bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The principal – agent problem between the Pope and God: how the printing press saved the papacy
Authors: Tuszynski Nicholas , E. Block Walter
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss a unique principal–agent dilemma, one that is very much off the beaten track. The relationship of the Popes pre-1500 and God was one full of emptiness and strain. The Catholic Church was saved by a positive externality of the printing press (technology) that guided the Papacy to act more ethically and, thus, we presume in the best interest of God.

Design/methodology/approach

– We utilize a historical and an economic analysis to probe the phenomenon that the goals of the principal and the agent are not always congruent. How the former entices the latter to do his bidding is an issue on which economists have long focused. We apply it to an unusual historical episode.

Findings

– There were numerous corrupt popes during the medieval times of the Catholic Church and the number seemed to lessen and then even approach zero asymptotically after the printing press was invented. The Protestant reformation was a driving force, and this too, we argue, would have been nearly impossible were it not also for the printing press.

Originality/value

– This is a contribution to the economic subfield of the economics of religion. It explores how the dismal science can make a contribution to our understanding of matters of faith. It looks at religion not from a theological point of view, the more usual departure, but from the perspective of economics.
The role of share waqf in the socio-economic development of the Muslim community
Authors: Mohamad Suhaimi Farhana , Ab Rahman Asmak , Marican Sabitha
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– This study aimed to analyse the role of the Waqf Fund Scheme, by taking Penang (or Pulau Pinang) as one of the states in Malaysia as a sample of the study. Waqf Fund Scheme was established by the Islamic Religious Council of Penang, Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP), in an effort to develop the economy of the Muslim community in the state.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study analysed the contribution that this endowment fund makes towards a comprehensive scheme of economic development, namely, in terms of the economic, spiritual and social welfare of the Muslim community in Penang. The primary source of data was obtained through interviews conducted by the researcher with the Manager of the Waqf Fund Scheme, the Head of Administration and Finance Section and the Account Executive of MAINPP. The researcher also interviewed respondents from four institutions that were beneficiaries of the Waqf Fund Scheme.

Findings

– The findings of this research show that the endowment fund scheme plays an important role in the economic development of the Muslim community in Penang. The Waqf Fund Scheme contributes by way of providing a financing facility towards the acquisition of waqf assets or through cash support channelled to associations or committees of a masjid.

Research limitations/implications

– This study only focuses on Waqf Fund Scheme which was established by MAINPP.

Practical implications

– This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of the Waqf Fund Scheme management.

Originality/value

– The paper is the first attempt to address the Waqf Fund Scheme contributions by MAINPP, particularly in Penang.
Competition for donations and the sustainability of not-for-profit organisations
Authors: Omura Teruyo , Forster John
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the nature of competition for private donations that occurs between not-for-profit organisations (NPOs). This competition occurs because NPOs do not produce commercially viable outputs and therefore rely on donations. The financial sustainability of NPOs is problematic, both individually and in economy-wide terms, as they do not produce commercial saleable outputs. Instead they raise funds by either relying on government grants or competing for private donations. Sustainability of NPOs becomes an even greater issue when governments reduce their grant-giving in times of stress – precisely the time when calls on NPOs’ resources increase.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research asks the question, do donation-raising expenditures by NPOs increase donations or do they damagingly divert donations from other NPOs? Using Australian data, competition between NPOs for donations is analysed using a modified oligopoly market model. NPO fundraising expenditures are central to this model, but other factors, including unpaid-volunteers, organisational size and age, are also explanatory variables in determining success in fundraising. NPOs concerned with human welfare, other than specialised aged care, are the primary focus of this paper, although other NPOs such as those concerned with animal welfare, science and the arts are also modelled.

Findings

– Crucially an NPO’s fundraising expenditure has a direct and positive impact on its level of donations. A major influence on level of donations is the presence of volunteers within an NPO. There seems to be an interesting reciprocal relationship between the effect of size and age of organisations on their donations and the effect on fundraising. Critically for sustainability, NPOs competing for funds are established as having a negative effect on the level of donations to other NPOs with similar functions.

Originality/value

– It is believed that the material used here represents one of the first studies of financial sustainability of NPOs and highlights the value of both accounting and economic analysis of organisations’ operations. Financial sustainability issues are compounded by the existence of competition for funds among charities operating in the same areas (Parsons, 2003; Trussel and Greenlee, 2004; Trussel and Parsons, 2008); it has been argued that competition for funds diminishes sustainability (Lyons, 2001; Weerawandenaet al., 2010).
Comparison of mitigation potential estimates of three models using the IPCC 3-tier approach
Authors: K. Murthy Indu , Tiwari Rakesh , Hegde G.T. , Beerappa M. , Rao Kameswar , Ravindranath N.H.
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to estimate carbon mitigation impacts of project activities in a community forestry project in Andhra Pradesh, India. Measurement and quantification of carbon stocks, monitoring of these stocks over time and projections using models is necessary for assessing the climate change mitigation potential or impacts of all forest development and conservation projects.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, multiple mitigation assessment methods and models were used to estimate the carbon mitigation impacts – PROCOMAP, TARAM and CATIE, by adopting a three-tier approach similar to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines.

