bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Glasses Stereotype Revisited
Authors: Leder Helmut , Forster Michael , Gerger Gernot
Published: November 2011

In face perception, besides physiognomic changes, accessories like eyeglasses can influence facial appearance. According to a stereotype, people who wear glasses are more intelligent, but less attractive. In a series of four experiments, we showed how full-rim and rimless glasses, differing with respect to the amount of face they cover, affect face perception, recognition, distinctiveness, and the attribution of stereotypes. Eyeglasses generally directed observers’ gaze to the eye regions; rimless glasses made faces appear less distinctive and resulted in reduced distinctiveness in matching and in recognition tasks. Moreover, the stereotype was confirmed but depended on the kind of glasses – rimless glasses yielded an increase in perceived trustworthiness, but not a decrease in attractiveness. Thus, glasses affect how we perceive the faces of the people wearing them and, in accordance with an old stereotype, they can lower how attractive, but increase how intelligent and trustworthy people wearing them appear. These effects depend on the kind of glasses worn.
How Mood States Affect Information Processing During Facial Emotion Recognition: An Eye Tracking Study
Authors: Schmid Petra C. , Schmid Mast Marianne , Bombari Dario , Mast Fred W. , Lobmaier Janek S.
Published: November 2011

Existing research shows that a sad mood hinders emotion recognition. More generally, it has been shown that mood affects information processing. A happy mood facilitates global processing and a sad mood boosts local processing. Global processing has been described as the Gestalt-like integration of details; local processing is understood as the detailed processing of the parts. The present study investigated how mood affects the use of information processing styles in an emotion recognition task. Thirty-three participants were primed with happy or sad moods in a within-subjects design. They performed an emotion recognition task during which eye movements were registered. Eye movements served to provide information about participants’ global or local information processing style. Our results suggest that when participants were in a happy mood, they processed information more globally compared to when they were in a sad mood. However, global processing was only positively and local processing only negatively related to emotion recognition when participants were in a sad mood. When they were in a happy mood, processing style was not related to emotion recognition performance. Our findings clarify the mechanism that underlies accurate emotion recognition, which is important when one is aiming to improve this ability (i.e., via training).
Bite Force Measurement in Mandibular Parasymphyseal Fractures: A Preliminary Clinical Study
Authors: Kshirsagar Rajesh , Jaggi Nitin , Halli Rajshekhar
Published: November 2011

We measured the amount of bite force generated by patients treated for parasymphyseal fractures of the mandible by open reduction and internal fixation at various predetermined time intervals. Sixty volunteers ranging from 18 to 60 years old were selected as the control group. All measurements were made on a bite force measurement device with the head in an upright position and in an unsupported natural position. Bite forces were measured at the incisor and right and left molar regions. These bite forces were compared with six patients with isolated mandibular unilateral parasymphyseal fractures. All patients were operated using open reduction and internal fixation using two miniplates at the fracture site. In the volunteer group, bite forces ranged from 22 to 50 kg in the molar region and 3 to 27 kg in the incisor region. Mean adult healthy values (male and female) in the molar region were 36 kg and in the incisor region, 15 kg. In mandibular parasymphyseal fractures, incisor bite forces were reduced significantly when compared with the control group in the first 2 postoperative weeks and regained significantly thereafter till 4 to 6 weeks. Bite forces in the molar region took ∼6 to 12 weeks to regain maximum bite forces when compared with the volunteer group. Restoration of functional bite forces was evident by 6 to 8 weeks. However, the restoration of maximum bite forces may require up to 12 weeks in parasymphyseal fractures.
A robust clustering algorithm for identifying problematic samples in genome-wide association studies
Authors: Bellenguez Céline , Strange Amy , Freeman Colin ,   Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium †, Donnelly Peter , Spencer Chris C.A.
Published: November 2011

Summary: High-throughput genotyping arrays provide an efficient way to survey single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the genome in large numbers of individuals. Downstream analysis of the data, for example in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), often involves statistical models of genotype frequencies across individuals. The complexities of the sample collection process and the potential for errors in the experimental assay can lead to biases and artefacts in an individual's inferred genotypes. Rather than attempting to model these complications, it has become a standard practice to remove individuals whose genome-wide data differ from the sample at large. Here we describe a simple, but robust, statistical algorithm to identify samples with atypical summaries of genome-wide variation. Its use as a semi-automated quality control tool is demonstrated using several summary statistics, selected to identify different potential problems, and it is applied to two different genotyping platforms and sample collections.

