bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting Grey‐headed Flying‐fox (Pteropus poliocephalus: Pteropodidae) foraging in the Melbourne metropolitan area, Australia
Authors: MCDONALD‐MADDEN E. , SCHREIBER E. S. G. , FORSYTH D. M. , CHOQUENOT D. , CLANCY T. F.
Published: July 2005

Abstract  Factors affecting the foraging of mobile native fauna in highly fragmented urban landscapes have seldom been quantified at large spatial scales. We investigated factors affecting foraging by Grey‐headed Flying‐foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus; ‘flying‐foxes’) in the greater Melbourne metropolitan area. Flying‐foxes established a continuously occupied colony site in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1986, and the size of the colony has subsequently increased greatly. We used a stratified‐random sampling design to examine the importance of six variables on the detection of foraging flying‐foxes: (i) distance from the colony site (0–10, 10–20 and 20–30 km); (ii) distance from the Yarra River (0–5 and 5–20 km); (iii) the relative tree density of the municipality; (iv) whether the site was a park or street; (v) whether there was a relatively high or low density of trees at the site; and (vi) whether food was or was not detected at the site. We surveyed 240 sites within a 30‐km radius of the colony site for foraging flying‐foxes in both May and October 2002. The probability of detecting a foraging flying‐fox declined with increasing distance from the colony site, but increased with increasing tree cover, and was higher for parks compared with streets and when food was present. Flying‐foxes were observed foraging in a number of plant genera that have no species that naturally occur in the Melbourne area. Flying‐foxes in Melbourne thus forage on planted resources that are widely distributed within a fragmented landscape, and are an example of a positive response by a native species to the process of urbanization.
Role of GSK‐3β activity in motor neuronal cell death induced by G93A or A4V mutant hSOD1 gene
Authors: Koh Seong‐Ho , Lee Young‐Bae , Kim Kyung S. , Kim Hyun‐Jung , Kim Manho , Lee Young Joo , Kim Juhan , Lee Kwang Woo , Kim Seung Hyun
Published: July 2005

Point mutations such as G93A and A4V in the human Cu/Zn‐superoxide dismutase gene (hSOD1) cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). In spite of several theories to explain the pathogenic mechanisms, the mechanism remains largely unclear. Increased activity of glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) has recently been emphasized as an important pathogenic mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and ALS. To investigate the effects of G93A or A4V mutations on the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3‐K)/Akt and GSK‐3 pathway as well as the caspase‐3 pathway, VSC4.1 motoneuron cells were transfected with G93A‐ or A4V‐mutant types of hSOD1 (G93A and A4V cells, respectively) and, 24 h after neuronal differentiation, their viability and intracellular signals, including PI3‐K/Akt, GSK‐3, heat shock transcription factor‐1 (HSTF‐1), cytochrome c, caspase‐3 and poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP), were compared with those of wild type (wild cells). Furthermore, to elucidate the role of the GSK‐3β‐mediated cell death mechanism, alterations of viability and intracellular signals in those mutant motoneurons were investigated after treating the cells with GSK‐3β inhibitor. Compared with wild cells, viability was greatly reduced in the G93A and A4V cells. However, the treatment of G93A and A4V cells with GSK‐3β inhibitor increased their viability by activating HSTF‐1 and by reducing cytochrome c release, caspase‐3 activation and PARP cleavage. However, the treatment did not affect the expression of PI3‐K/Akt and GSK‐3β. These results suggest that the G93A or A4V mutations inhibit PI3‐K/Akt and activate GSK‐3β and caspase‐3, thus becoming vulnerable to oxidative stress, and that the GSK‐3β‐mediated cell death mechanism is important in G93A and A4V cell death.
Blockade of NMDA receptors in the dorsomedial striatum prevents action–outcome learning in instrumental conditioning
Authors: Yin Henry H. , Knowlton Barbara J. , Balleine Bernard W.
Published: July 2005

Although there is consensus that instrumental conditioning depends on the encoding of action–outcome associations, it is not known where this learning process is localized in the brain. Recent research suggests that the posterior dorsomedial striatum (pDMS) may be the critical locus of these associations. We tested this hypothesis by examining the contribution of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in the pDMS to action–outcome learning. Rats with bilateral cannulae in the pDMS were first trained to perform two actions (left and right lever presses), for sucrose solution. After the pre‐training phase, they were given an infusion of the NMDA antagonist 2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (APV, 1 mg/mL) or artificial cerebral spinal fluid (ACSF) before a 30‐min session in which pressing one lever delivered food pellets and pressing the other delivered fruit punch. Learning during this session was tested the next day by sating the animals on either the pellets or fruit punch before assessing their performance on the two levers in extinction. The ACSF group selectively reduced responding on the lever that, in training, had earned the now devalued outcome, whereas the APV group did not. Experiment 2 replicated the effect of APV during the critical training session but found no effect of APV given after acquisition and before test. Furthermore, Experiment 3 showed that the effect of APV on instrumental learning was restricted to the pDMS; infusion into the dorsolateral striatum did not prevent learning. These experiments provide the first direct evidence that, in instrumental conditioning, NMDARs in the dorsomedial striatum are involved in encoding action–outcome associations.
The acute and the long‐term effects of nigral lipopolysaccharide administration on dopaminergic dysfunction and glial cell activation
Authors: Iravani Mahmoud M. , Leung Clement C. M. , Sadeghian Mona , Haddon Claire O. , Rose Sarah , Jenner Peter
Published: July 2005

