bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PROXIMITY TO FORESTS DRIVES BIRD CONSERVATION VALUE OF COFFEE PLANTATIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION
Authors: Anand Mandyam Osuri , Krishnaswamy Jagdish , Das Arundhati
Published: September 2008

Widespread loss of primary habitat in the tropics has led to increased interest in production landscapes for biodiversity conservation. In the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in India, shade coffee plantations are located in close proximity to sites of high conservation value: protected and unprotected forests. Coffee is grown here under a tree canopy that may be dominated by native tree species or by nonnative species, particularly silver oak (Grevillea robusta). We investigated the influence of properties at the local scale and the landscape scale in determining bird communities in coffee plantations, with particular emphasis on species of conservation priority. We used systematic point counts in 11 coffee plantation sites and analyzed data in a randomized linear modeling framework that addressed spatial autocorrelation. Greater proportion of silver oak at the local scale and distance to contiguous forests at the landscape scale were implicated as factors most strongly driving declines in bird species richness and abundance, while increased basal area of native tree species, a local‐scale variable, was frequently related to increased bird species richness and abundance. The influence of local‐scale variables increased at greater distances from the forest. Distance to forests emerged as the strongest predictor of declines in restricted‐range species, with 92% reduction in the abundance of two commonly encountered restricted‐range species (Pompadour Green Pigeon and Yellow‐browed Bulbul) and a 43% reduction in richness of bird species restricted to Indian hill forests within 8 km of forests. Increase in proportion of silver oak from 33% to 55% was associated with 91% reduction in the abundance of one commonly encountered restricted‐range species (Crimson‐fronted Barbet). One conservation strategy is providing incentives to grow coffee in a biodiversity‐friendly manner. One implication of our study is that plantations located at varying distances to the forest cannot be compared fairly for biodiversity friendliness by existing certification methodology. Another is that conservation of existing forests at the landscape scale is essential for maintaining higher biodiversity in coffee plantations. Incentive schemes that promote conservation of remnant forests at the landscape scale and biodiversity‐friendly practices locally and that relate to coffee communities as a whole rather than individual planters are likely to be more effective.
EVALUATING THE SOURCES OF POTENTIAL MIGRANT SPECIES: IMPLICATIONS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE
Authors: Ibáñez Inés , Clark James S. , Dietze Michael C.
Published: September 2008

As changes in climate become more apparent, ecologists face the challenge of predicting species responses to the new conditions. Most forecasts are based on climate envelopes (CE), correlative approaches that project future distributions on the basis of the current climate often assuming some dispersal lag. One major caveat with this approach is that it ignores the complexity of factors other than climate that contribute to a species' distributional range. To overcome this limitation and to complement predictions based on CE modeling we carried out a transplant experiment of resident and potential‐migrant species. Tree seedlings of 18 species were planted side by side from 2001 to 2004 at several locations in the Southern Appalachians and in the North Carolina Piedmont (USA). Growing seedlings under a large array of environmental conditions, including those forecasted for the next decades, allowed us to model seedling survival as a function of variables characteristic of each site, and from here we were able to make predictions on future seedling recruitment. In general, almost all species showed decreased survival in plots and years with lower soil moisture, including both residents and potential migrants, and in both locations, the Southern Appalachians and the Piedmont. The detrimental effects that anticipated arid conditions could have on seedling recruitment contradict some of the projections made by CE modeling, where many of the species tested are expected to increase in abundance or to expand their ranges. These results point out the importance of evaluating the potential sources of migrant species when modeling vegetation response to climate change, and considering that species adapted to the new climate and the local conditions may not be available in the surrounding regions.
TREE MORTALITY FOLLOWING PARTIAL HARVESTS IS DETERMINED BY SKIDDING PROXIMITY
Authors: Thorpe H. C. , Thomas S. C. , Caspersen J. P.
Published: September 2008

Recently developed structural retention harvesting strategies aim to improve habitat and ecological services provided by managed forest stands by better emulating natural disturbances. The potential for elevated mortality of residual trees following such harvests remains a critical concern for forest managers, and may present a barrier to more widespread implementation of the approach. We used a harvest chronosequence combined with dendrochronological techniques and an individual‐based neighborhood analysis to examine the rate and time course of residual‐tree mortality in the first decade following operational partial “structural retention” harvests in the boreal forest of Ontario, Canada. In the first year after harvest, residual‐tree mortality peaked at 12.6 times the preharvest rate. Subsequently, mortality declined rapidly and approached preharvest levels within 10 years. Proximity to skid trails was the most important predictor both of windthrow and standing death, which contributed roughly equally to total postharvest mortality. Local exposure further increased windthrow risk, while crowding enhanced the risk of standing mortality. Ten years after harvest, an average of 10.5% of residual trees had died as a result of elevated postharvest mortality. Predicted cumulative elevated mortality in the first decade after harvest ranged from 2.4% to 37% of residual trees across the observed gradient of skid trail proximity, indicating that postharvest mortality will remain at or below acceptable rates only if skidding impacts are minimized. These results represent an important step toward understanding how elevated mortality may influence stand dynamics and habitat supply following moderate‐severity disturbances such as partial harvests, insect outbreaks, and windstorms.
SOCIAL INFORMATION AND COMMUNITY DYNAMICS: NONTARGET EFFECTS FROM SIMULATING SOCIAL CUES FOR MANAGEMENT
Authors: Fletcher Robert J.
Published: September 2008

