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Decline
Kinds of Decline Selected AbstractsECONOMICS, RELIGION AND THE DECLINE OF EUROPE,ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2004Niall Ferguson This article asks whether there is any casual connection between the contemporaneous decline in industriousness and religiosity in Europe over the past 25 years. In the United States working hours and levels of religious faith and observance have held steady or even increased over this period. But in most European countries they have declined together. Could this be a posthumous vindication of Max Weber's thesis about the Protestant work ethic and the rise of capitalism? Though there clearly are some important links between religion and economic behaviour, the article concludes that the evidence does not perfectly fit Weber's theory, which emphasised abstinence rather than consumption as a determinant of economic development. [source] TAIL SHEDDING IN ISLAND LIZARDS [LACERTIDAE, REPTILIA]: DECLINE OF ANTIPREDATOR DEFENSES IN RELAXED PREDATION ENVIRONMENTSEVOLUTION, Issue 5 2009Panayiotis Pafilis The ability of an animal to shed its tail is a widespread antipredator strategy among lizards. The degree of expression of this defense is expected to be shaped by prevailing environmental conditions including local predation pressure. We test these hypotheses by comparing several aspects of caudal autotomy in 15 Mediterranean lizard taxa existing across a swath of mainland and island localities that differ in the number and identity of predator species present. Autotomic ease varied substantially among the study populations, in a pattern that is best explained by the presence of vipers. Neither insularity nor the presence of other types of predators explain the observed autotomy rates. Final concentration of accumulated tail muscle lactate and duration of movement of a shed tail, two traits that were previously thought to relate to predation pressure, are in general not shaped by either predator diversity or insularity. Under conditions of relaxed predation selection, an uncoupling of different aspects of caudal autotomy exists, with some elements (ease of autotomy) declining faster than others (duration of movement, lactate concentration). We compared rates of shed tails in the field against rates of laboratory autotomies conducted under standardized conditions and found very high correlation values (r > 0.96). This suggests that field autotomy rates, rather than being a metric of predatory attacks, merely reflect the innate predisposition of a taxon to shed its tail. [source] WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE DECLINE IN CRIME?*INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 3 2004mrohoro In this article we analyze recent trends in aggregate property crime rates in the United States. We propose a dynamic equilibrium model that guides our quantitative investigation of the major determinants of observed patterns of crime. Our main findings can be summarized as follows: First, the model is capable of reproducing the drop in crime between 1980 and 1996. Second, the most important factors that account for the observed decline in property crime are the higher apprehension probability, the stronger economy, and the aging of the population. Third, the effect of unemployment on crime is negligible. Fourth, the increased inequality prevented an even larger decline in crime. Overall, our analysis can account for the behavior of the time series of property crime rates over the past quarter century. [source] FROM MANAGEMENT TO VISION: ISSUES FOR BRITISH CHURCHES NEGOTIATING DECLINE AND CHANGE,INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 364 2003Simon Barrow First page of article [source] FACTORS PREDICTING 2-YEAR COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NONAGENARIANS WITHOUT COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AT BASELINE: THE NONASANTFELIU STUDYJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 7 2007Francesc Formiga MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] INSOMNIA AND COGNITIVE DECLINEJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2002Thomas E. Finucane MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] QUANTIFICATION OF FLUX DECLINE OF DEPECTINIZED MOSAMBI (CITRUS SINENSIS[L.] OSBECK) JUICE USING UNSTIRRED BATCH ULTRAFILTRATIONJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005P. RAI ABSTRACT Ultrafiltration of enzymatically treated mosambi (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck) juice was performed in a batch, unstirred membrane cell. Thin film composite polyamide membrane of molecular weight cut-off 50,000 was used. The flux-decline mechanism was identified by the growth of a gel-type layer over the membrane surface. The flux decline, the gel resistance, the gel-layer thickness and various domains of resistances were calculated at a constant pressure difference in the range of 276,552 kPa. The conventional gel-filtration theory was employed to analyze the flux-decline behavior. The