized by a late cataclastic deformation and by the development of fractures postdating the ductile deformation. The late hydrothermal alteration is concentrated within these cataclastic rocks and is characterized by the retrogression of the greenschist–amphibolite assemblages. Andalusite and kyanite are replaced by diaspore, kaolinite, and pyrophyllite assemblages, and pyrite is replaced by chalcopyrite–gold, chalcopyrite–bornite–gold, and bornite–stromeyerite assemblages. The concentration of the pre-dynamometamorphic alteration and sulphide mineralization within a narrow band along the southern BRG could indicate that this part of the BRG was the locus of a major Archean synvolcanic fault zone.
U–Pb ages and tectonic significance of late Archean alkalic magmatism and nonmarine sedimentation: Timiskaming Group, southern Abitibi belt, Ontario
Authors: Corfu F. , Jackson S. L. , Sutcliffe R. H.
Published: July 2009

The paper presents U–Pb ages for zircons of the calc-alkalic to alkalic igneous suite and associated alluvial–fluvial sedimentary rocks of the Timiskaming Group in the late Archean Abitibi greenstone belt, Superior Province. The Timiskaming Group rests unconformably on pre-2700 Ma komatiitic to calc-alkalic volcanic sequences and is the expression of the latest stages of magmatism and tectonism that shaped the greenstone belt. An age of 2685 ± 3 Ma for the Bidgood quartz porphyry, an age of about 2685–2682 Ma for a quartz–feldspar porphyry clast in a conglomerate, and ages ranging from 2686 to 2680 Ma for detrital zircons in sandstones appear to reflect an early stage in the development of the Timiskaming Group. The youngest detrital zircons in each of three sandstones at Timmins, Kirkland Lake, and south of Larder Lake define maximum ages of sedimentation at about 2679 Ma; the latter sandstone is cut by a porphyry dyke dated by titanite at [Formula: see text], identical to the 2677 ± 2 Ma age for a volcanic agglomerate of the Bear Lake Formation north of Larder Lake. Similar ages have previously been reported for syenitic to granitic plutons of the region. The dominant period of Timiskaming sedimentation and magmatism was thus 2680–2677 Ma. Xenocrystic zircons found in a porphyry and a lamprophyre dyke have ages of 2750–2720 Ma, which correspond to the ages of the oldest units in the belt, predating the volumetrically dominant ca. 2700 Ma greenstone sequences. The presence of these xenocrysts and the onlapping of the Timiskaming Group on all earlier lithotectonic units of the southern Abitibi belt support the concept that the 2700 Ma ensimatic sequences were thrust onto older assemblages during a phase of compression that culminated with the generation of tonalite and granodiorite at about 2695–2688 Ma. Published geochemical data for the Timiskaming igneous suite, notably the enrichments in large-ion lithophile elements and light rare-earth elements and the relative depletion of Nb, Ta, and Ti compare with the characteristics of suites at modern convergent settings such as the Eolian and the Banda arcs and are consistent with generation of the melts from deep metasomatized mantle in the final stages of, or after cessation of, subduction. Late- and post-Timiskaming compression caused north-directed thrusting and folding. Turbiditic sedimentary units of the Larder Lake area which locally structurally overly the alluvial–fluvial sequence and were earlier thought to be part of the Timiskaming Group, appear to be older "flyschoid" sequences, possibly correlative with sedimentary rocks deposited in the Porcupine syncline at Timmins between 2700 and 2690 Ma.
Effects of population-specific variation in age and length on fishery selection and exploitation rates of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Authors: Kendall Neala W. , Quinn Thomas P.
Published: July 2009

