bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behavior and outcomes
Authors: Carmeli Abraham
Published: February 2004

The literature suggests that managerial skills in general, and emotional intelligence in particular, play a significant role in the success of senior managers in the workplace. This argument, despite its popularity, remains elusive. This can be attributed to the fact that although a few studies have provided evidence to support this argument, it has not received an appropriate empirical investigation. This study attempts to narrow this gap by empirically examining the extent to which senior managers with a high emotional intelligence employed in public sector organizations develop positive work attitudes, behavior and outcomes. The results indicate that emotional intelligence augments positive work attitudes, altruistic behavior and work outcomes, and moderates the effect of work‐family conflict on career commitment but not the effect on job satisfaction.
A comparison of training provision in large and small organizations: the case of public houses
Authors: Pratten John , Curtis Susan
Published: February 2004

The research examines the training practices in all public houses in a small town and contrasts differing training provisions. The industry is divided into small independent owners and two major types of pub owning companies, one of which operates managed estates, and the other relies on renting their premises and supplying their tenants and lessees with products. The managed estates employ extensive training programmes, while the letting estates seldom impose training conditions on their tenants and lessees. This brings into question the business strategy of organisations with rented estates, as the profitability of their tenants and lessees impacts directly on their own profitability.
Learning and training: developing the competent learner
Authors: Robotham David
Published: February 2004

The article proposes a means for optimising the effectiveness of training through a framework developed from two complementary areas; learning theory and competence. The central proposal is that in order to maximise benefits from training there is a need to consider individual’s learning ability. However, improving learning ability requires more than simply seeking to develop study skills. Effective learning involves the development of deeper learning abilities such as critical thinking and identifying the links between different bodies of knowledge. There is also an associated need to examine the knowledge individuals already possess prior to embarking on any further training.
Preparation of and photo‐ and electroluminescence characteristics of ZnS:Cu phosphor
Authors: Mirhabibi A.R. , Rabiee M. , Aghababazadeh R. , Moztarzadeh F. , Hesaraki S.
Published: February 2004

ZnS:Cu phosphors were prepared by co‐precipitating Cu along with ZnS using H2S and thiourea. Phosphors giving luminescence at around 530 nm were prepared. The difference in the characteristic properties among the samples prepared appeared to be due to the formation of nanoparticles during the preparation of the samples by different methods.
Corporate propaganda: its implications for accounting and accountability
Authors: Collison David J.
Published: February 2004

This paper examines the nature of propaganda and its use by corporations, particularly in the USA, over a period of nearly 100 years. It emphasises the invisibility of much of this activity and propaganda’s importance for shaping acquiescence in corporate hegemony. The role played by corporate propaganda in the development of different forms of capitalism is addressed. The inculcation of accounting and finance students with values that serve corporate interests is considered: in this context propaganda is inferred in both the longstanding misrepresentation of Adam Smith, and the sustained illusion of competitive “free markets”. The role and language of the business media as a form of propaganda is considered, particularly regarding colonisation of social market economies by Anglo‐Saxon capitalism, which takes as incontestable the maximisation of shareholder value as the proper and necessary aim of corporate activity. It is argued that corporate propaganda has contributed to the accounting measure of business success being justified as an end in itself at the explicit expense of wider societal considerations.
Applying theories of entrepreneurship to a comparative analysis of white and minority women business owners
Authors: Smith‐Hunter Andrea E. , Boyd Robert L.
Published: February 2004

Scholarly interest in women’s business ownership has increased, but few studies offer theoretically‐based explanations for the racial differences observed among women entrepreneurs. This paper seeks to remedy this oversight by applying several theories of entrepreneurship to a comparative study of white and minority women. An analysis of survey data from upstate New York shows that these theories can explain why racial differences in women’s business ownership exist. In particular, the theories shed light on these differences by calling attention to a gap between the high aspirations of minority women for business ownership and the paucity of formal entrepreneurial resources that are available to these women (e.g. financial capital and human capital).
The expatriate career transition and women managers’ experiences
Authors: Hartl Katharina
Published: February 2004

Women are under‐represented in the ranks of expatriate managers and research on expatriates, though formally gender‐neutral, has been heavily weighted towards the study of male professionals, thereby reinforcing the image of expatriates as male, middle aged, married with children. What most research has in common is an individualistic, psychological approach to the study of expatriate experience. A focus on (change) processes on individual and organisational level draws our attention towards career theory. This paper presents a theoretical framework that conceptualises expatriate careers as a career transition that triggers individual and social structuration processes. It reviews the key findings of research on Western women managers in Hong Kong and gives insight into the experiences of expatriate women managers in a new socio‐cultural, economic and organisational environment.
A structural and content‐based analysis for Web filtering
Authors: Lee P.Y. , Hui S.C. , Fong A.C.M.
Published: February 2004

