bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Geothermometry and geobarometry of overpressured environments in Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea*
Authors: Chen Honghan , Wang Jiahao , Xie Yuhong , Wang Zhenfeng
Published: July 2003

We demonstrate the use of PVT fluid inclusion modelling in the calculation of palaeofluid formation pressures, using samples from the YC21‐1‐1 and YC21‐1‐4 wells in the YC21‐1 structural closure, Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea. Homogenisation temperatures and gas/liquid ratios were measured in aqueous fluid inclusions, and associated light hydrocarbon/CO2‐bearing inclusions, and their compositions were determined using a crushing technique. The vtflinc software was used to construct P–T phase diagrams that enabled derivation of the minimum trapping pressure for each order of fluid inclusion. Through the projection of average homogenisation temperatures (155, 185.5 and 204.5°C) for three orders of fluid inclusion on the thermal‐burial history diagram of the Oligocene Yacheng and Lingshui formations, their trapping times were constrained at 4.3, 2.1 and 1.8 Ma, respectively. The formation pressure coefficient, the ratio of fluid pressure/hydrostatic pressure established by PVT modelling coupled with DST data, demonstrates that one and a half cycles of pressure increase–discharge developed in the Yacheng and Lingshui formations for about 4.3 Ma. In comparison, the residual formation pressure determined by 2D numerical modelling in the centre of LeDong depression shows two and a half pressure increase–discharge cycles for about 28 Ma. The two different methods suggest that a high fluid potential in the Oligocene reservoir of the YC21‐1 structure developed at two critical stages for regional oil and natural gas migration and accumulation (5.8 and 2.0 Ma, respectively). Natural gas exploration in this area is therefore not advisable.
Demographic Assessment of a Marbled Murrelet Population from Capture‐Recapture Data
Authors: Cam Emmanuelle , Lougheed Lynn , Bradley Russell , Cooke Fred
Published: July 2003

Abstract:Population size is a fundamental variable of interest in most conservation programs, as are the demographic processes underlying variation in numbers. The Marbled Murrelet (  Brachyramphus marmoratus ) is a seabird nesting in coastal old‐growth forest in North America and is at the heart of a controversy concerning forest management. Despite the urgent need for a careful assessment of the demographic state of populations, the species is so secretive that its life history is poorly known and reliable estimates of the required vital rates are rare or missing. Here we present the first survival estimates obtained through capture‐recapture data from a population in British Columbia, Canada. This population is in a site that has been heavily logged in the last 50 years and continues to be logged. Survival estimates ( 0.8289 and 0.9289 based on different samples corresponding to two capture techniques ) fell within the range specified for small alcids, indicating that neither mortality nor emigration out of the study area is particularly high in the population. We used capture‐recapture data to estimate the realized population growth rate (  λ ) from 1991 to 2000. λ^ was < 1 ( 0.9851 ), but the confidence interval was large and included 1 ( stationary population ). This estimate was obtained using part of the data ( the sample with the higher survival rate ) to meet the assumptions of the analytical approach. This lambda value might not reflect the growth rate of the overall population but may be specific to the segment of the population that successfully bred. The hypothetical value of λ corresponding to a survival probability of 0.8289 was 0.8593, which suggests that the population may be declining if the local survival rate based on the combined samples is closer to the true value. Because of our low recapture rates and poor precision of estimates, there is still uncertainty regarding the health of this population. Development of field techniques and achievement of higher detection probability should reduce uncertainty in future demographic studies of Marbled Murrelets and allow refined assessment of the conservation status of populations.
Conserving Manatees: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Intentions of Boaters in Tampa Bay, Florida
Authors: Aipanjiguly Sampreethi , Jacobson Susan K. , Flamm Richard
Published: July 2003

Abstract:Boat collisions with manatees (  Trichechus manatus latirostris ) account for about one‐quarter of manatee deaths annually in Florida. This emphasizes the need to influence boaters' behavior through an understanding of their knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward manatees and their conservation. We conducted a telephone survey of a random sample of boat users whose boats were observed in Tampa Bay, Florida. Five hundred and four boaters completed the survey, a cooperation rate of 55%. Respondents had a mean score of 6.2 on a 10‐question knowledge scale, and supported manatee conservation efforts with a mean score of 3.84 on a 5‐point support scale based on seven statements. Boaters indicated more support for increased public education than for stringent regulations such as speed and wake limits in sea grass areas, no‐entry areas, or increased patrols. Greater knowledge about manatees was positively correlated with support for manatee conservation. To understand boating behaviors, we used the sociopsychological theory of reasoned action to analyze boaters' disregard for speed zones. Results indicate a strong normative influence on boaters' behavioral intention to follow speed zones, with respondents highly motivated to comply with law enforcement. The survey results provide a basis for recommendations about public communication interventions.
Importance of Habitat Area and Landscape Context for Species Richness of Bees and Wasps in Fragmented Orchard Meadows
Authors: Steffan‐Dewenter Ingolf
Published: July 2003

