bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The relationship between local and regional diatom richness is mediated by the local and regional environment
Authors: Passy Sophia I. 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAim  In this continental study, species richness at local (LSR) and regional (RSR) scales was correlated and examined as a function of stream (local) and watershed (regional) environment in an effort to elucidate what factors control diatom biodiversity across scales.Location  Conterminous United States.Methods  Data on diatom richness, stream conditions and watershed properties were generated by the US Geological Survey. In the present investigation, RSR was estimated as the total diatom richness in a hydrologic study unit and, together with stream and watershed characteristics, was included in stepwise multiple regressions of LSR. The unique and shared contributions of RSR, stream and watershed environment to the explained variance in LSR were determined by variance partitioning. RSR was regressed against stream and basin features averaged per study unit.Results  LSR responded most strongly to variability in stream manganese concentration and RSR. Other predictors included stream discharge and iron concentration, soil organic matter content and fertilization, and proportions of open water, barren land and forest in the watershed. Variance partitioning revealed that RSR had the lowest independent contribution to explained variance in LSR. Multiple regressions identified average stream iron concentration as the most important predictor of RSR.Main conclusions  Local micronutrient concentration was the major predictor of LSR, followed by RSR. Since average micronutrient supply in the region was the chief determinant of RSR, it is proposed that micronutrients had both a direct effect on LSR and an indirect effect through RSR. The same argument is extended to watershed features with an impact on stream trophic status, because of their substantial contributions to the explained variance in both LSR and RSR. Considering that the major proportion of LSR variance explained by RSR originated from the covariance of RSR with stream and watershed properties, it is concluded that the LSR–RSR relationship was mediated by the local and regional environment.
Species richness of resident and transient coral‐dwelling fish responds differentially to regional diversity
Authors: Belmaker Jonathan 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTAim  To determine whether the diversity of resident and transient coral‐dwelling fish responds differentially to gradients in regional species richness.Location  Three regions in the Indo‐Pacific (Red Sea, western Indian Ocean, Great Barrier Reef) which contain increasingly larger regional diversities of reef fish.Methods  I surveyed fish residing within branching coral species. Fish species were a priori categorized as resident or transient based on the degree of affiliation between the fish and live coral. To compare among regions that differ in coral diversity I used a modified species–volume relationship (SVR). Each point in the SVR represents the total number of fish species, resident or transient, found within the cumulative volume of a specific coral species. Empirical SVRs were further compared with random‐placement null models.Results  For transient species, I found that the observed SVRs did not differ consistently from those expected from random samples drawn from the corresponding regional species pools. In addition, for a given volume of coral, more fish species were found in richer regions, indicating strong regional influences on local diversity. In contrast, resident richness was lower than that expected from random samples of the species pool, and richness in rich regions was reduced comparably more than in poor regions. The SVRs of resident species were similar among regions with different regional diversities.Main conclusion  These results suggest that, within coral species, transient fish richness is mostly influenced by stochastic allocation of species from the regional pool. Conversely, richness of resident species within a coral species is limited, making it independent of regional diversity. Since higher regional diversity of resident fish was not accompanied by higher richness per coral species or by decreased niche breadth, higher regional diversity of resident fish species must be rooted in higher coral richness. Consequently, ecological interactions between functional groups (coral and fish) can be powerful drivers of regional biodiversity.
Protein mining the world’s oceans: Australasia as an example of illegal expansion‐and‐displacement fishing
Authors: Field Iain C. , Meekan Mark G. , Buckworth Rik C. , Bradshaw Corey J. A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIllegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing can lead to irreversible ecosystem changes; however, it is also one of the most difficult forms of fishing to manage and deter. In northern Australia over the past decade there has been a large increase in small‐scale IUU fishing. We suggest that this small‐scale fishing has arisen because of long‐term fisheries over‐exploitation in South East Asia. This IUU fishing forms part of the expansion‐and‐displacement cycle that can rapidly reduce biomass and alter the trophic structure of local ecosystems. With increasing human populations in the region, the pressure to fish illegally is likely to increase. Regional responses are required to deter and monitor the illegal over‐exploitation of fisheries resources, which is critical to secure ecosystem stability as climate change and other destructive human activities threaten food security.
