Prospective Partners Research Articles

Coalition formation and polarisation

Party ideology plays an important role in determining which government coalitions form. Research on coalition formation tends to focus on the ideological distance between coalition parties. However, the distribution of preferences within the coalition, and the legislature, also has implications for which government coalition forms – that is, a party's willingness to join a coalition depends not only on its prospective coalition partners, but also on the alternative coalitions it could form. Several hypotheses about the effects of legislative polarisation are offered and tested using data on coalition formation in 17 parliamentary democracies in the postwar period. This article also demonstrates how the traditional measure of ideological divisions within coalitions fails to capture certain aspects of ideological heterogeneity within the cabinet (and the opposition) and how Esteban and Ray's polarisation index helps in addressing these deficiencies.

Good enough care?

![Formula][1] One wintry Sunday afternoon in the bad old days, I was part of the interview panel for prospective new partners in my husband's practice. We had just moved into the area and had no one we trusted to look after our 10-month old son, so he came with us. As I sat there in the consulting room, with number one son dibbling around behind me, the (eventually successful) candidate asked me if I minded that he was sucking the KY Jelly tube on the trolley. Not for the first time, the notion of the ‘good enough mother’ popped into my head. Donald Winnicott's ideas of being ‘good enough’ were my constant companion in the 1990s, kept the working-mother guilt at bay (just), and occasionally … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif

Experience attracts: the role of age in the formation of cooperative brood-rearing coalitions in eiders

Lacking experience represents a constraint on solitary breeding, which may be overcome by joining groups of more experienced breeders. Also, biological market theory predicts preference for partnerships with conspecifics of the highest value. We examined the formation of cooperative brood-rearing coalitions in facultatively social eider females, Somateria mollissima. Our aim was to elucidate the hitherto neglected role of age on female group size and condition differences within groups, and to explore whether older females represent attractive coalition partners. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that older breeders are found in smaller groups, and that the attraction of older partners would override the predicted negative effect of differences in body condition on female group size. We found that older females occurred in smaller groups and that the negative relationship between condition differences and group size became less steep with increasing age of the oldest group member. We also found that the maximum body condition found in a brood-rearing coalition increased with the age of the oldest female, despite a sharp decline in the probability of the oldest individual being the one in best condition. These results demonstrate the importance of age in the formation of cooperative brood-rearing coalitions and the increase in female quality with age. The experience of older females is a valuable commodity, which attracts younger prospective coalition partners in good condition regardless of body condition differences. Our results illustrate the general principle that grouping decisions cannot be understood by viewing partner choice criteria in isolation.

Collaborative Supply Chain Decision Support And Multi-Attribute Supply Chain Scenarios

Todays Global economy is putting a premium on the ability of companies and their professional employees to rapidly evaluate a broad range of decisions in collaboration with both existing and prospective supply chain partners. This includes the development, evaluation and refinement of product designs, the evaluation of alternatives sourcing options, the evaluation of requests for bids, etc. A key difficulty in supporting the collaborative development, evaluation and refinement of alternative courses of action across different organizations lies in the complexity of the solutions involved (e.g. complex production schedules spanning multiple organizations, complex product designs or configurations involving large numbers of parts and components that are procured from a number of suppliers, etc.). Given a growing and ongoing need to revitalize the accounting curriculum and explore eclectic methods to teach accounting information systems, real challenges and opportunities exist to import this material into the accounting systems classroom.The Business Process Integration Lab at Saint Josephs University has developed a prototype environment for collaborative development, evaluation and refinement of supply chain management scenarios (e.g. requests for bids, product designs, sourcing options). The environment relies on the use of Enterprise Resource Planning software, using SAP R/3 to streamline and integrate the supply chain. Through the use of application scenarios, students are able to develop a total understanding of the power of the ERP technology tool as a decision maker and problem-solver, while enhancing their knowledge of the system in modules such as Production Planning and Customer Order Management. It is possible to support powerful workflow management functionality in the context of both interactive and highly automated decision making processes. This functionality has been operational for some three years and is coordinated by senior level graduate and undergraduate students who develop and test the scenarios and assist other students as they navigate through the R/3 system.

