bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectuation and Over–Trust: Response to Sarasvathy and Dew
Authors: Karri Ranjan , Goel Sanjay
Published: June 2008

In their response to our article, Sarasvathy and Dew (S&D) agree with us that effectuation supposes over–trust and yet claim that trust is irrelevant to an effectual entrepreneur. They further claim that our approach to entrepreneurship is trait based. We respond to these comments by pointing out the more subtle ways in which entrepreneurs deal with trust. In addition, while acknowledging the utility (and limitations) of a trait–based approach in advancing entrepreneurship theory, we refute their assertions that our paper is based on this approach. Finally, we address the “alternate” behavioral assumptions that S&D advance. Independent of the merit of these alternate assumptions, they are not contradicted in our article. We believe that these assumptions need to be developed further to contribute to a debate on their merits for advancing theory building in entrepreneurship.
Forgiving Business Models for New Ventures
Authors: Fiet James O. , Patel Pankaj C.
Published: June 2008

We set forth the attributes of forgiving business models that entrepreneurs can use to minimize losses while exploiting ideas to launch new ventures. Venture ideas possessing these attributes have greater potential because they can shift risk to resource providers. Thus, the success of a venture partially depends on the market conditions for others, which affects how an opportunity can be exploited. We emphasize combinations of outside options for resource providers together with their market interaction costs. Finally, we discuss the contributions of this research for entrepreneurs, its theoretical implications, and future research possibilities.
Ed's Dilemma: Succession Planning at Niagara Paving
Authors: Sharma Pramodita , Smith Brian
Published: June 2008

Ed Merski, the founder of Niagara Paving, a successful asphalt company, must decide whether and on what terms to invite his youngest child Nancy to rejoin the family business. Nancy has worked in a number of jobs in and outside Niagara Paving and soon will graduate from a master of business administration program. Ed is concerned about how her entry will affect not only the operations of the business, but also relations among employees, including his son, Luke, who has worked for the company for the past 20 years.
Depleted Uranium, Public Science, and the Politics of Closure
Authors: Halfon Saul
Published: June 2008

The public controversy over depleted uranium (DU) seems to follow a standard trajectory—scientific closure, via the reduction of scientific uncertainty, led directly to policy closure, as government bureaucracies increasingly downplayed its dangers and denied redress to exposed individuals. Closer inspection, however, reveals a more complex dynamic. A series of expert, public science reports, while articulating a shared narrative of DU safety, actually accentuated great uncertainty concerning DU's biological effects, mirroring new uncertainties raised by ongoing scientific research. Policy closure is thus mirrored in neither the scholarly scientific literature nor in broader political realms, suggesting a close and unique relation between the expert reports and governmental policy making. Public science institutions and the expert reports they produce are crucial political resources for resolving governmental policy making but are decidedly less successful at closing the broader political debate.
Earth Day and Its Precursors: Continuity and Change in the Evolution of Midtwentieth‐Century U.S. Environmental Policy
Authors: Webber David J.
Published: June 2008

Earth Day 1970's legacy overshadows two earlier events resulting in popular misconceptions about U.S. environmental politics: that environmental policy began with Earth Day and that Congress and the president were not concerned with the environment until public opinion and interest groups pressured them. These misconceptions increase public opinion ambivalence and frustrate environmental leaders. This paper describes Earth Day 1970, the congressionally established Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission established in 1958, and President Kennedy's Natural Resources Tour of September 1963, arguing the latter two prepared for the convergence of multiple streams of policy change that resulted in the first Earth Day.
Public Perceptions of Benefits from and Worries over Plant‐Made Industrial Products and Plant‐Made Pharmaceuticals: The Influence of Institutional Trust
Authors: Stewart Patrick A. , McLean William P.
Published: June 2008

Although agricultural biotechnology has been a seminal reference point in risk perception studies, public awareness of their exposure to risk deriving from this new technology has been minimal at best. However, recent events indicate there may be growing public concern as new variations of this technology appear. Understanding what drives perceptions of benefits from the third generation of the agricultural biotechnology and what determines public worries are keys for the future of this technology. To this end, this study analyzes survey data from the midsouth region of the United States to construct four separate regression models of perceived benefits from and worries over plant‐made industrial products and plant‐made pharmaceuticals. Findings suggest that while prior experience with and knowledge about agricultural biotechnology has an impact on perceptions of benefits and worries, trust in farmers plays a highly important role in determining perceptions.
Cluster‐Based Policy Making: Assessing Performance and Sustaining Competitiveness
Authors: Aziz Kamarulzaman Ab. , Norhashim Mariati
Published: June 2008