Sustained reactive microgliosis may contribute to the progressive degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD), in 1‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) exposed human and in non‐human primates. However, the temporal relationship between glial cell activation and nigral cell death is relatively unexplored. Consequently, the effects of acute (24 h) and chronic (30 days) glial cell activation induced by unilateral supranigral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration were studied in rats. At 24 h, LPS administration caused a marked reduction in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase‐immunoreactive (TH‐ir) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) but striatal TH‐ir was unaffected. By 30 days, the loss of TH‐positive neurons in the LPS‐treated nigra was no greater than at 24 h although a heterogeneous loss of striatal TH‐ir was present. The loss of nigrostriatal neurons was of functional significance, as at 30 days, LPS‐treated rats exhibited ipsiversive circling in response to (+)‐amphetamine administration. At 24 h, there was a moderate increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)‐ir astrocytes in the SN but a marked elevation of p47phox positive OX‐42‐ir microglia, and intense inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)‐ir and 3‐nitrotyrosine (3‐NT)‐ir was present. However, by 30 days the morphology of OX‐42‐ir microglia returned to a resting state, the numbers were greatly reduced and no 3‐NT‐ir was present. At 30 days, GFAP‐ir astrocytes were markedly increased in number and iNOS‐ir was present in fibrillar astrocyte‐like cells. This study shows that acute glial activation leading to dopaminergic neuron degeneration is an acute short‐lasting response that does not itself perpetuate cell death or lead to prolonged microglial activation.
GABA and glycine are protective to mature but toxic to immature rat cortical neurons under hypoxia
Authors: Zhao Peng , Qian Hong , Xia Ying
Published: July 2005

Although recent studies suggest that γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine may be ‘inhibitory’ to mature neurons, but ‘excitatory’ to immature neurons under normoxia, it is unknown whether inhibitory neurotransmitters are differentially involved in neuronal response to hypoxia in immature and mature neurons. In the present study, we exposed rat cortical neurons to hypoxia (1% O2) and examined the effects of three major inhibitory neurotransmitters (GABA, glycine and taurine) on the hypoxic neurons at different neuronal ages [days in vitro (DIV)4–20]. Our data showed that the cortical neurons expressed both GABAA and glycine receptors with differential developmental profiles. GABA (10–2000 µm) was neuroprotective to hypoxic neurons of DIV20, but enhanced hypoxic injury in neurons of < DIV20. Glycine at low concentrations (10–100 µm) exhibited a similar pattern to GABA. However, higher concentrations of glycine (1000–2000 µm) for long‐term exposure (48–72 h) displayed neuroprotection at all ages (DIV4–20). Taurine (10–2000 µm), unlike GABA and glycine, displayed protection only in DIV4 neurons, and was slightly toxic to neurons > DIV4. In comparison with delta‐opioid receptor (DOR)‐induced protection in DIV20 neurons exposed to 72 h of hypoxia, glycine‐induced protection was weaker than that of DOR but stronger than that of GABA and taurine. These data suggest that the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitters on hypoxic cortical neurons are age‐dependent, with GABA and glycine being neurotoxic to immature neurons and neuroprotective to mature neurons.
Hypocretin/orexin‐containing neurons are produced in one sharp peak in the developing ventral diencephalon
Authors: Amiot C. , Brischoux F. , Colard C. , La Roche A. , Fellmann D. , Risold P. Y.
Published: July 2005

The birth date of hypocretin‐containing neurons was analysed using the bromodeoxyuridine method in the rat. The results indicate that these neurons are generated between embryonic days 11 (E11) and E14, with a sharp peak on E12. This spatiotemporal pattern of genesis contrasts with that of the co‐distributed neurons producing the melanin‐concentrating hormone in the lateral hypothalamic area, which have been described as generated in one large peak from E10 to E16. These observations may be linked to the relative distribution area of both populations.
Gestational nicotine exposure reduces nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) expression in dopaminergic brain regions of adolescent rats
Authors: Chen Hao , Parker Steven L. , Matta Shannon G. , Sharp Burt M.
Published: July 2005

