bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Late Cognitive Effects of Early Treatment with Phenobarbital
Authors: Sulzbacher Stephen , Farwell Jacqueline R. , Temkin Nancy , Lu Ann S. , Hirtz Deborah G.
Published: November 2007

We previously reported that IQ, was significantly lowered in a group of toddler-aged children randomly assigned to receive phenobarbital or placebo for febrile seizures and there was no difference in the febrile seizure recurrence rate. We retested these children 3-5 years later, after they had entered school, to determine whether those effects persisted over the longer term and whether later school performance might be affected. On follow-up testing of 139 (of the original n=217) Western Washington children who had experienced febrile seizures, we found that the phenobarbital group scored significantly lower than the placebo group on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-R) reading achievement standard score (87.6 vs 95.6; p=0.007). There was a nonsignificant mean difference of 3.71 IQ, points on the Stanford-Binet, with the phenobarbital-treated group scoring lower (102.2 vs 105.7; p=0.09). There were five children in our sample with afebrile seizures during the 5-year period after the end of the medication trial. Two had been assigned to phenobarbital, and three had been in the placebo group. We conclude there may be a long-term adverse cognitive effect of phenobarbital on the developmental skills (language/verbal) being acquired during the period of treatment and no beneficial effect on the rate of febrile seizure recurrences or later nonfebrile seizures. Clin Pediatr. 1999;38:387-394
Back Pain in Children Who Present to the Emergency Department
Authors: Selbst Steven M. , Lavelle Jane M. , Soyupak Sureyya K. , Markowitz Richard I.
Published: November 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify the causes and epidemiology of back pain in children who present to the emergency department. All children who presented to an urban pediatric emergency department (ED) during a 1-year period with the chief complaint of back pain were examined and evaluated with a uniform questionnaire. This was completed at the time of the ED visit in 48%, and within 48 hours in 52%. During a 1-year period, 225 children with a complaint of back pain were evaluated. The mean age was 11.9 ±4 years and 60% were female. Onset was acute (≤2 days) in 59%, and chronic (≥4 weeks) in only 11.6%. Pain awakened children from sleep in 47%, and caused 52% to miss school or work. The most common diagnoses were direct trauma (25%), muscle strain (24%), sickle cell crises (13%), idiopathic (13%), urinary tract infection (5%), and viral syndrome (4%). Radiographs of the back were rarely helpful. About 5% required hospital admission; one half of these were attributed to sickle cell crises. We conclude that back pain is an uncommon reason for children to present to an emergency department. When present, pediatric back pain is most often musculoskeletal, associated with an acute infectious illness or a traumatic event. Although the etiology is rarely serious, back pain often affects the daily activities of symptomatic children. Clin Pediatr. 1999;38:401-406
Renal Calyceal Microlithiasis: Clinical Presentation May Precede Sonographic Evidence
Authors: Polito Cesare , Cioce Fabrizio , La Manna Angela , Maiello Rita , Di Toro Rosario
Published: November 2007

Calyceal microlithiasis (CM) is characterized by the sonographic finding of hyperechogenic spots less than 3 mm in diameter in renal calyces, and it may be the first step in calculus formation. From January 1992 to January 1998, we have observed 216 children with CM. The present report deals with 34 of them in whom renal sonography was negative at first observation and the diagnosis of CM was made only on repeated sonographic examinations. The presenting symptoms were recurrent abdominal pain, dysuria, and hematuria occuring alone or in combination. Half of the patients had hypercalciuria. A history of urolithiasis in at least one first- or second-degree relative was present in 85% of patients. Renal sonography was repeated after 6-22 months (mean 11) and showed unilateral CM in 16 subjects and bilateral in18. The finding of CM may be preceded by a period of time when symptoms and/or signs are present while microcalculi are not yet detectable. Repeated ultrasound examinations may be needed not only in patients with hypercalciuria but also in those with recurrent abdominal pain, dysuria, and/or hematuria not associated with hypercalciuria. Clin Pediatr. 1999;38:521-524
Student Co-Researchers: How Principals Can Recruit, Train, and Enlist the Help of Students to Examine What Works and Does Not Work in Their Schools
Authors: Yonezawa Susan , Jones Makeba
Published: November 2007

This article describes an e fort by principals and university researchers to create student co-research groups at several high schools. The authors describe the student co-research team concept, how it provides principals with ways to actively engage students in ongoing school-reform e forts, and how it assists them in gathering and analyzing data regarding school change. More specifically, the article describes an e fort to create student co-research groups across school sites to address dilemmas districtwide and within specific schools. Co-research team enactment, training, and support are discussed and suggestions for principals to sustain such a concept are recommended.
Student Action Research: Reaping the Benefits for Students and School Leaders
Authors: Rubin Beth C. , Jones Makeba
Published: November 2007

