Body image development - boy children

This article examines body image development among preadolescent boys. In particular, it examines the nature of body image change, as well as the prevalence of these concerns in relation to weight, shape, and muscles. The ages at which these concerns happen are discussed within a developmental framework. Factors related to body image concerns among preadolescent boys are also evaluated. The roles of sociocultural influences (e.g., media, parents, and peers) and psychological factors (e.g., self-esteem and perfectionism) are discussed. The limited literature on cultural differences in body image concerns among preadolescent boys is also considered. Finally, the implications of body image concerns for prevention and intervention programs among boys are evaluated.

Pregnancy : physical and body image changes

Body dissatisfaction is often associated with negative psychological functioning, such as depression, and maladaptive behaviors, such as unhealthy eating and extreme weight loss behaviors, which have serious negative implications for women’s health and well-being, and potentially also for the unborn fetus during pregnancy. This article summarizes contemporary research in the area of body image during pregnancy, showing the development of knowledge in this area with increasing research interest in this topic in more recent times.

Investment performance within urban regeneration locations

Purpose – Property performance indices have invariably focused upon prime markets with a variety of approaches used to measure investment returns. However, there is relatively little knowledge regarding the investment performance of property in regeneration areas. Indeed, there is a perception that such locations carry increased risk and that the returns achieved may not be sufficient to offset the added risk. The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to construct regeneration property performance indicators consistent with the CBRE rent index and average yield monitor.

Design/methodology/approach – Local market experts were asked to estimate rents and yields for hypothetical standardised offerings for a range of regeneration locations throughout the UK, covering the period 1995 to 2002.

Findings – The results show that rental growth was similar in regeneration locations compared to the prime market. However, the analysis highlights a major yield shift for property in regeneration areas in the short to medium term. The downward pressure in yields would suggest that once a regeneration area becomes established and rental growth emerges, investor interest is stimulated resulting in increased competition and a shortening of yields.

Originality/value – The significance of this research is the quantification of property investment performance from regeneration areas that previously has not been available to investment institutions and decision makers. From a policy perspective this analysis is of relevance in confirming the maturing of locations that have received high levels of public sector support and indicating the effectiveness of regeneration policy mechanisms in creating sustainable urban environments capable of meeting private sector investment goals.

An ethnography of housing : public housing work in Victoria

This thesis examines the everyday practices of housing officers working in the Victorian Office of Housing, a large public sector statutory authority providing rental housing to low–income households. Housing officer work has changed substantially associated with the shift from the provision of ‘public housing’ in the post–WWII period to the provision of ‘welfare housing’ from the early 1980s. These changes are evident in both the formal organisation of work and day–to–day practices. The principal research question addressed is ‘How has the work of staff in the Victorian Office of Housing changed as a consequence of the shift from the provision of ‘public housing’ in the post–WWII period to the provision of ‘welfare housing’ from the early 1980s?’

This question is addressed by presenting an historically informed ethnography of the Office of Housing. Research was undertaken over a twelve–month period through interviews, participant observation and the collection of documents. The data collected through the use of these methods provided the basis for the presentation of ‘thick descriptions’ of the work of staff employed to provide rental housing to low–income households.

The research into this large hierarchical formal organisation was undertaken in three offices: a local suburban office, a regional office and head office. This enabled connections and tensions in direct service delivery work and policy work to be identified and analysed. It revealed that the experience of the shift from the provision of public housing to the provision of welfare housing has not been uniform and underscores the importance of understanding organisations as socially constructed.

Staff work was analysed by distinguishing four overarching problems consistently referred to by staff and highlighted in formal reviews. First, ‘problems with tenants’ refers to the changing profile of tenants and staff responses and interactions. Second, the ‘problem with rent’ centres on setting and collecting rents from very low–income tenants. Third, the ‘problem with housing standards and assets’ focuses on housing quality, maintaining properties and the tenant use of properties. Fourth, the ‘problems with the organisation’ are found in the constant searching for the best ways of defining roles, leading and communicating within a large and geographically distributed organisation. These are the features of work which present dilemmas for those who seek to produce better services for households who live in public housing.

Economic value of mitigation of plant invaders in a subsistence economy : incorporating labour as a mode of payment

This paper presents the analysis of a choice experiment designed to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) to mitigate damages caused by invasive plant species in a rural community of Nepal. In order to address the cash constraints problem in a subsistence economy, two payment attributes, labour contribution and membership fee, were included in the choice sets. The results reveal that rural farmers have significant WTP for forest management activities, in terms of both cash and labour contributions. The results also suggest that rural farmers value their time in this context at a different rate from the current wage rate.

