bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trust development in e‐services: a cohort analysis of Millennials and Baby Boomers
Authors: Obal Michael , Kunz Werner
Published: February 2013

Purpose

Building trust is crucial for e‐service providers looking to develop long‐term customer relationships. But consumers from dissimilar demographic groups behave differently. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the question, how do consumers from different generational cohorts develop trust in a website?

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental study focuses on the navigation, vendor advice, privacy, and feedback mechanisms of an e‐tailer website. The between‐subjects design tests the effects of these four drivers on the online trust of 197 Millennials and 201 Baby Boomers.

Findings

The presence of feedback mechanisms, navigation, and vendor advice are stronger determinants of online trust for Millennials than for Baby Boomers; privacy is a stronger determinant for Baby Boomers.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on four crucial variables of the website interface; further research should include other variables. Extensions to other e‐service settings, beyond online retailers, would be interesting. Finally, this study includes only Millennials and Baby Boomers rather than members of other generations.

Practical implications

The results provide insights into how different generational cohorts dissimilarly develop online trust and highlight the need for managers to consider the online behaviors of cohorts when developing websites. Managers should emphasize the privacy elements for Baby Boomers but highlight navigation, vendor advice, and feedback mechanisms for Millennials.

Originality/value

This study is the first to research generational differences in the development of trust online.
The rise of the restaurant and the fate of hospitality
Authors: Symons Michael
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the early history of restaurants, as invented in Paris around 1766, deciding whether a market orientation ruled out genuine hospitality.

Design/methodology/approach

Contemporary accounts, such as Brillat‐Savarin's section “On Restaurateurs” in The Physiology of Taste in 1825, are considered against a definition of hospitality as a household's provision of care for non‐members.

Findings

The restaurateurs' innovation was selling individualized meals within the emerging consumer market. While Brillat‐Savarin recognized the commercial cynicism of even such brilliant exponents as Antoine Beauvilliers, their enterprises were hospitable to the extent that, emerging from domestic households, they were directed principally at meal‐making rather than money‐making. Highly “McDonaldized” corporations, whose primary purpose is profit, are a largely twentieth‐century development.

Research limitations/implications

Defining hospitality as the provision of care by households to outsiders is a common sense approach that, nonetheless, provides an alternative to the usual characterizations of hospitality, based on ethics, personality, performance or industry.

Social implications

Owner‐operated businesses are more likely to provide hospitality, certainly as traditionally understood, than corporations.

Originality/value

Since eighteenth‐century France, restaurants have only become more important, and the use of the household definition contributes to their better understanding, both historically and conceptually. The definition should have wide applicability.
Tourism development in the Hot Lakes District, New Zealand c. 1900
Authors: Bremner Hamish
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide a historical overview of tourism development in the Hot Lakes District, New Zealandc.1900.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper comprises primary archival research utilising a number of sources including government records, early newspapers, archived personal recollections, guide‐books and Native Land Court records. Secondary sources include the existing written histories of the region as well as contextual literature regarding tourism, colonisation and indigenous agency.

Findings

In a remote, isolated region of the central North Island of New Zealand, missionaries and local Māori started to provide accommodation for visitors during the 1850s. These visitors were staying overnight so they could view the Pink and White Terraces. The European ideology regarding the aesthetics of landscape helped transform the region into a “wonderland” for British sensibilities, and alongside this aesthetic ideology came a commercial/economic ethic that also transformed the region. This commercial ethic was adopted with acumen by local Māori who provided the required services as well as constructing European‐style hotels at Te Wairoa in the 1870s.

Originality/value

The paper provides a historical context for the development of tourism in the region through an exploration of the provision of service‐based products by local Māori. Examining the indigenous response to the demands of tourism has been sparsely examined in New Zealand history or in tourism/hospitality literature.
The impact of internal attributes of corporate governance on firm performance
Authors: Ahmed Sheikh Nadeem , Wang Zongjun , Khan Shoaib
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether internal attributes of corporate governance such as board size, outside directors, CEO duality, managerial ownership, and ownership concentration affect the performance of Pakistani firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Panel econometric technique namely pooled ordinary least squares is used to estimate the relationship between internal governance mechanisms and performance measures (i.e., return on assets, return on equity, earnings per share, and market‐to‐book ratio) using the data of non‐financial firms listed on the Karachi stock exchange Pakistan during 2004‐2008.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that board size is positively, whereas outside directors and managerial ownership are negatively related to the return on assets, earnings per share, and market‐to‐book ratio. Ownership concentration is positively related to all measures of performance used in this study. CEO duality is positively related to earnings per share only. As far as control variables are concerned, leverage is negatively related to the return on assets, return on equity, and earnings per share. Alternatively, firm size is positively related to all measures of performance. In sum, empirical results indicate that internal governance mechanisms have material effects on firm performance.

