bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Differences in perceived communication barriers among nurses and elderly patients in China
Authors: Ruan Jing , Lambert Vickie A.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  In China, limited information exists about nurses' and elderly patients' perceptions of barriers to the communication process. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to identify the major communication barriers (nurse‐related, patient‐related, and environment‐related) perceived both by nurses and elderly patients and to determine the perceived differences in the level of importance of the communication barriers between nurses and elderly patients. The sample consisted of 84 nurses and 75 elderly patients who completed a demographic questionnaire and a communication barriers questionnaire. The findings suggested that the nurses and elderly patients often selected similar barriers related to the communication process. The nurses tended to assign higher values to the communication barriers that were found to be significantly different from those of the elderly patients. The study findings provide information about which type of barriers nurses need to address so as to facilitate effective communication with elderly patients.
Impacts of wind disturbance on fragmented tropical forests: A review and synthesis
Authors: LAURANCE WILLIAM F. , CURRAN TIMOTHY J.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Wind disturbance is an important ecological force in the tropics, especially in the cyclonic and hurricane zones from about 7–20° latitude. Damage from intense winds may be especially severe in fragmented forests because of their abrupt artificial margins and denuded surrounding landscapes. We review available information on the effects of windstorms on fragmented forests, synthesizing studies from Australasia, Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. Wind damage in fragmented landscapes can be influenced by a range of factors, such as forest‐edge orientation, edge structure, the size of nearby clearings and local topography. We argue that wind disturbances are likely to interact with, and exacerbate, a range of deleterious environmental changes in fragmented forests. Among the most important of these are altered forest structure, shifts in plant species composition, exotic‐plant invasions, reduced carbon storage and elevated vulnerability to fire. The damaging impacts of winds on fragmented forests could potentially increase in the future, particularly if global warming leads to increasingly severe or frequent windstorms.
Cyclone damage to tropical rain forests: Species‐ and community‐level impacts
Authors: METCALFE DANIEL J. , BRADFORD MATT G. , FORD ANDREW J.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Severe Tropical Cyclone ‘Larry’ caused damage to 10 long‐term 0.5 ha monitoring plots in the rain forests of Queensland's Wet Tropics on 20 March 2006. We assessed the community‐level damage and the impact of the cyclone on the most abundant tree species in each plot. Damage was positively correlated with distance from the cyclone eye, though some plots received less damage than predicted owing to topographic shielding. Damage was patchy within plots, which is reflected in the range of damage‐classes recorded for each species, but there are broad trends in the type of response shown by different species. At the plot level, some species were either more susceptible or less susceptible to damage than the rest of the community. Species tended to show similar patterns of damage between plots with different community damage ratings. We discuss these response types in terms of adaptive tolerance to particular wind speeds and the trade‐off between frequently losing canopy volume in light winds, or rarely suffering substantial damage. We suggest that increased frequency of intense cyclones may affect the distribution of some species in the future, with those species most susceptible to high levels of damage at lower wind speeds becoming restricted to leeward‐facing slopes and upland areas away from the coast, and an increased abundance of resilient species in lowland coastal areas.
The impact of wind on trees in Australian tropical savannas: lessons from Cyclone Monica
Authors: COOK GARRY D. , GOYENS CLEMENCE M. A. C.
Published: May 2008

Abstract The role of tropical cyclones in structuring tropical rainforests has long been recognized in the Americas and northern Australia. However, their role in the dynamics of Australian savannas has received little attention compared with the effects of fire and drought. In April 2006, Tropical Cyclone Monica caused trees to be snapped or uprooted across a swath about 50 km wide and 130 km inland in northern Australia. The proportion of trees damaged was assessed using on‐ground surveys and interpretation of aerial photographs along the cyclone path and along several perpendicular transects. From these data, a relationship between the damage to trees and estimated maximum gust speed was developed. From knowledge of gust recurrence, curves were then derived describing the changes with distance inland in the average recurrence interval for tree windthrow events. These relationships were consistent with the historical record of tree damage in the northwest of the Northern Territory. It was concluded that windthrow has profound, but hitherto unrecognized implications for ecological processes such as tree dynamics and fluxes of carbon and water in Australian tropical savannas.
Impacts of cyclone Larry on the vegetation structure of timber plantations, restoration plantings and rainforest on the Atherton Tableland, Australia
Authors: KANOWSKI JOHN , CATTERALL CARLA P. , MCKENNA STEPHEN G. , JENSEN RIGEL
Published: May 2008