calculated permeate flux and gel-layer resistances were consistent with the experimental results. The calculated gel-layer thickness varied from 4.12 to 74.1 µm for different operating condition (pressure) and time. The time at which the gel resistance becomes equal to the membrane-hydraulic resistance ranged from 13 to 31 s for the pressure range studied herein. Thus, the deposited layer resistance to permeate flow was substantial, throughout the whole operation, except in the first few seconds. [source] MACROALGAL BLOOMS CONTRIBUTE TO THE DECLINE OF SEAGRASS IN NUTRIENT-ENRICHED COASTAL WATERSJOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Karen J. McGlathery First page of article [source] CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN CALIFORNIA SEA OTTERS DURING PERIODS OF POPULATION GROWTH AND DECLINEMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003JamesA. Abstract Elevated mortality appears to be the main reason for both sluggish growth and periods of decline in the threatened California sea otter population. We assessed causes of mortality from salvage records of 3,105 beach-cast carcasses recovered from 1968 through 1999, contrasting two periods of growth with two periods of decline. Overall, an estimated 40%-60% of the deaths were not recovered and 70% of the recovered carcasses died from unknown causes. Nonetheless, several common patterns were evident in the salvage records during the periods of population decline. These included greater percentages of (1) prime age animals (3,10 yr), (2) carcasses killed by great white shark attacks, (3) carcasses recovered in spring and summer, and (4) carcasses for which the cause of death was unknown. Neither sex composition nor the proportion of carcasses dying of infectious disease varied consistently between periods of population increase and decline. The population decline from 1976 to 1984 was likely due to incidental mortality in a set-net fishery, and the decline from 1995 to 1999 may be related to a developing live-fish fishery. Long-term trends unrelated to periods of growth and decline included a decrease in per capita pup production and mass/length ratios of adult carcasses over the 31-yr study. The generally high proportion of deaths from infectious disease suggests that this factor has contributed to the chronically sluggish growth rate of the California sea otter population. [source] THE BROCH CULTURES OF ATLANTIC SCOTLAND: ORIGINS, HIGH NOON AND DECLINE.OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 3 2008200 BC, PART 1: EARLY IRON AGE BEGINNINGS c.700 Summary. A new overview of the broch and wheelhouse-building cultures is offered because recent comparable attempts have omitted substantial amounts of relevant data, such as discussion of the most plausible broch prototypes and of the details of the material cultural sequence, particularly the pottery. Well dated Early Iron Age roundhouse sites have often been described, but promontory forts of the same period, showing the specialized broch hollow wall, have not. The example at Clickhimin, Shetland, is now reliably dated to the sixth century BC at the latest and the associated pottery shows clear links with north-west France. Another unexcavated example in Harris can be restored in some detail and shows how these sites were probably used. The pivotal role of Shetland in the emergence of the new culture is confirmed by the early dating of the broch at Old Scatness to the fourth/third centuries BC. However, a separate development of the round broch tower seems also to have occurred in the west, in the third/second centuries BC. English Early Iron Age pottery is also prominent in some of the earliest sites in the west and north. The picture is of a dynamic, maritime zone open to influences from several remote regions. [source] THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE TUTANKHAMUN-CLASS CHARIOTOXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 2 2004BELA I. SANDOR Summary. The Tutankhamun-class chariot, the earliest high-performance machine, existed in its refined form for about five centuries. Eight complete vehicles have survived and support the argument that they surpass all monumental structures of the pharaohs in engineering sophistication. There is no evidence of chariot racing from that era, but these chariots have many technical features that imply a pedigree based on racing. Several elements hint of thoughtful invention, advanced physical modelling and experimentation, with results that sometimes drastically and favourably differ from our concepts of vehicle design. It is difficult for us to envision a substantially better chariot made with the ancient materials of construction even if we were to apply our most advanced formulas and methods. There are two major areas of chariot analysis from an engineering standpoint, and both are accessible to non-specialists. The complex suspension system of springs and shock absorbers has advantages in structural dynamics, ride quality and safety. An example of the latter is a dual-purpose anti-roll device. The