Weather Risk, Wages in Kind, and the Off‐Farm Labor Supply of Agricultural Households in a Developing Country
Authors: Ito Takahiro , Kurosaki Takashi 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article investigates the effects of weather risk on the off‐farm labor supply of agricultural households in a developing country, distinguishing different types of off‐farm labor markets. A multivariate two‐limit tobit model is applied to data from India. The regression results show that the share of the off‐farm labor supply increases with weather risk, the increase is much larger in the case of nonagricultural work than in the case of agricultural wage work, and the increase is much larger in the case of agricultural wages paid in kind than in the cash wage case, suggesting farmers’ considerations of food security.
Risk Averters that Love Risk? Marginal Risk Aversion in Comparison to a Reference Gamble
Authors: Just David R. , Lybbert Travis J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractWe propose an analytical distinction between standard risk aversion based on the valuation of a single gamble and marginal risk aversion based on the change in valuation between two gambles. We measure marginal risk aversion in two dimensions—mean and variance. Data from a field experiment is used to study marginal risk aversion. Our results suggest that individuals rely on a reference gamble when assessing marginal risk. Individual responses to marginal changes in mean and variance are nearly identical in direction and magnitude—suggesting that information on both standard and marginal risk aversion is needed to accurately model behavior.
Joint Estimation of Risk Preferences and Technology: Flexible Utility or Futility?
Authors: Lence Sergio H. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractA thought experiment is designed to investigate whether the structure of risk aversion (i.e., the changes in absolute or relative risk aversion associated with changes in wealth) can be estimated with reasonable precision from agricultural production data. Findings strongly suggest that typical production data are unlikely to allow identification of the structure of risk aversion. A flexible‐utility parameterization is found to slightly worsen technology parameter estimates. Results also indicate that even under a restricted‐utility specification, utility parameter estimates are biased. Further, their quality is much worse when shocks are not large or samples are small.
A Malaysia–United States free trade agreement: Malaysian media and domestic resistance
Authors: Smeltzer Sandra 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article examines Malaysia's civil society resistance to a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, focusing specifically on the role played by domestic mainstream and alternative media in raising awareness of trade negotiations. While challenges to a Malaysia–United States FTA may appear muted – especially if compared with the outpouring of dissent witnessed on the streets of Thailand and South Korea against similar deals with the United States – Malaysia's civil society agents have employed a range of mechanisms to oppose the agreement. Although these activists have focused their efforts on different sections of the proposed FTA – from intellectual property rights to food sovereignty to government procurement procedures – all share a common call for greater transparency in the negotiation process and greater public and parliamentary consultation. This article takes a critical look at who is involved in these resistance efforts, their key issues of concern, limitations to their success, and, most importantly, their relationship with and use of local media.
Border crossing of Muslim women in southern‐border provinces of Thailand
Authors: Klanarong Nisakorn 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIn general, the main roles of married Thai Muslim women were as home makers good wives and good mothers. Nevertheless, both married and single women from rural areas have been increasingly obliged to work outside the household, locally and in other countries. People in rural areas are now faced with the difficulty of maintaining their livelihoods if they depended on agricultural production alone. In some instances, female migration might be a response to families not being able to survive on the incomes earned by the male household heads. In response, women in southern Thailand provinces use long‐standing social networks that facilitate their migration for work, because they benefit from the close proximity, language, and religion that they share with the destination area. Commonly, they travel to work in Malaysia by using a border pass, while some travel and work without any documents. The effects of crossing national borders on migrants themselves and on their communities are mixed, generally positive from an economic perspective, but negative from a social viewpoint. Socially negative responses reflect a system of social control in the region based on patriarchy.
Resource periphery, corridor, heartland: Contesting land use in the Kalimantan/Malaysia borderlands
Authors: Potter Lesley 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe long borderland in Kalimantan between Indonesia and East Malaysia is partly mountainous and environmentally unique, its three national parks forming the core of a tri‐nation ‘Heart of Borneo’ initiative proposed by environmental NGOs and ratified in 2006. More accessible lowlands in West Kalimantan and the north of East Kalimantan constitute a typical ‘resource periphery’ in which strategic considerations, persisting through the Suharto years, now intersect with a range of new political, economic and cultural demands. A perception by the central government of increasing lawlessness in the borderlands arose in the turbulent years following Suharto's fall, during ‘reformasi’ and the beginnings of decentralisation. In addition to smuggling and illegal logging, contests over land use erupted at various scales. Proposals to construct an oil palm corridor along the border, begun by the Megawati government and extended by some sectors of the Yudhoyono regime, were part of a quest for greater legibility and control on the part of the central authorities. The paper specifically examines the power struggles that arose over that project and its inevitable outcome, a central government back down. However, the current palm oil boom is bringing new corporate planting, which may eventually succeed in ‘taming’ the borderlands.
