bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Costs of reproduction in a long-lived bird: large clutch size is associated with low survival in the presence of a highly virulent disease
Authors: Descamps Sébastien , Gilchrist H. Grant , Bêty Joël , Buttler E. Isabel , Forbes Mark R
Published: March 2009

Fitness costs of reproduction are expected to be more pronounced when the environmental conditions deteriorate. We took advantage of a natural experiment to investigate the costs of reproduction among common eiders (
Somateria mollissima
) nesting at a site in the Arctic, where an avian cholera epizootic appeared at different magnitudes. We tested the predictions that larger reproductive effort (clutch size) is associated with lower survival or breeding probability the following year, and that this relationship was more pronounced under heightened exposure to the disease. Our results indicate that large clutch sizes were associated with lower survival of female eider ducks, but only when there was heightened exposure to avian cholera, as indexed by eider mortality on site. No cost was observed when cholera was absent or when lesser exposure was evident. This supports the hypothesis that fitness costs of high reproductive effort are higher under unfavourable conditions such as a disease epizootic, and further indicates that being a conservative breeder can increase survival probability, given the presence of a highly virulent disease.
Darwin's ‘one special difficulty’: celebrating Darwin 200
Authors: Herbers Joan M
Published: March 2009

Darwin identified eusocial evolution, especially of complex insect societies, as a particular challenge to his theory of natural selection. A century later, Hamilton provided a framework for selection on inclusive fitness. Hamilton's rule is robust and fertile, having generated multiple subdisciplines over the past 45 years. His suggestion that eusociality can be explained via kin selection, however, remains contentious. I review the continuing debate on the role of kin selection in eusocial evolution and suggest some lines of research that should resolve that debate.
Task differences confound sex differences in receiver permissiveness in túngara frogs
Authors: Bernal Ximena E , Rand A. Stanley , Ryan Michael J
Published: March 2009

In many mating systems, both sexes respond to the same sexual signal. In frogs, males typically call in response to advertisement calls, while females approach male calls in choosing a mate. The costs of signal detection errors are expected to differ between the sexes. Missed opportunities are costly for males because ignoring a signal results in failing to compete with rivals for mates, while their cost for misidentification is lower (time and energy displaying to the incorrect target). By contrast, for females, the cost of misidentification is high (mating with incorrect species or low-quality partner), while their cost for missed opportunity is lower because the operational sex ratio puts females at a premium. Consequently, females should be more selective in their response to signal variation than males. We report that presumed sexual differences in selectivity in túngara frogs (Physalaemus pustulosus) are task-specific rather than sex-specific. As predicted, male túngara frogs are less selective in their vocal responses than are females in their phonotactic responses. Males exhibiting phonotaxis to the same calls, however, are as selective as females, and are significantly more selective than when they respond vocally to the same calls. Our study shows that apparent differences between the sexes emerge from differences in the behaviours themselves and are not intrinsic to each sex. Analogous behavioural differences might confound sex differences in other systems; thus, we suggest consideration of the behavioural plasticity of sex as well as its stereotypy.
Evolutionarily stable range limits set by interspecific competition
Authors: Price Trevor D , Kirkpatrick Mark
Published: March 2009

A combination of abiotic and biotic factors probably restricts the range of many species. Recent evolutionary models and tests of those models have asked how a gradual change in environmental conditions can set the range limit, with a prominent idea being that gene flow disrupts local adaptation. We investigate how biotic factors, explicitly competition for limited resources, result in evolutionarily stable range limits even in the absence of the disruptive effect of gene flow. We model two competing species occupying different segments of the resource spectrum. If one segment of the resource spectrum declines across space, a species that specializes on that segment can be driven to extinction, even though in the absence of competition it would evolve to exploit other abundant resources and so be saved. The result is that a species range limit is set in both evolutionary and ecological time, as the resources associated with its niche decline. Factors promoting this outcome include: (i) inherent gaps in the resource distribution, (ii) relatively high fitness of the species when in its own niche, and low fitness in the alternative niche, even when resource abundances are similar in each niche, (iii) strong interspecific competition, and (iv) asymmetric interspecific competition. We suggest that these features are likely to be common in multispecies communities, thereby setting evolutionarily stable range limits.
A macroevolutionary perspective on species range limits
Authors: Roy Kaustuv , Hunt Gene , Jablonski David , Krug Andrew Z , Valentine James W
Published: March 2009

Understanding the factors that determine the geographic range limits of species is important for many questions in ecology, evolution and conservation biology. These limits arise from complex interactions among ecology and dispersal ability of species and the physical environment, but many of the underlying traits can be conserved among related species and clades. Thus, the range limits of species are likely to be influenced by their macroevolutionary history. Using palaeontological and biogeographic data for marine bivalves, we find that the range limits of genera are significantly related to their constituent species richness, but the effects of age are weak and inconsistent. In addition, we find a significant phylogenetic signal in the range limits at both genus and family levels, although the strength of this effect shows interoceanic variation. This phylogenetic conservatism of range limits gives rise to an evolutionary pattern where wide-ranging lineages have clusters of species within the biogeographic provinces, with a few extending across major boundaries.
Inner ear anatomy is a proxy for deducing auditory capability and behaviour in reptiles and birds
Authors: Walsh Stig A , Barrett Paul M , Milner Angela C , Manley Geoffrey , Witmer Lawrence M
Published: March 2009

