bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of planting method on the recovery of arboreal ant activity on revegetated farmland
Authors: GIBB H.
Published: January 2012

Ecological restoration aims to re‐establish both biodiversity and ecological function in damaged ecosystems. Ants are important drivers of ecological functions and are early colonizers of restored ecosystems. Rates at which ants perform functions are thought to be fuelled by access to plant sugars. In revegetated farmland in south‐eastern Australia, I tested if ant activity on trees, which reflects use of arboreal sugars, follows a predictable trajectory of recovery towards a remnant‐like state. Additionally, I examined whether planting method alters this trajectory by comparing tube stock (TS), which results in lowEucalyptusdensities, with direct seeding (DS), which results in highEucalyptusdensities. Replicate sites (n = 5) of young (planted between 1998 and 2001) and old (planted between 1989 and 1994) TS and DS revegetation, pastures and remnants were compared. Activity on trunks was significantly positively correlated with ant tending of Hemiptera in young and old revegetation. In DS plantings, activity and estimated liquid loads onEucalyptustrees were low and rapidly approached that in remnants, while TS sites remained similar to high values observed in pastures with trees. Patterns forAcaciawere less clear, reflecting consistent densities for this species between TS and DS. At the whole‐of‐field scale, planting methods did not differ. Importantly, although trajectories differed, neither TS nor DS sites approached the low activity or estimated liquid loads observed in remnants. Rates of ant use of arboreal sugars and associated sugar‐fuelled processes may thus take considerably longer to recover than the period covered by this study. This finding suggests planting method may affect the trajectory and outcome of revegetation for plant health, as well as sugar‐fuelled ecosystem functions performed by ants.
Damage caused by mistletoe Misodendrum punctulatum Banks Ex Dc. on architecture and radial growth of Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. et Endl.) Krasser forests of southern Chile
Authors: HENRÍQUEZ‐VELÁSQUEZ CARLA , HENRÍQUEZ JUAN MARCOS , ARAVENA JUAN CARLOS
Published: January 2012

Parasitic plants rely completely or partially on host plant, namely holoparasitic or hemiparasitic, respectively. The effect of parasitism on host plants is not fully known. Misodendrum punctulatum (Misodendraceae) is the most common hemiparasite species in the southernmost forests of Chile and Argentina, and it has been identified as an important sanitary problem in forestry. In this study we evaluated the M. punctulatum effect on growth rates and architecture of pure Nothofagus pumilio (Nothofagaceae) forests in southern South America (52°10′S; 71°55′W). We established three plots of 30 × 30 m, and 10 cores were extracted from diameter at breast height (d.b.h. = 1.3 m) from living trees in each plot, using increment borers. Tree rings were measured, and anova was used to compare the annual growth rate of both infected and uninfected N. pumilio. The results showed that N. pumilio trees severely infected by M. punctulatum reduce growth rates in contrast with uninfected individuals (P < 0.05). Besides, trees with high‐infection levels evidenced deterioration in its architecture, showing asymmetric and suppressed canopies, according to ad hoc numerical indexes. This study provides a starting point to understand the parasite–host relationship in the Patagonian forests of southern Chile.
Which trees dominate in savannas? The escape hypothesis and eucalypts in northern Australia
Authors: BOND WILLIAM J. , COOK GARRY D. , WILLIAMS RICHARD J.
Published: January 2012

In humid savannas, the transition from juvenile to mature tree sizes is thought to be a major demographic bottleneck because smaller plants are topkilled by frequent fires. Species with the highest net rates of sapling growth should dominate the tree component of savannas by reaching fire‐proof sizes, ‘escape size’, more rapidly than competitors. However, tests of this prediction have failed to explain eucalypt dominance in Australian savannas as eucalypt mean growth rates are low. We tested the escape hypothesis directly by recording the number and identity of tagged individuals reaching escape size in a long‐term study. Results were consistent with the escape hypothesis with greater than six times more eucalypts reaching escape height than non‐eucalypts in frequently burnt savannas. The pattern was reversed where fires were excluded for 5 years, with more non‐eucalypts emerging than eucalypts. We conclude that mean growth rates alone are a poor predictor of the rates at which juvenile savanna trees transition to mature tree size. Only the fastest growing individuals make the transition to mature trees whereas mean values include many suppressed individuals. Measures of maximum growth rates will provide more robust estimators of demographically important effects on mature tree cover. The mechanistic basis for the remarkable ability of juvenile eucalypts to escape frequent fires is not yet understood.
Importance of fire in influencing the occurrence of snakes in an upland region of arid Australia
Authors: MCDONALD PETER J. , LUCK GARY W. , PAVEY CHRIS R. , WASSENS SKYE
Published: January 2012

