bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Locating Facilities in the Presence of Disruptions and Incomplete Information*
Authors: Berman Oded , Krass Dmitry , Menezes Mozart B. C.
Published: November 2009

In this article, we analyze a location model where facilities may be subject to disruptions. Customers do not have advance information about whether a given facility is operational or not, and thus may have to visit several facilities before finding an operational one. The objective is to locate a set of facilities to minimize the total expected cost of customer travel. We decompose the total cost into travel, reliability, and information components. This decomposition allows us to put a value on the advance information about the states of facilities and compare it to the reliability and travel cost components, which allows a decision maker to evaluate which part of the system would benefit the most from improvements. The structure of optimal solutions is analyzed, with two interesting effects identified: facility centralization and co‐location; both effects appear to be stronger than in the complete information case, where the status of each facility is known in advance.
Multichannels Strategy Implementation: The Role of Channel Alignment Capabilities*
Authors: Wallace David W. , Johnson Jean L. , Umesh U. N.
Published: November 2009

A firm's distribution channels represent a key portfolio of resources that can be leveraged for competitive advantage. One approach to this portfolio that has become increasingly important in recent years is multichannel distribution (MCD). While this strategy has important benefits in terms of market coverage and firm performance, the use of multiple channels seriously affects downstream channel roles such as service delivery, as the financial rewards to channel members and the services they offer are separated. A channel member who offers poor or no service can free‐ride on the services offered to the same customer from a different channel. We draw on agency theory to explain these negative consequences. Additionally, the resource‐based view of the firm along with capabilities theory provides two key means of alleviating these consequences: channel tracking capabilities and reward alignment capabilities. The study, conducted in an industry facing serious MCD issues (the outdoor sporting goods industry), used key informant data matched to secondary data. Our results show that managers can reap the performance rewards of MCD strategies while minimizing its negative consequences. In particular, monitoring practices such as frequent site visits and phone contact with customers develop the firm's channel tracking capabilities, allowing managers to better monitor downstream activities. This becomes particularly important as the complexity from having multiple channels increases. Likewise, reward alignment capabilities such as retail price maintenance agreements and cooperative advertising enable the manager to minimize conflict among channel participants by ensuring sufficient profitability for all channel members.
Organizational Silence and Whistle‐Blowing on IT Projects: An Integrated Model*
Authors: Park ChongWoo , Keil Mark
Published: November 2009

An individual's reluctance to report bad news about a troubled information technology (IT) project has been suggested as an important contributor to project failure and has been linked to IT project escalation as well. To date, information systems researchers have drawn from the mum effect and whistle‐blowing literature to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence bad news reporting. More recent theoretical work in the area of organizational silence offers a promising new conceptual lens, but remains empirically untested. In this research note, we integrate key elements of Morrison and Milliken's (2000) model of organizational silence, which has never been empirically tested, with the basic whistle‐blowing model adapted from Dozier and Miceli (1985). Using a role‐playing experiment, we investigate how organizational structures/policies, managerial practices, and degree of demographic dissimilarity between employees and top managers create a climate of silence and how this climate, in turn, affects an individual's willingness to report. Our results show that all three types of factors contribute to a climate of silence, exerting both direct and indirect influence on willingness to report, as hypothesized. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.
Long‐Run Stockholder Consumption Risk and Asset Returns
Authors: MALLOY CHRISTOPHER J. , MOSKOWITZ TOBIAS J. , VISSING‐JØRGENSEN ANNETTE
Published: November 2009

We provide new evidence on the success of long‐run risks in asset pricing by focusing on the risks borne by stockholders. Exploiting microlevel household consumption data, we show that long‐run stockholder consumption risk better captures cross‐sectional variation in average asset returns than aggregate or nonstockholder consumption risk, and implies more plausible risk aversion estimates. We find that risk aversion around 10 can match observed risk premia for the wealthiest stockholders across sets of test assets that include the 25 Fama and French portfolios, the market portfolio, bond portfolios, and the entire cross‐section of stocks.
Blockholder Trading, Market Efficiency, and Managerial Myopia
Authors: EDMANS ALEX
Published: November 2009

This paper analyzes how blockholders can exert governance even if they cannot intervene in a firm's operations. Blockholders have strong incentives to monitor the firm's fundamental value because they can sell their stakes upon negative information. By trading on private information (following the “Wall Street Rule”), they cause prices to reflect fundamental value rather than current earnings. This in turn encourages managers to invest for long‐run growth rather than short‐term profits. Contrary to the view that the U.S.'s liquid markets and transient shareholders exacerbate myopia, I show that they can encourage investment by impounding its effects into prices.
Reinforcement Learning and Savings Behavior
Authors: CHOI JAMES J. , LAIBSON DAVID , MADRIAN BRIGITTE C. , METRICK ANDREW
Published: November 2009