Abstract  We examined the impact of severe cyclone ‘Larry’ on the vegetation structure of monoculture and mixed species timber plantations, restoration plantings and reference sites in upland rainforests on the Atherton Tableland, north Queensland, Australia. Sites were initially assessed in 2000 and resurveyed in 2006, 6–8 months after the cyclone traversed the region. In both surveys, timber plantations had a relatively open canopy, grassy understorey and few shrubs or small‐sized trees; whereas restoration plantings had a relatively closed canopy, an understorey of bare ground, leaf litter and rainforest seedlings, a high density of small‐diameter trees and a moderate representation of special life forms characteristic of rainforest. Cyclone damage varied with tree size, site type, proximity to the cyclone and stem density. First, the proportion of trees that were severely damaged by the cyclone (major branches broken, stem snapped or pushed over) increased with the diameter of trees across all site types. Second, damage to larger‐sized trees (>10 cm d.b.h., >20 cm d.b.h.) was proportionally highest in monoculture plantations, intermediate in mixed species plantations and rainforest, and lowest in restoration plantings. Third, within site types, damage levels decreased with distance from the cyclone track and with stem density. There was no evidence that topographical position influenced damage levels, at least for timber plantations. We tentatively attribute the high levels of damage experienced by timber plantations to their relatively open structure and the large size of stems in plantations. Restoration plantings generally escaped severe damage by the cyclone, but their continued development towards rainforest conditions may require a coordinated monitoring and maintenance programme to address the potential threat of weed invasion.
The impact of Tropical Cyclone Larry on bird communities in fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b
Authors: FREEMAN AMANDA N. D. , PIAS KYLE , VINSON MAGDALENA F.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Bird surveys were conducted to assess the impact of a severe cyclone on bird communities in three fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b on the Atherton Tablelands of far north Queensland. Bird communities were surveyed using timed area searches in three sites in each of the three fragments and were undertaken prior to and following Tropical Cyclone Larry. Cyclone Larry caused short‐term changes in the abundance of some species of birds in Type 5b rainforest fragments. Two weeks after the storm, in two of three fragments surveyed, abundance of the frugivorous wompoo fruit‐dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) and figbird (Sphecotheres viridis) had decreased while the omnivorous Macleay's honeyeater (Xanthotis macleayana) and Lewin's honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii) decreased in abundance in all three locations. Most insectivorous species increased in some sites and decreased in others following Cyclone Larry. Rapid recovery of bird communities to approximately their pre‐cyclone state after only 7 months appeared to reflect the capacity of species to either modify their foraging behaviour, switch foods, or to move within or between fragments or to other food sources in the landscape.
Impacts of Cyclone Larry on arboreal folivorous marsupials endemic to upland rainforests of the Atherton Tableland, Australia
Authors: KANOWSKI JOHN , WINTER JOHN W. , CATTERALL CARLA P.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Intense cyclones might be expected to adversely affect populations of arboreal mammals, either directly or as a consequence of the destruction of food resources and other key habitat elements. However, such impacts have rarely been quantified. The present study examined the response of five species of arboreal folivorous marsupials to Severe Cyclone Larry at nine sites in upland rainforests of the Atherton Tableland, north‐east Australia. Sites were originally surveyed for folivores in 1995–1997, and then resurveyed in 2006, 6–8 months after Cyclone Larry had traversed the region. All sites showed evidence of structural damage to vegetation, but overall damage levels (assessed in terms of canopy cover, damage to trees, basal area of dead trees and volume of woody debris) decreased from east to west across the study region. The detectability of rainforest possums increased after the cyclone. For the most commonly observed species, the proportion of individuals observed >5 m from survey transects was correlated with the amount of structural damage to vegetation. To avoid confounding changes in detectability with changes in abundance, only observations close (<5 m) to transects were used to estimate folivore abundance before and after the cyclone. On this basis, there were no significant differences between pre‐ and post‐cyclone abundance estimates for any folivore species. Further, changes in folivore abundance after the cyclone were not correlated with damage to vegetation across sites. Cyclone Larry does not appear to have caused a catastrophic loss of key habitat resources for marsupial folivores at the sites surveyed. The high degree of folivory practiced by marsupial folivores may help make them resilient to cyclone impacts. These conclusions are more robust for three commonly observed folivore species (Hemibelideus lemuroides, Pseudochirulus herbertensis and Trichosurus vulpecula johnstonii) than for two less frequently encountered species (Pseudochirops archeri and Dendrolagus lumholtzi).
Estimates of tree canopy loss as a result of Cyclone Monica, in the Magela Creek catchment northern Australia
Authors: STABEN GRANT W. , EVANS KENNETH G.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Severe tropical Cyclone Monica impacted the coast of northern Australia in April 2006 with estimated maximum wind gusts of 360 km h−1. It rapidly moved inland losing intensity and passed over the town of Jabiru as a category 2 system, with maximum wind gusts recorded at 135 km h−1. The cyclone had a significant impact on the landscapes within the Alligator Rivers Region and significant windthrow of trees occurred. This paper describes the level of impact that category 2 level winds had on tree canopy loss 10 days after cyclone and then again 1 year later. Recovery was assessed using multispectral satellite imagery in sub‐catchments of the Magela Creek catchments. A non‐linear relationship was fitted between a modified vegetation index (derived from Landsat TM5 satellite data) and percentage tree canopy cover (measured from very high resolution QuickBird satellite data). The results of the non‐linear relationship, used to estimate percentage canopy cover, indicate that 10 days after cyclone, there was significant disturbance to tree canopy. However, data 1 year after cyclone show that recovery of canopy across the studied catchments varied between 8% and 19% of the percentage canopy cover that remained after the initial impact of the cyclone. Further analysis in the three sub‐catchments using Geographical Information System showed that proportionally, riparian zones and inundated areas in each of the sub‐catchments suffered greater loss of tree canopy cover compared with upland areas.
Resilience of arboreal folivores to habitat damage by a severe tropical cyclone
Authors: WILSON ROBYN F. , GOOSEM MIRIAM W. , WILSON GARY W.
Published: May 2008

