bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prostate‐sparing cystectomy: long‐term oncological results
Authors: De Vries Remco R. , Nieuwenhuijzen Jakko A. , Van Tinteren Harm , Oddens Jorg R. , Visser Otto , Van Der Poel Henk G. , Bex Axel , Meinhardt Willem , Horenblas Simon ,   urological working group of the Amsterdam Comprehensive Cancer Center
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the oncological outcome of prostate‐sparing cystectomy (PSC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 1994 and 2006, 63 men were treated with PSC after meeting the inclusion criteria (no tumour at the bladder neck, no prostate cancer). The results were compared with patients who had a standard cystoprostatectomy (SC) during the same study period, after matching for clinical and pathological characteristics.

RESULTS

The 3‐ and 5‐year disease‐specific survival rates were 77% and 66% in the PSC group, and 68% and 64% in the SC group (log‐rank, P = 0.6). The local recurrence rate was 7.9% and 16% for the PSC and the SC groups, respectively, and the respective distant recurrence rate was 29% and 33%. Subsequent prostate cancer was detected in 3% in the PSC group. None of these patients died from prostate cancer. In the SC group the final pathology showed that 18% had prostate cancer.

CONCLUSION

Local recurrences were not diagnosed more often in the PSC than the SC group. The outcomes of both procedures are comparable with contemporary cystoprostatectomy series. We consider this procedure oncologically safe and offer this to selected patients. However, selection is the key to success, and our results should further be corroborated by the experience of others.
Do nonspecific deep corticomedullary sutures performed during partial nephrectomy adequately control major vascular and collecting system injury?
Authors: L’Esperance James O. , Marguet Charles G. , Walters R. Chanc , Sung Jeffrey C. , Auge Brian K. , Stroup Sean P. , L’Esperance Audry H. , Albala David M.
Published: June 2009

OBJECTIVE

To critically evaluate the effectiveness of placing nonspecific deep corticomedullary sutures in the setting of major vascular and collecting system injury during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN). We also aimed to evaluate the incidence of ischaemic injury to the remaining renal remnant because of these sutures, as many laparoscopic centres have adopted this practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed open PN on eight porcine kidneys. Both the artery and vein were clamped. The ureter was transected and tied around an angiocatheter for evaluating collecting system integrity both before and after corticomedullary suturing. The renal artery was cannulated for angiography before and after the corticomedullary suturing. The rate of bleeding was also assessed before and after corticomedullary suturing.

RESULTS

There was marked arterial bleeding and large collecting system injury induced in all kidneys. Two of the eight renal units continued to have significant arterial bleeding after the deep corticomedullary sutures were placed. All of the eight units had at least a small urinary leak after suturing, with three having medium‐to‐large leaks. In four of the renal units, there were major segmental vessels occluded by the sutures, as detected by angiography.

CONCLUSIONS

The practice of placing nonspecific deep corticomedullary sutures, during PN, may not adequately control major vascular and collecting system injury. In addition, segmental vessels supplying remnant renal tissue are often affected; thereby further compromising function because of devascularization. The search for the best technique for LPN continues.
Analysis of association between the 5‐HTTLPR and STin2 polymorphisms in the serotonin‐transporter gene and clinical response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (sertraline) in patients with premature ejaculation
Authors: Safarinejad Mohammad Reza
Published: June 2009

Study Type – Therapy (cohort) Level of Evidence 2b

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that polymorphism within the gene‐linked polymorphic region (5‐HTTLPR) and second intron of SLC6A4 gene (STin2) is associated with selective serotonin‐reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) response in subjects with premature ejaculation (PE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In all, 246 men with PE were recruited in this study. They were asked to take sertraline 50 mg daily for 2 weeks, and thereafter 100 mg daily, for a 12‐week treatment period. Pretreatment evaluation included history and physical examination, intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT), and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). The efficacy of treatment was assessed using responses to IIEF, and geometric mean IELT evaluation. 5‐HTTLPR was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction techniques. A repeated‐measures analysis of variance of geometric mean IELT was done to test a genotype effect on treatment outcome with SSRI (sertraline).

RESULTS

Of 227 participants who completed the study, 175 (77.1%) responded to sertraline (IELT >1 min). Overall the patients had a 3.7‐fold (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.72–5.46) increase of the geometric mean IELT (P = 0.001). The results showed that responses were significantly better for the LA/LA genotype of the 5‐HTTLPR polymorphism than for S‐allele carriers (P = 0.001). The STin2 12/12 genotype was found more often in those responding to sertraline than in those not responding (P = 0.001). The probability of patients responding sufficiently to sertraline with an LA/LA genotype was highest (odds ratio 4.66, 95% CI, 2.48–6.14).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that the genotype of 5‐HTT contributes in unique ways to the variation in the outcome of PE treatment with SSRIs.
Reliability of screening methods for diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Benbassat Jochanan , Polak Bettine C. P.
Published: June 2009

Aim  To review studies of the reliability (reproducibility) of the commonly used methods (ophthalmoscopy and inspection of retinal images) of screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Research design and methods  Literature search.