Children of women who smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk of dependence when smoking is initiated during adolescence. We previously reported that gestational nicotine exposure attenuated dopamine release induced by nicotine delivered during adolescence. In this study, we determined the effects of gestational nicotine exposure on nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) expression. Timed pregnant rats received nicotine (2 mg/kg/day) or vehicle via mini‐osmotic pumps during gestation. Treatments continued in pups via maternal nursing during postnatal days (PN) 2–14 (equivalent to the human in utero third trimester). On PN35, 125I‐epibatidine binding to nAChR was measured. The Bmax values (fmol/mg) in prefrontal cortex (PFC), nucleus accumbens (NAcc), substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) were reduced by 26.6% (P < 0.05), 32.6% (P < 0.01), 23.0% (P < 0.01) and 27.6% (P < 0.05), respectively. In addition, gender differences were found in vehicle‐treated groups; in SN and VTA, females were 79.3% (P < 0.005) and 82.9% (P = 0.08) of males, respectively. The expression of nAChR subunit mRNAs was measured using real‐time RT‐PCR on laser‐capture microdissected tissues. In adolescent VTA, gestational nicotine exposure reduced (P < 0.05) nAChR subunit mRNAs encoding α3 (53.0%), α4 (23.9%), α5 (46.7%) and β4 (61.4%). In NAcc core, the treatment increased α3 mRNA (75.8%). In addition, the number of neurons in VTA was reduced by 15.0% (P < 0.001). These studies indicate that gestational exposure to nicotine induces long‐lasting changes in nAChR expression that may underlie the vulnerability of adolescents to dependence on nicotine.
Neural responses in cat visual cortex reflect state changes in correlated activity
Authors: Van Der Togt Chris , Spekreijse Henk , Supèr Hans
Published: July 2005

Cortical state is characterized by ongoing rhythmic neural activity. Changes in rhythmic activity and thus in cortical state are shown to occur spontaneously in the anesthetized cat. We were interested in whether these state changes have an affect on the cortical processing of sensory stimuli. This was investigated by recording spontaneous and stimulus‐evoked local field potentials and multi‐unit neuronal activity (MUA) from trans‐cortical electrode arrays in the visual cortex of the anesthetized cat. Changes in cortical state were identified by calculating the cross‐correlation strength and cross‐coherency, between MUA channels at different layers and on separate electrode arrays. Spontaneous changes in rhythmic activity were associated with changes in the strength of stimulus‐evoked multiple unit responses of cortical neurons. The highest multi‐unit responses were found in periods when low‐frequency rhythms of the electroencephalogram increase in magnitude and high‐frequency rhythms decrease. Such changes in evoked responses were maximal at layer IV, the input layer of the visual cortex. Our findings suggest that stimulus response magnitude depends on rhythmic state and reflects changes in functional connectivity within the visual cortex.
Modelling Lenders' Assessments of the Ability of Corporate Borrowers to Repay
Authors: ZIMMER IAN
Published: July 2005

Lenders use financial statements to assess the ability of corporate borrowers to repay loans in the normal course of business. By some criteria, such as a frequency count of the number of financial analyses performed for different purposes, this may be the most important use of external financial reports. This study provides a brief description of the use of accounting and other information for this purpose, and reports an experiment which provides insight on whether loan officers use a linear‐additive or configural strategy when making the final judgement of ability to repay. Results also provide evidence of the extent of consensus between loan officers, the effect of individual and institutional differences, and the degree of insight by loan officers into their own cognitive processes.
A Financial Reporting Model for Dependent Market Economies
Authors: MENSAH YAW M.
Published: July 2005

This paper attempts to assess the extent to which the conventional income statement fulfils the information needs of the investor in developing countries. Evidence of imperfections in the market in these countries is examined, and it is demonstrated that the conventional income measure does not necessarily permit an assessment of the economic efficiency of enterprises in developing countries. An alternative measure based on the dichotomization of reported income into income due io protection and income at world prices is presented and defended as a suitable model for financial reporting in these countries.
‘Smoothing’ Manifestations in Fourth Quarter Results of Operations: Some Empirical Evidence
Authors: GIVOLY D. , RONEN J.
Published: July 2005

‘Smoothing’ Manifestations in Fourth Quarter Results of Operations: Some Empirical Evidence

The subject of smoothing of annual income numbers has occupied a good deal of the accounting literature. The finding of most studies was that managers of firms did behave as if they intended to impart a smoother trend to accounting earnings. The availability of quarterly reports provides us with an opportunity to gain insights into the timing of smoothing decisions. The paper tests the hypothesis that the observed first three quarters' results trigger actions by management during the fourth quarter that appear as smoothing behaviour. The findings indicate that the manifestations of end‐of‐year actions by managers are consistent with the possible attempt on their part to alter fourth quarter reported results so as to offset extreme deviations of the first three quarters' reported numbers from a given, predefined, ‘normal’ trend presumably deemed by managers to be desirable to report.
The Controllability of Financial Outcomes
Authors: HIRST MARK
Published: July 2005

Accounting performance measures that capture results not controlled by the person being evaluated may be dysfunctional. The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for identifying situations in which outcomes are captured by such measures as are more (less) likely to be controllable. Results of a questionnaire survey support the claim that as task uncertainty increases, individuals perceive less control over financial outcomes.
The Ledger of Cristianus Lomellinus and Dominicus De Garibaldo, Stewards of the City of Genoa (1340–41)
Authors: MARTINELLI ALVARO
Published: July 2005

