bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethical blind spots in leading for learning: an Australian study
Authors: Bezzina Michael
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This study aims to explore the dynamics by which exposure to a moral rationale is given expression in schools, and how this is perceived as impacting on teaching, leadership practice and student outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 11 Australian schools were part of a project in which they were supported in applying a conceptual framework involving moral purpose, learning and leadership to self‐selected improvement initiatives. Extensive focus group interviews with the school project teams were analysed to identify recurrent themes, and to illustrate the dynamics of engagement with moral purpose.

Findings

A significant insight that emerges from this study is that the movement towards increased moral sensitivity enhanced commitment to shared purpose. This movement provided a driver for ethically driven behavior. Part of the contribution of the intervention was to draw attention to these elements of moral purpose, which, in turn, increased teacher and leader sensitivity to their operation, and resulted in changed teacher practice and enhanced learning outcomes for students.

Practical implications

The findings of this study highlight the potential of explicit attention to moral purpose in school communities, and suggest some points of emphasis for school leaders who are committed to improvement built on staff commitment.

Originality/value

While many authors signal as a matter of principle the importance of moral purpose in schooling, and in the leadership of change, it is a comparatively under‐researched area in terms of its practical application. This study makes a contribution to addressing that gap.
Perspectives on “marginal crisis risk” and “leaning against the wind” from the capital structure of housing investments
Authors: Arne Borgersen Trond
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to relate the marginal crisis risk of Woodford to a number of financial fragility indicators. The paper expands the interest rate gap approach by considering the capital structure of investments and systemic risk, dating back to Modigliani‐Miller. The model allows for distinct impacts from asset inflation, leverage as well as incentives for speculative investments for a central bank that aims to lean against the wind.

Design/methodology/approach

Framed in terms of the housing market and household behaviour, the paper sets out an augmented loss function which takes a number of financial fragility indicators into account. By moving beyond the case where all risk increasing mechanisms are driven by external monetary policy shocks, the approach shows why a central bank should be inclined to lean against the wind even in the absence of interest rate gaps.

Findings

Taking the return to equity into account, and moving beyond the case where all risk increasing mechanisms are related to external monetary policy shocks, the paper shows why a central bank might be inclined to lean against the wind even in the absence of interest rate gaps. The context‐specific nature of the monetary transmission mechanism in general, and the structure of the risk taking channel more specifically, calls for both internal financial market features as well as the link between financial markets and the real economy to impact on how and when to lean.

Originality/value

There seems to be increased awareness of the need to take financial stability considerations in monetary policy. In fact, Woodford argues that the balance between financial stability objectives and price and output stability is part of the choice when choosing between alternative short run paths for monetary policy. By taking a conventional approach to the capital structure of investments, this paper integrates asset inflation, leverage and incentives for speculation into a central bank's loss function in a way that to the best of the author's knowledge is novel.
Bank risks, capital and loan supply: evidence from Sierra Leone
Authors: Osei‐Assibey Eric , Augustine Bockarie Baimba
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The study aims to investigate the factors that influence banks' loan supply in Sierra Leone. More specifically, it seeks to look into the effects of risk premium, leverage ratio and credit risk on banks' loan supply in Sierra Leone.

Design/methodology/approach

Using annual bank level data on an unbalanced panel of 13 commercial banks data observed over a period of ten years (2002 to 2011), the study employs time and bank‐specific fixed effects model for estimation.

Findings

The findings indicate that risk premium, the share of non‐performing loans in the banks' loan portfolio, tier 1 capital ratio (leverage ratio) and local currency deposit levels positively and significantly affect the share of loan supply to the private sector in banks' earning assets. On the other hand, advances to local currency deposit ratio and bank size have significant negative effects on the share of loans in banks assets. The study also finds bank type and the growth rate of real GDP (a proxy for economic activity) to be important determinants of the share of loans in banks' earning assets.

Practical implications

The study recommends that the monetary authorities, banking practitioners and the government should pay keen attention to the key risk factors such as non‐performing loans and risk premium in the operation of the banking sector to boost commercial banks' loan supply.

Originality/value

Sierra Leone's banking sector presents a unique opportunity to study bank loan supply in relation to bank‐specific features in the context of post‐war financial reconstruction.
Brand and category design consistency in brand extensions
Authors: Sheng Goh Yi , Chattaraman Veena , Forsythe Sandra
Published: July 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate the influence of two critical brand extension design components

–

brand design consistency and category design consistency

–

on the formation of consumers ' product attitudes and purchase intentions. It also aims to examine the underlying mechanism for attitude formation towards new brand extensions using processing fluency theory and the moderation of brand strength.

