Focus Of Past Research Research Articles

The relation between forest clearance and household income among native Amazonians: Results from the Tsimane' Amazonian panel study, Bolivia

The Amazon rain forest harbors some of the world's richest biological diversity. During the twentieth century, two types of actors cleared that forest: native Amazonians and outside encroachers. Of the two actors, we know more about what drives outside encroachers to clear forest than about what drives native Amazonians to clear forest. The past research focus has served well because during the twentieth century outside encroachers cleared most of the Amazonian forest. But the past research focus needs to be expanded because native Amazonians are claiming de jure stewardship of the forests they inhabit, and with tighter jurisdiction over those forests will likely come changes in the amount of forest native Amazonians clear. Prior research in rural areas of low-income nations suggests that household income affects household forest clearance. To estimate the effects of household real income on the total forest area (old-growth + fallow) cleared by households we use a panel composed of five annual household surveys (2002–2006, inclusive) from 324 households of a native Amazonian society in Bolivia (Tsimane'). We control for household and village fixed effects and use an instrumental variable for household income. We find positive and significant household real income elasticities of forest clearance of 0.35 and 0.47 and an increase in forest clearance of 5.3%/year. The main finding stood up well to sensitivity analysis. These estimates suggest that in the near future, the forest in the Tsimane' territory will likely face increasing pressure from the Tsimane' themselves, not just from outside encroachers.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN DESIGNING ONLINE DISCUSSIONS TO PROMOTE COGNITIVE PRESENCE – A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

Online discussions have been increasingly integrated into face-to-face classes at universities to enhance student learning of course content. The primary focus of past research has been on the end products of online discussions. Studies reported either successful findings or results that fell short of desired learning outcomes. An in-depth investigation is needed about how the design of online discussions is related to success. This paper reports our experiences in conducting a three-phase, design-based study: (1) designing the online discussion activity; (2) implementing our design in a university course; (3) empirically investigating our design.

Importance of Measures of Past Performance: Empirical Evidence on Quality of e‐Service Providers*

There has been considerable interest in the management accounting research literature in studying how managerial and worker compensation depends on measures of their performance. Stemming from the theoretical analysis of Holmstrom 1982, Banker and Datar 1989, and others, several empirical studies have sought to examine the implicit role and impact of different performance measures (e.g., Antle and Smith 1986; Lambert and Larcker 1987; Bushman, Indjejikian, and Smith 1996; Ittner, Larcker, and Rajan 1997; Banker, Potter, and Srinivasan 2000). Since the economic theory motivating this research stems from a model of moral hazard with unobservable effort from the agent, the only performance measures that appear relevant are those whose distributions are shifted by the agent’s choice of effort level. As a result, the focus of past research has been on measures of future performance that are contingent on agent’s effort. In this paper, we focus on the role of measures of past performance and accomplishments in determining compensation for services provided. Measures of past performance we consider in this study are observable by both the principal and the agent, and differ from the predecision precontract information in Baiman and Evans 1983 that is available only to the agent. Past performance in our study provides a signal on the intrinsic ability or quality of a service provider. In an adverse selection setting where the service provider’s intrinsic ability is not observed directly by the purchaser of the service, measures of past performance and accomplishments are likely to be informative (Darrough and Melumad 1995). The compensation paid for the service, therefore, is likely to depend on the past performance and other signals on the provider’s ability to deliver valuable service. Murphy and Zabojnik (2003), for example, find that as large corporations now tend to hire chief executive officers (CEOs) externally rather than through internal promotions, transferable skills are more important than firm-specific skills. As a

The development of government agency and stakeholder cooperation: A comparative study of two Local Citizens Committees' (LCCs) participation in forest management in Ontario, Canada

The benefits of co-management depend on cooperation between a government agency and stakeholders. However, neither cooperation nor the deliberative processes through which it develops, have been a focus of past co-management research. The paper explores the consensus-building criteria that influence the development of cooperation among and between local stakeholders and a government agency using a comparative case study of two Local Citizens Committees in Ontario, Canada. The study uses cognitive mapping and network analysis techniques to identify key consensus-building criteria, which are grouped into common and idiosyncratic key consensus-building criteria of the two LCCs. All key consensus-building criteria are analysed to generate an explanation of the criteria that influence the development of cooperation. The paper concludes with five lessons regarding the development of cooperation that have implications for consensus-building and co-management theory.

