bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facilitating urban renewal
Authors: Hastings E.M. , Adams David
Published: April 2005

Purpose

The paper examines the operation of the Land (compulsory sale for redevelopment) Ordinance, one of a series of urban renewal policy initiatives introduced by the Hong Kong Government. The new institutional arrangement was mooted as a means to facilitate greater private sector participation in the renewal process by overcoming existing constraints on land assembly, which arise as the result of a system of common property ownership. The paper investigates whether the legislation can achieve the objective of encouraging private sector participation in the urban renewal process

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a transaction cost framework, drawn from literature and applied in the context of real estate, to examine the effects of a new Ordinance. In addition to publicly available data, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in urban renewal and representatives from the property development companies. The apparently low usage of the new approach is explored in the context of the various alternative mechanisms for land assembly available to the private sector and the effects of transactions costs on developer behaviour.

Findings

The paper identifies that the relatively low usage of the Ordinance may be explained by institutional constraints and limitations in the legislation, which, in its current form, fails to provide sufficient incentives, but that developer behaviour may also be affected by other external factors.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited in that any commentary on the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving its objectives is restricted by the inability to clearly identify those incidences where the threat of legal action was sufficient to achieve a negotiated acquisition of the necessary property rights. Further research might explore the implications and the inter‐relationships between the various urban renewal initiatives introduced by the Hong Kong Government.

Practical implications

The recent experience of the Hong Kong Government in designing a new institutional mechanism to overcome problems of private sector land assembly for properties in multiple‐ownership may offer more general lessons for those in similar environments who wish to use the resources of the private sector to contribute to the urban renewal process.

Originality/value

The paper adopts a transaction cost approach to examine the working of a new policy initiative for facilitating land assembly in Hong Kong and may be of interest to academics and practitioners involved in the area of urban renewal.
Finite element modelling of ceramics and glass, an addendum – a bibliography (1998‐2004)
Authors: Mackerle Jaroslav
Published: April 2005

Purpose

Ceramic materials and glasses have become important in modern industry as well as in the consumer environment. Heat resistant ceramics are used in the metal forming processes or as welding and brazing fixtures, etc. Ceramic materials are frequently used in industries where a wear and chemical resistance are required criteria (seals, liners, grinding wheels, machining tools, etc.). Electrical, magnetic and optical properties of ceramic materials are important in electrical and electronic industries where these materials are used as sensors and actuators, integrated circuits, piezoelectric transducers, ultrasonic devices, microwave devices, magnetic tapes, and in other applications. A significant amount of literature is available on the finite element modelling (FEM) of ceramics and glass. This paper gives a listing of these published papers and is a continuation of the author's bibliography entitled “Finite element modelling of ceramics and glass” and published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 16, 1999, pp. 510‐71 for the period 1977‐1998.

Design/methodology/approach

The form of the paper is a bibliography. Listed references have been retrieved from the author's database, MAKEBASE. Also Compendex has been checked. The period is 1998‐2004.

Findings

Provides a listing of 1,432 references. The following topics are included: ceramics – material and mechanical properties in general, ceramic coatings and joining problems, ceramic composites, piezoceramics, ceramic tools and machining, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, applications of ceramic/composites in engineering; glass – material and mechanical properties in general, glass fiber composites, material processing simulations, fracture mechanics and damage, and applications of glasses in engineering.

Originality/value

This paper makes it easy for professionals working with the numerical methods with applications to ceramics and glasses to be up‐to‐date in an effective way.
The use of quality management tools and techniques: a study of application in everyday situations
Authors: Bamford David R. , Greatbanks Richard W.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

This paper describes the use and application of a structured approach to the basic implementation of quality management tools and techniques such as the QC7 tools.

Design/methodology/approach

A methodology based around the application of a structured approach to the use of basic quality management tools is adopted, and provides a simple yet powerful means by which the steps of problem solving can be sequentially linked together.

Findings

Everyday process examples are used to highlight the benefits of such tools and techniques in contributing to a greater understanding of the process by the process operator or owner. For each example, the use of appropriate tools or techniques are examined and their application analysed. The paper then goes on to discuss the wider implications of quality management tool application within industry and business.

Research limitations/implications

It is not suggested the examples detailed are thoroughly scientific in methodology but they do serve to illustrate that by applying the tools in a systematic manner, even the simplest of processes can be understood in greater detail.

Practical implications

The following are key for the successful implementation, use and success of applying the QC and M7 tools and techniques: in‐depth knowledge of the process; formal training in problem‐solving techniques; appropriateness of tools selected for use; and apply simple models at all levels in the organisation to aid communication and learning.

