bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biological components of colour preference in infancy
Authors: Franklin Anna , Bevis Laura , Ling Yazhu , Hurlbert Anya
Published: June 2009

Adult colour preference has been summarized quantitatively in terms of weights on the two fundamental neural processes that underlie early colour encoding: the S−(L+M) (‘blue–yellow’) and L−M (‘red–green’) cone‐opponent contrast channels (Ling, Hurlbert & Robinson, 2006; Hurlbert & Ling, 2007). Here, we investigate whether colour preference in 4–5‐month‐olds may be analysed in the same way. We recorded infants’ eye‐movements in response to pairwise presentations of eight colour stimuli varying only in hue. Infants looked longest at reddish and shortest at greenish hues. Analyses revealed that the L−M and S−(L+M) contrast between stimulus colour and background explained around half of the variation in infant preference across the hue spectrum. Unlike adult colour preference patterns, there was no evidence for sex differences in the weights on either of the cone‐opponent contrast components. The findings provide a quantitative model of infant colour preference that summarizes variation in infant preference across hues.
REHABILITATING HUMAN NATURE
Authors: ANDREOU CHRISOULA
Published: June 2009

I review the main models of disability and introduce a line of reasoning that has been neglected in the debate concerning disability and disadvantage. My reasoning suggests that while disablism can and should be combated, success will require more challenging transformations than those featured in the literature.
VIRTUE ETHICS AND THE SELECTION OF CHILDREN WITH IMPAIRMENTS: A REPLY TO ROSALIND MCDOUGALL
Authors: SAENZ CARLA
Published: June 2009

In ‘Parental Virtues: A New Way of Thinking about the Morality of Reproductive Actions’ Rosalind McDougall proposes a virtue‐based framework to assess the morality of child selection. Applying the virtue‐based account to the selection of children with impairments does not lead, according to McDougall, to an unequivocal answer to the morality of selecting impaired children. In ‘Impairment, Flourishing, and the Moral Nature of Parenthood,’ she also applies the virtue‐based account to the discussion of child selection, and claims that couples with an impairment are morally justified in selecting a child with the same impairment. This claim, she maintains, reveals that the flourishing of a child should be understood as requiring environment‐specific characteristics. I argue that McDougall's argument begs the question. More importantly, it does not do justice to virtue ethics. I also question to what extent a virtue ethics framework can be successfully applied to discussions about the moral permissibility of reproductive actions.
Applying an activity system to online collaborative group work analysis
Authors: Choi Hyungshin , Kang Myunghee
Published: June 2009

This study determines whether an activity system provides a systematic framework to analyse collaborative group work. Using an activity system as a unit of analysis, the research examined learner behaviours, conflicting factors and facilitating factors while students engaged in collaborative work via asynchronous computer‐mediated communication. The online postings from the two highest and lowest performing groups of students during one semester were analysed, coded and reorganised. The coded postings of these four groups were then compared using an activity system to identify the difference in patterns of learner behaviours. The conflicting and facilitating factors that students encountered were identified as well. The findings provide implications for online collaborative learning environment design and mediating strategies. The study also addresses some of the challenges in using an activity system to analyse collaborative learning activities and provides suggestions for future research.
Codes of Good Governance
Authors: Aguilera Ruth V. , Cuervo‐Cazurra Alvaro
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type: Review

Research Question/Issue: We review the recent developments in the area of codes of good governance, a set of best practice recommendations regarding the behavior and structure of the board of directors.

Research Findings/Results: Our review of the literature on codes of good governance highlights their rapid spread around the world and how academic research has lagged behind in analyzing this topic. Despite the criticism that the codes' voluntary nature limits their ability to improve governance practices, codes of good governance appear to have generally improved the governance of countries that have adopted them, although there is need for additional reforms.

Theoretical Implications: Unfortunately, research on codes of good governance has developed in insolation with little cross‐fertilization across the different disciplines. We propose a multi‐level framework to discuss three main topics that have emerged within the codes literature: the motivations behind the diffusion of codes across countries and its implications for convergence of corporate governance practices; the content of the codes and their “comply or explain” dimension; and the relationship between code compliance and firm performance. We conclude by proposing four areas of future research.

Practitical Implications: Code development, adoption, and compliance are directly related to issues surrounding the governance of the firm, and in particular to all the interactions that a director has inside and outside the firm. Codes are regulations that emerge from policy‐making negotiations between multiple stakeholders, such as the state (via the stock market regulators) and the investors.
Private Equity and Corporate Governance: Retrospect and Prospect
Authors: Wright Mike , Amess Kevin , Weir Charlie , Girma Sourafel
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type: Review

Research Question/Issue: We assess the corporate governance role and the impact of private equity.

