bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Older people's needs following major disasters: a qualitative study of Iranian elders' experiences of the Bam earthquake
Authors: ARDALAN ALI , MAZAHERI MONIR , NAIENI KOUROSH HOLAKOUIE , REZAIE MOHSEN , TEIMOORI FARIBA , POURMALEK FARSHAD 
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACTElders have long been recognised as among the most vulnerable people in disaster events. This paper reports a qualitative study of the self-perceived needs of older people in the aftermath of the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003. A total of 56 people aged from 65 to 88 years were recruited to the study using purposive sampling, including 29 men and 27 women. Six focus group discussions and ten semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. Each focus group involved six to ten people from the cities of Bam and Baravat and their rural suburbs. Content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. The analysis identified four major themes among the informants' concerns: inappropriate service delivery, affronts to dignity, feeling insecure and emotional distress. A disaster-prone country like Iran needs to be appropriately prepared with culturally sensitive plans to meet the needs of those who suffer from their effects, not least older people. Emergency relief managers should note that for many older people in a disaster zone, customary forms of relief are neither required nor appropriate, and that their distinctive immediate and long-term needs should be assessed and met. Relief agencies need to be trained to be age-sensitive and should mainstream older people's rights in the planning and implementation of both the response and recovery phases of assistance.
The impact of sheep breed on the risk of classical scrapie
Authors: McINTYRE K. M. , TREWBY H. , GUBBINS S. , BAYLIS M. 
Published: August 2009

SUMMARYThe risk of classical scrapie in sheep is associated with polymorphisms in the prion protein (PrP) gene. In recent years, large-scale selective breeding programmes for sheep at lower risk of disease have been undertaken across the European Union. We analysed large-scale datasets on scrapie and sheep demography to investigate additional effects of sheep breed on scrapie risk. There was evidence for variation between certain breeds in the scrapie risk of some PrP genotypes, which could be caused by innate breed differences or distinct scrapie strains circulating within them. While the PrP genotypes of cases are generally consistent across breeds, some exceptions provide evidence that scrapie strain may influence affected PrP genotypes to a greater extent than innate breed differences. There was a significant association between the breed-level incidence of scrapie and the frequency of susceptible PrP genotypes in breeds. Our results lend support to selective breeding programmes which aim to reduce the frequency of high-risk PrP genotypes with measures not varying by sheep breed.
El Tor cholera with severe disease: a new threat to Asia and beyond
Authors: SIDDIQUE A. K. , NAIR G. B. , ALAM M. , SACK D. A. , HUQ A. , NIZAM A. , LONGINI I. M. , QADRI F. , FARUQUE S. M. , COLWELL R. R. , AHMED S. , IQBAL A. , BHUIYAN N. A. , SACK R. B. 
Published: August 2009

SUMMARYDuring epidemics of cholera in two rural sites (Bakerganj and Mathbaria), a much higher proportion of patients came for treatment with severe dehydration than was seen in previous years. V. cholerae O1 isolated from these patients was found to be El Tor in its phenotype, but its cholera toxin (CT) was determined to be that of classical biotype. Whether the observed higher proportion of severe dehydration produced by the El Tor biotype was due to a shift from El Tor to classical CT or due to other factors is not clear. However, if cholera due to strains with increased severity spread to other areas where treatment facilities are limited, there are likely to be many more cholera deaths.
The CIFF proof procedure for abductive logic programming with constraints: Theory, implementation and experiments
Authors: MANCARELLA PAOLO , TERRENI GIACOMO , SADRI FARIBA , TONI FRANCESCA , ENDRISS ULLE 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWe present the CIFF proof procedure for abductive logic programming with constraints, and we prove its correctness. CIFF is an extension of the IFF proof procedure for abductive logic programming, relaxing the original restrictions over variable quantification (allowedness conditions) and incorporating a constraint solver to deal with numerical constraints as in constraint logic programming. Finally, we describe the CIFF system, comparing it with state-of-the-art abductive systems and answer set solvers and showing how to use it to program some applications.
Coexistence by recruitment variation: How large is the contribution of relative nonlinearity?
Authors: Yuan Chi , Chesson Peter 
Published: August 2009