Originality/value

The paper concludes by arguing that the wider use of the tools, ideally by the process operatives themselves, tangibly lead to a fuller understanding of specific processes. This will ultimately impact upon their organisation.
Determining customer‐oriented technical importance ratings: an evaluative study
Authors: Kim Yong‐Pil , Yoon Cheol‐Hwoan , Yun Deok‐Kyun
Published: April 2005

Purpose

To provide customer‐oriented group decision methodology for designers or developers in using quality function deployment which is based on voice of customer.

Design/methodology/approach

Technical importance rating in house of quality (HoQ) should be evaluated considering both the roof and relationship matrix. Since the roof is generally irreducible, all of relationships between customer attribute (CA) and engineering characteristic (EC) are evaluated. A customer‐oriented evaluating method is proposed and empirical test is issued.

Findings

The phenomenon of inconsistency which is frequently found in HoQ is easily protected by proposed approach which focuses on the view of customer.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed evaluating method is appropriate for the time when the number of ECs or CAs are greater than nine. If the number of alternatives is less than nine, analytic hierarchical process is usually used. However, 1‐9 scaling pairwise comparison is not suitable for customers such as non‐experts, housewives, or even children.

Practical implications

Especially, the proposed evaluating method could be widely used for organizations depending on customers.

Originality/value

In various fields, this paper supports the customer‐centered environment.
Forecasting field failure data for repairable systems using neural networks and SARIMA model
Authors: Tong Lee‐Ing , Liang Yi‐Hui
Published: April 2005

Purpose

To propose an accurate product reliability prediction model in order to enhance product quality and reduce product costs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes a method for analysing and forecasting field failure data for repairable systems. The novel method constructs a predictive model by combining the seasonal autoregressive integrated‐moving average (SARIMA) method and neural network model.

Findings

Current methods for analysing and forecasting field failure data for repairable systems do not consider the seasonal effect in the data. The proposed method can not only analyse the trends and seasonal vibration of the data, but can also forecast the short‐ and long‐term reliability of the system based on only a small amount of historical data.

Research limitations/implications

This study adopts only real failure data from an electronic system to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Future research may use other product's failure data to verify the proposed method.

Practical implications

Results in this study can provide a valuable reference for engineers when constructing quality feedback systems for assessing current quality conditions, providing logistical support, correcting product design, facilitating optimal component‐replacement and maintenance strategies, and ensuring that products meet quality requirements.

Originality/value

The proposed method is superior to other prediction techniques in predicting future real failure data.
Organisational support and group efficacy
Authors: Osca Amparo , Urien Begoña , González‐Camino Genoveva , Dolores Martínez‐Pérez M. , Martínez‐Pérez Nuria
Published: April 2005

Purpose

To analyse the influence of three different types of organisational support (supervisor's and colleagues' support, training, and acknowledgement and rewards) on the implementation of teamwork systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Main and buffer effects of social support were tested using different subjective (job satisfaction and job involvement) and objective (production and total production management (TPM)) organisational criteria. In the longitudinal study, two sets of data were taken from a sample of workers from car‐manufacturing factories in two consecutive years.

Findings

The three dimensions of support explain 30 per cent of the variance in job satisfaction in time 1(T1) and 11 per cent in time 2 (T2). A total of 50 per cent of job involvement in T1 is due to the supervisor's and colleagues' support, whereas in T2 this influence is not apparent. Social support from supervisor's and colleagues and acknowledgment and rewards explain 10 per cent of the variance of the objective measures (production and TPM).

Research limitations/implications

The objective measures used are similar for the production line as a whole and therefore they do not consider the possible differences in performance between different production line groups.

Practical implications

The importance of social support in organisational settings, in particular in the implementation of working teams. It also emphasises the need to distinguish the different stages of support from colleagues, supervisors or the organisation.

Originality/value

This study indicates that support is an easy and inexpensive means not only to improve the social environment of an employee but also to make an important contribution towards productivity targets.
Is standard costing obsolete? Empirical evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Sulaiman Maliah , Nazli Nik Ahmad Nik , Mohd Alwi Norhayati
Published: April 2005

Purpose

Many authors have predicted that the shorter product life cycles, advanced manufacturing technologies, decreasing emphasis on labour in the production process, and global competition may lead to the demise of standard costing. This exploratory study aims to provide empirical evidence on the extent to which companies in Malaysia use standard costing. It also examines the differences in the use of such techniques between local Malaysian firms and Japanese affiliates.