Availability: The algorithm is written in R and is freely available at www.well.ox.ac.uk/chris-spencer

Contact:  chris.spencer@well.ox.ac.uk

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Detecting differential binding of transcription factors with ChIP-seq
Authors: Liang Kun , Keleş Sündüz
Published: November 2011

Summary: Increasing number of ChIP-seq experiments are investigating transcription factor binding under multiple experimental conditions, for example, various treatment conditions, several distinct time points and different treatment dosage levels. Hence, identifying differential binding sites across multiple conditions is of practical importance in biological and medical research. To this end, we have developed a powerful and flexible program, called DBChIP, to detect differentially bound sharp binding sites across multiple conditions, with or without matching control samples. By assigning uncertainty measure to the putative differential binding sites, DBChIP facilitates downstream analysis. DBChIP is implemented in R programming language and can work with a wide range of sequencing file formats.

Availability: R package DBChIP is available at http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~kliang/DBChIP/

Contact:  kliang@stat.wisc.edu

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Gene Ontology-driven inference of protein–protein interactions using inducers
Authors: Maetschke Stefan R. , Simonsen Martin , Davis Melissa J. , Ragan Mark A.
Published: November 2011

Motivation: Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) are pivotal for many biological processes and similarity in Gene Ontology (GO) annotation has been found to be one of the strongest indicators for PPI. Most GO-driven algorithms for PPI inference combine machine learning and semantic similarity techniques. We introduce the concept of inducers as a method to integrate both approaches more effectively, leading to superior prediction accuracies.

Results: An inducer (ULCA) in combination with a Random Forest classifier compares favorably to several sequence-based methods, semantic similarity measures and multi-kernel approaches. On a newly created set of high-quality interaction data, the proposed method achieves high cross-species prediction accuracies (Area under the ROC curve ≤ 0.88), rendering it a valuable companion to sequence-based methods.

Availability: Software and datasets are available at http://bioinformatics.org.au/go2ppi/

Contact:  m.ragan@uq.edu.au
Endocrine and Bone Metabolic Complications in Chronic Liver Disease and After Liver Transplantation in Children
Authors: Högler Wolfgang , Baumann Ulrich , Kelly Deirdre
Published: November 2011

With improved survival of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in children, prevention and treatment of pre‐ and posttransplant complications have become a major focus of care. End‐stage liver failure can cause endocrine complications such as growth failure and hepatic osteodystrophy, and, like other chronic illnesses, also pubertal delay, relative adrenal insufficiency, and the sick euthyroid syndrome. Drug‐induced diabetes mellitus post‐OLT affects approximately 10% of children. Growth failure is found in 60% of children assessed for OLT. Despite optimisation of nutrition, rarely can further stunting of growth before OLT be prevented. Catch‐up growth is usually observed after steroid weaning from 18 months post‐OLT. Whether growth hormone treatment would benefit the 20% of children who fail to catch up in height requires testing in randomised controlled trials. Hepatic osteodystrophy in children comprises vitamin D deficiency rickets, low bone mass, and fractures caused by malnutrition and malabsorption. Vitamin D deficiency requires aggressive treatment with ergocalciferol (D2) or cholecalciferol (D3). The active vitamin D metabolites alphacalcidol or calcitriol increase gut calcium absorption but do not replace vitamin D stores. Prevalence of fractures is increased both before OLT (10%–28% of children) and after OLT (12%–38%). Most fractures are vertebral, are associated with low spine bone mineral density, and frequently occur asymptomatically, but they may also cause chronic pain. Fracture prediction in these children is limited. OLT in children is also associated with a greater risk of developing avascular bone necrosis (4%) and scoliosis (13%–38%). This article reviews the literature on endocrine and skeletal complications of liver disease and presents preventive screening recommendations and therapeutic strategies.
Serum Cystatin C Correlates Negatively With Viral Load in Treatment‐naïve Children With Chronic Hepatitis C
Authors: Behairy Behairy E. , Saber Magdy A. , Elhenawy Ibrahim A. , Abou‐Zeinah Sahar S. , El‐Sharawy Ahmed A. , Sira Mostafa M.
Published: November 2011

Objectives:

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious health problem that causes chronic infection in up to 85% of cases. HCV nonstructural (NS) cysteine protease, NS2/3, is required for viral replication in vivo. Cystatin C is a naturally occurring cysteine protease inhibitor in human cells. We aimed to investigate the relation between serum levels of cystatin C and HCV viremia in treatment‐naïve children with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods:

Serum cystatin C levels were measured in 27 children with chronic hepatitis C and determined their relation with liver functions, histopathological parameters, and hepatitis C viral load. Serum cystatin C was compared with that of 25 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls.

