bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subjectivities and micro‐processes of change in accounting practices: a case study
Authors: Ancelin‐Bourguignon Annick , Saulpic Olivier , Zarlowski Philippe
Published: May 2013

Purpose

While new institutionalism‐inspired accounting literature has opened up new perspectives for the study of micro‐processes of change in accounting practices, little is still known about how individuals subjectively experience these processes. In this paper, the authors propose to study the role of subjectivities in the institutionalization of new accounting practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an extension of Hasselbladh and Kallinikos' framework, the authors analyze the implementation of a new performance management and measurement system in the division of a large French public sector firm. The authors' research is based on the company's internal archives, samples of the new performance scorecard, interviews and non‐participant observation.

Findings

The system as a technique of control and related discourses and ideals formed a coherent “rationalized package” which actors had actually internalized. Still, they collectively used the new system in a very ceremonial mode and the authors' analysis identified discrepancies between actors' explicit understanding and practical experience of the system.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' research suggests that studies of accounting change should further explore the complex and sometimes paradoxical nature of subjectivities at work in the adoption of new systems. Studies should combine the analysis of actors' behaviours and representations and their development over time, even though the latter longitudinal perspective is missing in the present research.

Practical implications

Experience encompasses more than understanding and cognitive agreement. Deliberate acceptance of systems may co‐exist with non‐deliberate reluctant behaviour.

Social implications

Accounting transformation projects should reckon the role that actors' subjectivities can play in the institutionalization of new systems and practices.

Originality/value

The authors' research illustrates how subjectivity influences micro‐processes of accounting change. It highlights its experiential and non‐deliberate dimensions, thus complementing existing institutional research that has hitherto emphasized actors' deliberate actions and representations.
From individual choice to social good
Authors: Wright Hazel R.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how individual choice, and the facilitation of individual choices, can be of benefit to society. To do this it selects evidence from a much broader research project that set out to study the student experience of a group of 33 women training to work in childcare (selected from a cohort of 150).

Design/methodology/approach

The project employed an emergent methodology, as the researcher sought to draw out the student voice. Psychosocial interviews created detailed narratives that were analysed individually, thematically and holistically to support original theorization that was later linked to Sen's Capability Approach.

Findings

In terms of this paper, the significant finding was that the pursuit of individual goals can create public good. Individual actions can lead to unplanned social payback.

Social implications

In revealing some of the mechanisms that promote social cohesion and social capital development the research supports people‐centred policy‐making. By adopting the capability approach as a policy framework and granting people the freedom to choose, governments can create social good by enabling rather than determining individual choice.

Originality/value

In evidencing the way that individual choice can promote social good, the research findings create confidence that society can evolve positively without an overarching masterplan. The research is linked to contemporary problems within society and suggests that, sometimes, indirect approaches offer solutions.
Sharing the emerging educational market in China
Authors: Chan Sheng‐Ju , Chang Fang‐Min
Published: May 2013

Purpose

During the past two decades, China has been rapidly rising in nearly every aspect. With the growing prominence of economic prosperity in China, numerous multinational corporations and companies across the globe have entered this vast market in order to benefit from this enlarging economy. This development also creates an emerging market in China to educate senior managers of these transnational firms in the form of cross‐border partnerships among regional universities. The EMBA programme, a more internationally oriented educational product, is thriving in the Greater China Area. This study aims to examine how universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are partnering with other institutions in order to deliver collaborative EMBA programmes for this educational market.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses case study as research approach by selecting ten famous cross‐border EMBA programs from elite universities in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for analysis.

Findings

The result shows that distinctive patterns of organisational behaviour are present in terms of how selective universities in Greater China organise their cross‐border EMBA programmes. By combining abundant academic resources with their partners, Chinese institutions aim to enhance their programme reputation and mainly serve the territorial needs of executive managers within China. Hong Kong, serving a bridging role, is inclined to cooperate with leading universities in Western countries and attract all kinds of students across the globe, including Chinese ones. Alternatively, Taiwanese universities cooperate with major universities or institutions in China in order to serve the needs of Taiwanese businessmen in China instead of Chinese nationals or foreign students. These different approaches indicate a labour division among universities in these three societies, with China targeting primarily the domestic market, Hong Kong aiming at the global market, and Taiwan seeking to serve its country's population.

Originality/value

The different approaches employed by universities reveal how neighbouring societies react to the rise of China respectively. The uneven division of universities among these three societies might to some extent reflect the concepts of “centre” and “periphery” developed by Philip G. Altbach.
Vietnamese international student mobility: past and current trends
Authors: Hong Nguyen Chi
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overall picture of Vietnamese international student mobility which remains silent in Vietnamese international education and migration research.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper traces the evolvement of Vietnamese student outflows in a historical approach by analyzing official documents published by governmental agencies, public media and international education and migration literatures.