Abstract: I investigated how habitat area, habitat connectivity, and landscape context affect the species richness and abundance of trap‐nesting bees, wasps, and their natural enemies. The research was done on 45 orchard meadows ranging in size from 0.08 to 5.8 ha and differing in habitat connectivity and the surrounding landscape matrix. Effects of the surrounding landscape matrix were restricted to circles with a radius of 250 m. Only the species richness of natural enemies increased with landscape diversity in the surrounding matrix. Population densities of bees increased with habitat connectivity. Total species richness and species richness of bees, eumenid wasps, and natural enemies significantly increased with habitat area. Significant species‐area relationships existed for insect groups but not for plants, thereby confirming the hypothesis that higher trophic levels are more affected by habitat fragmentation than lower trophic levels. The slope of species‐area relationships was steeper for mutualistic bees than for predatory wasps and natural enemies. In contrast to expectations, the rate of parasitism did not depend on habitat area but only on the local and regional abundance of hosts. My results suggest that the area and connectivity of habitat fragments is most important for the conservation of habitat specialists, whereas generalists may profit from a diverse surrounding landscape matrix.
Colonization and Connectivity of Habitat Patches for Coastal Marine Species Distant from Source Populations
Authors: Dethier Megan N. , McDonald Kathryn , Strathmann Richard R.
Published: July 2003

Abstract:The exchange of propagules or mobile adults between isolated habitat patches is of critical importance for some types of preserves, especially for species that cannot propagate locally. In the marine realm, the role of planktonic dispersal in maintaining viable local populations can be tested by examining life‐history traits of species that colonize ( or do not colonize ) isolated habitat patches. We compared the abundances of benthic species on an exposed rocky jetty surrounded by dissimilar habitats on the coast of Washington ( U.S.A. ) with those of species at distant bedrock sites within potential source areas. Despite its isolation, the jetty lacked only a small proportion of the potential algal species; these absences could result from the 40‐ to 100‐km distances to larger source areas or from subtle habitat differences at the jetty. Coralline algae are expected to be poor dispersers, both because propagules are short‐lived and because adults are unlikely to float. These algae were absent on the study jetty, although they occur on other isolated jetties on this coast. Short‐term transplant experiments indicated that corallines can survive locally once they colonize. Few animals were absent; one was a chiton that settles and feeds on coralline algae. Animals with obligate dispersal of offspring were abundant on the jetty despite their inability to propagate locally and despite dilution of larvae dispersing in the plankton from distant sources. Conversely, some animal species with no planktonic phase were also present; thus, organisms with a wide range of life‐history traits can persist at this distant and small patch of suitable habitat. Isolation along this shoreline did not eliminate either poor dispersers or obligate dispersers.
Effects of Exotic Habitat on Nesting Success, Territory Density, and Settlement Patterns in the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla )
Authors: Remeš Vladimír
Published: July 2003

Abstract:Animals are expected to distribute themselves in a heterogeneous environment in such a way that they maximize their reproductive output. When the environment is profoundly changed by human pressure, however, cues used for habitat selection in the past may no longer provide reliable information about habitat quality. I monitored the nesting success of Blackcaps (  Sylvia atricapilla ) in two types of forest in southern Moravia in the Czech Republic. I assessed their breeding density and territory size using a territory mapping method and the minimum convex polygon method. I determined spring arrival through direct observations and measured vegetation characteristics and pattern of spring leafing of shrubs in both forests. I show that Blackcaps preferentially settled in a plantation of introduced black locust (   Robinia pseudoacacia ) upon their return from spring migration. In this plantation, they reached twice the density as that observed in a natural floodplain forest nearby. However, they had significantly lower nesting success ( 15.5% ) than in the floodplain forest ( 59% ). Returning migrant Blackcaps may be lured by early‐leafing shrubs in the exotic plantation to settle earlier and at higher densities in the reproductively inferior habitat. My results show that ( 1 ) it is not possible to assess habitat quality based solely on breeding densities, ( 2 ) human‐modified habitats can function as ecological traps by luring settling birds into unsuitable habitats, and ( 3 ) by replacing exotic plant species with native ones we can restore native communities and increase the breeding productivity of bird populations.
Ecological Traits Predicting Amphibian Population Declines in Central America
Authors: Lips Karen R. , Reeve John D. , Witters Lani R.
Published: July 2003

