bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
Authors: Fornell Claes , Larcker David F.
Published: November 2018

The statistical tests used in the analysis of structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error are examined. A drawback of the commonly applied chi square test, in addition to the known problems related to sample size and power, is that it may indicate an increasing correspondence between the hypothesized model and the observed data as both the measurement properties and the relationship between constructs decline. Further, and contrary to common assertion, the risk of making a Type II error can be substantial even when the sample size is large. Moreover, the present testing methods are unable to assess a model's explanatory power. To overcome these problems, the authors develop and apply a testing system based on measures of shared variance within the structural model, measurement model, and overall model.
Attentive Audience Delivery of TV Advertising Schedules
Authors: Bearden William O. , Headen Robert S. , Klompmaker Jay E. , Teel Jesse E.
Published: November 2018

Television program ratings are used extensively by media planners in developing advertising schedules for use in marketing strategies. The authors describe a study of TV program exposure and attention that produced two equations for predicting attentive audience delivery of TV advertising schedules from program ratings and may thus facilitate media planning.
Statistical Power and Effect Size in Marketing Research
Authors: Sawyer Alan G. , Ball A. Dwayne
Published: November 2018

Statistical power and effect size are not considered sufficiently by marketing researchers. The authors discuss how better attention to these two factors can improve the planning, execution, and reporting of marketing and consumer research. Suggestions are offered about how to increase effect size and improve statistical power.
Consumer Perceptions of Comparative Price Advertisements
Authors: Della Bitta Albert J. , Monroe Kent B. , Mcginnis John M.
Published: November 2018

The authors analyze the issue of comparative price advertising from a behavioral perspective. Because public policy recognizes that comparative pricing may lead to consumer misperceptions, the authors review the regulatory setting and pose several research questions that need to be addressed. A complex experiment and replication examining some of these questions is reported.
Quantification, Inequality, and the Contestation of School Closures in Philadelphia
Authors: Caven Meg
Published: November 2018

Public education relies heavily on data to document stratified inputs and outcomes, and to design interventions aimed at reducing disparities. Yet despite the promise and prevalence of data-driven policies and practices, inequalities persist. Indeed, contemporary scholarship has begun to question whether and how processes such as quantification and commensuration contribute to rather than remediate inequality. Using the 2013 closure of 24 Philadelphia public schools as a case study, I employ a mixed-methods approach to illuminate quantification and commensuration as nuanced processes with contingent, dualistic, and paradoxical relationships to inequality. The quantified approach to selecting schools for closure predisposed poor and minority communities to institutional loss because academic underperformance, a key selection metric, was correlated with disadvantage. Paradoxically, academic performance measures, coupled with commensuration strategies, also enabled advocates to successfully overturn closure recommendations. I offer an evidentiary account of how quantification can perpetuate inequality, and I complicate prevailing understandings of quantification as a technology of power.
Migration, housing and attachment in urban gold mining settlements
Authors: Gough Katherine V , Yankson Paul WK , Esson James
Published: November 2018

Mining settlements are typically portrayed as either consisting of purpose-built housing constructed by mining companies to house their workers, or as temporary makeshift shelters built by miners working informally and inhabited by male migrants who live dangerously and develop little attachment to these places. This paper contributes to these debates on the social and material dynamics occurring in mining settlements, focusing on those with urban rather than rural characteristics, by highlighting how misconceived these archetypal portrayals are in the Ghanaian context. Drawing on qualitative data collected in three mining settlements, we explore who is moving to and living in the mining towns, who is building houses, and how attachments to place develop socio-temporally. Through doing so, the paper provides original insights on the heterogeneous nature of mining settlements, which are found to be home to a wide range of people engaged in diverse activities. Mining settlements and their attendant social dynamics are shown to evolve in differing ways, depending on the type of mining taking place and the length of time the mines have been in operation. Significantly, we illustrate how, contrary to popular understandings of incomers to mining settlements as nomadic opportunists, migrants often aspire to build their own houses and establish a family, which promotes their attachment to these settlements and their desire to remain. These insights further scholarship on the social and material configuration of mining settlements and feed into the revival of interest in small and intermediate urban settlements.
Why bright city lights dazzle and illuminate: A cognitive science approach to urban promises
Authors: Cardoso Rodrigo , Meijers Evert , van Ham Maarten , Burger Martijn , de Vos Duco
Published: November 2018