Findings

– There are differences in mitigation potential estimates across models as well as across tiers. The study highlights the strength and weaknesses and/or limitations and advantages of adopting the different approaches and their applicability for estimating mitigation potential of a forestry project. The same could be adopted for a future Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) regime also, given countries may not have the necessary technical capacity and data needed during the post-2012 REDD scheme. While countries with advanced data, technical and research capabilities could use models or, in other words, adopt the Tier-3 approach, countries with data and technical limitations, as in India, could adopt a Tier-2 or Tier-1 approach to begin with.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations and advantages of use of the multiple mitigation models is addressed.

Originality/value

– This work would help understand use of three mitigation models by prospective students and researchers and also the data needs and limitations for use of these models.
Gender perspectives on agricultural adaptation to climate change in drought-prone Nguru Local Government Area in the semiarid zone of northeastern Nigeria
Authors: Othniel Yila Jummai , P. Resurreccion Bernadette
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims at understanding how smallholder farmers are adapting to drought and what shapes their vulnerabilities and ability to adapt. Considering that their capacity to adapt to climate change has been undermined not only by the natural vulnerabilities due to their geographic location but also by the social context, gender and institution that interact to influence and determine household and individual vulnerability and responses to drought.

Design/methodology/approach

– Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected by use of structured questionnaires from 128 male-headed households and 122 female-headed households in eight villages in the Nguru Local Government Area, as well as from key informant interviews and focus group discussions.

Findings

– Climate change is not a concept recognized by most farmers and does not have standard translation in the local language; farmers believe the term refers to change in weather. Drought and crop failure are causing despair and frustration, and farmers reported that they are struggling to adapt. The resources and support inputs required for responding to climate change and variability are socially differentiated by gender, women’s and men’s responses to drought impacts as well as their access to adaptation resources and support differ significantly. Women are in particular unable to access the favored adaptation strategies promoted by Yobe State Agricultural Development Programme as a government support institution assigned with the responsibility of helping farm households adapt to climate change in ways that will increase their adaptive capacity.

Originality/value

– These findings are essential for informing policy decisions by ensuring that the experiences of both women and men and the context in which they operate are embedded into policy design.
Gender, education and labour market: evidence from Mauritius
Authors: Gokulsing Deepa , Tandrayen-Ragoobur Verena
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of women in the small island economy by focussing on the education sector and labour market access. First, we analyse the educational path of women in Mauritius and second we examine the labour market opportunities available to them. We link the two sectors by adopting a gender perspective. Third, we investigate whether the same opportunities are made available to both men and women and whether or not there exist a gender gap in economic participation in the country.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author used data from the World Bank Development Indicators (2012) for a comparative analysis of the gender situation in Mauritius relative to other African countries. Gender statistics were also made available from the statistical office: statistics, Mauritius. The Global Gender Gap Report (2012) and the SADC Gender Protocol Barometer 2012 were used as secondary data.

Findings

– The analysis reveals that though girls’ outperform boys at all education levels, starting from primary, secondary and tertiary level, their access to job opportunities are reduced. Female unemployment rate is higher than that of male unemployment and even for those women who manage to enter the labour market, they remain in the low-occupation jobs. This puzzling relationship between good educational performance and female unemployment or low-occupation may first be explained by the wrong choice of subjects at secondary and tertiary levels. Mauritian women are more likely to obtain a degree in education and humanities which are the traditional areas rather than moving to the non-traditional spheres of science and engineering. Hence, not only is it difficult for them to penetrate the labour market which is already saturated in these traditional disciplines but jobs in these fields may not be in the high wage range. Consequently, these subject choices have repercussions for the occupations they choose and the wages they earn. Significant and persistent gaps remain in the fields of study that women and men choose as part of their formal education. These gaps translate henceforth into gender differences in employment and ultimately into differences in productivity and earnings.

Originality/value

– No study has focused on the puzzling link between good education performance of girls and their inability to access the labour market in Mauritius.
A representative workforce
Authors: Murji Karim
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the inter-relationship between target setting, racial categories and racism via the case of a race employment target set for the police. Drawing on and extending public administration and governmentality perspectives, the work explores the shifting politics of enumeration and categorisation within a set of organisational manoeuvres.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data are qualitative and mainly based on interviews with senior figures involved in managing the organisational response to the target, as well as some documentary sources.

