bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Location on the Use by SMEs of External Advice and Collaboration
Authors: Bennett Robert J. , Robson Paul J. A. , Bratton William J. A.
Published: September 2003

This paper provides an analysis of the influence of location on the extent of use and impact of external advice and collaboration on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain. The analysis indicates that for private-sector advisers (accountants, consultants, etc.) and collaboration with suppliers and customers, the intensity of use does not vary significantly with location in most cases. Only the input of business friends and relatives is strongly locationally constrained, indicating the importance of personal trust processes operating in a different way from other influences. EU Structural Fund status of an area also has few major effects on use of private-sector advice. However, the impact of external advice and the extent of local collaboration between similar firms are influenced by location, with impact generally increasing with the size of business concentration, density and closeness to a business centre; i.e. there are positive effects of urban location and agglomeration economies. For public-sector support agencies (such as the Small Business Service Business Link, TECs/LECs, enterprise agencies and also chambers of commerce) the reverse is generally true. Levels of use are locationally influenced, but impact is not. Use tends to increase in EU-assisted areas, and in areas with lower levels of business concentration. This applies to most local agents, but for regional development agencies there is an additionally strong effect of highest focus of use and impact in the most rural and peripheral areas. Thus public agents appear generally to be most used and have greatest relevance to SMEs in more peripheral areas where they fill gaps in the market created by agglomeration effects.
Possible selves and illness: A comparison of individuals with Parkinson's disease, early-stage Alzheimer's disease, and healthy older adults
Authors: Frazier Leslie D. , Cotrell Victoria , Hooker Karen
Published: September 2003

This study examined how future self-representations are affected by two different chronic illnesses, one focused on cognitive losses, early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD), and one focused on physical losses, Parkinson's disease (PD). The impact of illness on possible selves (perceptions of self in the future) was made salient by a comparison with healthy older adults in order to better understand developmental issues in later life. Findings show that although there were no differences in the total number of domains reported by the groups, specific domains were reported differently by patient groups and all domains were likely to become infused with illness. As expected, patient groups had less self-efficacy and lower outcome expectancies for their future selves, and PD patients reported less distance from their feared selves. Although these findings are intuitive, this is the first empirical effort to document the impact of illness on older adults' self-representations. Group differences are explained in terms of disease context, and the importance of possible selves and self-regulatory functions as therapeutic mechanisms for adaptation to illness are emphasised.
Self-esteem maintenance among incarcerated young males: Stabilisation through accommodative processes
Authors: Greve Werner , Enzmann Dirk
Published: September 2003

The change in self-esteem and the stabilising role of accommodative coping resources among incarcerated young male offenders is investigated using a longitudinal approach with three occasions of measurements (begining of prison term, 2 months later, end of prison term). Data from 211 participants with a complete set of measurements were analysed, employing multilevel modelling. Results show that self-esteem increases during imprisonment. Moreover, this increase in self-esteem depends on the individual competence of accommodative coping: The increase in self-esteem is earlier and faster for high accommodative individuals. These findings are discussed with respect to the development of the self during imprisonment as well as to their implications for the future social behaviour and integration of former prisoners after release.
The contribution of adults' nonverbal cues and children's shyness to the development of rapport between adults and preschool children
Authors: Rotenberg Ken J. , Eisenberg Nancy , Cumming Christine , Smith Ashlee , Singh Mike , Terlicher Elizabeth
Published: September 2003

In the study, 63 American preschool children (mean age 4 years, 8 months) were approached and read stories by adult testers who displayed high versus low frequencies of smiling and gaze. After being read to, the testers elicited self-disclosure from the children and later the children rated the trustworthiness and likeability of the tester (rapport measures). As additional measures of rapport, the children's smiling, gaze, and lack of nervousness in the interactions were observed. The results indicated that the development of rapport with children was greater when the adult tester displayed high rather than low frequencies of smiling but not gaze. Children's shyness also contributed to the development of rapport. Shyness was negatively associated with rapport perceptions/behaviours and, in the case of attributed trustworthiness, moderated the effects of adults' gaze.
Beyond parenting: Coparenting and children's classroom adjustment
Authors: Stright Anne Dopkins , Neitzel Carin
Published: September 2003

