Geographies of Social Capital: Catastrophe Experience, Risk Perception, and the Transformation of Social Space in Postearthquake Resettlements in Sichuan, China

This article explores the relationships between catastrophe experience and risk perception, social interaction, and household response to future catastrophes. Our main argument recognizes the geographical context in which social capital is formed and reproduced. Social relationships and norms adjust to the social landscape, which can be transformed by the spatial consequences of natural catastrophes. We therefore argue that sources of household resilience could be derived from the spatial transformation of social practices and not necessarily from catastrophe experience and risk perception directly. A case study was conducted in two postearthquake rural communities in China. The inquiry is primarily based on a household survey of 371 local residents and is further supported by an analysis of additional in-depth interviews and a review of key changes in the neighborhoods under study. The findings challenge the assumption that catastrophe experience and risk perception are related to residents' intentions to prepare for future catastrophes. Nonetheless, the relationship might be mediated by social relationships and social norms. Catastrophe experience and risk perception can be construed as a geographical contextual factor. Further analysis provides one example of such a factor: The spatial features of postearthquake resettlements have increased the proximity between residents. This shift facilitates neighborly interaction and risk communication across a neighborhood. We discuss the nonlinear, dynamic relationships between the variables examined and the grounding of social capital in space.postprin

Assessing the role of ecotourism training in changing participants' pro-environmental knowledge, attitude and behaviour

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THE ROLE OF JOINTS OF LOWER LIMB DURING SHOCK ABSORBING PHASE IN RACE WALKING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of each joint of the lower limb during the shock absorbing phase in race walking (RW) by comparing it with normal walking (NW) and running (RU). Three active race walkers participated in this study. They performed NW, RW and RU (toe-strike) with self-selected speed in a motion capture laboratory. An optical 3D motion capturing system with two force plates was used. The vertical fluctuation of the center of mass in RW was the smallest among the three movements. The negative power at the ankle and knee joint were hardly detected in RW, however, a relatively large negative power was observed at the hip joint. The negative works of both total and individual joint were obtained by integrating the negative power during the shock absorbing phase. The total negative work in NW (0.14 Wlkg) was the smallest among the three motions. The ratio of the hip joint was greater (36.7%) than the other joints in RW

Evolution of Parathyroid Hormone Receptor Family and Their Ligands in Vertebrate

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Local residents' perception on the impacts of ecotourism development in the Wolong Nature Reserve, China

This journal issue contain 2014 Sustainable Tourism and Resilience in Urban Environments - Conference Program & AbstractsThe Wolong Nature Reserve has been severely damaged by the Wen Chuen Earthquake in 2008. The earthquake not only destroyed the habitat of the Giant Panda, it has seriously affected the livelihood of local residents particularly those relied on the tourism industry. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of local residents towards the ecotourism development in the Wolong Nature Reserve. Questionnaire survey has been conducted to glean the views from the local residents. Altogether 217 responses have been collected from two major towns within the Wolong Nature Reserve. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to categorize the 16 impact items, which were listed in the questionnaire, into four major impacts namely positive impacts (PI), negative living environmental impacts (NLEI), negative social impacts (NSI), and negative economic impacts (NEI). Local residents’ willingness to participate (WTP) in the ecotourism development has also been investigated and positive association was reported between WTP and PI and NEI indicating that the residents with greater WTP concerned more on the PI and NEI than their counterparts. Beside, the residents who claimed that they have had serious losses in the earthquake indicated more positive attitude towards the ecotourism development. The findings suggested that local residents in the Wolong Nature Reserve are desperate to have the re-development of tourism industry and they have had an optimistic attitude towards the ecotourism development in the near future. However, they may possibly have expected too much on the development that could bring them enormous benefits and neglected those potential negative social, economic and environmental impacts. It would be dangerous if local residents are overly optimistic to the tourism development that may result of irreversible damages to the invaluable natural environment due to excessive tourism development.published_or_final_versio

Neuron-restrictive silencer factor functions to suppress Sp1-mediated transactivation of human secretin receptor gene.

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The estrogen-related receptor alpha upregulates secretin expressions in response to hypertonicity and angiotensin II stimulation

Osmoregulation via maintenance of water and salt homeostasis is a vital process. In the brain, a functional secretin (SCT) and secretin receptor (SCTR) axis has recently been shown to mediate central actions of angiotensin II (ANGII), including initiation of water intake and stimulation of vasopressin (VP) expression and release. In this report, we provide evidence that estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα, NR3B1), a transcription factor mainly involved in metabolism, acts as an upstream activator of the SCT gene. In vitro studies using mouse hypothalamic cell line N-42 show that ERRα upregulates SCT promoter and gene expression. More importantly, knockdown of endogenous ERRα abolishes SCT promoter activation in response to hypertonic and ANGII stimulations. In mouse brain, ERRα coexpresses with SCT in various osmoregulatory brain regions, including the lamina terminalis and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and its expression is induced by hyperosmotic and ANGII treatments. Based on our data, we propose that both the upregulation of ERRα and/or the increased binding of ERRα to the mouse SCT promoter are two possible mechanisms for the elevated SCT expression upon hyperosmolality and central ANGII stimulation. © 2012 Lee et al.published_or_final_versio

Detection of biomolecules using quartz crystal devices

本研究の一部は、関西大学研究拠点形成支援事業、文部科学省私立大学戦略的研究基盤形成支援事業「三次元ナノ・マイクロ｣、村田学術振興財団研究助成金を受けて実施された

The Role of Endocrine G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Ovarian Cancer Progression

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