Findings

– The discussion reveals that both racial enumeration and categorisation are contested rather than fixed, but that debates about it ebb and flow in variable and uneven ways. They are the subject of manoeuvring around the number itself and of what counts as race. This indicates the complexity of governing race targets, which appear set but are made fluid in various ways.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is based on interviews with senior and prominent figures involved in governance who spoke “off the record”, as described in the paper. These conversations are not in the public domain and the justification for using them is that they reveal the thinking behind the public debate about the black and minority ethnic (BME) target, as well as a process of negotiation and manoeuvring.

Originality/value

– The BME target has been the subject of considerable media and political attention, plus some academic research. The paper presents a new and unique account of the target as it was implemented. It is of value to researchers interested in racism and policing interested in the organisational background that shaped the public debates about the target.
It's better than stealing: informal street selling in Brussels
Authors: Boels Dominique
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the organisation of informal street selling in the capital of Belgium, its association with formal and illegal selling and the perceptions, choices and decisions of the sellers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative approach (case study) was employed, including interviews, observations and document analyses.

Findings

– The results point to different types of informal street selling, which are mainly executed by (illegal) migrants as a survival strategy. The case illustrates the different interrelations between the formal, informal and criminal economy. Notwithstanding the precarious situation of many informal sellers (informal), street selling is preserved by the government as a social safety net. Moreover, informal selling is neutralised by the suggestion that it is a better alternative than stealing or committing crimes which inflict physical harm and feelings of insecurity.

Research limitations/implications

– The results have limited generalisability, but are theoretically and methodologically important.

Practical implications

– Implications for migration policy (e.g. more preventative actions in countries of origin, shorter procedures, development of migration regulations accounting for other policy domains, e.g. employment market).

Originality/value

– The study fills a gap in the literature as there is limited empirical research on informal economy and Belgian informal street selling. Results are discussed in relation to international literature, thus overcoming a purely national perspective.
Evaluating supply chain relationship quality, organisational resources, technological innovation and enterprise performance in the palm oil processing sector in Asia
Authors: Chong Tan Yew , Oly Ndubisi Nelson
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to evaluate the relationship between organisational resources, technological innovation, relationship quality and enterprise performance, as well as the mediating effect of firm–supplier RQ.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey was conducted of the palm oil processing sector in Malaysia, consisting milling, refining and oleo-chemical companies. Data were gathered and used to statistically test hypotheses that underpinned a proposed conceptual model.

Findings

– Organisational resources have a direct impact on RQ, which, in turn, has a direct effect on performance indicators such as financial performance, market effectiveness and strategic objectives. RQ is a mediator in some of the resource-performance relationships, which underpins the genesis of the research undertaken. The mediating role played by RQ in promoting business performance in the palm oil processing sectors, is achieved through translating the effects of organisational resources into improved business performance.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitation of this study lies in its cross-sectional nature. A single respondent was drawn from each company, and information from each respondent was obtained only once and at a single point in time.

Practical implications

– The results offer some suggestions to top management, e.g. on the type of resources to invest in and exploring vital relational issues that enhance performance outcomes and the impact of different sets of resources on relational dynamics.

Originality/value

– Very little is known about the application of resource-based view in the Asian context, or how RQ affects business performance from the East Asian perspective. By confirming the strong impact of RQ on business performance in the Asian context, the study adds value by providing evidence from the East. The study also makes a contextual contribution, by demonstrating the applicability of the observed relationships among palm oil processing companies from a non-Western, collectivist society.
Entrepreneurship and service innovation
Authors: Oly Ndubisi Nelson
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue on entrepreneurship and service innovation, and to conceptualize the link between entrepreneurial orientation, innovation and entrepreneurship or new entry.

Design/methodology/approach

– Analysis of secondary data.

Findings

– Entrepreneurial orientation (EO), innovation (IN) and entrepreneurship are in a vital “triadic connect”, where EO supports innovation in organizations and innovation promotes new entry or new venture creation – a vehicle for commercialization of innovations.

Research limitations/implications

– There is a need for empirical validation of the linkages proposed in this conceptual paper.

Practical implications

– This “triadic connect” between EO, IN and entrepreneurship or new entry is a source of or key driver of organizational performance (OP) and competitive advantage (CA).

Originality/value

– The theorization and schematization of the “triadic connect” (i.e. EO–IN–NE link) and outcomes (namely, OP and CA) is presented.
The relationship between enduring leadership and organizational performance
Authors: Mastrangelo Angelo , R. Eddy Erik , J. Lorenzet Steven
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to replicate previous findings exploring the mediating effect of personal leadership on professional leadership and intentions to cooperate, and to extend the model by examining organizational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Employees from two school districts (one high performing, the other low performing) in New York State completed a survey designed to gather their perceptions of study variables.