The study examined the role of coparenting for predicting children's classroom problems after controlling for parent rejection during family interactions. Fathers, mothers, and their children (52 families) were observed in their homes the summer before the child entered third grade. The parents' rejection of their child's efforts and supportive coparenting were coded as the parents helped their child with three difficult problem-solving tasks. Children's adjustment in their third-grade classrooms was assessed the following school year using year-long observations and teacher report. Parents' rejection of their children's efforts when problem solving predicted children's social problems, attention problems, and grades the next year in third grade. After controlling for child gender and parents' rejection, supportive coparenting predicted children's later attention problems, passivity/dependence, and grades. There were significant interactions between parents' rejection and supportive coparenting for predicting children's attention, passivity/dependence, and grades. Parents' rejection played a particularly important role for predicting children's attention, passivity/dependence, and grades when supportive coparenting was low.
The links among action-control beliefs, intellective skill, and school performance in Japanese, US, and German school children
Authors: Little Todd D. , Miyashita Takahiro , Karasawa Mayumi , Mashima Mari , Oettingen Gabriele , Azuma Hiroshi , Baltes Paul B.
Published: September 2003

We compared the relationships among action-control beliefs, intellective skill, and actual school performance in samples of children from Tokyo ( n = 817, grades 2-6), Los Angeles ( n = 657), and West Berlin ( n = 517). Although these samples have been utilised in other comparative studies we have conducted, the role and function of intellective skill, as measured by the Raven Progressive Matrices, has not before been examined. The results of our analyses predicting school performance from the action-control beliefs and the Raven scores were quite revealing. The amount of variance in actual school performance that was shared with (1) the children's action-control beliefs and (2) their Raven scores was very high in West Berlin (86%) and Tokyo (73%), but very low in Los Angeles (37%). These outcomes strengthen arguments that the comparatively high levels of personal agency, but low correlations with performance, are distinctive characteristics of US socioeducational contexts.
Relationships among social support, self-concept, and wellbeing of older adults: A study of process using dynamic factor models
Authors: Kim Jungmeen E. , Nesselroade John R.
Published: September 2003

Intra-individual patterns of time-lagged relationships among self-reports of social support, self-concept, and physical and psychological wellbeing were investigated. Participants were older adults (mean age = 77 years) who were measured weekly on some scales and biweekly on others, covering a total of 25 weeks. Dynamic factor models were fitted to multivariate repeated measures data pooled over subsets of participants. The results indicate significant time-lagged, cross-factor relationships showing that negative social support has both a direct effect and an indirect effect, through less positive self-concept, on physical health measures. For the measures of negative social support, self-concept, subjective health, and physical performance (gait), there are substantial autoregressive effects indicating persisting factor scores over 1 or 2 weeks. How intra-individual perspectives and methods can facilitate the study of complex developmental processes is discussed.
Children's memory of a physical examination: A comparison of recall and recognition assessment protocols
Authors: Myers Jennifer , Gramzow Elizabeth , Ornstein Peter A. , Wagner Leigh , Gordon Betty N. , Baker-Ward Lynne
Published: September 2003

Previous studies of children's abilities to remember the details of salient personal experiences have consistently obtained age differences in various aspects of memory performance. For example, research on children's memory for recent physical examinations indicates that 3-year-olds provide less information in response to open-ended questions and exhibit more forgetting over time than do older children. Given these findings, the present studies were designed to explore further the abilities of 3-year-olds to remember a specified visit to the doctor. In contrast to earlier investigations, in which young children's memory was assessed solely by a verbal protocol that began with broad, open-ended questions, the two studies reported here explored the usefulness of a recognition-based assessment interview. Because of the context specificity that characterises children's memory performance, it was hypothesised that a recognition measure would provide a more sensitive index of the information available in young children's memory than would the standard interview, and thus lead to a reduction of the typically obtained age differences in performance. In contrast to these expectations, clear age differences in memory performance were observed among the children who received the recognition-based interview. Because these age differences stemmed largely from the 3-year-olds' high rate of false alarms to lures, the findings suggest that professionals who interview children should exercise caution when interpreting responses to yes-no questions. The convergence of these findings with recent results obtained in tests of Fuzzy-Trace Theory is also discussed.
Children's sociable and aggressive behaviour with peers: A comparison of the US and Australia, and contributions of temperament and parenting styles
Authors: Russell Alan , Hart Craig H. , Robinson Clyde C. , Olsen Susanne F.
Published: September 2003

Links between both temperament and parenting, and children's sociable and aggressive behaviour with peers (physical and relational), were examined. The research was undertaken in two Western cultures (the United States and Australia) assumed to be similar in socialisation practices and emphases. The moderating effects of parent sex and child sex were also examined. Parents completed questionnaires on parenting styles and child temperament. Preschool teachers rated children's aggressive and sociable behaviour. US children were rated higher on both types of aggression by teachers and on sociability, activity, and emotionally by parents. Girls were rated as more relationally aggressive and more prosocial than boys, with boys higher on physical aggression. Mothers were more authoritative, with fathers more authoritarian, although the latter was mainly a result obtained from US parents. In both the United States and Australia, temperament consistently predicted child sociable and aggressive behaviours, with some evidence of fathers' authoritarian parenting also contributing. The results show the relevance for parenting and child development of gender, and the importance of culture differences even between two Western and individualist countries.
Aggression, peer victimisation, and social relationships among Indian youth
Authors: Khatri Parinda , Kupersmidt Janis B.
Published: September 2003

