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Strong Support (strong + support)
Selected AbstractsStrong Evidence for an Unprecedented Borderline Case of Dissociation and Cycloaddition in Open-Shell 1,3-Dipole Chemistry: Transient Nitrilium Phosphane-Ylide Complex Radical CationsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 22 2009Holger Helten Abstract The reaction of 3-ferrocenyl-substituted 2H -azaphosphirene complexes 1a,c in the presence of substoichiometric amounts of ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate yields 3,5-diferrocenyl-substituted 2H -1,4,2-diazaphosphole complexes 3a,c and difluoro(organo)phosphane complexes 4a,c. The reaction of 1a,c and [FcH]PF6 with cyanoferrocene yields 3a,c in a straightforward way. The molecular structures of 3a,c were unambiguously identified by multinuclear NMR spectroscopic experiments, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. DFT calculations on model complexes 1d,m and 3d,m reveal a close similarity of Mo and W complexes (vs. Cr) and a strong influence of the ferrocenyl substituent on the geometry, spin, and charge distribution of reactive intermediates and the reaction course. Strong support for the assumption of a dissociation,cycloaddition reaction sequence leading to 3 and thus a surprising "cannibalistic" reaction was obtained.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009) [source] Phenotype matching and inbreeding avoidance in African elephantsMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 21 2007JIM MOORE Abstract Perhaps the most important ,decision' made by any animal (or plant) is whether to disperse , leave kith and kin, or remain with the familiar and related. The benefits of staying at home are obvious, so dispersal requires an explanation , and the most popular is that dispersal functions to avoid inbreeding depression. Strong support comes from the observation that dispersal is so often sex biased. Simply put, all else being equal members of both sexes should prefer to remain philopatric, but this would lead to inbreeding depression so members of one sex have to disperse. In principle, this link between inbreeding depression and sex-biased dispersal could be broken if individuals recognize close kin and avoid mating with them. Archie et al. (2007) provide one of the most compelling analyses to date of the interaction among inbreeding avoidance, kin recognition and mating strategies in any mammal, clearly showing that elephants recognize even close paternal kin and avoid mating with them. Their important results illuminate the subtleties of elephant inbreeding avoidance as well as illustrate the difficulty of arriving at definitive answers to questions about the evolution of dispersal behaviour. [source] Support needs and acceptability of psychological and peer consultation: attitudes of 108 women who had undergone or were considering prophylactic mastectomyPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 8 2008Andrea F. Patenaude Abstract Objective: Prophylactic mastectomy (PM) offers 90% or greater reduction in risk of breast cancer to women at increased hereditary risk. Nonetheless, acceptance in North America is low (0,27%) and 25,50% of women electing surgery report psychological distress and/or difficulty adapting following PM. Most women also report reduced cancer worry postoperatively. Psychological consultation to aid decision-making and post-surgical coping is not routinely offered. This retrospective, cross-sectional study explored interest in and acceptability of psychological consultation for issues related to PM among 108 women who had undergone or were considering surgery. Method: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 healthy women who had undergone prophylactic mastectomy of both (bilateral) breasts (BPM), 45 women who had undergone prophylactic mastectomy of one breast (unilateral contralateral) (UPM) after diagnosis of invasive breast cancer in the other breast or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and 37 women who were considering having PM surgery. Results: Of the women who had undergone PM, more than half felt pre-surgical psychological consultation was advisable; nearly 2/3 thought post-surgical psychological consultation would be helpful. All women currently considering PM believed psychological consultation would aid decision-making and preparation for surgery. Strong support was reported in all groups for the emotional and informational value of speaking with a woman who had previously undergone PM. Conclusions: Narratives illustrate the nature and intensity of the need for psychological support and describe preferences for the role of the psychologist. Suggestions are offered for integration of psychological services for women deciding about or adapting to PM. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] EXPORT-LED GROWTH HYPOTHESIS: FURTHER ECONOMETRIC EVIDENCE FROM SOUTH ASIATHE DEVELOPING ECONOMIES, Issue 4 2005NASIM SHAH SHIRAZI This paper examines the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis for five South Asian countries through cointegration and multivariate Granger causality tests. Strong support for a long-run relationship among exports, imports, and real output for all the countries except Sri Lanka were found. Feedback effects between exports and GDP for Bangladesh and Nepal and unidirectional causality from exports to output in the case of Pakistan were found. No causality between these variables was found for Sri Lanka and India, although for India GDP and exports did induce imports. A feedback effect between imports and GDP was also documented for Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as well as unidirectional causality from imports to output growth for Sri Lanka. These and other findings are discussed from the standpoint of the export-led growth hypothesis. [source] The Financial Sector and Economic Growth,THE ECONOMIC RECORD, Issue 2009ARUSHA COORAY The Mankiw,Romer,Weil (1992) augmented Solow,Swan (Solow 1956; Swan 1956) model is extended to incorporate the financial sector in this study. Distinguishing between financial capital, physical capital and human capital, the research attempts to identify, in particular, the effects of financial