bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microcredit in the North: An Institutional, Impact and Dependence Analysis Applied to the Spanish Case
Authors: Gutiérrez‐nieto Begoña
Published: February 2006

Abstract**: Microcredit programmes have been recently started in Spain, sparked by successful experiences in developing countries. The paper reviews the outstanding features of these programmes and their differences with developing countries models. It also moves forward the impact evaluation on unemployment and finds the subsidy dependence of Spanish microcredit institutions accurate because of the good results obtained by impact measures.
DÉterminants de la Performance de Remboursement Dans Les Institutions de MicroFinance au BÉnin
Authors: Honlonkou Albert N. , Acclassato Denis H. , Quenum Célestin Venant C.
Published: February 2006

Resume**:  Les Institutions de MicroFinance nées après la libéralisation financière des années 90 pour répondre à la demande spécifique des petites entreprises ont très tôt révélé leurs limites en matière de performance de remboursement au Bénin. La présente étude a identifié les déterminants du taux de remboursement dans les IMF du Bénin. Les résultats permettent de conclure que les facteurs liés à l’expertise, à la confiance de l’emprunteur dans son projet et à son intégration dans sa communauté(garantie immatérielle) d’une part et les facteurs liés à l’expertise des gestionnaires des IMF d’autre part, sont déterminants dans le dénouement heureux des crédits.
Investigating the solvency of brazilian credit unions using a proportional hazard model
Authors: Braga Marcelo J. , Fully Bressan Valéria G. , Colosimo Enrico A. , Bressan Aureliano A.
Published: February 2006

Abstract**:Due to high interest rates and bank spreads, the number of credit unions in Brazil has increased over recent years. As financial institutions, these cooperatives need tools to signal impending financial problems. This paper focuses on one tool that can be used to evaluate credit union solvency: the Cox Proportional Hazards Model. A sample of 80 credit unions from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais was selected to supply data. The analysis period is between December 2001 and June 2003. The results indicate that the relevant indicators for insolvency prediction are, in descending order of predictive ability, General Liquidity, Salary and Benefit Expenses, and the Loan/Equity Ratio. In general, results produced using the delineated theoretical model were in consonance with international literature.
Fatigue crack growth under variable amplitude loading Part I: experimental investigations
Authors: SANDER M. , RICHARD H. A.
Published: February 2006

During use, a component or a structure is exposed to variable amplitude loading, which influences the lifetime. Within the scope of this work, systematic investigations of different loading situations are carried out by means of experimental studies (part I) as well as analytical and numerical studies (part II). The experimental investigations show that overloads lead to retardation effects, which are influenced by several factors, e.g. the overload ratio, baseline‐level loading, number of overloads or the fraction of mixed mode. In a high–low–high block loading, both retarded and accelerated crack growth can be obtained, which is also influenced, e.g. by the block loading ratio and the length of the block. Moreover, experimental studies have been performed with load spectra, like FELIX/28, CARLOS vertical and WISPER. They have been applied in original form as well as in counted and reconstructed sequences.
The history of food composition databases
Authors: Church S. M.
Published: February 2006

Summary  Food composition databases provide detailed information on the concentrations of nutrients and nutritionally important components in foods. Information on the nutritional composition of foods forms the basis of the quantitative study of nutrition, and is widely used in a variety of fields, including epidemiological research, clinical practice and health promotion, policy and food manufacturing. This review details key milestones in the development of food composition databases, focusing on the history of the well‐known and highly regarded McCance and Widdowson's The Composition of Foods series. Evolving requirements for food composition data are outlined together with changes in the format over time. Finally, the importance of networks and cooperations, such as the new European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) Network of Excellence, in supporting and improving food composition data is discussed.
ESTIMATING DIRECTIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS FROM AGE‐SPECIFIC NET MIGRATION DATA
Authors: Rogers Andrei , Liu Junwei
Published: February 2006

This paper focuses on a method for indirectly inferring migration flows in the absence of migration data, using two successive counts of birthplace‐specific population stocks. Such stocks have been used in the past to infer patterns of mortality and indeed of net migration. But a workable method for using such population stocks to indirectly estimate directional migration flows still eludes us. Widely observed regularities in the age patterns of outmigration indicate that age‐specific propensities of migration are correlated, and this characteristic suggests an estimation method that directs attention to the age‐specific relative propensities of two or more flows exhibited in the historically preceding time intervals, and then uses those past measures of relative propensities to disaggregate residually estimated net migration flows into the underlying contributions of inmigration and outmigration. A detailed demonstration of the method, applied to US data, is set out in this paper.
GREEN BELT, COUNTRYSIDE CONSERVATION AND LOCAL POLITICS: A HONG KONG CASE STUDY
Authors: Tang Bo‐sin , Wong Siu‐wai , Lee Anton K.W.
Published: February 2006