Tremendous changes in technology, political and social frameworks, as well as the impacts of globalization, have put pressure on countries to become competitive. One strategy for creating an engine of economic growth is the creation of clusters. These clusters, be they naturally or artificially conceived, hold the promise of becoming the economic weapons of a country. Many studies have been done to understand the factors behind the successes and failures of clusters. One of the reasons behind the inconsistent success of existing cluster policy frameworks in managing cluster performance is the fact that clusters often are at different levels of development, and it will require different strategies to create, enhance, and sustain their competitive advantage. This paper aims to propose and demonstrate a more holistic framework designed to understand key cluster dynamics that drives cluster performance, which then will enable policy makers to work toward ensuring sustainable cluster development.
Perovskite Nanoparticles and Nanowires: Microwave–Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structural Characterization by High‐Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Zhu Xinhua , Wang Junyi , Zhang Zhenghai , Zhu Jianmin , Zhou Shunhua , Liu Zhiguo , Ming Naiben
Published: June 2008

Perovskite pure BaTiO3 (BT) nanoparticles with spherical morphology and PX‐phase PbTiO3 (PT) nanowires with acicular morphology, were synthesized by microwave–hydrothermal process, and their atomic‐scale microstructures were characterized by electron microscopy. Both X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns demonstrated that the produced BT nanoparticles remained a cubic perovskite structure at room temperature. The BT nanoparticles exhibited a spherical morphology with a nearly uniform size of 50 nm. The PX‐phase PT nanowires exhibited acicular morphology with diameter sizes of 40–60 nm and length up to several micrometers, and the aspect ratio was close to 90. They tended to grow into a regular structure with parallel arrangement along their long axis in the [001] direction. The extinction rule for the diffraction indexes (h, k, l ) in the XRD pattern is the sum of (h, k, l ) equal to odd number, similar to body‐centered cubic crystal. In the SAED patterns of the PX‐phase PT nanowires, both super electron diffraction spots with a threefold modulated periodicity along the [110] direction and the appearance of strong diffraction spot (008) but the forbidden (004) spot, were clearly observed, which indicated that the PX‐phase PT has a threefold modulated periodicity along the [110] direction, and fourfold modulated periodicity in the [001] direction, respectively. This result was confirmed by high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The Raman bands centered near 146, 193, and 292 cm−1 observed in the nanowires at room temperature, could be assigned to the E(1LO), E(2TO), and E+B1 phonon modes of the tetragonal PT structure, respectively. However, no phonon modes of the tetragonal PT structure were responsible for the additional three Raman bands centered near 175, 548, and 832 cm−1, which are presumed to be resulted from the additional Raman modes of the PX‐phase PT with a large and complex unit cell.
‘Demographic Modernity’ in Ireland: A Cultural Analysis of Citizenship, Migration, and Fertility
Authors: Lele Veerendra
Published: June 2008

In June 2004 citizens in Ireland voted on a constitutional referendum which proposed “to change the rules about the constitutional entitlement to citizenship by birth.” Te proposed change and subsequent vote in favor of the referendum generated a variety of commentary and scholarship. While factors of political economy and a racialized discourse regarding immigration are central to understanding contemporary change in Ireland, this article examines the changing demographic and related cultural conditions corresponding with the referendum through three interrelated yet analytically distinguishable strands: a) population change, specifically patterns of migration and fertility; b) changing notions of Irish and European modernity and identity; and c) Ireland's historical experience of colonialism and diaspora. ‘Demographic modernity’ in Ireland is a cultural complex that interprets social demographic factors such as (low) fertility, high life expectancy, timing of first births and of marriage, low infant/child mortality, and variable standards of migration and mobility in relation to political and historical discourses about nation and person.
A Modern Questione della Lingua: The Incomplete Standardization of Italian in a Northern Italian Town
Authors: Cavanaugh Jillian R.
Published: June 2008

Although it seems from most scholarly accounts and everyday experience in Italy that the questione della lingua or language question has been definitively answered‐and that Italian has emerged victorious over local vernaculars—approximately 60% of Italians continue to speak their local languages in addition to Italian. This article explores why these languages, which Italians call ‘dialects,’ continues to matter in Italy from the vantage point of one northern Italian town, Bergamo. It traces debates about language over the last two centuries, locates recurring themes during the standardization of Italian, and argues that this standardization remains incomplete. Repeatedly, socioeconomic shifts have proved more decisive than political action, although the language question has at times been deeply politicized. Indeed, at particular moments—immediately following Unification, the Fascist period, the Economic Miracle of the 1950s and '60s, during the Leftist movement during the 1960s and '70s, and the emergence of the Northern League—language has stood in for larger concerns about the state of the nation and its citizens.
What Determines Social Control? People's Reactions to Counternormative Behaviors in Urban Environments1
Authors: Chaurand Nadine , Brauer Markus
Published: June 2008

Social control refers to any reaction by which a bystander communicates to the “perpetrator” of an uncivil behavior that his or her action is not acceptable. In 3 field studies, we examined the factors that affect people's tendency to exert social control. Passersby in the streets were asked how they would react were they to witness different uncivil behaviors. They also rated their appraisal of the situation and the emotions they would feel. The results suggest that 3 factors are primary determinants of social control: the feeling of responsibility to exert it; the perceived legitimacy of social control in the situation; and the extent to which bystanders felt hostile emotions. These results have implications for how to reduce uncivil behaviors.
Sexual and Violent Media's Inhibition of Advertisement Memory: Effect or Artifact?1
Authors: Fried Carrie B. , Johanson John C.
Published: June 2008