The purpose of the present study was to examine peer aggression, victimisation, and social relationships in children and adolescents in semi-rural India. Aggression and victimisation were expected to be related to concurrent social problems such as peer rejection, perceived lack of social support, and perceived conflict in significant relationships. These findings were expected to be qualified by gender and developmental differences. Data were collected from 229 fourth-, sixth-, eighth-, and tenth-graders in a small semi-rural northwestern town in India. Aggressors and victims were more likely to be rejected than their nonaggressive nonvictimised peers. Victims and aggressors were more likely to report lack of social support but not more conflict from significant others than nonvictims. Gender differences were observed in that males were more likely to be aggressors or victims than females. No significant developmental differences emerged with regard to peer aggression and victimisation. Theoretical implications for both the cultural specificity and the universality of social and behavioural development are discussed.
Do young children acquire the meaning of to know and to believe simultaneously or not?
Authors: Bradmetz Joël , Bonnefoy-Claudet Claire
Published: September 2003

The conceptual meaning and linguistic use of to know are usually considered to occur earlier than those of to believe. However, the data supporting this claim do not take into account some sources of variation: The difference in the assessment between comprehension and production and the link established between action and representation in standard tasks like that of Wimmer and Perner(1983). The authors counter this claim and attempt to demonstrate a developmental parallelism between the two epistemic operators to know and to believe. This parallelism would be due to the absence of a link between belief and action in a first phase, both developing in a modular system but linked to implicit or explicit access to information, contrary to the usual conception in the literature. Three experiments are reported. The first and the second showed an equal difficulty level between to know and to believe in comprehension in both a declarative and a procedural false belief task and, to the contrary, a lag between the comprehension of to believe and the prediction of a declaration or an action based on a false belief. The third demonstrated that earlier success in attributing a false belief to the other was not a false positive.
Behavioural rules underlying learning to share: Effects of development and context
Authors: Benenson Joyce F. , Markovits Henry , Roy Rosanne , Denko Paul
Published: September 2003

The development of children’s use of two social rules concerning learning to share with peers was examined in two studies. Past research on children’s cognitive reasoning suggests that with increasing age, children are less self-centred and more willing to share with others. At the same time, research with adolescents and adults indicates that the context exerts a strong impact on the degree of self-centred behaviour exhibited. In this research, actual sharing behaviour of children was examined in same-gender groups of four participants. Children from kindergarten and Grade 4 participated in Study 1 and children from kindergarten and Grade 1 participated in Study 2. Groups were given one toy to play with that explicitly indicated when a child’s turn was over and a second toy that did not indicate when a child’s turn was over. Interactions were videotaped and coded for degree of sharing versus inequality of toy use. Results from both studies supported the hypotheses that with development children become more egalitarian in their toy use and that regardless of age level children vary their level of egalitarian behaviour depending on the context.
Disentangling the “whys” from the “whats” of aggressive behaviour
Authors: Little Todd D. , Henrich Christopher C. , Jones Stephanie M. , Hawley Patricia H.
Published: September 2003

We examined the validity of a measurement system for the study of aggression that distinguishes among four principle dimensions of aggressive behaviour: overt and relational aggression (i.e., the “whats”) and instrumental and reactive aggression (i.e., the “whys”). The sample comprised 1723 adolescents (Grades 5 through 10) from Berlin, Germany. The internal validity of the measurement system was strongly supported, revealing four discrete dimensions of aggression: two overriding forms (overt and relational) and two underlying functions (instrumental and reactive). The differential and unique patterns of criterion-related validity strongly supported the distinctions among the constructs. The importance of disentangling these dimensions in understanding the development of aggressive behaviour is discussed.
Child personality characteristics and selection into long-term unemployment in Finnish and Swedish longitudinal samples
Authors: Kokko Katja , Bergman Lars R. , Pulkkinen Lea
Published: September 2003

The main aim of the present study was to test a model of selection into long-term unemployment obtained for a sample of 36-year-old Finns (Kokko, Pulkkinen, & Puustinen, 2000) to see whether it similarly explained long-term unemployment among 26- to 27-year-old Finns and Swedes. The participants were drawn from two ongoing longitudinal studies: the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (conducted in Finland) and the Individual Development and Adaptation study (conducted in Sweden). At both ages, that is 36 and 26–27, low education was related to long-term unemployment, and explained by personality characteristics in middle childhood, such as low self-control of emotions or conduct problems, and behavioural inhibition or timidity. However, while low self-control of emotions additionally explained long-term unemployment among the 36-year-olds directly, in both the young samples personality characteristics showed only indirect effects through poor educational attainment. At age 26–27, childhood personality characteristics explained selection onto an educational track rather than selection into long-term unemployment, and length of education explained duration of unemployment.
The phonological similarity effect on memory span in children: Does it depend on age, speech rate, and articulatory suppression?
Authors: Hasselhorn Marcus , Grube Dietmar
Published: September 2003