Design/methodology/approach

From the industrial and consumer products sectors listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and 21 Japanese affiliates in Malaysia, 66 companies were surveyed.

Findings

Despite its various criticisms, the empirical findings suggest that standard costing is still being used by a large majority of firms in Malaysia. Thus, Malaysian companies (both Japanese and local) perceive that the basic principles of standard costing remain sound.

Research limitations/implications

While the empirical results may be interesting, the findings represent an exploratory area of research which ultimately needs to be grounded in theory. To do this, future studies should undertake detailed case studies on management accounting in practice.

Originality/value

Provides empirical evidence of the extent of use of standard costing in Malaysia.
Scorecard for academic administration performance on the campus
Authors: Dorweiler Vernon P. , Yakhou Mehenna
Published: April 2005

Purpose

To provide a framework for an objective “scorecard” for performance of academic administrators.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature reviews show that business organizations, as well as academic institutions, are fundamentally rethinking their strategies and operations because of changing environment and calls for more accountability to government and the public. The balanced scorecard is described as a novel approach to face these challenges.

Findings

The balanced scorecard has been shown as an effective tool to evaluate an organization, and its performance. Performance is identified as the linkage between outcomes and the multiple factors affecting those strategic outcomes.

Research limitation/implications

While the study provides a general framework for a balanced scorecard to academic institutions, it does not provide an exhaustive list of academic goals and associated measures for evaluation.

Practical implications

A very useful guidance to academic administrators in their search for ways to improve institutional effectiveness and demonstrate accountability to government and the public.

Originality/value

The study offers insights on how to translate the business basis of the balanced scorecard to the academic setting.
The nature of parenting advantage in luxury fashion retailing – the case of Gucci group NV
Authors: Moore Christopher M. , Birtwistle Grete
Published: April 2005

Purpose

Examines the application and nature of parenting advantage within the context of luxury fashion conglomerates principally as a means of understanding the synergistic benefits that accrue as a result of brand consolidation within the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Derived from company annual accounts, market analysts' reports and other secondary sources, the paper delineates and evaluates the ten‐year renaissance of Gucci brand from a company on the verge of bankruptcy to its emergence as the world's second largest luxury group.

Findings

Through the identification of intra‐business group synergies, it is clear that the transference of brand management expertise and competence is the principal dimension of parenting advantage in the Gucci Group.

Originality/value

From an examination of the Gucci Group's brand management strategy, resource investments and business development activities, the paper proposes a model of the luxury fashion brand. This multi‐dimensional model identifies the components of the luxury fashion brand, locates their inter‐connections and illustrates how these collectively can provide and sustain advantage within this highly competitive sector.
Predicting and saving the consumption of electricity in sub‐tropical hotels
Authors: Chan Wilco W.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

The over‐estimation of the energy requirements in new hotels would not only increase energy consumption but also result in other additional costs. To address this issue, this study attempts to establish the benchmark of electricity consumption and models energy demand of hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 17 hotels and two power suppliers was conducted. Two approaches, namely averaging and multiple regression, were used to analyze the data.

Findings

The former approach found that the average electricity usage was 313 kWh/m2/year for city hotels in subtropical areas. The multivariate analysis revealed two significant variables – cooling degree day and number of occupied rooms– which determine the level of electricity consumption. Based on these findings, projections on electricity consumption for hotels in the next few years were made.

Originality/value

This study provides a fine‐tuned norm of electricity consumption, confirms the best temperature of cooling degree days for modeling electricity demand and further highlights some practical measures on saving electricity.
Sustainable tourism development: a case study of North Cyprus
Authors: Altinay Mehmet , Hussain Kashif
Published: April 2005

Purpose

The aim of this study is to find out the perceptions of tourism experts on environmental impacts of accommodation investments in Bafra, Karpaz region.

Design/methodology/approach

Environmental impact assessment model is used to find out the impacts and a structured questionnaire is applied to tourism industry experts: top administrators of the concerned public offices, the representatives of related nongovernmental organizations, and the local administrators working in North Cyprus at various organizations.

Findings

The preliminary findings of this research indicate that the most likely environmental impact of tourism is related with waste disposal, garbage treatment facilities and waste discharge by ships passing through the sea.

Research limitations/implications

The present study is primarily focused on the virgin part of North Cyprus in which investors are most interested.