Artificially creating social stimuli may be an effective tool for facilitating settlement by rare and/or declining species into suitable habitat. However, the potential consequences for other community members have not been explored and should be considered when evaluating the overall utility of using such management strategies. I report on nontarget, community‐wide effects that occurred when manipulating social cues of two competitors that are species of concern in the western United States, the dominant Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) and the subordinate American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla). The experiment consisted of surveying birds during a pretreatment year, which allows for the control of baseline communities, and a treatment year, in which treatments were applied just prior to settlement by migratory birds. Treatments included broadcasting songs of flycatchers and redstarts and were compared to controls. While the addition of redstart cues did not significantly influence community structure, the addition of flycatcher cues reduced species richness of migratory birds by ∼30%. This pattern was driven by an absence of local colonizations of small‐bodied migrants to sites with added flycatcher cues, rather than by local extinctions occurring from manipulations. The artificial flycatcher stimuli were more responsible for declines in species richness than were changes in actual flycatcher densities. I conclude by identifying some fundamental issues that managers and conservation practitioners should weigh when considering simulating social cues for species conservation prior to implementation.
MYCOBACTERIOSIS‐ASSOCIATED MORTALITY IN WILD STRIPED BASS (MORONE SAXATILIS) FROM CHESAPEAKE BAY, USA
Authors: Gauthier D. T. , Latour R. J. , Heisey D. M. , Bonzek C. F. , Gartland J. , Burge E. J. , Vogelbein W. K.
Published: September 2008

The striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is an economically and ecologically important finfish species along the Atlantic seaboard of the United States. Recent stock assessments in Chesapeake Bay (USA) indicate that non‐fishing mortality in striped bass has increased since 1999, concomitant with very high (>50%) prevalence of visceral and dermal disease caused by Mycobacterium spp. Current fishery assessment models do not differentiate between disease and other components of non‐fishing mortality (e.g., senescence, predation); therefore, disease impact on the striped bass population has not been established. Specific measurement of mortality associated with mycobacteriosis in wild striped bass is complicated because the disease is chronic and mortality is cryptic. Epidemiological models have been developed to estimate disease‐associated mortality from cross‐sectional prevalence data and have recently been generalized to represent disease processes more realistically. Here, we used this generalized approach to demonstrate disease‐associated mortality in striped bass from Chesapeake Bay. To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of cryptic mortality associated with a chronic infectious disease in a wild finfish. This finding has direct implications for management and stock assessment of striped bass, as it demonstrates population‐level negative impacts of a chronic disease. Additionally, this research provides a framework by which disease‐associated mortality may be specifically addressed within fisheries models for resource management.
AN UNFORESEEN CHAIN OF EVENTS: LETHAL EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES ON FROGS AT SUBLETHAL CONCENTRATIONS
Authors: Relyea Rick A. , Diecks Nicole
Published: September 2008

The field of toxicology has traditionally assessed the risk of contaminants by using laboratory experiments and a range of pesticide concentrations that are held constant for short periods of time (1–4 days). From these experiments, one can estimate the concentration that causes no effect on survival. However, organisms in nature frequently experience multiple applications of pesticides over time rather than a single constant concentration. In addition, organisms are embedded in ecological communities that can propagate indirect effects through a food web. Using outdoor mesocosms, we examined how low concentrations (10–250 μg/L) of a globally common insecticide (malathion) applied at various amounts, times, and frequencies affected aquatic communities containing zooplankton, phytoplankton, periphyton, and larval amphibians (reared at two densities) for 79 days. All application regimes caused a decline in zooplankton, which initiated a trophic cascade in which there was a bloom in phytoplankton and, in several treatments, a subsequent decline in the competing periphyton. The reduced periphyton had little effect on wood frogs (Rana sylvatica), which have a short time to metamorphosis. However, leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) have a longer time to metamorphosis, and they experienced large reductions in growth and development, which led to subsequent mortality as the environment dried. Hence, malathion (which rapidly breaks down) did not directly kill amphibians, but initiated a trophic cascade that indirectly resulted in substantial amphibian mortality. Importantly, repeated applications of the lowest concentration ( a “press treatment” consisting of seven weekly applications of 10 μg/L) caused larger impacts on many of the response variables than single “pulse” applications that were 25 times as great in concentration. These results are not only important because malathion is the most commonly applied insecticide and is found in wetlands, but also because the mechanism underlying the trophic cascade is common to a wide range of insecticides, offering the possibility of general predictions for the way in which many insecticides impact aquatic communities and the populations of larval amphibians.
Economic Implications of Asian Integration
Authors: Francois Joseph F. , Wignaraja Ganeshan
Published: September 2008

