bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring National Income: A Critical Assessment
Authors: Korzeniewicz Roberto Patricio , Stach Angela , Patil Vrushali , Moran Timothy Patrick
Published: March 2008

Recent studies of trends in world income inequalities show that results differ significantly depending on whether income is measured through Purchasing Power Parities (PPP)- or exchange rate (FX)-based data. Korzeniewicz and Moran (1997), for example, relying on FX-based national income data, argue that world income inequalities rose during the 1980s. Firebaugh (1999), on the other hand, using PPP-based national income data, counters that world income inequalities declined through the same period. Both sets of authors subsequently have acknowledged and continued to debate the relative impact of PPP- and FX-based data in the assessment of world income inequalities (Firebaugh 2000; Korzeniewicz and Moran 2000).
Roger Ivar Lohmann, ed. Dream Travelers: Sleep Experiences and Culture in the Western Pacific. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 246 pp.
Authors: Boris Dernbach Katherine
Published: March 2008

Dream Travelers is a collection of essays focusing on Western Pacific societies that weaves together new theoretical insights and richly detailed ethnographic analyses on dreams as travels. The result is a fascinating and impressively coherent volume. Recognizing that dreams in most societies are considered to represent actual travels of the human soul across temporal, spatial, and spiritual planes, the contributors take as their starting point questions about the social/political, cosmological/religious, and personal/psychological consequences of this assumption in eleven societies scattered across Melanesia, Aboriginal Australia, and Indonesia. Lohmann's introduction provides an informative historical overview of the social science literature on dreams, and then confronts methodological and epistemological problems that have long-stymied those whose interests in dreams are more cultural than psychoanalytical. These problems stem from the widely accepted notion that dreams are more problematic than other kinds of experiences because they are personal/private/internal and can only be made social/public through narrative. Dreams, so it goes, can only be known in a limited, biased, and filtered way. But, as Kracke reminds us in his Afterword, the inability to directly share experience or verify their content is not a unique feature of dreams, but extends to all sorts of social and cultural phenomena. More importantly for the volume's authors, these assumptions a bias in anthropological thinking about dreams as mere (often bizarre) imaginings of the individual, rather than as actual travel experiences that are fundamentally important to social, political, and religious life.
David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002. 344 pp. $59.50 cloth; $24.95 paper.
Authors: Gillette Howard
Published: March 2008

New York City's great importance has necessarily attracted exceptional scholarship, including recently a Pulitzer Prize-winning history as well as widely acclaimed studies of the city's physical and social dimensions. Viewed from virtually every angle, the great city's history might appear to have been pretty well exhausted. With the publication of David Scobey's Empire City, however, New York may have received its most innovative and important study to date. Viewing the city's mid-nineteenth century boom as a crucial point in its development, Scobey manages both to infuse familiar subjects with new meaning and to invest them with broad national consequence.
The prevalence, intensity and viability of hydatid cysts in slaughtered animals in the Ardabil province of Northwest Iran
Authors: Daryani A. , Alaei R. , Arab R. , Sharif M. , Dehghan M.H. , Ziaei H.
Published: March 2008

In a cross-sectional study, a total of 5381 slaughtered animals, namely 928 cattle, 243 buffaloes, 3765 sheep and 445 goats were inspected macroscopically for hydatid cysts in northwest Iran, with prevalence values of 38.3%, 11.9%, 74.4% and 20%, respectively, being recorded. Prevalences were higher in females compared with males, but a significant difference (P < 0.001) was only found in sheep and cattle. Most cases which were condemned were seen in the lungs of sheep (13.4%) indicating that sheep are the most important intermediate hosts for Echinococcus granulosus in this area.
Gill monogeneans of the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus from Madeiran waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal
Authors: Costa G. , Freitas N. , Dellinger T.H. , MacKenzie K.
Published: March 2008

Five species of monogeneans were recovered from the gill filaments of 181 chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, from the Madeiran waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, during 2004/2005. The monogenean Pseudokuhnia minor showed the highest prevalence (98.68%) and a mean intensity of 28.23, followed by Kuhnia scombri (prevalence of 43.71% and mean intensity of 2.69) and K. scombercolias (prevalence of 39.1% and a mean intensity of 1.81). Kuhnia sprostonae and Grubea cochlear were rare, occurring in only one and five fish hosts respectively. No correlation between fish host length and mean intensity of infection with the three most abundant monogeneans was found. However, significant differences in prevalence and abundance were found in relation to date of sampling for P. minor, and all parasites were aggregated in their distribution.
Helminth communities of four commercially important fish species from Chetumal Bay, Mexico
Authors: Aguirre-Macedo M.L. , Vidal-Martínez V.M. , González-Solís D. , Caballero P.I.
Published: March 2008

