bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The first fossil Cydnidae (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) from the Late Mesozoic of China
Authors: Yao YUNZHI , CAI WANZHI , REN DONG
Published: January 2017

Two new genera and two new species of fossil amnestine burrower bugs, Cilicydnus robustispinus gen. & sp. nov. and Orienicydnus hongi gen. & sp. nov., are described and illustrated. They were collected from the Late Mesozoic nonmarine sedimentary strata of Northeast China. This finding represents the first record of fossil cydnids from China. The fossil cydnid localities and the distribution of extant taxa are summarized in a map.
Eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) associated with palm trees
Authors: NAVIA DENISE , GONDUM JUNIOR MANOEL G.C. , DE MORAES GILBERTO J.
Published: January 2017

Information is presented on eriophyoid mites found on palm trees worldwide by different authors, including original data from a recent survey conducted in Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico. For each species, information on synonymy, locations where it was found on palm trees, palm hosts, and damage are included. Sixty-two eriophyoid species from 31 genera, associated with 54 palm tree species from 25 genera, are listed. A dichotomous key is provided to help in the separation of the reported mites. Four eriophyoid species are reported on palm trees in Europe; 6 in Africa; 17 in Asia, Pacific Islands and Australia; and 40 in the Americas. Four of the reported species belong to Diptilomiopidae, 44 to Eriophyidae and 14 to Phytoptidae. The need for further studies on these mites around the world is discussed.
Ampelisca mississippiana: a new species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridea) from the Mississippi Canyon (Northern Gulf of Mexico)
Authors: SOLIMAN YOUSRIA , WICKSTEN M.ARY
Published: January 2017

A new ampeliscid species (Amphipoda, Gammaridea) was recovered in high densities from a depth of about 480 m at the Mississippi Canyon (28 32' N, 89 49' W). Ampelisca mississippiana is described and illustrated based on specimens collected from the head of the canyon, where the species formed an ampeliscid mat with average densities of 12,000 ind. m -2 . Ampelisca mississippiana resembles A. pugetica Stimpson, 1864, and A. mexicana Barnard, 1954a, but differs in the shape of the head, absence of corneal lenses, relative lengths of antennae 1 and 2, shape of the segments of pereopods 7, and shape of the carina of the urosome. The new species also resembles Ampelisca uncinata Chevreux, 1887, but differs in the shape of the head, the dorsal carina of pleon segment 4, features of some segments of pereopod 7, the second uropod and the mouthparts.
Echiniscus quitensis, a new species of tardigrade from Ecuador (Heterotardigrada: Echiniscidae)
Authors: PILATO GIOVANNI
Published: January 2017

A new species of tardigrade, Echiniscus quitensis sp. n., is described. The third unpaired plate is absent but the corresponding area is sculptured; terminal plate unfaceted; cirrus A is the only trunk appendage present; the cuticular plates have small dots, joined to one another by very thin stripes difficult to see, and light points; the anterior portion of the paired plates II and III, the anterior portion of the median plate 2 and the area corresponding to the median plate 3 have only large polygonal dots. Internal claws with a spur. Echiniscus quitensis sp. n. differs from E. rufoviridis in lacking a delimited third median plate, in having the terminal plate unfaceted, shorter claws, a spur on the internal claws and in some characteristic of the plate ornamentation. The new species is very similar to E. charrua but it differs from it in some characteristics of the plate ornamentation.
New frog (Brachycephalidae: Eleutherodactylus) from the Western Flank of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia
Authors: ARROYO SANDY B.
Published: January 2017

A new Eleutherodactylus species is described from the western flanks of the Cordillera Oriental in the Departamento de Santander. It is a member of the Eleutherodactylus conspicillatus phenetic group. It appears to be most closely relate to E. carranguerorum.
Revision of the new Australian genus Artoriopsis in a new subfamily of wolf spiders, Artoriinae (Araneae: Lycosidae)
Authors: FRAMENAU VOLKER W.
Published: January 2017

new Australian wolf spider genus Artoriopsis is established with Artoriopsis expolita (L. Koch, 1877), comb. nov.  as type species. Six further species, A. anacardium sp. nov., A. eccentrica sp. nov., A. joergi sp. nov., A. klausi sp. nov.,  A. melissae sp. nov. and A. whitehouseae sp. nov. complete the Australian fauna. Artoriopsis gen. nov. shows affinities  with the Australasian genera Artoria Thorell, 1877 and Anoteropsis Koch, 1877, but differs by a distinct colour pattern of  the opisthosoma (a dark diamond-shaped spot is cut in half by the light lanceolate cardiac mark). The basoembolic apophysis  of the male pedipalp is narrowest at its base and comparatively weakly sclerotised, whereas it is widest at its base  and strongly sclerotised in Artoria and inverted L-shaped in Anoteropsis. The median septum of the female epigyne  forms a distinct plate that covers the atrium, although it is reduced in A. eccentrica sp. nov. and A. joergi sp. nov. Representatives  of the genus Artoriopsis gen. nov. have so far only been found in Australia, where they are most diverse in the  southern half of the country, although one species, A. anacardium sp. nov., is known from the tropical north.  A new wolf spider subfamily, Artoriinae (type genus Artoria Thorell, 1877), is established to accommodate the following  genera: Anoteropsis L. Koch, 1878, Artoria Thorell, 1877 (= Lycosula Roewer, 1960, syn. nov.), Artoriopsis gen.  nov., Diahogna Roewer, 1960, Lycosella Thorell 1890, Notocosa Vink, 2002, Syroloma Simon, 1900, Tetralycosa  Roewer, 1960, and two unnamed genera. The new synonymy of Lycosula with Artoria places the following species into Artoria: A. thorelli (Berland, 1929) comb. nov., A. hebridisiana (Berland, 1938), comb. nov. and A. minima (Berland,  1938) comb. nov. Artoriinae subfam. nov. are characterised by the presence of a basoembolic apophysis on the male  pedipalp, unique within the Lycosidae. Artoriinae subfam. nov. are restricted to the Oriental, Australasian and Pacific  regions with the centre of diversity in Australia and New Zealand.
A new and threatened species of Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) from Queimada Grande Island, southeastern Brazil
Authors: BRASILEIRO CINTHIA A. , HADDAD CELIO F. B. , SAWAYA RICARDO J. , MARTINS MARCIO
Published: January 2017