The Asian countries are once again focused on options for large, comprehensive regional integration schemes. In this paper we explore the implications of such broad-based regional trade initiatives in Asia, highlighting the bridging of the East and South Asian economies. We place emphasis on the alternative prospects for insider and outsider countries. We work with a global general equilibrium model of the world economy, benchmarked to a projected 2017 sets of trade and production patterns. We also work with gravity-model based estimates of trade costs linked to infrastructure, and of barriers to trade in services. Taking these estimates, along with tariffs, into our CGE model, we examine regionally narrow and broad agreements, all centered on extending the reach of ASEAN to include free trade agreements with combinations of the northeast Asian economies (PRC, Japan, Korea) and also the South Asian economies. We focus on a stylized FTA that includes goods, services, and some aspects of trade cost reduction through trade facilitation and related infrastructure improvements. What matters most for East Asia is that China, Japan, and Korea be brought into any scheme for deeper regional integration. This matter alone drives most of the income and trade effects in the East Asia region across all of our scenarios. The inclusion of the South Asian economies in a broader regional agreement sees gains for the East Asian and South Asian economies. Most of the East Asian gains follow directly from Indian participation. The other South Asian players thus stand to benefit if India looks East and they are a part of the program, and to lose if they are not. Interestingly, we find that with the widest of agreements, the insiders benefit substantively in terms of trade and income while the aggregate impact on outside countries is negligible. Broadly speaking, a pan-Asian regional agreement would appear to cover enough countries, with a great enough diversity in production and incomes, to actually allow for regional gains without substantive third-country losses. However, realizing such potential requires overcoming a proven regional tendency to circumscribe trade concessions with rules of origin, NTBs, and exclusion lists. The more likely outcome, a spider web of bilateral agreements, carries with it the prospect of significant outsider costs (i.e. losses) both within and outside the region.
European Migration: Welfare Migration or Economic Migration?
Authors: Warin Thierry , Svaton Pavel
Published: September 2008

This paper presents an empirical assessment of bilateral migration flows into the EU-15 countries. Using an extended gravity model, it identifies economic, welfare state, geospatial and linguistic variables as the principal determinants of migration flows into the EU-15 countries. As long as its effect is not offset by a high unemployment rate in the host country, the level of social protection expenditure influences migrants' choice of destination. However, albeit acting as a joint force with other economic, cultural and geospatial variables, the welfare state characteristics of the host country need to be reckoned with when studying European migration flows. Our empirical findings lend some support for a more unified or at least better coordinated social policy across the European Union.
The Asymmetric Effect of Diffusion Processes: Risk Sharing and Contagion
Authors: Gallegati Mauro , Greenwald Bruce , Richiardi Matteo G. , Stiglitz Joseph E.
Published: September 2008

In this paper we provide a general characterization of diffusion processes, allowing us to analyze both risk-sharing and contagion effects at the same time.

We illustrate the relevance of our theory with reference to the subprime mortgage crisis and more in general to the processes of securitization and interbank linkages. We show that interdependencies in real and financial assets are beneficial from a social point of view when the economic environment is favorable and detrimental when the economic environment deteriorates. In the latter case, private incentives are such that too many linkages are formed, with respect to what is socially desirable. The risk of contagion increases the volatility of the outcome and thus reduces the ability of the financial networks to provide risk-sharing.

Our analysis suggests that a likely major explanation of the subprime mortgage crisis is the process of securitization itself, in addition to the absence of transparency about the characteristics of the underlying assets that the multiple layers of financial intermediation fostered, as commonly claimed.

This may call for a different emphasis on the role of public intervention. While a goal to stabilize the economy in good times should be to disrupt the channels that bring contagion, that is a positive correlation in the returns, in a period of worsening economic conditions our analysis suggests regulatory intervention aimed at disconnecting the economy at crucial nodes. Moreover, we show that policy interventions should be aimed at rescuing institutions, but not their managers. Diminishing the cost of default actually increases the inefficiency due to the divergence between the social and the individual optimum.
The Growing Influence of Emerging Countries in the World Car Industry: An Estimation of Export Potentials in a World Trade Model
Authors: Peridy Nicolas J. , Abedini Javad
Published: September 2008

