bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantifying Randomness Versus Consensus in Wine Quality Ratings
Authors: Cao Jing 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThere has been ongoing interest in studying wine judges' performance in evaluating wines. Most of the studies have reached a similar conclusion: a significant lack of consensus exists in wine quality ratings. However, a few studies, to the author's knowledge, have provided direct quantification of how much consensus (as opposed to randomness) exists in wine ratings. In this paper, a permutation-based mixed model is proposed to quantify randomness versus consensus in wine ratings. Specifically, wine ratings under the condition of randomness are generated with a permutation method, and wine ratings under the condition of consensus can be produced by sorting the ratings for each judge. Then the observed wine ratings are modeled as a mixture of ratings under randomness and ratings under consensus. This study shows that the model can provide excellent model fit, which indicates that wine ratings, indeed, consist of a mixture of randomness and consensus. A direct measure is easily computed to quantify randomness versus consensus in wine ratings. The method is demonstrated with data analysis from a major wine competition and a simulation study. (JEL Classifications: C10, C13, C15)
Strategic Implications of the Relationship Between Price and Willingness to Pay: Evidence from a Wine-Tasting Experiment
Authors: Lewis Geoffrey , Zalan Tatiana 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe empirically examine the relationship between price and willingness to pay (WTP) for wines by conducting a wine-tasting experiment with a manipulation of price similar to that used by Plassman et al. (2008); that is, with the same wines being presented at different prices. We find that for non-expert wine consumers a complex interaction exists between wine appreciation, price and WTP. The key conclusions from the study are that for non-expert wine consumers (1) there is no relationship between intrinsic wine character and enjoyment (individuals rated the same wines quite differently), and (2) price influences both appreciation of wine and WTP, but the latter more strongly. Buying decisions are determined by consumer surplus (the difference between WTP and price), and yet, for non-expert wine drinkers, WTP is itself strongly influenced by price. This complex interaction between the factors that determine buying behavior has strategic implications for competitors in the wine industry. We suggest an understanding of the relationship between WTP and price can be used to shed light on the crisis recently experienced by the Australian wine industry. (JEL Classifications: C91, D03, M30)
The power of partnerships: the Liverpool school of butterfly and medical genetics
Authors: ZALLEN DORIS T. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractFrom the 1950s to the 1970s, a group of physician–researchers forming the ‘Liverpool school’ made groundbreaking contributions in such diverse areas as the genetics of Lepidoptera and human medical genetics. The success of this group can be attributed to the several different, but interconnected, research partnerships that Liverpool physician Cyril Clarke established with Philip Sheppard, Victor McKusick at Johns Hopkins University, the Nuffield Foundation, and his wife Féo. Despite its notable successes, among them the discovery of the method to prevent Rhesus haemolytic disease of the newborn, the Liverpool School began to lose prominence in the mid-1970s, just as the field of medical genetics that it had helped pioneer began to grow. This paper explores the role of partnerships in making possible the Liverpool school's scientific and medical achievements, and also in contributing to its decline.
Effectiveness of probiotics on the duration of illness in healthy children and adults who develop common acute respiratory infectious conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: King Sarah , Glanville Julie , Sanders Mary Ellen , Fitzgerald Anita , Varley Danielle 
Published: April 2014

Recent systematic reviews have reported a positive, although modest, effect of probiotics in terms of preventing common cold symptoms. In this systematic review, the effect of probiotics, specifically Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains, on the duration of acute respiratory infections in otherwise healthy children and adults was evaluated. To identify relevant trials, eight databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment (HTA), Science Citation Index (SCI) and OAISTER, were searched from inception to 20 July 2012. Details regarding unpublished studies/databases were also obtained from probiotic manufacturers. Study selection, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by two reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using criteria adapted from those published by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. In this review, twenty randomised controlled trials (RCT) were included, of which twelve were considered to have a low risk of bias. Meta-analysis revealed significantly fewer numbers of days of illness per person (standardised mean difference (SMD) − 0·31 (95 % CI − 0·41, − 0·11), I2= 3 %), shorter illness episodes by almost a day (weighted mean difference − 0·77 (95 % CI − 1·50, − 0·04), I2= 80 %) (without an increase in the number of illness episodes), and fewer numbers of days absent from day care/school/work (SMD − 0·17 (95 % CI − 0·31, − 0·03), I2= 67 %) in participants who received a probiotic intervention than in those who had taken a placebo. Reasons for heterogeneity between the studies were explored in subgroup analysis, but could not be explained, suggesting that the effect sizes found may differ between the population groups. This systematic review provides evidence from a number of good-quality RCT that probiotics reduce the duration of illness in otherwise healthy children and adults.