Originality/value

This study serve as a guide for the state for policy planning and can serve as a guide to the construction industry because the government is interested in putting limitations on investments in the area to preserve the land, which would also provide guidelines for investors to follow before presenting an investment plan to the state.
Internal service quality
Authors: Voss M. Douglas , Calantone Roger J. , Keller Scott B.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

This work seeks to examine how front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation affect the service, supply chain, and financial performance of US distribution centers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors approached this subject by utilizing works from the supply chain management, services marketing, total quality management, and logistics personnel literature. Surveys were administered in 18 distribution centers across the USA and canonical correlation was employed to test the propositions that front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation have a positive effect on distribution center service, supply chain, and financial performance.

Findings

Findings indicate that high levels of front‐line employee performance and interdepartmental customer orientation a positive effect on distribution center service and supply chain performance. The relationship of the two independent variables to distribution center financial performance was only partially supported.

Research limitations/implications

The research did not explore how higher levels of front‐line employee performance may be obtained and may not be generalizable beyond a distribution center setting. For researchers, the results may be utilized in studies of logistics best practice. Moreover, studies investigating market orientation may find the results useful, as previous contributions have shown interdepartmental customer orientation to be positively related to the market orientation of the firm.

Practical implications

The results provide managers with evidence supporting the value of front‐line employees and the importance of encouraging departments to service other departments in a customer‐oriented manner.

Originality/value

This is the first study to detail the relationship between interdepartmental customer orientation and firm performance in a logistical setting, and adds further credence to the importance of front‐line distribution personnel in the delivery of quality output.
The impact of group teaching on the acquisition of key skills to teach personal, social and health education
Authors: Thomas Malcolm , Jones Sian
Published: April 2005

Purpose

The paper seeks to report the impact of a partnership training intervention on trainee teachers' confidence to teach Personal, Social and Health Education.

Design/methodology/approach

This intervention required trainee teachers to work in 15 groups of four across subject disciplines. Each group was required to negotiate, plan and deliver their intended lesson on PSHE in a partnership school. The initiative was evaluated on a pre‐ and post‐test basis by getting each trainee to complete a PSHE Key Skills Confidence Scale that consisted of 45 items, 25 pertaining to working together and 20 to communication.

Findings

Results revealed a significant change in trainees' confidence in all of the key PSHE‐related skills. Trainee teachers reported increased confidence in “agreeing what else could have been done to improve working relationships and methods”, “using role play strategies”, “reaching agreement on whether or not the activity fulfilled its objectives”, “considering strategies that will empower pupils to make informed choices about their health”, “determining pupils' attitudes and views of health and healthy living”; “ensuring that pupils received information about the factors which affect health”, “identifying factors that influenced the learning outcome”, and “encouraging pupils to be assertive and resist unwanted peer pressure and other influences”.

Originality/value

It is recommended that all trainee teachers are assessed on their ability to deliver and evaluate PSHE lessons as part of the award of Qualified Teacher Status. Furthermore, it is essential that trainee teachers receive specific resistance/life skills training as part of their initial and continuing professional development.
The knowledge of staff in day nurseries about some basic measures which promote child health
Authors: Cavalcante Suzy S. , Clotildes Nunes de Melo Maria , Bustani Carneiro Nadya , Rodrigues Silva Luciana
Published: April 2005

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the knowledge that staff in day nurseries in Brazil had of basic measures to promote child health which are connected with high child mortality. These measures included breastfeeding, oral rehydration therapy, child growth follow‐up, immunization and the identification of signs that indicate that the child must be referred to a health facility.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional study was performed in day nurseries in the state of Bahia, Brazil, involving 194 care staff from 77 different establishments. Questionnaires, the observation of practical exercises and documentary evidence were used to assess knowledge.

Findings

Seventeen percent of professionals were able to use growth charts correctly, 37.1 percent were able to prepare an oral rehydration solution adequately, 77.8 percent were able to provide appropriate breastfeeding counseling, 65.0 percent were able to identify children who showed respiratory danger signs and refer them to a health facility, and 58.5 percent were able to check the immunization status. This suggests a serious lack of basic knowledge in key areas.

Research limitations/implications

The losses observed in the beginning of the study and the possibility of the existence of memory bias related to the verbal information obtained might have influenced the results.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that there is an urgent need to address the lack of knowledge about basic child health measures shown by these key workers through appropriate educational programs.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies of levels of knowledge about basic child health measures in professionals who work outside the medical profession, and in particular in day nurseries. It also provides valuable information about health knowledge in a developing country.
Information technology project failures
Authors: Chulkov Dmitriy V. , Desai Mayur S.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

This paper seeks to apply results from the study of bandit processes to cases of information technology (IT) project failures.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines three published case studies, and discusses whether managerial actions are in accordance with the predictions of bandit process studies.