Findings

– Professional and personal leadership are positively related to employee intentions to cooperate, personal leadership mediates the effect of professional leadership on employee intentions to cooperate, and employees in the high-performing organization rated all study variables higher than employees in the low-performing organization.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations include predictor and outcome data both collected from the same respondents and all measures collected via survey. Both of these issues raise concerns with regards to common method bias, though actual performance data was gained from a separate source.

Practical implications

– Managers should focus on developing both professional (i.e. providing direction, process, and coordination to members) and personal (i.e. demonstrating expertise, trust, caring, sharing, and ethics) behaviors to enhance.

Social implications

– The current study's findings are compelling and supportive of prior research (Mastrangeloet al., 2004; Eddyet al., 2008). Both professional and personal leadership have an important impact on employee intentions to cooperate, and personal leadership mediates the relationship between professional leadership and employee intentions to cooperate. Leaders should focus on enhancing these behaviors in order to positively impact organizational success. Most compelling is the power of personal leadership. A greater emphasis on expertise, trust, caring, sharing, and ethical behavior in teaching and practicing leadership will undoubtedly lead to more enduring leadership.

Originality/value

– The paper provides confirmatory evidence for the value of the leadership model put forth by Mastrangeloet al.(2004) and extends the model to include other important outcomes. An examination of leader behaviors at high-performing organization and low-performing organization uncovers ways managers can enhance their leadership behaviors.
Does metabolic rate predict risk‐taking behaviour? A field experiment in a wild passerine bird
Authors: Mathot Kimberley J. , Nicolaus Marion , Araya‐Ajoy Yimen G. , Dingemanse Niels J. , Kempenaers Bart
Published: September 2014

Individuals often show consistent differences in risk‐taking behaviours; behaviours that increase resource acquisition at the expense of an increased risk of mortality. Recently, basal metabolic rate (BMR) has been suggested as a potentially important state variable underlying adaptive individual differences in a range of behaviours, including risk‐taking.

We tested the relationship between BMR and risk‐taking in free‐living great tits (Parus major) using experimental manipulations of perceived predation risk. We compared the latency of individuals to return to feeders following control (human) and predator (model sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus) disturbances at fixed feeder locations. We predicted that if variation in risk‐taking is shaped by energetic constraints, high BMR individuals should return to feeders sooner following both disturbance types and show smaller changes in risk‐taking as a function of predation danger.

Higher BMR tended to be associated with lower risk‐taking following control disturbances but greater risk‐taking following predator disturbances, resulting in a significant interaction between BMR and treatment.

Within‐individual changes in risk‐taking as a function of ambient temperature (a proxy for within‐individual changes in energetic constraints) mirrored these results. Lower temperatures tended to be associated with lower risk‐taking following control disturbances, but greater risk‐taking following predator disturbances, resulting in a significant interaction between temperature and treatment.

The effects of BMR and temperature on variation in risk‐taking as a function of perceived predation danger were qualitatively similar, suggesting that energetic constraints play a role in shaping risk‐taking. However, the hypothesized mechanism (energetic requirements directly influence the optimal expression of risk‐taking behaviour) is insufficient to account for the observed negative relationship between energetic constraint and risk‐taking following control disturbances.

We conclude that variation in risk‐taking is associated with differences in energetic constraints, including BMR and temperature, but that the relationship is context‐specific, here high vs. low perceived predation risk. Further studies are needed to elucidate potential mechanisms that could generate context‐specific relationships between energetic constraints and risk‐taking.
The influence of dyadic coping in relationship education for low‐ income racial and ethnic minority couples
Authors: Mitchell Amanda M. , Owen Jesse , Adelson Jill L. , France Tiffany , Inch Leslie J. , Bergen Carrie , Lindel Amy
Published: September 2014

Financial concerns are stressors experienced by many couples and are negatively associated with relationship outcomes, such as relational satisfaction. Racial and ethnic minority (REM) couples are disproportionately affected by financial stress, as they are overrepresented in the lower socioeconomic bracket. In a sample of 299 low‐income REM couples who participated in a relationship education programme, we explored how financial stress can influence relationship functioning, as well as the mediating relationship of couple coping. The results revealed a good fit between the data and the dyadic model, suggesting that financial stress indicators can influence relationship functioning. Moreover, couples' change in dyadic coping after a relationship education programme mediated the relationship between couple distress at baseline and couple adjustment after the relationship education programme. Implications for the findings and future research are discussed.