With the proliferation of objectionable materials (e.g. pornography, violence, drugs, etc.) available on the WWW, there is an urgent need for effective countermeasures to protect children and other unsuspecting users from exposure to such materials. Using pornographic Web pages as a case study, this paper presents a thorough analysis of the distinguishing features of such Web pages. The objective of the study is to gain knowledge on the structure and characteristics of typical pornographic Web pages so that effective Web filtering techniques can be developed to filter them automatically. In this paper, we first survey the existing techniques for Web content filtering. A study on the characteristics of pornographic Web pages is then presented. The implementation of a Web content filtering system that combines the use of an artificial neural network and the knowledge gained in the analysis of pornographic Web pages is also given.
Influence of image interactivity on approach responses towards an online retailer
Authors: Fiore Ann Marie , Jin Hyun‐Jeong
Published: February 2004

Image interactivity allows the customer to create and manipulate visual images of a product on a Web site. We measured the effect of exposure to an image interactivity function from an apparel retailer’s Web site on approach responses towards the retailer. The image interactivity function from the Web site allowed participants to mix and match apparel product images to help determine how well they coordinated. Dependent variables used to tap approach responses were attitude towards the online store, willingness to purchase from the online store, willingness to return to the online store, probability of spending more time than planned shopping on the site, and likelihood of patronizing the online retailer’s bricks‐and‐mortar store. We employed a repeated‐measures experimental design with 103 subjects. Paired t‐tests provided empirical support for the effect of image interactivity on enhancing approach responses towards the retailer. However, differences in approach responses existed between males and females. Marketing implications were provided.
Accreditation, competence and digital portfolio assessment
Authors: Hill Deborah M. , Irvine Geoff
Published: February 2004

Accreditation encourages the examination of programs as to whether they make sense as a whole and if students are well prepared for the world of work. Current accreditation is directed toward the assessment of learning and the assessment for learning. What is competence? Professional organizations and higher education should be involved in determining what is competence, how should it be measured and by what standard it should be evaluated. Digital portfolios provide a means for professionals, students and education entities to demonstrate competence. Portfolios provide performance‐based assessment; artifacts that provide real‐world preparedness.
Universities and public deliberation: bringing expertise to the people
Authors: Hamlett Patrick W.
Published: February 2004

This article makes two points: first, that greater public deliberation is needed to enhance the democratic steering of technological change and, second, that universities are particularly well situated to provide an institutional foundation for such deliberations. Existing problems with policy making about issues with significant scientific and/or technological components are considered, along with the prospect that structured public deliberation might help close an evident democratic deficit in scientific and technological policy making. Several kinds of public deliberations are described, with special emphasis on the Danish Consensus Conference model. The basic requirements for effective public deliberations are discussed, along with several issues that need fundamental research. Finally, a scenario of multiple public deliberative exercises scaled at the national level is discussed.
Scenario planning: persuading operating managers to take ownership
Authors: Ringland Gill
Published: February 2004

Scenario thinkers and operational managers do not find it easy to communicate with each other – this paper discusses ways in which scenarios can be used in the line units of the organization and the role of strategists and corporate planners in making this bridge. To address these issues, this article is divided into two main sections: (1) making the scenario process manager friendly; and (2) a case study illustrating uses of scenarios by operating managers. It concludes with some implications for corporate planners.
“Don’t mention the war” – Middle Eastern careers in context
Authors: Ozbilgin Mustafa , Healy Geraldine
Published: February 2004

Mainstream work on careers tends to be situated within an individualistic paradigm and against a North American/Western European context (although frequently unacknowledged). This paper throws new conceptual and contextual insights on the career concept through its exploration of careers in the Middle East. It draws on articles included in two special issues on career development in the Middle East published in Career Development International, and demonstrates how careers are intertwined with history, politics, organisational practices and structures as well as the individual self. Importantly it identifies the interconnectedness of the Middle East with the rest of the world and how this impacts on individual careers. Through this regional lens, the complexity and diversity of the career concept is brought into sharp focus.
Employee satisfaction in higher education: the case of academic and administrative staff in Turkey
Authors: Küskü Fatma
Published: February 2004

The main purpose of this research is to explore the differences in satisfaction dimensions between the academic and administrative employees in higher education institutions in a developing country, Turkey. In this research, a state university in Istanbul was selected as the case. A total of 291 academic and administrative employees of the institution participated in the research conducted using the method whereby participants answered an original questionnaire. According to the results of the research, it has been found out that there are certain differences in factors such as “colleague relations satisfaction”, “colleague competition level satisfaction”, “other work group satisfaction”, “professional satisfaction”, “work environment satisfaction”, and “salary satisfaction” with respect to the satisfaction of academic and administrative employees.
Managerial skills and SMEs’ development in Palestine
Authors: Al‐Madhoun Mohammed I. , Analoui Farhad
Published: February 2004