Abstract
*Background/Question/Methods*
Recruitment variation is believed to be an important mechanism of species coexistence in variable environments. This mechanism, however, is a composite of two other mechanisms: the storage effect, and relative nonlinearity. The storage effect is a formalization of the concept of temporal environmental niche differentiation. It is well-understood theoretically and has been tested in natural systems such as forests and annual plant communities. Relative nonlinearity results from species differences in nonlinear responses to fluctuations in competition. Such differences arise whenever species differ in life-history traits such as mean longevity. While the storage effect is assumed to be the stronger mechanism, no studies have compared the relative magnitudes of the storage effect and relative nonlinearity in the same system, and so there has been no rigorous justification for the neglect of relative nonlinearity in theoretical and empirical studies of coexistence by recruitment variation. Our research uses analytical modeling and simulation tools to quantify the magnitude of these two mechanisms for iteroparous organisms coexisting by recruitment variation.

*Results/Conclusions*
Our results show that the strength of relative nonlinearity increases with species differences in longevity, and is larger with larger environmental variation. However, the storage effect is also larger with larger environmental variation, and in most cases, is much stronger than relative nonlinearity. Nevertheless, there are circumstances where relatively nonlinearity is predicted to be stronger than the storage effect. We find this is outcome in two-species cases where species have strong differences in their sensitivities to environmental fluctuations, as well as having different longevities. Indeed, it is possible for the storage effect to make no contribution to stabilization of coexistence, leaving relative nonlinearity as the only stabilizing mechanism. However, this outcome occurs only in a narrow range of circumstances. We conclude that under most circumstances, relative nonlinearity contributes little to the overall stabilizing effect and the neglect of relative nonlinearity in previous work is justified in those cases. Nevertheless, relative nonlinearity has the potential to make substantial contributions to species coexistence when species differ in their sensitivities to environmental variation.
The significance of ponds in maintaining biodiversity in an intensively farmed landscape
Authors: Gioria Margherita , Feehan John 
Published: August 2009

Abstract
*Background/Question/Methods*
Ponds are amongst the most diverse freshwater habitats and have been recently found to support more species, as well as more uncommon, rare, and threatened species compared to lakes, rivers, and streams. The conservation of ponds represents a cost-effective way of maintaining or enhancing biodiversity, because of the typical small size of pond catchment areas. Moreover, ponds may be effectively used as models systems because of their small size and large number compared to lakes. At present, there is an urgent need to collect data on the ecological quality of freshwater bodies to develop programmes aimed at meeting defined water quality targets by the year 2015, in fulfillment of obligations deriving from the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). In this study, we used ponds to make a rapid assessment of the ecological quality of an intensively farmed region in Ireland. Such an assessment was based on an investigation of the aquatic Coleoptera and wetland plant assemblages of 25 farmland ponds, in June and July 2008. The relationships between Coleoptera and wetland plants with 20 habitat characteristics and water chemistry variables were also investigated, in order to improve our understanding of the factors that are important in determining patterns in pond diversity. *Results/Discussion*Gamma diversity was high, with 63 aquatic Coleoptera species recorded between June and July 2008, although alpha diversity ranged widely (4-33, mean = 15). Overall, pond water quality was poor and high levels of nitrates and phosphates were recorded. However, patterns in pond diversity were complex and no single factor was determinant. PCA, MDS, BIOENV, and regression analyses showed that habitat variables such as pond size, habitat complexity, wetland plant richness (68 species, range: 1-26, mean = 13), permanency, and grazing intensity were more important than water chemistry variables in determining patterns in Coleoptera assemblages. Permanency, pond depth, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen were the variables that best explained patterns in the taxonomic composition of wetland plants. Overall, this study confirmed the importance of ponds in supporting biodiversity even within intensively farmed regions and where reference sites are not available. Aquatic Coleoptera proved to be a useful group for assessing the ecological quality of ponds. The results of this study are important to improve our understanding of the relationship between patterns of pond diversity and environmental variables, as well as to integrate existing large-scale datasets on pond diversity.
Individual and seasonal variation in the diet of the endangered Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum): An application of stable isotope analysis to the conservation of an endangered species
Authors: Gillespie J. Hayley 
Published: August 2009

