bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of ICTs in India's rural community information systems
Authors: Subba Rao Siriginidi
Published: September 2004

Discusses the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for rural communities. Highlights the factors preventing rural communities from reaping the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and technological innovations to access them. Defines community information systems and lists selected successful models outside India. Despite the limitations in basic infrastructure and low‐level penetration of information technology in India, more than 50 grassroots projects are using modern ICTs for the benefit of rural communities. Describes selected community projects in India. Also identifies the bottlenecks in, possible solutions for and observations of the initiatives of rural projects. Concludes that creating information‐rich societies is a key element of poverty reduction and sustainable development. Community network centres can play a key role in meeting the socio‐economic aspirations of rural communities by successfully addressing the “eight Cs” of success in the digital age: connectivity, content, community, commerce, capacity, culture, co‐operation and capital.
When the Talking is Over: Using Action Learning
Authors: Newton Robert , Wilkinson Michael J.
Published: September 2004

Outlines the workings of Action Learning Sets, team‐building and cultural change, and explores the use of Action Learning methodology in the development of health‐care managers. Outlines the spin‐off benefits of the implementation of Action Learning at Ashworth Hospital, such as self‐discipline, commitment, improved morale, empowerment, etc. Concludes that it could be a powerful tool for future health‐care management.
Airport Management Issues
Authors: Griffiths John
Published: September 2004

Reports on how East Midlands International Airport, Newcastle
International Airport and the BAA group are meeting the changing needs
of a rapidly expanding sector through management development and
training that looks to future as well as current needs.
On Stage with ACE Teams
Authors: Leigh Andrew , Maynard Michael
Published: September 2004

Describes an approach to maximizing team performance which integrates
traditional business methods with those of the performing arts. Defines
the ACE team as aligned, creative and exploring, and explains how the
ACE Team Star Profile can be used to create a visual profile of a team′s
strengths and development needs.
Integrated Leadership Assessment
Authors: Hrynkiw Nancy
Published: September 2004

Describes a new assessment and training system for leaders of
individuals or teams. Details the methods used to identify current
skills and to develop potential and includes a quiz to help identify
leadership style.
Organizational change at Motability Finance Ltd
Authors: Kelly Janet
Published: September 2004

Discusses the introduction of a corporate change programme at Motability Finance Ltd. Reports how work groups were established to cover empowerment, staff development and competences, management style, team building and communications. Describes employee and customer satisfaction surveys, undertaken in an attempt to become a customer‐driven organization. Details the introduction of a document retrieval system and training programme.
Is Extraordinary Growth Profitable? A Study of Inc. 500 High–Growth Companies
Authors: Markman Gideon D. , Gartner William B.
Published: September 2004

This research note tests whether extraordinary high growth (e.g., sales growth rates of 500 percent to 31,000 percent over five years) is correlated to firm profitability. Using longitudinal data from three separate cohorts of Inc. 500 firms (from 1992 to 1996; 1993 to 1997; and 1994 to 1998), firm growth was operationalized in terms of sales and number of employees. Controlling for industry sector and ranking on the Inc. 500 lists, analyses found that extraordinary high growth—in terms of sales and number of employees—was not related to firm profitability. Firm age, however, was significantly, and inversely, related to profitability; younger firms experience slightly higher profitability rates. Implications for management and future study of extraordinary high–growth firms are discussed.
The impact of exotic trout on native charr in a Japanese stream
Authors: MORITA KENTARO , TSUBOI JUN‐ICHI , MATSUDA HIROYUKI
Published: September 2004

Regression and isodar methods developed by community ecologists provide tools for evaluating the existence and magnitude of interspecific interactions in the field. In this study, we examined the usefulness of both methods to assess the impact of exotic trout on native charr.

Brown trout Salmo trutta and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss have been introduced world‐wide. They are invading many streams in Japan that also harbour native salmonids. We studied these species and the endemic Asian white‐spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis in the Hekirichi River, south‐western Hokkaido, Japan. We estimated the densities of all three species in pools and riffles from 27 stream reaches over 2 successive years. Data were analysed by regression and isodar methods to infer interspecific interactions.

The regression method identified a negative relationship between brown trout and white‐spotted charr densities, implying that brown trout are replacing white‐spotted charr.

The isodar method identified significant competition for habitat between rainbow trout and white‐spotted charr. This method suggested that white‐spotted charr preferred pools to riffles when rainbow trout were scarce but moved from pools to riffles as trout density in the pools increased.

