bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternidade e projetos vitais em jovens infectadas com HIV por transmissão vertical
Authors: Eid Ana Paula , Almeida Weber João Luis , Pizzinato Adolfo
Published: September 2015

(analítico): Este artigo relata uma investigação qualitativa, com objetivo de analisar, através de entrevistas narrativas autobiográficas, como jovens HIV positivas, infectadas por transmissão vertical, constroem seus projetos de vida e, sobretudo, de maternidade. A análise das entrevistas foi baseada teoricamente na Análise Crítica do Discurso (ACD). As narrativas apontam para uma construção de projeto vital baseada em quatro elementos complementares: estudo, trabalho, conjugalidade e futuro. A Maternidade é compreendida por seis elementos chave: a maternidade, gravidez planejada e não planejada, parto e puerpério, lactância, o HIV versus filho(a) são(sã) e culpa e responsabilidade. Fatores particulares, como preconceito, aspirações e medos, atravessam o cotidiano de quem convive com o HIV/Aids. As participantes percebem que a sociedade não as considera aptas para constituir família e lutar pelos seus projetos de vida.
Confguración identitaria en jóvenes tras la desaparición forzada de un familiar
Authors: Alvis-Rizzo Alexander , Duque-Sierra Carmen Patricia , Rodríguez-Bustamante Alexander
Published: September 2015

(analytical): This study examines the configuration of identity among young people that experienced a relative's enforced disappearance during their childhood. The authors adopted a qualitative approach, and using the theory of social constructionism, analyzed autobiographicalnarratives from seven young people (four females and three males) and five family members (mothers and grandmothers). The findings indicate that these young people formed their identities in violent social contexts in which families established social practices related to a relative's forced disappearance. These young people have configured their identity within reconfigured families because of the uncertainty produced by the absence of that person, and due to a social compulsion to hide the disappearance behind silence. It was evidenced that there are two tendencies in the way these young people configure their identities: the first is based on reconstruction and the second is focused on loss.
Key words: identity, personal identity, armed conflict (Unesco Social Sciences Thesaurus).
Key words authors: enforced disappearance, identity configuration, narratives.
Las jóvenes que desertan de la educación media: virajes y puntos de no retorno
Authors: Estrada-Ruiz Marcos Jacobo
Published: September 2015

(analítico): Presento en este texto resultados de una investigación que tuvo por objetivo conocer los principales factores de deserción escolar en la educación media en Hermosillo, Sonora, México. A través de las historias de vida de mujeres jóvenes que desertaron y de las entrevistas a los actores de la comunidad escolar y a los padres y madres de familia, realizo un análisis de conjunto que devela lo compartido por las jóvenes en el proceso de deserción. Destaco fundamentalmente que las mujeres abandonan sus estudios por la combinación de factores relacionados con su condición social juvenil y de sexo. Los resultados muestran las distintas situaciones de vulnerabilidad a la que quedan expuestas tras la deserción, que representan virajes en su vida que son, al mismo tiempo, puntos de no retorno de su trayectoria escolar.
De la afectación a nuevas posibilidades: niñas y niños en el conflicto armado colombiano
Authors: Valencia-Suescún María Isabel , Ramírez Mónica , Fajardo María Alejandra , OspinA-Alvarado María Camila
Published: September 2015

(Analítico): El artículo presenta resultados preliminares de la investigación, obtenidos de la validación de instrumentos realizada con niños y niñas de Benposta-nación de muchach@s en Bogotá (talleres creativos y entrevistas semiestructuradas). Relaciona resultados obtenidos en la aproximación al estado del arte sobre niñez y conflicto armado derechos como salud y alimentación, educación, juego y esparcimiento. Evidencia vulneraciones de derechos de protección (por homicidios, reclutamiento forzado, desplazamiento) y de participación. Analiza la afectación en procesos de construcción de subjetividad. Aborda potencias y capacidades de acción que se develan en estos contextos y en procesos de socialización política en los cuales niños y niñas se involucran
Competencia social y status sociométrico escolar en niños y niñas con TDAH
Authors: Russo Daiana , Arteaga Florencia , Rubiales Josefina , Bakker Liliana
Published: September 2015

