bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Categorization and semantics of subject-like obliques
Authors: Seržant Ilja A.
Published: January 2015

This chapter’s underlying framework is one of functionalist cognitive linguistics.
It suggest a categorization of non-prototypical trajector (subject) constructions
into syntax-, gram- and lexeme-driven ones depending on the nature of
the domain that triggers the oblique case-marking on the trajector argument.
Additionally, a unified semantic account is proposed, which is based on the
comparison with causative events. The structure of these events consists of an
antecedent subevent (typically implicit) and a subsequent subevent. This study
argues that constructions with non-prototypical trajectors (subjects) refer to
consequent events. That is, all three types of constructions exhibit an invariant
semantic core; they conceptualize the event as being a (causally) consequent
event and imply the existence of a causally antecedent event. The differences
between the three types pertain mainly to the referential properties of the
antecedent event and its main participant: while with the syntax-driven type
the antecedent event is explicit, referential and conceptualized onstage, with the
gram-driven type it is implicit, non-referential and offstage, though confined to
a particular concept. The lexeme-driven type only implies the existence of an
antecedent event; it does not, however, commit any assessment on the conceptualization
of this event.
From canon to monolith to clusters
Authors: Kyröläinen Aki-Juhani
Published: January 2015

The status of oblique subjects is a contested topic. Subjecthood is typically
defined relative to syntactic tests in formal approaches and different tests have
been proposed in the literature. However, they have not been applied systematically
to cover a wide range of constructions such as oblique subjects in Russian.
This study presents a clustered model of subjecthood building on ten construction
types and twenty features of subjecthood in Russian based on construction
grammar and Keenan’s (1976) study. The structure of the model indicates
that Russian has two clustered subject constructions: the nominative and the
dative. These types motivate the deviations displayed by the other constructions.
Hence, subjecthood is defined as a fully motivated network structure.
Iconicity in the syntax and lexical semantics of sound-symbolic words in Japanese
Authors: Toratani Kiyoko
Published: January 2015

This study offers a response to Akita (2013a) who proposes a relation between the lexical semantics of sound-symbolic words and their realizations in a syntactic structure, drawing on a universal lexical hierarchy termed the Lexical Iconicity Hierarchy (LIH). This study examines Akita’s proposal drawing on data from Japanese mimetics. It suggests the LIH-based proposal may be difficult to maintain in its current format on the basis of (i) a frequency count of mimetics entered in a mid-sized mimetic dictionary and (ii) the syntactic characteristics of phonomimes (e.g., bukubuku ‘bubbling’), working within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar.
A corpus-based semantic analysis of Japanese mimetic verbs
Authors: Sugahara Takashi , Hamano Shoko
Published: January 2015

Based on corpus data, this paper explores the unique semantic properties of tuku-verbs, a class of mimetic verbs, in comparison to reduplicative suru-verbs, which have been shown to exhibit highly systematic properties. The paper demonstrates that tuku-verbs are semantically constrained as systematically as reduplicative suru-verbs, albeit in slightly different manners. Specifically, it is shown that the suffix -tuku in these verbs inherits the meaning of ‘surface’ and the syntactic property of a contact/impact transitive verb from its source verb tuku, projecting these features in different manners depending on whether the mimetic base takes a Theme or Agent subject. It is further shown that as a result of the above processes tuku-verbs lack physiological perception verbs and exhibit a high degree of transitivity if used as agentive verbs.
An L1 grammar-driven model of loanword adaptation
Authors: Kim Hyunsoon
Published: January 2015

The present study proposes an L1 grammar-driven loanword-adaptation model with three intermediate steps — L1 perception, L1 lexical representations and L1 phonology — between L2 acoustic output and L1 output by examining how the distinctive features, syllable structure constraints and structural restrictions of one’s native language steer speakers in their search to replace foreign sounds with native sounds. Our main source of data in support of this model comes from differences between the Korean adaptations of English and French voicing contrasts on the basis of a recent survey of English and French loans in the year 2011. In word-initial position, for example, English voiceless plosives are borrowed as aspirated plosives, while French voiceless plosives are borrowed as either aspirated or fortis plosives in free variation. Considering the data examined here, we suggest that the different Korean adaptations of English and French voicing contrasts in plosives are based on Korean speakers’ perception of redundant phonetic variants in the donor languages (L2) and that this perception is conditioned by the acoustic cues to the laryngeal features [±spread glottis] and [±tense] of Korean, the host language (L1). In contrast to some current models, it shows that the distinctive feature composition of L1 segments plays an important role in loanword adaptations. We also suggest that not only L1 laryngeal features but also L1 syllable structure constraints and lexical restrictions influence L1 perception of the L2 voicing contrasts in word-final postvocalic plosives and that variation in vowel insertion after the plosives in our 2011 data collection is motivated by L1 phonology in both English and French loans. Variation in vowel insertion after English and French word-internal preconsonantal coda plosives is also affected by the native phonology in the 2011 data, no matter whether the plosives are released, as in French, or unreleased, as in English.
Processing of English /s/ in Korean
Authors: Choe Jinsun , Anderson Victoria B.
Published: January 2015

