bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bank Mergers in Europe: The Public Policy Issues
Authors: Dermine Jean
Published: March 2003

A very large merger wave in the banking industry has taken place in Europe over the last 15 years. Public policy‐makers need to assess how bank mergers – be they domestic intra‐industry, across‐industry, or cross‐border – affect their mission of protecting investors and ensuring financial stability, an appropriate level of competition, and the competitiveness of national firms. Moreover, as the banking world is becoming increasingly international, there is a need to reassess the structure of bank regulation and supervision which has been assumed historically by each nation‐state.
‘Close‐to‐Balance or in Surplus’: A Policy‐Maker's Guide to the Implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact
Authors: Artis Michael J. , Buti Marco
Published: March 2003

Under the Stability and Growth Pact, countries are committed to achieve medium‐term budget positions of ‘close‐to‐balance or in surplus’. The rationale for this commitment is that such budgetary positions would allow for the full working of the built‐in stabilizers without triggering the sanctions procedures of the Pact. This article sets out to show how quantifications of the medium‐term (structural) requirement can accommodate the desired aim and suggests how fiscal measurement and forecasting errors as well as the budgetary effects of ageing may be allowed for. All in all, broadly balanced budgets in the medium term appear to be ‘roughly right’ for most euro‐zone countries. Of course, as the cyclical behaviour of the euro‐zone economy adapts to the new EMU environment, the medium‐term targets will need to be addressed again.
The European Union and the Securitization of Migration
Authors: Huysmans Jef
Published: March 2003

This article deals with the question of how migration has developed into a security issue in western Europe and how the European integration process is implicated in it. Since the 1980s, the political construction of migration increasingly referred to the destabilizing effects of migration on domestic integration and to the dangers for public order it implied. The spillover of the internal market into a European internal security question mirrors these domestic developments at the European level. The Third Pillar on Justice and Home Affairs, the Schengen Agreements, and the Dublin Convention most visibly indicate that the European integration process is implicated in the development of a restrictive migration policy and the social construction of migration into a security question. However, the political process of connecting migration to criminal and terrorist abuses of the internal market does not take place in isolation. It is related to a wider politicization in which immigrants and asylum‐seekers are portrayed as a challenge to the protection of national identity and welfare provisions. Moreover, supporting the political construction of migration as a security issue impinges on and is embedded in the politics of belonging in western Europe. It is an integral part of the wider technocratic and political process in which professional agencies – such as the police and customs – and political agents – such as social movements and political parties – debate and decide the criteria for legitimate membership of west European societies.
Diplomacy by Decree: The Legalization of EU Foreign Policy
Authors: Smith Michael E.
Published: March 2003

One of the unique features of European integration involves the creation of a constitutional order for the European Union (EU). This order clearly governs many aspects of EU Member State economic and social policies, yet its impact on European foreign policy is less well understood. Although most Member States resist the legalization of their foreign policy co‐operation, this policy domain has in fact become more legal, and in ways that have been neglected by most theorists of European integration and international law. To address these gaps in our understanding, this article explains (1) why legalization is an important aspect of European foreign policy; (2) how legalization has taken place; and (3) the impact of legalization on the evolution of EU foreign policy.
How New Enlarged Borders will Reshape the European Union
Authors: Zielonka Jan
Published: March 2003

Debate about the final destination of European integration is again in vogue and it is largely state‐centric. The future EU is usually seen as a new type of Westphalian (federal) state with a central government in charge of a given territory with clear‐cut borders. An overlap between its functional and geographic borders is also envisaged with few complicating opt‐outs, and no variable geometry. However, this article shows that achieving an overlap between the functional and geographic borders of the EU is very unlikely given the huge degree of divergence that will result from the forthcoming enlargement. The article also questions the EU's ability to acquire one of the most fundamental attributes of a Westphalian type of state: a fixed and relatively hard external border. It offers evidence suggesting that an enlarged EU would more closely resemble a neo‐medieval empire rather than a neo‐Westphalian state with serious practical and conceptual implications.
Reforming European Institutions of Governance
Authors: Olsen Johan P.
Published: March 2003

The European Union has combined a belief in institutional engineering with the experience that comprehensive reform is difficult to achieve. The long–term development has been in a consistent direction. Yet, the history of the Union is one of founding acts and deliberate institution–building, as well as informal and gradual institutional evolution where common practices have been codified into formal–legal institutions. Institutional arrangements are contingent and malleable, but not necessarily in a voluntaristic way. A simple model of institutional engineering, assuming predetermined political will, understanding and power, is not likely to capture processes of comprehensive reform in complex and dynamic political orders like the EU. This does not deny that there are several options for deliberate intervention in existing structures. EU reformers may both reduce the need for reform and make reform more feasible.
The Safety and Health of Emergency Workers
Authors: Kowalski Kathleen M. , Vaught Charles
Published: March 2003