In arid Australia, changes to historic fire regimes may now produce more large‐scale wildfire events. The impacts of these fires on fauna communities are poorly known. We sought to test the impacts of fire on the occurrence of two arid‐zone snake species, the desert death adder (Acanthophis pyrrhus) and monk snake (Parasuta monachus), specialist inhabitants of hummock grassland and mulga shrubland, respectively. We also examined the influence of fire on the occurrence of a habitat generalist, the sympatric Stimson's python (Antaresia stimsoni). Under an Information‐Theoretic framework we modelled the occurrence of each species with a range of habitat variables, including fire history, using logistic regression. As predicted, the two habitat specialists were more likely to be encountered at locations that had a lower percentage of surrounding area burnt in the most recent wildfires (2002), while fire variables failed to predict the occurrence of the habitat generalist. Acanthophis pyrrhus, already predisposed to endangerment through a suite of life‐history characteristics, may be at increased risk through accidental and deliberate burning and fragmentation of old‐growth hummock grasslands. We stress the importance of prescribed burning and natural fire breaks in maintaining areas of old‐growth hummock grassland across the landscape.
Tracking Development in South‐East Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa: The Primacy of Policy
Authors: van Donge Jan Kees , Henley David , Lewis Peter
Published: January 2012

The Tracking Development project aims to explain the divergences in development outcomes in sub‐Saharan Africa and South‐East Asia over the past fifty years through the pair‐wise comparison of four countries in each region. The development trajectories in South‐East Asia reveal that the transition to sustained growth has consistently been associated with policies aimed at (i) macroeconomic stabilisation; (ii) improving life in the rural sector, increasing agricultural productivity and ensuring an ample supply of food; and (iii) liberalising the economy and creating conditions of economic freedom, particularly for peasant farmers and other small actors. In Africa, initiatives in these directions have been taken in some instances, but the simultaneous pursuit of all three policy objectives has not occurred. Most noticeably, policies aimed at macroeconomic stabilisation were pursued in both regions, but whereas in South‐East Asia these were associated with policies leading to poverty reduction, this was not the case in Africa.
Flawed Vision: Nigerian Development Policy in the Indonesian Mirror, 1965–90
Authors: Henley David , Tirtosudarmo Riwanto , Fuady Ahmad Helmy
Published: January 2012

One influential view blames Nigeria's failure to translate its oil wealth into national prosperity on the country's social, political and institutional fragmentation, which means that there is little incentive for technocratic planning or the adoption of policies based on shared growth or the public good. This article explores an alternative theory: that at certain periods Nigeria's development trajectory has in fact been influenced by technocratic planning but that the strategy followed typically neglected agriculture, subjected markets to excessive regulation, and involved exchange‐rate policies which discouraged exports. These propositions are argued with reference to the contrasting case of Indonesia, which has pursued market‐friendly, export‐promoting policies, and displayed a pronounced rural‐agricultural bias in development spending. Five possible areas of explanation for the contrast are explored: differences in the political interests of the policy‐makers, in their social origins, in their intellectual backgrounds, in their experience of economic management and mismanagement, and in their exposure to inclusive, egalitarian political movements.
Erratic Development in Kenya: Questions from the East Asian Miracle
Authors: Nyanjom Othieno , Ong'olo David
Published: January 2012

At first sight, Kenya seems to have had more scope than other African countries to emulate the development trajectory described in the World Bank study, The East Asian Miracle. These assets did not, however, result in sustained growth – an outcome this article aims to explain using a negative turning point in the early 1990s. The most striking difference between the East Asian and Kenyan experiences was the acceptance – and even exacerbation – of socio‐economic inequality as an immutable reality of development, plus the weak belief in the integrity of Kenyan institutions. A constitutional review process is one possible political solution for this.
Migration and Credit Constraints: Theory and Evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Phan Diep
Published: January 2012

The new economics of labor migration (NELM) frequently emphasizes the importance of migration as a way for rural households to overcome credit constraints. If this hypothesis is correct, then the credit constraint is a motivation for migration (a relaxation of this constraint would encourage less migration). Conventionally, it is believed that migration is costly and has to be financed with borrowed capital, so the credit constraint is a deterrent of migration (a relaxation of this constraint would encourage more migration). In this paper, an agricultural household model is developed to study whether the credit constraint is a motivation for or a deterrent to migration. The model's result confirms the NELM's hypothesis: for households with high demand for agricultural investments and high net migration return, migration is used as a way to finance capital investments. Using data from four provinces in Vietnam, preliminary evidence is found supporting this hypothesis.
Twin Crises in Emerging Markets: The Role of Liability Dollarization and Imperfect Competition in Banking
Authors: Luca Alina C. , Olivero María Pía
Published: January 2012

Currency crises in emerging markets have been accompanied by banking crises, with concentration in the market for bank credit increasing after large devaluations. This paper examines how the presence of imperfect competition and liability dollarization in banking shapes the real effects of the just mentioned twin crises. An important gap in the theoretical literature is filled, by being the first paper to provide a model of twin crises in the presence of imperfect competition in banking, and the changes in market structure that occur in the aftermath of crises. Doing so, the analysis is able to reveal that currency devaluations generate more severe twin crises in economies with less competitive banking sectors. This result is consistent with the empirical evidence on the concentration‐fragility view, and it unveils the importance of prudential regulation that focuses on the market structure in banking.
On the Empirical Evidence of the Intertemporal Current Account Model for the Euro Area Countries
Authors: Ca' Zorzi Michele , Rubaszek Michał
Published: January 2012