Research (Bushman, 2005;Bushman & Bonacci, 2002) has claimed to demonstrate that sexual and violent content in television programs inhibits viewers' memory for advertisements. However, that research failed to adequately control other aspects of the programs' content, making interpretation problematic. The present paper attempts to correct these flaws. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that if other aspects of show content are held constant, sex and violence alone do not affect memory for advertisements.Study 3provides evidence that while sex or violence does not affect memory, other aspects of program content (e.g., plot, humor) do have a significant influence on advertisement memory. Implications of this research on the interpretation of previous research are discussed.
Attributions of Responsibility for Rape: Differences Across Familiarity of Situation, Gender, and Acceptance of Rape Myths1
Authors: Newcombe Peter A. , Van Den Eynde Julie , Hafner Diane , Jolly Lesley
Published: June 2008

In 2004 in Australia, controversy over the alleged involvement of elite footballers in incidents of sexual assault highlighted a tendency to denigrate the victims and excuse the perpetrators. To investigate whether rape myths were prevalent enough to explain this public response, 102 university students were surveyed for their beliefs and determinations of blame in rape situations. Although there was a gender difference in the rates of rape myth acceptance, with males more likely to accept these beliefs, these were not evident in decisions about victim blame or perpetrator blame. However, males and high rape myth acceptors were significantly more likely to minimize the seriousness of the rape situation. These effects increased with familiarity depicted in the situation.
Social Interactions at Work and Psychological Health: The Role of Leader–Member Exchange and Work Group Integration1
Authors: Rousseau Vincent , Aubé Caroline , Chiocchio François , Boudrias Jean‐Sébastien , Morin Estelle M.
Published: June 2008

The objectives of this study are to test the effects that the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX) and work group integration (WGI) may have on psychological health, as well as their interaction effect. Psychological health is defined both in terms of subjective well‐being and psychological distress. Data were gathered from a sample of 249 employees working in a prison setting. Results indicated that LMX and WGI are positively related to subjective well‐being and are negatively related to psychological distress. In addition, LMX and WGI exert a synergistic interaction effect on both dimensions of psychological health. Overall, the results show that the quality of the social environment may greatly enhance psychological health in a high‐risk workplace.
Self‐Efficacy as a Moderator of the Effects of Job‐Search Workshops on Re‐Employment: A Field Experiment1
Authors: Shirom Arie , Vinokur Amiram , Price Richard
Published: June 2008

We investigated the additive and interactive effects of self‐efficacy as a possible moderator of the effects of a job‐search workshop on re‐employment outcomes. We recruited 659 recently unemployed respondents and randomly assigned them to an experimental group invited to participate in the job‐search workshop (n = 442), or a control group (n = 217). All respondents provided pretest data using self‐administered questionnaires, and posttest data using questionnaires mailed to them 1 and 6 months after the workshop. No direct effects of the intervention on re‐employment outcomes were found. The pretest–posttest change in self‐efficacy interacted with the experimental condition to predict 3 re‐employment outcomes. However, only 1 of the 3 moderating effects found supported our prior expectation in this regard.
Satisfied Groups and Satisfied Members: Untangling the Between‐ and Within‐Groups Effects of Need Satisfaction
Authors: Kelly Allison C. , Zuroff David C. , Leybman Michelle J. , Martin E. Alia , Koestner Richard
Published: June 2008

The present study investigated how individual‐ and group‐level psychological need satisfaction (Deci & Ryan, 1985a) influence affect, intrinsic motivation, and performance satisfaction. It also examined the impact of leader personality on group need satisfaction. Groups (45) of 4 college women participated in a task, with 1 member designated “leader.” Multilevel modeling revealed significant between‐ and within‐ groups relations. Individuals in groups with higher need satisfaction reported greater pleasant affect, intrinsic motivation, and satisfaction with group performance. In addition, individuals whose need satisfaction was higher than their group's average reported greater intrinsic motivation, pleasant affect, and performance satisfaction. Group need satisfaction was found to be lower under neurotic leaders and higher under agreeable, introverted leaders. Implications for group environments are discussed.
Examining the Differential Item Functioning of the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale Across Eight Countries1
Authors: Baranik Lisa E. , Meade Adam W. , Lakey Chad E. , Lance Charles E. , Hu Changya , Hua Wei , Michalos Alex
Published: June 2008

We examined the differential item functioning (DIF) of Rosenberg's (1965) Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES) and compared scores from U.S. participants with those from 7 other countries: Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, and Taiwan. Results indicate that DIF was present in all comparisons. Moreover, controlling for latent self‐esteem, participants from individualistic countries had an easier time reporting high self‐esteem on self‐competence‐related items, whereas participants from communal countries had an easier time reporting high self‐esteem on self‐liking items (Tafarodi & Milne, 2002). After adjusting for DIF, we found larger mean self‐esteem differences between the countries than observed scores initially indicated. The suitability of the RSES, and the importance of examining DIF, for cross‐cultural research are discussed.
The Effects of Adult Suggestion and Child Consistency on Young Children's Reports1
Authors: Gilstrap Livia L. , Laub Cindy , Zierten Elizabeth A. , Mueller‐Johnson Katrin U.
Published: June 2008