The present paper addresses issues surrounding the role of rehearsal and developmental increases in rehearsal speed regarding the phonological similarity effect (PSE) on immediate serial recall performance. In two experiments, school-aged children had to recall serially phonological similar and dissimilar words with or without concurrent articulation. Speech rate of the word material was also assessed. The size of the PSE was found to be independent of both age and speech rate. Furthermore, the size of the PSE was lower under articulatory suppression as compared to a standard condition without suppression. These results are consistent with the view that the PSE emerges because confusion during redintegration of degrading short-term codes is more likely for phonological similar items than for phonological distinct items. The occurrence of the PSE seems to be independent of rehearsal although articulatory suppression can moderate the size of the PSE. The parts of the redintegration mechanism that are responsible for the PSE seem to be age-invariant between 7 and 13 years.
Associations between parenting style and attachment to mother in middle childhood and adolescence
Authors: Karavasilis Leigh , Doyle Anna Beth , Markiewicz Dorothy
Published: September 2003

Associations between parenting style and quality of child–mother attachment in middle childhood ( n = 202; grades 4–6) and adolescence ( n = 212; grades 7–11) were investigated. Participants rated warm involvement, psychological autonomy granting, and behavioural monitoring (Lamborn et al., 1991). Attachment orientation was assessed using the Network of Relationships Questionnaire (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985), Coping Styles Questionnaire (Finnegan et al., 1996), and Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Overall, a positive association was found between authoritative parenting (higher scores on all three dimensions) and secure attachment, whereas negligent parenting (lower scores on all three dimensions) predicted avoidant attachment. Moreover, a unique pattern of associations emerged between particular dimensions of parenting and each attachment style. Findings suggests that psychological autonomy may have important implications for children’s views of self whereas warm parental involvement may play a unique role in their views of the attachment figure. Associations were largely consistent across both age groups.
Cross-race peer relations and friendship quality
Authors: Aboud Frances E. , Mendelson Morton J. , Purdy Kelly T.
Published: September 2003

Intergroup contact and friendship are keystones to the reduction of prejudice, yet most available data on this topic are based on indices that do not actually reflect contact or relationships. This study examined various indices of peer relations (viz., interactive companions, mutual friendships, and the stability and perceived qualities of mutual friends) for elementary school students who differed in grade, gender, and racial background; and it explored whether racial attitudes were associated with befriending or avoiding classmates. Cross-race mutual friendships declined with grade, and among fifth-graders were less likely to show 6-month stability than same-race friendships. Despite overall same-race selectivity, mutual cross-race friends, once selected, did not differ significantly from same-race ones in friendship functions such as loyalty and emotional security; only with respect to intimacy were they rated lower. Finally, racial prejudice was most strongly related to the number of excluded classmates, while children with less biased attitudes had more cross-race interactive companions and more positive perceptions of their friends.
Life satisfaction, self-concept, and family relations in Chinese adolescents and children
Authors: Chang Lei , Mcbride-Chang Catherine , Stewart Sunita M. , Au Ernest
Published: September 2003

Subjective well-being across the life span may be affected by both age-specific and age-general factors within a cultural context. Thus, this study explored both developmentally invariant and variable predictors of life satisfaction among 115 second-graders and 74 eighth-graders from Hong Kong. In a regression model, general self-concept and ratings of parental warmth and autonomy/detachment predicted life satisfaction equally across the two age groups. However, social self-concept was a strong predictor of life satisfaction among adolescents only, whereas actual academic test scores predicted life satisfaction only among the children. Mean group differences emerged as well, with adolescents scoring significantly lower in life satisfaction and self-concept and higher in emotional detachment than children. Results are explained in relation to both development and culture.
Development of drawing abilities in a distinct population: Depiction of perceptual principles by three children with congenital total blindness
Authors: D’Angiulli Amedeo , Maggi Stefania
Published: September 2003

We studied the development of spontaneous tactile drawing in three 12-year-old children with congenital total blindness and with no previous drawing tuition. In a period of 9 months, from an initial phase in which they were taught to draw tangible straight and curve raised lines, the three blind children went on making spontaneous raised outlines representing edges, surfaces of objects, vantage point, and motion. The corpus of drawings produced by these children shows that several aspects of outline pictures can be implemented through touch. The perceptual principles represented in these drawings are comparable to those commonly found in sighted children. On the one hand, this convergence indicates similarities in the way vision and touch mediate the acquisition and the conceptualisation of spatial information from objects and the environment. On the other hand, it reflects the influence of cross-modal plasticity typically associated with early or congenital blindness. This study suggests that drawing development in general does not depend on learning pictorial conventions. Rather it seems driven by natural generativity based on children’s knowledge of space and perceptual principles.
Cross-cultural differences in temperament in the first year of life: United States of America (US) and Russia
Authors: Gartstein Maria A. , Slobodskaya Helena R. , Kinsht Irina A.
Published: September 2003