Practical implications

Empirical results provide support to managers to understand how internal governance mechanisms affect the firm performance. Moreover, results provide support to regulatory authorities for enacting laws to make internal governance mechanisms work more effectively in the country.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the effects of internal governance mechanisms on firm performance using the data of Pakistani firms. Moreover, empirical findings somehow proceed to confirm that theories of corporate governance surely provide some support to explain the relationship between internal governance mechanisms and firm performance.
Telecommunications reform and the internal market in Europe
Authors: Lemstra Wolter , van Gorp Nicolai
Published: February 2013

Purpose

This paper seeks to make an assessment of the progress towards a fully fledged internal market for e‐communications in the European Union. The assessment is placed in the context of a quarter century of telecommunications reform in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

A combination of qualitative and quantitative assessments is applied with a focus on fixed and mobile communications. The qualitative assessment includes interviews and a questionnaire. The quantitative assessment is based on econometric analysis of panel data.

Findings

Removing the remaining barriers in the internal market may in the long run provide benefits of €27‐55bn or the equivalent of 0.2‐0.4 percent of GDP at the European level. Major barriers identified are related to the degree of openness of national markets and the ability of telecom firms to exploit EU‐level economies of scale.

Research limitations/implications

In the econometric benefit analysis no secondary effects are included. Further research is recommended to assess the effects, costs and benefits of enforcing a higher degree of harmonisation.

Practical implications

The paper provides insights and recommendations that are valuable for policy makers.

Originality/value

The paper places the research executed in support of a study for the European Commission in the historical context of the telecommunications reform.
Liberating Europe's radio spectrum through shared access
Authors: Blackman Colin , Forge Simon , Horvitz Robert
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The European telecommunications landscape has been transformed over the past 25 years, but spectrum management has remained largely unchanged. The paper seeks to highlight the need for a more flexible approach to spectrum management and, in particular, the role of shared spectrum access.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on a research study to examine the value of shared spectrum access, based on a review of the literature, a survey of European national regulatory authorities, and scenario analysis.

Findings

The paper highlights trends in wireless data growth and, in particular, the impact of 4G cellular mobile technology over the next five years. With pressure also growing on the licence‐exempt bands at 2.4 and 5 GHz, a more flexible approach to spectrum management will be required in future, including light licensing, de‐licensing and spectrum sharing.

Originality/value

The paper brings together a range of evidence to show how the current approach to spectrum management is no longer able to cope with the social and economic demands for the radio spectrum. It should be of value to policy makers, industry analysts and academics.
Talent management in Russia: not so much war for talent as wariness of talent
Authors: Holden Nigel , Vaiman Vlad
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to supply insights into talent management (TM) in Russia in the light of Soviet experience and the contemporary officially sanctioned business‐antagonistic political culture.

Design/methodology/approach

A diachronic approach, whereby a key dictum of Karl Marx which underlays Soviet thinking and methods is contextualized and applied to post‐communist Russia, and TM practice in Russian firms and foreign firms in Russia is contrasted.

Findings

A key finding is that there is seemingly greater value placed on Russian employees' talents by foreign companies. Six influential factors are identified which give Russian‐style TM a dysfunctional character: Russia's default position (i.e. instinctive gravitation to authoritarian rule), mistrust of institutions, entrenched “bossdom”, persistence of “Soviet mental software”, negative selection, and limited tradition of empowerment.

Research limitations/implications

The paper highlights needs for: comparative empirical studies, contrasting Russian firms' and foreign firms' understanding and application of TM; investigation into the relationship of Russian‐style TM and career progression in Russian companies; and studies into contrasting ways of transferring TM concepts and practices by Western firms.

Practical implications

Foreign firms must be prepared to engage with Russia's prevailing officially sanctioned business‐antagonistic, occasionally xenophobic political culture.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates how engagement with contemporary Russia for management research purposes requires a deep appreciation of the Soviet period and the complexities of its legacy and judicious use of Russian‐language material adds credibility.
House price indexes and cyclical behavior
Authors: Bianconi Marcelo , Yoshino Joe A.
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use data on new apartment offerings in the municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil to illustrate its main claim that the hedonic direct method using time dummies as well as the simple average method include cyclical behavior of observables and non‐observables in a house price index that may overestimate or underestimate the actual change in house prices, well beyond the composition effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes the use of alternative characteristics hedonic functions to compute alternative Laspeyres house price indexes that differentiate the sources of observable shocks in the index. The decomposition allows for the inclusion of level and cyclical behavior of sets of aggregate variables into the index.