RNAi GROWING PAINS

WHEN ROCHE announced in November 2010 that it would jettison research in the field of RNA interference, industry observers were stunned. After all, it had been among the few big pharma companies putting significant cash into what many considered the most promising new pharmaceutical technology in recent years. But Roche’s exit was only one sign of problems for companies developing RNAibased drugs. Several biotech firms failed to meet their goal of signing a partnership by the end of 2010. And some companies are running out of cash, creating the kind of desperate situation that gives prospective partners an upper hand in negotiations. Given the stream of negative news, the question arises: Was RNAi just a fad? Companies developing RNAi-based drugs say that real innovation requires patience. They point to progress over the past year in overcoming some of the technical hurdles to creating workable therapies. RNAi refers to a range of technologies aimed at turning ...

The scent of the others: chemical recognition in two distinct populations of the European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus

Abstract Isolated populations of a given species may diverge from conspecifics for a certain series of traits. It is of particular interest when this divergence involves the signals and the related responses used by sexually reproducing animals to identify prospective mating partners. Using behavioural trials during reproductive season, we studied pheromone-mediated response between insular and mainland European whip snakes, Hierophis viridiflavus. Our results revealed that both insular and mainland males can utilise both homotypic and heterotypic chemical cues. However, while insular snakes did not show any preference between the two types of chemical cues, mainland males preferred homotypic odours. These results, though preliminarly, show the existence of asymmetry in the displayed behavioural patterns and support the idea that isolated populations may evolve differences in communication systems.

The emergence of perceived calculative trust and distrust: the case of a small Finnish pharmaceutical company

The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of the calculative bases of trust and distrust during the negotiation phase of new commercial collaboration relationships. Whereas the existing literature mostly offers quantitative snapshot pictures of inter-firm trust formation, this research followed a process-oriented approach. Analysis of interview and documentary data obtained from two sets of inter-firm collaborative negotiations showed that calculus-based perceived trustworthiness between firms arises from the presence of the following conditions: Distrust, in turn, ensues from the lack of these. These sources of perceived calculative trust and distrust provide the prospective partners with rough practical estimates of how the forthcoming partnership might eventually work out, in other words, they form the bedrock of a new social institution, the collaborative network.

The Effect of Attractiveness on Food Sharing Preferences in Human Mating Markets

The current study explored how physical attractiveness affects food sharing by studying payment preferences for hypothetical romantic dinner dates (a hypothetical mating market). We analyzed payment preferences, self-rated attractiveness, and rated attractiveness for hypothetical dates in 416 participants. We hypothesized that (1) men would be more likely to prefer to pay than would women, (2) attractive individuals of both sexes would be less willing to pay, and (3) preferences to enter an exchange would be influenced by the attractiveness of prospective partners such that (3a) men would prefer to pay for attractive women, and (3b) women would prefer to be paid for by attractive men. All hypotheses were supported by our results. Individuals with higher self-rated attractiveness were more likely to prefer that their date would pay for the meal, and we found clear sex differences in how the attractiveness of potential dates affected payment preferences. Male participants preferred to pay for dates that had higher facial attractiveness, while female participants preferred that attractive men would pay. Individuals show condition dependent financial preferences consistent with the provisioning hypothesis in this mating market that are adaptive to evaluations of their own quality and that of prospective partners.

‘Face value’: New medical imaging software in commercial view

Based on three ethnographic vignettes describing the engagements of a small start-up company with prospective competitors, partners and customers, this paper shows how commercial considerations are folded into the ways visual images become 'seeable'. When company members mount demonstrations of prototype mammography software, they seek to generate interest but also to protect their intellectual property. Pivotal to these efforts to manage revelation and concealment is the visual interface, which is variously performed as obstacle and ally in the development of a profitable product. Using the concept of 'face value', the paper seeks to develop further insight into contemporary dynamics of seeing and showing by tracing the way techno-visual presentations and commercial considerations become entangled in practice. It also draws attention to the salience and significance of enactments of surface and depth in image-based practices.

Strategic reactions to unfaithfulness: female self-presentation in the context of mate attraction is linked to uncertainty of paternity

People are motivated to self-present to their potential romantic partners. We hypothesized that due to the uncertainty of paternity, one of the self-presentational behaviors that human females engage in when they are motivated to attract a long-term mate is designed to communicate to prospective partners that they are likely to be faithful. In Study 1, we show that females in a long-term-romance mindset are less likely to agree to going to a concert with another female known to be unfaithful (cheater) than with a female known to have many sexual partners (player) or a non-flirtatious control female (control). Females in the long-term-romance mindset are also less willing to be the unfaithful female's friend and less willing to indicate that she is similar to them. In Study 2, we show that the effect is gender specific. In particular, we show that in the presence of a potential long-term partner, females (but not males) express more rejecting emotions towards a same-sex acquaintance who reveals a predilection to be unfaithful. These studies provide strong support for the role of uncertainty of paternity in the female self-presentational behaviors in the context of mate attraction.