Findings

While the early Vietnamese student movements from the early 20th century to the 1986 Open Door period were mostly shaped by political purposes, the current trend is influenced by social and political transformations in Vietnam and host countries and by changes in the practices of higher education internationalization policies in host countries. It also argues that the present movement of Vietnamese students, which is seen as the government's strategic approach to improve the quality of the existing workforce for their industrialization process by 2020, becomes politicized as human capital is recognized as the focal force for the country's development and global integration.

Originality/value

By analyzing the factors behind Vietnamese international student mobility, the paper hopes to contribute an understanding of the international student movements and professional migration in Vietnam which are still under‐researched.
Teacher and health worker absence in Indonesia
Authors: Pratikno Ramadhan Adityo
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the determinant factors of teachers’ and health workers’ absenteeism in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on desk study where the research explores the existing literatures about health and education sectors in Indonesia and explores the existing data about health and education sectors in Indonesia. The research is also based on the author's experiences as an employee of central government.

Findings

The author identifies six determinant factors of teachers’ and health workers’ absenteeism. These include the following: inadequate infrastructures (road and bridge); bad working conditions; absence of sanction; bribery; side jobs; and low salaries (only for health workers).

Research limitations/implications

Since Indonesia is a big country, this research could only identify six determinants; there might be other determinants, which are not identified. Further research in absenteeism should take the decentralization system in Indonesia into account. The decentralization system must have a big impact on absenteeism, whether it is to reduce or to increase the practices of absenteeism.

Originality/value

The bribery has an important role in that it makes people lazy to work and makes them perform absenteeism.
Use of LCA to evaluate solutions for water and waste infrastructure in the early planning phase of carbon‐neutral urban settlements
Authors: Slagstad Helene , Brattebø Helge
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to discuss how life cycle assessment can be used in the early stage planning phase of new settlements.

Design/methodology/approach

By applying the life cycle methodology on the waste, water and wastewater system of a new carbon‐neutral settlement under planning in Norway, the authors discuss the pros and cons with applying this methodology in an early planning phase.

Findings

The LCA methodology enabled the authors to compare suggestions from interdisciplinary planning teams, relate them to the existing systems in Trondheim and provide quantitative results back to the decision‐makers, in this case the municipality. The environmental benefits of implementing alternative solutions in the waste, water and wastewater systems were found to be small.

Research limitations/implications

Data availability and uncertainty can be limitations in the early planning phase.

Practical implications

By applying this methodology, the life cycle environmental impact of different solutions can be assessed at an early planning stage.

Originality/value

Even if life cycle assessment has been used for years in the research community, there is too little experience with applying the methodology in the early planning phase of new projects. This paper discuss how life cycle assessment can be used to compare suggestions from interdisciplinary planning teams, relate them to existing systems and provide quantitative results back to the decision‐makers.
Factors influencing sustainability outcomes of housing in subtropical Australia
Authors: Miller Wendy , Buys Laurie
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The challenges of providing housing that sustains its inhabitants socially, economically and environmentally, and is inherently sustainable for the planet as a whole, requires a holistic systems approach that considers the product, the supply chain and the market, as well as the interdependencies within and between each of these process points. The purpose of the research is to identify factors that impact the sustainability performance outcomes of residential dwellings and the diffusion of sustainable housing into the mainstream housing market.

Design/methodology/approach

This research represents a snapshot in time: a recording of the experiences of seven Australian families who are “early adopters” of leading edge sustainable homes within a specific sustainable urban development in subtropical Queensland. The research adopts a qualitative approach to compare the goals and expectations of these families with the actual sustainability aspects incorporated into their homes and lifestyles.

Findings

The results show that the “product” – a sustainable house – is difficult to define; that sustainability outcomes were strongly influenced by individual concerns and the contextual urban environment; and that economic comparisons with “standard” housing are challenging.

Research limitations/implications

This qualitative study is based on seven families (13 individuals) in an Ecovillage in southeast Queensland. Although the findings make a significant contribution to knowledge, they may not be generalisable to the wider population.

Originality/value

The experiences of these early adopter families suggest that the housing market and regulators play critical roles, through actions and language, in limiting or enhancing the diffusion of sustainable housing into the market.
Local Elections as a ‘Stepping Stone’: Does Winning Council Seats Boost the Liberal Democrats' Performance in General Elections?
Authors: Cutts David
Published: May 2013