Inferences of hearing capabilities and audition-related behaviours in extinct reptiles and birds have previously been based on comparing cochlear duct dimensions with those of living species. However, the relationship between inner-ear bony anatomy and hearing ability or vocalization has never been tested rigorously in extant or fossil taxa. Here, micro-computed tomographic analysis is used to investigate whether simple endosseous cochlear duct (ECD) measurements can be fitted to models of hearing sensitivity, vocalization, sociality and environmental preference in 59 extant reptile and bird species, selected based on their vocalization ability. Length, rostrocaudal/mediolateral width and volume measurements were taken from ECD virtual endocasts and scaled to basicranial length. Multiple regression of these data with measures of hearing sensitivity, vocal complexity, sociality and environmental preference recovered positive correlations between ECD length and hearing range/mean frequency, vocal complexity, the behavioural traits of pair bonding and living in large aggregations, and a negative correlation between ECD length/rostrocaudal width and aquatic environments. No other dimensions correlated with these variables. Our results suggest that ECD length can be used to predict mean hearing frequency and range in fossil taxa, and that this measure may also predict vocal complexity and large group sociality given comprehensive datasets.
Fatal attraction: rare species in the spotlight
Authors: Angulo Elena , Deves Anne-Laure , Saint Jalmes Michel , Courchamp Franck
Published: March 2009

The exploitation of rare and endangered species can end in the species's extinction because the increased value people associate with rarity increases the economic incentive to exploit the last individuals, creating a positive feedback loop. This recently proposed concept, called the anthropogenic Allee effect (AAE), relies on the assumption that people do value rarity, but this remains to be established. Moreover, it also remains to be determined whether attraction to rarity is a trait confined to a minority of hobbyists (e.g. wildlife collectors, exotic pet owners) or characteristic of the general public. We estimated how much the general public valued rare species compared with common ones, using five different metrics related to personal investment: time spent, physical effort, unpleasantness, economic investment and risk. We surveyed the visitors of a zoo. To see the rare species, the visitors to the zoo invested more time in searching and contemplation, they were ready to expend more physical effort, they tolerated more unpleasant conditions, they were willing to pay more and, finally, they risked more to obtain (steal) a rare species. Our results provide substantial evidence of how the general public places more value on rare species, compared with common species. This confirms the AAE as an actual process, which in addition concerns a large part of the population. This has important consequences for the conservation of species that are rare now, or that could become so in the future.
Evolved dispersal strategies at range margins
Authors: Dytham Calvin
Published: March 2009

Dispersal is a key component of a species's ecology and will be under different selection pressures in different parts of the range. For example, a long-distance dispersal strategy suitable for continuous habitat at the range core might not be favoured at the margin, where the habitat is sparse. Using a spatially explicit, individual-based, evolutionary simulation model, the dispersal strategies of an organism that has only one dispersal event in its lifetime, such as a plant or sessile animal, are considered. Within the model, removing habitat, increasing habitat turnover, increasing the cost of dispersal, reducing habitat quality or altering vital rates imposes range limits. In most cases, there is a clear change in the dispersal strategies across the range, although increasing death rate towards the margin has little impact on evolved dispersal strategy across the range. Habitat turnover, reduced birth rate and reduced habitat quality all increase evolved dispersal distances at the margin, while increased cost of dispersal and reduced habitat density lead to lower evolved dispersal distances at the margins. As climate change shifts suitable habitat poleward, species ranges will also start to shift, and it will be the dispersal capabilities of marginal populations, rather than core populations, that will influence the rate of range shifting.
The causes of mutation accumulation in mitochondrial genomes
Authors: Neiman Maurine , Taylor Douglas R
Published: March 2009

A fundamental observation across eukaryotic taxa is that mitochondrial genomes have a higher load of deleterious mutations than nuclear genomes. Identifying the evolutionary forces that drive this difference is important to understanding the rates and patterns of sequence evolution, the efficacy of natural selection, the maintenance of sex and recombination and the mechanisms underlying human ageing and many diseases. Recent studies have implicated the presumed asexuality of mitochondrial genomes as responsible for their high mutational load. We review the current body of knowledge on mitochondrial mutation accumulation and recombination, and conclude that asexuality,per se, may not be the primary determinant of the high mutation load in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Very little recombination is required to counter mutation accumulation, and recent evidence suggests that mitochondrial genomes do experience occasional recombination. Instead, a high rate of accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations in mtDNA may result from the small effective population size associated with effectively haploid inheritance. This type of transmission is nearly ubiquitous among mitochondrial genomes. We also describe an experimental framework using variation in mating system between closely related species to disentangle the root causes of mutation accumulation in mitochondrial genomes.
Variation at range margins across multiple spatial scales: environmental temperature, population genetics and metabolomic phenotype
Authors: Kunin William E , Vergeer Philippine , Kenta Tanaka , Davey Matthew P , Burke Terry , Woodward F. Ian , Quick Paul , Mannarelli Maria-Elena , Watson-Haigh Nathan S , Butlin Roger
Published: March 2009