We show that individual investors over‐extrapolate from their personal experience when making savings decisions. Investors who experience particularly rewarding outcomes from 401(k) saving—a high average and/or low variance return—increase their 401(k) savings rate more than investors who have less rewarding experiences. This finding is not driven by aggregate time‐series shocks, income effects, rational learning about investing skill, investor fixed effects, or time‐varying investor‐level heterogeneity that is correlated with portfolio allocations to stock, bond, and cash asset classes. We discuss implications for the equity premium puzzle and interventions aimed at improving household financial outcomes.
Momentum, Reversal, and Uninformed Traders in Laboratory Markets
Authors: BLOOMFIELD ROBERT J. , TAYLER WILLIAM B. , ZHOU FLORA (HAILAN)
Published: November 2009

We report the results of three experiments based on the model of Hong and Stein (1999). Consistent with the model, the results show that when informed traders do not observe prices, uninformed traders generate long‐term price reversals by engaging in momentum trade. However, when informed traders also observe prices, uninformed traders generate reversals by engaging in contrarian trading. The results suggest that a dominated information set is sufficient to account for the contrarian behavior observed among individual investors, and that uninformed traders may be responsible for long‐term price reversals but play little role in driving short‐term momentum.
Catering through Nominal Share Prices
Authors: BAKER MALCOLM , GREENWOOD ROBIN , WURGLER JEFFREY
Published: November 2009

We propose and test a catering theory of nominal stock prices. The theory predicts that when investors place higher valuations on low‐price firms, managers respond by supplying shares at lower price levels, and vice versa. We confirm these predictions in time‐series and firm‐level data using several measures of time‐varying catering incentives. More generally, the results provide unusually clean evidence that catering influences corporate decisions, because the process of targeting nominal share prices is not well explained by alternative theories.
International Stock Return Comovements
Authors: BEKAERT GEERT , HODRICK ROBERT J. , ZHANG XIAOYAN
Published: November 2009

We examine international stock return comovements using country‐industry and country‐style portfolios as the base portfolios. We first establish that parsimonious risk‐based factor models capture the data covariance structure better than the popular Heston–Rouwenhorst (1994) model. We then establish the following stylized facts regarding stock return comovements. First, there is no evidence for an upward trend in return correlations, except for the European stock markets. Second, the increasing importance of industry factors relative to country factors was a short‐lived phenomenon. Third, large growth stocks are more correlated across countries than are small value stocks, and the difference has increased over time.
The Manipulation of Executive Stock Option Exercise Strategies: Information Timing and Backdating
Authors: CICERO DAVID C.
Published: November 2009

I identify three option exercise strategies executives engage in, including (i) exercising with cash and immediately selling the shares, (ii) exercising with cash and holding the shares, and (iii) delivering some shares to the company to cover the exercise costs and holding the remaining shares. Stock price patterns suggest executives manipulate option exercises. They use private information to increase the profitability of all three strategies, and likely backdated some exercise dates in the pre‐Sarbanes‐Oxley period to enhance the profitability of the latter two strategies, where the executive's company is the only counterparty. Backdating is associated with reporting of internal control weaknesses.
A Bayesian's Bubble
Authors: LI C. WEI , XUE HUI
Published: November 2009

The acceleration of the U.S. productivity growth in the late 1990s suggests a significant advance in technological innovation, making the perceived probability of entering a “new economy” ever increasing. Based on macroeconomic data, we identify a Bayesian investor's belief evolution when facing a possible structural break in the economy. We show that such belief evolution plays a significant role in explaining both the stock market boom and crash during 1998 to 2001. We conclude that a rational investor's uncertainty about the future of the U.S. economy provides an alternative explanation for the late 1990s stock market “bubble.”
Implications of Keeping‐Up‐with‐the‐Joneses Behavior for the Equilibrium Cross Section of Stock Returns: International Evidence
Authors: GÓMEZ JUAN‐PEDRO , PRIESTLEY RICHARD , ZAPATERO FERNANDO
Published: November 2009

This paper tests the cross‐sectional implications of “keeping‐up‐with‐the‐Joneses” (KUJ) preferences in an international setting. When agents have KUJ preferences, in the presence of undiversifiable nonfinancial wealth, both world and domestic risk (the idiosyncratic component of domestic wealth) are priced, and the equilibrium price of risk of the domestic factor is negative. We use labor income as a proxy for domestic wealth and find empirical support for these predictions. In terms of explaining the cross‐section of stock returns and the size of the pricing errors, the model performs better than alternative international asset pricing models.
The Price Is (Almost) Right
Authors: COHEN RANDOLPH B. , POLK CHRISTOPHER , VUOLTEENAHO TUOMO
Published: November 2009

Most previous research tests market efficiency using average abnormal trading profits on dynamic trading strategies, and typically rejects the joint hypothesis of market efficiency and an asset pricing model. In contrast, we adopt the perspective of a buy‐and‐hold investor and examine stock price levels. For such an investor, the price level is more relevant than the short‐horizon expected return, and betas of cash flow fundamentals are more important than high‐frequency stock return betas. Our cross‐sectional tests suggest that there exist specifications in which differences in relative price levels of individual stocks can be largely explained by their fundamental betas.
A Rational Expectations Equilibrium with Informative Trading Volume
Authors: SCHNEIDER JAN
Published: November 2009