Emergency personnel, like all workers, carry out their duties within an environment composed of a set of discrete elements. First, there is the emergency itself. Whether a forest fire in France, a tornado in the American Midwest, or a mining disaster in Russia, the emergency imposes certain exigencies upon the responders. Second, a social structure exists with specific social units, rules, and forms of association. An emergency response, therefore, takes place within a context of prescribed behaviors, expectations, and value judgments that are sometimes in conflict with each other. Third, there is a technology that must be understood in order to accomplish group goals. If the technology itself is implicated in the emergency, the entire emergency environment may be impacted. Clearly, a breakdown in any of these elements could result in worker injury and might heighten responder stress. This paper discusses how emergency workers not only get injured but may come to experience burn‐out, post‐traumatic stress syndrome, or impaired work and family relationships, even though their normal work setting (the emergency) is expected to be ‘abnormal’. The authors suggest areas in each of the three environmental elements that deserve further inquiry.
Twins as a natural experiment to study the causes of mild language delay: II: Family interaction risk factors
Authors: Thorpe Karen , Rutter Michael , Greenwood Rosemary
Published: March 2003

Background:Twins tend to lag behind singletons in their language development, but the causes were unknown.

Method:Ninety‐six twin pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), for whom birth was after at least 33 weeks of gestation, were compared with 98 pairs of singletons, no more than 30 months apart in age. Parental qualities and family interaction were assessed through standardised questionnaires and interviews and both structured and unstructured observations in the home at 20 months and 36 months. The possible causal role of postnatal family influences was assessed through five criteria: i) the feature had to differ between twins and singletons; ii) individual differences in that feature had to relate to individual differences in language level within the sample of singletons and of twins; iii) the feature as measured at 20 months had to predict language as assessed at 36 months; iv) that had to apply after controlling for language level at 20 months; and v) introduction of the predictive feature into an overall model had to obliterate the twin–singleton difference in language level.

Results:Patterns of parent–child interaction and communication met these five criteria. The maternal factors all concerned aspects of interaction that were broadly concerned with communication: encouraging the child to speak, providing elaborating comments, engaging in reading to the child and talking about the story and its illustrations. The HOME inventory findings provided similar findings with respect to responsiveness, involvement and level of experiences involved. Family features that might have been influential, but which were not, included parental depression, breastfeeding, family size, and style of sibling interaction.

Conclusions:Patterns of parent–child interaction and communication within the normal range have environmentally mediated effects on language and account for twin–singleton differences in language developmently. The results indicate the value of a natural experiment in testing competing causal hypotheses, and show the role of environmental factors as influences on language variations within the normal range, for both twins and singletons.
Sensory gating impairment associated with schizophrenia persists into REM sleep
Authors: Kisley Michael A. , Olincy Ann , Robbins Emily , Polk Sherrie D. , Adler Lawrence E. , Waldo Merilyne C. , Freedman Robert
Published: March 2003

Physiological measures of sensory gating are increasingly used to study biological factors associated with attentional dysfunction in psychiatric and neurologic patient populations. The present study was designed to assess sensory gating during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in patients with schizophrenia, a population bearing a genetic load for gating impairment. Auditory event–related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to paired clicks during separate waking and overnight sleep recording sessions in controls and schizophrenia patients. Suppression of ERP component P50 was significantly impaired in the patient group during both waking and REM sleep, whereas the difference between groups for N100 gating was dependent on state. These results suggest that REM sleep is an appropriate state during which to assess P50 gating in order to disentangle the effects of state and trait on sensory gating impairment in other clinical populations.
Visual awareness of low‐contrast stimuli is reflected in event‐related brain potentials
Authors: Ojanen Ville , Revonsuo Antti , Sams Mikko
Published: March 2003

Visual awareness was studied in 11 subjects by using coherent and scrambled objects as stimuli. The stimuli were presented near the subjective perceptual threshold. Explicitly recognized stimuli elicited a specific negative ERP deflection peaking at 460 ms. Our reaction time experiment suggests that this visual awareness negativity (VAN) is similar to that found previously at a shorter latency. We propose that VAN might reflect the exact moment of becoming aware of the task‐relevant stimulus properties and provide an online marker of the temporal dynamics of visual awareness.
Small Farm Production and the Standardization of Tropical Products
Authors: Daviron Benoit
Published: March 2003