The single English phoneme /s/ can be borrowed into Korean as either of two different phonemes — lax /s/ or tense /s*/. The present study investigates how Korean native speakers process English /s/ by testing the role of the duration of English /s/ in determining the choice of phoneme in Korean. Two production experiments were conducted with twenty-eight participants, who were asked to repeat English pseudo-words in Korean. The results suggest that (1) the split borrowing pattern is indeed regular and systematic, and (2) while duration of English /s/ is certainly one factor in determining the split borrowing pattern, it may not be the key factor.
Time and again
Authors: Arnon Inbal , Priva Uriel Cohen
Published: January 2015

There is growing evidence that multiword information affects processing. In this paper, we look at the effect of word and multiword frequency on the phonetic duration of words in spontaneous speech to (a) extend previous findings and (b) ask whether the relation between word and multiword information changes across the frequency continuum. If highly frequent sequences are stored holistically, then the effect of word frequency should disappear. If alternatively, increased sequence usage causes a change in the prominence of word and multiword information, we should see reduced effects of word frequency, and increased effects of sequence frequency for high frequency sequences. We first extend previous findings by showing that trigram frequency affects single word duration, even when controlling for word predictability. We then show that the effect of trigram frequency increases while the effect of word frequency decreases — but does not disappear — for highly frequent sequences. The findings provide further support for the effect of multiword information on processing and document the growing prominence of multiword information with repeated usage.
Thumos and rationality in Plato’s Republic
Authors: Tarnopolsky Christina
Published: January 2015

This article examines Plato's critique of, and revisions to, Socratic rationality via a close examination of Socrates’ teaching about the early education of the guardians in the Republic. I argue that Plato's move to a new more Platonic Socrates in Books 2 through 10 of the Republic reflects his revisions to the particular style of rationality exhibited in the arguments of his teacher, Socrates, in Book 1. Plato's discussion of thumos, the middle part of the soul, shows that he moves to an imagistic and aesthetic notion of rationality to correct the problems with the combative and analytical style practiced by Socrates. At the same time, Plato retains the key elements of his teacher's philosophy, and this includes their shared notion that any outlook on life that orients itself away from the fact of human mortality is irrational on a foundational level.
New method for determining total calcium content in tissue applied to skeletal muscle with and without calsequestrin
Authors: Lamboley Cédric R.H. , Kake Guena Sandrine A. , Touré Fatou , Hébert Camille , Yaddaden Louiza , Nadeau Stephanie , Bouchard Patrice , Wei-LaPierre Lan , Lainé Jean , Rousseau Eric C. , Frenette Jérôme , Protasi Feliciano , Dirksen Robert T. , Pape Paul C.
Published: January 2015

We describe a new method for determining the concentration of total Ca in whole skeletal muscle samples ([CaT]WM in units of mmoles/kg wet weight) using the Ca-dependent UV absorbance spectra of the Ca chelator BAPTA (1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid). Muscle tissue was homogenized in a solution containing 0.15 mM BAPTA and 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate (to permeabilize membranes and denature proteins) and then centrifuged. The solution volume was adjusted so that BAPTA captured essentially all of the Ca. [CaT]WM was obtained with Beer’s law from the absorbance change produced by adding 1 mM EGTA to capture Ca from BAPTA. Results from mouse, rat, and frog muscles were reasonably consistent with results obtained using other methods for estimating total [Ca] in whole muscles and in single muscle fibers. Results with external Ca removed before determining [CaT]WM indicate that most of the Ca was intracellular, indicative of a lack of bound Ca in the extracellular space. In both fast-twitch (extensor digitorum longus, EDL) and slow-twitch (soleus) muscles from mice, [CaT]WM increased approximately linearly with decreasing muscle weight, increasing approximately twofold with a twofold decrease in muscle weight. This suggests that the Ca concentration of smaller muscles might be increased relative to that in larger muscles, thereby increasing the specific force to compensate for the smaller mass. Knocking out the high capacity Ca-binding protein calsequestrin (CSQ) did not significantly reduce [CaT]WM in mouse EDL or soleus muscle. However, in EDL muscles lacking CSQ, muscle weights were significantly lower than in wild-type (WT) muscles and the values of [CaT]WM were, on average, about half the expected WT values, taking into account the above [CaT]WM versus muscle weight relationship. Because greater reductions in [CaT]WM would be predicted in both muscle types, we hypothesize that there is a substantial increase in Ca bound to other sites in the CSQ knockout muscles.
A surface plasmon resonance approach to monitor toxin interactions with an isolated voltage-gated sodium channel paddle motif
Authors: Martin-Eauclaire Marie-France , Ferracci Géraldine , Bosmans Frank , Bougis Pierre E.
Published: January 2015

