bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A MODEL OF SPECIFIC COGNATE ABILITY IN AN ACCOUNTING COURSE
Authors: Keef Stephen P.
Published: August 2010

This study proposes and tests a causal model to explain variations in performance in the New Zealand University Bursaries Accounting examination. The model was based on specific abilities in cognate subjects. The influence of the specific ability was characterised by the semipartial correlation coefficient of performance in the cognate subject examination with performance in the accounting examination. Performance in the examination and the semipartial correlation coefficients were independent of gender, the year of the examination and the combination of courses taken. The effects of specific ability in statistics and calculus were greater than those for the subjects of economics and English.
TOWARDS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR GOVERNMENT AUDITING
Authors: Hardman D.J.
Published: August 2010

This article attempts to contribute to a conceptual framework for government auditing by using agency concepts in government and public finance for the examination of underlying theoretical and practical issues. Three models of government auditing are formulated: sole monitoring, dual monitoring and commercial monitoring. The main assumptions of these constructs are examined and their operations assessed in the context of international co‐operation and dialogue among government auditing institutions. Problems relating to auditing accountability, audit mandate and auditor independence are identified and discussed. Despite some differences in these areas, there is a global tendency for the government auditing function to transcend the traditional parameters of financial attestation and legislative compliance in order to espouse broader notions implicit in the various gradations of comprehensive auditing.
FOREIGN‐CURRENCY ACCOUNTING METHODS: REPORTING THE EXCHANGE RATE RISK EXPOSURE OF EQUITY
Authors: Godfrey Jayne M.
Published: August 2010

This study tests whether Australian firms' unregulated foreign‐currency accounting policies indicated the extent to which equity claims against the firm were exposed to exchange rate risk. Evidence supports the hypothesis that the methods of accounting for foreign‐currency gains and losses on long‐term monetary‐items were associated with the exposure. Methods of disposing of the gains and losses arising from translation of the accounts of overseas subsidiaries were also associated with the exposure, but not in the manner predicted. The results indicate that foreign‐currency accounting policies were established in an interactive (portfolio) decision‐making process, and that managers reported equity claim exposures relative to the returns to equity claims against other firms. Overall, the study provides evidence that at least some unregulated choices of foreign‐currency accounting methods were made to minimise the agency costs associated with contracts between shareholders and management.
THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE OPERATING EXPOSURE OF AUSTRALIAN STOCKS
Authors: Loudon Geoffrey
Published: August 2010

This paper provides empirical evidence on the stock return sensitivity of a sample of Australian companies, to changes in the trade weighted index value of the Australian dollar during the post float period January, 1984 ‐ December, 1989. Exposure is estimated using time series regression methods. While the evidence of exposure is generally weak, there is evidence that resource stocks and industrial stocks respond differentially to fluctuations in the Australian dollar.
USING A PROPORTIONAL ODDS MODEL TO ANALYSE THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ACCOUNTING STANDARD SETTING LOBBYING IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Sims Michele A. , Cullis Kerrie L.
Published: August 2010

The primary aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that, when making written submissions to the accounting standard setting bodies, lobbyists place the same level of importance, on: 1) the ASRB Release 100 accounting standard evaluative criteria, 2) differential reporting, 3) the ‘relevance’ of the proposed financial reporting disclosures, and 4) the ‘reliability’ of those disclosures to general purpose financial statement users. The secondary aim was to determine if these qualitative factors are afforded different levels of importance by different lobbying groups, viz., public practitioners, corporate accountants, government accountants, and academics/individuals. The responses to a survey of formal lobbyists were examined using a proportional odds model which utilises the ordinal nature of the responses and employs an analysis of deviance between responses. The results showed that the sampled lobbyists, as a whole, considered the four qualitative factors of ‘evaluative criteria’, ‘differential reporting’, ‘relevance’, and ‘reliability’ of financial information, to be of equal importance to their lobbying position. In addition, the ranking in importance was not consistent across the different lobbying groups. That is, company and government accountants rated the ‘reliability’ of the proposed reporting disclosures as the most important factor influencing the nature of their lobbying submissions, while the public practitioner and academic groups perceived the ‘relevance’ of the proposed disclosures as the most important. Testing the effects of the financial reporting issues underlying each of these four factors on the relative importance of those factors, revealed 1) a concern by all lobbyists that the thrust of an Exposure Draft matches the lobbyists' views on the ‘relevance’ of the disclosures proposed, and 2) a desire by all lobbyists that the proposed financial reports faithfully represent the underlying transactions of the entity.
Effect of credit rating changes on Australian stock returns
Authors: Choy Elisa , Gray Stephen , Ragunathan Vanitha
Published: August 2010