(analytical): This study investigates the links between self-perception of social competence in children with ADHD and school sociometric status. The results obtained allow for the development of psychological intervention strategies as well as the design of educational approaches in the classroom to strengthen social interaction for these children. This is a descriptive correlational study with an expo facto design (Montero & León, 2007). The sample consisted of 157 children aged between 8 and 12 years. Two groups were formed, clinical (n = 5) and control (n = 152), paired by age. The Messy questionnaire (Matson, Rotatori & Helsel, 1983) and the Sociometric Test (Moreno, 1962) were administered. Results of the study show that children with ADHD are less assertive than children in the control group and most of the children with ADHD are isolated from their peer group. The study concluded that these children have difficulty establishing bonds with their peers. However, their self-perception of their social skills doesn't always coincide with their school sociometric status in all cases.
Key words: children, relationships (Unesco Social Sciences Thesaurus).Authors key words: ADHD, social competence, school sociometric status.
Interfaces complejas en políticas educativas y de juventud: sentidos e identidades
Authors: Molina-Chávez Walter Manuel , Oliva-Figueroa Iván Gabriel
Published: September 2015

(Analítico) En el artículo damos cuenta de las transformaciones e inflexiones socioeconómicas, sociopolíticas y socioculturales -a escala global- de las sociedades contemporáneas, en correlato con los procesos situados de configuración de sentidos educativos e identidad de las jóvenes y los jóvenes escolares secundarios de Chile. Este estudio lo realizamos en cuatro escuelas secundarias públicas en Santiago de Chile. La metodología es de tipo cualitativa y está basada en 32 entrevistas en profundidad. Los resultados evidencian que en la escuela secundaria se configura una pluralidad de sentidos educativos y emergen nuevas identidades entre las personas jóvenes que la habitan cotidianamente. Concluimos que las actuales transformaciones estructurales y subjetivas en curso, tienen profundas implicancias para el diseño de políticas públicas educativas y de juventud en un contexto de fragmentación social y segregación de las instituciones educativas.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Enhances Intravascular Ultrasound Assessment of Vulnerable Coronary Plaque
Authors: Puri Rishi , Madder Ryan D. , Madden Sean P. , Sum Stephen T. , Wolski Kathy , Muller James E. , Andrews Jordan , King Karilane L. , Kataoka Yu , Uno Kiyoko , Kapadia Samir R. , Tuzcu E. Murat , Nissen Steven E. , Virmani Renu , Maehara Akiko , Mintz Gary S. , Nicholls Stephen J.
Published: September 2015

Objectives—

Pathological studies demonstrate the dual significance of plaque burden (PB) and lipid composition for mediating coronary plaque vulnerability. We evaluated relationships between intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)–derived PB and arterial remodeling with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)–derived lipid content in ex vivo and in vivo human coronary arteries.

Approach and Results—

Ex vivo coronary NIRS and IVUS imaging was performed through blood in 116 coronary arteries of 51 autopsied hearts, followed by 2-mm block sectioning (n=2070) and histological grading according to modified American Heart Association criteria. Lesions were defined as the most heavily diseased 2-mm block per imaged artery on IVUS. IVUS-derived PB and NIRS-derived lipid core burden index (LCBI) of each block and lesion were analyzed. Block-level analysis demonstrated significant trends of increasing PB and LCBI across more complex atheroma (
P
trend
<0.001 for both LCBI and PB). Lesion-based analyses demonstrated the highest LCBI and remodeling index within coronary fibroatheroma (
P
trend
<0.001 and 0.02 versus all plaque groups, respectively). Prediction models demonstrated similar abilities of PB, LCBI, and remodeling index for discriminating fibroatheroma (
c
indices: 0.675, 0.712, and 0.672, respectively). A combined PB+LCBI analysis significantly improved fibroatheroma detection accuracy (
c
index 0.77,
P
=0.028 versus PB; net-reclassification index 43%,
P
=0.003), whereas further adding remodeling index did not (
c
index 0.80,
P
=0.27 versus PB+LCBI). In vivo comparisons of 43 age- and sex-matched patients (to the autopsy cohort) undergoing combined NIRS-IVUS coronary imaging yielded similar associations to those demonstrated ex vivo.