In recent years management training development has secured an increasingly important place in the life of the business managers. In the Arab countries, the management and development efforts have largely been found to be somewhat inadequate and ineffective. Many management‐training programmes (MTPs), of an off‐the‐job nature, have been established in the Palestinian territories (PT), after the peace agreement, in order to find a solution for the apparent lack of managerial strength, especially amongst the small and micro‐enterprises (SMEs). Discusses the contribution of these programmes towards the development of these managers by dividing the managerial skills offered into three main categories. The primary data have been generated through a survey of the SME managers who have participated in management development training programmes in Palestine. The results of the study highlighted the question of the importance, interrelationship and interaction of managerial skills used for developing SMEs.
Legal issues in benchmarking
Authors: Boulter Louise
Published: February 2004

The pursuit of organisational excellence requires the efficient acquisition and use of knowledge, but this is potentially problematical from a legal context. A particular case in point is benchmarking, a required aspect of the EFQM Excellence Model but which is potentially contrary to intellectual property law and competition law. Knowledge acquired through the practice of benchmarking constitutes a diverse range of potentially and commercially exploitable information. The contribution to organisational excellence by the successful transfer of knowledge to companies is potentially major. A methodology through which companies can receive and subsequently exploit knowledge is through the practice of benchmarking. Benchmarking is an organisational improvement methodology centred on measuring current practices and comparing exogenous entities and subsequent implementation. A central feature of benchmarking as it is practised in the West at present is information flow that takes place between benchmarking partners through a variety of mechanisms including informal undertakings or collaborative efforts. This paper examines the interface between benchmarking and the law, specifically intellectual property and competition law.
Using strategic information for small firms as a means of redressing the disadvantages of peripherality
Authors: McNamee Patrick , O'Reilly Dolores , Shiels Helen , McFerran Brendan
Published: February 2004

With over 2,000 participating firms, CAM‐Benchmarking Ltd (http://www.cam‐benchmarking.com) is one of the world's largest strategy benchmarking databases for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper draws upon CAM data to show that in a geographical region suffering from the deleterious economic effects of peripherality real progress to convergence (in terms of firm performance) can be achieved through benchmarking. More specifically the paper shows that comprehensive benchmarking data can be used to close the information gap that small firms, relative to large firms, often have, and through this process boost individual firm, and hence overall regional, performance.
Macro‐economic factors and foreclosure risk: evidence from mortgages in Singapore
Authors: Yan Nang Peck , Har Neo Poh , Eng Ong Seow
Published: February 2004

Foreclosure risk is a key concern to lenders of real estate mortgages. Using auction data, this study provides the first analysis of mortgage foreclosure in Singapore by examining how macro‐economic variables affect the probability of foreclosure. The foreclosure rate for properties is found to be increasing in the first five years of purchase and decreases as the holding period lengthens. The likelihood of foreclosure increases with unemployment rate, mortgage rate and expenditure and decreases with equity, dividend yield and lending volume at fourth and twentieth quarters lag. Further analysis shows considerable differences between residential and non‐residential properties. However, when the analysis on non‐residential properties is further separated into office, retail and industrial sub‐sectors, the results are relatively similar among the three sub‐sectors. This implies that banks and financial institutions should apply different underwriting standards for residential properties, mainly for owner‐occupation and non‐residential properties for the purpose of businesses and rental income.
Worst of the good and best of the bad
Authors: Pryce Gwilym
Published: February 2004

Why do lenders shrink back from full risk pricing in certain credit markets, even when a sophisticated system of credit scoring is already in place? Fear of bad publicity is the usual reason cited but this paper offers a complementary explanation which suggests that there may be an underlying financial process driving such behaviour. The key proposition of the paper is that risk pricing can cause adverse selection which has the potential to mitigate any positive benefits such a pricing strategy may bring to the lender. This explanation is developed by introducing risk pricing into the seminal Stiglitz and Weiss model and in so doing offers the first substantial link between the risk assessment and credit rationing literatures.
Time on the market and commercial property prices
Authors: Orr Allison M. , Dunse Neil , Martin David
Published: February 2004