Recent years have seen a proliferation of student action research both nationally and internationally. Going by various names—participatory research, action research, participatory evaluation—student action research is research that (a) is conducted by youth, within or outside of schools and classrooms, with the goal of informing and a fecting school, community, and/or global problems and issues and (b) contributes to the positive development of a variety of academic, social, and civic skills in youth. This article reviews research and writing on student action research, describing di ferent types of student action research initiatives, the benefits of this powerful practice, and how principals can manage implementation challenges.
The Structuration of Racialized Sport Organizing
Authors: Halone Kelby K.
Published: November 2007

This essay suggests that dynamics of race in/and mediated sport can be productively understood when theorized as an interactive phenomenon that gives rise to micro-macro forms of human-mediated organizing. A theoretical framework of racialized sport organizing is articulated, informed by Giddens' (1984) philosophy of structuration, which provides a productive transition from viewing processes of race in/and sport as only a direct form of mediated influence, to also understanding such processes as a micro-macro phenomenon that becomes pragmatically organized through human-mediated interaction(s). The framework provides heightened theoretical, methodological, empirical, and disciplinary insight into the interactive nature of racialized issues in/and mediated sport, in particular, and to all organized forms of human-mediated communication processes, in general.
Justice for Daniel Faulkner?
Authors: Maurantonio Nicole
Published: November 2007

Analyzing the story of slain Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and his convicted murderer, this article examines the complex relationship between history and memory, as well as the mediating role of myth, in reasserting the collective identity of organizations. The article suggests that the contests and negotiations between history and memory have helped unite police officers as a collective in the wake of the department's loss.
Fit, focus and functionality: an essay on early language intervention
Authors: Johnston Judith R.
Published: November 2007

A principled account of preschool language intervention can be derived from the nature of language learning in general and from our under standing of the needs of language-disordered children in particular. This essay attempts to explicate these relationships. The guiding concepts of FIT, FOCUS, and FUNCTIONALITY are used to generate ten instructional strategies for language disordered children in all settings.
'Ask a silly question...': some of what goes on in language comprehension tests
Authors: Bridges Allayne
Published: November 2007

Recent research in social cognition and discourse has led to a reexamina tion of how young children interpret instructions in language compre hension tests. This paper reviews some of the ways in which test presenta tion can influence children's understanding of what is being talked about and what they are being asked to do.
Developing conversation in young children
Authors: McTear Michael F.
Published: November 2007

The nature and development of children's conversation skills has attracted considerable attention in recent research. By the time they reach school age, children have acquired a basic ability to converse, involving the integration of various cognitive, social and linguistic skills. Some examples of these skills and of conversational disabilities are outlined. As conversation is an interactional activity, it is appropriate to focus on the interactional contexts of children's conversational activity. The nature of talk in classrooms and clinical settings is considered in this respect.
Language intervention software: myth or rea I ity
Authors: Miller Jon F. , Marriner Nola
Published: November 2007

This paper takes issue with the current trend towards establishing universal criteria for the development and review of software designed for children with speech and language problems. Language intervention is a unique teaching activity, and computer applications require tailored solutions. We propose a shift in perspective, moving away from computer-aided language intervention as automated learning, and argue for the use of computers for establishing the social context for learning, with the clinician and child interacting around the program content.
Teaching vocabulary: the case for a semantic curriculum
Authors: Crystal David
Published: November 2007

The paper addresses the question of how vocabulary can be systematically taught to language-handicapped children. Little statistical information about vocabulary development is available, though what there is suggests that traditional frequency norms are in need of revision. It is essential to replace the traditional emphasis on frequency by an approach which analyses the quality, range, and internal structure of vocabulary, using the notions of semantic fields, sense relations, and semantic features. The importance of dictionary-type definitions in the teaching process is emphasized. A procedure for working with vocabulary using these notions is outlined, and recommendations are made about the importance of developing a semantic curriculum.
An experimental scheme for developing early communication skills across a variety of settings
Authors: Smith Liane , Howard Frances
Published: November 2007

An Early Communication Scheme is outlined for clients who have not yet reached the 'early word' stage of language. Aims include the initial screening for specific perceptual, sensory, and motor difficulty; assessment of understanding and communicative competence with emphasis on prag matic skills; and a comprehensive system for targeting and recording communication objectives across the curriculum and throughout the day. Implications for an older client population are discussed.
The prevalence of speech and language difficulties in childhood: some brief research notes
Authors: Webster Alec
Published: November 2007

A survey of the literature on the prevalence of speech and language dif ficulties in childhood is made, highlighting methodological difficulties, consensus findings, epidemiological factors, and discrepancies between estimated need and available provision.
The language skills of children with Down's Syndrome aged 12 to 16 years
Authors: Bray Monica , Woolnough Lyn
Published: November 2007