Abstract: Amphibian populations are declining on all continents on which they occur, but not all species have been affected equally. Populations of some species are extirpated, others have declined but survive, some have not obviously declined, and some are increasing. If amphibian populations at multiple sites were affected by the same factors, then surviving species should share traits that promote persistence, whereas declining species should share traits that promote susceptibility. Identifying these traits can help diagnose potential causes and thus help to direct conservation actions. Using logistic regression, we quantified the vulnerability of amphibian populations in four areas in Central America. We analyzed a species‐specific database of taxonomic identity, geographic and elevational range, elevational distribution, adult and larval habitat, activity period, and maximum adult body size. We found that ( 1 ) all four sites exhibited the same pattern of decline ( there were no interactions between site and other variables ); ( 2 ) declining populations shared aquatic habitats, restricted elevational ranges, and large body sizes; and ( 3 ) there was an interaction between body size and elevational range. The most significant variable in the model was lifetime aquatic index, a factor unrelated to demographic vulnerability and one that therefore might indicate the potential causative agent( s ). Our results provide a predictive model with which to assess potential causes of population declines in other areas, and we generated a list of 52 species predicted to decline at a currently unaffected site in central Panama.
Wildlife Survival Beyond Park Boundaries: the Impact of Slash‐and‐Burn Agriculture and Hunting on Mammals in Tambopata, Peru
Authors: Naughton‐Treves Lisa , Mena Jose Luis , Treves Adrian , Alvarez Nora , Radeloff Volker Christian
Published: July 2003

Abstract:Finding a balance between strict protection and multiple use requires data on wildlife survival in human‐managed ecosystems. We examined the habitat use and species composition of mammals>2 kg in size inhabiting an agroforest ecosystem neighboring a park in the Peruvian Amazon. First, we recorded wildlife presence in fields, fallows, and forests within one settlement over a 9‐month period. Then we monitored wildlife presence over 21 months in 42 fields across a 65‐km transect, including remote and highly disturbed sites. We tested for correlations between the size and number of mammal species visiting fields and human activities measured at different scales. Hunting intensity more powerfully predicted the average biomass and species diversity observed in fields than did vegetation disturbance. The number of commercial hunters in the surrounding community had a stronger impact than did the individual field owner's hunting intensity. Large‐bodied species appeared only in remote farms neighboring uninhabited areas in the reserve, indicating that undisturbed forests act as sources for wildlife dispersing into agricultural regions. Farmers in these remote areas experience greater crop and livestock losses to wildlife, but by hunting large game they are able to offset losses with bushmeat gains. In more disturbed areas, crop losses exceeded bushmeat gains, although both occurred at negligible levels. Our case study suggests that large herbivores, large carnivores, and most primates are unlikely to persist in multiple‐use zones in Amazonian forests unless hunting is effectively restricted. Even highly disturbed agroforests are not empty of wildlife, however, but are inhabited by a suite of adaptable, fast‐reproducing species able to withstand human activity ( e.g., brown agoutis [   Dasyprocta variegata ], armadillos [  Dasypus novemcinetus ], and red brocket deer [  Mazama gauazoubira ] ). These “weedy” species may not be of immediate concern to conservation biologists, and they will not attract tourists. But they have both economic and ecological value and deserve to be taken into account in management decisions.
Limestone Quarries as Refuges for European Xerophilous Butterflies
Authors: Beneš Jiří , Kepka Pavel , Konvička Martin
Published: July 2003

Abstract: The large‐scale decline of traditionally managed early‐successional habitats caused by the joint effects of agricultural intensification and abandonment of marginal lands has resulted in a continent‐wide decline of xerophilous butterflies throughout Europe. The question is whether newly generated early‐successional sites of industrial origin may partially compensate for this habitat loss. We studied the butterfly assemblages of 21 limestone quarries in the region of Moravia, Czech Republic, within an important corridor of latitudinal faunal migrations, the Moravian Gate. Comparison of species abundances in the quarries with their regional distribution allowed us to delimit a group of species, predominately xerophilous and sedentary, for which the quarries serve as refuges. Total species richness, number of species in the group, and numbers of xerophilous and sedentary species increased toward the south and were high in young and actively operating quarries and in quarries that adjoined warm “steppe” grasslands. Canonical correspondence analyses suggested that habitats within the quarries and adjoining habitats explained much higher proportions of variance than either latitude or the variables related to quarrying. However, the positive effects of southern position and active quarrying were highly significant. Both xerophilous species of the earliest‐succession barrens and of later‐succession scrub inhabited the quarries, owing to the inherent heterogeneity of such sites. It follows that quarrying does not harm the priority butterflies and may be regarded as a method of habitat creation, provided that ( 1 ) the operators support habitat heterogeneity within the quarries, ( 2 ) xerophilous sites in the vicinity are preserved and adequately managed, and ( 3 ) other phenomena of conservation importance are not adversely affected.
Using Ecological‐Niche Modeling to Predict Barred Owl Invasions with Implications for Spotted Owl Conservation
Authors: Peterson A. Townsend , Robins C. Richard
Published: July 2003