This paper explores the historical relations between labour organization and product qualification in the production of tropical agricultural exports. In supplying international markets for tropical products, peasant farming emerged as the norm for labour organization after the First World War, competing with the large plantations and different systems of forced labour. During the same period, national standards became the dominant tool for product qualification of commodities traded on the global agricultural markets. These standards allow the creation of futures markets and the emergence of traders, instead of auction markets and commission merchants: two changes that were the basis of the subsequent international marketing of peasant‐produced commodities. The last part of the paper considers the potential consequences of the current erosion of standards for the position of peasants in tropical export crop cultivation.
Self-Objectification and Its Psychological Outcomes for College Women
Authors: Muehlenkamp Jennifer J. , Saris-Baglama Renee N.
Published: March 2003

The objectification of women by our society can become internalized by women, resulting in negative psychological outcomes. Using Fredrickson and Roberts' (1997) objectification theory, we tested a model of the relationships between self-objectification and disordered eating and depressive symptoms in a sample of undergraduate women ( n = 384). One postulate of self-objectification theory is that self-objectification can lead to a lack of internal awareness, which may mediate the relationship between self-objectification and restrictive eating, bulimic, and depressive symptoms. Results of structural equation modeling suggest that self-objectification has a direct relationship to restrictive eating, bulimic, and depressive symptoms. The mediational role of internal awareness was relevant for depressive symptoms but not for restrictive eating or bulimic symptoms. Depressive symptoms did, however, mediate the relationship between self-objectification and bulimic symptoms. The relevance of our findings to the understanding of objectification theory are discussed and future areas of research recommended.
On the origins of contrastive rhetoric: a reply to Matsuda
Authors: Ying H. G.
Published: March 2003

I appreciate this opportunity to respond to Matsuda’s comments on my article. In his comments, Matsuda agrees with two basic arguments I made in my paper: (1) Kaplan’s view of the relationship between language and culture is not the same as the Sapir‐Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity, and (2) it is very unlikely that the origin of contrastive rhetoric can be pinned down to a single source — the Sapir‐Whorf hypothesis of linguistic relativity/determinism. But he raised the question about whether Kaplan’s view of the relationship between language and culture is ‘incompatible’ with the Sapir‐Whorf hypothesis, as I put it in my paper. He also raised the question about my argument that the ethnography of communication (Hymes 1962) can be an important antecedent for contrastive rhetoric. My reply will thus take up each of these two questions.
Reviews: Language Teaching – New Insights for the Language Teacher
Authors: Roberts John
Published: March 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

Christopher Ward & Willy Renandya, Language Teaching – New Insights For The Language Teacher
A Constrained Multiple Raw Materials Manufacturing Batch Sizing Problem
Authors: Sarker Ruhul , Runarsson Thomas P. , Newton Charles
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this research is to determine an optimal batch size for a product, and the purchasing policy of associated raw materials, for a manufacturing firm. Like any other practical situation, this manufacturing firm has a limited storage space, and transportation fleet of known capacity. The mathematical formulation of the problem indicates that the model is a constrained nonlinear integer program. Considering the complexity of solving such a model, we investigate the use of genetic algorithms (GAs) for solving this model. We develop both binary and real coded genetic algorithms with six different penalty functions. In addition, we develop a new procedure to solve constrained optimization models using penalty function based GAs. The real coded genetic algorithms work well for the batch sizing problems. The detailed computational experiences are presented.
A Web‐Based Query Interface for Health‐Care Data Warehouses
Authors: Wang Zhouxiao , Gao Qigang , Shepherd Michael , Smith Mark
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a new type of computer interface to large population health‐care data repositories via the Internet. It does not require programming knowledge but is flexible enough to handle the ad‐hoc queries common in research settings. The interface allows for the automated creation of SAS programs by the end users using a GUI‐based questionnaire. The interface is the front end of a three‐tier client/server system for on‐line information retrieval for large health‐care data warehouses.
On the Study of China's Grain Output Prediction
Authors: Chen Xikang , Pan Xiaoming , Yang Cuihong
Published: March 2003

Feeding 1.2 billion Chinese is a critical issue both for China and for the world. This paper presents a systematic integrated method (SIM), with the key elements of input‐occupancy‐output analysis, nonlinear variable coefficient forecasting equations, and minumum sum of absolute value technique to predict China's grain output. Since 1980 this approach has been successfully implemented in China, and is appreciated by China's top leaders and responsible governmental agencies.
Reliability Measure Based on Average Loss of Capacity
Authors: Chakravarty Sumantra , Ushakov Igor
Published: March 2003