AbstractIt is well known that many species show strong temporal variation in diet. Long-term dietary trends may be important in assessing the effects of ecological change such as global warming, land use change, or introductions of invasive species. Short-term variation in food sources or prey selection may be crucial for understanding population dynamics in poorly understood species. The Barton Springs Salamander (Eurycea sosorum) is an endangered species endemic to four small spring outflows in downtown Austin, Texas. This species remains aquatic throughout life and inhabits benthic rocky substrate. While little is known about its foraging ecology, E. sosorum is assumed to be a generalist predator with the abundant amphipod Hyalella azteca as its primary food source. The salamander’s secretive behavior and obscure microhabitat make direct foraging observations impossible. Thus, stable isotope applications may be the only feasible means of estimating diet in these animals. Measurements of [delta]^13^C and [delta]^15^N for wild-caught Eurycea sosorum and a suite of potential invertebrate prey (amphipods, chironomids and planarians) were taken in November 2007, February 2008, May 2008 and August 2008. Quantitative invertebrate censuses track seasonal changes in invertebrate relative abundance. A multi-source mixing model is applied to field isotope data, and a distribution of likely prey item contributions to salamander diet is obtained for each season. Measurement of [delta]^13^C and [delta]^15^N from captive-bred E. sosorum raised on a constant diet indicate minimal fractionation of [delta]^13^C (<1‰) and approximately 2.3‰ enrichment in [delta]^15^N per trophic level. Mixing model results show that salamanders feed nearly equally on planarians (53-57% of diet) and amphipods (43-47% of diet) during the course of the study, and that chironomids do not contribute to the diet of E. sororum. The relative isotopic relationship between the three prey items and salamander tissue remains constant over the course of the study. Furthermore, individual variation in salamander diet is large in all seasons (range of 6-8‰ of [delta]^13^C values for individual salamanders), potentially reflecting the highly clumped prey item distributions or individual specialization on different food resources.Stable isotope techniques allow investigation of how diet composition responds to temporal changes in prey availability in field populations and the degree to which intrapopulation diet variation influences overall population diet estimates. This work provides conservation biologists at Barton Springs with essential information on the diet and ecology of E. sosorum, which is being used to improve species management plans that will be applicable to other spring systems.
Urban Ecosystems: Alterations to Peakflow, Microclimate and the Natural Environment
Authors: Hubbart Jason 
Published: August 2009

