Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Comparative Analysis (comparative + analysis)
Kinds of Comparative Analysis Selected AbstractsON QUANTIFYING TOLERANCE OF HERBIVORY FOR COMPARATIVE ANALYSESEVOLUTION, Issue 9 2008Michael J. Wise As the evolutionary importance of plant tolerance of herbivory is increasingly appreciated, more and more studies are not just measuring a plant's tolerance, but are comparing tolerance among plant genotypes, populations, species, and environments. Here, we suggest that caution must be taken in such comparative studies in the choice of measurement scales (and data transformations) for damage levels and plant performance. We demonstrate with a simple scenario of two plant groups of equal tolerance how the choice of scales can lead one to infer that the first group is more tolerant, the second group is more tolerant, or the two groups are equally tolerant,using the identical dataset. We conclude that to make reliable, logically consistent inferences when comparing tolerances among groups of plants, damage and performance should both be on an additive scale or both on a multiplicative scale. [source] COMPARATIVE ANALYSES IN BIRDS: WHAT IS IN A CORRELATION?,EVOLUTION, Issue 9 2002Mats Björklund No abstract is available for this article. [source] THE UNEMPLOYMENT PARADIGMS REVISITED: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF U.S. STATE AND EUROPEAN UNEMPLOYMENTCONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 3 2009DIEGO ROMERO-ÁVILA This article tests the main unemployment paradigms for the unemployment rates of the states of the United States and the European Union,15 countries over the past three decades. For that purpose, we employ a state-of-the-art panel stationarity test, which allows for an unknown number of endogenous structural breaks as well as for cross-sectional correlation. Overall, our analysis renders clear-cut evidence in favor of regime-wise stationarity in U.S. state unemployment, while hysteresis in European unemployment. Interestingly, the timing of the breaks broadly coincides with major macroeconomic shocks mainly associated with the oil crises of the 1970s and marked changes in interest rates in the 1980s and early 1990s. Based on our results, we draw some policy prescriptions that point to the need for greater flexibility in the European labor markets. (JEL C23, E24) [source] PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LIFE-HISTORY VARIATION AMONG POPULATIONS OF THE LIZARD SCELOPORUS UNDULATUS:AN EXAMPLE AND PROGNOSISEVOLUTION, Issue 3 2004Peter H. Niewiarowski Abstract Over the past 15 years, phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) have become standard in the study of life-history evolution. To date, most studies have focused on variation among species or higher taxonomic levels, generally revealing the presence of significant phylogenetic effects as well as residual variation potentially attributable to adaptive evolution. Recently, population-level phylogenetic hypotheses have become available for many species, making it possible to apply PCMs directly to the level at which experiments are typically used to test adaptive hypotheses. In this study, we present the results of PCMs applied to life-history variation among populations of the widespread and well-studied lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Using S. undulatus (which may represent four closely related species) as an example, we explore the benefits of using PCMs at the population level, as well as consider the importance of several thorny methodological problems including but not limited to nonindependence of populations, lack of sufficient variation in traits, and the typically small sample sizes dictated by the difficulty of collecting detailed demographic data. We show that phylogenetic effects on life-history variation among populations of S. undulatus appear to be unimportant, and that several classic trade-offs expected by theory and revealed by many interspecific comparisons are absent. Our results suggest that PCMs applied to variation in life-history traits below the species level may be of limited value, but more studies like ours are needed to draw a general conclusion. Finally, we discuss several outstanding problems that face studies seeking to apply PCMs below the species level. [source] DETECTING CORRELATION BETWEEN CHARACTERS IN A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH UNCERTAIN PHYLOGENYEVOLUTION, Issue 6 2003John P. Huelsenbeck Abstract., The importance of accommodating the phylogenetic history of a group when performing a comparative analysis is now widely recognized. The typical approaches either assume the tree is known without error, or they base inferences on a collection of well-supported trees or on a collection of trees generated under a stochastic model of cladogenesis. However, these approaches do not adequately account for the uncertainty of phylogenetic trees in a comparative analysis, especially when data relevant to the phylogeny of a group are available. Here, we develop a method for performing comparative analyses that is based on an extension of Felsenstein's independent contrasts method. Uncertainties in the phylogeny, branch lengths, and other parameters are accommodated by averaging over all possible trees, weighting each by the probability that the tree is correct. We do this in a Bayesian framework and use Markov chain Monte Carlo to perform