In the past ten years, emerging countries have considerably increased their production of cars. Although their share in world exports is still below 10%, these countries are now ready to conquer international markets, since they can produce on a large scale at very low production costs compared with the Northern standards. Given the lack of literature on this topic, the main contribution of this paper is to investigate the export potential of emerging countries in the automotive industry. Based on new developments in the gravity equation, an original world trade model is applied to the car industry. The export potentials are calculated from the residuals of the model with the out-sample technique. The main results show that several large emerging countries enjoy a very significant export potential. These are mainly China, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, Iran, Thailand as well as Indonesia. The growing influence of these countries has strong implications for the Triad. Indeed, Japan, Germany and small European countries have already surpassed their export potential. In fact, only North American countries still exhibit a significant export potential, because their export level is currently low in comparison to what it should be given their huge economic size.
The Inflexible Yuan and Global Imbalances
Authors: Makin Anthony J.
Published: September 2008

This paper evaluates China's exchange rate policy and current account surplus in the context of its rapid development. Recognizing that external imbalances reflect divergent national production and expenditure growth within both China and its trading partners, it contends that yuan exchange rate undervaluation against major currencies is central to any explanation of global imbalances. This misalignment artificially assists China's output growth and limits its household consumption, thereby slowing the rise in China's living standards. Meanwhile, due to currency misalignment, China's industrialized trading partners, most notably the United States and European Union, simultaneously experience larger bilateral current account deficits with China, lower output, lower saving and higher investment than otherwise. Further significant appreciation of China's exchange rate would simultaneously reduce China's huge trade surplus and the bilateral deficits of its trading partners, thereby alleviating international trade tensions.
From State to Foreign Ownership: The Banking Sector in Eastern and Central Europe
Authors: Marton Katherin , McCarthy Cornelia H.
Published: September 2008

It is nearly two decades since economic transformation of the former socialist economies of Eastern and Central Europe and the Baltic states (ECE) began and today most of these countries have joined the European Union (EU). In this paper we analyze characteristics of the banking sector that emerged through the arduous transition process. In many aspects, this sector is similar to that of other countries of the EU but it also varies in significant ways. The very high share of foreign bank ownership is the hallmark of ECE banking. Despite the relative rapid restructuring of the old socialist enterprise financing system, so far the financial depth of ECE countries has remained significantly below the level of other EU members and also below the average of developing countries at a similar income level. Further government policy measures need to address supply and demand conditions so that access to credit is improved both for the aggregate economy and particularly for the small and medium scale sectors.
Writing a Helpful Referee's Report
Authors: Martin Brian
Published: September 2008

Referees’ reports are often demoralizing to authors. It is possible to write a report that is supportive and helpful by following two rules: Say what is good about a piece of work, and say how it can be improved.
Randomized Competitive Analysis for Two Server Problems
Authors: Bein Wolfgang , Iwama Kazuo , Kawahara Jun
Published: September 2008

We prove that there exists a randomized online algorithm for the 2-server 3-point problem whose expected competitive ratio is at most 1.5897. This is the first nontrivial upper bound for randomized k-server algorithms in a general metric space whose competitive ratio is well below the corresponding deterministic lower bound (= 2 in the 2-server case).
Residual Entropy, the Third Law and Latent Heat
Authors: Kozliak Evguenii , Lambert Frank L.
Published: September 2008

A novel thermodynamic treatment of residual entropy in crystals, involving the configurational partition function, is suggested, which is consistent with both classical and statistical thermodynamics. It relates residual entropy to the inherent latent heat which would be released upon cooling if the reversible path were available. The nature of this heat is that if the crystal possessing residual entropy freezes above its Boltzmann’s characteristic temperature of molecular alignment, the difference in energy between different molecular arrangements is overcome by the kT heat bath to form a nearly-ideal solution. However, upon cooling below this characteristic temperature, they would separate with a concomitant release of the corresponding energy, provided the reversible path were available.
Conformational Entropy of an Ideal Cross-Linking Polymer Chain
Authors: Vorov Oleg K. , Livesay Dennis R. , Jacobs Donald J.
Published: September 2008

We present a novel analytical method to calculate conformational entropy of ideal cross-linking polymers from the configuration integral by employing a Mayer series expansion. Mayer-functions describing chemical bonds within the chain and for cross-links are sharply peaked over the temperature range of interest, and, are well approximated as statistically weighted Dirac delta-functions that enforce distance constraints. All geometrical deformations consistent with a set of distance constraints are integrated over. Exact results for a contiguous series of connected loops are employed to substantiate the validity of a previous phenomenological distance constraint model that describes protein thermodynamics successfully based on network rigidity.
Measuring Volunteer Motivation in Mega-Sporting Events
Authors: Giannoulakis Chrysostomos , Wang Chien-Hsin , Gray Dianna
Published: September 2008

