bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urban-induced Increase in Length of the Freeze-free Season and Its Environmental Implications
Authors: Nkemdirim Lawrence C. , Venkatesan D. 
Published: August 2009

There has been a systematic increase in the length of the freeze-free season in several Canadian cities since 1940. This increase is believed to be due mainly to urbanization. Although the rate of urbanization during the period 1940–70 was not significantly higher than the rates in the preceding decades, urban growth during those thirty years was accompanied by higher levels of fossil-fuel conversion, which produced higher temperatures in towns and cities than in surrounding rural areas, and a generally reinforced ‘greenhouse effect’. The higher temperatures in turn combined with other urban factors to enhance the length of the freeze-free season.In a northern climate where the growing-season is already precariously short, a longer freeze-free season should have beneficial effects on agriculture and affect other aspects of the environment. There is general agreement among research workers that the energetics of solar variability are too small to affect tropospheric or stratospheric processes directly to any significant degree. This study reinforces belief in the importance of local factors; such influences tend to override any subtle connection between solar variability and the weather.
Trampling and Fire in a Subtropical Dry Sclerophyll Forest
Authors: Liddle Michael J. , Thyer N.C. 
Published: August 2009

Experimental trampling was carried out in recently-burned and unburned areas of a dry sclerophyll forest. Percentage cover was greatly reduced by burning and trampling. Plant numbers were relatively unaffected by burning, and trampling had approximately the same effect on plant numbers in recently-burned and unburned areas.The reduction of cover and plant numbers to 50% of their original value by fewer than 16 passages was near to that predicted on the basis of the low primary productivity of the ground-flora, and suggests that this type of vegetation is quite vulnerable to trampling.
Charcoal Production from Agricultural Burning in Central Panama and its Deposition in the Sediments of the Gulf of Panama
Authors: Suman Daniel O. 
Published: August 2009

Widespread agricultural burning during the dry season in the Pacific watershed of Panama is an important ecological phenomenon. During that time over 10% of the land surface (woodlands and savannas) is burned annually, with the resulting production of large amounts of charcoal. The major portion of the charcoal remains on land, but 5% is mobilized by river runoff and winds to the sediments of the Gulf of Panama.The aeolian transport of particulate charcoal by the north-easterly Trade Winds has been monitored by dry-deposition and aerosol paniculate collectors. During the burning-season, atmospheric charcoal concentrations in rural Panama can be similar to urban concentrations in North America or Europe. More than 60% of the charcoal aerosol mass was carried as fine particles (< 2 urn diameter), suggesting that long-range transport is possible.Dry-deposition fluxes, which are positively correlated with the areal extent of land that is burned, are more than an order of magnitude less than the charcoal fluxes to the uppermost near-shore sedimentary deposits in the Gulf of Panama. This implies that aeolian transport is not the principal mechanism of charcoal mobilization to these sediments. The extremely high runoff per unit area in the Gulf of Panama watershed is probably responsible for the predominance of continental runoff as the charcoal transport mechanism in the region.Being relatively indestructible, charcoal can also be used as a tracer for past burning activities. Sediment box-cores have been recovered from the Gulf of Panama, and Pb-210 geochronologies were utilized to determine sedimentation rates. The charcoal particles were isolated by chemical methods and their fluxes, size-distributions, and morphologies, were analysed. The relative uniformity of these measurements in the marine sediment geochronologies indicates stability of burning patterns in central Panama during the last two centuries.
Remotely-sensed Data for Natural Resource Models
Authors: Ritchie Jerry C. , Engman Edwin T. 
Published: August 2009