Abstract  Severe tropical cyclones greatly modify habitat of arboreal folivores by destroying forest canopy, reducing structure and complexity and defoliating remaining trees. We hypothesized that forest modification following severe Cyclone Larry would stress arboreal folivores of the Family Pseudocheiridae and be reflected in increased home ranges and a decrease in body condition. We conducted 19 pre‐cyclone and 24 post‐cyclone spotlighting surveys at a site with severe cyclone damage, and 18 post‐cyclone surveys at a site with minor damage. We detected a greater number of lemuroid, Hemibelideus lemuroides and green, Pseudochirops archeri, ringtail possums as these possums remained in the severely damaged canopy and forest edge. In contrast, Herbert River ringtail possums, Pseudochirulus herbertensis, were detected in smaller numbers. We radio‐tracked eight P. herbertensis before the cyclone, following two of these and nine new animals after the category 4 cyclone. No significant post‐cyclone alteration in home range area or span was recorded in data pooled across the two sites or in limited post‐cyclone data at the severely disturbed site, but a greater variability in home range was observed after cyclone (pooled across sites: 1.72 ± 0.77 ha; 197 ± 47 m) than before the cyclone (1.35 ± 0.30 ha; 196 ± 23 m). In contrast, pooled pre‐ and post‐cyclone home range areas and spans were larger at the severely‐disturbed site (2.08 ± 0.56 ha; 231 ± 32 m) than at the site with minor damage (0.68 ± 0.11 ha; 114 ± 25 m), suggesting resources were more widely spread at the former site. Post‐cyclone home ranges were also larger at the severely damaged site (severe: 3.33 ± 1.36 ha, n = 3; minor: 0.52 ± 0.07 ha, n = 4). Condition of P. herbertensis (mass/tail length) did not differ significantly pre‐ and post‐cyclone or between less and severely disturbed sites. These results and observations of breeding after cyclone suggest that possum populations may be resilient to severe cyclone damage under the relatively wet conditions experienced post‐Cyclone Larry.
The genome of Erwinia tasmaniensis strain Et1/99, a non‐pathogenic bacterium in the genus Erwinia
Authors: Kube Michael , Migdoll Alexander Michael , Müller Ines , Kuhl Heiner , Beck Alfred , Reinhardt Richard , Geider Klaus
Published: May 2008

The complete genome of the bacterium Erwinia tasmaniensis strain Et1/99 consisting of a 3.9 Mb circular chromosome and five plasmids was sequenced. Strain Et1/99 represents an epiphytic plant bacterium related to Erwinia amylovora and E. pyrifoliae, which are responsible for the important plant diseases fire blight and Asian pear shoot blight, respectively. Strain Et1/99 is a non‐pathogenic bacterium and is thought to compete with these and other bacteria when occupying the same habitat during initial colonization. Genome analysis revealed tools for colonization, cellular communication and defence modulation, as well as genes coding for the synthesis of levan and a not detected capsular exopolysaccharide. Strain Et1/99 may secrete indole‐3‐acetic acid to increase availability of nutrients provided on plant surfaces. These nutrients are subsequently accessed and metabolized. Secretion systems include the hypersensitive response type III pathway present in many pathogens. Differences or missing parts within the virulence‐related factors distinguish strain Et1/99 from pathogens such as Pectobacterium atrosepticum and the related Erwinia spp. Strain Et1/99 completely lacks the sorbitol operon, which may also affect its inability to invade fire blight host plants. Erwinia amylovora in contrast depends for virulence on utilization of sorbitol, the dominant carbohydrate in rosaceous plants. The presence of other virulence‐associated factors in strain Et1/99 indicates the ancestral genomic background of many plant‐associated bacteria.
Fibrosis correlates with detailed histological analysis of human undescended testes
Authors: Suskind Anne , Hayner‐Buchan Alida , Feustel Paul J. , Kogan Barry A.
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether semiquantitatively assessing the histological degree of fibrosis provides equivalent information to a detailed histological analysis of undescended testes in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed retrospectively the histological and clinical data from 86 consecutive orchidopexies. Biopsies fixed in Bouin’s solution were evaluated histologically for tubular diameter, germ cell number and fibrosis. Fibrosis was assessed semiquantitatively by a pathologist reviewing sections stained with Masson’s trichrome. The median (range) age of the patients was 1.9 (0.5–13.5) years, with 29 aged <1 year and 57 aged >1 year.

