bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synchronous provisioning increases brood survival in cooperatively breeding pied babblers
Authors: Raihani Nichola J. , Nelson‐Flower Martha J. , Moyes Kelly , Browning Lucy E. , Ridley Amanda R.
Published: August 2009

1. Behavioural synchrony typically involves trade‐offs. In the context of foraging, for example, synchrony may be suboptimal when individuals have different energy requirements but yield net benefits in terms of increased foraging success or decreased predation risk.

2. Behavioural synchrony may also be advantageous when individuals collaborate to achieve a common goal, such as raising young. For example, in several bird species, provisioners synchronize nest‐feeding visits. However, despite the apparent prevalence of provisioning synchrony, it is not known whether it is adaptive or what its function might be.

3. Here, we propose a novel explanation for provisioning synchrony: it increases brood survival by decreasing the number of temporally separate nest visits and accordingly the chance that the nest will be detected by predators. Using cooperatively breeding pied babblers, we showed experimentally that provisioners synchronized nest visits by waiting for another provisioner before returning to the nest. Brood survival increased with provisioning synchrony. Provisioners were more likely to synchronize feeding visits for older nestlings as they were louder and possibly more conspicuous to predators. Finally, provisioners in large groups were more likely to wait for other provisioners and synchronized a higher proportion of all visits than those in smaller groups. Thus, provisioning synchrony may be one mechanism by which large groups increase brood survival in this species.

4. This study highlights a novel strategy that birds use to increase the survival of young and demonstrates the advantages of coordinated behaviour in social species.
Sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors of inpatients in a Chinese general hospital
Authors: Lei Zhang , Qiongjing Yuan , Qiuli Wu , Sabrina Kwauk , Xiaojing Liao , Changli Wang
Published: August 2009

Aims and objective.  This study was undertaken to determine sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors of inpatients and to compare the perception of sleep disturbing factors between nurses and inpatients in a Chinese general hospital.

Background.  Sleep aids patients’ recovery. A variety of factors affect inpatients’ sleep quality. Current research on inpatients’ sleep quality in China is limited and narrowly focuses on patients in intensive care units or older patients.

Design.  Survey.

Methods.  This research was conducted in a Chinese general hospital. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and self‐designed questionnaires were used to examine inpatients’ sleep quality and compare perceptions of sleep disturbing factors between 397 inpatients and 101 nurses. The following statistical methods were used to evaluate the data: chi‐square test, logistic regression analysis and Z statistic.

Results.  Patients reported poor sleep quality (45·6%) during hospitalisation and a reduction in sleep quality after hospitalisation (57·4%). The chi‐square and logistic regression analysis showed that the main sleep disturbing factors were worries about illness, discomfort associated with diseases, using the toilet at night and noise from nurses’ shoes. There was a significant difference in the perception of sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors between inpatients and nurses.

Conclusion.  This study demonstrates that most inpatients reported sleeping problems stemming from multiple sources. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the perception of sleep disturbing factors between nurses and inpatients.

Relevance to clinical practice.  Our survey shows that most nurses are aware of inpatients’ poor sleep quality. However, many patients continue to suffer from poor sleep during hospitalisation because of a wide range of sleep disturbing factors. This suggests that nurses need to be better educated and trained to minimise sleep disturbing factors and improve sleep quality of inpatients.
High prevalence of obesity in ambulatory children and adolescents with intellectual disability
Authors: Stewart L. , Van de Ven L. , Katsarou V. , Rentziou E. , Doran M. , Jackson P. , Reilly J. J. , Wilson D.
Published: August 2009

Background  Obesity prevalence is unusually high among adults with intellectual disability (ID). There is limited and conflicting evidence on obesity prevalence among ambulatory children and adolescents with ID. The present study aimed to estimate obesity prevalence in this group and to compare with population prevalence.

Methods  Survey of nine schools (n = 206, 150 boys) for ambulatory children and adolescents with mild‐moderate ID in Scotland in 2007. Obesity was defined as measured body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile relative to UK 1990 reference data, and using the international definition based on BMI. Obesity prevalence observed was compared against Scottish population data on obesity prevalence from the most recent nationally representative survey.

Results  Obesity prevalence (at or above 95th percentile for BMI) was 36%, and was significantly higher among those attending secondary schools compared with primary schools (P < 0.01). Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher than in the general paediatric population in both boys and girls (P < 0.01).