We present an effective measure of system reliability based on average loss of call capacity that is appropriate for telecommunication hardware. We are led to consider a system consisting of units with many states with appropriately chosen performance effectiveness indices, while all atomic units are binary. In this respect, this effective measure of partial system availability is a variant of customer‐centered reliability methodology. We also identify the importance of a new structure called a ‘pool’ that behaves as a hybrid of series and parallel configurations. We present an algorithm for approximately calculating partial system unavailability, which solves the system decomposition problem for arbitrarily complex highly reliable systems made of hierarchically arranged k‐out‐of‐n sub‐structures. The algorithm agrees with our intuition for important special cases and has been programmed into an object oriented software tool. This method has been successfully used for the reliability analysis of GlobalstarTM gateways.
An Evolutionary Solver for Pure Integer Linear Programming
Authors: Pedroso Joao Pedro
Published: March 2003

In this paper we introduce an evolutionary algorithm for the solution of pure integer linear programs. All the variables of the problem are fixed by the evolutionary system. If they correspond to a feasible solution, their evaluation is determined directly by the objective function. If the variables correspond to an unfeasible solution, the evaluation is measured by the sum of infeasibilities, which can be determined by simple linear algebra manipulations. The algorithm proposed does not require the solution of continuous linear programs. We report results obtained for some standard benchmark problems, and compare them with those obtained by branch‐and‐bound. The performance of the evolutionary algorithm is promising. Good feasible solutions were generally obtained, and in some of the difficult benchmark tests it outperformed branch‐and‐bound.
Minimizing Total Tardiness: A Case Study in an Autoparts Factory
Authors: Kiyuzato Leandro , Ronconi Debora P. , Salamoni Rodribo , Tsai Chana K. , Yoshizaki Hugo
Published: March 2003

The application of heuristic procedures for solving a real scheduling problem that arises in an autoparts factory is reported in this paper. Due to the characteristics of the environment, the measure of performance considered is the minimization of the total tardiness of the jobs. The original problem is reduced to the single machine scheduling problem, and the dispatching rules EDD (earliest due date), SPT (shortest processing time), and the PSK algorithm are used to obtain approximate solutions. Computational tests and a comparison with the usual schedule are presented.
The Critical Aspects of Emerging Virtual Factory Profile in Japan: IT Innovation in a Project Management Context
Authors: Ohara Shigenobu
Published: March 2003

A new type of ‘high performing companies’ has emerged in Japan producing a turning phase from analog to digital manufacturing. Though the definition of ‘virtual factory’ is neither matured nor persuasive in the revolutionizing manufacturing industry, more strategic interests are focused on this viable concept. Most of their initiatives are concentrated on the conceptualization phase of the virtual factory, but the latest experiments using web technology enlighten entrepreneurs to change their management strategies towards its achievement. Their experiences are summarized into three points. First, ‘management by projects’ is launched to challenge the practical goals of development. Second, the manufacturing strategy focuses on the fusion of core technology and IT, which surpasses to its competitors. Third, technologies like web, simulator machines and applications are innovated so rapidly to achieve a virtual environment.
A note on the NP–hardness of the consecutive block minimization problem
Authors: Haddadi Salim
Published: March 2003

We show that consecutive block minimization problem is NP–hard even when restricted to binary matrices that have two ones per row.
Two–machine flowshop minimum–length scheduling problem with random and bounded processing times
Authors: Allahverdi Ali , Sotskov Yuri
Published: March 2003

We address the two–machine flowshop scheduling problem to minimize makespan where jobs have random and bounded processing times. The probability distributions of job processing times are unknown and only the lower and upper bounds of processing times are given before scheduling. In such cases there may not exist a unique schedule that remains optimal for all possible realizations of processing times, and therefore, a set of schedules has to be considered which dominates all other schedules. In this paper, we find some sufficient conditions for the considered problem.
Optimization of Network Topologies for Service Providers in the Telecommunications Market
Authors: Pressmar Dieter B.
Published: March 2003

Following the deregulation of communications services, a growing number of commercial providers are offering global voice and data communications services via rented infrastructures. These service providers are faced with the challenge to determine cost‐effective network‐topologies, considering both the variety of contractual arrangements with national and international network providers, and the communication profiles of their customers. This paper introduces a planning model for solving the optimization problem outlined above. The model is evaluated on the basis of mixed‐integer optimization. Practical deployment of this approach is discussed with respect to the run‐time characteristics of the MIP solvers. Subsequently, a genetic algorithm is applied to the model and the results are compared to those of the mixed‐integer optimization.
On Estimation in M/G/c/c Queues
Authors: Huang Mei Ling , Brill Percy
Published: March 2003

We derive the minimum variance unbiased estimator (MVUE) and the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the stationary probability function (pf) of the number of customers in a collection of independent M/G/c/c subsystems. It is assumed that the offered load and number of servers in each subsystem are unknown. We assume that observations of the total number of customers in the system are utilized because it may be impractical or impossible to observe individual server occupancies. Both estimators depend on the R distribution (the distribution of the sum of independent right truncated Poisson random variables) and R numbers.
Alternate Financial Incentives to Regular Credit/price Discounts for Extraordinary Purchases
Authors: Arcelus F. J. , Srinivasan G.
Published: March 2003

