bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Proactive” in many ways: Developmental evidence for a dynamic pluralistic approach to prediction
Authors: Mani Nivedita , Daum Moritz M , Huettig Falk
Published: November 2015

The anticipation of the forthcoming behaviour of social interaction partners is a useful ability supporting interaction and communication between social partners. Associations and prediction based on the production system (in line with views that listeners use the production system covertly to anticipate what the other person might be likely to say) are two potential factors, which have been proposed to be involved in anticipatory language processing. We examined the influence of both factors on the degree to which listeners predict upcoming linguistic input. Are listeners more likely to predict book as an appropriate continuation of the sentence “The boy reads a”, based on the strength of the association between the words read and book (strong association) and read and letter (weak association)? Do more proficient producers predict more? What is the interplay of these two influences on prediction? The results suggest that associations influence language-mediated anticipatory eye gaze in two-year-olds and adults only when two thematically appropriate target objects compete for overt attention but not when these objects are presented separately. Furthermore, children's prediction abilities are strongly related to their language production skills when appropriate target objects are presented separately but not when presented together. Both influences on prediction in language processing thus appear to be context dependent. We conclude that multiple factors simultaneously influence listeners’ anticipation of upcoming linguistic input and that only such a dynamic approach to prediction can capture listeners’ prowess at predictive language processing.
Social Influence on Metacognitive Evaluations: The Power of Nonverbal Cues
Authors: Eskenazi Terry , Montalan Benoît , Jacquot Amélie , Proust Joëlle , Grèzes Julie , Conty Laurence
Published: November 2015

Metacognitive evaluations refer to the processes by which people assess their own cognitive operations with respect to their current goal. Little is known about whether this process is susceptible to social influence. Here we investigate whether nonverbal social signals spontaneously influence metacognitive evaluations. Participants performed a two-alternative forced-choice task, which was followed by a face randomly gazing towards or away from the response chosen by the participant. Participants then provided a metacognitive evaluation of their response by rating their confidence in their answer. In Experiment 1, the participants were told that the gaze direction was irrelevant to the task purpose and were advised to ignore it. The results revealed an effect of implicit social information on confidence ratings even though the gaze direction was random and therefore unreliable for task purposes. In addition, nonsocial cues (car) did not elicit this effect. In Experiment 2, the participants were led to believe that cue direction (face or car) reflected a previous participant's response to the same question—that is, the social information provided by the cue was made explicit, yet still objectively unreliable for the task. The results showed a similar social influence on confidence ratings, observed with both cues (car and face) but with an increased magnitude relative to Experiment 1. We additionally showed in Experiment 2 that social information impaired metacognitive accuracy. Together our results strongly suggest an involuntary susceptibility of metacognitive evaluations to nonverbal social information, even when it is implicit (Experiment 1) and unreliable (Experiments 1 and 2).
An investigation of the role of some person and situation variables in multiple cue probability learning
Authors: Bayindir Mustafa , Bolger Fergus , Say Bilge
Published: November 2015

Making decisions using judgements of multiple non-deterministic indicators is an important task, both in everyday and professional life. Learning of such decision making has often been studied as the mapping of stimuli (cues) to an environmental variable (criterion); however, little attention has been paid to the effects of situation-by-person interactions on this learning. Accordingly, we manipulated cue and feedback presentation mode (graphic or numeric) and task difficulty, and measured individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC). We predicted that graphic presentation, fewer cues, and elevated WMC would facilitate learning, and that person and task characteristics would interact such that presentation mode compatible with the decision maker's cognitive capability (enhanced visual or verbal WMC) would assist learning, particularly for more difficult tasks. We found our predicted main effects, but no significant interactions, except that those with greater WMC benefited to a larger extent with graphic than with numeric presentation, regardless of which type of working memory was enhanced or number of cues. Our findings suggest that the conclusions of past research based predominantly on tasks using numeric presentation need to be reevaluated and cast light on how working memory helps us learn multiple cue–criterion relationships, with implications for dual-process theories of cognition.
The role of working memory capacity and interference resolution mechanisms in task switching
Authors: Pettigrew Corinne , Martin Randi C.
Published: November 2015