The relative importance of ecology and evolution as factors determining species richness and composition of the helminth communities of fish is a matter of current debate. Theoretical studies use host–parasite lists, but these do not include studies on a temporal or spatial scale. Local environmental conditions and host biological characteristics are shown to influence helminth species richness and composition in four fish species (Eugerres plumieri, Hexanematichthys assimilis, Oligoplites saurus, and Scomberomorus maculatus) in Chetumal Bay, Mexico. With the exception of H. assimilis, the helminth communities had not been previously studied and possible associations between environmental and host biological characteristics as factors determining helminth species richness and composition using redundancy analysis (RDA) are described. Thirty-four helminth species are identified, with the highest number of species (19 total (mean = 6.3 ± 2.1)) and the lowest (9 (4.0 ± 1.0)) occurring in H. assimilis and S. maculatus, respectively. The larval nematodes Contracaecum sp. and Pseudoterranova sp. were not only the helminth species shared by all four host species but also were the most prevalent and abundant. Statistical associations between helminth community parameters and local ecological variables such as host habitat use, feeding habits, mobility, and time of residence in coastal lagoons are identified. Phylogeny is important because it clearly separates all four host species by their specialist parasites, although specific habitat and feeding habits also significantly influence the differentiation between the four fish species.
The morphology of the filaroid nematodeSetaria tundra,the cause of peritonitis in reindeerRangifer tarandus
Authors: Nikander S. , Laaksonen S. , Saari S. , Oksanen A.
Published: March 2008

In Finland during 2003–2005, large numbers of nematodes, tentatively identified asSetariasp., were observed in the peritoneal cavity of reindeerRangifer tarandusduring a peritonitis outbreak associated with poor body condition. The morphology of worms recovered from slaughtered reindeer is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Worms were confirmed as belonging to the superfamily Filarioidea by the presence of microfilariae-producing females and the size and the shape of the male spicules. Further classification to the genusSetariawas based on the location of worms in the peritoneal cavity and the morphology of spicules and the peribuccal crown. The present measurements correlate with those in the description ofSetaria tundraby Rajewsky (1929) and only minor differences were present compared with descriptions of key parts of identification ofS. yehifrom the American white-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianusand mule deerO. hemionus. Current morphological findings support our earlier studies employing a polymerase chain reaction and confirm the occurrenceS. tundrain reindeer in Finland.
Toxocara catiinfections in stray cats in northern Iran
Authors: Sharif M. , Nasrolahei M. , Ziapour S. P. , Gholami S. , Ziaei H. , Daryani A. , Khalilian A.
Published: March 2008

A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to study the prevalence and intensity of infection withToxocara catiin 100 stray cats, from April to October 2004 in urban areas of Sari, northern Iran. A total of 44 cats (44%) were found to be infected withT. cati. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of infection relative to host age and weight (P = 0.000). There was also a significant difference in the intensity of infection relative to body weight and urban sites (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the prevalence of infection relative to host gender, urban sites and season (P>0.05), nor in the intensity of infection between host gender, age and season (P>0.05). The intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 32 worms per cat, with a mean of 7.30 ± 6.82.
Faecal egg output and herbage contamination with infective larvae of species ofOstertagiaandOesophagostomumfrom naturally infected farmed sika deerCervus nipponin Lithuania
Authors: Šarkūnas M. , Veličkaitė S. , Bružinskaitė R. , Malakauskas A. , Petkevičius S.
Published: March 2008

Faecal egg outputs and subsequent herbage larval contamination with third stage larvae (L3) ofOstertagiaspp. andOesophagostomumspp. from a herd of naturally infected sika deerCervus nipponwere examined in the same pasture in 2001/2002 in Lithuania. Sika deer were infected withOstertagia circumcincta,O. kolchida,O. spiculoptera,Oesophagostomum radiatum,O. columbianumandO. venulosum. Faecal egg output in adult deer peaked in the spring during the periparturient period and also in late August, compared with a peak in egg output in calves during September to November. Herbage contamination with L3 ofOstertagiaspp. peaked in June but larvae were not present on pastures from the end of September. Hence the highest risk of infection was in early born calves grazed on pastures in July. Infective larvae ofOesophagostomumspp. did not survive during the winter, but the nematodes were reintroduced onto the pastures by adult deer in the spring.
Classes and crossreactivity of proteinases in the excretory–secretory products of Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Nic an Ultaigh S. , Ryan M.F.
Published: March 2008

Proteinases released during the in vitro maintenance of asynchronous cultures of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans were characterized on the basis of subunit composition, fluorogenic substrate specificity, inhibitor sensitivity and pH optima. Cysteine proteinases are present in the excretory–secretory products (ESP) as indicated by the hydrolysis of cathepsin fluorogenic substrates and confirmed by immunoblotting. Serine proteinases were predominant as indicated by substrate gel analysis and inhibitor studies. The presence of metallo-proteinases was also indicated by inhibitor studies. The optimal pH value for cysteine proteinases was 5.5, while serine proteinases were optimal at pH 8.0. As a control, cultures of Escherichia coli, the diet of C. elegans, were extracted separately and gave no evidence of overlap with C. elegans ESP. Cross reactivity between the ESP of C. elegans and antibodies raised against the ESP of the equine parasite Strongylus vulgaris indicated antigenic relatedness of a proteic epitope. This is the first study to characterize the ESP of C. elegans and to display its relatedness with that of S. vulgaris.
Trematode infections in freshwater snails and cattle from the Kafue wetlands of Zambia during a period of highest cattle–water contact
Authors: Phiri A.M. , Phiri I. K. , Chota A. , Monrad J.
Published: March 2008