Temporary trade promotions can take in practice many forms, specially when competitive pressures lead vendors to generate new and creative alternatives to the standard price discount or delay of payment. It is the purpose of this paper to develop the retailer's profit‐maximizing decision‐making strategy when confronted with any one of three such offers. Important issues under consideration are how much of the offer the retailer should pass on to its own customers, the kind of retail promotion needed to accompany the vendor's trade promotion, and what effect these policies have on the retailer's demand for its own products. The economic interpretation of the optimal solution is discussed and some computational experience reported. Included in the latter is the estimation of alternate forms of these offers yielding similar objectives, be they price, length of the discount period, vendor's revenue, special order size, or retailer's benefit.
The New Arab Media Phenomenon: Qatar's Al‐Jazeera
Authors: Bahry Louay Y.
Published: March 2003

This paper was given at the thirty‐fourth annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association, November 16–19, 2000, in Orlando, Florida.
The Pattern of Household Savings During a Hyperinflation: The Case of Urban China in the Late 1980s
Authors: Aaberge Rolf , Zhu Yu
Published: March 2003

This paper presents evidence on household savings in urban regions of the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Liaoning, based on data from the State Statistical Bureau's Urban Household Survey for the late 1980s. In this period the Chinese economy was subject to extensive reforms that resulted in rapid economic growth followed by extremely high inflation. The high inflation rates gave the households strong motives to switch from financial savings to purchase of consumer durables, which also appear to be consistent with the structure of the observed data. By providing empirical evidence on the relative importance of savings by lower, middle and upper income groups for single‐child families and for all households, this study also discusses whether savings decisions depend on the level of household income. Single‐child families are focused, not only because of their growing dominance in the current Chinese society, but also to control for the effect of demographic disparities.
Income Redistribution Effect Of Public Pensions Between Dynastic Families
Authors: Futagami Ritsuko , Kamada Kimiyoshi , Tachibanaki Toshiaki
Published: March 2003

This paper investigates income transfers between dynastic families caused by a public pension system. Using Japanese data, we present simulation results based on a model in which intergenerational altruism works, and income distribution exists between and within generations. The growth rates of income and population, as well as the formulation for the determination of the contribution rate and the payment rate, are crucial to determine both the qualitative and quantitative effects. Especially, under negative income growth over generations, pay–as–you–go public pensions can cause negative income redistribution.
Combining Household Income and Expenditure Data in Policy Simulations
Authors: Sutherland Holly , Taylor Rebecca , Gomulka Joanna
Published: March 2003

The analysis of the distributional impact of fiscal policy proposals often requires information on household expenditures and incomes. It is unusual to have one data source with information on both and this problem is generally overcome with statistical matching of independent data sources. In this paper Grade Correspondence Analysis (GCA) is investigated as a tool to improve the matching process. GCA draws out the relationships between the common variables to enable the sample to be partitioned into more homogeneous groups, prior to matching. An evaluation is conducted using the UK Family Expenditure Survey, which is unusual in containing both income and expenditure at a detailed level of disaggregation. Imputed expenditures are compared with actual expenditures through the use of indirect tax simulations. The most successful methods are then employed to enhance data from the Family Resources Survey and the synthetic dataset is used as a microsimulation model database.
Bourdieu, rational action and the time‐space strategy of gentrification
Authors: Bridge Gary
Published: March 2003

This paper proposes gentrification as an example of class habitus adjusting to a new field via a time‐space strategy that involves conscious rational coordination of class agents on a new aesthetic ‘focal point’. This approach suggests: (1) a much greater role for conscious rational processes in both the intentional and intuitive processes of class reproduction; (2) an understanding via gentrification of the symbolic significance of time‐space in class processes; (3) the significance of individual class agents in the process of gentrification; (4) a view of gentrification that gives greater prominence to working‐class taste and habitus.
Organizational Characteristics of Voluntary Associations in Kanagawa, Japan
Authors: Miyagaki Gen , Fukazawa Kaori
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this paper is to define the organizational characteristics of voluntary associations and grass‐roots organizations (NPO) in Japan by a quantitative survey and by clarifying their organizational structures. First, with respect to formalization of the organization, it appears that the differences in the scale of the organization are greater than the fields and forms of the activities. If the scale is related to the degree of formalization, we can consider that the “invisibility” which describes the present situation of voluntary associations as a result of being small. However, if we look at the changes in the organizational structure and their activities, one will know such a result is not always true. Over 80% of the organizations have begun new activities. As the structures of the organizations change, we cannot conclude that the voluntary associations are merely immature. More likely, the action of the formalizing process depending on the organizational scale competes with the action of changing the definition of formalization. Second, when we analyzed the actual situation of the innovation, we discovered that the emergence of the new activities was related to whether and how strongly they related externally. Particularly, in the case of providing human and social welfare services, the stronger the relationship with the caretaker (client) is, the more new activities emerge. If so, this leads to the next hypothesis, that the origins of the innovation in these organizations are demanded by what the external relationship should be.
Do Stock Prices Fully Reflect the Implications of Special Items for Future Earnings?
Authors: Burgstahler David , Jiambalvo James , Shevlin Terry
Published: March 2003