International land‐use concepts are transformed to suit local circumstances. What is truly common after local adaptation becomes arguable. This paper examines application of a British land‐use planning concept, green belt, in the ex‐colonial city of Hong Kong. Through examining its local history and planning decisions for village housing development within such zones, this study reveals the ambiguity and flexibility of this land‐use concept in conserving the natural landscape and open countryside. It highlights the conflicts and compromises of green belt planning policy in connection with countryside protection, local politics and development pressures. The conclusion is that the green belt zone coincides with its overseas counterpart in name only; its substance and implementation are drastically diverse across cities.
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL WAGE CURVES IN JAPAN 1981–2001
Authors: Poot Jacques , Doi Masayuki
Published: February 2006

There is evidence in many countries of an inverse relationship between the real wages paid to workers and the unemployment rate in their local labor market, a so‐called wage curve. However, the evidence to date for Japan has been rather limited. In this paper, we estimate wage curves for Japan using pooled cross‐section time‐series data from 1981 until 2001. The presence of a wage curve is confirmed. The wage curve has become slightly more elastic after the bubble economy of the 1980s than it was in the pre‐bubble and mid‐bubble period. The unemployment elasticity of pay is greater for males than for females. We also estimate regional wage curves using time‐series data. The male wage curve elasticity is larger in the northern regions of Hokkaido and Tohoku and the western region of Shikoku, while it is smaller in the central regions of Hokuriku, Tokai and Kinki.
The Long Run Share Price Performance of Malaysian Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)
Authors: Ahmad‐Zaluki Nurwati A. , Campbell Kevin , Goodacre Alan
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  This paper investigates the long run share price performance of 454 Malaysian IPOs during the period 1990 to 2000. In contrast with developed markets, significant overperformance is found for equally‐weighted event time CARs and buy‐and‐hold returns using two market benchmarks, though not for value‐weighted returns or using a matched company benchmark. The significant abnormal performance also disappears under the calendar‐time approach using the Fama‐French (1993) three factor model. While the long run performance of Main and Second Board IPOs does not differ, the year of listing, issue proceeds and initial returns are found to be performance‐related.
The Strategy of Going Public: How UK Firms Choose Their Listing Contracts
Authors: Goergen Marc , Khurshed Arif , Mudambi Ram
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  UK firms going public have a choice between public offers and placings. This choice has important implications in terms of who bears the risk of the issue failing and of its costs. We find that firms with higher ex ante uncertainty choose a placing contract. Highly reputable sponsors and creditor screening serve as signals of firm quality, enabling such firms to choose a public offer. Large and multinational firms usually choose a public offer whereas there is some evidence that very small issues choose a placing. Finally, the ‘hotness’ of the IPO market increases the probability of placings.
Investment Horizon Effects
Authors: Gil‐Bazo Javier
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  Boudry and Gray (2003) have documented that the optimal buy‐and‐hold demand for Australian stocks is not necessarily increasing in the investment horizon when returns are predictable. Such finding is in contrast with Barberis (2000) who shows that positive monotonic horizon effects predominate for US stocks. Using a closed‐form approximation to the asset allocation problem, this paper relates the return dynamics to the investor's portfolio choice for different investment horizons. In the special case of a single risky asset, it is shown that return predictability under stationarity may induce both positive and negative horizon effects in the optimal allocation to the risky asset. The paper extends previous empirical results by solving for the optimal portfolio when two risky assets with predictable returns are available for investment.
CEO Stock Options and Equity Risk Incentives
Authors: Williams Melissa A. , Rao Ramesh P.
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  We test the hypothesis that the risk incentive effects of CEO stock option grants motivate managers to take on more risk than they would otherwise. Using a sample of mergers we document that the ratio of post‐ to pre‐merger stock return variance is positively related to the risk incentive effect of CEO stock option compensation but this relationship is conditioned on firm size, with firm size having a moderating effect on the risk incentive effect of stock options. Using a broader time‐series cross‐sectional sample of firms we find a strong positive relationship between CEO risk incentive embedded in the stock options and subsequent equity return volatility. As in the case of the merger sample, this relationship is stronger for smaller firms.
Efficiency and Stock Performance in European Banking
Authors: Beccalli Elena , Casu Barbara , Girardone Claudia
Published: February 2006

Abstract: Recent competitive pressures have progressively driven banks to strategically focus on generating returns to shareholders. Therefore, the investigation of the determinants of bank performance and their relationship with share prices has become increasingly important. This paper extends the literature on market‐based accounting to examine the relationship between stock prices and efficiency. Specifically, it investigates if changes in stock performance can be explained by changes in operating efficiency, derived by parametric and non‐parametric methods. Results seem to suggest that changes in efficiency are reflected in changes in stock prices and that stocks of cost efficient banks tend to outperform their inefficient counterparts.
Accruals, Cash Flows and the Post‐Earnings‐Announcement Drift
Authors: Shivakumar Lakshmanan
Published: February 2006