Volunteers are a core component of sport service delivery and an important element of the Olympic Games culture. However, little research has addressed the specific characteristics and experiences of individuals who dedicate their time and effort to volunteer at mega-sporting events,
more specifically at the Olympic Games. The current study aims to contribute to the literature so that more effective volunteer recruitment and management strategies can be fostered. The purpose of the study was to investigate motives of volunteers at the Athens 2004 Olympics and examine the
factorial structure of the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS). Data were gathered from a volunteer sample of 146 individuals who offered their services in the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Olympic Village. Scores from the 18-item OVMS demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability.
The extracted factors (Olympic related, Egoistic, and Purposive) were well defined and interpreted in terms of the items included. Given the fact that volunteers at the Olympic Games might be motivated by reasons that differ from those at local sporting events, the OVMS will provide information
that could further support the Olympic volunteer movement in terms of effective volunteer recruitment and satisfaction.
Film Festivals: An Empirical Study of Factors for Success
Authors: Grunwell Sandra , “Steve” Ha Inhyuck
Published: September 2008

Film festivals have become an increasingly popular method of generating economic benefit to communities, yet there is little mention of this festival segment in the academic literature. Seen as a meeting place between filmmakers, distributors, and viewers, film festivals can be an important
factor in enlivening local cultural life, building a town, city, or region's image, and fostering its attractiveness for tourism and thus its economic development. In addition to providing a cultural experience for the local community, and providing economic benefits as a tourist draw, film
festivals provide a service to the film industry by supplying a forum for filmmakers to show their films and film buyers and distributors to view them. This article reports on a study of film festival attendees that was undertaken to evaluate the success of a regional film festival and assist
film festival managers and sponsors in future planning. Attendee characteristics and festival experience were evaluated, as well the festival's economic impact on the local community. The article also provides an overview of unique characteristics of the film festival industry.
Understanding Novelty-Seeking Behavior in Meeting Tourism: A Measurement Development Approach
Authors: Ariffin Ahmad Azmi M.
Published: September 2008

The main purpose of this article is to define the construct of novelty in the corporate meeting tourism perspective and to develop a preliminary instrument to measure novelty preference for corporate meeting destination choice. This article discusses in great detail literature relevant
to novelty-seeking behavior in the context of marketing and tourism. Based on the literature and protocol analysis technique, the construct of novelty preference was found to comprise of three overlapping dimensions, namely destination familiarity, destination uniqueness, and destination excitement.
Thus, novelty preference in this article is defined as the extent to which a corporate meeting planner prefers a destination setting that creates an unusual, unique, and exciting meeting travel experience. It was measured by calculating the mean responses to 19 items along a 6-point scale,
where 6 depicted a very strong novelty preference for meeting destination while 1 depicted a very weak novelty preference. The initial scale was demonstrated to have content validity by panel of experts.
Are you being Served? The Impacts of a Tourist Hallmark event on the Place Meanings of Residents
Authors: Boyko Christopher T.
Published: September 2008

Tourist hallmark events can dramatically impact a host community and their livelihood. Previous research, however, has not examined hallmark event impacts on residents' place meanings. A case study was undertaken in Brugge, Belgium, to understand how the 2002 European Capital of Culture
program impacted the place meanings of residents. A mail survey and interviews examined residents' perceptions of the hallmark event and the city. Findings revealed that residents did not feel their needs were being met before and during the hallmark event. Many residents believed that tourists
were the main focus of the cultural year and that host ideas and local culture were spurned in favor of outside initiatives. Meanings for Brugge were mainly negative or neutral as a result. Recommendations from this study include working with hosts early on in hallmark event organization and
carefully considering the short- and long-term consequences of hosting hallmark events in small, tourist-historic cities.
How Climate Change is Considered in Sustainable Tourism Policies: A Case of The Mediterranean Islands of Malta and Mallorca
Authors: Dodds Rachel , Kelman Ilan
Published: September 2008

Mediterranean island case studies of Calvià, Mallorca, and Malta are used to examine how sustainable tourism policies do, do not, and should factor in climate change in order to reduce the vulnerabilities of the tourism sector to climate change. Data were collected from key actors
responsible for policy implementation as well as tourism policy and planning documents from Malta's and Calvià's tourism industries. Tourism in both sites has significant vulnerabilities to climate change, but climate change was rarely stated as being an important tourism issue. That
was the case even when policies include measures that contribute to climate change adaptation, although those policies were implemented for reasons other than climate change. Six policy suggestions are made for adapting to climate change in the case studies' tourism industries: Enacting effective
control systems to ensure that policies are implemented and monitored; improving education and awareness on climate change and its potential impacts; placing sustainable tourism and climate change within broader policy frameworks; implementing economic incentives to encourage adjustment strategies;
using accountable, flexible, and participatory approaches for addressing climate change in sustainable tourism policies; and filling in policy gaps while further integrating policies. Placing climate change into wider contexts reveals that some aspects of tourism might not be sustainable for
small islands. Climate change should therefore be one dimension among many topics within sustainable tourism policies. That approach would provide impetus and support for pursuing strategies that should also be implemented for reasons other than climate change.
Exploring Potential Visitor Response to Climate-Induced Environmental Changes in Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks
Authors: Scott Daniel , Jones Brenda , Konopek Jasmina
Published: September 2008

