bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of Organisational Politics: Examination of a Situational Antecedent and Consequences among Nigeria's Extension Personnel
Authors: Ladebo Olugbenga Jelil 
Published: February 2006

Ce travail fournit une évaluation empirique des effets de l’ambiguïté du rôle professionnel sur la perception de la politique de l’organisation (PPO) et de l’impact du sentiment de devoir sur la relation entre la PPO, la souffrance professionnelle et les comportements de citoyenneté organisationnelle (CCO). On a mené une enquête sur du personnel supplémentaire de deux programmes de développement agricole dans le sud‐ouest du Nigeria. 229 questionnaires traitables ont été récupérés. Une analyse de régression hiérarchique montra que l’ambiguïté de rôle prédisait la PPO. La PPO était corrélée négativement avec le sentiment de devoir et les CCO, mais positivement avec la souffrance professionnelle. La relation entre la PPO et les CCO était renforcée quand les employés présentaient plutôt des niveaux faibles du sentiment de devoir envers l’organisation. Cependant, il n’y avait pas d’interférence significative du sentiment de devoir sur la relation entre la PPO et la souffrance professionnelle.This study provides an empirical assessment of the effects of job ambiguity on perceptions of organisational politics (POP) and the moderating role of an employee's felt obligation on the relationships between POP and job distress and organisational citizenship behaviors (OCB). A census of extension personnel in two Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) in Southwestern Nigeria was undertaken. In all, 229 extension personnel returned useable surveys. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that job ambiguity predicted POP. POP was negatively related to felt obligation and OCB, and positively associated with job distress. The relationship between POP and OCB was stronger when employees reported lower rather than higher levels of felt obligation toward the organisation. However, there was no significant moderating effect of felt obligation on the relationship between POP and job distress.
Using “War Stories” to Train for Adaptive Performance: Is it Better to Learn from Error or Success?
Authors: Joung Wendy , Hesketh Beryl , Neal Andrew 
Published: February 2006