A simple intertemporal current account model is found to explain successfully the current account configuration in the euro area before the Great Recession. The analysis suggests that consumption smoothing, prompted by expectations of economic convergence and the removal of exchange rate risk, has been an important driving force for the build‐up of current account divergence in the euro area since the creation of monetary union. The model also predicts that current account deficits and surpluses would narrow under a post‐crisis scenario of moderate catching‐up and more segmented bond markets.
Quality and Inclusion of Producers in Value Chains: A Theoretical Note
Authors: Vandemoortele Thijs , Rozelle Scott , Swinnen Johan , Xiang Tao
Published: January 2012

This paper develops a formal theory of the endogenous process of the introduction of high quality production in developing countries. Initial differences in income and capital and transaction costs are shown to affect the emergence of and the size of the high quality economy. Initial differences in the production structure and the nature of transaction costs—as well as the possibility of contracting between producers and processors—are shown to determine which producers are included in the high quality economy, and which not.
Profit Sharing and Outsourcing under Labor Market Imperfection
Authors: König Jan , Koskela Erkki
Published: January 2012

When the wage rate is set by the labor union, profit sharing and outsourcing is combined in this paper to analyze how the implementation of profit sharing affects individual effort and wage and thus outsourcing. The findings show that profit sharing and wage have an individual effort‐augmenting effect and therefore increase productivity. It is also found that the wage effect of profit sharing in general is ambiguous. There is a wage decreasing substitution effect, but in contrast, there is a wage increasing effect via labor demand elasticity and effort so that outsourcing and employment effects are also ambiguous. Furthermore, it is shown under which condition a firm will implement a profit sharing scheme.
Country Size, Technology and Manufacturing Location
Authors: Handley Kyle
Published: January 2012

Country size, technology and trade costs jointly affect the location of manufacturing activity. In this paper, the combined effects of country size and technology differences on manufacturing location are examined in a simple new economic geography model. The specification yields a closed‐form, analytic relationship between measures of relative productivity, country size and trade costs. The patterns of agglomeration are consistent with recent empirical evidence. Market and supplier access favor manufacturing agglomeration in large countries for high to intermediate trade costs. High productivity countries, however small, are favored for low trade costs. The model's tractability facilitates welfare analysis.
Welfare Effect of Mergers and Multilateral Trade Liberalization
Authors: Chaudhuri Amrita Ray , Benchekroun Hassan
Published: January 2012

In a two‐country model where firms behave à la Cournot, we show that trade liberalization increases (decreases) the social desirability of those mergers that generate sufficiently large (small) reductions in marginal cost. There exists a range of intermediate levels of marginal cost savings such that marginal tariff reductions increase (decrease) the desirability of merger at sufficiently low (high) tariff levels. Moreover, in the neighborhood of free trade, we show that if trade liberalization increases the profitability of a merger, it necessarily also increases its desirability.
Parallel Trade and its Ambiguous Effects on Global Welfare
Authors: Mueller‐Langer Frank
Published: January 2012

The regulation of parallel trade is a fiercely debated issue in the global trading system. This paper investigates the welfare effects of parallel trade freedom for different levels of trade costs and market size. It is found that parallel trade freedom has a positive effect on global welfare if countries are sufficiently heterogeneous in terms of market size and trade costs are sufficiently low. Contrary to intuition, this result even holds in a situation where parallel trade freedom implies the closure of the smaller market. If, however, countries are virtually homogenous in terms of market size, parallel trade freedom may be detrimental to global welfare for specific levels of trade costs.
How does Intergroup Contact Generate Ethnic Tolerance? The Contact Hypothesis in a Scandinavian Context
Authors: Frølund Thomsen Jens Peter
Published: January 2012

As European majority members are often hostile toward ethnic minorities, it is important to identify sources that reduce opposition to immigrants. First, focusing on Denmark, this article examines whether intergroup contact influences attitudes toward ethnic minority rights (henceforth: ‘ethnic tolerance’). Second, this study tests whether the contact‐tolerance relationship is mediated by self‐disclosure and symbolic threat. Furthermore, contact is measured as workplace contact in order to reduce self‐selection biases. The empirical tests are performed on a Danish high‐quality national probability sample from 2009 (N = 1,929). Analysis shows that intergroup contact generates ethnic tolerance because workplace contact weakens threat perceptions and stimulates disclosure of personal information. Generally, these results suggest that regular intergroup contact can improve ethnic relations in contemporary democracies.
FRESCO AND LIME‐PAINT: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN THESE PAINTING TECHNIQUES
Authors: PIOVESAN R. , MAZZOLI C. , MARITAN L. , CORNALE P.
Published: January 2012

Identification of the painting technique adopted by an artist is often debated in studies on the characterization, restoration and conservation of mural paintings. However, objective criteria to identify the two main lime‐based painting techniques, fresco and lime‐paint, have not yet been systematically verified on replicas. Replicas were painted following both fresco and lime‐painting techniques. A comparison of microstratigraphic sequences and distribution of chemical elements reveals systematic differences between the two techniques, providing objective distinguishing criteria. Samples from the Abbey of Chiaravalle (Milan, Italy) and Pompeii were also analysed, and the results were compared with experimental data to validate the recommended criteria.
IDENTIFICATION, PROCESSING AND USE OF RED PIGMENTS (HEMATITE AND CINNABAR) IN THE VALENCIAN EARLY NEOLITHIC (SPAIN)
Authors: DOMINGO I. , GARCÍA‐BORJA P. , ROLDÁN C.
Published: January 2012