In this article, we use a structural equation model (latent variable mediator analysis) to show that a strong local base has two key effects on Liberal Democrat support in the 2010 general election. First, it has a direct effect on Liberal Democrat support at Westminster elections by bridging the electoral ‘credibility gap’. Second, local success has a significant indirect effect on party performance through campaign effort. Here we find that the Liberal Democrats obtain appreciable electoral benefits where they campaign intensely. They also use grassroots campaigning to recruit local activists and party workers, which cements the local party infrastructure and enables the party to be more effective in targeting local resources. The total standardised effect is therefore fairly substantial even after controlling for an array of other predictors. It is also larger than the total effect of local election success on both Conservative and Labour Party support in 2010. Far from being inconsequential, winning seats at the local level provides a significant boost to the Liberal Democrats' performance in general elections.
The Responses of Populism to Dahl's Democratic Dilemmas
Authors: Kaltwasser Cristóbal Rovira
Published: May 2013

From Hugo Chávez in Venezuela to Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Sarah Palin in the US, populist leaders claim to offer more power to ‘the people’. However, most scholars argue that populism is in fact a democratic pathology, because it seeks to build a political system devoid of the rule of law. While it is true that populism maintains an ambivalent relationship with liberal democracy, little attention has been paid to the legitimacy of the questions raised by populist forces. Drawing on the work of Robert Dahl, I argue that current manifestations of populism are offering specific responses to two dilemmas that do not have a clear democratic solution: the boundary problem (how to define the people?) and the limits of self-government (how to control the controllers?). My article shows that populist forces are posing legitimate questions about the current state of democracy in Europe and the Americas, although their solutions tend to be more controversial than helpful.
Continuity and Change in Public Policy: Redistribution, Exclusion and State Rescaling in Turkey
Authors: Bayirbağ Mustafa Kemal
Published: May 2013

This article discusses potential reasons for the continuities in the broader policy agendas of capitalist states, despite radical shifts in economic policies, by employing the state‐rescaling framework. Its main thrust is that, even though centrally designed policy programs mainly aim to give direction to the dynamics of the market economy, the institutional (re)structuring needed to operationalize such policy measures has been shaped around a politics of redistribution, a product both of the exclusionary results of past policies and the negative results of the newly introduced policy programs. This dialectical tension turns state rescaling into a political exercise in solving, and reproducing, ‘systemic crises’. The article examines the history of state rescaling in Turkey to develop these arguments.
Implementation of the INTERGROWTH‐21stProject in India
Authors: Purwar M , Kunnawar N , Deshmukh S , Singh A , Mulik I , Taori V , Tayade K , Mahorkar C , Somani A , Saboo K , Choudhary A , Shembekar C , Choudhary S , Ketkar M , Knight HE , Blakey I , Cheikh Ismail L
Published: May 2013

The South Asian site in the INTERGROWTH‐21st Project was the city of Nagpur, in Maharashtra State, India, with approximately 4500 births per year among the target population with middle to high socio‐economic status. These deliveries are mainly concentrated in 20 small private hospitals, most of which are in the city centre. The sample for the Newborn Cross‐Sectional Study (NCSS) was drawn from ten of these hospitals, covering 76% of the target low‐risk pregnant population. The Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) sample was recruited from the largest of these institutions, Ketkar Hospital, as well as several ancillary antenatal care clinics. Special activities to encourage participation and raise awareness of the study at this site included translating patient information leaflets into local languages and securing local media interest. Among the unique challenges of the Indian site was the coordination of the large number of hospitals involved in NCSS, a task that required careful planning and organisation by the field teams.
A Novel Application of Infrared Imaging for the Diagnosis of Death by Fire
Authors: Yamauchi Shinobu , Hitosugi Masahito , Kimura Hajime , Tokudome Shogo
Published: May 2013

This paper demonstrates a novel and simple technique for the diagnosis of death by fire using a digital infrared (IR) camera system. At autopsy, the inhalation of soot by a fire victim is a definite indicator proving a vital reaction during the fire. However, there can be difficulties in confirming the presence of soot because of the relative lack of soot or the similarity in color between soot and surrounding tissues. To evaluate the effectiveness ofIRimaging at autopsy, we acquired internal images of the respiratory and gastrointestinal system by both an ordinary color andIRcameras. Using our method, the inhaled soot is visible as black particles or deposits, while the blood is transparent and the surrounding tissue is whitened. This technique enables the detection of normally undiscriminating soot in an ordinary color image. This is the first report suggesting the usefulness of IR imaging in forensic autopsy for the diagnosis of death by fire.
Anthropological Measurement of the Juvenile Clavicle Using Multi‐Detector Computed Tomography—Affirming Reliability
Authors: Brough Alison L. , Bennett Jonathan , Morgan Bruno , Black Sue , Rutty Guy N.
Published: May 2013

