bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interdisciplinary training in environmental conservation: definitions, progress and future directions
Authors: NEWING HELEN 
Published: November 2010

SUMMARYThe development of interdisciplinary approaches to environmental conservation is obviously related to interdisciplinary training in undergraduate and postgraduate conservation-oriented degree programmes. This paper therefore examines interdisciplinary training in environmental conservation, with a focus on conservation biology. The specific objectives are: (1) to analyse debates about the nature of ‘interdisciplinarity’ in conservation biology; (2) to examine the status of interdisciplinary training in current academic programmes in conservation biology; and (3) to make recommendations in terms of interdisciplinary or other non-natural science content that should be prioritized for inclusion in the curriculum. The term ‘interdisciplinarity’ has been used in relation to conservation training to refer to (1) any social science content; (2) vocational skills training; (3) integrative or practice-based exercises, sometimes with no indication of disciplinary content; (4) the (variously defined) ‘human dimensions’ of conservation, and (5) interaction between different academic disciplines (usually crossing the natural science–social science divide). In terms of training, the natural sciences have remained predominant in almost all reported academic programmes, but there now appears to be more coverage of non-natural science issues than previously. However the lack of consistency in the use of terms makes it difficult to assess progress. Further debate about curriculum development in conservation would be aided greatly by recognizing the distinction between the different aspects of non-natural science training, and treating each of them in its own right. Most degree programmes in environment-related disciplines specialize to varying degrees either in the natural sciences or the social sciences, and a comprehensive programme covering both of these in depth is likely to be problematic. However, some understanding of different disciplinary perspectives is increasingly important in a career in environmental conservation, and it is argued that, as a minimum, a primarily natural science-based undergraduate programme in environmental conservation should include: (1) an introduction to social science perspectives on the environment; (2) basic training in social science methods, research design and science theory; (3) vocational skills training, to the extent that it can be built into existing curricular components; and (4) integrative problem-solving tasks that can be used in relation to any or all of the above. A similar list could be constructed for social science-based environmental degree programmes, incorporating some basic training in natural science perspectives. Postgraduate training programmes are more varied in what they aim to achieve in terms of disciplinary breadth; they can develop students’ existing specialist expertise, offer supplementary training to allow students to increase the disciplinary breadth of their expertise, or focus on the issue of interdisciplinarity itself.
Foreign direct investment and environmental pollution in China: a simultaneous equations estimation
Authors: BAO QUN , CHEN YUANYUAN , SONG LIGANG 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on emissions of five pollutants in China using a panel data set of 29 provinces over the period 1992–2004. The study applies a simultaneous equations estimation technique to estimate the scale, technique and composition effects of FDI on China's overall and regional pollution emissions. The estimation results show that FDI in general helps reduce pollution emissions in China, contributing largely to its technique effect. Capturing both the direct and indirect technique effects improves the accuracy in assessing the environmental impact of the FDI. The study also finds that the environmental impacts of FDI vary significantly among different regions and for different pollutants in China.
SOME COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE MONTREUX DOCUMENT
Authors: Tougas Marie-Louise 
Published: November 2010

AbstractGrowing concerns that PMSCs were operating in a legal vacuum led to increasing calls for further clarification on the role of such entities in conflict zones and to mounting pressure to develop a regulative framework under international law. In September 2008, 17 States endorsed the Montreux Document, an initiative sponsored by the Swiss government and the ICRC. The Montreux Document is a non-binding document aimed at identifying and reasserting the most relevant international legal obligations that govern the conduct of PMSCs during armed conflicts. It also provides for a set of guidelines on ‘good practices’ for States in regard to the operation of PMSCs in armed conflicts. Although it does not create any legal obligations, and only recalls existing ones, it is the first intergovernmental document to address international obligations in respect to the activities of PMSCs. It can thus be seen as a first step toward the establishment of a better regulative framework of PMSCs' activities in conflict zones. This article provides an overview of the process that led to the endorsement of this document and an analysis of its content. It also addresses some of the questions left unanswered by the Montreux Document.
ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF NATIONAL ACTION PLANS TO ADVANCE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1325
Authors: Swaine Aisling 
Published: November 2010