A total of 984 snails, comprising nine species, were collected from six areas in the Kafue wetlands between August and October 2003 to assess larval trematode infections. Of these, 135 (13.7%) were positive. Most trematode infections were recorded from Lymnaea natalensis (42.8%), which harboured four of the five morphologically different cercariae found. No trematodes were recovered from Bellamya capillata, Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Melanoides tuberculata, Physa acuta and Cleopatra nswendweensis. One snail (0.2%) of 416 Bulinus snails shed brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome cercariae while three (0.7%) shed amphistomes. Gymnocephalous and longifurcate-pharyngeate distome were the commonest types of cercariae recorded while xiphidiocercaria was the least common. The highest prevalence rates of F. gigantica (68.8%) and amphistomes (50.0%) in cattle (n = 101) were in Chiyasa while those in Kaleya had the lowest (9.1 and 18.2%, respectively). In most habitats, infections were recorded in both cattle and snails. Critical determinants of infection may have been the distance of settlements and/or cattle kraals, the number of animals in nearby homesteads and the presence of susceptible host snails. This study suggests that fascioliasis and amphistomiasis could be major constraints of cattle production in the Kafue wetlands because favourable factors were available to introduce and maintain the infections. It further provides a starting point for some comprehensive studies on snail-related aspects of transmission and snail host ecology in Zambia.
When Opportunity Knocks: Economic Liberalisation and Stealth Welfare in the United States
Authors: NEWMAN ABRAHAM L.
Published: March 2008

During an era of welfare retrenchment in the United States, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Lifeline Universal Telephone Service evolved from residual means-tested programs to significant social policies. The cases demonstrate the opportunity points for social policy innovation that exist in the political climate of economic liberalisation. The essay describes patterns that do not simply prevent retrenchment but hint at politically advantageous policy designs that permit social policy expansion in the US welfare state context. I label this policy-making strategy stealth welfare. Moreover, by considering programs like Lifeline service the article draws attention to the evolving nature of social policy in advanced industrial economies.
Paying for ‘World Class’ Services: a British Dilemma
Authors: TAYLOR-GOOBY PETER , HASTIE CHARLOTTE
Published: March 2008

Welfare spending in the UK is too low to provide services at the level to which most citizens aspire. The problem is that, although most people state in surveys that they would like to pay higher taxes for better services, politicians from all the main parties generally do not believe that they would put their vote where their mouth is. Advocates of higher spending increasingly retreat to a position of promoting ear-marked taxes for specific, highly favoured services, as in the 2002 Budget plan to finance the cost of improvements in the highly valued NHS through increased National Insurance Contributions. Recent theoretical work further undermines arguments for higher state spending: an important strand in political science argues that trust in state institutions is in decline, and work in sociology claims that citizens are becoming more independent, reflexive and keen to take responsibility for meeting their own needs. This paper uses data from a recent ESRC-financed national survey to examine these arguments. It shows real support for hypothecated taxes for the NHS, and more generalised support for higher taxes for welfare provision. Such support is not undermined by a decline in citizen trust in the welfare state or by a rejection of collective solutions. However, there is little endorsement of hypothecated taxation in other areas, and the use of such measures may encourage citizens in a pick-and-mix approach to welfare services.
The Voluntary Sector in a Social Democratic Welfare State–The Case of Sweden
Authors: LUNDSTRÖM TOMMY , SVEDBERG LARS
Published: March 2008

The purpose of the paper is to capture a few vital features of the Swedish voluntary sector and to place them in an international perspective. The size and composition of the Swedish voluntary sector are discussed against the background of dominating theories in voluntary sector research. Special attention is also given to the role of the sector in the field of social welfare.

The authors present results from comparative research projects on the voluntary sector carried out in the latter part of the 1990s. It is shown that the size of the Swedish sector is as large as in other industrialised countries, although the composition and the form of the sector differs when compared to many other countries.

In weighing the importance of the sector, the authors point out that voluntary organizations make a crucial contribution in certain areas and combining work for interest and values with contributions for members and others. The characteristics of voluntary organizations and new trends within the field of social welfare are presented with the help of three ideal types.