Abstract:  Several prior studies have shown that cash flows have significantly greater impact on stock prices than accruals. We examine the implications of these findings for the post‐earnings‐announcement‐drift anomaly. We argue that, if investors under‐react to earnings news, then the larger price impact of cash flows causes the cash flow component of earnings news to predict future returns better than the accruals component. Consistent with this argument, we show that unexpected cash flows are more positively related to future returns, than are unexpected accruals. Also, unexpected cash flows are found to predict future returns above and beyond that predicted by earnings surprises. Finally, we show that a strategy that decomposes earnings news into its components significantly outperforms strategies based on earnings news alone. The results support under‐reaction explanations for the drift.
Habitat preferences of the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) in the Bolivian Andes
Authors: Ríos‐Uzeda B. , Gómez H. , Wallace R. B.
Published: February 2006

Habitat preferences of the Andean bear Tremarctos ornatus were studied within two adjacent protected areas in the north‐western Bolivian Andes. Standard transects measuring habitat variables and bear sign frequency were used spanning seven different vegetation types. Andean bears were present at 28 of 33 sampled sites and actively preferred high‐elevation elfin forest and upper montane humid forests, and used high‐elevation humid ‘páramo’ grasslands and middle montane humid forests according to their availability. Bears were absent from dry montane and Andean foothill forests and relative abundance was low in lower montane humid forests. Elevation and basal area of food items were the variables most closely related to the relative abundance.
Do juvenile gape‐limited predators compensate for their small size when feeding?
Authors: Vincent S. E. , Vincent P.‐D. , Irschick D. J. , Rossell J. M.
Published: February 2006

When juvenile and adult animals occur syntopically, juveniles are at a distinct performance disadvantage due to their absolutely small size. Yet, optimal foraging theory predicts that juvenile predators should feed efficiently in order to compete with adults for food, and to minimize their exposure to predators. Previous authors have suggested that one way for juvenile animals to accomplish these ecological tasks is by increasing their overall feeding performance relative to adults (compensation hypothesis). Nonetheless, only a handful of studies have tested whether juvenile animals have increased feeding performance (e.g. decreased ingestion and/or handling times relative to body size) compared with adults. We tested this hypothesis by examining the ontogeny of head dimensions and feeding performance (ingestion time and number of mandibular protractions) on fish prey for broad‐banded water snakesNerodia fasciata. Individuals were fed fish scaled in a 1:1 ratio to their head width. All head dimensions scaled with significant negative allometry versus body size, and thus smaller snakes had relatively larger heads for their body size compared with larger snakes. By contrast, most head variables (except head volume) exhibited positive allometry versus head length, demonstrating that larger snakes had larger head dimensions relative to head size compared with smaller snakes. In the performance trials, smaller snakes had worse feeding performances when feeding on similarly sized fish prey (relative to their head width) compared with larger snakes. Therefore, these data show that smaller water snakes do not compensate for their size through increased feeding performance.
Reproductive photoresponsiveness in Aethomys ineptus and A. namaquensis (Rodentia: Muridae) from southern Africa
Authors: Muteka S. P. , Chimimba C. T. , Bennett N. C.
Published: February 2006

Male Tete veld rats Aethomys ineptus and Namaqua rock mice A. namaquensis were independently subjected to a long photoperiod of 16L:8D and a short photoperiod of 8L:16D for 3 months in order to assess the effect of photoperiod on testicular function. Testicular parameters examined included testicular mass relative to body mass, testicular volume, seminiferous tubule diameters and changes in circulating plasma testosterone concentration. On a long day (LD) length, both species exhibited significantly higher testicular mass relative to body mass and testicular volume, and larger seminiferous tubule diameters. Circulating plasma testosterone concentrations in A. ineptus were not significantly different between the two photoperiodic treatments, but A. namaquensis showed significantly higher testosterone concentration in males on a LD length than on a short day (SD) length. This suggests that both A. ineptus and A. namaquensis are photoperiodically responsive to LDs.
Foraging behaviour and dispersion of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in an ideal free framework
Authors: Maguire G. , Ramp D. , Coulson G.
Published: February 2006

