101 research outputs found
Fashion in peril: an investigation into how fashion mirrored change in UK society
No full textThis paper investigates and compares how fashion reacted to the deprivations of the Second World War, with similar deprivation, in the economic recession, beginning in 2008. This resulted in many parallel initiatives that have either been revived or have evolved. The initiatives often threaten recognised systems of fashion, design and consumption. It is driven underground only to re-emerge in different interpretations. Indeed a backlash against ostentation has been a driving force in sustainable fashion which emerged before the recession. Consumers embraced an environmental consciousness which radically altered perceptions towards fashion products and the messages they sent out to the world. The paper also details how final year fashion design students were set a live two day brief, that asked them consider the concept of ‘Fashion in Peril’. This exercise introduced students in a practical way to how fashion can mirror change in Society and also how a sense of individual style and fashion can be maintained in a crisis
Comparison of 5th-and 14th-year Douglas-fir and understory vegetation responses to selective vegetation removal
No full textWOS: 000292428600002The effects of early vegetation management on the survival and growth of Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] were examined 5 and 15 years after planting in the Oregon Coast Range. Our first objective was to document the effects of vegetation species competition upon key ecosystem properties. The second objective was to document the effects of vegetation removal during early Douglas-fir stand establishment upon long-term tree growth and on biomass production by vegetation components. Seven levels of manual vegetation removal were maintained for the first 5 years after planting: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% shrub removal; and 100% shrub removal combined with 50% or 100% herbaceous vegetation removal. Shrub and herb removal did not affect Douglas-fir survival at year five, but treatments providing less than 75% shrub removal significantly reduced Douglas-fir survival by year 15. Removing shrubs and herbs completely (100S + 100H) during the 5 years following tree planting allowed successful tree establishment, with a 366% increase in biomass accumulation per hectare for Douglas-fir in that treatment at the end of 14 years of growth. At 15 years stand age, even with shrub removal alone, a 304% gain in tree biomass per hectare was obtained compared to no vegetation removal (NVR). By stand age 15 years, any increase in the degree of understory removal beyond 75% did not contribute significantly to additional tree survival and growth. The understory vegetation on NVR treatment plots and the herbaceous vegetation on 100% shrub removal (100S) treatment plots, contained >90% and >80% of aboveground biomass N at 5 years, respectively, indicating possible competition for soil N. Soil moisture was not different among treatments at 5 years. Complete vegetation removal (100S + 100H) for 5 years resulted in a significant increase in soil bulk density (P < 0.05), a significant decrease in total soil C (P < 0.05) and no change in total soil N in the upper 15 cm of the mineral soil. By 14 years, however, only the soil bulk density remained greater (P < 0.05) on the 100S + 100H treatment. We conclude that greater tree survival and growth occurred with at least 75% shrub removal. Our results suggest that managers may have substantial flexibility in maintaining a partial understory component suitable for ecosystem productivity, canopy cover and wildlife habitat, while maintaining forests productive for timber resources. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Duzce University, TurkeyDuzce University; Oregon State University Forest Science Department; US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research StationUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA)United States Forest Service; US Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencySupport for the senior author was received from Duzce University, Turkey. Research support came from the Oregon State University Forest Science Department, the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Robert G. Wagner, who began the original study and shared key data for tree survival and growth from year 5. The following individuals gave helpful advice on research methods and data analysis: Carol Glassman, Jillian Gregg, Erik Hobbie, Marc Kramer, Dave Myrold, Nan Posavatz, and Chris Swanston. Dan Binkley, Elizabeth C. Cole, Douglas A. Maguire, Vicente J. Monleon, John C. Tappeiner, II, and Richard H. Waring provided helpful manuscript suggestions. Angeline S. Cromack and Kevin T. Cromack edited and formatted the final draft of the paper
Retinol-binding protein 4 is associated with impaired glucose tolerance but not with whole body or hepatic insulin resistance in Mexican Americans
No full textRetinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4), a novel protein secreted mainly by adipose tissue, has been associated with insulin resistance in obese subjects and in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We examined the relationship between plasma RBP4 levels, expression of RBP4 in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, and insulin sensitivity in Mexican Americans with varying degrees of obesity and glucose tolerance. Seventy-two subjects [16 lean normal-glucose-tolerant (NGT), 17 obese NGT, and 39 subjects with impaired fasting glucose/impaired glucose tolerance/T2DM] received an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Insulin secretion was measured as insulinogenic index during OGTT. In a subset of subjects, hepatic glucose production was measured by 3-[3H]glucose infusion, biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue were obtained under basal conditions, and quantitative RT-PCR was performed to measure the RBP4 mRNA gene expression. Plasma RBP4 was significantly elevated in