Range margins are spatially complex, with environmental, genetic and phenotypic variations occurring across a range of spatial scales. We examine variation in temperature, genes and metabolomic profiles within and between populations of the subalpine perennial plantArabidopsis lyratassp.petraeafrom across its northwest European range. Our surveys cover a gradient of fragmentation from largely continuous populations in Iceland, through more fragmented Scandinavian populations, to increasingly widely scattered populations at the range margin in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Temperature regimes vary substantially within some populations, but within-population variation represents a larger fraction of genetic and especially metabolomic variances. Both physical distance and temperature differences between sites are found to be associated with genetic profiles, but not metabolomic profiles, and no relationship was found between genetic and metabolomic population structures in any region. Genetic similarity between plants within populations is the highest in the fragmented populations at the range margin, but differentiation across space is the highest there as well, suggesting that regional patterns of genetic diversity may be scale dependent.
Geographic range limits of species
Authors: Gaston K.J
Published: March 2009

Understanding the forms that the geographic range limits of species take, their causes and their consequences are key issues in ecology and evolutionary biology. They are also topics on which understanding is advancing rapidly. This themed issue ofProc. R. Soc. Bfocuses on the wide variety of current research perspectives on the nature and determinants of the limits to geographic ranges. The contributions address important themes, including the roles and influences of dispersal limitation, species interactions and physiological limitation, the broad patterns in the structure of geographic ranges, and the fundamental question of why at some point species no longer evolve the ability to overcome the factors constraining their distributions and thus fail to continue to spread. In this introduction, these contributions are placed in the wider context of these broad themes.
Biomimetic design of materials and biomaterials inspired by the structure of nacre
Authors: Luz Gisela M , Mano João F
Published: March 2009

The micro-architecture of nacre (mother of pearl) has been classically illustrated as a ‘brick-and-mortar’ arrangement. It is clear now that hierarchical organization and other structural features play an important role in the amazing mechanical properties of this natural nanocomposite. The more important structural characteristics and mechanical properties of nacre are exposed as a base that has inspired scientists and engineers to develop biomimetic strategies that could be useful in areas such as materials science, biomaterials development and nanotechnology. A strong emphasis is given on the latest advances on the synthetic design and production of nacre-inspired materials and coatings, in particular to be used in biomedical applications.
Distinct genotype and antigenicity among genogroup II sapoviruses
Authors: Oka Tomoichiro , Miyashita Kana , Katayama Kazuhiko , Wakita Takaji , Takeda Naokazu
Published: March 2009

SaV, a pathogen of acute gastroenteritis, is divided into five genogroups, GI to GV. However, the relation between SaV antigenicity and genetic clusters is not fully understood. We have recently identified two GII SaV strains, Mc10 and C12, which are grouped into the same cluster based on the polymerase but are grouped into distinct clusters based on the capsid. To evaluate the difference in antigenicity between these two strains, VLP were expressed in mammalian cells. An antigen ELISA demonstrated for the first time that strains in the same GII SaV genogroup, but within different clusters, have distinct antigenicities.
Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors and their potential role in therapy in leukaemia and other haematological malignancies
Authors: Teachey David T. , Grupp Stephan A. , Brown Valerie I.
Published: March 2009

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that functions as a key regulator of cell growth, protein synthesis, and cell‐cycle progression through interactions with a number of signalling pathways, including PI3K/AKT, ras, TCL1, and BCR/ABL. Many haematological malignancies have aberrant activation of the mTOR and related signalling pathways. Accordingly, mTOR inhibitors, a class of signal transduction inhibitors that were originally developed as immunosuppressive agents, are being investigated in preclinical models and clinical trials for a number of haematological malignancies. Sirolimus and second‐generation mTOR inhibitors, such as temsirolimus and everolimus, are safe and relatively well‐tolerated, making them potentially attractive as single agents or in combination with conventional cytotoxics and other targeted therapies. Promising early clinical data suggests activity of mTOR inhibitors in a number of haematological diseases, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia, mantle cell lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, and lymphoproliferative disorders. This review describes the rationale for using mTOR inhibitors in a variety of haematological diseases with a focus on their use in leukaemia.
High circulating immunoglobulin A levels in infants are associated with intestinal toxigenic Staphylococcus aureus and a lower frequency of eczema
Authors: Lundell A‐C. , Hesselmar B. , Nordström I. , Saalman R. , Karlsson H. , Lindberg E. , Åberg N. , Adlerberth I. , Wold A. E. , Rudin A.
Published: March 2009

Background
Intestinal bacteria trigger IgA production and delayed maturation of mucosal IgA response is linked to allergy development.