Ideal free distribution (IFD) theory predicts that animals in competitive situations should distribute themselves among available habitat patches according to the density of conspecifics and its regulatory effect on resources. To investigate the applicability of IFD models to free‐ranging herbivores, we quantified the dispersion and foraging behaviour of eastern grey kangaroos Macropus giganteus among habitat patches of differing suitability, within and outside a reservoir catchment in southern Victoria, Australia. Kangaroo densities within the catchment had a regulatory effect on resource density, while surrounding farmland maintained a higher standing crop despite higher densities of competitors. This difference was slight in autumn, however, when the system was apparently close to equilibrium. Gross bite rates of individuals foraging in farmland were lower than for individuals foraging within the catchment, and vigilance behaviour occurred more frequently in farmland habitat than any other, decreasing time devoted to feeding. Interference competition occurred in only 1.9% of focal samples, although competitive differences based on phenotype were observed. Although resource gains by individual kangaroos are likely to be influenced by other factors, including resource dynamics, predation risk and phenotypic differences, IFD theory provides a valuable analytical framework for this herbivore foraging system.
Living with large carnivores: predation on livestock by the snow leopard (Uncia uncia)
Authors: Bagchi S. , Mishra C.
Published: February 2006

Livestock predation by large carnivores and their retaliatory persecution by pastoralists are worldwide conservation concerns. Poor understanding of the ecological and social underpinnings of this human–wildlife conflict hampers effective conflict management programs. The endangered snow leopard Uncia uncia is involved in conflict with people across its mountainous range in South and Central Asia, where pastoralism is the predominant land use, and is widely persecuted in retaliation. We examined human‐snow leopard conflict at two sites in the Spiti region of the Indian Trans‐Himalaya, where livestock outnumber wild ungulates, and the conflict is acute. We quantified the snow leopard's dependence on livestock by assessing its diet in two sites that differed in the relative abundance of livestock and wild ungulates. We also surveyed the indigenous Buddhist community's attitudes towards the snow leopard in these two sites. Our results show a relatively high dependence of snow leopards on livestock. A higher proportion of the snow leopard's diet (58%) was livestock in the area with higher livestock (29.7 animals km−2) and lower wild ungulate abundance (2.1–3.1 bharal Pseudois nayaur km−2), compared with 40% of diet in the area with relatively lower livestock (13.9 km−2) and higher wild ungulate abundance (4.5–7.8 ibex Capra ibex km−2). We found that the community experiencing greater levels of livestock losses was comparatively more tolerant towards the snow leopard. This discrepancy is explained by the presence of a conservation‐incentive program at the site, and by differences in economic roles of livestock between these two communities. The former is more dependent on cash crops as a source of income while the latter is more dependent on livestock, and thereby less tolerant of the snow leopard. These data have implications for conflict management strategies. They indicate that the relative densities of livestock and wild prey may be reasonable predictors of the extent of predation by the snow leopard. However, this by itself is not an adequate measure of the intensity of conflict even in apparently similar cultural settings.
Abundance, microhabitat selection and conservation of eyed lizards (Lacerta lepida): a radiotelemetric study
Authors: Díaz J. A. , Monasterio C. , Salvador A.
Published: February 2006

The utility of radiotelemetry as a tool for estimating the size and microhabitat requirements of a population of Lacerta lepida, the largest European lacertid, was investigated in central Spain. Population density estimates based on repeated marking and recapture (3.2 lizards ha−1) were much higher than those based on line transects (0.22 lizards ha−1). The probability of sighting lizards before they could retreat into a refuge was largely increased by our ability to radiolocate them. Rocks were selected as refuges 96% of the times, and the locations of radiotracked lizards were much closer to rocks than randomly expected. Rocks used as retreat sites were larger and had more crevices than those available at random, which suggests that refuge selection was primarily determined by the need to find shelter from predators. Rockrose patches, which were positively selected, might be used as refuge‐connecting corridors that combine shelter with opportunities to forage and thermoregulate. Our results emphasize the need for using radiotelemetry to establish baseline information on abundance and to clarify the actuality, extent and pattern of the population declines experienced by species that may function as key links in their ecosystems, but the wariness of which poses a serious problem for monitoring their conservation status.
Inferred behaviour and ecology of the primitive sabre‐toothed catParamachairodus ogygia(Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene of Spain
Authors: Salesa M. J. , Antón M. , Turner A. , Morales J.
Published: February 2006

The Late Miocene (Late Vallesian, MN 10, about 9 Mya) carnivore trap of Batallones‐1 (Madrid, Spain) has yielded a large sample of two species of sabre‐toothed cats: the puma‐sizedParamachairodus ogygiaand the tiger‐sizedMachairodus aphanistus. This has allowed, for the first time, complete studies of the biomechanics and comparative anatomy of these animals. Focusing our study on the small species,Par. ogygia, the most richly represented and best known carnivore from Batallones‐1, we attempt to infer some aspects of the behaviour and ecology of this early sabre‐toothed cat, such as breeding behaviour, the degree of social interaction between individuals, sexual dimorphism, preferred habitat and prey size. Our results suggest thatPar. ogygiawas a solitary felid with a low sexual dimorphism index, which in turn indicates low competition between males for access to females, and some degree of tolerance between adults, so that young adults were allowed to share the territory of their mothers for some time after maturity. The machairodont adaptations ofPar. ogygiaindicate that this species was able to subdue and kill prey in less time than pantherines do, thus minimizing the risk of injury and the energetic costs of this action. In a wider context, the carnivore guild of Batallones‐1 and the overall mammal community indicate that the landscape around the trap was a wooded habitat. Batallones‐1 is thus establishing itself as one of the most important European Late Miocene fossil localities, not only for the study of the anatomy and biomechanics of the early sabre‐toothed cats but also for our understanding of the intra‐ and inter‐specific ecological relationships of the first members of this specialized sub‐family of felids.
Functional diversity in extreme environments: effects of locomotor style and substrate texture on the waterfall‐climbing performance of Hawaiian gobiid fishes
Authors: Blob R. W. , Rai R. , Julius M. L. , Schoenfuss H. L.
Published: February 2006