impaired glucose tolerance/T2DM compared with NGT lean or obese subjects. Plasma RBP4 levels correlated with 2-h glucose, triglycerides, and hemoglobin A1c. There was no association between RBP4 levels and whole body insulin sensitivity measured with either the euglycemic insulin clamp or OGTT, basal hepatic glucose production rates, and the hepatic insulin resistance index. There was no correlation between plasma RBP4 levels and indexes of insulin secretion. RBP4 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle was similar in lean NGT subjects, obese NGT subjects, and T2DM subjects. There was no difference in RBP4 mRNA expression in adipose tissue between lean and obese NGT subjects or between NGT and T2DM individuals. Plasma RBP4 levels are elevated in T2DM and associated with impaired glucose tolerance, but not associated with obesity or insulin resistance or impaired insulin secretion in Mexican Americans
Long-term effects of prescribed underburning on litter decomposition and nutrient release in ponderosa pine stands in central Oregon
No full textThe effects of low-intensity prescribed underburning on the rates of litter decomposition and N and P release in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws) stands were studied by a litter-bag technique for 18 months in sites burned 0.3, 5, or 12 years earlier. Litter decomposition rates (k) were low, between 0.15 and 0.28 year-1, and were significantly (P < 0.1) reduced by prescribed fire on the sites burned 0.3 and 12 years earlier. However, the reduction in decomposition rates was small, from 0.22 to 0.19 year-1 on the sites burned 12 years earlier, and from 0.172 to 0.167 year-1 on the sites burned 0.3 year earlier. Nitrogen tended to be immobilized in the decomposing litter, while P was rapidly released, suggesting that these ecosystems are limited by N but not by P. Nitrogen showed a distinctive seasonal pattern of net immobilization during winter and a net release during summer. Prescribed burning significantly increased the release of N and P from the litter on the sites burned 5 years earlier, a pattern that may indicate changes in microbial activity in the forest floor. However, there were no significant differences in nutrient dynamics on the remaining sites. © 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
Fashion in Jeopardy
No full textGlamorous, ostentatious, extravagant, alluring, flamboyant, frivolous! (SLIDE 4) The opulence of high fashion is often referred to with these very evocative words. Aspiring to such dizzying heights in the daily construction of appearance is the ultimate dream of the fashion consumer. This conflicts with the every day functionality of dress and the changes in society that fashion often needs to accommodate. The individual consumer of fashion will put together a look that conveys a visual message that can reflect these changes. These could be induced by war, depression, economic recession and political turmoil. The changes can also put the system of fashion and its consumption in great jeopardy. This research investigates and compares how fashion reacted to the deprivations of the Second World War, with similar deprivation, in the economic recession, beginning in 2008. This resulted in many parallel initiatives that have either been revived or have evolved. Whilst the research recognises that the deprivation suffered during war is far more destructive materially, physically and emotionally it emphasises the similarity of parallel initiatives in relation to fashionable clothing that impacted in the dual times of economic shortage. The initiatives discussed often-threatened recognised systems of fashion, design and consumption. It was driven underground only to re-emerge in different interpretations. In relation to this the research also details how final year fashion design students were set a live two day brief, that asked them consider the concept of ‘Fashion in Jeopardy’. This exercise introduced students in a practical way to how fashion can mirror conflict in society and how a sense of individual style and fashion can be maintained in a crisis
Effects of vegetation control on nutrient removal and Fagus orientalis, Lipsky regeneration in the western Black Sea Region of Turkey
No full textDense Rhododendron ponticum (L.) understories of eastern beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) stands in the Black Sea Region (BSR) of Turkey create challenging forest vegetation management problems relative to beech regeneration. Rhododendron traditionally is controlled in Turkish forests with grubbing and bulldozing. The effects of these practices on nutrient removal and natural beech regeneration have not been quantitatively studied. Two woody vegetation control treatments (bulldozing and hand-grubbing) were installed during late summer, 2002 in three mature beech stands with dense rhododendron understories in the Düzce Forest Management Directorate, in the Turkish western BSR. Aboveground biomass of each vegetation component, total aboveground vegetation biomass, nutrient concentrations, organic matter (OM) removal, and total amount of OM nutrients were determined for each woody vegetation control treatment. Soil bulk density and nutrient content, and beech seedling biomass, nutrient content, and natural regeneration also were studied. One year after treatment, the machine site preparation by bulldozing (MSP) that removed understory vegetation and attached roots, reduced mean forest floor OM content by about 84%, when compared to hand-grubbing. Mean soil C, N, K and Mg concentrations on the bulldozed sites were 36, 27, 50 and 55% less, respectively, than those on the grubbed sites. Total C and Mg amounts at the 5-10 cm soil depth were 24 and 47% lower, respectively, for mechanical site preparation (MSP) sites, when compared to grubbed sites. Overall, soil bulk density did not differ significantly between the grubbing and MSP treatments. Frequent passes on designated transects on MSP sites resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) one-third increase in bulk density of the first 20 cm soil depth, when compared to grubbed sites. No natural beech regeneration occurred on untreated control sites. Mineral soil exposure on the MSP sites increased beech seedling germination substantially. One year after treatment, the mean number of naturally regenerated seedlings for MSP sites was 2.5 times greater than for grubbed sites. Woody control treatments had significant effects upon beech seedling chemistry, with N, P, K, Ca and Mg concentrations averaging 35, 47, 12, 33 and 25% lower, respectively, for MSP sites, when compared to grubbed sites. However, mean seedling biomass and nutrient content were significantly greater (P < 0.05) on MSP sites. Long-term effects from windrowing on MSP site residues, associated topsoil and nutrients need to be evaluated. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Ferromagnetism in molecular decamethylferrocenium tetracyanoethylenide: (DMeFc TCNE)
No full textjournal articleThe temperature and magnetic field dependence of the magnetization and susceptibility of single-crystal decamethylferrocenium tetracyanoethenide demonstrate that this material is the first molecular compound with a ferromagnetic ground state. A spontaneous magnetization is observed for T < 4.8 K. The results are consistent with a crossover from a dominance of one-dimensional ferromagnetic exchange interaction to a 3D mean-field-like interaction at (=)16 K. The critical exponents are in accord with mean-field behavior. A generalized Hubbard model is proposed to account for the unusual ferromagnetic exchange interactions in this system
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Leaf litter chemistry and decomposition in a Pacific Northwest Coniferous forest ecosystem
No full textThe effects of initial leaf litter chemistry of 16 common coniferous and deciduous hardwoods and shrubs on their annual decomposition patterns were studied on the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest (Oregon). Leaf litters were characterized by their chemical qualities, which included measurement of elemental fractions (C, N, P, K, Ca, Mg), proximate fractions (non-polar, polar, acid-soluble extractives, acid-soluble lignin and acid-insoluble "Klason lignin"), and colorimetric characters (total phenolics, reactive polyphenolics, water-soluble carbohydrates, water-soluble condensed tannins, and water and acid-insoluble condensed tannins). These analytical methods improve upon traditional proximate analysis (Ryan et al. 1990) used to characterize leaf litters, through measurement of reactive and residual phenolic fractions and acid-soluble lignin. This paper discusses the procedures that are involved in improving proximate analysis and the link between leaf chemistry and one year
decomposition rates. Significant differences were found in leaf litter qualities and in
decomposition rates (expressed as decay) among species. The annual decay (k) for the leaf litter ranged from 0.27 to 1.02. The decay values for all species combined had highly significant (p [less than or equal to] 0.0001) correlations with 29 out of the 36 initial chemistry variables tested. The three highest correlations were with acid-insoluble
condensed tannins (r= 0.83 p [less than or equal to] 0.0001 n=339), the lignocellulose index (r= -0.81 p[less than or equal to] 0.0001, n=339) and acid-insoluble residue or 'Klason lignin" (r= -0.80 p [less than or equal to] 0.0001, n=339). A multiple regression model with all 16 species suggested that annual decomposition was best related to acid-insoluble condensed tannins, Klason lignin, water-insoluble condensed tannins, Ca and total phenolic:N ( R²=0.84, p [less than or equal] 0.0001, n= 339). Correlation and multiple linear regression models with each species' decay rate revealed that no one single initial chemical predictor could best explain the decomposition rates for each of the 16 species and that there were a wide range of chemical predictors related to the patterns of decomposition for each species
Mass, Nutrient Content, and Decay Rate of Dead Boles in Rain Forests of Olympic National Park
No full textAnalysis of the distribution of dead boles of Picea sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla in open- and closed-canopy forests of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA showed that T. heterophylla mortality in both forest types resulted mainly from windthrow, whereas P. sitchensis typically died upright. The open forest contained 120 t/ha and the closed forest 161 t/ha of dead bole wood. Boles of T. heterophylla decayed more rapidly than larger boles of P. sitchensis, though both showed considerable variation. Nutrient contents of dead boles in kg/ha for open- and closed-canopy (brackets) forests were: N 146 (223); Ca 147 (197); K 39 (61); Mg 18 (29) Na 6 (14); and P 17 (29). Except for N and Mg, nutrient concentration of the wood were not significantly different after 33-68 yr of decay. The N : P ratios increased with decay for both species. From authors\u27 summary
A regional approach to litter dynamics in Southern Appalachian forests
No full text Foliage litterfall, Ol litter mass, and its Mg, P, and K content were estimated for six forest types in the Southern Appalachian region using 252 forest survey plots of the USDA Forest Service. General allometric equations were used to compute foliage litterfall, and average species foliage elemental concentrations were used for litterfall elemental content. Exponential decay rate constants (k) of foliage mass and elements were estimated from foliage lignin concentrations. The procedure was tested with measured litterfall and Ol litter at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and selected Forest Service plots in Macon County, North Carolina. Litterfall and Ol litter mass were accurately computed. Elemental content of litterfall and Mg and K mineralization rates were overestimated; P mineralization rate was underestimated. First-year immobilization of Ca may render the exponential decay model invalid for Ca. </jats:p
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