Animal toxins that inhibit voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channel fast inactivation can do so through an interaction with the S3b–S4 helix-turn-helix region, or paddle motif, located in the domain IV voltage sensor. Here, we used surface plasmon resonance (SPR), an optical approach that uses polarized light to measure the refractive index near a sensor surface to which a molecule of interest is attached, to analyze interactions between the isolated domain IV paddle and Nav channel–selective α-scorpion toxins. Our SPR analyses showed that the domain IV paddle can be removed from the Nav channel and immobilized on sensor chips, and suggest that the isolated motif remains susceptible to animal toxins that target the domain IV voltage sensor. As such, our results uncover the inherent pharmacological sensitivities of the isolated domain IV paddle motif, which may be exploited to develop a label-free SPR approach for discovering ligands that target this region.
Bayesian feature selection for high-dimensional linear regression via the Ising approximation with applications to genomics
Authors: Fisher Charles K. , Mehta Pankaj
Published: January 2015

Motivation : Feature selection, identifying a subset of variables that are relevant for predicting a response, is an important and challenging component of many methods in statistics and machine learning. Feature selection is especially difficult and computationally intensive when the number of variables approaches or exceeds the number of samples, as is often the case for many genomic datasets.

Results : Here, we introduce a new approach—the Bayesian Ising Approximation (BIA)—to rapidly calculate posterior probabilities for feature relevance in L2 penalized linear regression. In the regime where the regression problem is strongly regularized by the prior, we show that computing the marginal posterior probabilities for features is equivalent to computing the magnetizations of an Ising model with weak couplings. Using a mean field approximation, we show it is possible to rapidly compute the feature selection path described by the posterior probabilities as a function of the L2 penalty. We present simulations and analytical results illustrating the accuracy of the BIA on some simple regression problems. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of the BIA to high-dimensional regression by analyzing a gene expression dataset with nearly 30 000 features. These results also highlight the impact of correlations between features on Bayesian feature selection.

Availability and implementation : An implementation of the BIA in C++, along with data for reproducing our gene expression analyses, are freely available at http://physics.bu.edu/∼pankajm/BIACode .

Contact : charleskennethfisher@gmail.com or ckfisher@bu.edu or pankajm@bu.edu

Supplementary information : Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
A Changeover Time Reduction through an integration of lean practices: a case study from pharmaceutical sector
Authors: Bevilacqua M. , Ciarapica F.E. , De Sanctis I. , Mazzuto G. , Paciarotti C.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to uncover the significance of quick changeovers in the packaging line of a pharmaceutical company. Using an integration of different lean practices, the study aims to reduce the batch change and changeover time up to 50 per cent, increasing overall equipment effectiveness by 25 per cent.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper gives setup instructions and guidelines for preparing the standardized setup procedure without ignoring the actual constraints in a pharmaceutical company. It uses a case study to generate an integrated setup reduction approach, utilizing single-minute exchange of die tools (SMED) in combination with suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers (SIPOC), Kanban, 5S techniques and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) indexes to achieve faster setups.

Findings

– The SMED approach helps the pharmaceutical company to eliminate unwanted activities and to externalize and reduce the internal activities by simplification or standardization. The application of other tools, such as 5S and Kanban tool-kits, allowed the company to optimize the process and reduce the standard deviation of the changeover times. Good manufacturing practice (GMP) procedures of the pharmaceutical sector limit the conversion of internal setup elements to external setup elements.