Theories of task switching have emphasized a number of control mechanisms that may support the ability to flexibly switch between tasks. The present study examined the extent to which individual differences in working memory (WM) capacity and two measures of interference resolution, response–distractor inhibition and resistance to proactive interference (PI), account for variability in task switching, including global costs, local costs, and N-2 repetition costs. A total of 102 young and 60 older adults were tested on a battery of tasks. Composite scores were created for WM capacity, response–distractor inhibition, and resistance to PI; shifting was indexed by rate residual scores, which combine response time and accuracy and account for individual differences in processing speed. Composite scores served as predictors of task switching. WM was significantly related to global switch costs. While resistance to PI and WM explained some variance in local costs, these effects did not reach significance. In contrast, none of the control measures explained variance in N-2 repetition costs. Furthermore, age effects were only evident for N-2 repetition costs, with older adults demonstrating larger costs than young adults. Results are discussed within the context of theoretical models of task switching.
Chronic hepatitis C, depression and gender: a state of art
Authors: Martin-Santos Rocio , Egmond Elfi , Cavero Myriam , Mariño Zoe , Subira Susana , Navines Ricard , Forns Xavier , Valdes Manuel
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection, antiviral therapy, depression, and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

– CHC and its treatment options were reviewed examining their relationship with depression and gender.

Findings

– CHC is a high prevalent chronic infection worldwide, being similar in men and women. However, the infection shows many gender differences in terms of innate response, genetic variability (i.e. IL-28B), route of transmission (i.e. intravenous drug use), disease progression (i.e. fibrosis), lifetime period (i.e. pregnancy), and risk factors (i.e. HIV). Both the hepatitis C infection and antiviral treatment (especially when using the pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon α), are highly associated with depression, where female gender constitutes a risk factor. It seems that the new direct-acting antiviral combinations produce fewer neuropsychiatric side effects. In fact, the presence of depression at baseline is no longer a limitation for the initiation of antiviral treatment. Antidepressant drugs have been recommended as current depression and prophylactic treatment in risk subgroups. However, caution should be exercised due to the risk of drug-drug interactions with some antiviral drugs. Women should be counselled prenatal, during and after pregnancy, taking into account the clinical situation, and the available evidence of the risks and benefits of antiviral and antidepressant treatments. Multidisciplinary approach shows cost-efficacy results.

Originality/value

– The paper clarifies the complex management of CHC therapy and the importance of individualizing treatment. The results also underline the need for an integrated multidisciplinary approach.
The shifting roles of medical stakeholders in opioid substitution treatment: a comparison between Denmark and the UK
Authors: Bjerge Bagga , Duke Karen , Frank Vibeke Asmussen
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the shifting roles of medical professionals as stakeholders in opioid substitution treatment (OST) policies and practices in Denmark and the UK within the past 15 years.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on literature reviews, documentary analyses and key informant interviews with a range of stakeholders involved in OST and policy in Denmark and UK. The study is part of the EU-funded project: Addictions and Lifestyles in Contemporary Europe: Reframing Addictions Project.

Findings

– Denmark and the UK are amongst those few European countries that have long traditions and elaborate systems for providing OST to heroin users. The UK has a history of dominance of medical professionals in drugs treatment, although this has been recently challenged by the recovery movement. In Denmark, a social problem approach has historically dominated the field, but a recent trend towards medicalisation can be traced. As in all kinds of policy changes, multiple factors are at play when shifts occur. We examine how both countries’ developments around drugs treatment policy and practice relate to broader societal, economic and political changes, how such divergent developments emerge and how medical professionals as stakeholders enhanced their roles as experts in the field through a variety of tactics, including the production and use of “evidence”, which became a key tool to promote specific stakeholder’s perspectives in these processes.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to current policy and practice debates by providing comparative analyses of drug policies and examination of stakeholder influences on policy processes.
Understanding culture on the effectiveness of restaurant servers’ check-back style
Authors: Lee Hye Eun , Hwang Joyce Hyunjoo , Bennett Keri
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to, first, identify how service perception can differ depending on the customers’ cultural background during intercultural encounters and, second, provide useful and specific directions of more culturally competent service interaction to restaurant managers and servers in US restaurants. Effective exchanges between service providers and international customers are important to ensure the success of restaurants. While frequently and explicitly checking in on customers is common in the USA, this may not be preferable to people from different cultures.

Design/methodology/approach

– Study 1 (n= 975) utilized a survey, and Study 2 (n= 145) used an experimental design to, first, examine cultural differences between American and Japanese participants in their preferences about restaurant servers’ check-back style and, second, examined the moderating effect of culture (i.e. American and Japanese culture) on the relationship between the servers’ check-back behavior and the evaluations of service effectiveness, emotional response and the intention to return to a restaurant.