Abstract: The Spotted Owl (  Strix occidentalis ) is the focus of intense concern as a species threatened by the destruction and fragmentation of primary forest in the Pacific Northwest ( U.S.A. ). Aside from habitat concerns, an additional peril exists for the species: the larger and more aggressive Barred Owl (  S. varia ) is invading the Pacific Northwest and has the potential to overrun much of the range of the endangered species. We evaluated the dimensions of this potential invasion by using ecological niche models based on point‐occurrence data. With these tools, we developed models with significant predictions for the native distributions of both Spotted and Barred owls ( tested via independent occurrence data ) and for the invasive range of Barred Owls. Overlap between the models for the two species suggests that most of the northern portion of the Spotted Owl's distribution ( south to about lat. 38°N ) is vulnerable to Barred Owl invasion. We present an example of the potential effects of species invasions on endangered species conservation.
Book Reviews
Authors: Fiedler Peggy L.
Published: July 2003

Since the beginning of my tenure as associate editor for book reviews, I have received a great many books. This wealth of prose, poetry, and scientific exposition landing in my lap has seemed a bit like manna from heaven, given my bibliophilic predisposition. I've done my best to squelch feelings of self‐conscious guilt (this is too good to be true) and, instead, have worked assiduously to catalogue at least 750 books, secure approximately 125 reviewers, and publish about 100 book reviews to date.

Within the last few years, however, I have received a number of biographies of various stripes. Most have been written about luminaries in the field of conservation. In fact, most of the books are about Americans, by Americans, published by American publishing houses. And while I knew who these people were and, in general, what their life works were about, I knew little else.

Enter Curt Meine, internationally renowned conservationist and author of an important book on the life of Aldo Leopold ( 1988. Aldo Leopold: his life and work, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. ). Last year's rumor about all these great biographies that circulated among the journal's editorial staff soon transformed into an exciting commitment for something new. Dr. Meine agreed to prepare an "occasional contribution" to the book review section that highlights the wellspring of new biographies. The choice of books and the manner of the review is solely the work of Dr. Meine. His uncanny insights into the people about whom the books are written, as well as the authors of the books, render this contribution significant beyond information about the individual biographies. It is, in fact, a profoundly thoughtful piece, worthy of reading at least half a dozen times. Therefore, it is my great pleasure to introduce the first "occasional contribution" to the journal, one that serves as a remarkable tribute to those who have gone before and as a hallmark of the society's membership.

Peggy L. Fiedler Book Review Editor
The management development needs of front‐line managers: voices from the field
Authors: Longenecker Clinton O. , Neubert Mitchell
Published: July 2003

In the global marketplace of the twenty‐first century, we know that managers are being called upon to lead their organization forward in new and creative ways and that improving their performance is no longer optional, but rather an imperative. Unfortunately, most management development activity has continued to emphasize a traditional organization‐oriented approach that is inconsistent with the emerging employer‐employee psychological contract. We propose that management development decisions should include the voice of practicing managers. To that end, 524 front‐line managers from the USA were surveyed to identify what they considered to be the most important factors/practices for improving their performance in the context of rapidly changing organizations. A discussion of the practical implications are offered for organizations and individual managers seeking to improve performance through management development.
Going Public: Science‐and‐Religion at a Crossroads
Authors: Peterson Gregory R.
Published: July 2003

A survey of recent news events involving science and religion is conducted with an aim toward analyzing the current state of the science and religion dialogue. Recent events suggest that the dialogue has come to a crossroads, achieving an unprecedented level of popular attention. At the same time, this attention reveals what still needs to be done. More attention needs to be given to the nature of religion, to the history of religion and science, and to the increasing plurality of the dialogue.
The Creative Brain/The Creative Mind
Authors: Newberg Andrew B. , D'Aquili Eugene G.
Published: July 2003

In the past few decades, neuroscience research has greatly expanded our understanding of how the human brain functions. In particular, we have begun to explore the basis of emotions, intelligence, and creativity. These brain functions also have been applied to various aspects of behavior, thought, and experience. We have also begun to develop an understanding of how the brain and mind work during aesthetic and religious experiences. Studies on these topics have included neuropsychological tests, physiological measures, and brain imaging. These different techniques have enabled us to open up a window into the brain. It is by understanding the functioning of the creative brain that we begin to understand the concept of the creative mind. It is through the use of emotions and other higher cognitive functions that the brain and mind can create ideas, music, literature, and ultimately our entire repertoire of behaviors. How these different creative abilities are derived can also be traced to various parts of the brain and how they function. Modern neuroscience allows us to begin to understand the creative aspect of the brain and mind and perhaps can take us one step further toward understanding the most profound types of aesthetic and religious experiences.
The Argument from Design: What Is at Stake Theologically?
Authors: Case‐Winters Anna
Published: July 2003

This article offers a brief overview of the argument for God's existence grounded in the evidence of design. It gives particular attention to the way the argument has evolved over time and in relation to changing scientific perspectives. The argument from de‐sign has in fact been formulated and reformulated in response to the discoveries and challenges it has encountered from the field of science. The conclusion of the article explores the theological importance of this argument—its extent and its limits.
The Dialogue Between Religion and Science: Which God?
Authors: Reich K. Helmut
Published: July 2003