Immigrants working with co‐ethnics: Who are they and how do they fare?
Authors: Hou Feng 
Published: March 2009

AbstractParticipation in ethnic economies has been regarded as an alternative avenue of economic adaptation for immigrants and minorities in major immigrant‐receiving countries. This study examines one important dimension of ethnic economies: co‐ethnic concentration at the workplace. Using a large national representative sample from Statistics Canada’s 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, this study addresses four questions: (1) what is the level of co‐ethnic concentration at the workplace for Canada’s minority groups? (2) How do workers who share the same ethnicity with most of their co‐workers differ from other workers in socio‐demographic characteristics? (3) Is higher level of co‐ethnic concentration at the workplace associated with lower earnings? (4) Is higher level of co‐ethnic concentration at the workplace associated with higher levels of life satisfaction?The results show that only a small proportion of immigrants and the Canadian‐born work in ethnically homogeneous settings. In Canada’s eight largest metropolitan areas about 10 per cent of non‐British/French immigrants share a same ethnic origin with the majority of their co‐workers. The level is as high as 20 per cent among Chinese immigrants and 18 per cent among Portuguese immigrants. Among Canadian‐born minority groups, the level of co‐ethnic workplace concentration is about half the level for immigrants. Immigrant workers in ethnically concentrated settings have much lower educational levels and proficiency in English/French. Immigrant men who work mostly with co‐ethnics on average earn about 33 per cent less than workers with few or none co‐ethnic coworkers. About two thirds of this gap is attributable to differences in demographic and job characteristics. Meanwhile, immigrant workers in ethnically homogenous settings are less likely to report low levels of life satisfaction than other immigrant workers. Among the Canadian‐born, co‐ethnic concentration is not consistently associated with earnings and life satisfaction.
Who? Where? What? When? Why? How? Question words – What do they mean?
Authors: Morgan Michelle F. , Moni Karen B. , Jobling Anne 
Published: March 2009

Accessible summaryThis paper is about:A teaching program to help people with learning disabilities to understand the meanings of the question wordswho, where, what, when, why and how.Part of a research project which used question words to improve understanding about what is being read.Teaching the meanings of question words to help learners with disabilities to understand what is being read.This programme will show teachers how to help learners with disabilities to understand the meanings of question words.This research is important for learners with disabilities because understanding the meanings of question words will help them to: understand what is being read; answer questions; complete assessments; communicate with others; remember about past experiences and things already known and to tell others about personal experiences and what is being read.SummaryAn action research investigation into the use of specific reading comprehension strategies with a group of six young adults with Down syndrome revealed a previously undocumented finding in the area of reading comprehension. This was a uniform deficit among the participants to understand the meanings of question words. This deficit was shown to have negative implications on literacy learning and assessment. For example, it affected their responses to strategic questioning; responses on assessments; maintenance of coherent, responsive dialogue; recall of prior knowledge, past experiences and texts; construction of meaning and their ability to retell. An intervention that focussed on the development of understanding the meanings of the question wordswho, where, what, when, why and howand the application of such understanding specifically in reading comprehension, was successfully implemented and is the focus of this paper. The findings suggest that the meanings of Question words should be taught prior to using questioning as a teaching strategy, and before administering assessments that require the learners to answer questions.
The conscious consumer: taking a flexible approach to ethical behaviour
Authors: Szmigin Isabelle , Carrigan Marylyn , McEachern Morven G. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis paper considers the ethical purchasing of what is described as conscious consumers. Conscious consumers remain a ‘work in progress’, and present a complex mix of behaviours; while seeking ethical alternatives, other social and economic forces impact on their behaviour (e.g. family, convenience, price) such that positive ethical choices are not always made. Examining ethical consumption in this way reveals the ‘competing priorities, paradoxical outcomes, and the nature of compromises reached in real decision processes’. We identify two areas of theory relevant to the conceptualization of such consumers, flexibility and dissonance theory. A qualitative study of participants identified as conscious consumers was undertaken. As anticipated, the participants revealed a range of often contradictory behaviours regarding their ethical purchases. The relevance of flexibility and dissonance theory to their behaviour is discussed.