Cross-cultural differences in temperament were evaluated for Russian ( N = 90) and US ( N = 90) samples of infants. Significant differences in levels of temperament characteristics, and the structure of temperament, were anticipated. Age and gender differences evaluated for the Russian sample were expected to be consistent with those reported for US infants. The Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised, a recently developed parent-report assessment tool, was utilised with both samples. Differences between these cultures were evaluated for 14 dimensions of temperament: activity level, smiling/laughter, fear, distress to limitations, duration of orienting, soothability, vocal reactivity, high and low intensity pleasure, falling reactivity, affiliation/cuddliness, perceptual sensitivity, sadness, and approach. Significant differences between Russian and US infants emerged for six of the IBQ-R scales. Parents of infants in the US reported higher levels of smiling/laughter, high and low intensity pleasure, perceptual sensitivity, and vocal reactivity, whereas Russian infants’ scores were higher for distress to limitations. Correlation matrix comparison procedure and exploratory factor analysis indicated differences in the structure of temperament for the two cultural groups. Age differences observed for the Russian infants were generally consistent with those reported for a US sample; gender differences did not emerge in this study.
The eyes have it: Development of children’s generative thinking
Authors: Low Jason , Hollis Steve
Published: September 2003

Generative thinking is defined as the active construction of a creative instantiation of some familiar concept or object. Four studies examined differences in the generative thinking of 6-, 9-, and 12- year-olds. All versions of the task involved imagining where on the body they would place a third eye and why. In Study 1, when children and adults were required to draw their eye placement, only the adults considered novelty and utility, e.g., seeing all around with the eye behind the head. In Study 2, when children were instructed to place the eye so that they could see more, only 12-year-olds improved their performance. In Study 3, when a model was provided on which the third eye could be placed, both 6- and 9-year-olds improved but their thinking was limited to considerations of the eye still within the face region. In Study 4, when children could place the third eye on their own bodies, 6- and 9-year-olds clearly displayed generative thinking. Results are discussed in terms of constraints on children’s generative thinking.
Cross-cultural study of the childhood developmental trajectory of attention and impulse control
Authors: Brewis Alexandra , Schmidt Karen L. , Casas Claudia Amira Sánchez
Published: September 2003

The maturation lag model explains inattention and impulsivity in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as delayed maturation along a normal developmental trajectory. The concept of a cross-culturally uniform developmental trajectory is tested by a comparison of the performance of 212 Mexican school children on the Test of Variable Attention (TOVA) with the performance of populations previously studied. An observed pattern of decreasing errors of omission (indicating improving ability to sustain attention) with increasing age did confirm the predictions of the existing developmental trajectory model, although the shape of this change was linear rather than curvilinear. A predicted age-related decrease in errors of commission (indicating improving impulse control) was not observed. Gender differences in attentional and impulse control measures among Mexican children, aged 6–12 years, were not significant, in contrast to the findings of previous US studies in which boys performed poorly compared with girls. Mexican children made significantly more errors of omission and commission than American children, indicating greater degrees of characteristic inattentive and impulsive behaviours in childhood. These results indicate that the assumption of a uniform developmental trajectory of these behaviours should be carefully considered before it is applied to understanding children’s behaviour in culturally diverse settings.
Reactions of Chilean and US children to marital discord
Authors: Cummings E. Mark , Wilson Joel , Shamir Haya
Published: September 2003

Understanding of the universality of relations between marital discord and children is limited by gaps in cross-cultural study. In an extension of study of this question to a Latin American culture, the impact of marital discord was examined in 7–9 and 11–13-year-olds from Chilean ( N = 36) and US ( N = 36) families. Parents completed marital discord and child adjustment measures and children responded to analogue presentations of marital discord. For both groups, marital discord was related to children’s adjustment and children’s reactions to marital discord varied significantly as a function of conflict resolution. At the same time, culture moderated the amplitude of some relations, with the pattern of findings suggesting that Chilean children were more sensitive to marital discord than US children. Discussion considers the role of cultural context as a factor in the effects of marital discord on children.
Children’s cognitive appraisal of others’ distressful and positive experiences
Authors: Bengtsson Hans
Published: September 2003