Research Findings/Results: Private equity firms are heterogeneous in their characteristics and activities. Nevertheless, a corporate governance structure with private equity involvement provides incentives to reduce agency and free cash flow problems. Additionally, private equity enhances the efficacy of the market for corporate control. Private equity investment is associated with performance gains, with such gains not simply being a result of transfers from other stakeholders. In the short term, the benefits appear clear to outgoing owners and to the new owners and management while in the longer term the benefits are less clear. While non‐financial stakeholders argue that other stakeholders suffer in the short and long term, the evidence to support this view is at best mixed.

Theoretical Implications: By reviewing a comprehensive selection of theoretical and empirical papers published in refereed academic journals in finance, economics, entrepreneurship, and management as well as publicly available working papers and private equity industry studies, we develop a more complete understanding of private equity investment. Agency theory has shortcomings when applied to the broad sweep of private equity‐backed buyout types, as in some cases pre‐ownership change agency problems were likely low (e.g., family firms), in some cases the exploitation of growth opportunities owes more to the entrepreneurial behavior of managers than to improved incentives, and in some institutional contexts outside Anglo‐Saxon countries traditional agency issues are different and stakeholder interests are more important. There is a need for further theorizing on the heterogeneity of buyout and private equity types and the contexts in which they occur. Particularly useful perspectives seem to be entrepreneurial perspectives (e.g., entrepreneurial cognition, strategic entrepreneurship), stewardship theory, and institutional theory. Stakeholder governance theory (e.g., relating to employee ownership and participation) may also be useful for explaining wider distribution of gains.

Practical Implications: Private equity investment is a positive feature of the corporate restructuring landscape. There is a need for managers and their advisors to be aware of the heterogeneity of the opportunities to create value and the expertise of different private equity firms. Policymakers designing mechanisms to regulate private equity need to be aware of the systematic evidence that shows a more positive impact of private equity than some have claimed, but also that there are heterogeneous effects relating to different types of buyouts and private equity firms that need to be taken into account.
Convergence of Corporate Governance: Critical Review and Future Directions
Authors: Yoshikawa Toru , Rasheed Abdul A.
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type:Review

Research Question/Issue:Convergence in corporate governance across countries has been a subject of interest and controversy in a variety of disciplines. We attempt to address a number of related research questions: (1) what constitutes convergence? (2) what are the drivers that propel corporations in different nations towards convergence? (3) what are the major impediments that stand in the way of convergence? (4) what empirical evidence do we have to suggest that we are moving towards or away from convergence? and (5) what would be some productive avenues for further research on this topic?

Research Findings/Results:Despite the vigorous intellectual position of the proponents of convergence, there is only limited evidence to indicate that such convergence is actually occurring. Even when there is ostensible convergence, much of it is convergence in form rather than substance, and governance convergence is not a context‐free phenomenon.

Theoretical Implications:Our review of the past literature suggests that increasing integration of product and capital markets is leading to changes in corporate governance around the world, but there is only limited evidence that such changes constitute convergence. Governance changes seem to be primarily attributable to the quest for greater efficiency in governance and enhanced legitimacy in capital markets. However, local forces such as institutional embeddedness and politics can hinder governance changes or create “hybrid” practices.

Practical Implications:The ideal corporate governance may be institution‐ and firm‐specific and an imposition of new practices or standards may not lead to intended policy or performance outcomes.
Taking Stock of Corporate Governance Research While Looking to the Future
Authors: Filatotchev Igor , Boyd Brian K.
Published: June 2009

Manuscript Type:Editorial

Research Question/Issue:This essay identifies some key issues for the analysis of corporate governance based on the articles within this special review issue coupled with our own perspectives. Our aim in this issue is to distil some research streams in the field and identify opportunities for future research.

Research Findings/Results:We summarize the eight papers included in this special issue and briefly highlight their main contributions to the literature which collectively deal with the role and impact of corporate boards, codes of corporate governance, and the globalization of corporate governance systems. In addition to the new insights offered by these reviews, we attempt to offer our own ideas on where future research needs to be targeted.

Theoretical Implications:We highlight a number of research themes where future governance research may prove fruitful. This includes taking a more holistic approach to corporate governance issues and developing an inter‐disciplinary perspective by building on agency theory while considering the rich new insights offered by complementary theories, such as behavioral theory, institutional theory and the resource‐based views of the firm. In particular, future corporate governance research needs to be conducted in multiple countries, particularly in emerging economies, if we want to move closer to the journal's aim of producing a global theory of corporate governance.