On s’est demandé, dans cette recherche, si un séminaire exploitant les erreurs pouvait améliorer les performances. 59 pompiers expérimentés en formation sur les problèmes de commandement ont participéà cette étude. Des scènes de guerre ont été conçues à partir d’évènements réels pour illustrer des décisions hiérarchiques dont les suites furent heureuses ou malheureuses. Deux méthodes de formation ont été comparées et évaluées. Un premier groupe a été confrontéà des études de cas contenant des erreurs de management aux conséquences graves sur l’intervention contre l’incendie (formation avec erreurs) alors qu’un second groupe était soumis à la même série d’études de cas, sinon que les cas décrivaient des situations gérées correctement avec leurs conséquences (formation sans erreur). Les résultats confortent l’hypothèse qu’il vaut mieux apprendre à partir des erreurs des autres plutôt qu’à partir de leurs réussites. On analyse les leçons à en tirer pour la formation.The study examines whether error exposure training can enhance adaptive performance. Fifty‐nine experienced fire‐fighters undergoing training for incident command participated in the study. War stories were developed based on real events to illustrate successful and unsuccessful incident command decisions. Two training methodologies were compared and evaluated. One group was trained using case studies that depicted incidents containing errors of management with severe consequences in fire‐fighting outcomes (error‐story training) while a second group was exposed to the same set of case studies except that the case studies depicted the incidents being managed without errors and their consequences (errorless‐story training). The results provide some support for the hypothesis that it is better to learn from other people's errors than from their successes. Implications for training are discussed.
Patterns of diversity in microscopic animals: are they comparable to those in protists or in larger animals?
Authors: Fontaneto Diego , Ficetola Gentile Francesco , Ambrosini Roberto , Ricci Claudia 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTAim  General patterns of biodiversity, such as latitudinal gradients and species‐area relationships, are found consistently in a wide range of organisms, but recent results for protist diversity suggest that organisms shorter than 2 mm do not display such patterns. We tested this prediction in bdelloid rotifers, pluricellular metazoans smaller than 2 mm, but with size and ecology comparable to protists.Location  A single valley in northern Italy was surveyed in detail and compared to all available faunistic data on bdelloids worldwide.Methods  We analysed 171 local assemblages of bdelloid rotifers living in 5 systems of dry mosses and submerged mosses in running water and in lakes. We compared patterns of alpha, beta, and gamma diversity, and nestedness of metacommunities, with those known from protists and larger organisms.Results  Bdelloid rotifers showed low local species richness (alpha diversity), with strong habitat selection, as observed in larger organisms. The number of species differed among systems, with a higher number of species in dry than in aquatic mosses. There was no hierarchical structure or exclusion of species in the metacommunity pattern within each system. Local diversity for the entire valley was surprisingly high compared with worldwide bdelloid diversity, similar to observed patterns in protists.Main Conclusions  Bdelloid rotifers have some of the peculiarities of protist biodiversity, although at slightly different spatial scales, thus confirming the idea of a major change in biodiversity patterns among organisms shorter than 2 mm. However, bdelloids show stronger habitat selection than protists. We suggest two possible explanations for the observed patterns: (1) dispersal is very rare, and not all bdelloid clones are arriving everywhere; and (2) dispersal is effective in displacing propagules, but environmental heterogeneity is very high and prevents many species from colonizing a given patch of moss.
The geographic distribution of mammal body size in Europe
Authors: Rodríguez Miguel Á. , López‐Sañudo Irene L. , Hawkins Bradford A. 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTAims  To describe the pattern of mean body size of native mammals in Europe, and to investigate its relationships with environmental predictors related to four hypotheses: (1) dispersal; (2) heat conservation; (3) heat dissipation; and (4) resource availability.Location  Continental western Europe and Great Britain.Methods  We used range maps to estimate the mean body size (average log mass) of mammals in 386 cells of 12,100 km2 each. Environmental conditions in each cell were quantified using nine historical, climatic and primary production variables. We attempted to tease apart the effects of these variables using correlation, multiple regression and spatial autocorrelation analyses.Results  In the part of the continent covered by ice during the Pleistocene, body mass decreases southwards, and annual average temperature explains 73% of the variance in body size, consistent with the heat‐conservation hypothesis. However, in warmer, non‐glaciated areas the best predictor is an estimate of seasonality in plant production, but it explains only 18% of the variance. Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores show similar relationships, but the pattern for herbivores is substantially weaker than for the other groups.Main conclusions  Overall, the relationship between mean body size and temperature is non‐linear, being strong in cold environments but virtually disappearing above a temperature threshold.
Spatial patterns of plant richness across treeline ecotones in the Pyrenees reveal different locations for richness and tree cover boundaries
Authors: Camarero J. Julio , Gutiérrez Emilia , Fortin Marie‐Josée 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTAim  To forecast the responses of alpine flora to the expected upward shift of treeline ecotones due to climatic warming, we investigated species richness patterns of vascular plants at small spatial scales across elevational transects.Location  Richness patterns were assessed at local scales along the elevational gradient in two undisturbed treeline ecotones and one disturbed treeline ecotone in the Spanish Pyrenees.Methods  We placed a rectangular plot (0.3–0.4 ha) in each treeline ecotone. We estimated and described the spatial patterns of plant richness using the point method and Moran's I correlograms. We delineated boundaries based on plant richness and tree cover using moving split windows and wavelet analysis. Then, to determine if floristic and tree cover boundaries were spatially related, overlap statistics were used.Results  Plant richness increased above the forest limit and was negatively related to tree cover in the undisturbed sites. The mean size of richness patches in one of these sites was 10–15 m. Moving split windows and wavelets detected the sharpest changes in plant richness above the forest limit at both undisturbed sites. Most tree cover and plant richness boundaries were not spatially related.Main conclusions  The upslope decrease of tree cover may explain the increase of plant richness across alpine treeline ecotones. However, the detection of abrupt richness boundaries well above the forest limit indicates the importance of local environmental heterogeneity to explain the patterns of plant richness at smaller scales. We found highly diverse microsites dominated by alpine species above the forest limit, which should be monitored to describe their response to the predicted upward shift of forests.
Identification of current ecosystem functional types in the Iberian Peninsula
Authors: Alcaraz Domingo , Paruelo José , Cabello Javier 
Published: February 2006

ABSTRACTAim  To examine the geographical patterns of the interception of photosynthetically active radiation by vegetation and to describe its spatial heterogeneity through the definition of ecosystem functional types (EFTs) based on the annual dynamics of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a spectral index related to carbon gains.Location  The Iberian Peninsula.Methods  EFTs were derived from three attributes of the NDVI obtained from NOAA/AVHRR sensors: the annual integral (NDVI‐I), as a surrogate of primary production, an integrative indicator of ecosystem functioning; and the intra‐annual relative range (RREL) and month of maximum NDVI (MMAX), which represent key features of seasonality.Results  NDVI‐I decreased south‐eastwards. The highest values were observed in the Eurosiberian Region and in the highest Mediterranean ranges. Low values occurred in inner plains, river basins and in the southeast. The Eurosiberian Region and Mediterranean mountains presented the lowest RREL, while Eurosiberian peaks, river basins, inner‐agricultural plains, wetlands and the southeastern part of Iberia presented the highest. Eurosiberian ecosystems showed a summer maximum of NDVI, as did high mountains, wetlands and irrigated areas in the Mediterranean Region. Mediterranean mountains had autumn–early‐winter maxima, while semi‐arid zones, river basins and continental plains had spring maxima. Based on the behaviour in the functional traits, 49 EFTs were defined.Main conclusions  The classification, based on only the NDVI dynamics, represents the spatial heterogeneity in ecosystem functioning by means of the interception of radiation by vegetation in the Iberian Peninsula. The patterns of the NDVI attributes may be used as a reference in evaluating the impacts of environmental changes. Iberia had a high spatial variability: except for biophysically impossible combinations (high NDVI‐I and high seasonality), almost any pattern of seasonal dynamics of radiation interception was represented in the Peninsula. The approach used to define EFTs opens the possibility of monitoring and comparing ecosystem functioning through time.
Evaluating Circle Time as a support to social skills development – reflections on a journey in school‐based research
Authors: Canney Catherine , Byrne Alison 
Published: February 2006