Results  We found six studies of the intra‐examiner agreement after examining the same retinal images. Three of these found an almost perfect agreement (k > 0.8) after inspecting colour slides and digital images; three other studies reported ‘significant differences’ in microaneurysm counts and only 39–85% agreement rates between two assessments by the same examiner. The inter‐examiner agreement was reported in 24 studies. Using stereoscopic photographs, one study found almost perfect agreement after examining seven fields; another study found a substantial to moderate (k = 0.4–0.8) agreement after examining five fields and a third study found a fair agreement (k = 0.2–0.4) after examining a single field. Studies using single‐ or two‐field monoscopic photographs also have reported agreement rates that have varied between almost perfect, substantial and moderate. In four other studies using biomicroscopy, agreement levels varied between perfect and moderate.

Conclusions  Relative to the large number of studies on the validity of the various methods for screening for DR, there are only few studies of their reliability, with a marked variability in their findings. We suggest that future studies of the effectiveness of the various methods for screening for DR should also include data on their reliability.
Pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes treated with metformin or insulin: a case–control study
Authors: Balani J. , Hyer S. L. , Rodin D. A. , Shehata H.
Published: June 2009

Aims  To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) treated with either metformin or insulin.

Methods  One hundred and twenty‐seven women with GDM not adequately controlled by dietary measures received metformin 500 mg twice daily initially. The dose was titrated to achieve target blood glucose values. Pregnancy outcomes in the 100 women who remained exclusively on metformin were compared with 100 women with GDM treated with insulin matched for age, weight and ethnicity.

Results  There were no significant differences in baseline maternal risk factors. Women treated with insulin had significantly greater mean (sem) weight gain from enrolment to term (2.72 ± 0.4 vs. 0.94 ± 0.3 kg; P < 0.001). There was no difference between the metformin and insulin groups, respectively, comparing gestational hypertension (6 vs. 7%, P = 0.9), pre‐eclampsia (9 vs. 2%, P = 0.06) induction of labour (26 vs. 24%, P = 0.87) or rate of Caesarean section (48 vs. 52%, P = 0.67). No perinatal loss occurred in either group. Neonatal morbidity was improved in the metformin group; prematurity (0 vs. 10%, P < 0.01), neonatal jaundice (8 vs. 30%, P < 0.01) and admission to neonatal unit (6 vs. 19%, P < 0.01). The incidence of macrosomia (birthweight centile > 90) was not significantly different [metformin (14%) vs. insulin (25%); P = 0.07].

Conclusions  Women with GDM treated with metformin and with similar baseline risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes had less weight gain and improved neonatal outcomes compared with those treated with insulin.
Smoking prevalence in Type 2 diabetes: results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) and the German National Health Interview and Examination Survey (GNHIES)
Authors: Schipf S. , Schmidt C. O. , Alte D. , Werner A. , Scheidt‐Nave C. , John U. , Steveling A. , Wallaschofski H. , Völzke H.
Published: June 2009

Aims  Smoking contributes to the development of diabetes and diabetes‐related complications. Currently, data on smoking prevalence in subjects with diabetes in Germany are lacking. The aim of our analysis was to determine smoking prevalence in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus using data from the two population‐based studies in Germany.

Methods  From the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) (n = 4283) and the 1998 German National Health Interview and Examination Survey (GNHIES 98) (n = 6663) subjects aged 20–79 years were investigated. Descriptive statistics on smoking prevalence and behaviours were calculated for Type 2 diabetes mellitus and compared with the general population using weightings reflecting the European adult population.

Results  Overall, the prevalence of current smokers was lower among persons with than without Type 2 diabetes mellitus in SHIP (17.3% vs. 38.0%) and in GNHIES 98 (24.7% vs. 32.1%). Only in men, there were more former smokers in Type 2 diabetic patients than in subjects without diabetes in both studies. Among current and former smokers, the number of cigarettes smoked was higher among persons with than without Type 2 diabetes mellitus. For men, this finding was consistent in SHIP and GNHIES 98, while in women, this difference was only observed in GNHIES 98.