The purpose of the present study was to contrast the effects of children's response consistency and adult leading questions in a structured memory interview. Children (N = 70) who viewed a 2‐min video clip were asked 3 questions (leading, misleading, and neutral) related to the video. Children's responses (assent vs. deny) were predicted by the type of question asked by the adult (neutral, leading, and misleading), but not by the previous response given by the child or the child's age in months. Specifically, children assented the least often to misleading questions. Accuracy was predicted by both question type and in the last question–answer pair, children's previous response accuracy. These findings are discussed with relation to interview dynamics.
Motivated Compliance With Bases of Social Power
Authors: Pierro Antonio , Cicero Lavinia , Raven Bertram H.
Published: June 2008

This contribution examines the degree of compliance with hard and soft power bases (Raven, Schwarzwald, & Koslowsky, 1998) as a function of target motivational and personal orientations. Four field studies were conducted in different European organizations where intrinsic–extrinsic motivational orientations, desire for control, self‐presentational styles, and self‐esteem were respectively considered as antecedents of employees’ compliance with their supervisors’ power strategies. Results show that compliance with soft power strategies is positively related to intrinsic motivation, desire for control, “getting‐ahead” style, and self‐esteem; and negatively related to the “getting‐along” style. Compliance with hard power strategies is positively related to extrinsic motivation and to the getting‐along style, but negatively related to intrinsic motivation, desire for control, and self‐esteem.
Alarm pheromone emission by pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, clones under predation by lacewing larvae
Authors: Schwartzberg Ezra G. , Kunert Grit , Röse Ursula S. R. , Gershenzon Jonathan , Weisser Wolfgang W.
Published: June 2008

Genetic variation in anti‐predator traits has been shown for a variety of species. Aphid alarm pheromone, (E)‐β‐farnesene, is released by attacked aphids and causes a variety of behavioral defense reactions in the signal receivers. In pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris (Homoptera: Aphididae), (E)‐β‐farnesene mediates the production of winged offspring in the presence of natural enemies. While variation in the propensity for pea aphids to produce winged offspring is well‐documented, little quantitative information is available about clonal differences in (E)‐β‐farnesene emission or the amount of alarm pheromone released in aphid colonies. We tested the wing induction response of four clones when attacked by a predatory lacewing larva, Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), and found that three of the four clones increased the proportion of winged offspring under predator attack. We then investigated the emission of aphid alarm pheromone of these clones of pea aphid under attack. Alarm pheromone emission in aphid colonies of initially 25 adults varied from 81.2 to 10 851.0 ng per aphid colony over 24 h. There were no differences between clones in total emission or in emission per consumption event. These results show that there is substantial variability in alarm pheromone emission within clones and that the propensity to produce winged offspring in some clones is not a simple function of the propensity of alarm pheromone production in these clones.
Romaine lettuce latex deters feeding of banded cucumber beetle: a vehicle for deployment of biochemical defenses
Authors: Sethi Amit , McAuslane Heather J. , Alborn Hans T. , Nagata Russell T. , Nuessly Gregg S.
Published: June 2008

Latex is widely found among plant species and is known to play a defensive role against certain herbivores. Two romaine lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. (Asteraceae) cultivars, ‘Valmaine’ (resistant) and ‘Tall Guzmaine’ (susceptible), were selected to study the potential of latex as a defense mechanism against the banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Latex from Valmaine strongly inhibited feeding of adult D. balteata compared to latex from Tall Guzmaine when applied to the surface of artificial diet. Beetles consumed significantly less diet from disks treated with Valmaine latex than they consumed from diet treated with Tall Guzmaine latex, in both choice and no‐choice tests. In a choice test involving diet disks treated with Valmaine latex from young leaves vs. disks treated with latex from mature leaves, the beetles consumed significantly less diet treated with latex from young leaves. No significant difference in diet consumption was found between diets treated with latex from young and mature leaves of Tall Guzmaine in choice tests. Three solvents of differing polarity (water, methanol, and methylene chloride) were tested to extract deterrent compounds from latex; Valmaine latex extracted with water:methanol (20:80) strongly inhibited beetle feeding when applied to the surface of artificial diet. In no‐choice tests, fewer beetles were observed feeding on diet treated with water:methanol (20:80) extract of Valmaine latex than on diet treated with a similar extract of Tall Guzmaine latex, resulting in significantly less consumption of the diet treated with the Valmaine latex extract. These studies suggest that moderately polar chemicals within latex may account for resistance in Valmaine to D. balteata.
Isolation and agricultural productivity
Authors: Stifel David , Minten Bart
Published: June 2008