We describe a new species of hylid frog, Scinax peixotoi, from Queimada Grande Island, southeastern Brazil. The new species belongs to the Scinax perpusillus species group, in which all known forms inhabit bromeliads, and is diagnosed by the following set of characters: moderate-size (males 18.8–20.7 mm SVL, females 22.4–25.1 mm SVL); canthus rostralis distinct; dorsal skin slightly rugose; and a distinct advertisement call with relatively low dominant frequency. The new species is known from a single population on Queimada Grande, an island of 43 ha, approximately 33 km distant from the coast of São Paulo State, where it inhabits scattered patches of bromeliads. The highly specialized and patchy habitat of S. peixotoi, associated with its small range size, make this species highly susceptible to stochastic or anthropogenic habitat disturbances, which could lead it to extinction.
A world revision of the Pycnostigminae (Cynipoidea: Figitidae) with descriptions of seven new species
Authors: BUFFINGTON M. L. , VAN NOORT S.
Published: January 2017

Pycnostigmus rostratus Cameron, 1905, is redescribed and four new species of Pycnostigmus are described: P. mastersonae Buffington & van Noort, new species; P. incognito Buffington & van Noort, new species; P.  fossilensis Buffington & van Noort, new species; and P. hoerikwaggoensis Buffington & van Noort, new species. Pycnostigmus mastersonae is the only known species of Cynipoidea with a metallic sheen on the head and mesosoma. A redescription of Tyl osema nigerrimum Kieffer, 1905, is provided as well as the description of two new species: Tylosema dayae Buffington & van Noort, new species and Tylosema ronquisti Buffington & van Noort, new species. The discovery of two new species of Tyl osema in South Africa is noteworthy since the only previously known species, T. nigerrimum Kieffer, is from Algeria. A redescription of Trjapitziniola popovi (Belizin 1951) is provided as well as the description of one new species: Trjapitziniola vanharteni Buffington & van Noort, new species. Trjapitziniola vanharteni was collected in the United Emirates Republic, which extends the distribution of Trjapitziniola well into the Arabian Penninsula. An online key to World species of Pycnostigminae and images are available at www.waspweb.org/Cynipoidea/Figitidae/Pycnostigminae/ index.htm, and images of all species contained within this paper are available from http://morphbank.net.
Ectoparasites and other ectosymbiotic arthropods of vertebrates in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA
Authors: REEVES WILL K. , DURDEN LANCE A. , RITZI CHRISTOPHER M. , BECKHAM KATY R. , SUPER PAUL E. , OCONNOR BARRy M.
Published: January 2017

We review previously published accounts of ectoparasites and other ectosymbiotic arthropods of vertebrates and report on the collections from 4 species of reptiles, 54 species of birds, and 47 species of mammals from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or immediately adjacent lands in North Carolina and Tennessee, USA.  Our list includes 1 species of beetle, 2 hemipteran bugs, 9 flies, at least 42 species of lice, 23 species of fleas, and at least 75 species of Acari (11 ticks/64 mites).  We discuss the potential for transmission of pathogens by these ectoparasites and the relevance of disjunct populations of boreal species at high elevations in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Tingupa tlingitorum, n. sp., a new milliped from Haines, Alaska, USA, with notes on the generic distribution and a revised key to species (Chordeumatida: Tingupidae)
Authors: SHEAR WILLIAM A. , SHELLEY ROWLAND M.
Published: January 2017

Tingupa tlingitorum n. sp. (Diplopoda: Chordeumatida: Tingupidae) is proposed for male and female millipeds from Haines, Alaska, USA. It constitutes the first Alaskan record of the family and third of the order, and represents generic and familial range extensions of ca. 1,050 mi (1,680 km) from the previous northern limit in Oregon. Tingupa sp. is also reported from Idaho, the first generic and familial records from this state, and the Queen Charlotte Islands, the first records for both Canada and British Columbia. A revised key to species and a new familial distribution map are presented.
A new polytypic species of the genus Uromastyx MERREM 1820 (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Leiolepidinae) from southwestern Arabia
Authors: WILMS THOMAS M. , SCHMITZ ANDREAS
Published: January 2017