Juveniles of three species of Hawaiian gobiid fishes climb waterfalls during migration to adult habitats using two kinematically distinct patterns: Awaous guamensis and Lentipes concolor use rapid, intermittent bouts of axial undulation (‘powerbursts’), whereas Sicyopterus stimpsoni inches up waterfalls by alternately attaching oral and pelvic suckers to the substrate. Despite the differing kinematics and speed of these behaviors, the extreme demands of locomotion up waterfalls might require similar levels of performance from all climbing goby species. However, the roughness of climbing surfaces might affect performance differently between climbing styles, with rough surfaces decreasing inching performance by impairing the grip of sucking discs on the substrate, but improving powerburst performance by allowing the pectoral fins better purchase as they push against the substrate to start climbing bouts. To test whether species of Hawaiian climbing gobies differ in climbing performance, we filmed multiple individuals of each species as they ascended distances of several body lengths over substrates with three different degrees of roughness. Substantial differences in climbing performance among species were independent of climbing style. For example, the powerburst climber L. concolor always had a faster net climbing speed (speed over 20 cm, including rests between climbing bouts) than the inching climber S. stimpsoni; however, the powerburst climber A. guamensis was similar in net speed to S. stimpsoni, or, on smooth substrates, climbed more slowly. Yet, some differences in performance did emerge between the climbing styles. Substrate roughness did not affect climbing speed in S. stimpsoni, but, as predicted, both powerburst climbers climbed faster on rougher surfaces. In addition, the intermittent motion and rest periods for both powerburst climbers seem of appropriate durations to facilitate an increase in the distance that these species travel before fatigue, but the inching climber S. stimpsoni spent more time in motion than either powerburst climber, and the relative durations of its motion and rest periods seem less likely to convey any performance advantages. These results indicate considerable functional diversity among Hawaiian climbing gobies beyond the two varieties of climbing styles, and show that a wide range of performance capabilities can persist among members of a fauna even under extreme environmental conditions.
The breeding biology of introduced hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) on a Scottish Island: lessons for population control and bird conservation
Authors: Jackson D. B.
Published: February 2006

The breeding biology of a recently (1974) introduced hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus population was studied on a large Scottish island. These hedgehogs have caused serious declines in internationally important ground‐nesting shorebirds, and population control is now being attempted. Sexual behaviour commenced in late April, a few days after the main emergence from hibernation. It peaked in mid‐May and again in late June/early July, and ceased by mid‐August. Females were promiscuous and were estimated to have sexual encounters (although not necessarily matings) with at least five males during the main mating period. Two‐thirds of females attempted to breed for the first time in their second calendar year (i.e. as sub‐adults), and the rest in their third calendar year (i.e. as adults). At least 96% (n=27) of adult females attempted to breed in the early part of the season (litters born in June). The vast majority (81%, n=26) bred again in the later part of the season (litters born after mid‐July). Breeding success (≥1 young emerged) was relatively high. For adults, 63% (n=24) of early‐season and 86% (n=18) of late‐season attempts were successful. For sub‐adult females the figure was 62% (n=9). The annual mean productivity per female was estimated at 4.04 young for adults and 0.85 young for sub‐adults. The implications of these results for the effectiveness, timing and welfare aspects of hedgehog control programmes are discussed.
Men staying at home looking after their children: feminist linguistic reform and social change
Authors: Winter Jo , Pauwels Anne
Published: February 2006

The (mis)representation and stereotyping of gendered identities remain central concerns for applied linguistics and feminist linguistic reformers despite the history, since the 1970s, of promoting gender‐fair or gender‐inclusive language reform. To date, the primary focus has been the reform of linguistic discrimination against women. Here we examine the ‘naming’ of men who have entered the ‘occupation’– primary childcare provision – traditionally exclusively reserved for women. Drawing upon on‐line survey and media data, we investigate the extent to which principles of feminist linguistic reform, equality, and inclusivity are evident in the labelling of, and media discourses about, these men. Regional variation in Englishes together with discourses of masculinity impact upon the implementation of linguistic reform. Normative meanings for masculinities and occupation construct a ‘house father and working father’ discourse context for men who are primary childcare providers.
The Multilingual Subject
Authors: Kramsch Claire
Published: February 2006