The study presents a theoretical model for understanding how children’s cognitive processing of empathy-provoking information is linked to vicariously aroused feelings, and to prosocial and aggressive behaviour. Predictions from the model were tested in a cross-sectional sample of second-, fourth-, and sixth-graders ( N = 175) and in a large sample of fourth-graders ( N = 124). Two significant forms of information processing bias were identified: (a) one that enhances the awareness of potential threats towards the self or others, and (b) one that reduces the emotional significance of the stimuli subjected to processing. Children high in empathy and prosocial behaviour tended to experience moderate levels of threat and to modulate the emotional significance of empathy-provoking stimuli through cognitive restructuring. Aggressive children tended to use dismissive operations and typically experienced either very low or very high levels of threat. The oldest children differed from the youngest by using more multiple perspective taking and cognitive restructuring.
The impending transition from primary to secondary school: Challenge or threat?
Authors: Sirsch Ulrike
Published: September 2003

For many children the transition from primary to secondary school is an important event in life. Little is known about children’s concerns and expectations about the new school prior to this transition. Therefore, the present study, which is part of the Vienna School Transition Study (VSTS), investigated this subject. Children ( N = 856) were asked to appraise the transition to secondary school, which was perceived as a challenge and a threat (in terms of transactional stress theory, e.g., Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, 1987). For this purpose a new questionnaire was developed. It was assumed that children would differentiate between the perceived challenge concerning academic achievement and the new social environment, and the perceived threat in the same terms. Results support this assumption. In addition, aspects of self-concept, anxiety, predictability, and academic achievement in primary school were found to be predictors of the perceived threat (with regard to the transition to secondary school) as predicted by theory.
Continuity and change in the development of category structure: Insights from the semantic fluency task
Authors: Crowe Samantha J. , Prescott Tony J.
Published: September 2003

Children aged between 5 and 10 years old were tested on a semantic fluency (freelisting) task for two categories: animals and body parts. Additive tree analysis (Sattath & Tversky, 1977) was used to cluster items based upon both their proximity in the generated lists and their frequency of cooccurrence; the resulting trees, together with production frequency data, were compared across three age groups. For the animals category, this analysis revealed that although older children named proportionally more nonmammals, at all ages children tend to cluster animals according to their environmental context. For body parts, the analysis showed more parts, particularly internal organs, named with age and a cluster of face parts generated by all age groups. A novel feature of the current research was the use of statistical measures of additive tree similarity. The results are discussed with respect to theories of developmental change in the organisation of conceptual memory, and are viewed as supporting an assumption of continuity with age in the use of schematic relations in category structure. Insights are drawn from connectionist modelling to help explain the persistence, throughout childhood, of early forms of memory organisation.
Persistence and Change in System Development: A Dialectical View
Authors: Sabherwal Rajiv , Newman Michael
Published: September 2003

This paper seeks to advance our understanding of the dynamics of persistence and change in information systems development. Towards this goal, it draws upon dialectical theory, which enables viewing persistence and change during IS development relative to the thesis operating at that time. This approach recognizes that the nature of the system itself often changes during the development process. This also allows simultaneous attention to persistence and change, combining persistence with certain elements of the thesis along with change in some other elements. Empirically based on three cases, the paper provides insights into the content and process elements of theses, governing the characteristics of the system and the nature of the development process, respectively. It offers one possible explanation for the evolution of the IS development process and some insights into the strategies for improving this process through greater attention to the theses and the dialectic processes.
Did Nick Leeson have an Accomplice? the Role of Information Technology in the Collapse of Barings Bank
Authors: Drummond Helga
Published: September 2003

This paper analyses how Nick Leeson exploited information technology (IT) in order to trade without authority and thereby causing Barings Bank to collapse. What emerges suggests that, not only can IT systems enable malfeasance on a large scale, but that very little specialist knowledge is required in order to turn the computer into an accomplice. The most disturbing feature of the Barings Bank debacle is the contrast between the mundane act of suppressing a control mechanism and the consequences that flowed from this act. It is argued that organizational security ultimately lies in knowing the limits of one's information.
Key Roles in Intranet Implementation: The Conquest and the Aftermath
Authors: Scheepers Rens
Published: September 2003

Intranet technology has been rapidly adopted by many organizations. From being a largely unknown technology prior to the mid-1990s, numerous organizations today have implemented or are currently implementing intranets. The intranet implementation processes of three large organizations in two countries were studied over a period of 5 years. In particular, the paper investigates the role players who spearheaded the intranet implementations in these organizations. Five interrelated roles during the intranet implementation process are identified: the technology champion, organizational sponsor, intranet coordinator, intranet developer and content provider. In the light of the nature of intranet technology, each respective role is analysed in terms of its significance, key challenges and interrelationships during the implementation process. The paper further examines the dynamics of these roles in the aftermath of implementation as the technology becomes embedded in routine organizational activity.
Broadband and Mobile Opportunities: A Socio-Technical Perspective
Authors: Sawyer Steve , Allen J. P. , Lee Heejin
Published: September 2003