Practitioner points

Dyadic coping is one vehicle through which relationship education programmes enhance relationship functioning in low‐income REM couples experiencing financial stress.

Processing dyadic coping reactions and behaviour during psychotherapy may serve as a method to build, improve or enhance the couple identity of two partners.
The datafied book and the entanglements of digitization (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
Authors: Murrell Mary
Published: September 2014

This paper explores how technologists, lawyers and librarians in the United States are complicating the social relations of the book as they attempt to navigate around and through the constraint of copyright in the pursuit of an online future for books. My context for this exploration is Google's appropriation of copyrighted books, data scientists' remaking of those books into data, and the subsequent publication of that data with a Creative Commons licence. I show how the datafication of books plays a crucial role in ‘opening’ the book, and yet I also suggest that, in an unstable moment where governance structures are in motion around data itself, the overcoming of former constraints engenders new ones.
The effects of acute normovolaemic haemodilution on peri‐operative coagulation in total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Shin H. J. , Na H. S. , Do S. H.
Published: September 2014

Total hip arthroplasty results in substantial blood loss in the peri‐operative period. We evaluated the effects of acute normovolaemic haemodilution on blood coagulation and platelet function in 11 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. We performed acute normovolaemic haemodilution and haematological tests, rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM®) and whole‐blood impedance aggregometry. Blood samples were obtained at three time points: (i) before the initiation of acute normovolaemic haemodilution; (ii) 20 min after completion of acute normovolaemic haemodilution; and (iii) 20 min after retransfusion. After acute normovolaemic haemodilution, ROTEM parameters demonstrated hypocoagulability. Clot formation time of INTEM was increased by 31.6% (p = 0.016), whereas the α‐angle and maximum clot formation of INTEM decreased by 8.1% (p = 0.032) and 3.0% (p = 0.013) respectively, compared with baseline values. Clotting time and clot formation time of EXTEM were increased by 40.8% (p = 0.042) and 31.3% (p = 0.016), respectively, whereas the α‐angle and maximum clot formation of EXTEM were decreased by 11.9% (p = 0.020) and 9.5% (p = 0.013), respectively. The maximum clot formation of FIBTEM decreased by 35.1% compared with the baseline value (p = 0.007). Following retransfusion, ROTEM values returned to baseline; clot formation time decreased and the α‐angle and maximum clot formation increased. There were no significant changes in platelet aggregation during the study. At 20 min after the end of acute normovolaemic haemodilution, the international normalised ratio of prothrombin time was increased compared with the baseline value (p = 0.003). We conclude that acute normovolaemic haemodilution resulted in a hypocoagulable state compared with baseline values and that coagulation parameters returned to normal after retransfusion.
Effects of bariatric surgery on untreated lower urinary tract symptoms: a prospective multicentre cohort study
Authors: Luke Serge , Addison Ben , Broughton Katherine , Masters Jonathan , Stubbs Richard , Kennedy‐Smith Andrew
Published: September 2014

Objective

To evaluate the effects of bariatric surgery on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a prospective cohort study.

Patients and Methods

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery were recruited into the study. LUTS were assessed using the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) in men and Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Score Questionnaire (BFLUTS) in women. Serum glucose, insulin and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) levels were recorded; insulin resistance was quantified using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA‐IR) method. Patients were assessed before surgery, and at 6–8 weeks and 1 year after surgery. Weight loss, change in body mass index (BMI), total symptoms score as well as individual symptoms were tested for statistical significance with correction for multiple testing using Bonferroni method. Linear regression analysis was performed with total symptoms score change at 1 year as the outcome variable and BMI, age, total symptoms score before surgery, HOMA‐IR, glucose level before surgery, insulin level before surgery, change in insulin level after surgery, weight loss and BMI loss as predictor variables.

Results

In all, 86 patients were recruited and 82% completed at least one follow‐up after surgery. There was significant weight loss and reduction of BMI after surgery (P < 0.001). At 6 weeks, there was a significant reduction in overall symptom score (P < 0.001) and this improvement was sustained at 1 year. Linear regression analysis showed that total symptoms score at baseline, HOMA‐IR, preoperative insulin level and change in insulin level postoperatively were predictive of the change in total symptoms score while the amount of weight loss was not.