Finally, the authors discuss some conceivable scenarios for the future of the Swedish voluntary sector.
Social Policy Digest Goes Online
Authors: Bennett Fran , Jones Ken
Published: March 2008

Readers of the latest issue of the Journal of Social Policy will be aware that one of its regular features, the Social Policy Digest, is being relaunched as a web-based publication.
The implications of today's family structures for support giving to older parents
Authors: STUIFBERGEN MARIA C. , VAN DELDEN JOHANNES J. M. , DYKSTRA PEARL A.
Published: March 2008

There is considerable debate about the effects of today's family structures on support arrangements for older people. Using representative data from The Netherlands, the study reported in this paper investigates which socio-demographic characteristics of adult children and their elderly parents, and which motivations of the adult children, correlate with children giving practical and social support to their parents. The findings indicate that the strongest socio-demographic correlates of a higher likelihood of giving support were: having few siblings, having a widowed parent without a new partner and, for practical support, a short geographical distance between the parent's and child's homes. Single mothers were more likely to receive support than mothers with partners, irrespective of whether their situation followed divorce or widowhood. Widowed fathers also received more support, but only with housework. A good parent-child relationship was the most important motivator for giving support, whereas subscribing to filial obligation norms was a much weaker motivator, especially for social support. Insofar as demographic and cultural changes in family structures predict a lower likelihood of support from children to elderly parents, this applies to practical support, and derives mainly from increased geographical separation distances and from the growing trend for parents to take new partners. Social support is unlikely to be affected by these changes if parents and children maintain good relationships.
Photic history modifies susceptibility to retinal damage in albino trout
Authors: ALLISON W. TED , HALLOWS TED E. , JOHNSON TRUDI , HAWRYSHYN CRAIG W. , ALLEN DONALD M.
Published: March 2008

Albino vertebrates exposed to intense light typically lose photoreceptorsviaapoptosis, and thus serve as useful models of retinal degeneration. In contrast, albino rainbow trout exposed to intense light maintain populations of rod and cone nuclei despite substantial damage to rod outer segments (ROS). The aim of this study was to differentiate between two hypotheses that could account for this divergent result: (1) trout rod nuclei remain intact during light damage, or (2) rod nuclei die but are replaced by cell proliferation. A further aim was to examine whether photic history modulates retinal damage, as in rodents. Albino and normally pigmented trout were moved from defined photic regimes into full daylight, while some were not moved to serve as protected controls. ROS were always maintained in pigmented fish and in albinos protected from full daylight. In albinos exposed to full daylight, ROS were removed over most of the central retina, whereas rod nuclei were maintained in the outer nuclear layer over 10 days. Pyknotic and TUNEL-labeled rod nuclei were abundant in affected albinos at all time-points tested. Rod death occurred without a decrease in the number of rod nuclei, confirming that proliferation must be replacing cells. Indeed a transient increase in proliferation was observed in retinal progenitors of albinos receiving 5 days of damaging light. This proliferative response was decreased with further damage. Cones remained intact even in areas where rod nuclei had degenerated. Pretreatment with light of moderate versus low intensity light affected the cell death and proliferative responses, and the ectopic localization of rod opsin. We conclude that apoptotic demise of rods, but not cones, occurred during light damage in retinas of albino trout and proliferative responses have a limited a capacity to replace lost rods.
Natural images and contrast encoding in bipolar cells in the retina of the land- and aquatic-phase tiger salamander
Authors: BURKHARDT DWIGHT A. , FAHEY PATRICK K. , SIKORA MICHAEL A.
Published: March 2008

Intracellular recordings were obtained from 57 cone-driven bipolar cells in the light-adapted retina of theland-phase(adult) tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). Responses to flashes of negative and positive contrast for centered spots of optimum spatial dimensions were analyzed as a function of contrast magnitude. On average, the contrast/response curves of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing bipolar cells in theland-phaseanimals were remarkably similar to those ofaquatic-phaseanimals. Thus, the primary retinal mechanisms mediating contrast coding in the outer retina are conserved as the salamander evolves from the aquatic to the land phase. To evaluate contrast encoding in the context of natural environments, the distribution of contrasts in natural images was measured for 65 scenes. The results, in general agreement with other reports, show that the vast majority of contrasts in nature are very small. The efficient coding hypothesis of Laughlin was examined by comparing the average contrast/response curves of bipolar cells with the cumulative probability distribution of contrasts in natural images. Efficient coding was found at 20 cd/m2but at lower levels of light adaptation, the contrast/response curves were much too shallow. Further experiments show that two fundamental physiological factors—light adaptation and the nonlinear transfer across the cone-bipolar synapse are essential for the emergence of efficient contrast coding. For both land- and aquatic-based animals, the extent and symmetry of the dynamic range of the contrast/response curves of both classes of bipolar cells varied greatly from cell to cell. This apparent substrate for distributed encoding is established at the bipolar cell level, since it is not found in cones. As a result, the dynamic range of the bipolar cell population brackets the distribution of contrasts found in natural images.
Radial motion bias in macaque frontal eye field
Authors: XIAO QUAN , BARBORICA ANDREI , FERRERA VINCENT P.
Published: March 2008