Property markets are considered efficient when the market price of a transacted property equates with its market worth. If this condition holds then identical properties should sell or let for the same price. However, properties are heterogeneous, and information and operational constraints exist. Consequently, events in the transaction process and factors like time on the market, buyer and seller psychology and agent behaviour influence property prices, whereas in a perfectly efficient market they would have no impact. This gives rise to similar units selling for different prices. This paper examines the relationships between commercial property prices and time on the market for property. Tests fail to find evidence of a direct relationship between time on the market and transacted rents, time on the market and asking rents, and asking rents with transacted rents. The reason for the insignificant results could be because landlords would rather offer potential tenants non‐price incentives such as rent‐free periods, rent break clauses, shorter leases or fitting‐out costs to achieve a faster let than discount the agreed contractual rent. A more detailed examination of the physical, location and market conditions that determine the expected time on the market for a property to let is undertaken. Results suggest that the state of the property market is an important influence on the time it takes to let a property, and concurs with the evidence found in housing studies. With the support of our empirical findings and evidence from the housing market, we conclude that including measures of non‐price incentives, landlords’ motivation, tenants’ characteristics, and search costs in our model may explain the relationship more fully.
Reviewing a programme of evaluation in an academic library: the case of Glasgow Caledonian University
Authors: Crawford John
Published: February 2004

Glasgow Caledonian University Library has a culture of evaluation dating back to the mid‐1990s. The article examines the qualitative research methodologies which have been used, the issues that have arisen and details the management response. Thus it demonstrates how performance measurement is an essential part of the quality management and the continuous improvement of the university library and is an essential tool in planning the future service.
The Distributional Politics of Fiscal Adjustment: A Case Study of Four Northeastern States
Authors: Chernick Howard , Reschovsky Andrew
Published: February 2004

The federal Tax Reform Act of 1986 and an unexpected economic downturn soon thereafter resulted in a divergence between actual and anticipated revenues at the state level. To cope with the resulting budget deficits, states increased taxes, decreased expenditures, or both. This paper looks at the decisions made in four Northeastern States‐New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Federal Cost Recovery in Child Support Enforcement: Incentives for Improving Long‐Term Effectiveness
Authors: Peters Lillian E. , Gouse Allen S. , Hettinger Virginia A.
Published: February 2004

Over the last 15 years, the benefits of operating an efficient child support enforcement program has received greater attention. This article examines the general environment in which child support enforcement programs operate and describes the Virginia experience over the last three years, which has seen AFDC collections increase by over 45 percent and all collections increase by more than 60 percent.
Implementing Title III: Assessing Opportunities for State Activism
Authors: Jensen Cristy A. , Krolak Richard , Cowden Anne C.
Published: February 2004

A complementary dichotomy has evolved in federal‐state relations because of Reagan's “New Federalism.” States have become “activists” as they adopt national policies to state objectives. Simultaneously, new constraints on spending have made them “captives” to national priorities.
State Financial Management Systems: The Connecticut Experience
Authors: Fadoir John R.
Published: February 2004

Budgeting has gone from being a cyclical event to an ongoing process with continuous data needs. This transformation has increased the need for states to have an information system to keep track of the data bases that support the budgetary process. This article discusses the creation of such a system in Connecticut.
Using Performance Measures for Federal Budgeting: Proposals and Prospects
Authors: Joyce Philip G.
Published: February 2004

The political system, the popular press, and the public have recently been concerned about measuring government performance. This concern for measuring performance should imply a concern for measuring it correctly. With this in mind, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently conducted an analysis of the use of performance measures in the budget process. The study attempts to review the issues raised by performance budgeting in the context of past and current efforts to link performance measures and budgeting. This article focuses on two portions of that study: The status of the current federal performance measurement efforts and specific observations designed to inject a note of caution into the current debate about performance measurement and budgeting.
Medicaid Spending Dynamics: Implications for Cost Control Strategies
Authors: Grizzle Gloria A. , Power Gwen
Published: February 2004

Because of the Medicaid program's high cost and rapid growth, state governments see it as an attractive target for cost‐control strategies. The usual ways that budgeters contain spending do not work well on the Medicaid program. Cutting the Medicaid budget is likely to have unintended consequences for state revenues and spending. States can best cope with Medicaid's cost by developing a system‐wide strategy of meeting their citizens' health and human‐service needs.
Defense Business Operating Fund: Description and Implementation Issues
Authors: Byrnes Patricia E.
Published: February 2004

The Defense Business Operating Fund initiative in the Department of Defense (DoD) consolidates existing industrial and stock funds. This initiative is intended to enhance the departmental management of an estimated $81 billion sale of goods and services in fiscal year 1993. Revolving funds have a long history in the department. This article examines the role of revolving funds and their performance in DoD. The potential benefits of consolidation of funds are discussed. Emphasis is given to budgetary, management, and accounting changes intended to enhance management of the funds. The effect of implementation issues on the realization of potential benefits is also explored.
The Roads to Transformation: Budgeting Issues in the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic 1989–1992
Authors: Caiden Naomi
Published: February 2004