Conclusions

The study confirms the improvement in LUTS after weight loss but there is no correlation between the improvement and the time course or degree of weight loss. Rather there is a suggestion that the improvement in symptoms is linked to improvement in insulin resistance seen as a result of both bariatric surgery and weight loss.
THE IMPACT OF LARGE CONTAINER BEER PURCHASES ON ALCOHOL‐RELATED FATAL VEHICLE ACCIDENTS
Authors: Hoke Omer , Cotti Chad
Published: September 2014

Using a fixed effect weighted least square model, we examine how changes in the share of beer purchases from large containers (>12 oz.) impact alcohol‐related fatal accidents. We find that, after holding beer purchases and overall alcohol‐consumption constant, an increase in total beer purchases from containers greater than the standard size of 12 oz. increases alcohol‐related fatal accidents. We confirm our results persist across several investigations of robustness, as well as the use of instrument variables methods. Outcomes suggest that policy makers should consider differential excise taxes for the purchase of larger than standard size beer containers. Such a policy would likely reduce the number of alcohol‐related fatal vehicle crashes and help to internalize the negative externalities associated with drunk driving. At the very minimum, these results suggest that individuals prone to dangerous levels of drunk driving are the consumers that most prefer large container size consumption. This is consistent with the idea that binge drinkers and beer drinkers are much more likely to drive while legally intoxicated. (JEL I18, K4)
The Impact of Uruguay's 2007 Tax Reform on Equity and Efficiency
Authors: Martorano Bruno
Published: September 2014

In 2007, the Uruguayan government implemented a tax reform which introduced a new progressive labour income tax and a flat capital income tax, and reduced some indirect taxes, with the objective of improving fiscal balance, income distribution and economic growth. This article evaluates the impact of such tax reform on equity and efficiency on the basis of data derived from the Encuesta Continua de Hogares (ECH) for 2006 and 2009. Using a Difference‐in‐Differences technique, it shows that the new system reduced inequality by 2 Gini points without producing any discernible disincentive effect, suggesting that suitably designed reforms of direct taxation can simultaneously promote equity and efficiency.
Mapping parahippocampal systems for recognition and recency memory in the absence of the rat hippocampus
Authors: Kinnavane L. , Amin E. , Horne M. , Aggleton J. P.
Published: September 2014

The present study examined immediate‐early gene expression in the perirhinal cortex of rats with hippocampal lesions. The goal was to test those models of recognition memory which assume that the perirhinal cortex can function independently of the hippocampus. The c‐fos gene was targeted, as its expression in the perirhinal cortex is strongly associated with recognition memory. Four groups of rats were examined. Rats with hippocampal lesions and their surgical controls were given either a recognition memory task (novel vs. familiar objects) or a relative recency task (objects with differing degrees of familiarity). Perirhinal Fos expression in the hippocampal‐lesioned groups correlated with both recognition and recency performance. The hippocampal lesions, however, had no apparent effect on overall levels of perirhinal or entorhinal cortex c‐fos expression in response to novel objects, with only restricted effects being seen in the recency condition. Network analyses showed that whereas the patterns of parahippocampal interactions were differentially affected by novel or familiar objects, these correlated networks were not altered by hippocampal lesions. Additional analyses in control rats revealed two modes of correlated medial temporal activation. Novel stimuli recruited the pathway from the lateral entorhinal cortex (cortical layer II or III) to hippocampal field CA3, and thence to CA1. Familiar stimuli recruited the direct pathway from the lateral entorhinal cortex (principally layer III) to CA1. The present findings not only reveal the independence from the hippocampus of some perirhinal systems associated with recognition memory, but also show how novel stimuli engage hippocampal subfields in qualitatively different ways from familiar stimuli.
Optimizing the molecular diagnosis of CDKL5 gene–related epileptic encephalopathy in boys
Authors: Mei Davide , Darra Francesca , Barba Carmen , Marini Carla , Fontana Elena , Chiti Laura , Parrini Elena , Dalla Bernardina Bernardo , Guerrini Renzo
Published: September 2014

Objective

Mutations involving the cyclin‐dependent kinase‐like 5 (CDKL5) gene cause an early onset epileptic encephalopathy (EE) with severe neurologic impairment and a skewed 12:1 female‐to‐male ratio. To date, 18 mutations have been described in boys. We analyzed our cohort of boys with early onset EE to assess the diagnostic yield of our molecular approach.

Methods

We studied 74 boys who presented early onset severe seizures, including infantile spasms and developmental delay, in the setting of EE, using Sanger sequencing, next‐generation sequencing (NGS) and multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA).

Results

We identified alterations involving CDKL5 in four boys (5.4%) using NGS in one and MLPA in three. Three of four mutations were indicative of somatic mosaicism.