We describe Uromastyx yemenensis sp. nov. from south-western Arabia, comprising two geographic subspecies, U. y. yemenensis and U. y. shobraki ssp. nov. The new species is a member of the Uromastyx ocellata species group, closely related to U. benti. It is differentiated from its sister taxon by smaller scales around midbody and smaller ventrals. The new species is restricted to the extreme south-western tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The western populations of U. yemenensis differ genetically and are constantly distinct in respect to their colour pattern and are therefore recognized as a subspecies.
Differences in karyotype between two sympatric species of Gymnotus (Gymnotiformes: Gymnotidae) from the eastern amazon of Brazil
Authors: MILHOMEM SUSANA SUELY RODRIGUES , PIECZARKA JULIO CESAR , CRAMPTON WILLIAM GARETH RICHARD , DE SOUZA AUGUSTO CESAR PAES , CARVALHO JR JAIME RIBEIRO , NAGAMACHI CLEUSA YOSHIKO
Published: January 2017

In this paper we describe the karyotypes of two sympatric species of Gymnotus from Marajó Island, Pará, in the Eastern Amazon basin of Brazil. One of these species, G. mamiraua, has not previously been identified from this area. Karyotype studies demonstrate that G. cf. carapo Linnaeus, has 2n=42 (30M/SM+12ST/A) and G. mamiraua Albert & Crampton, 2n=54 (50M/SM+4ST). The Nucleolar Organizer Region (NOR) was found in the distal region of the short arm of pair 20 in G. cf. carapo and in the interstitial region of pair 1 of G. mamiraua. Both species have centromeric constitutive heterochromatin (CH) in all chromosomes and some in interstitial or distal regions. In both species, 4´6-Diamidino-2- phenylindole (DAPI) staining has shown banding concordant with C-banding, whereas the Chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining in both species agrees with the NOR location. The new data and review of cytogenetic data in Gymnotus presented here is concordant with a hypothesis that G. carapo is either a complex of populations, or a complex of morphologically similar cryptic species with distinct karyotypes. These taxa may be reproductively isolated by prezygotic reproductive isolation barriers (such as the structure of the Electric Organ Discharge), or by post-zygotic barriers (such as karyotypic formula). The understanding of the cytogenetic structure of G. carapo, combined with associated studies of signal diversity, will yield insight into the mechanisms underlying the origins and maintenance of high species diversity in Gymnotus.
A new Buchananiella Reuter (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) from Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, with a note on B. crassicornis Carayon
Authors: YAMADA KAZUTAKA , HIROWATARI TOSHIYA
Published: January 2017

A new flower bug, Buchananiella atrata, is described based on recently collected specimens from Indochina and the Malay Peninsula; and Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon is recorded from Thailand for the first time. Buchananiella atrata Yamada and Hirowatari, new species, is closely allied to the latter species, from which it is separable by rostral segment III being blackish brown with pale yellow apex, the entirely blackish brown femur, and the paramere being apically modified into a acute projection and a swollen portion.
Peruphasma marmoratum, a remarkable new species of high montane Phasmatodea (Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae) from the Venezuelan Andes
Authors: MURÁNYI DÁVID
Published: January 2017

A remarkable new species of high montane Phasmatodea (Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae), Peruphasma marmoratum sp. n. from the Venezuelan Andes is described and illustrated from both sexes. The species of Peruphasma Conle & Hennemann, 2002, which were excluded by Zompro (2004) are confirmed as belonging to the genus. The new species differs from all other members of the genus by the presence of tubercles on the mesonotum. Affinities, ecological and distributional notes, and notes on other Anisomorphini from Venezuela are presented.
Six new species of the gutless genus Olavius (Annelida: Clitellata: Tubificidae) from New Caledonia
Authors: ERSÉUS CHRISTER , BERGFELDT ULRIKA
Published: January 2017

Six species of the gutless marine tubificid genus Olavius Erséus, 1984 (Phallodrilinae), O. paraloisae sp. nov., O. amplectens sp. nov., O. isomerus sp. nov., O. fidelis sp. nov., O.lifouensis sp. nov., and O. nivalis sp. nov., are described from shallow-water sediments in New Caledonia (including the Loyalty Islands), in the South West Pacific Ocean. Olavius amplectus is similar (but not necessarily closely related) to a North West Atlantic species. The others appear closely related to previously described taxa in the Indo-West Pacific region, but they differ in the number of secondary body annuli, the number, shape and arrangement of chaetae, or in details of the male genitalia and/or spermathecae. Moreover, fixed (contracted) specimens of O. nivalis measured up to 34 mm length, which makes it one of the largest species of gutless Phallodrilinae known to date.
Morphological cladistic analysis of Ophiurolepis Matsumoto, 1915 (Ophiurida: Ophiuridae) from the Southern Ocean
Authors: HUNTER REBECCA L.
Published: January 2017

A phylogenetic analysis using morphological characters was done on the Antarctic ophiuroid genus Ophiurolepis Matsumoto, 1915. This genus is one of the more abundant and ecologically dominant ophiuroid genera in the Antarctic and surrounding Southern Ocean. Maximum parsimony was used to infer phylogenetic relationships. Although strongly supported nodes were not recovered for most groupings within Ophiurolepis, this first attempt at a phylogeny revealed the presence of three tentative clades. Two of the three Ophiurolepis clades included species currently assigned to other genera, but closely allied with Ophiurolepis in the taxonomic literature. This indicates that Ophiurolepis as currently defined is not a monophyletic group. Additional forms of data, namely molecular, are needed to more definitively resolve relationships within this group.
Larvae of the sand stargazer Sindoscopus australis and notes on the development of Dactyloscopidae (Perciformes: Blennioidei)
Authors: HERRERA GUILLERMO A. , LLANOS-RIVERA ALEJANDRA , LANDAETA MAURICIO F.
Published: January 2017