Synthesis and applications. Although they are based on limited data, regression and isodar methods were able to evaluate the potential impact of exotic trout on native white‐spotted charr. From these results, we were able to hypothesize mechanisms of displacement of native charr by exotic trout. However, according to the two methods the mechanisms underlying the negative impacts on charr differ between brown and rainbow trout; in other words, limitations exist for both methods. From a more practical viewpoint, the analyses conducted in this study may be useful tools for conservation biologists who have limitations on their time and effort but must assess the impacts of exotics on native species.
Effects of habitat cover, landscape structure and spatial variables on the abundance of birds in an agricultural–forest mosaic
Authors: HEIKKINEN RISTO K. , LUOTO MISKA , VIRKKALA RAIMO , RAINIO KALLE
Published: September 2004

Numerical studies of the relationship between birds and their habitat are important because they provide understanding of the impacts of natural and human factors on avian diversity. However, collinearity between explanatory variables and spatial autocorrelation can hamper the detection of key environmental factors underlying bird–environment relationships identified by traditional regression approaches. This study utilized two alternative statistical methods to address these difficulties in biodiversity modelling.

We examined bird abundance patterns, spatial structure and relationship to environmental factors in an agricultural–forest mosaic landscape in Finland. We used data from 105 grid squares each 25 ha in size. Using variation partitioning and hierarchical partitioning methods, we determined the independent and joint effects of habitat cover, landscape structure and spatial variables on the total number of bird pairs and that of agricultural bird pairs.

The explanatory variables highlighted as important predictors of bird patterns by the two methods generally coincided well. The total number of bird pairs was negatively related to agricultural land, and positively to cover of forests and landscape heterogeneity. However, a clear majority of the explained variation in bird patterns was related to the joint effect of predictors, and the independent contributions of predictors were small. The univariate importance of landscape heterogeneity decreased greatly if the habitat cover variables were considered simultaneously.

Most of the explained variation in the number of agricultural bird pairs was related to the joint effects of the explanatory variables. In addition, the independent effect of habitat cover variables was considerable and agricultural birds showed a positive relationship with semi‐natural grasslands.

Synthesis and applications. Variation partitioning and hierarchical partitioning approaches provide deeper insights into bird–environment relationships than traditional regression methods. This is particularly so when they are employed in a complementary manner. Our results indicate that a major part of the spatial structure in bird patterns in agricultural–forest mosaics can be caused by the clumping of habitats either preferred or avoided by birds. Moreover, at a scale of 25 ha, the abundance of bird pairs is not necessarily related to landscape heterogeneity as such, but depends more on the distribution of the most important habitats for birds.
Impact of habitat management on grey partridge populations: assessing wildlife cover using a multisite BACI experiment
Authors: BRO ELISABETH , MAYOT PIERRE , CORDA EVE , REITZ FRANÇOIS
Published: September 2004

The grey partridge is a species of conservation concern, in common with many farmland birds. Its widespread decline in western Europe has been attributed to agricultural intensification. Attempts to restore populations have concentrated upon habitat management. In France, a mosaic of strips planted with maize‐ or kale‐based mixtures is widely used to benefit the grey partridge on intensively cultivated farmlands. The rationale for planting these summer‐to‐winter cover strips is to increase the overwinter survival rate and hence breeding density. Although this policy is costly to apply, there is little information on its effectiveness.

We tested effectiveness of this management scheme as a practical way of improving or restoring partridge populations. We present data from a 6‐year before–after control–impact (BACI) experiment replicated across four study sites. We monitored partridge populations to estimate breeding density, reproductive success and overwinter mortality.

During the course of the study, no partridge population increase occurred on managed areas compared with control areas. Wildlife cover strips did not improve reproductive success but were associated with higher overwinter ‘apparent mortality’ rates.

Some field data suggested that there was a predation risk at cover strip–field edges. Cover strips may concentrate a number of species within small isolated areas and may act, under some circumstances, as an ecological trap for prey species such as the grey partridge. Due to these complex and unforeseen interactions, this habitat management measure proved unsuitable for partridge restoration.

Synthesis and applications. This study has demonstrated the necessity of field experiments at a farm‐scale to test the effectiveness of habitat management schemes. A priori assumptions based on smaller scale studies, even if they are supported by some field evidence, can be misleading because they fail to capture the emergent properties of larger scale systems. This study is a specific illustration of how the BACI approach is a powerful tool for addressing wildlife management problems at large spatial scales.
Facilitating grassland diversification using the hemiparasitic plant Rhinanthus minor
Authors: PYWELL RICHARD F. , BULLOCK JAMES M. , WALKER KEVIN J. , COULSON SARAH J. , GREGORY STEVE J. , STEVENSON MARK J.
Published: September 2004

Species‐rich grasslands are of high conservation value because of the diverse floral and faunal assemblages they support. Intensive agriculture has resulted in the large‐scale loss and fragmentation of this habitat throughout the UK and Europe.

Diversification of species‐poor grasslands has proved to be problematical due to seed limitation, lack of microsites for germination and competition from established species.

Studies of semi‐natural grasslands in Britain and Europe suggest that the presence of hemiparasitic angiosperms of the genus Rhinanthus is correlated with local decreases in productivity and an associated increase in species richness.

In 1998 a randomized block experiment was established to examine: (i) the practicality of introducing Rhinanthus minor into a productive grassland from seed; (ii) the rate of establishment and colonization of the introduced populations; and (iii) the relationship between the frequency of the parasite and the establishment and persistence of introduced forb species.