Currently, there is no standardized protocol for multi‐detector computed tomography (MDCT) measurement of juvenile remains. Using 33 juvenile clavicles, this paper investigates a protocol to allowMDCTmeasurements, comparable or supplemental with traditional osteometric measurements, to be acquired for application to previously published algorithms. The results illustrate that there is no significant difference betweenMDCTmeasurements and those taken by direct osteometric methods. By presenting such a protocol, this paper takes the first steps toward validation of the process of conversion from measurement of dry juvenile bone toMDCTcompatibility and allows the forensic world to take a step forward in standardizing the wayMDCTis used for forensic practice. This paper assesses the limitations and potential applications of this virtual approach and offers some suggestions for where further work might progress the conversion of these new approaches into legally admissible anthropological techniques of age estimation.
Objective Color Classification of Ecstasy Tablets by Hyperspectral Imaging
Authors: Edelman Gerda , Lopatka Martin , Aalders Maurice
Published: May 2013

The general procedure followed in the examination of ecstasy tablets for profiling purposes includes a color description, which depends highly on the observers' perception. This study aims to provide objective quantitative color information using visible hyperspectral imaging. Both self‐manufactured and illicit tablets, created with different amounts of known colorants were analyzed. We derived reflectance spectra from hyperspectral images of these tablets, and successfully determined the most likely colorant used in the production of all self‐manufactured tablets and four of five illicit tablets studied. Upon classification, the concentration of the colorant was estimated using a photon propagation model and a single reference measurement of a tablet of known concentration. The estimated concentrations showed a high correlation with the actual values (R2 = 0.9374). The achieved color information, combined with other physical and chemical characteristics, can provide a powerful tool for the comparison of tablet seizures, which may reveal their origin.
Simultaneous Analysis of Micro‐RNA and DNA for Determining the Body Fluid Origin of DNA Profiles,
Authors: van der Meer Donny , Uchimoto Mari L. , Williams Graham
Published: May 2013

Micro‐RNAs (miRNAs) can be specifically expressed in forensically relevant body fluids such as blood or saliva. The aim of the study was to develop a simultaneous extraction and analysis protocol that allows for the acquisition of a DNA profile and the identity of the body fluid using a single process. DNA and micro‐RNA were extracted from blood and saliva before undergoing a cDNA synthesis step by using stem‐loop reverse transcription PCR. The resulting extracts containing DNA and cDNA synthesized from body fluid–specific miRNA markers then underwent standard STR analysis using a modified ABI AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™ kit. In all samples, a full DNA profile was obtained along with additional peaks corresponding to the miRNA marker targeted. In all cases, blood samples profiled exhibited a peak indicating the presence of the blood‐specific miRNA marker and the saliva sample profiled exhibited a peak indicating the presence of the saliva‐specific miRNA marker.
Invasion history of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Fujian, China based on mitochondrial DNA and its implications in development of a control strategy
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Hou You‐Ming
Published: May 2013

One of the most invasive species worldwide, Solenopsis invicta Buren, has been described in China since 2003. Recent studies have suggested that China populations are the result of introductions from the USA; however, detailed molecular studies need to be performed in order to understand the expansion and potential multiple introductions from other countries into China. As there were populations of red imported fire ant, S. invicta in different areas and with different methods of introduction, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene was used as a marker from 12 populations in four cities in Fujian Province, China, to determine the relationship of invasion among these populations. The three most common haplotypes previously describe in invasive populations of S. invicta: H5, H22 and H36, were found in Fujian. However, frequencies in each city were different. For instance, three populations from Longyan city which invaded with waste plastics, shared haplotype H5. Populations from Xiamen city and Jinjiang city which dispersed with nursery stock, sward and scrap leather, shared haplotype H22. The population from Nanyan village of Xinluo district, Longyan city, bore haplotype H36. Mitochondrial data reveals that the invasion history of S. invicta in Fujian Province is complex, including multiple invasions probably from other provinces within China. Security measures to prevent S. invicta spreading within China are as important as from overseas.
Neurocognition in 1‐Month‐Abstinent Treatment‐Seeking Alcohol‐Dependent Individuals: Interactive Effects of Age and Chronic Cigarette Smoking
Authors: Durazzo Timothy C. , Pennington David L. , Schmidt Thomas P. , Mon Anderson , Abé Christoph , Meyerhoff Dieter J.
Published: May 2013

Background

Increasing age and chronic cigarette smoking are independently associated with adverse effects on multiple aspects of neurocognition in those seeking treatment for alcohol use disorders. However, the potential interactive effects of age and cigarette smoking on neurocognition in early abstinent alcohol‐dependent individuals (ALC) have not investigated.

Methods

Cross‐sectional performances of never‐smoking healthy comparison participants (nvsCOM; n = 39) and 1‐month‐abstinent, treatment‐seeking, never‐smoking (nvsALC; n = 30), former‐smoking (fsALC; n = 21), and actively smoking (asALC; n = 68) ALC were compared on a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. Domains of functioning evaluated were cognitive efficiency, executive functions, fine motor skills, general intelligence, learning and memory, processing speed, visuospatial functions and working memory. Participants were between 26 and 71 years of age at the time of assessment.