Pre- and post-flexion larvae of the temperate sand stargazer Sindoscopus australis (Dactyloscopidae, Blennioidei) in the size range of 4.4 to 16.0 mm are described using specimens collected in nearshore plankton samples inside bays of Central Chile. The larvae are elongate with a pointed snout, a large head and a short and compact gut with short preanal distance. They show pigmentation at the cleithral symphysis, above the gut, ventrally at the otic capsules, and on the ventrum. They lack pigment dorsally on the head. Although the larvae of three dactyloscopid genera remain undocumented, the available evidence suggests that some larval characters are indicative of phylogenetic affinities. The phylogenetically primitive genus Platygillellus has paired melanophores on the head, a generalized feature common to basal blennioids (e.g. Blenniidae and Tripterygiidae). The derived genera show two conditions: the larvae of the related genera Gillellus and Sindoscopus lack dorsal cephalic pigmentation; the larvae of the species of the clade Myxodagnus - Dactylagnus plus Dactyloscopus have a single large melanophore dorsally on the head and ventrally on the gut.
Calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from Ilha Grande Bay, Brazil, with descriptions of three new species
Authors: AZEVEDO FERNANDA , KLAUTAU MICHELLE
Published: January 2017

This is the first surveillance of calcareous sponges (Porifera, Calcarea) from Ilha Grande Bay in the Southwest coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two islands were surveyed and the description of the calcareous sponges collected is presented here. A total of 98 specimens were collected, from five species. Clathrina aspina has its geographic distribution extended to the South of Rio de Janeiro state; Sycettusa cf. hastifera, a species from the Red Sea, and previously cited to the North of Rio de Janeiro state, was now found in Ilha Grande Bay; three new species to science are being described here: Clathrina angraensis sp. nov., Leucandra serrata sp. nov., and Paraleucilla perlucida sp. nov.
Epimeria schiaparelli sp. nov., an amphipod crustacean (family Epimeriidae) from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, with molecular characterisation of the species complex
Authors: LÖRZ ANNE-NINA , MAAS ELIZABETH W. , LINSE KATRIN , FENWICK GRAHAM D.
Published: January 2017

Epimeria schiaparelli sp. nov. from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, is described in detail. The new species occurs on the shelf in 130–350 m depth. Epimeria schiaparelli can be distinguished from the most similar species, E. similis Chevreux, 1912 and E. macrodonta Walker, 1906 by a relatively short rostrum and a short second pereonite amongst other characters. Two distinct colour patterns are reported. Partial gene sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) from 11 specimens of E. schiaparelli confirm that this species is new to science and closely related to E. similis, E. macrodonta and E. reoproi. The recent and historical separation of this Antarctic species is discussed. The syntypes of E. macrodonta consist of two species, so a lectotype is here designated.
Rediscovery of the enigmatic blind snake genus Xenotyphlops in northern Madagascar, with description of a new species (Serpentes: Typhlopidae)
Authors: WALLACH VAN , MERCURIO VINCENZO , ANDREONE FRANCO
Published: January 2017

After more than a century the rare blind snake genus Xenotyphlops Wallach & Ineich (1996) has been rediscovered in Madagascar, with the collection of a specimen from the arid northern part of the country. This represents only the third known Xenotyphlops specimen and establishes the first precise locality for the genus. As it differs from Xenotyphlops grandidieri (Mocquard) in several external and numerous internal features, it is here described as a new species.
A revision of the genus Andesipolis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Mesostoinae) and redefinition of the subfamily Mesostoinae
Authors: SHIMBORI EDUARDO MITIO , SOUZA-GESSNER CAROLINA DA SILVA SOUZA , PENTEADO-DIAS ANGELICA MARIA , SHAW SCOTT RICHARD
Published: January 2017

Mesostoinae is a poorly understood subfamily, with a classic Gondwanan distribution. Historically, its members have been classified in as many as nine different subfamilies and/or tribes. Formally comprising seven genera (Andesipolis, Aspilodemon, Hydrangeocola, Opiopterus, Mesostoa, Praonopterus and Proavga), there are at least six more genera (Apoavga, Austrohormius, Canberria, Doryctomorpha, Hormiitis and Neptihormius) to be included based on morphological and geographical data. Here, we discuss the placement of the Neotropical genus Andesipolis Whitfield & Choi within Mesostoinae, and provide a revised definition of the subfamily. We revise the genus Andesipolis, and provide descriptions of 22 new species from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. A key to known species is also presented. The distribution of Andesipolis is exclusive to high altitude or high latitude regions in South America, especially in mountain ranges along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
The type localities of Anolis aequatorialis Werner, 1894 (Sauria: Iguania: Dactyloidae) and Pristimantis appendiculatus (Werner, 1894) (Amphibia: Anura: Craugastoridae)
Authors: CISNEROS-HEREDIA DIEGO F.
Published: January 2017

