Positive Link (positive + link)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The effects of acute and chronic exercise on the vasculature

ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 4 2010
J. J. Whyte
Abstract Regular physical activity (endurance training, ET) has a strong positive link with cardiovascular health. The aim of this review is to draw together the current knowledge on gene expression in different cell types comprising the vessels of the circulatory system, with special emphasis on the endothelium, and how these gene products interact to influence vascular health. The effect beneficial effects of ET on the endothelium are believed to result from increased vascular shear stress during ET bouts. A number of mechanosensory mechanisms have been elucidated that may contribute to the effects of ET on vascular function, but there are questions regarding interactions among molecular pathways. For instance, increases in flow brought on by ET can reduce circulating levels of viscosity and haemostatic and inflammatory variables that may interact with increased shear stress, releasing vasoactive substances such as nitric oxide and prostacyclin, decreasing permeability to plasma lipoproteins as well as the adhesion of leucocytes. At this time the optimal rate-of-flow and rate-of-change in flow for determining whether anti-atherogenic or pro-atherogenic processes proceed remain unknown. In addition, the impact of haemodynamic variables differs with vessel size and tissue type in which arteries are located. While the hurdles to understanding the mechanism responsible for ET-induced alterations in vascular cell gene expression are significant, they in no way undermine the established benefits of regular physical activity to the cardiovascular system and to general overall health. This review summarizes current understanding of control of vascular cell gene expression by exercise and how these processes lead to improved cardiovascular health. [source]


e-Integration in the Supply Chain: Barriers and Performance,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 4 2002
Markham T. Frohlich
ABSTRACT Current opinion holds that Internet-based supply chain integration with upstream suppliers and downstream customers (called "e-integration" in this paper) is superior to traditional ways of doing business. This proposition remains untested, however, and similarly we know little about what are the upstream, internal, and downstream barriers to implementing e-integration. This paper empirically addressed these questions using data from a large single nation study, and found (1) a positive link between e-integration and performance, and (2) that internal barriers impeded e-integration more than either upstream supplier barriers or downstream customer barriers. Findings from this study contribute to our theoretical understanding of implementing change in contemporary supply chains, and have important implications for manufacturers interested in improving their supply chain's performance using the Internet. [source]


Cascading effects of variation in plant vigour on the relative performance of insect herbivores and their parasitoids

ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
Tiit Teder
Abstract 1. Consequences of variation in food plant quality were estimated for a system consisting of two monophagous noctuid herbivores and three ichneumonid parasitoids. 2. In a natural population, pupal weights of the herbivores in this system, Nonagria typhae and Archanara sparganii, were found to be highly variable. Pupal weights increased strongly and consistently with the increase in the vigour of the host plant, Typha latifolia, providing support for the plant vigour hypothesis. Correspondingly, as the moths do not feed as adults, a strong, positive correlation between host vigour and fecundity of the herbivores would be expected. 3. There were strong and positive relationships between adult body sizes of the parasitoids and the sizes of their lepidopteran hosts. Moreover, a direct, positive link between plant quality and parasitoid size was documented. 4. For all three parasitoids, cascading effects of plant quality on body size were weaker than for the herbivores. Differences in the importance of adult feeding and oviposition behaviour suggest that dependence of fitness on body size is also weaker in the parasitoids than in the moths. It is therefore concluded that the numerical response of the herbivore population to a change in plant quality should exceed the corresponding response in the parasitoids. 5. The results of this work imply that variation in plant variables may affect performance of different trophic levels to a different extent. It is suggested that the importance of adult feeding for the reproductive success (capital vs. income breeding strategies) in both herbivores and parasitoids is an essential aspect to consider when predicting responses of such a system to changes in plant quality. [source]


Does Entrepreneurship Capital Matter?

ENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 5 2004
David B. Audretsch
Economics has identified three types of capital as the drivers of economic growth,physical capital, human capital, and knowledge capital. This article introduces the concept of entrepreneurship capital and suggests that it is also an important factor shaping the economic performance of an economy. We define entrepreneurship capital as those factors influencing and shaping an economy's milieu of agents in such a way as to be conducive to the creation of new firms. The hypothesis that entrepreneurship capital is positively linked to economic growth is then tested by examining the relationship between several different measures of entrepreneurship capital and regional economic performance, measured as per-capita income for Germany. The empirical evidence suggests that there is indeed a positive link between entrepreneurship capital and regional economic performance. These results suggest a new direction for public policy that focuses on instruments to enhance entrepreneurship capital. [source]


Individual differences in socioaffective skills influence the neural bases of fear processing: The case of alexithymia

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 10 2010
Lydia Pouga
Abstract Being exposed to fear signals makes us feel threatened and prompts us to prepare an adaptive response. In our previous studies, we suggested that amygdala (AMG) and premotor cortex (PM) play a role in the preparation of the observers' motor response required by the situation. The present experiment aimed at assessing how interindividual differences in alexithymia,a personality trait associated with deficits in emotional reactivity and regulation,influence the neural network associated with the perception of fear. Using fMRI, we scanned 34 healthy subjects while they were passively observing fearful body expressions. Applying a dimensional approach, we performed correlation analyses between fear-related brain areas and alexithymia scores among all participants. Using a categorical approach, we conducted a between-group comparison (13 high vs. 12 low-alexithymia subjects). Our results were threefold. First, the right AMG activity in response to fearful stimuli was negatively correlated with the level of difficulty to identify emotions. Second, PM activity was linked to reduced subjective emotional reactivity. Third, the between-group comparison revealed greater activity in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) for high than low-alexithymia scorers. Moreover, the relationship between ACC and PM was in opposite direction in individuals with high (negative link) and low (positive link) alexithymia. Therefore, compared to our previous findings, we hereby further reveal how ACC interacts with PM to sustain self-regulation of one's own emotional state in response to threatening social signals. Moreover, this neural mechanism could account for the description of the "cold-blooded" personality of individuals with alexithymia. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The purpose and function of humour in health, health care and nursing: a narrative review

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 6 2008
May McCreaddie
Abstract Title.,The purpose and function of humour in health, health care and nursing: a narrative review Aim., This paper is a report of a review conducted to identify, critically analyse and synthesize the humour literature across a number of fields related to health, health care and nursing. Background., The humour,health hypothesis suggests that there is a positive link between humour and health. Humour has been a focus of much contention and deliberation for centuries, with three theories dominating the field: the superiority or tendentious theory, the incongruity theory and the relief theory. Data sources., A comprehensive literature search was carried out in January 2007 using a number of databases, keywords, manual recursive searching and journal alerts (January 1980,2007) cross-referenced with the bibliographic databases of the International Society of Humor Studies. An inclusion and exclusion criterion was identified. Review methods., A narrative review of evidence- and non-evidence-based papers was conducted, using a relevant methodological framework with additional scrutiny of secondary data sources in the latter. Humour theories, incorporating definition, process and impact constituted a significant part of the appraisal process. Results., A total of 1630 papers were identified, with 220 fully sourced and 88 included in the final review. There is a dearth of humour research within nursing yet, ironically, an abundance of non-evidence-based opinion citing prerequisites and exclusion zones. Examination of physician,patient interaction and the humour,health hypothesis demonstrates that use of humour by patients is both challenging and revealing, particularly with regard to self-deprecating humour. Conclusion., Nurses and nursing should adopt a circumspect and evidenced-based approach to humour use in their work. [source]


Do Nutrition Claims Matter to Consumers?

JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2010
An Empirical Analysis Considering European Requirements
Q18; Q13; Q12; I18 Abstract EU Regulation 1924/2006 introduced a European legal framework for nutrition messages for food product labels. The study analyses consumer interest towards nutrition labelling and claims, and examines the information consumers consider important during their purchasing decisions, and the main characteristics of those consumers interested in nutrition claims and nutrition labelling use. A total of 1,025 northern Italian consumers were surveyed. We estimate one binary logit model to investigate the use of nutrition labelling, and seven other ordinal regression models to analyse consumer interest towards nutrition claims and labelling. Consumers who use nutrition labelling have characteristics different from those who use nutrition claims. Consumers using nutrition labelling show a marked interest in food safety concerns, use experts as their source of information and have specific dietary habits. For consumers concerned about nutrition claims, the survey shows significant links with attributes influencing purchasing behaviour, such as price, brand, certification, etc. Socio-demographic characteristics are statistically significant and show a positive link with age, gender and a negative linkage with income. [source]