The scientific community and park professionals recognize that climate change could have a substantial impact on the natural landscape of mountain parks worldwide, with important implications for conservation policy and park planning. Little is known however about how tourists may respond
to these projected environmental changes. To explore this question in the context of Canada's Rocky Mountain national parks, a visitor survey was administered (n = 809) in two national parks: Banff and Waterton Lakes. The environmental change scenarios constructed for the early and
mid-decades of the 21st century were found to have minimal influence on intention to visit. The environmental change scenario for the latter decades, under a high emission climate change scenario, was found to have a negative effect on intention to visit, as 36% of respondents indicated they
would visit the parks less often and 25% not at all. Visitors most likely to be negatively affected by climate-induced environmental change were nature-based tourists from overseas, motivated by the opportunity to view mountain landscapes and wildlife. The hitherto largely overlooked conceptual
and methodological challenges of understanding how tourists may respond to multidecadal environmental changes induced by global climate change in any tourism setting is also discussed.
Climate Change Risk Appraisal in the Austrian Ski Industry
Authors: Wolfsegger Christoph , Gössling Stefan , Scott Daniel
Published: September 2008

Ski tourism is an economically and culturally important industry in many parts of Europe. A growing number of studies in Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia have concluded that climate change has potentially serious implications for the sustainability of ski operations by reducing
the average length of ski seasons and, where applicable, increasing snowmaking costs. To date, however, the climate change risk awareness and adaptive responses of stakeholders in the ski industry have not been examined. A survey of managers at low elevation ski areas in Austria was undertaken
to explore their perceptions of climate change (past and future), how climate change had/will affect their operations, and their adaptive responses (past and planned). The results indicate that climate change is not perceived to be a serious threat to ski operations and that with technological
adaptation, principally snowmaking, ski area managers believe they will be able to effectively cope with climate change in the 21st century. The consequences of these perceptions for the future operation of these ski areas are discussed and conclusions drawn for the future of ski tourism in
Austria.
Misperceptions of Climate Change Damage Coastal Tourism: Case Study of Byron Bay, Australia
Authors: Buckley Ralf
Published: September 2008

Local politics at Byron Bay on Australia's east coast have led to misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the likely effects of climate change on sea-level and coastal erosion. A voting bloc of self–proclaimed “green” members of the local government authority (LGA) has adopted policies and planning instruments that have affected tourism by: placing severe and irrational restrictions on development of residential and holiday accommodation; reducing the opportunities for holiday letting; increasing rates and costs for businesses that provide services to tourists; and creating community division and dissent, which drives away higher yield family tourists. This is occurring even though the LGA acknowledges the town's dependence on tourism. The key issue is that the LGA has prevented beachfront landowners from protecting their own properties against erosion, which the LGA now claims, incorrectly, to be due to climate change but which is in fact caused by a groyne built to protect facilities owned or managed by the LGA itself. Addressing this erosion is completely straightforward from a technical perspective, but is prevented by political power plays. Through this political mechanism, misperceptions of climate change have hence damaged the town's tourism industry and investment, which have moved to neighboring local government areas.
Engaging Tourism Stakeholders in the Development of Climate Change Decision-Support Tools: A Case Study from Michigan, USA
Authors: Nicholls Sarah , Holecek Donald F.
Published: September 2008

Projection of the potential impacts of climate variability and change on tourism destinations is heavily dependent on the ability to first model present-day relationships between tourism activity and weather conditions. However, current understanding of these relationships is often
based more on assumption and anecdotal evidence than hard empirical data. In particular, models that function at the same fine temporal and spatial scales as variations in weather characteristics typically occur are especially lacking in the literature. This article focuses on the processes
and associated challenges underlying the development of Web-based decision-support tools designed to enable tourism enterprises in Michigan to project the potential impacts of climate variability and change on their businesses. An absolutely essential component of this study was the engagement
of tourism stakeholders in model development. However, this process was fraught with difficulties, from industry members' perceptions of the relevance and importance of the issue, to the acquisition of appropriate data and development of useful and comprehensible tools. The models constructed
enable tourism stakeholders to more rigorously evaluate the vulnerability of their enterprises to future variability and change in Michigan's climate, thereby encouraging them to consider suitable adaptation strategies in a more timely and proactive manner.
The Place of Tourism in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: A Review
Authors: Amelung Bas , Moreno Alvaro , Scott Daniel
Published: September 2008