Conspecific salmonid populations often differ in age and body size at maturity, and these differences can cause fishery exploitation rates and patterns of directional selection on size to vary among populations. Based on age and length data on five representative spawning populations of sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) in the Wood River system, Bristol Bay, Alaska, USA, we estimated exploitation rates and population-specific patterns of selection from a gillnet fishery between 1963 and 2007. Exploitation rates have differed among age groups and have varied greatly over time, likely due to changes in fishery selectivity. Populations with older, larger fish were more heavily exploited than populations with small, young fish. Differential fishery selection was detected among the populations, linked to persistent differences in size and age of fish among the populations. Specifically, we found evidence of stronger size selectivity on populations with smaller-bodied fish and less directional selection on populations dominated by larger-bodied fish. These results reveal the complex variation in the intensity and selectivity of fishing that can result from exploitation of populations that differ in age and size at maturity and shape. Evolutionary responses to this selection may be taking place, but natural processes provide countervailing selection.
Declining lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) energy density: are there too many salmonid predators in the Great Lakes?
Authors: Paterson Gordon , Whittle D. Michael , Drouillard Kenneth G. , Haffner G. Douglas
Published: July 2009

This study used long-term biomonitoring data on lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) collected from Lakes Erie, Ontario, Huron, and Superior between 1995 and 2004 to investigate latitudinal and temporal trends in body mass and energy density of this top predator in the Great Lakes. Lake trout average body mass and energy density were observed to have negative relationships with latitude that primarily reflected patterns in lake productivities. Temporal declines in energy density occurred for >80% of all lake trout age classes collected from each of the four lakes between 1995 and 2004. von Bertalanffy (VBL) growth models describing the relationships between fish energy density and age demonstrated decreased growth of lake trout energy density during 2000–2004 relative to 1995–1999. VBL growth coefficients (k) and the slopes describing the rates of change in lake trout energy density were negatively correlated with the total number of lake trout and salmonid individuals released into these lakes during this study. We hypothesize that the temporal declines in lake trout body mass and energy density are a manifestation of a bioenergetic bottleneck for this species due to their inability to efficiently compete with non-native salmonids for depleted prey populations.
Aquatic connectivity and fish metacommunities in wetlands of the lower Great Lakes
Authors: Bouvier Lynn D. , Cottenie Karl , Doka Susan E.
Published: July 2009

Although many local and regional variables structure fish assemblage composition, few studies have assessed the effects of aquatic connectivity on fish assemblages in wetlands. Fish and habitat surveys were conducted in 12 wetlands across the lower Great Lakes basin in the spring and fall of 2003 and 2004. Spatial and temporal connectivity were classified into four connectivity classes to evaluate the interaction between aquatic connectivity and fish assemblage structure. Sequential, nested analysis of covariance was used to model the effect of habitat area and connectivity at long- and short-term time scales on aggregate descriptors of assemblage structure (i.e., species richness, piscivore richness, abundance, and diversity). Although no species–area relationship was detected, increases in connectivity were shown to positively affect species richness and piscivore richness. A variation decomposition method indicated that a combination of aquatic connectivity, followed by environmental and area variables, was most influential in structuring fish assemblages at short-term time scales. Connectivity thus influences both the local species pool present, as well as the abundance of these species within a wetland. Future fundamental and applied studies (e.g., climate change predictions, impact of humans on water budget, wetland management) on wetland fish assemblages should include connectivity as an important structuring process.
Contrasting responses in larval and juvenile growth to a climate–ocean regime shift between anchovy and sardine
Authors: Takahashi Motomitsu , Watanabe Yoshiro , Yatsu Akihiko , Nishida Hiroshi
Published: July 2009

Anchovy and sardine populations have fluctuated alternately with decadal changes in climatic and oceanic states, although the mechanisms remain unclear. In the western North Pacific, anchovy and sardine share nursery grounds in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transitional waters, where the subtropical and subarctic currents converge from the south and north, respectively. We found that northward expansion of the subtropical waters simultaneously changed the local environment in the nursery grounds to be favorable for late larvae and early juveniles of anchovy, but not for those of sardine during 1996–2002. Increased temperature enhanced growth and survival for anchovy, whereas reduced food availability diminished those for sardine. Northward expansion of the subtropical waters have been linked with wind-forced anomaly of sea-surface height in the central North Pacific. After 1988, when anchovy flourished and sardine collapsed in the western North Pacific, previous studies by other researchers documented similar changes in air–sea interaction. Our results suggest that contrasting responses in growth and survival processes to wind-forced oscillation of the current structures caused the alternate population dynamics between anchovy and sardine in the western North Pacific.
Consistency of COSEWIC species at risk designations: freshwater fishes as a case study
Authors: Lukey James R. , Crawford Stephen S.
Published: July 2009