We study the impact credit rating revisions have on stock returns of Australian firms rated by Standard & Poor's and Moody's. Our evidence is consistent with that documented in the USA showing that only downgrades contain price‐relevant information. The reaction is most significant when the downgrade: (i) is unanticipated; (ii) is for an unregulated firm; and (iii) reduces the firm's rating by more than one category.
The relative information content of operating and financing cash flow in the proposed cash flow statement
Authors: Francis Rick N.
Published: August 2010

This study compares the relative information content of the new specifications of operating and financing cash flow as proposed jointly by the IASB and the FASB with the specifications in SFAS No. 95. A unique feature of the study is the use of the Siegel and Biddle (1994) test of relative information content. The results indicate that the proposed operating cash flow measure has less relative information content than the current measure, and the results for financing cash flow are consistent with equity investors finding no significant difference between the current and proposed measures.
The valuation of R&D expenditures in Japan
Authors: Nguyen Pascal , Nivoix Sophie , Noma Mikiharu
Published: August 2010

The difficulty to measure the long‐term benefits of R&D expenditures and the distortions induced by R&D accounting suggest that R&D‐intensive firms could be undervalued. Using several methods commonly applied to detect the abnormal returns associated with mispricing, we find little evidence that the value of R&D investments has been underestimated in the Japanese stock market. Given that R&D accounting rules in Japan are similar to those in United States, the results appear to reject the hypothesis that accounting biases are the cause of the undervaluation of R&D investments observed in the United States.
COMPETITION AND COST OVERRUNS IN PROCUREMENT*
Authors: GANUZA JUAN‐JOSÉ
Published: August 2010

Most cases of cost overruns in public procurement are related to important changes in the initial project design. This paper provides a rationale for the observed pattern in public procurement of underinvestment in design specification. We propose a two‐stage model in which the sponsor first decides how much to invest in design specification and auctions the project to horizontally differentiated contractors. After the contract has been awarded and implemented, the sponsor and contractor receive new information about the optimal project design and renegotiate the contract to accommodate changes in the initial project's design. We show that the sponsor's optimal strategy is to underinvest in design specification, which makes significant cost overruns likely. Since no such underinvestment occurs when contractors are not horizontally differentiated, cost overruns are seen to arise as a consequence of lack of competition in the procurement market.
DO OLIGOPOLISTS POLLUTE LESS? EVIDENCE FROM A RESTRUCTURED ELECTRICITY MARKET*
Authors: MANSUR ERIN T.
Published: August 2010

Electricity restructuring has created the opportunity for producers to exercise market power. Oligopolists increase price by distorting output decisions, causing cross‐firm production inefficiencies. This study estimates the environmental implications of production inefficiencies attributed to market power in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland electricity market. Air pollution fell substantially during 1999, the year in which both electricity restructuring and new environmental regulation took effect. I find that strategic firms reduced their emissions by approximately 20% relative to other firms and their own historic emissions. Next, I compare observed behavior with estimates of production, and therefore emissions, in a competitive market. According to a model of competitive behavior, changing costs explain approximately two‐thirds of the observed pollution reductions. The remaining third can be attributed to firms exercising market power.
THE EFFECT OF GROUP SIZE AND ASYMMETRIES ON THE INCENTIVE TO REVEAL GROUP‐SPECIFIC INFORMATION*
Authors: REIFFEN DAVID
Published: August 2010

In this paper, I examine how firms' incentives to differentiate their products through the revelation of truthful information about product attributes varies with the distribution of consumer preferences for those attributes. I show that information will tend to be provided for large groups, even absent scale economies in producing that information. In addition, the relative sizes of the groups whose estimates of product quality change positively vs. negatively (i.e., the degree of asymmetry) by the information is likewise an important determinant of its profitability.
DIRECT TO CONSUMER ADVERTISING AND PRESCRIPTION CHOICE
Authors: IIZUKA TOSHIAKI , JIN GINGER Z.
Published: August 2010

This paper examines the effect of direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription drugs on doctors' choice of drug brands. Using antihistamines as an example, we show that DTCA has little effect on the choice of brand despite the massive DTCA expenditure incurred in this class. In contrast, promotional activities directed toward physicians have larger and longer lasting effects. These results, together with the market‐expanding results shown in Iizuka and Jin (2005), suggest that DTCA is effective in increasing the aggregate demand per therapeutic class but does not affect doctor choice of prescription within a class. Therefore, DTCA may be viewed as a public good for all drugs in the same class.
PATENT LENGTH AND THE TIMING OF INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY
Authors: GANS JOSHUA S. , KING STEPHEN P.
Published: August 2010