Linguistic information gained through the analysis of video recordings of 11 children with Down's Syndrome is described. It was found that even at this age, when children are becoming more socially capable and indepen dent, verbal language was limited mainly to single-word utterances. Those children with more words in a sequence were often at a disadvantage, due to poor intelligibility which increased with increased complexity of syntax. On the whole, children were sensitive to the rules of conversation, but had major difficulties in initiating or performing repair strategies. Signing seemed to be the most useful form of repair. Remedial implications are briefly discussed.
Towards coherence — a case study
Authors: Jackson Jackie
Published: November 2007

A child may be labelled 'unintelligible' for reasons other than poor articulation. This study looks at the linguistic development of one such child, and follows her progress over a period of 16 months. The speech therapy programme is described, and some remedial activities and equipment suggested.
Language-learning patterns in echolalic children
Authors: Manning Annette L. , Katz Karyn Bobkoff
Published: November 2007

Echolalia has traditionally been considered to be a deviant, nonfunc tional behaviour. In contrast, an alternative perspective on echolalia has been proposed by considering the characteristics of echolalia in relation to a continuum of processing styles ranging from GESTALT to ANALYTIC. This paper applies a gestalt processing model to describe in depth the language-learning patterns of the echolalic child. Special emphasis is placed on how this processing model alters and expands our definition of echolalia and its role in the process of language acquisition. Application of the gestalt model in assessment and intervention is discussed.
Acquiring a communication system by sign and speech in a child with Down syndrome: a longitudinal investigation
Authors: Layton Thomas L. , Savino Mary A.
Published: November 2007

This article reports on a longitudinal investigation of a child with Down syndrome who was taught to communicate initially by sign but who later became an entirely oral communicator. The article reports the rate and frequency of his first 50 signs and first 43 oral words along with a follow-up of his oral communication. The data suggest that early sign training enhanced the child's later speech production.
Language disorders as a child-rearing problem
Authors: Goorhuis-Brouwer Sieneke M. , Wijnberg-Williams Barbara J.
Published: November 2007

In a group of 46 language-disturbed children we investigated the parent-child interactions during an interview and a home-observation. The parent-child interactions were compared with the same interactions in a control group. Significant differences were found between the two groups. In language-disturbed children, parents are more conscious of their language stimulation, but they do this in a way that does not suit the child. These results support the notion that changing the interactions between parent and child is, next to language therapy, an important step in intervention.
Parent partnership in the treatment of communication-impaired children
Authors: Kelsey Erica
Published: November 2007

This paper investigates ways in which parent partnership may operate in the treatment of children's communication difficulties. Although parents receiving a speech therapy service had been given explanations and information on speech and language difficulty, and had received programmes for helping their children, it was felt that the service should be offering more. In particular, parents need to be partners in decision making with regard to their children's treatment. The project involved two schemes whereby parents helped to plan their children's treatment.
Increasing literacy levels by the use of linguistic prediction
Authors: Newell Alan F. , Booth Lynda , Arnott John , Beattie William
Published: November 2007

A predictive text input system, PAL, was introduced into a school environment with a group of 17 children representing a wide range of special educational needs. The group included non-speakers and also children with severe spelling and language problems. In all but one of the cases, this system was found to be very successful in improving the quantity and quality of the written work which the pupils produced. This work shows that, not only can predictive systems be used as an acceleration technique for physically-disabled people, they can also be of great benefit both as a prosthesis and a training aid for children with a wide range of spelling and language dysfunction.
A treatment programme for improving story-telling ability: a case study
Authors: Klecan-Aker Joan S.
Published: November 2007

The purpose of the present investigation was to measure the effects of a treatment programme on the story-telling ability of a second-grade language/learning-disabled male. Treatment was conducted twice a week for a period of 12 weeks. Results revealed an improvement in both the length and complexity of the subject's oral stories. These results are discussed relative to the role of language treatment on academic success.
Empowering language-impaired children through Logo
Authors: McLeod David , McLeod Sharynne
Published: November 2007

The Logo programming language can be a useful tool for speech- language therapists working with language-impaired children. It can be used to develop children's assertiveness, spatial/directional skills and higher level language skills such as logical sequencing and cause and effect. The philosophy which underpins Logo facilitates an environment which empowers language-impaired children.
The Learning Print: a blueprint for practice in the noncategorical special class
Authors: D'Annunzio Anthony
Published: November 2007

This article presents a teaching model, the Learning Print, for use with elementary school children in noncategorical special class settings. The six basic features of the model include: (1) individualized, self-initiated reading, (2) expressive writing, (3) incidental, nondirective counselling, (4) an administrative facilitator, (5) the special education teacher as resource specialist, and (6) the pervasive use of instructional aides. These features are discussed, and citations for more detailed descriptions are included. The model is designed to take individual differences into account without being intrusive. The pedagogical and administrative advantages of the Learning Print model are delineated.
Postilion sentences
Authors: Crystal David
Published: November 2007