Findings

– The results showed that the frequency of a server’s visits had a positive effect on evaluations of service effectiveness, emotional response and intent to revisit for the Americans, but not for the Japanese.

Practical implications

– This research has practical implications for restaurant managers and servers who are expected to interact with international customers. They can apply the findings of this research to examine culturally appropriate check-back styles, which are an important attribute of effectiveness in intercultural service encounters in US restaurants.

Originality/value

– The current study indicates that providing standardized service to all customers, regardless of cultural differences, might not be ideal.
Culture based development: measuring an invisible resource using the PLS-PM method
Authors: Tubadji Annie , Pelzel Frank
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to conduct an in-depth exploratory test of the innovative culture-based development (CBD) concept and to evaluate its potential for empirical research.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use the partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) method to look closely at the latently present factor culture and investigate its various possible relationships with the rest of the sub-components of socio-economic development. The authors estimate two alternative specifications of the CBD model, with regional data for Germany in 2006.

Findings

– The main finding is that according to the PLS-PM quality criteria, the CBD model is a suitable approach for measuring the cultural impact on regional level. The expected sign of the cultural effect suggested by the CBD concept is also confirmed by the results.

Originality/value

– The authors identify interesting potential bottlenecks in applying the CBD concept incorrectly and demonstrate the PLS-PM potential to control for them.
The importance of good aquaculture practices in improving fish farmer’s income
Authors: Kamaruddin Roslina , Baharuddin Amir Hussin
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the level of good aquaculture practice (GAqP) among aquaculture farmers; and to analyse the factors influence the level of practice and the importance of GAqP in increasing farmer’s income.

Design/methodology/approach

– Primary data were obtained through a survey conducted on 216 aquaculture pond fish farmers. The descriptive study was employed to identify the profile of respondents and their level of GAqP practices. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was applied to analyse the factors influence the level of GAqP practice, and the influence of GAqP on the total income of aquaculture farmers.

Findings

– The results showed that the pond management by brackish water fish farmers is better than freshwater fish farmer, indicated by 77 per cent of them adopt GAqP at a level of 60 per cent and above, as compared to only 20 per cent by freshwater farmers. Physical and human assets were revealed to be most significant factors influence the practice of GAqP. The results also proved that GAqP was among the significant factor contributes to increasing in farmers’ household income; in addition to their other livelihood assets.

Originality/value

– To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the very first study that employs SEM method to analyse the relationship between GAqP with livelihood asset and farmer’s income simultaneously in Malaysia. Furthermore, since the empirical studies related to GAqP is very few, the study will contribute to development of knowledge in the field of aquaculture.
Increasing revenue and attendance in Canadian Baptist churches
Authors: Chan Alan , Fawcett Bruce G. , Lee Shu-Kam
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Church giving and attendance are two important indicators of church health and performance. In the literature, they are usually understood to be simultaneously determined. The purpose of this paper is to estimate if there a sustainable church congregation size using Wintrobe’s (1998) dictatorship model. The authors want to examine the impact of youth and adult ministry as well.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the data collected from among Canadian Baptist churches in Eastern Canada, this study investigates the factors affecting the level of the two indicators by the panel-instrumental variable technique. Applying Wintrobe’s (1998) political economy model on dictatorship, the equilibrium level of worship attendance and giving is predicted.

Findings

– Through various simulation exercises, the actual church congregation sizes is approximately 50 percent of the predicted value, implying inefficiency and misallocation of church resources. The paper concludes with insights on effective ways church leaders can allocate scarce resources to promote growth within churches.

Originality/value

– The authors are the only researchers getting the permission from the Atlantic Canada Baptist Convention to use their mega data set on church giving and congregation sizes as per the authors’ knowledge. The authors are also applying a theoretical model on dictatorship to religious/not for profits organizations.
Do land transfers to international investors contribute to employment generation and local food security?
Authors: Alamirew Bamlaku , Grethe Harald , Siddig Khalid Hassan Ali , Wossen Tesfamicheal
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Like many countries in the developing world, Ethiopia has leased out a huge amount of land to foreign investors. However, empirical evidence on the contribution of international investments to employment generation and food security is limited. The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of large-scale farms to local-level food security in Bako Tibe District, Oromia Region.

Design/methodology/approach

– Primary data were collected from 200 randomly selected households from two purposefully selected villages in the district. Secondary data were collected from government offices and the literature. Propensity score matching was used to match households based on observable characteristics. Using the World Food Programme (WFP) approach, the food consumption score (FCS) of households was calculated. Finally, the Average Treatment effect for the Treated was determined.