Design/methodology/approach

– A 2 (brand design consistency: high vs low)×2 (category design consistency: high vs low)×2 (brand strength: strong vs weak)×2 (processing fluency: conceptual vs perceptual) between subjects experiment with 642 participants was used to test the proposed hypotheses and model.

Findings

– Results obtained from SEM and ANCOVA demonstrate that both brand and category design consistencies assert significant effects on new product attitude in brand extensions; however, the relative effect of category design consistency is greater. Further, the effect of category design consistency varies as a function of brand strength, and is stronger for weak brands than for strong brands.

Practical implications

– Brand managers should maintain consistency of extension product design with both the parent brand and the new product category, and prioritize the latter for weak brands.

Originality/value

– This study integrates brand extension and aesthetics research on prototypicality to formulate and test important research questions, previously unexamined. Further, realistically-rendered product images, allowing both conceptual and perceptual processing, were used in the experiment to provide a better imitation of real product choices – an approach different from most extant brand extension studies, which utilize verbal stimuli.
Better branding: brand names can influence consumer choice
Authors: Hillenbrand Philipp , Alcauter Sarael , Cervantes Javier , Barrios Fernando
Published: July 2013

Purpose

– Researchers agree that the choice of brand name for a product can alter the consumers
'
judgment about the product and their purchase decision-making process. With competition getting fiercer and product quality becoming more homogenous, a “better” brand name can be decisive in product choice if the consumers compare several products. The purpose of this research is to offer new physiological insights about how brand names are processed in the consumer
'
s brain in order to identify potential determinants of “better” brand names.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using valence and activation ratings, reaction time, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the authors show the interaction of key brand name dimensions with the consumer purchase decision-making process, as well as the neurophysiological basis of consumer preference for certain types of brand names.

Findings

– The authors
'
research shows that it has a positive effect on consumer choice to include in the brand name hints at the key benefits of the underlying product.

Practical implications

– The authors
'
results demonstrate that fMRI is able to provide important insights for brand practitioners.

Originality/value

– Current research has neither focused on the interaction of brand name dimensions with the consumer purchase decision-making process nor provided insight about the physiological drivers of brand perception. In their research, the authors applied for the first time neurophysiological methodologies and fMRI to questions related to brand names, resolving questions that have not been answered due to the methodological limitations of social sciences.
Separation and reconnection episodic organizational arenas in the strategic process
Authors: Kastberg Gustaf
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Within the strategy as practice field several studies have recently paid attention to organizational arenas like meetings, workshops and away‐days. There has, however, been a tendency to focus on what happens “inside” separated organizational arenas. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between the separated organizational arenas and other organizational activities in the strategizing process.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is conceptual. The framework rests on Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory and draws on recent empirical studies.

Findings

The main contribution of the article is the presentation of a theoretically well‐founded framework that further specifies and problematizes the relationships of separated organizational arenas. By focusing and conceptualizing the conditions for separation and reconnection, a foundation for analyzing the interconnectedness between different arenas is provided.

Practical implications

The paper contributes to our understanding of phenomena like meetings and work‐shops in the strategic process.

Originality/value

The framework is in line with, and expands the theorizing that Hendry and Seidl (2003) initiated about strategic episodes and the theorizing about first and second order observations in strategic processes initiated by Schreyögg and Kliesch‐Eberl (2007).
Does intervalling effect affect ETFs?
Authors: Milonas Nikolaos T. , Rompotis Gerasimos G.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the intervalling effect bias in ETFs' systematic risk expressed by beta. The authors' findings reveal the existence of a significant intervalling effect on ETFs' beta obtained by the ordinary least squares method (OLS). Also investigated is the impact of ETFs' capitalization on beta. Results provide evidence that small cap ETFs have greater betas than large cap ETFs. Results also reveal that the OLS beta of all ETFs increases when the return interval is lengthened regardless of capitalization. The impact of ETFs' trading activity on systematic risk is assessed too. Findings give evidence that the OLS betas of the ETFs that trade infrequently are biased downwards while the beta of the frequently traded ETFs is biased upwards. Finally, the paper reveals a strong intervalling effect on ETFs' tracking error.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ a sample of 40 broad‐based ETFs listed on Nasdaq Stock Exchange to test whether beta estimates change when the return interval measurement changes. Their data cover a maximum period of ten years starting from September 16, 1998 using daily, weekly and monthly return data. The authors estimate beta applying three alternative methods: the market model applied with the OLS method, the Scholes and Williams model (SW beta) and the Dimson model (Dim beta).