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published its fourth assessment report (AR4), representing the current state of knowledge about the causes and impacts of climate change as well as possible options for adaptation and mitigation. This article reviews the
place of tourism in the AR4. Clearly, tourism has been given more space in comparison to the previous report. Nevertheless, substantial regional imbalances in available knowledge are revealed, as well as a virtual absence of information about the contribution of tourism to climate change.
The article ends with a discussion of several issues that demand a priority position for tourism on the research agenda for the coming years.
Versatile Nanocomposite Coatings with Tunable Cell Adhesion and Bactericidity
Authors: Es‐Souni Martha , Fischer‐Brandies Helge , Es‐Souni Mohammed
Published: September 2008

TiO2‐Ag nanocomposites are known for their bactericidal effect during exposure to appropriate UV radiation. While involving hazardous radiation, and limited to accessible areas, the bactericidity of these coatings is not persistent in the absence of UV light, which impedes their commercial application. Herein it is shown that TiO2‐Ag nanocomposites can be made highly bactericidal without the need of irradiation. Beyond this, bactericidity can even be mitigated in the presence of pre‐irradiated coatings. Biocompatibility and cell adhesion are also negligibly small for the as‐processed, non‐irradiated coatings, and become fairly high when the coatings are irradiated prior to testing. This opens the possibility to pattern the coatings into areas with high and low cell adhesion properties. Indeed by irradiating the coating through a mechanical mask it is shown that fibroblast cell adherence is sharply confined to the irradiated area. These properties are achieved using TiO2‐Ag thin films with high silver loadings of 50 wt%. The films are processed on stainless steel substrates using solution deposition. Microstructural characterization by means of X‐ray diffraction, Raman, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy show a highly amorphous TiO2‐AgxO nanocomposite matrix with scattered silver nanoparticles. UV irradiation of the films results in the precipitation of a high density of silver nanoparticles at the film surface. Bactericidal properties of the films are tested on α‐haemolyzing streptococci and in‐vitro biocompatibility is assessed on primary human fibroblast cultures. The results mentioned above as to the tunable bactericidity and biocompatibility of the TiO2‐Ag coatings developed herein, are amenable to silver ion release, to catalytic effects of silver nanoparticles, and to specific wettabilities of the surfaces.
Self‐assembly of Protein Nanoarrays on Block Copolymer Templates
Authors: Lau K. H. Aaron , Bang Joona , Kim Dong Ha , Knoll Wolfgang
Published: September 2008

There is considerable interest in developing functional protein arrays on the nanoscale for high‐throughput protein‐based array technology, and for the study of biomolecular and cell interactions at the physical scale of the biomolecules. To these ends, self‐assembly based techniques may be desirable for the nanopatterning of proteins on large sample areas without the use of lithography equipment. We present a fast, general approach for patterning proteins (and potentially other biomolecules) on the nanoscale, which takes advantage of the ability of block copolymers to self‐assemble into ordered surface nanopatterns with defined chemical heterogeneity. We demonstrate nanoarrays of immunoglobulin and bovine serum albumin on polystyrene‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) templates, and illustrate the applicability of our technique through immunoassays and DNA sensing performed on the protein nanoarrays. Furthermore, we show that the pattern formation mechanism is a nanoscale effect originating from a combination of fluid flow forces and geometric restrictions templated by an underlying nanopattern with a difference in protein adsorption behavior on adjacent, chemically distinct surfaces. This understanding may provide a framework for extending the patterning approach to other proteins and material systems.
Multiple system atrophy: A primary oligodendrogliopathy
Authors: Wenning Gregor K. , Stefanova Nadia , Jellinger Kurt A. , Poewe Werner , Schlossmacher Michael G.
Published: September 2008

To this day, the cause of multiple system atrophy (MSA) remains stubbornly enigmatic. A growing body of observations regarding the clinical, morphological, and biochemical phenotypes of MSA has been published, but the interested student is still left without a clue as to its underlying cause. MSA has long been considered a rare cousin of Parkinson's disease and cerebellar degeneration; it is rich in acronyms but poor in genetic and environmental leads. Because of the worldwide research efforts conducted over the last two decades and the discovery of the α‐synuclein–encodingSNCAgene as a cause of rare familial Parkinson's disease, the MSA field has seen advances on three fronts: the identification of its principal cellular target, that is, oligodendrocytes; the characterization of α‐synuclein–rich glial cytoplasmic inclusions as a suitable marker at autopsy; and improved diagnostic accuracy in living patients resulting from detailed clinicopathological studies. The working model of MSA as a primary glial disorder was recently strengthened by the finding of dysregulation in the metabolism of myelin basic protein and p25α, a central nervous system–specific phosphoprotein (also called tubulin polymerization promoting protein, TPPP). Intriguingly, in early cases of MSA, the oligodendrocytic changes in myelin basic protein and p25α processing were recorded even before formation of glial cytoplasmic inclusions became detectable. Here, we review the evolving concept that MSA may not just be related to Parkinson's disease but also share traits with the family of demyelinating disorders. Although these syndromes vary in their respective cause of oligodendrogliopathy, they have in common myelin disruption that is often followed by axonal dysfunction. Ann Neurol 2008;64:239–246
Axonal loss and myelin in early ON loss in postacute optic neuritis
Authors: Klistorner Alexander , Arvind Hemamalini , Nguyen Than , Garrick Raymond , Paine Mark , Graham Stuart , O'Day Justin , Grigg John , Billson Francis , Yiannikas Con
Published: September 2008

Objective

To investigate the relation between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and latency and amplitude of multifocal visual‐evoked potentials (mfVEPs) in the postacute stage of optic neuritis in patients with early or possible multiple sclerosis.