Results:

Cystatin C was significantly higher in patients than in controls (1.4 ± 0.47 vs 0.99 ± 0.49; P = 0.006), and in those with low viremia than in those with moderate viremia (1.55 ± 0.41 vs 0.99 ± 0.43; P = 0.013). Cystatin C was not correlated with histopathological findings in liver biopsy (P > 0.05 for all). In addition, there was no significant difference of cystatin C levels in patients with normal versus those with elevated transaminases (P > 0.05). Of importance, cystatin C correlated negatively with viral load (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

Cystatin C levels correlated negatively with HCV viremia. This finding may reflect an inhibitory effect of cystatin C on HCV replication through inhibiting its NS2/3 and tempting for further studies for cystatin C as a possible adjuvant therapy for HCV infection.
Pectinatus brassicae sp. nov., a Gram-negative, anaerobic bacterium isolated from salty wastewater
Authors: Zhang Wen-wu , Fang Ming-xu , Tan Hai-qin , Zhang Xin-qi , Wu Min , Zhu Xu-fen
Published: November 2011

A novel Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, strictly anaerobic, heterotrophic bacterium, strain TYT, was isolated from salty pickle wastewater. Cells were rod-shaped with comb-like flagella, slightly curved and very variable in length. Optimal growth occurred at 28 °C and pH 6.5. Cells were resistant to up to 50 g NaCl l−1. Strain TYT produced acid from glycerol, sucrose, glucose, fructose and mannitol. The main fermentation products from glucose were acetic and propionic acids. Tests for acid phosphatase and naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase activities were positive. The major fatty acids were C14 : 0 DMA (18.7 %), C15 : 0 (15.4 %), anteiso-C18 : 1 (15.2 %), C11 : 0 (13.3 %) and summed feature 5 (C17 : 1ω7c and/or C17 : 2) (11.0 %). The DNA G+C content was 35.9 mol%. 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain TYT represented a novel species of the genus

Pectinatus

(sequence similarity to other members of the genus ranged from 93.2 to 94.8 %). Based on its phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic characteristics, strain TYT is proposed to represent a novel species, named Pectinatus brassicae sp. nov. (type strain TYT  = JCM 17499T  = DSM 24661T).
Microbacterium immunditiarum sp. nov., an actinobacterium isolated from landfill surface soil, and emended description of the genus

Microbacterium
Authors: Krishnamurthi Srinivasan , Bhattacharya A. , Schumann P. , Dastager Syed G. , Tang Shu-Kun , Li Wen-Jun , Chakrabarti T.
Published: November 2011

A Gram-positive, non-endospore-forming bacterium, designated strain SK 18T, was isolated from surface soil of a landfill site by dilution plating on trypticase soy broth agar. Preliminary characterization of strain SK 18T via biochemical tests, analysis of fatty acid methyl esters and partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing placed it within the genus

Microbacterium

. Analysis of the cell wall indicated that the peptidoglycan was of cross-linkage type B, containing the amino acids lysine and ornithine and with muramic acid in the N-glycolyl form. The polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified phospholipid and an unidentified glycolipid. The major fatty acids of the cell membrane were anteiso-C17 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. These data further strengthened placement of the strain within the genus

Microbacterium

. Strain SK 18T shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (97.2 %) with

Microbacterium ulmi

DSM 16931T. Levels of similarity with the type strains of all other recognized

Microbacterium

species were less than 97.0 %. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments with strain SK 18T and its closest relative,

M. ulmi

DSM 16931T, revealed a low reassociation value of 39.0 % (σ = 3.8 %). Moreover, strain SK 18T showed a number of differences in phenotypic characteristics (colony colour, catalase activity, hydrolysis of polymers, acid production from sugars and oxidation of various substrates), and its DNA G+C content was also higher than that of

M. ulmi

DSM 16931T. These data indicated that strain SK 18T represents a novel species of the genus

Microbacterium

, for which the name Microbacterium immunditiarum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SK 18T ( = MTCC 7185T = JCM 14034T). An emended description of the genus

Microbacterium

is also provided.
Salinisphaera halophila sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from brine of a salt well
Authors: Zhang Yun-Jiao , Tang Shu-Kun , Shi Rong , Klenk Hans-Peter , Chen Chao , Yang Ling-Ling , Zhou Yu , Li Wen-Jun
Published: November 2011

A Gram-stain-negative, moderately halophilic, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated YIM 95161T, was isolated from brine of a salt well in Yunnan province, China, and subjected to a taxonomic study using a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain YIM 95161T were short rods, approximately 0.9–1.4 µm long and 0.4–0.6 µm wide. Strain YIM 95161T grew at 15–40 °C (optimum, 25–30 °C), 6–29 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 14–19 %) and at pH 5.0–8.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). The predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The major fatty acids (>10 %) were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c) and C14 : 0. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, one unknown phosphoglycolipid and two unknown lipids. The DNA G+C content was 69.5 %. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain YIM 95161T was a member of the genus

Salinisphaera

and exhibited sequence similarities of 96.7 %, 95.6 % and 95.4 % to

Salinisphaera shabanensis

E1L3AT,

Salinisphaera dokdonensis

CL-ES53T and

Salinisphaera hydrothermalis

EPR70T, respectively. On the basis of phylogenetic, physiological and chemotaxonomic analysis, strain YIM 95161T represents a novel species of the genus