The results of the first elemental and structural physicochemical analyses (SEM–EDX, TXRF, XRD, FTIR, GC and EDXRF) of Early Neolithic red pigment samples from the region of Valencia confirm one of the earliest uses of cinnabar (HgS) in Spain (5300 to 5000 cal bc). They also inform on the storage of massive quantities of hematite and the development of specific technologies of hematite‐based paint production and use. The samples were recovered at the three most significant Early Neolithic sites of the Mediterranean coast of Spain: Cova de l'Or (Beniarrés, Alacant), Cova de la Sarsa (Bocairent, Valencia) and Cova Fosca (Vall d'Ebo, Valencia), which together have provided the most important European collection of Cardial ceramic ware (chronoculturally diagnostic of the Early Neolithic).
COMPLEMENTARY COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF FORMATIVE PERIOD CERAMICS FROM THE TEOTIHUACAN VALLEY
Authors: ALEX B. A. , NICHOLS D. L. , GLASCOCK M. D.
Published: January 2012

During the Classic Period, Teotihuacan was an economic centre of central Mexico, but little is known about the development of this system. This paper presents a pilot study in multi‐method analysis of Formative Period (1500/1400 bc–ad 150) ceramics from the Teotihuacan Valley. Pottery was characterized by instrumental neutron activation analysis, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, thermal ionization mass spectrometry and petrography. It appears that most pottery was made from local raw materials that differ from later Postclassic materials. Some inter‐village interaction is suggested by stylistic choices, and one settlement had a group of ceramics made from unequivocally distinct raw materials. The study demonstrates how complementary methods can be used to draw greater anthropological meaning from compositional differences.
The effect of Zhangfei on the unfolded protein response and growth of cells derived from canine and human osteosarcomas
Authors: Bergeron T. , Zhang R. , Elliot K. , Rapin N. , MacDonald V. , Linn K. , Simko E. , Misra V.
Published: January 2012

The objective of this study was to determine whether the protein Zhangfei could suppress the unfolded protein response (UPR) and growth of osteosarcoma cells. Dog (D‐17) and a human (Saos‐2) osteosarcoma cells were infected with adenovirus vectors expressing either Zhangfei or the control protein beta‐ galactosidase. We monitored cell growth as well as levels of UPR gene transcripts and proteins. We found that Zhangfei suppressed the growth of both D‐17 and Saos‐2 cells. Zhangfei‐expressing D‐17 cells displayed large vacuoles containing culture medium and expressed phosphatidylserine on their external surface suggesting that Zhangfei induced macropinocytosis and apoptosis in these cells. While Zhangfei inhibited the growth of both D‐17 and Saos‐2 cells, it inhibited thapsigargin‐induced UPR, as detected by a decrease in transcripts for UPR genes, and HERP and GRP78 proteins, only in D‐17 cells, suggesting that the ability of Zhangfei to suppress the UPR and tumour cells growth may not be linked.
The order of the book: materiality, narrative and authorial voice in John Dowland's First Booke of Songes or Ayres
Authors: GIBSON KIRSTEN
Published: January 2012

In 1597 John Dowland made his self‐authorised print debut with The First Booke of Songes or Ayres. Many of the songs in the collection were, as Dowland indicates, ‘ripe inough by their age’, having ‘already grac't’ the two universities. The songs, and their poetic texts independent of musical setting, had had various pre‐print histories and would have invited specific contextually situated interpretations. Gathered together, set and ordered by Dowland in his printed collection the songs might attract alternative, though perhaps complimentary, readings informed by their new configuration and materiality. This article seeks to explore the ways in which the inclusion and positioning of these songs in a printed book might have impinged on the ways in which they were read and understood by contemporaneous readers, singers and listeners. The songs will be considered, firstly, through their framing by the prefatory pages of the book, and the various agendas these pages express – not least, that of the named author – and, secondly, from the perspective of their ordering and the overarching narrative it implies, the musical and textual interrelationships they evoke and their musical, poetic and political references to the world outside the pages of the book that might have also have informed interpretations of the songs as part of a printed collection.
My Ladye Nevells Booke: music, patronage and cultural negotiation in late sixteenth‐century England
Authors: SELA TEICHLER YAEL
Published: January 2012