chariots' wheels have aircraft-like damage tolerance, and have fundamentally more perfect spokes and joints for carrying multi-axial loads than the wooden spokes of any classic car. This paper covers the essential technical features and historical perspectives of these chariots for archaeologists. [source] COMMENT: THE DECLINE OF JAPAN'S SAVING RATE AND DEMOGRAPHIC EFFECTSTHE JAPANESE ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 2 2006ETSURO SHIOJI No abstract is available for this article. [source] THE DECLINE IN THE VOLATILITY OF THE BUSINESS CYCLES IN THE UKTHE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 2008CHRISTINA V. ATANASOVA We analyse the sources of the decline of business cycle volatility in the UK using a dynamic factor model that allows for the presence of a structural break in the conditional mean and variance of output, sales, income and unemployment. We augment the factor model with an economic component to investigate the role of structural changes and improved monetary policy in the volatility decline of the series. Our results suggest that the dominant cause for the observed volatility decline is the reduced variability of shocks. [source] THE DECLINE IN MALE EMPLOYMENT IN AUSTRALIA: A COHORT ANALYSISAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC PAPERS, Issue 3 2010DAVID BLACK We use Census data to investigate the sources of the decline in the level of employment of working age males in Australia in recent decades. Alternative measures of the male employment rate are considered before settling on two complementary measures: the full-time employment rate and the full-time equivalent employment rate. The latter measure weights part-time jobs according to the fraction of a full-time job they represent. Models of the determinants of these two employment rates are estimated using data from the Censuses conducted between 1971 and 2001. We construct a pseudo panel by ,stacking' the seven Census data sets (Deaton, 1997; Kapteyn, et al., 2005). This facilitates the tracing of birth cohorts over time, in turn making it possible to control for cohort unobserved heterogeneity that may bias cross-sectional estimates of effects of other characteristics, in particular age and year/time period. We produce evidence that a number of factors have contributed to the decline in male employment, including the decline in couple households with dependent children, growth in income taxes and welfare replacement rates and changes in the structure of labour demand away from traditionally male-dominated industries. We also find that, all else (observable) constant, more recent birth cohorts have no lower , and possibly higher , employment rates than earlier birth cohorts. [source] CONTINUING SEA OTTER POPULATION DECLINES IN THE ALEUTIAN ARCHIPELAGOMARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005J. A. Estes [source] Possible Environmental Factors Underlying Amphibian Decline in Eastern Puerto Rico: Analysis of U.S. Government Data ArchivesCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Robert F. Stallard I examined changes in environmental conditions by examining time-series data sets that extend back at least into the 1980s, a period when frog populations were declining. The data include forest cover; annual mean, minimum, and maximum daily temperature; annual rainfall; rain and stream chemistry; and atmospheric-dust transport. I examined satellite imagery and air-chemistry samples from a single National Aeronautics and Space Administration aircraft flight across the Caribbean showing patches of pollutants, described as thin sheets or lenses, in the lower troposphere. The main source of these pollutants appeared to be fires from land clearing and deforestation, primarily in Africa. Some pollutant concentrations were high and, in the case of ozone, approached health limits set for urban air. Urban pollution impinging on Puerto Rico, dust generation from Africa ( potential soil pathogens), and tropical forest burning ( gaseous pollutants) have all increased during the last three decades, overlapping the timing of amphibian declines in eastern Puerto Rico. None of the data sets pointed directly to changes so extreme that they might be considered a direct lethal cause of amphibian declines in Puerto Rico. More experimental research is required to link any of these environmental factors to this problem. Resumen: Las pasadas tres décadas han visto grandes disminuciones poblacionales de especies de anfibios en altas elevaciones de Puerto Rico oriental, una región única en los trópicos húmedos debido al grado de monitoreo ambiental que se ha llevado a cabo mediante los esfuerzos de las agencias de gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Examiné los cambios en condiciones ambientales mediante el análisis de datos de series de tiempo que se extienden hasta los 1980s, un periodo en el que las poblaciones de ranas estaban declinando. Los datos incluyen cobertura forestal; temperatura diaria media, mínima y máxima anual; precipitación anual; química de la lluvia y