Findings

Bandits are a class of decision‐making problems that involve choosing one action from a set. In terms of project management, the firm selects from several alternative IT projects, each with its own distribution of risks and rewards. The firm investigates technologies one by one, and keeps only the best‐performing technology. The bandit perspective implies that managers choosing a risky IT project with high potential reward before safer ones are behaving optimally. It is in the firm's interest to resolve the uncertainty about the innovative project first. In case of failure, the firm can later choose safer technology. A high proportion of risky projects adopted leads to a high number of project failures.

Practical implications

The bandit approach supports studies that advocate evaluating decision makers on the optimality of their decision process, rather than specific outcomes.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates how insights from the bandit problem are relevant to studies of IT project failures. Whilst choosing high‐risk, high‐reward projects may be in a firm's interest, some observed project failures are optimal choices that do not work out.
Is there another chance for lighter‐than‐air vehicles?
Authors: Windischbauer Florian , Richardson Jacques
Published: April 2005

Purpose

The article sets out to explore the potential for future use of lighter‐than‐air (LTA) craft.

Design/methodology/approach

Reviews the history of balloons and airships, the physics of lighter‐than‐air flight, and potential benefits. Describes in some detail some recent projects.

Findings

The non‐fixed, controllable lighter‐than‐air craft, or airship (also dirigible), has a long history of science that became successful technology. Its accomplishments were marred by a spectacular failure nearly seven decades ago. Yet, with highly selective planning and proper attention to technical detail, the airship can serve specific purposes in the future, economically and with more satisfactory results than airplanes or helicopters.

Originality/value

Provides a readable overview of the potential for LTA flight.
Effective strategic action planning: a process and tool
Authors: Hua Tan Kim , Platts Ken
Published: April 2005

Purpose

This paper aims to describe an interactive action planning software tool (TAPS) for manufacturing objective deployment, and to report the results of its application in five companies.

Design/methodology/approach

A process approach based on action research was adopted in this research. Under this approach, a series of four to five workshops were conducted in each company. Each workshop took half a day and involved a multi‐disciplinary team of four to six managers. Besides direct observation in the workshops, a structured questionnaire was also used to elicit managers' feedback at the end of each workshop.

Findings

The TAPS approach (integration of Burbidge's connectance concept and the analytic hierarchy process) helps managers to visualise and represent their perceptions of the relationships between variables and objectives through a sequential, analytical process. Results from the case studies indicate that TAPS provides the following benefits to managers: it improves collective understanding, reduces the complexity of strategy deployment into manageable steps, facilitates discussion, and manages organizational knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

The research is so far limited to application in five case studies. Future research will involve further cases and improvements to the usability of the software tool.

Originality/value

For practitioners, the paper provides them with an interactive software tool (TAPS) for effective strategic action planning. For academics, this paper provides an approach for researching strategy deployment, and a potential classroom teaching tool for operations management.
Impediments to successful ERP implementation process
Authors: Kim Yongbeom , Lee Zoonky , Gosain Sanjay
Published: April 2005

Purpose

As the number of organizations that have implemented enterprise resourceplanning (ERP) systems unsuccessfully increase, it is necessary to establish the impediments in ERP implementations and the extent to which these impact the success of ERP projects. This study aims to identify the critical impediments that large organizations face in the implementation of ERP systems, and the impact of these impediments on overall success of ERP projects by a survey of Fortune 500 organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was prepared based on 47 impediments identified from previous ERP implementation studies.

Findings

This study finds that most of critical impediments are from functional coordination problems related to inadequate support from functional units and coordination among functional units, the project management related to business process change, and change management related to resistance of users. In this study, impediments are categorized based on project phases, and differences in the impediments the organizations faced between less successful and more successful organizations are found.

Originality/value

This research provides significant implications for industry managers engaged in large‐scale enterprise system implementations. Our survey results suggest that understanding new requirements for ERP implementation such as functional coordination is more critical issues than understanding technical features of ERP system.
An integrated method to evaluate business process alternatives
Authors: Lee Sang M. , Olson David L. , Trimi Silvana , Rosacker Kris M.
Published: April 2005

Purpose

Globalization and digitalization have led to the need for a different view of international business. Computer technology, especially in the form of enterprise systems, presents the opportunity to apply best (or at least better) practices. Twentieth century enterprise systems were focused on internal optimization. Twenty‐first century enterprise systems need to be much more open, and to focus on the demand chain, driven by serving customers better. To better fulfill this need, this paper aims to present a method for evaluation of business process alternatives focusing on demand chain needs.