Despite the many uncertainties of life in cities, promises of economic prosperity, social mobility and happiness have fuelled the imagination of generations of urban migrants in search of a better life. Access to jobs, housing and amenities, and fewer restrictions of personal choices are some of the perceived advantages of cities, characterised here as ‘urban promises’. But while discourses celebrating the triumph of cities became increasingly common, urban rewards are not available everywhere and for everyone. Alongside opportunity, cities offer inequality, conflict and poor living conditions. Their narrative of promise has been persistent across different times and places, but the outcomes and experiences of urban life compare poorly with the overoptimistic expectations of many newcomers. And yet, millions still come and stay regardless of odds, raising the question why we have such positive and persistent expectations about cities. To examine this question, this paper considers the process of urban migration from the perspective of decision-making under uncertainty. It discusses how decisions and evaluations are based on imperfect information and offers a novel contribution by examining how the cognitive biases and heuristics which restrict human rationality shape our responses to urban promises. This approach may allow a better understanding of how people make decisions regarding urban migration, how they perceive their urban experiences and evaluate their life stories. We consider the prospects and limitations of the behavioural approach and discuss how biases favouring narratives of bright urban futures can be exploited by ‘triumphalist’ accounts of cities which neglect their embedded injustices.
African, Black, Neither or Both? Models and Strategies Developed and Implemented by The Association of Black Psychologists
Authors: Grills Cheryl , Nobles Wade W. , Hill Christopher
Published: November 2018

The Association of Black Psychologists’ (ABPsi) has embodied its mission within the context of the evolving discipline of Black Psychology. In its 50-year evolution, the association has evolved and expanded beyond its initial concerns to include an articulation of a science of Black human functioning, ergo an African-centered or African psychology. The nascent association called for a logic of human behavior, wellness, and illness from an African episteme and cultural worldview. Equivalent to a scientific revolution, the Black psychology discussion has evolved to a Pan-African discussion with a new cadre of debates emerging in the literature including among continental African scholars focusing on the existence, definition, and praxis of an African psychology. Over the course of this intellectual quest, ABPsi, aligned with its mission as a professional association, advanced several models of psychological theory and practice as well as strategies grounded in Black, African-centered, and/or Black psychology. A sample of these models and strategies are discussed through the lens of the association’s evolving articulation of a science of Black human functioning.
Energy or carbon? Exploring the relative size of universal zero carbon and zero energy design spaces
Authors: Parkin Anna , Herrera Manuel , Coley David A
Published: November 2018

One aim of zero carbon, or zero energy, buildings is to help slow climate change. However, regulatory definitions frequently miss substantial emissions, for example ones associated with the materials the building is constructed from, thereby compromising this goal. Unfortunately, including such emissions might restrict the design space, reduce architectural freedom or greatly increase costs. This work presents a new framework for examining the problem. The zero carbon/energy design and regulatory space forms a sub-space of the hyper-volume enclosing all possible designs and regulatory frameworks. A new mathematical/software environment was developed which allows the size and shape of this sub-space to be investigated for the first time. Twenty-four million building design/regulatory standard combinations were modelled and assessed using a tree classification approach. It was found that a worldwide zero standard that includes embodied emissions is possible and is easier to achieve if a carbon rather than an energy metric is adopted, with the design space twice the size for a carbon metric. This result is important for the development of more encompassing regulations, and the novel methods developed applicable to other aspects of construction controlled by regulation where there is the desire to examine the impact of new regulations prior to legislation.

Practical application: As energy standards become more strict, and given the growth in non-regulatory standards (such as Passivhaus), there is the need to study the potential impact of any element of a standard on the range of designs that can be built or the materials that can be used. This work sets out a general framework and method for doing this. The approach and results will be of interest to policy makers, but also to engineers and architects wondering what the key constraints to design the adoption of various philosophies to low energy/carbon standards might have within their work. For example, the implications of the building standard (or client) requiring embodied emissions to be included or the energy balance period for renewable generation to be monthly, not annual.
Human dignity in the Renaissance? Dignitas hominis and ‘spiritual counter-subjectivity’: A Foucauldian approach
Authors: Pele Antonio
Published: November 2018

The historical making of human dignity is usually understood either as a result of a progressive history of the recognition of the human being’s worthiness or as an upward equalization of ranks. The present article offers a novel and different analysis. It takes the Renaissance idea of dignitas hominis as an object of study and reframes it through Michel Foucault’s insights on ‘archaeology’, power and subjectivity. In doing so, the article demonstrates how dignitas hominis was produced within the so-called Renaissance episteme and as a result of what Foucault defines as the ‘pastorate counter-conducts’. Therefore, the article argues the dignitas hominis narrative aimed to debunk the authority of the ecclesiastical authorities and moulded other ways of ‘being conducted’ and of ‘conducting oneself’ in spiritual life. More radically, this narrative fashioned a ‘spiritual counter-subjectivity’ that removed confession as the main technique producing the Christian subject.
Do perceptions of electoral malpractice undermine democratic satisfaction? The US in comparative perspective
Authors: Norris Pippa
Published: November 2018