A large number of empirical studies find that trading volume contains information about the distribution of future returns. While these studies indicate that observing volume is helpful to an outside observer of the economy it is not clear how investors within the economy can learn from trading volume. In this paper, I show how trading volume helps investors to evaluate the precision of the aggregate information in the price. I construct a model that offers a closed‐form solution of a rational expectations equilibrium where all investors learn from (1) private signals, (2) the market price, and (3) aggregate trading volume.
Exponential Growth Bias and Household Finance
Authors: STANGO VICTOR , ZINMAN JONATHAN
Published: November 2009

Exponential growth bias is the pervasive tendency to linearize exponential functions when assessing them intuitively. We show that exponential growth bias can explain two stylized facts in household finance: the tendency to underestimate an interest rate given other loan terms, and the tendency to underestimate a future value given other investment terms. Bias matters empirically: More‐biased households borrow more, save less, favor shorter maturities, and use and benefit more from financial advice, conditional on a rich set of household characteristics. There is little evidence that our measure of exponential growth bias merely proxies for broader financial sophistication.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma of breast within a benign melanocytic nevus in the context of cutaneous breast metastatic disease
Authors: Schwartz Robert A. , Rothenberg Jerry
Published: December 2009

Metastatic breast cancer of skin may be seen in a number of forms. It is rare to find it in association with a benign melanocytic nevus. We describe a patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma of breast within a benign melanocytic nevus and delineate this occurrence within the context of reviewing cutaneous breast metastatic disease.

Schwartz RA and Rothenberg J. Metastatic adenocarcinoma of breast within a benign melanocytic nevus in the context of cutaneous breast metastatic disease.
Alternate trafficking of cathepsin L in dermal fibroblasts induced by UVA radiation
Authors: Klose Anke , Wilbrand‐Hennes Astrid , Brinckmann Jürgen , Hunzelmann Nicolas
Published: November 2009

Please cite this paper as: Alternate trafficking of cathepsin L in dermal fibroblasts induced by UVA radiation. Experimental Dermatology 2010; 19: e117–e123.

Abstract:  UVA radiation is increasingly used to treat fibrotic skin disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of UVA for these disorders are only partially understood. Cathepsin L is a lysosomal cysteine protease, which has been shown to degrade various matrix proteins thus contributing to extracellular remodeling. Therefore, we investigated whether UVA irradiation regulates the expression and release of cathepsin L in human dermal fibroblasts. No alterations were found after single irradiation; however, a significantly increased extracellular release of cathepsin L was observed after repeated irradiation up to four times. The transcript levels of cathepsin L were elevated after repetitive irradiation, leading to increased amounts of total cathepsin L protein. Furthermore, higher amounts of extracellular cathepsin L were associated with a significant reduction of intracellular processed cathepsin L and an accumulation of unprocessed procathepsin L. The use of specific inhibitors elucidated mannose phosphate‐independent sorting pathways of cathepsin L leading to enhanced secretion and reduced intracellular processing. This is the first study which demonstrates that alternate trafficking mechanisms mediate the extracellular release of a cysteine protease induced by repetitive UVA irradiation.
New guidelines for cardiac risk assessment prior to non‐cardiac surgery
Authors: Pickett FA
Published: November 2009

To cite this article:
 
Int J Dent Hygiene  DOI: 10.1111/j.1601‐5037.2009.00427.x Pickett FA. New guidelines for cardiac risk assessment prior to non‐cardiac surgery.

Abstract:  The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has established guidelines to determine the risk for non‐cardiac procedures, such as oral procedures, when individuals have experienced severe cardiac disease, including myocardial infarction. This is the first time the ESC has developed consensus guidelines to assist practitioners in managing care for cardiac patients receiving medical or dental procedures. Factors for risk assessment are described and management for oral care is discussed.
Risk factors for breast cancer in East Asian women relative to women in the West
Authors: PERRY Christine S , OTERO Jorge C , PALMER Jonathan L , GROSS Annette S
Published: November 2009

The incidence of breast cancer in women of East Asian ancestry (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) is lower than in women of European ancestry but is currently rising. This review explores potential reasons for this inter‐ethnic difference in incidence by profiling breast cancer risk factors reported for East Asian and Western women. Factors such as endogenous hormone exposure, lifestyle choices, diet and genetic predisposition are associated with breast cancer risk in both East Asian and Western women. However, the relative exposure to these risk factors may vary according to a woman's geographical ancestry and culture. For example, age at menarche and menopause, parity, breast‐feeding history, low fat and high soy consumption as well as the prevalence of high risk genetic alleles may vary with a woman's geographical ancestry and/or culture. Differences in exposure to these risk factors in East Asian and Western women are consistent with the inter‐ethnic differences in breast cancer incidence observed. Understanding the underlying factors contributing to differences in the profile of breast cancer across populations is important when considering screening and prevention programs for East Asian women resident in the East or the West.
Identification of patients at risk of ischemic events for long‐term secondary prevention
Authors: Brassard Andrea
Published: December 2009

Purpose: To review the identification of patients at risk of secondary ischemic events, discuss the therapies available for their medical management, and identify the role of the nurse practitioner (NP) in their primary and long‐term care.