Findings

The appropriate house price index should filter out real shocks that potentially affect the real estate sector. An index should capture nominal variation and incorporating real variation biases the measurement. Thus, the index is intended and able to buffer the bias spillover into the rest of economy. In the limited sample from the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the main finding is that real shocks and US foreign shocks give an upward bias in the house price index, while nominal shocks give mostly a downward bias. Real shocks make the index incorporate gains that should not be incorporated into the index, thus providing a noisy picture of the nominal variation in house prices.

Originality/value

The key contribution of this paper is to provide a framework for the construction of a house price index that filters out real shocks that potentially affect the real estate sector. An index should capture nominal variation and incorporating real variation biases the measurement. Those biases can spillover to the rest of the economy is a detrimental way. Thus, the index is intended and able to buffer the bias spillover into the rest of economy.
Household attributes and the future demand for retirement housing
Authors: Ball Michael , Nanda Anupam
Published: February 2013

Purpose

Ageing populations provoke the question of how much bespoke housing should be provided for the elderly. Older people are generally reluctant to move but as they age health circumstances may encourage moves into specialised accommodation. This paper aims to report on an exercise in estimating the future demand for specialised independent living housing and the extent to which that demand will be for owner occupied accommodation or renting, using data for England.

Design/methodology/approach

The most important predictor of demand for specialised housing is the extent of the requirement for at least some degree of long‐term care due to loss of mobility. Therefore, the forecast is formulated around a behaviour‐based model centred on demographic, personal physical mobility and housing tenure factors.

Findings

The forecasts indicate a substantial increase in demand, growing at a faster rate than the population as a whole. If supply does not rise to meet these demands, serious problems arise in the quality of life of, and cost of caring for, older people with implications for health care and social services. Moreover, some of the greatest growth is going to be amongst those aged 75 to 84 and amongst the very old 85+ group.

Research limitations/implications

The forecast is based on ELSA estimates. Data on activity and ageing are available from the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing's (ELSA) Wave 4 2008 data set.

Practical implications

The implication is that in the future far more provision of housing for the elderly will have to take place in the private sector. However, the market provision of specialised retirement housing is likely to be very inadequate for predicted needs. A significant cause of this is a chronic planning‐induced land shortage which keeps the price of retirement accommodation high.

Social implications

The continuing shortage of specialised housing will mean that hundreds of thousands of the elderly will continue to live in their existing accommodation when bespoke property would better suit their needs. This will further exacerbate general housing shortages, especially as the empty nester elderly do often own substantial family homes. It will also put pressures on care home sector because, in the absence of an appropriate intermediate stage, more will be pushed into care.

Originality/value

It could be argued that the assumptions made in this forecasting exercise contain a number of essentially arbitrary statements. But that is to miss the point of this exercise, which is to suggest that a large potential demand exists on plausible estimates of who might benefit from living in specialised retirement housing.
My place is not your place – different place brand knowledge by different target groups
Authors: Zenker Sebastian , Beckmann Suzanne C.
Published: February 2013

Purpose

Cities increasingly compete with each other for attracting tourists, investors, companies, or residents. Marketers therefore focus on establishing the city as a brand, disregarding that the perception and knowledge of a city differ dramatically between the target audiences. Hence, place branding should emphasize much more the perceptions of the different target groups and develop strategies for advanced place brand management. The aim of this paper is to assess the important discrepancies between the city brand perceptions of different target groups with the help of network analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

In two empirical studies, the important discrepancies between the city brand perceptions of different target groups are assessed with the help of network analysis. Study 1 consists of 40 qualitative in‐depth‐interviews and study 2 uses an online qualitative open‐ended‐question survey with 334 participants.

Findings

Structural differences for the city brand perceptions of two different target groups and the differences between perceptions of an external and internal target group are highlighted. The results and the managerial implications for place marketers are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

The study investigates the brand associations for the city of Hamburg brand with two target groups and this limits the generalizability of the results. However, the focus was on measuring for the first time the difference in the place brand perception of different target group and the results helps to understand how an advanced place brand management could deal with this challenge.

Originality/value

Place branding is increasingly popular in urban management. This paper highlights the challenge of diverse target audiences in this process and discusses implication for an advanced place brand management.
The tools for city centre revitalization in Portugal
Authors: Porfírio Guimarães Pedro
Published: February 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to critically review some interventions made in Portugal through Commercial Urbanism Programmes. These public interventions, with the objective of revitalizing city centres and modernizing the retail sector, culminated with the development of town centre management schemes. The paper also intends to analyze how these interventions have been evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper contains a brief literature review which clarifies why city centres went into decline and why we should apply positively discriminatory policies in order to revitalize them. Second, the paper describes the main aspects of the public programmes and town centre management in the Portuguese context. After, the paper identifies the main aspects that concern the evaluation of impacts. The paper approaches the difficulties, gaps and importance of evaluation. In the last point the paper draws some final considerations.