Salinisphaera

, for which the name Salinisphaera halophila sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is YIM 95161T ( = CCTCC AB 2011132T = JCM 17431T).
Exiguobacterium

aquaticum sp. nov., a member of the genus

Exiguobacterium
Authors: Raichand Revti , Pareek Siddhika , Singh Nitin Kumar , Mayilraj Shanmugam
Published: November 2011

A Gram-positive, motile, short rod-shaped, orange pigmented bacterium, designated strain IMTB-3094T, was isolated from a water sample collected from Tikkar Tal Lake, Haryana, and subjected to detailed polyphasic taxonomic analysis. Strain IMTB-3094T possessed most of the phenotypic and chemotaxonomic properties of the genus

Exiguobacterium

and, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, was assigned to this genus. Strain IMTB-3094T exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to

Exiguobacterium mexicanum

MTCC 7759T (99.5 %) followed by

Exiguobacterium aurantiacum

MTCC 6414T (99.1 %),

Exiguobacterium aestuarii

MTCC 7750T (98.0 %),

Exiguobacterium profundum

MTCC 10851T (98.0 %) and

Exiguobacterium marinum

MTCC 7751T (98.0 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain IMTB-3094T was 53.2 mol% and a DNA–DNA relatedness study confirmed that it represents a novel species. The major fatty acids of strain IMTB-3094T were iso-C17 : 0 (16.1 %), anteiso-C13 : 0 (19.0 %), iso-C13 : 0 (11.9 %), iso-C15 : 0 (9.8 %) and iso-C17 : 1 (12.7 %). The predominant quinones were MK-7 (55.0 %) and MK-6 (26.0 %) with minor amounts of MK-8 (12.0 %). Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain IMTB-3094T represents a novel species of the genus

Exiguobacterium

, for which the name

Exiguobacterium

aquaticum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IMTB-3094T ( = MTCC 10958T  = JCM 17977T).
Namhaeicola litoreus gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family

Flavobacteriaceae

isolated from seawater
Authors: Jung Yong-Taek , Kim Ji-Hoon , Kang So-Jung , Oh Tae-Kwang , Yoon Jung-Hoon
Published: November 2011

A Gram-staining-negative, non-flagellated, non-gliding and pleomorphic bacterial strain, designated DPG-25T, was isolated from seawater in a seaweed farm in the South Sea in Korea and its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Strain DPG-25T grew optimally at 25 °C, at pH 7.0–7.5 and in the presence of 2 % (w/v) NaCl. Flexirubin-type pigments were not produced. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain DPG-25T formed a cluster with the type strains of

Actibacter sediminis

,

Aestuariicola saemankumensis

and

Lutimonas vermicola

. Strain DPG-25T exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values of 95.3, 93.1 and 93.6 % to the type strains of

Actibacter sediminis

,

Aestuariicola saemankumensis

and
L. vermicola
, respectively. Strain DPG-25T contained MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids detected in strain DPG-25T were phosphatidylethanolamine and one unidentified lipid. The DNA G+C content was 39.9 mol%. Differential phenotypic properties and the phylogenetic distinctiveness of strain DPG-25T demonstrated that this strain is distinguishable from

Actibacter sediminis

,

Aestuariicola saemankumensis

and
L. vermicola
. On the basis of the data presented here, strain DPG-25T represents a novel species in a novel genus of the family
Flavobacteriaceae
, for which the name Namhaeicola litoreus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Namhaeicola litoreus is DPG-25T ( = KCTC 23702T  = CCUG 61485T).
Enterococcus rivorum sp. nov., from water of pristine brooks
Authors: Niemi R. Maarit , Ollinkangas Tuula , Paulin Lars , Švec Pavel , Vandamme Peter , Karkman Antti , Kosina Marcel , Lindström Kristina
Published: November 2011

A significant number of

Enterococcus

strains from pristine waters of two brooks in Finland formed a distinct cluster on the basis of whole-cell protein fingerprinting by one-dimensional SDS-PAGE. The strains shared the following characteristics. Cells were ovoid, Gram-positive-staining and non-spore-forming, appearing singly or in pairs or chains. They were facultatively anaerobic and catalase-negative. Growth in broth containing 6.5 % NaCl or at 45 °C was weak or absent. Production of D antigen was variable. The strains tolerated 60 °C for 30 min, 40 % bile and tellurite, hydrolysed aesculin strongly and gelatin weakly, produced no acid from hippurate and did not reduce it, grew weakly at 10 °C, showed a strong reaction for the Voges–Proskauer test and produced acid from methyl α-d-glucoside, mannitol, sorbitol and sucrose, with weak or no production of acid from methyl α-d-mannoside, l-arabinose, gluconate and l-xylose. Several of the strains were selected for identification on the basis of sequencing of almost the whole 16S rRNA gene and partial atpA and pheS genes and of (GTG)5-PCR fingerprints. Partial atpA and pheS gene sequencing was also performed for those type strains of