The authors of this article argue that deficit in socially skilled behaviour is often one of the distinguishing characteristics that sets people with intellectual disability apart from their non‐disabled peers. The need for social skills training to take place within the context of real life daily situations has been emphasised in more recent literature as essential in enabling people with an intellectual disability to generalise new skills. The researchers involved in this study, Catherine Canney, a senior educational psychologist, and Alison Byrne, a senior speech and language therapist, both work in a school for children with mild intellectual disability in Ireland as part of a multidisciplinary team. Analysis of teachers' referrals to the team indicated a significant and ongoing need for supporting social skills development among the students.The purpose of this study was to investigate the merits of Circle Time as a classroom intervention aimed at improving the social skills of students with a mild intellectual disability. The research is presented here as an evaluative case study reflecting this experience. Organisational and interactional issues arising are presented and discussed with the intention of supporting those involved in facilitating Circle Time with children who have special educational needs. The authors also identify avenues for future research.
Predicting the Outcomes of Annual Sporting Contests
Authors: Baker Rose , Scarf Philip 
Published: February 2006

Summary
Data from 20 sporting contests in which the same two teams compete regularly are studied. Strong and weak symmetry requirements for possible models are identified, and some simple models are proposed and fitted to the data. The need to compute the exact likelihood function and the presence of missing values make this non-trivial. Forecasting match outcomes by using the models can give a modest improvement over a naïve forecast. Significance tests for studying the effect of ‘match covariates’ such as playing at home or away or winning the toss are introduced, and the effect of these covariates is in general found to be quite large.
Cosmopolitan political science
Authors: Grande Edgar 
Published: February 2006