Method

Thirty‐two patients with clinical diagnosis of unilateral optic neuritis and magnetic resonance imaging lesions typical of demyelination and 25 control subjects underwent mfVEP and optical coherence tomography imaging.

Results

Although there was significant reduction of RNFL thickness in the affected eyes (18.7%), a considerably larger decrease was observed for the amplitude of the mfVEPs (39.8%). Latency of the mfVEPs was also significantly delayed in optic neuritis eyes. In fellow eyes, the amplitude of mfVEPs was significantly reduced and the latency prolonged, but RNFL thickness remained unaltered. RNFL thickness correlated highly with the mfVEP amplitude (r = 0.90). There was also strong correlation between optical coherence tomography measure of axonal loss and mfVEP latency (r = −0.66).

Interpretation

Although our findings demonstrate strong associations between structural and functional measures of optic nerve integrity, the functional loss was more marked. This fact, together with amplitude and latency changes of the mfVEPs observed in clinically normal fellow eyes, may indicate greater sensitivity of mfVEPs in detecting optic nerve abnormality or the presence of widespread inflammation in the central nervous system, or both. The significant correlation of the mfVEP latency with RNFL thickness suggests a role for demyelination in promoting axonal loss. Ann Neurol 2008
MRI‐Kontrastmittel mit hoher Relaxivität: Komplexchemie im Dienste medizinischer Bildgebung
Authors: Werner Eric J. , Datta Ankona , Jocher Christoph J. , Raymond Kenneth N.
Published: September 2008

Um die klinischen Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der Kernspintomographie (MRI) zu verbessern, wird intensiv nach effizienteren Kontrastmitteln gesucht. Dazu müssen die Koordinationschemie von Gadolinium(III) und die Parameter, die seine Wirksamkeit als Protonenrelaxationsagens beeinflussen, berücksichtigt werden. Will man jeden Parameter optimieren, so sind auch Eigenschaften wie Löslichkeit und In‐vivo‐Toxizität zu beachten, was die Entwicklung sicherer und starker Relaxationsagentien zu einem anspruchsvollen Ziel macht. Dieser Kurzaufsatz stellt die neuesten Fortschritte auf diesem Gebiet vor, wobei ein besonderes Augenmerk auf Gadolinium(III)‐Hydroxypyridinon‐Chelatkomplexen liegt.
Percent true calcium absorption, mineral metabolism, and bone mass in children with arthritis: Effect of supplementation with vitamin D3 and calcium
Authors: Hillman Laura S. , Cassidy James T. , Chanetsa Fungai , Hewett John E. , Higgins Barry J. , Robertson John D.
Published: September 2008

Objective

To assess whether percent true calcium absorption (α) is normal and whether supplementation with placebo, vitamin D3 (2,000 IU/day), calcium (1,000 mg/day), or vitamin D3 plus calcium improves α, mineral metabolism, or bone mass accrual in children with arthritis.

Methods

Eighteen children received all 4 treatments, each for 6 months, in 4 different, randomly assigned orders. Changes in levels of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25[OH]2D), parathyroid hormone, bone turnover markers, and minerals and in bone mineral content were measured. Calcium absorption was determined with a dual stable isotope method using 48Ca administered intravenously and 46Ca administered orally, and measuring 48Ca, 46Ca, and 42Ca in a 24‐hour urine specimen by high‐resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used both to identify significant change over the treatment period with a given regimen and to compare change with an experimental treatment versus change with placebo.

Results

Percent true calcium absorption was in the lower‐normal range and did not differ by treatment (mean ± SD 28.3 ± 20.2% with placebo, 26.1 ± 12.1% with calcium, 19.2 ± 11.7% with vitamin D3, and 27.1 ± 16.5% with vitamin D3 plus calcium). With vitamin D3 and vitamin D3 plus calcium treatment, 25(OH)D levels were increased and 1,25(OH)2D levels were maintained. Serum calcium levels were increased only with vitamin D3 and vitamin D3 plus calcium treatment. Levels of bone turnover markers and increases in bone mineral content did not differ by treatment.

Conclusion

The findings of this study indicate that percent true calcium absorption is low‐normal in children with arthritis. Vitamin D3 at 2,000 IU/day increases serum 25(OH)D and calcium levels but does not improve bone mass accretion. Calcium at 1,000 mg/day also failed to improve bone mass.