Design/methodology/approach

A method integrating decision making and system approach principles is presented that includes use of soft systems approaches to identify goals and interrelationships among system parts, generation of alternatives, analysis of alternative performance on goals, refining alternatives to better satisfy goals, and multiple criteria selection analysis to recommend choice.

Findings

The method is demonstrated on a small business process design. This process can allow broader consideration of organizational goals and focus on customer demands.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates how such a method might work to better support the design of enterprise systems in this dynamic new environment.
The Opportunity Cost of Admission Preferences at Elite Universities*
Authors: Espenshade Thomas J. , Chung Chang Y.
Published: April 2005

Objective. This study examines how preferences for different types of applicants for admission to elite universities influence the number and composition of admitted students.

Methods. Previous research with these NSCE data employed logistic regression analysis to link information on the admission decision for 124,374 applications to applicants' SAT scores, race, athletic ability, and legacy status, among other variables. Here we use micro simulations to illustrate what the effects might be if one were to withdraw preferences for different student groups.

Results. Eliminating affirmative action would substantially reduce the share of African Americans and Hispanics among admitted students. Preferences for athletes and legacies, however, only mildly displace members of minority groups.

Conclusions. Elite colleges and universities extend preferences to many types of students, yet affirmative action is the one most surrounded by controversy.
Migration and Employment Among the Civilian Spouses of Military Personnel*
Authors: Cooke Thomas J. , Speirs Karen
Published: April 2005

Objectives. This article attempts to directly observe the effect of being a tied migrant on the economic status of the civilian husbands and wives of military personnel in order to confirm whether previously observed trailing‐wife effects are consistent with being a tied migrant.

Methods. A sample of the civilian husbands of women in the military and the civilian wives of men in the military are drawn from the Public Use Microdata Sample of the 1990 U.S. Census. Ordinal logit models of labor‐market status and tobit models of hours worked are estimated, which include a migrant status variable.

Results. Migration is associated with a 10 percent decline in employment among all civilian wives and a four‐hour decline in hours worked per week among civilian wives who remain employed. Migration is associated with a statistically insignificant but very similar 6 percent drop in employment among all civilian men and a five‐hour decline in hours worked per week among civilian men who remain employed.

Conclusions. The results provide solid evidence that being a tied migrant, irrespective of gender, is disruptive to both labor‐market status and hours worked. Thus, the assumption that wives are harmed because of their disproportionate status as tied migrants is supported.
Organized Interests and Political Extortion: A Test of the Fetcher Bill Hypothesis*
Authors: Lowery David , Gray Virginia , Fellowes Matthew
Published: April 2005

Objectives. Although the Fetcher Bill Hypothesis, which is that legislators introduce bills in order to extort campaign contributions from organized interests, has been given new prominence by suggestions that it can provide a general explanation of the composition of legislative agendas and the structure of interest communities, tests of the hypothesis are narrow, rare, and indirect. We provide an alternative test to more directly assesses its core implications.

Methods. We test the hypothesis using single‐year and pooled‐regression analyses of 1995, 1997, and 1999 data on lobby registrations by organized interests in the American states—a venue providing substantial variation in legislative activity, the density of lobbying organizations, and the campaign finance systems that are presumed to drive rent seeking.

Results. The tests provide little evidence that policy agendas induce lobby registrations.

Conclusions. These results indicate that the Fetcher Bill Hypothesis cannot provide a sufficient account of the composition of either legislative agendas or lobbying communities.
Disentangling Constituency and Legislator Effects in Legislative Representation: Black Legislators or Black Districts?*
Authors: Grose Christian R.
Published: April 2005

Objective. Does the race of a legislator or does the black population of a district best predict legislative roll‐call voting in the interests of African Americans? Due to methodological limitations, no prior study has found that both the race of the legislator and the black district population are significant predictors of congressional roll‐call voting. Drawing on post Shaw v. Reno/Miller v. Johnson congressional districts (with greater data variance), I examine the effect of these two racial representation variables on roll‐call voting in the 104th–106th Congresses.

Methods. Linear regression with random effects is employed in two statistical models.

Results. Even when the black district population and party are considered, the presence of an African‐American legislator leads to greater substantive representation of black constituents.

Conclusion. Districting plans that maximize the election of black legislators and Democrats are the most important for the aggregate enhancement of liberal voting in Congress, while districting plans that maximize black district populations and Democrats are the most important for the aggregate enhancement of civil rights voting records in Congress.
Race, Political Empowerment, and Minority Perceptions of Judicial Fairness*
Authors: Overby L. Marvin , Brown Robert D. , Bruce John M. , Smith, Jr. Charles E. , Winkle, III John W.
Published: April 2005

Objective. Recent studies of the impact of black elite electoral success on the system‐supporting attitudes of black citizens have yielded mixed, but generally unimpressive, empirical results. We extend this limited research by examining the effects of the presence of black judicial officials on public attitudes toward a state judicial system.