The cartularies of the Commune of Genoa of 1340–1466 provide evidence of the use of double‐entry bookkeeping long before it was described by Pacioli. The cartularies are of particular interest because they relate to a commune, and had been prescribed in regulations dating from 1327. In the ledgers of the massaria, the two sections of the accounts are divided laterally, erasures were forbidden, and all pages were pre‐numbered. There is also evidence suggesting that these techniques were adopted from the methods used by the banks at that time. The importance of these early methods of bookkeeping and financial control has not previously been recognized.
The Usefulness of a Measure of Wealth
Authors: BROMWICH M. , WELLS M. C.
Published: July 2005

Income has been defined by Beaver and Demski (1979) as a fundamental measurement which will give a unanimous ranking of alternative production plans. This notion of income has been examined in a variety of settings running from that of certainty with perfect and complete markets to uncertainty and incomplete markets. Such analysis shows that income cannot necessarily be determined and therefore may not be useful, in a setting of incomplete markets. In this paper the same kind of analysis is applied to wealth and it is shown that a measure of wealth provides information which is useful for all financial decisions, in the sense that decision‐makers would prefer to base their decisions on the information rather than act without it. In making this suggestion, a notion of accounting information is proposed which does not suffer from the intransitivity or indeterminancy associated with income in some settings. This alternative information concept satisfies the requirement for a fundamental measurement. It also provides an example of the type of information that Beaver and Demski, in the latter part of their article, seem to encourage for incomplete markets.
Management's Preferences for FASB Statement No. 52: Predictive Ability Results
Authors: GRIFFIN PAUL A.
Published: July 2005

Research attempting to explain or predict preferences with respect to accounting rules is a relatively new branch of accounting research. Factors affecting a manager's welfare (e.g., political costs) are identified and then evaluated empirically to ascertain whether such factors are helpful in predicting a manager's decision to respond to proposed changes in the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB's) rules on foreign currency translation. FASB Statement No. 52, issued December 1981, replaced FASB Statement No. 8 and required U.S. multinational corporations to switch from the ‘temporal’ to the ‘current rate’ method of translating foreign currency financial statements into U.S. dollars. The models use current economic data as well as information about managers' responses to earlier changes in the rules for translating foreign currency statements. While the models adequately describe management's behaviour, and hence are consistent with earlier research, their predictive ability is only a modest improvement over naive prediction rules.
Alternative Hypotheses Concerning Depreciation of Buildings
Authors: CLINCH GREG
Published: July 2005

Ball, Walker and Whittred (1979) reported that companies receiving audit qualifications for non‐compliance with the requirement to depreciate buildings earned higher than expected returns at the time of the release of the qualification. This paper examines the possibility that this result could be due to cash‐flow effects related to the decision not to comply with the depreciation requirement. The results generally support the view that there are cash‐flow effects associated with a company's decision not to depreciate buildings.
Some Problems with Replacement Cost Asset Measurement for External Accounting Reports with Imperfect Markets
Authors: BROMWICH MICHAEL
Published: July 2005

This article uses a well‐known model of economics to examine the validity of replacement cost asset measures based on the value to the owner theory for external accounting reports in an environment of imperfect markets. The value to the owner model which uses ‘opportunity value’ reasoning is found to have validity in only a few market environments. Some problems concerning the applicability of replacement cost asset measures, where these are founded on value to the owner reasoning, are discussed.
Application of Anglo‐American Principles of Consolidation to Corporate Financial Disclosure in Japan
Authors: McKINNON JILL L.
Published: July 2005

The adoption by Japan of consolidated corporate reporting in 1977 may be viewed as an instance of the international transfer of Anglo‐American practices of corporate reporting, and as a step towards international harmonization of accounting. Consolidation practices in Anglo‐American nations are based on assumptions about the nature of corporate group associations. This paper examines the applicability of these assumptions to the corporate context in Japan. Personal interviews and analyses of group associations of listed Japanese corporations support three principal findings: (i) that historical and cultural determinants provide significant contrasts between corporate group associations in Japan and Anglo‐American nations; (ii) that Anglo‐American methods of consolidation fail to reflect adequately the nature of corporate group associations in Japan; and (iii) that the adoption of consolidation in Japan represented a response to situation‐specific change stimuli rather than a general acceptance of the intrinsic merit of consolidation. The findings have implications for international accounting.
Investment in Commodities Futures: The Accounting Implications
Authors: BAR‐YOSEF SASSON , LIVNAT JOSHUA
Published: July 2005

There are no rules within existing Generally Accepted Accounting Principles that apply to investment in commodities futures. In this paper, the accounting implications of investing in futures are explored. The accounting problems relate to the first record of the contract and to the subsequent recognition of gains and losses. There is no unequivocal answer under GAAP as to how futures contracts should be recorded. As with many other items in conventional accounting practice, the method of recording depends upon managers’intentions. This has obvious, and serious, implications for auditors.
Risk Capital for a Profitable Public Corporation: Public Dividend Capital or Equity?
Authors: LAPSLEY IRVINE
Published: July 2005