As exemplified by three cases, difficulties in the dialogue between religion and science not infrequently arise from differing views of God's omnipotence and omniscience. From the side of theology, reflections on the biblical and church‐related sources of those views, on Auschwitz and theproblem of theodicy, on God as Creator of the universe, and on how to read and interpret the Bible show that a view of a God who self‐limits almightiness and all‐knowing in order to grant freedom and functional integrity to a Creation about which God cares can be multiply justified. Such a view is not dissonant with regard to a self‐organized, open universe, producing “unexpected” emergent features as seen by science
Environmental Risk and Uncertainty: Insights from Yucca Mountain
Authors: Riddel Mary , Dwyer Christine , Shaw W. Douglass
Published: July 2003

Abstract This study examines the effects of the risk from transporting high–level radioactive waste to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository on housing location decisions in Southern Nevada. Using data from a survey of southern Nevada households, we develop a model–based subjective risk estimate for each household. We then explore different factors that may influence the household's location decisions if the proposed transportation route is ultimately chosen for nuclear waste transport. We extend the conventional expected utility model to allow for uncertainty surrounding the actual risks borne by the household. Finally, we examine the impact of federal government compensation on households’ location decisions. The findings indicate that residents currently living near the proposed transportation route express subjective risk estimates much larger than those reported by the Department of Energy. In general, households that are uncertain about the future risks are more likely to relocate than those expressing certainty. When everything is considered, the model predicts that between one and three percent of households living near the transportation route are likely to relocate. Compensation can influence some households to remain at their present location and bear the transport risk.
Migration, Job Change, and Wage Growth: A New Perspective on the Pecuniary Return to Geographic Mobility
Authors: Yankow Jeffrey J.
Published: July 2003

Abstract Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, this study examines the pattern of early career job mobility and migration in a sample of young male workers. Primary interest lies in the between–job wage change accompanying job transitions as well as the extended time–profile of migrant earnings. When the sample of job transitions is partitioned by education level, contemporaneous returns are found only for workers with twelve or less years of completed schooling. In contrast, highly educated workers demonstrate significant extended returns to migration with the bulk of pecuniary rewards accruing with a lag of nearly two years.
Regional Perspectives on Dollarization in Canada
Authors: Beine Michel , Coulombe Serge
Published: July 2003

Abstract In this paper we investigate whether it is preferable for Canadian regions to individually adopt the U.S. dollar or to remain with the current currency arrangement. The empirical analysis focuses on the cross–correlations of various business cycle measures of Canadian regions, of Canada, and of the United States. The business cycle investigation is completed by the analysis of two other important criteria for optimum currency areas, industrial specialization and trade interdependence. Our results highlight a significant heterogeneity across Canadian provinces. In particular, it transpires that it could be economically advantageous for the central provinces of Ontario and Quebec and to a lesser extent British Columbia to adopt the U.S. dollar. In contrast, it is not as clear what the other regions should do, the final answer depending on the path the larger three provinces take.
Mere presence of distractors: Another determining factor for the attentional blink1
Authors: Kawahara Jun‐Ichiro
Published: July 2003

Abstract: When two visual targets are presented in rapid succession, perception of the second target is deteriorated if the temporal lag between the two targets is short (0–300 ms). This ‘attentional blink’ (AB) phenomenon has been believed to occur only when the second target is followed by a backward mask or when there is a task switching between two targets. The present study revealed another determining factor for the occurrence of the AB, the presence or absence of a distractor stream. Five experiments examined the effect of possible confounding factors in the extant literature and suggested that the mere presence of a distractor stream affects the processing of targets even when the observers tried to ignore them, resulting in a processing delay. This effect is discussed in a model of AB deficit in terms of decay of the second target's representation.
Shrinkage in the perceived duration of speech and tone by acoustic replacement1
Authors: Tsuzaki Minoru , Tanaka Masako , Kato Hiroaki
Published: July 2003

Abstract: To investigate mechanisms for perceiving the duration of an auditory event, an effect of perceptual grouping upon perceived duration was studied psychophysically. In the first experiment, the perceived duration of a spoken word was measured under three conditions of acoustic continuity (i.e., (a) intact, (b) noise‐replaced, and (c) gap‐replaced) as a function of the duration of the target stimulus. Under the noise‐replaced condition, a portion of the target stimulus was physically replaced with a noise burst. Under the gap‐replaced condition, the replacement was made with a gap. The gap‐replacement resulted in a prominent shrinkage of the perceived duration. In the case of noise‐replacement, the amount of shrinkage was moderate but highly significant, although the word employed was perceived to be phonetically intact. Independent of this effect of replacement, the amount of shrinkage was also affected by the physical duration of the target stimulus. The second experiment tested an effect of noise replacement on the perceived duration of a tone burst. In this case, the noise replacement also shrunk the perceived duration of the non‐speech stimulus. This noise‐induced shrinkage could be regarded as being general for the auditory duration. The phenomenon is discussed in relation to a revised model for perceived duration.
Repetition effect caused by repeated words between and within language
Authors: Ikeda Satoko , Morita Aiko
Published: July 2003