The standard result in patent policy, as demonstrated by Gilbert and Shapiro (1990), is that infinitely lived but very narrow patents are optimal as deadweight losses are minimised and spread through time but inventors can still recover their R&D expenditures. By extending their innovative environment to include timing as an important choice, we demonstrate that a finitely lived, but broader, patent can be socially desirable. This is because a patent breadth is a better instrument than length to encourage socially optimal timing. Thus, patents need not be infinitely long in order to encourage a greater number of inventions
Business Groups: An Integrated Model to Focus Future Research
Authors: Yiu Daphne W. , Lu Yuan , Bruton Garry D. , Hoskisson Robert E.
Published: August 2010

abstract Business groups are the primary form of managing large business organizations outside North America. This paper provides a systematic and integrative framework for understanding business groups. We argue that existing theoretical perspectives of business groups pay attention to four critical external contexts, each of which draws from a specific theoretical perspective: market conditions (transaction cost theory), social relationships (relational perspective), political factors (political economy perspective), and external monitoring mechanisms (agency theory). Business groups adapt to these external forces by deploying various internal mechanisms along two key dimensions: one focuses on the distinctive roles of the group affiliates (horizontal connectedness) and the other focuses on coupling and order between the parent firm and its affiliates (vertical linkages). Based on these two dimensions, a typology of business group forms is developed: network (N‐form), club (C‐form), holding (H‐form), and multidivisional (M‐form). Utilizing this model we provide research questions which facilitate an improved future research agenda.
AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE: SUBJECTION AND EMBODIMENT IN PAULA REGO'S POSSESSION
Authors: ROSENGARTEN RUTH
Published: August 2010

Paula Rego's work is frequently considered in terms of a feminist subversion of the tenets of patriarchy. Here, I analyse a group of seven panels made in pastel, in order to throw light on the relationship between obedience and resistance in the formation of female subjects in Rego's work, exploring the interpellative underpinnings that shape and constrain them. Examined in relation both to the imagery of hysteria deployed by nineteenth‐century French neurologist Jean‐Martin Charcot and to the Freudian concept of transference, Possession, I argue, performs the condition of an impossible love in its address to an object empowered by the very relationship that instates it as object. I propose that Rego's work may be read in relation to a feminist politics that acknowledges the Symbolic Order and its paternal legacy.
LAYING SIEGE TO THE ROYAL ACADEMY: WRIGHT OF DERBY'S VIEW OF GIBRALTAR AT ROBINS'S ROOMS, COVENT GARDEN, APRIL 1785
Authors: BONEHILL JOHN
Published: August 2010

This essay examines the circumstances surrounding the first exhibition of Joseph Wright of Derby's epic contemporary history painting View of Gibraltar during the destruction of the Spanish Floating Batteries, 13 September 1782. This intensely dramatic depiction of siege warfare was the centrepiece of a one‐man show, held by the artist at Robins's Rooms, Covent Garden, between April and June 1785, an exhibition staged in direct rivalry with the Royal Academy, of whom Wright had fallen foul two years earlier. It is argued that the iconography of the exhibition, in concert with a number of associated publications, deliberately highlighted the confrontations, contests and infighting between artists that were such a marked feature of the London art world of the mid‐1780s.
DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON, 1968–1975
Authors: FUNNELL PETER
Published: August 2010

This essay examines the innovative sequence of permanent historical displays created at the National Portrait Gallery under the directorship of Roy Strong in the late 1960s and early 1970s and establishes a series of contexts for them. It looks back to display at the gallery in earlier decades in order to examine how this reflected varying degrees of public engagement. This leads to an exploration of the place of Strong's displays within the cultural politics of the later 1960s, notably their relationship to the policies of Labour Minister the Arts, Jennie Lee. The final context is the development of a popular historical consciousness during the period, a phenomenon in which the visualization of history played a crucial role.
AESTHETICS AND CULTURAL POLITICS IN THE AGE OF DREYFUS: MAURICE DENIS'S HOMAGE TO CÉZANNE
Authors: KUENZLI KATHERINE MARIE
Published: August 2010

This article examines the alliance between painterly modernism and right‐wing politics in France at the height of the Dreyfus Affair. Political struggles took on an aesthetic dimension in the cultural battles waged around 1900. Maurice Denis's monumental group portrait Homage to Cézanne (1900) serves as the focus of my inquiry. This painting is often cited and reproduced in histories of French modernism, but has yet to be examined within its historical and political moment. Although Homage does not directly reference contemporary political events, Denis's formal and compositional choices in Homage were informed by Adrien Mithouard's right‐wing nationalist cultural politics.
What Makes an Outstanding Chairman? Findings from the UK Non‐Executive Director of the Year Awards, 2006
Authors: Dulewicz Victor , Gay Keith , Taylor Bernard
Published: August 2010