Findings

– Findings indicate that foreign land deals increase the odds of households falling into food insecurity and that the employment opportunities are both temporal and marginal. Furthermore, these land deals result in a decline of households’ FCS and thus have a negative effect on households’ food security.

Research limitations/implications

– The result is based on a case study which is not generalizable to the whole of Ethiopia.

Practical implications

– The result implies that future endeavours should resort to substantial changes in the principles of investment as well as the design and enforcement of contracts on land transfers so that international investors can commit to objectives beyond private profit.

Originality/value

– It examines the effect of large-scale land transfers commonly termed as land grabbing on local food security. The paper makes an important contribution to the current policy debates regarding land grabbing in Ethiopia as research about the contribution of land deals to the food security is limited.
Islamic finance and debt culture: treading the conventional path?
Authors: Farooq Mohammad Omar
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of debt culture in the conventional financial systems and then to compare the existing or emerging trends in the Islamic finance industry. It provides critical insight into why economic policies that are delinked from some fundamental wisdom about sustainable lifestyle might be increasingly less effective.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper identifies various areas of impact of the debt culture and provides qualitative analysis based on relevant data.

Findings

– The data presented in the paper shows that the Islamic finance industry is clearly biased in favor of debt-creating modes, which is expected to lead to promoting the same kind of debt culture as experienced in the conventional financial system.

Research limitations/implications

– Finding comprehensive and current data for Islamic financial institutions is a challenging task. The IFIs are not as transparent as their conventional counterparts in sharing relevant data and information.

Practical implications

– The paper highlights and analyzes a problem – i.e., the debt culture. Dealing with this problem would be indispensable in the long run for any credible as well as sustainable solutions to contemporary crisis.

Social implications

– Debt culture is more than an economic phenomena. The paper identifies/analyzes several areas, including consumption explosion, speculation, ethics, that are related to debt culture.

Originality/value

– This is probably the first research paper that looks into the issue of debt culture in the context of Islamic finance. The contemporary, ongoing global crisis underscores the kind of conventional problems that Islamic finance needs to avoid.
Traditional communities, modernisation and moral behaviour
Authors: Dhesi Autar Singh
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to ascertain impact of modernisation on moral behaviour in village communities in North India.

Design/methodology/approach

– Both qualitative and empirical analysis is done to evaluate a set of ideas related to the main objective. The empirical analysis is based on primary data.

Findings

– Limitations of primary data notwithstanding, results suggest that in-group, inter-group and generalised trust are not exclusive. The empirical results also suggest that significant sources of inter-group trust are trust in neighbours, trust in village council, development/modernisation and education. And sources of generalised trust seem to be inter-group trust, trust in village council, development and education.

Research limitations/implications

– The study pertains to village communities in Indian Punjab embedded in region’s evolved syncretic culture. Researchers need to take into account historical specificities while designing studies for other areas.

Originality/value

– The paper finds that majority of individuals in the evolved, heterogenous communities are inclusive and subscribe to moran values that persist with modernisation. But core values may become dormant in a situation of social disequilibrium. Inclusive development and spread of education in a conducive local institutional framework seem to restore them.
Peer support as a resilience building practice with men
Authors: Robinson Mark , Raine Gary , Robertson Steve , Steen Mary , Day Rhiannon
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an evaluation of a community mental health resilience intervention for unemployed men aged 45-60. The focus is on examining the place of facilitated peer support within a multi-dimensional men’s mental health programme, and exploring implications for resilience building delivery approaches for men.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws on a mixed methodology design involving before and after survey data and qualitative interviews, to report results concerning effectiveness in changing men’s perceived resilience, to consider project processes concerning peer support, and to situate these within wider community environments.

Findings

– The programme significantly raised the perceived resilience of participants. Project activities promoted trusting informal social connections, gains in social capital arose through trusting relations and skill-sharing, and peer-peer action-focused talk and planning enhanced men’s resilience.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper considers facilitated peer support on a programme, rather than on-going informal peer support or more formal peer support roles (a limitation reflecting the boundaries of the funded programme).

Practical implications

– The paper discusses emerging considerations for resilience building, focusing on gender-sensitive approaches which can engage and retain men by focusing on doing and talking. It highlights the importance of peer support in community interventions which feature a social model of change. There is potential for encouraging further peer mentoring and peer led support beyond facilitated peer support in programme delivery.