The visual responsiveness and spatial tuning of frontal eye field (FEF) neurons were determined using a delayed memory saccade task. Neurons with visual responses were then tested for direction selectivity using moving random dot patterns centered in the visual receptive field. The preferred axis of motion showed a significant tendency to be aligned with the receptive-field location so as to favor motion toward or away from the center of gaze. Centrifugal (outward) motion was preferred over centripetal motion. Motion-sensitive neurons in FEF thus appear to have a direction bias at the population level. This bias may facilitate the detection or discrimination of expanding optic flow patterns. The direction bias is similar to that seen in visual area MT and in posterior parietal cortex, from which FEF receives afferent projections. The outward motion bias may explain asymmetries in saccades made to moving targets. A representation of optic flow in FEF might be useful for planning eye movements during navigation.
Long-term ERG analysis in the partially light-damaged mouse retina reveals regressive and compensatory changes
Authors: RICHARDS ADAM , EMONDI ALFRED A. , ROHRER BAERBEL
Published: March 2008

Most of the blinding retinopathies are due to progressive photoreceptor degeneration. Treatment paradigms that are currently being investigated include strategies to either halt or slow down photoreceptor cell loss, or to replace useful vision with retinal prosthesis. However, more information is required on the pathophysiological changes of the diseased retina, in particular the inner retina, that occur as a consequence of photoreceptor cell loss. Here we wished to use light damage as a stoppable insult to determine the structural and functional consequences on inner and outer retina, with the overall goal of determining whether survival of a functional inner retina is possible even if the outer retina is damaged. Mice were exposed to a 20-day light-damage period. Electroretinograms (ERG) and morphology were used to assess subsequent recovery. Outer retina was monitored analyzinga-waves, which represent photoreceptor cell responses, and histology. Integrity of the inner retina was monitored, analyzingb-waves and oscillatory potentials (OP1–OP4) and immunohistochemical markers for known proteins of the inner retina. All six ERG components were significantly suppressed with respect to amplitudes and kinetics, but stabilized in a wave-dependent manner within 40–70 days after the end of light exposure. As expected, damage of the outer retina was permanent. However, function of the inner retina was found to recover significantly. Whileb-wave amplitudes remained suppressed to 60% of their baseline values, OP amplitudes recovered completely, and implicit times of all components of the inner retina (b-wave and OP1–OP4) recovered to a level close to baseline values. Histological analyses confirmed the lack of permanent damage to the inner retina. In summary, these data suggests that the inner retina has the potential for significant recovery as well as plasticity if treatment is available to stop the deterioration of the outer retina.
Cloning and molecular characterization of cGMP-gated ion channels from rod and cone photoreceptors of striped bass (M. saxatilis) retina
Authors: PAILLART CHRISTOPHE , ZHANG KAI , REBRIK TATIANA I. , BAEHR WOLFGANG , KORENBROT JUAN I.
Published: March 2008

Vertebrate photoreceptors respond to light with changes in membrane conductance that reflect the activity of cyclic-nucleotide gated channels (CNG channels). The functional features of these channels differ in rods and cones; to understand the basis of these differences we cloned CNG channels from the retina of striped bass, a fish from which photoreceptors can be isolated and studied electrophysiologically. Through a combination of experimental approaches, we recovered and sequenced three full-length cDNA clones. We made unambiguous assignments of the cellular origin of the clones through single photoreceptor RT-PCR. Synthetic peptides derived from the sequence were used to generate monospecific antibodies which labeled intact, unfixed photoreceptors and confirmed the cellular assignment of the various clones. In rods, we identified the channel α subunit gene product as 2040 bp in length, transcribed into two mRNA 1.8 kb and 2.9 kb in length and translated into a single 96-kDa protein. In cones we identified both α (CNGA3) and β (CNGB3) channel subunits. For α, the gene product is 1956 bp long, the mRNA 3.4 kb, and the protein 74 kDa. For β, the gene product is 2265 bp long and the mRNA 3.3 kb. Based on deduced amino acid sequence, we developed a phylogenetic map of the evolution of vertebrate rod and cone CNG channels. Sequence comparison revealed channels in striped bass, unlike those in mammals, are likely not N-linked-glycosylated as they are transported within the photoreceptor. Also bass cone channels lack certain residues that, in mammals, can be phosphorylated and, thus, affect the cGMP sensitivity of gating. On the other hand, functionally critical residues, such as positively charged amino acids within the fourth transmembrane helix (S4) and the Ca2+-binding glutamate in the pore loop are absolutely the same in mammalian and nonmammalian species.
Unique functional properties of the APB sensitive and insensitive rod pathways signaling light decrements in mouse retinal ganglion cells
Authors: WANG GUO-YONG
Published: March 2008