The question of whether profitable public corporations should be converted to private, equity capital finance (i.e.‘privatized’, in current U.K. terminology) or not is arguablythedominant issue in the public sector of the U.K. economy. The present U.K. government has embarked upon a policy of privatization of state industries. This has attracted considerable criticism on the grounds that the government's actions are the product of ideological and short‐term fiscal considerations (principally the funding of public expenditure) rather than of carefully considered policy (Heald and Steel, 1981; Heald, 1983, p. 154). This topic is examined in this paper. The discussion is neither partisan nor ideological. Instead, it centres on the technical and economic merits of equity capital versus its public sector proxy, Public Dividend Capital (PDC). This latter form of capital financing has been neglected in recent years, as the major thrust of the public sector debate has addressed the need for equity capital in the nationalized industries. Therefore, the ensuing discussion is not only a critique of the case for introducing private equity capital in state industries, but it is also an assessment of the case for the retention of PDC as a major instrument of finance.
An Analysis of Lease Disclosures by Australian Companies
Authors: BAZLEY M. , BROWN P. , IZAN H. Y.
Published: July 2005

From 1964 to 1980 there was a twenty‐fold increase in the extent to which the average Australian company resorted to lease finance. Lease disclosure by lessees was voluntary throughout this period, yet we observe that, by 1979, three out of four lessee companies had begun to disclose their lease commitments. Our study sought an answer to the question: what factors influenced Australian lessees, in their decision whether or not to disclose lease commitments in their annual reports? In a wider sense, we use this issue to probe further our power to explain accounting policy choice, particularly in situations, such as in Australia, where a small population restricts our ability to observe some aspects of the economic and political process. Based on a univariate and multivariate tests, we infer from our study that the relative frequency of voluntary disclosure by lessees was related to (a) industry, (b) firm size and (c) whether the lessee was a subsidiary company of a foreign parent; was only weakly related to (d) whether the lessee entered the Australian Institute of Management good reporting award; and was unrelated to (e) the identity of the lessee's audit firm (f) the existence of bonus scheme tied to reported profit and (g) the relative risk of the firm.
Bibliographical Notes on Five Examples of Pacioli's Summa (1494) in Scotland
Authors: DUNLOP ANNA B. G.
Published: July 2005

Among five examples of the ‘Summa’ (1494), all in Scotland, four show minor bibliographical variations, but the fifth is a major variant.

Typography, standard of printing, misprints and corrections, aberrations of woodcut initial letters, paper and watermarks, collation, bindings and manuscript annotations are all examined, and relevant works of reference noted.

Some possible inferences are drawn.

Illustrations of the typesettings and drawings of the watermarks are provided, as is an appendix classifying the main variations found.

The aim is to provide a methodological guide to the bibliographical comparisons which underlie textual comparisons.
Accounting and Legal Implications of the Interposed Unit Trust Instrument
Authors: SULLIVAN GRAHAM
Published: July 2005

The application of a unit trust, within a complex group structure, to transact business and to hold other dependent operating instruments such as subordinate trusts, proprietary companies and investments in joint arrangements, raises issues touching the laws of trusts, income taxation and companies and exposes deficiencies in current accounting theory, practice and financial reporting. The use of unit trusts has off‐balance sheet effects as both the trust itself and all subordinate instruments within its constellation may be effectively partitioned from those group results reported under traditional consolidation principles. The consequences of this partitioning distort the consolidation process and financial statements may then misrepresent a group's financial position. As yet, there is neither legislation nor accounting regulation providing direction in this complex area.
More on the Discounting of Residual Income Streams
Authors: STARK A. W.
Published: July 2005

The purpose of this paper is to take the conclusions reached by Peasnell (1981, 1982) and Kay (1976) and show that the use of discounted residual incomes for project evaluation purposes requires the prior appraisal on a cash flow basis. The use of residual income at the investment planning and subsequently at the accounting stages is also evaluated.
Bahi‐Khata: The Pre‐Pacioli Indian Double‐entry System of Bookkeeping
Authors: NIGAM B. M. LALL
Published: July 2005

The earliest treatise on accounting is generally thought to be Pacioli's Summar of 1494. The Bahi‐khata is a double‐entry system of bookkeeping that predates the ‘Italian’ method by many centuries. Its existence in India prior to the Greek and Roman empires suggests that Indian traders took it with them to Italy, and from there the double‐entry system spread through Europe. The Bahi‐khata is described and its double‐entry principles explained.
Legacy of the Golden Age: Recent Developments in the Methodology of Accounting
Authors: GAFFIKIN M. J. R.
Published: July 2005

It is often suggested in the accounting literature that there was a distinct change in the methodology employed by accounting theorists/researchers around 1970. Nelson (1973) has referred to the 1960s as the ‘golden age in the history of a priori research in accounting’. Since then, some have claimed a more scientific empirical methodology has been used. However, there are distinct similarities in the methodological presuppositions in both periods and it is argued in this paper that contemporary researchers have a debt to the ‘golden age’ theorists for introducing the requirement of a rigorous standard of argument for effective and reliable accounting knowledge.
Organizational Change within the Stockbroking Industry: A Contracting Perspective
Authors: AITKEN MICHAEL , CZERNKOWSKI ROBERT
Published: July 2005