This article examines the mechanisms that transmit isolation into productivity. In particular, we study the effect of isolation and transport infrastructure on welfare and agricultural productivity in the case of Madagascar. Madagascar is a good case study given the bad shape of its infrastructure and therefore the significant variation in isolation. Based on comprehensive household survey data combined with a census of communes, we discover a strong poverty–isolation relationship. Further we find the inverse relationship between agricultural productivity and isolation to be surprisingly strong. We isolate the following reasons why productivity might decline with isolation: (i) transportation‐induced transaction costs, (ii) the inverse relationship between plot size and productivity, (iii) increasing price variability and extensification onto less fertile land, and (iv) insecurity.
Measuring the impact of road rehabilitation on spatial market efficiency in maize markets in Mozambique
Authors: Cirera Xavier , Arndt Channing
Published: June 2008

This article analyzes the impact of road rehabilitation on the spatial market efficiency of maize markets in Mozambique. We estimate a modified version of the Parity Bounds Model (PBM) that allows us to test the impact of road rehabilitation on spatial efficiency. This article seeks to contribute to the existing literature in three ways. First, a unique data set, where road rehabilitation episodes between market pairs are identified, is developed. Second, special care is devoted to estimation of transaction costs due to the sensitivity of the PBM model to the quality of transaction costs estimates. Finally, as opposed to most existing literature that focuses on relatively distant markets, the article focuses on spatially closed markets. We find that maize markets tend to be segmented due to high transport costs. Following road rehabilitation, inefficiency and average absolute price differentials tend to decrease, and market pairs have tended to shift toward autarky regimes. Overall, while the results point broadly toward a positive impact of road rehabilitation on spatial efficiency, they are not as strong or as robust as one would like. Large increases in fuel prices likely offset the positive impacts of road rehabilitation on transaction costs, contributing to the increase in the probability of being in an autarky regime.
Applying cointegration and error correction to measure trade linkages: maize prices in the United States and Mexico
Authors: Motamed Mesbah , Foster Kenneth A. , Tyner Wallace E.
Published: June 2008

The impact of U.S.‐grown maize on Mexican markets is a subject of heated debate, and is complicated by limited substitution between white and yellow maize as well as regional price differences within Mexico. This article improves on previous analyses using a detailed data set of white maize prices reported weekly in 11 states across Mexico from 1998 through 2005. Using cointegration analysis and the error‐correction model, we find that prices between the United States and Mexico do not share a common long‐run relationship. Within Mexico, prices in Michoacán and Oaxaca are only weakly related with prices in neighboring states, whereas prices in Sinaloa and Jalisco exert considerable influence on prices elsewhere in Mexico. We conclude that, despite North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), white maize prices in Mexico are determined by local conditions including particularly the degree of integration to other regions within Mexico.
More reasons why farmers have so little interest in futures markets
Authors: Pannell David J. , Hailu Getu , Weersink Alfons , Burt Amanda
Published: June 2008

The use by farmers of futures contracts and other hedging instruments has been observed to be low in many situations, and this has sometimes seemed to be considered surprising or even mysterious. We propose that it is, in fact, readily understandable and consistent with rational decision making. Standard models of the decision about optimal hedging show that it is negatively related to basis risk, to quantity risk, and to transaction costs. Farmers who have less uncertainty about prices and those with a diversified portfolio of investments have lower optimal levels of hedging. If a farmer has optimistic price expectations relative to the futures market, the incentive to hedge can be greatly reduced. And finally, farmers who have low levels of risk aversion have little to gain from hedging in terms of risk reduction, in that the certainty‐equivalent payoff at their optimal hedge may be little different than the certainty equivalent under zero hedging. These reasons are additional to the argument of Simmons (2002) who showed that, if capital markets are efficient, farmers can manage their risk exposure through adjusting their leverage, obviating the need for hedging instruments.
Technical efficiency and impact of environmental regulations in farrow‐to‐finish swine production in Taiwan
Authors: Yang Chih‐Ching , Hsiao Ching‐Kai , Yu Ming‐Miin
Published: June 2008

This article demonstrates how technical efficiency and the impact of environmental regulations of Taiwanese farrow‐to‐finish swine production can be estimated in the presence of undesirable outputs. The issue of measuring technical efficiencies while considering undesirable outputs has been addressed by past studies. But the proper method of including undesirable outputs has always been a subject of debate. This article develops a data envelopment analysis (DEA)‐based model that includes undesirable outputs. The technologies of desirable output production and undesirable output control are considered simultaneously. This allows one to transform undesirable output into desirable output, whereby a traditional Shephard distance function can be used to measure technical efficiencies. An approach to measuring the impacts due to environmental regulations is then derived. Empirical results show that larger farms are more technically efficient than small‐sized farms, but no clear conclusions can be reached for the measures of regulatory impact among farms with different sizes. On average, the sample farms incurred an opportunity cost due to environmental regulations equivalent to 9.8% of market value. Opportunity costs rise with efficiency.
Raising offtake from cattle grazed on natural rangelands in sub‐Saharan Africa: a transaction cost economics approach
Authors: Kyeyamwa Herbert , Speelman Stijn , Van Huylenbroeck Guido , Opuda‐Asibo John , Verbeke Wim
Published: June 2008

Farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa are constrained by large transaction costs associated with marketing of their livestock. However, transaction costs are often not taken into account in the analysis of factors hampering the development of livestock marketing in this region. This article empirically measures the influence of transaction costs on the offtake from cattle grazed on natural rangelands in Uganda. The study is based on the monitoring of 696 cattle transactions in three districts of Uganda from August 2004 to August 2005. The estimated models suggest that proportional transaction costs represented by the state of roads, distance to markets, and time taken to reach the market are important variables constraining market participation. In order to raise offtake from the national herd, it is essential to explicitly address these costs. One potential solution is collective action in marketing of livestock in which proportional and fixed transaction costs are reduced and shared among the group members.
Modeling the length and shape of the R&D lag: an application to UK agricultural productivity
Authors: Thirtle Colin , Piesse Jenifer , Schimmelpfennig David
Published: June 2008

This article updates total factor productivity (TFP) growth in UK agriculture from 1953–2005 and shows that public and private research and returns to scale explain TFP. Cointegration and causality tests are used to investigate the validity of attempts to explain UK agricultural productivity with R&D and related technology variables. Then, the length and shape of the lag structures are modeled and compared with the structures that are commonly imposed on the data. The rates of return (ROR) to R&D using the data determined lags differ considerably from those obtained by imposing lag shapes. These comparisons show that the ROR to public R&D are sensitive to the lag shape as well as its length and that the omission of other technology variables, such as mechanical and chemical patents pertaining to agriculture and farm size can bias the ROR.
The costs of global tariff barriers on wool products: 1997–2005
Authors: Verikios George
Published: June 2008

The Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations commits World Trade Organization (WTO) members to improving market access for both agricultural and nonagricultural goods. Tariff barriers on wool products represent a small but important subset of these negotiations. To inform the debate on the round, we analyze the distortionary effects of recent (1997–2005) tariff barriers on wool products using a model that applies a comprehensive analytical approach with regard to the production, trade, and consumption of wool products. We also account for any indirect effects of wool tariff barriers on the nonwool economy by incorporating the production, trade, and consumption of nonwool products, that is, the framework is a comparative‐static global general equilibrium model with a detailed representation of the world wool market. Changes in wool tariffs over 1997–2005 lead to positive welfare effects for most regions; Italy, China, and the UK are estimated to have gained the most from the changes. The results indicate that the nature of recent wool tariffs severely distort the size of wool industries in different regions. The changes in the output of wool commodities are extreme reflecting the discriminatory nature of the tariffs.
On farmland prices and rents in Japan
Authors: Shigeto Sawako , Hubbard Lionel , Dawson Philip
Published: June 2008

Historically, the Japanese farmland market has been strongly regulated, although fundamental changes in policy were introduced in 1967 and 1980. This article examines the relationship between farmland prices and rents in Japan for 1955–2000 using the cointegration procedure of Johansen et al. (2000), which admits structural breaks. Results show the presence of a cointegrating relationship with a significant break in 1980. There is Granger‐causality from prices to rents, which suggests that rents are determined within an institutional setting according to farmland prices. The rent–price elasticity is unity, which supports the notion of efficiency in the farmland market.
Supply and demand estimates for feed grains in China
Authors: Zhou Zhang Y. , Tian Wei M. , Malcolm Bill
Published: June 2008

In the past two decades, the use of grain to feed livestock in China has increased rapidly. A number of studies have examined demand and supply of grain for animal feed in China. Forecasts have been made. Generally, these projections have turned out to be well wide of the actual supply and demand. Further, forecasts of supply and demand for feed grains for the same time periods have differed greatly. Accurate forecasts of variables affecting supply and demand benefit both producers and consumers. Past forecasts of supply and demand of feed grain for livestock production in China are reviewed and reasons for discrepancies between projections are explored. Ways to improve projections of demand for and supply of grain for livestock feed in China are identified.
Nonlinear adjustments in deviations from the law of one price for wholesale hog prices
Authors: Chen Pei‐Fen , Lee Chien‐Chiang
Published: June 2008

This article applies the Band‐Threshold Autoregression (Band‐TAR) model to investigate whether the law of one price (LOOP) holds in Taiwanese wholesale hog markets during the period from May 1987 through December 2003. We find evidence of a nonlinear mean reversion in deviations from the LOOP for relative hog prices. Our empirical study confirms the presence of thresholds and provides strong evidence in support of the view that the regional hog markets have been tightly integrated in Taiwan and that the wholesale hog market in Taiwan is an efficient market economy. Furthermore, the estimated half‐lives from the nonlinear generalized impulse response analysis are as short as four months.
Adoption of organic farming in Germany and Austria: an integrative dynamic investment perspective
Authors: Musshoff Oliver , Hirschauer Norbert
Published: June 2008