Animal-powered tillage erosion assessment in the southern Andes region of Ecuador

While water erosion has been the focus of past research in the Andes, former studies show that soil erosion could also be related to the methods used in cultivating the fields. The main objective of the present study was to assess (i) tillage erosion caused by the traditional animal-powered “yunta” or ard plough in the Andes and the factors controlling the process and (ii) the implications for soil conservation. Erosion rates were experimentally measured on 27 sites, having slopes from ca. 0% to 60% and soils ranging from Andosols to Cambisols, in the Andes region of Ecuador (Gima, Azuay). Different tillage methods were assessed: (i) tillage parallel to the contour lines (‘Paralelo’) and (ii) tillage at an angle with the contour lines. Statistical analysis points out that erosion caused by animal-powered tillage is gravity-driven. A strong correlation exists between slope and downslope displacement: furthermore, tillage depth and initial soil condition are important. For the ‘Paralelo’ tillage method the tillage transportation coefficient ( k) is below 100 kg m − 1 Tillage Pass − 1 , for the combined ‘Arado’–‘Cruzado’ tillage method k may exceed 300 kg m − 1 . Tillage erosion is responsible for the reduction of the slope between the contour strips over a relatively short time period of 20 years, resulting in the formation of terraces and therefore the reduction of the water erosion risk. However, at the same time it may negatively affect soil quality.

Peer Capitalism: Parallel Relationships in the U.S. Economy

We gain insight into the reasons why capitalists maintain social relationships with one another by analyzing a largely unexamined type of relationship—that which links “parallel peers” or noncompeting enterprises in the same industry—and an institution—the industry peer network or IPN—that is specifically designed for supporting small, exclusive groups of parallel peers. A wide array of qualitative and quantitative data show parallel relationships in general, and IPNs in particular, to be surprisingly prevalent, especially in light of the focus of past research on horizontal and vertical relationships and institutions. In addition, analysis of parallel relationships and the institutions that cultivate them sheds light on key mechanisms by which capitalist enterprises learn from one another and motivate one another to achieve higher performance.

Full-Text and Structural Indexing of XML Documents on B+-Tree

XML query processing is one of the most active areas of database research. Although the main focus of past research has been the processing of structural XML queries, there are growing demands for a full-text search for XML documents. In this paper, we propose XICS (XML Indices for Content and Structural search), which aims at high-speed processing of both full-text and structural queries in XML documents. An important design principle of our indices is the use of a B+-tree. To represent the structural information of XML trees, each node in the XML tree is labeled with an identifier. The identifier contains an integer number representing the path information from the root node. XICS consist of two types of indices, the COB-tree (COntent B+-tree) and the STB-tree (STructure B+-tree). The search keys of the COB-tree are a pair of text fragments in the XML document and the identifiers of the leaf nodes that contain the text, whereas the search keys of the STB-tree are the node identifiers. By using a node identifier in the search keys, we can retrieve only the entries that match the path information in the query. The STB-tree can filter nodes using structural conditions in queries, while the COB-tree can filter nodes using text conditions. We have implemented a COB-tree and an STB-tree using GiST and examined index size and query processing time. Our experimental results show the efficiency of XICS in query processing.

Bond Graph Based Approach to Passive Teleoperation of a Hydraulic Backhoe

Human operated, hydraulic actuated machines are widely used in many high-power applications. Improving productivity, safety and task quality (e.g., haptic feedback in a teleoperated scenario) has been the focus of past research. For robotic systems that interact with the physical environments, passivity is a useful property for ensuring safety and interaction stability. While passivity is a well utilized concept in electromechanical robotic systems, investigation of electrohydraulic control systems that enforce this passivity property are rare. This paper proposes and experimentally demonstrates a teleoperation control algorithm that renders a hydraulic backhoe/force feedback joystick system as a two-port, coordinated, passive machine. By fully accounting for the fluid compressibility, inertia dynamics and nonlinearity, coordination performance is much improved over a previous scheme in which the coordination control approximates the hydraulic system by its kinematic behavior. This is accomplished by a novel bond graph based three step design methodology: (1) energetically invariant transformation of the system into a pair of “shape” and “locked” subsystems; (2) inversion of the shape system bond graph to derive the coordination control law; (3) use of the locked system bond graph to derive an appropriate control law to achieve a target locked system dynamics while ensuring the passivity property of the coordinated system. The proposed passive control law has been experimentally verified for its bilateral energy transfer ability and performance enhancements.