This paper reports research conducted on detailed behavioural information from the UK Non‐Executive Director (NED) Awards 2006. The key findings were that outstanding Chairmen have a high level of integrity, showing high ethical standards in their own behaviour, as well as providing a lead on corporate governance matters. They promote investors' confidence and ensure high returns to investors. They spend significant time mentoring, developing and advising their colleagues, are team builders, are empathetic and very effective. They encourage contributions from fellow directors and achieve consensus yet they challenge and probe colleagues, especially the executive directors. They have an acute critical faculty and a critical thinking ability.
The Anachronism of the Voice‐Exit Paradigm: institutional investors and corporate governance in the UK
Authors: Lysandrou Photis , Stoyanova Denitsa
Published: August 2010

The voice‐exit paradigm continues to serve as the framework for debating key issues in UK corporate governance. That paradigm, however, has become an anachronism with the recent changes in the scale and organisational structure of the UK asset management industry. As a result of these changes the “holding” and the “selling” of shares tend to be mutually inclusive rather than exclusive acts, and the capital market's corporate governance role is now exercised more through the gravitational pull of equity trading than through the medium of hostile takeovers. If the new realities are to be correctly appraised and factored into the corporate governance codes of conduct, the voice‐exit paradigm has to be abandoned in favour of an alternative framework that is attuned to these realities. The aim of this paper is to help develop such a framework.
The Proportion and Social Capital of Outside Directors and Their Impacts on Firm Value: evidence from Korea
Authors: Kim Yangmin
Published: August 2010

This study examines the effects of outside directors' proportion and their social capital on firm value using a sample of 473 large, publicly traded Korean companies from 1998 through 2003. Outside director proportion, which is defined as the ratio of outside directors to the total number of directors of a company, is regarded as a proxy of board independence. Outside director social capital, which is defined as the degree to which outside board members have outside contacts in the external environment, is regarded as a proxy of board's ability to extract valuable resources or information from the environment. It is hypothesised that both the proportion of outside directors to the total directors and outside director social capital will be positively associated with firm value. This study reports strong GLS evidence of the relationship between outside director social capital and firm value but no significant relationship between outside director proportion and firm value.
Does CEO Duality Really Affect Corporate Performance?
Authors: Elsayed Khaled
Published: August 2010

Most research investigating the impact of board leadership structure as a corporate governance mechanism, on corporate performance has focused largely on either the Anglo‐American context or the Asian experience and has come up with diverse conclusions. This study sheds light on the extent to which corporate leadership structure affects corporate performance by providing empirical evidence from a sample of Egyptian listed firms. The initial econometric results indicate that CEO duality has no impact on corporate performance. However, when an interaction term between industry type and CEO duality is included in the model, the impact of CEO duality on corporate performance is found to vary across industries, a result that is supportive of both agency theory and stewardship theory. In addition, when firms are categorised according to their financial performance, CEO duality attracts a positive and significant coefficient only when corporate performance is low.
The Changing Structure of US Corporate Boards: 1997–2003
Authors: Chhaochharia Vidhi , Grinstein Yaniv
Published: August 2010

We document changes in board characteristics in public US firms between 1997 and 2003. We find significant changes in board independence, committee independence, board size, interlocking directorships, director occupation and multiple directorships. Most of the changes occur between 2000 and 2003. In general, these changes appear both in small and large firms. However, changes in board size and in multiple directorships are statistically significant in large firms only. We find weaker trends in the financial stake of independent directors and in separating CEOs from the chairman position. In 2003 many independent directors have small holdings in the firms they direct and CEOs chair around two‐thirds of the boards in our sample. Together, these results shed light on the types of board structures that have recently become the norm in US public firms.
Directors versus Shareholders: evaluating corporate governance in the UK using the AGM scorecard
Authors: Apostolides Nicholas
Published: August 2010

This paper explores the role of the annual general meeting (AGM) in the mediation of tensions between the board of directors of a company and its shareholders. An evaluative framework is developed for assessing whether directors at any particular AGM appear to be making the meeting inclusive for the shareholders. Consideration is made at first of the place of the AGM as a corporate governance device, concluding that in recent times shareholder voting on resolutions and questioning of the board exhibit important features of self‐governance as opposed to external regulation. A scoring system is then developed for assessing whether an AGM favours the company or the shareholders, using twelve criteria to rank them. The results of observations of 22 AGMs over recent years in five industrial sectors are then analysed and assessed, with reasons for high and low scores being suggested.
Beyond the Dichotomous Worlds Hypothesis: towards a plurality of corporate governance logics
Authors: Heugens Pursey P. M. A. R. , (Jordan) Otten J. A.
Published: August 2010