Data sources: ACC/AHA 2007 guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina and non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction, ACC/AHA 2005 guidelines for the management of patients with peripheral arterial disease, AHA/ASA 2006 guidelines for patients with ischemic stroke, AHA/ACC 2006 guidelines update for patients with coronary and other atherosclerotic vascular disease, and selected clinical articles identified through PubMed.

Conclusions: Preventive therapy in patients with atherothrombotic vascular disease is critical for reducing the risk of recurrent events. Almost all patients with atherosclerotic disease will benefit from general lifestyle modifications, and most will also benefit from appropriate pharmacotherapies targeting dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and platelet function. However, evidence suggests that secondary prevention strategies may not be utilized effectively.

Implications for practice: Increased awareness and implementation of clinical practice guidelines can reduce the risk of recurrent atherothrombotic events. NPs in primary care settings or in long‐term care facilities are well placed to determine whether patients are receiving appropriate preventive care and to implement improvements in their management.
Hand dermatitis in primary care: A nurse practitioner's role in management
Authors: Yang Ying , Zirwas Matthew
Published: December 2009

Purpose: Discuss chronic hand contact dermatitis (CD) and its management by nurse practitioners (NPs) in primary care.

Data Sources: Clinical studies, practice guideline, and clinic case.

Conclusion: Hand CD is a common form of dermatitis in primary care. Recognition and avoidance of irritants and allergens, proper hand protection, and topical treatments can alleviate this chronic problem, significantly relieve symptoms, and promote skin health.

Implications for Practice: A national shortage of dermatologists has caused more patients to seek treatment for skin disorders in primary care. NPs need to be prepared to diagnose and manage common skin problems in primary care.
Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Diazotrifluropropanoyl‐Containing Photoactive Analogs of Farnesyl Diphosphate Containing Modified Linkages for Enhanced Stability
Authors: Hovlid Marisa L. , Edelstein Rebecca L. , Henry Olivier , Ochocki Joshua , DeGraw Amanda , Lenevich Stepan , Talbot Trista , Young Victor G. , Hruza Alan W. , Lopez‐Gallego Fernando , Labello Nicholas P. , Strickland Corey L. , Schmidt‐Dannert Claudia , Distefano Mark D.
Published: November 2009

Photoactive analogs of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) are useful probes in studies of enzymes that employ this molecule as a substrate. Here, we describe the preparation and properties of two new FPP analogs that contain diazotrifluoropropanoyl photophores linked to geranyl diphosphate via amide or ester linkages. The amide‐linked analog (3) was synthesized in 32P‐labeled form from geraniol in seven steps. Experiments with Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein farnesyltransferase (ScPFTase) showed that 3 is an alternative substrate for the enzyme. Photolysis experiments with [32P]3 demonstrate that this compound labels the β‐subunits of both farnesyltransferase and geranylgeranyltransferase (types 1 and 2). However, the amide‐linked probe 3 undergoes a rearrangement to a photochemically unreactive isomeric triazolone upon long term storage making it inconvenient to use. To address this stability issue, the ester‐linked analog 4 was prepared in six steps from geraniol. Computational analysis and X‐ray crystallographic studies suggest that 4 binds to protein farnesyl transferase (PFTase) in a similar fashion as FPP. Compound 4 is also an alternative substrate for PFTase, and a 32P‐labeled form selectively photocrosslinks the β‐subunit of ScPFTase as well as E. coli farnesyldiphosphate synthase and a germacrene‐producing sesquiterpene synthase from Nostoc sp. strain PCC7120 (a cyanobacterial source). Finally, nearly exclusive labeling of ScPFTase in crude E. coli extract was observed, suggesting that [32P]4 manifests significant selectivity and should hence be useful for identifying novel FPP‐utilizing enzymes in crude protein preparations.
Characterization of aquatic humic substances
Authors: Rodríguez Francisco J. , Núñez Luis A.
Published: November 2009