capital on economic growth. The effects of financial sector efficiency on economic growth are also examined. The financial sector augmented model is tested on a cross-section of 35 economies. Strong support is found for the model. [source] Does disturbance, competition or resource limitation underlie Hieracium lepidulum invasion in New Zealand?AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Mechanisms of establishment, functional differentiation among invasive, native species, persistence Abstract The processes underlying plant invasions have been the subject of much ecological research. Understanding mechanisms of plant invasions are difficult to elucidate from observations, yet are crucial for ecological management of invasions. Hieracium lepidulum, an asteraceous invader in New Zealand, is a species for which several explanatory mechanisms can be raised. Alternative mechanisms, including competitive dominance, disturbance of resident vegetation allowing competitive release or nutrient resource limitation reducing competition with the invader are raised to explain invasion. We tested these hypotheses in two field experiments which manipulated competitive, disturbance and nutrient environments in pre-invasion and post-invasion vegetation. H. lepidulum and resident responses to environmental treatments were measured to allow interpretation of underlying mechanisms of establishment and persistence. We found that H. lepidulum differed in functional response profile from native species. We also found that other exotic invaders at the sites were functionally different to H. lepidulum in their responses. These data support the hypothesis that different invaders use different invasion mechanisms from one another. These data also suggest that functional differentiation between invaders and native resident vegetation may be an important contributing factor allowing invasion. H. lepidulum appeared to have little direct competitive effect on post-invasion vegetation, suggesting that competition was not a dominant mechanism maintaining its persistence. There was weak support for disturbance allowing initial establishment of H. lepidulum in pre-invasion vegetation, but disturbance did not lead to invader dominance. Strong support for nutrient limitation of resident species was provided by the rapid competitive responses with added nutrients despite presence of H. lepidulum. Rapid competitive suppression of H. lepidulum once nutrient limitation was alleviated suggests that nutrient limitation may be an important process allowing the invader to dominate. Possible roles of historical site degradation and/or invader-induced soil chemical/microbial changes in nutrient availability are discussed. [source] Phylogeny, biogeography, and recurrent evolution of divergent bill types in the nectar-stealing flowerpiercers (Thraupini: Diglossa and Diglossopis)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009WILLIAM M. MAUCK III Neotropical tanagers known as flowerpiercers (Diglossa and Diglossopis) have a novel feeding adaptation, comprising a downward curved hook on the maxilla that allows these species to obtain floral nectar without pollination. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, the phylogenetic relationships of all 18 species of flowerpiercers were studied for the first time. Strong support was found for the monophyly of flowerpiercers and for the monophyly of four superspecies within flowerpiercers. However, previously described species-groups, as well as the genus Diglossopis, are not monophyletic. The biogeographic origin of flowerpiercers was identified as Andean, with a single dispersal event from the northern Andes to Central America and a single dispersal event from the northern Andes to the tepuis. The first principal component, representing a contrast between hook size and bill size, was mapped onto the phylogeny to examine the evolution of relative hook size in the group. Across the phylogeny, a relatively large hook and a relatively small hook evolved multiple times in unrelated lineages, indicating lability in bill morphology. Differences in hook size among sympatric species, together with habitat partitioning and behavioural differences, can explain the coexistence of multiple species of flowerpiercers at the same locality. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 98, 14,28. [source] Brand Name Audit Pricing, Industry Specialization, and Leadership Premiums post-Big 8 and Big 6 Mergers,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002Andrew Ferguson Abstract This paper investigates brand name, industry specialization, and leadership audit pricing in the wake of the mergers that created the Big 6 and the Big 5 accounting firms. For samples of Australian listed public companies in each of the postmerger years 1990, 1992, 1994, and 1998, we estimate national audit fee premiums for the Big 6/5 auditors and the industry specialists and leaders. We find limited support for the ability of the Big 6/5 to obtain fee premiums over non-Big 6/5 for those industries not having specialist auditors. Nonspecialist Big 6/5 auditors are able to obtain fee premiums over nonspecialist non-Big 6/5 auditors for those industries having specialist auditors. However, this result only holds among the smaller half of our sample. We do not find strong support for the presence of industry specialist premiums in the postmerger years, especially after 1990, using various definitions of industry specialist. We find, at best, limited support for the presence of industry leadership premiums. The evidence suggests that after the Big 8/6 audit firm mergers, some caution is required in generalizing the Craswell, Francis, and Taylor 1995 finding of national market industry specialist premiums. More generally, the study raises questions about the tenuous link between the concept of specialization and national market-share statistics. [source] Tests of a Deferred Tax Explanation of the Negative Association between the LIFO Reserve and Firm Value,CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING RESEARCH, Issue 1 2000DAN S. DHALIWAL Guenther and Trombley (1994) and Jennings, Simko, and Thompson (1996) document a negative association between a firm's last-in, first-out (LIFO) reserve and the market value of its equity. In this paper, we test a deferred tax explanation of this negative association. Specifically, we argue that investors, conditional on adjusting inventory to as-if first-in, first-out (FIFO), estimate a firm's future LIFO liquidation tax burden as its LIFO reserve multiplied by the appropriate corporate tax rate and include this tax-adjusted LIFO reserve in the valuation of a LIFO firm's net assets. On the basis of this argument, the tax-adjusted LIFO reserve is in effect an estimate of an off-balance-sheet deferred tax liability and, as a result, we predict a negative association between the tax-adjusted LIFO reserve and market value of equity. We test our deferred tax explanation by estimating a valuation model in which a firm's market value of equity is expressed as a function of the firm's assets, liabilities, deferred tax liability, and tax-adjusted LIFO reserve; the model is estimated separately in years preceding and following the reduction of tax rates mandated by the US Tax Reform Act of 1986. Test results provide strong support for the deferred tax explanation of the negative association between a firm's LIFO reserve and the market value of its equity. [source] National Culture and the Composition and Leadership Structure of Boards of DirectorsCORPORATE GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2008Jiatao Li ABSTRACT Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: How and to what extent does national culture influence the composition and leadership structure of the boards of directors of multinational firms? Research Findings/Insights: Societal norms about corporate structure are treated as components of national culture. Hofstede's measures of national culture were shown to predict the board composition and leadership structure of firms based in that culture. The hypotheses were tested with data on 399 multinational manufacturing firms based in 15 industrial countries. The results suggest that national culture can have strong effects on corporate governance and should be considered in any transnational study. Theoretical/Academic Implications: The predictive accuracy of the culture variables provides strong support for the argument that norms embedded in a society's culture affect organizational structure, at least at the board level. The results of the study contribute to our understanding of institutional theory in explaining observed variations in corporate board composition and leadership structure across countries. By linking board composition to the cultural environment, institutional theory provides an explicit framework for analyzing variations in board structure across national boundaries. Practitioner/Policy Implications: When considering board composition and leadership structure, it is important to consider national culture norms. The findings of the study also have important implications for multinational firms setting up boards for their subsidiaries in different countries. [source] Knowledge Acquisition and Memory Effects Involving an Expert System Designed as a Learning Tool for Internal Control Assessment*DECISION SCIENCES JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, Issue 1 2003Mary Jane Lenard ABSTRACT The assessment of internal control is a consideration in all financial statement audits, as stressed by the Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 78. According to this statement, "the auditor should obtain an understanding of internal control sufficient to plan the audit" (Accounting Standards Board, 1995, p. 1). Therefore, an accounting student will progress through the auditing course with the responsibility of learning how and why internal controls are assessed. Research in expert systems applied to auditing has shown that there is strong support for the constructive dialogue used in expert systems as a means of encouraging their use in decision making (Eining, Jones, & Loebbecke, 1997). The purpose of this study is to provide the student or novice auditor with a method for developing a more comprehensive understanding of internal controls and the use of internal controls in audit planning. The results of the study reinforce previous findings that novices do better when an expert system applies analogies along with declarative explanations, and clarifies the length of time in which the use of active learning in a training system can provide an improvement to declarative knowledge, but procedural knowledge must be acquired over a longer time frame. [source] Superior detection of threat-relevant stimuli in infancyDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Vanessa LoBue The ability to quickly detect potential threat is an important survival mechanism for humans and other animals. Past research has established that adults have an attentional bias for the detection of threat-relevant stimuli, including snakes and spiders as well as angry human faces. Recent studies have documented that preschool children also detect the presence of threatening stimuli more quickly than various non-threatening stimuli. Here we report the first evidence that this attentional bias is present even in infancy. In two experiments, 8- to 14-month-old infants responded more rapidly to snakes than to flowers and more rapidly to angry than to happy faces. These data provide the first evidence of enhanced visual detection of threat-relevant stimuli in infants and hence offer especially strong support for the existence of a general bias for the detection of threat in humans. [source] Bottom-up, top-down, and within-trophic level pressures on a cactus-feeding insectECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 2 2008TOM E. X. MILLER Abstract 1.,The relative importance of host-plants and predators in the population dynamics of herbivorous insects, and the frequency and intensity of inter-specific competition among herbivores, have both been intensively studied and debated. The joint effects of bottom-up, top-down, and within-trophic level interactions, however, have rarely been integrated in a single system. 