The dichotomous worlds hypothesis holds that corporate governance systems worldwide are either based on the Anglo‐American shareholder model or the Eurasian stakeholder model. We suggest a more fine‐grained classification, based on five corporate governance logics – socially constructed, historical patterns of material practices, assumptions, values, beliefs, and rules by which all parties involved in economic productive activities structure their material interdependencies and provide meaning to the social reality of corporate life. These logics are discovered through a content analysis of the corporate governance reform codes of 38 countries.
Corporate Governance and International Location Decisions of Multinational Enterprises
Authors: Dam Lammertjan , Scholtens Bert , Sterken Elmer
Published: August 2010

This paper analyses international location decisions of corporations based on corporate governance considerations. Using firm level data on 540 Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) with 44,149 subsidiaries in 188 countries, we test whether firms with relatively good governance standards are more often located in countries with a weak governance system. We find empirical support for this hypothesis, especially for those corporations present in low‐income countries.
Moderators of the Relationship Between Director Stock‐Based Compensation and Firm Performance
Authors: Cordeiro James J. , Veliyath Rajaram , Romal Jane B.
Published: August 2010

Research on the efficacy of stock‐based compensation for outside directors has documented a weak or non‐existent relationship with firm performance. Other variables also influence the relationships between these two constructs. Consistent with agency theory, we show, for a sample of 450 Standard & Poor 500 firms over the 1995–97 period that the use of director stock options and grants ratios was more strongly associated with positive performance in firms with (a) higher investment opportunities, and (b) weaker external monitoring. These findings have implications for compensation committees in the structuring of director compensation.
Empirical Evidence on Corporate Governance and Corporate Performance in Tunisia
Authors: Khanchel El Mehdi Imen
Published: August 2010

Recent high‐profile corporate failures in the US and elsewhere in the world, many of which were caused by, or at least exacerbated by, weak governance practices, have convinced an increasing number of once sceptical investors that governance is a separate risk class that certainly requires attention and, in many cases, expert analysis. In this paper we examine corporate governance in Tunisia, North Africa, by analysing the board, the ownership structures and the financial market. By using a panel data set of 24 firms listed on the Tunisian Stock Exchange for the period 2000 to 2005, we provide evidence that governance in Tunisian firms is characterised by strong blockholders (often including families). Moreover, firms can choose between a dual board and a monist board. Our estimates show that Tunisian governance is weak. Finally we provide evidence for a strong relationship between governance and corporate performance.
Corporate Governance in Bangladesh: Link between Ownership and Financial Performance
Authors: Al Farooque Omar , Van Zijl Tony , Dunstan Keitha , Karim AKM Waresul
Published: August 2010

This paper investigates empirically the effect of board ownership on firm performance in Bangladesh. By estimating single equation and simultaneous equation models on an unbalanced pooled sample of listed firms, it offers some new insight into the ownership‐performance link in Bangladesh. Building on extant literature, it examines the ownership‐performance relationship in an emerging market economy considering ownership as exogenous and as endogenous. The latter approach is favoured as recent empirical evidence shows that ownership and performance are endogenously determined and there is either a reverse‐way or two‐way causality relationship between the two. While OLS regression analysis indicates a linear and non‐linear relationship between board ownership and performance, this disappears when 2‐SLS estimation of a simultaneous equation model is carried out. Instead, a reverse causality relationship emerges. Other governance and control variables appear to have effects consistent with the literature. These results suggest a need to strengthen the internal control mechanisms within listed firms in Bangladesh.
PEACOCKE'S SELF‐KNOWLEDGE
Authors: Coliva Annalisa
Published: August 2010

The paper reviews Christopher Peacocke's account of self‐knowledge. His proposal relies on the claim that first‐order mental states may be given to a subject so as to function as reasons, from his point of view, for the corresponding self‐ascriptions. Peacocke's Being Known elicits two different views of how that may be the case: a given propositional attitude is considered to be conscious if, on the one hand, there is something it is like to have it; and, on the other, if it can occupy a subject's attention without being an object of attention. I examine both views and conclude that, on the latter, Peacocke's proposal risks of not offering an independent reason for the self‐ascription, and, on the former, of offering no reason at all. I then turn to some ideas from his The Realm of Reason and claim that they can help stabilise his earlier account only at the cost of surrendering internalism in the epistemology of psychological self‐ascriptions and of contaminating internalist proposals about knowledge of any subject matter with an externalist base which would betray their point. Unless one doesn't want to pay this price, then Peacocke's account offers no solution to the problem of self‐knowledge.1
PERMUTATIONS AND FOSTER PROBLEMS: TWO PUZZLES OR ONE?
Authors: Williams J. Robert G.
Published: August 2010