Aquatic natural organic matter (NOM) is composed of a large variety of compounds. In this study, NOM from Uzquiza Reservoir in Burgos (Spain) was fractionated using a resin adsorption procedure, and three humic substances – natural fulvic and humic acids (NFA and NHA, respectively) extracted from the mentioned reservoir and a commercially supplied humic acid (CHA) – were characterized by molecular weight (MW) distribution, elemental composition, organic acidity and ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that Uzquiza Reservoir NOM is mainly composed of fulvic acids (45%) and low MW hydrophilic acids (27%). MWs obtained are in the following order: CHA (4500 Da)>NHA (2500 Da)>NFA (1000 Da). Both humic acids (CHA and NHA) have the highest specific UV absorbance values (SUVA, an aromaticity indicator) whereas NFA shows a higher total and carboxylic acidity, which is in accordance with its higher solubility in water. Infrared spectra confirm these results.
Introduction to the Epistemology of Causation
Authors: Eberhardt Frederick
Published: November 2009

This survey presents some of the main principles involved in discovering causal relations. They belong to a large array of possible assumptions and conditions about causal relations, whose various combinations limit the possibilities of acquiring causal knowledge in different ways. How much and in what detail the causal structure can be discovered from what kinds of data depends on the particular set of assumptions one is able to make. The assumptions considered here provide a starting point to explore further the foundations of causal discovery procedures, and how they can be improved.
Morality and Religion
Authors: Mawson Tim
Published: November 2009

In this article, I look at recent developments in the field of the Philosophy of the relationship between morality, understood in a realist manner, and the primary object of religious belief in the monotheistic religions, God. Some contemporary solutions to the Euthyphro dilemma and versions of moral arguments for the existence of God are discussed.
Theories of Community in Habermas, Nancy and Agamben: A Critical Evaluation
Authors: Elliott Brian
Published: November 2009

Continental philosophy over the past two decades has increasingly turned its attention to social and political matters. Two key figures involved in this move, Jean‐Luc Nancy and Giorgio Agamben, have advanced a position centering on the idea of singular community. This article sets out the basic features of this idea and contrasts it with Habermas’ theory of communicative or dialogical community. Habermas is open to the criticism that his theory of community is constructed according to an unduly narrow construal of legitimate argumentation and democratic participation. The idea of community advanced by Nancy and Agamben, in contrast, appears to lack any credible criteria of community inclusion or identity. In conclusion, it is suggested that both theories of community fall short by neglecting the task of constructing and preserving actual sites of collective democratic action and resistance.
Are Human Rights Essentially Triggers for Intervention?
Authors: Tasioulas John
Published: November 2009

The orthodox conception of human rights holds that human rights are moral rights possessed by all human beings simply in virtue of their humanity. In recent years, advocates of a ‘political’ conception of human rights have criticized this view on the grounds that it overlooks the distinctive political function performed by human rights. This article evaluates the arguments of two such critics, John Rawls and Joseph Raz, who characterize the political function of human rights as that of potential triggers for intervention by one society against another.
Carnap’s Logical Structure of the World
Authors: Pincock Christopher
Published: November 2009

This article aims to give an overview of Carnap’s 1928 book Logical Structure of the World or Aufbau and the most influential interpretations of its significance. After giving an outline of the book in Section 2, I turn to the first sustained interpretations of the book offered by Goodman and Quine in Section 3. Section 4 explains how this empirical reductionist interpretation was largely displaced by its main competitor. This is the line of interpretation offered by Friedman and Richardson which focuses on issues of objectivity. In Section 5, I turn to two more recent interpretations that can be thought of as emphasizing Carnap’s concern with rational reconstruction. Finally, the article concludes by noting some current work by Leitgeb that aims to develop and update some aspects of the Aufbau project for contemporary epistemology.
Possible Worlds I: Modal Realism
Authors: DeRosset Louis
Published: November 2009

It is difficult to wander far in contemporary metaphysics without bumping into talk of possible worlds. And reference to possible worlds is not confined to metaphysics. It can be found in contemporary epistemology and ethics, and has even made its way into linguistics and decision theory. What are those possible worlds, the entities to which theorists in these disciplines all appeal? This paper sets out and evaluates a leading contemporary theory of possible worlds, David Lewis’s Modal Realism. I note two competing ambitions for a theory of possible worlds: that it be reductive and user‐friendly. I then outline Modal Realism and consider objections to the effect that it cannot satisfy these ambitions. I conclude that there is some reason to believe that Modal Realism is not reductive and overwhelming reason to believe that it is not user‐friendly.
Possible Worlds II: Non‐reductive Theories of Possible Worlds
Authors: DeRosset Louis
Published: November 2009

It is difficult to wander far in contemporary metaphysics without bumping into talk of possible worlds. And, reference to possible worlds is not confined to metaphysics. It can be found in contemporary epistemology and ethics, and has even made its way into linguistics and decision theory. What are those possible worlds, the entities to which theorists in these disciplines all appeal? Some have hoped that a theory of possible worlds can be used to reduce modality to non‐modal terms. This paper sets reductive theories aside, and articulates and applies a framework for evaluating non‐reductive theories of possible worlds. I argue that, if we abjure reduction, we should aim for a theory of possible worlds that is user‐friendly. I then outline four leading contemporary theories and consider objections to each. My conclusions are negative: every theory we discuss fails to be user‐friendly in some significant respect.
Moral Contractualism
Authors: Southwood Nicholas
Published: November 2009