Findings

This research identifies the main measures implemented in Portugal in order to overcome the decline felt in city centres. Also it recognizes some gaps in the interventions, mainly regarding the lack of concern for local specifications. It also recognizes the difficulty in establishing a proper evaluation and identifies different ways of collecting data, usable for an evaluation.

Originality/value

This paper helps clarify the process of public intervention in city centres in Portugal. Beside that it sheds some light about the importance of evaluation and how data can be collected.
Gender diversity in the boards of directors of Brazilian businesses
Authors: Lazzaretti Kellen , Kleinübing Godoi Christiane , Parodi Oliveira Camilo Silvio , Marcon Rosilene
Published: February 2013

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the gender composition of the 99 most liquid Brazilian companies listed in the Brazilian stock exchange (BM&FBovespa) in 2011. It proposes a discussion about gender inequality in Brazilian companies and provides data, made available for the first time to national and international literature, on gender composition in Brazilian boards.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a quantitative study, whose data were collected from the Annual Report of Corporate Governance of Listed Companies 2011 prepared by the Capital Aberto magazine on the makeup of the boards of the 100 most liquid Brazilian publicly traded companies. Descriptive multivariate regression tests were carried out to refine these findings.

Findings

The results show that only 5.4 per cent of the positions in the boards of these companies are occupied by women. Firms that have been listed for longer in the stock market and have more seats in their boards are more likely to have women directors in these boards, suggesting gender inequality in the 99 companies surveyed.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a limitation with regards to the type of female board members in the sample. In other words, the authors were unable to determine if they were external or internal to the companies.

Practical implications

The study discusses gender inequality in Brazilian companies and contributes to the debate on a governmental proposal to adopt quota legislation to increase the number of women in boards of directors.

Originality/value

This study fulfils an identified need to know more about the gender composition of Brazilian boards.
Sub‐clinical trauma in the treatment of partner violent offenders with substance dependence
Authors: Crane Cory A. , Oberleitner Lindsay M.S. , Easton Caroline J.
Published: February 2013

Purpose

With an established association between post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), evaluating the effectiveness of emerging integrated treatments for dual substance use and partner violent behavior in individuals with a significant trauma history may serve to improve treatment outcomes for clients with axis I psychopathology. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between sub‐clinical trauma, treatment compliance, and recidivism in a sample of male, substance dependent IPV offenders.

Design/methodology/approach

The described investigation utilized violence perpetration, substance use, and trauma data collected during a larger, randomized control treatment evaluation study. Data were collected from 56 participants at four time points throughout treatment.

Findings

Participants with a significant trauma history comprised 33.9 percent of the sample and demonstrated poorer treatment attendance, as well as heightened partner violence recidivism throughout treatment, as compared to participants who denied experiencing a significant trauma. This finding held across participants receiving substance treatment only and combined treatment addressing substance use and violence.

Practical implications

IPV perpetrators often have a trauma history themselves. The association between sub‐clinical trauma symptomatology and poor treatment outcomes calls for the adaptation of current partner violence intervention models to accommodate the large subset of clients who suffer from either sub‐clinical or clinically significant trauma.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to address the potential influence of sub‐clinical trauma on the integrated treatment of substance use and partner violence within a forensic sample. Suggestions are offered to adapt existing treatment models to accommodate dual diagnosed clients.
Does simulation enhance undergraduate psychiatric nursing education? A formative assessment
Authors: Maruca Annette T. , Diaz Desiree A.
Published: February 2013

Purpose

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is a serious condition that can result in death if it is not recognized and treated appropriately. A high fidelity simulation scenario on AWS was created for psychiatric nurses in an educational setting that focused on the recognition of alcohol withdrawal, implementation of the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA) and initiation of appropriate treatment and management of AWS.

Design/methodology/approach

A formative assessment teaching strategy was used to evaluate the development and implementation of a high fidelity simulation (HFS) on alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The HFS was part of a baccalaureate undergraduate psychiatric nursing education designed to reinforce classroom theory and clinical application. Results were measured using a self‐report survey completed by students that focused on the details of content and performance.

Findings

Feedback from the 38 nursing students who evaluated the HFS was overall positive. Survey results showed that the HFS scenario reinforced the classroom theory on addiction and mental disorders while translating and supporting student's learning to clinical practice. The HFS provided opportunity for students to practice skills when they had not had this experience during the clinical rotation. Only four students felt uncomfortable with decision making and initiating the CIWA scale after the HFS.