Social implications

– Potential exists for gender-aware programmes to sustain salutogenic change, co-producing social assets of peer support, male-friendly activities, and context sensitive course provision.

Originality/value

– The paper adds fresh evidence of gendered intervention approaches with a specific focus on facilitated community peer support, including effects on male resilience. Little previous resilience research is gendered, there is little gendered research on peer support, and unemployed middle-aged men are a significant risk group.
Confidence, competence and commitment: Public Health England
'
s leadership and workforce development framework for public mental health
Authors: Stansfield Jude
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe a national framework for leadership and workforce development in public mental health, published by Public Health England in 2015.

Design/methodology/approach

– It has been developed with national partners and the local public health workforce, responding to local need and national policy. It aims to build the capacity and capability of leaders and a workforce that is confident, competent and committed to: promoting good mental health across the population, preventing mental illness and suicide, and improving the quality and length of life of people living with mental illness.

Findings

– The framework outlines six ambitions for change and suggests the core principles and competencies needed in the workforce, and in leaders, to make that change happen, alongside practical actions.

Practical implications

– A call to action approach is used to gain commitment from strategic partners and key organisations. Planners and practitioners are encouraged to use the framework to inform the commissioning and delivery of workforce development.

Originality/value

– This is the first time a national framework for workforce development in public mental health has been published and as such it sets direction for national and local bodies and provides a practical approach to inform and influence action.
Co-production in mental health research: reflections from the People Study
Authors: Pinfold Vanessa , Szymczynska Paulina , Hamilton Sarah , Peacocke Richard , Dean Shirley , Clewett Naomi , Manthorpe Jill , Larsen John
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the process of co-producing mental health research where work was shared between university academics, charity-based researchers and a Lived Experience Advisory Panel.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors express the opinions of a research team made up of people with experience of using mental health services, being carers and being academically trained researchers from a range of health and social science disciplines. Some had experience in several areas. The paper is co-produced to provide collective reflection and recommendations.

Findings

– Co-production of research is not well documented in published literature. The authors believe there is scope to develop co-production approaches, but further conceptual and theoretical work is needed alongside empirical studies. A socially situated complex research project, possibly involving multi-stakeholder groups, demands flexibility in approach. Similarly to user-controlled and other emancipatory methodologies, co-production makes the democratisation of research a primary objective in order to produce better quality and more relevant studies. Co-production also addresses inequalities in power and control within research projects; this way of working does provide a healthy challenge to traditional research hierarchies.

Practical implications

– Lessons learned should be honestly shared to develop co-production research methods. Projects need to have a strategy for how to value different contributions and facilitate constructive relationships if discord emerges. Establishing clear project roles, expectations and process for payment are essential in developing genuine collaborative partnerships.

Originality/value

– It is a viewpoint paper.
Proposition of the relational boycott
Authors: Cruz Breno de Paula Andrade , Botelho Delane
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to identify, in the context of virtual social networks (VSNs), other types of boycott which have not yet been addressed in the literature. We relate the boycott(s) emerged on the VSNs with those found in the literature (economic, religious, of minorities, ecological and labor boycott), and verify the motivation that must be unique to such context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Grounded theory was used in triangulation with netnography (interacting with 183 customers), non-participant observation (68 postings/47 complaints, from 2009 to 2012) and in-depth interview (15 consumers).

Findings

– A new classification of boycott was proposed, which emerged on the basis of company service quality, named “relational boycott”, which can generate additional acts of repudiation, such as interaction, unity of the group and encouragement of third parties.

Research limitations/implications

– The model of relational boycott proposed was not empirically tested, but insights for future test are provided.

Practical implications

– A model of how the relational boycott is structured is provided, being a deliberate, primary act of the consumer resulting from the management problems of a company generating backlash actions.

Social implications

– Since boycott represents a mechanism of protesting, it is a way that consumers pressure companies to provide better services and products, which may improve consumer’s wellbeing in the long range.

Originality/value

– A new type of boycott emerges in the research, named relational boycott, structured in a model that can be tested empirically.
Key library service dimensions for serving the needs of higher education students in Namibia
Authors: Ali Shameem
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Students at higher education institutions in under-developed countries face many study and learning-related impediments and challenges. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the library usage behaviour and experiences of students as well as to explore reliance on campus-based private study options due largely to the disadvantaged living conditions of many students.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey of students was conducted to identify how the institutional library is used, what perception students have of the library services and what the service gaps are. Perceptions were measured across 20 indicators adapted from previous studies. The survey sought information on the rate of library usage, the main reason for the most recent library visit and reasons that had ever prevented them from visiting the library. Post survey, three focus group sessions were conducted to discuss issues relating to home study environments and preliminary findings from the survey stage.