Findings

Results indicate that the average beta of ETFs derived by the OLS method increases when the return interval increases. The differences among the daily, weekly and monthly OLS betas are statistically significant at the 1 per cent level. This finding implies a strong intervalling effect bias in ETFs' OLS beta. On the other hand, the authors did not find any statistically significant differences in daily, weekly and monthly Scholes and Williams and Dimson betas. Moreover, results show that the daily and weekly OLS and Scholes and Williams betas and weekly OLS and Dimson betas are significantly different from each other.

Originality/value

In this paper using a sample of 40 broad‐based ETFs listed on Nasdaq Stock Exchange, the authors have examined various issues concerning: the intervalling effect bias in ETFs' systematic risk, the relation between beta and capitalization of ETFs, the relation between beta and trading frequency of ETFs and, finally, the intervalling effect bias in ETFs' tracking error. While the literature on intervalling effect on securities' beta and the relation between systematic risk and market value and trading activity is voluminous, this is the first attempt to examine these issues with respect to ETFs.
The explanatory power of earnings for stock returns in the pre‐ and post‐IFRS era
Authors: Negakis Christos I.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of the introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the explanatory power of earnings for stock returns in Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses variants of the Easton and Harris model. Moreover, the study controls for asymmetries in the information content of earnings and losses.

Findings

The findings show that the IFRS had several effects on the value relevance of earnings. In particular, the available information content of both earnings and earning changes decreased after the introduction of the IFRS. The reduction in the information content of earnings for returns (or the information content of book values of equity for stock prices) could be attributed to the IFRS and, in particular, to the introduction of the fair value principle. Moreover, even after controlling for the existence of asymmetries, the findings of reduced information content of earnings and earning changes for stock returns persist.

Originality/value

The study makes a significant contribution to the research of the implementation of the IFRS. In particular, the study examines the adoption of a set of high quality standards in a country where accounting was dominated by tax laws and governmental intervention.
Can one learn to think like Drucker? Lessons in personality and management education
Authors: Siemsen Hayo , Henning Reschke Carl
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to lay the foundations for new ways of management and personality development by using the same way Peter Drucker developed his ideas. What was this “teaching philosophy”? Where else can it be found? Which learning phenomena are typical for this way of teaching? Can this “teaching philosophy” be replicated? Can it be applied to management in general?

Design/methodology/approach

The historical genetic method developed by Ernst Mach from the historical‐critical method. Using this approach the paper traces the origin of Drucker's central ideas for management in his early learning experiences. It then asks the question, in how far can these central ideas be generalized and used to develop the central ideas of Drucker (including the intuitive ones) further? The question is genetically left open, i.e. it is continually transformative.

Findings

Drucker was heavily influenced in his way of thinking by his education at a special school in Vienna. The school was organized by Eugenie Schwarzwald. Many of Drucker's ideas on personality development and his intuitive theories on psychology and learning can be traced back to that time. What was especially important for Drucker's later works was the “teaching philosophy” taught by Schwarzwald's teachers.

Practical implications

There is a direct link between the science teaching results for Finland in the OECD PISA study and Drucker's way of thinking. Drucker acquired an exponential way of learning, instead of a learning based on a linear model. This is what made his thoughts so challenging and ahead of his contemporaries. As the example of Finland shows, this is not a light‐tower method (i.e. a singular phenomenon without empirical evidence of its reproducibility). One can use these ideas in general for all of education and it has been used in over a dozen cases at different around the world times. It is especially valuable in management education of knowledge workers. In such a way, one can create a much more efficient and effective way of education, an “education 2.0”.

Originality/value

This is the first time that Drucker's ideas can be linked to the ideas of Ernst Mach and to similar types of education based on ideas of Mach, such as used in Finland. The empirical results of such methods can therefore not only be found in Drucker's autobiography as a single case, but they can be compared in much more general contexts, for instance in the large‐scale field study OECD PISA study or in Hattie's educational meta‐meta analysis.
Natural transitions: from K‐12 to US academic library instructors
Authors: Olivas Antonia P.
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the decision of former traditional K‐12 teachers in the USA who chose a new career path in academic libraries. It focuses on their successes and challenges in higher education settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a qualitative‐methods approach which includes a brief questionnaire.

Findings

Findings indicate that former K‐12 teachers leave their traditional teaching professions due to bureaucracy but because they enjoy teaching, they seek other opportunities in education. The research also reveals that many of the participants continue to use their K‐12 training in their current instruction positions as academic librarians.

Research limitations/implications

Future research on this topic should look into more proactive ways of recruiting K‐12 teachers into positions of information literacy instructor in academic libraries.

Practical implications

Those responsible for hiring information literacy instruction librarians will learn the benefits of hiring former K‐12 teachers. The paper will also help encourage academic library leaders to help fund more training opportunities for information literacy librarians.