Enterococcus

species without available sequences in the database. The pristine brook isolates formed a novel species, for which the name Enterococcus rivorum sp. nov. (type strain S299T  = HAMBI 3055T  = LMG 25899T  = CCM 7986T) is proposed. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, E. rivorum sp. nov. is related to the

Enterococcus faecalis

genogoup. It is distinguished from described

Enterococcus

species on the basis of 16S rRNA, atpA and pheS gene sequences and whole-cell protein and (GTG)5-PCR fingerprints. It is most closely related to

E. faecalis

, but DNA–DNA hybridization confirms it to represent a novel species.
Thousands of Cis-Regulatory Sequence Combinations Are Shared by Arabidopsis and Poplar
Authors: Ding Jun , Hu Haiyan , Li Xiaoman
Published: November 2011

The identification of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) can greatly advance our understanding of gene regulatory mechanisms. Despite the existence of binding sites of more than three transcription factors (TFs) in a CRM, studies in plants often consider only the cooccurrence of binding sites of one or two TFs. In addition, CRM studies in plants are limited to combinations of only a few families of TFs. It is thus not clear how widespread plant TFs work together, which TFs work together to regulate plant genes, and how the combinations of these TFs are shared by different plants. To fill these gaps, we applied a frequent pattern-mining-based approach to identify frequently used cis-regulatory sequence combinations in the promoter sequences of two plant species, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and poplar (Populus trichocarpa). A cis-regulatory sequence here corresponds to a DNA motif bound by a TF. We identified 18,638 combinations composed of two to six cis-regulatory sequences that are shared by the two plant species. In addition, with known cis-regulatory sequence combinations, gene function annotation, gene expression data, and known functional gene sets, we showed that the functionality of at least 96.8% and 65.2% of these shared combinations in Arabidopsis are partially supported, under a false discovery rate of 0.1 and 0.05, respectively. Finally, we discovered that 796 of the 18,638 combinations might relate to functions that are important in bioenergy research. Our work will facilitate the study of gene transcriptional regulation in plants.
Has the link between inflation uncertainty and interest rates changed after inflation targeting?
Authors: Mallik Girijasankar , Bhar Ramprasad
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish a link between inflation uncertainty and interest rates for five inflation‐targeting countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of a time‐varying parameter model with a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) specification, used to derive impulse uncertainty and structural uncertainty.

Findings

This study attempts to establish a link between inflation uncertainty and interest rates for five inflation‐targeting countries, i.e. Canada, Finland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Decomposing inflation uncertainty into two components – impulse and structural, a positive association was found between the expected inflation and interest rates. Structural uncertainty has a positive and significant effect on interest rates for some countries. It has also been found that the long‐run effects of inflation on interest rates are less than unity for the post‐inflation targeting period, which implies that in some respect the Central Bank has been successful in targeting inflation. This has allowed the Central Bank to employ a less restrictive monetary policy in an environment of a credible inflation‐targeting strategy.

Research limitations/implications

Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (EGARCH) can be used instead of GARCH modelling.

Originality/value

This is the first study that has tried to establish the link between different types of inflation uncertainty and interest rates for the inflation‐targeting countries to see the effect of inflation targeting.
Self‐employed workers' health and household labour supply
Authors: Reis Mauricio
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether shocks to the health of a self‐employed worker in Brazil increase the labour supply of other household members.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from the Brazilian National Household Survey, this paper investigates whether the probability of other household members entering the labour force increases as a reaction to a decrease in income caused by the absence from work due to health problems of a head of household who is self‐employed.

Findings

The empirical evidence indicates that absence of the head of household from work due to health problems seems to increase the probability of other household members entering the labour force.

Originality/value

The paper provides evidence regarding the consequences of negative shocks to the health of self‐employed workers on households' labour supply decisions in Brazil.
Nonlinear stationarity of real interest rates in the EMU countries
Authors: Zhou Su
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to examine two hypotheses that have not been well investigated in the existing literature. One hypothesis is that the real interest rates of industrial countries tend to be mean‐reverting during the current floating exchange rate period. Another hypothesis is that the real interest rates of the countries involved in forming the Euro area are more likely to behave as nonlinear stationary series than those of other industrial countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies the conventional linear unit root tests and recently developed nonlinear unit root tests, as well as the tests of specifying nonlinearity in time series, to the short‐term real interest rates of 16 industrial countries.

Findings

The results of the study provide support for both hypotheses.