The Elizabethan Reformation of 1559 marked not only a religious, but also a socio‐cultural watershed, yielding processes of transformation and redefinition of existing tropes and symbols, as reflected in a variety of aesthetic expressions engendered in England during the last third of the sixteenth century. English keyboard music, hitherto largely composed for the organ and conceived in terms of the Catholic rite, now lost its liturgical function and composers, notably William Byrd, organist of the Chapel Royal and England's foremost musician, began exploring new compositional avenues of non‐ecclesiastical keyboard music. The first known collection of the new repertoire is My Ladye Nevells Booke (1591), an ornately designed manuscript of Byrd's secular keyboard music dedicated to Lady Elizabeth Neville. Exploring the volume both as a musical text and as an artefact in the context of post‐Reformation English culture, this article seeks to explicate the aesthetic and communicatory value of Byrd's keyboard idiom in the specific material form in which it was dedicated to a patroness, demonstrating how the novelty and sophistication of his keyboard compositions were embedded in Renaissance intellectual traditions that shaped similarly innovative and genuinely English creative achievements in literature, visual art and indeed music.
‘E in rileggendo poi le proprie note’: Monteverdi responds to Artusi?
Authors: CARTER TIM
Published: January 2012

Claudio Monteverdi's Il quarto libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1603) ends with a setting of ‘Piagn’e sospira: e quand’i caldi raggi’, a text from Tasso's Gerusalemme conquistata (1593). Nicea, a Muslim in love with a Christian, wanders through the forest carving her beloved's name in the trees, and weeps as she re‐reads what she has scored in the bark. Monteverdi's Fourth Book of madrigals is an odd collection. Fifteen months before, the composer had been appointed maestro della musica to Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga of Mantua. However, instead of responding in what might seem the normal way – by printing something in the duke's honour – Monteverdi chose to dedicate a madrigal book to the Accademia degli Intrepidi of Ferrara. Even stranger is the fact that he makes no direct mention of what must have been uppermost in his mind, the recent attack on his madrigals by the Bolognese theorist Giovanni Maria Artusi. Artusi's diatribe against the moderns eventually forced the composer to come up with the defence of his ‘second’ practice. However, re‐reading ‘Piagn’e sospira’– as the text tells us to do – suggests that before Monteverdi put his theoretical brain in gear, he had already come up with a musical response.
Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography in Valvular Heart Disease
Authors: Cai Qiangjun , Ahmad Masood
Published: January 2012

Two‐dimensional echocardiography (2DE) with color Doppler has been the standard tool for assessing valvular heart disease. However, this requires conceptualizing three‐dimensional (3D) valvular anatomy from individual 2D slices, which is inadequate for complex valvular abnormalities. Similarly, Doppler‐based methods are inherently limited by several assumptions and are influenced by hemodynamics and concomitant valvular disease. 3DE has improved both morphological and functional assessment of valvular heart disease. It provides additional morphological information, which leads to better understanding of the mechanism of valvular dysfunction and surgical planning. 3D planimetry has proven to be accurate in the evaluation of valvular stenosis. This direct assessment eliminates measurement errors and could potentially serve as new gold standard. The continuity equation for aortic stenosis can be simplified by directly measuring left ventricular outflow tract area and stroke volume. In patients with valvular regurgitation, vena contracta area can be directly measured by using 3D color Doppler which is more accurate than the standard 2D methods. By applying hemi‐elliptical formula or directly measuring isovelocity surface area, 3DE has significantly improved the accuracy in regurgitant severity assessment. This is particularly useful in patients with eccentric jets. 3DE has an advantage over 2DE in assessment of tricuspid valve due to its complex geometry. Direct planimetry of orifice area in tricuspid stenosis, or vena contracta area in tricuspid regurgitation are promising although validation studies are needed before they can be applied for clinical decision making. 3DE has not been widely studied in pulmonic valve disease but preliminary data indicate that it is feasible. (Echocardiography 2012;29:88‐97)
Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography in Evaluation of Left Ventricular Indices
Authors: Yamani Hussein , Cai Qiangjun , Ahmad Masood
Published: January 2012

Accurate determination of left ventricular mass, volume, ejection fraction, and wall motion is important for clinical decision making. Currently, M‐mode and two‐dimensional echocardiography (2DE) have been routinely used for this purpose. Although these 1D or 2D modalities provide excellent diagnostic and prognostic information, they have a number of technical limitations including the time required to perform the procedure and operator‐dependent image acquisitions. In addition, they are inherently limited by geometric assumption of three‐dimensional (3D) left ventricular structures based on 2D slices. With the improvement in transducer technology and software development, 3D echocardiography (3DE) has become widely available. Left ventricular quantitation by 3DE has been demonstrated to be accurate by multiple studies that compared 3DE with reference techniques. In addition, 3DE measurements were found to be more reproducible and less variable than 2DE. Real time 3DE imaging has potential advantages in stress echocardiography including rapid acquisition, unlimited number of planes, avoidance of foreshortening, and precise segment matching. This is a major step forward in our diagnostic armamentarium for the evaluation of ischemia. In this review, we summarized the current evidence of 3DE for left ventricular evaluation. (Echocardiography 2012;29:66‐75)
Continuing Medical Education Activity in Echocardiography
Authors: Fan Pohoey , Stout Martin , Ravindran Roshan , Miller Christopher , Pearce Keith
Published: January 2012

Article Title: Preimplant Transthoracic Echocardiographic Assessment of Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device (Echocardiography 2012;29:51)
Melanocortin‐3 receptors are involved in adaptation to restricted feeding
Authors: Begriche K. , Marston O. J. , Rossi J. , Burke L. K. , McDonald P. , Heisler L. K. , Butler A. A.
Published: January 2012