A-REIT bidder returns : an evaluation of public and private targets and method of payment

This study examines the wealth effects of fifty-six Australian Real Estate Investment Trusts (A-REITS) acquirers around the announcement date of a merger and acquisition over the period of 1996 to 2010. This study extends Ratcliffe et al (2009) by examining mergers and acquisitions of private entity targets as well as public targets and confirms recent US REIT work in this field. Utilising event study methodology we find that bidding A-REITs earn positive and significant cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) of +0.966% around the three-day announcement period [-1, +1]. Analysis also indicates bidding firms earn higher CARs when the acquisition is financed by scrip and/or a combination of scrip and cash. Consistent with prior REIT research, event study results show that A-REIT acquirers earn higher excess returns when the target is private as compared to a public target, +2.834% and +0.457% respectively. Further investigation, employing regression analysis, shows book-to-market ratio has a negative impact on bidding firms CARs, suggesting that investors penalise high book-to-market A-REITs in an M&A due to their higher risk characteristics. We also find that both specialisation by property type and relative size of the bidder compared to the target has a positive and significant influence on bidder excess returns. Finally, our results show support for the method of payment findings in the event study, with method of payment returning a negative and significant impact on the bidder CARs.

Solar greenhouse technology for food security : a case study from Humla District, NW Nepal

Food security is a significant issue for many people who live in remote mountain areas around the world. Most of these people are also poor because of the lack of opportunity to earn cash. Malnutrition is common because the harsh climate restricts production and access to fresh food. Simple conventional greenhouses can provide some improvement of growing conditions, but the benefits are limited because of the high heat losses from these structures. Solar greenhouses, however, which are designed to store some of the heat generated within the structure can overcome these limitations. This article describes the experiences of a nongovernmental organization that has been introducing community and family-owned solar greenhouses into the remote villages of Humla, a mountainous district of northwest Nepal prone to food insecurity. The overall result has been positive. Family-owned greenhouses, which avoid the issues of community ownership and operation, have been more successful. A validated computer model based on the first solar greenhouse has been used to predict the thermal performance of a new family-sized design. Training and education are vital to the success of solar greenhouse technology in remote mountain areas.

Body image among older adults

Body image in older adults reflects years of physical, social, and psychological changes within a cultural context. In a youth-focused society, where development is perceived to give in to decline at the first sign of wrinkles and graying hair, the complexity of the construct thickens. This article provides a discussion of body image concerns as they pertain to the aging body, and some of the challenges older adults face in coming to terms with changes that occur. One of the major challenges identified is retaining a positive sense of self through those changes, many of which are treated with disdain by younger and older adults alike. This discussion is grounded in theory and research focusing on biopsychosocial factors relevant to body image in the latter part of life span development.

Rubber latex yield and physiology of rubber tree with tea tree oil treatments

To examine the effects of tea tree oil on rubber latex yield and the resulting latex physiological parameters of rubber tree （Hevea brasiliensis），clean water and 20%，40%，60%，80% and 100% of tea tree oil were applied on the tapping cut of rubber trees. The data were analyzed by Duncan test and its results showed that when compared to clean water （ck），80% and 100% of tea tree oil stimulation significantly promoted rubber latex yield（P＜0.05）. In addition，the latex physiological parameters changed with the sucrose content（P＜0.01），magnesium ion content （P＜0.01） and inorganic phosphorus content （P＜0.01） of latex significantly increasing and thiol content significantly deceasing （P＜0.01）. The effect of tea tree oil treatments on rubber yield was similar to the impact of 0.5% ethrel stimulation. However，compared to ethrel stimulation，100% tea tree oil treatment significantly increased dry rubber and sucrose contents （P＜0.01） and decreased thiol content （P＜0.01）. Thus，tea tree oil treatment involved different latex yield promotion mechanisms than that of ethrel stimulation.

An investigation into the drivers of Australian REIT merger and acquisition announcements

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use Australian Real Estate Investment Trust (A-REIT) data to empirically examine potential influencing factors on A-REITs becoming a bidder or a target in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) area.

Design/methodology/approach – This study uses logistic regression analysis to investigate the odds of publically traded A-REITs being either a bidder or a target as a function of a number of financial and corporate governance variables.

Findings – Prior research in the US REIT M&A area has shown that target size is inversely related to takeover likelihood; in contrast, the authors’ Australian results show that size has a positive impact. Prior research on share price and asset performance has shown that underperformance increases the odds of an entity becoming a target, but this paper’s results further support these findings and provide confirmation of the inefficient management hypothesis. For acquirers it was found that leverage, cash balances, management structure, the level of shares held by related parties and the global financial crisis have an important impact on bidder likelihood.

Practical implications – Given that the literature suggests that investors can earn significant positive abnormal returns by owning targets, but incur significant abnormal losses by owning bidders, at announcement, this study will be useful to fund managers and other investors in A-REITs by investigating the characteristics of those firms that become targets and bidders.

Originality/value – This paper adds to the recent US REIT M&A literature by examining the second biggest REIT market in the world and reporting a number of factors that might influence A-REITs to become targets or bidders.

Financial inclusion and financial integrity: aligned incentives?

The Financial Action Task Force embraces financial inclusion as complementary to anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing, as it enhances transparency. This support is based on the premise that the increased use of formal financial services leads to a reduction of usage of informal services. We present evidence on eight African countries that both are not negatively associated. Moreover, informal employment and cash preference reduce the inclination to use mobile financial services. If an increase in transparency acts as disincentive to use formal services, the alignment of financial inclusion and integrity will fail.