arroyos; y el transporte atmosférico de polvo. Examiné imágenes de satélite y muestras de química del aire obtenidos de un solo vuelo de una nave de la NASA a lo largo del Caribe que mostraba parches de contaminantes descritas como capas delgadas de lentes en la inferior troposfera. La mayor fuente de contaminantes parece ser los incendios de tierras clareadas y la deforestación, principalmente en África. Algunas concentraciones de contaminantes fueron altas y en el caso del ozono, se aproximó a los límites de salud establecidos para aire urbano. La contaminación urbana afectando a Puerto Rico, la generación de polvo en África ( patógenos del suelo potenciales) y la quema de bosque tropical (contaminantes gaseosos) han incrementado durante las últimas tres décadas, superponiéndose con el periodo en que oturrieron las disminuciones de anfibios en Puerto Rico oriental. Ninguno de estos conjuntos de datos señaló directamente hacia cambios tan extremos que debieran ser considerados como una causa letal directa de las disminuciones en Puerto Rico. Se requiere de más investigación experimental que vincule a estos factores ambientales con este problema. [source] Variation in Pesticide Tolerance of Tadpoles among and within Species of Ranidae and Patterns of Amphibian DeclineCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2000Christine M. Bridges Because variability exists among organisms in their sensitivity to environmental stressors, it is important to determine the degree of this variation when undertaking conservation efforts. We conducted both lethal (time-to-death) and sublethal (activity change) assays to determine the degree of variation in the sensitivity of tadpoles to a pesticide, carbaryl, at three hierarchical levels: among ranid species, among several populations of a single ranid species ( Rana sphenocephala), and within populations of R. sphenocephala. We observed significant variation in time to death among the nine ranid species and among the 10 R. sphenocephala populations we tested. Four out of eight R. sphenocephala populations exhibited significantly different times to death among families. The magnitude of the activity change in response to exposure to sublethal carbaryl levels was significantly different among species and within R. sphenocephala populations. Chemical contamination, at lethal or sublethal levels, can alter natural regulatory processes such as juvenile recruitment in amphibian populations and should be considered a contributing cause of declines in amphibian populations. Resumen: Existe una variación significativa entre y dentro de especies de anfibios con respecto a los reportes de disminuciones poblacionales; las especies en disminución son frecuentemente encontradas en ambientes que son fisiográficamente similares a ambientes donde las mismas especies están prosperando. Debido a que la variabilidad existe entre organismos en lo referente a su sensibilidad a estresores ambientales, es importante determinar el grado de esta variación cuando se lleven a cabo esfuerzos de conservación. Nosotros llevamos a cabo ensayos tanto letales (tiempo de muerte) como subletales (cambios de actividad) para determinar el grado de variación en la sensibilidad de renacuajos a un pesticida, carbaryl, en tres niveles jerárquicos: entre especies de ránidos, entre diversas poblaciones de una sola especie de ránido ( Rana sphenocephala) y dentro de poblaciones de R. sphenocephala. Observamos diferencias significativas en tiempo de muerte entre las nueve especies de ránidos y entre las 10 poblaciones de R. sphenocephala evaluadas. Cuatro de ocho poblaciones de R. sphenocephala exhibieron tiempos de muerte significativamente diferentes entre familias. La magnitud del cambio de actividad al ser expuestas a niveles subletales de carbaryl fue significativamente diferente entre especies y dentro de poblaciones de R. sphenocephala. La contaminación química, a niveles letales y subletales, puede alterar los procesos reguladores naturales (por ejemplo el reclutamiento de juveniles) en poblaciones de anfibios y debería ser considerado como una causa que contribuye a la disminución de poblaciones de anfibios. [source] The Trial of the Witnesses: The Rise and Decline of Postliberal Theology , By Paul DeHartCONVERSATIONS IN RELIGION & THEOLOGY, Issue 2 2007William C. Placher First page of article [source] Policy Reform and Foreign Direct Investment in Africa: Absolute Progress but Relative DeclineDEVELOPMENT POLICY REVIEW, Issue 1 2004Elizabeth Asiedu Despite improvements in the policy environment, sub-Saharan Africa's share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries continues to decline. This article provides an explanation for the deterioration in SSA's FDI global position. It argues that, although SSA has reformed its institutions, improved its infrastructure and liberalised its FDI regulatory framework, the degree of reform has been mediocre compared with the reform implemented in other developing countries. As a consequence, relative to other regions, SSA has become less attractive for