the high-dimensional summations and integrations required by the analysis. We illustrate the method using comparative characters sampled from Anolis lizards. [source] FIGHTING FIRE WITH A BROKEN TEACUP: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOUTH AFRICA'S LAND-REDISTRIBUTION PROGRAM,GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW, Issue 3 2008WILLIAM G. MOSELEY ABSTRACT. Since the rise of its first democratically elected government in 1994, South Africa has sought to redress its highly inequitable land distribution through a series of land-reform programs. In this study we examine land-redistribution efforts in two of South Africa's provinces, the Western Cape and Limpopo. By analyzing a cross-section of projects in these two locales we develop a political ecology of stymied land-reform possibilities to explain the limited progress to date. Given South Africa's ambitious goal of redistributing 30 percent of its white-owned land by 2014 and the incremental and flawed nature of its redistribution program, we argue that the process is like trying to put out a fire with a broken teacup. Our results are based on interviews with policymakers, commercial farmers, and land-redistribution beneficiaries, as well as on an analysis of land-use change in Limpopo Province. [source] ISLAMIC DA ,WA AND CHRISTIAN MISSION: TOWARDS A COMPARATIVE ANALYSISINTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF MISSION, Issue 353 2000David A. Kerr First page of article [source] BUSINESS COMMUNITY STRUCTURES AND URBAN REGIMES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSISJOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2007MARK DE SOCIO ABSTRACT:,Regime theorists often present business interests as coherent and unified communities with unitary interests. A central principle of regime theory, however, is that business elites tend to occupy privileged positions within regime coalitions because of the scope of resources and expertise they command and cities require for economic development and/or fiscal solvency. Cities are generally home to a wide range of business activities operating at various scales, and business elites representing various corporations in different economic sectors arguably command different kinds of resources and expertise that are functional to the economic activities with which they are affiliated. Various mixes of business elites representing different economic activities might therefore produce differentially biased input regarding urban policy-making and affect the types of regime coalitions that cities develop.Utilizing compilations of interlocking directorates among major organizations across three sectors, profiles of the corporate and social community structures of 24 U.S. cities are generated and a correlation matrix comprised of business and social organizational categories is produced. Factor analysis of the correlation matrix identifies three separate mixes of corporate and social organizational categories that generally conform to descriptions of developmental, caretaker, and progressive regime typologies. These three factors serve as prototypes of the three broad regime types and their corporate community structures. Correlations of the 24 cities with each of the three regime prototypes generally match their regime types as identified through previous case studies. Variations in regime types among cities might therefore be attributed to varying degrees of diversity in the kinds of corporations headquartered or located within them. Closer attention to the economic base of cities,the producers, after all, of local business elites,may reveal internal biases and/or material predisposition towards some urban policies over others by local business elites in relation to the economic activities with which they are linked. [source] PUBLIC MANAGEMENT REFORM IN THE UK AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSISPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2007STEPHEN ACKROYD It is often assumed in the literature on public management reforms that radical changes in values, work and organization have occurred or are under way. In this paper our aim is to raise questions about this account. Focusing on three services in the UK, each dominated by organized professions , health care, housing, and social services , significant variations in the effectiveness of reforms are noted. The available research also suggests that these outcomes have been inversely proportional to the efforts expended on introducing new management practices. The most radical changes have been in housing, where, paradoxically, successive UK governments focused least attention. By contrast, in health and social services, management restructuring has been less effective, despite the greater resources devoted to it. This variation is attributed to professional values and institutions, against which reforms were directed, and the extent to which different groups became locked either into strategies of resistance or accommodation. [source] COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EXCHANGE RATE APPRECIATION AND AGGREGATE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIESBULLETIN OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2008Magda Kandil F31; F40; F41; F43 ABSTRACT The paper examines the effects of exchange rate depreciation on real output and price in a sample of 11 developing countries in the Middle East. The theoretical