The effect of dried plum on serum levels of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin in osteopenic postmenopausal women: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Hooshmand Shirin , Brisco Jayme R. Y. , Arjmandi Bahram H. 
Published: April 2014

Although several studies have confirmed the bone-protective properties of dried plum, its exact mechanisms of action remain unclear. Recent research has shown that osteocytes may control bone formation via the production of sclerostin and bone resorption via the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and its inhibitor osteoprotegerin (OPG). To investigate the mechanism of action of dried plum in reversing bone loss, we measured serum levels of RANKL, OPG and sclerostin in osteopenic postmenopausal women (n 160). Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group of either 100 g dried plum/d or 75 g dried apple/d (comparative control) for 1 year. All participants received 500 mg Ca plus 400 IU (10 μg) vitamin D daily. Bone mineral densities (BMD) of the lumbar spine, forearm, hip and whole body were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 12 months to assess bone biomarkers. Dried plum significantly increased the BMD of the ulna and spine in comparison with the control group. In comparison with corresponding baseline values, dried plum increased the RANKL levels by only +1·99 v. +18·33 % and increased the OPG levels by +4·87 v. − 2·15 % in the control group. Serum sclerostin levels were reduced by − 1·12 % in the dried plum group v. +3·78 % in the control group. Although percentage changes did not reach statistical significance (P≤ 0·05), these preliminary data may indicate that the positive effects of dried plum on bone are in part due to the suppression of RANKL production, the promotion of OPG and the inhibition of sclerostin.
Threatened plants of arid ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin: a case study of the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Mendoza-Fernández Antonio , Pérez-García Francisco J. , Martínez-Hernández Fabián , Medina-Cazorla José M. , Garrido-Becerra Juan A. , Merlo Calvente María E. , Guirado Romero José S. , Mota Juan F. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractNetworks of protected areas are one of the main strategies used to address the biodiversity crisis. These should encompass as many species and ecosystems as possible, particularly in territories with high biological diversity, such as the Spanish arid zones. We produce a priority ranking of the arid zones of south-east Spain according to the rarity and richness of their characteristic flora and the level of endangerment. The resulting hierarchy shows that optimal zones for the preservation of the flora are located outside the network of protected areas. In particular, it is important to extend the network and encourage the creation of microreserves in the depression of the River Guadiana Menor (Granada), where there is least protection. This river valley is a particularly important arid site because of its unique flora and fauna, and palaeontological and archaeological findings.
Conservation challenges and action for the Critically Endangered Singapore freshwater crab Johora singaporensis
Authors: Ng Daniel J.J. , Yeo Darren C.J. , Sivasothi N. , Ng Peter K.L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe Singapore freshwater crab Johora singaporensis is known only from three streams in Singapore and is among the top 100 most threatened species in the world. It is the only member of the genus Johora, endemic to the Malay Peninsula, to be categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Extensive surveys conducted over 1 year to determine the extent of the species’ distribution revealed that the population has declined significantly at its type locality in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore Island's oldest protected forest area. The species remains extant in two unprotected streams in Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak, which are located outside the nature reserve. Acidification of streams as a result of acid precipitation may be a factor in the decline of the species. If so, this will be the first documented instance of a species being affected negatively by anthropogenic acidification of a tropical freshwater system. The occurrence of this threatened species in a protected area has not, therefore, guaranteed its survival. There is a need for long-term and continuous monitoring of species of high conservation value, together with other measures that focus on habitat protection. Conservation efforts by the National Parks Board of Singapore in collaboration with other government agencies are ongoing in an effort to ensure the survival of this important species.
Application of PCR-based methods for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections in the clinical laboratory
Authors: VERWEIJ JACO J. 
Published: April 2014

SUMMARYFor many years PCR- and other DNA-based methods of pathogen detection have been available in most clinical microbiology laboratories; however, until recently these tools were not routinely exploited for the diagnosis of parasitic infections. Laboratories were initially reluctant to implement PCR as incorporation of such assays within the algorithm of tools available for the most accurate diagnosis of a large variety of parasites was unclear. With regard to diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections, the diversity of parasites that one can expect in most settings is far less than the parasitological textbooks would have you believe, hence developing a simplified diagnostic triage is feasible. Therefore the classical algorithm based on population, patient groups, use of immuno-suppressive drugs, travel history etc. is also applicable to decide when to perform and which additional techniques are to be used, if a multiplex PCR panel is used as a first-line screening diagnostic.