Originality/value

There is a gap in the development and use of standardized simulations for mental health and substance abuse scenarios as a teaching strategy in nursing programs. The results of this study supported using HFS as an educational strategy and set the stage for future complex simulations such as dual diagnosis and clients with comorbidities.
Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of vitiligo in Japan
Authors: Oiso Naoki , Suzuki Tamio , Wataya‐kaneda Mari , Tanemura Atsushi , Tanioka Miki , Fujimoto Tomoko , Fukai Kazuyoshi , Kawakami Tamihiro , Tsukamoto Katsuhiko , Yamaguchi Yuji , Sano Shigetoshi , Mitsuhashi Yoshihiko , Nishigori Chikako , Morita Akimichi , Nakagawa Hidemi , Mizoguchi Masako , Katayama Ichiro
Published: February 2013

Vitiligo is an acquired pigment disorder in which depigmented macules result from the loss of melanocytes from the involved regions of skin and hair. The color dissimilarity on the cosmetically sensitive regions frequently induces quality of life impairment and high willingness to pay for treatment in patients with vitiligo. The Vitiligo Japanese Task Force was organized to overcome this situation and to cooperate with the Vitiligo Global Issues Consensus Conference. This guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of vitiligo in Japan is proposed to improve the circumstances of Japanese individuals with vitiligo. Its contents include information regarding the diagnosis, pathogenesis, evaluation of disease severity and effectiveness of treatment, and evidence‐based recommendations for the treatment of vitiligo. The therapeutic algorithm based on the proposed recommendation is designed to cure and improve the affected lesions and quality of life of individuals with vitiligo.
Contrasting leaf trait scaling relationships in tropical and temperate wet forest species
Authors: Xiang Shuang , Reich Peter B. , Sun Shucun , Atkin Owen K.
Published: February 2013

We investigated whether plants adapted to thermally contrasting environments (e.g. tropical‐temperate habitats) exhibit inherent differences in leaf trait scaling relationships.

Thirteen tropical and 12 temperate species (all characteristic of wet forests) were grown in a glasshouse (25/20 °C day/night). A range of leaf traits were quantified, including mass‐based leaf nitrogen [N], mass per unit area (LMA), light‐saturated photosynthesis (A) and respiration (Rdark).

Average area‐ and mass‐based rates of net CO2 exchange were higher in the temperate species, compared to their tropical counterparts. Average leaf [N] and LMA values were also higher in temperate species than in their tropical counterparts.

The higher LMA in the metabolically more active temperate species was the most striking contrast to the patterns and predictions of the GLOPNET leaf trait data base, and was associated with different elevations (i.e. y‐axis intercepts) but not slopes of bivariate trait scaling relationships. As expected, mass‐based rates of A and Rdark scaled positively with increasing [N] and negatively with increasing LMA in both tropical and temperate species. No differences were found between temperate and tropical species groups in terms of log‐log scaling relationships linking A and Rdark to N. However, at any given LMA, mass‐based values of [N], A and Rdark were all higher in the temperate species than in their tropical counterparts.

Underpinning higher A in temperate species was a higher capacity for carboxylation (Vcmax) and RuBP regeneration (Jmax), with Jmax:Vcmax being greater in temperate species.

In conclusion, our results suggest that as a consequence of greater overall N investment as well as greater proportional N investment in metabolic capacity, cool‐adapted temperate wet forest species exhibit higher photosynthetic and respiration rates than their warm‐adapted tropical counterparts when compared in a common environment.
Non‐linear prestack seismic inversion with global optimization using an edge‐preserving smoothing filter
Authors: Zhe Yan , Hanming Gu
Published: February 2013

Estimating elastic parameters from prestack seismic data remains a subject of interest for the exploration and development of hydrocarbon reservoirs. In geophysical inverse problems, data and models are in general non‐linearly related. Linearized inversion methods often have the disadvantage of strong dependence on the initial model. When the initial model is far from the global minimum, inversion iteration is likely to converge to the local minimum. This problem can be avoided by using global optimization methods.