This article provides a critical introduction to contractualism as a moral or ethical theory, that is, as a theory of the rightness and wrongness of individual conduct – focusing specifically on the influential ‘Kantian’ version of contractualism due to T. M. Scanlon. I begin by elucidating the key features of Scanlon’s contractualism: justifiability to others; reasonable rejectability; the individualist restriction; and mutual recognition. I then turn to discuss both its appeal and the main objections that have been raised to it – objections concerning our duties to the cognitively limited and impaired, aggregation, demandingness, normativity and explanatory adequacy. I conclude by mentioning some contractualist alternatives to Scanlon’s theory.
Legal and Moral Responsibility
Authors: Duff Antony
Published: November 2009

The paper begins with the plausible view that criminal responsibility should track moral responsibility, and explains its plausibility. A necessary distinction is then drawn between liability and answerability as two dimensions of responsibility, and is shown to underpin the distinction in criminal law between offences and defences. This enables us to distinguish strict liability from strict answerability, and to see that whilst strict criminal liability seems inconsistent with the principle that criminal responsibility should track moral responsibility, strict criminal answerability is not. We must ask, therefore, whether, when and why strict criminal responsibility is unacceptable.
Günter Figal’s Hermeneutics
Authors: George Theodore
Published: November 2009

This article offers a survey of some main ideas in Günter Figal’s hermeneutics as he presents them in his recent Gegenständlichkeit: Das Hermeneutische und die Philosophie [Objectivity: The Hermeneutical and Philosophy]. Figal promises a new approach to the philosophical study of hermeneutics in this work that would advance beyond Gadamer, Heidegger, and others in significant respects. His project opens out from the belief that hermeneutical experience is guided by exteriority; such experience is directed toward and sustained by what stands outside the subject and its sphere, or, as he develops this idea, by what is objective (das Gegenständliche). His orientation toward this sense of objectivity leads him to establish a notion of hermeneutical philosophy based on novel views of interpretation and understanding. This discussion reveals that hermeneutical philosophy belongs in the world, taken as hermeneutical space organized by the dimensions of freedom, language, and time. His hermeneutics culminates in an elucidation of human life as it is lived in this space.
Reviving Whorf: The Return of Linguistic Relativity
Authors: Reines Maria Francisca , Prinz Jesse
Published: November 2009

The idea that natural languages shape the way we think in different ways was popularized by Benjamin Whorf, but then fell out of favor for lack of empirical support. But now, a new wave of research has been shifting the tide back toward linguistic relativity. The recent research can be interpreted in different ways, some trivial, some implausibly radical, and some both plausible and interesting. We introduce two theses that would have important implications if true: Habitual Whorfianism and Ontological Whorfianism. We argue that these offer the most promising interpretations of the emerging evidence.
Leibniz on Compossibility
Authors: Messina James , Rutherford Donald
Published: November 2009

Leibniz’s well‐known thesis that the actual world is just one among many possible worlds relies on the claim that some possibles are incompossible, meaning that they cannot belong to the same world. Notwithstanding its central role in Leibniz’s philosophy, commentators have disagreed about how to understand the compossibility relation. We examine several influential interpretations and demonstrate their shortcomings. We then sketch a new reading, the cosmological interpretation, and argue that it accommodates two key conditions that any successful interpretation must satisfy.
Citizenship and The State
Authors: Costa M. Victoria
Published: November 2009

This study surveys debates on citizenship, the state, and the bases of political stability. The survey begins by presenting the primary sense of ‘citizenship’ as a legal status and the question of the sorts of political communities people can belong to as citizens. (Multi)nation‐states are suggested as the main site of citizenship in the contemporary world, without ignoring the existence of alternative possibilities. Turning to discussions of citizen identity, the study shows that some of the discussion is motivated by a perceived need for citizens to have a sense of political belonging, on the assumption that such a sense promotes political activity and has other personal and social benefits. But there are serious problems with the strategy of understanding the relevant sense of belonging in terms of identification with the nation‐state. The study explores a more promising way to generate this sense of belonging. First, societies should function, to a sufficiently high degree, in accord with political principles of justice and democratic decision making. Second, there should be a general consensus on political principles among citizens, as well as high levels of engagement in democratic deliberation.
The Development of Modern Yoga: A Survey of the Field
Authors: Newcombe Suzanne
Published: November 2009

Yoga is now found in urban centres and rural retreats across the world as well as in its historical home in the Indian subcontinent. What is now practiced as yoga across the globe has a long history of transnational intercultural exchange and has been considered by some as an outgrowth of Neo‐Hinduism. Although the popularisation of yoga is often cited in theories about ‘Easternization’ or the ‘re‐enchantment’ of the West since the late 20th century, most of these theories make little reference to the growing number of historical, sociological and anthropological studies of modern yoga. This article will consider how the apparent dichotomy between yoga as a physical fitness activity (often termed ‘hatha yoga’) and/or as a ‘spiritual practice’ developed historically and discuss recent trends in the research.
Divination: Epistemology, Agency, and Identity in Contemporary Urban West Africa
Authors: Grillo Laura S.
Published: November 2009