Originality/value

– The paper demonstrates the practical application of SMED, showing how it can bring real breakthroughs in productivity to a pharmaceutical company. Moreover, in this work, we highlight the importance of an integration of different lean practices to reduce variation in the changeover time. In particular, the standardization of setup tasks and the increased reliability in the material supply chain, in addition to reducing the changeover mean time can also reduce the standard deviation of the setup process time.
Robust optimization approach to production system with failure in rework and breakdown under uncertainty: evolutionary methods
Authors: Rabbani Masoud , Manavizadeh Neda , Hosseini Aghozi Niloofar Sadat
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to consider a multi-site production planning problem with failure in rework and breakdown subject to demand uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this new mathematical model, at first, a feasible range for production time is found, and then the model is rewritten considering the demand uncertainty and robust optimization techniques. Here, three evolutionary methods are presented: robust particle swarm optimization, robust genetic algorithm (RGA) and robust simulated annealing with the ability of handling uncertainties. Firstly, the proposed mathematical model is validated by solving a problem in the LINGO environment. Afterwards, to compare and find the efficiency of the proposed evolutionary methods, some large-size test problems are solved.

Findings

– The results show that the proposed models can prepare a promising approach to fulfill an efficient production planning in multi-site production planning. Results obtained by comparing the three proposed algorithms demonstrate that the presented RGA has better and more efficient solutions.

Originality/value

– Considering the robust optimization approach to production system with failure in rework and breakdown under uncertainty.
New Kanban model for tow-train feeding system design
Authors: Bortolini Marco , Ferrari Emilio , Gamberi Mauro , Manzini Riccardo , Regattieri Alberto
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to introduce, apply and validate, through a realistic case study, an analytical cost model to support the design of the tow-train feeding system for mixed-model assembly lines managed according to the just-in-time concept. The fleet size and inventory level, minimizing the total annual cost, are the key model goals, while the tow-train shipping capacity and the service level are the decisional variables to set.

Design/methodology/approach

– The model computes the material handling, inventory and stockout rising costs of the tow-train feeding system and looks for their minimization. It further computes the expected lead time between consecutive round-trips and the Kanban card number, distinguishing among parts and assembly lines, overcoming the simplifying hypothesis assuming a constant lead time for all parts. The model is validated against a dedicated case study stressing its strengths in terms of cost and inventory-level reduction.

Findings

– The proposed approach is found to be effective if compared to the standard literature in the field of Kanban system design. The 10.76 per cent cost saving is experienced for the considered case study, and the inventory level is closer to the field-experienced profile.

Practical implications

– The model adopts a practical perspective, making it easy and applicable to common operative industries.

Originality/value

– The literature neglects to consider the differences in the part consumption when estimating the lead time between tow-train round-trips. The proposed model overcomes such limitations and strengthens the model applicability and performances.
Multi-manned assembly line balancing problem with balanced load density
Authors: Yilmaz Hamid , Yilmaz Mustafa
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is balancing multi-manned assembly lines with load-balancing constraints in addition to conventional ones Most research works about the multi-manned assembly line balancing problems are focused on the conventional industrial measures that minimize total number of workers, number of multi-manned workstations or both.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides a remedial constraint for the model to balance task load density for each worker in workstations.

Findings

– Comparisons between the proposed mathematical model and the existing multi-manned mathematical model show a quite promising better task load density performance for the proposed approach.

Originality/value

– In this paper, a mathematical model that combines the minimization of multi-manned stations, worker numbers and difference of task load density of workers is proposed for the first time.
Re-layout of an assembly area: a case study at Bosch Rexroth Oil Control
Authors: Ren Chengyao , Barlotti Carmine , Cohen Yuval , Frangipane Barbara , Garofalo Mario , Cozzari Giulio , Metz Corey
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to highlight the considerations and lessons learned from a re-layout project in an assembly area for productivity improvement. The case study took place in Bosch Rexroth Oil Control Nonantola (Italy) with satisfactory results. The paper suggests how to approach reorganization projects with focus on productivity improvements following defined targets.

Design/methodology/approach

– After an analysis of the initial status, the authors examine several plausible layout alternatives: the main comparison criteria and their weights are defined. Then a scoring/measuring procedure follows for the criteria of each alternative, and the alternatives are compared using principal parameters analysis (PPA).

Findings

– The paper lists common considerations and lessons learned in the re-layout process. Using the PPA, the authors validate the best solution for the company.

Originality/value

– This paper shares a valuable experience that is general enough to be shared with many other assembly systems. A unique experience combining re-layout planning, MTM and use of PPA is shared with the readers.
Part-feeding with supermarket in assembly systems: transportation mode selection model and multi-scenario analysis
Authors: Battini D. , Gamberi M. , Persona A. , Sgarbossa F.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to focus on in-house part logistics design and management for assembly systems in which supermarket storage is adopted and coupled with an automated transportation system. In this context, this work aims to assess the transportation mode selection problem to speed up the preliminary design phase.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is divided into two main parts. The first one provides and discusses a new conceptual framework derived from the authors’ experience in the field and from previous published works. The framework aims to support managers in problem comprehension by setting three problem sub-phases, key input parameters and qualitative guidelines without losing sight of the big picture. The second part focuses on the transportation mode selection sub-phase by assessing an analytical study followed by a multi-scenario analysis.