Social implications

All around the USA, academic libraries are fostering opportunities for their students to become information literate in the hopes of helping students succeed in college‐level research. As more former K‐12 teachers are hired in higher education academic instruction librarian positions, it could help students make a smoother transition from high school to college‐level researchers.

Originality/value

This research shows that former K‐12 teachers could be a valuable asset to higher education academic libraries.
Counting the uncountable: statistics for web archives
Authors: Oury Clement , Poll Roswitha
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the aims and contents of the ISO Report ISO/TR 14873.

Design/methodology/approach

For more than a decade, libraries have started to “collect the web”. National libraries in particular select, collect and store publications and websites from their national domain, seeing this as a task similar to traditional legal deposit. The collection policies and collecting methods vary, so that it is difficult to compare the quantity and quality of the respective web archives.

Findings

In order to harmonize the evaluation of web archives, ISO TC 46 SC 8 has produced a Technical Report that standardizes the terminology and statistics and offers tested indicators for assessing the quality of web archiving.

Originality/value

This paper describes the shortly to be published ISO/TR 14873, a potentially vital guide to harmonize web archive collection internationally.
Issues with contact centres – as a new interface between public organisations and citizens
Authors: Kallberg Maria
Published: July 2013

Purpose

Various levels of government offer citizens different channels and services using information technology (IT). Within e‐government different types of “e‐services” are used. The communications are made through a user interface consisting of an e‐service application. E‐services are used for digital management of routine matters: records are created, received, maintained, used and disposed during the processes of capturing and maintaining evidence about business activities and transactions. Besides e‐services, public administrations are establishing new channels organised as contact centres, in order to interact more efficiently with the citizens. The establishment of contact centres could be seen as an expression of an integrated approach to manage and control information flows in order to improve and ensure effective services. The purpose of this paper is to identify recordkeeping challenges related to public organisations' e‐government development and documentation practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The data presented and analysed are based on a qualitative study of Swedish local governments' (municipalities) establishment and implementation of contact centres during 2011. The study was designed as a multiple case study, using interviews as a data collection method.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that the establishment of contact centres has other motives than the traditional need to use information as evidence for decision making: namely internal business process development and cost savings. The information is captured proactively and serves different purposes, which challenges the strong bond between processes, legislation, organisation and accountability.

Practical implications

This paper will be of interest to record‐keeping practitioners working in the shift to e‐government.

Originality/value

Information is captured in new ways where the same information serves several interests. This research addresses the importance of including research in the beginning of the life of the record in relation to the influence made by the creator and the social construction of the record as part of archival thinking and research.
Seven management follies that threaten strategic success
Authors: Narayanan V.K. , Fahey Liam
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The objective of the paper is to summarize major faults in the process that later lead to strategy failures. These faults, or follies as the authors term them, infect all stages of the strategy process and can be ameliorated through careful managerial attention and action.

Design/methodology/approach

These follies are interconnected, one building on another, but for the sake of exposition the authors treat them separately. They identify seven managerial follies dealing with purview, diagnosis, presumptions, direction, implementation, one‐way communication and willful blindness.

Findings

The authors describe and illustrate the follies with real life examples and argue that these follies can be ameliorated by habits of thought and institution of organizational routines, both levers that can be employed by executives.

Practical implications

Based on the authors' extensive experience, strategic failures are preventable if one avoids the seven follies. To kick start recognition and treatment of the follies, they summarize a set of questions to keep in mind as managers craft strategies.

Originality/value

For each folly, they outline how clear and specific habits of thought and organizational routines can mitigate the potential disastrous consequences of the folly.
Rita McGrath explores the risks and opportunities of the transient‐advantage economy
Authors: Leavy Brian
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with innovation guru Rita Gunther McGrath. In this interview, McGrath offers her own perspective on the new competitive landscape, which she refers to as the “transient advantage economy,” and she sets out to help strategists more fully understand its implications and better navigate its major challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

In a world where strategy development itself needs to become more and more a process of innovation and discovery, few are better qualified to offer deep insight and practical help. McGrath is a Professor at Columbia Business School and a globally renowned expert on strategy in uncertain environments.

Findings

The “transient‐advantage economy,” that promises to leave few if any businesses unaffected, calls for an entirely new strategy playbook.

Practical implications

Deeply ingrained structures and systems designed to extract maximum value from a competitive advantage become a liability when the environment requires instead the capacity to surf through waves of short‐lived opportunities.