Light decrements are mediated by two distinct groups of rod pathways in the dark-adapted retina that can be differentiated on the basis of their sensitivity to the glutamate agonist DL-2-amino-phosphonobutyric (APB). By means of the APB sensitive pathway, rods transmit light decrementsviarod bipolar cells to AII amacrine cells, then to Off cone bipolar cells, which in turn innervate the dendrites of Off ganglion cells. APB hyperpolarizes rod bipolar cells, thus blocking this rod pathway. With APB insensitive pathways, rods either directly synapse onto Off cone bipolar cells, or rods pass light decrement signal to cones by gap junctions. In the present study, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from ganglion cells in the dark-adapted mouse retina to investigate the functional properties of APB sensitive and insensitive rod pathways. The results revealed several clear-cut differences between the APB sensitive and APB insensitive rod pathways. The latency of Off responses to a flashing spot of light was significantly shorter for the APB insensitive pathways than those for the APB sensitive pathway. Moreover, Off responses of the APB insensitive pathways were found to be capable of following substantially higher stimulus frequencies. Nitric oxide was found to selectively block Off responses in the APB sensitive rod pathway. Collectively, these results provide evidence that the APB sensitive and insensitive rod pathways can convey different types of information signaling light decrements in the dark-adapted retina.
Culturable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria from high altitude, high latitude soil of La Gorce Mountains (86°30'S, 147°W), Antarctica
Authors: Aislabie Jackie M. , Broady Paul A. , Saul David J.
Published: March 2008

Eleven aerobic heterotrophic bacteria isolated from soil samples taken at c. 1800 m altitude from La Gorce Mountains, Antarctica, were characterized in terms of carbon source utilization, enzymatic activities and tolerance to environmental stressors. The bacteria typically formed pigmented colonies on agar plates and were initially observed on media designed for isolation of algae and cyanobacteria. The bacteria were purified and assigned to the Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes or Proteobacteria divisions following 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. While some of the isolates are most likely to belong to the genera Arthrobacter or Brevundimonas, others may belong to novel genera or species. The Gram-positive Actinobacteria used the widest range of carbon sources for growth. Brevundimonas P7 produced lipases, phosphatases, proteases and glycosyl-hydrolases. The Gram-positive bacteria were more tolerant to freeze-thaw than the Gram-negative isolates. No isolates survived more than 10 minutes ultraviolet irradiation. All isolates were unaffected by 24 h desiccation. This study adds to knowledge of the bacterial diversity of soils from high altitude (1800 m), high latitude (86°30'S) locations within Antarctica.
Interactions between climate, vegetation and the active layer in soils at two Maritime Antarctic sites
Authors: Cannone N. , Ellis Evans J.C. , Strachan R. , Guglielmin M.
Published: March 2008

In the summer 2000–01, thermal monitoring of the permafrost active layer within various terrestrial sites covered by lichen, moss or grasses was undertaken at Jubany (King George Island) and Signy Island in the Maritime Antarctic. The results demonstrated the buffering effect of vegetation on ground surface temperature (GST) and the relationship between vegetation and active layer thickness. Vegetation type and coverage influenced the GST in both locations with highest variations and values in the Deschampsia and Usnea sites and the lowest variations and values in the Jubany moss site. Active layer thickness ranged from 57 cm (Jubany moss site) to 227 cm (Signy Deschampsia site). Active layer thickness data from Signy were compared with data collected at the same location four decades earlier. Using a regression equation for air temperature versus ground surface temperatures the patterns of changing air temperature over time suggest that the active layer thickness increased c. 30 cm between 1963 and 1990 and then decreased 30 cm between 1990 and 2000. The documented increased rate of warming (2°C ± 1) since 1950 for air temperatures recorded in the South Orkney Islands suggests that the overall trend of active layer thickness increase will be around 1 cm year−1.
Potential for bioremediation of hydrocarbon polluted soils in the Maritime Antarctic
Authors: Luz A.P. , Ciapina E.M.P. , Gamba R.C. , Lauretto M.S. , Farias E.W.C. , Bicego M.C. , Taniguchi S. , Montone R.C. , Pellizari V.H.
Published: March 2008

Human activity in the Antarctic requires the use of petroleum hydrocarbons as the main energy source for a variety of operations. In the current study, in situ soil microcosms were constructed in the proximity of the Brazilian Antarctic Station Comandante Ferraz, King George Island, South Shetland Islands, to analyse the effect of oil amendment on the indigenous bacterial community in contaminated and uncontaminated sites to assess the potential for bioremediation. Microcosms were sampled for heterotrophic and hydrocarbon-degrader bacterial counts, pH, temperature, moisture, nutrient levels and petroleum hydrocarbons. Total organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents were generally low in the Antarctic cryosols. According to statistical analysis based on Colony Forming Unit numbers, significant bacterial populations were present in all microcosms, with larger numbers observed in oil amended than in non-amended soils. Aliphatic and aromatic fractions of diesel fuel were detected in the soil microcosms, and significant quantities were removed during the experiment. These results strongly suggest that the cold-adapted bacterial community present in soils around the Brazilian Antarctic station has the potential to adapt and utilize the oil as a carbon source. This knowledge can contribute both to bioremediation technology and the goals of the the Antarctic Treaty which prohibits the introduction of foreign organisms into the region.
Behavioural responses of blue petrel chicks (Halobaena caerulea) to food-related and novel odours in a simple wind tunnel
Authors: Cunningham Gregory B. , Van Buskirk Richard W. , Hodges Mark J. , Weimerskirch Henri , Nevitt Gabrielle A.
Published: March 2008