Practical implications

The results imply that, having adopted target‐zone type stabilization policies for years, the central banks of European Monetary Union (EMU) countries were likely to have exercised monetary policies in a nonlinear way, especially in the process of meeting the requirements of joining EMU.

Originality/value

The study provides stronger evidence than previous studies for the theory that real interest rates of industrial countries tend to have mean‐reverting behavior. The study suggests that more active monetary policies for inflation control in the floating exchange rate period may have enhanced mean reversion in real interest rates.
Is industrial agglomeration increasing? New evidence from a small open economy
Authors: Crawley Andrew James , Hill Stephen
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine changes in manufacturing agglomeration in a small open economy over the last decade. This is done during a time when manufacturing in most developed countries is in relative decline.

Design/methodology/approach

This work adapts the methodology developed by De Propris to measure the relative level of manufacturing agglomeration across space and time. It combines different measures utilising the location quotient technique, thereby allowing the relative strengths of manufacturing in different areas to be compared with the national (UK) level. The work goes further by also calculating the EG index to compare the levels of concentration and specialisation.

Findings

This research shows that manufacturing agglomeration has increased in Wales at a time when manufacturing employment is decreasing. Concentration and specialisation have continued to increase across the last decade despite manufacturing's steady decline.

Originality/value

This work details for the first time the relative intensity of agglomeration across space and time in a small open economy. This is often neglected in other economic “cluster” work but may be key to understanding economic development in the twenty‐first century.
Talent and analytics: new approaches, higher ROI
Authors: Harris Jeanne G. , Craig Elizabeth , Light David A.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

More and more, the leaders of business functions are turning for competitive insights to the massive data they can now capture. But to date, human resources departments have lagged behind the efforts of marketing, IT, CRM and other functions. The purpose of this article is to show how executives can start using data to measure and improve HR's contributions to business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The article identifies six analytical tools that HR can use to connect HR efforts to business performance. Survey results underscore the value of an analytical approach while revealing that many HR departments are heavily focused on internal measures rather than business outcomes. Each analytical tool is exemplified through case studies. A model is presented to suggest how executives can get started by focusing on five key areas.

Findings

Leading companies are using six analytical tools to improve the connection between HR investments and business returns: employee databases; segmentation of talent; targeted investments; customization of the employee value proposition; long‐term workforce planning; and talent supply chains.

Originality/value

As the case studies reveal, the tools identified here can help HR leaders actively shape their organization's future – managing talent and directing programs toward the long‐term needs of the business. Survey data shows that most companies increasingly seek to use analytics for long‐term advantage, and the model presented here can help HR executives take the first critical steps.
Wringing more value from advertising dollars: the customer satisfaction boost
Authors: Samaraweera Manoshi , Gelb Betsy D.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a new perspective on increasing advertising effectiveness, testing the idea that the link between advertising expenditures and brand equity is greater when a company's consumer satisfaction ratings exceed those of their competitors than when such ratings trail those of competitors.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used published data for 27 companies and their competitors from 2001 to 2009, providing 182 observations for analysis using hierarchical linear modeling. Annual data on advertising expenditures (obtained from Compustat) for companies whose corporate names are synonymous with their brand (e.g. Apple, McDonald's, Nike) formed the basis for testing the proposition of interest. Yearly brand equity data obtained from Interbrand, and customer satisfaction (CS) ratings from the American Customer Satisfaction Index website were employed to test whether year‐over‐year increases in advertising expenditure resulted in increasing the value of the brand and whether this positive effect was accentuated when a company's CS ratings exceeded those of its competitors.

Findings

As expected, a year‐over‐year increase in advertising expenditures contributed to enhance brand equity, but this positive effect was significantly greater when a company's CS ratings trumped the CS ratings of its competitors as opposed to trailing them.

Originality/value

If a company trumps its competitors in CS ratings, it should consider spending more on advertising, because now their ad dollars have a bigger bang for the buck in contributing to enhance the value of the brand. A company trailing its competitors in CS ratings should consider taking funds from the advertising budget to remedy that disparity, whether by product improvements, sales training, customer service hires, or whatever seems needed. Not only can increasing CS make future ad dollars more effective, on the flip side, it can make competitors' ad dollars less so.
Integrating business analytics into strategic planning for better performance
Authors: Klatt Tobias , Schlaefke Marten , Moeller Klaus
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Over the past few years, developments in business analytics have provided strategic planners with promising instruments for dealing with turbulent environments. This study aims to reveal whether or not the application of business analytics in strategic planning contributes to better company performance, and to formulate recommendations on how to integrate business analytics in companies' performance management systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a survey conducted with 89 respondents from high‐technology firms, a group comparison between firms with strong performance and those with weak performance reveals significant differences between the two groups' strategic planning processes and application of business analytics.