Objective
Our aim was to investigate if plasma levels of IgA or APRIL (a proliferation inducing ligand), an important factor for IgA class switch recombination, in infancy correlates with intestinal colonization by any specific bacteria or yeast. We also examined if plasma IgA or APRIL levels are related to sensitization and the development of eczema.

Methods
IgA was quantified in plasma obtained from infants at birth and at 4 and 18 months of age and APRIL was measured at 4 months of age. Colonization by major bacterial groups and yeast was followed in the first 8 weeks of life by quantitative culture of stool samples. A clinical evaluation regarding the presence of allergen‐specific IgE or eczema and eosinophil counts in blood was performed at 18 months of age.

Results
In multiple linear regression analysis, only colonization by Staphylococcus aureus strains producing toxins with superantigen function (SEA‐D or TSST‐1) made an independent contribution to plasma IgA levels at 4 months of age. Further, increased levels of APRIL in plasma at 4 months were negatively associated with sensitization while IgA plasma levels were inversely correlated to eczema development and blood eosinophil counts at 18 months of age.

Conclusion
Early intestinal colonization by toxigenic S. aureus strains seems to promote systemic IgA responses. Furthermore, high levels of APRIL and IgA in the circulation at 4 months of age seem to correlate negatively with allergy development.
The conserved C‐terminal tail of FtsZ is required for the septal localization and division inhibitory activity of MinCC/MinD
Authors: Shen Bang , Lutkenhaus Joe
Published: March 2009

The Escherichia coli Min system contributes to spatial regulation of cytokinesis by preventing assembly of the Z ring away from midcell. MinC is a cell division inhibitor whose activity is spatially regulated by MinD and MinE. MinC has two functional domains of similar size, both of which have division inhibitory activity in the proper context. However, the molecular mechanism of the inhibitory action of either domain is not very clear. Here, we report that the septal localization and division inhibitory activity of MinCC/MinD requires the conserved C‐terminal tail of FtsZ. This tail also mediates interaction with two essential division proteins, ZipA and FtsA, to link FtsZ polymers to the membrane. Overproduction of MinCC/MinD displaces FtsA from the Z ring and eventually disrupts the Z ring, probably because it also displaces ZipA. These results support a model for the division inhibitory action of MinC/MinD. MinC/MinD binds to ZipA and FtsA decorated FtsZ polymers located at the membrane through the MinCC/MinD–FtsZ interaction. This binding displaces FtsA and/or ZipA, and more importantly, positions MinCN near the FtsZ polymers making it a more effective inhibitor.
The introduction of anti‐HTLV testing of blood donations and the risk of transfusion‐transmitted HTLV, UK: 2002–2006
Authors: Davison K. L. , Dow B. , Barbara J. A. , Hewitt P. E. , Eglin R.
Published: March 2009

summary The objectives of the study were to describe the introduction of testing blood donations for antibodies to human T‐cell lymphotropic virus (anti‐HTLV) and to determine the risk of HTLV potentially infectious donations entering the UK blood supply. The rationale for testing was based on (i) evidence of transmission through transfusion in the UK, (ii) the serious nature of HTLV I‐associated morbidity and (iii) evidence of infection in UK blood donors. From mid‐2002, all blood donations made at UK blood centres were tested in pooled samples using Abbott‐Murex HTLV I/II GE 80/81 enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Surveillance data were used to calculate the incidence and prevalence of anti‐HTLV and derive estimates of risk. Between August 2002 and December 2006, 106 donations were confirmed positive for anti‐HTLV (95 anti‐HTLV I and 11 anti‐HTLV II). Prevalence was 10‐fold higher among donations from new donors than repeat (4·0 and 0·42 per 100 000 donations), and only one repeat donor had evidence of seroconversion. The risk of an HTLV I potentially infectious donation entering the UK blood supply was estimated at 0·11 per million donations (95% confidence interval 0·06 to 0·18). The current very low observed incidence and prevalence among blood donors reflect the very low estimated risk of an HTLV I‐positive donation entering the UK blood supply. A change in either the epidemiology of HTLV in UK blood donors or the length of the window period of the test should prompt further review of the risk and a reassessment of anti‐HTLV testing in the UK.
Pedigree analysis in the Brazilian Zebu breeds
Authors: Faria F.J.C. , Filho A.E.V. , Madalena F.E. , Josahkian L.A.
Published: March 2009