Significance

CDKL5 gene mutations accounted for 5.4% of boys with early onset EE. Somatic mosaic mutations might be even more represented than germline mutations, probably because their less deleterious effect enhances viability of the male embryo. The molecular approach used for CDKL5 screening remarkably influences the diagnostic yield in boys. Diagnosis is optimized by Sanger sequencing combined with array‐based methods or MLPA; alternatively, NGS targeted resequencing designed to also detect copy number alterations, may be performed.
Mid‐ and Long‐Term Effects of Family Constellation Seminars in a General Population Sample: 8‐ and 12‐Month Follow‐Up
Authors: Hunger Christina , Weinhold Jan , Bornhäuser Annette , Link Leoni , Schweitzer Jochen
Published: September 2014

In a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT), short‐term efficacy of family constellation seminars (FCSs) in a general population sample was demonstrated. In this article, we examined mid‐ and long‐term stability of these effects. Participants were 104 adults (M = 47 years; SD = 9; 84% female) who were part of the intervention group in the original RCT (3‐day FCS; 64 active participants and 40 observing participants). FCSs were carried out according to manuals. It was predicted that FCSs would improve psychological functioning (Outcome Questionnaire OQ‐45.2) at 8‐ and 12‐month follow‐up. Additionally, we assessed the effects of FCSs on psychological distress, motivational incongruence, individuals’ experience in their personal social systems, and overall goal attainment. Participants yielded significant improvement in psychological functioning (d = 0.41 at 8‐month follow‐up, p = .000; d = 0.40 at 12‐month follow‐up, p = .000). Results were confirmed for psychological distress, motivational incongruence, the participants’ experience in their personal social systems, and overall goal attainment. No adverse events were reported. This study provides first evidence for the mid‐ and long‐term efficacy of FCSs in a nonclinical population. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Defining the genetic relationship of protegrin‐related sequences and the in vivo expression of protegrins
Authors: Choi Min‐Kyeung , Le Min Thong , Cho Hyesun , Soundrarajan Nagasundarapandian , Jeon Hyoim , Park Choi Kyu , Cha Se Yeoun , Kim Jin‐Hoi , Seo Kunho , Park Chankyu
Published: September 2014

Protegrins (PGs) are potent antimicrobial peptides that act on a broad spectrum of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and some enveloped viruses. We analyzed the expression pattern of protegrins in 17 different pig tissues using RT–PCR, and developed an anti‐(PG–1) polyclonal IgG. Western blot analysis using the antibody showed that protegrins are mainly present as prepropeptide forms in normal tissues, rather than as mature peptides. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that protegrin expression was specific to a few cell types, including neutrophils, pulmonary club, epithelial and Leydig cells. Genetic analyses of the five previously reported protegrin sequences showed that they are encoded at a single locus, rather than from multiple paralogous genes. By genotyping 28 animals across five breeds, we identified eight different alleles of the PGs.
Disulfide bond formation activity of soybean quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase
Authors: Okuda Aya , Matsusaki Motonori , Higashino Yuki , Masuda Taro , Urade Reiko
Published: September 2014

Multiple enzymatic systems can catalyse protein disulfide bond formation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eukaryotic cells. The enzyme quiescin sulfhydryl oxidase (QSOX) catalyses disulfide bond formation in unfolded proteins via the reduction of oxygen. We found two QSOX homologues in the soybean genome database, Glycine max QSOX (GmQSOX)1 and GmQSOX2, which encode proteins composed of an N‐terminal signal peptide, a thioredoxin‐like domain, an FAD‐binding domain, Erv/ALR, and a transmembrane region near the C terminus. We subsequently cloned two GmQSOX1 cDNAs, GmQSOX1a and GmQSOX1b, which may be generated by alternative splicing. The GmQSOX1a, GmQSOX1b and GmQSOX2 mRNA levels increased during seed storage protein synthesis in the cotyledon, and were also upregulated under conditions causing ER stress. Recombinant GmQSOX1 expressed in Escherichia coli formed disulfide bonds on reduced and denatured RNase A, but did not show any refolding activity. The reduced and denatured RNase A was effectively refolded by recombinant GmQSOX1 in the presence of the soybean protein disulfide isomerase family protein GmPDIL‐2 in the absence of glutathione redox buffer, suggesting that GmQSOX1 plays a role in protein folding in the ER.

Databases

The nucleotide sequence data for the GmQSOX1a, GmQSOX1b, GmQSOX2a, GmQSOX2b and glycinin AaB1b cDNAs are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession numbers AB196647, AB195548, XM-006589586, XM-003536592, and AB113349, respectively.
Climate change modifies the size structure of assemblages of emerging aquatic insects
Authors: Jonsson Micael , Hedström Per , Stenroth Karolina , Hotchkiss Erin R. , Vasconcelos Francisco Rivera , Karlsson Jan , Byström Pär
Published: September 2014

Climate change is expected to not only raise water temperatures, but also to cause brownification of aquatic ecosystems via increased inputs of terrestrial dissolved organic matter. While efforts have been made to understand how increased temperature and brownification separately influence aquatic food webs, their interactive effects have been less investigated. Further, although climate change effects on aquatic ecosystems likely will propagate to terrestrial consumers via changes in aquatic insect emergence, this has rarely been studied.