Results

asALC showed steeper age‐related effects than nvsCOM on the domains of visuospatial learning, auditory‐verbal memory, cognitive efficiency, executive functions, processing speed, and fine motor skills. In pairwise comparisons, fsALC and asALC performed more poorly than both nvsCOM and nvsALC on multiple domains; nvsCOM and nvsALC showed no significant differences. Domain scores for the ALC groups generally fell in the low‐to‐high‐average range of functioning. A clinically significant level of impairment was apparent in only 25% of ALC participants on visuospatial learning, visuospatial memory, and fine motor skills domains. Measures of alcohol use or consumption were not significantly related to neurocognition in the ALC cohorts.

Conclusions

The age‐related findings suggest that the combination of active chronic smoking and alcohol dependence in this 1‐month‐abstinent ALC cohort was associated with greater than normal age‐related effects in multiple domains. In general, a low level of clinically significant impairment was observed in the alcohol‐dependent participants. The findings from this study, in conjunction with previous research, strongly support smoking cessation interventions for those seeking treatment for alcohol and substance use disorders.
A New Method for Evaluating Compliance with Industry Self‐Regulation Codes Governing the Content of Alcohol Advertising
Authors: Babor Thomas F. , Xuan Ziming , Damon Donna
Published: May 2013

Background

This study evaluated the use of a modified Delphi technique in combination with a previously developed alcohol advertising rating procedure to detect content violations in the U.S. Beer Institute Code. A related aim was to estimate the minimum number of raters needed to obtain reliable evaluations of code violations in television commercials.

Methods

Six alcohol ads selected for their likelihood of having code violations were rated by community and expert participants (N = 286). Quantitative rating scales were used to measure the content of alcohol advertisements based on alcohol industry self‐regulatory guidelines. The community group participants represented vulnerability characteristics that industry codes were designed to protect (e.g., age <21); experts represented various health‐related professions, including public health, human development, alcohol research, and mental health. Alcohol ads were rated on 2 occasions separated by 1 month. After completing Time 1 ratings, participants were randomized to receive feedback from 1 group or the other.

Results

Findings indicate that (i) ratings at Time 2 had generally reduced variance, suggesting greater consensus after feedback, (ii) feedback from the expert group was more influential than that of the community group in developing group consensus, (iii) the expert group found significantly fewer violations than the community group, (iv) experts representing different professional backgrounds did not differ among themselves in the number of violations identified, and (v) a rating panel composed of at least 15 raters is sufficient to obtain reliable estimates of code violations.

Conclusions

The Delphi technique facilitates consensus development around code violations in alcohol ad content and may enhance the ability of regulatory agencies to monitor the content of alcoholic beverage advertising when combined with psychometric‐based rating procedures.
Impacts of the minimum legal drinking age legislation on in‐patient morbidity in Canada, 1997–2007: a regression‐discontinuity approach
Authors: Callaghan Russell C. , Sanches Marcos , Gatley Jodi M.
Published: May 2013

Aims

To provide novel, population‐based estimates of the influence of minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) legislation on target in‐patient hospital events in Canada.

Design

Regression–discontinuity analyses on rates of Canadian in‐patient admissions.

Setting

All in‐patient hospitalizations in Canada (except Québec) between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2007.

Participants

Individuals aged 15–22 years admitted to hospital.

Measurements

International Classification of Diseases‐9/10 codes for alcohol‐use disorders/poisoning, injury, suicide, assault and motor vehicle accidents were considered as target morbidity conditions.

Findings

Compared with the baseline hospitalization rate just prior to the MLDA, admissions at the MLDA rose significantly (P ≤ 0.001) for alcohol‐use disorders/poisoning for males (17.3%) and females (21.1%), as well as for suicide events for the combined sample (9.6%, P = 0.029). Among males, there was a significant 4.4% increase (P = 0.001) in a broad class of injuries, including a 9.2% jump (P = 0.020) in admissions for motor vehicle accidents compared with the baseline hospitalization rate just prior to the MLDA.

Conclusion

Removal of minimum legal drinking age restrictions is associated with significant population‐level increases in hospital admissions among young adults in Canada for alcohol‐use disorders/poisoning, as well as for other serious injuries, especially among males. Current international minimum legal drinking age policy discussions should account for the impact of the minimum legal drinking age on severe morbidity outcomes.
Managing basis risk with multiscale index insurance
Authors: Elabed Ghada , Bellemare Marc F. , Carter Michael R. , Guirkinger Catherine
Published: May 2013