Zebu breeds play an important role in cattle production systems in Brazil. To assess the genetic variability from animals in the Herd Books of Nelore, Gir and Guzerat breeds, generation intervals, inbreeding, effective population size and parameters of gene origin (effective number of founders, ancestors and founder genomes) were calculated using pedigree records from 1938 to 1998. Breed subdivision was quantified by Wright’s F‐statistics. Calculations were separately carried out for consecutive 4‐year intervals in the period 1979–98. Generation interval was around 8 years for the three breeds. Total inbreeding increased in all the breeds reaching values of 2.13%, 2.28% and 1.75%. Effective population size decreased from 85 to 68 in Nelore, from 70 to 45 in Gir and remained nearly constant around 104 in Guzerat. The quantities assessing the number of contributing ancestors decreased with time in all the breeds, and in the last analysed period the most important ancestor accounted for 14%, 3.1% and 4.1% in Nelore, Gir and Guzerat, respectively. Results indicate that the studied breeds are suffering from a loss of genetic variability which can result in negative effects on breeding and conservation purposes.
Contribution of native bees and Africanized honey bees (Hymenoptera:Apoidea) to Solanaceae crop pollination in tropical México
Authors: Macias‐Macias O. , Chuc J. , Ancona‐Xiu P. , Cauich O. , Quezada‐Euán J. J. G.
Published: March 2009

In the tropics the contribution of bees as pollinators of important economic indigenous crops remains largely undocumented. We studied the diversity of bee species visiting indigenous tomato (Solanum lycopersicon) and habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense) in subtropical Yucatán, México. The contribution of two native bees, Exomalopsis (E) and Augochloropsis (AG) was compared with that of the introduced Africanized Apis mellífera (HB) for pollinating unvisited flowers in both crops. Apis mellífera and stingless bees were dominant in habanero pepper but solitary bee species were important visitors of tomato. In spite of both crops being autogamic, there was a significant contribution of native bees for pollination of both tomato and habanero pepper. The comparison of fruit weight, number of seeds, and a pollination index based on the latter showed that E and AG were more effective pollinators compared to HB in both crops (ca. Spear’s index of ca. 0.7 vs. 0.35 respectively). In tomato, a further evaluation of the contribution to pollination provided by the three bee species was made using the rate of visits to flowers. Although E and AG were the most efficient pollinators at single flower visits in tomato, none of the three species (including HB) were able to provide single visits to all flowers per unit time to the crop. Our results underline the importance of maintaining diverse assemblages and abundant populations of bee species that can synergically contribute to the productivity of tomato and hot pepper in the Neotropics.
Agenda formation and accounting standards setting: lessons from the standards setters
Authors: Howieson Bryan A.
Published: March 2009

There are many studies on lobbying of accounting standards, but the technical agenda of regulators is taken as ‘given’ and why a particular topic was admitted to the agenda is not investigated. Agenda formation is important as control of the agenda determines which topics get regulated and the form of the regulatory response. A few studies have explored agenda formation across regulatory institutions but are largely silent on the role of individual decision makers and technical staff. However, the standards setters have sought to explain their agenda processes. This paper reviews statements by the members of accounting standards setting agencies about their experiences of agenda formation. It identifies insights gained from standard setters and makes some suggestions for future research.
Are Probabilities Overweighted or Underweighted When Rare Outcomes Are Experienced (Rarely)?
Authors: Ungemach Christoph , Chater Nick , Stewart Neil
Published: March 2009

When making decisions involving risky outcomes on the basis of verbal descriptions of the outcomes and their associated probabilities, people behave as if they overweight small probabilities. In contrast, when the same outcomes are instead experienced in a series of samples, people behave as if they underweight small probabilities. We present two experiments showing that the existing explanations of the underweighting observed in decisions from experience are not sufficient to account for the effect. Underweighting was observed when participants experienced representative samples of events, so it cannot be attributed to undersampling of the small probabilities. In addition, earlier samples predicted decisions just as well as later samples did, so underweighting cannot be attributed to recency weighting. Finally, frequency judgments were accurate, so underweighting cannot be attributed to judgment error. Furthermore, we show that the underweighting of small probabilities is also reflected in the best-fitting parameter values obtained when prospect theory, the dominant model of risky choice, is applied to the data.
Reconstruction of the Proto‐Ch’olan demonstrative pronouns, deictic enclitics, and definite articles1
Authors: Mora‐Marín David F.
Published: March 2009

This paper reconstructs the independent pronouns of Proto‐Ch’olan (Mayan), and traces the changes that took place in the descendant languages – Ch’ol, Chontal, Ch’olti’, Ch’orti’. The evidence points to three subsets of pronouns for Proto‐Ch’olan: *ha7‐, *ha7in‐, *nats’‐. The first is a descendant of the Proto‐Mayan pronoun base *ha7‐. The second is an amalgamated base with a grammaticalised demonstrative enclitic *+in. And the third is a grammaticalised positional root *nats’‘nearby’. Proto‐Western Ch’olan (Ch’ol‐Chontal) innovated the pronoun base *hin‐, attested in Classic Mayan texts as a possible diagnostic of Western Ch’olan vernacular speech, through contraction of Proto‐Ch’olan *ha7in‐, while Ch’orti’ innovated the pronoun base ha7ax through amalgamation and contraction of a deictic frame involving the pronoun base ha7 and the demonstrative ya7x‘there’ (ha7... ya7x>ha7+ya7x>ha7ax). Chontal exhibits the most change in its independent pronoun system, through its use of ergative person‐agreement markers instead of absolutive ones to inflect the pronoun base. And finally, in addition to providing support for the reconstruction of deictic enclitics (*+a‘here’, *+i‘there’, *+e‘over.there’), the paper proposes the origin of the Ch’olan definite articles in the Proto‐Ch’olan pronoun base *ha7in, and shows that these serve as yet another trait that distinguishes Eastern Ch’olan (*ha7ine) from Western Ch’olan (*hini).
The World Credit Crisis: Understanding It, and What to Do
Authors: Corden W. Max
Published: March 2009