Findings

– The final outcome of this work is a decision support matrix capable of setting technical guidelines that are helpful to managers and practitioners to speed up the transportation mode selection problem in the preliminary phases.

Originality/value

– This work is beneficial for supporting managers in understanding the main decisional steps involved in the design of a part-feeding system with a supermarket by discussing the three problem sub-phases and key input parameters and providing both qualitative and quantitative guidelines. Moreover, this study explores the transportation mode selection problem, which is not yet largely explored in the published literature.
Lost in translation
Authors: O'Neill Sharron , McDonald Geoff , Deegan Craig Michael
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to seek to extend the work of Robson (1991, 1992) by exploring the accounting implications of the way in which subsets of non-financial accounting numbers are constructed. In particular, the study investigates whether the different procedures for organising subsets of a set of accounting data may lead to different conclusions about (the same) reality.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical analysis focuses on the procedures by which organisations translate work-related injury outcomes to accounting numbers. First, existing procedures are problematised within their institutional context. This highlights complementary elements of translation and neo-institutional theory that together explain how institutional factors might operate to constrain the problematising process. An empirical analysis of workers’ compensation data covering a ten year period is then conducted to calculate and contrast performance using two competing logics of accounting for injury.

Findings

– The findings demonstrate that different representations of reality may result not only from accounting choices as to “what” is measured, but also from accounting choices as to “how subsets of measured data are organised”. Specifically, different ways of organising injury data into subsets led to different representations of the reality of overall injury performance. The evidence further suggests taken-for-granted assumptions and institutionalised practices may prevent adequate problematisation of the underpinning logic that guides the procedures for organising translations of work-related injury and illness to accounting numbers.

Practical implications

– The results suggest the existing logic of accounting for injury fails to recognise the financial or non-financial complexity of non-fatal injury outcomes. “Lost time injury” measures are revealed as neither valid nor reliable measures of injury (or safety) and therefore inappropriate for informing the occupational health and safety (OHS) decisions of managers, boards and external stakeholders. These findings reveal an urgent need for change in injury accounting practice and, in turn, raise serious concerns about the increasingly institutionalised global template for external disclosure of OHS performance information.

Originality/value

– This paper takes a novel look at the construction of social performance measures and suggests further attention to the construction of accounting subsets is warranted. In demonstrating serious problems in accounting logic that underpin existing, and deeply institutionalised, measurement and reporting practices, the findings reinforce the need to routinely re-problematise accounting practices. Failure to critically review those accounting translations that underpin decision-making may prove a fatal mistake.
A project for Romania? The role of the civil society’s counter-accounts in facilitating democratic change in society
Authors: Apostol Oana Mihaela
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to look more closely, in the context of a given case study, at the role of civil society’s counter-accounts in facilitating democratic change in society, as an essential goal of an emancipatory and radical social accounting project.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study of a Canadian company’s plans to open a gold mine in western Romania is here analysed. Civil society’s opposition to the mining project gave rise to an unprecedented social movement contesting the project’s utility for Romanian society. The role played by counter-accounts produced by civil society groups is investigated.

Findings

– Counter-accounts produced by civil society played multiple roles in the case study analysed. First, counter-accounts indicated the failure of corporate reports to present the gold mining project in a balanced manner. Second, counter-accounts were successful in problematizing the corporate approach to addressing the social, cultural and environmental impacts of the project, while also nurturing societal debate on these issues. Third, counter-accounts exposed the ideological inclinations of state institutions to favour economic interests over the social, cultural and environmental ones. As a result of these contributions, even if the counter-accounts were subjective, this study claims that they form a good basis for the development of emancipatory accounting.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations associated with an interpretative approach and case study research apply.

Originality/value

– The paper illustrates the potential of civil society’s counter accounts to enable societal debates, as means towards democratic, transformative change.
Human depreciation accounting and the emergence of industrial pensions
Authors: Himick Darlene
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the accounting notion of “human depreciation” helped the defined benefit pension plan emerge as the dominant means of dealing with an aging workforce in the first half of twentieth century USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study examines historical material to identify the intersection of several different practices and knowledges that came together in the early decades of the 1900s to permit human depreciation in 1949 to be used to formally link aging employees to their employers.