Doubts about the legitimacy of the 2016 US elections continue to reverberate and deepen partisan mistrust in America. A perfect storm followed Republican allegations of fake news and massive voter fraud, Democratic complaints of voter suppression and gerrymandering, discontent with the Electoral College’s awarding of victory to a presidential candidate who lost the popular vote, compounded by intelligence reports of Russian meddling. These issues raise the broader question: how serious do perceived electoral flaws have to be to raise doubts not just about the election but about democracy itself? Do ordinary people actually care about the quality of their elections or are they more concerned with jobs, growth and taxes and/or influenced by partisan cues? And how do attitudes vary among electoral winners and losers? The key findings of this research, based on World Values Survey data, are that doubts about electoral integrity do indeed undermine general satisfaction with how democracy works.
When Prevention is Not Enough: Students’ Perception of Bullying and School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
Authors: Gage Nicholas A. , Rose Chad A. , Kramer Dennis A.
Published: November 2018

Bullying continues to be a major concern in U.S. schools and is the focus of myriad prevention and intervention efforts. Researchers have recently cited school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) as a prevention framework for reducing school-based bullying. Therefore, we examined the effect of universal SWPBIS implemented with fidelity on students’ self-report of bullying victimization. We used school-level propensity score matching to compare 76,248 students’ self-report of bullying victimization in 118 schools that implemented SWPBIS with fidelity and 118 matched comparison schools. Random-effects regression models found no statistically significant difference between treatment groups on students’ self-report of bullying victimization. Recommendations and limitations are discussed.
Social change and generalized anomie: Why economic development has reduced social trust in China
Authors: Su Zhenhua , Ye Yanyu , Wang Pu
Published: November 2018

Chinese society is facing a decline in social trust, a serious crisis which is escalating as modernization continues. In this article the authors apply Durkheim’s social transitional theory to explain this disconcerting phenomenon, using data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2013. The study finds that economic development as measured by per capita GDP of counties in China has given rise to social anomie, which has led to a reduction in social trust. With the rapid onset of modernization, social norms have gradually fallen by the wayside and new social integration mechanisms have not yet been fully established, resulting in a state of generalized social anomie in China.
Anemoside A3 rapidly reverses depression-like behaviors and weakening of excitatory synaptic transmission in mouse models of depression
Authors: Wang Can-Ming , Lin Zhi-Hang , Lin Zhi-Qiang , Yao Qing-Yang , Zhang Yi-Fan
Published: November 2018

Background and aim:

Developing fast-acting antidepressants attracts considerable attention. Anemoside A3, a natural triterpenoid glycoside isolated from Pulsatillae Radix, has been reported to produce antidepressant-like action in the forced swim test. We herein explore the fast-onset antidepressant-like potentials and antidepressant mechanisms of anemoside A3.

Methods:

The forced swim test and tail suspension test were used to determine the acute antidepressant-like action of anemoside A3. This action of anemoside A3 was confirmed in chronic mild stress and chronic social defeat stress models. In vitro extracellular field potential recordings were conducted to investigate the impact of anemoside A3 on chronic stress-induced alterations at temporoammonic-CA1 synapses. Western blot, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, and microinjections of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor antagonists into the stratum lacunosum-moleculare were performed to unravel the contribution of stratum lacunosum-moleculare α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors to anemoside A3’s antidepressant-like activity. In vivo microdialysis and pharmacological depletion of serotonin were implemented to examine the role of the serotonin system in the antidepressant-like effect of anemoside A3.

Results:

Anemoside A3 administered intraperitoneally displayed acute antidepressant-like effects in the mouse forced swim test and tail suspension test and anemoside A3 treatment (intraperitoneally) for five days was sufficient to reverse depression-related behaviors of mice subjected to chronic stress. Accordingly, chronic social defeat stress-induced weakening of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the temporoammonic-CA1 pathway and downregulation of synaptic GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor expression in the stratum lacunosum-moleculare could both be normalized by five days of anemoside A3 treatment (intraperitoneally). Moreover, intra-stratum lacunosum-moleculare infusion of GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor antagonist abolished anemoside A3’s antidepressant-like effect. Lastly, serotonin system was not implicated in anemoside A3’s antidepressant-like effect.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that anemoside A3 induces a rapid antidepressant-like response by a stratum lacunosum-moleculare GluA2-lacking α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor-dependent mechanism. In view of this, anemoside A3 represents a promising agent for depression treatment.
Subchronic treatment with St John’s wort produces a positive shift in emotional processing in healthy volunteers
Authors: Warren Matthew B , Cowen Philip J , Harmer Catherine J
Published: November 2018

Background:

The neurocognitive model of antidepressant treatment in depression states that antidepressants work by producing relatively immediate positive shifts in emotional processing, which translate into clinical improvement with time. St John’s Wort has shown antidepressant potential in randomised controlled trials; however, its pharmacological actions are broad and it is unknown whether treatment also produces changes in emotional processing.