The Czech and Slovak Federal Republic no longer exists, but by the time of its dissolution, the transformation from a socialist to a democratic model of budgeting to another was well under way. This article illustrates some of the major issues facing countries attempting to remodel their systems of budgeting and financial management toward a more liberalized and democratic society.
Effects of variation among plant species on the interaction between a herbivore and its parasitoid
Authors: Helms Sandra E. , Connelly Scott J. , Hunter Mark D.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Previous studies have demonstrated that phenotypic traits of plants have the potential to affect interactions between herbivores and their natural enemies. Consequently, the impact of natural enemies on herbivore vital rates and population dynamics may vary among plant species. This study was designed to investigate the potential for density‐dependent parasitism of an aphid herbivore feeding on six different host plant species.

2. Population densities of the aphid Aphis nerii B de F (Homoptera: Aphididae) and its parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were recorded within a single growing season on six different species of milkweed in the genus Asclepias L. (Asclepiadaceae). Asclepias species are known to vary in their quality as food for herbivores. Although data on plant quality were not available in this study, population data were analysed to determine the effects of different Asclepias species on rates of parasitism and aphid population growth.

3. Parasitism rates of A. nerii varied among Asclepias species but were temporally density dependent over at least some range of aphid density on all plant species. Aphid population growth rates also varied among Asclepias species, and declined with an increase in the maximum parasitism rates among plant species; however, in no case was density‐dependent parasitism sufficient to prevent exponential population growth of aphids within the growing season. The results serve to emphasise that, if natural enemies are to regulate herbivore populations, density‐dependent mortality is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for regulation.
Tracking larval insect movement within soil using high resolution X‐ray microtomography
Authors: Johnson Scott N. , Read Derek B. , Gregory Peter J.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. In contrast to above‐ground insects, comparatively little is known about the behaviour of subterranean insects, due largely to the difficulty of studying them in situ.

2. The movement of newly hatched (neonate) clover root weevil (Sitona lepidus L. Coleoptera: Curculinidae) larvae was studied non‐invasively using recently developed high resolution X‐ray microtomography.

3. The movement and final position of S. lepidus larvae in the soil was reliably established using X‐ray microtomography, when compared with larval positions that were determined by destructively sectioning the soil column.

4. Newly hatched S. lepidus larvae were seen to attack the root rhizobial nodules of their host plant, white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Sitona lepidus larvae travelled between 9 and 27 mm in 9 h at a mean speed of 1.8 mm h−1.

5. Sitona lepidus larvae did not move through the soil in a linear manner, but changed trajectory in both the lateral and vertical planes.
Seasonal extension of the soldier instar as a route to increased defence investment in the social aphid Pemphigus spyrothecae
Authors: Pike N. , Braendle C. , Foster W. A.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. The possibility that the duration of the soldier instar could be extended over the course of the galling season was examined in Pemphigus spyrothecae Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae). In this species, the individuals of one morph of the dimorphic first instar are non‐sterile specialised defenders known as soldiers.

2. In the face of a declining birth rate, the proportion of first‐instar soldiers to first‐instar non‐soldiers was found to increase. This provides strong evidence of extension of the soldier instar over time.

3. Instar extension provides a mechanism for post‐natal investment in soldiers and allows individuals with insufficient time to mature to remain in the defensive stage so that they may continue to make an indirect contribution to their clone's reproductive success.
Using food for different purposes: female responses to prey in the predator Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)
Authors: Evans Edward W. , Richards Douglas R. , Kalaskar Anupama
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Although predatory insects often feed on diverse prey, their reproductive activity may be linked most strongly to a more restricted range of prey. The propensity of adult females of the ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata L., to attack two natural prey species, pea aphids [Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris)] and alfalfa weevil larvae [Hypera postica (Gyllenhal)], was compared, and the degree to which ladybird egg production depends on consumption of aphids vs. weevils was assessed.

2. Coccinella septempunctata females more readily attacked aphids than weevil larvae. This was true regardless of whether females had fed previously on aphids or on weevil larvae.

3. When females were provided with few to many aphids daily, or few aphids plus an excess number of weevil larvae, their rates of egg production depended primarily on the number of aphids consumed.

4. Addition of weevil larvae to diets of limited numbers of aphids increased egg production, but only modestly. Thus, consumption of weevil larvae may have served mostly for self‐maintenance, thereby enabling females to use for egg production more of the nutrients and energy obtained from limited consumption of aphids.

5. The females' linkage of egg production primarily to aphid rather than weevil consumption may be adaptive, as their offspring are much less able as larvae to survive and mature on a diet of weevils rather than aphids.
Development, growth, and egg production of Ageneotettix deorum (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in response to spider predation risk and elevated resource quality
Authors: Danner Bradford. J. , Joern Anthony
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Predation risk to insects is often size‐ or stage‐selective and usually decreases as prey grow. Any factor, such as food quality, that accelerates developmental and growth rates is likely to reduce the period over which prey are susceptible to size‐dependent predation.