Originality/value

From the way we handle innovation, to resource allocation, to change, to the leadership mind‐set and even the management of individual careers, the transient advantage economy calls for a radical rethinking of how we create strategies and manage organizations.
Lessons big‐company leaders can learn from SME entrepreneurs
Authors: Chanyatipsakul Tana , Wongsurawat Winai
Published: July 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to document the problem‐solving styles of SME entrepreneurs operating in an emerging market.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted in‐depth interviews with ten successful company founders around Bangkok, Thailand. The discussion focused on the entrepreneurs' experiences during the early days of their businesses.

Findings

Entrepreneurs embraced risk. They emphasized learning‐by‐doing, leveraging current strengths and preparedness to fail before succeeding.

Originality/value

The authors describe some useful problem‐solving approaches that may be useful to leaders of big companies.
Native ungulates of diverse body sizes collectively regulate long‐term woody plant demography and structure of a semi‐arid savanna
Authors: Sankaran Mahesh , Augustine David J. , Ratnam Jayashree
Published: July 2013

Large mammalian herbivores are well recognized to play important roles in regulating woody cover and biomass in savannas, but the extent to which browsing ungulates are capable of regulating woody populations in the absence of other disturbances such as fire is unclear. Moreover, the degree to which browser effects on savannas operate through effects on woody plant recruitment vs. mortality has rarely been examined.

We conducted a 10‐year, replicated herbivore exclusion experiment in a semi‐arid savanna in East Africa (mean annual rainfall = 514 mm), where fires have been actively suppressed for decades. Browsers dramatically influenced recruitment, growth and mortality of all size classes of woody vegetation. A decade of herbivore exclusion resulted in a sevenfold increase in recruitment, a 2.5‐fold decrease in mortality and a threefold increase in woody biomass inside exclosures, while biomass outside exclosures remained relatively unchanged.

At the plant community level, extensive browsing of seedlings by small‐bodied ungulates suppressed woody recruitment in this semi‐arid system, generating a ‘browsing trap’ comparable to the ‘fire trap’ reported for mesic systems. Browsing by large‐ and medium‐bodied ungulates reduced both growth and survival of individuals in larger size classes.

At the plant species level, browser impacts were variable. Although browsers negatively influenced recruitment of all species, they had little to no impact on the mortality of some dominant species, resulting in a long‐term, browser‐driven shift in woody species composition that was largely mediated via their differential effects on plant mortality rates rather than recruitment.

Synthesis. Our results demonstrate unequivocally that, even in the absence of fire, native browsing ungulates can exert dramatic ‘top‐down’ controls in semi‐arid savannas, influencing all aspects of woody plant demography. Besides suppressing woody plant recruitment, browsers can also have substantial cumulative long‐term impacts on growth and mortality rates of woody plants, including adults, which can differ between species in ways that fundamentally alter the structure and function of woody vegetation. In semi‐arid rangelands, intact communities of native browsing ungulates thus provide a critical ecosystem service by regulating woody cover, and their removal (or extinction) from these systems can lead to rapid woody encroachment.
Viability of probiotic bacteria in fermented skim milk produced with different levels of milk powder and sugar
Authors: Maganha Luciana C , Rosim Roice E , Corassin Carlos H , Cruz Adriano G , Faria José A F , Oliveira Carlos A F
Published: July 2013

In this work, the effect of skim milk powder (0, 5%, 10%, 15% w/v) and sugar (0%, 10% w/v) on the viability of probiotic micro‐organisms and on the quality of fermented milks was investigated. Fermented milks were submitted to physicochemical, microbiological and sensory analyses on the 1st, 10th and 21st days after production. Sugar inclusion did not affect the probiotic growth in fermented milks, but milk powder levels of 10–15% influenced positively the probiotic counts, which were above six log colony‐forming units (cfu)/g. These findings can be useful for small dairy industries that are interested in producing flavoured fermented milks without decreasing the viability of probiotic micro‐organisms during its shelf life.
Economic use value of the Belize marine ecosystem: Potential risks and benefits from offshore oil exploration
Authors: Cisneros‐Montemayor Andrés M. , Kirkwood F. Gordon , Harper Sarah , Zeller Dirk , Sumaila U. Rashid
Published: July 2013

