Quantifying the positive effects of sponsor level, length, prominence and relatedness on recall and residual recall rates over time

This study is the first multi-year examination of the relative influence of the four main variables said to influence sponsorship recall. Sponsor recall data were collected from season ticket holders (STHs) of 10 professional sports teams, over periods ranging from 3 to 5 years per team. Across those teams and over that time, 309 sponsor–team relationships were examined, and sponsor recall data from over 117,000 individual STHs were collected. Sponsorship length and level were shown to have the strongest impact on recall, followed by relatedness and prominence. These variables affected both the recall of current sponsors and the decay rates of residual recall following the end of a sponsorship. The average rates of sponsor recall growth and decline have been derived from these data, giving managers a tool by which to benchmark sport sponsorship recall performance.

Continuous plankton records stand the test of time: evaluation of flow rates, clogging and the continuity of the CPR time-series

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey is one of the most extensive biological time-series in existence and has been in operation over major regions of the North Atlantic since 1932. However, there is little information about the volume of water filtered through each sample, but rather a general assumption has persisted that each sample represents 3 m3. Data from electromagnetic flowmeters, deployed on CPRs between 1995 and 1998, was examined. The mean volume filtered through samples was 3.11 m3 and the effect of clogging on filtration efficiencies was not great. Consequently, even when the likely variations in flow due to clogging are taken into account, previously identified links between zooplankton abundance and climatic signals remain strong.

Use of respiration rates of scyphozoan jellyfish to estimate their effects on the food web

One of the main objectives of research on jellyfish is to determine their effects on the food web. They are voracious consumers that have similar diets to those of zooplanktivorous fish, as well as eating microplankton and ichthyoplankton. Respiration rates (RRs) can be used to estimate the amount of food needed to balance metabolism, and thereby estimate minimum ingestion. We compiled RRs for scyphozoan medusae in three suborders (Semeaostomeae, Rhizostomeae, and Coronatae) to determine if a single regression could relate RRs to mass for diverse scyphomedusan species. Temperature (7–30°C) was not a significant factor. RRs versus wet weight (WW) regressions differed significantly for semeaostome and rhizostome medusae; however, RRs versus carbon mass over five-orders of magnitude did not differ significantly among suborders. RRs were isometric against medusa carbon mass, with data for all species scaling to the power 0.94. The scyphomedusa respiration rate (SRR) regression enables estimation of RR for any scyphomedusa from its carbon mass. The error of the SRR regression was ±72%, which is small in comparison with the 1,000-fold variation in field sampling. This predictive equation (RR in ml O2 d−1 = 83.37 * g C0.940) can be used to estimate minimum ingestion by scyphomedusae without exhaustive collection of feeding data. In addition, effects of confinement on RRs during incubation of medusae were tested. Large medusae incubated in small container volumes (CV) relative to their size (ratios of CV:WW < 50) had RRs ~one-tenth those of medusae in relatively larger containers. Depleted oxygen during incubation did not depress RRs of the medusae; however, swimming may have been restricted and respiration reduced in consequence. We briefly review other problems with RR experiments and suggest protocols and limitations for estimating ingestion rates of jellyfish from metabolic rates.

Phase transformation evolution in NiTi shape memory alloy under cyclic nanoindentation loadings at dissimilar rates

Hysteresis energy decreased significantly as nanocrystalline NiTi shape memory alloy was under triangular cyclic nanoindentation loadings at high rate. Jagged curves evidenced discrete stress relaxations. With a large recovery state of maximum deformation in each cycle, this behavior concluded in several nucleation sites of phase transformation in stressed bulk. Additionally, the higher initial propagation velocity of interface and thermal activation volume, and higher levels of phase transition stress in subsequent cycles explained the monotonic decreasing trend of dissipated energy. In contrast, the dissipated energy showed an opposite increasing trend during triangular cyclic loadings at a low rate and 60âsec holding time after each unloading stage. Due to the isothermal loading rate and the holding time, a major part of the released latent heat was transferred during the cyclic loading resulting in an unchanged phase transition stress. This fact with the reorientation phenomenon explained the monotonic increasing trend of hysteresis energy.

Estimating fatality rates in occupational light vehicle users using vehicle registration and crash data

Objective: To estimate occupational light vehicle (OLV) fatality numbers using vehicle registration and crash data and compare these with previous estimates based on workers' compensation data. Method: New South Wales (NSW) Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) vehicle registration and crash data were obtained for 2004. NSW is the only Australian jurisdiction with mandatory work-use registration, which was used as a proxy for work-relatedness. OLV fatality rates based on registration data as the denominator were calculated and comparisons made with published 2003/04 fatalities based on workers' compensation data. Results: Thirty-four NSW RTA OLV-user fatalities were identified, a rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 organisationally registered OLV, whereas the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC), reported 28 OLV deaths Australia-wide. Conclusions: More OLV user fatalities were identified from vehicle registration-based data than those based on workers' compensation estimates and the data are likely to provide an improved estimate of fatalities specific to OLV use. Implications: OLV-use is an important cause of traumatic fatalities that would be better identified through the use of vehicle-registration data, which provides a stronger evidence base from which to develop policy responses.

Duration of unemployment and suicide in Australia over the period 1985–2006: an ecological investigation by sex and age during rising versus declining national unemployment rates

Background The relationship between unemployment and suicide may be sensitive to demographic factors, national unemployment rates, and length of time without employment. This study investigated these factors in relation to suicide in Australia for the period 1985–2006, in an ecological study. Methods The outcome variable was annual suicide rate by age group, sex and the eight states and territories over 22 years of observation (total observations=1760). The main predictor variable was the average duration of unemployment in the population, categorised into three time periods (<2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, >4 weeks). Poisson regression models were used to investigate the relationship between duration of unemployment and suicide over the years 1985–2006 in a series of cross-sectional analyses. Interaction analyses indicated significant differences during periods of declining or increasing labour market opportunity and by age group. Results During periods of declining unemployment rates in the country, longer durations of unemployment were associated with higher male suicide rates. During periods of increasing unemployment in the country, longer unemployment duration was associated with lower male suicide rates. Effect modification was also apparent by age-group, with stronger associations between unemployment duration and male suicide evident in those aged 25–34 and 55–64, and weaker associations in those aged 15–24 and 44–54 years. Longer length of unemployment was not associated with an increase in female suicide rates. Conclusions The labour market opportunities in Australia modified the effect of duration of unemployment on suicide, and the effect was more prominent in men and older age groups. This may reflect social norms and acceptability about unemployment, as well as life-stage influences associated with transitions into and out of the labour market.