Findings

– Based on the item groupings five service dimensions were identified. These were student services/facilities, management, collection, study spaces and access. Despite indicating a high level of dissatisfaction with some aspects of the library services, students preferred the library because home environments are not conducive to study and learning. The service dimensions identified by the study relate to the areas of greatest need from the student perspective.

Practical implications

– The implementation of many of the virtual characteristics of university libraries should be based on a clear understanding of the local information needs, searching behaviours as well as being cognizant of how and why libraries are accessed. In this regard consideration must be given to the lack of study facilities at home.

Originality/value

– In the context of developed countries the notion of virtual libraries is a reality. However, in the African context such a notion seems “remote” from the perspectives of many students, especially those from the lower socio-economic backgrounds. Many of these students come from poor living conditions and have no study and learning opportunities outside of campus. This paper raises these issues for consideration in library planning and budget allocations for universities in poor communities.
Place matters: undergraduate perceptions of the value of the library
Authors: de Jager Karin
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore from a number of points of view the perceptions of mainly undergraduate students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) about the value they derive from visiting the physical library.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data from different investigations were assembled to derive a composite view of undergraduates’ perceptions of the value of the library. LibQUAL+® data reflecting the “Library as Place” dimension of the survey which was completed in 2014 were scrutinized; data from two surveys conducted in the information commons and the 24/7 venue of the main library at UCT were compiled and data from gate counts during the past three years showed different aspects of undergraduates’ opinions and behaviour.

Findings

– The combination of data from difference sources provided convincing evidence that undergraduate students value the library as a physical space and that they believe their working in the library enables them to get better marks for their university work.

Originality/value

– The originality of this paper lies in the combination of different data sets to focus on one particular issue, the value of the physical library.
Measuring the economic impact of tourism: the case of Lower and Upper Austria
Authors: Smeral Egon
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to demonstrate that the information content of a regional tourism satellite account (RTSA) is a very complex phenomenon and the complete impact of tourism is difficult to capture.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is based on the recommended framework for tourism satellite account-building and is concentrated on Lower and Upper Austria, two of the nine Austrian federal states. The RTSA provides an analytical framework of issues related to tourism economics and tourism policy as well as for model building, tourism growth analysis and productivity measurement.

Findings

– Considering only direct effects, calculations showed that tourism made around 3 1/2 per cent of the Upper Austrian gross regional product. In case of Lower Austria, the relevant figure was around 1 percentage lower. Considering the direct and indirect effects, tourism contributed almost 6 per cent to the overall gross regional product of Upper Austria, and in Lower Austria, tourism contributed around 5 per cent to the overall gross regional product.

Originality/value

– This paper is one of the first papers about considering (beside the direct effects) also the indirect effects of tourism and pointing out the true economic impact of tourism on the whole economy on a regional level.
In future, I would love to see … a reflection on the state of quantitative tourism research
Authors: Dolnicar Sara
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– This paper reflects on the state of quantitative tourism research.

Design/methodology/approach

– Prior literature, observation and introspection form the basis of this article.

Findings

– Key questions raised include: Do we choose methods because they are suitable or because they impress? Are our results just another number? Why temperature is temperature and loyalty not loyalty? Why are we retesting the same things over and over again? Do we have enough suitable reviewers? Why don’t we study what we are trying to understand: tourist behaviour?

Research limitations/implications

– This paper is limited, in that it does not conduct a comprehensive review to provide information on how frequently the observed phenomena are occurring in tourism research.

Practical implications

– This paper calls for a change in quantitative tourism research. Specifically it calls for refocusing on the study of actual behaviour, tackling novel research problems or – when existing constructs are studied –building on existing definitions, applying the simplest possible appropriate methodological approach rigorously, dedicating manuscript space to a detailed interpretation and discussion of findings and being open-minded and generous as reviewers while not compromising on methodological rigour.