Previous research (Rendleman, Jones, and Latane [1987]; Freeman and Tse [1989]; Bernard and Thomas [1990]; and Ball and Bartov [1996]) indicates that security prices do not fully reflect predictable elements of the relation between current and future quarterly earnings. We investigate whether this finding also holds for the special items component of earnings. Given that special items are prominent in financial analysis and are assumed to have relatively straightforward implications for future earnings (special items are assumed to be largely transitory), one might expect that prices would fully impound the implications of special items for future earnings. Based on the “two‐equation” approach used in Ball and Bartov [1996] and other studies (e.g., Abarbanell and Bernard [1992]; Sloan [1996]; Rangan and Sloan [1998]; and Soffer and Lys [1999]), we find that while prices reflect relatively more of the effects of special items compared to other earnings components, we still reject the null hypothesis that prices fully impound the implications of special items for future earnings. The “two‐equation” approach assesses the consistency of coefficients in a pair of prediction and pricing equations, and thus depends on an assumed functional form. However, a less structured abnormal returns methodology like that used in Bernard and Thomas [1990] also supports the conclusion that the implications of special items are not fully impounded in prices. Specifically, a trading strategy based only on the sign of special items earns small but statistically significant abnormal returns during a 3‐day window four quarters subsequent to the original announcement of special items.
A Duration Model For Defaultable Bonds
Authors: Jacoby Gady
Published: March 2003

I extend recent theoretical work on duration and derive an improved model for the risk‐adjusted duration of corporate bonds. My ex‐ante risk‐adjusted duration is the sum of the bond's Fisher‐Weil duration and the duration of the potential expected delay in recovery caused by the default option. My main conclusion is that failing to adjust duration for default is costly for high‐yield bonds, especially those with a shorter time to maturity. For investment‐grade bonds, this cost is trivial for all maturities.
Attachment style differences in the processing of attachment–relevant information: Primed–style effects on recall, interpersonal expectations, and affect
Authors: Rowe Angela , Carnelley Katherine B.
Published: March 2003

The present study explored processing biases resulting from manipulating the temporal accessibility of relational schemas. By priming relational schemas, relationship–specific attachment styles were activated and their biasing effect on relevant information processing (namely recall for attachment–relevant words versus other words, interpersonal expectations, and affect) was examined. It was found that participants primed with a secure–style relational schema recalled more positive attachment words than those primed with an avoidant style. Although pre–priming endorsements of interpersonal expectations were influenced by global attachment style, once primed, participants showed primed–style–congruent responses. That is, primed secures showed higher endorsement of positive and lower endorsement of negative interpersonal expectations relative to the other primed style groups. Finally, primed secures reported more positive and less negative affect than the other primed style groups. Implications for understanding the way differential attachment experiences influence close relationships through life are considered.
Male and Female Civility: Toward Gender Justice
Authors: Miller Melanie L.
Published: March 2003

This article examines the concept of civility in American society taking into consideration the influence of gender and gender roles, especially that of women in 20th–century America. This was a century in which social roles, especially those of women, changed or expanded dramatically, influencing not only individual rights and relationships but also the structure of almost every organization from the family to the classroom, from corporations to statehouses. As women have transformed themselves and their presence in our culture, men have also been forced to examine their relationships with women and, more subtly, the role of men in our society. A study of male and female civility must take into consideration the history of relationships between the genders at the both the micro level (i.e., interpersonal relationships) as well as the macro level (organizational behavior). As we move forward into the 21st century, we must not only reflect on the progress made during the last several decades but also continue to explore strategies that will continue to advance a climate where gender civility becomes more entrenched in our cultural values. Some of the issues and possible solutions that must continue to be explored in terms of creating a more civil society for gender relations are discussed.
From Civility to Harassment and the Great Space in Between
Authors: Miles Albert , Dagley David , Yau Christina
Published: March 2003