Abstract: When words are repeated at short and long lags, and subjects are required to recall them, the probability of recall increases as the distance between the repetitions increases. This spacing effect is assumed to relate to the way in which a word is identified in short‐term memory. In the present study, words were repeated interlingually (between‐language repetition), were repeated in the same language but in the different scripts (within‐language repetition), and were repeated identically (identical repetition) to examine what differences of the repeated words affected the spacing effect. The results showed that the spacing effect was found in all the repetitions, and the proportion of recall in the between‐language repetition was higher than that in the other repetitions at short and long lags. The independence and interdependence of each verbal system of two languages were discussed.
The effects of lesions in the central nucleus of the amygdala on appetitive classical conditioning in rats
Authors: Tazumi Tooru , Okaichi Hiroshige
Published: July 2003

Abstract:Lesions in the central nucleus of the amygdala (cAMY) have been known to interfere with the acquisition of fear classical conditioning when footshock is used as an unconditioned stimulus (US). The present study examined whether or not a similar interference would occur with an appetitive US. Five rats with lesions in the cAMY (the cAMY group), and eight unoperated control rats were trained in an appetitive classical conditioning paradigm, which did not include elements of operant learning, using a visual conditioned stimulus (CS) (5 W of light for 10 s duration) paired with a food pellet US (45 mg, cheese flavor). The behavioral index of appetitive conditioning was an increase in rearing approach behavior to the CS after CS and US pairings. During CS and US pairings, the movement of the rat was limited so that this approach behavior could not occur. As a result, all control rats showed an increase in rearing, but the cAMY group did not. These results suggest that the cAMY is critical for appetitive as well as fear classical conditioning.
Stuart London and the idea of a royal capital city
Authors: Robertson J
Published: July 2003

Charles I and James I developed ambitious plans for London to serve as the ‘capital city’. These schemes clashed with Londoners' understandings of their city. Royal proposals to reshape Dublin, York, and Edinburgh managed to do more, but the wider expectations for London are shown in the echoes of London in the new colonial capitals established across the Atlantic in the 1620s and 1630s. With the Civil Wars, royal views of London changed and were not restored at the Restoration.
Kepler's search for form and proportion
Authors: van der Schoot A
Published: July 2003

Kepler's discovery of the courses of the planets did not result from his mechanical intuition: it was not before Newton that his discoveries could be read in the context of classical mechanics. Kepler's own intentions were more in line with Renaissance Platonism: he sought to reconcile the Holy Scripture with Copernican revolution and found an answer to his questions in Plato's Timaeus. His research into the phenomena of growth and procreation in earthly nature was guided by the same yearning to fathom the formal cause which also directed his astronomical research. He singled out one proportion as the divine symbol of procreation: the golden section. Aside from Pacioli's Divina Proportione, Kepler's writings present the only original thoughts about this particular proportion which were published before the nineteenth century. The Mysterium Cosmographicum is still suffused with the spirit of the Renaissance, but in some of his later writings we can trace the dawning of the new mechanistic era.
Sinews of rule: the politics of officeholding in fifteenth‐century Venetian Crete
Authors: O'Connell M
Published: July 2003

Crete, a colony of Venice from 1204 to 1669, presented administrative challenges to the Venetian regime, one of the most important being the distribution of offices in the island's government. Venetian patricians, Veneto‐Cretan settlers, and local residents all had a stake in the politics of officeholding, and the Venetian Signoria had to mediate between the interests of officials eager to reap the rewards of office and complaints of the islanders quick to defend local privilege, in order to create a stable colonial administration. To maintain this balance, Venice relied on a flexible system of government which used Cretan embassies to the Senate, state inspectors' investigations and prosecutions for official misconduct, individual petitions for favours, or gratie, and judicial appeals as avenues for necessary change in the island's administration. These complaints and prosecutions, ambassadors' requests, and the Senate's response to them reveal a pattern in the administration of this territory: in most matters, the Venetian administration was responsive to requests from its subjects and displayed a measure of flexibility, balancing its own interests with those expressed by the islanders. The exception to this policy was the eligibility and distribution of offices in the highest levels of the administration on Crete, which the Venetian Signoria kept under its own control despite pressures for greater local involvement from the local population.
War and peace: the description of Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Frescoes in Saint Bernardino's 1425 Siena Sermons
Authors: Ben‐Aryeh Debby N
Published: July 2003