Conclusions  The present study suggests that that obesity may be very prevalent among ambulatory children and adolescents with ID, and that increased obesity risk may begin in childhood.
Spatio‐temporal population genetic structure of the parasitic mite Spinturnix bechsteini is shaped by its own demography and the social system of its bat host
Authors: BRUYNDONCKX NADIA , HENRY ISABELLE , CHRISTE PHILIPPE , KERTH GERALD
Published: August 2009

Information about the population genetic structures of parasites is important for an understanding of parasite transmission pathways and ultimately the co‐evolution with their hosts. If parasites cannot disperse independently of their hosts, a parasite’s population structure will depend upon the host’s spatial distribution. Geographical barriers affecting host dispersal can therefore lead to structured parasite populations. However, how the host’s social system affects the genetic structure of parasite populations is largely unknown. We used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to describe the spatio‐temporal population structure of a contact‐transmitted parasitic wing mite (Spinturnix bechsteini) and compared it to that of its social host, the Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii). We observed no genetic differentiation between mites living on different bats within a colony. This suggests that mites can move freely among bats of the same colony. As expected in case of restricted inter‐colony dispersal, we observed a strong genetic differentiation of mites among demographically isolated bat colonies. In contrast, we found a strong genetic turnover between years when we investigated the temporal variation of mite haplotypes within colonies. This can be explained with mite dispersal occuring between colonies and bottlenecks of mite populations within colonies. The observed absence of isolation by distance could be the result from genetic drift and/or from mites dispersing even between remote bat colonies, whose members may meet at mating sites in autumn or in hibernacula in winter. Our data show that the population structure of this parasitic wing mite is influenced by its own demography and the peculiar social system of its bat host.
Promiscuous females avoid inbreeding by controlling sperm storage
Authors: BRETMAN AMANDA , NEWCOMBE DEVI , TREGENZA TOM
Published: August 2009

Recent studies in a variety of species have shown that polyandrous females are somehow able to bias paternity against their relatives postcopulation, although how they do so remains unknown. Field crickets readily mate with their siblings, but when also mated to an unrelated male, they produce disproportionately fewer inbred offspring. We use a new competitive microsatellite polymerase chain reaction technique to determine the contribution of males to stored sperm and subsequent paternity of offspring. Paternity is almost completely predicted by how much sperm from a particular male is stored, and unrelated males contribute more sperm to storage and have a corresponding higher paternity success.
Evaluation of a predictive model for Mycosphaerella graminicola for economic and environmental benefits
Authors: Te Beest D. E. , Shaw M. W. , Paveley N. D. , Van Den Bosch F.
Published: August 2009

A method was developed to evaluate crop disease predictive models for their economic and environmental benefits. Benefits were quantified as the value of a prediction measured by costs saved and fungicide dose saved. The value of prediction was defined as the net gain made by using predictions, measured as the difference between a scenario where predictions are available and used and a scenario without prediction. Comparable ‘with’ and ‘without’ scenarios were created with the use of risk levels. These risk levels were derived from a probability distribution fitted to observed disease severities. These distributions were used to calculate the probability that a certain disease induced economic loss was incurred. The method was exemplified by using it to evaluate a model developed for Mycosphaerella graminicola risk prediction. Based on the value of prediction, the tested model may have economic and environmental benefits to growers if used to guide treatment decisions on resistant cultivars. It is shown that the value of prediction measured by fungicide dose saved and costs saved is constant with the risk level. The model could also be used to evaluate similar crop disease predictive models.
The chloroplastic lipocalin AtCHL prevents lipid peroxidation and protects Arabidopsis against oxidative stress
Authors: Levesque‐Tremblay Gabriel , Havaux Michel , Ouellet Francois
Published: August 2009

Lipocalins are small ligand‐binding proteins with a simple tertiary structure that gives them the ability to bind small, generally hydrophobic, molecules. Recent studies have shown that animal lipocalins play important roles in the regulation of developmental processes and are involved in tolerance to oxidative stress. Plants also possess various types of lipocalins, and bioinformatics analyses have predicted that some lipocalin members may be present in the chloroplast. Here we report the functional characterization of the Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplastic lipocalin AtCHL. Cellular fractionation showed that AtCHL is a thylakoid lumenal protein. Drought, high light, paraquat and abscisic acid treatments induce AtCHL transcript and protein accumulation. Under normal growth conditions, knockout (KO) and over‐expressing (OEX) lines do not differ from wild‐type plants in terms of phenotype and photosynthetic performance. However, KO plants, which do not accumulate AtCHL, show more damage upon photo‐oxidative stress induced by drought, high light or paraquat. In contrast, a high level of AtCHL allows OEX plants to cope better with these stress conditions. When exposed to excess light, KO plants display a rapid accumulation of hydroxy fatty acids relative to the wild‐type, whereas the lipid peroxidation level remains very low in OEX plants. The increased lipid peroxidation in KO plants is mediated by singlet oxygen and is not correlated with photo‐inhibition of the photosystems. This work provides evidence suggesting that AtCHL is involved in the protection of thylakoidal membrane lipids against reactive oxygen species, especially singlet oxygen, produced in excess light.
BRIEF REPORT: Varenicline increases striatal dopamine D2/3 receptor binding in rats
Authors: Crunelle Cleo L. , Miller Michelle L. , De Bruin Kora , Van Den Brink Wim , Booij Jan
Published: August 2009