Practical Implications:Our analysis suggests that analytic and regulatory approaches to corporate governance issues should move from a “one‐size‐fits‐all” template to taking into account organizational, institutional and national contexts.
Language Promotes False-Belief Understanding
Authors: Pyers Jennie E. , Senghas Ann
Published: June 2009

Developmental studies have identified a strong correlation in the timing of language development and false-belief understanding. However, the nature of this relationship remains unresolved. Does language promote false-belief understanding, or does it merely facilitate development that could occur independently, albeit on a delayed timescale? We examined language development and false-belief understanding in deaf learners of an emerging sign language in Nicaragua. The use of mental-state vocabulary and performance on a low-verbal false-belief task were assessed, over 2 years, in adult and adolescent users of Nicaraguan Sign Language. Results show that those adults who acquired a nascent form of the language during childhood produce few mental-state signs and fail to exhibit false-belief understanding. Furthermore, those whose language developed over the period of the study correspondingly developed in false-belief understanding. Thus, language learning, over and above social experience, drives the development of a mature theory of mind.
Fairness in Children's Resource Allocation Depends on the Recipient
Authors: Moore Chris
Published: June 2009

Sixty-six children between 4.5 and 6 years of age were tested in a resource-allocation game with three different recipients. When the recipient was a friend, children made equitable decisions and shared as much when there was a cost to themselves as when there was no cost. When the recipient was another familiar child who was not a friend, children were less likely to allocate resources to that child. When the recipient was a stranger, children allocated resources as much as with a friend and more than with a nonfriend when there was no cost to themselves. However, when there was a cost to themselves, children treated strangers like nonfriends. These results show that resource-allocation decisions made by young children depend on the recipient. Young children prefer equitable division of resources with friends, treat non-friends less well, and make prosocial moves with strangers when the cost to self is not high.
Hemispheric Differences in the Recognition of Environmental Sounds
Authors: González Julio , McLennan Conor T.
Published: June 2009

Recent work has found support for two dissociable and parallel neural subsystems underlying object and shape recognition in the visual domain: an abstract-category subsystem that operates more effectively in the left cerebral hemisphere than in the right, and a specific-exemplar subsystem that operates more effectively in the right hemisphere than in the left. Evidence of this asymmetry has been observed for linguistic stimuli (words, pseudoword forms) and nonlinguistic stimuli (objects). In the auditory domain, we previously found hemispheric asymmetries in priming effects using linguistic stimuli (spoken words). In the present study, we conducted four long-term repetition-priming experiments to investigate whether such hemispheric asymmetries would be observed for nonlinguistic auditory stimuli (environmental sounds) as well. The results support the dissociable-subsystems theory. Specificity effects were obtained when sounds were presented to the left ear (right hemisphere), but not when sounds were presented to the right ear (left hemisphere). Theoretical implications are discussed.
Inferior Frontal Regions Underlie the Perception of Phonetic Category Invariance
Authors: Myers Emily B. , Blumstein Sheila E. , Walsh Edward , Eliassen James
Published: June 2009

The problem of mapping differing sensory stimuli onto a common category is fundamental to human cognition. Listeners perceive stable phonetic categories despite many sources of acoustic variability. What are the neural mechanisms that underlie this perceptual stability? In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, a short-interval habituation paradigm was used to investigate neural sensitivity to acoustic changes within and between phonetic categories. A region in the left inferior frontal sulcus showed a pattern of activation consistent with phonetic invariance: insensitivity to acoustic changes within a phonetic category and sensitivity to changes between phonetic categories. Left superior temporal regions, in contrast, showed graded sensitivity to both within- and between-category changes. These results suggest that perceptual insensitivity to changes within a phonetic category may arise from decision-related mechanisms in the left prefrontal cortex and add to a growing body of literature suggesting that the inferior prefrontal cortex plays a domain-general role in computing category representations.
Does Self-Reported Posttraumatic Growth Reflect Genuine Positive Change?
Authors: Frazier Patricia , Tennen Howard , Gavian Margaret , Park Crystal , Tomich Patricia , Tashiro Ty
Published: June 2009

In this study, we evaluated the validity of self-reported posttraumatic growth (PTG) by assessing the relation between perceived growth and actual growth from pre- to posttrauma. Undergraduate students completed measures tapping typical PTG domains at Time 1 and Time 2 (2 months later). We compared change in those measures with scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996 ) for those participants who reported a traumatic event between Time 1 and Time 2 ( n = 122). PTGI scores generally were unrelated to actual growth in PTG-related domains. Moreover, perceived growth was associated with increased distress from pre- to posttrauma, whereas actual growth was related to decreased distress, a pattern suggesting that perceived and actual growth reflect different processes. Finally, perceived (but not actual) growth was related to positive reinterpretation coping. Thus, the PTGI, and perhaps other retrospective measures, does not appear to measure actual pre- to posttrauma change.
Realtime Sequential Inference of Static Parameters with Expensive Likelihood Calculations
Authors: Robins P. , Rapley V. E. , Green N.
Published: June 2009