Establishment of Rhinanthus was less likely at the lowest sowing rate (0·1 kg ha−1) and population growth was initially slow compared with the higher seed rates (0·5 and 2·5 kg ha−1). After the first year, populations grew rapidly and colonized the unsown plots, so that after 4 years there was little difference in Rhinanthus frequency between treatments.

In October 2000, 2 years after sowing Rhinanthus, a native wildflower seed mixture was oversown into a number of the treatments at 5 kg ha−1. The mixture comprised 10 forbs of which nine species were previously not present in the grassland. All forbs established with up to seven species m−2. This resulted in an increase in mean richness of sown species of 0·8 to 2·2 m−2 and in a cumulative richness per plot of 1·4 to 5·8 m−2.

In both 2001 and 2002 there was a strong, inverse relationship between the frequency of Rhinanthus and sward height. In 2002, there was evidence of a threshold frequency of the hemiparasite above which there was a significant reduction in grassland productivity.

The frequency of Rhinanthus in 2001 had a significant beneficial effect on the persistence of seven of the 10 sown forbs in the following year. This probably reflects a reduction in competition from the established grassland species at the vulnerable seedling stage, together with death of the hemiparasite leading to a higher number of gaps for colonization.

Synthesis and applications. The introduction of R. minor is a practical management tool to facilitate the colonization of species‐poor, productive grasslands by desirable species. This is achieved by the hemiparasite modifying the competitive relationships between the component species, and increasing establishment and survival of introduced species. This species has a potentially central role in determining the structure and dynamics of grassland communities.
Dispersal of adult aquatic insects in catchments of differing land use
Authors: PETERSEN I. , MASTERS Z. , HILDREW A. G. , ORMEROD S. J.
Published: September 2004

There have been widespread changes in land use in the uplands of the UK but the implications for dispersal of adult stages of aquatic invertebrates are poorly known. We estimated the lateral dispersal of adult aquatic insects (Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera) in seven small, upland streams draining catchments under three categories of land use (coniferous plantation forest, cleared forest, moorland).

Malaise traps were set out in transects perpendicular to each stream. More than 29 000 adult insects were taken, distributed among 15 species of stoneflies, 40 species of caddisflies and eight taxa of mayflies. Overall species diversity and equitability were highest in the moorland catchments, and few species were numerous in all catchments.

Nearly all the mayflies were taken in the moorland catchments, where caddisflies were also most abundant. Fewest stoneflies were taken in the forested catchments.

The vast majority of insects were taken either directly over, or very close to, the stream channel. Half the stoneflies were taken within 18 m of the channel, while 90% had travelled less than 60 m. Caddisflies and mayflies travelled even shorter distances. Although there were differences in lateral dispersal between some catchments, there was no overall effect of land use.

The overall sex ratio in stoneflies and mayflies in the riparian zone was close to 1 : 1 and lateral dispersal was similar between the sexes. Male mayflies outnumbered females in the riparian zone and males travelled further from the stream, on average, than females. In catches taken directly over the stream, female stoneflies outnumbered males.

Regardless of land use, the flight of mayflies and caddisflies was concentrated along the stream, rather than perpendicular to it. This was also true for two numerous stoneflies (Amphinemura sulcilcollisandProtonemura meyeri) and for female stoneflies overall.

Synthesis and applications. The stream corridor, including the riparian strip extending 10–20 m on either side of the channel, is the main habitat for adult aquatic insects, and its management may affect the biodiversity of aquatic communities. The stream corridor is also revealed as the main ‘highway’ for adult dispersal. While there is no evidence from this study of an effect on interstream dispersal of land use elsewhere in the catchment, such an effect cannot yet be refuted because rare long‐distance dispersal events are difficult to record.
The effects of large‐scale fragmentation on bryophytes in temperate forests
Authors: PHARO EMMA J. , LINDENMAYER DAVID B. , TAWS NICKI
Published: September 2004

Bryophyte response to landscape fragmentation has not been investigated in replicated studies in temperate forests. Many bryophytes disperse widely but have narrow habitat requirements, suggesting that their responses to fragmentation may differ from other taxa.

We studied 16 sites in native eucalypt remnants located within an intensively managed plantation of exotic Pinus radiata. Eight further sites were dominated by exotic pines, and eight more were in large, continuous areas of native eucalypt forest located at the plantation boundary. We investigated how landscape context, remnant size and time since remnant isolation influence the bryophyte assemblage. Rocks, logs, soil, upturned trees and standing dead and live trees were sampled at each site.

Eucalypt remnants supported all but six of a total of 58 bryophyte taxa. Radiata pine sites were missing 40% of the species found in native forest, and pine was the only landscape context class not to have unique species. There was little difference in the richness or assemblage composition between the remnants and the unfragmented eucalypt forest.

Bryophyte assemblages differed between substrates but were similar across the same substrates even in different landscape context classes (except for rocks). Strip‐shaped remnants had more bryophytes in common with continuous forest than patch‐shaped remnants, while moss richness increased with remnant size.