Agricultural index insurance indemnifies a farmer against losses based on an index that is correlated with, but not identical to, her or his individual outcomes. In practice, the level of correlation may be modest, exposing insured farmers to residual, basis risk. In this article, we study the impact of basis risk on the demand for index insurance under risk and compound risk aversion. We simulate the impact of basis risk on the demand for index insurance by Malian cotton farmers using data from field experiments that reveal the distributions of risk and compound risk aversion. The analysis shows that compound risk aversion depresses demand for a conventional index insurance contract some 13 percentage points below what would be predicted based on risk aversion alone. We then analyze an innovative multiscale index insurance contract that reduces basis risk relative to conventional, single‐scale index insurance contract. Simulations indicate that demand for this multiscale contract would be some 40% higher than the demand for an equivalently priced conventional contract in the population of Malian cotton farmers. Finally, we report and discuss the actual uptake of a multiscale contract introduced in Mali.
Diversity of rodent and shrew assemblages in different vegetation types of the savannah biome in South Africa: no evidence for nested subsets or competition
Authors: Rautenbach Anita , Dickerson Tarryne , Schoeman M. Corrie
Published: May 2013

Identifying nonrandom species composition patterns predicted by assembly rules has been a central theme in community ecology. Few studies have investigated the prevalence of multiple drivers on species composition patterns in small mammal assemblages in the Old World. This study investigated seasonal changes in rodent and shrew diversity in eleven savannah vegetation types in South Africa. We tested whether species composition patterns are nonrandom with respect to predictions from Diamond's assembly rules, niche limitation hypothesis and nestedness hypothesis. Species richness estimators indicated that inventories for the rodents (80%) and shrews (100%) were relatively complete. Rodent (n = 11 species) diversity and shrew (n = 5 species) diversity were highest in summer and lowest in autumn. Rodent richness was highest in the Terminalia sericea bushveld and woodlands and lowest in the Drypetes arguta sand forest, whilst shrew richness was highest in the T. sericea bushveld and woodlands and lowest in the Acacia nilotica/Dichrostachys cinerea open shrub savannah. We found no support for the predictions of competition and nestedness hypotheses and suggest that this was probably due to the high seasonal and annual variability in rodent and shrew diversity.
Everyday Sacrifice and Language Socialization in Vietnam: The Power of a Respect Particle
Authors: Shohet Merav
Published: May 2013

The Vietnamese ethic ofhy sinh, typically translated as “sacrifice,” involves moral conduct and dispositions that emphasize showing respect to sociocultural “superiors” and yielding to sociocultural “inferiors.” Like “filial piety,” which has been shown to permeate many aspects of life in contemporary Asia, hy sinh is a cultural virtue learned first in families’ daily lives. In this article, I examine how participants’ linguistic and corporeal practices in routine interactions with children relate to their engagements with ancestors. Focusing on video‐recorded displays of respect, I argue that these cultivate elementary forms of hy sinh even in a toddler, thus initiating her into intergenerationally continuing moral lifeworlds. Further, I suggest that, like ritual and patriotic forms of “sacrifice” more common in anthropological accounts, hy sinh is an ethical practice that helps substantiate local sociomoral order. It underpins pervasive relationships of asymmetrical reciprocity both beyond and within the family, naturalizing inequality as ethical.
Brokerage and Social Capital in the Prehispanic U.S. Southwest
Authors: Peeples Matthew A. , Haas W. Randall
Published: May 2013

In social network analysis,brokeragerefers to the processes through which individuals or larger groups mediate interactions between actors that would otherwise not be directly connected. Brokers occupy key intermediate positions that have alternately been interpreted as sources of social capital or potential disadvantages. Recent empirical studies suggest that the relationship between brokerage and rewards or risks varies considerably depending on the nature of interactions in a given setting. In this study, we use a large settlement and ceramic database including sites across the western U.S. Southwest (C.E. 1200–1400) to identify settlements that likely filled brokerage roles in ceramic networks. We develop a new structural measure of brokerage and compare long‐term outcomes for settlements characterized by varying degrees of brokerage. We argue that brokerage was not a major source of social capital in our study area, as interactions instead favored the formation of discrete groups over such intermediate positions.
Anthropological Archaeology in 2012: Mobility, Economy, and Transformation
Authors: Kahn Jennifer G.
Published: May 2013

In 2012, archaeologists continued to grapple with large questions concerning process and structure and how they shaped the nature of humanity. The movement of populations, ideas, and material culture stands out prominently, including mobility's role in promoting social change and how forms of travel and communication, such as pilgrimages or long‐distance trade, promoted social interaction. Research concerning the structure of ancient economies acknowledges the amazing diversity within which prehistoric communities organized food production and material goods manufacture and exchange. Social complexity as transformation illustrates how local histories supported alternative pathways to power and how factors such as climate change and environmental limitations might have affected long‐term social histories. Finally, there is ongoing interest in modeling human–environmental interactions—in particular, human adaptability in the face of climate change and natural disasters and how particular cultural and natural elements allowed certain societies to be resilient and sustainable in the long term.
A Shifting Theoretical Framework for Biological Anthropology in 2012
Authors: Van Arsdale Adam P.
Published: May 2013