AbstractUntil recently, the term cosmopolitism could rarely be found in modern political science literature. It was only in the 1990s that the term was rediscovered by political scientists in the critical discourse on globalization. In this article, I will explore the full potential of cosmopolitism as an analytical concept for empirical political science. I will argue that the concept of cosmopolitism should not be restricted to the analysis of global politics. Indeed, cosmopolitism has much more to offer for political scientists. Properly understood, it enables – and necessitates – a re‐invention of political science in the age of globalization, comparable to the behavioural revolution in political science in the 1950s. Such a paradigmatic shift should be based on a twofold transformation of existing disciplinary boundaries: A removal of the boundary between national (and comparative) and international politics on the one hand; and a re‐definition of the boundaries between empirical and normative approaches on the other. As a result, cosmopolitism may serve as a new, critical theory of politics based on the integration of hitherto separated fields and sub‐fields.
Visuality, mobility and the cosmopolitan: inhabiting the world from afar
Authors: Szerszynski Bronislaw , Urry John 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn earlier publications based on the research discussed in this article (e.g. Szerszynski and Urry 2002), we argued that an emergent culture of cosmopolitanism, refracted into different forms amongst different social groups, was being nurtured by a widespread ‘banal globalism’– a proliferation of global symbols and narratives made available through the media and popular culture. In the current article we draw on this and other empirical research to explore the relationship between visuality, mobility and cosmopolitanism. First we describe the multiple forms of mobility that expand people's awareness of the wider world and their capacity to compare different places. We then chart the changing role that visuality has played in citizenship throughout history, noting that citizenship also involves a transformation of vision, an absenting from particular contexts and interests. We explore one particular version of that transformation – seeing the world from afar, especially in the form of images of the earth seen from space – noting how such images conventionally connote both power and alienation. We then draw on another research project, on place and vision, to argue that the shift to a cosmopolitan relationship with place means that humans increasingly inhabit their world only at a distance.
Managing the elephants of Kruger National Park
Authors: Whyte Ian , van Aarde Rudi , Pimm Stuart L. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe elephant population in Kruger National Park, Republic of South Africa, is growing rapidly. To prevent damage to the Park's ecosystems, the management has culled about 7% of the population annually. Such culls are very controversial. At first glance, contraceptives seem an attractive alternative means of control. We examine contraception as a management option, review the relevant aspects of elephant reproduction, physiology and demography and conclude that this optimism is probably misplaced. First, contraceptives have a wide range of physiological and behavioural side‐effects that may prove to be damaging to the individual female and those around her. Second, the elephants in the Park have near‐maximal growth rates with inter‐calving intervals of less than four years. To achieve zero population growth, about three‐quarters of the adult female elephants would need to be on contraceptives. There are no simple alternatives. The smallest numerical target for controlling population numbers is to kill or sterilize females about to become pregnant for the first time. Such a solution is unlikely to appease those who consider killing elephants to be unethical. It may, however, be the one closest to the natural patterns of elephant mortality.
Biological and logistical explanations of variation in wolf population density
Authors: Fuller T. K. , Murray D. L. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractIn a study correlating carnivore density with study area size, Smallwood & Schonewald (1996) suggested that for larger areas, biologists extrapolate from small, high‐density study sites to many unstudied low density sites, but that this approach is invalid because of heterogeneous distribution of animals across the landscape. For wolves (Canis lupus), however, size of study areas may also be a consequence of density. Linear regression of data from 18 recent field studies of wolves indicates that study area size is correlated less strongly to mean numbers of wolves counted in an area (r2=0·24) than to wolf density (r2=0·85). When parameters representing biological features of each study area (average wolf pack territory size, ungulate biomass density index and predominant ungulate species), as well as logistical constraints of the study (number of packs), were made available for inclusion through a stepwise procedure, mean numbers of wolves counted were related (r2=0·94) to number of packs, ungulate biomass and deer, while density was related to both study area size and number of wolves counted (r2=0·91). Study area size was found to be strongly predicted (r2=0·96) by ungulate biomass, wolf territory size and wolf numbers. These results clearly reinforce the idea that biological parameters play an essential role in determining animal numbers and density. It also follows, as emphasized by Smallwood & Schonewald (1996, in press), that extrapolation of census or survey information to larger areas needs to be done carefully to account for actual variation in animal density.
Bats and insects over two Scottish rivers with contrasting nitrate status
Authors: Racey Paul R. , Swift Susan M. , Rydell Jens , Brodie Laura 
Published: February 2006

AbstractThe abundance of foraging bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Myotis daubentonii) and flying insects over two rivers in north‐east Scotland (Dee and Ythan), differing eightfold in nitrate levels, were compared by paired samples over three periods in summer 1995, during each of which 10 nights' sampling was undertaken using ultrasonic detectors and insect suction traps. Thirteen out of the 18 pairwise comparisons of bat passes, insect numbers, biomass and diversity were not significantly different. The oligotrophic Dee supported higher numbers of bats than the eutrophic Ythan in June, but this was attributed to an effect of adverse weather conditions affecting the Ythan. In July and August–September, neither bat abundances nor the abundance of Chironomidae and Trichoptera, the main food of the bats, differed significantly between the two rivers, although the Ythan showed higher total insect biomass than the Dee. The Ythan also showed a much higher abundance of small Diptera, mainly Psychodidae and Cecidomyiidae, associated with elevated nitrogen levels in the intensively farmed river valley. Thus a small eutrophic river can support as many bats and as high an insect density as a large oligotrophic one.
Genetic evidence for two evolutionarily significant units of White Sands pupfish
Authors: Stockwell Craig A. , Mulvey Margaret , Jones Adam G. 
Published: February 2006

AbstractWhite Sands pupfish (Cyprinodon tularosa) are endemic to southern New Mexico and occur in only four localities: Malpais Spring, Salt Creek, Mound Spring and Lost River. Recently reported historical accounts indicate that the latter two populations were derived from translocations. Their limited distribution and complicated history suggest that knowledge of population genetic structure would be useful for the development of a sound conservation strategy. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences for a segment of the control region showed little variation. Variation was observed for microsatellite and allozyme loci with 37% attributable to divergence among populations. The mean genetic distance between Malpais Spring and the other three populations was high (allozymes: Darc= 0.541; microsatellites: Rst= 0.684) compared with the mean distance among the other three populations (Darc=0.161, Rst=−0.016). There were fixed or nearly fixed differences in allele frequency between the Malpais Spring population and the other three populations at one allozyme locus (hexokinase) and two microsatellite loci (WSP‐02 and WSP‐11). We suggest the recognition of two evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) for the White Sands pupfish: Malpais Spring and Salt Creek. Our data indicate that the Lost River and Mound Spring populations descended from translocations from the Salt Creek population. Therefore, conservation efforts should focus on the Malpais Spring population.