Increasing dopamine D2/3 receptor availability is postulated to be a treatment for drug addiction. Varenicline, an α4β2‐nicotinic partial agonist, is effective for nicotine dependence. We hypothesize that varenicline increases dopamine D2/3 receptor availability. Twenty male drug‐naïve rats were randomized to varenicline (2 mg/kg) or placebo for 14 days, and then injected with the dopamine D2/3 radiotracer 123I‐IBZM. We found significantly higher striatum‐to‐cerebellum binding ratios in both dorsal and ventral striatum for the varenicline group compared with placebo. Varenicline increases dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in drug‐naïve rats. Therefore, varenicline may be an effective treatment for addictions other than smoking.
A retrospective case note review of deceased recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood transfusions
Authors: Gillies M. , Chohan G. , Llewelyn C. A. , MacKenzie J. , Ward H. J. T. , Hewitt P. E. , Will R. G.
Published: August 2009

Background  To date, four instances of probable transfusion–transmission of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) infection have been described, and surviving recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components have been informed that they may be ‘at risk’ of vCJD. Nearly two‐thirds of all recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components are deceased, and many died before the vCJD risk was known. The primary aim of this study was to determine retrospectively whether there was evidence that any of the other deceased recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components had any clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of vCJD in life. In addition, pathological material from recipients, stored at the time of surgery or autopsy, was sought to allow testing for evidence of vCJD infection. A secondary aim of the study was to obtain information on invasive healthcare procedures undertaken on recipients following the transfusion to identify the potential for onward transmission of infection.

Methods  A retrospective review of medical case notes of deceased recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components was carried out, and relevant information was extracted. In cases undergoing post‐mortem, details of the findings were obtained.

Results  The medical case notes of 33 (83%) deceased recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components, not already known to be infected with vCJD, were reviewed. The median age of recipients was 68 years (interquartile range 57–79 years). Almost half (16) were male. The median time from transfusion to death was 175 days (interquartile range 43–701 days). Most (66%) recipients died in hospital. None of the recipients had documented evidence of clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of vCJD. Only two recipients, both of whom died within a year of transfusion, underwent autopsy examination. Neither brain nor peripheral lymphoreticular tissue was available from either recipient, and pathological material was unavailable from any of the other deceased recipients. Almost half of all recipients underwent at least one invasive healthcare procedure post‐transfusion.

Conclusions  A retrospective review of the medical case notes of the deceased recipients of vCJD‐implicated blood components found no evidence that any further cases expressed clinical signs or symptoms suggestive of vCJD during life, but only four of the recipients survived for more than 5 years post‐transfusion.
‘Head for my tail’: a new hypothesis to explain how venomous sea snakes avoid becoming prey
Authors: Rasmussen Arne Redsted , Elmberg Johan
Published: August 2009

Sea snakes are widespread and conspicuous inhabitants of shallow waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are agile top predators and possess extremely potent venom, but they are still susceptible to predation by large fish, e.g. sharks, and other vertebrates. We describe how crevice‐probing and temporarily non‐vigilant Yellow‐lipped Sea Kraits Laticauda colubrina twist the tail around their length axis so that the tail tip’s lateral aspect corresponds to the dorsal view of the head. In doing so, coloration and pattern in combination with tail movement and posture make the tail appear very similar to the (non‐visible and foraging) head. We examined 98 Laticauda spp. sea snakes in three major museum collections and reviewed the literature to assess the generality and implications of our field observations. This leads us to hypothesize that a combination of: (i) head and tail being similarly coloured and patterned, and (ii) the tail being motioned to resemble the head, is a hitherto overlooked mimetic and ‘prophylactic’ anti‐predator adaptation in the L. colubrina complex, and possibly in other species of sea snake. We propose this is a concerted behavioural–morphological adaptation, and we briefly speculate about its possible fitness trade‐offs as well as its origin. Explicit and testable predictions derived from the hypothesis are presented.
Photosynthetic picoeukaryote community structure in the South East Pacific Ocean encompassing the most oligotrophic waters on Earth
Authors: Lepère Cécile , Vaulot Daniel , Scanlan David J.
Published: August 2009