RESULTS

There were 65 palpable and 21 impalpable testes; 62 were inguinal and 13 were intra‐abdominal. Testicular biopsies showed smaller tubules and fewer germ cells in patients aged >1 year, but there were no significant differences based on the location of the testis on physical examination or at the time of operation. The amount of fibrosis correlated well with tubular diameter and germ cell counts.

CONCLUSION

Fibrosis can be assessed easily and correlates well with more complex forms of histological evaluation of testicular health in children.
Clitoral sexual arousal: an immunocytochemical and innervation study of the clitoris
Authors: Martin‐Alguacil Nieves , Pfaff Donald W. , Shelley Deborah N. , Schober Justine M.
Published: May 2008

OBJECTIVE

To further define neural pathways and mechanisms responsible for the arousing properties of the epithelium of the clitoris as well as related neural pathways associated with sexual arousal in a murine model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult female C57B1/6 mice were used for gross dissection, facilitated by resin injection of the vascular system, and silver staining, and immunostaining for S‐100 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). We also comprehensively reviewed relevant published clinical and histological material from both human and non‐human vertebrate studies.

RESULTS

The distal innervation consists of three nerve bundles: one related to the perineal region, one through the corpus cavernosum, and the third between the dorsal part of the clitoris and the urethra. Communicating nerve fibres were identified between the perineal, the corpus cavernous nerve (CN) and the dorsal nerve of the clitoris. Immunostaining for nNOS showed that the CN sends nNOS‐positive fibres to join the dorsal nerve of the clitoris. In the same distal area of the clitoris, the connecting branches between the perineal nerve and the dorsal nerve of the clitoris are also nNOS positive.

CONCLUSIONS

A rich network of nerve bundles and terminal branches were identified and associated with nNOS immunostaining in the cavernosal tissue of the body of clitoris. NO control of vasodilatation and neuronal signalling between the CN and the dorsal nerve of the clitoris could contribute to the engorgement and subsidence of clitoral tissue. This supports the initiation of sexual arousal by tactile stimuli. The distribution pattern of the general and peptidergic innervation in the murine clitoris is similar to that of the penis.
Earnings persistence, accruals and managerial share ownership
Authors: Oei Rosalyn , Ramsay Alan , Mather Paul
Published: May 2008

We investigate the relationship between earnings persistence and a broad measure of total accruals (TACC). We propose and find that in Australia, TACC is less persistent than cash flows. We further propose that the persistence of accrual components is positively associated with the reliability of those components. However, we find that the least reliable accrual component has the greatest persistence and suggest possible reasons for this. We then investigate the relationship between earnings persistence and managerial share ownership, but find no evidence of a consistent, strong relationship. Rather, for the non‐current operating accruals we find evidence consistent with incentive alignment for large firms with high operating cash flows, whereas for small firms we find evidence consistent with efficient contracting.
Cost of capital equations under the Australian imputation tax system
Authors: Dempsey Mike , Partington Graham
Published: May 2008

Since the introduction of the Australian imputation tax system, there have been problems both in the measurement of the market value of franking (imputation tax) credits and in their application to estimating cash flows and the cost of capital. In the present paper, we provide a convenient and robust resolution to the above problems in the context of an internally consistent set of equations for the cost of capital, asset valuation and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). The equations apply under both classical and imputation tax systems and under differential taxation of dividends, capital gains and interest. The simple form of the CAPM presented here is shown to encompass more complex versions of the CAPM, which attempt to accommodate the effect of personal taxes. The valuation equations require an estimate of the market value of $1 of the firm's dividends, within which is embedded the market value of the imputation tax credits. Separate estimates of the value of imputation tax credits, or Officer's gamma factor, are not required.
Auditor reporting and earnings management: some additional evidence
Authors: Herbohn Kathleen , Ragunathan Vanitha
Published: May 2008

This paper investigates the reasons that lead to modification of auditors’ opinions. We revisit the conclusions of prior US‐based research on whether a modification highlights likely earnings management activities. Extending this research, we consider an alternate explanation that managers adjust accruals to report earnings that better predict future firm performance, which has the side‐effect of placing them in conflict with their auditors. Our study sample comprises all firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange over the period 1999–2003. Consistent with prior research, there is no evidence of earnings management leading to an audit opinion modification. However, we do show that firms receiving inherent uncertainty modifications (other than going concern) have greater persistence of earnings (accruals) relative to other firms. This is consistent with the proposition that managers have made policy choices in reporting current earnings, with which their auditors disagree, that will likely result in a greater ability to forecast the firm's future earnings.
Speed of word recognition and vocabulary knowledge in infancy predict cognitive and language outcomes in later childhood
Authors: Marchman Virginia A. , Fernald Anne
Published: May 2008