Findings

– In the early part of the twentieth century, humans and machines were constructed as parts of a single productive system, human traits were studied in order to increase their machine-like capacities, in the hope of creating a more efficient industrial economy. At the same time, fatigue associated with this industrial nation was constructing the older worker as subject to decline, hence opening the door to a linkage to physical and economic depreciation.

Social implications

– Reveals that the language of accounting can be utilized by non-accountants and outside organizational boundaries to effect public policy and play a constitutive role. Thus, who is able to use accounting conventions is important in understanding how accounting shapes social settings.

Originality/value

– “Human depreciation”, used by the Steel Industry Board in 1949 to assign responsibility to employers for the depreciation of their human assets, has been left unexamined despite being cited as one of the greatest contributors to the growth of industrial pensions in the USA. The study examines accounting as an interface among and between the organizational and “non-accounting” spheres.
Lobbying: a critical dimension of business strategy
Authors: Scott Clifford D.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to prepare executives to pilot a US lobbying effort within the bounds of the US Federal law. Lobbying law may be thought of as the “regulation of regulation”, as it defines the ground rules for those wishing to have a direct impact upon all other regulatory systems. The article outlines what the US lobbying law requires, what it forbids and, perhaps most important, what the law does NOT regulate.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper takes the full spectrum of US laws and regulations relevant to lobbying – including the Internal Revenue Service Code (tax code), the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Ethics in Government Act, the internal rules of both the House and Senate, the US Criminal Code and the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act – and organizes them into a single 2 × 2 matrix, explaining what all parties must do as well as what they must not do. Via this approach, the rules that govern the “marketplace” for lobbying in the USA are explained. The competition to shape US government policy transpires within this marketplace.

Findings

– Few activities the executive may engage in carry the potential payback of a well-executed lobbying campaign: empirical estimates range to returns on investment in the thousands of per cent. But the uninitiated may easily step over the line and invite both legal and public relations (PR) nightmares.

Practical implications

– Effective lobbying can afford a corporation or industry a lasting competitive advantage. Every well-rounded business strategy should include such a component, and every well-rounded executive should be capable of performing in this arena. A solid grounding in the legal matrix forming the boundaries of this activity is a prerequisite for effective performance.

Originality/value

– The paper organizes and outlines lobbying law in a fashion digestible by executives without legal training. It is of value to anyone wishing to engage in lobbying activities targeted at the US Government.
Corporate governance and social responsibility
Authors: Stuebs Marty , Sun Li
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to draw on the stakeholder theory to examine the association between corporate governance and social responsibility.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper hypothesized that corporate governance is positively associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR), and good corporate governance also leads to good social responsibility in the following year. Corporate governance was measured by using the corporate governance index provided by Brown and Caylor (2006, 2009). CSR data come from Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini (KLD), Inc.

Findings

– Regression analysis documents significant evidence to support a positive association between corporate governance and social responsibility. Evidence suggests that good governance leads to good CSR performance.

Originality/value

– The results should interest managers who engage in behavior leading to or maintaining strong corporate governance mechanisms, financial analysts who conduct research on corporate governance and firm performance and policymakers who design and implement guidelines on corporate governance mechanisms. Moreover, results of this study can increase individual investors’ confidence in investing in companies with stronger corporate governance.
Imperfect work conditions in Bangladesh RMG sector
Authors: Sharma Vishal
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the effectiveness of labour law in Bangladesh and provide suggestions to improve working conditions in the country.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article provides an analysis of the factual impact of labour law in Bangladesh.

Findings

– The study reveals the appalling condition in the ready-made garment industry. The factory owners tend to bend the laws and exploit the workers.

Originality/value

– The paper offers some suggestions to improve the working conditions of the workers in the garment industry of Bangladesh.
Tailoring professional development for teachers in primary education
Authors: Van der Heijden Béatrice I.J.M. , Van Vuuren Tinka C. V. , Kooij Dorien T.A.M. , de Lange Annet H.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this survey study amongN=180 Dutch teachers was to examine the moderating role of calendar age and proactive personality in the relationships between developmental opportunities, on the one hand, and work engagement and self-perceived employability, on the other. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Hierarchical regression analyses have been used, illustrated by means of quotes – gathered through open questions in the survey – to support the quantitative findings.

Findings

– A significant interaction effect between calendar age and developmental opportunities in relation to self-perceived employability, but not to work engagement, has been found, revealing stronger positive effects for developmental opportunities among older workers than among younger ones.

Research limitations/implications

– The present study provides a starting-point for further research on professional development in other occupational settings.