Conclusions  The associations between smoking and Type 2 diabetes mellitus are likely to reflect behavioural changes secondary to illness or medical counselling. The high proportion of current smokers among Type 2 diabetic patients, particularly men, should be monitored in repeated surveys following the introduction of disease management programmes.
Above‐ground forest biomass is not consistently related to wood density in tropical forests
Authors: Stegen James C. , Swenson Nathan G. , Valencia Renato , Enquist Brian J. , Thompson Jill
Published: June 2009

Aim  It is increasingly accepted that the mean wood density of trees within a forest is tightly coupled to above‐ground forest biomass. It is unknown, however, if a positive relationship between forest biomass and mean community wood density is a general phenomenon across forests. Understanding spatial variation in biomass as a function of wood density both within and among forests is important for predicting changes in stored carbon in response to global change, and here we evaluated the generality of a positive biomass–wood density relationship within and among six tropical forests.

Location  Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico and Ecuador.

Methods  Individual stem data, including diameter at breast height and spatial position, for six forest dynamics plots were merged with an extensive wood density database. Individual stem biomass values were calculated from these data using published statistical models. Total above ground biomass, total basal area and mean community wood density were also quantified across a range of subcommunity plot sizes within each forest.

Results  Among forests, biomass did not vary with mean community wood density. The relationship between subcommunity biomass and mean wood density within a forest varied from negative to null to positive depending on the size of subcommunities and forest identity. The direction of correlation was determined by the associated total basal area–mean wood density correlation, the slope of which increased strongly with whole forest mean wood density.

Main conclusions  There is no general relationship between forest biomass and wood density, and in some forests, stored carbon is highest where wood density is lowest. Our results suggest that declining wood density, due to global change, will result in decreased or increased stored carbon in forests with high or low mean wood density, respectively.
Pervasive effects of dispersal limitation on within‐ and among‐community species richness in agricultural landscapes
Authors: Hendrickx Frederik , Maelfait Jean‐Pierre , Desender Konjev , Aviron Stephanie , Bailey Debra , Diekotter Tim , Lens Luc , Liira Jaan , Schweiger Oliver , Speelmans Marjan , Vandomme Viki , Bugter Rob
Published: June 2009

Aim  To determine whether the effect of habitat fragmentation and habitat heterogeneity on species richness at different spatial scales depends on the dispersal ability of the species assemblages and if this results in nested species assemblages.

Location  Agricultural landscapes distributed over seven temperate Europe countries covering a range from France to Estonia.

Methods  We sampled 16 local communities in each of 24 agricultural landscapes (16 km2) that differ in the amount and heterogeneity of semi‐natural habitat patches. Carabid beetles were used as model organisms as dispersal ability can easily be assessed on morphological traits. The proximity and heterogeneity of semi‐natural patches within the landscape were related to average local (alpha), between local (beta) and landscape (gamma) species richness and compared among four guilds that differ in dispersal ability.

Results  For species assemblages with low dispersal ability, local diversity increased as the proximity of semi‐natural habitat increased, while mobile species showed an opposite trend. Beta diversity decreased equally for all dispersal classes in relation to proximity, suggesting a homogenizing effect of increased patch isolation. In contrast, habitat diversity of the semi‐natural patches affected beta diversity positively only for less mobile species, probably due to the low dispersal ability of specialist species. Species with low mobility that persisted in highly fragmented landscapes were consistently present in less fragmented ones, resulting in nested assemblages for this mobility class only.

Main conclusions  The incorporation of dispersal ability reveals that only local species assemblages with low dispersal ability show a decrease of richness as a result of fragmentation. This local species loss is compensated at least in part by an increase in species with high dispersal ability, which obscures the effect of fragmentation when investigated across dispersal groups. Conversely, fragmentation homogenizes the landscape fauna for all dispersal groups, which indicates the invasion of non‐crop habitats by similar good dispersers across the whole landscape. Given that recolonization of low dispersers is unlikely, depletion of these species in modern agricultural landscapes appears temporally pervasive.
What Wall Street Wants – Exploring the Role of Security Analysts in the Evolution and Spread of Management Concepts
Authors: Nicolai Alexander T. , Schulz Ann‐Christine , Thomas Thomas W.
Published: June 2009

abstract

This paper discusses the role of security analysts in the dissemination of popular management concepts, drawing on neo‐institutional and management fashion theory. Focusing on the core competence concept, we investigate whether security analysts swing with the popularity of a management concept or serve as a corrective that secures the rationality of managerial actions. Through our analysis, which uses data for US‐based firms spanning the period 1990–2002, we show that during the 1990s analysts systematically overvalued the future earnings of refocusing firms that incorporated principles derived from the core competence concept. Moreover, we present evidence that their valuations were positively influenced by the popularity of the core competence discourse and exhibited a systematic bias. Our results suggest a more nuanced understanding of the dynamics underlying the popularization processes of management concepts. In addition to the classical bandwagon‐effects discussed in neo‐institutional theory, we argue that the mediating role of security analysts and their impact on stock‐market prices promote the diffusion of new management concepts.
FRAGMENTED IDENTITIES: READING SUBJECTIVITY IN HENRY TONKS' SURGICAL PORTRAITS
Authors: CHAMBERS EMMA
Published: June 2009