The paper draws attention to a description by Saint Bernardino in 1425 of Ambrogio Lorenzetti's famous fresco cycle in the Sala dei Nove of the Palazzo Pubblico. Bernardino uses the frescoes that Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted in the years 1338–1339 in the context of a staged peace ceremony and as a tool of persuasion in order to achieve civic peace in the city. Bernardino's description illustrates how Lorenzetti's painted scheme was viewed by a leading cleric and his audience in the early fifteenth century. Unlike the few other medieval reports of the frescoes available to us, this description is long and detailed, and adds valuable information on the frescoes' particulars. It is particularly interesting that some eighty years after their completion these Lorenzetti paintings were being interpreted as exemplifications of the conditions of war and peace rather than the complex political allegory favoured by many modern scholars. The description is shaped by the historical setting of Siena in 1425 and plays an intriguing role in the sermon itself as a rhetorical device to persuade the listeners to reconcile.
Titian's Ruggiero and Angelica: a tribute to Ludovico Ariosto
Authors: Freedman L
Published: July 2003

Titian's drawing (25 × 40 cm) in Musée Bonnat (Bayonne), showing a recumbent voluptuous nuda in a lush landscape, depicts an episode from Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (×, 94–107). It conveys the very essence of the romance, proclaimed in the famous first lines of the poem. The episode about Ruggiero's rescue of Angelica that Ariosto described and that Titian rendered with acclaimed ‘verisimilitude’ occurred in an imaginary place, in the ‘olden days’. By emphasizing the recumbent nuda, her posture, and gestures, rather than the knights heroic deeds, Titian intimates Angelica's role in Ruggiero's life. The motif of the recumbent nude transcends the subject's boundaries. I suggest interpreting this figure as Voluptas, understood ambivalently in both antiquity and the Renaissance. Titian created a pen‐and‐ink visual counterpart to Ariosto's literary account of the romance as a whole. The episode serves as an example of what ‘usually’ happens in a romance, as pars pro toto.
Altruism and reciprocity: the early Jesuits and their female patrons
Authors: Hufton O
Published: July 2003

The importance of the Jesuits as agencies of Catholic reform and their outstanding success in establishing across Europe colleges and bases for mission work, as well as their expansion overseas, has tended to obscure the difficulties of their beginning. Hardly known, and by many mistrusted, their early years in Rome – the critical 1540s and 1550s – presented obstacles which could be difficult to surmount without friends in high places and access to funds. Noble women provided critical support at this time, exploiting their roles in baroque court politics and access to men of power to help launch colleges and charitable initiatives. This essay examines some of the networks and strategies involved in women's involvement. It is also concerned to explain why the women responded as they did, the relationship between Loyola and his female patrons, and, above all, the exchange in terms of appeal, challenge, and satisfaction for the women in forwarding the Jesuit enterprise.
‘Renaissance’ and ‘fossilization’: Michelet, Burckhardt, and Huizinga
Authors: Tollebeek J
Published: July 2003

From its very first use, the term ‘Renaissance’ indicated change and renewal. Michelet, in his lectures at the Collège de France in 1840–1841, represented the Renaissance as ‘the formation of the modern world’. Burckhardt enshrined the term in The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860) as a term which focused on a turning point in history. However, as a result, the term also immediately required a conceptual counterpart. This was found in the term ‘fossilisation’. The most detailed vision of the ‘fossilisation’ which allegedly preceded the new civilization of the Renaissance was provided by the Dutch historian Huizinga. In The Autumn of the Middle Ages (1919) he presented Burgundian civilization as a civilization in turmoil, where the old continued its insidious spread, with no meaning and no future. This dual conceptual device –‘Renaissance’ and ‘Fossilisation’– caused two problems. The first was related to the transition between the old and the new world: how could change and renewal emerge from a ‘fossilised’ civilisation? The second problem concerned the status of the terms ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Fossilisation’. After all, it rapidly became evident that the concept of ‘fossilisation’ had its roots in cultural criticism, rather than in cultural history. Did something similar not apply to the term, a word which referred to a turning point which historians like Michelet, Burckhardt and Huizinga desired chiefly in the present?
Chronic Hypoxia Delays Myocardial Lactate Dehydrogenase Maturation in Young Rats
Authors: Daneshrad Z. , Verdys M. , Birot O. , Troff F. , Bigard A. X. , Rossi A.
Published: July 2003