A pragmatic perspective in language intervention requires that we look critically at the kind of language we teach, to ensure that it is useful outside the teaching situation. However, many sentences introduced in teaching seem to have little or no chance of ever being used in real life (POSTILION SENTENCES), at least not without taking careful account of their contextual restrictions, and sometimes modifying their prosodic form. Their role is chiefly to instil a structure, and their pragmatic value is negligible. The contextual differences are illustrated from several sentences, to make the point that the goal of carryover is likely to be problematic when there is no pragmatic equivalence. If teaching and therapy is to be efficacious, generalization of skills from classroom and clinic to the outside world is essential, and this is possible only within a pragmatic frame of reference.
Conversational written forms and their use in speech-language consultancy from a systemic perspective
Authors: Stacey Kathleen
Published: November 2007

This paper describes how written forms of a conversational nature can be employed to enhance collaborative therapy partnerships between speech-language professionals and clients. The theories from which this practice is drawn and the ways in which it enhances both therapeutic partnerships and therapeutic process are discussed. In order to ground this discussion, several examples are provided. There is a brief commen tary on the social-political implications of conversational written forms.
'Teacher talk' with children with language disorders: four case studies II
Authors: Sadler Jane , Mogford-Bevan Kay
Published: November 2007

In this second part of a study which examined the general characteristics of the talk of language unit teachers and the effect it had on that of their pupils, the similarities and differences found amongst the teachers are discussed and illustrated by examples of teacher-child interaction. The possible implications for teacher practice are considered.
Emerging literacy in children with delayed speech and language development: assessment and intervention
Authors: Mogford-Bevan K.P. , Summersall J.
Published: November 2007

Emerging literacy in preschool children has been shown to be inter-related with spoken language acquisition, particularly in joint picture-book reading with parents (PBR). In earlier studies of normally developing children a develop mental continuum of skills was described and then used to develop a checklist for assessing PBR in clinical populations. The checklist was used to study PBR in 11 language delayed children with varying degrees of attention control. The five children with receptive/expressive delay and difficulty with attention control were delayed in PBR but those with expressive difficulties were not. Suggestions for intervention are provided.
Referral practices: power, inclusivity and freedom of information
Authors: Stacey Kathleen
Published: November 2007

Writing letters of referral to other professionals or service agencies for clients is an everyday practice of speech-language pathologists. Such letters precede clients and establish a framework through which the clients are likely to be viewed by the recipient of the letter. The practices surrounding the writing of referral letters can range from maintaining and reinforcing power inequities between therapist and client, characteristic of a traditional medical model, to respecting notions of inclusivity, egalitarianism and laws regarding freedom of information. This paper will address and expand on the latter practices in order to open up new possibilities for therapist-client relationships in the speech-language pathology profession.
Institutional Influences on the Integration of Multilevel Governance and Spatial Policy in European City-Regions
Authors: Salet Willem , Thornley Andy
Published: November 2007

Spatial policies for the city-regions of Europe have to be formulated in increasingly complex conditions. These conditions are outlined in the first part of the article. It is argued that the key for a successful policy response is in the organization of connectivity between the domains of the private sector, the internal regional policies, and the transregional policies. However, city-regions exist within different institutional settings, and organizing connectivity has to adapt to such differences. The article constructs a typology of these varied institutional settings based on research of nineteen European city-regions. Each type of institutional framework has its particular risks and opportunities, and these need to be taken into account in generating the appropriate form of informal planning strategy and maximum connectivity.
Neopterin as a marker for immune system activation in coal workers' pneumoconiosis
Authors: Ulker Ozge C. , Yucesoy Berran , Durucu Murat , Karakaya Asuman
Published: November 2007

Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is an occupational pulmonary disease that occurs by chronic inhalation of coal dust. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is divided into two categories depending on the extent of the disease as simple pneumoconiosis (SP) and progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). Development of CWP is associated with the activation of the immune system. Neopterin is a predictive biochemical marker of cell-mediated immune activation and elevated levels of neopterin are detected in body fluids of patients with immune-related diseases. The present study was aimed to investigate whether increased serum, urine and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid levels of neopterin is associated with the development and/or severity of CWP. Mean serum neopterin levels in SP and PMF patients (10.72 ± 0.98 nmol/L; 14.08 ± 3.86 nmol/L, respectively) were significantly higher than those of control group (5.30 ± 0.47nmol/L) ( P < 0.05). Although urinary neopterin levels were also increased in SP and PMF patients (235.17 ± 7.40 μmol/mol creatinine; 256.05 ± 9.43 μmol/mol creatinine, respectively) as compared with the control group (140.00 ± 5.43 μmol/mol creatinine) ( P < 0.01), they were within the normal concentration range. No significant difference was observed between serum and urinary neopterin levels of SP and PMF patients. A correlation was observed between serum and urinary neopterin levels of all subjects ( r = 0.525, P < 0.01). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid neopterin levels were significantly higher in patients with SP and PMF (22.67 ± 2.9 nmol/L; 41.67 ± 8.68nmol/L, respectively) compared with control subjects (6.264 ± 1.74 nmol/L) ( P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). The levels of neopterin in BAL fluid were also significantly higher in patients with PMF than in those with SP ( P < 0.05). These findings indicate that elevated serum and BAL levels of neopterin may be considered as a suitable biomarker for the assessment of CWP. Toxicology and Industrial Health 2007; 23: 155—160.
Can Organisational Accountability and Governance Ever be Amoral? Looking Back to Look Forward
Authors: Lovell Alan
Published: November 2007