‘All in it Together’? Social Cohesion in a Divided Society: Attitudes to Income Inequality and Redistribution in a Residential Context
Authors: KEARNS ADE , BAILEY NICK , GANNON MARIA , LIVINGSTON MARK , LEYLAND ALASTAIR 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThis paper asks whether where someone lives bears any association with their attitudes to inequality and income redistribution, focusing on the relative contribution of neighbourhood income, density and ethnic composition. People on higher incomes showed higher support for redistribution when living in more deprived neighbourhoods. People with lower levels of altruism had higher levels of support for redistribution in neighbourhoods of higher density. People living in more ethnically mixed neighbourhoods had higher levels of support for redistribution on average, but this support declined for Whites with low levels of altruism as the deprivation of the neighbourhood increased. Current trends which sustain or extend income and wealth inequalities, reflected in patterns of residence, may undermine social cohesion in the medium- to long-term. This may be offset to some extent by trends of rising residential ethnic diversity.
The Selfish Goal: Autonomously operating motivational structures as the proximate cause of human judgment and behavior
Authors: Huang Julie Y. , Bargh John A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe propose the Selfish Goal model, which holds that a person's behavior is driven by psychological processes called goals that guide his or her behavior, at times in contradictory directions. Goals can operate both consciously and unconsciously, and when activated they can trigger downstream effects on a person's information processing and behavioral possibilities that promote only the attainment of goal end-states (and not necessarily the overall interests of the individual). Hence, goals influence a person as if the goals themselves were selfish and interested only in their own completion. We argue that there is an evolutionary basis to believe that conscious goals evolved from unconscious and selfish forms of pursuit. This theoretical framework predicts the existence of unconscious goal processes capable of guiding behavior in the absence of conscious awareness and control (theautomaticity principle), the ability of the most motivating or active goal to constrain a person's information processing and behavior toward successful completion of that goal (thereconfiguration principle), structural similarities between conscious and unconscious goal pursuit (thesimilarity principle), and goal influences that produce apparent inconsistencies or counterintuitive behaviors in a person's behavior extended over time (theinconsistency principle). Thus, we argue that a person's behaviors are indirectly selected at the goal level but expressed (and comprehended) at the individual level.
Selfish goals must compete for the common currency of reward
Authors: Ainslie George 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSelfish Goal Theory is compatible with a behaviorally based theory that recognizes mental processes as behaviors. Both envision choices as made by the competition of purposive processes, which are autonomous in that they are not coordinated by an agentic “self.” However, the survival of mental processes – termed “goals” or “interests,” respectively – depends on a well-documented active mechanism: reward.
Tag, you're it: Affect tagging promotes goal formation and selection
Authors: Bliss-Moreau Eliza , Williams Lisa A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractBuilding upon Huang & Bargh's (H&B's) theory, we propose a complementary view that goal formation and selection are both supported by affect. We suggest that goals may form when affect “tags” discrete behaviors and their outcomes. Further, we propose that goal-associated affect may help guide selection between competing goals, for example, in the case of short-term and long-term goals.
Unconscious habit systems in compulsive and impulsive disorders
Authors: Cuzen Natalie L. , Fineberg Naomi A. , Stein Dan J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIt may be useful to consider the application of Huang & Bargh's (H&B's) theory of unconscious motivational processes to psychopathology. In disorders of compulsivity and impulsivity, an unconscious habit system may play a key role in explaining ego-dystonic or self-destructive behaviour. H&B's theory may provide some insights into understanding conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and drug addiction; however, additional work is needed to address the neurocircuitry and neurochemistry mediating their abnormal underlying motivational processes.
What's in a goal? The role of motivational relevance in cognition and action
Authors: Eitam Baruch , Higgins E. Tory 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe argue that it is possible to go beyond the “selfish goal” metaphor and make an even stronger case for the role of unconscious motivation in cognition and action. Through the relevance of a representation (ROAR) framework, we describe how not only value motivation, which relates to “selfish goals,” but also truth motivation and control motivation impact cognition and action.
Theoretical integration in motivational science: System justification as one of many “autonomous motivational structures”
Authors: Kay Aaron C. , Jost John T. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractRecognizing that there is a multiplicity of motives – and that the accessibility and strength of each one varies chronically and temporarily – is essential if motivational scientists are to achieve genuine theoretical and empirical integration. We agree that system justification is a case of nonconscious goal pursuit and discuss implications of the fact that it conflicts with many other psychological goals.
The validity of Dawkins's selfish gene theory and the role of the unconscious in decision making
Authors: Mattei Tobias A. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractAlthough the proposed Selfish Goal Theory constitutes a major theoretical tour de force for addressing the issue of inconsistencies in human actions and the role of motivational goals in behavior, as it is based on an unproven biological paradigm (Dawkins's selfish gene theory) and overemphasizes the role of unconscious processes in decision making, it provides a questionable model of the underlying psychological structure of human agency.