The central nervous melanocortin system forms a neural network that maintains energy homeostasis. Actions involving neural melanocortin‐3 receptors (MC3Rs) regulate the expression rhythms in ingestive behaviors and metabolism anticipating nutrient intake. Here, we characterized the response of Mc3r knockout (Mc3r−/−) and wild type (WT) mice to a restricted feeding (RF) schedule where food access was limited to a 4‐h period mid light cycle using a mechanical barrier. Mc3r−/− mice adapted poorly to the food restriction schedule. Anticipatory activity and the initial bout of intense feeding activity associated with granting food access were attenuated in Mc3r−/− mice, resulting in increased weight loss relative to controls. To investigate whether activity in specific hypothalamic nuclei contribute to the Mc3r−/− phenotype observed, we assessed hypothalamic FOS‐immunoreactivity (FOS‐IR) associated with food restriction. Food access markedly increased FOS‐IR in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), but not in the suprachiasmatic or ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei (SCN and VMN, respectively) compared to ad libitum fed mice. Mc3r−/− mice displayed a significant reduction in FOS‐IR in the DMH during feeding. Analysis of MC3R signaling in vitro indicated dose‐dependent stimulation of the extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway by the MC3R agonist d‐Trp(8)‐γMSH. Treatment of WT mice with d‐Trp(8)‐γMSH administered intracerebroventricularly increased the number of pERK neurons 1.7‐fold in the DMH. These observations provide further support for the involvement of the MC3Rs in regulating adaptation to food restriction. Moreover, MC3Rs may modulate the activity of neurons in the DMH, a region previously linked to the expression of the anticipatory response to RF.
End of life, death and dying in neonatal intensive care units in Latin America
Authors: Fajardo CA , González S , Zambosco G , Cancela MJ , Forero LV , Venegas M , Baquero H , Lemus‐Varela L , Kattan J , Wormald F , Sola A , Lantos J
Published: January 2012

Aim:  Most analyses of end of life decisions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) have come from Europe/English‐speaking countries. Would decisions be different in Latin American NICUs? Therefore, we aim to evaluate the approach to dying infants/families in NICUs in Latin America.

Methods:  Multinational descriptive study of all deaths in babies born at >22 weeks in eight NICUs in five Latin American countries. Deaths were categorized as: (i) no Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or life support offered; (ii) life support initiated but do not resuscitate (DNR) orders written or no CPR provided; (iii) full life support and CPR; and (iv) unclassifiable.

Results:  There were 100 deaths, 81% in >27 weeks. Seventeen infants received no CPR/life support at birth, 10 died in DR and seven in NICU. There were 27 infants in group 2, 54 in group three and two in group 4. No baby had care withdrawn or care withdrawn/CPR withheld. Thirty‐two infants had ‘do not resuscitate’ order. Decisions without parents’ involvement in 15%, both parents present at death 24% and sedatives/narcotics documented 14%.

Conclusions:  Latin American NICUs differ from those in Northern Europe/English‐speaking countries. More deaths are accompanied by full life support and CPR. DNR orders are rare. Withdrawal of life support is virtually non‐existent. Latin American’s doctors are more likely to make decisions without the objections of family about withholding life‐sustaining treatment.
Difference in mother–child interaction between preterm‐ and term‐born preschoolers with and without disabilities
Authors: Potharst Eva S , Schuengel Carlo , Last Bob F , van Wassenaer Aleid G , Kok Joke H , Houtzager Bregje A
Published: January 2012

Aim:  To investigate differences in the quality of mother–child interaction between preterm‐ and term‐born children at age 5, and to study the association of mother–child interaction with sociodemographic characteristics and child disability.

Methods:  Preterm children (n = 94), born at <30 weeks’ gestation and/or birth weight <1000 g, and term children (n = 84) were assessed at corrected age of 5 using a mother–child interaction observation. Disabilities were assessed using an intelligence test, behaviour questionnaires for parents and teachers, and motor and neurological examinations.

Results:  Mothers of preterm‐born children were less supportive of and more interfering with their children’s autonomy than mothers of term‐born children. This difference was only partly explained by sociodemographic factors. Dyads showed a lower quality of mother–child interaction if children had a severe disability, especially when mothers had a lower level of education.

Conclusion:  Five years after birth, mother–child interaction of very premature children and their mothers compared unfavourably with term children and their mothers. Mothers with sociodemographic disadvantages, raising a preterm child with severe disabilities, struggle most with giving adequate sensitive support for the autonomy development of their child. Focused specialized support for these at risk groups is warranted.
DEFENDING RIGHTS IN (SPECIAL) EDUCATION
Authors: Ben‐Porath Sigal
Published: January 2012