This article considers Adam Smith's notion of self-love and its role within market contexts. Consideration then moves to how that notion has become equated with selfishness and the implications of this development in a context where economic activity is portrayed as apolitical and amoral. The argument is developed that the issues raised by this debate have significant policy implications for corporate governance legislation of both profit seeking and non-profit seeking organisations. The arguments of this article are three-fold. The first is that accountability and governance, in their various forms and located as they have to be within multiple sets of relationships, have to be rooted in ethics and values. The second is that the law and ethics are both diminished when decoupled. The third is that Anglo/American notions of corporate accountability and governance practices portray business organisations as apart from society, rather than a part of society.
Late Holocene glacier fluctuations in Bevringsdalen, Jostedalsbreen region, western Norway (ca 3200-1400 BP)
Authors: Nesje Atle , Dahl Svein Olaf
Published: November 2007

Lithostratigraphy and radiocarbon dates from a 1.3 m-deep gully section in Bevringsdalen, SW of Jostedalsbreen in western Norway, with alternating minerogenic (glacial) and peat (non-glacial) layers, demonstrate that glaciers upvalley from the site were present during the following intervals: 2595 ± 85 BP (840-700 cal. BC) to 2360 ± 80 BP (525-385 cal. BC); between 2250 ± 65 BP (395-225 cal. BC) and 2150 ± 80 BP (360-105 cal. BC); between 1740 ± 75 BP (cal. AD 205-385), and 1730 ± 75 BP (cal. AD 210-395); and subsequent to 1430 ± 45 BP (cal. AD 595-645). Detailed altitudinal fluctuations of the glaciation threshold/equilibrium line relative to the present have been reconstructed for the time interval between 1430 ± 45 BP (cal. AD 595-645) and 3180 ± 90 BP (1540-1395 cal. BC).
The record of land use change and soil erosion in the late Holocene sediments of the Petit Lac d'Annecy, eastern France
Authors: Higgitt S.R. , Oldfield F. , Appleby P.G.
Published: November 2007

Pollen, chemical and magnetic analysis of a 6 m core from the Petit Lac d'Annecy provides a record of land use change and soil erosion spanning the last 2000 years. Variations in the magnetic properties of the sediments, especially above 3 m in the core, can be linked to the history of soil inwash over the last 1000 years. These changes, together with parallel ones in element concentrations and pollen frequencies (both concentrations and percentages), can be interpreted by reference to the land use history in the catchment during medieval and post-medieval times. Peak deforestation and human impact on vegetation and soils is recorded from the eleventh to fourteenth centuries and again during the eighteenth century. The present study suggests that future detailed analyses of the laminated sediments of the lake could provide a precisely datable fine resolution environmental history of the lake and its drainage basin.
The mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet: sensitivity to climate change as revealed by energy-balance modelling
Authors: Oerlemans J.
Published: November 2007

The sensitivity of the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet to climate change is studied with an energy-balance model of the ice/snow surface, applied at 200 m elevation intervals for four characteristic regions of the ice sheet. Solar radiation, longwave radiation, turbulent heat fluxes and refreezing of melt water in the snow pack are treated separately. The daily cycle is fully resolved.

For the climatology chosen as input (mainly from work by A. Ohmura), the mean specific balance produced by the model is 0.079 m/yr (water equivalent). Comparing this with the total accumulation, 0.313 m/yr, it is obvious that the ablation is quite large. However, a 1 K decrease of the imposed annual mean temperature leads to a specific balance of 0.147 m/yr, a 1 K increase to 0.003 m/yr. Because of this large sensitivity, it appears that the present state of balance cannot be determined from climatological data.

The calculations show that changes in the earth's orbit during the Holocene must have had a significant effect on the mean specific balance of the Greenland ice sheet. The balance was smaller than today during most of the last 10 000 years, probably by as much as 0.05 m/yr. Further experimentation showed that the changes in the specific balance can be related to changes in summer insolation. The difference between a typical high latitude minimum in insolation (e.g., 25 000 BP) and a high latitude maximum in insolation (e.g., 10 000 BP) is equivalent to the effect of a 2 K difference in annual mean temperature. So when considering mass balance changes for a particular glacier during the Holocene, it is important to consider the orbital and climatic effects separately, because they may work in the same or in the opposite direction, depending on the location.