The nature of predictive relations between early language and later cognitive function is a fundamental question in research on human cognition. In a longitudinal study assessing speed of language processing in infancy,

Fernald, Perfors and Marchman (2006

) found that reaction time at 25 months was strongly related to lexical and grammatical development over the second year. In this follow‐up study, children originally tested as infants were assessed at 8 years on standardized tests of language, cognition, and working memory. Speed of spoken word recognition and vocabulary size at 25 months each accounted for unique variance in linguistic and cognitive skills at 8 years, effects that were attributable to strong relations between both infancy measures and working memory. These findings suggest that processing speed and early language skills are fundamental to intellectual functioning, and that language development is guided by learning and representational principles shared across cognitive and linguistic domains.
Intergenerational transmission of theory‐of‐mind
Authors: Sabbagh Mark A. , Seamans Elizabeth L.
Published: May 2008

We examined whether individual differences in children's performance on a scaled battery of theory‐of‐mind tasks was predicted by parents’ performance on an adult theory‐of‐mind task. Forty‐six 3‐year‐old children and their parents participated in this study when children were aged 2;11 to 4;0. Thirty dyads returned 6 months later for a second assessment. After statistically controlling for relevant covariates, we detected a positive correlation between parents’ and children's theory‐of‐mind scores. The correlation was significant at both time points, and was robust when data were aggregated across the two sessions. These results provide some evidence for intergenerational transmission of theory‐of‐mind abilities in a typically developing sample, and possible mechanisms underlying this relation are discussed.
Hemodynamic response to featural changes in the occipital and inferior temporal cortex in infants: a preliminary methodological exploration
Authors: Wilcox Teresa , Bortfeld Heather , Woods Rebecca , Wruck Eric , Boas David A.
Published: May 2008

Over the past 30 years researchers have learned a great deal about the development of object processing in infancy. In contrast, little is understood about the neural mechanisms that underlie this capacity, in large part because there are few techniques available to measure brain functioning in human infants. The present research examined the extent to which near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), an optical imaging technique, could be used to assess the relation between object processing and brain functioning. Infants aged 6.5 months were presented with an occlusion event involving objects that differed on many feature dimensions (multi‐featural change), differed on shape only (shape change) or color only (color change), or did not differ (control). NIRS data were collected in the occipital and inferior temporal cortex. In the occipital cortex, a significant increase in oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) was observed in response to all four events and these responses did not differ significantly from each other. In the inferior temporal cortex, a significant increase in HbO2 was observed in the multi‐featural and the shape change condition but not in the control condition. An increase was also observed in the color change condition but this increase did not differ significantly from baseline nor did it differ significantly from the response obtained in the control condition. These data were discussed in terms of (a) what they suggest about the neural basis of feature processing in infants and (b) the viability of using NIRS to study brain–behavior relations in infants.
Preschool children's ability to visually represent relations
Authors: Koerber Susanne , Sodian Beate
Published: May 2008

The developmental origins of mapping temporal relations onto space was investigated in N = 122 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children and adults. Spontaneous production and comprehension were investigated. Production was investigated in two conditions: an iconic condition (three‐dimensional objects depicting the events or objects to be represented) and an abstract condition (plain discs). Consistent with findings by Tversky, Kugelmass and Winter (1991), 5‐year‐olds performed on an adult‐like level. Developmental progress was observed between the ages of 3 and 4 years, with comprehension preceding production. Consistent with DeLoache's findings (2000), 4‐year‐olds’ performance was better in abstract than in iconic conditions, indicating that dual representational demands may have affected task performance in the iconic condition. In sum, abilities to map temporal relations onto spatial relations appear to develop spontaneously, even before children have experience with conventional notational systems.
The metric matters: determining the extent of children's knowledge of morphological spelling regularities
Authors: Deacon S. Hélène
Published: May 2008

All developmental research needs to carefully consider how children's knowledge is measured. The study of children's knowledge of spelling conventions, or the ways in which the English orthography encodes the roots and affixes and the sounds in words, is no exception. This experiment examined the extent of 7‐ to 9‐year‐old children's knowledge of the role of root morphemes in spelling words across different contexts and with different units of assessment. Different writing contexts did not appear to affect children's performance; children were better able to spell the first components of two‐ than of one‐morpheme words (e.g. onlyfreeinfreelyandfreeze), both when writing whole words and their first sections (e.g. completing__ or __lyforfreely). A second analysis revealed that the unit of coding can influence conclusions. Children demonstrated similar abilities across ages 7 to 9 when only the first segments of words were coded; in contrast, there was evidence of age‐related differences when whole word spelling accuracy was assessed. In combination, these results suggest that children's knowledge of the principle of root consistency is remarkably robust to changes in writing context, but that coding is key when drawing conclusions. These findings remind us that the metric matters in studies of spelling, as in other domains, and they offer a manner to reconcile previously conflicting data on spelling development.
The effect of functional morphemes on word segmentation in preverbal infants
Authors: Shi Rushen , Lepage Mélanie
Published: May 2008