Transnational Corporations and Repression of Political Rights and Civil Liberties: An Empirical Analysis

KYKLOS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, Issue 1 2004
Matthias Busse
Summary Transnational Corporations are often accused by non-governmental organisations of ignoring fundamental democratic rights, such as civil liberties and political rights, in the countries of their investments. This paper attempts to explore empirically the complex relationship between foreign investment and democracy in a systematic way, using different econometric techniques. In contrast to the public discussion over recent years and the view held by non-governmental organisations, the results show that enhanced democratic rights are associated with higher foreign investment in the 1990s. Interestingly, this positive link does not hold for the 1970s and 1980s, when a substantial portion of foreign investment went to countries with repressive governments. [source]


Marketing/inventory interactions in the characterization of retailer response to manufacturer trade deals

MANAGERIAL AND DECISION ECONOMICS, Issue 7 2006
F. J. Arcelus
This paper presents a characterization of a profit-maximizing retailer's response to a manufacturer trade deal that encompasses both marketing and operations concerns. Price pass-through behaviour is based on demand being realized over time, at a given rate, thereby allowing for the introduction of inventory-related costs. The analysis establishes a direct and positive link between the incidence of forward buying and the incidence of more-than-100% price pass-through policies. As a result, unless restricted by anti-hoarding policies, the profit-maximizing retailer's strategy tends towards large price reductions, but only for a small fraction of the units acquired at the discounted price. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Are goose nesting success and lemming cycles linked?

OIKOS, Issue 3 2001
Interplay between nest density, predators
The suggested link between lemming cycles and reproductive success of arctic birds is caused by potential effects of varying predation pressure (the Alternative Prey Hypothesis, APH) and protective association with birds of prey (the Nesting Association Hypothesis, NAH). We used data collected over two complete lemming cycles to investigate how fluctuations in lemming density were associated with nesting success of greater snow geese (Anser caerulescens atlanticus) in the Canadian High Arctic. We tested predictions of the APH and NAH for geese breeding at low and high densities. Goose nesting success varied from 22% to 91% between years and the main egg predator was the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). Nesting associations with snowy owls (Nyctea scandiaca) were observed but only during peak lemming years for geese nesting at low density. Goose nesting success declined as distance from owls increased and reached a plateau at 550 m. Artificial nest experiments indicated that owls can exclude predators from the vicinity of their nests and thus reduce goose egg predation rate. Annual nest failure rate was negatively associated with rodent abundance and was generally highest in low lemming years. This relationship was present even after excluding goose nests under the protective influence of owls. However, nest failure was inversely density-dependent at high breeding density. Thus, annual variations in nest density influenced the synchrony between lemming cycles and oscillations in nesting success. Our results suggest that APH is the main mechanism linking lemming cycles and goose nesting success and that nesting associations during peak lemming years (NAH) can enhance this positive link at the local level. The study also shows that breeding strategies used by birds (the alternative prey) could affect the synchrony between oscillations in avian reproductive success and rodent cycles. [source]


How Lay Third Parties Weigh Legitimacy and Sanctions in a Side-Taking Dilemma: A Study among Chinese and Dutch Employees