The state's commitment to educating all children can be framed as a matter of human capital development, or the economic benefits accrued to individuals and society as a result of educational attainment; it can be framed as a matter of capabilities, or the development of functionings that enable human flourishing; and it can be framed as a matter of rights. In this essay Sigal Ben‐Porath considers the relative merits of the three approaches, elaborating the implications each of these different frameworks has for the education of children with disabilities. While the capabilities approach, which arises from and relates to the rights approach, is sensitive to the needs of individuals with disabilities (more than the human capital approach is, in any case), Ben‐Porath concludes that a rights framework can best express through educational policy the state's commitment to the education of all children, regardless of ability.
THE RIGHT TO DISSENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOLING
Authors: Stitzlein Sarah M.
Published: January 2012

In this article Sarah Stitzlein highlights an educational right that has been largely unacknowledged in the past but has recently gained significance given renewed citizen participation in displays of public outcry on our streets and in our town halls. Dissent is typically conceived of as a negative right—a liberty that guarantees that the government will not interfere with one's public self‐expression. Stitzlein argues that, insofar as the legitimacy of the state depends on obtaining the consent of the governed, the state must allow the lively proliferation of dissent. Attending to this negative rights perspective, Stitzlein explores the educational implications of reframing the right to dissent as a positive right. This includes discussing the state's obligation to cultivate the skills of dissent in its young citizens and, correspondingly, student entitlement to this training. These educational implications, especially for civics education, are far more substantial than the thinner implications of the negative right to dissent.
STUDENT RIGHTS TO RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION AND THE SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SCHOOLS
Authors: Warnick Bryan R.
Published: January 2012

In this essay Bryan Warnick explores how rights to religious expression should be understood for students in public schools. Warnick frames student religious rights as a debate between the conflicting values associated with the Free Exercise Clause and the values associated with the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution. He then asks how the special characteristics of the school environment should guide us in prioritizing those values. The overall weight of the considerations, particularly concerns about civic education, leads to a two‐pronged approach to religious rights. The first prong involves a robust protection of student religious exercise; the second involves an equally robust regime of school disassociation from student religious exercises.
NO CHILD IS AN ISLAND: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
Authors: Newman Olivia
Published: January 2012

In this essay Olivia Newman critically examines two opposing rights claims: the liberal claim that children have a right to become liberal choosers and the fundamentalist claim that children have a right to not become liberal choosers. These positions reflect differing views regarding the value of critically choosing, rather than simply accepting, a way of life. Given their assumptions regarding preference formation, both of these rights appear untenable in light of recent scholarship in psychology: we can neither select a way of life independent of our social milieu, as liberals often imply, nor can we predict how different experiences will affect our preferences, as fundamentalists assume. Nevertheless, each position points to important concerns. Children have a substantive right of exit from constraining social milieus, as liberals purport, as well as a right to respect in public institutions, as fundamentalists insist. When liberals and fundamentalists assert these more modest rights claims, educators can and should strive to satisfy both.
Stellar jitter from variable gravitational redshift: implications for radial velocity confirmation of habitable exoplanets
Authors: Cegla H. M. , Watson C. A. , Marsh T. R. , Shelyag S. , Moulds V. , Littlefair S. , Mathioudakis M. , Pollacco D. , Bonfils X.
Published: January 2012

A variation of gravitational redshift, arising from stellar radius fluctuations, will introduce astrophysical noise into radial velocity measurements by shifting the centroid of the observed spectral lines. Shifting the centroid does not necessarily introduce line asymmetries. This is fundamentally different from other types of stellar jitter so far identified, which do result from line asymmetries. Furthermore, only a very small change in stellar radius, ∼0.01 per cent, is necessary to generate a gravitational redshift variation large enough to mask or mimic an Earth-twin. We explore possible mechanisms for stellar radius fluctuations in low-mass stars. Convective inhibition due to varying magnetic field strengths and the Wilson depression of starspots are both found to induce substantial gravitational redshift variations. Finally, we investigate a possible method for monitoring/correcting this newly identified potential source of jitter and comment on its impact for future exoplanet searches.
Twinkling pulsar wind nebulae in the synchrotron cut-off regime and the γ-ray flares in the Crab Nebula
Authors: Bykov A. M. , Pavlov G. G. , Artemyev A. V. , Uvarov Yu. A.
Published: January 2012

Synchrotron radiation of ultrarelativistic particles accelerated in a pulsar wind nebula may dominate its spectrum up to γ-ray energies. Because of the short cooling time of the γ-ray-emitting electrons and positrons, the γ-ray-emission zone is in the immediate vicinity of the acceleration site. Particle acceleration likely occurs at the termination shock of a relativistic striped wind, where multiple forced magnetic field reconnections provide strong magnetic fluctuations facilitating Fermi acceleration processes. The acceleration mechanisms imply the presence of stochastic magnetic fields in the particle acceleration region, which cause stochastic variability of the synchrotron emission. This variability is particularly strong in the steep γ-ray tail of the spectrum, where modest fluctuations of the magnetic field lead to strong flares of spectral flux. In particular, stochastic variations of magnetic field, which may lead to quasi-cyclic γ-ray flares, can be produced by the relativistic cyclotron ion instability at the termination shock. Our model calculations of the spectral and temporal evolution of synchrotron emission in the spectral cut-off regime demonstrate that the intermittent magnetic field concentrations dominate the γ-ray emission from highest energy electrons and provide fast, strong variability even for a quasi-steady distribution of radiating particles. The simulated light curves and spectra can explain the very strong γ-ray flares observed in the Crab Nebula and lack of strong variations at other wavelengths. The model predicts high polarization in the flare phase, which can be tested with future polarimetry observations.
Spectroscopy of the spatially extended Lyα emission around a quasar at z = 6.4
Authors: Goto Tomotsugu , Utsumi Yousuke , Walsh Jeremy R. , Hattori Takashi , Miyazaki Satoshi , Yamauchi Chisato
Published: January 2012