This study examines the role of functional morphemes in the earliest stage of lexical development. Recent research showed that prelinguistic infants can perceive functional morphemes. We inquire whether infants use frequent functors to segment potential word forms. French‐learning 8‐month‐olds were familiarized to two utterance types: a novel noun following a functor, and another novel noun following a prosodically matched nonsense functor. After familiarization, infants’ segmentation of the two nouns was assessed in a test phase presenting the nouns in isolation. Infants in Experiment 1 showed evidence of using both frequent functors des and mes (as opposed to the nonsense functor kes) to segment the nouns, suggesting also that they had specific representations of the functors. The infrequent functor vos in Experiment 2 did not facilitate segmentation. Frequency is thus a crucial factor. Our findings demonstrate that frequent functors can bootstrap infants into early lexical learning. Furthermore, the effect of functors for initial word segmentation is likely universal.
LOWER BOUNDS TO THE POPULATION SIZE WHEN CAPTURE PROBABILITIES VARY OVER INDIVIDUALS
Authors: Xuan Mao Chang
Published: May 2008

The problem of estimating population sizes has a wide range of applications. Although the size is non‐identifiable when a population is heterogeneous, it is often useful to estimate the lower bounds and to construct lower confidence limits. A sequence of lower bounds, including the well‐known Chao lower bound, is proposed. The bounds have closed‐form expressions and are estimated by the method of moments or by maximum likelihood. Real examples from epidemiology, wildlife management and ecology are investigated. Simulation studies are used to assess the proposed estimators.
SCALE MIXTURES DISTRIBUTIONS IN STATISTICAL MODELLING
Authors: Boris Choy S.T. , Chan Jennifer S.K.
Published: May 2008

This paper presents two types of symmetric scale mixture probability distributions which include the normal, Student t, Pearson Type VII, variance gamma, exponential power, uniform power and generalized t (GT) distributions. Expressing a symmetric distribution into a scale mixture form enables efficient Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms in the implementation of complicated statistical models. Moreover, the mixing parameters, a by‐product of the scale mixture representation, can be used to identify possible outliers. This paper also proposes a uniform scale mixture representation for the GT density, and demonstrates how this density representation alleviates the computational burden of the Gibbs sampler.
A RESTRICTED MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD PROCEDURE FOR ESTIMATING THE VARIANCE FUNCTION OF AN IMMUNOASSAY
Authors: O'Malley A. James , Smith Murray H. , Sadler William A.
Published: May 2008

Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) is a procedure for estimating a variance function in a heteroscedastic linear model. Although REML has been extended to non‐linear models, the case in which the data are dominated by replicated observations with unknown values of the independent variable of interest, such as the concentration of a substance in a blood sample, has not been considered. We derive a REML procedure for an immunoassay and show that the resulting estimator is superior to those currently being used. Some interesting properties of the REML estimator are derived, and its relationship to other estimators is discussed.
Redeeming Apartheid's Legacy: Collective Guilt, Political Ideology, and Compensation
Authors: Klandermans Bert , Werner Merel , Van Doorn Marjoka
Published: May 2008

This paper reports two studies among white South African students on feelings of collective guilt about apartheid and attitudes to affirmative action. Study 1 reports on 21 in‐depth interviews, Study 2 on results from 180 survey questionnaires. Substantial proportions of the participants in both studies displayed feelings of collective guilt. Among participants in both studies who identified strongly with white South Africans, some displayed strong feelings of collective guilt while others displayed no such feelings. Our survey data suggest that political ideology functions as a moderator. Strong feelings of guilt were found among students who identified strongly with white South Africans and defined themselves as liberals. If they defined themselves as conservatives then no feelings of collective guilt were observed. Strong feelings of collective guilt were accompanied by positive attitudes toward affirmative action. The influence of political ideology on attitudes toward affirmative action was mediated by collective guilt.
Forgive and Forget? Antecedents and Consequences of Intergroup Forgiveness in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Cehajic Sabina , Brown Rupert , Castano Emanuele
Published: May 2008

The present study examines the effects of contact and common‐ingroup identification on intergroup forgiveness and outgroup behavioral tendencies. A sample of Bosnian Muslims (N = 180) were asked to report their readiness to forgive the misdeeds committed by Bosnian Serbs during the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A path analysis of the presumed antecedents and consequences of forgiveness revealed that frequent and good quality contact with members from the perpetrator group predicted forgiveness (positively) and desire for social distance (negatively). Moreover, the positive relationship between contact and forgiveness was mediated by empathy and trust towards the outgroup and by perceived outgroup heterogeneity. Common‐ingroup identification was also found to be positively associated with forgiveness and negatively with social distance towards the outgroup. Finally, intergroup forgiveness also predicted social distance from the outgroup. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.
Two‐level CES Production Technology in the Solow and Diamond Growth Models*
Authors: Papageorgiou Chris , Saam Marianne
Published: May 2008