Practical implications

– The use of age-conscious developmental opportunities is a powerful tool in encouraging life-long learning.

Social implications

– Improvement in teachers’ engagement and employability will enhance their performance, will consequently lead to better pupil performance, and will contribute to the wider status of the profession, meaning that more young talented people will seriously consider working in the field and thereby helping to address the urgent need for more teaching staff.

Originality/value

– This study increases the knowledge of professional development among teachers and examines to what extent age and proactivity play a role in this regard. The results of the empirical work challenge dominant views on age-related declines and losses, and invite the authors to continue scholarly work in this field focussing upon long-term intra-individual development.
Age, job identification, and entrepreneurial intention
Authors: Hatak Isabella , Harms Rainer , Fink Matthias
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how age and job identification affect entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– The researchers draw on a representative sample of the Austrian adult workforce and apply binary logistic regression on entrepreneurial intention.

Findings

– The findings reveal that as employees age they are less inclined to act entrepreneurially, and that their entrepreneurial intention is lower the more they identify with their job. Whereas gender, education, and previous entrepreneurial experience matter, leadership and having entrepreneurial parents seem to have no impact on the entrepreneurial intention of employees.

Research limitations/implications

– Implications relate to a contingency perspective on entrepreneurial intention where the impact of age is exacerbated by stronger identification with the job.

Practical implications

– Practical implications include the need to account for different motivational backgrounds when addressing entrepreneurial employees of different ages. Societal implications include the need to adopt an age perspective to foster entrepreneurial intentions within established organizations.

Originality/value

– While the study corroborates and extends findings from entrepreneurial intention research, it contributes new empirical insights to the age and job-dependent contingency perspective on entrepreneurial intention.
Younger workers’ metastereotypes, workplace mood, attitudes, and behaviors
Authors: Ryan Katherine M. , King Eden B. , Finkelstein Lisa M.
Published: January 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of age-related stereotyping processes on younger workers’ mood, attitudes, and impression management behaviors at work.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using survey data from 281 younger workers, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling.

Findings

– As younger workers are more self-conscious about being age stereotyped, they are less likely to be satisfied with older co-workers, which is partly explained by negative mood associated with that metastereotype consciousness. Also, chronological age, age-group identification, and age prejudice, were critical influences on the emergence of metastereotype consciousness.

Research limitations/implications

– Unexpected findings point to: experiences of younger workers which may not follow the same patterns found with older groups and unique operation of age as a dynamic social category that may not parallel findings regarding other social categories.

Practical implications

– There is clearly potential for younger workers to be concerned they are viewed “stereotypically” and this metastereotype consciousness influences how they feel, think, and behave at work. Organizations should be aware of the potential antecedents and consequences, as well as the nature of metastereotypic perceptions, to better facilitate positive and productive interactions across age groups at work.

Originality/value

– This research contributes to an understanding of younger workers’ experiences at work, highlights the role of mood in the operation of metastereotypes on attitudes and behaviors in age-diverse contexts, and improves our understanding of social biases and inequality associated with age-based groups.
Detection and quantification of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cow milk by near‐infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Cámara‐Martos Fernando , Lopes Joao Almeida , Moreno‐Rojas Rafael , Pérez‐Rodríguez Fernando
Published: January 2015

This work investigated the potential of NIR technology to be applied in the dairy industry for the detection of micro‐organisms. To this end, two types of cow milk samples were studied, one in which only bacterial biomass was considered and the other in which bacteria were cultured and grown in milk for 24 h. The study was carried out using two micro‐organisms Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both types of samples with different counts of both micro‐organisms were analysed by a NIR analyser in the range 10 000–4000 cm−1 based on transmittance measurements. Multivariate models indicated that a better discrimination between micro‐organisms was attained in those milk samples in which micro‐organisms have been grown.
Customs Union and Fiscal Union in Australia at Federation
Authors: Lloyd Peter
Published: January 2015

A central feature of the constitutional changes imposed at the time of Federation in 1901 was the ‘fiscal union’ of the six States. This union involved the abolition of tariffs on trade between the States, the harmonisation of the tariff rates and of the excise duty rates of the former six colonies, and the establishment of the financial arrangements to distribute the surplus net customs and excise revenues among the States. This paper examines these four elements of the fiscal union. It provides, for the first time, a measure of the change in the level of tariff duties imposed on imports from outside the Commonwealth and in excise duties. The harmonisation of the customs duty rates increased the average rate of customs duty on dutiable imports from outside the Commonwealth by about 34 per cent, while the harmonisation of the excise duty rates maintained the rates at about the mid‐point of these rates in the colonies. The four elements of fiscal union interacted and together they laid the foundations of assistance policy, commodity taxation and Commonwealth–State financial relations for the future Commonwealth of Australia.
Adaptation and Climate Change Impacts: A Structural Ricardian Analysis of Farm Types in Germany
Authors: Chatzopoulos Thomas , Lippert Christian
Published: January 2015