Civility has produced powerful results in bringing about internal healing and understanding throughout the history of the United States. The proposition that civility is far more disciplined than the behavior required by law regarding appropriate social– or work–related behavior and its practice is good preventive law is the point of this article. By various means of teaching civility, the middle area between civility and legal restriction can be noted and tolerated as part of civility. This article will illustrate different aspects of civility by discussing Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee as they showed civility with the context of social order, and as Robert E. Lee demonstrated, in the academy. The difference between civility and legal restrictions on disruptive behavior that severely interfere with the educational process will be shown by first presenting civility examples, then citing the law regarding speech and harassment.
Assessing Human Health Response in Life Cycle Assessment Using ED10s and DALYs: Part 2—Noncancer Effects
Authors: Pennington David , Crettaz Pierre , Tauxe Annick , Rhomberg Lorenz , Brand Kevin , Jolliet Olivier
Published: March 2003

In Part 1 of this article we developed an approach for the calculation of cancer effect measures for life cycle assessment (LCA). In this article, we propose and evaluate the method for the screening of noncancer toxicological health effects. This approach draws on the noncancer health risk assessment concept of benchmark dose, while noting important differences with regulatory applications in the objectives of an LCA study. We adopt the central tendency estimate of the toxicological effect dose inducing a 10% response over background, ED10, to provide a consistent point of departure for default linear low‐dose response estimates (βED10). This explicit estimation of low‐dose risks, while necessary in LCA, is in marked contrast to many traditional procedures for noncancer assessments. For pragmatic reasons, mechanistic thresholds and nonlinear low‐dose response curves were not implemented in the presented framework. In essence, for the comparative needs of LCA, we propose that one initially screens alternative activities or products on the degree to which the associated chemical emissions erode their margins of exposure, which may or may not be manifested as increases in disease incidence. We illustrate the method here by deriving the βED10) slope factors from bioassay data for 12 chemicals and outline some of the possibilities for extrapolation from other more readily available measures, such as the no observable adverse effect levels (NOAEL), avoiding uncertainty factors that lead to inconsistent degrees of conservatism from chemical to chemical. These extrapolations facilitated the initial calculation of slope factors for an additional 403 compounds; ranging from 10−6 to 103 (risk per mg/kg‐day dose). The potential consequences of the effects are taken into account in a preliminary approach by combining the βED10) with the severity measure disability adjusted life years (DALY), providing a screening‐level estimate of the potential consequences associated with exposures, integrated over time and space, to a given mass of chemical released into the environment for use in LCA.
Joint Models for Toxicology Studies with Dose‐Dependent Number of Implantations
Authors: Allen Andrew S. , Barnhart Huiman X.
Published: March 2003

Many chemicals interfere with the natural reproductive processes in mammals. The chemicals may prevent the fertilization of an egg or keep a zygote from implanting in the uterine wall. For this reason, toxicology studies with pre‐implantation exposure often exhibit a dose‐related trend in the number of observed implantations per litter. Standard methods for analyzing developmental toxicology studies are conditioned on the number of implantations in the litter and therefore cannot estimate this effect of the chemical on the reproductive process. This article presents a joint modeling approach to estimating risk in toxicology studies with pre‐implantation exposure. In the joint modeling approach, both the number of implanted fetuses and the outcome of each implanted fetus is modeled. Using this approach we show how to estimate the overall risk of a chemical that incorporates the risk of lost implantation due to pre‐implantation exposure. Our approach has several distinct advantages over previous methods: (1) it is based on fitting a model for the observed data and, therefore, diagnostics of model fit and selection apply; (2) all assumptions are explicitly stated; and (3) it can be fit using standard software packages. We illustrate our approach by analyzing a dominant lethal assay data set (Luning et al., 1966, Mutation Research, 3, 444–451) and compare our results with those of Rai and Van Ryzin (1985, Biometrics, 41, 1–9) and Dunson (1998, Biometrics, 54, 558–569). In a simulation study, our approach has smaller bias and variance than the multiple imputation procedure of Dunson.
Survival of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 13565 in Intermediate Moisture Foods is Highly Variable
Authors: Vora Purvi , Senecal Andre , Schaffner Donald W.
Published: March 2003