The two‐level CES aggregate production function—that nests a CES into another CES function—has recently been used extensively in theoretical and empirical applications of macroeconomics. We examine the theoretical properties of this production technology and establish existence and stability conditions of steady states under the Solow and Diamond growth models. It is shown that in the Solow model the sufficient condition for a steady state is fulfilled for a wide range of substitution parameter values. This is in sharp contrast with the two‐factor Solow model, where only an elasticity of substitution equal to one is sufficient to guarantee the existence of a steady state. In the Diamond model, multiple equilibria can occur when the aggregate elasticity of substitution is lower than the capital share. Moreover, it is shown that for high initial levels of capital and factor substitutability, the effect of a further increase in a substitution parameter on the steady state depends on capital–skill complementarity.
Economic Growth, TFP Convergence and the World Export of Ideas: A Century of Evidence
Authors: Madsen Jakob B.
Published: May 2008

This paper examines the effect of international patent stock on total factor productivity for 16 OECD countries over the past 120 years. The results show that the international patent stock is highly influential for economic growth and, together with knowledge spillovers through the channel of imports, has contributed significantly to TFP growth and σ‐convergence among the OECD countries over the past 120 years.
Prices, Productivity and Wage Bargaining in Open Economies*
Authors: Forslund Anders , Gottfries Nils , Westermark Andreas
Published: May 2008

According to the standard union bargaining model, unemployment benefits should have big effects on wages, but product‐market prices and productivity should play no role in the wage bargain. We formulate an alternative strategic bargaining model, where labour and product‐market conditions together determine wages. A wage equation is derived and estimated on aggregate data for four Nordic countries. Wages are found to depend not only on unemployment and the replacement ratio, but also on productivity, international prices and exchange rates. There is evidence of considerable nominal wage rigidity. Exchange rate changes have large and persistent effects on competitiveness.
Final Offer Arbitration: Better Theory Than Practice
Authors: FEIGENBAUM CHARLES
Published: May 2008

The theory of final offer arbitration promises more than its actual performance delivers, based on admittedly limited experience. There is no showing that fewer negotiations reach impasse than would occur under conventional arbitration. There is evidence, however, that final offer arbitration does tend to produce awards less equitable than warranted by the positions and strengths of the parties, particularly when there are multiple issues at impasse and when arbitrators may select only one overall package or another. This tendency is built‐in to the process, since the whole point of final offer arbitration is deterrence, with little or no concern for getting a good settlement through arbitration.

“Bad” awards cannot fail to generate irritation and to have a corrosive effect on responsible contract administration. It is possible that such awards, and their effects, will be accepted as the necessary price of a final offer selection system. What seems more likely, however, is that the system will be modified along the lines of those in Eugene and Michigan. Those modifications can be expected to have two effects. First, they will make it more likely that the parties will be able to reach their own agreement by encouraging mediation and further negotiations, even after arbitration has been invoked. Second, they will increase the possibility of an acceptable arbitrated settlement by allowing the arbitrator greater flexibility in making an award. By doing these things, however, the deterrent effect of final offer selection will be substantially weakened, and what will be left will be a useful form of mediation‐arbitration but not a substitute for the strike which contains an equivalent incentive to negotiate.
Political Parties and Labour legislation in Canada and the U.S.
Authors: BRUCE PETER G.
Published: May 2008

This article shows that structural political and legal factors, better than cultural or economic ones, explain why Canada's workforce is twice as unionized as that of the United States. Its main argument demonstrates that Canada's legal environment is more pro‐union due to systematic national differences in party systems and constitutions—i.e., the presence of a social‐democratic party and a federalized and parliamentary constitution, versus the U.S.'s separation of powers, more nationalized polity, and absence of a social democratic party.
Human Resource Management and International Trade
Authors: BROWN DRUSILLA K. , GARMAN DAVID M.
Published: May 2008

This article reviews recent developments in international trade theory that relate to issues of human resource management and industrial relations Some trade models with imperfectly competitive goods markets and thir liks to strategic trade and industrial policy and described. These models, results are shown to be sensitive to the incorporation of labor market imperfections. Applications of trade theory to international labor migration and human capital acquisition are also included.
Human Capital Theory: Implications for HR Managers
Authors: STROBER MYRA H.
Published: May 2008

This paper reviews some of the contributions of and challenges to human capital theory. It focuses on the alleged link between earings and education and experience and on competing explanations for observed earning differentis by race and by gender. The review concludes that while human capital theory provides some central insights about the supply side of the labor market, the challenges to this theory suggest that the demand side od the market, i.e., the actions of human resource managers, also play a key role in detemining earnings and employment. Moreover, these challenges suggest that government policies can be instrmental in effecting a more efficient and equitable use of human resources.
Labor Market Analysis and Concerted Behavior
Authors: ULMAN LLOYD
Published: May 2008