Synthesis and applications. Native eucalypt remnants surrounded by intensively managed radiata pine plantation appeared to have retained, or regained, much of their bryoflora. Pine plantations were relatively depauperate, although burned eucalypt logs that remained after clearing native forest provided key substrates for many species and were crucial for maintaining bryophyte diversity. Forest managers aiming to retain bryophyte diversity should conserve native remnants of all sizes and retain suitable structural attributes, such as large decayed logs. Our findings support the hypothesis that many bryophytes have the mobility to overcome dispersal problems posed by fragmented landscapes if appropriate habitat or substrate is available.
Effects of nitrogen addition on the invasive grass Phragmites australis and a native competitor Spartina pectinata
Authors: RICKEY MARCIA A. , ANDERSON ROGER C.
Published: September 2004

Phragmites australis is an invasive grass that has increased dramatically in distribution and abundance within the USA in the last 100 years. This study determined the effect of nitrogen addition on the growth of this invasive species compared with an indigenous competitor species, Spartina pectinata.

Twenty plants from each of three Illinois (USA) populations were collected and planted in the same garden in April 2001 and grown until August 2002. Following a year of growth in the garden, high‐nitrogen (45 g N m−2) and low‐nitrogen (5 g N m−2) treatments were applied to plants grown from paired rhizome cuttings from each plant. A single S. pectinata plant was grown with each P. australis. In August 2002, plants were harvested and above‐ and below‐ground biomasses were determined for both species.

Mean (± SE) P. australis above‐ and below‐ground biomasses were significantly higher in the high‐nitrogen treatment (68·4 ± 2·6 g and 39·0 ± 4·5 g, above‐ and below‐ground, respectively) than the low‐nitrogen treatment (37·3 ± 2·0 g and 25·5 ± 4·5 g). There were no differences in S. pectinata above‐ and below‐ground biomasses between high‐ (46·8 ± 3·2 g and 71·4 ± 9·6 g) and low‐ (45·4 ± 3·5 g and 50·3 ± 6·5 g) nitrogen treatments. The ratio of P. australis to S. pectinata biomass was used to compare the relative response of each species between nitrogen treatments; the mean ratio of P. australis to S. pectinata for the high‐nitrogen treatment (2·72 ± 0·499) was significantly higher than the low‐nitrogen treatment (1·83 ± 0·42).

Synthesis and applications. This study supports the hypothesis that P. australis benefits from increased nitrogen, and may be more likely to displace S. pectinata in nitrogen‐rich environments. Our study also confirms the importance of nitrogen in affecting the interactions between invasive and native plants. Control of P. australis may be aided by nutrient management.
Applicability of landscape and island biogeography theory to restoration of riparian understorey plants
Authors: HOLL KAREN D. , CRONE ELIZABETH E.
Published: September 2004

Ecosystem recovery is influenced by processes at different spatial scales, yet land managers lack specific predictions on the relative importance of such processes that might guide management decisions. We tested whether ideas from landscape ecology (local vs. landscape scales) and island biogeography theory (patch size and isolation) predict restoration success for understorey plant communities in a highly fragmented riparian landscape, in an effort to provide guidance on how to allocate scarce restoration resources.

We sampled naturally colonizing riparian forest understorey plant communities in 15 riparian forests restored by planting native woody species along a 150‐km stretch of the Sacramento River in central California. We analysed native and exotic understorey species richness and cover as a function of biotic and abiotic local and landscape variables.

Cover and species richness of exotic understorey plants decreased strongly with increasing overstorey cover, and were lower in quadrats closer to river base flow.

Native understorey species richness and cover were negatively related to exotic cover and positively related to connectivity with remnant forest. Cover of native wind‐dispersed species was best explained by higher percentage forest cover surrounding a site within a 1000‐m buffer, whereas cover of native water‐dispersed species was higher closer to the river.

Neither patch size nor time since restoration explained a significant amount of native or exotic species richness or cover.

Synthesis and applications. Local factors explained more of the variance in understorey plant communities, but much of the variance remained unexplained. Our results provide weak support for the predictions of island biogeography theory and the importance of landscape‐scale variables. These theories did not have strong predictive power in this applied restoration context at this temporal scale. Given limited resources, efforts to restore understorey plant communities in this highly fragmented system should focus on local‐scale restoration methodologies, such as increasing cover of native overstorey species and reducing cover of exotic plants.
Effects of reindeer browsing on tundra willow and its associated insect herbivores
Authors: DEN HERDER MICHAEL , VIRTANEN RISTO , ROININEN HEIKKI
Published: September 2004

Browsing by large mammals may strongly constrain the growth and reproduction of woody plants, and may alter the food quality and resource availability for herbivorous insects. The response of the plants may vary between different growth stages, and the preference of herbivores may be related to plant age. Understanding the effects of reindeer Rangifer tarandus browsing on the growth of woody forage plants is important in formulating guidelines for reindeer grazing management, especially in low productivity subarctic environments.