In this paper, we implemented and tested a prestack seismic inversion scheme based on a quantum‐behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm aided by an edge‐preserving smoothing (EPS) operator. We applied the algorithm to estimate elastic parameters from prestack seismic data. Its performance on both synthetic data and real seismic data indicates that QPSO optimization with the EPS operator yields an accurate solution.
Imaging by forward propagating the data: theory and application
Authors: Zuberi Akbar , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: February 2013

The forward (modelled) wavefield for conventional reverse time migration (RTM) is computed by extrapolating the wavefield from an estimated source wavelet. In the typical case of a smooth subsurface velocity, this wavefield lacks the components, including surface reflections, necessary to image multiples in the observed data. We, instead, introduce the concept of forward propagating the recorded data, including direct arrivals, as part of RTM. We analyse the influence of the main components of the data on the imaging process, which include direct arrivals, primaries and surface‐related multiples. In our RTM methodology, this implies correlating the forward extrapolated recorded data wavefield with its reversely extrapolated version prior to applying the zero‐lag cross‐correlation imaging condition. The interaction of the data components with each other in the cross‐correlation process will image primaries and multiples, as well as introduce cross‐talk artefact terms. However, some of these artefacts are present in conventional RTM implementation and they tend to be relatively weak. In fact, for the surface seismic experiment, forward propagating the direct arrivals is almost equivalent to forward propagating a source and it tends to contribute the majority of the data imaging energy. In addition, primaries and multiples recorded in the data become multiples of one higher order. Forward propagating the recorded data to recreate the source will relieve us from the requirement of estimating the source function. It will also include near‐surface information necessary to improve the image in areas with near‐surface complexity. Data from a simple synthetic layered model, as well as the Marmousi model, are used to demonstrate some of these features.
Does cooperation increase helpers' later success as breeders? A test of the skills hypothesis in the cooperatively displaying lance‐tailed manakin
Authors: DuVal Emily H.
Published: February 2013

Experience improves individual performance in many tasks. Pre‐breeding cooperation may provide important experience that improves later success as a breeder, offering one compelling explanation for why some individuals delay reproduction to help others breed (the ‘skills hypothesis’). However, confounding effects of age, quality and alternative selective benefits have complicated rigorous tests of this hypothesis.

Male lance‐tailed manakins perform cooperative courtship displays involving partnerships between unrelated alpha and beta males, and alphas monopolize resulting copulations. Beta males therefore do not receive immediate direct or indirect fitness benefits, but may gain skills during cooperation that increase their later success as an alpha. To date, however, the effect of cooperative experience on later success as a breeder has never been tested in any cooperatively displaying taxon.

The effects of prior cooperative experience on reproductive success of alpha lance‐tailed manakins were analysed in a mixed model framework using 12 years of information on cooperative experience and annual and lifetime genetic reproductive success for 57 alpha males. Models included previously identified effects of age and alpha tenure. Individual‐level random effects controlled for quality differences to test for an independent influence of beta experience on success.

Males accumulated up to 5 years of beta experience before becoming alphas, but 42·1% of alphas had no prior beta experience. Betas became alphas later in life, and experienced significantly lower reproductive success in their final year as alpha than males that were never beta, but did not have higher lifetime success or longer alpha tenures. Differences in patterns of annual siring success were best explained by age‐dependent patterns of reproductive improvement and senescence among alphas, not beta experience.

Cooperative experience does not increase relative breeding success for male lance‐tailed manakins. Importantly, beta cooperation seems to be an alternative reproductive tactic that yields fitness payoffs equivalent to a non‐cooperative route to alpha status, if population growth rate is stable.
Today's learning objective is to have a party: playing research with students in a secondary school special needs unit
Authors: Greenstein Anat
Published: February 2013

The use of creative methods has been advocated within disability and childhood research as a means of including voices of inarticulate participants in research, as it can support and supplement the use of conventional language. This paper draws on a research project aimed at designing ‘the best school in the world’ with five students in a special needs unit of a secondary school in a socially deprived community in England, to suggest the use of playful creative methods in generating and representing data in inclusive education research. Play, as an activity occurring in an actual social reality yet not completely governed by its rules, offers an interesting starting point for researchers interested not only in describing the existing world but also in imagining viable alternatives to it. This paper discusses how using a playful methodology had an impact on power relations and provided an accessible context to foster participants' engagement in reflexive discussions about social norms and values. Creative and playful methodology was also useful in transgressing the primacy of language in educational research, thus opening spaces for other aspects of experience to be included in the analysis.