Findings

The empirical survey's results show that better‐performing companies are characterized by a more sophisticated analytical planning process. Lower‐performing firms acknowledge this competitive advantage. Based on these findings, the authors develop recommendations on how to integrate business analytics in performance management contexts.

Research limitations

The empirical study's results are limited to high‐technology industries in the cultural setting of Germany.

Practical implications

The empirical results emphasize the competitive advantage gained by applying business analytics. The recommendations concerning analytical performance management should help managers to sensibly integrate the analytical toolbox in performance management contexts.

Originality/value

This paper combines insights on the best usage of business analytics from the perspective of strategic planning experts, with recommendations for the integration of business analytics into the performance management framework from an academic perspective.
Value networks in cloud computing
Authors: Ojala Arto , Tyrväinen Pasi
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine value networks in cloud computing. It demonstrates the kinds of value offered by such networks to firms within a given network, and considers how and why the network may change over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports on a longitudinal case study, including a total of seven semi‐structured open‐ended interviews, conducted with five informants from the case firm.

Findings

It was found that cooperation in value networks provides not merely financial benefits, but also knowledge, among other intangible benefits. Value networks should be evaluated as a whole, since there may be indirect connections – i.e. the value comes not directly from customers, but through the partners in the network. The study also shows the dynamic nature of value networks, as illustrated by changes in a network that were based on transformations in the market environment, and on product development.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to an understanding of value networks and their dynamics, and of cloud computing. In addition, the paper looks at a value network in cloud computing from the service provider's point of view – an aspect that has been neglected in previous studies.
The value of prime customer relationships
Authors: Jackson Stuart E.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The author has previously written about the concept of “strategic market position.” Simply stated, SMP is a strategic discipline which ties together the principles of customer preference, producer economics, and corporate finance and helps companies understand when and how increased market share leads to stronger competitive position and higher profitability. This enables businesses to make smart decisions about where to expand and go after increased market share – and, conversely, where not to dig in deeper. Customer Market Position (CMP) carries SMP down to the individual customer level. It keys off the extra value inherent in what the author calls “prime customer relationships.” This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The author discusses the benefits that accrue to businesses that have a high CMP with customers that account for the majority of their business. He cites a number of case examples of businesses that have reinforced their commercial success through closely managing their relationships and share of wallet with key customers. Examples of businesses in the article include medical products, e‐commerce and traditional retailing. The author then draws lessons that can be applied broadly by any business.

Findings

The author proposes four key applications for businesses wishing to apply the concept of CMP: benchmarking CMP against competitors to understand strengths and weaknesses; assessing profitability for customers in different tiers of CMP to stop subsidizing less loyal customers; identifying untapped potential to build further business with high‐CMP customers; using CMP as a leading indicator of future performance when making investment decisions.

Originality/value

This article sheds light on the economics and value of nurturing a business's most loyal customers and introduces a new metric to manage and monitor this.
Marketing measurement revolution
Authors: Rossiter John R.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

New measures in marketing are invariably created by using a psychometric approach based on Churchill's “scale development” procedure. This paper aims to compare and contrast Churchill's procedure with Rossiter's content‐validity approach to measurement, called C‐OAR‐SE.

Design/methodology approach

The comparison of the two procedures is by rational argument and forms the theoretical first half of the paper. In the applied second half of the paper, three recent articles from theJournal of Marketing(JM) that introduce new constructs and measures are criticized and corrected from the C‐OAR‐SE perspective.

Findings

The C‐OAR‐SE method differs from Churchill's method by arguing for: total emphasis on achieving high content validity of the item(s) and answer scale – without which nothing else matters; use of single‐item measures for “basic” constructs and for the first‐order components of “abstract” constructs; abandonment of the “reflective” measurement model, along with its associated statistical techniques of factor analysis and coefficient alpha, arguing that all abstract constructs must be measured as “formative”; and abandonment of external validation methods, notably multitrait‐multimethod analysis (MTMM) and structural equation modeling (SEM), to be replaced by internal content‐validation of the measure itself. The C‐OAR‐SE method can be applied – as demonstrated in the last part of the article – by any verbally intelligent researcher. However, less confident researchers may need to seek the assistance of one or two colleagues who fully understand the new method.

Practical implications

If a measure is not highly content‐valid to begin with – and none of the new measures in theJMarticles criticized is highly content‐valid – then no subsequent psychometric properties can save it. Highly content‐valid measures are absolutely necessary for proper tests of theories and hypotheses, and for obtaining trustworthy findings in marketing.

Originality/value

C‐OAR‐SE is completely original and Rossiter's updated version should be followed. C‐OAR‐SE is leading the necessary marketing measurement revolution.
Conceptualising the influence of corporate image on country image
Authors: Lopez Carmen , Gotsi Manto , Andriopoulos Constantine
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of corporate image on shaping the image of its country of origin (hereafter country image).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop a conceptual framework and a series of propositions, grounded on previous studies on country of origin (COO), image transfer, corporate and place branding.