2. Using field experiments, several hypotheses that assess growth, development, and egg production rates of the rangeland grasshopper Ageneotettix deorum (Scudder) were tested in response to combinations of food quality and predation risk from wolf spiders to investigate performance variation manifested through a behaviourally mediated path affecting food ingestion rates.

3. Grasshoppers with nutritionally superior food completed development ≈ 8–18% faster and grew 15–45% larger in the absence of spiders, in comparison with those subjected to low quality food exposed to spider predators. Growth and development did not differ for grasshoppers feeding on high quality food when predators were present in comparison with lower quality food unimpeded by predators. Responses indicated a compensatory relationship between resource quality and predation risk.

4. Surviving grasshoppers produced fewer eggs compared with individuals not exposed to spiders. Because no differences were found in daily egg production rate regardless of predation treatment, lower egg production was attributed to delayed age of first reproduction. Results compare favourably with responses observed in natural populations.

5. Risk of predation from spiders greatly reduced growth, development, and ultimately egg production. Increased food quality counteracts the impact of predation risk on grasshoppers through compensatory responses, suggesting that bottom‐up factors mediate effects of spiders.
Accumulating wing damage affects foraging decisions in honeybees (Apis melliferaL.)
Authors: Higginson A. D. , Barnard C. J.
Published: February 2004

Abstract. 1. Nectar‐foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera) on lavender (Lavandula stoechas) appear to forage so as to maximise net energy return from foraging bouts; however, evidence from other studies suggests that foraging has a detrimental effect on survival, due at least in part to physiological deterioration of the flight mechanism. But foragers also acquire wing damage during foraging, which may increase foraging effort and reduce foraging lifespan.

2. The accumulation of damage over time and its effects on foraging flight and flower choice were studied in the field using a system in which the criteria for flower preference by foragers was known from previous work. Wing damage accumulated exponentially over time and resulted in foragers becoming less choosy about the flowers they visited.

3. Damage added experimentally contributed independently to the effect on choosiness. Effects of wing damage (natural and added experimentally) were also independent of those of a relative measure of age, which related in an inconsistent way to changes in foraging preferences.
Constraints on the utilisation of the invasive Chinese tallow tree Sapium sebiferum by generalist native herbivores in coastal prairies
Authors: Lankau Richard A. , Rogers William E. , Siemann Evan
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Introduced plants generally have lower generalist herbivore loads than native plants. Herbivores may be avoiding a potentially edible food source (Behavioural Constraint Hypothesis) or defences of introduced plants may be unusually toxic (Novel Defence Hypothesis).

2. To examine these hypotheses, acridid grasshoppers (Melanoplus angustipennis and Orphullela pelidna) were enclosed in a Texas grassland. Each enclosure contained native prairie vegetation and a seedling of either introduced Sapium sebiferum (Chinese tallow tree) or native Celtis laevigata (hackberry). Sapium invades many ecosystems in the south‐east U.S.A. Celtis seedlings also establish in these ecosystems.

3. Although grasshoppers usually feed sparingly on Sapium, in field enclosures they fed heavily on this introduced tree species, supporting a role for behavioural avoidance. In laboratory feeding trials, M. angustipennis grasshoppers preferred Sapium foliage over the foliage of three native tree species. In a greenhouse experiment, M. angustipennis individuals fed more on Sapium in prairie mesocosms if they were conditioned on Sapium.

4. In another field experiment with single seedlings in enclosures, grasshoppers consumed similar amounts of Sapium from its introduced (Texas, U.S.A.) and native (China) ranges, suggesting that Sapium may have been a suitable host plant since it was introduced. Behavioural avoidance by generalist herbivores may contribute to Sapium's low herbivore load in its introduced range.
Species richness of phytophagous beetles in the tropical tree Brosimum utile (Moraceae): the effects of sampling strategy and the problem of tourists
Authors: Ødegaard F.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Phytophagous beetles on six mature living trees and two dead trees of Brosimum utile (Moraceae) were surveyed during 1 year in a tropical wet forest in Panama. The dead trees were surveyed both as suspended in the canopy and after falling down to the understorey.

2. Canopy access was provided by a construction crane and sampling was performed by beating and hand‐collecting. The same amount of time was spent on each tree in order to standardise sampling effort. A list of all species associated with the tree is presented.

3. A total of 3009 individuals representing 364 species were collected. Tourists were excluded from the analyses by recording host associations directly and by probability assessments of host associations based on abundance categories. A total of 2603 individuals and 244 species were associated with the tree. The proportion of tourists in the trees increased with sample size.