2.,I studied the dynamics of the cactus bug (Narnia pallidicornis), a specialist feeder on tree cholla cactus (Opuntia imbricata), in response to variable host-plant quality, spider predation, and interactions with cactus-feeding beetles (Moneilema appressum). Previous work suggests that cactus reproductive effort (the proportion of meristems allocated to reproduction) is an important component of host-plant quality for Narnia. I conducted a 2-year field experiment to test the hypotheses that Narnia abundance is positively related to host-plant reproductive effort, and that interactions with predators and putative competitors alter the shape of this relationship. 3.,I found strong support for the first prediction (positive Narnia,plant quality relationship) in both years, but neither predator removal nor beetle exclusion had detectable effects on this relationship in either year. I conclude that the dynamics of this insect herbivore are driven predominantly from the bottom-up, and that available data from this work and from previous studies are too variable to permit broad generalisations for the combined effects of host-plants, predation, and competition on herbivore dynamics. [source] Insect colonisation sequences in bracts of Heliconia caribaea in Puerto RicoECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Barbara A. Richardson Summary 1. It was predicted that insects colonising Heliconia phytotelmata would exploit the different bract conditions along inflorescences, which result from sequential ageing. 2. Flowering of H. caribaea is asynchronous over a 6-month period. A method of identifying bracts of the same age, regardless of position on the inflorescence or inflorescence age, and from different plants over 2 years, was developed using comparative flowering phenology. 3. Heliconia insect larval communities were remarkably consistent from year to year in species composition and relative abundance. Occurrence within the plant population was also similar from year to year, and most species were Heliconia specific. 4. Significant interspecific differences were found in bract utilisation, with populations peaking at different stages of bract development. Ceratopogonid larvae were the earliest colonisers, followed by psychodids, syrphids, and culicids. Tipulids occurred much later in the cycle of bract development and ageing. These patterns were consistent in both years. 5. Patterns of bract utilisation provide strong support for temporal niche partitioning by variation in oviposition and development time. Communities were not considered to be structured by predation or pH changes along the bract sequence. [source] Density-dependent growth of young-of-the-year Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) revisitedECOLOGY OF FRESHWATER FISH, Issue 1 2010I. Imre Imre I, Grant JWA, Cunjak RA. Density-dependent growth of young-of-the-year Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) revisited. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 1,6. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract,,, The length of individual young-of-the-year (YOY) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Catamaran Brook decreases with increasing population density following a negative power curve. Because most of this decrease in growth rate occurs at low densities (<1 fish·m,2), (Imre et al. 2005; Journal of Animal Ecology, 74: 508,516) suggested that exploitation competition for drifting prey rather than space limitation might be responsible for this pattern. Recently, (Ward et al. 2007; Journal of Animal Ecology, 76: 135,138) showed that the negative power curve of growth rate versus density can be caused by other mechanisms and suggested that Imre et al.'s evidence for density-dependent growth would have been stronger if we had analysed final size versus initial density rather than final density. We examined (i) whether the negative power curve of size versus density was also apparent in an analysis of final size versus initial density and tested two predictions that emerge from Ward et al.'s model, (ii) the variance in body size increases with population density, and (iii) the maximum fish size at a site is density-independent. The final size of YOY salmon decreased with increasing initial density following a negative power curve. Our data did not provide strong support for the above predictions emerging from Ward et al.'s model. Our analyses of different years, sites and seasons were consistent with the hypothesis of density-dependent growth of YOY salmon. [source] Development and Cross-Cultural Application of a Specific Instrument to Measure Entrepreneurial IntentionsENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2009Francisco Liñán This article uses Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to build an entrepreneurial intention questionnaire (EIQ) and analyzes its psychometric properties. The entrepreneurial intention model is then tested on a 519-individual sample from two rather diverse countries: Spain and Taiwan. EIQ and structural equation techniques have been used to try to overcome previous research limitations. The role of culture in explaining motivational perceptions has been specifically considered. Results indicate EIQ properties are satisfactory and strong support for the model is found. Relevant insights are derived about how cultural values modify the way individuals in each society perceive entrepreneurship. [source] Innovation Policy and Nanotechnology EntrepreneurshipENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 5 2008Jennifer L. Woolley In this article, we explore the relationship between innovation policy and new venture creation in the United States. Specifically, we examine two components of innovation policy in nanotechnology,science and technology (S&T) initiatives and economic initiatives,and their relationship with the founding of nanotechnology firms. We find strong support relating new firm formation to S&T and economic initiatives. States with both S&T and economic initiatives had six times as many firms founded than those states without such initiatives. We also find evidence of a first-mover advantage as states with the earliest innovation policies had higher rates of related firm foundings over time. These findings suggest that states that are most attractive to entrepreneurs not only pursue technological innovation and provide resources, but