model decomposes movements in the exchange rate into anticipated and unanticipated components. Unanticipated currency fluctuations determine aggregate demand through exports, imports, and the demand for domestic currency, and determine aggregate supply through the cost of imported intermediate goods. The evidence indicates that the supply channel attributed to anticipated exchange rate appreciation results in limited effects on output growth and price inflation. Consistent with theory's predictions, unanticipated appreciation of the exchange rate appears more significant with varying effects on output growth and price inflation across developing countries. [source] Neural Network Earnings per Share Forecasting Models: A Comparative Analysis of Alternative MethodsDECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2004Wei Zhang ABSTRACT In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of the forecasting accuracy of univariate and multivariate linear models that incorporate fundamental accounting variables (i.e., inventory, accounts receivable, and so on) with the forecast accuracy of neural network models. Unique to this study is the focus of our comparison on the multivariate models to examine whether the neural network models incorporating the fundamental accounting variables can generate more accurate forecasts of future earnings than the models assuming a linear combination of these same variables. We investigate four types of models: univariate-linear, multivariate-linear, univariate-neural network, and multivariate-neural network using a sample of 283 firms spanning 41 industries. This study shows that the application of the neural network approach incorporating fundamental accounting variables results in forecasts that are more accurate than linear forecasting models. The results also reveal limitations of the forecasting capacity of investors in the security market when compared to neural network models. [source] Ethnic Inequalities in the Public Sector: A Comparative AnalysisDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2006Yusuf Bangura This article uses empirical data to discuss the links between ethnicity, inequality and governance in a framework that divides countries according to their levels of ethnic polarization. It makes three main arguments. First, types of diversity, not the existence of diversity per se, explain potentials for conflict or cohesion in multiethnic societies. Ethnic cleavages are configured differently in different social structures and are less conflictual in some countries than in others. Second, relative balance has been achieved in the public sectors of countries that are highly fragmented or those with ethnicity-sensitive policies, but not in those with ethnicity-blind policies. Third, the article is critical of institutional approaches to conflict management that underplay background conditions in shaping choices. Consociational arrangements may not be relevant in unipolar ethnic settings or fragmented multiethnic societies, where governments may be ethnically inclusive under democratic conditions. They seem unavoidable in ethnic settings with two or three main groups or in settings with strong ethnic/regional clusters. [source] Comparative Analysis of Adult versus Adolescent Sexual Assault: Epidemiology and Patterns of Anogenital InjuryACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2003Jeffrey S. Jones MD Abstract Objectives: To compare the characteristics of sexual assault in pubertal girls (<18 years old) and adults in a community-based population of women presenting to an urban sexual assault clinic. Methods: This case-series analysis evaluated consecutive female patients presenting to a sexual assault clinic during a three-year study period. The clinic is associated with a university-affiliated emergency medicine residency program and is staffed by forensic nurses trained to perform medicolegal examinations using colposcopy with nuclear staining. Patient demographics, assault characteristics, and injury patterns were recorded using a standardized classification system. Data from the two patient groups (adolescents vs. women ,18 years of age) were analyzed using chi-square test and t-test. Results: A total of 766 cases were identified: 43% of the victims were 13 to 17 years old (mean 15.0 years old), and 57% were older than 17 years old (mean 30.8 years old). Adolescents were more likely to be assaulted by an acquaintance or relative (84% vs. 50%, p < 0.001) and to delay medical evaluation (17 hours vs. 12 hours, p < 0.001) than were older women. Adolescent sexual assault was less likely to involve weapons or physical coercion (29% versus 57%, p < 0.001) and was associated with fewer nongenital injuries (33% vs. 55%, p < 0.001). Adolescents had a greater frequency of anogenital injuries (83% vs. 64%, p < 0.001), however, compared with older women. Common sites of injury in adolescents were posterior, including the fossa navicularis, hymen, fourchette, and labia minora. The injuries showed consistent topologic features, varying with the site and nature of tissue. Adult victims of sexual assault had a less consistent pattern of anogenital injuries with fewer hymenal injuries, greater injury to the perianal area, and widespread erythema. Conclusions: Of women presenting to an urban sexual assault clinic, 43% were adolescents. The epidemiology of sexual trauma and the pattern of anogenital trauma in this age group are unique and may pose special challenges to emergency health care providers. [source] Governments and unpopular social policy reform: Biting the bullet or steering clear?