In a warmer world, ablation will increase, but this will be compensated to some extent by increased snowfall. For a uniform warming of 1 K, and including a precipitation rate proportional to maximum possible atmospheric water content, the model predicts a contribution to sea level rise of 0.27 mm/yr.
The status of temperate hillslopes in the Holocene
Authors: Gerrard John
Published: November 2007

A number of studies have suggested that the majority of slopes in temperate latitudes have changed little during the Holocene. However, this is largely an untested assumption. This paper examines the rationale for such an assumption and finds it lacking in many respects. Much will depend on the intensity and effectiveness of landscape-forming processes and the sensitivity of the landscape to change. Using a number of specific examples it is suggested that Holocene slope activity has been more significant and widespread than previously thought.
High-altitude and high-latitude tree growth in relation to past, present and future global climate change
Authors: Innes J.L.
Published: November 2007

Recent dendroecological studies indicate that the growth rates of trees at some high-latitude and high-altitude sites are increasing. The date of the onset of increased growth is variable ranging from AD 1850 to 1940, with more recent increases occurring in less climatically-stressed areas. The growth data are supported by studies of tree-line dynamics which indicate that many northern and alpine tree- lines have advanced within the last 100 years. Although the causes of the growth increases are uncertain, climatic change appears to be the most likely explanation. As neither growth rates nor the northern extent of forests matches levels reached in the mid-Holocene, when the climate was considerably warmer, the mid-Holocene may represent a useful analogue for studies to predict the effects of global warming. However, in some areas, fertilization by atmospheric nitrogen is likely to be involved, and the possible impact of CO2 fertilization cannot be discounted. Unravelling the effects of these different factors represents a major challenge to dendroecologists.
Environmental changes at the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition and during the early Holocene: some distinctive aspects in central Europe
Authors: Starkel Leszek
Published: November 2007

Data on environmental change at the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition and during the early Holocene are reviewed with particular reference to evidence from Poland and neighbouring areas of central Europe. Various factors modified the rate of environmental change during the general warming and reforestation. The preservation in central Europe of coniferous forest at the beginning of the Holocene, and the relatively late development of deciduous forest, were connected with the continuation of a continental climate until 9000-8500 BP. This is the main cause for a distinct division of the early Holocene into three phases: 1) 10 300-9500 BP; rapid warming, 2) Preboreal-Boreal continuous transformation 10 000-8500 BP; 3) change to oceanic climate 8700-7700 BP. During the 'Eoholocene' period, the various environmental systems - such as biological, aeolian, fluvial and lacustrine-exhibited diachronous evolution with different rates of change. The distinctive changes in central Europe are contrasted with other regions in the north-south European transect, taking into account such factors as substrate differences, plant migration rates and the pattern of deglaciation.
Foraminifera, climatic change, and pollution: a study of late Holocene sediments in Drammensfiord, southeast Norway
Authors: Alve Elisabeth
Published: November 2007

Benthic foraminifera are shown to reflect both natural (including climatic) and human- induced environmental alterations over the last 1500 years in Drammensfjord, Norway. Today, Drammensfjord is a 124 m deep, partly anoxic, hyposaline basin (salinity <32%o) separated from the adjoining Oslo Fjord by a sill at 10 m water depth. It has been affected by human-induced organic pollution for more than a century. Based on major faunal trends, sediment characteristics and concentrations of plant fragments and pollen grains, four environmental zones are distinguished. The faunal composition of zones 1-3 (before AD 500 to about AD 1850) reflects the natural environmental development from a period with frequent deep water renewals and diverse, calcareous dominated assemblages, to periods with increasing river flow which impeded effective deep water renewals, and gave rise to agglutinated assemblages of low diversity. Increasing human-induced organic flux over the last 130-140 years has elevated the redox cline. The general faunal responses as represented by zone 4 are: 1) development from agglutinated assemblages of zone 3 via assemblages dominated by Spiroplectammina biformis or Stainforthia fusiformis to the present anoxic, afaunal conditions, and 2) strongly increasing foraminiferal abundance with maximum values just prior to the afaunal intervals. The approach has considerable potential for differentiating the effects of pollution from the natural 'background'.
Palynological and sedimentological records of Holocene human impact from the Etang de Berre, southeastern France
Authors: Laval H. , Medus J. , Roux M.
Published: November 2007

Pollen and sedimentological analyses of Holocene sediments from the Etang de Berre, close to the Rhone Delta, allow human impact on the Holocene vegetation and hence on the landscape of the Lower Rhone Valley to be considered from c. 5600 BP to 1000 BP.