Aims:

We investigated whether short-term treatment with St John’s wort has similar effects on emotional processing to those reported with other antidepressants such as selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors.

Methods:

Forty-eight healthy participants were given St John’s wort or placebo treatment for seven days. On day 7 they completed a battery of tasks to measure emotional processing and other elements of cognition.

Results:

St John’s wort treatment produced similar changes to other antidepressants, for example reducing recognition of disgusted faces and attention to fearful faces, while increasing memory for positive words. We failed to find evidence for an effect of St John’s wort on other aspects of cognition including working memory.

Conclusions:

These findings lend support to the theory that the production of early positive biases in emotional processing may be a common feature of all clinically effective antidepressants with diverse pharmacological mechanisms.
Preoperative Symptom Duration Is Associated With Outcomes After Hip Arthroscopy
Authors: Basques Bryce A. , Waterman Brian R. , Ukwuani Gift , Beck Edward C. , Neal William H. , Friel Nicole A. , Stone Austin V. , Nho Shane J.
Published: November 2018

Background:

Prolonged disease chronicity has been implicated as a cause of suboptimal clinical outcomes after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), possibly due to disease progression, deconditioning, and the development of compensatory pathomechanics.

Purpose:

To evaluate the effect of increasing duration of preoperative symptoms on patient-reported outcomes, reoperation, and clinical failure of hip arthroscopy for FAIS.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was performed to identify all patients undergoing primary hip arthroscopy between January 1, 2012, and July 30, 2014, by a single surgeon, with minimum follow-up of 2 years. Patient demographics, comorbid medical conditions, and preoperative outcome scores were compared between patients with preoperative symptoms lasting less than 2 years and those with symptoms lasting 2 years or longer. Multivariate regressions were used to compare Hip Outcome Score Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL), Hip Outcome Score Sport-Specific (HOS-SS), and modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) between the 2 cohorts at 2 years of follow-up.

Results:

A total of 624 patients were included, with an average age of 34.0 ± 13.5 years; 235 (37.7%) patients had experienced preoperative symptoms 2 years or longer. Patients with symptoms lasting less than 2 years had statistically significant higher outcome scores than those with symptoms lasting 2 or more years for the HOS-ADL (86.3 ± 16.4 vs 80.3 ± 19.9, respectively), HOS-SS (75.0 ± 25.3 vs 65.1 ± 29.0), and mHHS (79.1 ± 16.6 vs 74.0 ± 18.8), as well as higher satisfaction (82.1 ± 30.7 vs 71.1 ± 31.6) and lower pain scores (2.6 ± 2.3 vs 3.5 ± 2.6). On multivariate analysis, patients with symptoms 2 years or longer had significantly higher visual analog scale–Pain score (β = 0.6, P = .039) and lower HOS-ADL (β = −3.4, P = .033), HOS-SS (β = −6.3, P = .012), and satisfaction (β = −6.7, P = .028) at 2-year follow-up. Patients with longer duration of symptoms also demonstrated less improvement in HOS-SS (β = −10.3, P = .001) at 2 years after surgery. Patients with symptoms for 2 years or longer were significantly less likely to achieve a patient acceptable symptomatic state for HOS-ADL (relative risk [RR] = 0.8, P = .024) and HOS-SS (RR = 0.8, P = .032) at 2 years of follow-up. Patients with symptoms 2 years or longer also demonstrated significantly higher rates of revision arthroscopy (RR = 10.1, P = .046).

Conclusion:

Patients with untreated, FAIS-related symptoms lasting 2 years or longer before arthroscopic management had significantly worse patient-reported outcomes and higher rates of reoperation at 2 years after surgery when compared with those patients with a shorter duration of preoperative symptoms.
Devices to Reduce the Volume of Blood Taken for Laboratory Testing in ICU Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Siegal Deborah M. , Manning Neal , Jackson Chornenki Nicholas L. , Hillis Christopher M. , Heddle Nancy M.
Published: November 2018

Background:

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at high risk of anemia, which is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and death. Blood sampling for diagnostic testing is a potentially modifiable contributor to anemia.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to October 5, 2017, for studies reporting the volume of blood taken for laboratory testing using blood sampling conservation devices compared to standard care or another intervention in adult ICU patients.