Abstract‘Women, peace, security’ has now firmly emerged as a distinct category for attention by international law, international policy and programming approaches for governments and activists alike. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is the pillar of this agenda and there is questionable evidence of whether the kind of reforms envisioned through SCR 1325 have truly taken place and whether progress, if any, has been made towards its implementation. High expectations are pinned to the more recent and related resolutions SCR1820 (2008), SCR1888 (2009) and SCR1889 (2009) recently adopted by the Security Council. Increasingly, the focus has been on the potential offered through the development of ‘action plans’ as possible ‘solutions’ to the current deficit. In this article action plans are examined and a snap-shot of the ways in which ‘National Action Plans for the implementation of SCR 1325’ are being developed and the increasing role they are playing in international debate on the theme of ‘women, peace and security’ is presented. The article argues that implementation of these resolutions requires reformist and radical interventions that create fundamental change. Factors affecting the potential of these plans to encompass this kind of approach are outlined, focusing on the process and content aspects of developing action plans. The article highlights that while action plans are generating positive incentives to compel states to act, caution is required before proclaiming them to be the ‘antidote’ to the existing gulf between the principles of the Resolution and effective policy response and implementation. Commentary on emerging trends and some suggestions on possible avenues for moving forward conclude the article.
Mechanics and aerodynamics of insect flight control
Authors: TAYLOR GRAHAM K. 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTInsects have evolved sophisticated flight control mechanisms permitting a remarkable range of manoeuvres. Here, I present a qualitative analysis of insect flight control from the perspective of flight mechanics, drawing upon both the neurophysiology and biomechanics literatures. The current literature does not permit a formal, quantitative analysis of flight control, because the aerodynamic force systems that biologists have measured have rarely been complete and the position of the centre of gravity has only been recorded in a few studies. Treating the two best‐known insect orders (Diptera and Orthoptera) separately from other insects, I discuss the control mechanisms of different insects in detail. Recent experimental studies suggest that the helicopter model of flight control proposed for Drosophila spp. may be better thought of as a facultative strategy for flight control, rather than the fixed (albeit selected) constraint that it is usually interpreted to be. On the other hand, the so‐called ‘constant‐lift reaction’ of locusts appears not to be a reflex for maintaining constant lift at varying angles of attack, as is usually assumed, but rather a mechanism to restore the insect to pitch equilibrium following a disturbance. Differences in the kinematic control mechanisms used by the various insect orders are related to differences in the arrangement of the wings, the construction of the flight motor and the unsteady mechanisms of lift production that are used. Since the evolution of insect flight control is likely to have paralleled the evolutionary refinement of these unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms, taxonomic differences in the kinematics of control could provide an assay of the relative importance of different unsteady mechanisms. Although the control kinematics vary widely between orders, the number of degrees of freedom that different insects can control will always be limited by the number of independent control inputs that they use. Control of the moments about all three axes (as used by most conventional aircraft) has only been proven for larger flies and dragonflies, but is likely to be widespread in insects given the number of independent control inputs available to them. Unlike in conventional aircraft, however, insects’ control inputs are likely to be highly non‐orthogonal, and this will tend to complicate the neural processing required to separate the various motions.
Sexual segregation in ungulates: a comparative test of three hypotheses
Authors: RUCKSTUHL K. E. , NEUHAUS P. 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTIn most social ungulate species, males are larger than females and the sexes live in separate groups outside the breeding season. It is important for our understanding of the evolution of sociality to find out why sexual segregation is so widespread not only in ungulates but also in other mammals. Sexual body size dimorphism was proposed as a central factor in the evolution of sexual segregation in ungulates. We tested three hypotheses put forward to explain sexual segregation: the predation‐risk, the forage‐selection, and the activity budget hypothesis. We included in our analyses ungulate species ranging from non‐dimorphic to extremely dimorphic in body size. We observed oryx, zebra, bighorn sheep and ibex in the field and relied on literature data for 31 additional species. The predation‐risk hypothesis predicts that females will use relatively predator‐safe habitats, while males are predicted to use habitats with higher predation risk but better food quality. Out of 24 studies on different species of ungulates, females and their offspring chose poorer quality but safer habitat in only eight cases. The forage‐selection hypothesis predicts that females would select habitat based on food quality, while males should prefer high forage biomass. In fact, females selected higher quality food in only six out of 18 studies where males and females segregated, in eight studies there was no difference in forage quality and in four studies males were in better quality habitat. The activity budget hypothesis predicts that with increasing dimorphism in body size males and females will increasingly differ in the time spent in different activities. Differences in activity budgets would make it difficult for males and females to stay in mixed‐sex groups due to increased costs of synchrony to maintain group cohesion. The predictions of the activity budget hypothesis were confirmed in most cases (22 out of 23 studies). The heavier males were compared to females, the more time females spent foraging compared to males. The bigger the dimorphism in body mass, the more males spent time walking compared to females. Lactating females spent more time foraging than did non‐lactating females or males. Whether species were mainly bulk or intermediate feeders did not affect sexual differences in time spent foraging. We conclude that sexual differences in activity budgets are most likely driving sexual segregation and that sexual differences in predation risk or forage selection are additive factors.
Some recent advances on the study and understanding of the functional design of the avian lung: morphological and morphometric perspectives
Authors: MAINA J. N. 
Published: November 2010