This book explores the experience of adolescents and young adults who learn a foreign language or use more than one language in daily life. Through ‘language memoirs’ and learners’ testimonies, it documents how these multilingual subjects occupy an embodied, socially and culturally inflected third place in language, filled with memories of other languages and fantasies of other identities. In its referential and mythic dimensions, language performs and creates subjectivities that these multilingual speakers use to conjure alternative worlds and virtual selves, both in real life and on the internet. Teaching to the multilingual subject would mean capitalizing on the potential playfulness, heightened reflexivity and aesthetic sensibility of the increasing number of people around the world who, by choice or necessity, experience life in several languages.
When to Combine Hypotheses and Adjust for Multiple Tests
Authors: Veazie Peter J.
Published: February 2006

Objective.To provide guidelines for identifying composite hypotheses and addressing the probability of false rejection for multiple hypotheses.

Data Sources and Study Setting.Examples from the literature in health services research are used to motivate the discussion of composite hypothesis tests and multiple hypotheses.

Methods.This article is a didactic presentation.

Principal Findings.It is not rare to find mistaken inferences in health services research because of inattention to appropriate hypothesis generation and multiple hypotheses testing. Guidelines are presented to help researchers identify composite hypotheses and set significance levels to account for multiple tests.

Conclusions.It is important for the quality of scholarship that inferences are valid: properly identifying composite hypotheses and accounting for multiple tests provides some assurance in this regard.
The Effect of Changes in Hospital Reimbursement on Nurse Staffing Decisions at Safety Net and Nonsafety Net Hospitals
Authors: Lindrooth Richard C. , Bazzoli Gloria J. , Needleman Jack , Hasnain‐Wynia Romana
Published: February 2006

Research Objective. The financial savings from the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) are attractive to policy makers, but such savings come at a cost. We measure changes in nurse staffing at hospitals related to potential declines in reimbursement through the BBA.

Study Design. Following Hadley, Zuckerman, and Feder (1989), we define a fiscal pressure index (FPI) to measure the differential effect of the BBA. We estimate the effect of the FPI on the number of full‐time equivalent registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) per adjusted patient day using American Hospital Association (AHA) data of a panel of hospitals from 1996 to 2001. The AHA data are combined with the Area Resource Files and health maintenance organizations penetration data. We control for hospital heterogeneity using fixed effects.

Population Studied. All urban short‐term general hospitals that responded to the staffing and uncompensated care questions in the AHA survey between 1996 and 2001. We define safety net hospitals as those with a high ratio of uncompensated costs to total hospital expenses (see, e.g., Zuckerman et al. 2001).

Principal Findings. We find that the nonsafety net hospitals that were most susceptible to the provisions of the BBA experienced a decline in RN staffing ratios about twice the rate of the nonsafety net hospitals that were least susceptible to the BBA. We are unable to detect an effect of the BBA on staffing at safety net hospitals.

Conclusions. RN and LPN staffing levels per adjusted patient day declined, on average, between 1996 and 2001. Within the context of the general decline, we find that RN staffing per adjusted patient day declined even more at nonsafety net hospitals that were most susceptible to lower reimbursement related to the BBA. Thus, there was a small but statistically significant incremental effect of potential BBA losses on RN staffing at hospitals that were expected to be affected most. This incremental decline represented about a 6 percent increase in nurse workload that in isolation might not affect quality. Nevertheless, the BBA contributed to the contemporaneous trends toward higher nurse workloads that could have deleterious effects on quality. In contrast, safety net hospitals did not respond to the provisions of the BBA by reducing staffing ratios. This conclusion is tempered by the fact that we have few safety net hospitals in the sample.
Rules for Medical Markets: The Impact of Medicare Contractors on Coverage Policies
Authors: Foote Susan Bartlett , Wholey Douglas , Halpern Rachel
Published: February 2006

Objective. Examine Medicare's local contractors' claim payment rules, focusing on how technology affects the balancing of competing demands to respond to local medical markets (rule heterogeneity) with concerns about national consistency in payment rules (rule homogeneity).

Data Sources. Local medical review policies (LMRPs) posted in policy sets by contractor organizations on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website and a survey of Contractor Medical Directors.

Study Design. We classified LMRPs based on type (NT=new technology; TE=technology extensions, and UM=utilization management), and examined the effect of technology type on LMRP focus, evidence use, policy revisions, implementation speed, and reference material citation characteristics of LMRPs using multivariate analysis.

Principal Findings. NT policies were more homogenous, as were policies among contractors related through multistate affiliation or through informal networks. UM policies were more heterogeneous. NT policies were more likely than UM policies to cite research journals as evidence while UM policies were more likely to cite medical reference materials.