Results:

We identified 8 eligible studies (n = 1204 patients) that used 2 types of devices: arterial access devices (n = 5) and reduced-volume blood collection tubes (n = 3). All studies reported a reduction in the volume of blood taken for laboratory testing with devices compared to standard practice (range 19%-80%). The studies were judged to have serious risk of bias, and due to heterogeneity, pooling for meta-analysis was not considered appropriate.

Conclusions:

Devices used to reduce the volume of blood taken for laboratory testing in ICU patients appear to be effective, although study heterogeneity limited our ability to calculate pooled estimates of efficacy for each device. Further assessment of clinical outcomes may establish clinical benefit with minimal negative consequences for hospitals and laboratories to facilitate the use of small-volume tubes.
Bullying Perpetration and Victimization: A Test of Traditional and Cyber-Behaviors as Latent Constructs
Authors: Brosowski Tim , Wachs Sebastian , Scheithauer Herbert , Vazsonyi Alexander T.
Published: November 2018

The current investigation hypothesized and tested latent bully/victim traits for physical, verbal, or relational bullying/victimization, both cyber and traditional behaviors. Data were collected from 1,356 German students who attended Grades 5 to 10: 48.4% males, 49.3% females from eight different schools in Northern Germany. Based on two samples for cross-validation ( Ntraining set = 525, Nvalidation set = 525), study findings provided strong evidence of adequate model fit, both for traditional and cyber behaviors. Consistent with the current state of knowledge, bullying and victimization latent traits highly associated, more so for cyber behaviors than traditional ones. Thus, both the theoretical plausibility as well as statistical evidence support the application of latent modeling to these behaviors. Further research is needed to replicate the applied measurement models proposed in this work and to reveal moderators or measurement invariance across diverse populations. Nevertheless, the current evidence substantiates the importance of the application of a latent modeling approach to overcome known psychometric challenges of reliability and validity in bullying research.
Body Part Removal: A Thematic Exploration of U.K. Homicide Offenses
Authors: Almond Louise , Pell Connor , McManus Michelle
Published: November 2018

Body part removal (BPR) is a rare homicide phenomena, which emerges as a result of a variety of motives. Fifty-eight BPR U.K. homicide cases were analyzed. Findings indicated key characteristics within BPR murder offenses, with most offenders males; aged around 31 years; knew their victims; with presence of alcohol, drugs, and mental health issues; and more than two thirds of the sample had previous convictions, more than 50% for theft. Offense behaviors showed “multiple wounds” and “victim naked” as highest frequency, with the head as the most frequently removed body part. Smallest space analysis (SSA) identified two behavioral themes (expressive and instrumental) with 62.1% of cases classified as one of these. The study has provided the largest U.K. sample of BPR homicide, furthering understanding this type of offense and the offenders who commit it.
The citizen and trust in the (trustworthy) state
Authors: Brown Rob
Published: November 2018

Public sector modernization has focused on achieving greater efficiency within the institutions and agencies of the state. In comparison, the relationship between citizen and state as a basis for service improvement has received less attention. This paper describes a study that helps to redress this balance by exploring the role that trust can play as a mechanism of accountability of the state to the citizen and, as a consequence, improving their mutual cooperation. This poses a challenge for the state – to be trusted by the citizen requires being trustworthy in the eyes of the citizen. Establishing the citizen's view of the characteristics of the trustworthy state, and how this differs from the norm of trust currently in use within the state, is the subject of the research. The question is addressed through a process of dialogic action research with users and frontline staff of two public services (a housing benefit service and a primary health care general practice). The output of the study is a relational diagnostic, applicable across the public sector, derived from a synthesis of the tests applied by the citizen as they assess the trustworthiness of a public service.
Plastic deformation and grain refinement in surface layer induced by thermo-mechanical loads for hard milling process
Authors: Li BinXun , Zhang Song , Zhang Jing
Published: November 2018

Microstructure alteration of machined surface induced by the coupled thermal and mechanical loads in the hard milling process has great influence on surface integrity. Hence, it affects the performances of the workpiece. The hard milling experiments of AISI H13 steel with different cutting speeds and feed rates were carried out and the microstructure evolution of machined surface was investigated by means of some advanced characterization methods. The experimental result indicates that plastically deformed layer was evident with three distinguishable zones, that is, unaffected zone, plastic deformation zone, and white layer zone. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that no retained austenite is detected in the white layer. Numerous nano-sized equiaxed grains were induced by dynamic recrystallization (DRX), as a result of severe shear plastic deformation on the machined surface. As the cutting speed increases, the grain refinement becomes more obvious. However, the original cementite was greatly refined and well distributed compared with bulk material. A significant improvement in nano-hardness was witnessed in both for machined surface and subsurface. The grain refinement as well as well-dispersed cementite played a vital role in the improvement of nano-hardness. The varied depth of plastic deformation was observed with respect to change of cutting forces. It is the main source of mechanical load inducing plastic deformation with the assistance of material thermal softening. The present work can provide more visibility on the surface integrity along with the quality control of the workpiece.
Track damage comparison between conventional and articulated trains operating on a Great Britain railways ‘classic’ mainline route and a high-speed route
Authors: Rhodes Andy , Hunt Geoff , Harwood Neil , Kuka Naim , Baron Laurent , Borrell Jaime
Published: November 2018