Attempts to model ecosystems have increased in recent years through the application of systems theory and the improvement in computer capacity and speed. A major problem with these models is providing data for input or validation. A potential source of data is information collected by remote-sensing techniques. Remotely-sensed data can be used in natural resource simulation models to provide spatial and temporal measurements, data for model calibration or validation, and independent feedback to keep the model simulation on track with reality. Remote sensing can provide spatial and temporal measurements of many landscape parameters that could improve our ability to understand and model the spatial and temporal characteristics of landscapes.The challenge for remote-sensing scientists, landscape ecologists, and natural resource modellers, is to determine the most effective way to interpret and use the data from remote sensors in natural resource management. Natural resource models that can fully utilize the spatial data which remote-sensing techniques can provide, will almost certainly improve our understanding of landscapes and our ability to simulate and manage them wisely.
Ecology and Development: An Attempt to Synthesize
Authors: Geerling Christiaan , Breman Henk , Bérczy Eva T. 
Published: August 2009

In the context of ‘ecology’ and ‘development’, both these terms are usually ill-defined. Development, a finite process, is nevertheless conceived as sustainable, while ecology is only used in a qualitative way in this context. Development concerns resources—renewable and nonrenewable—both of which are finite in their exploitability. Ecology in land-use concerns the interference of Man as a biological species in ecological processes.Integration of ‘ecology’ in ‘development’ requires the following steps:1. Quantify the resources, both renewable and non-renewable, to be developed in terms of carrying capacity and inputs available.2. Determine the regulating ecological factors in both the natural ecosystem and the land-use system.3. Assess the interventions needed to counter limiting factors, their effectiveness, and their (side-)effects.4. Define measures to be taken in such a way that they can be integrated with cultural, social, and economic, data, in order to arrive at a balanced approach to development.
Effects of Oxidant Air-pollution on Needle Health and Annual-ring Width in a Ponderosa Pine Forest
Authors: Williams Wayne T. , Williams JoAnne Ackermann 
Published: August 2009

More than 485,000 hectares of the Ponderosa Pine forests in the southern Sierra Nevada of California are diseased as a result of air pollution, while approximately 25% of the area of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park receives enough oxidant air-pollution to elicit symptoms of smog injury on Ponderosa Pine, the dominant mid-elevation tree.In 1983 we re-examined four permanent study plots that had been established in 1974–75. Smog symptoms on current needles in 1983 occurred on 23.8% of the trees compared with 14.5% only in 1975. Second-year needles had 60.7% showing symptoms compared with 44.2% in 1975. Less than 0.5% of the trees retained 6-years-old needles, and 21% had only 2 years of needle retention. Mortality attributed to air pollution was observed.
The Human Dimension in Natural Resource Conservation: A Sahelian Example from Niger
Authors: Newby John E. , Grettenberger John F. 
Published: August 2009

The Republic of Niger is establishing a vast national nature reserve in the Aïr Massif and Ténéré Desert. With its 77,360 km2, the reserve will cover a wide variety of arid-land habitats. Both rainfall and vegetation are sparse, but the area harbours a varied fauna that includes a number of threatened species. The Twareg inhabitants of the reserve subsist by raising livestock, by irrigating small gardens, and by caravanning. Their day-to-day existence relies heavily on natural resources, and their continued existence will depend on the conservation of those resources. Drought, desertification, and abusive use, are all responsible for the deterioration of those resources.Although highly necessary, the rational management of the area's natural resources will conflict with current landuse practices. Examples of where this happens are presented, and some proposals are put forward for their solution. Ideally, a flexible management system needs to be elaborated that will satisfy both the aspirations of the zone's managers and the immediate needs of its residents. The Authors hope that work in Niger will find its application elsewhere in the Sahel, and meanwhile emphasize the need to reconcile conservation with development.
Conservation of Habitats for Shrubsteppe Birds
Authors: Schuler Carol A. , Rickard William H. , Sargeant Glen A. 
Published: August 2009