How are permutation arguments for the inscrutability of reference to be formulated in the context of a Davidsonian truth‐theoretic semantics? Davidson (1979) takes these arguments to establish that there are no grounds for favouring a reference scheme that assigns London to ‘Londres’, rather than one that assigns Sydney to that name. We shall see, however, that it is far from clear whether permutation arguments work when set out in the context of the kind of truth‐theoretic semantics which Davidson favours. The principle required to make the argument work allows us to resurrect Foster problems against the Davidsonian position. The Foster problems and the permutation inscrutability problems stand or fall together: they are one puzzle, not two.1
Variance Estimation for Statistics Computed from Inhomogeneous Spatial Point Processes
Authors: Guan Yongtao
Published: August 2010

The paper introduces a new approach to estimate the variance of statistics that are computed from an inhomogeneous spatial point process. The approach proposed is based on the assumption that the observed point process can be thinned to be a second-order stationary point process, where the thinning probability depends only on the first-order intensity function of the (unthinned) original process. The resulting variance estimator is proved to be asymptotically consistent for the target parameter under some very mild conditions. The use of the approach proposed is demonstrated in two important applications of modelling inhomogeneous spatial point processes: residual diagnostics of a fitted model and inference on the unknown regression coefficients. A simulation study and an application to a real data example are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach proposed.
The Time Factor in EFL Classroom Practice
Authors: Serrano Raquel
Published: August 2010

This article analyzes whether the distribution of the hours of classroom practice has any effect on students’ foreign language gains by comparing two types of EFL (English as a foreign language) programs: one in which the hours of instruction are distributed in long sessions over a short period (intensive course) and another in which the students attend short sessions over a long period of time (regular course). Data from 152 participants at two proficiency levels were gathered. Learners’ grammar and vocabulary knowledge, as well as listening, writing, and speaking skills were examined through a variety of tasks. The results of the analyses performed indicate that intermediate‐level students tend to make more language gains in intensive programs than in regular programs, whereas advanced EFL students do not seem to benefit from intensive classroom practice as much as intermediate students do.
Oil demand in transportation sector in Iran: an efficiency and income asymmetric modelling approach
Authors: Mazraati Mohammad
Published: August 2010

The transportation sector in Iran consumed about 52 per cent of oil demand in 2005. This high consumption rate of oil in the sector is fuelled by many factors including fiscal policies structural, as well as infrastructural factors. The vehicle ownership (intensity), efficiency of vehicles, public transportation, transport infrastructure, per capita income, cost of vehicle use, and fuel prices are among the factors which are shaping the trend of oil demand in this very important sector. Energy in Iran is heavily subsidized and in the transportation sector, the subsidy amounted to $3.59 billion in 1996, rising to $12.43 billion in 2005.

Logistic model of vehicle ownership is estimated as a function of real per capita income, length of roads and other explanatory variables. Per capita income is a cumulative non‐declining variable incorporating the idea of income asymmetric. Oil demand is estimated as a function of fuel efficiency, age of car fleet, per capita income and vehicle ownership per 1,000 inhabitants. Oil demand elasticities of vehicle ownership and fuel efficiency are 1.29 and 1.11, respectively, confirming that these variables have major impacts on oil demand in the transportation sector. It is concluded that rationing of fuel or upward price adjustment merely cannot curb the fast growth of oil demand in the sector. A policy package including mandatory fuel efficiency standards, scraping of old vehicles, upward fuel price, and development of public transportation could lead to better management of fuel consumption in this sector.
Automatic diagnosis of diabetes using adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference systems
Authors: Übeyli Elif Derya
Published: August 2010

Abstract: A new approach based on an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is presented for diagnosis of diabetes diseases. The Pima Indians diabetes data set contains records of patients with known diagnosis. The ANFIS classifiers learn how to differentiate a new case in the domain by being given a training set of such records. The ANFIS classifier is used to detect diabetes diseases when eight features defining diabetes indications are used as inputs. The proposed ANFIS model combines neural network adaptive capabilities and the fuzzy logic qualitative approach. The conclusions concerning the impacts of features on the diagnosis of diabetes disease are obtained through analysis of the ANFIS. The performance of the ANFIS model is evaluated in terms of training performances and classification accuracies and the results confirm that the proposed ANFIS model has potential in detecting diabetes diseases.
Patent foramen ovale management: who should do what?
Authors: Rigatelli G. , Cardaioli P.
Published: August 2010

Although definitive evidence of effectiveness of percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is still debated and closure seems to be recommendable only for secondary prevention of stroke, many different specialists may be involved in diagnosis and treatment of the different PFO‐related syndromes. When many different professionals are involved in the same patient management, confusion about who does make the diagnosis and who does take decision about medical or interventional therapy would be frequent and correct judgment and actions would be delayed. The authors propose a model of multidisciplinary protocol to manage PFO‐related syndrome, in which each specialists has a specific role during the decision‐making process that is driven by the cardiologist.
Long‐term effectiveness and quality of life improvement in entacapone‐treated Parkinson's disease patients: the effects of an early therapeutic intervention
Authors: Grandas F. , Hernández B. ,   on behalf of the PRACTICOMT Study Group
Published: August 2010