Data, from three Holocene cores provide evidence of erosion layers connected with reductions in the tree cover. These layers, distinguished by a peak in the angle of smectite (θSm) and a decline in the smectite/illite ratio, are interpreted as soil-derived materials transfered to lowland sites by runoff enhanced by forest clearances that repeatedly occurred during the mid- and late-Holocene. This changed the vegetation, lowering the protection of the landscape against anthropic and/or climatic factors.
Holocene landscape change on the Santa Delta, Peru: impact on archaeological site distributions
Authors: Wells Lisa E.
Published: November 2007

Archaeological site distributions on the Santa Delta, Peru, are a result of both the initial settlement pattern and subsequent patterns of erosion and deposition. The appearance of the physical landscape during the time of human occupation has been significantly altered by alluvial deposition and erosion and by littoral ptogradation. Subsistence resources (agricultural and maritime) are concentrated in the floodplain and coastal zone, and their spatial distribution has changed in response to physical landscape evolution. Floodplain and deltaic aggradation have increased the amount of arable land from near zero at the time of the maximum shoreline transgression to roughly 11 000 ha at present. The development of a floodplain physically limits the extent of agriculture through time and also has the potential to remove much of the archaeologic record through burial. The rapid progradation of the shoreline makes the relationship between archaeological sites and the shoreline at the time of their occupation difficult to determine. However, the surface distribution of sites can be used to place inland limits on the possible location of the shoreline during occupation. The most complete record of occupation is preserved on the desert pampas (plains) which have been relatively stable through time but this relationship does not rule out extensive occupation in more active areas of the landscape. When site distributions are compiled on palaeogeographic maps, the relationships between the prehistoric human settlements and the physical landscape can be determined.
Mid-Holocene glacial activity in the Pyrenees
Authors: Gellatly A.F. , Grove J.M. , Switsur V.R.
Published: November 2007

Radiocarbon dating of sediments from a bog at c. 2100 m in the Cirque de Troumouse provides the first reliable dating of Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Pyrenees. The oldest organic material in the bog provides a maximum date (5190 ± 90 BP) for moraines immediately downvalley, which are either Lateglacial or, more probably, Holocene in age. Bracketing dates on laminated glacioacustrine sediments in the bog indicate a Neoglacial event between 4955 ± 90 and 4654 ± 60 BP, which was probably contemporaneous with moraine ridges immediately upvalley. More recent Neoglacial events, as yet undated, are indicated by younger silt-rich sediments in the bog and two younger moraine sets on the cirque floor at altitudes of c. 2250-2350 m. 'Little Ice Age' events were more restricted in extent, and are recorded by younger moraines at c. 2360 and at c. 2650 m resting on and immediately below the cirque wall.
Woodland origin and 'ancient woodland indicators': a case-study from Sidlings Copse, Oxfordshire, UK
Authors: Day S.P.
Published: November 2007

A pollen sequence spanning the last c. 9500 years is presented from Sidlings Copse, a wood in Oxfordshire with a large number of vascular plant species generally taken to be indicators of 'ancient' (often assumed to be primary) woodland. The sequence provides evidence that the present woodland is secondary, resulting from regeneration on open land which commenced approximately 1000 years ago. Textual and cartographic evidence is used to shed additional light on the recent history of Sidlings Copse, indicating that it is a remnant of a much larger block of woodland present throughout the mediaeval and early postmediaeval periods up to the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. The work demonstrates that ancient woodland cannot be assumed to represent relicts of the original post glacial woodland cover and that large assemblages of 'ancient woodland indicator' vascular plants can occur in secondary woodland. It is suggested that such plants tend to be absent from recent secondary woodland because they are slower to colonize new sites than other species.
Long-term changes in the extent of heather moorland in upland Britain and Ireland: palaeoecological evidence for the importance of grazing
Authors: Stevenson A.C. , Thompson D.B.A.
Published: November 2007

On the basis of pollen analysis of 210Pb-dated lake and loch sediment cores from across upland Britain and Ireland we show that heather cover has declined in c. 90% of sites over the last 200 years. Our analysis covers the time from AD 1400 to the present with a resolution of decades. Major losses commenced during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and were greatest in regions with high grazing pressures from sheep. Subsequently, extensive afforestation from the 1920s has caused further significant losses of Calluna moorland. Adverse effects due to acidic deposition and eutrophication, described already in continental heathlands, remain to be demonstrated on upland heather moorland in Britain.
Temporal and spatial variations of climate in China during the last 10 000 years
Authors: Zhaodong Feng  , Thompson L.G. , Mosley-Thompson E. , Tandong Yao
Published: November 2007

Archaeological, geological, historical, tree-ring and instrumental data indicate that the last 10 000 years were characterized in China by climatic variations at various temporal and spatial scales. The period from 10 000 to 9000 BP was one of increasing temperature. The Holocene 'Optimal Period' occurred approximately between 9000 and 3000 BP, within which there were two major cool episodes around 7300 amd 5700 BP and one minor cool episode around 4500 BP. During the cool period from 3000 BP to AD 1900 (Neoglaciation) three warm episodes occurred about 2700-2000, 1400-1000 and 800-700 BP. The last millennium was characterized by warming in the first half and cooling in the second half. During the most recent 500 years ('Little Ice Age'), relatively warm episodes occurred about AD 1520-1650, 1720-1840, and 1890-1945. Over the long term, climate appears to have changed synchro nously from the east to the west and from the south to the north; but it has changed asynchronously over the shorter term.
The late-Holocene tufa decline in Europe
Authors: Goudie A.S. , Viles H.A. , Pentecost A.
Published: November 2007