Methods. We employ data from a telephone survey of citizens in Mississippi and develop multivariate models to test for the effects of black judges on citizens' evaluations of the fairness of judges, equity in sentences, and overall impartiality of the state judicial system.

Results. We find no systematic evidence that the election of black judicial officials ameliorates the suspicions of the black public regarding the fairness of the state courts.

Conclusions. Our findings are in line with other recent studies on the limited effects of black elite electoral success on the attitudes of the black public and generally support a “political reality” model of political trust rather than an “empowerment model.”
The Interaction of Country of Origin, Acculturation, and Gender Role Ideology on Wife Abuse*
Authors: Harris Richard J. , Firestone Juanita M. , Vega William A.
Published: April 2005

Objective. Using data from the Mexican American Prevalence and Services Survey (Vega et al., 1998), this research tests whether the impact of acculturation and gender role ideology on wife abuse depends on country of origin.

Methods. Two separate logistic regressions, one for U.S.‐born Latinas and one for Mexican‐born Latinas, are compared to test the impact of the interaction of place of origin with the other variables.

Results. Our findings support earlier research indicating that power dynamics within a relationship impact the likelihood of a wife reporting she has experienced abuse. Significant differences in the influence of independent variables are found when comparing U.S.‐ and Mexican‐born respondents. In particular, variables related to family power dynamics operate differently. Gender role beliefs, however, have an independent influence for both groups after controlling for sociodemographic factors and power dynamics. Women with more traditional orientations are less likely to report abuse.

Conclusions. Because the impact of gender role ideology is significant and in the same direction for both those born in the United States and those born in Mexico, it is unlikely that the traditional familism and gender role orientations reported among the Mexican born afford them greater protection against abuse.
The detection of small relative simulated field defects using multifocal VEPs
Authors: Chan H. L. , Chu H. W. , Ng Y. F. , Tam W. K. , Young S. M. , Lam C. H. , Cheung A. L.
Published: April 2005

Introduction:  The multifocal visual‐evoked potential (mfVEP) has been widely used in the study of diseases of the visual system. However, the sensitivity of the mfVEP in the objective detection of relative field defects has not been determined. This study investigates variations in mfVEP responses while simulating relative field defects by using different luminous transmission masks [neutral density (ND) filters] on the stimulus pattern.

Methods:  Simulated relative field defects with four different luminous transmissions were obtained by using 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 ND filters, 5 degrees in size, at two different retinal eccentricities (10 and 16 degrees) on a standard mfVEP dartboard stimulus. Eleven normal subjects were recruited for mfVEP measurements. The response amplitudes and latencies of the N1 and P1 of the mfVEP, with and without small simulated relative field defects, were compared.

Results:  The mfVEP amplitudes of N1 and P1 decreased substantially when 0.6 and 0.8 ND filters were introduced. The effects were similar at both the 10‐ and 16‐degree eccentricities but there was no change in latency with simulated field defects at either location.

Conclusions:  The mfVEP can detect a simulated relative field defect 5 degrees in size starting with 0.6 log unit reduction in luminance at both 10‐degree and 16‐degree eccentricities. This illustrates that the sensitivity of the mfVEP measurement is nearly comparable with that of the Humphrey Visual Field Analyser.
Distance vergence adaptation is abnormal in subjects with convergence insufficiency
Authors: Brautaset R. L. , Jennings J. A. M.
Published: April 2005

It is well known that in convergence insufficiency (CI) prism adaptation is reduced in response to base‐out (BO) prisms at near. There have also been some suggestions in the literature that adaptation is reduced at other distances as well. The present data show that in CI adaptation is not only reduced in response to BO at near, but also in response to base‐in (BI) at near and for both BI and BO at distance. This raises the interesting question whether distance adaptation becomes reduced because of reduced near adaptation or whether these subjects have a generally reduced horizontal adaptation mechanism.
How precise do precision tints have to be and how many are necessary?
Authors: Wilkins Arnold , Sihra Nirmal , Smith Ian Nimmo
Published: April 2005