A methodology is developed for making inference about parameters of a possible covert chemical or biological atmospheric release from sensor readings. The key difficulty in performing this inference is that the results must be obtained in a very short timescale (5 min) to make use of the inference for protection. The methodology that is developed uses some of the components in a sequential Monte Carlo algorithm. However, this inference problem is different from many other sequential Monte Carlo problems, in that there are no state evolution equations, the forward model is highly non-linear and the likelihoods are non-Gaussian. The algorithm that is developed can use stored output from complex physics models for more rapid update of the posterior from new data without having to rerun the models. The use of differential evolution Markov chain sampling allows new samples to diverge rapidly from degenerate sample sets. Results for inferences made of atmospheric releases (both real and simulated) of material are presented, demonstrating that the sampling scheme performs adequately despite constraints of a short time span for calculations.
Spatiotemporal Smoothing and Sulphur Dioxide Trends Over Europe
Authors: Bowman Adrian W. , Giannitrapani Marco , Marian Scott E.
Published: June 2009

Spatiotemporal models for sulphur dioxide pollution over Europe are considered within an additive model framework. A suitable description of the spatiotemporal correlation structure of the data is constructed and incorporated in the analysis of the additive model, to ensure that standard errors and other forms of analysis reflect the form of variation that is exhibited by the data. To deal with the large sample size, an updating formula based on binning is derived to provide a computationally manageable implementation of the back-fitting algorithm. Interaction terms involving space, time and seasonal effects are also considered. This requires three-dimensional smoothing which is implemented by repeated application of lower dimensional marginal smoothing operations. The properties of this form of smoothing are examined and the estimators are shown to have first-order behaviour, inherited from the marginal operations, which is equivalent to the full multivariate versions. These models and methods are applied to the sulphur dioxide data, allowing detailed and informative descriptions of the spatiotemporal patterns to be created.
Spatial Risk Assessment for Extreme River Flows
Authors: Keef Caroline , Tawn Jonathan , Svensson Cecilia
Published: June 2009

The UK has in recent years experienced a series of fluvial flooding events which have simultaneously affected communities over different parts of the country. For the co-ordination of flood mitigation activities and for the insurance and reinsurance industries, knowledge of the spatial characteristics of fluvial flooding is important. Past research into the spatiotemporal risk of fluvial flooding has largely been restricted to empirical estimates of risk measures. A weakness with such an approach is that there is no basis for extrapolation of these estimates to rarer events, which is required as empirical evidence suggests that larger events tend to be more localized in space. We adopt a model-based approach using the methods of Heffernan and Tawn. However, the large proportion of missing data over a network of sites makes direct application of this method highly inefficient. We therefore propose an extension of the Heffernan and Tawn method which accounts for missing values. Furthermore, as the risk measures are spatiotemporal an extension of the Heffernan and Tawn method is also required to handle temporal dependence. We illustrate the benefits of the procedure with a simulation study and by assessing spatial dependence over four fluvial sites in Scotland.
Bayesian Dose Finding by Jointly Modelling Toxicity and Efficacy as Time-to-Event Outcomes
Authors: Yuan Ying , Yin Guosheng
Published: June 2009

In traditional phase I and II clinical trial designs, toxicity and efficacy are often modelled as binary outcomes. Such methods ignore information on when the outcome event occurs, such as experiencing toxicity or achieving cure or remission. They also have difficulty accommodating a high accrual rate under which toxicity and efficacy outcomes cannot be observed in a timely manner, and thus delay treatment assignment. To address these issues, we propose a Bayesian adaptive phase I–II design that jointly models toxicity and efficacy as time-to-event outcomes. At each decision-making time, patients who have not experienced toxicity or efficacy are naturally censored. We apply the marginal cure rate model to account explicitly for those patients who are insusceptible to efficacy owing to drug resistance. The correlation between the bivariate time-to-toxicity and time-to-efficacy outcomes is properly adjusted through the Clayton model. After screening out the excessively toxic or futile doses, we adaptively assign each new patient to the most appropriate dose on the basis of the ratio of the areas under the predicted survival curves corresponding to toxicity and efficacy. We conducted extensive simulation studies to examine the operating characteristics of the method proposed, and we illustrate the application of the method in a clinical trial in prostate cancer. Our design selects the target dose with a high probability, treats most patients at the desirable dose and potentially shortens the duration of a trial.
Clarity and the Grammar of Skepticism
Authors: BARKER CHRIS
Published: June 2009

Why ever assert clarity? If It is clear that p is true, then saying so should be at best superfluous. Barker and Taranto (2003) and Taranto (2006) suggest that asserting clarity reveals information about the beliefs of the discourse participants, specifically, that they both believe that p. However, mutual belief is not sufficient to guarantee clarity (It is clear that God exists). I propose instead that It is clear that p means instead (roughly) ‘the publicly available evidence justifies concluding that p’. Then what asserting clarity reveals is information concerning the prevailing epistemic standard that determines whether a body of evidence is sufficient to justify a claim. If so, the semantics of clarity constitutes a grammatical window into the discourse dynamics of inference and skepticism.
Moral Dumbfounding and the Linguistic Analogy: Methodological Implications for the Study of Moral Judgment
Authors: DWYER SUSAN
Published: June 2009