Based on fieldwork in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, undertaken in 1997 and 2009, as well as residence in the country in periods that spanned two decades, this study of contemporary urban divination in West Africa shows that it thrives even in the ethnically heterogeneous and religiously plural city. In stark contrast to the stereotypical view that African traditions are unable to offer a viable challenge to the influx of ‘world’ religions and their attendant values of modernity, divination demonstrates their vitality. The practices of divination rest on basic premises so widely shared as to constitute an overarching epistemology, at once trans‐ethnic and authentically West African. By recasting contemporary problems into the familiar idioms of the ‘traditional’ worldview, divination enables practitioners to gain leverage over real and pressing concerns, affirming personal agency. It underscores a communal identity, not dependent on territorial or ethnic affiliation or precarious and contested definitions of citizenship.
Islamism and Western Political Religions
Authors: Hansen Hendrik
Published: November 2009

The political ideas of Islamism as they have been formulated by Hassan al‐Banna and Sayyid Qutb share a number of striking similarities with Western political religions like Communism and National Socialism, in particular the radical dualist interpretation of history and the understanding of politics as a struggle against evil. However, the concept of political religions as it has been elaborated by Voegelin and further developed by Gentile implies the deification of a secular entity. Thus, if political religions are defined as being based on secularism, this concept seems to be inappropriate for the analysis of Islamism. This paper investigates whether this interpretation is correct and whether the concept of ‘politicised religions’ should be considered more useful for the analysis of Islamism. It gives an overview of the concepts of political and politicised religions and of the political ideas of Islamism based on the writings of Hassan al‐Banna and Sayyid Qutb. The theses are that (1) both ‘fundamentalism’ and ‘politicised religions’ are misleading concepts for a comparison of their political theories with Western political religions; and (2) the concept of political religions is indeed applicable to Islamism, if we arrive at the understanding that not secularism but the radicalisation of the friend–foe‐distinction and the understanding of politics as a purge of evil from the world ought to be considered its central themes.
Local and Translocal in the Study of Theravada Buddhism and Modernity
Authors: Braun Erik
Published: November 2009

This essay traces the development of scholarly thinking about the relationship between local and translocal forms of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia, particularly in regard to modernity. The first part of the article shows that scholars have moved well away from a view of the canonical Buddhist texts as the original and most authentic core of Theravada, emphasizing instead local settings as the sites for the production of Buddhist values, practices, and texts. The article then considers how this turn to the local is affecting understandings of Buddhist modernity in Southeast Asia. It suggests that recent work on modern Theravada Buddhism at the local level is pushing scholars toward a more atomized view of Buddhist modernities. In this view, local Buddhisms play a part at least as important as that of the global forces of modernization (usually seen as originating in the West).
Science and Process Theology
Authors: Howe J. Thomas
Published: November 2009

This essay offers an account of the relationship between science and Christian theology from the perspective of process theology. I show that the idea that science and Christian theology are in conflict is due to the ‘classical’ understanding of God and to scientific materialism. The classical understanding of God is supernaturalistic and denies a fully naturalistic account of the world. Scientific materialism rules out, in principle, the possibility of God’s existence. Process theology offers amendments and corrections to both of these sides and provides a naturalistic theism that can provide for a relationship of mutuality between science and theology.
Research on Hindu Women’s Renunciation Today: State of the Field
Authors: Khandelwal Meena
Published: November 2009

This essay traces the recent development of field‐based research on contemporary women’s renunciation and points to fruitful areas for further work. While women renouncers have probably existed in small numbers since the ancient period in South Asia, there is little concrete information about their lives. Given the importance of marriage in the region, a woman’s rejection of domestic life is likely to arouse opposition from family and society. Given the representation of women as a threat to celibate men, ascetic women cannot assume support from male peers either. Until recently, they have been invisible in both public life and scholarship. Since the 1980s, however, women renouncers and gurus have increased in both number and visibility in the region and worldwide, as has research on the topic. This essay outlines the broader context of renunciation in South Asian religious traditions and then focuses on Hindu asceticism. Starting in the 1980s research on women’s renunciation was published and began to disrupt conventional paradigms for understanding Hindu renunciation. Despite the increase in excellent work on the subject in the last two decades, this survey suggests that future research is needed to address the statistical reality of women’s renunciation, the role of caste and other inequalities, ascetic masculinities, and transnational processes.
Spiritual Experience and Seeking: A New Religious Movement Case Study
Authors: Healy John Paul
Published: November 2009