The announcement of plans for exploratory oil drilling at a number of offshore sites in Belize raised concerns about the risks associated with drilling, particularly given the socio‐economic importance of the marine ecosystem. The current economic value of fisheries and marine ecotourism is estimated, along with the potential revenue from offshore oil and potential economic losses stemming from oil pollution, under various assumptions on risk and uncertainty. Marine fisheries and ecotourism are estimated to generate around US$ 183 million per year. Single‐year estimated maximum revenue is higher for oil extraction initially but quickly declines; during a 50 year (two generation) period, total discounted benefits from marine fisheries and ecotourism are estimated at US$ 5.1 billion, compared to US$ 3.2 billion from offshore oil revenue. Following a hypothetical oil spill, discounted losses in marine fisheries and ecotourism due to perception and ecological impacts are estimated at US$ 912 million, with clean‐up costs and capital losses of US$ 6.1‐10.4 billion. Considering the short extraction life of oil resources compared to fisheries and ecotourism, the difference in benefits increases substantially in favour of the latter with a longer time horizon. A recent public referendum resulted in a 98% vote against oil exploration and a subsequent annulment of oil concessions pending environmental impact assessments.
Cytochrome c oxidase I primers for corbiculate bees: DNA barcode and mini‐barcode
Authors: Françoso E. , Arias M. C.
Published: July 2013

Bees (Apidae), of which there are more than 19 900 species, are extremely important for ecosystem services and economic purposes, so taxon identity is a major concern. The goal of this study was to optimize the DNA barcode technique based on the Cytochrome c oxidase (COI) mitochondrial gene region. This approach has previously been shown to be useful in resolving taxonomic inconsistencies and for species identification when morphological data are poor. Specifically, we designed and tested new primers and standardized PCR conditions to amplify the barcode region for bees, focusing on the corbiculate Apids. In addition, primers were designed to amplify small COI amplicons and tested with pinned specimens. Short barcode sequences were easily obtained for some Bombus century‐old museum specimens and shown to be useful as mini‐barcodes. The new primers and PCR conditions established in this study proved to be successful for the amplification of the barcode region for all species tested, regardless of the conditions of tissue preservation. We saw no evidence of Wolbachia or numts amplification by these primers, and so we suggest that these new primers are of broad value for corbiculate bee identification through DNA barcode.
Splitting the Difference? Principled Compromise and Assisted Dying
Authors: Huxtable Richard
Published: July 2013

Compromise on moral matters attracts ambivalent reactions, since it seems at once laudable and deplorable. When a hotly‐contested phenomenon like assisted dying is debated, all‐or‐nothing positions tend to be advanced, with little thought given to the desirability of, or prospects for, compromise. In response to recent articles by Søren Holm and Alex Mullock, in this article I argue that principled compromise can be encouraged even in relation to this phenomenon, provided that certain conditions are present (which I suggest they are). In order to qualify as appropriately principled, the ensuing negotiations require disputants to observe three constraints: they should be suitably reflective, reliable and respectful in their dealings with one another. The product that will result from such a process will also need to split the difference between the warring parties. In assisted dying, I argue that a reduced offence of ‘compassionate killing’ can achieve this. I acknowledge, however, that splitting the difference can induce splitting headaches, as there remain certain questions to be answered. Hopefully, however, sufficient work is done here to defend attempts to occupy the middle ground, whether these relate to assisted dying specifically or to other disputed moral matters.
Validity of Tests under Covariate-Adaptive Biased Coin Randomization and Generalized Linear Models
Authors: Shao Jun , Yu Xinxin
Published: July 2013

Some covariate-adaptive randomization methods have been used in clinical trials for a long time, but little theoretical work has been done about testing hypotheses under covariate-adaptive randomization until Shao et al. (2010) who provided a theory with detailed discussion for responses under linear models. In this article, we establish some asymptotic results for covariate-adaptive biased coin randomization under generalized linear models with possibly unknown link functions. We show that the simple t-test without using any covariate is conservative under covariate-adaptive biased coin randomization in terms of its Type I error rate, and that a valid test using the bootstrap can be constructed. This bootstrap test, utilizing covariates in the randomization scheme, is shown to be asymptotically as efficient as Wald's test correctly using covariates in the analysis. Thus, the efficiency loss due to not using covariates in the analysis can be recovered by utilizing covariates in covariate-adaptive biased coin randomization. Our theory is illustrated with two most popular types of discrete outcomes, binary responses and event counts under the Poisson model, and exponentially distributed continuous responses. We also show that an alternative simple test without using any covariate under the Poisson model has an inflated Type I error rate under simple randomization, but is valid under covariate-adaptive biased coin randomization. Effects on the validity of tests due to model misspecification is also discussed. Simulation studies about the Type I errors and powers of several tests are presented for both discrete and continuous responses.
Innovations in Practice: ‘Off‐label’ clonidine: UK Paediatric and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry prescribing practice for sleep problems
Authors: MacLeod Rebecca L. , Keen Daphne V.
Published: July 2013

Background

Psychopharmacological prescribing of clonidine has been described in Australia and in the United States but not in Europe. This study explores UK clinician experience of clonidine ‘off label’ in treating paediatric sleep problems in the context of a paucity of evidence for its use.