The origin of the world credit crisis has four stages: (1) too much credit – an international perspective; (2) too much risk – reaction to low real interest rate; (3) the fatal flaw – the new complex financial instruments; and (4) the panic – bank lending dries up. The paper also discusses how the crisis spread around the world from the US, whether the high credit expansion was the fault of Alan Greenspan, whether China is to blame, and how this crisis related to the often expected crisis of global imbalances. Some implications for long‐term reform are discussed.
Parameter change test for random coefficient integer‐valued autoregressive processes with application to polio data analysis
Authors: Kang Jiwon , Lee Sangyeol
Published: March 2009

Abstract.  In this paper, we consider the problem of testing for a parameter change in a first‐order random coefficient integer‐valued autoregressive [RCINAR(1)] model. We employ the cumulative sum (CUSUM) test based on the conditional least‐squares and modified quasi‐likelihood estimators. It is shown that under regularity conditions, the CUSUM test has the same limiting distribution as the supremum of the squares of independent Brownian bridges. The CUSUM test is then applied to the analysis of the monthly polio counts data set.
Stillbirth registration and perceptions of infant death, 1900–60: the Scottish case in national context1
Authors: DAVIS GAYLE
Published: March 2009

The history of vital registration has attracted substantial attention from both social historians and historical demographers. While much of that research has touched upon issues of fertility and mortality, the contentious issue of the stillborn child—which falls somewhere between the two—has been largely neglected. Although civil birth and death registration was introduced to Scotland in 1855, stillbirth registration did not begin until 1939. Using a range of legal, medical, and statistical evidence, this article explores the history of stillbirth registration in Scotland from a social history perspective. It outlines the problems associated with lack of stillbirth registration, the processes that eventually led to registration of the stillborn child, and the wider significance of that registration.
Functional performance of children with developmental coordination disorder at home and at school
Authors: WANG TIEN‐NI , TSENG MEI‐HUI , WILSON BRENDA N , HU FU‐CHANG
Published: March 2009

This study investigated the functional performance of daily activities at home and at school in a population‐based sample of children with different degrees of motor coordination impairment and competence. Sixteen children (seven males, nine females; mean age 8y, SD 9mo) with developmental coordination disorder (DCD), 25 with suspected DCD ([sDCD] 17 males, eight females; mean age 7y 6mo, SD 8mo), and 63 children without motor problems (39 males, 24 females; mean age 7y 9mo, SD 7mo) were recruited from public schools (Grades 1–3, age 6y 4mo–9y 10mo) using the Chinese version of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and the Bruininks‐Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Functional performance was assessed using the Chinese versions of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales and the School Function Assessment–Chinese version. The functional performance of children with DCD and sDCD was statistically significantly lower than those without DCD (p’s<0.05). χ2 and logistic regression analyses showed significant differences among all groups in the proportion of children scoring at the ‘inadequate’ adaptive level of home performance (p’s<0.05). There were also significant differences among the groups in the proportion of children scoring below the cut‐off in school performance (p’s<0.05). The findings show the pervasive impact of DCD on children’s functional performance in daily activities at home and at school.
Ecological Efficiency of Voluntary Conservation of Boreal‐Forest Biodiversity
Authors: MÖNKKÖNEN MIKKO , YLISIRNIÖ ANNA‐LIISA , HÄMÄLÄINEN TANJA
Published: March 2009

Abstract:  Current networks of protected areas are biased in many countries toward landscapes of low productivity. Voluntary conservation incentives have been suggested as a socially acceptable way to supplement existing networks with more productive, privately owned areas of high priority for nature conservation. The limited resources committed to nature conservation demand cost‐efficiency. Efficiency, however, depends not only on costs incurred to society from alternative ways of maintaining biodiversity but also on ecological values that can be captured. We examined the ecological efficiency of the new market‐based voluntary program to preserve forest habitats on private land in southwestern Finland. We compared sites that have become protected (10‐year contracts) in the program with managed forests, with sites that have been negotiated for protection for which no contract has been signed, and with the most ecologically valuable privately owned sites in the region that have not been offered for protection by forest owners. We surveyed sites for the amount of dead wood, wood‐decomposing fungi, and epiphytic lichens to evaluate their ecological quality. Contracted sites had more features important for overall biodiversity than managed forests and negotiated sites with no contract. These results indicate that procedures used during site selection and negotiations were appropriate and not opportunistic. The contracted sites were also as valuable in ecological terms as the best, still‐unprotected, privately owned forests in the region that have not been offered for protection. We conclude that voluntary conservation programs have the potential to yield ecologically valuable sites for protection if the site‐selection procedures are appropriate. Reliance on completely voluntary programs, however, may entail uncertainties and inadequacies, for example, in terms of spatial configuration and persistence of the ecological values. Thus, such programs may often need to be supplemented with alternative methods such as land purchase to achieve an ecologically effective network of protected sites.
The Structure, Function, and Evolution of a Regional Industrial Ecosystem
Authors: Ashton Weslynne S.
Published: March 2009