To evaluate the long‐term effects of entacapone on both mean daily ‘on’ time and health‐related quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) experiencing ‘end‐of‐dose’ motor fluctuations and the benefits of an early therapeutic intervention. A prospective, multicenter, observational, 12‐month study was performed with an initial 3‐month intervention phase, consisting of a phone call to half of the patients from randomly selected investigators to assess if dose adjustment was necessary. Effectiveness was determined by home diaries (‘on’ time), subscales II and III of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ‐8). After 3 months of treatment, 4.0% of the intervention group patients discontinued the study, versus 18.4% in the control group (P < 0.01). The improvement in ‘on’ time was significantly increased since the 3‐month visit (21%, P < 0.0001) until the end of the study (23% at 12 months, P < 0.0001). Entacapone also induced significant reductions in the UPDRS scores for subscales II and III and in the PDQ‐8 score. 11.2% of patients experienced at least one adverse reaction. This study confirms the effectiveness of entacapone in reducing motor fluctuations by increasing ‘on’ time, and in improving QoL of PD patients. An early adjustment of entacapone and levodopa doses reduces the number of treatment discontinuations during the first months of treatment.
One Europe, one neurologist?
Authors: Grisold W. , Galvin R. , Lisnic V. , Lopes Lima J. , Mueller E. , Oberndorfer St. , Vodusek D. B. ,   UEMS‐EBN and EFNS Education Committee
Published: August 2010

In recent years, there has been a major shift in emphasis within neurology from being a largely diagnostic discipline to one much more actively involved in treating disease. There have been major scientific advances leading to new and effective treatments. There is also a much greater awareness of the burden of neurological disease (Olesen J, Leonardi M. European Journal of Neurology 2003; 10: 471) and informed sufferers are requesting specific intervention. There is wide variation in the delivery of neurological services throughout Europe. This is reflected in manpower levels, the place of neurology related to other medical specialties and different mixes of hospital and private office practice. These differences have been thrown into sharper focus by the recent expansion of the European Union (EU). Initial training in neurology is given to undergraduate/pre‐graduate students. Post‐graduate education is delivered within a residency program leading to specialist qualification and certification. We now recognize that this is only the beginning of a life long program of continuous education and development (CME/CPD). National and international exchange programs facilitate the growth of knowledge and promote professional harmony and cooperation. The free migration of medical specialists has been an aspiration but remains limited by cultural, linguistic, personal, professional, political and economic factors. Two bodies, the European Board of Neurology (EBN–UEMS) http://www.uems‐neuroboard.org (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes) and the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) http://www.efns.org are actively involved in harmonising and developing neurology at the European level.
Microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm: postoperative neurologic follow‐up and evaluation of life quality
Authors: Heuser K. , Kerty E. , Eide P. K. , Cvancarova M. , Dietrichs E.
Published: August 2010

Microvascular decompression (MVD) is an effective and safe treatment in hemifacial spasm (HFS). Postoperative evaluations are usually made by neurosurgeons. Follow‐up studies performed by neurologists and postoperative quality of life (QoL) investigations are lacking. All 25 HFS patients operated with MVD in our centre between 2000 and 2004 were evaluated with the recently validated HFS‐7 scheme, extended with the item ’sleep disturbance due to HFS’ (HFS‐8). The patients underwent a careful neurological examination median 3 years after the operation. The evaluation focused on clinical aspects, changes in blood pressure and time until observable effect of MVD. The evaluation of HFS‐7 questionnaire and the extended form (HFS‐8) showed significant improvement in QoL after MVD. Neurological outcome was in almost all cases excellent or good. Eleven (44%) patients had no neurological deficits at all. Only one patient had serious complications with ipsilateral facial palsy, deafness, balance problems and vertigo. The other patients had minor neurological findings or symptoms. Eighteen (72%) patients experienced early effect within 3 months after MVD; seven (28%) patients had late effect between 6 and 14 months. Median age of the patients with late effect (62.6 years) was significantly higher than in those with early effect (52.7 years).
Trying to Make Sense of the Bank of Japan's Monetary Policy since the Exit from Quantitative Easing
Authors: Ueda Kazuo
Published: August 2010

In this short note, I review the Bank of Japan (BOJ)'s monetary policy since its exit from the so‐called quantitative easing regime early in 2006. The major characteristic of the policy stance during the period, called Strategy 2 below, has been to adjust the policy interest rate gradually upward in response to a healthy real economy despite stagnant behaviour in consumer prices. Such a policy stance can be contrasted with a hypothetical strategy, Strategy 1, whereby the BOJ would have kept the policy rate at lower levels, possibly at 0%, until inflation starts to show an upward trend more clearly. The two strategies are compared on many fronts with particular attention to well‐known recent empirical regularities about inflation – a smaller response of inflation to output and larger uncertainties about the response. Various comparisons of the two strategies offered here, although far from conclusive, tend to support Strategy 1 over Strategy 2. In my discussion of the two strategies, I also comment on some of the major features of the Nishimura article in this issue.
The Absent Friend: EU Foreign Policy and Counter‐Terrorism
Authors: KEOHANE DANIEL
Published: August 2010