The impact of train architecture and design characteristics on track deterioration accounts for a significant proportion of the whole-life costs of operating a railway. Introducing new train fleets with an expected life in excess of 30 years means that it is important to optimise train design to minimise track deterioration, maximise track life and realise long-term cost savings. Furthermore, higher traffic tonnage (from more frequent services) and increased train acceleration and speeds will cause increasing track deterioration rates; therefore, this issue is central to managing a sustainable railway in future. The track ‘friendliness’ of a train is determined by several ‘vehicle/track interaction’ parameters: train mass, axle load, number of axles, bogie unsprung mass, traction power, suspension ride forces and speed. The Vehicle/Track Interaction Strategic Model (VTISM) can be used to analyse the effect of these parameters on track forces and the resultant track deterioration and maintenance and renewal costs. This paper describes a study undertaken using the VTISM to investigate the impact of axle loads and train architecture on vertical deterioration and costs of ballasted track on a Great Britain railways ‘classic’ mainline route (up to 125 mph) and, following VTISM upgrading and validation, a high-speed route (up to 360 km/h). It identifies where potential cost advantages may be obtained when comparing conventional trains with new, alternative train architectures.
Vibration reduction performance of rubber concrete backfill layer in high-speed railway tunnel
Authors: Liang Yanke , Cai Xiaopei , Zhang Yanrong , Zhong Yanglong
Published: November 2018

A novel approach to reduce vibration was put forward by applying rubber concrete as backfill layer of the high-speed railway tunnel, and its feasibility was analyzed based on the vibration isolation theory. A three-dimensional spatial coupling model of vehicle-track-tunnel-rock mass was established by means of vehicle-track coupling dynamics theory. The dynamic response of the vehicle, track, and tunnel structure under common and rubber concrete backfill layer was compared. The vibration reduction performance and the characteristics of rubber concrete were discussed. The change in tunnel vibration under different elastic modulus and damping ratios of backfill layer was analyzed, and the vibration reduction effect of rubber concrete combined with damping cushion was studied. Results show that the influence of the rubber concrete backfill layer on the dynamic indices of vehicle and track structure can be neglected. Because of the application of rubber concrete, the vibration acceleration of tunnel decreases by about 40%, and 4–8 dB can be reduced in the corresponding frequency of 100–200 Hz. With decrease in the elastic modulus and increase in the damping ratio, the vibration of the tunnel decreases gradually. Moreover, the influence of damping ratio is more significant than that of elastic modulus. The combination of rubber concrete backfill layer and damping cushion demonstrates a superior effect in reducing vibration, which decreases the vibration level by 3–5 dB compared with setting the damping cushion only. The article is expected to provide theoretical guidance for the application of rubber concrete in the high-speed railway.
The limits of language as the limits of psychological explanation
Authors: Gergen Kenneth J.
Published: November 2018

Extending early work on the limits of hypothesis testing, I propose that psychological explanations for behavior draw their intelligibility from tautology. A reliance on tautology is born of the impossibility for ostensively defining the explanans (e.g., the state of mind presumably giving rise to action). Thus, one makes psychological sense by explaining a given behavior in terms of a “miniaturized” form of itself. Further, because each definition of a mental term relies on another mental term for its meaning, we enter a condition of unbridled diffusion of definition. We may thus account for psychological explanations far removed from simple or transparent tautology. Through extended definitional sequences, we find that any given behavior can be explained by virtually any randomly drawn motive or trait. This includes otherwise counter-intuitive or paradoxical explanations. These developments bear importantly on the grounding assumptions for psychological research, mental and diagnostic testing, and psychotherapy.
Paleoclimatic and archaeological evidence from Lake Suches for highland Andean refugia during the arid middle-Holocene
Authors: Vining Benjamin R , Steinman Byron A , Abbott Mark B , Woods Arielle
Published: November 2018