The research produced in biological anthropology over the past year spans a dizzying array of topics, methodologies, and perspectives on human evolution and variation. In this essay, I attempt to encapsulate a slice of that research into a broader discussion of the discipline. In this view, what stands out most notably in the past year's research is the way in which new observations, the product of new technologies and new interactions across disciplinary and subdisciplinary boundaries, have dramatically shifted understandings of long‐studied anthropological questions. The origin of modern humans, the evolution of human birth, and the locomotion of our hominin ancestors are just three topics that exemplify such changes in perspective over the past year. An additional shift within the discipline is the increasing importance of open access and online forums for the research process.
Imagined Commonalities: The Invention of a Late Ottoman “Tradition” of Coexistence by Cross‐Media Project: A Balkan Tale. ChristinaKoulouri, team leader. Goethe Institute, 2012. Photograph exhibit and catalog, plus documentary film The Silent Balkans: A Hundred Years since the Balkan Wars (Andreas Apostolidis, dir.).
Authors: Hayden Robert M. , Naumović Slobodan
Published: May 2013

The “Balkan Tale” project includes an exhibit of photographs of Ottoman‐era buildings, texts by historians from the region, and a documentary film on the Balkan wars of 1912–13. Installations include a “soundwalk” and an experience of Ottoman perfumes. Materials are available in English, Albanian, Greek, German, Serbian, Macedonian, and Turkish. The project premises that various peoples of the region lived peacefully together before the creation of nation‐states and promotes a common history based on religious and ethnic coexistence. Yet such a proposition is as much an invention of a putative tradition as any nationalist history, ignoring relevant scholarship on the complexities of parallel and at times conflicting existences during Ottoman rule. The presentation echoes trendy anthropological theories on the fluidity of borders but neglects, or rejects, dominant concepts held by peoples in the region about themselves and each other, as well as scholarship that posits alternative conceptualizations of putative Ottoman proto‐multiculturalism.
EuropeanWorksCouncils and the Crisis: Change and Resistance in Cross‐Border Employee Representation atHonda andToyota
Authors: Hertwig Markus
Published: May 2013

The article analyses the effects of the financial and economic crisis on the structures and activities of theEuropeanWorksCouncils (EWCs) atHonda andToyota, which until 2007–8 were categorized as non‐efficient representation bodies. A theoretical concept is introduced to measure activation and to analyse the factors explaining change/stability. In the empirical part, theEWCs are analysed using data from expert interviews. BothEWCs have undergone different activation ‘paths’, which partly lead to a restructuring of the bodies and the implementation of new co‐ordination processes. Yet the basic logic was retained because of cultural and power related aspects.
Inhibiting the DNA damage response as a therapeutic manoeuvre in cancer
Authors: Curtin N J
Published: May 2013

The DNA damage response (DDR), consisting of an orchestrated network of proteins effecting repair and signalling to cell cycle arrest, to allow time to repair, is essential for cell viability and to prevent DNA damage being passed on to daughter cells. The DDR is dysregulated in cancer with some pathways up‐regulated and others down‐regulated or lost. Up‐regulated pathways can confer resistance to anti‐cancer DNA damaging agents. Therefore, inhibitors of key components of these pathways have the potential to prevent this therapeutic resistance. Conversely, defects in a particular DDR pathway may lead to dependence on a complementary pathway. Inhibition of this complementary pathway may result in tumour‐specific cell killing. Thus, inhibitors of the DDR have the potential to increase the efficacy of DNA damaging chemotherapy and radiotherapy and have single‐agent activity against tumours with a specific DDR defect. This review describes the compounds that have been designed to inhibit specific DDR targets and summarizes the pre‐clinical and clinical evaluation of these inhibitors of DNA damage signalling and repair.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Emerging Therapeutic Aspects in Oncology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2013.169.issue‐8
The Protective Role of Group Identity: Sectarian Antisocial Behavior and Adolescent Emotion Problems
Authors: Merrilees Christine E. , Taylor Laura K. , Goeke‐Morey Marcie C. , Shirlow Peter , Cummings E. Mark , Cairns Ed
Published: May 2013

The protective role of strength of group identity was examined for youth in a context of protracted political conflict. Participants included 814 adolescents (Mage = 13.61, SD = 1.99 at Time 1) participating in a longitudinal study in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling, the results show that the effect of exposure to sectarian antisocial behaviors has a stronger effect on youth emotion problems for older adolescents. The results also show that youth with higher strength of group identity reported fewer emotion problems in the face of sectarian antisocial behavior but that this buffering effect is stronger for Protestants compared to Catholics. Implications are discussed for understanding the role of social identity in postaccord societies.
Could a patient with SMC1A duplication be classified as a human cohesinopathy?
Authors: Baquero‐Montoya C. , Gil‐Rodríguez M.C. , Teresa‐Rodrigo M.E. , Hernández‐Marcos M. , Bueno‐Lozano G. , Bueno‐Martínez I. , Remeseiro S. , Fernández‐Hernández R. , Bassecourt‐Serra M. , Rodríguez de Alba M. , Queralt E. , Losada A. , Puisac B. , Ramos F.J. , Pié J.
Published: May 2013