Teece (1982) extended Coase's (1937) theory of the firm to explain firm amalgamations. This explanation is centred around three fundamental constructs: excess capacity, market imperfections and the nature of assets, together with the frequency of their exchange. This paper provides an application of Teece's work to explain recent organizational change within the stockbroking industry in Australia and concludes by developing testable explanations of why, following deregulation, stockbroking firms countenanced moves by financial institutions, particularly banks, to acquire large equity positions.
Fixed Asset Revaluations and Managerial Incentives
Authors: BROWN PHILIP , IZAN H.Y. , LOH ALFRED L.
Published: July 2005

The study attempts to explain why Australian companies revalue their fixed assets, when a revaluation, by itself, has no discernible direct effect on cash flows and is costly to carry out. A revaluation is hypothesised to affect contracting and political costs. It may also help resolve problems associated with information asymmetries, or be used to signal information to investors. The results support the proposition that economic forces help explain the decision to revalue assets.
A Political History of Goodwill in the U.K.: An Illustration of Cyclical Standard Setting
Authors: NOBES CHRISTOPHER
Published: July 2005

A cyclical pattern of standard setting has been suggested elsewhere. In this context, this paper constitutes a case study of U.K. standard setting on the subject of goodwill. It is noted that varied practice of the 1960s was followed by several stimuli for action by standard setters. Managers opposed standardization and income reductions, whereas senior policy‐makers, government, press and international influences proposed it. The result is dramatic swings in the content of documents on goodwill from the Accounting Standards Committee, possibly contributing to the latter's demise.
Harmonization of Accounting in France and Britain: Some Evidence
Authors: WALTON PETER
Published: July 2005

The European Community's accounting harmonization initiative is intended to create harmonized reporting by Community companies. If the Community's programme is successful, measurement practices in each member state should be such that the same transactions receive broadly comparable treatment irrespective of the country where the accounts are prepared. This study sets out to test whether this is the case in France and Britain and the application of the Fourth Directive, and whether in practice there is any consensus even within each jurisdiction. An empirical test for harmony and uniformity is made by asking accountants within each jurisdiction to compile financial statements from a common set of data.

The results of the test show that in this sample there is relatively little harmony within each national group, let alone between one jurisdiction and another.
The Accountability of Municipal Corporations
Authors: COOMBS HUGH MALCOLM , EDWARDS JOHN RICHARD
Published: July 2005

The popular view that market forces controlled the development of financial reporting practices among nineteenth‐century British companies has recently been shown, by Parker (1990), to be an oversimplification. Large companies engaged in the provision of public utilities, transportation and financial services were the subject of close regulation, though not necessarily or only for the purpose of shareholder protection. The nineteenth century also saw the creation of municipal corporations, and their development is marked by a further variation in the process of accounting change. A regulatory structure, including requirements for accountability, was established when the modern municipal corporation was created in 1834, and this broad framework remained in force without major amendment until 1930. The accounting practices employed by municipal corporations underwent fundamental change, however, to accommodate major alterations in the nature of their activities. The process of ‘voluntary’ change in response to market pressure received reinforcement from recommendations made by the highly active local‐authority‐oriented professional accounting body.
An Empirical Investigation of Accounting Methods for Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets: 1985 to 1989
Authors: WINES GRAEME , FERGUSON COLIN
Published: July 2005

Accounting for intangible assets represents one of the more controversial accounting standards issues. This study examines the accounting policies adopted for goodwill and for identifiable intangible assets by a sample of 150 Australian Stock Exchange listed companies over the five‐year period 1985 to 1989 inclusive. Findings reveal a general decrease in the diversity of goodwill accounting policies over the study period but the converse for identifiable intangible policies. In particular, an increase in the percentage of companies electing not to amortize identifiable intangibles was found. The study provides evidence to support claims that companies have been recognizing identifiable intangibles to reduce the impact on reported operating profits of the requirement of accounting standards for the amortization of goodwill.
A Test of the Reliability of Current Cost Disclosures
Authors: BROWN LAWRENCE D. , HUEFNER RONALD J. , SANDERS RALPH W.
Published: July 2005

Using data from corporate acquisitions recorded under the purchase method, this research tests the reliability (representational faithfulness) of current cost disclosures. The fair value of property, plant, and equipment recorded by the acquiring company following the acquisition is found to be significantly related to the current cost disclosures made by the acquired company prior to the acquisition. When the data are segmented according to reporting regime, the significant relationship pertains to the SFAS 33 disclosures but not to ASR 190 disclosures of current cost. The study also finds that the results pertain primarily to current cost disclosures made shortly before the acquisition date. Overall, the results support current initiatives for increased departure from historical‐cost approaches to accounting, especially if these measures are made along the lines of SFAS 33 techniques rather than ASR 190 techniques.
A Note: Natural Generalization of Black‐Scholes in the Presence of Skewness, Using Stable Processes
Authors: EDELMAN DAVID
Published: July 2005