This article considers the construction of identity in Henry Tonks' portraits of soldiers with facial injuries incurred during the 1914–18 war. The discussion draws on a number of theoretical perspectives to analyse in different ways the relationship between the physical body and the inner self, and provide critical tools for thinking through issues of identity in surgical portraiture, where the surfaces of the face are damaged, and interior flesh is exposed. Tonks' portraits occupy an ambiguous middle ground between portraiture and medical record, and the article analyses the different modes and contexts of viewing required by portraits and by medical illustrations, and considers how a close reading of the viewer's interaction with the portrait sitter in surgical portraits can also suggest ways of theorizing the viewer's experience of other forms of portraiture.
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA: 1883–84 TO 2003–04
Authors: Doessel Darrel Phillip
Published: June 2009

This paper describes changes in the number of residents and admissions to public psychiatric hospitals in Australia, and in the state of Queensland in particular, from 1883 to 2003. It identifies when the deinstitutionalisation of dedicated psychiatric institutions began in Queensland and finds that the policy described as ‘opening the back door’ (discharging residents) began around 1952–53, while the policy of ‘closing the front door’ (reducing admissions) began in 1962–63. Deinstitutionalisation in Queensland thus began earlier than most contemporary writers suggest.
Declining inflows and more frequent droughts in the Murray–Darling Basin: climate change, impacts and adaptation*
Authors: Adamson David , Mallawaarachchi Thilak , Quiggin John
Published: June 2009

It is likely that climate change will be associated with reductions in inflows of water to the Murray–Darling Basin. In this study, we analyse the effects of climate change in the Murray–Darling Basin using a simulation model that incorporates a state‐contingent representation of uncertainty. The severity of the impact depends, in large measure, on the extent to which climate change is manifested as an increase in the frequency of drought conditions. Adaptation will partially offset the adverse impact of climate change.
Applying the dissonance‐minimising format to value cultural heritage in developing countries*
Authors: Huu Tuan Tran , Navrud Stale
Published: June 2009

We adapt the dissonance‐minimising (DM) format proposed by Blamey et al. [Land Economics, 75 (1999) 126] in a dichotomous choice contingent valuation survey to estimate the economic benefits of preserving a cultural heritage site in Vietnam. We find that the DM format can be successfully applied to avoid biases because of yea‐saying in a developing country context.
Modelling the origins of managerial ability in agricultural production*
Authors: Nuthall Peter
Published: June 2009

The efficiency of production from a farm’s land, labour and capital is critically dependent on the ability of the farm manager. Yet, while there are studies correlating a wide range of manager‐related variables with returns, and, therefore, probably ability, little understanding of the basic determinants of managerial ability exists. Questions such as ‘what is the importance of a farmer’s family experiences and training in determining the farmer’s managerial ability?’ need answering. The solution to this, and other, questions will enable determining ways of improving farmers’ inherent ability developed both in early, and later, life. In that most decisions on a farm are made intuitively, in contrast to the use of a formal analysis, improving farmers’ inherent ability will have a significant payoff. The research reported here uses data from a large stratified random survey of 740 developed farmers (29 per cent had tertiary education, 30 per cent had 4 or more years secondary education) to create a structural equation model of the determinants of managerial ability. The results suggest that a farmer’s exposure to experiences is a significant factor in ability, as is the farmer’s management style and the family influence on early life experience.
Immigration, Ethnic Wage Differentials and Output Pay in Canada
Authors: Fang Tony , Heywood John S.
Published: June 2009

Recent work suggests that ethnic minority wage differentials in Canada are smaller among those receiving performance pay and that the returns to performance pay are larger for ethnic minorities. This article adds to these findings. First, it demonstrates critical gender differences. The earlier findings are generated almost exclusively by males, as we show that the minority wage differential is small or zero for women in both the time rate sector and the performance pay sector. Second, accounting for immigration and language tends to move the ethnic wage differential in favour of minorities. Minority women on output pay are shown to earn more than non‐minority women. While the differential often remains negative for minority men on time rates, it becomes insignificant in our most narrow comparison.
The Political Economy of Occupational Family Policies: Comparing Workplaces in Britain and Germany
Authors: Seeleib‐Kaiser Martin , Fleckenstein Timo
Published: June 2009