This paper discusses the role spiritual experience has played in regard to individuals’ affiliation to Swami Muktananda’s Siddha Yoga; that is, individuals’ spiritual experience prior to their affiliation with Siddha Yoga. This study shows that individuals’ prior spiritual experience eventually became integrated into their conversion motif (this does not deny that other attractions or influences were not involved, just that this paper focuses on prior spiritual experience). For the participants in this study, prior spiritual experience appeared, in retrospect, as almost a calling or their ‘Road to Damascus.’ When participants in this study reported having spiritual experience prior to involvement in Siddha Yoga, it was both a positive revelation and also something at times overwhelming and difficult to place in everyday experience or the dominant religious traditions. It was also a powerful and transformative experience which, more that 30 years later, is still a significant aspect of their continuing spiritual journey and personal narrative. For the individuals in this study, their prior religious experience appeared, even for a time, to have found a context in the framework of Siddha Yoga.
Indonesia’s New Muslim Intellectuals
Authors: Kersten Carool
Published: November 2009

In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation among scholars with an interest in contemporary Muslim thought for the contributions by Indonesia’s new Muslim intellectuals. The realisation that Indonesians are in the vanguard of a significant rethinking of the place of religion in the present‐day Islamic world is helped by the progress in the research on Southeast Asian Islam and resultant corrections of the received knowledge of its place in the context of the wider Muslim world. While in the existing literature this new Indonesian Muslim intellectualism is closely associated with ‘neomodernists’ belonging to the first generation coming of age in the postcolonial era, I propose to regard it rather as part of a discursive development traversing three generational shifts embedded in an increasingly articulate understanding of Indonesia as an integral part of the Muslim world and Islam as a constitutive element in Indonesian culture. These new Muslim intellectuals, who pair an intimate familiarity with the Islamic tradition to an equally solid knowledge of advances in the Western human sciences, are exponents of an emergent cosmopolitan Islam in which the dichotomy between ‘Islam’ and ‘Other’ or the binary opposition ‘tradition’ versus ‘modernity’ collapse. Most recently it has culminated in a generation of articulate young Muslims exploring the possibilities of hybrid forms of ‘liberal Islam’ and ‘post‐traditionalist Islam’.
Ultimate Reality in Confucianism
Authors: Yan Zhonghu
Published: November 2009

Does Confucianism concern about the ultimate reality and its meanings? This is a question whose answer may resolve a long standing issue regarding the character of Confucianism. This article discusses and analyzes a few key metaphysical concepts in the foundational text of theAnalectssuch asTian, Heaven,shen, spirits andDao, the Way, to demonstrate that early Confucianism grounds its ethics on these metaphysical understandings. This interest in the questions of ultimacy is renewed in Neo‐Confucianism, which enables itself to compete successfully against the rival schools of Buddhism and Daoism.
Attitudes amongst Australian hospital healthcare workers towards seasonal influenza and vaccination
Authors: Seale Holly , Leask Julie , MacIntyre C. Raina
Published: November 2009

Background  Amongst healthcare workers (HCWs), compliance rates with influenza vaccination are traditionally low. Although a safe and effective vaccine is available, there is little Australian data on reasons for poor compliance, especially amongst allied health and ancillary support staff.

Methods  Cross‐sectional investigation of a sample of clinical and non‐clinical HCWs from two tertiary‐referral teaching hospitals in Sydney, Australia was conducted between June 4 and October 19, 2007. The self‐administered questionnaire was distributed to hospital personal from 40 different wards and departments. The main outcome measures were personal beliefs about influenza vaccination and self‐reported vaccination status.

Results  Respondents (n = 1079) were categorized into four main groups by occupation: nurses (47·5%, 512/1079), physicians (26·0%, 281/1079), allied health (15·3%, 165/1079) and ancillary (11·2%, 121/1079). When asked whether they felt the influenza vaccine was safe or effective, 81% (879/1079) and 68% (733/1079), respectively, replied in the affirmative. Participants felt that it was more important to get vaccinated to protect patients (74%, 796/1079) than family (68%, 730/1079) or self‐protection (66%, 712/1079). However, only 22% (241/1079) of the HCWs who replied reported receiving the vaccine the year the survey was conducted.

Conclusions  Although HCWs had an adequate level of knowledge towards influenza vaccination, only 22% of them were vaccinated. The approach to improving influenza vaccination rates amongst HCWs and to tackling misconceptions must be multifaceted, adaptable and must evolve regularly to increase coverage.
Prebid Run‐Ups Ahead of Canadian Takeovers: How Big Is the Problem?
Authors: King Michael R.
Published: November 2009

This paper studies the price‐volume dynamics ahead of takeover announcements for 399 Canadian firms from 1985 to 2002. I find evidence consistent with insiders trading illegally, creating both abnormal returns (ARs) and abnormal turnover (AT) ahead of the announcement. The rise in AT begins far ahead of the actual announcement, accompanied by ARs in the last five trading days, consistent with more informed trading. Data on disclosed insider trading indicate a sharp increase in volume prior to the takeover announcement, suggesting that insiders make use of private information. This study confirms the importance of AT for triggering an insider trading investigation.