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009BARBARA VIS This article shows that there exists substantial cross-cabinet variation in the degree to which governments take unpopular measures and argues that current studies cannot adequately explain this variation. Using insights from prospect theory, a psychological theory of choice under risk, this study hypothesises that governments only engage in unpopular reform if they face a deteriorating socio-economic situation, a falling political position, or both. If not, they shy away from the risk of reform. A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs/QCA) of the social policy reform activities pursued by German, Dutch, Danish and British cabinets between 1979 and 2005 identifies a deteriorating socio-economic situation as necessary for unpopular reform. It is only sufficient for triggering reform, however, if the political position is also deteriorating and/or the cabinet is of rightist composition. This study's findings further the scholarly debate on the politics of welfare state reform by offering a micro-foundation that helps one to understand what induces political actors aspiring to be re-elected to engage in electorally risky unpopular reform. [source] Reducing complexity in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA): Remote and proximate factors and the consolidation of democracyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006CARSTEN Q. SCHNEIDER However, real-world research situations might make the application of fs/QCA difficult in two respects , namely, the complexity of the results and the phenomenon of limited diversity. We suggest a two-step approach as one possibility to mitigate these problems. After introducing the difference between remote and proximate factors, the application of a two-step fs/QCA approach is demonstrated analyzing the causes of the consolidation of democracy. We find that different paths lead to consolidation, but all are characterized by a fit of the institutional mix chosen to the societal context in terms of power dispersion. Hence, we demonstrate that the application of fs/QCA in a two-step manner helps to formulate and test equifinal and conjunctural hypotheses in medium-size N comparative analyses, and thus to contribute to an enhanced understanding of social phenomena. [source] A Comparative Analysis of the Drafting of European Private LawEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 5 2009Bastiaan Van Zelst The development of the ,Common Frame of Reference' is a highly prominent topic on the agenda of European integration. However, its underlying procedures have had only limited investigation. This article discusses the European private law project by inquiring into the drafting experiences of four other private law legislative processes, with a focus on sales law. These instruments concern Article 2 (on sales) of the American Uniform Commercial Code, the Vienna Sales Convention, the Dutch Civil Code and the Directive on Consumer Sales and Associated Guarantees. Ultimately, the article asks what can the European project learn from these experiences. [source] Credible Commitment in Non-Independent Regulatory Agencies: A Comparative Analysis of the European Agencies for Pharmaceuticals and FoodstuffsEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 5 2004Sebastian Krapohl Usually, these agencies evolve from EU committees and take over most of their structures. Accordingly, like most EU committees and the Commission, regulatory agencies are not independent, but act under the control of the member states. The question is, how far do they indicate a credible commitment of the Member States to long-term policy goals like health and consumer protection. This article compares the institutional structures and decision-making rules of the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products and of the newly established European Food Safety Authority, in order to clarify the extent of credible commitment that the Member States show through the setting-up of these agencies. It concludes that the commitment of the Member States in the foodstuff sector is not as deep as in the pharmaceutical sector, and that the creation of the European Food Safety Authority will not lead to a success story similar to that of the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. [source] Educational Federalism in Germany: Foundations of Social Inequality in EducationGOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009MARKUS FREITAG This article applies Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to examine how sub-national education systems affect the extent of social inequality in education within the German federal states. Variations in educational outcomes between the federal states can be primarily attributed to the strict educational decentralization in Germany. We examine four conditions of regional education systems presumed to be relevant for the extent of social inequality in education: the availability of early childhood education, the development of all-day schools, the onset of tracking to different school types, and the degree of tripartition in secondary education. Altogether, we find systematic relationships between the variation of sub-national education