With a shift in the political debate to more market‐driven social policy approaches during the past decade, politicians in a number of European countries have argued that employers should take on greater responsibilities in the provision of social policy. But why should employers get involved? After reviewing the relevant literature on firm‐level social policy, we analyse the conditions and causal pathways that lead to their provision. Our findings show that (i) the skill structure and level of the workforce are important conditions for firm‐level engagement; (ii) employers have usually been the ‘protagonists’; (iii) the role of unions has been more limited — in Germany they can largely be characterized as ‘consenters’, whereas in Britain, their impact is negligible; (iv) in accordance with the specific systems of industrial relations, the design in Germany very much follows the concept of social partnership; in Britain the design is usually based on unilateral management decisions; and (v) based on these conditions and causal pathways, ‘enclave social policy’ is the likely result of the expansionary policy development, although in Germany, these policies have the potential of becoming an element of ‘industrial citizenship’.
The Distinctive Patterns of Dynamic Learning and Inter‐firm Differences in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Kale Dinar
Published: June 2009

Technological or institutional change has proven to be a major cause of the failure of established firms, and history is full of examples. In a globalized world the capability of a firm to reconfigure existing competencies and create new knowledge for innovation has emerged as a dynamic capability to succeed. I examine the learning processes involved in the development of innovative R&D capabilities in Indian pharmaceutical firms as a response to the strengthening of patent law. The strong patent law represented a major institutional change for Indian firms which had grown in a weak patent era. The analysis shows that the development of new capabilities involved the removal of rigidities and the acquisition of new knowledge, and reveals that Indian firms are adopting strategies such as hiring of Indian scientists educated or working overseas in pharmaceutical R&D and collaborative R&D to acquire innovative R&D capabilities. It further points out the inter–intra firm heterogeneity in learning processes and suggests that the move from basic to advance level capabilities is neither linear nor automatic. It requires a deliberate effort and investment by firms in different mechanisms of learning. The Indian pharmaceutical firms' responses provide important insights for firms from other developing countries.
ON CONSUMERS' VALUATION OF NUTRITION INFORMATION
Authors: Drichoutis Andreas C. , Lazaridis Panagiotis , Nayga Jr Rodolfo M.
Published: June 2009

The European Union (EU) is contemplating regulations requiring mandatory provision of nutritional information on food products. This study analyses consumers' valuation of nutritional information using data collected from a field survey. The results generally suggest that consumers value and are willing to pay about 5.9 percent of the original price for nutritional information on the food product we studied. Individuals who are non‐price‐sensitive, nutritionally knowledgeable and with longer time horizon are willing to pay more for nutritional information than others. Considering consumers' willingness to pay for nutritional information on food products and an EU impact assessment study, the costs of provision of this information are not prohibitive to firms. We estimate that the least conservative cost of labelling to the firm for a specific food product can be as much as €29,431, whereas the average economic value of nutrition information is estimated at €17,064. The firm can therefore recoup the associated costs in less than two months.
COMMODITY TAX STRUCTURE AND INFORMAL ACTIVITY
Authors: Delipalla Sophia
Published: June 2009

Commodity tax structure affects the firm's choice between formality and informality. An increase in the specific tax rate, relative to an equivalent increase in ad valorem taxation, makes informality attractive to more firms. Formality becomes attractive at lower levels of profits under ad valorem taxation. For both the maximization of welfare subject to a revenue constraint and the unconstrained maximization of revenue, the optimal rate of specific taxation is zero.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS PARE POVERTY: EVIDENCE FROM CHILE
Authors: Glick David , Menon Nidhiya
Published: June 2009

This study examines the effect of government health care and education programs on the poor in Chile from 2000 to 2006. Results are obtained from a country‐wide provincial‐level panel data set with information on poverty and indigence head‐count ratios, measures on the severity of poverty as captured by the Foster–Greer–ThorbeckeP2statistic, per capita public expenditures on health and education, as well as other variables that are thought to influence well‐being. We use fixed‐effects techniques to correct for time‐invariant province‐specific characteristics that may affect program placement. Our analysis demonstrates that per capita public health and education expenditures significantly reduce the incidence of poverty and indigence in Chile. In particular, for a 10,000 pesos (about $23) increase in provincial per capita health spending, the poverty head‐count ratio decreases by 0.48 percent. Per capita education expenditures are particularly important to reducing the severity of poverty. Our results indicate that for a 10,000 pesos increase in education spending, the severity of poverty declines by as much as 1.53 percent. Furthermore, we provide evidence that public spending in Chile is non‐random. In particular, government education expenditures may be allocated in keeping with compensatory motives.
ENVY, INSTITUTIONS AND GROWTH
Authors: Mitsopoulos Michael
Published: June 2009

The use of interdependent preferences provides an intuitive link between institutions and growth. Envious agents that care about relative wealth choose to use an available destruction technology to inflict harm on the wealth of other agents when institutions fail to make property rights secure, while they use a production technology to increase their wealth when institutions make it easy and hassle‐free to engage in production. The use of interdependent preferences is justified by an extensive literature and can provide a motive for agents to take actions that block growth in the absence of theft or other concrete gains.
Measured Gene–Environment Interactions and Mechanisms Promoting Resilient Development
Authors: Kim-Cohen Julia , Gold Andrea L.
Published: June 2009