The eminent Austrian zoologist Franz Werner described several new species of amphibians and reptiles from America, including Anolis aequatorialis Werner, 1894 and Hylodes appendiculatus Werner, 1894. Both species were described based on single specimens, with no more specific type localities than “Ecuador” (Werner 1894a,b). After its description, A. aequatorialis remained unreported until Peters (1967) and Fitch et al. (1976) published information on its distribution and natural history. Anolis aequatorialis is currently known to inhabit low montane and cloud forest on the western slopes of the Andes from extreme southern Colombia to central Ecuador, between 1300 and 2300 m elevation (Ayala-Varela & Velasco 2010; Ayala-Varela et al. 2014; Lynch et al. 2014; D.F. Cisneros-Heredia pers. obs.). Likewise, Hylodes appendiculatus (now Pristimantis appendiculatus) remained only known from its type description until Lynch (1971) and Miyata (1980) provided certain localities and information on its natural history. Pristimantis appendiculatus is currently known to occur in low montane, cloud, and high montane forests on the western slopes of the Andes from extreme southern Colombia to northern Ecuador between 1460 and 2800 m elevation (Lynch 1971; Miyata 1980; Lynch & Burrowes 1990; Lynch & Duellman 1997; Frost 2016). To this date, the type localities of both species remain obscure. The purpose of this paper is to restrict the type localities of Hylodes appendiculatus Werner, 1894 and Anolis aequatorialis Werner, 1894 based on analyses of the travel journals of their original collector.
Monitoring the Absolute Calibration of a Polarimetric Weather Radar
Authors: Frech Michael , Hagen Martin , Mammen Theo
Published: January 2017

The absolute calibration of a dual-polarization radar of the German Weather Service is continuously monitored using the operational birdbath scan and collocated disdrometer measurements at the Hohenpeissenberg observatory. The goal is to measure the radar reflectivity constant Z better than ±1 dB. The assumption is that a disdrometer measurement close to the surface can be related to the radar measurement at the first far-field range bin. This is verified using a Micro Rain Radar (MRR). The MRR data fill the gap between the measurement near the surface and the far-field range bin at 650 m. Using data from the first half of the warm season in 2014, a bias in radar calibration of 1.8 dB is found. Data from only stratiform precipitation events are considered. After adjusting the radar calibration and using an independent data sample, very good agreement is found between the radar, the MRR, and the disdrometer with a bias in smaller than 1 dB. The bias in is not captured with the classic one-point calibration, which is performed twice a day using a built-in test signal generator. This is attributed to the fact that the characterization of the transmit and receive path is not accurate enough. Solar interferences during the operational scanning are used to characterize the receiver. There, the bias found is small, about 0.2 dB, so that bias based on the comparison of the radar with external sensors is attributed to the transmit path. The representativeness of the disdrometer measurements are assessed using two additional disdrometers located within 200-m distance.
Understanding How Low–Socioeconomic Status Households Cope with Health Shocks
Authors: Leonard Tammy , Hughes Amy E. , Pruitt Sandi L.
Published: January 2017

Low–socioeconomic status (SES) households have little income or wealth to buffer against the negative impacts of adverse health events among adult household members. This research project links data from a nonprofit food distribution center, electronic medical records from a safety-net healthcare system, and publicly available residential appraisals for more than 3,000 households to provide insight into how low-SES households cope with health shocks experienced by resident adults. Three broad types of strategies are examined: changes in household structure, residential mobility, and use of social services. Of the households studied, 20.2 percent had at least one adult member who experienced a health shock. These households were more likely to gain additional adult household members and employed household members, were more likely to move residence and to move distances greater than one mile, and were less likely to visit the food distribution center after the shock. This research highlights how novel data linkages can help us to understand how health and social policies impact vulnerable populations.
Weather-Related Hazards and Population Change
Authors: Fussell Elizabeth , Curran Sara R. , Dunbar Matthew D. , Babb Michael A. , Thompson Luanne , Meijer-Irons Jacqueline
Published: January 2017

Environmental determinists predict that people move away from places experiencing frequent weather hazards, yet some of these areas have rapidly growing populations. This analysis examines the relationship between weather events and population change in all U.S. counties that experienced hurricanes and tropical storms between 1980 and 2012. Our database allows for more generalizable conclusions by accounting for heterogeneity in current and past hurricane events and losses and past population trends. We find that hurricanes and tropical storms affect future population growth only in counties with growing, high-density populations, which are only 2 percent of all counties. In those counties, current year hurricane events and related losses suppress future population growth, although cumulative hurricane-related losses actually elevate population growth. Low-density counties and counties with stable or declining populations experience no effect of these weather events. Our analysis provides a methodologically informed explanation for contradictory findings in prior studies.
The Basilian Monks and their Missions in 17th–18th centuries to Chimara (Himara) Southern Albania
Authors: Murzaku Ines Angeli
Published: January 2017

The study focuses on the 17th-18th century Basilian missions in Southern Albania, specifically in the region of Himara and the people behind these missions. The article is based on primary, never-before-published archival sources. The study explains that despite the zeal, knowledge, and dedication of the missionaries, the Basilian missions in Southern Albania were sporadic, not organized, and the monks were not particularly trained in missions. This by no means minimizes the contributions of Basilian missionaries Neofito Rodino, Nilo Catalano, and Giuseppe Schirò and their hard labors in Albania. On a positive note, the Basilian missions to convert the Orthodox (as requested by the Orthodox Himarriots) might have raised Rome’s sensitivities to recognize and appreciate Byzantine tradition beginning from its backyard - the Monastery of the Mother of God of Grottaferrata in Rome, and the Italo-Albanians or Italo-Greeks living in Calabria and Sicily. These missions paved the way to the beginning of an ecumenical thinking and changed attitude in the Latin Church regarding Christian East.
Gendering International Security
Authors: Tamang Dipti
Published: January 2017