Conclusions. Coverage policies associated with new technologies diffuse rapidly and are homogenous compared to utilization management coverage policies. This suggests that new technology policies are responsive to the development of new technologies at the national level. In contrast, utilization management policies are responsive to local heterogeneity in health care practice. Congress has mandated reforms to the contracting process to achieve consistency and reduce duplication. Our data elucidate the nature and sources of variation and will help policymakers strike a balance between homogeneity and local adaptation.
Educating Art in a Globalizing World. The University of Ideas: A Sociological Case‐study
Authors: Gielen Pascal
Published: February 2006

In 1999, the Italian Arte Povera artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and other artists laid the foundations of The University of Ideas (UNIDEE), an exceptional international artist‐in‐residence programme with a strong ideological foundation. As a sociologist of culture I had the opportunity to do research in the huge organization for a month by doing participant observation, in‐depth interviews and discourse analysis. In this article the educational programme of UNIDEE is interpreted in sociological terms. First of all it will be contextualized in the artistic work of Michelangelo Pistoletto through his concept of the mirror and his a‐modern idea of ‘The Minus Artist’. In the second part Pistoletto's artistic, political and economic movement Cittadellarte, in which UNIDEE is based, will be described. Finally UNIDEE will be analysed as a model for art education on the border of modernity attempting to redefine the position of art and of the artist in a globalizing world.
School Art Education: Mourning the Past and Opening a Future
Authors: Atkinson Dennis
Published: February 2006

This article begins with a brief summary of the findings of a recent research project that surveyed the content of the art curriculum in a selection of English secondary schools. The research findings suggest a particular construction of pedagogised subjects and objects rooted in ideas of technical ability and skill underpinned by a transmission model of teaching and learning. Drawing upon psychoanalytic and social theory reasons for passionate attachments to such curriculum identities are proposed, when in the wider world of art practice such identities were abandoned long ago. Working with the notion of the subordination of teaching to learning and the difficulties of initiating curriculum practices within increasingly complex social contexts, the article argues for learning through art to be viewed as a productive practice of meaning‐making within the life‐worlds of students. The term, ‘encounters of learning’ is employed to sketch a pedagogical quest in which an ethics of learning remains faithful to the truth of the learning event for the student.
How does Education Support the Formation and Establishment of Individual Identities?
Authors: Latchem Johannah
Published: February 2006

This article examines how education could support the formation and establishment of identities. It focuses on museum education and in particular artist interrogations of museum narratives. These interventions into museum pedagogy are critical reworkings of the presentation of cultural histories in dominant narratives. The aim of this research is to examine the consequences of these interventions for pedagogy in the museum site, when linear narratives are subject to reconstruction by individual agencies. The complexities of museum pedagogy are revealed and analysed in order to identify models of teaching and learning that are inclusive. The work of Fred Wilson, artist and curator of an installation project at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, USA, is applied to explore notions of cultural capital and cultural empowerment through education in the museum. Throughout the article is concerned with investigating how the individual subject is formed and informed through the narrative. Analogies are drawn with the view that the curriculum may not be a neutral and objective selection of knowledge and that in the same way it is worth investigating this claim to enquire whether institutional presentations of history are equally subjective. If museum education projects are set by curators and education officers to meet certain curriculum requirements then there must be questions raised about the structure of narratives and the process by which they are disseminated. This article is an exploration of these actions with far‐reaching applications, to ascertain whether they can successfully promote social justice in education and empower the individual or whether they serve to polarize essentialism and multiculturalism.
Creativity:What Is It? Can You Assess It? Can It Be Taught?
Authors: Lindström Lars
Published: February 2006

This article takes the subject of visual arts in Sweden as the point of departure in a discussion of how, with the help of portfolios, assessments may extend to include both the unpredictable and the ambiguous. The notion that assessments of learning outcomes must be either limited to superficial knowledge or completely arbitrary is shown to be a misconception. The author has made a study of the progression of young people's creativity in the visual arts from preschool to upper secondary school. The assessment was based on both product criteria and process criteria (investigative work, inventiveness, ability to use models, capacity for self‐assessment). The materials assessed were portfolios of work containing sketches, drafts and finished works, log books, sources of inspiration and videotaped interviews with the students.