Childhood maltreatment elevates risk for antisocial behavior, depression, and other problems over the life span, but a subset of maltreated individuals avoids maladaptive development and shows resilience. Resilience reflects a dynamic confluence of factors that promotes positive adaptation despite exposure to adverse experiences. Recent replicated findings of gene–environment interactions (abbreviated G × E) involving maltreatment have identified two genes, monoamine oxidase A ( MAOA) and serotonin transporter ( 5-HTT), that moderate the association between childhood maltreatment and psychopathology. Accordingly, G × E raise new questions about potential biological mechanisms by which some individuals are able to cope adaptively and function relatively well despite experiencing early adversity. We summarize advances toward greater specification of G × E mechanisms, including genetic and environmental moderation of G × E effects and imaging genomics that provide clues regarding resilience processes in development.
Metacognitive Judgments and Control of Study
Authors: Metcalfe Janet
Published: June 2009

Recent evidence indicates that people's judgments of their own learning are causally related to their study behavior and not epiphenomenal. I argue here that people use these metacognitions in an effort to selectively study material in their own region of proximal learning. First they attempt to eliminate materials that are already well learned. Then they progress successively from studying easier to more difficult materials. Successful implementation of this metacognitively guided strategy enhances learning. The necessary components are, first, that the metacognitions be accurate, and second, that the appropriate choices are implemented for study. With these parts in place, the individual is in position to effectively take control of his or her own learning.
Averting the Tragedy of the Commons
Authors: Van Vugt Mark
Published: June 2009

Many local and global environmental challenges are tragedies-of-the-commons dilemmas in which private and collective interests are frequently at odds. Recent developments in social psychological theory and research suggest that in such commons dilemmas people are not just motivated by narrow (economic) self-interest but that they also consider the broader implications of their decisions for others and for the natural environment. Based on a core-motives analysis, I identify four necessary components for designing interventions to protect the environment: (a) information, (b) identity, (c) institutions, and (d) incentives, and discuss their utility and the feasibility of incorporating them.
When Eyewitnesses Talk
Authors: Wright Daniel B. , Memon Amina , Skagerberg Elin M. , Gabbert Fiona
Published: June 2009

When two people witness an event, they often discuss it. Because memory is not perfect, sometimes this discussion includes errors. One person's errors can become part of another person's account, and this proliferation of error can lead to miscarriages of justice. In this article, we describe the social and cognitive processes involved. Research shows how people combine information about their own memory with other people's memories based on factors such as confidence, perceived expertise, and the social cost of disagreeing with other people. We describe the implications of this research for eyewitness testimony.
Temperament and Psychopathy
Authors: Fowles Don C. , Dindo Lilian
Published: June 2009

The concept of psychopathy refers to a pattern of chronic antisocial behavior and personality features, such as emotional detachment, lovelessness, and guiltlessness, attributable in part to a temperament deficit. Historically, that deficit has been seen as a low reactivity to fear, but recent research has documented a second temperament deficit in adults that involves poor emotional and behavioral control. Both pathways are found in the child psychopathology literature, pointing to multifactorial developmental pathways from childhood to adult psychopathy.
How Emotions Regulate Social Life
Authors: Van Kleef Gerben A.
Published: June 2009

The idea that emotions regulate social interaction is increasingly popular. But exactly how do emotions do this? To address this question, I draw on research on the interpersonal effects of emotions on behavior in personal relationships, parent–child interactions, conflict, negotiation, and leadership, and propose a new framework that can account for existing findings and guide future research: the emotions as social information (EASI) model. I demonstrate that emotional expressions affect observers' behavior by triggering inferential processes and/or affective reactions in them. The predictive strength of these two processes—which may inspire different behaviors—depends on the observer's information processing and on social-relational factors. Examples of moderators that determine the relative predictive strength of inferences and affective reactions include power, need for cognitive closure, time pressure, display rules, and the appropriateness and target of the emotional expression, which are all discussed.
Intelligent Policy Making for a Complex World: Pragmatism, Evidence and Learning
Authors: Sanderson Ian
Published: June 2009

The credentials of the evidence-based policy movement appear to be increasingly subject to challenge based on research that has highlighted the limits on the use of evidence in policy making. However, moves towards a more ‘realistic’ position of evidence-informed policy making risk conflating prescription with description and undermining a normative vision of better policy making. This article argues that we need to review the ideas that underpin our thinking about evidence-based policy making, and move beyond the territory of instrumental rationality to a position founded upon two intellectual pillars: our developing knowledge about complex adaptive systems; and ideas from a pragmatist philosophical position – especially those of John Dewey – about social scientific knowledge and its role in guiding action to address social problems. This leads us to a conception of ‘intelligent policy making’ in which the notion of policy learning is central.
Values, Diversity and the Justification of EU Institutions
Authors: Ceva Emanuela , Calder Gideon
Published: June 2009