Severe aridity during the mid-Holocene, ca. 8.0–4.0 kyr BP, led to extreme ecological stress in the tropical Andes. Here, we report paleolimnological and archeological data from Lake Suches in southern Peru (70° 24’ 12” W, 16° 55’ 35” S) spanning 13.6–4.4 kyr BP. Integrated paleoclimate and archeological data reveal that moisture was locally available and the basin served as an ecological refugium throughout the mid-Holocene. Mid-Holocene aridity was established no later than 7.2 kyr BP, with maximum aridity ca. 5.5–4.8 kyr BP. However, water levels in Lake Suches were sustained throughout peak middle-Holocene aridity, even as other systems desiccated. Isotopic enrichment of water in Lake Suches (δ18Olake) and extensive wetlands (δ18Obofedal) surrounding the lake indicate prolonged residence time. These reservoirs, combined with elevation-linked hydrographic factors, mitigated mid-Holocene net decreases in atmospheric moisture. Archeological data from Suches indicate successive population increases beginning ca. 11.0–9.8 kyr BP as drier but more stable early Holocene conditions were established regionally. Population maxima in Suches during the mid-Holocene/mid-Archaic period ca. 9.0–7.0 kyr BP coincide with peak aridity in the Titicaca and Atacama systems, as well as documented archeological hiatuses in these regions. Population decreases coincide with peak aridity recorded in Lake Suches ca. 6.0–5.0 kyr BP, but the basin was never fully abandoned. Evidence for refugial microenvironments is key to understanding the persistence of human populations and other endemic Andean flora and fauna during the highly adverse climates of the middle-Holocene. We outline several mechanisms which likely explain the formation of refugia linked to bofedales and hydrographic characteristics of Suches. Understanding refugial dynamics will be key to understanding the effects of past climatic change, as well as addressing current warming and decreased precipitation trends in the tropical Andes.
Pattern of Digital Divide and Convergence in Access to ICT Facilities among the Indian States
Authors: Agarwal Tanushree , Panda Prasant Kumar
Published: November 2018

Information and communication technology (ICT) such as Internet, mobile phones, computers and related network interfaces facilitate promotion of economic growth by improving the allocation and productivity of labour and capital, and also by promoting trade and competition in market. But these regional developments led by ICT technologies are not realised if there is a digital divide. In India, uneven digital developments may lead to uneven economic developments. Unless ICT developments grow faster in low-income states, they cannot catch up with high-income states, economically. In this context, this article aims to analyse the changing pattern of the digital divide and empirically examines the convergence in access to ICT facilities across the Indian states. The secondary data for 15 major states of India is used for the time period 2008–17 by considering three ICT variables, namely, telephone users, mobile phone users and Internet users per 100 populations. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to construct ICT access index. With PCA scores, the Indian states are ranked at two data points and convergence is verified by using sigma and beta convergence techniques. Findings suggest that there is an uneven access to ICT facilities across the Indian states. In the last decade, the low-income states are growing on a better pace than the high-income states in providing access to facilities such as telephone and mobile phones. However, there is evidence of the divergence in the use of Internet facilities. So the governments’ attention in improving these facilities in the low-income states, particularly in rural areas and lagging districts, is important. Special policies and schemes need to be devised to promote the access of Internet services in the lagging states.
Demonstrating the value of community development: An inclusive evaluation capacity building approach in a non-profit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation
Authors: Rogers Alison , Radcliffe Doyen , Babyack Sharon , Layton Tom
Published: November 2018

Inclusive, culturally safe, appropriate and relevant ways of evaluating that contribute to better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that can be communicated to a wide audience are urgently needed. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander non-profit community development organisation, Indigenous Community Volunteers (ICV), has transformed towards this goal by intentionally building evaluation capacity over the past 4 years. ICV now incorporates participatory monitoring and evaluation approaches into the community development practices of the organisation to improve measurement and capture outcomes with communities. The principles of inclusion, flexibility, empowerment, ownership and effective communication were essential to the transformation. This article shares how ICV developed evaluation capacity in an inclusive and culturally appropriate way and the results of an independent assessment of the value of the process. ICV’s journey of change and the methodology used to make the assessment may be useful for other organisations or individuals working with community development organisations.
Organizational Responses of U.S. Multinationals to EC-1992: An Empirical Study
Authors: Krum James R. , Rau Pradeep A.
Published: November 2018

Issues of standardization of products and marketing programs, and the degree of centralization of marketing decision making and planning, are of vital interest to multinational corporations as they increasingly compete in world markets. Previous research has established the need for some degree of standardization and, therefore, for some degree of centralized decision making. The present study was designed to assess the implications that the creation of the Single Market in the European Community will have on the standardization/centralization issue. Specifically, the role of the European central offices of major U.S. multinational corporations is emphasized. The results of the in-depth study of 22 Fortune 500 U.S. corporations with European central offices located in the United Kingdom indicate a trend toward overall strategic planning at the European central office level. More centralization of the distribution and pricing decisions is also noted for fairly uniform products but, in general, the product part of the marketing mix seems more standardized than the pricing, promotion, and distribution aspects. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research.
What Do We Know about Exporting by Small Italian Manufacturing Firms?
Authors: Bonaccorsi Andrea
Published: November 2018