Farm‐level adaptation to changing economic environments is often slower than expected. Technological innovations, for instance, are frequently adopted at a later date than the net present value of investment suggests. This can be explained by a model of “investment under uncertainty,” which consistently accounts for uncertainty, sunk costs, and the flexibility of investment timing. Its essential conclusion is that, due to temporal opportunity costs, critical incremental cash flows that trigger investments might be higher than those needed for simple cost recovery. This accounts for an ostensible reluctance to invest (economic hysteresis). In this article, we demonstrate how slow conversion to organic farming in general, and the different rates of conversion in Germany and Austria in particular, can be explained by the new investment theory.
Periodontal inflamed surface area: quantifying inflammatory burden
Authors: Nesse Willem , Abbas Frank , Van Der Ploeg Ids , Spijkervet Frederik Karst Lucien , Dijkstra Pieter Ubele , Vissink Arjan
Published: June 2008

Background: Currently, a large variety of classifications is used for periodontitis as a risk factor for other diseases. None of these classifications quantifies the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue, while this information is needed to assess the inflammatory burden posed by periodontitis.

Aim: To develop a classification of periodontitis that quantifies the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue, which can be easily and broadly applied.

Material and Methods: A literature search was conducted to look for a classification of periodontitis that quantified the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue. A classification that quantified the root surface area affected by attachment loss was found. This classification did not quantify the surface area of inflamed periodontal tissue, however. Therefore, an Excel spreadsheet was developed in which the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) is calculated using clinical Attachment Level (CAL), recessions and bleeding on probing (BOP).

Results: The PISA reflects the surface area of bleeding pocket epithelium in square millimetres. The surface area of bleeding pocket epithelium quantifies the amount of inflamed periodontal tissue. A freely downloadable spreadsheet is available to calculate the PISA.

Conclusion: PISA quantifies the inflammatory burden posed by periodontitis and can be easily and broadly applied.
Innate immune modulation of keratinocytes by antikeratin 16 antibodies
Authors: Wu Caixia , Li Chengxin , Wei Liming , Zheng Zhizhong
Published: June 2008

Background:  Chronic inflammation of psoriatic lesions may be due to an exaggerated innate immune response. Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are expressed by keratinocytes in psoriasis. Antikeratin 16 autoantibodies (AK16 autoAbs) are increased in serum from patients with psoriasis. Whether the elevated AK16 autoAbs play a role in psoriasis by exaggerating innate immune response is still unknown.

Objective:  To prove that AK16 autoAbs are involved in psoriasis, by exaggerating the innate immune response of keratinocytes.

Methods:  Keratinocytes were incubated with mouse antikeratin 16 monoclonal antibodies (AK16 mAbs) for a given length of time. Levels of TLR2, TLR4, involucrin and nascent polypeptide‐associated complex (NACA) mRNA were measured by quantitative RT‐PCR. Levels of TLR2, TLR4, involucrin, NF‐κB and actin‐related protein 2 (ARP2) protein were measured by flow cytometry or Western blot. Effects of the mAbs on keratinocytes were studied using DNA synthesis and cell cycle analysis.

Results:  TLR2 mRNA increased 1.73‐, 1.60‐ and 2.52‐fold at 6, 24 and 36 h after incubation, respectively. TLR4 mRNA increased 3.62‐ and 2.21‐fold after 12 and 36 h. Involucrin mRNA increased 2.33‐ and 2.0‐fold after 12 and 36 h. NACA mRNA increased 5.93‐, 3.35‐ and 3.54‐fold after 12, 24 and 36 h. TLR2 protein increased 1.73‐fold on the cell membrane and 2.22‐fold on membrane plus intracytoplasm. NF‐κB increased 2.64‐fold after 6 h. Involucrin protein increased 4.5‐fold, whereas Arp2 protein decreased 1.82‐fold, after 36 h. The mAbs had an inhibitory effect on cultured keratinocytes.