Methods

Survey of UK Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (CAPs) and specialist Paediatricians.

Results

Of 389 respondents (30% Paediatricians, 70% CAPs), 172 prescribed clonidine and 85 having used it for treating sleep. Treatment targets were sleep onset, night waking and nonspecific sleep problems, and carer respite, in patients with significant coexisting neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. Most used clonidine as a second line medication after trying nonpharmacological approaches. The majority reported initial effectiveness, and adverse effects were mild or transient. Issues of reducing long‐term effectiveness, drug tolerance and considerable differences in dosing regimes were identified.

Conclusions

Clonidine use appears less widespread in the United Kingdom than reported elsewhere. It is seen as a potentially effective and safe intervention but this study highlights the need for good quality RCT evidence for the most effective use of clonidine in paediatric sleep disorders.
Commentary: bipolar disorder in children and adolescents – good to have the evidence
Authors: Stringaris Argyris
Published: July 2013

Emotions run high when it comes to bipolar disorder (BD) in children. At conferences in the recent past, I often had to speak in front of audiences that were divided into those who strongly favoured a wider use of the diagnosis of BD and those who fervently opposed it. For years, such diametrically opposed views have been held with equal vigour, despite the striking absence of much evidence either way. This is about to change as more empirical data on BD are accumulating. It is research like that conducted by Boris Birmaher's group that allows us to start having a more rational discussion on youth BD, and a debate that goes beyond anecdote and prejudices. In this Commentary I highlight the ground‐breaking research in the US of studying the clinical course of BD and translate the impact of these findings for the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents on this side of the Atlantic.
Prevalence of spectacles use in Andhra Pradesh, India: Rapid Assessment of Visual Impairment project
Authors: Marmamula Srinivas , Khanna Rohit C , Narsaiah Saggam , Shekhar Konegari , Rao Gullapalli N
Published: July 2013

Background

To assess the prevalence and patterns of spectacles use in South India state of Andhra Pradesh.

Design

A population‐based cross sectional study.

Participants

Seven thousand eight hundred subjects aged ≥40 years, sampled from one urban and two locations.

Methods

Two‐stage cluster random sampling method was used to enumerate 7800 subjects. Distance visual acuity and near vision were assessed. A questionnaire was used to collect information on current and previous use of spectacles, spectacles providers and type of spectacles. Among those who discontinued use of spectacles, the reasons were elicited.

Main Outcome Measures

The prevalence of spectacles use and spectacle coverage.

Results

In total, 7378/7800 subjects (95.0%) were examined. Among those examined, 53.6% were female, 49.5% of them aged between 40 and 49 years, and 62% of them had no education. The overall prevalence of spectacles use was 29.5% (95% confidence interval 28.5–30.4), 30.3% (95% confidence interval 29.0–31.6) in rural area compared with 27.9% (95% confidence interval 26.1–29.7) (P < 0.05) in urban location. Bifocals (72.8%) were the most common type of spectacles. Private eye clinics were the leading spectacles provider in all three regions. On applying multiple logistic regression, the odds of spectacles use increased with increasing age and were significantly higher for rural residents and those with higher levels of education. The spectacle coverage was 38.0% and 27% for refractive errors and presbyopia, respectively.

Conclusions

Although prevalence of spectacles use is moderate, the spectacle coverage for both refractive errors and presbyopia is low. The strategies are required to improve the spectacle coverage in the region.
On the potential of δ18O and δ15N to assess N2O reduction to N2 in soil
Authors: Decock C. , Six J.
Published: July 2013

Enhancing microbial reduction of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) to N2 could be a promising strategy to mitigate emissions from soils, but N2O reduction rates are currently neither well understood nor quantified. It has been suggested that the importance of N2O reduction to N2 could be estimated from relationships between δ18O and δ15N when N2O production and reduction occur simultaneously. We assessed the robustness of such relationships by using simple simulation models and experimental data for various scenarios, including open versus closed system isotope dynamics and collection of N2O fluxes over time with and without refreshing the headspace between sampling. We found that relationships between δ18O and δ15N vary dramatically with experimental conditions (such as headspace gas concentration and sampling scheme) and open versus closed system isotope dynamics, irrespective of N2O reduction rate. Therefore, we conclude that the simple relationships between δ18O and δ15N currently used are not robust indicators of N2O reduction to N2 and strongly discourage graphical interpretations of δ18O and δ15N to determine N2O reduction. We recommend the development of more advanced process‐based isotope models that take into account open versus closed system isotope dynamics, experimental conditions, isotope values of precursors and other biogeochemical controls on δ15N and δ18O of N2O to estimate N2O reduction rates more reliably from natural abundance isotope values of N2O.
Adoption of lycaenid Niphanda fusca (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) caterpillars by the host ant Camponotus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Hojo Masaru K. , Yamaguchi Susumu , Akino Toshiharu , Yamaoka Ryohei
Published: July 2013