FDI. An important implication of these results is that in a competitive global economy, it is not enough just to improve one's policy environment: improvements need to be made both in absolute and relative terms. [source] Decline of neuroadrenergic bronchial innervation and respiratory function in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a longitudinal studyDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 4 2007Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi Abstract Background and aim Type 1 diabetes mellitus complicated by autonomic neuropathy (AN) is characterized by depressed cholinergic bronchomotor tone and neuroadrenergic denervation of the lung. We explored the effects of AN on the rate of decline of pulmonary sympathetic innervation and respiratory function during a 5-year follow-up. Methods Twenty diabetic patients, 11 with AN, were enrolled in 1998 and then followed-up until 2003. During follow-up, glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured every 3 months. In 1998 and 2003 the patients underwent respiratory function tests and a ventilatory scintigraphic study of neuroadrenergic bronchial innervation using 123I-MIBG. Results During follow-up 4 patients, all with AN, were lost, and 1 developed AN. Forced vital capacity (FVC), and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) showed comparable rates of decrease in patients with and without AN. The yearly decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was about double the physiologic rate, in both AN and AN-free patients. The MIBG clearance significantly increased both in patients with AN (T1/2: 118.88 ± 30.14 min at baseline and 92.10 ± 24.52 min at the end of follow-up) and without AN (135.14 ± 17.09 min and 92.68 ± 13.52 min, respectively), indicating a rapidly progressive neuroadrenergic denervation. The rate of the neuroadrenergic denervation was inversely related to the severity of autonomic dysfunction at baseline (Spearman's rho , 0.62, p = 0.017). Neither respiratory function indexes nor MIBG clearance changes correlated with the overall HbA1c values. Conclusions Neuroadrenergic denervation of the lung parallels the decline of respiratory function indexes in diabetic patients both with and without AN and seems to be independent from the quality of glycemic control. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Was Mancur a Maoist?ECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 2 2003An Essay on Kleptocracy, Political Stability Much of Mancur Olson's work explored the link between government structure and economic development. This paper provides a framework for thinking about this link that exposes both the powerful insights and the deep tensions in Olson's work. In The Rise and Decline of Nations Olson argued that instability was good for democratic accountability because it upset entrenched interests. In contrast, after the fall of the socialist regimes in Europe and the Soviet Union, Olson argued that the stability of a single autocrat or "stationary bandit" was superior to the competitive rent seeking of competing "roving bandits." I argue that there is a real inconsistency in Olson's thinking on the role of stability and change in political life; I do this by developing the connections between Olson's classic Logic of Collective Action and his subsequent writing. The paper concludes by building on Olson's insights to point the way to a more complete analysis of democracy and transition. [source] What Explains the Bid-Ask Spread Decline after Nasdaq Reforms?FINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 5 2003By Yan He This paper examines whether the decrease in bid-ask spreads on Nasdaq after the 1997 reforms is due to a decrease in market-making costs and/or an increase in market competition for order flows. Unlike previous studies, we jointly examine how competition and trading costs affect bid-ask spreads. In addition, we separate the effects of informed trading and liquidity costs on bid-ask spreads. Informed trading cost is directly estimated for each Nasdaq stock using a Bayesian theoretic model. Empirical results show that market-making costs and competition significantly affect bid-ask spreads. The post-reform decrease in bid-ask spreads is largely due to both an increase in competition and a decrease in informed trading and liquidity costs on Nasdaq. [source] Biscogniauxia nummularia: pathogenic agent of a beech declineFOREST PATHOLOGY, Issue 6 2004G. Granata Summary Decline of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Sicily and Calabria (Italy) was observed to be associated with the ascomycete Biscogniauxia nummularia. This fungus is naturally present in beech stands and to date has not been considered a primary pathogenic agent. Artificial inoculations were performed to assess its pathogenicity on beech and to determine if Sicilian and Calabrian isolates differ in virulence. Biscogniauxia nummularia played an evident primary pathogenic role under the environmental conditions studied. Virulence of the isolates was variable and did not