We have taken deep, moderate-resolution Keck/DEIMOS spectra of the quasar (QSO) CFHQS J232908.28−030158.8 at z= 6.4. At the wavelength of Lyα, the spectrum shows a spatially extended component, which is significantly more extended than a stellar spectrum, and also a continuum part of the spectrum. The rest-frame linewidth of the extended component is 21 ± 7 Å and thus smaller than that of the QSO (52 ± 4 Å), where they should be identical if the light is incomplete subtraction of the QSO component. Therefore, these comparisons argue for the detection of spatially extended Lyα nebulae around this QSO. This is the first z > 6 QSO where an extended Lyα halo has been observed. Careful subtraction of the central QSO spectrum reveals a lower limit to the Lyα luminosity of (1.7 ± 0.1) × 1043 erg s−1. This emission may be from the theoretically predicted infalling gas in the process of forming a primordial galaxy that is ionized by a central QSO. On the other hand, if it is photoionized by the host galaxy, an estimated star formation rate of >3.0 M⊙ yr−1 is required.

If we assume the gas is virialized, we obtain a dynamical mass estimate of Mdyn= 1.2 × 1012 M⊙. The derived MBH/Mhost ratio is 2.1 × 10−4, which is two orders of magnitude smaller than those from more massive z∼ 6 QSOs, and places this galaxy in accordance with the local MBH–σ relation, in contrast to a previous claim on the evolution of the MBH–σ relation at z∼ 6. We do not claim evolution or non-evolution of the MBH–σ relation based on a single object, but our result highlights the importance of investigating fainter QSOs at z∼ 6.
Restorative Justice in the Classroom: Necessary Roles of Cooperative Context, Constructive Conflict, and Civic Values
Authors: Johnson David W. , Johnson Roger T.
Published: January 2012

To ensure that restorative justice is effective, a cooperative context must be developed, future conflicts must be managed constructively, and relevant parties need to adopt civic values. The theory underlying the creation of a cooperative context is social interdependence theory. Goal interdependence may be positive (i.e., cooperative) or negative (i.e., competitive). Creating a cooperative context will both help prevent destructively managed conflicts and help create positive relationships. The long‐term maintenance of a cooperative context depends on resolving conflicts constructively. Individuals need to learn how to resolve conflicts of interests through integrative negotiation and peer mediation. Individuals also need to learn how to resolve intellectual disagreements through the constructive controversy procedure. Intellectual disagreements are inherent in all decision making. Finally, engaging in cooperative efforts and resolving conflicts constructively inculcates civic values. It is the combination of cooperative experiences, constructive conflict resolution, and civic values that most effectively ensures that all relevant parties can redress past wrongs and reconcile with each other.
Vacating of Arbitration Awards as Diminishment of Conflict Resolution
Authors: LaVan Helen , Jedel Michael J. , Perkovich Robert
Published: January 2012

The traditional perspective about arbitration has been that the award of the arbitrator is final and binding on all parties. Generally, arbitration has resolved the conflict. However, a trend has emerged in which the losing party seeks a court as a second forum for the resolution of the dispute in order to have the decision of the arbitrator vacated. This study analyzed 101 randomly selected cases out of a population of 573 cases in which vacatur of an arbitration award was sought. In approximately 30% of these cases, the arbitration award was in fact vacated. Case characteristics, applicable laws, legally based behaviors and arbitrator behaviors were analyzed to develop an understanding of the contexts in which arbitration awards are vacated. Implications for arbitrators and the advocates are suggested.
The Role of Justice in Historical Negotiations
Authors: Wagner Lynn , Druckman Daniel
Published: January 2012

This study explores the role of justice in eleven historical cases of inter‐governmental negotiation. Building on results obtained in several recent studies on justice in negotiation, we examine a set of hypotheses about relationships among negotiating process (as distributive bargaining or problem solving), justice (as procedural and distributive), outcomes (as compromise or integrative), and the duration of the agreements. The process variables were coded from negotiators’ statements with categories from the bargaining process analysis system. The justice variables were coded with a system developed in recent studies on peace agreements. Similar to the results obtained by Hollander‐Blumoff and Tyler (2008: 473) in a simulated legal setting, we find correlations between procedural justice, problem solving, and integrative outcomes. Similar to the results obtained by Druckman and Albin (2011: 1137) on peace agreements, we find a strong relationship between distributive justice and the durability of the agreement. In these cases, problem‐solving processes were shown to mediate the relationship between procedural justice and integrative outcomes. The findings suggest that justice plays an important role across a variety of negotiation settings. We present these results as heuristic, suggesting avenues for further research on larger and more diverse samples of cases.