We studied the effects of summer browsing by reindeer on the growth and reproduction of willow Salix phylicifolia and on the abundance of its insect herbivores, by studying plants inside and outside exclosures over a period of 6 years.

The experiment was run in northern Finland and included 80 willow genets in an area near the timberline formed by mountain birch Betula pubescens. At the beginning of the experiment, half of the willows were cut at ground level to rejuvenate ramets.

Reindeer feeding was more intense on rejuvenated willow compared with old willow, and the effects of browsing were more pronounced on rejuvenated plants.

Reindeer browsing reduced the height of willow by c. 50%, shoot length by c. 30% and accelerated dieback of the shoots by c. 50%. Browsed willow produced fewer shoots, with fewer buds and floral catkins, than unbrowsed willow. Browsing also reduced the densities of the most common insect herbivores: leaf beetles of the genus Gonioctena (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and gall‐inducing sawflies (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) belonging to the genera Phyllocolpa, Eupontania and Euura.

Synthesis and applications. We show that reindeer browsing in summer reduces biomass and diminishes reproductive success of willow; it also lowers the numbers of its associated insect herbivores. Our results suggest that this effect will be most evident in low‐productivity tundra heaths where alternative forage plants, such as relatively palatable and productive graminoids, are scarce. We advise that reindeer should be maintained below the present levels of 2–3 reindeer km−2 to sustain the long‐term persistence of important forage plants such as willow in these low productivity habitats.
Single vs. multiple introduction in biological control: the roles of parasitoid efficiency, antagonism and niche overlap
Authors: PEDERSEN BRENT S. , MILLS NICHOLAS J.
Published: September 2004

Theoretical studies have presented conflicting conclusions about the value of introducing multiple parasitoid species to control insect pests, depending on the presence and form of niche separation in the model. We investigated the impacts of multiple species introduction on control using a modelling approach.

We started with a discrete‐time model of a pest, a primary parasitoid and a parasitoid that can interact antagonistically with the primary parasitoid as well as the pest. Implicit niche separation between parasitoids occurs via aggregated encounters with pests. We subsequently modified the simple model to include explicit niche separation and a refuge from parasitism, allowing the assumption of implicit niche separation to be relaxed. Multiple introduction is deemed beneficial if equilibrium pest densities are lower after the release of the interactive parasitoid.

The outcome of biological control under the simple model depends largely on the search efficiency of the primary parasitoid. The primary parasitoid can co‐exist with an antagonistic interactive parasitoid, and multiple introduction is beneficial provided that the level of antagonism by the interactive parasitoid is not too high.

In the more complex model with explicit niche separation, the ratio of primary search efficiencies of the two parasitoids, niche occupancy and degree of aggregation are shown to be important predictors of the outcome of multiple introduction. We demonstrate the importance of refuge breaking by an additional parasitoid as a compelling reason for multiple introduction. In addition, antagonistic interactions between parasitoids can be mediated by overall efficiency and explicit niche separation.

For both implicit and explicit niche separation scenarios, the interactive parasitoid was excluded at high levels of niche overlap. Minimum pest densities with a three‐species equilibrium were similar between the two scenarios.

Synthesis and applications. After consideration of explicit niche separation in a two parasitoid–one pest system, we conclude that multiple introduction is often a sound strategy in biological control, despite potential antagonistic interactions from competition, cleptoparasitism or facultative hyperparasitism. In selecting parasitoids for introduction, practitioners should evaluate the potential for niche separation between parasitoids and the overall efficiency of each parasitoid (primary search efficiency and aggregation of search) rather than dismiss a biological control candidate because of moderate antagonistic interactions.
Cultural safety in child protection: Application to the workplace environment and casework practice
Authors: Zon Annie , Lindeman Melissa , Williams Anne , Hayes Colleen , Ross David , Furber Margaret
Published: September 2004

Cultural safety is a term that originated in the nursing profession in New Zealand. Common definitions focus on participants (whether clients or workers) feeling safe; feeling they can express their cultural identity; feel respected and listened to. The present study describes the concept of cultural safety and how it is applied in statutory child protection in Alice Springs. The context of child protection is described, including the workplace context, where Aboriginal Community Workers comprise 30% of the child protection workforce. Applying the concept of cultural safety can be more challenging in settings other than health care, and particularly in statutory child protection. However, we are finding it valuable for creating more appropriate workplaces for Aboriginal staff in child protection, and for assisting casework approaches and decisions for all staff. The present study discusses the process of developing a shared understanding of cultural safety to assist critical reflection on our workplace and casework.
East Timorese women asylum seekers in Australia: Extrapolating a case for resettlement services
Authors: Rees Susan
Published: September 2004