systems and the extent of social inequality in education. The results indicate that well-developed early childhood education is necessary for a low degree of educational inequality. However, educational inequality is not directly related to partisan and socioeconomic determinants. [source] International Migration and Gender in Latin America: A Comparative AnalysisINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2006Douglas S. Massey ABSTRACT We review census data to assess the standing of five Latin American nations on a gender continuum ranging from patriarchal to matrifocal. We show that Mexico and Costa Rica lie close to one another with a highly patriarchal system of gender relations whereas Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic are similar in having a matrifocal system. Puerto Rico occupies a middle position, blending characteristics of both systems. These differences yield different patterns of female relative to male migration. Female householders in the two patriarchal settings displayed low rates of out-migration compared with males, whereas in the two matrifocal countries the ratio of female to male migration was much higher, in some case exceeding their male counterparts. Multivariate analyses showed that in patriarchal societies, a formal or informal union with a male dramatically lowers the odds of female out-migration, whereas in matrifocal societies marriage and cohabitation have no real effect. The most important determinants of female migration from patriarchal settings are the migrant status of the husband or partner, having relatives in the United States, and the possession of legal documents. In matrifocal settings, however, female migration is less related to the possession of documents, partner's migrant status, or having relatives in the United States and more strongly related to the woman's own migratory experience. Whereas the process of cumulative causation appears to be driven largely by men in patriarchal societies, it is women who dominate the process in matrifocal settings. Sur la base des données des recensements, nous situons cinq nations d'Amérique latine sur une échelle d'organisation sociale entre les sexes allant du partriarcat à la matrifocalité. Nous montrons que le Mexique et le Costa Rica occupent des positions voisines avec un système de relations entre les sexes foncièrement patriarcal alors que le Nicaragua et la République dominicaine fonctionnent tous deux selon un système matrifocal. Puerto Rico se situe au milieu, avec un mélange de caractéristiques des deux systèmes. De ces divergences découlent différents modèles de répartion de la migration selon le sexe. Dans les deux environnements patriarcaux, les femmes à la tête d'un ménage présentaient de bas taux d'émigration par rapport aux hommes, alors que dans les deux pays matrifocaux le ratio entre migration féminine et migration masculine était bien plus élevé, la première dépassant parfois la seconde. Des analyses à variables multiples ont montré que dans les sociétés patriarcales toute union avec un homme, qu'elle soit officielle ou officieuse, fait considérablement baisser les chances d'émigration d'une femme, alors que dans les sociétés matrifocales, le mariage et la cohabitation n'ont aucune incidence réelle. Les facteurs qui déterminent avant tout la migration féminine dans les sociétés patriarcales sont : le statut de migrant du mari ou du partenaire, l'existence de parenté aux Etats-Unis et la possession de papiers en règle. Toutefois, dans un environnement matrifocal la migration féminine ne dépend pas tant des facteurs susmentionnés que de la propre expérience migratoire des intéressées. Alors que dans les sociétés patriarcales, le processus de causalité cumulative semble être généré principalement par les hommes, dans les sociétés matrifocales il est dominé par les femmes. Se pasa revista a datos cenales para evaluar la situació encinco países latinoamericanos en un conjunto de modelos de relaciones entre los géneros, que va del patriarcal al matrifocal. Se demuestra que Máxico y Costa Rica tienen una situación muy parecida, con un sistema muy patriarcal, mientras que Nicaragua y la República Dominicana se asemejan por tener un sistema matrifocal. Puerto Rico ocupa un lugar intermedio, con un sistema que combina las características de ambos modelos. Esas diferencias producen distintos modelos de migración femenina y masculina. Las familias encabezadas por mujeres en los dos sistemas patriarcales mostraron tasas bajas de emigración en comparación con los hombres, mientras que en los dos países con sistemas matrifocales, la relación entre migració femenina y masculina fue mucho más elevada, excediendo en algunos casos la correspondiente a los hombres. Distintos tipos de análisis demostraron que en las sociedades patriarcales, una unión formal o informal con un hombre reduce considerablemente las posibilidades de emigración de la mujer, mientras que en las sociedades matrifocales, ni el matrimonio ni la convivencia afectan realmente esas posibilidades. Los elementos determinantes de mayor importancia para la migración de la mujer en los sistemas patriarcales son la situación de migrante del esposo o compañero, el hecho de tener familiares en los EstadosUnidos, y la posesión de documentos legales. En las sociedades matrifocales, sin embargo, la migración de la mujer guarda menos relación con la posesión de documentos, la sitación de migrante del