The concept of security in international relations is highly contested with interventions by different schools of thought challenging the dominant statecentric theorization and practice of the same. This article analyzes the feminist perspective of international security. In doing so, it reiterates the need to redefine security by broadening the contours of the subject matter of international relations. While practices like global policy seem to have incorporated a gender perspective, these shifts have not altered the practice of marginalization of gender issues and feminist theories in international politics. The argument of this article, therefore, is that a feminist perspective of security is essential to bridge this gap between theory and practice.
Glocalization and the Media
Authors: Reyaz Mohammad
Published: January 2017

In August 2013, Al Jazeera, a Doha-based broadcasting company, partly funded by the ruling family of Qatar, started its American service amidst resistance from some quarters in the United States. While hyper-nationalists and some lobbies saw it as an infiltration of their airspace by ‘anti-Americans’, ‘anti-Semites’ and ‘pro-terrorists’, it also brought the debate over globalization full circle. Leaders of most Third World countries, comprising the Global South, in the past, vehemently opposed the advent of satellite channels, calling it ‘an attack from the sky’. With the passage of time, however, Asians Tigers as also India, Turkey and some of the Gulf countries economically benefited too in the long run and this reflected in the media-space as well. The Indian film industry has emerged as favourite destination for artistes from South Asia, while in the field of news, Al Jazeera is today posing a challenge to the traditional Western information leaders, like British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Cable News Network (CNN). This paper explores the counter perspectives from the South in the public sphere, taking examples from West Asia (Al Jazeera) and South Asia (Indian media); it tries to understand how in an ever-glocalizing world, the global public sphere too is undergoing constant reorganization and realignment, creating a ‘counter space’.
A Music Lesson on Resilience: Alice Herz-Sommer, Her Piano, and the Capacity to Survive
Authors: Schweitzer Carol L. Schnabl
Published: January 2017

The life of Alice Herz-Sommer, a Holocaust survivor and concert pianist, illustrates how music has the potential to cultivate personality traits that lead to resilience. The act of listening to or making music serves to transport an individual to a peaceful, timeless, and wondrous place. Music, when incorporated into the art of pastoral care, can assist individuals to have a renewed sense of hope in the midst of struggle and trauma.
Ibn al-Shāṭir and Copernicus: The Uppsala Notes Revisited
Authors: Ragep F. Jamil
Published: January 2017

It has long been recognized that Copernicus’ models in the Commentariolus bear a striking resemblance to those of Ibn al-Shāṭir (14th-c. Damascus). A number of scholars have postulated some sort of transmission but have denied that Ibn al-Shāṭir’s geocentric models had anything to do with the heliocentric turn. Rather, the assumption has been that they were used by Copernicus solely to resolve the irregular motions of the planetary deferents brought on by Ptolemy’s equant. Based on proposals for direct transformations of Ibn al-Shāṭir’s models into those of Copernicus and an alternative reading of Copernicus’ so-called Uppsala notes, it is argued here that Ibn al-Shāṭir’s models in fact have a “heliocentric bias” that made them particularly suitable as a basis for the heliocentric and “quasi-homocentric” models found in the Commentariolus.
Imaginal vs Perceptual Scanning of a Visual Representation
Authors: Beech John R.
Published: January 2017

Imaginai and perceptual scanning were compared to determine whether the reaction time function obtained during imaginai scanning in previous studies is analogous to what would happen in the perceptual situation. Subjects scanned arrays of four digits which were either imagined or physically present. Monotonic increases in reaction time as a function of distance were found in both cases. However, the zero intercept of the reaction times was significantly faster for the perceptual scanning group, probably due to the easier access to the loci. The over-all similarity in the results might suggest that a common structure is employed to represent information from imaginal and perceptual sources.
Assessment of Brain Damage in a Geriatric Population through Use of a Visual-Searching Task
Authors: Turbiner Milton , Derman Robert M.
Published: January 2017

This study was designed to assess the discriminative capacity of a visual-searching task for brain damage, as described by Goldstein and Kyc (1978) , for 10 hospitalized male, brain-damaged patients, 10 hospitalized male schizophrenic patients, and 10 normal subjects in a control group, all of whom were approximately 65 yr. old. The derived data indicated, at a statistically significant level, that the visual-searching task was effective in successfully classifying 80% of the brain-damaged sample when compared to the schizophrenic patients and discriminating 90% of the brain-damaged patients from normal subjects.
Scores on Group and Individually Administered Bender-Gestalt Test and Otis-Lennon IQS of Kindergarten Children1
Authors: Caskey William E. , Larson Gerald L.
Published: January 2017

Otis-Lennon IQs were used to rank 92 rural and 101 suburban children who were then assigned alternately to a group or individual administration of the Bender-Gestalt test. Scores on both formats correlated significantly, but moderately, with Otis-Lennon IQs (rs = — .66 and —.51). Scores from individually administered Bender tests and IQs did not correlate significantly for children from the suburban school district.
Incarcerated Mothers’ Labor Market Outcomes
Authors: Jung Haeil , LaLonde Robert J.
Published: January 2017