The manifest dissociation between our capacity to make moral judgments and our ability to provide justifications for them, a phenomenon labeled Moral Dumbfounding, has important implications for the theory and practice of moral psychology. I articulate and develop the Linguistic Analogy as a robust alternative to existing sentimentalist models of moral judgment inspired by this phenomenon. The Linguistic Analogy motivates a crucial distinction between moral acceptability and moral permissibility judgments, and thereby calls into question prevailing methods used in the study of moral judgment. Indeed, the judgments that are the focus of most current empirical work in moral psychology are not proper targets of scientific study.
In Defence of a Doxastic Account of Experience
Authors: GLÜER KATHRIN
Published: June 2009

Today, many philosophers think that perceptual experiences are conscious mental states with representational content and phenomenal character. Subscribers to this view often go on to construe experience more precisely as a propositional attitudesui generisascribing sensible properties to ordinary material objects. I argue that experience is better construed as a kind of belief ascribing ‘phenomenal’ properties to such objects. A belief theory of this kind deals as well with the traditional arguments against doxastic accounts as the sui generis view. Moreover, in contrast to sui generis views, it can quite easily account for the rational or reason providing role of experience.
Gender, Management and Market Discourse: The Case of Gender Quotas in the Swedish and Finnish Media
Authors: Tienari Janne , Holgersson Charlotte , Meriläinen Susan , Höök Pia
Published: June 2009

In this article we present a comparative study of media texts in Sweden and Finland, two societies traditionally viewed as Nordic welfare states. Focusing on the controversial question of introducing gender‐based quotas on the boards of companies, we analyse how representations of gender and management are affected in Sweden and Finland by contemporary market discourse. We argue that market discourse takes different forms in the two societal contexts and that the space for questioning and criticizing it from a gender equality perspective remains different. Our analysis thus complements recent contributions stressing that both societal particularities and transnational processes must be considered in studies of gender and management (Calás and Smircich, 2006).
Pension Reforms, Working Patterns and Gender Pension Gaps in Europe
Authors: Frericks Patricia , Knijn Trudie , Maier Robert
Published: June 2009

European pension reforms are dominated by the principles of privatization and individualization. Privatizing and individualizing pension entitlements call for a redefinition of the responsibilities of states and individuals. Moreover, statutorily introducing individualization calls for equal opportunities to be guaranteed. However, the implementation of equal opportunities is a long way off because pension‐determining factors are still subject to gender distinctions, among other things. Gender distinction is inherent in life courses as well as in welfare arrangements. Welfare arrangements determine the legitimate reasons for gaining pension rights, how the measures of different entitlements are interrelated and which factors hamper a person's ability to fulfil the pension norm. This article analyses the link between welfare arrangements and women's life courses for a better understanding of the gendered norms of pension entitlements by focusing on gendered wages and life expectancies, gendered working patterns, and the connection between care and pensions.
Warring Pleasures and their Price: Sex in the City in Irmgard Keun'S Das Kunstseidene Mädchen and Andrea Maria Schenkel's Kalteis
Authors: Boa Elizabeth
Published: June 2009

This essay explores connections between the literary representation of women's pleasure, the aesthetic evaluation of fiction perceived as pleasurable reading for women, and sex/gender discourse stretching back to the eighteenth century as the age which saw the beginnings of a recognisably modern literary market. These reflections provide a framework to consider the kinds of pleasure offered by two novels, one from the last century and one recent best‐seller, which portray pleasure‐seeking women in the city and what happens to them.
The Prospects for Progressive Culture‐Led Urban Regeneration in Latin America: Cases from Mexico City and Buenos Aires
Authors: KANAI MIGUEL , ORTEGA‐ALCÁZAR ILIANA
Published: June 2009

This article addresses the issue of culture‐led urban regeneration from a Latin American perspective. It argues that, despite limited government intervention, the democratization processes that many cities have undergone have enhanced the potential of urban cultural policy as an instrument to address economic, social and physical decay. Grounded on the cases of Mexico City and Buenos Aires, the article shows how highly contingent and contradictory processes of economic globalization, political democratization and institutional neoliberalization have led to much variation in urban policy. In this context, we argue that urban cultural policy is highly dependent on the intricacies of local configurations of power and the negotiation of policy agendas. As a third level of analysis, the article looks at one paradigmatic project in each city. These experiences reveal that cultural initiatives offer the potential to generate socially inclusive forms of economic and territorial development at both the city and neighborhood scales. Yet we also point out that existing fiscal and political constraints limit the extent to which they can be replicated and articulated into a wider policy agenda. The article ends with a discussion of the comparative findings and a research agenda to examine governmental and non‐governmental culture‐led urban regeneration initiatives.