AbstractMore than half of the world’s population now lives in urbanized ecosystems. Continued human population growth over the next several decades will place unprecedented demand on urban water resources, resulting in escalating water quality and supply challenges. Urbanization exacts significant impacts on stream ecosystems including increased magnitude and frequency of peak flows, altered microclimates and reduced biodiversity. Increased impervious surface area in urban settings reduces or eliminates soil infiltration and increases the amount of stormwater runoff delivered to stream channels. Stormwater routing networks in urban areas channelize runoff, reducing stormwater transit time. Stormwater flow serves as an important transport mechanism for non-point source pollutants, and impervious surfaces serve as conduits to flow, replacing soils and vegetation that would otherwise attenuate runoff and transport of pollutants. Stream channels typically broaden and deepen in response to increased volume, velocity and frequency of peak flows, leading to increased channel instability, accelerated erosion, and subsequent loss of habitat. Given these scenarios, urbanization can degrade freshwater resources, detrimentally impact in-stream and riparian biota, and destroy riparian wetland form and function. The following work quantifies peak flow and microclimate alteration due to urbanization in a large, multi-use watershed of the central U.S. A long-term stream flow monitoring program was established in the Hinkson Creek Watershed located in Boone County, mid-Missouri during the fall of 2008. Hydroclimate stations were installed at five locations along Hinkson Creek within predominantly forest, cropland, and urban environments. Continuous stream stage and flow data from these sites were used to quantify peak flow in different environments of the watershed. Preliminary results indicate that forested environments tend to attenuate peak flows from small precipitation events (< 0.80 mm), whereas events of similar magnitude in urban settings cause spikes in flow and a flashier hydrograph. With larger precipitation events (> 1.0 mm), the time from peak rainfall to peak flow is decreased by as much as 13% in urban settings accompanied by at least 4 cm higher peak flows and 15-20% greater flow volume. Average air temperatures in the urban region exceed the forested region by at least 15% during winter months, holding important implications for snow melt and runoff, peak flow and ecosystem processes. Continued monitoring and analyses will more precisely quantify the effects of urbanization on these phenomena and will provide critical information for the sustainable management of urban natural resources.
Using SeaWiFS and In Situ Data for HAB Prediction in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Decision Tree Analysis
Authors: Holiday Dan , Carter Greg 
Published: August 2009

AbstractTo date, 13 potential HAB species have been detected in coastal waters of Mississippi and Alabama, including representatives of the diatom genera Pseudo-nitzschia and Chaetoceros, and dinoflagellate genera Karenia, Gonyaulax, Akashiwo, Karlodinium, and Prorocentrum. This study investigates the potential of satellite remote sensing (SeaWiFS) to predict environmental conditions leading to the formation of HABs in these turbid coastal waters. Phytoplankton populations and water quality were monitored in situ at 3 to 6 week intervals and 17 locations in Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound from December, 2004, through June, 2006. SeaWiFS imagery corresponding with in situ collections was acquired. Non-parametric multivariate analyses determined relationships between phytoplankton cell counts and in situ or satellite-derived water properties, including surface temperature, salinity, concentrations of chlorophyll, total suspended solids, colored dissolved organic material, and nutrient levels. This paper will describe an expert system decision tree analysis approach to prediction of ecological conditions necessary for the formation of HABs. The model assumes unique ranges of remote sensing reflectance ratios, Chl a, and total suspended solids must exist within the environment are conducive for the formation of HABs.
The importance of lipid-rich fish prey for Cape gannet chick growth: are fishery discards an alternative?
Authors: Mullers Ralf H. E. , Navarro René A. , Crawford Robert J. M. , Underhill Les G. 
Published: August 2009