Originality/value

– To the best of the author’s knowledge, this special issue ofTourism Review– including the present article – represents the first attempt to critically reflect on the state of quantitative tourism research.
Governing networks in tourism: what have we achieved, what is still to be done and learned?
Authors: Volgger Michael , Pechlaner Harald
Published: November 2015

Purpose

– Networks and networking are ubiquitous concepts in tourism, their importance appreciated by scholars and practitioners. Tourism research has developed elaborate methods and concepts to grasp the numerous variants of tourism networks and to gain insights into their governance. In particular, Association Internationale D’Experts Scientifiques Du Tourisme (AIEST) and its official journal,Tourism Review, have made significant contributions to the achievements in this research area. After approximately two decades of intensive research on tourism networks, it is appropriate to pause for a moment to critically assess the results achieved, to compare them with partly old, partly newly, emerging real-world challenges, and to explore future directions.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides a selective and critical overview of the state-of-the-art in research on governing networks in tourism. This overview of eight major achievements is combined with an exploratory, comparative analysis of qualitative interviews with tourism practitioners.

Findings

– Considering the two sources mentioned above, the study derives seven suggestions for future directions in research on network governance in tourism. These relate to the big picture of tourism governance, e-governance, disparities within networks, negative aspects of networking, dynamism of networks, network moderators and means of network steering.

Originality/value

– Due to its design, the paper is uniquely able to compare real-world issues with up-to-date theoretical achievements, and will contribute to bringing them closer together in future approaches. Hence, it is relevant for both academic readers and practitioners.
Test of biotic and abiotic correlates of latitudinal variation in defences in the perennial herb Ruellia nudiflora
Authors: Abdala‐Roberts Luis , Moreira Xoaquín , Rasmann Sergio , Parra‐Tabla Víctor , Mooney Kailen A.
Published: November 2015

Geographic variation in abiotic factors and species interactions is widespread and is hypothesized to generate concomitant patterns of species trait variation. For example, higher rates of herbivory at lower latitudes are thought to select for increased plant defences, although latitudinal variation in defences may also be influenced directly by abiotic factors and indirectly by predators and parasitoids reducing herbivore pressure.

We measured defences of the herb Ruellia nudiflora among 30 populations spanning a latitudinal gradient from northern Yucatan to southern Belize that vary substantially in leaf herbivory (fourfold), seed herbivory (25‐fold) and seed herbivore parasitism (14‐fold). These surveyed populations span one‐third of the species’ latitudinal distribution (5° of latitude), the entire precipitation gradient of its distribution, and one‐third of the temperature gradient of its distribution. Our prior work showed that leaf herbivory decreased with latitude and that seed herbivory increased with latitude. Here, we measured leaf trichome density and leaf and seed phenolics and tested whether latitudinal variation in climate, herbivory and parasitism explained latitudinal variation in these defensive traits.

Patterns of variation in leaf trichomes fully supported predictions, with trichome density increasing with a parallel increase in herbivory towards lower latitudes. While seed phenolics were positively associated with herbivory, and seed herbivory tended to increase with latitude, the predicted (positive) association between latitude and defence was not detectable. There was no detectable association between parasitoids and seed defences. In addition, the association between leaf herbivory and phenolics was weak, and leaf phenolics were not associated with latitude. Importantly, variation in the abiotic environment was associated with plant defence, indicating that abiotic factors can play a major role in shaping plant defences, independently of herbivory.

Synthesis. Latitudinal variation in abiotic factors may drive concomitant patterns of variation in plant defences, independently of herbivory. Collectively, these findings highlight the need for assessing geographic variation in plant defences from a multi‐factorial perspective, testing for the simultaneous influence of biotic and abiotic factors.
Species patch size at seeding affects diversity and productivity responses in establishing grasslands
Authors: Seahra Shannon E. , Yurkonis Kathryn A. , Newman Jonathan A.
Published: November 2015

Species interactions in diverse plant communities affect community‐scale functions such as above‐ground biomass production, diversity and invasion resistance. While the strength of these formative interactions can be affected by the balance of inter‐ and intraspecific interactions among the resident species, it is unclear over what distances individuals typically interact in grasslands and whether or not species interactions at seeding can be effectively manipulated to improve these responses.

In a three‐year study, we tested whether manipulating the size of seeded species patches affected above‐ground biomass, diversity and invasion resistance in experimentally restored grassland plots (16 m2). Plots were divided into patches that were 1, 0.5, 0.25 or 0.125 m on a side, and the equivalent of 1 m2 in each plot was seeded with one of 16 grassland species (1728 seeds m−2). A final treatment involved mixing and broadcasting all seeds into an undivided plot to mimic typical restoration approaches.