depend neither on the geographic origin nor the environmental conditions at the sites where pathogenicity testing was performed. Résumé Le champignon ascomycète Biscogniauxia nummularia a été observé en association avec un dépérissement du hêtre européen (Fagus sylvatica) en Sicile et en Calabre (Italie). Ce champignon est naturellement présent dans les hêtraies et n'était pas considéré jusqu'à présent comme un agent pathogène primaire. Des inoculations artificielles ont été réalisées pour évaluer son pouvoir pathogène sur hêtre et déterminer si les isolats de Sicile et de Calabre présentent des différences de virulence. Dans les conditions de l'étude, B. nummularia prèsente clairement un rôle pathogène primaire. Les isolats ont une virulence variable, qui ne peut pas être reliée à l'origine géographique ou aux conditions environnementales des sites d'étude du pouvoir pathogène. Zusammenfassung Der Ascomycet Biscogniauxia nummularia wurde im Zusammenhang mit dem Absterben von Buchen (Fagus sylvatica) in Sizilien und Kalabrien (Italien) beobachtet. Der Pilz stellt eine natürliche Komponente von Buchenwäldern dar und wurde bis anhin nicht als ein primäres Pathogen eingestuft. Die Pathogenität von B. nummularia wurde mittels Infektionsversuchen an Buchen neu beurteilt, und die Virulenz von sizilianischen und kalabrischen Isolaten verglichen. Unter den getesteten Umweltbedingungen wirkte B. nummularia als primäres Pathogen. Die Virulenz der Isolate war unterschiedlich, hing aber weder von der Herkunft der Isolate noch den Umweltbedingungen an den Versuchsstandorten ab. [source] Decline in the quality of suspended fine particulate matter as a food resource for chironomids downstream of an urban areaFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004Emma J. Rosi-MarshallArticle first published online: 16 APR 200 Summary 1. Urbanization and its associated contamination could degrade the quality of suspended fine particulate organic matter (SFPM) (20 ,m to 1 mm) as a food resource for aquatic insects. SFPM was collected at four sites along the main stem of the Chattahoochee River, which drains metropolitan Atlanta at base and high flow during four seasons. 2. Composition of SFPM was estimated using measures conventionally associated with food quality: bacteria, N/C ratio, caloric content, % inorganic, and % lipids, and metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) concentration. In SFPM collected during base flow, % inorganic matter, calories, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations increased with cumulative permitted wastewater treatment discharge (an indicator of extent of urbanization upstream). In SFPM samples collected during high flow, % diatoms, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations increased with urbanization. 3. A growth assay was used as an integrated and direct measure of SFPM quality as a food resource. The instantaneous growth rate (IGR) of chironomids fed SFPM collected during base flow declined downstream of the city. IGRs of chironomids fed SFPM collected at all sites during high flow were as low as the lowest IGR measured during base flow. 4. Insects fed SFPM collected from the Chattahoochee River had IGRs only 20% of those of chironomids fed SFPM collected from the Little Tennessee River, a relatively undisturbed river in North Carolina. The mortality rate of chironomids fed SFPM was not different among sites or rivers. While the decline in SFPM quality in the Chattahoochee River is probably attributable to some aspect of urbanization, the decline was not related to conventional measures of food quality or metal contamination. [source] Decline in a dominant invertebrate species contributes to altered carbon cycling in a low-diversity soil ecosystemGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 8 2008J. E. BARRETT Abstract Low-diversity ecosystems cover large portions of the Earth's land surface, yet studies of climate change on ecosystem functioning typically focus on temperate ecosystems, where diversity is high and the effects of individual species on ecosystem functioning are difficult to determine. We show that a climate-induced decline of an invertebrate species in a low-diversity ecosystem could contribute to significant changes in carbon (C) cycling. Recent climate variability in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica is associated with changes in hydrology, biological productivity, and community composition of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. One of the greatest changes documented in the dry valleys is a 65% decrease in the abundance of the dominant soil invertebrate (Scottnema lindsayae, Nematoda) between 1993 and 2005, illustrating sensitivity of biota in this ecosystem to small changes in temperature. Globally, such declines are expected to have significant influences over ecosystem processes such as C cycling. To determine the implications of this climate-induced decline in nematode abundance on soil C cycling we followed the fate of a 13C tracer added to soils