The disorders caused by mutations in genes encoding subunits and accessory proteins of cohesin complex are collectively termed as cohesinopathies. The best known cohesinopathy is Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS), which is a multisystem developmental disorder characterized by facial dysmorphism, limb malformations, growth and cognitive impairment. Mutations in five genes, encoding subunits of the cohesin complex (SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21) and its regulators (NIPBL, HDAC8), are responsible for ∼70% of CdLS cases. We describe a 16‐year‐old boy with facial dysmorphism, growth retardation, intellectual disability, hirsutism and small hands, who has a small Supernumerary Marker Chromosome (sSMC) present in mosaic form. sSMC is composed of two duplicated segments encompassing 17 genes including SMC1A gene, at the regions Xp11.22 and Xp11.21q11.1. Clinical comparison between our patient with a previously reported individual with a SMC1A duplication and four male carriers of similar sSMC reported in databases, suggest that they all share clinical features related to cohesinopathies. Although our patient does not have the classical CdLS craniofacial phenotype, he has pre and postnatal growth retardation, intellectual disability and mild musculoskeletal anomalies, features commonly seen in patients with cohesinopathies.
Complicated postoperative recovery increases omission, delay and discontinuation of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with Stage III colon cancer
Authors: van der Geest L. G. M. , Portielje J. E. A. , Wouters M. W. J. M. , Weijl N. I. , Tanis B. C. , Tollenaar R. A. E. M. , Struikmans H. , Nortier J. W. R. ,   all nine hospitals in the Leiden region of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre The Netherlands (CCCNL)
Published: May 2013

Aim

The study included investigation of factors determining suboptimal adjuvant chemotherapy of patients diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer.

Method

All 606 patients diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer between 2006 and 2008 in the western part of the Netherlands were included. Patient [gender, age, comorbidity and socio‐economic status (SES)], tumour (location, stage and grade) and treatment (emergency surgery, laparoscopic surgery, reoperation, hospital stay and multidisciplinary meeting) factors were examined in logistic regression analyses predicting a complicated postoperative period and omission, delay and discontinuation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results

Overall, 27% of all patients experienced a complicated postoperative period, which was independently associated with emergency surgery, older age, multiple comorbidity, male gender and poor tumour grade. Of patients who survived this period, 60% received chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was omitted more often in women, the elderly and in patients with Stage IIIB, reoperation, prolonged hospital stay and (borderline) after open surgery. Of patients who received chemotherapy, 86% started within 8 weeks after surgery. Patients with a higher SES, reoperation and prolonged hospital stay had a higher probability of a delayed start. Sixty‐seven per cent of patients completed their chemotherapy. For women, elderly patients and patients with prolonged hospital stay a higher probability of discontinuation was noted.

Conclusion

Age was the most important predictive factor for receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. However, at all ages, complicated postoperative recovery negatively influenced the administration of chemotherapy to Stage III colon cancer patients, as well as a timely start and completion of chemotherapy.
Association of circulating regulatory T cell number with the incidence and prognosis of diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma
Authors: Głowala‐Kosińska Magdalena , Chwieduk Agata , Nieckula Jarosław , Saduś‐Wojciechowska Maria , Grosicki Sebastian , Rusin Aleksandra , Nowara Elżbieta , Giebel Sebastian
Published: May 2013

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for maintaining immune tolerance. High Treg frequencies have been reported in peripheral blood and tissue samples of patients with solid tumors while their role in lymphomas, including diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has not been clearly established. In this study, we analyzed the circulating Treg numbers in 27 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL and 17 healthy individuals. Tregs were detected by flow cytometry based on CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ phenotype. In addition, the expression of CD45RA, HLA‐DR, CD62L, CD39, and CTLA4 was analyzed. The number of circulating Treg cells was lower in patients with DLBCL than in healthy controls: median 23 (range, 4–107)/μL vs. 41 (19–104)/μL (P = 0.04). In particular, the number of Tregs expressing CD45RA (naïve Tregs), HLA‐DR (marker of activation), and CD62L (L‐selectin) was decreased in the DLBCL group. Lower (below median) number of circulating Tregs was associated with reduced chance of achieving complete remission (29% vs. 69%, P = 0.05) and reduced probability of even‐free survival (24% vs. 84% at 1 yr, P = 0.0004), independently on the International Prognostic Index. We conclude that low number of circulating Tregs may be associated with poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL. However, our observations require confirmation in larger patient population.