Cet article offre une perspective latino‐américaine sur la régénération urbaine à travers la culture. Malgré une faible intervention gouvernementale, les processus de démocratisation qui se sont déroulés dans de nombreuses villes ont renforcé le potentiel que peut avoir une politique culturelle urbaine en tant qu'instrument de lutte contre le délabrement économique, social et matériel. Basée sur les cas de Mexico et de Buenos Aires, l'étude montre comment des processus particulièrement contingents et contradictoires de mondialisation économique, démocratisation politique et néo‐libéralisation institutionnelle ont diversifié la politique urbaine. À cet égard, l'article affirme que la politique culturelle urbaine dépend largement des subtilités des configurations locales de pouvoir et de la négociation des programmes de politique publique. Se plaçant sur un troisième niveau d'analyse, il s'attache à un projet typique de chaque ville: ces expériences révèlent que les initiatives culturelles peuvent donner naissance à des formes de développement économique et territorial génératrices d'inclusion sociale, à l'échelon de la ville comme des quartiers. Il faut néanmoins souligner que les contraintes fiscales et politiques limitent la mesure dans laquelle elles peuvent se reproduire et s'articuler dans un agenda politique plus vaste. Pour finir, sont discutés les résultats comparatifs ainsi qu'un programme de recherches consacré aux initiatives (gouvernementales ou non) de régénération urbaine par la culture.
The Globalization and Europeanization of Mortgage Markets
Authors: AALBERS MANUEL B.
Published: June 2009

Do globalization and Europeanization lead to the deterritorialization of European mortgage markets? Neither economic globalization nor EU policies have resulted in one European mortgage market. The various European mortgage markets are still quite different from one another in many respects. In most countries national lenders continue to dominate the market even though regulation itself has been internationalized to some extent. Deterritorialization has been slow for various reasons: tax, law, cultural and structural differences play a part, but the limited market share of mortgage intermediaries and the unequal treatment of foreign mortgage lenders in some countries also form a barrier. Path‐dependent trajectories are highly important, but can sometimes be bypassed by global processes or downplayed by the entry of foreign firms. The secondary mortgage market is increasingly becoming globalized, while most primary mortgage markets remain largely national. The financial crisis may temporarily slow down securitization, while simultaneously both decreasing and increasing the globalization of mortgage regulation, firms and markets.

La mondialisation et l'européanisation conduisent‐elles à la déterritorialisation des marchés hypothécaires européens? Ni la mondialisation économique ni les politiques de l'UE n'ont produit un marché unique européen du crédit hypothécaire. Au sein de l'Europe, les marchés hypothécaires restent très différents à plusieurs titres. Dans la plupart des pays, les établissements de prêt nationaux dominent encore le marché, même si on a relativement internationalisé la réglementation. La déterritorialisation se fait lentement pour plusieurs raisons; fiscalité, législation, différences culturelles et structurelles pèsent, mais la part de marché restreinte qu'occupent les intermédiaires en prêts hypothécaires, ainsi que le traitement inégal réservé aux prêteurs étrangers dans certains pays, constituent également un obstacle. Les chemins de dépendance sont particulièrement importants, bien qu'ils puissent parfois être contournés par des processus mondialisés, ou être minimisés par l'accès de sociétés étrangères. En matière de crédit hypothécaire, le marché secondaire se mondialise de plus en plus, tandis que les marchés primaires demeurent en grande partie nationaux. La crise financière va peut‐être ralentir temporairement la titrisation, tout en atténuant et renforçant parallèlement la mondialisation de la réglementation, des sociétés et des marchés du crédit hypothécaire.
Low-frequency rTMS of the vertex in the prophylactic treatment of migraine
Authors: Teepker M , Hötzel J , Timmesfeld N , Reis J , Mylius V , Haag A , Oertel WH , Rosenow F , Schepelmann K
Published: June 2009

High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) increases and low-frequency rTMS decreases neural excitability. Clinically, rTMS shows beneficial effects in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, chronic and neuropathic pain has been shown to respond to rTMS treatment. A small pilot study revealed prophylactic effects of high-frequency rTMS in migraine. As there is evidence of neuronal hyperexcitability in migraine, we conducted a placebo-controlled, blinded study to evaluate the therapeutic effects of low-frequency rTMS in migraine. The primary end-point was defined as a reduction of migraine attacks compared with placebo, secondary outcomes were a reduction in the total number of days with headache, hours with headache, pain intensity and a decrease of analgesic intake for migraine. Twenty-seven migraineurs completed the study and were treated with rTMS on five consecutive days. For the verum group, two trains of 500 pulses with a frequency of 1 Hz were applied over vertex with a round coil. For the treatment of the placebo group, a figure-of-eight sham coil was used. A significant decrease of migraine attacks could be observed in the verum group. However, when comparing these effects with placebo, no significance was evident. The same was true concerning secondary outcome measures with regard to days with migraine and total hours with migraine. No effects were evident for pain intensity and use of analgesics. The rTMS treatment was tolerated well. rTMS stimulation over vertex with 1 Hz was not effective in migraine prophylaxis when compared with placebo. The positive effects regarding migraine attacks, days and total hours with migraine in the verum group are encouraging and indicate that further research on this topic is warranted.
Symmetrical peripheral gangrene: a prospective study of 14 consecutive cases in a tertiary‐care hospital in eastern India
Authors: Ghosh SK , Bandyopadhyay D , Ghosh A
Published: June 2009

