Nara Saho College

Having their populations add up to over 80% of Albanian ethnicity, Kosovo and Albania can be conceptualized as being closely intertwined namely when it comes to their foreign policies. This article will primarily focus on the foreign policies of Albania and Kosovo through the lens of their major foreign policy goals and their connections with the European Union. The path of the contemporary existence of Albania and Kosovo has been marked by various events such as the dissolution of Kosovo from Serbia. Their primary efforts include building and maintaining a democratic society that would enable the two countries to gradually flourish and establish closer ties with neighboring countries as well as Europe and the EU if successful. This research provides a comparison of the two foreign policies through a lateral method by also focusing on one of the three levels of analysis, the individual, state, and system. Within the individual level emphasis is laid on crucial individuals such as Rama, Pacolli, Cakaj, and Meta. This level of analysis and the outline of influential decisionmakers statements and actions can confirm the idea that the two countries of Kosovo and Albania can survive only in case of successful cooperation amongst each other as well as through Euro Atlantic integration namely with the European Union.

Light use efficiency (LUE) is a key parameter in estimating gross primary production (GPP) based on global Earth-observation satellite data and model calculations. In current LUE-based GPP estimation models, the maximum LUE is treated as a constant for each biome type. However, the maximum LUE varies seasonally. In this study, seasonal maximum LUE values were estimated from the maximum incident LUE versus the incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the fraction of absorbed PAR. First, an algorithm to estimate maximum incident LUE was developed to estimate GPP capacity using a light response curve. One of the parameters required for the light response curve was estimated from the linear relationship of the chlorophyll index and the GPP capacity at a high PAR level of 2000 (µmolm -2 s -1 ), and was referred to as“ the maximum GPP capacity at 2000. The relationship was determined for six plant functional types: needleleaf deciduous trees, broadleaf deciduous trees, needleleaf evergreen trees, broadleaf evergreen trees, C3 grass, and crops. The maximum LUE values estimated in this study displayed seasonal variation, especially those for deciduous broadleaf forest, but also those for evergreen needleleaf forest.

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology and distribution of setae and hairs on the larval mid leg femur, tibia, and third tarsomere in representatives of six genera of Perlodidae and Perlidae. On the ventral surfaces of these leg segments we observed previously described clothing hairs, spine-like setae, and pinnate setae. We describe for the first time a new type of seta that we refer to as candle-like seta. Distinct differences in the distribution of hairs and setae are exhibited between the two families. Perlidae have hairy legs and on the femur the percentage of setae as compared to that of the clothing hairs is very high. Perlodidae are less hairy and on the femur the percentage of setae as compared to clothing hairs is much lower. The distribution of setae and hairs is similar among genera in the Perlidae, but not between genera of the Perlodidae. Pinnate setae are observed only in Neoperla geniculata. We discuss the types of setae and their distribution on the larval legs that characterise the families in relation to their habitats as well as to their behaviours observed in an aquarium using a video camera.

In the pineal organ, two types of ganglion cell exhibit antagonistic chromatic responses to UV and green light, and achromatic responses to visible light. In this study, we histologically characterized UV-sensitive photoreceptor cells that contain a unique non-visual UV pigment, lamprey parapinopsin, in order to elucidate the neural network that is associated with antagonistic chromatic responses. These characteristics were compared with those of lamprey rhodopsin-containing cells, most of which are involved in achromatic responses. RT-PCR analysis revealed that lamprey parapinopsin was expressed in the pineal organ but not in the retina, unlike lamprey rhodopsin, which was expressed in both. Lamprey parapinopsin and lamprey rhodopsin were immunohistochemically localized in the dorsal and ventral regions of the pineal organ, respectively. The two pigments were localized in distinct photoreceptor cells throughout the pineal organ, namely the dorsal and ventral regions as well as the peripheral region, which corresponds to the dorso-ventral border region. The ratio of the number of lamprey parapinopsin-containing cells to lamprey rhodopsin-containing cells around the peripheral region was higher than in the central region. Electron-microscopic analysis revealed that lamprey parapinopsin-containing dorsal cells have outer segments and synaptic ribbons similar to those of ventral photoreceptor cells. However, unlike lamprey rhodopsin-containing cells, lamprey parapinopsin-containing cells connected with each other in a wide area of dorsal and peripheral portions and made direct contact with ganglion cells, mainly in the peripheral portion. These results suggest that UV light information captured by lamprey parapinopsin-containing photoreceptor cells is converged and directly transmitted to chromatic-type ganglion cells in the peripheral region to generate antagonistic chromatic responses.

The ground vegetation of an evergreen broad-leaved Persea thunbergii-dominated forest on Kanmurijima Island has been heavily damaged by a ground-burrowing seabird, the streaked shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas). To clarify the effects of seabird trampling and burrowing on the recruitment of tree seedlings, 22 paired quadrats, protected and unprotected against seabirds, were laid out under various degrees of canopy coverage, ranging from heavy- to light-shade. Protection from seabird activities resulted in an increase in species richness of tree seedlings. Seabird activities had a significant effect on tree seedling diversity, while canopy coverage was shown to be important for herbaceous species diversity. Though seedling emergence of Persea thunbergii, the evergreen canopy dominant, was not affected by seabird activities and canopy coverage, that of Mallotus japonicus, a deciduous pioneer tree, was negatively affected by the both factors. Seabird activities and evergreen heavy-shade canopy negatively affected seedling survivorship of both species. Low survivorship in seedlings of the canopy species may doom the present-day warm-temperate evergreen forest of Persea thunbergii on the island. Mechanical impacts of trampling and burrowing and the resulting soil erosion may play an important role in forest regeneration and dynamics.

The affective tone of colour is an important factor for the colour scheme. Although several attempts have been made to analyse the affective tone of colour from the psychological point of view, none is satisfactory in terms of the quantitative analysis.Since the Vivid-Sombre, Gaudy-Plain, Striking-Subdued, Dynamic-Passive, Distinct-Vague, Transparent-Turbid, Soft-Hard and Strong-Weak feelings are fundamental affections based on chroma, we have examined to analyse quantitatively the feelings of colour in terms of colorimetric values which are supposed to correlate with the affective tone.We performed a visual experiment where either word to be selected from the specimens selected systematically in colour space. The results confirm that the feelings are mainly affected by Munsell chroma and Munsell value. The visual assessment was compared with Munsell chroma, Munsell value and so on, which computed from the colorimetric values, and the following empirical formula was found to represent the feelings, respectively.where, CI: Colour image value, V: Munsell value, C: Munsell chroma, kv: Constant of the contribution of Munsell, value for the colour image, kc: Constant of the contribution of Munsell chroma for the colour image, ks: Constant for the scaling of the colour image, V0, C0: Munsell value and chroma when the colour image percent is minimum.

In order to study whether it is possible to express color images instrumentally, a color image scale for the determination of a chromaticity point by colorimetry was considered. The color image scale was divided into several color image regions by assigning the chromaticity point of each color chart to the color image of a color chart, on the color image scale. The chromaticity point and the color image can effectively be determined using the relationship between the chromaticity point and the color image in the color image scale.