compañero o el tener familiares que residan en los Estados Unidos, y está más vinculada a la propia experiencia migratoria de la mujer. Mientras que en las sociedades patriarcales el proceso de acumulación de causas parece ser impulsado mayormento por el hombre, es la mujer la que domina el proceso en las sociedades matrifocales. [source] Molecular cold-adaptation: Comparative analysis of two homologous families of psychrophilic and mesophilic signal proteins of the protozoan ciliate, EuplotesIUBMB LIFE, Issue 8 2009Claudio Alimenti Locations of negatively charged and aromatic residues in En and Er pheromones. See Molecular Cold-adaptation: Comparative Analysis of Two Homologous Families of Psychrophilic and Mesophilic Signal Proteins of the Protozoan Ciliate, Euplotes by Alimenti et al., pp. 838,845 [source] Maize Yields as Affected by Short- and Long-Term Improved Fallows: A Comparative Analysis in the Asian Humid TropicsJOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE, Issue 6 2005R. Schelbert Abstract Improved short- or long-term fallows are considered suitable low external input technologies for maintaining productivity and sustainability of tropical smallholder upland cropping units, although comparisons on the benefits of this technology are not widely reported. A field study evaluated the impact of improved short (6 months) and long-term fallow (18 months) using Crotalaria juncea and Tithonia diversifolia, in relation to a natural fallow of the same durations, on the productivity of maize (Zea mays), the most important upland cereal in tropical Asia, over a minor season. The use of improved fallows, especially Tithonia, increased maize yields over the Crotalaria or natural fallow. While the overall yields of maize after a long fallow were greater, the beneficial impact of the green manures was significantly higher in the short fallows. The causal factors for this trend, including biomass production of the improved fallows and possible impact on soils, along with the greater benefits of short-term fallows for increasing maize yields in the tropics due to lower requirements of unproductive time are presented. [source] Comparative Analysis of Immunoreactive Cells for Androgen Receptors and Oestrogen Receptor , in Copulating and Non-Copulating Male RatsJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2006W. Portillo Abstract In some species, including gerbils, guinea pigs, mice, rams and rats, some apparently normal males fail to mate. These kinds of animals have been named ,noncopulating (NC)'. The cause of this behavioural deficit is unknown. The present study aimed to determine whether NC male rats have alterations in the amount of androgen (AR) and oestrogen receptor , (ER,) in a neuronal circuit important for the control of male sexual behaviour; the vomeronasal projection pathway. We evaluated the number of AR and ER, immunoreactive (AR-IR and ER,-IR) cells in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), the anterior-dorsal medial amygdala (MeAD), the posterior dorsal amygdala (MePD) and the medial preoptic area (MPOA). The results demonstrate that the number of AR-IR cells in NC males was significantly higher compared to copulating (C) males in the MePD, but no significant differences were found in any of the other structures analysed. ER,-IR cells were more abundant in NC than in C males in the MeAD and the MePD. However, in the MPOA the number of ER,-IR cells was significantly reduced in NC males. No significant differences were found in the AOB or in the BNST. A similar pattern of results was observed when regions within these structures that are activated by Fos expression, on mating or exposure to sexually relevant cues were analysed. The differences in the number of AR and ER in particular brain areas could be associated with alterations in sexual behaviour as well as partner and olfactory preference for receptive females seen in NC male rats. [source] Comparative Analysis of Employment Services for People with Disabilities in Australia, Finland, and SwedenJOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, Issue 3-4 2004James O'Brien Abstract, Described and discussed are comparative employment policies and programs for people with intellectual and other disabilities in Australia, Finland, and Sweden. The dominant economic and social policies of many Western countries are such that they continue to place considerable pressure on the development and maintenance of employment programs for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, particularly for those with high support needs. The authors note that these policies often result in tension between the simultaneous achievement of person-centered principles for people with disabilities and a desire for improved service efficiencies and accountability. In addition, a concern raised by specialists in all three countries is the demise of low skilled jobs, which traditionally have attracted people with intellectual disabilities. It is proposed that improving the level of education and training available for people with intellectual disabilities may improve their employment opportunities. In this vein, key aspects of these countries' respective support programs were identified as an aid to policy-makers and service providers reconciling the disparities between employment needs and opportunities. [source] U.S. Sourcing from Low-Cost Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Supplier