SOCIAL CHANGE: THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION*

In 1900 only 6% of unwed teenage females engaged in premarital sex. Now, three quarters do. The sexual revolution is studied here using an equilibrium matching model, where the costs of premarital sex fall over time due to technological improvement in contraceptives. Individuals differ in their desire for sex. Given this, people tend to circulate in social groups where prospective partners share their views on premarital sex. To the extent that society's customs and mores reflect the aggregation of decentralized decision making by its members, shifts in the economic environment may induce changes in what is perceived as culture.

You've Got Mail (2010)

You've Got Mail (2010)

Female Scarcity Reduces Women's Marital Ages and Increases Variance in Men's Marital Ages

When women are scarce in a population relative to men, they have greater bargaining power in romantic relationships and thus may be able to secure male commitment at earlier ages. Male motivation for long-term relationship commitment may also be higher, in conjunction with the motivation to secure a prospective partner before another male retains her. However, men may also need to acquire greater social status and resources to be considered marriageable. This could increase the variance in male marital age, as well as the average male marital age. We calculated the Operational Sex Ratio, and means, medians, and standard deviations in marital ages for women and men for the 50 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the United States with 2000 U.S Census data. As predicted, where women are scarce they marry earlier on average. However, there was no significant relationship with mean male marital ages. The variance in male marital age increased with higher female scarcity, contrasting with a non-significant inverse trend for female marital age variation. These findings advance the understanding of the relationship between the OSR and marital patterns. We believe that these results are best accounted for by sex specific attributes of reproductive value and associated mate selection criteria, demonstrating the power of an evolutionary framework for understanding human relationships and demographic patterns.

Increased reliability in SOA environments through registry-based conformance testing of Web services

Organisations wishing to engage in industrial collaborative networks will typically seek some guarantees concerning the reliability of their prospective partners before committing to cooperation. Evaluating reliability can encompass several aspects, but one of the most crucial things to consider from a cooperation perspective is whether the software systems that support the business processes of some collaborator actually behave as expected. For organisations that rely on a service-oriented computing infrastructure, this amounts to checking whether the functionality of the respective services is conformant to a given behavioural specification. Today's state of the art lacks standardised methods for creating behavioural specifications of Web services, and also lacks tools for automating the process of behavioural conformance checking through testing. This paper presents a concrete method for creating formal specifications of Web service behaviour and utilising them within service registries for automated testing of service implementations in order to verify and certify their conformance.

Summary judgment on violation of NDA barred by material facts in dispute

Many individual inventors find themselves in situations where they must make presentations to prospective business partners regarding their inventions in order to commercialize their products. NDAs are often entered into to protect such inventors from the misuse of the confidential information that they disclose. Kara Tech. Inc. v Stamps.com, Inc presents the case of what happens when one such NDA is allegedly breached and tested in litigation.

Revived Interest in Developing BCG-Based Vaccine against TB

After several frustrating decades, the outlook for developing a vaccine to counter tuberculosis (TB) again appears promising, judging by the David-versus-Goliath spirit pervading Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation in Rockville, Md. Its modestly sized group of nearly 150 researchers, process engineers, and support staff operate their labs and pilot manufacturing facility in the not-for-profit mode. However, Aeras is allied with several for-profit U.S. and European vaccine giants, other nonprofits such as the Gates Family Foundation, a bevy of university researchers, and additional, prospective manufacturing partners in China and India. Thus, Aeras is poised for rapid scale-up if one or another of its candidate vaccines proves safe and reasonably effective. It has at least six such candidates in development, including several in the early stages of clinical testing in Africa but with additional sites at the ready in India and Cambodia.