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram‐positive, enterotoxin‐producing coccus. It is a hardy organism and known to survive over a wide range of water activities, pH values, and temperatures. The objective of this study was to model the survival or gradual inactivation of S. aureus ATCC 13565 in intermediate moisture foods (IMFs). Various initial concentrations (∼101, 102, 103, and 104 CFU/g) were used to inoculate three different IMFs (beefsteak, bread, and chicken pockets). Viable counts were determined up to 60 days using tryptic soy agar. Inoculum size did not influence the survival or gradual inactivation of S. aureus in these foods. The rate of change (increase or decrease) in log CFU/day was calculated for every consecutive pair of data points and by linear regression for each inactivation curve. Both consecutive pair and linear regression rates of change were fit to logistic distributions (with parameters α and β) for each food. Based on the distribution parameters, survival or gradual inactivation of S. aureus was predicted by computer simulation. The simulations indicated an overall decline in S. aureus population over time, although a small fraction of samples in the consecutive pair simulation showed a slight population increase even after 60 days, consistent with the observed data. Simulation results were compared to predictions from other computer models. The models of Stewart et al.(1) were fail‐safe, predicting the possibility of significant growth only after >3,000 days. The USDA pathogen modeling program predictions were found to be fail‐dangerous, predicting declines at least four times faster than observed.
Original‐Issue Systematic and Default Risk Pricing Efficiency of Speculative‐Grade Bonds
Authors: Spahr Ronald W. , Schwebach Robert G. , Sunderman Mark A.
Published: March 2003

We investigate whether primary market, original‐issue risk premiums on speculative‐grade debt are justified solely by expected defaults or whether these risk premiums also include other orthogonal risk components. Studies of secondary‐market holding period risk and return have hypothesized that risk premiums on speculative‐grade debt may be explained by bond‐ and equity‐related systematic risk and possibly other types of risk. Using an actuarial approach that considers contemporaneous correlation between default frequency and severity and first‐order serial correlation, we cannot reject the hypothesis that the entire original‐issue risk premium can be explained by expected default losses. This suggests that speculative‐grade bond primary markets efficiently price default risk and that other types of risk are priced as coincident as opposed to orthogonal risks.
Semi‐Parametric Specification Tests for Discrete Probability Models
Authors: Fang Yue
Published: March 2003

Loss functions play an important role in analyzing insurance portfolios. A fundamental issue in the study of loss functions involves the selection of probability models for claim frequencies. In this article, we propose a semi‐parametric approach based on the generalized method of moments (GMM) to solve the specification problems concerning claim frequency distributions. The GMM‐based testing procedure provides a general framework that encompasses many specification problems of interest in actuarial applications. As an alternative approach to the Pearson χ2 and other goodness‐of‐fit tests, it is easy to implement and should be of practical use in applications involving selecting and validating probability models with complex characteristics.
Adult Children’s Supportive Behaviors and Older Parents’ Subjective Well–Being—A Developmental Perspective on Intergenerational Relationships
Authors: Lang Frieder R. , Schütze Yvonne
Published: March 2003

Adult children’s supportive behaviors were examined with respect to children’s autonomy and social motivation towards parents, and with respect to longitudinal changes of parents’ subjective well–being. In total, 115 adult children from 83 German families completed a questionnaire on supportive behaviors and social motivation. The children also reported what pleased or irritated their parents most. Findings suggest that filial autonomy was associated with resistance to strain. Older parents’ satisfaction improved when children expressed affection or gave emotional support. However, informational support from children was associated with decreased satisfaction among parents. Findings suggest that filial autonomy may facilitate supportive behaviors that correspond to older parents’ socioemotional needs.
Appendix B: Potential Effects on Children's Performance of Features of the Research Design
Authors: Bauer Patricia J. , Wenner Jennifer , Dropik Patricia L. , Wewerka Sandi S.
Published: March 2003

In addition to the variables of interest in this research (namely, age, delay, sequence type, mode of experience, and verbal reminders), children's performance may have been affected by a number of features of the research design. This Appendix is a report of the results of analyses of three potential influences on the children's performance. First, we examined the possibility that the particular experimenter who conducted the session might have affected the children's performance. Second, we examined the possibility that conclusions regarding children's recall of the event sequences were qualified by specific event sequence effects. Third, we examined the possibility that differences in the lengths of the child‐controlled response periods might account for the patterns of effects observed. Although in each case some effects obtained, in no case did the findings present substantive qualifications to the major patterns described in the body of the text.
Measuring Municipal Borrowing Costs: How Missing Cost Information Biases Interest Rate Calculations
Authors: Simonsen Bill , Robbins Mark D.
Published: March 2003

State and local governments issue billions of dollars’ worth of municipal bonds every year. At the same time, no single comprehensive measure has been available for debt managers to apply that fully captures their borrowing costs. In this article we compare a comprehensive measure called the internal financing rate with true interest cost (TIC), applying both to bond sales in Oregon in 1999. We find that the two measures produce statistically and practically different results and conclude that TIC typically understates the real cost of borrowing experienced by issuers. TIC is therefore a flawed measure for reporting results to administrators, elected officials, and the public. It is also an inappropriate measure for evaluating the performance of public debt managers.