Liberal theories of justice typically claim that political institutions should be justifiable to those who live under them – whatever their values. The more such values diverge, the greater the challenge of justifiability. Diversity of this kind becomes especially pronounced when the institutions in question are supranational. Focusing on the case of the European Union, this article aims to address a basic question: what kinds of values should inform the justification of political institutions facing a plurality of value systems? One route to an answer is provided by John Rawls, who famously distinguishes between comprehensive and political values, and defends the exclusion of the former from the foundations of a political theory of justice. This article questions the tenability of the Rawlsian solution, and draws attention to an alternative twofold conceptual distinction: that between minimal and non-minimal and between substantive and procedural values. Minimal values are meant to be as independent as possible of controversial conceptions of the good and views of the world, regardless of whether these are comprehensive or purely political. It will be argued that their endorsement may thus further specify the nature of what should be shared in order to justify political institutions in conditions of pluralism. In order to refine further the account of such a basis of justification, two variants of minimalism will be presented according to whether they invest substantive or procedural values. Substantive values qualify the property of an outcome; procedural values qualify the property of a procedure. The latter part of the article consists of a ‘face-off’ between minimal proceduralism and minimal substantivism, considering reasons in favour of the adoption of each. The result, we suggest, is a helpful reorientation of the political dimension of the value debates to which the multiplicity of values amid contemporary European horizons give rise.
The Paradox of Received Social Support
Authors: Maisel Natalya C. , Gable Shelly L.
Published: June 2009

Although the perception of available support is associated with positive outcomes, the receipt of actual support from close others is often associated with negative outcomes. In fact, support that is “invisible” (not perceived by the support recipient) is associated with better outcomes than “visible” support. To investigate this paradox, we proposed that received support (both visible and invisible) would be beneficial when it was responsive to the recipient's needs. Sixty-seven cohabiting couples participated in a daily-experience study in which they reported on the support they provided and received each day. Results indicated that both visible and invisible support were beneficial (i.e., associated with less sadness and anxiety and with greater relationship quality) only when the support was responsive. These findings suggest that the nature of support is an important determinant of when received support will be beneficial.
Prismatic Lenses Shift Time Perception
Authors: Frassinetti Francesca , Magnani Barbara , Oliveri Massimiliano
Published: June 2009

Previous studies have demonstrated the involvement of spatial codes in the representation of time and numbers. We took advantage of a well-known spatial modulation (prismatic adaptation) to test the hypothesis that the representation of time is spatially oriented from left to right, with smaller time intervals being represented to the left of larger time intervals. Healthy subjects performed a time-reproduction task and a time-bisection task, before and after leftward and rightward prismatic adaptation. Results showed that prismatic adaptation inducing a rightward orientation of spatial attention produced an overestimation of time intervals, whereas prismatic adaptation inducing a leftward shift of spatial attention produced an underestimation of time intervals. These findings not only confirm that temporal intervals are represented as horizontally arranged in space, but also reveal that spatial modulation of time processing most likely occurs via cuing of spatial attention, and that spatial attention can influence the spatial coding of quantity in different dimensions.
Selective Visual Attention and Motivation
Authors: Raymond Jane E. , O'Brien Jennifer L.
Published: June 2009

Learning to associate the probability and value of behavioral outcomes with specific stimuli (value learning) is essential for rational decision making. However, in demanding cognitive conditions, access to learned values might be constrained by limited attentional capacity. We measured recognition of briefly presented faces seen previously in a value-learning task involving monetary wins and losses; the recognition task was performed both with and without constraints on available attention. Regardless of available attention, recognition was substantially enhanced for motivationally salient stimuli (i.e., stimuli highly predictive of outcomes), compared with equally familiar stimuli that had weak or no motivational salience, and this effect was found regardless of valence (win or loss). However, when attention was constrained (because stimuli were presented during an attentional blink, AB), valence determined recognition; win-associated faces showed no AB, but all other faces showed large ABs. Motivational salience acts independently of attention to modulate simple perceptual decisions, but when attention is limited, visual processing is biased in favor of reward-associated stimuli.
Accounting for the Richness of Daily Activities
Authors: White Mathew P. , Dolan Paul
Published: June 2009