This article is a survey of empirical research on the export activity of Italian SMFs. It presents selected findings from 26 empirical studies on success factors and export strategies, export entry channels, internal export organization, information acquisition and international market research, and obstacles to exporting. More than 10,000 exporting companies have been analyzed over a ten-year period. Although many findings are consistent with the export marketing literature, the survey also shows some important challenges to the established wisdom and suggests research directions.
Executive Insights: Changing Dimensions of International Marketing Management—The New Realities
Authors: Lazer William
Published: November 2018

International marketing is now in the midst of a major transformation that, in the next 15 to 20 years, will reshape and restructure concepts, approaches, and operations. International marketing management thinking may well be turned upside down, as fundamental precepts are challenged, a new mindset evolves, and marketing's international thrust comes of age. International concerns will move to the forefront of business, with government and societal issues transforming the management of marketing activities. The author offers some perspectives on the future of international marketing practices based on some current trends.
Removing Negative Country Images: Effects of Decomposition, Branding, and Product Experience
Authors: Tse David K. , Lee Wei-na
Published: November 2018

This article reports two studies on how negative country images can be removed by investigating the effects of decomposing country image into component and assembly origins, as well as the effects of global branding and product experience. Study 1 examines the psychological mechanism consumers use when a country image is decomposed into component and assembly origins. Study 2 extends the effect of decomposing country image to the context of global brands and product experience. It was found that subjects do not seem to differ either in the psychological mechanism they use or in their confidence in evaluating a product which is “made in “ a country versus a product which has its “components from” and “is assembled in” the same country. As hypothesized, the effect of country image was weakened when it was decomposed. A strong positive brand was found to override negative assembly origin effect. After the product experience, the component origin effect was also removed. These findings suggest that when manufacturers lower their production costs by globalizing their production lines, they may simultaneously benefit from having a positive product image.
Foreign Market Servicing: Beyond Choice of Entry Mode
Authors: Benito Gabriel R.G. , Welch Lawrence S.
Published: November 2018

This article focuses on the operation method (or entry mode) that a company utilizes in developing its involvement in a foreign market. An overview and critique of ‘economics’ and ‘process’ approaches to this issue is undertaken. It is argued that both approaches use relatively constrained frameworks of influences on mode choice, and have yet to come to terms with the frequent reality of operation modes in combination. Methodological and conceptual issues arising out of the analysis are considered as a basis for moving forward the research in this area.
Educator Insights: International Marketing Blunders Revisited—Some Lessons for Managers
Authors: Dalgic Tevfik , Heijblom Ruud
Published: November 2018

International marketing blunders represent avoidable mistakes made by companies in foreign markets. While there exists a well-developed literature of blunders committed abroad by firms from the United States, very few such tales have been reported from other countries. This article is a collection of new cases, compiled from a variety of sources and featuring numerous companies operating in various parts of the world. A framework for analyzing international marketing blunders is offered, along with managerial implications.
Executive Insights: Global Portfolio Planning and Market Interconnectedness
Authors: Douglas Susan P. , Craig C. Samuel
Published: November 2018

Previous approaches to portfolio analysis in international markets focused on the country as the basic portfolio unit and relied on an assessment of market attractiveness and competitive strength to determine how to allocate resources. This article proposes an approach to international portfolio analysis based on an examination of the interconnectedness of geographic markets and product businesses. This enables management to identify strategic portfolio units (SPUs) based on market interconnectedness, as well as competitive strength, and market attractiveness. SPUs incorporating market interconnectedness enable management to establish directions for future growth and determine how expansion or retraction of the portfolio in a given direction impacts other portfolio units. Opportunities to leverage core competencies across portfolio units in international markets and to reconfigure portfolio units and operations so as to achieve greater synergies can also be identified.
Sensitivity to National Business Culture: Effects on U.S.-Mexican Channel Relationship Performance
Authors: LaBahn Douglas W. , Harich Katrin R.
Published: November 2018

The need to be sensitive to foreign cultures is often stated axiomatically in the international marketing management literature despite little empirical research on its nature and consequences. To partially fill this void, this field investigation addresses empirically the question of the effects of sensitivity to national business culture on communication, conflict, and performance in cross-national channel relationships. Data collected from 142 U.S. manufacturers, 104 Mexican manufacturers, and 96 Mexican distributors reveal that the sensitivity axiom can be supported empirically. Specifically, partner sensitivity to national business culture is shown to increase communication and decrease conflict, both of which in turn influence relationship performance. Implications for cross-national channel relationships are discussed.