The Lognormal price model is generalized to the class of Log‐Stable Processes, a family which possesses self‐similarity properties usually only associated with the Lognormal, but which, more generally, can model negatively skewed distributions of return. This generalization appears to explain several discrepancies between the Black‐Scholes Model and observed market phenomena, such as the variation of implied volatility of option price with exercise price and term to expiry, and the nonzero probability of bankruptcy or ‘crash’. It will be argued that the class of maximally negatively skewed Stable distributions (a class which, paradoxically, contains the normal) may be utilized to produce models which imply these phenomena naturally.
Implications of Economic Income for Earnings Usefulness Judgments
Authors: VICKREY DON W.
Published: July 2005

Various studies consider the ex ante (pre‐decision) or ex post (post‐decision) uses of accounting information (e.g., Demski, 1974; Beaver and Demski, 1979; Beaver, 1981). Although these uses are distinct conceptually, the same information can be pertinent to both uses in multiperiod settings (see, e.g., the discussion in Demski, 1974). Also, several manuscripts (e.g., Beaver and Demski, 1979; Beaver, 1981; Vickrey, 1984; Miller and Rock, 1985) suggest that the abnormal security returns related to earnings can be partial functions of both ex ante probability revision and ex post state revelation in multiperiod settings. This article demonstrates that if the ex ante and ex post uses of information are linked empirically, then the returns/earnings studies may have: (a) misconstrued the usefulness of earnings, and (b) ignored the separate issues of the usefulness of earnings in ex ante probability revision and in ex post state revelation. It should aid in eliminating these deficiencies by motivating returns/earnings studies that investigate the extent to which the abnormal returns related to earnings are partial functions of ex ante probability revision and ex post state revelation. Studies of this type have great potential for enhancing our understanding of the effects of earnings.
Frederick William Cronhelm (1787–1871)
Authors: SCORGIE MICHAEL E. , JOINER THERESE A.
Published: July 2005

Frederick William Cronhelm (hereafter FWC) made his mark in accounting by the publication in 1818 of a treatise entitled Double entry by single, a new method of book‐keeping, applicable to all kinds of business; and exemplified in five sets of books. It was the seminal English contribution that identified and amplified the algebraical basis of double entry and made clear that a double entry system could be operated without resort to debits and credits. Given the importance of his contribution we present an answer to the question: Who was Frederick William Cronhelm and what were the factors that enabled and prompted him to make his contribution to accounting theory?

In answer to the first part of the research question we provide details of FWC's family, employment, publications, community activities and his involvement in the bribery of voters which culminated in the disputed election at Beverley in 1868 when his employer Sir Henry Edwards was opposed by the well‐known author Anthony Trollope. In answer to the second part of the research question three factors are identified: first, his employment by a woollen mill owner and merchant Henry Lees Edwards of Halifax; second, the publication of a translation of the works of Brahmagupta and Bháscara which revealed that Hindu mathematicians associated negative numbers with liabilities; and third, his interest in mathematics together with a creative ability which was stimulated by external events and new ideas.
Laparophobia: a cognitive perspective on appetite control in anorexia nervosa
Authors: Myslobodsky M. S.
Published: July 2005

Decades of research have demonstrated that anorexia nervosa (AN) may be associated with aberrant cognition, yet, its role in maintaining stringent dieting has received relatively little attention from mainstream researchers of eating disorders. The purpose of the present article is to highlight cognitive (‘top‐down’) factors that are considered responsible for anticipatory anxiety of stoutness and frank fat‐phobia (laparophobia). A cognitive model proposed departs from the formulation suggesting that phobia of over‐eating is superimposed on avoidant tendencies (‘environmental autonomy syndrome’), whereas excessive exercising becomes a natural coping strategy with laparophobia, an instrument of reward. AN ideation involves complex neuronal circuitries and multiple neurochemical components that may conceivably represent a mirror image of those underlying obesity. The emphasis on phobia and aberrant membrane excitability akin to channelopathies behoves the clinicians to be aware of potential uses of drugs acting at the γ‐aminobutyric acid and the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate/AMPA [2‐amino‐3‐(3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazol‐4‐yl) propionic acid] receptors sites as the adjuncts to conventional agents in managing AN.
Utility and validity of the Eating Behavior Inventory in clinical obesity research: a review of the literature
Authors: O'Neil P. M. , Rieder S.
Published: July 2005

The Eating Behavior Inventory (EBI) is a questionnaire designed to assess behaviours associated with weight loss and weight management. In the 25 years since it was first published, the EBI has been used to examine weight management behaviours of adults and children in more than 20 weight loss investigations. This paper systematically reviews the use of the EBI in these studies. Results indicate that baseline EBI scores have remained quite consistent over time and are generally not influenced by patient variables. The EBI has also been shown to be consistently sensitive to behavioural weight management interventions, but it appears that the amount of change in EBI scores has decreased slightly over time. Finally, the amount of change in EBI score with treatment typically correlates positively with the amount of weight subjects lose. Overall, the research that has used the EBI has provided solid and consistent evidence of the utility of the EBI as a valid tool for assessing weight management behaviours.
Plasticity in rat uterine sympathetic nerves: the role of TrkA and p75 nerve growth factor receptors
Authors: Richeri Analía , Bianchimano Paola , Mármol Nelson M. , Viettro Lorena , Cowen Timothy , Brauer M. Mónica
Published: July 2005