The effects of being conscious: Looking for the right evidence
Authors: Mazzone Marco 
Published: April 2014

AbstractHuang & Bargh's (H&B's) general picture might underestimate the role played by conscious self and overestimate the behavioral inconsistencies at the personal level. This follows from how they delimit the goals under consideration: Their theses that goals are not consciously selected and that the conscious self is involved just in post hoc rationalization should also be tested against concrete and long-term goals.
Genes, hosts, goals: Disentangling causal dependencies
Authors: Merker Bjorn 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe special sense in which the concept of “selfishness” is defined in Dawkins's popularization of basic evolutionary theory is analyzed with regard to its applicability to the relation between goals and those who entertain and pursue them. It is concluded that grounds analogous to those on which independent self-interest vis-á-vis their hosts is attributed to genes in Dawkins's sense are lacking in the case of goals in their relation to those who entertain and pursue them.
Unconscious goals: Specific or unspecific? The potential harm of the goal/gene analogy
Authors: Nanay Bence 
Published: April 2014

AbstractHuang & Bargh's (H&B's) definition of goals is ambiguous between “specific goals” – the end-state of a token action I am about to perform – and “unspecific goals” – the end-state of an action-type (without specifying how this would be achieved). The analogy with selfish genes pushes the authors towards the former interpretation, but the latter would provide a more robust theoretical framework.
The selfish goal meets the selfish gene
Authors: Neuberg Steven L. , Schaller Mark 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe connection between selfish genes and selfish goals is not merely metaphorical. Many goals that shape contemporary cognition and behavior are psychological products of evolutionarily fundamental motivational systems and thus are phenotypic manifestations of genes. An evolutionary perspective can add depth and nuance to our understanding of “selfish goals” and their implications for human cognition and behavior.
Mirror mechanism and dedicated circuits are the scaffold for mirroring processes
Authors: Fogassi Leonardo 
Published: April 2014

AbstractIn the past decade many studies have demonstrated the existence of a mirror mechanism that matches the sensory representation of a biological stimulus with its somatomotor and visceromotor representation. This mechanism, likely phylogenetically very old, explains several types of mirroring behaviours, at different levels of complexity. The presence in primates of dedicated neuroanatomical pathways for specific sensorimotor integrations processes implies, at least in the primate lineage, a hard-wired mirror mechanism for social cognitive functions.
The alluring but misleading analogy between mirror neurons and the motor theory of speech
Authors: Holt Lori L. , Lotto Andrew J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSpeech is commonly claimed to relate to mirror neurons because of the alluring surface analogy of mirror neurons to the Motor Theory of speech perception, which posits that perception and production draw upon common motor-articulatory representations. We argue that the analogy fails and highlight examples of systems-level developmental approaches that have been more fruitful in revealing perception–production associations.
Deciphering mirror neurons: Rational decision versus associative learning
Authors: Khalil Elias L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe rational-decision approach is superior to the associative-learning approach of Cook et al. at explaining why mirror neurons fire or do not fire – even when the stimulus is the same. The rational-decision approach is superior because it starts with the analysis of the intention of the organism, that is, with the identification of the specific objective or goal that the organism is trying to maximize.
A developmental perspective on action and social cognition
Authors: Krogh-Jespersen Sheila , Filippi Courtney , Woodward Amanda L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe target article argues that developmental processes are key to understanding the mirror neuron system, yet neglects several bodies of developmental research that are informative for doing so. Infants' actions and action understanding are structured by goals, and the former lends structure to the latter. Evaluating the origins and functions of mirror neurons depends on integrating investigations of neural, social-cognitive and motor development.
Understanding the role of mirror neurons in action understanding will require more than a domain-general account
Authors: Martin Alia , Santos Laurie R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractCook et al. propose that mirror neurons emerge developmentally through a domain-general associative mechanism. We argue that experience-sensitivity does not rule out an adaptive or genetic argument for mirror neuron function, and that current evidence suggests that mirror neurons are more specialized than the authors' account would predict. We propose that future work integrate behavioral and neurophysiological techniques used with primates to examine the proposed functions of mirror neurons in action understanding.
Testing key predictions of the associative account of mirror neurons in humans using multivariate pattern analysis
Authors: Oosterhof Nikolaas N. , Wiggett Alison J. , Cross Emily S. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractCook et al. overstate the evidence supporting their associative account of mirror neurons in humans: most studies do not address a key property, action-specificity that generalizes across the visual and motor domains. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of neuroimaging data can address this concern, and we illustrate how MVPA can be used to test key predictions of their account.