PerformanceJOURNAL OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2007Kusumal Ruamsook SUMMARY Given the increase in sourcing from low-cost countries (LCCs), it is important to assess relative supplier performance across these regions. This work investigates the comparative performance of LCC suppliers on 14 operational indicators of international sourcing and supply chain performance. Using survey methods, the study addresses these two questions: (1) How do the LCC regions of Asia, the Western Hemisphere and Europe compare in terms of the 14 operational indicators?; and (2) How do LCC nations within these three regions compare with regard to the 14 operational indicators? Perceived differences exist among the regions of Asia, the Western Hemisphere and Europe, as well as among the LCC nations of these three regions. However, no one region outperforms the others, and no one nation outperforms the others, on all 14 operational indicators investigated. Accordingly, this study also identifies the key areas of comparative advantage and disadvantage that each LCC region and each LCC nation presents in its relationship with U.S. buying firms. [source] The Organization and Operation of Teen Courts in the United States: A Comparative Analysis of LegislationJUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002MICHELLE E. HEWARD J.D. ABSTRACT Teen courts are juvenile justice diversion programs found in most states. Programs vary significantly between, and even within, states, making regulation cumbersome. Their grass roots nature requires legislative latitude so each program can meet the specific needs of the communities they serve. States have passed both specific and broad legislation acknowledging their existence and providing referral sources. This article examines teen court legislation from every state, analyzes each, and draws conclusions about teen courts from a legislative perspective. [source] Parenting and Cultures of Risk: A Comparative Analysis of Infidelity, Aggression, and WitchcraftAMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 1 2007ROBERT J. QUINLAN Parenting behavior may respond flexibly to environmental risk to help prepare children for the environment they can expect to face as adults. In hazardous environments where child outcomes are unpredictable, unresponsive parenting could be adaptive. Child development associated with parenting practices, in turn, may influence cultural patterns related to insecurity and aggression (which we call the "risk-response model"). We test these propositions in a cross-cultural analysis. The Standard Cross-Cultural Sample (SCCS) includes indicators of parental responsiveness: father,infant sleeping proximity, father involvement, parental response to infant crying, and breastfeeding duration (age at weaning). Unresponsive parenting was associated with cultural models including greater acceptance of extramarital sex, aggression, theft, and witchcraft. Socialization practices in later childhood were not better predictors of the outcomes than was earlier parenting. We conclude that some cultural adaptations appear rooted in parenting practices that affect child development. [source] A Comparative Analysis of President Clinton and Bush's Handling of the North Korean Nuclear Weapons Program: Power and Strategy,PACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 1 2004Ilsu Kim The purposes of this paper are: 1) to examine and analyze how the two presidents' policy goals in dealing with North Korea actually materialized; 2) to illustrate how these two Presidents implement their policy goals toward North Korea; 3) to discuss the Congressional responses to the president's policy goals toward North Korea; and 4) to provide comparative analysis of the two presidents' handling of North Korea. This study shows that different Presidents have dealt with North Korean issues in different ways. Two such presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, tried at the beginning of their terms as president to ignore the brewing problems in North Korea. However, both were forced to solve the North's nuclear issues early on in their respective administrations. Their decisions in dealing with North Korean nuclear capabilities help to define their early reputations as foreign policy makers. Yet, the domestic as well as international contexts that President Clinton and Bush faced were somewhat different. President Clinton maintains that the North's nuclear crisis arose from North Korea's security fears: Abandoned by its two Cold War patrons, economically bankrupt, and internationally isolated, the North Korean government saw the pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as the only path to survival and security for their regime. In this regard, Clinton's actual efforts to resolve the issues surrounding the North's nuclear program appeared ambiguous and inconsistent. This led to the temporary suspension of the North's nuclear ambitions through an Agreed Framework. However, President Bush stuck to more of a hardnosed approach. He continues to demand a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of the nuclear program first, before any provision of economic or humanitarian assistance is extended toward North Korea. Bush favors multilateral negotiations, which leads the DPRK to feel more isolated than before. Although the second six-party talks ended without a major breakthrough, it seems that all parties