Using successively smaller initial seed patches resulted in plots that were less diverse and initially more productive (˜25% difference in second‐year biomass production) than larger patch counterparts. Smaller patch plots also had a greater selection effect and experienced increases in resident species connectivity, suggesting that diversity declines and productivity gains resulted from the enhanced establishment and spread of more productive seeded species.

Plots seeded with larger patches of the resident species were initially more invaded than those seeded with smaller patches, but this effect diminished over time. This likely reflects the ability of the non‐seeded species to more effectively colonize larger patches with poor seeded species establishment.

Mixed seeding plots were most similar to the smallest patch plots in their metrics of resident species spatial pattern, diversity and invasion resistance. However, these plots were initially less productive and had a weaker selection effect, which reflects a different compositional outcome, than the structured seeding plots.

Synthesis. Species interact over sub‐metre scales in establishing tallgrass prairie and, once established, their patterns may change over time. Given these dynamics, structured seeding approaches may be used over traditional mixed seeding approaches to control species dominance and preserve seeded species diversity within grassland systems.
Intergovernmental Relations and the Role of Senior Officials: Two Case Studies and Some Lessons Learned
Authors: Davis Glyn , Silver Helen
Published: November 2015

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the most important forum for intergovernmental relations in Australian federalism. Though decision‐making processes in intergovernmental relations in Australia have been well documented in recent research, the role of senior officials within the COAG process is less often studied. Though not the primary decision makers, this article suggests senior officials play a significant role in intergovernmental outcomes through advice provision and ‘bargaining in the margins’ of COAG. Case studies of the National Competition Policy and the development of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations suggest both the contribution of senior officials and the constraints on their contribution to intergovernmental decision making.
Fixing Funding in the Australian Federation: Issues and Options for State Tax Reform
Authors: Eccleston Richard , Smith Helen
Published: November 2015

The structural pressures confronting the federal budget are well documented. Given the political risks associated with reducing the federal deficit by either increasing taxes or reining in expenditure at a national level, the Commonwealth has outlined its intention to freeze (in real terms) tied grants to the states from 2017. If implemented, this strategy will see Commonwealth transfers to the states decline from a peak of 29% of federal expenditure in 2001 to a projected 21% in 2024. Cost shifting on this scale is unprecedented in the Australian federation and arguably heralds a new era of ‘fend‐for‐yourself federalism’. The potential significance of this move is exacerbated by the current budgetary context and the concurrent reviews of the national tax system and Australian federation. This article presents an analysis of tax and funding reform options available to the states that could bolster own‐source revenues and fill the funding gap left by the Commonwealth while enhancing the efficiency of the national tax system.
Aggravation of airway inflammation and hyper‐responsiveness following nasal challenge with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in perennial allergic rhinitis without symptoms of asthma
Authors: Wang W. , Xian M. , Xie Y. , Zheng J. , Li J.
Published: November 2015

Background

House dust mites are the most prevalent allergen causing sensitizations in patients with rhinitis and asthma in China. We aimed to investigate the changes in both upper and lower airway inflammation and responsiveness following Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der‐p) nasal provocation test (NPT) in rhinitis patients.

Methods

Study subjects included 15 nonasthmatic Der‐p‐sensitized rhinitis (AR) patients with airway hyper‐responsiveness (AHR) (AR+AHR+), 15 AR patients without AHR (AR+AHR‐), 15 healthy controls (HCs) with Der‐p sensitization (HC+DP+), and 15 HC without Der‐p sensitization (HC+DP‐). All subjects underwent Der‐p NPT. Visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of nasal symptoms, nasal lavage and nasal airway resistance (NAR) measurement, sputum induction, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were performed. Airway responsiveness to histamine bronchoprovocation (PD20‐FEV1) and exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was determined.

Results

NAR increased significantly in all subjects with the greatest effect seen in AR+AHR+ individuals. VAS increased in all subjects at 30 min and returned to baseline at 6 h, with significantly higher levels in AR+AHR+ and AR+AHR‐ subjects (P < 0.05). Eosinophils in nasal lavage fluid and sputum increased significantly after NPT in AR+AHR+ and AR+AHR‐ subjects (P < 0.001). FEV1% and PD20‐FEV1 decreased and FeNO increased significantly after NPT only in AR+AHR+ subjects (P < 0.05). Nasal lavage eosinophil count was positively correlated with sputum eosinophil count and the level of FeNO and negatively correlated with FEV1 and PD20.

Conclusions

House dust mite nasal provocation test induces and aggravates both upper and lower airway inflammation and hyper‐responsiveness in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis without asthmatic symptoms.