After up to 10 years of living as asylum seekers in Australia it appears that most of 1650 East Timorese will be granted permanent residency. The present study describes research into the wellbeing of East Timorese women asylum seekers that found severe risks to social and emotional wellbeing associated with prolonged asylum seeker status. The research findings highlighted a need for measures to protect the wellbeing of asylum seekers during the assessment stage of applications for protection visas. The author refers to the research findings to encourage debate around the need for asylum seekers generally to have access to resettlement services as a policy strategy to provide necessary psychological and material support. Arguing that neglect of basic assistance during the assessment phase of protection applications potentially breaches the UN Declaration, the author illustrates individual, community and global benefits of providing adequate support and avenues for personal development to asylum seekers.
Equity for government school students: Reclaiming social work services in New South Wales
Authors: McKinnon Jennifer , Kearns Alison , Crockett Judith
Published: September 2004

In Australia, school education is largely a state government responsibility, hence there are varying responses across Australia to the welfare needs of school students. The present study explores the basis for the provision of social work services within schools, particularly the special needs of rural schools, and suggests that NSW school students are disadvantaged by not having access to social work services that might help them overcome some of the educational barriers that they face. The nature of educational barriers is examined and literature on the role of school social workers is reviewed. The authors find that the social justice rhetoric of State and Commonwealth educational agencies is incongruent with NSW school practice.
Comparison of specialist and mainstream programs for older carers of adults with intellectual disability: Considerations for service development
Authors: Bigby Christine , Ozanne Elizabeth
Published: September 2004

Older carers of adults with intellectual disabilities experience unique challenges. Outreach initiatives identify a high number who are unknown to support services and a case is made to proactively engage them to assist in future planning for their adult children. An earlier study by the authors suggested that, in Victoria, specialist case management programs for older carers occupied a unique place within the service system. The present paper discusses a study that further explored the functions of specialist programs for this group through a comparsion with a mainstream disability case‐management program. Few differences were found, although mainstream programs did not undertake outreach and community education functions. Models that build on the capacity of mainstream case management or carer support programs to work with older carers and target outreach more effectively are discussed.
Aetiology of obesity: a striving after wind?*
Authors: Rosmond R.
Published: September 2004

The current global epidemic of obesity is fuelled by a constant, unidirectional adverse effect on energy balance that exceeds the adaptive capacity of the system. The individual response to this environmental pressure is under the control of a variety of genes, which not only interacts with environmental factors but also with one another. Since the discovery that adipocytes may produce and secrete hormones, the adipose tissue has taken on increasing importance in the regulation of energy balance. Indeed, the pathogenesis of obesity, once regarded as so obvious and simple, is becoming one of the most complex in medical practice. From a clinical perspective, obesity is associated with a remarkably broad spectrum of health complications and, over the years, obesity‐related mortality has consistently increased. From a theoretical viewpoint, the growing complexity of factors affecting the liability to obesity, the inconsistency of scientific results, the lack of consensus among scientists, and so forth, obstruct our efforts to unravel the aetiology of obesity. Is the field of obesity research merely a striving after wind, and nothing more?
Evaluating commercial weight loss programmes: an evolution in outcomes research
Authors: Hamilton M. , Greenway F.
Published: September 2004

The increasing prevalence of obesity has been mirrored by a parallel increase in the number of commercial weight loss programmes. Research evaluating these programmes is meagre, however, compared to the numbers treated. Reluctance of commercial weight loss programmes to meaningfully evaluate their weight loss efficacy may arise from fear that competitors will use the results against them. Evaluation of commercial weight loss programmes usually progresses from testimonials, often by famous people who were successful, to uncontrolled studies of past participants evaluated either by the programme itself or by an outside entity. The gold standard, however, is a scientifically rigorous, controlled study of the programme conducted by an independent entity. Such a study, published in a peer‐reviewed journal, can gain credibility for a programme, as it did with Slim Fast, if the results are positive, or herald the end of the programme, as it was with Simeons human chorionic gonadotropin injection clinics. This review of the evolution of the evaluation process of commercial weight loss programmes leads us to conclude that consumers are likely to demand greater scientific rigour in the future, a change that will favour informed choice and discourage the practice of unrealistic advertising that raises false hopes.
Adipose tissue: new therapeutic targets from molecular and genetic studies – IASO Stock Conference 2003 report
Authors: Farmer S. R. , Auwerx J.
Published: September 2004

This review highlights the presentations and discussions held during the 2003 Stock Conference in Lisbon focussed on the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity and identified through molecular and genetic studies. Transcription factors and their cofactors, signalling pathways and new insights provided by cellular and genetic studies were discussed as potential new avenues to modulate adipocyte formation and function.
Firm Size Distribution in Small Samples
Authors: Buzzacchi Luigi , Valletti Tommaso M.
Published: September 2004

Sutton (1998) has recently proposed a theoretical lower bound to firm size inequality when a market is made of several independent submarkets. His results are valid asymptotically, as the number of submarkets becomes arbitrarily large. We show that, in small samples, his results can be interpreted as a positive relationship between an index of firm size inequality and the number of submarkets. We also test this relationship in the Italian motor insurance market.
Export Credit Guarantees, Moral Hazard and Exports Quality
Authors: García‐Alonso María del Carmen , Levine Paul , Morga Antonia
Published: September 2004