ABSTRACTThe small highly aerobic avian species have morphometrically superior lungs while the large flightless ones have less well‐refined lungs. Two parabronchial systems, i.e. the paleopulmo and neopulmo, occur in the lungs of relatively advanced birds. Although their evolution and development are not clear, understanding their presence is physiologically important particularly since the air‐ and blood flow patterns in them are different. Geometrically, the bulk air flow in the parabronchial lumen, i.e. in the longitudinal direction, and the flow of deoxygenated blood from the periphery, i.e. in a centripetal direction, are perpendicularly arranged to produce a cross‐current relationship. Functionally, the blood capillaries in the avian lung constitute a multicapillary serial arterialization system. The amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanged arises from many modest transactions that occur where air‐ and blood capillaries interface along the parabronchial lengths, an additive process that greatly enhances the respiratory efficiency. In some species of birds, an epithelial tumescence occurs at the terminal part of the extrapulmonary primary bronchi (EPPB). The swelling narrows the EPPB, conceivably allowing the shunting of inspired air across the openings of the medioventral secondary bronchi, i.e. inspiratory aerodynamic valving. The defence stratagems in the avian lung differ from those of mammals: fewer surface (free) macrophages (SMs) occur, the epithelial cells that line the atria and infundibula are phagocytic, a large population of subepithelial macrophages is present and pulmonary intravascular macrophages exist. This complex defence inventory may explain the paucity of SMs in the avian lung.
Optimal onset and exhaustion of retirement savings in a life-cycle model
Authors: LACHANCE MARIE-EVE 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThis paper facilitates the exploration of optimal individual retirement savings strategies within a life-cycle framework by providing a convenient tool to implement a model suggested by Yaari (1965) with an uncertain lifetime and borrowing constraints. The solution is given both for the general case and for cases leading to closed-form equations such as power utility and Gompertz mortality. Illustrations for a wide range of parameters indicate that starting to save for retirement in the first phase of one's career is rarely optimal. Of course, this is not to say that young workers should not save for other motives – a limitation of this model is that risks besides mortality are not considered. The conclusion should also be interpreted cautiously as it is difficult to represent every possible individual circumstance and saving incentive in a single model. The intuition behind the result is that an efficient strategy allocates the burden of financing retirement first to periods with higher income (i.e. lower opportunity costs), creating the potential for an initial period without savings when income grows.
“A Victory for Secular India”? Hindu Nationalism in the 2004 Election
Authors: Llewellyn J. E. 
Published: November 2010

AbstractAt least since the last decade of the 20th century, there has been strong scholarly interest in a perceived global wave of religious nationalism. Critical to that movement was the most important recent development in Indian politics, the rise of the Hindu right. Commentators lamented a fundamental change in the Indian body politic, the demise of India's celebrated secularism. However, others predicted that the Hindu nationalists would be forced to move to the center to gain votes, jettisoning much of their peculiar ideology in the process. The 2004 national parliamentary election was a crucial test of these contending interpretations. Would the Bharatiya Janata Party rely on its established arsenal of communally controversial issues? Would it emphasize themes designed to appeal to a broader audience? Analyzing reports published in national newspapers and news magazines, I will reach the surprising conclusion that the answer to both of these questions is yes.
Structural insight to Streptococcus mitis thymidylate kinase: a potential common drug target of infective endocarditis
Authors: Priyadarshini Vani , Pradhan Dibyabhaba , Munikumar Manne , Umamaheswari Amineni 
Published: November 2010

AbstractThe incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) represents the fourth leading cause of life-threatening infectious disease with a yearly incidence of 15,000 to 20,000 new cases despite advances in antimicrobial therapy, development of better diagnostic and surgical techniques. The diverse group of causative microbes of IE is one of major obstacle towards development of effective antimicrobial drug. This has triggered exploration of common potential novel drug target from available whole genome sequences of predominant pathogens causing IE in SVIMS hospital through comparative subtractive genomic approach and metabolic pathway analysis. Streptococcus mitis is the most predominant IE pathogen in SVIMS hospital. Thymidylate kinase of Streptococcus mitis plays a vital role in pyrimidine metabolism in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis was identified as novel common drug target against IE. Computational tools were utilized further to gain insight on physico-chemical, structural and functional aspects of the protein for facilitating structure based drug design for discovery of novel drug molecule. Motifs and domains of thymidylate kinase were predicted. Secondary structural elements were predicted using NPS server and PROTEUS server. Three dimensional model of thymidylate kinase was constructed based on thymidylate kinase (2CCJ) of Staphylococcus aureus as template using Modeller9v7. DOPE score correlation, PROCHECK, ProSA and superpose results confirmed the predicted model is of good quality. The active site residues of thymidylate kinase were derived by incorporating natural substrate into predicted model from the template. Further, the active site was validated through multiple sequence alignment and CASTp analysis. The 3D model with predicted active site will aid in designing drug against organisms causing infective endocarditis.
Evidence-Based Systematic Review: Effects of Oral Motor Interventions on Feeding and Swallowing in Preterm Infants
Authors: Arvedson Joan , Clark Heather , Lazarus Cathy , Schooling Tracy , Frymark Tobi 
Published: November 2010