Background  Symmetrical peripheral gangrene (SPG) is characterized by sudden onset of peripheral, frequently symmetrical gangrene in the absence of major vascular occlusive disease. SPG is associated with a wide range of underlying medical problems and usually has disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in the background. Although sporadic cases and a few retrospective case series of SPG have been reported, lack of any prospective study on the profile and outcome of these patients prompted us to undertake the present work.

Objectives  To study the clinical profile, aetiological factors, and outcome of a group of patients of SPG from eastern India.

Patients/methods  Prospective, observational study of consecutive patients presented at or referred to the Dermatology Department of a tertiary‐care hospital during 2001 to 2008.

Results  We observed 14 patients (5 males, 9 females; mean age: 43.36 years) of SPG during the study period. All had clinical and laboratory evidence of DIC in association with a shock syndrome. Associated purpura fulminans was noted in 11 patients. In 12 patients, the cause of SPG was infective, Pneumococcus being the commonest organism involved. Two patients developed DIC and SPG postoperatively. Nine patients survived and the remaining five patients died. Three patients had leukopenia and all of them died. Amongst the survivors, four patients had auto‐amputation of some parts of distal limbs; surgical amputation was done in two patients.

Conclusions  SPG carries a high mortality rate frequently requiring multiple limb amputations in survivors. Leukopenia may be a poor prognostic factor of SPG and DIC may occur universally.
The time course of orthography and phonology: ERP correlates of masked priming effects in Spanish
Authors: Carreiras Manuel , Perea Manuel , Vergara Marta , Pollatsek Alexander
Published: June 2009

One key issue for computational models of visual‐word recognition is the time course of orthographic and phonological information during reading. Previous research, using both behavioral and event related brain potential (ERP) measures, has shown that orthographic codes are activated very early but that phonological activation starts to occur immediately afterward. Here we report an ERP masked priming experiment in Spanish that investigates this issue further by using very strict control conditions. The critical phonological comparison was between two pairs of primes having the same orthographic similarity to the target words but differing in phonological similarity (e.g., conal‐CANAL vs. cinal‐CANAL vis à vis ponel‐PANEL vs. pinel‐PANEL), whereas the critical orthographic contrast was between pairs of primes that had the same phonological similarity to the target but differing in orthographic similarity (e.g., conal‐CANAL vs. konal‐CANAL). Orthographic priming was mainly observed in the 150–250‐ms time window whereas phonological priming occurred in the 350–550‐ms window.
P50, N100, and P200 sensory gating: Relationships with behavioral inhibition, attention, and working memory
Authors: Lijffijt Marijn , Lane Scott D. , Meier Stacey L. , Boutros Nash N. , Burroughs Scott , Steinberg Joel L. , Gerard Moeller F. , Swann Alan C.
Published: June 2009

P50, N100, and P200 auditory sensory gating could reflect mechanisms involved in protecting higher‐order cognitive functions, suggesting relationships between sensory gating and cognition. This hypothesis was tested in 56 healthy adults who were administered the paired‐click paradigm and two adaptations of the continuous performance test (Immediate/Delayed Memory Task, IMT/DMT). Stronger P50 gating correlated with fewer commission errors and prolonged reaction times on the DMT. Stronger N100 and P200 gating correlated with better discriminability on the DMT. Finally, prolonged P200 latency related to better discriminability on the IMT. These findings suggest that P50, N100, and P200 gating could be involved in protecting cognition by affecting response bias, behavioral inhibition, working memory, or attention.
Contextual modulation of oculomotor control reflected in N2 and saccade reaction time distributions
Authors: Wijnen Jasper G. , Ridderinkhof K. Richard
Published: June 2009

Avoiding reflexive saccades triggered by salient yet task‐irrelevant stimuli requires the engagement of control processes that inhibit attention toward irrelevant objects and prevent reflex‐like oculomotor action. In the current study participants made saccades to visual targets to the left and right of fixation as directed by target appearance. A distractor could either be presented in the same (congruent trials) or the opposite hemifield (incongruent trials) as the target. Trial context was manipulated, creating risky (mostly incongruent blocks), safe (mostly congruent blocks), or neutral conditions. Electroencephalogram was measured to examine if any contextual modulations would be reflected in the N2 peak frequently associated with performance monitoring. The results are discussed within the framework of dual mechanisms of cognitive control and suggest that a high‐risk context facilitates avoidance of capture, lessening the need for reactive control.
The effects of butter characteristics on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: VOYSEY PHILIP A , ANSLOW PATRICIA A , BRIDGWATER KERRY J , LAVENDER BRIGITTE , WATSON LEONIE
Published: June 2009

The behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes was assessed after inoculation into butters made so that they exhibited a range of characteristics. Water droplet size and dispersion throughout the butter affected the ability of L. monocytogenes to grow, its rate of growth and the maximum population level achieved. Listeria monocytogenes was able to grow better in ‘coarse’ compared to ‘fine’ butter. Salt in the butter adversely affected growth of L. monocytogenes. However, slow growth was apparent at even higher levels (e.g. 2.1+%) of total salt. Growth of L. monocytogenes in butter at 8°C was comparable to that at 21°C.
Mobile phones, communities and social networks among foreign workers in Singapore
Authors: THOMPSON ERIC C.
Published: June 2009

Transnational mobility affects both high‐status and low‐income workers, disrupting traditional assumptions of the boundedness of communities. There is a need to reconfigure our most basic theoretical and analytical constructs. In this article I engage in this task by illustrating a complex set of distinctions (as well as connections) between ‘communities’ as ideationally constituted through cultural practices and ‘social networks’ constituted through interaction and exchange. I have grounded the analysis ethnographically in the experiences of foreign workers in Singapore, focusing on domestic and construction workers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. I examine the cultural, social and communicative role that mobile phones play in the lives of workers who are otherwise constrained in terms of mobility, living patterns and activities. Mobile phones are constituted as symbol status markers in relationship to foreign workers. Local representations construct foreign workers as users and consumers of mobile telephony, reinscribing ideas of transnational identities as well as foreignness within the context of Singapore. Migrant workers demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the various telephony options available, but the desire to use phones to communicate can overwhelm their self‐control and lead to very high expenditures. The research highlights the constraints – as well as possibilities – individuals experience as subjects and agents within both social and cultural systems, and the ways in which those constraints and possibilities are mediated by a particular technology – in this case, mobile phones.
Exploring cultural economies of internationalization: the role of ‘iconic individuals’ and ‘brand leaders’ in the globalization of headhunting
Authors: HALL SARAH , BEAVERSTOCK JONATHAN V. , FAULCONBRIDGE JAMES R. , HEWITSON ANDREW
Published: June 2009

Understanding the internationalization of professional services like advertising, architecture, accounting, consulting and legal services continues to attract considerable attention in academic and policy circles. Research in geography and management studies has emphasized the different organizational strategies adopted by firms as they seek to develop and maintain a competitive position within an increasingly global economy. In this article we develop a new strand in this literature by adopting a cultural economy approach to argue that an important, yet comparatively neglected, aspect of the internationalization strategies of transnational professional service firms is the role of certain ‘iconic individuals’ and ‘brand leaders’ in influencing the practice of internationalization. Drawing on empirical research into the burgeoning European executive search (headhunting) industry we identify a cadre of such individuals and brand leaders that act as resources other firms leverage when internationalizing. This highlights the importance of a cultural economy perspective in theories of the internationalization of professional services and its value in moving discussions beyond purely economic analyses of competitive advantage.
GyrfalconFalco rusticoluspost‐glacial colonization and extreme long‐term use of nest‐sites in Greenland
Authors: BURNHAM KURT K. , BURNHAM WILLIAM A. , NEWTON IAN
Published: June 2009

GyrfalconsFalco rusticolususe the same nest‐sites over long periods of time, and in the cold dry climate of Greenland, guano and other nest debris decay slowly. Nineteen guano samples and three feathers were collected from 13 Gyrfalcon nests with stratified faecal accumulation in central‐west and northwest Greenland. Samples were14C dated, with the oldest guano sample dating toc. 2740–2360 calendar years (cal yr) before present (BP) and three others were probably > 1000 cal yr BP. Feather samples ranged from 670 to 60 cal yr BP. Although the estimated age of material was correlated with sample depth, both sample depth and guano thickness gave a much less reliable prediction of sample age than use of radiocarbon dating on which the margin of error was less. Older samples were obtained from sites farther from the current Greenland Ice Sheet and at higher elevations, while younger samples were closer to the current ice sheet and at lower elevations. Values for δ13C showed that Gyrfalcons nesting farther from the Greenland Ice Sheet had a more marine diet, whereas those nesting closer to the ice sheet (= further inland) fed on a more terrestrial diet. The duration of nest‐site use by Gyrfalcons is a probable indicator of both the time at which colonization occurred and the palaeoenvironmental conditions and patterns of glacial retreat. Nowhere before has such extreme long‐term to present use of raptor nest‐sites been documented.