The effect of exposure to hypobaric hypoxia for 4 weeks (oxygen pressure = 106 hPa), equivalent to 5500 m in altitude) on myocardial total lactate dehydrogenase (tLDH) activity and isoform (H and M) composition was comparatively studied in growing (4.5 weeks old) and in adult (4.5 months old) male rats. The consequences of the hypoxia‐induced anorexia were checked in growing rats using a pair‐fed group. Exposure to hypoxia induced a significant decrease in the H/tLDH ratio in the left (LV) and right ventricle (RV) of growing and adult rats. In adult rats this alteration was mainly a consequence of the significant increase in the specific activity of the M isomer, which resulted in an increase in the overall LDH activity. In contrast, in the LV of young rats exposed to hypoxia, the specific activity of the M isomer was similar to that of normoxic animals while the H isomer activity was significantly lower than in normoxic rats, and the overall LDH activity remained unchanged. These effects were specifically due to hypoxia per se since no significant alterations were observed in pair‐fed animals. In the hypertrophied RV, the alteration of H and M isomers following hypoxia was similar to that observed in adults (i.e. no change in H and an increase in M isoform). We conclude that the well‐known hypoxia‐induced decrease in the H/tLDH ratio is governed by different age‐dependent mechanisms. In adult rats, hypoxia may induce in both ventricles a stimulating effect on M isomer expression. In the LV of growing rats this stress could inhibit the H isomer maturation without any effect on the M isomer. In the RV of growing rats this effect could have been counteracted by the growth effect of the hypertrophying process.
Uterine Artery Function in Pregnant Rats Fed a Diet Supplemented with Animal Lard
Authors: Taylor P. D. , Khan I. Y. , Lakasing L. , Dekou V. , O'Brien‐Coker I. , Mallet A. I. , Hanson M. A. , Poston L.
Published: July 2003

We hypothesised that maternal uterine artery vascular dysfunction could contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction in offspring of rats fed a diet rich in fat. Sprague‐Dawley rats were fed for 10 days prior to pregnancy and throughout gestation either: (a) a control breeding diet, or (b) the same diet supplemented with 20% w/w lard, vitamins, essential micronutrients and protein to control values. At 20 days gestation vascular function was assessed in uterine arteries and third‐order mesenteric arteries. Vascular reactivity in response to application of potassium, noradrenaline, the thromboxane analogue U46619, acetylcholine and nitric oxide was assessed. Maternal plasma concentrations of factors likely to contribute to endothelial dysfunction were measured. Maximum acetylcholine‐induced relaxation was impaired in the mesenteric arteries of the lard‐fed dams (max% relaxation: lard‐fed, 69.7 ± 6.48; control, 85.37 ± 2.69, P = 0.03). Uterine artery vascular function was similar in the two groups (max% acetylcholine‐induced relaxation: lard‐fed, 73.7 ± 4.01; control, 77.5 ± 4.72, P = 0.98). Concentrations of plasma lipids, 8‐epi‐PGF2α and leptin were normal, whereas insulin and corticosterone concentrations were raised in the lard‐fed group (insulin (ng ml−1): lard‐fed, 8.04 ± 0.47; control, 1.35 ± 0.37, P < 0.0001; corticosterone (ng ml−1): lard‐fed, 1164.0 ± 170.9; control, 541.9 ± 96.3, P = 0.005). Fetal and placental weights were reduced in lard‐fed dams (fetus (g): lard‐fed, 4.27 ± 0.38; control, 2.96 ± 0.40, P = 0.025; placenta (g): lard‐fed, 0.72 ± 0.06; control, 0.57 ± 0.04, P = 0.05). Cardiovascular dysfunction in offspring is not associated with reduced uterine artery endothelial function but is associated with activation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis, hyperinsulinaemia and fetoplacental growth retardation.
Whole Blood Viscosity, Plasma Viscosity and Erythrocyte Aggregation in Nine Mammalian Species: Reference Values and Comparison of Data
Authors: Windberger U. , Bartholovitsch A. , Plasenzotti R. , Korak K. J. , Heinze G.
Published: July 2003

In this study species‐specific values for whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV) and erythrocyte aggregation (EA) were determined in a total of 360 animals. We used 40 individual adult animals of nine mammalian species: horse, pig, dog, cat, rat, cattle, sheep, rabbit and mouse. WBV measurements were carried out using a LS30 viscometer, PV was measured using OCR‐D and EA was measured using a Myrenne aggregometer and the LS30 (aggregation index at low shear rate). At low shear rates (0.7 s−1 and 2.4 s−1) haematocrit (Hct)‐standardized (40% Hct) samples showed a higher value of WBV and EA in horse, pig, dog and cat. In cattle, sheep, rabbit and mouse, EA and WBV were markedly decreased and EA was almost undetectable, although the plasma fibrinogen concentration was higher in these animals. Rats showed the highest WBV at low shear rate in native blood and WBV was not different from horse in Hct‐standardized blood; however, EA was very low in the rat, a result that might be explained by mechanical or geometrical properties of the red blood cell. EA correlated with the plasma protein concentration in each species except dog and mouse. In horse, cattle and pig, EA correlated with the plasma fibrinogen concentration. At high shear rate (94 s−1), WBV was higher in cattle than cat and rat, and dog had higher values than horse, suggesting specific interspecies differences depending on low shear and high shear values of WBV, as a result of mechanisms that influence RBC flexibility. PV was highest in cattle and lowest in rabbit and mouse and did not correlate with WBV. Haemorheological parameters differed between the species. Each species has its own rheological fingerprint. The physiological significance of these variations among mammalian species has not yet been established. Viscosity contributes to endothelial cell shear stress. While haemorheological parameters differ across the species it may be postulated that factors influencing flow‐mediated endothelial cell signal transduction are different among the species.