Extending over a year, all the birds that could be detected were counted on two transects which together sampled an area of 1.39 km2. Only 37 species were recorded during 82 surveys. Total bird density during the spring (March–June) was 43.0 birds/km2, and the density for the entire year was 26.7 birds/km2. The characteristic nesting birds were Western Meadowlark, Sage Sparrow, Burrowing Owl, Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, Long-billed Curlew, Lark Sparrow, and Loggerhead Shrike. Western Meadow-larks and Sage Sparrows were the most abundant nesting birds, having an average density of 11.2 and 7.8 birds/km2, respectively. Seasonal distribution of birds varied with species, but most species were present only from March to September.Sixty-three per cent of the habitat surveyed was dominated by Big Sagebrush, 26% was dominated by Cheatgrass, and the remaining 11% was dominated by Spiny Hopsage. Big Sagebrush habitat supported a greater total bird density than the Cheatgrass or Hopsage habitats. Sage Sparrows were closely associated with Sagebrush habitats, while Western Meadowlarks showed no strong habitat affinities.Extensive habitat modifications induced by more than a century of agriculture and livestock grazing have greatly depleted native Shrubsteppe habitat in the Columbia Basin. Over the past 40 years, the Hanford Site has served as a refugium for Shrubsteppe habitat that supports populations of native Shrubsteppe birds. The concept of the Hanford Site as a refugium for native Shrubsteppe habitat and Shrubsteppe nesting birds is favourably discussed.
Role of Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park in Meeting the Grazing and Fodder Needs of Local People
Authors: Sharma Uday R. , Shaw William W. 
Published: August 2009

It has been increasingly accepted that park management policies in some countries should allow for limited access to park resources by the local people to meet their subsistence and cultural needs. However, too much access to the natural resources of a park may simply cause people to rely on the park resource and manage their own lands less intensively than hitherto.The issue of illegal livestock-grazing and fodder-cutting in Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) by local people is examined. The study area was comprised of 16 village units having an estimated population of 148, 404 people in 21, 621 households. Despite the presence of a large number of armed guards, the data from interviews with farmers indicated that illegal livestock-grazing and fodder-cutting in RCNP were prevalent. In the spring season, grazing intensity on the Park was higher than in other seasons, whereas cutting of fodder was intense in both winter and spring seasons.The actual monitoring of 11 patches (totalling 365 ha) of grasslands or savanna for a calendar year inside the Park but near its boundary, indicated that illegal grazing averaged 4.1 head per ha (3.0 cattle, 0.9 buffalo, and 0.2 sheep/goats). In addition, the livestock biomass was found to be increasing by 2.36% per annum in Park-adjoining villages. There is some evidence that villagers adapt their livestock practices in response to the availability (illegal) of grazing in, and fodder-removal from, the Park.The pressures for illegal access to park resources will continue to grow and eventually will exceed the capacity of the resource to recover from harvest. The best approach to resolve this illegal livestock grazing issue is neither strict protection nor widely-expanded access. The Park should consistently work to induce a gradual behavioural change, on the part of the farmers, to stall-feed livestock from fodder originating from their own farms and/or from community plantation.
Using syndromic surveillance systems to detect pneumonic plague
Authors: BABIN S. M. 
Published: August 2009

SUMMARYBecause syndromic surveillance systems use pre-diagnostic data for early detection of disease outbreaks, it is important to know how the earliest signs and symptoms of a disease might appear in these systems. The available medical literature describing the sequence of signs and symptoms of pneumonic plague reveals that, during the earliest stages, patients will most likely present with certain gastrointestinal and minimal, if any, respiratory signs. Without this knowledge, early evidence of pneumonic plague in syndromic surveillance systems may be missed until the respiratory signs become prevalent. Because plague is a zoonotic disease, new syndromic surveillance systems that use animal data from park rangers and veterinarians may provide useful evidence. This paper shows how a review of both human and animal literature can be used to design queries for syndromic surveillance systems.
Is there a promising market ‘in between’ organic and conventional food? Analysis of consumer preferences
Authors: Janssen Meike , Heid Astrid , Hamm Ulrich 
Published: August 2009