As a first step towards understanding the development of olfactory behaviours in Antarctic procellariiform seabirds, we recently showed that blue petrel chicks (Halobaena caerulea) could detect both a food-related and a novel odour while asleep. In this current study, we tested chicks in a simple wind tunnel to determine if exploratory behaviours could be initiated by olfactory stimuli as well. We compared the behavioural responses of 30 blue petrel chicks to cod liver oil (a prey-related odour) or phenyl ethyl alcohol (an unfamiliar, rosy-smelling odourant) against a control (distilled water). Six behavioural indices were measured, including head turns, body turns, bites, preening events, wing-stretches, and distance walked. In response to cod liver oil, we found that chicks increased both turning rates and distances walked whereas chicks preened more in response to phenyl ethyl alcohol. Since only cod liver oil initiated behaviours consistent with searching, our results suggest that chicks are attaching biological significance to food-related odours even before they leave the burrow to forage for the first time.
New petrographic and geochemical insights on diagenesis and palaeoenvironmental stress in Late Cretaceous inoceramid shells from the James Ross Basin, Antarctica
Authors: Jiménez-Berrocoso Álvaro , Olivero Eduardo B. , Elorza Javier
Published: March 2008

New petrographic and geochemical insights from inoceramid bivalve shells of lower Campanian (Marambio Group, James Ross Basin, Antarctica) show that they suffered significant palaeoenvironmental stress just before their disappearance in the southern high latitudes. Inoceramid data have mainly been derived from shell fragments of the large form Antarcticeramus rabotensis Crame & Luther, collected at stratigraphical levels marking the early disappearance of inoceramids in the James Ross Basin (10 m.y. before the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary in Antarctica). Cathodoluminescence studies and minor and trace element intra-shell variations in A. rabotensis shells, along with their whole shell geochemistry (major, minor, and trace elements, including REE), have revealed evidence of only weak diagenesis but significant palaeoenvironmental stress. The most relevant evidence of such adverse palaeoenvironmental conditions in A. rabotensis shells is reflected by marked growth interruptions in the normal shell layering, including the occurrence of a previously undetected inner aragonitic nacreous layer formed of alternating aragonitic and calcitic sublayers. The weak diagenesis produced characteristic geochemical intra-shell variations, which have subsequently been detected in the inoceramid shell microstructure, especially in the inner aragonitic nacreous layer.
Antarctic Peninsula sea levels: a real-time system for monitoring Drake Passage transport
Authors: Woodworth P.L. , Hughes C.W. , Blackman D.L. , Stepanov V.N. , Holgate S.J. , Foden P.R. , Pugh J.P. , Mack S. , Hargreaves G.W. , Meredith M.P. , Milinevsky G. , Contreras J.J. Fierro
Published: March 2008

Sub-surface pressure (SSP) data from tide gauges at three bases on the Pacific coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, together with SSP information from a bottom pressure recorder deployed on the south side of the Drake Passage, have been used to study the relationships between SSP, Drake Passage transport, and the strength of Southern Ocean zonal winds as represented by the Southern Annular Mode. High correlations were obtained between all parameters, confirming results obtained previously with independent data sets, and demonstrating the value of information from the permanent Rothera base, the southern-most site considered. These are important findings with regard to the design, installation and maintenance of observation networks in Antarctica. In particular, they provide the necessary justification for Antarctic Peninsula tide gauge infrastructure investment in the lead up to International Polar Year. Data delivery from Rothera and Vernadsky is currently being improved and should soon enable the first near real-time system for monitoring Drake Passage transport variability on intraseasonal timescales, an essential component of a Southern Ocean Observing System.
HURRICANE KATRINA AND THE RACIAL GULF: A Du Boisian Analysis of
Victims' Experiences
Authors: Herring Cedric
Published: March 2008

Americans like to believe that “we are all in the same
boat” when disaster strikes. Using a Du Boisian framework, this
article provides a multivariate analysis of survey data from victims of
Hurricane Katrina to determine whether there were racial differences in
their perceptions about rescue and relief efforts. The data collected from
survivors show that Blacks and Whites drew very different lessons from the
tragedy. There was widespread agreement among Black survivors that the
government's response to the crisis would have been faster if most of
the storm's victims had been White. Whites, in contrast, were more
likely to feel that the race of the victims did not make a difference in
the government's response. Less than half of White victims, but more
than three-quarters of Black victims, held that Hurricane Katrina pointed
out persisting problems of racial inequality. There were, however, few
racial differences in perceptions about the role of income in the
aftermath of Katrina. Most Blacks and Whites agreed with the idea that
low-income and middle-income victims of the hurricane received similar
treatment. But when asked a similar question about the role of race,
racial differences reemerged. Also, rather than this being a difference of
opinion only between poor Blacks and middle-class Whites, these results
suggest that there were also differences between the lowest-income Blacks
and middle-income Blacks and perhaps an even larger difference between
middle-income Blacks and middle-income Whites in terms of how they viewed
the government's response. Income and other sociodemographic
differences did not explain racial differences in perceptions about the
role of race in the aftermath of the hurricane. The article concludes that
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina exposed the wide gulf between the
nation's haves and have-nots as well as the nation's persistent
racial divide.
THE BLAME GAME: Racialized Responses to Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Sweeney Kathryn A.
Published: March 2008