also encourage and legitimize commercial development. Implications for public policy makers and scholars are provided. [source] Assessing human germ-cell mutagenesis in the Postgenome Era: A celebration of the legacy of William Lawson (Bill) Russell,ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS, Issue 2 2007Andrew J. Wyrobek Abstract Birth defects, de novo genetic diseases, and chromosomal abnormality syndromes occur in ,5% of all live births, and affected children suffer from a broad range of lifelong health consequences. Despite the social and medical impact of these defects, and the 8 decades of research in animal systems that have identified numerous germ-cell mutagens, no human germ-cell mutagen has been confirmed to date. There is now a growing consensus that the inability to detect human germ-cell mutagens is due to technological limitations in the detection of random mutations rather than biological differences between animal and human susceptibility. A multidisciplinary workshop responding to this challenge convened at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. The purpose of the workshop was to assess the applicability of an emerging repertoire of genomic technologies to studies of human germ-cell mutagenesis. Workshop participants recommended large-scale human germ-cell mutation studies be conducted using samples from donors with high-dose exposures, such as cancer survivors. Within this high-risk cohort, parents and children could be evaluated for heritable changes in (a) DNA sequence and chromosomal structure, (b) repeat sequences and minisatellites, and (c) global gene expression profiles and pathways. Participants also advocated the establishment of a bio-bank of human tissue samples from donors with well-characterized exposure, including medical and reproductive histories. This mutational resource could support large-scale, multiple-endpoint studies. Additional studies could involve the examination of transgenerational effects associated with changes in imprinting and methylation patterns, nucleotide repeats, and mitochondrial DNA mutations. The further development of animal models and the integration of these with human studies are necessary to provide molecular insights into the mechanisms of germ-cell mutations and to identify prevention strategies. Furthermore, scientific specialty groups should be convened to review and prioritize the evidence for germ-cell mutagenicity from common environmental, occupational, medical, and lifestyle exposures. Workshop attendees agreed on the need for a full-scale assault to address key fundamental questions in human germ-cell environmental mutagenesis. These include, but are not limited to, the following: Do human germ-cell mutagens exist? What are the risks to future generations? Are some parents at higher risk than others for acquiring and transmitting germ-cell mutations? Obtaining answers to these, and other critical questions, will require strong support from relevant funding agencies, in addition to the engagement of scientists outside the fields of genomics and germ-cell mutagenesis. Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 2007. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Lateralising Value of Neuropsychological Protocols for Presurgical Assessment of Temporal Lobe EpilepsyEPILEPSIA, Issue 3 2003Nozomi Akanuma Summary: ,Purpose: To estimate the value of neuropsychological measurements in determining the side of seizure onset for presurgical assessment in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. The lateralising value of neuropsychological protocols was evaluated for all patients and in subpopulations depending on surgical outcome with regard to seizure control, speech dominance, neuropathology, and need for intracranial EEG recordings. Methods: A battery of neuropsychological procedures was carried out preoperatively in 125 patients who underwent left (n = 66) or right (n = 59) temporal lobectomies. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to find sets of variables that allowed the best prediction of the side of seizure onset (assumed to be the operated-on side). Results: Combinations of noninvasive neuropsychological tests and Wada subscores showed the highest lateralising values: 80.8% for all patients, 79.4% in seizure-free patients, 86.0% in patients not rendered seizure free, 85.7% in left speech patients, 77.8% in non,left speech patients, 89.3% in patients with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), 78.1% in non-MTS patients, 80.3% in patients who underwent intracranial EEG recordings, and 77.3% in those who did not. Conclusions: The lateralising value (80-90%) of neuropsychological protocols appears similar to that of other tests widely accepted for lateralisation (ictal and interictal scalp EEG and neuroimaging). Attention should be paid to neuropsychological results, particularly from the Wada test, during presurgical assessment of temporal lobe epilepsy, as they can provide strong support for findings from other lateralising tests, particularly in patients with presumed MTS or in left-speech patients. [source] The Process and Causes of Fledging in a Cavity-Nesting Passerine Bird, the House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2004L. Scott Johnson Little is known about the process or causes of fledging or nest-leaving in passerine birds because researchers can rarely predict when fledging will occur in a given nest. We used continuous videotaping of nests to both document the process of fledging in the house wren, Troglodytes aedon, a small, cavity-nesting songbird, and test hypotheses as to what might cause fledging to begin. Fledging began any time from 14 to 19 d after hatching commenced. Slower-developing broods fledged later than faster-developing broods. Fledging typically began within 5 h of sunrise and over 80% of all nestlings fledged before noon. All nestlings fledged on the same day at 65% of nests and over two consecutive days in most other nests. We found no evidence that fledging was triggered by changes in parental behaviour. Parental rate of food delivery to nestlings did not decline during a 3-h period leading up to the first fledging, nor was the rate of feeding just prior to the first