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs), comprising organisms < 3 μm in size, are important primary producers in marine food webs and include representatives from all known algal lineages. Little is known, however, regarding the composition and distribution of PPE communities, particularly at large spatial scales, or in relation to the underlying biotic and abiotic factors that influence this structure. Here, we analysed PPE community structure along a transect in the South East Pacific Ocean (BIOSOPE cruise) that encompassed a large trophic gradient, including hyper‐oligotrophic waters in the South Pacific Gyre (SPG), considered to be some of the ‘clearest’ natural waters on Earth. Using dot blot hybridizations with 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes, we established that the PPE community was dominated by members of the classes Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyceae throughout the transect. Moreover, clone library construction followed by phylogenetic analysis of sequenced clones revealed several novel 16S rRNA gene lineages, including new clades of prymnesiophytes (designated Prym 16S‐III) and prasinophytes (Pras 16S‐VIII). Pras 16S‐VIII was found at all five stations at which clone libraries were constructed, representing a range of trophic conditions, including the South Pacific Gyre, suggesting members of this clade have a broad distribution in this part of the South East Pacific at least. In contrast, Prym 16S‐III sequences were largely restricted to oligotrophic stations of the SPG. Subsequent multivariate statistical analyses showed that, within the measured factors, chemical and biological factors seem to influence PPE community structure more than physical parameters. However, more than 50% of the variation in distribution of PPE classes remained unexplained.
Fire regimes of China: inference from statistical comparison with the United States
Authors: Krawchuk Meg A. , Moritz Max A.
Published: August 2009

Aim  Substantial overlap in the climate characteristics of the United States and China results in similar land‐cover types and weather conditions, especially in the eastern half of the two countries. These parallels suggest similarities in fire regimes as well, yet relatively little is known about the historical role of fire in Chinese ecosystems. Consequently, we aimed to infer fire regime characteristics for China based on our understanding of climate–fire relationships in the United States.

Location  The conterminous United States and the People's Republic of China.

Methods  We used generalized additive models to quantify the relationship between reference fire regime classes adopted by the LANDFIRE initiative in the United States, and a global climate data set. With the models, we determined which climate variables best described the distribution of fire regimes in the United States then used these models to predict the spatial distribution of fire regimes in China. The fitted models were validated quantitatively using receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC). We validated the predicted fire regimes in China by comparison with palaeoecological fire data and satellite‐derived estimates of current fire activity.

Results  Quantitative validation using the AUC indicated good discrimination of the distribution of fire regimes by models for the United States. Overall, fire regimes with more frequent return intervals were more likely in the east than in the west. The resolution of available historical and prehistorical fire data for China, including sediment cores, allowed only coarse, qualitative validation, but provided supporting evidence that fire has long been a part of ecosystem function in eastern China. MODIS satellite data illustrated that fire frequency within the last decade supported the classification of much of western China as relatively fire‐free; however, much of south‐eastern China experiences more fire activity than predicted with our models, probably as a function of the extensive use of fire by people.

Conclusions  While acknowledging there are many cultural, environmental and historical differences between the United States and China, our fire regime models based on climate data demonstrate potential historical fire regimes for China, and propose that large areas of China share historical fire–vegetation–climate complexes with the United States.
Debt‐Relief Effectiveness and Institution‐Building
Authors: Presbitero Andrea F.
Published: August 2009

This article provides new evidence on the effects of recent debt‐relief programmes on different macroeconomic indicators in developing countries, focusing on the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs). The relationship between debt relief and institutional change is also investigated to assess whether donors are moving towards ex‐post governance conditionality. Results show that debt relief is only weakly associated with subsequent improvements in economic performance but is correlated with increasing domestic debt which undermines the positive achievements in reducing external debt service. There is also evidence that donors are moving towards a more sensible allocation of debt forgiveness, rewarding countries which have better policies and institutions.
Designing a Programme to Support Smallholder Agriculture in Mexico: Lessons from PROCAMPO and Oportunidades
Authors: Winters Paul , Davis Benjamin
Published: August 2009

This article argues that there is a gap in current Mexican rural development policy that could be filled by a smallholder‐targeted programme. The gap exists because agricultural programmes tend to benefit better‐off farmers, while social programmes tend to focus on long‐term investment in human capital, specifically for the children of today's poor. Drawing on lessons from PROCAMPO and Oportunidades, it offers a specific design for such a programme at a time when the government is considering how to reform PROCAMPO, given that, after 15 years, it is due to come to an end.
REINVENTING THE WHEEL? AFRICAN COOPERATIVES IN A LIBERALIZED ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Wanyama Fredrick O. , Develtere Patrick , Pollet Ignace
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT**:  Cooperative development in Africa can be said to have traversed two main eras: the era of state control and that of liberalization. The first era lasted up to the early 1990s and saw the origin and substantial growth of cooperatives on the continent. During that period, different models of cooperative development were introduced on the continent. We distinguish a unified cooperative model, a social economy model, a social movement model, a producers’ model and an indigenous model. But in all cases, cooperatives were engulfed into state politics. However, little is known about the impact of liberalization measures on these models. Our research in 11 African countries reveals that cooperatives in Africa have survived the market forces and continued to grow in number and membership. We see a slow but sure erosion of the unified model and the adoption of a social economy model. Cooperatives in Africa are re‐examining their organizational forms and diversifying their activities in response to members' interests and needs.
JOINT BIDDING, GOVERNANCE AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENT COSTS:A CASE OF ROAD PROJECTS*
Authors: Estache Antonio , Iimi Atsushi
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT***:  To utilize public resources efficiently, it is important to take advantage of competition in public procurement auctions to the maximum extent. Joint bidding is a common practice that potentially facilitates competition. By pooling financial and experiential resources, more firms are expected to enter the market, but it will also directly reduce competition if more than one bidder who is solely qualified makes a coalition.