We analyse the role played by export credit guarantees (ECGs) in encouraging exports to developing countries. The existence of moral hazard on the side of the firm is introduced. We show that the inability of the exporter's government to verify the actual quality of the product will limit its ability to encourage trade through ECGs, once the coverage provided goes beyond a certain threshold. This result provides a rationale behind the limited coverage on ECGs.
A Fourth Desideratum: The CES Cost Function and the Sustainable Configuration of Multiproduct Firms
Authors: Johnes Geraint
Published: September 2004

For many parameter vectors, the sustainable configuration of an industry where multiproduct firms have CES cost functions fails to imply the existence of a multiplicity of multiproduct firms.
Strategic Choice of the Price Structure and Entry Deterrence Under Price Cap Regulation
Authors: Iozzi Alberto , Fioramanti Marco
Published: September 2004

This paper shows that a price‐capped firm under the threat of entry in some of the markets it serves can strategically manipulate its price structure to deter entry. In doing so, the regulated firm uses the price cap constraint as a commitment device to an aggressive pricing behaviour in case of entry. A (dynamic) price cap generally entails that the prices allowed today are a function of the previous‐period prices and that the tighter is the constraint on each price, the larger is the quantity sold of this good in the previous period. Hence, the regulated firm may strategically choose its price structure before entry to place a tighter regulatory control on the prices set in the (potentially) competitive markets and to make it optimal to charge in these markets – in case of entry – prices so low that entry is unprofitable.
Output Variability and Economic Growth: the Japanese Case
Authors: Fountas Stilianos , Karanasos Menelaos , Mendoza Alfonso
Published: September 2004

We examine the empirical relationship between output variability and output growth using quarterly data for the 1961–2000 period for the Japanese economy. Using three different specifications of GARCH models, namely, Bollerslev's model, Taylor/Schwert's model, and Nelson's EGARCH model, we obtain two important results. First, we find robust evidence that the “in‐mean” coefficient is not statistically significant. This evidence is consistent with Speight's (1999) analysis of UK data and implies that output variability does not affect output growth. In other words, this finding supports several real business cycle theories of economic fluctuations. Second, we find no evidence of asymmetry between output variability and growth, a result consistent with Hamori (2000).
Agency Cost of Debt and Credit Market Imperfections: A Bargaining Approach
Authors: Koskela Erkki , Stenbacka Rune
Published: September 2004

This paper studies the effect of credit market imperfections, measured by the relative bargaining power of banks, on the agency costs of debt finance. The threshold of obtaining loan finance is shown to be independent of the relative bargaining power of the financier. However, lower relative bargaining power of banks leads to lower lending rates and investment return distributions with lower, but less risky returns. Thus, our analysis does not support the view, presented in a large existing literature, that there would be a trade‐off between reduced credit market imperfections and higher agency costs of debt finance.
Currency Options and Export‐Flexible Firms
Authors: Wong Kit Pong , Yick Ho Yin
Published: September 2004

This paper examines the production and hedging decisions of a globally competitive firm under exchange rate uncertainty. The firm is risk averse and possesses export flexibility in that it can distribute its output to either the domestic market or a foreign market after observing the realized spot exchange rate. To hedge against its exchange rate risk exposure, the firm can trade fairly priced currency call options of an arbitrary strike price. We show that both the separation and the full‐hedging results hold if the strike price of the currency call options is set equal to the ratio of the domestic and foreign selling prices. Otherwise, neither result holds. Specifically, we show that the optimal level of output is always less than that of an otherwise identical firm that is risk neutral. Furthermore, an under‐hedge (over‐hedge) is optimal whenever the strike price of the currency call options is below (above) the ratio of the domestic and foreign selling prices.
The Wretchedness of Belief
Authors: Plant Bob
Published: September 2004

In Culture and Value Wittgenstein remarks that the truly “religious man” thinks himself to be, not merely “imperfect” or “ill,” but wholly “wretched.” While such sentiments are of obvious biographical interest, in this paper I show why they are also worthy of serious philosophical attention. Although the influence of Wittgenstein's thinking on the philosophy of religion is often judged negatively (as, for example, leading to quietist and/or fideist‐relativist conclusions) I argue that the distinctly ethical conception of religion (specifically Christianity) that Wittgenstein presents should lead us to a quite different assessment. In particular, his preoccupation with the categorical nature of religion suggests a conception of “genuine” religious belief which disrupts both the economics of eschatological‐salvationist hope, and the traditional ethical precept that “ought implies can.” In short, what Wittgenstein presents is a sketch of a religion without recompense.
Schleiermacher and the Ethics of Authenticity
Authors: Sockness Brent W.
Published: September 2004

Schleiermacher's Soliloquies not only represent a pivotal work in this classically modern theologian's development as a moral philosopher. They are also arguably the principal moral writing of the early German romantic movement and therefore a significant, if widely overlooked, contribution to the history of ethics in the West. This essay provides a comprehensive interpretation and modest retrieval of this unusual and difficult work by bringing Schleiermacher's early “ethics of individuality” into conversation with Charles Taylor's conception of “expressivist” understandings of human selfhood. It argues that the Monologen are a signal instance of what Taylor has subtly characterized as romanticism's expressivist impulse.
Feminism and Postmodernism in Susan Frank Parsons
Authors: Gudorf Christine E.
Published: September 2004