This study investigates how motherhood and foster care records of their children influence women’s transitions into the labor market after incarceration. Our fixed effects models examine the relative progress of incarcerated mothers in earnings and employment after incarceration, accounting for the difference between mothers and women without children and controlling for time-constant individual characteristics. Our analysis indicates that incarcerated mothers make impressive progress in quarterly employment during the second and third year after incarceration. Most of these increases are from mothers whose children started, but did not resolve, foster care before incarceration.
Health Beliefs and Optimism as Predictors of Preventive Health Decisions in Hong Kong Chinese
Authors: Lai Julian C. L. , Hamid P. Nicholas , Cheng Sheung Tak
Published: January 2017

The effects of components of the Health Belief Model and optimism on preventive intention were examined in 144 Hong Kong Chinese. Two variables related to the Health Belief Model, susceptibility and severity, were experimentally manipulated for an imaginary flu outbreak and a hypothetical vaccine. Participants indicated their intention to take the hypothetical vaccine after reading each of the 4 combinations of high versus low susceptibility and severity. Analysis suggested that both higher susceptibility and higher severity were associated with stronger behavioral intention to take the vaccine. Higher optimism scores were significantly associated with lower intention to take preventive action. In addition, a significant interaction was observed for optimism and severity. The effect of optimism was higher when severity was low than when it was high. Implications of these findings for research among Chinese were discussed.
Criterion-Related Validity of The Marital Disaffection Scale as a Measure of Marital Estrangement
Authors: Flowers Claudia , Robinson Bryan E. , Carroll Jane J.
Published: January 2017

The Marital Disaffection Scale was administered, along with measures of positive feelings towards spouse, problem-drinking behavior of spouse, workaholic behavior of spouse, and marital status, to 323 female members of the American Counseling Association. Scores on the Marital Disaffection Scale showed significant inverse correlations ( r = –.94) with positive feelings towards spouse and ( rpb = –.63) with marital status. Scores on the Marital Disaffection Scale showed significant positive relationships ( r = .36) with spouse's problem drinking behavior and ( r = .48) with workaholic behavior of spouse. The results support the use of the Marital Disaffection Scale as a measure of emotional estrangement in marriage.
Social Adjustment in Bipolar and Unipolar Single-Episode and Recurrently Depressed Inpatients
Authors: Dorz Stella , Magni Guido , Cognolato Sabrina , Conforti Donatella , Fiorellini Antonio Luciano , Scarso Caterina , Borgherini Giuseppe
Published: January 2017

Social adjustment scores were compared using the Social Adjustment scale for 24 inpatients with single-episode major depression, 72 with recurrent major depression, and 28 with bipolar disorder. There were no differences between the three groups either in overall score or on single scales.
Social Character of Materialism
Authors: Chatterjee Anindya , Hunt James M. , Kernan Jerome B.
Published: January 2017

Scores for 170 undergraduates on Richins and Dawson's Materialism scale were correlated with scores on Kassarjian's Social Preference Scale, designed to measure individuals’ character structure. A correlation of .26 between materialism and other-directed social character suggested that an externally oriented reference system guides materialists’ perceptions, judgments, acquisitions, and possessions.
Confidence Interval Formulas for Split-Half Reliability Coefficients
Authors: Charter Richard A.
Published: January 2017

Confidence interval formulas for the Spearman-Brown and the two-part coefficient alpha are presented.
Research on Mental Retardation: An Agenda for the Future
Authors: Verdugo Miguel ángel
Published: January 2017

This article summarizes the results of a study carried out on 12 scientific journals that deal with research on mental retardation. The purpose was to analyze the type of research currently being published. Data shows that, although most of research on mental retardation from 1991 to June, 1999 agrees with the multidimensional system proposed by the AAMR in 1992, research still tends to focus on a psychopathological model when considering people with mental retardation. We conclude by offering several suggestions on the need for a collaborative approach between researchers and professionals and the benefits of developing a supportive culture for research.
Longitudinal Evaluation Using the Environmental Deprivation Scale-Questionnaire with Felons
Authors: Witherspoon Arnold Del , Chubick Jennifer D.
Published: January 2017

The status of 32 felons was examined two years after they had completed the Environmental Deprivation Scale. Those who violated parole or probation scored significantly differently from those who remained on parole or probation or had been released. The questionnaire score could be helpful to identify which felons require additional supervision or treatment. Larger samples and extended evaluation are necessary for firm conclusions.
Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory and the Neo Five-Factor Inventory
Authors: Ramanaiah Nerella V. , Rielage Jennifer K. , Cheng Yuqiu
Published: January 2017

A principal axis factor analysis was performed jointly for the seven Temperament and Character Inventory scales and the five NEO Five-Factor Inventory scales, using 95 male and 109 female introductory psychology students. The five factors obtained were similar to the five major personality factors of Neuroticism, Extra-version, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, and supported the comprehensiveness of the five-factor model of personality.
Dream Characteristics of Stock Brokers after a Major Market Downturn
Authors: Kroth Jerry , Thompson Lisa , Jackson Judy , Pascali Lesa , Ferreira Marie
Published: January 2017