A framework has been developed to assess the structure, function, and evolution of a regional industrial ecosystem that integrates insights from industrial ecology and economic geography dimensions with complex systems theory. The framework highlights the multilayered landscape of natural ecosystem functions, economic transactions, policy contexts, and social interactions in which interfirm collaboration evolves. Its application to a single case study on the island of Puerto Rico revealed changes in the system's institutional context, its resource flows, and the composition of its industrial community. It illustrated that external forces and interactions among actors at multiple levels can cause permanent changes—but not necessarily system collapse—as policy choices and interfirm cooperation can be used to organize resources in ways that retain system functionality.
Aggregate Measures of Complex Economic Structure and Evolution
Authors: Wood Richard , Lenzen Manfred
Published: March 2009

It is perhaps in the nature of complex systems that they call for aggregate measures that enable analysts to grasp their structure and evolution without being overwhelmed by their very complexity. Complex interindustry theory and models are a typical case, where the underlying database—an input−output table—routinely contains thousands of data points for a single year. Within input−output analysis, quantitative measures have been developed that describe and characterize interindustry interactions and that have been used to compare economies, both in a static taxonomy and through their evolution over time. First, we review and critically discuss a number of concepts that have been proposed and applied to interindustry systems, such as interconnectedness, interrelatedness, linkages, and economic landscapes. Second, we apply these concepts to a case study of the Australian economy between 1975 and 1999 in terms of environmental headline indicators. Our results enable the reader to judge the usefulness and ability of the measures in capturing the key structural elements and evolutionary processes governing the interaction between the economy and the environment. For the Australian case study, the measures showed a diversifying economy occurring together with a specialization of environmental flows.
Vascular Care in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease with Cerebrovascular Lesions—A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Richard Edo , Kuiper Roy , Dijkgraaf Marcel. G. W. , Van Gool Willem A. ,   for the Evaluation of Vascular care in Alzheimer's disease Study Group
Published: March 2009

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether vascular care slows dementia progression in patients with Alzheimer's disease with cerebrovascular lesions on neuroimaging.

DESIGN: Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial with 2‐year follow‐up.

SETTING: Neurological and geriatric outpatient clinics in 10 Dutch hospitals: three academic, five teaching, and two midsize community hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty community‐dwelling patients with mild dementia fulfilling clinical criteria for Alzheimer's disease with cerebrovascular lesions on neuroimaging.

INTERVENTION: Patients randomized to vascular care were treated according to strict guidelines for hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. Acetylsalicylic acid, folic acid, and pyridoxine were prescribed. During visits every 3 months special attention was paid to smoking cessation, losing weight, and stimulating physical exercise.

MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was disability, measured according to the Interview for Deterioration in Daily activities in Dementia (IDDD). Secondary outcomes were changes on the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Revised Memory and Behavioural Problems Checklist (RMBPC), a composite measure of “poor outcome” (death, institutionalization, or severe clinical decline), and costs.

RESULTS: Patients in the vascular and standard care condition declined equally on the IDDD (13.7 vs 11.0 points; difference 2.7, 95% confidence interval =−3.1–8.6). There was no treatment effect on the MMSE or RMBPC. There were no differences in institutionalization rate, “poor outcome” (41.4% vs 35.4%, P=.50), or costs. In the intervention group, there were three intracerebral hemorrhages and one gastrointestinal hemorrhage, versus none in the control group.

CONCLUSION: Multicomponent vascular care, combining pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions, does not slow decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease with cerebrovascular lesions.
Delirium in the Nursing Home Patients Seen in the Emergency Department
Authors: Han Jin H. , Morandi Alessandro , Ely E. Wesley , Callison Clay , Zhou Chuan , Storrow Alan B. , Dittus Robert S. , Habermann Ralf , Schnelle John
Published: March 2009

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether nursing home patients are more likely than non‐nursing home patients to present to the emergency department (ED) with delirium and to explore how variations in their delirium risk factor profiles contribute to this relationship.

DESIGN: Prospective cross‐sectional study.

SETTING: Tertiary care academic ED.

PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred forty‐one English‐speaking patients aged 65 and older.

MEASUREMENTS: Delirium status was determined using the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM‐ICU) administered by trained research assistants. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine whether nursing home residence was independently associated with delirium. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were reported.

RESULTS: Of the 341 patients enrolled, 58 (17.0%) resided in a nursing home and 38 (11.1%) were considered to have delirium in the ED. Of the 58, (22 (37.9%) nursing home patients and 16 of 283 (5.7%) non‐nursing home patients had delirium; unadjusted OR=10.2, 95% CI=4.9–21.2). After adjusting for dementia, a Katz activity of daily living score less than or equal to 4, hearing impairment, and the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, nursing home residence was independently associated with delirium in the ED (adjusted OR=4.2, 95% CI=1.8–9.7).