except the North think the meeting was successful in terms of lowering tensions in Korea. This case study demonstrates several observable features that characterize the president's role in shaping North Korean policy. A president who wants to take a new approach to some element of U.S. policy can be caught between the diplomat's desire for flexibility and the power of domestic political forces. The president can achieve success, but only if the new direction in policy finds acceptance on Capitol Hill. [source] Toward Evidence-Based Prescribing at End of Life: A Comparative Analysis of Sustained-Release Morphine, Oxycodone, and Transdermal Fentanyl, with Pain, Constipation, and Caregiver Interaction Outcomes in Hospice PatientsPAIN MEDICINE, Issue 4 2006BCPS, Douglas J. Weschules PharmD ABSTRACT Objective., The primary goal of this investigation was to examine selected outcomes in hospice patients who are prescribed one of three sustained-release opioid preparations. The outcomes examined include: pain score, constipation severity, and ability of the patient to communicate with caregivers. Patients and Settings., This study included 12,000 terminally ill patients consecutively admitted to hospices and receiving pharmaceutical care services between the period of July 1 and December 31, 2002. Design., We retrospectively examined prescribing patterns of sustained-release morphine, oxycodone, and transdermal fentanyl. We compared individual opioids on the aforementioned outcome markers, as well as patient gender, terminal diagnosis, and median length of stay. Results., Patients prescribed a sustained-release opioid had similar average ratings of pain and constipation severity, regardless of the agent chosen. Patients prescribed transdermal fentanyl were reported to have more difficulty communicating with friends and family when compared with patients prescribed either morphine or oxycodone. On average, patients prescribed transdermal fentanyl had a shorter length of stay on hospice as compared with those receiving morphine or oxycodone. Conclusion., There was no difference in observed pain or constipation severity among patients prescribed sustained-release opioid preparations. Patients receiving fentanyl were likely to have been prescribed the medication due to advanced illness and associated dysphagia. Diminished ability to communicate with caregivers and a shorter hospice course would be consistent with this profile. Further investigation is warranted to examine the correlation between a patient's ability to interact with caregivers and pain control achieved. [source] Confucianism and Ethics in the Western Philosophical Tradition I: Foundational ConceptsPHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010Mary I. Bockover Confucianism conceives of persons as being necessarily interdependent, defining personhood in terms of the various roles one embodies and that are established by the relationships basic to one's life. By way of contrast, the Western philosophical tradition has predominantly defined persons in terms of intrinsic characteristics not thought to depend on others. This more strictly and explicitly individualistic concept of personhood contrasts with the Confucian idea that one becomes a person because of others; where one is never a person independently or in and of oneself but develops into one only in community. This article surveys some differences between Confucian and Western ideas of self and their connection to ethics mainly in light of the relational self of the Confucian Analects and Mencius. A Philosophy Compass article called Confucianism and Ethics in the Western Philosophical Tradition: A Comparative Analysis of Personhood (CEWII) will follow, that examines how the more individualistic way of conceiving of personhood in the West has had moral and political implications that differ, and even conflict, with those of Confucianism. [Correction added after online publication 31 May 2010: Sentence changed.] [source] Confucianism and Ethics in the Western Philosophical Tradition II: A Comparative Analysis of PersonhoodPHILOSOPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 4 2010Mary I. Bockover This Philosophy Compass article continues the comparison between Confucian and mainstream Western views of personhood and their connection with ethics begun in Confucianism and Ethics in the Western Philosophical Tradition: Fundamental Concepts (CEWI), by focusing on the Western self conceived as an independent agent with moral and political rights. More specifically, the present article briefly accounts for how the more strictly and explicitly individualistic notion of self dominating Western philosophy has developed, leading up to a recent debate in modern Western rights theory between Herbert Fingarette and Henry Rosemont, Jr., two contemporary Western philosophers who are both steeped in Confucian thought as well as moral and political philosophy. This compares and contrasts Confucian principles with some basic to modern Western rights theory and the more individualistic view of self they entail. In the end, a new view of personhood and "free will" is offered that synthesizes insights from the Confucian treatment of persons as being essentially interdependent with the Western treatment of persons as being essentially independent. [Correction added after online publication 31 May 2010: Sentence changed.] [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||