Findings

The framework proposes that the influence of corporate image on country image can be moderated by four individual (country familiarity, corporate familiarity, brand image fit and corporate brand category‐country brand image fit) and two corporate level variables (international visibility and market visibility).

Research limitations/implications

A series of propositions is offered that aims to stimulate empirical research in this topical subject.

Originality/value

Despite increasing acknowledgement of the influence that the image of corporations may exert on the image of their COO, this relationship has been under‐researched. This paper draws insights from theoretical and empirical studies to shed some light on this area. A framework is presented which transcends previous corporate image formation models by looking at the other way of the relationship between corporate image and country image.
A study of work‐family conflict, family‐work conflict and the contingent effect of self‐efficacy of retail salespeople in a transitional economy
Authors: Chelariu Cristian , Stump Rodney
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The present study aims to contribute to the growing cross‐national body of literature on work‐family conflict (WFC) and family‐work conflict (FWC) issues by examining the interrelationship of these constructs with other variables in the context of a transitional economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using self‐report questionnaires distributed to retail salespeople in Hungary. Hypothesis tests were conducted using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results revealed that WFC is strongly related to job stress, while FWC is not, and that job stress fully mediates the effect of WFC on turnover intentions. It was also found that self‐efficacy, as a moderator, heightened the positive effect of WFC on job stress, but attenuated the effect of FWC.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could examine both the deleterious and beneficial effects of role identity spillover and include additional psychological work outcomes beyond turnover intentions. Assessing the impact of collective efficacy in addition to individual self‐efficacy is also warranted in future studies conducted in transitional economies, especially those with collectivistic cultures.

Social implications

The authors' evidence that WFC is more strongly related to job stress than FWC underscores the need for retailers to implement progressive policies to create supportive work environments, which can reduce WFC and FWC. The finding of the contingent effect of self‐efficacy also has important implications for recruiting and training practices of retailers operating in transitional economies.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to compile the multiple theoretical rationales for the moderating effect of self‐efficacy and empirical evidence that it operates in opposite ways relative to WFC and FWC.
Anti‐consumption as a means to save jobs
Authors: Hoffmann Stefan
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The paper aims to explore how idiosyncratic motives drive participation in consumer boycotts and how the motives of different adopters (e.g. innovators, laggards) differ. The study seeks to describe how boycott motives are embedded in the fields of consumer resistance and anti‐consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies a mixed‐method approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. Internet postings of 790 boycott supporters are analyzed by means of a content analysis. The relevance of different motives is examined via frequency analysis. Contingency analysis is applied to explore segment‐specific motives.

Findings

Using the example of factory relocation, the study identifies several idiosyncratic motives that are contingent to the boycott cause. Additionally, it confirms that the motives of different adopters differ. Individuals who are personally affected or feel solidarity with those affected join the boycott relatively early whereas those who join later consider the pros and cons of the boycott more rationally.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should apply quantitative research methods to ensure the stability of the findings. The external validity needs to be tested for different boycott types.

Practical implications

Some consumers join boycotts because they feel solidarity with those affected by the actions of a company (resistance‐boycotter), whereas others generally criticize the free‐market economy and are generally prone to boycott any company (anti‐consumption‐boycotters). Companies need to ensure that both types of boycotters consider them socially responsible.

Originality/value

This study provides evidence that boycott motives are case‐contingent. Additionally, this is the first study to demonstrate how motives for joining a boycott vary in the course of time.
Consumption expressions of ideological resistance
Authors: Antonia Russell Cristel , Russell Dale W. , Neijens Peter C.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The paper focuses on resistance driven by animosity toward a country due to cultural, political, military and economic reasons. Previous research has linked animosity toward a given country to explicit judgments and purchases of products from that country, thus ignoring the possibility that latent ideological beliefs may reveal themselves behaviorally more subtly. This research focuses on implicit consumption expressions of country‐based consumption resistance.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross‐sectional survey data were collected from French moviegoers in seemingly unrelated studies. In study one, respondents reported the movies they had watched at a movie theater over the past month and these movies were subsequently coded by country of origin. Animosity, ethnocentrism, and global openness were measured in study two. Finally, participants selected lottery tickets for either a French or foreign movie. This choice measure captures whether ethnocentric consumption tendencies emerge after animosity is made salient.

Findings

Ideological resistance to the US expresses itself in the anti‐consumption of US movies. Further, when animosity toward the US is made salient, high animosity French respondents express an increased preference for domestic consumption choices, even though they are not generally ethnocentric.

Originality/value

The focus on actual consumption data provides an externally valid test of both latent and explicit expressions of ideological resistance to a country in the form of consumption choices.