AbstractVarious products incorporating single aspects of organic production systems such as lower inputs of pesticides, food additives or concentrated animal feed are found on the food market (referred to as low-input products hereafter). In our study, we analyzed how consumers react to low-input products in a purchase simulation with certified organic, conventional and low-input products. In the purchase simulations, each participant was asked to make three consecutive purchase decisions, one each for milk, yogurt and apples. The results of a cluster analysis revealed one cluster with a high preference for organic products and three clusters that featured considerable shares of low-input purchases. The latter clusters, however, were not characterized by a clear preference for low-input products. Rather, they bought mixed baskets of goods, i.e., low-input products in combination with either organic or conventional products. The low-input products in the categories milk, yogurt and apples did thus not necessarily attract the same groups of people. Interestingly, we found that most consumers who chose low-input products in the simulations usually buy those particular products in conventional quality. We conclude that in our study, we found a heterogeneous group of low-input buyers. For the organic sector, communicating the various aspects of organic production might be a promising strategy for gaining new customers. The low-input products in the purchase simulation only featured one special attribute, whereas organic products incorporate several.
A technique for assessing environmental impact risks of agricultural systems
Authors: Sydorovych Olha , Raczkowski Charles W. , Wossink Ada , Mueller J. Paul , Creamer Nancy G. , Hu Shuijin , Bell Melissa , Tu Cong 
Published: August 2009

AbstractConventional agriculture often aims to achieve high returns without allowing for sustainable natural resource management. To prevent environmental degradation, agricultural systems must be assessed and environmental standards need to be developed. This study used a multi-factor approach to assess the potential environmental impact risk of six diverse systems: five production systems and a successional system or abandoned agronomic field. Assessment factors were soil quality status, amount of pesticide and fertilizer applied and tillage intensity. The assessment identified the best management practices (BMP)–conventional tillage system as a high-risk system mostly because of extensive tillage. The certified organic system was also extensively tilled and was characterized by P build-up in the soil, but performed well based on other assessment factors. Conversely, the BMP–no tillage and the crop–animal integrated system were characterized as low risk mainly because of reduced tillage. The paper discusses assessment strengths and weaknesses, ways to improve indicators used, and the need for additional indicators. We concluded that with further development the technique will become a resourceful tool to promote agricultural sustainability and environmental stewardship and assist policy-making processes.
Japanese version of Cutaneous Body Image Scale: Translation and validation
Authors: HIGAKI Yuko , WATANABE Ikuko , MASAKI Tomoko , KAMO Toshiko , KAWASHIMA Makoto , SATOH Toshihiko , SAITOH Shiroh , NOHARA Michiko , GUPTA Madhulika A. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractCutaneous body image, defined as the individual’s mental perception of the appearance of their skin, hair and nails, is an important psychodermatological element in skin diseases. To measure individuals’ cutaneous body image, a practical and accurate instrument is necessary. In this study, we translated the Cutaneous Body Image Scale (CBIS), a 7‐item instrument originally created by Gupta et al. in 2004, into Japanese using a forward‐ and back‐translation method and evaluated the reliability and validity of the instrument by psychometric tests. A total of 298 healthy adults (64 men and 234 women, aged 28.9 ± 9.9 years) and 165 dermatology patients (56.7% eczema/dermatitis, 9.8% acne, 7.5% alopecia, 6.9% psoriasis, 19.1% skin tumor/fleck/other) (30 men and 135 women, aged 37.9 ± 15.2 years) responded to the Japanese version of the CBIS. The internal‐consistency reliability of the instrument was high (Cronbach’s α, healthy adults 0.88, patients 0.84). The CBIS measure demonstrates good test–retest reliability (healthy adults γ = 0.92, P < 0.0001; patients γ = 0.79, P < 0.001). Compared to the healthy adults (4.11 ± 1.80), the CBIS scores among dermatology patients (3.18 ± 1.69, P = 0.000) were significantly low. The CBIS scores showed moderate correlation with the “emotions“ and “global” scores of Skindex‐16 in healthy adults (γ = −0.397 and −0.373, respectively) and in patients (γ = −0.431 and −0.38, respectively). A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that an emotional aspect of skin‐condition related quality of life was the best predictor of cutaneous body image in both healthy adults and patients (β = −0.31 and −0.41, respectively) followed by “body dissatisfaction” (β = −0.17, and −0.23, respectively). Adjusted R2 was 0.246 in healthy adults and 0.264 in patients. These were consistent with the results from the original the CBIS. These results suggest that the Japanese version of the CBIS is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the cutaneous body image of Japanese adults and also dermatology patients.
The influence of tree canopies and elephants on sub‐canopy vegetation in a savannah
Authors: Guldemond Robert , Van Aarde Rudi 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe apparent influence of elephants on the structure of savannahs in Africa may be enhanced by management activities, fire and other herbivores. We separated the effect elephants have on grasses, woody seedlings (<0.5 m) and saplings (0.5–2 m) from the effect of tree canopies (canopy effect), and herbivory (park effect). We defined the canopy effect as the differences between plant abundances and diversity indices under tree canopies and 20 m away from these. Our testing of the park effect relied on the differences in the sub‐canopy plant indices inside and outside a protected area that supported a range of herbivores. We based our assessment of the elephant effect on sub‐canopy vegetation indices associated with elephant induced reductions in tree canopies. The park and canopy effects were more pronounced than the elephant effect. The park effect suppressed the development of woody seedlings into saplings. Conditions associated with tree canopies benefited woody plants, but not the grasses, as their indices were lower under trees. Elephants reducing canopies facilitated grass species tolerant of direct solar radiation. We concluded that management should consider other agents operating in the system when deciding on reducing the impact that elephants may have on vegetation.
The leaf economics spectrum and the prediction of photosynthetic light–response curves
Authors: Marino Giancarlo , Aqil Marouane , Shipley Bill 
Published: August 2009