Caterpillars of the parasitic lycaenid butterfly are often adopted by host ants. It has been proposed that this adoption occurs because the caterpillars mimic the cuticular hydrocarbons of the host ant. This study aimed to examine whether caterpillars of the Japanese lycaenid butterfly Niphanda fusca induce adoption by mimicking their host ant Camponotus japonicus. Behavioral observations conducted in the laboratory showed that most second‐instar caterpillars were not adopted, whereas most third‐instar caterpillars were successfully adopted by host workers. A chemical comparison detected no characteristic differences in the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles between second‐ and third‐instar caterpillars. However, morphological features of the caterpillars differed between the second and third instars; third‐instar caterpillars developed exocrine glands (ant organs) such as tentacle organs and a dorsal nectary organ. These results suggest that multiple chemical signatures, not only cuticular hydrocarbons, may be important for invasion of the host ant nest.
Effects of environmental factors on the species composition of aquatic insects in irrigation ponds
Authors: Nakanishi Kosuke , Nishida Takayoshi , Kon Masahiro , Sawada Hiroichi
Published: July 2013

Although irrigation ponds contribute to the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, they have experienced declines in recent years. We therefore examined the relationships between various environmental factors and the community composition of aquatic insects, specifically insect predators, in irrigation ponds to gain knowledge that would aid in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. We selected Odonata, Hemiptera and Coleoptera as target taxonomic groups and conducted censuses of these groups in 21 ponds in Shiga, central Japan. In total, we collected 30 and 10 species (or species groups) of Odonata and Hemiptera, respectively, and 17 species of Coleoptera. A partial canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the following four environmental factors significantly affected the species composition of aquatic insect communities: the number of emergent plant species, percent concrete revetment, presence of litter and peripheral length. Among these variables, the number of emergent plant species was the most potent factor, perhaps because emergent plants serve as sites for oviposition and emergence, and provide refugia for aquatic insects (odonate nymphs in particular). In contrast, some species specifically inhabited sites poor in emergent plants. This study shows that reductions in concrete revetments are necessary for the conservation of biodiversity. This would lead to increases in the number of aquatic plant species, which provide habitats and oviposition sites for many aquatic insects. Furthermore, to enrich the local biodiversity of aquatic insects, groups of irrigation ponds with different environments are needed.
Upregulation of heat shock protein 27 confers resistance to actinomycin D‐induced apoptosis in cancer cells
Authors: Ma Wenbo , Teng Yan , Hua Hui , Hou Jinlin , Luo Ting , Jiang Yangfu
Published: July 2013

Actinomycin D (Act D) is a general transcriptional inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of sarcomas, and Wilms, germ cell and trophoblastic tumors. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that dictate the sensitivity of cancer cells to Act D. In this study, we investigated the effects of Act D on heat shock proteins (HSPs) and the expression and roles of HSP27 in Act D‐induced cancer cell apoptosis. We show that Act D upregulates HSP27 and HSP70 expression in cancer cells, whereas it inhibits HSP90 expression. The upregulation of HSP27 by Act D is not attributable to changes in HSP27 transcription or HSP27 synthesis. HSP27 knockdown leads to an increase in Act D‐induced caspase 3 and caspase 7 cleavage, and sensitizes rhabdosarcoma cells and breast cancer cells to Act D‐induced apoptosis. We conclude that upregulation of HSP27 represents an adaptive response that compromises the anticancer activity of Act D.
Diversification of NAD biological role : the importance of location
Authors: Di Stefano Michele , Conforti Laura
Published: July 2013

Over 100 years after its first discovery, several new aspects of the biology of the redox co‐factor NAD are rapidly emerging. NAD, as well as its precursors, its derivatives, and its metabolic enzymes, have been recently shown to play a determinant role in a variety of biological functions, from the classical role in oxidative phosphorylation and redox reactions to a role in regulation of gene transcription, lifespan and cell death, from a role in neurotransmission to a role in axon degeneration, and from a function in regulation of glucose homeostasis to that of control of circadian rhythm. It is also becoming clear that this variety of specialized functions is regulated by the fine subcellular localization of NAD, its related nucleotides and its metabolic enzymatic machinery. Here we describe the known NAD biosynthetic and catabolic pathways, and review evidence supporting a specialized role for NAD metabolism in a subcellular compartment‐dependent manner.