We investigated the effect of climate change on aquatic insect emergence, in a large‐scale outdoor pond facility where 16 sections – each containing natural food webs including a fish top‐consumer population – were subjected to warming (3 °C above ambient temperatures) and/or brownification (by adding naturally humic stream water). Aquatic insect emergence was measured biweekly over 18 weeks.

We found no effect of warming or brownification on total emergent insect dry mass. However, warming significantly reduced the number of emergent Chironomidae, while numbers of larger taxa, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera, remained unchanged. On average, 57% and 58% fewer Chironomidae emerged from the warmed clear and humic pond sections, respectively. This substantial decrease in emergent Chironomidae resulted in a changed community structure and on average larger individuals emerging from warm sections as well as from humic sections under ambient conditions. There was also a weak influence of fish biomass on the size structure of emergent aquatic insects, with a positive relationship between individual insect size and total fish biomass, but effects of fish were clearly subordinate to those of warming.

Climate change impacts on aquatic systems can have widespread consequences also for terrestrial systems, as aquatic insects are ubiquitous and their emergence represents an important resource flow from aquatic to terrestrial environments. While we found that neither warming nor brownification quantitatively changed total aquatic insect emergence biomass, the warming‐induced decrease in number of emergent Chironomidae and the subsequent increase in average body size will likely impact terrestrial consumers relying on emergent aquatic insect as prey.
Community Engagement in a complex intervention to improve access to primary mental health care for hard‐to‐reach groups
Authors: Lamb Jonathan , Dowrick Christopher , Burroughs Heather , Beatty Susan , Edwards Suzanne , Bristow Kate , Clarke Pam , Hammond Jonathan , Waheed Waquas , Gabbay Mark , Gask Linda
Published: September 2014

Background

Despite the availability of effective evidence‐based treatments for depression and anxiety, many ‘harder‐to‐reach’ social and patient groups experience difficulties accessing treatment. We developed a complex intervention, the AMP (Improving Access to Mental Health in Primary Care) programme, which combined community engagement (CE), tailored (individual and group) psychosocial interventions and primary care involvement.

Objectives

To develop and evaluate a model for community engagement component of the complex intervention. This paper focuses on the development of relationships between stakeholders, their engagement with the issue of access to mental health and with the programme through the CE model.

Design

Our evaluation draws on process data, qualitative interviews and focus groups, brought together through framework analysis to evaluate the issues and challenges encountered.

Setting & participants

A case study of the South Asian community project carried out in Longsight in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.

Key findings

Complex problems require multiple local stakeholders to work in concert. Assets based approaches implicitly make demands on scarce time and resources. Community development approaches have many benefits, but perceptions of open‐ended investment are a barrier. The time‐limited nature of a CE intervention provides an impetus to ‘do it now’, allowing stakeholders to negotiate their investment over time and accommodating their wider commitments. Both tangible outcomes and recognition of process benefits were vital in maintaining involvement.

Conclusions

CE interventions can play a key role in improving accessibility and acceptability by engaging patients, the public and practitioners in research and in the local service ecology.
A qualitative study of rural women's views for the treatment of early breast cancer
Authors: Ristevski Eli , Regan Melanie , Birks David , Steers Nicole , Byrne Anny
Published: September 2014

Aim

Identify what factors rural women perceived to influence their surgical choice for EBC.

Background

Higher rates of mastectomy still remain for women with early breast cancer (EBC) in rural areas. While access to radiotherapy is a commonly identified barrier, there is growing debate around other factors which are also important influences on surgical choice.

Methods

Qualitative study with 70 interviews with women diagnosed with EBC in rural Gippsland, Australia. Twenty‐nine women had a mastectomy and 41 had breast conserving surgery (BCS).

Results

Patient led psychosocial and surgeon led factors influenced surgical choice. Psychosocial factors were a greater influence for the mastectomy group. These included a high fear of cancer recurrence and radiotherapy, negative views of the body and breast, a family history of cancer, wanting to avoid the negative treatment experiences they had seen significant others go through, and not wanting to travel for treatment. Surgeon led factors were a greater influence for the BCS group, in particular, the direct recommendation made by the surgeon for BCS. For both groups, urgency to act was a shared psychosocial factor. Trust and confidence in the expertise and reputation of the surgeon and their consultation style were surgeon led factors shared by the groups.

Conclusions

To ensure women achieve the best treatment outcome, patients and clinicians need to work together to identify how important and influential the various factors are for the women and, if necessary, to seek support to ensure informed decisions are made.