Based on farm census data, we explore the climate‐dependent incidence of six farm types and the climate‐induced impacts on land rental prices in Germany. We apply a structural Ricardian approach by modeling the dominant farm type at 9,684 communities as depending on temperature, precipitation and other geographic variables. Rents per farm type are then modeled as depending on climate and other conditioning variables. These results allow the projection of the consequences of climate change as changes in our climate variables. Our results indicate that permanent‐crop farms are more likely to dominate in higher temperatures, whereas forage or mixed farms dominate in areas of higher precipitation levels. Land rental prices display a concave response to increases in annual precipitation, and appear to increase linearly with rising annual temperature. Moderate‐warming simulation results for future decades benefit most farm types but seem to penalise forage farms. Rental prices are projected to increase, ceteris paribus, for all farm types.
Diabetic cystopathy: A review 综述：糖尿病性膀胱病
Authors: Yuan Zhengyong , Tang Ziwei , He Changxiao , Tang Wei
Published: January 2015

Herein we review and discuss epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies on diabetic cystopathy, a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus with a variety of lower urinary tract symptoms, providing directions for future research. A search of published epidemiological, clinical, or preclinical trial literature was performed using the key words “diabetes”, “diabetic cystopathy”, “diabetic bladder dysfunction”, “diabetic lower urinary tract dysfunction”, “diabetic detrusor instability”. The classic symptoms of diabetic cystopathy are decreased bladder sensation, increased bladder capacity, and impaired bladder emptying with resultant increased post‐void residual volume. However, recent clinical evidence indicates a presence of storage symptoms, such as overactive bladder symptoms. The pathophysiology of diabetic cystopathy is multifactorial, including disturbances of the detrusor, neuron, urothelium, and urethra. Hyperglycemia, oxidative stress, and polyuria play important roles in inducing voiding dysfunction in diabetic individuals. Treatment choice depends on clinical symptoms and urodynamic abnormalities. Urodynamic evaluation is the cornerstone of diagnosis and determines management strategies. Diabetes mellitus could cause a variety of lower urinary tract symptoms, leading to diabetic cystopathy with broadly varied estimates of the prevalence rates. The exact prevalence and pathogenesis of diabetic cystopathy remains to be further investigated and studied in multicenter, large‐scaled, or randomized basic and clinical trials, and a validated and standardized workup needs to be made, improving diabetic cystopathy management in clinical practice. Further studies involving only female diabetics are recommended.
Incidence of type 2 diabetes and number of events attributable to abdominal obesity in China: A cohort study
Authors: Xue Haifeng , Wang Chao , Li Ying , Chen Jichun , Yu Ling , Liu Xiaoqing , Li Jianxin , Cao Jie , Deng Ying , Guo Dongshuang , Yang Xueli , Huang Jianfeng , Gu Dongfeng
Published: January 2015

Background

The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the number of diabetes events attributable to abdominal obesity in China.

Methods

A cohort study was conducted in a sample of 24 996 Chinese adults aged 35–74 years, with 19.9% of subjects lost to follow‐up. Waist circumference (WC) was measured at baseline in 1998 and 2000–01, and abdominal obesity was defined as WC ≥ 90 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women. Information on incident diabetes was collected during follow‐up in 2007–08. We estimated the number of T2D events attributed to abdominal obesity using confounder‐adjusted population‐attributable risk, incidence of diabetes, and the population size of China in 2010.

Results

After a mean follow‐up of 8.0 years, the age‐standardized incidence of T2D was 9.6 and 9.2 per 1000 person‐years in men and women, respectively. Abdominal obesity accounted for 28.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 14.8%, 40.5%) of incident diabetes among men and 41.2% (95% CI 28.3%, 52.6%) among women using the diagnostic criteria of abdominal obesity recommended by the International Diabetes Federation. We estimated that, in 2010, 2.4 (95% CI 1.5, 3.2) million diabetes events were attributable to abdominal obesity: 1.0 (95% CI 0.5, 1.4) million in men and 1.4 (95% CI 1.0, 1.8) million in women.

Conclusions

Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for T2D. Strengthening programs and initiatives for preventing and controlling obesity focusing on lifestyle changes should be a priority in the national strategy to reduce diabetes burden in China.