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is responsible for the assessment of Canadian wildlife at risk. The COSEWIC assessment process is primarily based on five quantitative criteria developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, but allows for further modification of designations under certain conditions. This study investigated the consistency of designations predicted using the quantitative COSEWIC criteria compared with observed designations reported by COSEWIC. A total of 49 COSEWIC designations for freshwater fishes from 2000 to 2007 were compared for consistency in decision-making. Overall, there was a 57.1% agreement between predicted and observed designations. A substantial number (35.1%) of COSEWIC designations were downlisted from “Endangered” or “Threatened” without sufficient explanation to justify the modifications. For the cases of uplisting, these differences were associated with qualitative criteria not effectively represented in our algorithm. Recommendations are offered to improve the transparency and accountability of COSEWIC decision-making, including enhancements to reporting and the explicit incorporation of uncertainty in the COSEWIC risk assessment protocol.
Monitoring and evaluating rockfish conservation areas in British Columbia
Authors: Marliave Jeff , Challenger Wendell
Published: July 2009

Baseline data for rockfish abundance and substrate associations were documented for newly established rockfish conservation areas (RCAs) in Howe Sound using a multilevel occupancy model, which is new to fisheries science. In 2005, a series of roaming video dives was conducted. Videotapes were scored, minute by minute, according to substrate type, revealing a strong association of rockfish with piled boulders as preferred habitat. Paired divers sighted about twice as many rockfish as were documented on videotape in the same areas (same dates). In 2006, 69 dives were conducted at 11 randomly selected RCA sites and 12 random control sites (three dives per site). Of the factors investigated, only the percentage of boulder coverage predicted rockfish abundance. In 2007–2008, side-scan sonar was deployed for locating boulder piles to streamline efficiency of dive surveys. A combination of telemetry and underwater surveys in randomly selected areas should enable unbiased, noninvasive evaluation of the effectiveness of RCAs in rebuilding populations of inshore rockfish species on the Pacific coast of Canada.
Mixed-fishery or ecosystem conundrum? Multispecies considerations inform thinking on long-term management of North Sea demersal stocks
Authors: Mackinson Steven , Deas Barrie , Beveridge Doug , Casey John
Published: July 2009

Signatories of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development declaration committed to maintain or restore fish stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), a goal that has been challenged on a number of grounds. The European Commission has stated an objective to manage fisheries (independently) to achieve MSY by 2015, which has catalysed the Regional Advisory Councils’ (RACs) thinking on MSY and how it relates to their goal of developing long-term management plans. This study uses an ecosystem model of the North Sea to investigate questions relating to MSY in the context of mixed demersal fisheries for cod, haddock, and whiting. Results suggest that it is not possible to simultaneously achieve yields corresponding to MSYs predicted from single-species assessments and that the contradictory response of whiting is central to the trade-offs in yield and value for mixed demersal fisheries. Incompatibility between mixed-fishery and ecosystem-scale considerations exemplifies the difficult conceptual and practical challenges faced when moving toward an ecosystem approach.
Bioenergetics, overcompensation, and the source–sink status of marine reserves
Authors: Claessen David , de Vos Anneke S. , de Roos André M.
Published: July 2009