The growth of broadband connectivity expands what can and might be transmitted across the World Wide Web and Internet. Coupled with the increasing levels of mobile Internet connectivity, broadband may allow for a new round of changed patterns in the ways computers are used. Direct effects models of the deployment, use, value and futures of broadband connectivity are unlikely to cope with the social and technological complexity of broadband. A socio-technical theoretical perspective, with its emphasis on the complex relations among social and technical aspects of a phenomenon, can provide useful insight into the potential societal impact, institutional effects and changes to individual work and life behaviours that may arise from the increasing level of bandwidth available. This paper provides a brief overview of broadband and mobile technologies from a socio-technical perspective, organizes and surveys relevant literature and focuses on emerging issues with broadband connectivity where research will help shape policy, strategy and the use of broadband networks.
Evaluating Electronic Local Government in the Uk
Authors: Beynon-Davies Paul , Williams Michael D.
Published: September 2003

An array of UK government initiatives have been launched since 1997, collectively being known as the local government modernization agenda. This can be seen as an attempt to transform the structures and performance of local authorities in the UK. A parallel set of initiatives, the electronic government agenda, were launched in 2000 and have attempted to extend the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within local government. This paper describes the context for and themes within both agendas, the aim being to describe the existing and likely dynamics of the relationship between innovations in ICTs within local government and the modernization of local government. The paper presents an analysis of the electronic government strategies of 22 Welsh unitary authorities and uses this analysis for highlighting a number of issues relating to the progress of the electronic local government agenda within the UK. The paper concludes with a call for longitudinal investigation in this area.
Comments on Cultured Human Sarcoma Cells
Authors: Sinkovics Joseph G.
Published: September 2003

Human sarcoma cell populations maintained in culture reflect to the native tumor cells better if the culture retains those
nonmalignant cells that comprised the tumor′s microenvironment in vivo [Hu M, et al. Characterization of 11 human
sarcoma cell strains. Cancer 2002; 95: 1569–76] and thus provide paracrine growth factors and protection from apoptotic
death to the tumor cells. Whereas sarcoma cell cultures obtained through meticulous efforts aimed at the elimination of all
non‐malignant cells of the tumor′s original microenvironment consist of subpopulations of tumor cells growing exclusively
with the support of their own autocrine growth loops [Sinkovics JG, et al. Growth of human tumor cells in established
cultures. In: Busch H, ed. Methods in Cancer Research. Vol 14. New York: Academic Press, 1978; 243–323].
NuSAP, a novel microtubule-associated protein involved in mitotic spindle organization
Authors: Raemaekers Tim , Ribbeck Katharina , Beaudouin Joël , Annaert Wim , Van Camp Mark , Stockmans Ingrid , Smets Nico , Bouillon Roger , Ellenberg Jan , Carmeliet Geert
Published: September 2003

Here, we report on the identification of nucleolar spindle–associated protein (NuSAP), a novel 55-kD vertebrate protein with selective expression in proliferating cells. Its mRNA and protein levels peak at the transition of G2 to mitosis and abruptly decline after cell division. Microscopic analysis of both fixed and live mammalian cells showed that NuSAP is primarily nucleolar in interphase, and localizes prominently to central spindle microtubules during mitosis. Direct interaction of NuSAP with microtubules was demonstrated in vitro. Overexpression of NuSAP caused profound bundling of cytoplasmic microtubules in interphase cells, and this relied on a COOH-terminal microtubule-binding domain. In contrast, depletion of NuSAP by RNA interference resulted in aberrant mitotic spindles, defective chromosome segregation, and cytokinesis. In addition, many NuSAP-depleted interphase cells had deformed nuclei. Both overexpression and knockdown of NuSAP impaired cell proliferation. These results suggest a crucial role for NuSAP in spindle microtubule organization.
Plasmin Activates the Lymphangiogenic Growth Factors VEGF-C and VEGF-D
Authors: McColl Bradley K. , Baldwin Megan E. , Roufail Sally , Freeman Craig , Moritz Robert L. , Simpson Richard J. , Alitalo Kari , Stacker Steven A. , Achen Marc G.
Published: September 2003