Summary 1. In this paper we determine whether interspecific variation in entire photosynthetic light–response curves correlates with the leaf traits of the ‘leaf economics spectrum’ (LES) and the degree to which such traits can predict interspecific variation in light–response curves. This question is important because light–response curves are included in many ecosystem models of plant productivity and gas exchange but such models do not take into account interspecific variation in such response curves. 2. We answer this question using original observations from 260 leaves from 130 plants of 65 different species of herbaceous (25) and woody (40) angiosperms. Herbs were grown in growth chambers and gas exchange measurements were taken in the laboratory. Leaf traits and gas exchange measurements for the woody plants were taken in the field. Leaf traits measured were leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf nitrogen concentration (N) and leaf chlorophyll concentration (Chl). We fitted the Mitscherlich and Michaelis–Menten equations of the light–response curve separately for each leaf. This gave (for the Mitscherlich equation) the light compensation point (ϕ), the quantum yield at the light compensation point (q(ϕ)), and maximum net photosynthesis (Amax) and (for the Michaelis–Menten equation), the maximum gross photosynthesis (Gmax), the half saturation coefficient (k) and the dark respiration rate (Rd). 3. Amax and q(ϕ) were highly correlated with the measured leaf traits but ϕ was not. All three parameters of the Michaelis–Menten equations were correlated with the leaf traits. Allometric equations predicting the parameters of the Mitscherlich and Michaelis–Menten equations by N and LMA are presented. Replacing the leaf‐specific parameters by these general allometric equations based on leaf N and LMA gave good predictions of net photosynthetic rates over the entire range of irradiance (r = 0·79–0·98) but with a downward bias for the herbs when the most general allometric equations are used. 4. These results further extend the generality of the LES and may allow available information from large leaf trait data bases to be incorporated into ecosystem models of plant growth and gas exchange.