The article argues that the relative absence of foreign policy from the EU's counter‐terrorism efforts is surprising given the nature of the threat. The reasons for this range from the EU's role and approach to counter‐terrorism, to the leading role of interior ministers and a focus on the internal threat. External factors and actors also come into play, such as the US ‘global war on terror’ and Nato's role in counter‐terrorism. The article explores three core aspects of the external dimension of counter‐terrorism policy and argues that areas such as development assistance and democracy promotion have become securitized.
The European Union, Democracy and Counter‐Terrorism in the Maghreb
Authors: JOFFÉ GEORGE
Published: August 2010

Since 2001, the nature of the European Union's external action in the Mediterranean, particularly with respect to North Africa, has undergone significant change. The normative objectives of the Euro‐Mediterranean Partnership have become securitized in that co‐operation to achieve economic and political development between South Mediterranean states has been effectively replaced by co‐operation to combat a shared threat: transnational terrorism. The signifier of this process has been the way in which the approach to the issue of migration as a security concern has been modified but the consequence has been to downplay the role of norms of democratization and human rights in intra‐Mediterranean political relationships.
European Responses to International Terrorism: Diversity Awareness as a New Capability?*
Authors: WIENER ANTJE
Published: August 2010

This exploratory article seeks to identify angles for theory‐guided research on European responses to terrorism. It argues that, when placed within the historical context of its own trajectory in the area of border politics, and especially experiences related to the Schengen Agreement, its implementation and cross‐pillar collaboration, it is possible to identify a distinct European capability. This article describes this capability as ‘diversity awareness’. That is, as an actor on the world stage, the European Union is able to draw on transnational and trans‐border experiences with law enforcement in beyond‐the‐state settings, as opposed to e.g. conventional warfare in order to defend the national interest. While sympathetic to the ‘normative power Europe’ literature, the article's critical constructivist approach notes reservations against the Universalist bias of that literature and proposes an approach that is more conducive to empirical research instead.
Subplate in the developing cortex of mouse and human
Authors: Wang Wei Zhi , Hoerder‐Suabedissen Anna , Oeschger Franziska M. , Bayatti Nadhim , Ip Bui Kar , Lindsay Susan , Supramaniam Veena , Srinivasan Latha , Rutherford Mary , Møllgård Kjeld , Clowry Gavin J. , Molnár Zoltán
Published: August 2010

The subplate is a largely transient zone containing precocious neurons involved in several key steps of cortical development. The majority of subplate neurons form a compact layer in mouse, but are dispersed throughout a much larger zone in the human. In rodent, subplate neurons are among the earliest born neocortical cells, whereas in primate, neurons are added to the subplate throughout cortical neurogenesis. Magnetic resonance imaging and histochemical studies show that the human subplate grows in size until the end of the second trimester. Previous microarray experiments in mice have shown several genes that are specifically expressed in the subplate layer of the rodent dorsal cortex. Here we examined the human subplate for some of these markers. In the human dorsal cortex, connective tissue growth factor‐positive neurons can be seen in the ventricular zone at 15–22 postconceptional weeks (PCW) (most at 17 PCW) and are present in the subplate at 22 PCW. The nuclear receptor‐related 1 protein is mostly expressed in the subplate in the dorsal cortex, but also in lower layer 6 in the lateral and perirhinal cortex, and can be detected from 12 PCW. Our results suggest that connective tissue growth factor‐ and nuclear receptor‐related 1‐positive cells are two distinct cell populations of the human subplate. Furthermore, our microarray analysis in rodent suggested that subplate neurons produce plasma proteins. Here we demonstrate that the human subplate also expresses α2zinc‐binding globulin and Alpha‐2‐Heremans‐Schmid glycoprotein/human fetuin. In addition, the established subplate neuron marker neuropeptide Y is expressed superficially, whereas potassium/chloride co‐transporter (KCC2)‐positive neurons are localized in the deep subplate at 16 PCW. These observations imply that the human subplate shares gene expression patterns with rodent, but is more compartmentalized into superficial and deep sublayers. This increased complexity of the human subplate may contribute to differential vulnerability in response to hypoxia/ischaemia across the depth of the cortex. Combining knowledge of cell‐type specific subplate gene expression with modern imaging methods will enable a better understanding of neuropathologies involving the subplate.