A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/Lt9l1eab6rQ.
Ideology matters: Why decentralisation has a differentiated effect on regionalist parties' fortunes in Western democracies
Authors: Massetti Emanuele , Schakel Arjan H.
Published: February 2013

This article addresses the effects of decentralisation reforms on regionalist parties' electoral strength. It takes up the debate between ‘accommodatists’ (i.e., electoral loss due to policy accommodation) and ‘institutionalists’ (i.e., electoral gain due to institutional empowerment). These effects depend on the electoral venue considered – regional or national – and on the ideological radicalism of a given regionalist party – secessionist or autonomist. This study finds that increases in the level of decentralisation are positively associated with higher scores for autonomist parties in regional elections, while they are not statistically significantly correlated with secessionist parties' electoral performances. In contrast, in national elections, decentralisation reforms seem to penalise autonomist parties more than secessionist ones. These findings are based on the analysis of a novel dataset which includes regional and national vote shares for 77 regionalist parties in 11 Western democracies from 1950 until 2010.
Age‐related changes in maxillary and mandibular cortical bone thickness in relation to temporary anchorage device placement
Authors: Sathapana S , Forrest A , Monsour P , Naser‐ud‐Din S
Published: February 2013

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between alveolar bone cortical thickness (ABCT) and age in the maxillae and mandible in humans. This information could then be translated into clinical application with temporary anchorage devices (TADs) in orthdontics.

Methods

Samples comprised 82 post‐mortem CT datasets (41 males and 41 females) aged between 11 to 50 years, and were divided into five different age groups and gender. Alveolar ABCT was measured in the labial/buccal and palatal/lingual sides of the incisor, canine, premolar, molar and tuberosity/retromolar regions of the maxillae and mandible. Correlations between ABCT and age and gender were analysed with linear regression analysis.

Results

Strong correlation between ABCT and age was found for the maxilla on the labial side of the maxillary incisor region (p < 0.001). On the palatal aspect, significant correlations between ABCT and age were found in the maxillary incisor and maxillary premolar regions (p = 0.01 and p = 0.047 respectively). Significant correlation between ABCT and gender was found only at the buccal aspect of the maxillary molar region (p = 0.022). In the mandible, a statistically significant correlation between ABCT and age was found in the cortical bone of the labial side of the mandibular incisor region (p = 0.017). However, statistically significant negative correlation between ABCT and age was found in the mandibular canine region (p = 0.033). The only site to demonstrate a significant difference in change in ABCT with age between males and females was the lingual side of the retromolar region, in which female ABCT increased more than in males (slope = 0.015).

Conclusions

There is minimal clinically significant correlation between ABCT and age at the alveolar bone level. Although investigations show statistically significant correlations, these may not be clinically significant as those regions are not ideal for anchorage reinforcement with TADs in orthodontic practice.
Why Do Some Firms Go Debt Free?
Authors: Byoun Soku , Xu Zhaoxia
Published: February 2013

This paper examines debt‐free firms. We find that favorable equity market valuation and borrowing constraints contribute to these firms' extreme debt conservatism. Small debt‐free firms with little access to credit markets are seen to raise equity while paying high dividends. Large debt‐free firms, generating more cash flows relative to their investment needs, often pay off their debt while paying high dividends. The results suggest that high dividends for small debt‐free firms help them establish good reputations in equity markets, while high dividends for large debt‐free firms reduce the agency costs of free cash flow.
Phase II clinical trial of phlebotomy for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Beaton M. D. , Chakrabarti S. , Levstik M. , Speechley M. , Marotta P. , Adams P.
Published: February 2013

Background

Elevated iron indices are described in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and iron reduction has been suggested as a potential therapy.

Aim

To determine whether phlebotomy is an effective therapy for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Methods

Patients with biopsy proven non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease underwent baseline evaluation to determine severity of metabolic and liver disease. A Phase II trial of phlebotomy was carried out to achieve near‐iron depletion (serum ferritin ≤50 μg/L or haemoglobin 100 g/L). Repeat liver biopsy, anthropometric and biochemical measurements were performed 6 months following the end of treatment. Primary outcome was improvement in liver histology, assessed using the non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score.

Results

Thirty‐one patients completed follow‐up. Iron reduction resulted in a significant improvement in the non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (−0.74 ± 1.83, P = 0.019). Reductions in individual histological features of lobular inflammation (−0.29 ± 1.07, P = 0.182), steatosis (−0.26 ± 0.82, P = 0.134), hepatocyte ballooning (−0.19 ± 0.70, P = 0.213) did not achieve significance nor did the score for fibrosis (−0.32 ± 0.94, P = 0.099).

Conclusions

This prospective Phase II study of phlebotomy with paired liver biopsies evaluating phlebotomy therapy in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease patients suggests that iron reduction may improve liver histology. However, the effect size of phlebotomy raises questions of whether treatment could have sufficient clinical significance to justify a definitive Phase III trial. This trial has been registered with the US National Institute of Health (clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier NCT 00641524).
Supra‐physiological efficacy at GPCRs: superstition or super agonists?
Authors: Langmead Christopher J , Christopoulos Arthur
Published: February 2013

The concept of ‘super agonism’ has been described since the discovery of peptide hormone analogues that yielded greater functional responses than the endogenous agonists, in the early 1980s. It has remained an area of debate as to whether such compounds can really display greater efficacy than an endogenous agonist. However, recent pharmacological data, combined with crystal structures of different GPCR conformations and improved analytical methods for quantifying drug action, are starting to shed light on this phenomenon and indicate that super agonists may be more than superstition.