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Huadong Yang
Lay third parties sometimes react to an interpersonal dispute by taking sides. In this paper, we investigate the interaction effects of lay third parties' moral and expedient orientations on the relationship between perceived legitimacy (or expected negative sanctions) and their intention of side-taking with a legitimacy party (or a sanction party). Seventy-nine Chinese and 77 Dutch employees were presented with a scenario describing a conflict dilemma between one party who has more legitimacy claims but less negative sanctions and the other party who has less legitimacy claims but more negative sanctions. The results showed that moral orientation by itself has a reinforcing effect on the positive link between perceived legitimacy and siding with a legitimacy party. In addition, in both countries, the relationship between expected negative sanctions and side-taking with a sanction party was moderated by a joint effect of the moral and the expedient orientations. That is, for lay third parties with a weakly moral orientation and a strongly expedient orientation, an increase in negative sanctions led to more side-taking with a sanction party. For those lay third parties who were weakly moral and weakly expedient oriented, strongly moral and strongly expedient oriented, or strongly moral and weakly expedient oriented, the above-mentioned link was not positive any more. Confrontés à un conflit interpersonnel, les tiers non concernés réagissent parfois en prenant parti. Dans cet article, nous étudions les effets d'interaction des orientations morales et opportunistes de tiers non impliqués sur la relation entre la légitimé perçue ou les sanctions négatives attendues et leur intention de se ranger aux côtés d'un groupe légitime ou d'un groupe puissant. On a présentéà 79 salariés chinois et 77 salariés néerlandais un scénario décrivant un dilemme conflictuel entre un groupe qui disposait de plus de légitimité, mais de sanctions négatives moindres et un autre groupe qui disposait de moins de légitimité, mais de sanctions négatives plus fortes. Les résultats montrent que l'orientation morale exerce par elle-même un renforcement sur la liaison positive entre la légitimité perçue et le fait de se ranger aux côtés d'un groupe bénéficiant de la légitimité. De plus, dans les deux pays, la relation entre les sanctions négatives attendues et le fait de choisir le groupe puissant était régulé par un effet conjugué des orientations morales et opportunistes. Ce qui signifie que pour des tiers pourvus d'une orientation morale déficiente et d'un grand opportunisme, une augmentation des sanctions négatives incite à prendre plutôt parti pour le groupe puissant. La relation ci-dessus mentionnée n'est nullement positive pour les tiers à la morale et à l'opportunisme faibles, à la morale et à l'opportunisme forts, ou à la morale forte et à l'opportunisme faible. [source]


Innovation and competitive advantages from the integration of strategic aspects with social and environmental management in European firms

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2009
Marcus Wagner
Abstract This paper analyses the nature and details of the association that the integration of social and environmental considerations with corporate strategy has for different competitive advantages and innovation activities at the firm level. Its objective is to answer the question as to whether a positive link exists between integration and the effects of environmental and social performance on these different dimensions of economic performance. The question of the specific form of this relationship is also raised. These questions are analysed using cluster analysis and regression models. Results are presented for four different dimensions of competitive advantage, and for two types of innovation activity. These raise the possibility that the process of integration is more important for bringing about a positive link than a resulting integration type. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


Implications of family environment and language development: comparing typically developing children to those with spina bifida

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2009
B. Vachha
Abstract Introduction This study examines the effect of family environment on language performance in children with myelomeningocele compared with age- and education-matched controls selected from the same geographic region. Methods Seventy-five monolingual (English) speaking children with myelomeningocele [males: 30; ages: 7,16 years; mean age: 10 years 1 month, standard deviation (SD) 2 years 7 months] and 35 typically developing children (males: 16; ages 7,16 years; mean age: 10 years 9 months, SD 2 years 6 months) participated in the study. The Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) and the Wechsler tests of intelligence were administered individually to all participants. The CASL measures four subsystems: lexical, syntactic, supralinguistic and pragmatic. Parents completed the Family Environment Scale (FES) questionnaire and provided background demographic information. Standard independent sample t -tests, chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to make simple comparisons between groups for age, socio-economic status, gender and ethnicity. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to detect associations between language and FES data. Group differences for the language and FES scores were analysed with a multivariate analysis of variance at a P -value of 0.05. Results For the myelomeningocele group, both Spearman correlation and partial correlation analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships for the FES ,intellectual,cultural orientation' (ICO) variable and language performance in all subsystems (P < 0.01). For controls, positive associations were seen between: (1) ICO and lexical/semantic and syntactic subsystems; and (2) FES ,independence' and lexical/semantic and supralinguistic tasks. Conclusions The relationship between language performance and family environment appears statistically and intuitively sound. As in our previous study, the positive link between family focus on intellectually and culturally enhancing activities and language performance among children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus remains robust. Knowledge of this relationship should assist parents and professionals in supporting language development through activities within the natural learning environment. [source]