In theory joint bidding may or may not be beneficial to auctioneers, depending on the model. The paper empirically examines the impacts of joint bidding on firms' entry as well as bidding behaviour, using data on public road projects in developing countries. It shows that coalitional bids, in particular by local firms, would be competitive, but foreign joint ventures would undermine competition. It is also found that good governance can encourage firms' entry into the tendering and facilitate joint bidding practices.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NON‐PROFIT HOSPITALS: THEORY AND EVIDENCE
Authors: Bauer Keldon
Published: August 2009

ABSTRACT**:  Non‐profit hospitals are overseen by a board of directors that is charged with representing the interests of the communities they serve. Theoretically, society is interested in maximizing both the quality and quantity of medical services available to it through the hospital. But other groups may also want to use the hospital to maximize their own wealth. This paper examines the effect of increasing the proportion of physicians on the board of directors. We show theoretically and empirically that with even one physician on the board, society's optimal quality/quantity vector is compromised.
Progressive spaces of neoliberalism in Aotearoa: A genealogy and critique
Authors: Bargh Maria , Otter Jacob
Published: August 2009

In this article, we will argue that any investigation of the ‘progressive spaces of neoliberalism’ needs to maintain a critical stance on the neoliberal project. In particular, we suggest that it is important to see the ways ‘progressive spaces of neoliberalism’ are troubled by discourses of colonisation which in turn are themselves disrupted by genealogies of Indigenous struggles. Spaces of neoliberalism are embedded in discourses of colonisation, as space is ultimately grounded in somewhere, in a ‘place’. In Aotearoa, the discourses of colonisation and place are in turn entangled with a genealogy of Maori struggles to maintain and create political, economic and social structures and frameworks. These struggles are also productive, and have the potential to encourage, diverse political economies of production, trade and enterprise distinct from neoliberalism, its progressive spaces, and colonisation. We will investigate two cases to highlight that the ‘messy actualities’ of neoliberalism cannot be extracted from the genealogy of colonisation. Any attempts to start an analysis of progressive space as located in a neutral ‘now and here’ are therefore problematic.
Filling hollowed out spaces with localised meanings, practices and hope: Progressive neoliberal spaces in Te Rarawa
Authors: Lewis Nick , Lewis Owen , Underhill‐Sem Yvonne
Published: August 2009

The contracting out to private providers of services previously delivered within the state has been framed critically as ‘hollowing out’ and read for its erosion of social democracy, social justice and welfare, as well as its inefficiencies in practice. It is commonly dismissed as neoliberalism. In this paper, we highlight the gains made through this new contractualism by Te Oranga, the Family, Health and Education division of Te Runanga o Te Rarawa located in the Far North of New Zealand. Our aim is not to narrate the exceptional, but to point to the inherent resistances to totalising projects residing in agency and place. Placed at the service of a deep sense of community being and community good rather than self‐interest, delivery contracts have enabled Te Oranga to pursue an alternative form of local development and craft a set of progressive spaces. Although highly contingent upon powerful Maori political projects, we argue that the case suggests that gains may be sought in other settings, albeit partial, temporary, and politically contingent. We thus offer a more nuanced account of neoliberalism by highlighting its agency, fractures, politics, and contradictions, and by demonstrating that actualised neoliberalisms are co‐constituted with other political projects.
Urban water supply and local neoliberalism in Tagbilaran City, the Philippines
Authors: Fisher Karen T.
Published: August 2009

The aim of this paper is to explore the processes and outcomes of neoliberalism in relation to urban water supply in the city of Tagbilaran, the Philippines, in order to provide a nuanced account of (an) actually existing hybrid neoliberal space. Using Bakker's typology of market environmentalist reforms in resource management as a guiding frame to link this case to a bigger ‘neoliberal’ conversation, I distinguish how reforms to resource governance at the national level, coupled with changes in the ways in which resource management institutions and resource management organisations function at the local level have acted to constitute local practices of neoliberal governance. Local articulations of (national and supranational) neoliberal and development discourses are revealed as a means for reconceptualising the role of the state and the emergence of new forms of hybrid governance in Tagbilaran. Analysis of the operation of BWUI, a public/private water utility, and the politics of privatisation/private sector participation enables a closer inspection of how water and water services are politicised and resisted by local publics.
Interrogating the production of urban space in China and Vietnam under market socialism
Authors: McGee Terry G.
Published: August 2009