PurposeTo conduct an evidence-based systematic review and provide an estimate of the effects of oral motor interventions (OMIs) on feeding/swallowing outcomes (both physiological and functional) and pulmonary health in preterm infants.MethodA systematic search of the literature published from 1960 to 2007 was conducted. Articles meeting the selection criteria were appraised by 2 reviewers and vetted by a 3rd for methodological quality.ResultsTwelve studies were included and focused on 3 OMIs—nonnutritive sucking (NNS), oral/perioral stimulation, and NNS plus oral/perioral stimulation. Six studies addressed the effects of OMI on the feeding/swallowing physiology outcomes of feeding efficiency or sucking pressures. Ten studies addressed the functional feeding/swallowing outcomes of oral feeding or weight gain/growth. No studies reported data on pulmonary health. Methodological quality varied greatly. NNS alone and with oral/perioral stimulation showed strong positive findings for improvement in some feeding/swallowing physiology variables and for reducing transition time to oral feeding. Prefeeding stimulation showed equivocal results across the targeted outcomes. None of the OMIs provided consistent positive results on weight gain/growth.ConclusionsAlthough some OMIs show promise for enhancing feeding/swallowing in preterm infants, methodological limitations and variations in results across studies warrant careful consideration of their clinical use.
GNAS1 mutational analysis in pseudohypoparathyroidism
Authors: Ahmed S. F. , Dixon P. H. , Bonthron D. T. , Stirling H. F. , Barr D. G. D. , Kelnar C. J. H. , Thakker R. V. 
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVEMutations of the GNAS1 gene, which is located on chromosome 20q13.11 and encodes the α‐subunit of the stimulatory GTP‐binding protein, have been identified in patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia (PHPIa) and pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism (PPHP). We have undertaken studies to determine the prevalence of GNAS1 mutations and to explore methods for their more rapid detection.METHODSThirteen unrelated families (8 with PHPIa and PPHP patients, and 5 with PPHP patients only) were investigated for GNAS1 mutations in the 1050 base‐pair (bp) region spanning exons 2–13 by single‐stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequence analysis.RESULTSGNAS1 mutations were detected in 4 of the 8 families with PHPIa patients. These consisted of: two novel de novo missense mutations (Pro115Ser and Glu259Val) in two families and an identical 4 bp deletion of codons 189 and 190 resulting in a frameshift in two unrelated families. These results expand the spectrum of GNAS1 mutations associated with this disorder and confirm the presence of a mutational hot‐spot involving codons 189 and 190. SSCP analysis was found to be a specific and sensitive method that detected all 4 mutations. GNAS1 mutations were not detected in any of the PPHP only families.CONCLUSIONSThe pseudohypoparathyroid disorders appear to represent a heterogeneous group with GNAS1 mutations forming the molecular aetiology in approximately 50% of pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ia families. Such mutations can be reliably identified by single‐stranded conformational polymorphism and this will help to supplement the clinical evaluation of some patients and their families, particularly as the disease may not be fully penetrant.
Corticotrophin and vasopressin responses to metoclopramide in patients with hypothalamic amenorrhoea
Authors: Seki K. , Kato T. , Sekiya S. 
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE A dopamine (DA) antagonist, metoclopramide, stimulates ACTH secretion in some women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) but not in normal women. Metoclopramide may stimulate ACTH secretion by decreasing dopaminergic inhibition of ACTH release. Furthermore, metoclopramide stimulates AVP secretion, and AVP is a stimulator of ACTH. Therefore, AVP may also be involved in the ACTH responses to metoclopramide. The relation between AVP and ACTH responses to metoclopramide were evaluated in normal women and women with HA to obtain more insight into the role of DA in the regulation of ACTH and AVP secretion.DESIGN ACTH, cortisol and AVP levels were measured before and after the administration of metoclopramide in 11 normal women during the early follicular phase and 12 women with HA.MEASUREMENTS ACTH was measured by immunoradiometric assay. AVP and cortisol were measured by radioimmunoassay.RESULTS The administration of metoclopramide significantly increased circulating levels of ACTH and cortisol in the women with HA, but not in the normal women. It increased AVP levels both in the normal women and in the women with HA. The incremental AVP response to metoclopramide was not significantly different between the two groups of women.CONCLUSION The effect of metoclopramide on AVP secretion may not be dependent on central dopaminergic activity, and the ACTH and cortisol responses to metoclopramide in the women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea are not accounted for by the augmented AVP response to metoclopramide.