Abstract
Mullers, R. H. E., Navarro, R. A., Crawford, R. J. M., and Underhill, L. G. 2009. The importance of lipid-rich fish prey for Cape gannet chick growth: are fishery discards an alternative? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 2244–2252. A recent decline in population numbers of Cape gannets (Morus capensis) breeding off the west coast of South Africa coincided with decreased availability of lipid-rich fish prey: anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardine (Sardinops sagax). Seabirds can use fishery discards as an alternative, but the quality of this food in the Benguela ecosystem is lower than that of their natural prey species. We consider whether chick growth and survival during chick rearing co-vary with the periods of high and low availability of their lipid-rich prey species and whether fishery discards would be an alternative. The proportion of anchovy and sardine in the diet was between 66 and 84% in the years 1986–1988, but just 16–35% from 2004 to 2006. Months with large proportions of anchovy and sardine in the diet were associated with faster chick growth. No association between the proportion of fishery discards in the diet and chick growth was found. The patterns are consistent with the notion that a distributional shift of anchovy and sardine decreased their contribution to the diet of Cape gannets and slowed chick growth along with lessening chick survival at the breeding colony. The reduced survival may partially explain the decline in numbers of Cape gannets breeding in the southern Benguela.
Biomass and leaf‐level gas exchange characteristics of three African savanna C4 grass species under optimum growth conditions
Authors: Mantlana K. B. , Veenendaal E. M. , Arneth A. , Grispen V. , Bonyongo C. M. , Heitkonig I. G. , Lloyd J. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractC4 savanna grass species, Digitaria eriantha, Eragrostis lehmanniana and Panicum repens, were grown under optimum growth conditions with the aim of characterizing their above‐ and below‐ground biomass allocation and the response of their gas exchange to changes in light intensity, CO2 concentration and leaf‐to‐air vapour pressure deficit gradient (Dl). Digitaria eriantha showed the largest above‐ and below‐ground biomass, high efficiency in carbon gain under light‐limiting conditions, high water use efficiency (WUE) and strong stomatal sensitivity to Dl (P = 0.002; r2 = 0.5). Panicum repens had a high aboveground biomass and attained high light saturated photosynthetic rates (Asat, 47 μmol m−2 s−1), stomatal conductance, (gsat, 0.25 mol m−2 s−1) at relatively high WUE. Eragrostis lehmanniana had almost half the biomass of other species, and had similar Asat and gsat but were attained at lower WUE than the other species. This species also showed the weakest stomatal response to Dl (P = 0.19, r2 = 0. 1). The potential ecological significance of the contrasting patterns of biomass allocation and variations in gas exchange parameters among the species are discussed.
Seasonal variation in reproductive behaviour of bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus Pallas, 1766) in an equatorial savannah ecosystem
Authors: Apio Ann , Muwanika Vincent B. , Plath Martin , Wronski Torsten 
Published: August 2009

AbstractWhile several authors suggest that bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus Pallas) from tropical areas with an approximately bimodal rainfall pattern breed throughout the year, there is also a report of seasonal breeding in this species. In this study, we provide indirect evidence of seasonality in reproduction by analysing behavioural data (e.g. rates of mixed‐sex sightings) in a population of bushbuck inhabiting an equatorial savannah ecosystem in western Uganda. Observation rates of mixed‐sex sightings were correlated with rainfall patterns. We suggest that peaks in reproductive behaviour following the wet season may be advantageous if calves are born during the next wet season, when fresh vegetation is available.
Effects of ontogeny, temperature, and light on vertical movements of larval Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus)
Authors: HURST THOMAS P. , COOPER DANIEL W. , SCHEINGROSS JOEL S. , SEALE ERIN M. , LAUREL BENJAMIN J. , SPENCER MARA L. 
Published: August 2009

AbstractThe role of behavior, especially vertical migration, is recognized as a critical component of realistic models of larval fish dispersion. Unfortunately, our understanding of these behaviors lags well behind our ability to construct three‐dimensional flow‐field models. Previous field studies of vertical behavior of larval Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) were limited to small, preflexion stages (≤11 mm SL) in a narrow range of thermal conditions. To develop a more complete picture of larval behavior, we examined the effects of ontogeny, temperature, and light on vertical responses of larval Pacific cod in experimental columns. While eggs were strictly demersal, yolk‐sac larvae displayed a strong surface orientation as early as 1 day post hatch (∼ 5 mm SL). Consistent with field observations, small preflexion larvae (<10 mm SL) showed no response to varying light levels. However, there was a direct effect of temperature on larval behavior: Pacific cod larvae exhibited a stronger surface orientation at 4°C than at 8°C. The behavior of larger, postflexion larvae (>15 mm SL) in experimental columns was consistent with a diel vertical migration and independent of water temperature: fish were more widely distributed in the column, and median positions were consistently deeper at higher light levels. These laboratory observations are combined with observations from discrete‐depth (MOCNESS) sampling in the Gulf of Alaska to characterize the vertical distribution of larval Pacific cod and contrast ontogenetic patterns with walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma). The vertical movements of larval Pacific cod described here will be applied in the development of dispersal projections from Gulf of Alaska spawning grounds.