This paper explores two issues. First, it focuses on the question of what is the most appropriate theoretical framework for the study of the urbanisation process in China and Vietnam over the last 30 years? It is argued that Le Fefebvre's theory of the ‘production of urban space’ offers the most useful approach because the political economy it adopts helps identify the major driving forces in the urbanisation process in these formerly socialist societies. The second issue involves the investigation of the differences and similarities in the urbanisation process in the two countries that are engaged in similar processes of structural economic transformation. The conclusion suggests that despite historical and cultural differences between Vietnam and China, the urbanisation process in both countries is exhibiting converging features as both countries are adopting a form of ‘hybrid urbanisation’ that involves a combination of socialist and market economies that does not involve an inevitable move to ‘capitalism’.
How Independent, Competent and Incentivized Should Non‐executive Directors Be? An Empirical Investigation of Good Governance Codes
Authors: Zattoni Alessandro , Cuomo Francesca
Published: August 2009

There is a commonly held conviction among governance scholars and practitioners that increasing the number of non‐executive directors may have beneficial effects on board practices. This view has gained momentum after each wave of scandals. Given the relevance of the issue in governance studies and practices, the aim of this paper is to investigate how independent, competent and incentivized non‐executive directors should be according to governance scholars and board best practices. To answer this question, we conducted a review of the literature on non‐executive directors. We then collected corporate governance codes developed worldwide at the end of 2005, and made a comparative analysis of their recommendations about the independence, the competencies and the incentives of non‐executive directors. Our results show that (i) non‐executive directors' independence is a commonly recommended governance practice, the meaning of which differs widely among countries; (ii) non‐executive directors' competencies and incentives are not considered a governance issue to be regulated in detail; (iii) agency theory and the search for appropriate board demography tend to dominate the recommendations of governance literature and codes. Our findings have implications for both research and practice.
Investing with Prejudice: the Relationship Between Women's Presence on Company Boards and Objective and Subjective Measures of Company Performance
Authors: Haslam S. Alexander , Ryan Michelle K. , Kulich Clara , Trojanowski Grzegorz , Atkins Cate
Published: August 2009

This paper presents a comprehensive archival examination of FTSE 100 companies in the period 2001–2005, focusing on the relationship between the presence of women on company boards and both accountancy‐based and stock‐based measures of company performance. Consistent with work by Adams, Gupta and Leeth this analysis reveals that there was no relationship between women's presence on boards and ‘objective’ accountancy‐based measures of performance (return on assets, return on equity). However, consistent with ‘glass cliff’ research there was a negative relationship between women's presence on boards and ‘subjective’ stock‐based measures of performance. Companies with male‐only boards enjoyed a valuation premium of 37% relative to firms with a woman on their board. Results support claims that women are found on the boards of companies that are perceived to be performing poorly and that their presence on boards can lead to the devaluation of companies by investors. Yet the findings also indicate that perceptions and investment are not aligned with the underlying realities of company performance.
PUPILS' VIEWS ON INCLUSION: ‘Inclusion is more than a place’: exploring pupil views and voice in Belfast schools through visual narrative
Authors: Ryan David
Published: August 2009

The research reported in this article by David Ryan, an adviser for special educational needs and inclusion in Belfast, was based on a participatory approach in which young people in a number of schools were encouraged to develop their ideas about inclusion. The project set out to explore any differences in perceptions between pupils with special educational needs and those without. The young people were equipped with cameras and were encouraged to generate ‘visual narratives’ expressing their views about the ‘reasonable adjustments’ that mainstream schools might make in order to become more inclusive. David Ryan concludes that education must be personalised so that schools take account of the perspectives of individual pupils in their endeavours to become more inclusive. He also notes that young people appear to have strongly‐held views about some of the sensory aspects of the school environment.
KARL BARTH AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
Authors: DILLER KEVIN
Published: August 2009

It is commonly held that Karl Barth emphatically rejected the usefulness of philosophy for theology. In this essay I explore the implications of Barth's theological epistemology for the relationship and proper boundaries between philosophy and theology, given its origin in Barth's theology of revelation. I seek to clarify Barth's position with respect to philosophy by distinguishing the contingency of its offence from any necessary incompatibility. Barth does not reject philosophy per se, but the way in which philosophy is typically conducted. This is made explicit through an analysis of Barth's censure of the uncritical acceptance in theology of modernist philosophical presuppositions. I nuance Barth's response to a collection of philosophical assumptions that are rarely distinguished in theological literature. Finally, I highlight a representative instance of Barth's reflections on philosophy in relationship to theology, to demonstrate that the criterion for evaluating the usefulness of philosophical assumptions and methods in the service of theology is the same criterion by which theology is itself evaluated.
Assessment Center Dimensions: Individual differences correlates and meta‐analytic incremental validity
Authors: Dilchert Stephan , Ones Deniz S.
Published: August 2009