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) C and VEGF-D stimulate lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis in tissues and tumors by activating the endothelial cell surface receptor tyrosine kinases VEGF receptor (VEGFR) 2 and VEGFR-3. These growth factors are secreted as full-length inactive forms consisting of NH2- and COOH-terminal propeptides and a central VEGF homology domain (VHD) containing receptor binding sites. Proteolytic cleavage removes the propeptides to generate mature forms, consisting of dimers of the VEGF homology domain, that bind receptors with much greater affinity than the full-length forms. Therefore, proteolytic processing activates VEGF-C and VEGF-D, although the proteases involved were unknown. Here, we report that the serine protease plasmin cleaved both propeptides from the VEGF homology domain of human VEGF-D and thereby generated a mature form exhibiting greatly enhanced binding and cross-linking of VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 in comparison to full-length material. Plasmin also activated VEGF-C. As lymphangiogenic growth factors promote the metastatic spread of cancer via the lymphatics, the proteolytic activation of these molecules represents a potential target for antimetastatic agents. Identification of an enzyme that activates the lymphangiogenic growth factors will facilitate development of inhibitors of metastasis.
A Novel Mode for Integrin-mediated Signaling: Tethering Is Required for Phosphorylation of FAK Y397
Authors: Shi Qi , Boettiger David
Published: September 2003

The common model for integrin mediated signaling is based on integrin clustering and the potential for that clustering to recruit signaling molecules including FAK and src. The clustering model for transmembrane signaling originated with the analysis of the EGF receptor signaling and remains the predominant model. The roles for substrate-bound ligand and ligand occupancy in integrin-mediated signaling are less clear. A kinetic model was established using HT1080 cells in which there was a linear relationship between the strength of adhesion, the proportion of α5β1 integrin that could be chemically cross-linked, and the number of receptor-ligand bonds. This graded signal produced a similarly graded response measured by the level of specific phosphorylation of FAK Y397. FAK Y397 phosphorylation could also be induced by antibody bound to the substrate. In contrast, clustering of α5β1 on suspended cells with either antibody to β1 or by clustering of soluble ligand bound to α5β1 induced the phosphorylation of FAK Y861 but not Y397. There were no differences in signaling when activating antibodies were compared with blocking antibodies, presence or absence of ligand. Only tethering of α5β1 to the substrate was required for induction of FAK Y397 phosphorylation.
Polarization of Specific Tropomyosin Isoforms in Gastrointestinal Epithelial Cells and Their Impact on CFTR at the Apical Surface
Authors: Dalby-Payne Jacqueline Rae , O'Loughlin Edward Vincent , Gunning Peter
Published: September 2003

Microfilaments have been reported to be polarized in a number of cell types based both on function and isoform composition. There is evidence that microfilaments are involved in the movement of vesicles and the polarized delivery of proteins to specialized membrane domains. We have investigated the composition of actin microfilaments in gastrointestinal epithelial cells and their role in the delivery of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) into the apical membrane using cultured T84 cells as a model. We identified a specific population of microfilaments containing the tropomyosin (Tm) isoforms Tm5a and/or Tm5b, which are polarized in T84 cell monolayers. Polarization of this microfilament population occurs very rapidly in response to cell-cell and cell-substratum contact and is not inhibited by jasplakinolide, suggesting this involves the movement of intact filaments. Colocalization of Tm5a and/or Tm5b and CFTR was observed in long-term cultures. A reduction in Tm5a and Tm5b expression, induced using antisense oligonucleotides, resulted in an increase in both CFTR surface expression and chloride efflux in response to cAMP stimulation. We conclude that Tm isoforms Tm5a and/or Tm5b mark an apical population of microfilaments that can regulate the insertion and/or retention of CFTR into the plasma membrane.
The GTP/GDP Cycling of Rho GTPase TCL Is an Essential Regulator of the Early Endocytic Pathway
Authors: de Toledo Marion , Senic-Matuglia Francesca , Salamero Jean , Uze Gilles , Comunale Franck , Fort Philippe , Blangy Anne
Published: September 2003

Rho GTPases are key regulators of actin dynamics. We report that the Rho GTPase TCL, which is closely related to Cdc42 and TC10, localizes to the plasma membrane and the early/sorting endosomes in HeLa cells, suggesting a role in the early endocytic pathway. Receptor-dependent internalization of transferrin (Tf) is unaffected by suppression of endogenous TCL by small interfering RNA treatment. However, Tf accumulates in Rab5-positive uncoated endocytic vesicles and fails to reach the early endosome antigen-1–positive early endosomal compartments and the pericentriolar recycling endosomes. Moreover, Tf release upon TCL knockdown is significantly slower. Conversely, in the presence of dominant active TCL, internalized Tf accumulates in early endosome antigen-1–positive early/sorting endosomes and not in perinuclear recycling endosomes. Tf recycles directly from the early/sorting endosomes and it is normally released by the cells. The same phenotype is generated by replacing the C terminus of dominant active Cdc42 and TC10 with that of TCL, indicating that all three proteins share downstream effector proteins. Thus, TCL is essential for clathrin-dependent endocytosed receptors to enter the early/sorting endosomes. Furthermore, the active GTPase favors direct recycling from early/sorting endosomes without accumulating in the perinuclear recycling endosomes.