In the first part of this paper, the importance of concerted behavior by workers emerges from examination of some prominent theories which set out to explain wage rigidity in the face of declining demand or excess supply without abandoning key elements of competitive theory. In the second part, the imoportance of certain Keynesian and satificing behavioral postulates in motivating concerted worker behavior is suggested by the shortcomings of some contemporary econmic models of the trade union which assume expected utility maximization and accurate knowledge of market conditions under ordinary circumstances.
U.S. Union Membership in Future Decades: A Trade Unionist's Perspective
Authors: MCDONALD CHARLES
Published: May 2008

Slower workforce growth, more gradual industrial restructuring, a tighter labor market, and the gradual emergence of a more efficient organizing capability will help to stem the projected decline in private‐sector union membership. A broad array of consumer benefits and the development of new form of union membership, such as those that do not necessarily result in exclusive recognition, should also help stem that decline
Unions and Employment Growth
Authors: LEONARD JONATHAN S.
Published: May 2008

Employment grows about 4 percentage points per year more slowly in union than in nonunion plants. This first examination of union employment effects at the plant level suggests that unionized plants face substantial competitive pressure. As much as 61 percent of the decline in the present unionized may be accounted for by slower employment growth in union plants
Comparable Worth and Factor Point Pay Analysis in State Government
Authors: ORAZEM PETER E. , MATTILA J. PETER , WEIKUM SHERRY K.
Published: May 2008

This study examines how factor point systems have treated state government jobs, which are held disproportionately by women, minorities, and union members. The findings indicate that female jobs may gain from comparable worth pay proposals, but the gains are dissipated in actual pay; unionized and minority workers tend to lose both proposed and actual pay; and the dispersion of points and pay is narrowed for jobs covered by collective bargaining agreements
An exploratory study of the influences that compromise the sun protection of young adults
Authors: Calder Ngaia , Aitken Robert
Published: May 2008

This paper reports on an exploratory research project designed to gain a deeper understanding of the influences on ultraviolet radiation (UVR) behaviours among high‐risk young adults to determine what compromises the adoption of protection measures for this group. A dual approach using focus groups and the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique was used to provide personal narratives related to UVR behaviour for tertiary education students. Results from both ‘conversations’ were content‐analysed using an iterative ‘bootstrapping’ technique to identify key themes and issues. This exploratory research identified a number of key themes including effect on mood, influence of culture, the value of tans, unrealistic optimism, risk‐orientation, and the role of experience. This group felt that they not been targeted effectively by public health campaigns and did not fully understand the dangers of high‐risk UVR behaviours. Although a number of previous studies have investigated the relationship between knowledge and behaviour, and largely concluded that increases in knowledge do not lead to increases in adoption of protection practices, the preliminary findings of this study reveal that the knowledge and perceived self efficacy of protective practices is extremely high, what is lacking is the perceived threat and thus the motivations to adopt such behaviours. The conclusions drawn from this research indicate that there are a variety of important influencing factors that compromise UVR behaviours, in particular, the lack of perceived seriousness and severity towards long term consequences such as skin cancer. The recommendation to address the imbalance of ‘perceived threat’ and ‘outcome expectations’ is to focus on increasing knowledge of skin cancer, particularly susceptibility to skin cancer and the severity of the condition.
Glucose promotes caspase‐dependent delayed cell death after a transient episode of oxygen and glucose deprivation in SH‐SY5Y cells
Authors: Serra‐Pérez Anna , Verdaguer Ester , Planas Anna M. , Santalucía Tomàs
Published: May 2008

Brain ischemia causes neuronal cell death by several mechanisms involving necrotic and apoptotic processes. The contributions of each process depend on conditions such as the severity and duration of ischemia, and the availability of ATP. We examined whether glucose affected the development of apoptosis after transient ischemia, and whether this was sensitive to caspase inhibition. Retinoic acid‐differentiated SH‐SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation for 15 h followed by various periods of reoxygenation in either the presence or absence of glucose. Oxygen and glucose deprivation induced cell death in the hours following reoxygenation, as detected by propidium iodide staining. At the end of the period of oxygen and glucose deprivation, both cytochrome c and apoptosis‐inducing factor translocated from mitochondria to cytosol. Reoxygenation in the presence of glucose accelerated cell death, and enhanced caspase‐3 activity and apoptosis. The glucose‐dependent increase in apoptosis was prevented by treatment with the caspase inhibitor zVAD‐fmk, but not with calpeptin, a calpain inhibitor. Nevertheless, both zVAD‐fmk and calpeptin decreased cell death in the glucose‐treated group. ATP levels dropped dramatically after oxygen and glucose deprivation, but recovered steadily thereafter, and were significantly higher at 6 h of reoxygenation in the glucose‐treated group. This indicates that energy recovery may promote the glucose‐dependent cell death. We conclude that glucose favours the development of caspase‐dependent apoptosis during reoxygenation following oxygen and glucose deprivation.