This study provides an investigation of the nomological net for the seven primary assessment center (AC) dimensions identified by Arthur, Day, McNelly, and Eden (Personnel Psychology, 56, 125–154, 2003). In doing so, the authors provide the first robust estimates of the relationships between all primary AC dimensions with cognitive ability and the Big 5 factors of personality. Additionally, intercorrelations between AC dimensions based on sample sizes much larger than those previously available in the meta‐analytic literature are presented. Data were obtained from two large managerial samples (total N=4985). Primary data on AC dimensions, personality, and cognitive ability interrelationships were subsequently integrated with meta‐analytic data to estimate incremental validity for optimally and unit‐weighted AC dimension composites as well as overall AC ratings over psychometric tests of personality and cognitive ability. Results show that unit‐ and optimally weighted composites of construct‐based AC dimensions add incremental validity over tests of personality and cognitive ability, while overall AC ratings (including those obtained using subjective methods of data combination) do not.
They Don't Do It Often, But They Do It Well: Exploring the relationship between applicant mental abilities and faking
Authors: Levashina Julia , Morgeson Frederick P. , Campion Michael A.
Published: August 2009

Despite its scientific and practical importance, relatively few studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between job applicant mental abilities and faking. Some studies suggest that more intelligent people fake less because they do not have to. Other studies suggest that more intelligent people fake more because they have increased capacity to fake. Based on a model of faking likelihood, we predicted that job candidates with a high level of mental abilities would be less likely to fake a biodata measure. However, for candidates who did exhibit faking on the biodata measure, we expected there would be a strong positive relationship between mental abilities and faking, because mental abilities increase their capacity to fake. We found considerable support for hypotheses on a large sample of job candidates (N=17,368), using the bogus item technique to detect faking.
Self‐Enhancement in a Job Search Context
Authors: García María Fernanda , Triana María del Carmen , Peters Abby N. , Sánchez Mabel
Published: August 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self‐enhancement in a job search context. Based on previous theoretical and empirical research on positive illusions and core self‐evaluations, we examined the relationships among core self‐evaluations, self‐enhancement, perceived job alternatives, and job search behaviors. Participants in two different studies were students attending a career fair at a university in the southwestern United States to look for a job. Results showed that self‐enhancement is positively related to preparatory job search and mediates the relationship between core self‐evaluations and perceived job alternatives. The implications of this study are discussed.
Rating Level and Accuracy as a Function of Rater Personality
Authors: Bernardin H. John , Tyler Catherine L. , Villanova Peter
Published: August 2009

We investigated the predictability of rating level and two measures of rating accuracy from rater Agreeableness (A) and Conscientiousness (C) scores of the Five Factor Model. One hundred and twenty‐six students made peer ratings after participating in several group exercises under conditions designed to emulate the modal peer rating system in which raters had low accountability for their ratings. Scores were correlated with average rating level (r=.18, p<.05) and both measures of rating accuracy (p<.05) and C scores were correlated with rating level (−.20, p<.05) and both measures of rating accuracy (p<.05). As suggested by Bernardin, Villanova, and Cooke (Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 232–236, 2000), raters who were both more agreeable and less conscientious made the most lenient and least accurate ratings. Contrary to Yun, Donahue, Dudley, and McFarland (International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 13, 97–107, 2005), more agreeable raters also tended to rate the least effective performers more leniently than did other raters.
E‐Recruitment: A study into applicant perceptions of an online application system
Authors: Sylva Hella , Mol Stefan T.
Published: August 2009

Little is known about applicant reactions to web‐based recruitment and selection procedures. This study examines applicant perceptions of web‐based procedures, based on a field study among 1360 applicants to a multinational financial services organization applying for jobs in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. With respect to the personal characteristics it was found that external (as opposed to internal), Belgian (as opposed to Dutch), and Internet savvy (as opposed to less savvy) candidates were more satisfied with the online application procedure and its features. However, it was found that features of the website, perceived efficiency and user‐friendliness, were by far the most important determinants of applicant satisfaction. Implications for organizations and future research on E‐recruitment are discussed.
Measuring Person–Environment Fit: A further validation of the perceived fit scale
Authors: Hinkle Robin K. , Choi Namok
Published: August 2009