4. A single mature living tree had on average 58.5 ± 6.5 species. The local species richness of B. utile was estimated as 2.5 times higher than in a single mature tree; however, a substantial increase in species richness was attained when dead wood habitats were included. Saproxylic species made up 82% of the total material.

5. The investigated habitat types of B. utile constituted distinct, complementary species assemblages. Similarity between saproxylic species of dead suspended wood and dead understorey wood of the same tree was 0.2 (Morisita–Horn index), confirming a prominent vertical stratification among this guild.
The impact of organisational structure and practices on learning in the workplace
Authors: Ashton David N.
Published: February 2004

The main thrust of the research effort into workplace learning has been to identify the characteristics of workplace learning as experienced by the learner. The impact of the wider organisational process in which that learning is embedded have been played down. This paper, building on the work of Koike and Darrah, uses research conducted in a major multinational corporation (MNC) in South‐East Asia, to explore the impact of the wider organisational structures on the process of learning. The model it develops not only shows how these processes impact on workplace learning but also helps explain why workers acquire different levels of skill.
Recognition of tacit skills: sustaining learning outcomes in adult learning and work re‐entry
Authors: Evans Karen , Kersh Natasha , Kontiainen Seppo
Published: February 2004

This paper is based on the project ‘Recognition of Tacit Skills and Knowledge in Work Re‐entry’ carried out as a part of the ESRC‐funded Research Network ‘Improving Incentives to Learning in the Workplace’. The network aims to contribute to improved practice among a wide range of practitioners. The study has investigated the part played by tacit forms of personal competences in the education, training and work re‐entry of adult learners. The models of learning produced within this study with the assistance of the Dynamic Concept Analysis method are used to provide a better understanding of individual case studies.
Work‐related lifelong learning for entrepreneurs in the agri‐food sector
Authors: Lans Thomas , Wesselink Renate , Biemans Harm J.A. , Mulder Martin
Published: February 2004

This article presents a study on work‐related lifelong learning for entrepreneurs in the agri‐food sector. Accordingly, learning needs, learning preferences, learning motivation and conditions in the context of lifelong learning were identified. The results indicate that technology, IT and entrepreneurial competencies will become of increasing importance in the future. Non‐formal and informal learning seem to play an especially important role in the competence development of entrepreneurs. Supporting learning in a personal way is a critical factor in stimulating lifelong learning. The results might provide some important starting points for the support of lifelong learning in practice. Investment in new, different, long‐term work‐related learning arrangements than have been undertaken hitherto is a high priority. Workplace learning for entrepreneurs in the context of lifelong learning should take place in settings where (new) knowledge is constructed in dialogue with the entrepreneurs’ environment and where personal competence development is facilitated by experts in learning.
Book reviews
Authors: Stewart Jim
Published: February 2004

Book reviewed

2000 Tips for Trainers and Staff Developers  ed Phil Race, 2001. Published by Kogan Page, London. ISBN 0‐7494‐3688‐3. £22.50, 287 pages.
Host plants and butterfly biology. Do host‐plant strategies drive butterfly status?
Authors: Dennis Roger L. H. , Hodgson John G. , Grenyer Richard , Shreeve Tim G. , Roy David B.
Published: February 2004

Abstract. 1. To determine whether rarity and decline is linked to organism ecology, associations have been examined between butterfly larval host‐plant competitive, stress‐tolerant, ruderal (C‐S‐R) strategies and butterfly biology.

2. Associations have been sought between meanC‐S‐Rscores for larval host plants with butterfly life history, morphology and physiology variables, resource use, population attributes, geography, and conservation status. Comparisons are carried out across species and controlled for phylogenetic patterning.

3. Butterfly biology is linked to host‐plant strategies. An increasing tendency of a butterfly's host plants to a particular strategy biases that butterfly species to functionally linked life‐history attributes and resource breadth and type. In turn, population attributes and geography are significantly and substantially affected by host choice and the strategies of these host plants.

4. The greatest contrast is between butterfly species whose host plants are labelledCandRstrategists and those whose host plants are labelledSstrategists. Increasingly high host‐plantCandRstrategy scores bias butterflies to rapid development, short early stages, multivoltinism, long flight periods, early seasonal emergence, higher mobility, polyphagy, wide resource availability and biotope occupancy, open, areally expansive, patchy population structures, denser distributions, wider geographical ranges, resistance to range retractions as well as to increasing rarity in the face of environmental changes. Increasing host‐plantSstrategy scores have reversed tendencies, biasing those butterfly species to extended development times, fewer broods, short flight periods, smaller wing expanse and lower mobility, monophagy, restricted resource exploitation and biotope occupancy, closed, areally limited populations with typical metapopulation structures, sparse distributions, and limited geographical ranges, range retractions, and increased rarity.