Conclusion:  AK16 autoAbs may be involved in the chronic inflammation of psoriasis lesions by promoting TLR expression.
Multilineage differentiation potential of human dermal skin‐derived fibroblasts
Authors: Lorenz Katrin , Sicker Marit , Schmelzer Eva , Rupf Thomas , Salvetter Juergen , Schulz‐Siegmund Michaela , Bader Augustinus
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Dermal skin‐derived fibroblasts from rodent and human have been found to exhibit mesenchymal surface antigen immunophenotype and differentiation potential along the three main mesenchymal‐derived tissues: bone, cartilage and fat. Human dermal skin‐derived mesenchymal stem cells constitute a promising cell source in clinical applications. Therefore, we isolated fibroblastic mesenchymal stem‐cell‐like cells from human dermis derived from juvenile foreskins, which share a mesenchymal stem cell phenotype and multi‐lineage differentiation potential. We could show similar expression patterns for CD14(−), CD29(+), CD31(−), CD34(−), CD44(+), CD45(−), CD71(+), CD73/SH3‐SH4(+), CD90/Thy‐1(+), CD105/SH2(+), CD133(−) and CD166/ALCAM(+) in well‐established adipose tissue derived‐stem cells and fibroblastic mesenchymal stem‐cell‐like cells by flow cytometry. Immunostainings showed that fibroblastic mesenchymal stem‐cell‐like cells expressed vimentin, fibronectin and collagen; they were less positive for α‐smooth muscle actin and nestin, while they were negative for epithelial cytokeratins. When cultured under appropriate inducible conditions, both cell types could differentiate along the adipogenic and osteogenic lineages. Additionally, fibroblastic mesenchymal stem‐cell‐like cells demonstrated a high proliferation potential. These findings are of particular importance, because skin or adipose tissues are easily accessible for autologous cell transplantations in regenerative medicine. In summary, these data indicate that dermal fibroblasts with multilineage differentiation potential are present in human dermis and they might play a key role in cutaneous wound healing.
Infliximab inhibits DNA repair in ultraviolet B‐irradiated premalignant keratinocytes
Authors: Faurschou Annesofie , Gniadecki Robert , Wulf Hans Christian
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Anti‐tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) approaches are increasingly used in the therapy of autoimmune diseases. One of the safety concerns is the potential enhancement of skin carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate if the TNFα neutralizing antibody, infliximab, directly affects the cell cycle and DNA repair in premalignant human keratinocytes after ultraviolet‐B (UVB) irradiation. We found that infliximab‐treated cells exhibited an enhanced G2/M cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis after 10–20 mJ/cm2 UVB. In spite of this, the level of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) in infliximab‐treated cells was significantly increased at both 24 and 48 h after irradiation with 10 mJ/cm2 UVB. As we have recently shown that protein kinase B/Akt is involved in the TNFα signalling pathway and promotes cell survival and skin carcinogenesis, we measured activatory phosphorylations of Akt (Ser‐473 and Thr‐308) and the signalling via related pathways Erk 1/2, p38 and p70‐S6K. Infliximab inhibited Akt and its downstream targets p70‐S6K and Erk 1/2, and stimulated p38 both in sham‐irradiated and UVB‐irradiated cells. In conclusion, despite the fact that infliximab blocks Akt and stimulates the G2/M checkpoint and apoptosis in UVB‐irradiated keratinocytes, the repair of CPD is impaired. It is conceivable that anti‐TNFα treatments may contribute to the accumulation of mutagenic lesions in the epidermis and enhance the early stages of skin carcinogenesis.
Basal and UV‐induced MMP‐1 expression are inhibited by p53 in human dermal fibroblasts
Authors: Kim Sangmin , Lee Youngae , Lee Dong Hun , Kim Yoonkyung , Cho Kwang Hyun , Chung Jin Ho
Published: June 2008

Abstract:  Ultraviolet (UV) triggers induction of matrix metalloproteinase‐1 (MMP‐1) and also induces the rapid appearance of p53 protein in the epidermis and dermal fibroblasts. However, little is known about the role of p53 on MMP‐1 expression in human skin. Here, we investigated the effects of p53 on basal and UV‐induced MMP‐1 in human dermal fibroblasts. To verify the role of p53 on MMP‐1 expression, adenoviral p53 (Ad‐p53) gene was infected to human dermal fibroblasts. Our results showed that basal and UV‐induced MMP‐1 expression was prevented by Ad‐p53. In contrast, p53 inhibitor, pifithrin‐α augmented the UV‐induced MMP‐1 expression. On the other hand, p53 activator, etoposide, decreased the MMP‐1 expression in both normal and p53‐overexpressed cells. In addition, MMP‐1 expression was not changed by etoposide and/or pifithrin‐α in HaCaT cells, which have mutation of p53. Taken together, we suggest that p53 inhibits basal and UV‐induced MMP‐1 expression in human dermal fibroblasts.
Antibiotic treatment of cutaneous infections with Staphylococcus aureus in patients with atopic dermatitis: current antimicrobial resistances and susceptibilities
Authors: Niebuhr Margarete , Mai Uwe , Kapp Alexander , Werfel Thomas
Published: June 2008

Background/aims:  Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease. In many patients, the disease is complicated by enhanced susceptibility to skin infections, especially with Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of skin‐colonizing S. aureus strains in patients with AD and consecutively to recommend the first‐line antibiotic therapy.

Methods:  We studied S. aureus‐positive skin swabs (n = 102) from lesional skin of children, adolescents and adults with AD presenting to our inpatient and outpatient departments from January 2005 to June 2006.

Results:  Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed resistance against oxacillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cephalexin and cefuroxim in 3%, against tetracycline in 17%, against gentamicin in 16%, against erythromycin and clindamycin in 21%, against trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazol in 23%, against levofloxacin in 23%, against fusidic acid in 25%, against fosfomycin in 12% and against rifampicin in 16%. All strains isolated were susceptible to vancomycin.

Conclusion:  Currently, the first generation cephalosporin cephalexin appears to be the preferential first‐line antibiotic for the treatment of bacterial superinfections with S. aureus in children and adults with AD due to its restricted antimicrobial spectrum to Gram‐positive bacteria and a limited number of Gram‐negative strains. Cefuroxim and amoxicillin/clavulanate, which also showed 3% resistances in our patients, cover a broader range of bacterial micro‐organisms. However, a broader coverage is not required in case of AD, as S. aureus is the most frequent bacterial micro‐organism causing skin infections.