fledging lower than the rate at the same time the day before. Moreover, parents did not slow the rate of food delivery to nests after part of the brood had fledged. Hatching is asynchronous in our study population which creates a marked age/size hierarchy within broods. At most nests, the first nestling to fledge was the most well-developed nestling in the brood or nearly so (as measured by feather length). This suggests that fledging typically begins when the most well-developed nestlings in the brood reach some threshold size. However, at about one-fifth of nests, the first nestling to fledge was only moderate in size. At these nests, severe competition for food may have caused smaller, less competitive nestlings to fledge first to increase their access to food. We found no strong support for the suggestion that the oldest nestlings delay fledging until their least-developed nestmate reaches some minimum size, although further experimental work on this question is warranted. [source] Development of Pharmaceutical Drugs, Drug Intermediates and Ingredients by Using Direct Organo-Click ReactionsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2008Dhevalapally B. Ramachary Abstract Here we report on our studies of the use of combinations of amino acids, amines, K2CO3 or Cs2CO3 and CuSO4/Cu for catalysing green cascade reactions. We aimed to prepare the highly reactive and substituted olefin species 7 and 8, under very mild and environmentally friendly conditions, thus giving the hydrogenated products 10 and 12 through the action of Hantzsch ester (4) by self-catalysis through decreasing the HOMO,LUMO energy gaps between olefins 7/8 and Hantzsch ester (4) through biomimetic reductions. Highly useful compounds 10 to 14 were assembled from simple substrates such as aldehydes 1, ketones 2, CH acids 3, Hantzsch ester (4) and alkyl halides 5 by diversity-oriented green synthesis involving cascade olefination/hydrogenation (O/H), olefination/hydrogenation/alkylation (O/H/A) and hydrogenation/olefination/hydrogenation (H/O/H) reaction sequences in one-pot fashion with stereospecific organo- and organo-/metal-carbonate catalysis. Highly functionalized diverse compounds such as 10 to 14 are biologically active products and have found wide applications as pharmaceutical drugs, drug intermediates and drug ingredients. For the first time in organocatalysis, we report the O/H/A/TE reaction to furnish high yields of transesterification products 11 by simply mixing the reactants under proline/K2CO3 catalysis conditions. Additionally, a novel organocatalytic H/O/H reaction sequence for the synthesis of alkyl-substituted aromatics has been developed. Furthermore, for the first time we have developed organocatalysed cascade olefination/hydrogenation/hydrolysis (O/H/H) reactions to furnish highly useful materials such as 2-oxochroman-3-carboxylic acid (14kc) and 2-amino-4H -chromene-3-carbonitrile (14kj) in good yields. Experimentally simple and environmentally friendly organocatalytic two-carbon homologation through cascade O/H/H reactions of aldehydes 1, Meldrum's acid (3c), Hantzsch ester (4) and acetic acid/triethylamine in ethanol has been demonstrated. Additionally, we have developed a green synthesis of the highly substituted 1,2,3-triazole 17 from simple substrates through a two-step combination of olefination/hydrogenation/alkylation and Huisgen cycloaddition reaction sequences under stereospecific organocopper catalysis conditions. In this paper we have found strong support for our hypothesis that, "decreasing the HOMO,LUMO energy gap between olefins 7/8 and Hantzsch ester (4) will drive the biomimetic hydrogenation reaction by self-catalysis". This self-catalysis was further confirmed with many varieties of examples.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008) [source] Emotional reactions to harmful intergroup behaviorEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Ernestine H. Gordijn In this paper, we examined reactions to situations in which, although one is not personally involved, one could see oneself connected to either the perpetrators or the victims of unfair behavior. We manipulated participants' similarity and measured their identification to either one of two groups which participants later learned was the victim or the perpetrator of harmful behavior. As predicted, making salient similarities to the victims lead participants to: 1) appraise the perpetrator's behavior as more unfair; 2) experience more anger; and 3) be more likely to take action against it and less prone to show support for it as a function of their level of identification with their salient ingroup. In sharp contrast, focusing participants' attention on their similarities to the perpetrators reversed this pattern of findings: Compared to high identifiers, low identifiers appraised the behavior as more unfair than high identifiers, which made them feel angry (and guilty) and less likely to show support for the perpetrator's behavior. The data also provide strong support for a mediational model in which appraisal of the situation colors the emotional reaction which in turn orients action tendencies. We discuss the implications of our findings for the issue of group-based emotions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Perceived legitimacy of intergroup status differences: its prediction by relative ingroup prototypicalityEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Ulrike Weber Research demonstrates that the perceived legitimacy of intergroup status differences has profound effects on intergroup attitudes, emotions and behavior. However, there has only been little intergroup research that predicts the perception of legitimacy. We hypothesize that the perception of legitimate or illegitime status relations depends upon the perceived relative prototypicality of the ingroup for the inclusive category. Since the prototype of the inclusive category provides a normative comparison standard for subgroup evaluation, similarity to this standard (i.e. prototypicality) should be positively evaluated and used to justify high status. A first study in a natural intergroup context (N,=,67) offered correlational data in support of the predicted relationship. The second study (N,=,60), using Germans as ingroup with Poles as outgroup and Europe as inclusive category, demonstrated that the link between prototypicality and legitimacy is contingent upon the valence of the inclusive category. In order to elucidate the causal direction, the third study manipulated relative prototypicality in an artificial intergroup context (N,=,94) and introduced status as a moderator variable. Overall, we found strong support for the hypothesis that legitimacy is related to prototypicality and that this relation is moderated by ingroup status and valence of the inclusive category. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] NONSTOCHASTIC VARIATION OF SPECIES-LEVEL DIVERSIFICATION RATES WITHIN ANGIOSPERMSEVOLUTION, Issue 3 2003Hallie J. Sims Abstract Variations in the origination and extinction rates of species over geological time often are linked with a range of factors, including the evolution of key innovations, changes in ecosystem structure, and environmental factors such as shifts in climate and physical geography. Before hypothesizing causality of a single factor, it is critical to demonstrate that the observed variation in diversification is significantly greater than one would expect due to natural stochasticity in the evolutionary branching process. Here, we use a likelihood-ratio test to compare taxonomic rate heterogeneity to a neutral birth-death model, using data on well-supported sister pairs of taxa and their species richness. We test the likelihood that the distribution of extant species among angiosperm genera and families could be the result of constant diversification rates. Results strongly support the conclusion that there is significantly more heterogeneity in diversity at the species level within angiosperms than would be expected due to stochastic processes. This result is consistent in datasets of genus pairs and family pairs and is not affected significantly by degrading pairs to simulate inaccuracy in the assumption of simultaneous origin of sister taxa. When we parse taxon pairs among higher groups of angiosperms, results indicate that a constant rates model is not rejected by rosid and basal eudicot pairs but is rejected by asterid and eumagnoliid pairs. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that species-level rates of origination and/or extinction have varied nonrandomly within angiosperms and that the magnitude of heterogeneity varies among major groups within angiosperms. [source] The Impact of Life Events on Perceived Financial Stress, Clothing-Specific Lifestyle, and Retail Patronage: The Recent IMF Economic Crisis in KoreaFAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES RESEARCH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2000Soyeon Shim Using Andreasen's Model of Life Change Effects as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a model that depicts the direct and indirect influence of a life event, the Korean International Monetary Fund (IMF) crisis, on financial stress, clothing-specific lifestyle, and retail patronage behavior. A total of 502 females from two major metropolitan cities in Korea responded to a survey questionnaire. A structural equation modeling technique was used to test the hypotheses. Several statistical criteria supported theoretical, causal relationships among the measurement models in the study, providing strong support for Andreasen's model. More specifically, the IMF impact had affected retail patronage behavior directly as well as indirectly through clothing-specific lifestyles and financial stress. Both clothing-specific lifestyles and financial stress had an influence on retail patronage behavior. The IMF event had a stronger direct and total impact than financial stress on changes in retail patronage behavior. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [source] Underpricing and Ex Post Value UncertaintyFINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2009Sonia Falconieri As documented by a vast empirical literature, initial public offerings (IPOs) are characterized by underpricing. A number of papers have shown that underpricing is directly related to the amount of ex ante uncertainty concerning the IPOs valuation. Recent theoretical papers propose that not all value uncertainty is resolved prior to the start of trading, but rather continues to be resolved in the beginning of the after market. We term this type of uncertainty as ex post value uncertainty and develop proxies for it. We find strong support for the existence of ex post value uncertainty and find that including a proxy for it more than doubles the explanatory power of previous models. [source] Undulatory fish swimming: from muscles to flowFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2006Ulrike K. Müller Abstract Undulatory swimming is employed by many fish for routine swimming and extended sprints. In this biomechanical review, we address two questions: (i) how the fish's axial muscles power swimming; and (ii) how the fish's body and fins generate thrust. Fish have adapted the morphology of their axial musculature for high power output and efficiency. All but the superficial muscle fibres are arranged along curved trajectories, and the myomeres form nested cones. Two conflicting performance goals shape the fibre trajectories of the axial muscles. Maximum power output requires that all fibres contract uniformly. In a bending fish, uniform contraction in a single myomere can be ensured by curved fibre trajectories. However, uniform strain is only desirable if all muscle fibres have the same contractile properties. The fish needs several muscle-fibre types that generate maximum power at different contraction speeds to ensure effective muscle power generation across a range of swimming speeds. Consequently, these different muscle-fibre types are better served by non-uniform contractions. High power output at a range of swimming speeds requires that muscle fibres with the same contractile properties contract uniformly. The ensuing helical fibre trajectories require cone-shaped myomeres to reduce wasteful internal deformation of the entire muscle when it contracts. It can be shown that the cone-shaped myomeres of fish can be explained by two design criteria: uniform contraction (uniform strain hypothesis) and minimal internal deformation (mechanical stability hypothesis). So far, only the latter hypothesis has found strong support. The contracting muscle causes the fish body to undulate. These body undulations interact with the surrounding water to generate thrust. The resulting flow behind the swimming fish forms vortex rings, whose arrangement reflects the fish's swimming performance. Anguilliform swimmers shed individual vortex rings during steady swimming. Carangiform swimmers shed a connected chain of vortex rings. The currently available sections through the total flow fields are often not an honest representation of the total momentum in the water , the wake of carangiform swimmers shows a net backward momentum without the fish accelerating , suggesting that our current picture of the generated flow is incomplete. To accelerate, undulatory swimmers decrease the angle of the vortex rings with the mean path of motion, which is consistent with an increased rate of backward momentum transfer. Carangiform swimmers also enlarge their vortex rings to accelerate and to swim at a higher speed, while eel, which are anguilliform swimmers, shed stronger vortex rings. [source] The first complete skeleton of Megaloceros verticornis (Dawkins, 1868) Cervidae, Mammalia, from Bilshausen (Lower Saxony, Germany): description and phylogenetic implicationsFOSSIL RECORD-MITTEILUNGEN AUS DEM MUSEUM FUER NATURKUNDE, Issue 1 2002Thekla Pfeiffer Abstract The first well preserved, articulated skeleton of a young male deer of Megaloceros verticornis (Dawkins, 1868) was excavated from early Middle Pleistocene sediments of the clay pit of Bilshausen (Unter-Eichsfeld, Lower Saxony). This find made it possible, for the first time, to establish, using cladistic techniques, the systematic position of Megaloceros verticornis among Pleistocene and Holocene plesiometacarpal and telemetacarpal cervids. By contrast to the antler and tooth characters, the postcranial characters, in particular, are suitable for phylogeny reconstruction. Megaloceros verticornis from Bilshausen shows great similarity with M. giganteus of the Upper Pleistocene of Europe in its skeletal morphology, and bootstrap values (BP = 100) show strong support for the monophyly of M. giganteus and M. verticornis. The analysis yields no evidence, however, of a close relationship between Dama and Megaloceros, which has been widely discussed in the literature because of the presence of large, palmated antlers in both genera. Aus der Tongrube von Bilshausen (Unter-Eichsfeld, Niedersachsen) konnte das erste, vollständige Skelett eines jugen Hirsches von Megaloceros verticornis (Dawkins, 1868) aus mittelpleistozänen Sedimentablagerungen geborgen werden. Dieser Fund ermöglichte es erstmalig, die systematische Stellung von Megaloceros verticornis im System plesiometacarpaler und telemetacarpaler Hirsche des Pleistozäns und Holozäns auf breiter Basis zu untersuchen. Im Gegensatz zu den Geweih- und Zahnmerkmalen eignen sich die postcranialen Merkmale des Skelettes besonders gut für eine phylogenetische Rekonstruktion der Hirsche. Die Gemeinsamkeit Großer Schaufelgeweihe bei Dama dama und dem Riesenhirsch Megaloceros giganteus hat dazu geführt, beide in eine enge phylogenetische Beziehung zu setzen, was in der Literatur zu einer anhaltenden Kontroverse geführt hat. Die Analyse der Morphologie der postcranialen Elemente zeigt jedoch, dass es keine enge Verwandtschaft zwischen Dama und Megaloceros gibt. [source] Optimal Policy for Financial Market Liberalizations: Decentralization and Capital Flow ReversalsGERMAN ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2000Theo S. Eicher Financial market liberalizations are an integral part of economic development. While initial booms in investment and output are commonly seen as signs of successful deregulation, they often reverse at a later stage as international capital flows turn negative and economic growth slows markedly. Such reversals of fortunes have commonly been attributed to incorrect policies that supposedly followed the initial, appropriate measures. It is unclear, however, if capital flow reversals are actually the result of policy reversals, or if they occur as part of the normal transition when financial liberalization is accompanied by a single suboptimal policy. The later hypothesis has not been explored in the theoretical literature We construct a general equilibrium growth model of a small open economy, in which capital flow reversals are the result of a single, suboptimal policy imposed at the beginning of the financial liberalization. We show how improper taxation of foreign borrowing initially leads to strong growth fuelled by an investment boom and foreign borrowing. Still along the transition, however, the model predicts that capital flows must reverse endogenously at a later stage, as the debt burden rises and the country-specific risk premium increases. Our data on the Latin American and East Asian countries provide strong support for our hypothesis. [source] Democracy, Islam and Dialogue: The Case of TurkeyGOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION, Issue 4 2005Bora Kanra The November 2002 general elections in Turkey produced an Islamic-leaning government, supported by one of the biggest majorities, bringing the relationship between Islam and democracy under scrutiny. This paper examines the nature of this relationship and the current political situation in Turkey. It argues that Turkey's long-running aspiration for democratization has now a reasonable chance of success. This argument is supported by the findings of a Q study, conducted in Turkey during the 2002 election campaign, indicating strong support for dialogue, particularly within the Turkish Muslim community. Yet, it will also argue that turning this possibility into a success depends on the implementation of the right deliberative framework. Habermas's discourse theory of democracy provides the essentials for this. However, particularly in the context of a divided society, like Turkey, it has to be complemented with a better emphasis on deliberation as a social learning process, as in Dryzek's theory of discursive democracy. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||