Among those individuals who habitually wear precision tints, reading speed can vary as a function of the chromaticity of the illuminating light. The reading speed decreases as the chromaticity departs from optimum, whether in saturation or in hue. When the distance in the CIE 1976 UCS diagram between the chromaticity of the illuminating light and that optimal for reading exceeds about 0.08, the colour has little residual benefit. We attempt to answer two questions numerically: (1) how is reading speed affected by the variation in the colour provided by the tint under different lighting conditions? (2) how many different tints does an ophthalmic tinting system need to be able to provide? Analysis of 1000 recent prescriptions suggests that, for most, the variation in colour with illumination is sufficient to reduce, but not eliminate, the beneficial effects of the tints. The number of trial tints required by an ophthalmic tinting system is a power function of the degree of efficacy desired, and for an average efficacy >95% of optimum, the number of trial tints needs to exceed 1000. In practice this requirement can readily be achieved by combining trial lenses and by appropriate dyeing techniques.
The pupillary light reflex in migraine
Authors: Harle Deacon E. , Wolffsohn James S. , Evans Bruce J. W.
Published: April 2005

The literature suggests that there may be pupil size and response abnormalities in migraine headache sufferers. We used an infra‐red pupillometer to measure dynamic pupil responses to light in 20 migraine sufferers (during non‐headache periods) and 16 non‐migraine age and gender matched controls. There was a significant increase in the absolute inter‐ocular difference of the latency of the pupil light response in the migraine group compared with the controls (0.062 s vs 0.025 s, p = 0.014). There was also a significant correlation between anisocoria and lateralisation of headache such that migraine sufferers with a habitual head pain side have more anisocoria (r = 0.59, p < 0.01), but this was not related to headache laterality. The pupil changes were not correlated with the interval since the last migraine headache, the severity of migraine headache or the number of migraine headaches per annum. We conclude that subtle sympathetic and parasympathetic pupil abnormalities persist in the inter‐ictal phase of migraine.
Possible contraindications and adverse reactions associated with the use of ocular nutritional supplements
Authors: Bartlett Hannah , Eperjesi Frank
Published: April 2005

The role of oxidation in the development of age‐related eye disease has prompted interest in the use of nutritional supplementation for prevention of onset and progression. Our aim is to highlight possible contraindications and adverse reactions of isolated or high dose ocular nutritional supplements. Web of Science and PubMed database searches were carried out, followed by a manual search of the bibliographies of retrieved articles. Vitamin A should be avoided in women who may become pregnant, in those with liver disease, and in people who drink heavily. Relationships have been found between vitamin A and reduced bone mineral density, and beta‐carotene and increased risk of lung cancer in smoking males. Vitamin E and Ginkgo biloba have anticoagulant and anti‐platelet effects respectively, and high doses are contraindicated in those being treated for vascular disorders. Those patients with contraindications or who are considered at risk of adverse reactions should be advised to seek specialist dietary advice via their medical practitioner.
INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TRANSIENT FUNCTIONS OF BOLOGNA USING FRIEDRICH AND HEYMANN THEORY
Authors: BRUNO MARIA , MORESI MAURO
Published: April 2005

The rheological behavior of a commercial high‐quality bologna in the time and frequency domain was assessed by quasi‐static (uniaxial compression and compressive stress relaxation) and oscillatory dynamic tests. Both tests gave almost the same range (4–9%) of apparent linear viscoelasticity. The use of the Friedrich and Heymann model allowed the transient responses of the protein network of bologna to be characterized by relaxation functions having the same structural form and empiric parameters independent of the experimental test provided that the applied strains were kept within the elastic and proportional limit. Their linear interrelation was also checked using an independent estimate of the Poisson's ratio via the NOL test.
PHYSICAL AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF CORNFLAKES CRISPNESS
Authors: CHAUNIER LAURENT , COURCOUX PHILIPPE , DELLA VALLE GUY , LOURDIN DENIS
Published: April 2005

Three compression systems were used to study the mechanical behavior of cereal flakes of 13 commercial cornflakes brands that were also evaluated by sensory analysis. A Kramer cell, on an Instron testing machine, allowed to simultaneously record force in the range 0–5 kN and sound in the frequency domain 0–22 kHz during the crushing of 20 mm thick beds of cereal flakes tested in bulk. It was shown to be the most reliable and efficient method for discrimination. Acoustic emission has been shown to correlate with crispness perception. Uncrispy‐perceived products emitted signals with lower average amplitude and higher peaks, at low frequencies – less than 3 kHz – and opposed a high mechanical resistance to compression. On the opposite, the crispiest flakes emitted sounds with larger average amplitude, fewer high peaks and uniformly distributed in the frequency domain with a moderated mechanical resistance. Links between texture perception and structure were improved and results validated the developed system, which may be used for quality evaluation of particle solid foam foods.