Uterine sympathetic innervation undergoes profound remodelling in response to physiological and experimental changes in the circulating levels of sex hormones. It is not known, however, whether this plasticity results from changes in the innervating neurons, the neuritogenic properties of the target tissue or both. Using densitometric immunohistochemistry, we analysed the effects of prepubertal chronic oestrogen treatment (three subcutaneous injections of 20 µg of β‐oestradiol 17‐cypionate on days 25, 27 and 29 after birth), natural peripubertal transition and late pregnancy (19–20 days post coitum) on the levels of TrkA and p75 nerve growth factor receptors in uterine‐projecting sympathetic neurons of the thoraco‐lumbar paravertebral sympathetic chain (T7–L2) identified using the retrograde tracer Fluorogold. For comparative purposes, levels of TrkA and p75 were assessed in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) following prepubertal chronic oestrogen treatment. These studies showed that the vast majority of uterine‐projecting neurons expressed both TrkA and p75. Both prepubertal chronic oestrogen treatment and the peripubertal transition increased the ratio p75 to TrkA in uterine‐projecting neurons, whereas pregnancy elicited the opposite effect. Prepubertal chronic oestrogen treatment had no effects on levels of TrkA or p75 in sympathetic neurons of the SCG. Taken together, our data suggest that neurotrophin receptor‐mediated events may contribute to regulate sex hormone‐induced plasticity in uterine sympathetic nerves, and are in line with the idea that, in vivo, plasticity in uterine nerves involves changes in both the target and the innervating neurons.
Hemifacial Infantile Hemangioma with Intracranial Extension: A Rare Entity
Authors: Ersoy Sibel , Mancini Anthony J.
Published: July 2005

Abstract:  Intracranial hemangiomas are uncommon, especially in the absence of diffuse hemangiomatosis or the syndrome consisting of posterior fossa malformations, hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, coarctation of the aorta and cardiac defects, eye abnormalities, sternal clefting, and/or supra‐umbilical raphe (PHACES). We saw an 8‐month‐old ex‐premature girl with a large left‐sided ocular and facial hemangioma that had been growing since early infancy. Examination revealed a 7 × 13 cm violaceous tumor involving the left periocular region and face. Ophthalmologic examination revealed deprivation amblyopia, anisometropia with myopia and astigmatism. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a vascular tumor mass involving the scalp, face, and calvarium with extension into the orbit, infratemporal fossa, nasopharynx, lateral medullary cistern, internal auditory canal, and fourth ventricle. Marked enhancement was seen with contrast, and no posterior fossa malformations were noted. She was treated with prednisolone, which was tapered over 12 months. Follow‐up magnetic resonance imaging examination at 25 months showed a marked decrease in the size of all lesions, with residual hemangioma in the periorbital soft tissues and small foci in the orbit and intracranial sites. The brain and ventricular system were normal. Intracranial hemangioma may occur in the setting of a large facial hemangioma (especially segmental) in the absence of the PHACES syndrome or diffuse hemangiomatosis. Radiological imaging should be considered to assess for intracranial hemangioma as well as posterior fossa or arterial anomalies.
Economists and the Shadow of “The Other” Before 1914
Authors: Dimand Robert W.
Published: July 2005

Abstract  This paper examines how economists from David Hume to Irving Fisher have struggled with the applicability of their analyses to those who differed from them in gender, ethnicity, class, or race. Particular attention is paid to how Fisher's discussion of racial and ethnic differences in capital accumulation and time preference changed between The Rate of Interest (1907) and The Theory of Interest (1930), and how it drew on earlier work by John Rae (to whom Fisher dedicated both those books).
From Cardinal to Ordinal Utility Theory
Authors: Peart Sandra J. , Levy David M.
Published: July 2005

Abstract.  This paper examines the transition from cardinal to ordinal utility. We begin with the egalitarian utilitarianism of J. S. Mill and Herbert Spencer, in which everyone was supposed to count as one. That is their phrase to explain how the happiness of existing people was to be maximized. We compare Spencer's goal with Darwin's goal of the “general good,” in which the number of perfect people was to be maximized. Spencer's goal was egalitarian, while Darwin's entailed biological perfection or hierarchy. We consider Edgeworth's hedonic calculus, in which the notion of hierarchy enters economics. For Edgeworth, agents have differential capacities for happiness. Throughout, we consider normative aspects of Darwin's work, in particular Darwin's challenge to the early utilitarianism of Mill and Spencer. We suggest that the Paretian principle returns utilitarianism to its egalitarian roots.