5. Species withSstrategy host plants are species vulnerable to current environmental changes and species of conservation concern.
Linking the bacterial community in pea aphids with host‐plant use and natural enemy resistance
Authors: Ferrari Julia , Darby Alistair C. , Daniell Tim J. , Godfray H. Charles J. , Douglas Angela E.
Published: February 2004

Abstract.  1. Pea aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum, harbour a range of facultative accessory bacteria (secondary symbionts), including those informally known as PASS (R‐type), PAR, PABS (T‐type), and PAUS (U‐type).

2. To explore the relationship between possession of these bacteria and ecologically important traits of A. pisum, correlations between the accessory bacteria found in 47 parthenogenetic clones of A. pisum and the host plant on which each clone was collected and its susceptibility to natural enemies were surveyed.

3. The bacterial complement varied with plant of collection. PAUS (U) was present in all of 12 clones affiliated to Trifolium but was otherwise rare, while PABS (T) and PASS (R) occurred at significantly higher frequency in clones from Lotus and Vicia, respectively, than clones from other plants.

4. Possession of PABS (T) was associated strongly with resistance to the parasitoid Aphidius eadyi and weakly with resistance to Aphidius ervi. Aphids carrying PAUS (U) were more resistant to the fungal pathogen Pandora (Erynia) neoaphidis, although this correlation was complicated by a strong association with host‐plant use.
Genetic deficiency of CD16, the low‐affinity receptor for immunoglobulin G, has no impact on the functional capacity of polymorphonuclear neutrophils
Authors: Wagner C. , Hänsch G. M.
Published: February 2004

Background  Of the three receptors for immunoglobulin G (IgG), the low‐affinity receptor CD16 is constitutively expressed on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), monocytes and NK‐cells. CD16 participates in various effector functions, notably phagocytosis of opsonized particles or of immune complexes, and in antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). In the present study we report a case of total CD16 deficiency on PMNs and monocytes.

Design  Polymorphonuclear neutrophils, monocytes and NK‐cells were analyzed for surface‐receptor expression by cytofluorometry and laser scan microscopy. Moreover, CD16‐specific mRNA was assessed by RT‐PCR. As functional parameters, phagocytosis of opsonized bacteria was tested, as was superoxide production.

Results  Polymorphonuclear neutrophils and monocytes totally deficient in CD16 were detected by chance in an apparently healthy individual. Further analysis revealed that two more members of his family, his father and sister, were also deficient in CD16. All were healthy and there was no evidence of an increased frequency, or of exceptionally severe or persistent infections. Despite the lack of CD16, phagocytosis of antibody‐coated bacteria was within the normal range, as was the superoxide production.

Conclusion  Deficiency of CD16 does not compromise the host defence. Apparently, the other receptors for IgG, CD32 and CD64, can compensate for the lack of CD16.
Characterization of the human skeletal muscle glycogen synthase gene (GYS1) promoter
Authors: Fredriksson J. , Ridderstråle M. , Groop L. , Orho‐Melander M.
Published: February 2004

Background  Impaired activation of the human skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by insulin is typical for type 2 diabetic patients. Regulation of glycogen synthase occurs mainly by phosphorylation/dephoshorylation but little is known whether there also is transcriptional regulation. Therefore we studied transcriptional regulation of the human skeletal muscle glycogen synthase gene (GYS1) and evaluated the effects of insulin and forskolin on the promoter activity.

Methods  Seven promoter fragments were expressed in C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes and in HEK293 cells, and the luciferase assay was used to determine transcriptional activity.

Results  The highest luciferase activity, 350‐fold of the promoterless vector, was obtained with nucleotides −692 to +59 in myotubes (P < 0·001), while the nucleotides −250 to +59 provided the highest, 45‐fold, activity in the HEK293 cells (P < 0·001). Longer promoter constructs (nucleotides −971, −1707 and −2158 to +59, respectively) had low promoter activity in both cell types. Forskolin treatment for 24 h resulted in approximately 30% decreased promoter activity in myotubes (P < 0·05). Insulin treatment for 0·5–3 h did not increase GYS1 promoter activity; instead the activity was slightly but significantly decreased after 24 h in myotubes (P < 0·005).

Conclusions  From our results we conclude that basal GYS1 promoter activity is obtained from the first 250 nucleotides of the promoter, while the nucleotides −692 to −544 seem to be responsible for muscle‐specific expression, and nucleotides −971 to −692 for negative regulation. In myotubes, the GYS1 promoter was sensitive to negative regulation by forskolin, whereas insulin did not increase GYS1 transcription.