Over much of Europe, it has been postulated that in the late Holocene (since c.2500 BP) there was a marked decline in the deposition of tufa. There has been considerable debate about the causes of this phenomenon, with some authors postulating the importance of natural climatic changes, and others asserting that miscellaneous human influences have been crucial. This article discusses the role that various changes, both natural and anthropogenic, may have played, and suggests ways in which the large number of possible hypotheses can be tested.
Icelandic volcanic ash and the mid-Holocene Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) decline in the north of Ireland: no correlation
Authors: Hall Valerie A. , Pilcher Jonathan R. , McCormac F. Gerard
Published: November 2007

Tephra-linked pollen and dendrochronological studies were performed on mid-Holocene subfossil peats and pines and two lowland raised bogs in the north of Ireland. The results demonstrated that at these sites, contrary to recent findings in the north of Scotland, there was no temporal link between the decline in pine pollen and tephra from the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Hekla (H4).
Holocene water levels at Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada: sediment, pollen and plant-macrofossil evidence
Authors: Yu Zicheng , McAndrews John H.
Published: November 2007

Four cores taken along a transect from the western basin and four cores from the middle basin of Rice Lake, Ontario, provide evidence for shoreline transgression during the early Holocene, for low water levels during the mid-Holocene, and for abrupt rise of the lake levels due to dam building in AD 1838. The transition from detritus mud to the overlying marl, spanning from ca. 10000 to 8600 BP, indicates flooding of a wetland by a lake; this flooding is supported by plant-macrofossil succession from Larix, Scirpus, and Carex to Najas flexilis. The transgression was due to isostatic tilt after deglaciation, which raised the eastern outlet sill of the lake and caused the lake water to rise and flood westward. A sediment hiatus between the marl and the overlying gyttja (between 6000 and 4000-3000 BP) across the lake basin, supported by the bracketing radiocarbon dates and missing regional pollen zones, indicates low water level caused by a dry/warm climate. Regional palaeoclimatic estimates from pollen-climate transfer functions indicate that the mid-Holocene mean July temperatures were about 1°C higher and annual precipitations about 10% less than before or after. Subsequent rise of the lake level after the hiatus was a combination of cooling climate and continued isostatic tilt.
Holocene pollen stratigraphy and human interference in the woodlands of the northern Apennines, Italy
Authors: Lowe J. John , Davite C. , Moreno Diego , Maggi Roberto
Published: November 2007

Pollen-stratigraphic data and radiocarbon dates are presented for a full Holocene series of sediment cores obtained from a high-level site in the Appennino Parmense, northern Italy. Three 'marker' horizons are identified on the basis of sediment changes and pollen stratigraphy, and the extent to which they indicate episodes of significant human interference in the local vegetation is discussed. The earliest (M1) is dated to around 6300 BP. From the pollen evidence, some form of human impact on the regional vegetation at this time is suspected, but there is no convincing archaeological evidence to support this. The pollen evidence from the second (M2: 5000-4000 BP) and third (M3: ca. 1400 BP) marker horizons is consistent with archaeological information in suggesting that the high parts of the Apennines, close to the tree-line, were subject to intense summer grazing during the late Neolithic through to the Copper Age, and the immediate post-Roman period. A review of archaeological and documentary evidence from the region is presented to demonstrate how an integration of these lines of research on the one hand, with pollen-stratigraphic studies on the other, may provide a better understanding of the pattern and intensity of land-use changes during the mid- to late-Holocene.
A sensitive high-resolution record of late Holocene climatic change from a raised bog in northern England
Authors: Barber K.E. , Chambers F.M. , Maddy D. , Stoneman R. , Brew J.S.
Published: November 2007

Proxy-climatic data in the form of plant macrofossils have been analysed from a 5 m core from Bolton Fell Moss, Cumbria, UK. Detailed analysis of peat from the upper 50 cm of this core is used to demonstrate a strong correlation between changes in the relative proportion of taxa and known climatic changes over the last 1000 years. The record of changes in bog vegetation contained within the peat profile is used to reconstruct changes in bog-surface wetness for the latter half of the Holocene. As bog- surface wetness is directly controlled by the prevailing climatic conditions, this reconstruction can be viewed as a proxy-climate record. Twelve radiocarbon age estimates on the 5m core suggest that between 50 and 500 cm peat accumulated at a relatively constant rate of 12.4 yr cm-1 . The regular sampling intervals thus provide a time series of past bog-surface wetness; spectral analyses of this series indicates that wetness changes are cyclic, with a ca. 800 year periodicity.