Perceived job fit typically encompasses an employee's suitability for the requirements of the job or the culture and values of the organization. This view of job fit overlooks another suitability judgment made by employees in which contribution to the organization is compared with the rewards received in return. Cable and DeRue referred to this type of fit as needs–supplies fit in their 2002 study. To distinguish needs–supply fit from the two more commonly examined types of fit, person–organization fit and person–job fit, the researchers developed the Perceived Fit Scale (PFS). The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PFS by evaluating its reliability, concurrent validity, and factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. Three hundred and seventeen certified public accountants participated in the study. The factor analysis results showed that the final model in this study was similar to the factor structure of the PFS reported by the developers, thus providing further support for need–supply fit as a viable dimension of perceived job fit.
Performance‐Appraisal Beliefs of Chinese Employees in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta
Authors: Cheng Kevin H. C. , Cascio Wayne
Published: August 2009

Working adults from Hong Kong (HK; N=102) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD; N=96) participated in a Chinese‐language, 20‐item, structured interview. The interview addressed five topics: performance criteria, implementation of the appraisal, factors attributed to performance, methods of feedback, and concerns about the use of performance appraisal (PA) at work. Results indicated that most respondents believe that PA facilitates communication between superiors and subordinates, that effective performance is a function of each individual's internal attributes (which may include aspects external to the workplace), and that feedback should be direct and frank, communicated by someone with authority and power. These results are consistent with the beliefs of people living in societies characterized as high in Confucian dynamism. We discussed implications of the findings for the use of PA in Chinese enterprises in HK and PRD.
Maternal pre‐pregnancy obesity and risk for inattention and negative emotionality in children
Authors: Rodriguez Alina
Published: August 2009

Objective:  This study aimed to replicate and extend previous work showing an association between maternal pre‐pregnancy adiposity and risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children.

Methods:  A Swedish population‐based prospective pregnancy–offspring cohort was followed up when children were 5 years old (N = 1,714). Mothers and kindergarten teachers rated children’s ADHD symptoms, presence and duration of problems, and emotionality. Dichotomized outcomes examined difficulties of clinical relevance (top 15% of the distribution). Analyses adjusted for pregnancy (maternal smoking, depressive symptoms, life events, education, age, family structure), birth outcomes (birth weight, gestational age, infant sex) and concurrent variables (family structure, maternal depressive symptoms, parental ADHD symptoms, and child overweight) in an attempt to rule out confounding.

Results:  Maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight and obesity predicted high inattention symptom scores and obesity was associated with a two‐fold increase in risk of difficulties with emotion intensity and emotion regulation according to teacher reports. Means of maternal ratings were unrelated to pre‐pregnancy body mass index (BMI). Presence and duration of problems were associated with both maternal over and underweight according to teachers.

Conclusions:  Despite discrepancies between maternal and teacher reports, these results provide further evidence that maternal pre‐pregnancy overweight and obesity are associated with child inattention symptoms and extend previous work by establishing a link between obesity and emotional difficulties. Maternal adiposity at the time of conception may be instrumental in programming child mental health, as prenatal brain development depends on maternal energy supply. Possible mechanisms include disturbed maternal metabolic function. If maternal pre‐pregnancy obesity is a causal risk factor, the potential for prevention is great.
The birth of the housing consumer in the United States, 1918–1960
Authors: Harris Richard
Published: August 2009

Between 1918 and 1960, those Americans who were able to buy a home learned to think and act as housing consumers. By 1960, the typical couple purchased a finished dwelling from a speculative builder instead of hiring the services of a contractor. Builders now produced for an anonymous market. They learned how to sell, and buyers learned to expect, a comprehensive and standardized package of services that included long‐term financing. Such financing required, and buttressed, a Fordist regime of mass production and consumption, and was promoted after 1934 by a new federal agency. It stabilized the economy by pushing families to make long‐range spending plans, while shaping their pattern of monthly expenditures. Increasingly, Americans came to think of homes as commodities, as investments and as means of self‐expression. They enacted these assumptions by browsing through model homes, by making elaborate financial calculations, by borrowing and by taking on home repair and improvement projects. These changes were promoted by the real estate industry and the state, and were soon accepted for the comfort and convenience they offered.
Privatization, commodification and transformation in Japanese housing: ephemeral house – eternal home
Authors: Ronald Richard
Published: August 2009

The space and place of the Japanese home holds an iconic status in both foreign and indigenous understandings of Japanese life. The architectural forms and bounded spaces of Japanese houses have historically been embedded in social practices that integrate individuals with hierarchical orders of space and social relations moving outwards from the house to community. Housing units and residential neighbourhoods have, however, undergone considerable transformation in the last century. Homes have been increasingly privatized, commodified and marketized, while the features of housing and neighbourhoods have been intensively modernized and urbanized. This paper considers transformations in the form of Japanese housing and the extent to which contemporary housing production and consumption mediates historically embedded notions of domestic relations and space.