in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Carbon assimilation by the dry valley nematode community contributed significantly to soil C cycling (2,7% of the heterotrophic C flux). Thus, the influence of a climate-induced decline in abundance of a dominant species may have a significant effect on ecosystem functioning in a low-diversity ecosystem. [source] All Is Not Decline: Giving the "Change" Multiple DirectionsINDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009CHRISTIAN STAMOV ROßNAGEL [source] Trade Union Decline and Union Wage Effects in AustraliaINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 4 2005C. JEFFREY WADDOUPS Union density in Australia fell precipitously in the 1990s. This study investigates how union wage effects may have changed as a result. The findings from 1993 data suggest that union/nonunion wage differentials were very small, especially among workers in high-density industries. By 2001 the overall union wage effect had increased significantly; however, the union/nonunion wage differential was no longer correlated with union density at the industry level. [source] Special Call: E-Business and Electronic Financial and Business Reporting: Decline of the Age of Pacioli: The Impact of E-Business on Accounting and Accounting Education / Le déclin de l'ère Pacioli: l'incidence des affaires électroniques sur la comptabilité et la formation comptableACCOUNTING PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2004GERALD TRITES First page of article [source] The informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE) is associated with informant stressINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 11 2009Harald A. Nygaard Abstract Objective To study the association between informant stress and appraisal of patients' cognitive functioning as reported by the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly,IQCODE. Methods Routinely collected data from a geriatric outpatient department (207 dyads) during the years 1995,1998 were analysed. Relative stress scale (RSS) has been categorised for possible low, intermediate and high risk of psychiatric morbidity and caregivers were combined to four groups (female and male spouses and female and male non-spouses, respectively). The relationship between IQCODE (dependent) and categorised RSS and informant groups and patient age was further studied by means of the general linear model (GLM,UNIANOVA). Results In general, spouses reported better cognitive functioning than non-spouses. There was a significant association between IQCODE and RSS (p,<,0.001), and the composite variable informant group and informant gender (p,<,0.001). The main effect of the interaction term RSS,×,informant group,+,informant gender was not significant. Post hoc test, however, revealed a significant effect of the interaction term RSS,×,female spouses (p,<,0.001) on IQCODE. Conclusion IQCODE is associated with informant stress. Categorisation of RSS score into groups of low, intermediate and high risk for psychiatric morbidity can be a valuable contribution to a more meaningful application of RSS in general practice. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prevalence and correlates of alcoholism in community-dwelling elderly living in São Paulo, BrazilINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 10 2009Edson Shiguemi Hirata Abstract Objectives To assess the prevalence of alcoholism in elderly living in the city of São Paulo (Brazil) and investigate associated risk factors. Methods A total of 1,563 individuals aged 60 years or older, of both genders of three districts of different socioeconomic classes (high, medium and low) in the city of São Paulo (Brazil) were interviewed. The CAGE screening test for alcoholism was applied and a structured interview was used to assess associated sociodemographic and clinical factors. The tests Mini Mental State Examination, Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly and Bayer-Activities of Daily Living Scale were used for cognitive and functional assessment. Results Prevalence of alcoholism was 9.1%. Multivariate regression analysis showed that alcoholism was associated with male gender, ,mulatto' ethnicity, smoking, and cognitive and functional impairment. In addition, the younger the individual and the lower the schooling level, the higher the risk for alcoholism. Conclusions The results obtained in this study show that alcoholism is highly frequent in the community-dwelling elderly living in São Paulo, and that it is associated with socio-demographic and clinical risk factors similar to those reported in the literature. This suggests that alcoholism in the elderly of a developing country shares the same basic characteristics seen in developed countries. These findings suggest that it is essential for health services and professional to be prepared to meet this demand that will significantly grow in the next years, especially in developing countries, where the rates of population aging are higher than those of developed countries. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||