Dream characteristics of 28 stock brokers during the second worst weekly performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the last 11 yr. were measured using the KJP Dream Inventory. Additional measures of powerlessness and stress were administered as well. Significant correlations appeared between the amount of stress brokers reported during this week and the appearance of recurring nightmares (.59), feelings of being chased (.42), and dreams’ pleasantness (–.64). The brokers’ clients’ investment performance was correlated significantly with changes in the brokers’ experience of traumatic dreams (–.51) and dreams of falling (–.43). Further, as the brokers’ own personal investments deteriorated overall, dreaming increased (.48), suggesting compensatory mechanisms. Results were discussed in terms of the relationship between onset of acute traumatic states and dreaming.
Sex Differences in Mathematics Performance among African University Students
Authors: Mwamwenda Tuntufye S.
Published: January 2017

This research yielded sex differences for first-year undergraduate students (30 men, 43 women) in a mathematics course. Women scored lower than men, as is consistent with other research.
A Pilot Study of Perceived Needs of Persons with New Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Cushman Laura A. , Scherer Marcia J.
Published: January 2017

Persons with new spinal cord injury have varying perceptions of their own needs in multiple life domains such as readiness and need to use assistive technologies, but these are often not directly addressed. These areas were the focus of the present study. This descriptive study looked at subjective need in a variety of areas with a new measure and also assessed perceptions related to assistive technology and quality of life. Perceptions of various needs were compared at baseline and at 1- and 6-mo. follow-up. The Perceived Needs Inventory, the Assistive Technology Device Predisposition Assessment, and the Diener Satisfaction with Life Scale were the main outcome measures given 22 patients with new injuries in an inpatient service for acute spinal cord injury with community follow-up. As the Perceived Needs Inventory provided distinct information and showed good test-reliability and some evidence of construct validity, it may be a useful adjunctive tool with such patients.
Completion of Introductory English as a Predictor of Introductory Psychology Achievement
Authors: Guarino Anthony J. , Schick Jo-Anne E. , Parker Marian
Published: January 2017

The high rate of attrition in introductory psychology courses at community colleges has led some institutions to require an introductory English course, focusing on reading and writing, as a prerequisite. The primary objective of this research was to assess whether successfully completing the introductory English course had any relation to successful completion of the introductory psychology course. Participants were 11,139 students enrolled over a 3-yr. period in introductory psychology courses at a large urban community college in the southwest. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated a significant but not a practical increase in the variance of final grades.
Compulsive Buying and Sexual Attitudes, Intentions, and Activity among Adolescents: An Extension of Roberts and Tanner (2000)
Authors: Roberts James A. , Tanner John F.
Published: January 2017

Roberts and Tanner in 2000 reported that compulsive buying among 896 adolescents was associated with cigarette smoking, alcohol use, drug use, and the likelihood of engaging in premarital sex. The present study concerned the relations of compulsive buying to sexual attitudes, intentions, and activity among adolescents. Results are consistent with the earlier findings as compulsive buying was significantly but weakly correlated (–.14) with intentions to engage in premarital sex; however, compulsive buying was not correlated with adolescents’ attitudes regarding sex or sexual behavior.
Symbiosis, partnership, and restoration in Mark’s parable of the sower
Authors: Fisher George W.
Published: January 2017

Reflecting on the dynamics of Galilean ecology can deepen our understanding of Mark’s parable of the sower. The extraordinary yield of the final sowing in rich soil is generally celebrated as a success, while the first three sowings that produce no grain are dismissed as failures. But success and failure are deeply intertwined in Galilee. Rich soil is fragile, and easily exhausted by over-cultivation, while the processes in the first three settings help to restore fertility. Keeping the land productive depends on symbiotic interactions between all four settings portrayed in the parable, and in that sense all four contribute to the final yield. These symbiotic relationships among plant communities resonate powerfully with Old Testament patterns of covenantal partnership between people, creation, and God identified by Walter Brueggemann. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, Roman policies were disrupting ways of life that depended on traditional farming practices; the covenant seemed to have failed. Jesus’ listeners knew the land well, probably recognized the sower’s images of land restoration, and could have understood them as metaphors for covenant renewal. From that perspective, the parable can be read as a figurative synopsis of the “good news” proclaimed by Jesus and an invitation to follow him.
Challenges to Social Accountability and Service Delivery in Pakistan
Authors: Abbas Muhammad Hamza , Ahmed Vaqar
Published: January 2017

This article highlights the major challenges to social accountability in Pakistan. Based on a perception survey of 800 household-level respondents from four provinces of Pakistan besides relevant focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the findings of the study reveal that the respondents have an understanding of which of the basic services they are entitled to and which are not being facilitated by public sector service providers. Owing to the trust deficit between communities and state administration, there is a dire need for establishing and reforming informal and formal grievance redressal mechanisms. On the other hand, with over half of Pakistan’s population not having any formal education, communities need to be trained in social accountability tools through which they may access their rights and entitlements. Civil society organisations (CSOs), working in Pakistan for over the last two decades, urgently need to introduce innovative methods for community mobilisation. These CSOs are also facing severe internal and external security threats which are impacting the effectiveness of community-level accountability exercises. While we take stock of such challenges, there is renewed hope that government and donor community will support local-level CSOs to mitigate threats to social accountability interventions.