Is there any progression in students' visual design, in their ability to work independently and assess their work? What is the degree of correlation in the assessments of different judges of student portfolios? These are some of the questions that this article attempts to answer, which concludes with a discussion of how schools can build a culture of learning that fosters the creative powers of young people.
Experience Field for the Development of the Senses: Hugo Kükelhaus' Phenomenology of Consciousness
Authors: Luescher Andreas
Published: February 2006

This article (re)introduces the pedagogy of the German artist Hugo Kükelhaus (1900–84) whose interest in the psycho‐physiological substratum of learning led to theoretically and experimentally accomplished investigations of the conscious experience. Kükelhaus' most well‐known infant toy productions of the 1930s, the Allbedeut, and the ‘Experience Field for the Senses’ of the 1960s serve here as illustrations of the significance of his ideas to contemporary theories of intelligence; educational technology; and the design of learning environments. I examine some of the issues surrounding the conceptualization, realization and critical reception of these inventions. The article concludes that Kükelhaus' approach to the apparent contradiction of the sensuous idea offers practical and philosophical directions for the development of integrative, heuristic and archetypal tools and learning environments.
Drawing in Preschools: A Didactic Experience
Authors: Frisch Nina Scott
Published: February 2006

To be understood, visually, often depends on how skilled one is in catching form and translating it into a two‐dimensional surface. This is a challenge we are confronted with early in life. Children's learning strategies in drawing are not always understood or encouraged. This article presents a socio‐cultural analysis from Norway of a pedagogical practice that attempts to shed light on the question, How does the preschool teacher support 3–5 year old children when they are drawing something they see, and how do children in this age group respond to this support?
The Design Studio as Teaching/Learning Medium — A Process‐Based Approach
Authors: Öztürk Maya N. , Türkkan Elif E.
Published: February 2006

This article discusses a design studio teaching experience exploring the design process itself as a methodological tool. We consider the structure of important phases of the process that contain different levels of design thinking: conception, function and practical knowledge as well as the transitions from inception to construction. We show how this approach to the design process allows the possibility of addressing elusive issues that underlie the practice of design.
Variability in Physical Constant Parameter Values from Standard Data Sources and the Implication of this Variability for Risk Analysis
Authors: Marino Dale J.
Published: February 2006

Physical property values are used in environmental risk assessments to estimate media and risk‐based concentrations. Recently, however, considerable variability has been reported with such values. To evaluate potential variability in physical parameter values supporting a variety of regulatory programs, eight data sources were chosen for evaluation, and chemicals appearing in at least four sources were selected. There were 755 chemicals chosen. In addition, chemicals in seven environmentally important subgroups were also identified for evaluation. Nine parameters were selected for analysis—molecular weight (MolWt), melting point (MeltPt), boiling point (BoilPt), vapor pressure (VP), water solubility (AqSOL), Henry's law constant (HLC), octanol‐water partition coefficient (Kow), and diffusion coefficients in air (Dair) and water (Dwater). Results show that while 71% of constituents had equal MolWts across data sources, <3% of the constituents had equivalent parameter values across data sources for AqSOL, VP, or HLC. Considerable dissimilarity between certain sources was also observed. Furthermore, measures of dispersion showed considerable variation in data sets for Kow, VP, AqSOL, and HLC compared to measures for MolWt, MeltPt, BoilPt, or Dwater. The magnitude of the observed variability was also noteworthy. For example, the 95th percentile ratio of maximum/minimum parameter values ranged from 1.0 for MolWt to well over 1.0 × 106 for VP and HLC. Risk and exposure metrics also varied by similar magnitudes. Results with environmentally important subgroups were similar. These results show that there is considerable variability in physical parameter values from standard sources, and that the observed variability could affect potential risk estimates and perhaps risk management decisions.
Quantifying Potential Human Health Impacts of Animal Antibiotic Use: Enrofloxacin and Macrolides in Chickens
Authors: Cox Louis Anthony (Tony) , Popken Douglas A.
Published: February 2006

Use of similar or identical antibiotics in both human and veterinary medicine has come under increasing scrutiny by regulators concerned that bacteria resistant to animal antibiotics will infect people and resist treatment with similar human antibiotics, leading to excess illnesses and deaths. Scientists, regulators, and interest groups in the United States and Europe have urged bans on nontherapeutic and some therapeutic uses of animal antibiotics to protect human health. Many regulators and public health experts have also expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived limitations of quantitative risk assessment and have proposed alternative qualitative and judgmental approaches ranging from “attributable fraction” estimates to risk management recommendations based on the precautionary principle or on expert judgments about the importance of classes of compounds in human medicine. This article presents a more traditional quantitative risk assessment of the likely human health impacts of continuing versus withdrawing use of fluoroquinolones and macrolides in production of broiler chickens in the United States. An analytic framework is developed and applied to available data. It indicates that withdrawing animal antibiotics can cause far more human illness‐days than it would prevent: the estimated human BENEFIT:RISK health ratio for human health impacts of continued animal antibiotic use exceeds 1,000:1 in many cases. This conclusion is driven by a hypothesized causal sequence in which withdrawing animal antibiotic use increases illnesses rates in animals, microbial loads in servings from the affected animals, and hence human health risks. This potentially important aspect of human health risk assessment for animal antibiotics has not previously been quantified.