One of the hypothesized functions of marine protected areas (MPAs) is to serve as sources of biomass, with biomass spilling over from the reserve into neighbouring, harvested areas. We argue that the net larval flow (from or to the marine reserve) depends on between-area differences in the population-level biomass production rate, whereas the direction of adult flow depends on differences in the biomass standing stock. Hence, an important question is whether population-level biomass production increases (overcompensation) or decreases (undercompensation) with increased per capita mortality. We show that in a consumer–resource context, the source–sink status of an MPA may depend on the details of the individual-level bioenergetics, as well as on the dispersal rates of larvae and adults. We compare two classic bioenergetic models (net-production vs. gross-production allocation). The net-production model predicts that population-level reproduction may increase with mortality (overcompensation), whereas gross-production allocation always results in undercompensation. We show that models often implicitly assume gross-production allocation, thus potentially overestimating the capacity of MPAs to source unprotected areas. We briefly discuss results of two other models (a simplified, logistic model and a size-structured model), suggesting that the relation between overcompensation and the larval sink status of MPAs is general.
Potential methods for measuring the activity patterns and energy use of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Authors: Gollock Matthew J. , Hunter Kristopher J. , Syme Douglas A. , Freeman Marcus , McKinley R. Scott , Gamperl A. Kurt
Published: July 2009

As there are no commercially available acoustic telemetry devices for quantifying the swimming activity and activity-related metabolic expenditures of a wide range of marine species, we (i) examined the suitability of three methods (electromyography; sonomicrometry; and tail differential pressure tags (DPT)) for measuring the swimming speed of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ), and indirectly, metabolic rate (MO2) and (ii) measured the activity pattern of free-swimming cod carrying the DPT. All three methods yielded significant relationships with swim speed during a critical swimming speed (Ucrit) test. However, only the DPT was able to discern between swimming speed differences of 0.1 body lengths (BL)·s–1and provide a strong relationship with MO2. Further, we found that free-swimming cod fitted with the DPT swam at an average speed of 0.33 BL·s–1, the speed previously reported to result in minimal cost of transport for this species. While the DPT has considerable potential for assessing the bioenergetics of marine fishes, the swimming economy of tagged Atlantic cod was lower above 0.4 BL·s–1as compared with untagged fish, and Ucritwas reduced by 25%. These latter effects are likely related to the tag’s present size (39 g) and design.
The influence of land use on stream biofilm nutrient limitation across eight North American ecoregions
Authors: Johnson Laura T. , Tank Jennifer L. , Dodds Walter K.
Published: July 2009

Nutrient diffusing substrata were used to determine the influence of inorganic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) availability on community respiration (CR), gross primary production (GPP), and chlorophyll a (chl a) on inorganic and organic substrata. We incubated substrata in nine streams each in a total of eight ecoregions (n = 72 streams) located in a range of native vegetation, agriculture, and urban land-use types. On organic substrata, CR was nutrient-limited in 94% of reference streams but showed significant nutrient limitation in only 60% and 65% of agricultural and urban streams, respectively. The relative magnitude of nutrient limitation for CR on organic substrata decreased with increasing percent modified land use in the basin (agriculture + urban). On inorganic and organic substrata, GPP and chl a were rarely nutrient-limited across all ecoregions and land-use types, although the magnitude of nutrient limitation increased with increasing light availability. The effect of human land use on nutrient limitation of biofilm CR, GPP, and chl a was influenced by ecoregion, yet heterotrophic biofilms were consistently most sensitive to nutrient enrichment across ecoregions. Both heterotrophic and autotrophic biofilm constituents should be considered to fully understand stream ecosystem responses to nutrient enrichment.
Behavioural toxicity of organic chemical contaminants in fish: application to ecological risk assessments (ERAs)
Authors: Robinson Peter D.
Published: July 2009