Evidence on the importance of spatial voting models in presidential nominations and elections

ADA scores and Nominate scores are used for the first time to examine the influence of spatial voting records on which candidate wins the party’s presidential nomination and on which nominee wins the general election. We find that the most conservative Republican candidate and moderately liberal Democrats were most likely to win their party’s nomination. For general elections we find that the candidate’s spatial record has nearly as much impact on the outcome as economic growth, which has been the focus of most past empirical research. The nominee whose voting record is more moderate is more likely to be elected.

Sulfur Management for Corn Growth with Conservation Tillage

Reduction in soil disturbance associated with conservation tillage planting systems suggests that it is important to evaluate management practices for use of S for corn (Zea mays L.) grown in these planting situations. Evaluation of source, placement, and rate of S applied has not been the focus of past research. In this study, two S fertilizers [21‐0‐0‐24 (ammonium sulfate), 12‐0‐0‐26 (ammonium thiosulfate)] were applied at rates to supply 0, 6.7, 13.4, and 20.1 kg S ha−1 either in contact with the seed at planting or in a band near the seed at planting. Soil texture varied from loamy fine sand to silty clay loam at the experimental sites. Corn emergence was reduced when 12‐0‐0‐26 was placed in contact with the seed at sites with a loamy fine sand and sandy loam texture and soil was dry at time of planting. Stand reduction was most severe when 12‐0‐0‐26 fluid material was used at rates to supply 13.4 and 20.1 kg S ha−1 Placement maintaining soil between seed and fertilizer had no negative effect on emergence. When placed in a band near the seed, both S sources had an equal effect on yield. Reduction in emergence due to 12‐0‐0‐26 in contact with the seed had a negative effect on grain yield. Application of fertilizer S increased yield at all sites except where the texture was a silty clay loam. Optimum rate of fertilizer S was either 6.7 or 13.4 kg S ha−1 and varied with site. The response to fertilizer S on the silt loam soil suggests that inadequate S is released from soil organic matter via mineralization in conservation tillage planting systems.

La intersecció entre la pragmàtica i l'adquisició de segones llengües

This article provides a review of research in the acquisition of pragmatic knowledge by second language learners. It begins with a definition of pragmatics and second language acquisition that emphasizes the complex relationship between the acquisition of grammar and language use. After examining four possibilities of relationships between pragmatics and language development, the author reviews past and current research focusing on the following topics: the study of pragmatic development, the identification of speech acts, the influence of host and foreign environments, the role of the first and second languages, and speaker interaction.

Relational and overt forms of peer victimization: a multiinformant approach.

This research addressed 2 limitations of past research on peer victimization: the tendency to study boys only and the tendency to focus on forms of peer maltreatment that are common in boys' peer groups (victimization through overt aggression) but occur much less frequently in girls' peer groups. Peer- and self-report instruments were used to assess a relational form of victimization in addition to the overt form that has been the focus of past research. Results showed that girls were more relationally victimized, whereas boys were more overtly victimized. Both forms of victimization were shown to predict concurrent sociopsychological adjustment problems significantly (e.g., peer rejection, loneliness) beyond aggression. Victims identified through a combination of self- and peer-reports were particularly maladjusted.

Preparing the host country workforce for expatriate managers: The neglected other side of the coin

AbstractThis paper extends the focus of past research on expatriate assignment to include the training and preparation of the host country workforce (HCW) to reduce uncertainties associated with the overall expatriate management assignment, and therefore to enhance the productivity of the expatriate operation. A conceptual basis is provided for including the training of the HCW in the total picture of preparation for the expatriate work assignment. Preliminary ideas and issues are considered for the design and implementation of HCW training based upon an instructional systems design approach, and important considerations for further research are examined.

Relative influence of sex composition on job desirability

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative influence which the sex composition of a job exerts on its perceived desirability. The influence of job sex composition was studied in relation to three other factors: security, suitability of type of work, and company recognition. Ninety-five college students rated 108 job profiles on desirability based on various combinations of the four factors studied. The results indicated that sex composition exerted the least influence on job desirability while security and suitability of type of work exerted the greatest influence. It is suggested that past research focusing on the sex composition of a job as a determinant of its desirability has produced findings which are primarily a function of the research method utilized.