An examination of the values that motivate socially conscious and frugal consumer behaviours
Authors: Pepper Miriam , Jackson Tim , Uzzell David 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article extends social psychological research on the motivations for sustainable consumption from the predominant domain of ecologically conscious consumer behaviour to socially conscious and frugal consumer behaviours. A UK‐based survey study examines relationships between socially conscious and frugal consumer behaviours and Schwartz's value types, personal and socio‐political materialism, and demographics among the general public. Socially conscious consumer behaviour, like its ecological counterpart, appears to be an expression of pro‐social values. In contrast, frugal consumer behaviour relates primarily to low personal materialism and income constraints. As such, it does not yet represent a fully developed moral challenge to consumerism.
Comparing sustainable consumption patterns across product sectors
Authors: McDonald Seonaidh , Oates Caroline , Thyne Maree , Alevizou Panayiota , McMorland Leigh‐Ann 
Published: March 2009

AbstractIn this paper, we present findings from two qualitative studies where we explored sustainable consumption practices through examining consumers' information search and decision‐making processes for recent purchases of five categories of goods/services: fast moving consumer goods (such as foodstuffs and household products), white goods (such as fridges and washing machines), small electrical products (such as TVs and computers), green energy tariffs (such as electricity from renewable sources) and tourism (such as flights). This research has provided us with a set of rich data which explores the nature and extent of sustainable consumption practices across different product sectors. A comparative analysis has allowed us to draw out patterns of consumer behaviour for different product and service types. Our findings suggest that even the same green consumer will not use the same information sources or decision‐making criteria, consider the same options or focus on the same industry actors, for products in different sectors. However, we have identified some degree of consistency in purchases within sectors. We present these sector‐specific patterns of consumer behaviour and highlight differences in the criteria utilized and the research norms in each sector.
Sociology fools the technician? Product durability and social constraints to eco‐efficiency for refrigerators and freezers
Authors: Strandbakken Pål 
Published: March 2009

AbstractUnder conditions of ecological modernization, improved eco‐efficiency (or, in this case, more specifically energy efficiency) of household appliances has been regarded as an important contribution to more sustainable lifestyles. A point of discussion between radical environmentalists and advocates of ecological modernization might indeed be questions of product improvement and whether the move towards eco‐efficient products provides a sufficient answer to the environmental challenge. Will we be able to transform Western lifestyles in a direction of low environmental impact by mainly technological measures? An analysis of Norwegian survey data indicates that the new, energy‐efficient cold appliances often do not really replace older products but rather add to the present appliance population. This means that the expected decline in domestic energy use for cooling and freezing is, at best, delayed. Products tend to be used for as long as they work. Thus, the replacement model of economists and engineers fails when confronted with societal practice. Technological improvement might fool the environmentalist, but sociology might fool the technician as well.
Amyloid precursor protein promotes endoplasmic reticulum stress‐induced cell death via C/EBP homologous protein‐mediated pathway
Authors: Takahashi Keita , Niidome Tetsuhiro , Akaike Akinori , Kihara Takeshi , Sugimoto Hachiro 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is known to activate the ER, which is termed ER stress. Here, we demonstrated that amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a novel mediator of ER stress‐induced apoptosis through the C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) pathway. Expression of APP mRNA was elevated by tunicamycin‐ or dithiothreitol‐induced ER stress. The levels of C83 and APP intracellular domain (AICD) fragments, which are cleaved from APP, were significantly increased under ER stress, although the protein level of full‐length APP was decreased. Cellular viability was reduced in APP‐over‐expressing cells, which was attenuated by treatment with a γ‐secretase inhibitor, N‐[N‐(3,5‐difluorophenacetyl)‐L‐alanyl]‐S‐phenylglycine t‐butyl ester (DAPT). Cellular viability was also reduced in AICD‐FLAG‐over‐expressing cells. The mRNA and protein levels of CHOP, an ER stress‐responsive gene, were remarkably increased by APP over‐expression, which was attenuated by treatment with DAPT. CHOP mRNA induction was also found in AICD‐FLAG‐over‐expressing cells. Cell death and CHOP up‐regulation by ER stress were attenuated by APP knockdown. Data obtained with a luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that AICD associates with the promoter region of the CHOP gene. In conclusion, ER stress‐induced APP undergoes α‐ and γ‐secretase cleavage and subsequently induces CHOP‐mediated cell death.