Reviewing The Ethics of Gender, Feminism and Christian Ethics, and The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Theology, the author suggests that Susan Parsons responds to questions postmodernism has posed to both feminism and Christian ethics by using insights gained from various accounts of the moral subject found in feminist philosophy, ethics, and theology. Hesitant to embrace postmodernism's critique of the possibility of ethics, Parsons redefines ethics by establishing a moral point of view within discursive communities. Yet in her brief treatment of Emmanuel Levinas, Parsons does not explore the postmodern option he offers feminists: an understanding of moral responsibility that can be critical of ethics. Parsons also ignores some feminist perspectives in the physical and natural sciences, thereby missing valuable insights of feminists who insist upon the materiality of the body.
‘Ein Deutsches Trauma?’: Zur Schamlosigkeit Deutscher Opferidentifikation
Authors: Frahm Ole
Published: September 2004

Der Artikel kritisiert anhand von Habbo Knochs Dissertation Die Tat als Bild und Aleida Assmanns Essay Ein deutsches Trauma eine Tendenz in der bundesdeutschen Wissenschaft, die Traumatisierung aufgrund der Vernichtung der europäischen Juden mit einer Traumatisierung der Deutschen durch Bilder von der Befreiung der Konzentrationslager gleichzusetzen. Die Kontinuität deutscher Opferidentifikation ist in diesem Diskurs völlig vergessen und so fortgeschrieben. In einem ersten Teil wird deshalb anhand von populären Bildern Erich Ohsers und A. Paul Webers von 1942/43 die Kontinuität der Darstellung der Deutschen als Opfer nachgezeichnet, die sich in Schreckensbildern mit Leichenbergen materialisiert. Im zweiten Teil wird ein Begriff der Scham entwickelt, der an Primo Levis ‘Scham, ein Mensch zu sein’ anschließt. Dieser kritisiert Aleida Assmans Begriff einer deutschen Scham aufgrund eines Traumas durch die Betrachtung von Schreckensbildern.
Refugees, Expellees and the Language Situation in Lusatia (1945–7)
Authors: Barker Peter
Published: September 2004

The first part of this article deals with the general situation of refugees and expellees in the Soviet Zone of Occupation immediately after 1945, concentrating in particular on Lusatia. It then goes on to consider the special conditions which existed in the bilingual areas of Upper and Lower Lusatia and the impact of the refugees on the language situation. The major source for the article is a research project based at the Sorbian Institute in Bautzen: in the original project a sociologist at the Institute, Ines Keller, examined the life stories of thirty refugee families, representing different generations, which formed part of a general study of German‐Sorbian families. A continuation of this project concentrated on the generation of refugees which came into Lusatia as children or young people, and then married into Sorbian families.1
Doppelte Erinnerung: Täter‐ und Opferidentitäten in Christa Wolfs Rekonstruktion Des Traumas Der Flucht
Authors: Jansen Odile
Published: September 2004

Adornos Frage aus dem Jahre 1959 ‘Was bedeutet Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit?’ hat im Licht der neuesten Erinnerungsdebatte nichts von ihrer Gültigkeit eingebüßt. Ist es möglich, die Erinnerung an deutsche Opferschaft mit der Erinnerung an deutsche Täterschaft zu vereinen? Verdrängt die Geschichte der deutschen Kriegstraumata nicht die Geschichte von Auschwitz? Aus diesem Konflikt gehen ethische und ästhetische Probleme hervor, wie in literarischen Darstellungen deutscher Leidenserfahrungen erkennbar wird. In diesem Artikel wird eben jene Problematik am Beispiel verschiedener Prosaarbeiten der ehemaligen DDR‐Autorin Christa Wolf (1929) dargestellt, in denen die in der DDR tabuisierten Themen Flucht und Vertreibung zur Sprache gebracht werden. Die Flucht vor der Sowjetarmee im Jahre 1945 bildet eine Erinnerungsspur in diesen Prosaarbeiten, die durch den Konflikt zwischen emotionaler und historischer Wahrheit gekennzeichnet werden, sowie durch den Versuch, eigene Leidenserfahrung in Einklang zu bringen mit der nachträglich gewonnenen Einsicht in die Umstände, die zu Flucht und Heimatsverlust führten. Die Aufarbeitung der Vergangenheit wird dabei begrenzt, einerseits durch den ideologisch und erinnerungspolitisch bedingten Rahmen, in dem die Autorin sich bewegt, andererseits durch eine Fesselung an die narrativ nicht integrierbare Erfahrung der Flucht. Dabei tut sich eine konflikthafte Selbstbestimmung über die Bilder der Vergangenheit hervor. Opfer‐ und Täteridentität verschmelzen in der Perspektive eines ‘schuldlosen Schuldigen’.