CONCLUSION: In the ED setting, nursing home patients were more likely to present with delirium, and this relationship persisted after adjusting for delirium risk factors.
Health Identities and Subjectivities:
Authors: Whyte Susan Reynolds
Published: March 2009

The formation of identity and subjectivity in relation to health is a fundamental issue in social science. This overview distinguishes two different approaches to the workings of power in shaping senses of self and other. Politics of identity scholars focus on social movements and organizations concerned with discrimination, recognition, and social justice. The biopower approach examines discourse and technology as they influence subjectivity and new forms of sociality. Recent work in medical anthropology, especially on chronic problems, illustrates the two approaches and also points to the significance of detailed comparative ethnography for problematizing them. By analyzing the political and economic bases of health, and by embedding health conditions in the other concerns of daily life, comparative ethnography ensures differentiation and nuance. It helps us to grasp the uneven effects of social conditions on the possibilities for the formation of health identities and subjectivities.
Formation of Ceramics from Metakaolin‐Based Geopolymers. Part II: K‐Based Geopolymer
Authors: Bell Jonathan L. , Driemeyer Patrick E. , Kriven Waltraud M.
Published: March 2009

The structural evolution and crystallization of potassium‐based geopolymer (K2O·Al2O3·4SiO2·11H2O) on heating was studied by a variety of techniques. On heating from 850–1100°C, potassium‐geopolymer underwent significant shrinkage and surface area reduction due to viscous sintering. Small, 15–20 nm sized precipitates present in the unheated geopolymer coarsened substantially in samples heated between 900° and 1000°C. However, the microstructural surface texture was dependent on the calcination conditions. Leucite crystallized as the major phase after being heated to >1000°C, although a minor amount of kalsilite was also formed. Prolonged heating for 24 h at 1000°C led to the formation of ∼80 wt% of leucite, along with 20 wt% of remnant glassy phase. The surface of geopolymers heated to 1000°C attained a smooth, glassy texture, although closed porosity persisted until 1100°C. Thermal shrinkage was completed by 1100°C, and the material reached 99.7% of the theoretical density of tetragonal leucite.
Structural and Electrical Characteristics of ZnO Thin Films on Polycrystalline AlN Substrates
Authors: Jo Yeon Hwa , Mohanty Bhaskar Chandra , Cho Yong Soo
Published: March 2009

Fostered by the increasing use of AlN in highly thermally conductive electronic packages, it is attempted to grow ZnO thin films on polycrystalline AlN in the present work. Effects of the polycrystalline substrate on the structural and electrical properties of the ZnO films are highlighted. The ZnO films are synthesized by low‐cost spin‐coating technique from a precursor solution containing zinc acetate, 2‐methoxyethanol, and monoethanolamine. Structural analysis was performed using X‐ray diffraction, which showed all the films to be polycrystalline of hexagonal phase with no preferred orientation, in sharp contrast to numerous reports of strong c‐axis orientation on glass substrates. The films, which were heat‐treated at 700°C followed by firing in nitrogen containing 5% hydrogen at 500°C, exhibited better crystallinity and dense microstructure among all the samples and had the lowest resistivity (1.36 × 10−1Ω·cm). The minimum resistivity obtained in the present work is comparable to the values reported for the films grown using similar technique, thus indicating the negligible dependence of electrical properties on orientation of the films.
Microstructural Evolution of Silica on Single‐Crystal Silicon Carbide. Part I: Devitrification and Oxidation Rates
Authors: Presser Volker , Loges Anselm , Hemberger Yannick , Nickel Klaus G.
Published: March 2009

Dry thermal oxidation of single‐crystal silicon carbide (6H‐SiC) at 1400°C in low‐water oxygen using an alumina tube furnace initially yields a predominantly vitreous oxide scale. After 28 h, approximately one quarter of the oxide scale's surface becomes crystalline, with disk‐like cristobalite aggregates (radialites) statistically distributed within the vitreous matrix. Crystalline areas were found to be thinner than vitreous regions using optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy/hydrofluoric acid (AFM/HF)‐etching analysis, providing evidence for different oxidation rates of SiC covered by vitreous silica and cristobalite. As the bulk oxide scale continues to grow during devitrification, the radialites assume their characteristic morphology with a deepened center. Line profiles of the oxide scale's thickness across radialites obtained from AFM/HF etching were used to determine the oxidation rate of SiC covered by crystalline silica and the crystallisation rate applying a two‐stage parabolic equation. As a result, it was found that the parabolic rate‐constant Bvitreous is ≈4.2 times larger than the corresponding rate‐constant in crystalline areas (Bcristobalite), suggesting similar differences in effective oxygen diffusion coefficients. For the crystallization rate ν, we determined a value of 1.5±0.1 μm/h.