Chemical pollutants rarely attain acutely lethal concentrations in nature; thus the majority of their effects are expected to be sublethal. Estimation of the likelihood of effects from exposures to sublethal concentrations of contaminants in effluent plumes downstream of point sources poses a challenge when conducting ecological risk assessments (ERAs). This is an issue for regulatory agencies worldwide. This paper reviews the importance and availability of information on behavioural toxicity and identifies opportunities for its inclusion in ERAs. One of the major advantages of using data on behavioural effects is that they are more sensitive indicators of potential for impacts on survival in the field than are measures of lethality. Indications from available data for fish suggest that behavioural effects of organic contaminants often occur at concentrations 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower than those found to elicit mortality. As a result, it is believed that the use of data on behavioural toxicity in ERAs could benefit the assessment process a great deal, allowing for the consideration of more ecologically significant and protective hazard and exposure scenarios.
How reliable are the abundance indices derived from commercial catch–effort standardization?
Authors: Ye Yimin , Dennis Darren
Published: July 2009

Commercial catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data are often standardized to construct indices of stock abundance. The value of such standardization lies in the improvement in the proportionality between the derived index and true abundance. Using the Torres Strait rock lobster ( Panulirus ornatus ) fishery in Australia as an example, we first standardized the commercial CPUE data using a generalized linear model (GLM) and then fitted observation error models to the resulting abundance indices and independent abundance data (as estimated by research diver surveys) to examine the proportionality. While the GLM standardization greatly improved proportionality in comparison with the nonstandardized commercial catch rates, it could produce biased results if the model did not explicitly incorporate variables that had caused changes in fishing efficiency. As most catch–effort standardizations do not model the fishing power component simultaneously, this result may serve as a warning to the potential bias in stock abundance indices extracted from GLMs that are underfitted.
Limnology in northeastern Ontario: from acidification to multiple stressorsThis Perspective is based on the author’s F.H. Rigler Lecture delivered at the annual meeting of the Society of Canadian Limnologists in Halifax, Nova Scotia, January 2008.
Authors: Keller W. (Bill)
Published: July 2009

Thousands of lakes around Sudbury, in northeastern Ontario, Canada, were badly damaged by acid deposition and many were also metal-contaminated. Large reductions in atmospheric sulphur and metal emissions have led to widespread chemical improvements in these lakes, and recovery has been documented for various biota. These findings were very important in establishing the necessity and value of sulphur emission controls during the international debates about the effects of acid deposition and the need for cleaner air. Studies of northeastern Ontario lakes are continuing to advance our understanding of chemical and biological recovery processes; however, that knowledge is still incomplete. It has become apparent that the recovery of lakes from acidification is closely linked with the responses to, and interactions with, other large-scale environmental stressors like climate change and calcium declines. Developing a better understanding of lake recovery processes and their future outcomes within such a multiple stressor context will be difficult. It will demand the merging of various approaches, including monitoring, experimentation, paleolimnology, and modelling, and will require effective collaboration among different research and monitoring sites and various agencies and institutions engaged in environmental science.
On the black hole singularity issue in loop quantum gravityThis paper was presented at the Theory CANADA 4 conference, held at Centre de recherches mathématiques, Montréal, Québec, Canada on 4–7 June 2008.
Authors: DeBenedictis A.
Published: July 2009

This paper presents a brief overview on the issue of singularity resolution in loop quantum gravity presented at the Theory CANADA IV conference at the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques at the Université de Montréal. The intended audience is theoretical physicists who are non-specialist in the field, and therefore much of the technical detail is omitted here. Instead, a brief review of loop quantum gravity is presented followed by a survey of previous and current work on results concerning the resolution of the classical black hole singularity within loop quantum gravity.
Cascading gravity and degravitationThis paper was presented at the Theory CANADA 4 conference, held at the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques at the Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada on 4–7 June 2008.
Authors: de Rham Claudia
Published: July 2009

Cascading gravity is an explicit realization of the idea of degravitation, where gravity behaves as a high-pass filter. This could explain why a large cosmological constant does not backreact as much as anticipated from standard General Relativity. The model relies on the presence of at least two infinite extra dimensions while our world is confined on a four-dimensional brane. Gravity is then four-dimensional at short distances and becomes weaker and weaker at larger distances.