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Growing Appreciation (growing + appreciation)
Selected AbstractsExploring Access and Equity in Higher Education: Policy and Performance in a Comparative PerspectiveHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2007Patrick Clancy A comparative analysis of how access and equity are defined and how policies have evolved reveals a number of commonalities and differences between countries. The overall trend is a movement from the priority given to ,inherited merit' in the admission process through a commitment to formal equality, towards the application of some modes of affirmative action for selected under-represented groups. This overall convergence, which is accompanied by a growing appreciation of the complexity of social identities, is complemented by significant national specificity in respect of the social categories which are used to define social diversity. In the absence of appropriate comparative measures of participation a Higher Education Participation Index is developed to facilitate cross-country comparisons. A review of current attempts to measure equity in access to higher education points to the need to develop a programme of comparative research which focuses on the social characteristics of students who are currently enrolled in higher education. [source] Cytokines and Cognition,The Case for A Head-to-Toe Inflammatory ParadigmJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2002Craig J. Wilson MBBS The brain is not only immunologically active of its own accord, but also has complex peripheral immune interactions. Given the central role of cytokines in neuroimmmunoendocrine processes, it is hypothesized that these molecules influence cognition via diverse mechanisms. Peripheral cytokines penetrate the blood-brain barrier directly via active transport mechanisms or indirectly via vagal nerve stimulation. Peripheral administration of certain cytokines as biological response modifiers produces adverse cognitive effects in animals and humans. There is abundant evidence that inflammatory mechanisms within the central nervous system (CNS) contribute to cognitive impairment via cytokine-mediated interactions between neurons and glial cells. Cytokines mediate cellular mechanisms subserving cognition (e.g., cholinergic and dopaminergic pathways) and can modulate neuronal and glial cell function to facilitate neuronal regeneration or neurodegeneration. As such, there is a growing appreciation of the role of cytokine-mediated inflammatory processes in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Consistent with their involvement as mediators of bidirectional communication between the CNS and the peripheral immune system, cytokines play a key role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation seen in stress and depression. In addition, complex cognitive systems such as those that underlie religious beliefs, can modulate the effects of stress on the immune system. Indirect means by which peripheral or central cytokine dysregulation could affect cognition include impaired sleep regulation, micronutrient deficiency induced by appetite suppression, and an array of endocrine interactions. Given the multiple levels at which cytokines are capable of influencing cognition it is plausible that peripheral cytokine dysregulation with advancing age interacts with cognitive aging. [source] Not just vicariance: phylogeography of a Sonoran Desert euphorb indicates a major role of range expansion along the Baja peninsulaMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 9 2009R. C. GARRICK Abstract To examine the generality of population-level impacts of ancient vicariance identified for numerous arid-adapted animal taxa along the Baja peninsula, we tested phylogeographical hypotheses in a similarly distributed desert plant, Euphorbia lomelii (Euphorbiaceae). In light of fossil data indicating marked changes in the distributions of Baja floristic assemblages throughout the Holocene and earlier, we also examined evidence for range expansion over more recent temporal scales. Two classes of complementary analytical approaches , hypothesis-testing and hypothesis-generating , were used to exploit phylogeographical signal from chloroplast DNA sequence data and genotypic data from six codominant nuclear intron markers. Sequence data are consistent with a scenario of mid-peninsular vicariance originating c. 1 million years ago (Ma). Alternative vicariance scenarios representing earlier splitting events inferred for some animals (e.g. Isthmus of La Paz inundation, c. 3 Ma; Sea of Cortez formation, c. 5 Ma) were rejected. Nested clade phylo-geographical analysis corroborated coalescent simulation-based inferences. Nuclear markers broadened the temporal spectrum over which phylogeographical scenarios could be addressed, and provided strong evidence for recent range expansions along the north,south axis of the Baja peninsula. In contrast to previous plant studies in this region, however, the expansions do not appear to have been in a strictly northward direction. These findings contribute to a growing appreciation of the complexity of organismal responses to past climatic and geological changes , even when taxa have evolved in the same landscape context. [source] A Marquesan coral reef (French Polynesia) in historical context: an integrated socio-ecological approachAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 6 2009Shankar Aswani Abstract 1.Marine biologists are increasingly aware of the impact that even small human populations can have on coral reefs around the world, while conservationists and fisheries managers have a growing appreciation of the importance of culturally informed management strategies in coral reef conservation efforts. Despite these recognitions, however, examples of integrated field studies are limited. 2.In this paper evidence from various disciplines is used to study the interaction between humans and one of the largest reefs in the Marquesas Islands, at Anaho Bay, Nuku Hiva Island, with the aim of assessing possible anthropogenic impacts over time. 3.First, it reports on a marine biological survey of the benthic substrates of the bay and the taxonomic composition and spatial distributions of the local fish species. Second, it draws on results from an ongoing archaeological study and integrates these with interviews of village elders to gain a historical perspective on the reef and potential human impacts. 4.The biological results indicated that the reef is in a state of decline, although fish densities are moderately high. The archaeological evidence, in turn, demonstrates that human populations have occupied this valley for at least the last 700 years. Throughout this period marine resources have been an important source of both food and raw materials for tools. The archaeological study also highlights aspects of landscape change, both natural and human-induced, that probably have been detrimental to reef health. 5.Using the combined biological and anthropological data, this paper considers the nexus of factors that have led to the current reef conditions and considers management issues for the future. Key in this regard are processes that have initiated erosion and soil run-off, and fluctuations in the local human populations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||