Response to Hurricane Katrina and public commentary by high-profile individuals has made race a focus in the media and brought racial inequality to the attention of people in the United States. Analyzing responses to an article in theAtlanta Journal-Constitution, I find that, even after this very public event that brought race to the forefront in the U.S., people relied on the ideologies of meritocracy and color blindness to rationalize inequality. Findings of how the myth of meritocracy is utilized, along with how people argue against it, can be used to keep race at the forefront of the nation's attention while furthering discussions of inequality. The academic community is challenged to keep the voices of alternative ideologies in the spotlight and to use the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to create change.
AFTER THE DELUGE: Publics and Publicity in Katrina's Wake
Authors: Dawson Michael C.
Published: March 2008

I want to start with a story from the period of chaos that followed
Hurricane Katrina. I am going to present some data as an entry into a
brief discussion of how different publics evaluated the disaster, and the
implications for how we think about civil society in the United
States.
Successive, large mass‐transport deposits in the south Kermadec fore‐arc basin, New Zealand: The Matakaoa Submarine Instability Complex
Authors: Lamarche Geoffroy , Joanne Cathy , Collot Jean‐Yves
Published: March 2008

Four >100 km3 mass‐transport deposits (MTDs) identified from their morphology and seismic facies across the Matakaoa Margin and Raukumara fore‐arc basin, NE New Zealand, constitute the Matakaoa Submarine Instability Complex (MSIC). MSIC originates from a 45‐km‐wide, 1100‐m‐high reentrant in the continental slope. The deposits resulted from three mass‐failure events: (1) The Raukumara Slump is identified from the collapsed NW flank of an anticline at the northern end of the reentrant and imbricate structures at its distal end, overlying a flat décollement over a >50‐km distance. The slump age is roughly estimated between upper Miocene and lower Pleistocene. (2) The Matakaoa Debris Avalanche (MDA) is subdivided into a ∼260‐km3 blocky unit and a ∼170‐km3 weakly reflective unit, overlying a high‐amplitude seismic reflector truncating the underlying sedimentary units. The MDA is dated 600 ± 150 ka. It originated as a slump, as indicated by back‐tilted blocks overlying a rotational failure surface, and evolved during transport as a debris avalanche. The failure of sedimentary basement blocks released Plio‐Pleistocene shelf‐basin infill, thus producing the blocky and weakly reflective units. Fore‐arc basin sediments deformed in front of the MDA for approximately 20 km. (3) The Matakaoa Debris Flow (MDF) occurred 38–100 ka ago and extends 200 km northward from the reentrant headwall and consists of a 150‐m‐thick layer with a chaotic seismic facies. Scouring beneath the MDF and a <250‐m‐high east bounding scarp indicate basal and lateral erosion associated with the flow displacement. Incorporation of eroded material into the debris flow accounts for >30% of the flow's 1250 km3 volume. Factors facilitating failures include the following: slope oversteepening associated with margin uplift and fore‐arc subsidence, large‐scale folding related to shortening between the Pacific and Australia plates, high‐discharge rivers draining the region, and rapid sediment accumulation on the margin. Large to great earthquakes along the plate interface are a likely trigger mechanism controlling the recurrence of large margin failures. Unlike other MTDs along plate boundaries, which are destined to be consumed into the subduction factory, the MSIC provides an opportunity to investigate mega‐instabilities at an active margin over million year timescales.
Positive leader characteristics from high‐speed video observations
Authors: Saba Marcelo M. F. , Cummins Kenneth L. , Warner Tom A. , Krider E. Philip , Campos Leandro Z. S. , Ballarotti Mauricio G. , Pinto Osmar , Fleenor Stacy A.
Published: March 2008

Based on analyses of high‐speed video recordings of cloud‐to‐ground lightning in Brazil and the USA, the characteristics of positive cloud‐to‐ground (+CG) leaders are presented. The high frame rates permitted the average, 2‐dimensional speeds of development along the paths of the channels to be resolved with good accuracy. The values range from 0.3 to 6.0 × 105 ms−1 with a mean of 2.7 × 105 ms−1. Contrary to what is usually assumed, downward +CG leader speeds are similar to downward −CG leader speeds. Our observations also show that the speeds tend to increase by a factor of 1.1 to 6.5 as they approach the ground. The presence of short duration, recoil leaders (RLs) during the development of positive leaders reveal a highly branched structure that is not usually recorded when using conventional photographic and video cameras. The existence of the RLs may help to explain observations of UHF‐VHF radiation during the development of +CG flashes.