Australia Outback Could Be Next World-Class Unconventional Play

A small Colorado independent believes the 7 million acres it has under license in the heart of the Australian Outback could very well be the world's next gargantuan unconventional oil and gas play. "This is a huge resource," consultant Chris Moyes said of the Falcon Oil & Gas holdings in the vast Beetaloo Basin of the Northern Territory. "It is the biggest unconventional resource we know outside of North America. It certainly is of the same class as Gorgon and potentially bigger." That, indeed, is saying something considering the Chevron Gorgon liquefied-natural-gas (LNG) project at Barrow Island on the Northwest Shelf is widely touted as one of the world's largest-ever production ventures. When combined with existing developments and some 11 proposed greenfield projects, Gorgon will play a key role in Australia's objective of overtaking Qatar as the world's top LNG exporter and possibly help reverse its declining oil production. As Gorgon dominates most of the news coming out of Australia of late, Falcon is quietly going about seeking strategic partners for a prospect that Moyes said will be a "100-year project." "It will take a long time to fully exploit a resource of this size and type," he said. Falcon is very optimistic about the project's potential, particularly because it may hold almost 20 billion bbl of oil and 64 Tcf of recoverable gas and is located within a ready-made infrastructure and on the doorstep of one of the world's biggest markets (Fig. 1). "We are very excited about the activity that is going on in the Beetaloo Basin," said Falcon board member Steve Shultz. "We think it has the potential to be a very big part of the Falcon portfolio." Reservoir evaluation consultancy Ryder Scott conducted an independent analysis of the Falcon Beetaloo holdings and determined the prospect could contain 19.1 billion bbl of oil and 63.9 Tcf of gas. Those estimates were classified as "unrisked prospective resource best estimates," which for undrilled prospects typically is generated by integrating seismic interpretation with regional geologic data and taking into account a number of geological risk factors. Those include the trap risk, source risk, and reservoir risk, which Ryder Scott defines as "the probability that a lithology exists with sufficient porosity, permeability, and continuity to contain moveable hydrocarbons." Moyes said as much as 80% of the Beetaloo resource base is unconventional tight gas and oil. More Seismic Needed The Beetaloo, however, has not been entirely undrilled. Between 1989 and 1998, Pacific Oil and Gas drilled 11 wells, all of which showed the presence of oil and gas. Most of those earlier wells were drilled as part of a mining program. "They were looking for minerals, but of course, they got oil and gas shows and began to think of it as an oil and gas play," said Moyes, president of Moyes and Company, upstream technical and transaction advisers assisting Falcon in securing prospective partners.

Spouse selection by health status and physical traits. Sardinia, 1856–1925

Military medical information and data from civil registers of death and marriage have been used to study the role of physical characteristics and health conditions in explaining access to marriage for the male population of Alghero, a small city located in Sardinia Island (Italy), at the turn of 19th century. Literature data about contemporary populations have already demonstrated the influence of somatic traits in the mate choice. The results presented here show that men with low height and poor health status at the age of 20 were negatively selected for marriage. This holds true also in a society where families often arranged marriages for their children. This pattern of male selection on marriage was found to be particularly marked among the richest and wealthiest SES groups. Our hypothesis is that this social group carefully selected for marriage those individuals who were apparently healthier and therefore more likely to guarantee good health status and better life conditions to offspring. In evolutionary terms, the mate choice component of sexual selection suggests that the height of prospective partners could be claimed as one of the determinants, along with other environmental causes, of the observed higher stature of men belonging to the wealthiest social strata of the Alghero population.

A socio-relational framework of sex differences in the expression of emotion

Despite a staggering body of research demonstrating sex differences in expressed emotion, very few theoretical models (evolutionary or non-evolutionary) offer a critical examination of the adaptive nature of such differences. From the perspective of a socio-relational framework, emotive behaviors evolved to promote the attraction and aversion of different types of relationships by advertising the two most parsimonious properties of reciprocity potential, or perceived attractiveness as a prospective social partner. These are the individual's (a) perceived capacity or ability to provide expedient resources, or to inflict immediate harm onto others, and their (b) perceived trustworthiness or probability of actually reciprocating altruism (Vigil 2007). Depending on the unique social demands and relational constraints that each sex evolved, individuals should be sensitive to advertise "capacity" and "trustworthiness" cues through selective displays of dominant versus submissive and masculine versus feminine emotive behaviors, respectively. In this article, I introduce the basic theoretical assumptions and hypotheses of the framework, and show how the models provide a solid scaffold with which to begin to interpret common sex differences in the emotional development literature. I conclude by describing how the framework can be used to predict condition-based and situation-based variation in affect and other forms of expressive behaviors.

HIV seropositive status disclosure to prospective sex partners and criminal laws that require it: perspectives of persons living with HIV

Thirty-one HIV-positive persons living in Michigan took part in focus group discussions about Michigan's HIV disclosure law. Discussion themes included perceived responsibility to prevent infection, concern about unwanted secondary disclosure of HIV-positive status, fear of being falsely accused of violating Michigan's HIV disclosure law and perceived vulnerability of HIV-positive persons within the US legal system. Although participants strongly agreed with the ostensible purpose of Michigan's criminal HIV disclosure law, there was considerable concern about the negative impact of the law on persons living with HIV.