Serious consideration is being given to the impact of private behavior and public policies on people's subjective well-being (SWB). A new approach to measuring well-being, the day reconstruction method (DRM), weights the affective component of daily activities by their duration in order to construct temporal aggregates. However, the DRM neglects the potentially important role of thoughts. By adapting this method to include thoughts as well as feelings, we provide perhaps the most comprehensive measure of SWB to date. We show that some activities relatively low in pleasure (e.g., work and time with children) are nonetheless thought of as rewarding and therefore contribute to overall SWB. Such information may be important to policymakers wishing to promote behaviors that are conducive to a broader conception of SWB.
Representation of Uncertainty and Integration of PGIS‐based Grazing Intensity Maps Using Evidential Belief Functions
Authors: Bemigisha Jane , Carranza John , Skidmore Andrew K. , McCall Mike , Polce Chiara , Prins Herbert H.T.
Published: June 2009

In a project to classify livestock grazing intensity using participatory geographic information systems (PGIS), we encountered the problem of how to synthesize PGIS‐based maps of livestock grazing intensity that were prepared separately by local experts. We investigated the utility of evidential belief functions (EBFs) and Dempster's rule of combination to represent classification uncertainty and integrate the PGIS‐based grazing intensity maps. These maps were used as individual sets of evidence in the application of EBFs to evaluate the proposition that “This area or pixel belongs to the high, medium, or low grazing intensity class because the local expert(s) says (say) so”. The class‐area‐weighted averages of EBFs based on each of the PGIS‐based maps show that the lowest degree of classification uncertainty is associated with maps in which “vegetation species” was used as the mapping criterion. This criterion, together with local landscape attributes of livestock use may be considered as an appropriate standard measure for grazing intensity. The maps of integrated EBFs of grazing intensity show that classification uncertainty is high when the local experts apply at least two mapping criteria together. This study demonstrates the usefulness of EBFs to represent classification uncertainty and the possibility to use the EBF values in identifying and using criteria for PGIS‐based mapping of livestock grazing intensity.
Bartlett's formula for a general class of nonlinear processes
Authors: Francq Christian , Zakoïan Jean‐Michel
Published: June 2009

Abstract. A Bartlett‐type formula is proposed for the asymptotic distribution of the sample autocorrelations of nonlinear processes. The asymptotic covariances between sample autocorrelations are expressed as the sum of two terms. The first term corresponds to the standard Bartlett's formula for linear processes, involving only the autocorrelation function of the observed process. The second term, which is specific to nonlinear processes, involves the autocorrelation function of the observed process, the kurtosis of the linear innovation process and the autocorrelation function of its square. This formula is obtained under a symmetry assumption on the linear innovation process. It is illustrated on ARMA–GARCH models and compared to the standard formula. An empirical application on financial time series is proposed.
Returns on investments during the colonial era: the case of the Belgian Congo1
Authors: BUELENS FRANS , MARYSSE STEFAAN
Published: June 2009

Before the First World War, Belgium participated in a global wave of foreign direct investment. After the war, a shift towards the Belgian colony of the Congo was observed. With regard to these investments, it is commonly argued that higher (expected) profit rates were a strong incentive, although others propose that the colonial powers lost money on their colonial possessions. We measure ex post performance in terms of the time‐weighted rate of return by making use of a new database of Congolese stocks and compare the Congolese data with a Belgian sample. Returns on Congolese stocks were much higher, at least until country risk became a reality.
Profitability trends in Hollywood, 1929 to 1999: somebody must know something1
Authors: POKORNY MICHAEL , SEDGWICK JOHN
Published: June 2009

This article presents an overview of the development of the US film industry from 1929 to 1999. Notwithstanding a volatile film production environment, in terms of rate of return and market share variability, the industry has remained relatively stable and profitable. Film production by the film studios is interpreted as analogous to the construction of an investment portfolio, whereby producers diversified risk across budgetary categories. In the 1930s, high‐budget film production was relatively unprofitable, but the industry adjusted to the steep decline in film‐going in the postwar period by refining high‐budget production as the focus for profitability.
The Business of Caring: Women's Self‐Employment and the Marketization of Care
Authors: Anderson Nickela , Hughes Karen D.
Published: June 2009

Our goal in this article is to contribute to a differentiated analysis of paid caring work by considering whether and how women's experiences of such work is shaped by their employment status (for example, self‐employed versus employee) and the nature of care provided (direct or indirect). Self‐employed care workers have not been widely studied compared with other types of care workers, such as employees providing domestic or childcare in private firms or private homes. Yet their experiences may be quite distinct. Existing research suggests that self‐employed workers earn less than employees and are often excluded from employment protection. Nonetheless, they often report greater autonomy and job satisfaction in their day‐to‐day work. Understanding more about the experiences of self‐employed caregivers is thus important for enriching existing theory, research and policy on the marketization of care. Addressing this gap, our article explores the working conditions, pay and levels of satisfaction of care workers who are self‐employed. We draw on interviews from a small‐scale study of Canadian women engaged in providing direct care (for example, childcare) and indirect care (for example, cleaning).