Linked Article

This article is a commentary on Schrage et al., pp. 357–370 of this issue. To view this paper visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.12003
Effect of the TRPV1 antagonist SB‐705498 on the nasal parasympathetic reflex response in the ovalbumin sensitized guinea pig
Authors: Changani Kumar , Hotee Sarah , Campbell Simon , Pindoria Kashmira , Dinnewell Laura , Saklatvala Paula , Thompson Sally‐Anne , Coe Diane , Biggadike Keith , Vitulli Giovanni , Lines Marion , Busza Albert , Denyer Jane
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose

Nasal sensory nerves play an important role in symptoms associated with rhinitis triggered by environmental stimuli. Here, we propose that TRPV1 is pivotal in nasal sensory nerve activation and assess the potential of SB‐705498 as an intranasal therapy for rhinitis.

Experimental Approach

The inhibitory effect of SB‐705498 on capsaicin‐induced currents in guinea pig trigeminal ganglion cells innervating nasal mucosa was investigated using patch clamp electrophysiology. A guinea pig model of rhinitis was developed using intranasal challenge of capsaicin and hypertonic saline to elicit nasal secretory parasympathetic reflex responses, quantified using MRI. The inhibitory effect of SB‐705498, duration of action and potency comparing oral versus intranasal route of administration were examined.

Key Results

SB‐705498 concentration‐dependently inhibited capsaicin‐induced currents in isolated trigeminal ganglion cells (pIC50 7.2). In vivo, capsaicin ipsilateral nasal challenge (0.03–1 mM) elicited concentration‐dependent increases in contralateral intranasal fluid secretion. Ten per cent hypertonic saline initiated a similar response. Atropine inhibited responses to either challenge.

SB‐705498 inhibited capsaicin‐induced responses by ∼50% at 10 mg·kg−1 (oral), non‐micronized 10 mg·mL−1 or 1 mg·mL−1 micronized SB‐705498 (intranasal) suspension.

Ten milligram per millilitre intranasal SB‐705498, dosed 24 h prior to capsaicin challenge produced a 52% reduction in secretory response. SB‐705498 (10 mg·mL−1, intranasal) inhibited 10% hypertonic saline responses by 70%.

Conclusions and Implications

The paper reports the development of a guinea pig model of rhinitis. SB‐705498 inhibits capsaicin‐induced trigeminal currents and capsaicin‐induced contralateral nasal secretions via oral and intranasal routes; efficacy was optimized using particle‐reduced SB‐705498. We propose that TRPV1 is pivotal in initiating symptoms of rhinitis.
Development and internal validation of an adrenal cortical carcinoma prognostic score for predicting the risk of metastasis and local recurrence
Authors: Freire Daniel Soares , Siqueira Sheila Aparecida Coelho , Zerbini Maria Cláudia Nogueira , Wajchenberg Bernardo Léo , Corrêa‐Giannella Maria Lúcia , Lucon Antônio Marmo , Pereira Maria Adelaide Albergaria
Published: February 2013

Objective

To develop and internally validate a prognostic score to predict the risk of metastases or recurrence in patients with adrenal cortical carcinomas (ACC).

Design

Clinical, laboratory and pathological data from 129 ACC patients, treated in a tertiary centre, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Using a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, we developed a prognostic score with five covariates: a functional pattern other than isolated hyperandrogenism, a tumour size >7·5 cm, a primary tumour classified as T3/T4, the presence of microscopic venous invasion and a mitotic index >5/50 high‐power fields. The prognostic score was calibrated according to the Hosmer‐Lemeshow goodness‐of‐fit test (P = 0·9329) and exhibited excellent overall performance (Brier score = 0·0738). Finally, the discriminatory ability of the model, determined by the area under the ROC curve (AROC), was near perfect (AROC, 0·9611; 95% CI, 0·92676–0·99552). The prediction model was internally validated with 200 bootstrap resamples and achieved excellent performance for estimating the risk of metastasis and recurrence in eight additional patients with apparently localized disease at diagnosis.

Conclusion

We developed and internally validated a prognostic score based on the clinicopathological data that are readily available to any attending physician. Our model can be used to accurately estimate the risk of unfavourable outcomes in ACC patients. This score could be beneficial for both patient counselling and the identification of patients in whom adjuvant mitotane is justified.