Conclusions—

Adding NIRS to conventional IVUS-derived PB imaging significantly improves the ability to detect more active, potentially vulnerable coronary atheroma.
Differentiating Electromechanical From Non–Electrical Substrates of Mechanical Discoordination to Identify Responders to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
Authors: Lumens Joost , Tayal Bhupendar , Walmsley John , Delgado-Montero Antonia , Huntjens Peter R. , Schwartzman David , Althouse Andrew D. , Delhaas Tammo , Prinzen Frits W. , Gorcsan John
Published: September 2015

Background—

Left ventricular (LV) mechanical discoordination, often referred to as dyssynchrony, is often observed in patients with heart failure regardless of QRS duration. We hypothesized that different myocardial substrates for LV mechanical discoordination exist from (1) electromechanical activation delay, (2) regional differences in contractility, or (3) regional scar and that we could differentiate electromechanical substrates responsive to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) from unresponsive non–electrical substrates.

Methods and Results—

First, we used computer simulations to characterize mechanical discoordination patterns arising from electromechanical and non–electrical substrates and accordingly devise the novel systolic stretch index (SSI), as the sum of posterolateral systolic prestretch and septal systolic rebound stretch. Second, 191 patients with heart failure (QRS duration ≥120 ms; LV ejection fraction ≤35%) had baseline SSI quantified by automated echocardiographic radial strain analysis. Patients with SSI≥9.7% had significantly less heart failure hospitalizations or deaths 2 years after CRT (hazard ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.19–0.53;
P
<0.001) and less deaths, transplants, or LV assist devices (hazard ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.55;
P
<0.001). Furthermore, in a subgroup of 113 patients with intermediate electrocardiographic criteria (QRS duration of 120–149 ms or non–left bundle branch block), SSI≥9.7% was independently associated with significantly less heart failure hospitalizations or deaths (hazard ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.23–0.79;
P
=0.004) and less deaths, transplants, or LV assist devices (hazard ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.12–0.60;
P
=0.001).

Conclusions—

Computer simulations differentiated patterns of LV mechanical discoordination caused by electromechanical substrates responsive to CRT from those related to regional hypocontractility or scar unresponsive to CRT. The novel SSI identified patients who benefited more favorably from CRT, including those with intermediate electrocardiographic criteria, where CRT response is less certain by ECG alone.
Efficacy and Safety of Vorapaxar With and Without a Thienopyridine for Secondary Prevention in Patients With Previous Myocardial Infarction and No History of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack
Authors: Bohula Erin A. , Aylward Philip E. , Bonaca Marc P. , Corbalan Ramon L. , Kiss Robert G. , Murphy Sabina A. , Scirica Benjamin M. , White Harvey , Braunwald Eugene , Morrow David A.
Published: September 2015

Background—

Vorapaxar antagonizes protease-activated receptor 1, the primary receptor for thrombin on human platelets, and reduces recurrent thrombotic events in stable patients with a previous myocardial infarction (MI). We wished to determine whether the efficacy and safety of antiplatelet therapy with vorapaxar was modified by concurrent thienopyridine use.

Methods and Results—

The Thrombin Receptor Antagonist in Secondary Prevention of Atherothrombotic Ischemic Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 50 (TRA 2°P-TIMI 50) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vorapaxar in 26 449 patients with previous atherothrombosis. This prespecified analysis included 16 897 patients who qualified with a MI in the preceding 2 weeks to 12 months and was restricted to patients without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack given its contraindication in that population. Randomization was stratified on the basis of planned thienopyridine use. Thienopyridine was planned at randomization in 12 410 (73%). Vorapaxar significantly reduced the composite of cardiovascular death, MI, and stroke in comparison with placebo regardless of planned thienopyridine therapy (planned thienopyridine, hazard ratio, 0.80, 0.70–0.91,
P
<0.001; no planned thienopyridine, hazard ratio, 0.75; 0.60–0.94,
P
=0.011;
P
-interaction=0.67). Findings were similar when patients were stratified by actual thienopyridine use at baseline (
P
-interaction=0.82) and through 18 months (
P
-interaction=0.44). Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO) moderate or severe bleeding risk was increased with vorapaxar and was not significantly altered by planned thienopyridine (planned, hazard ratio, 1.50; 1.18–1.89,
P
<0.001; no planned, hazard ratio, 1.90, 1.17–3.07,
P
=0.009;
P
-interaction=0.37) or actual thienopyridine use (
P
-interaction=0.24).

Conclusions—

Vorapaxar reduced cardiovascular death, MI, or stroke in stable patients with a history of previous MI, whether treated concomitantly with a thienopyridine or not. The relative risk of moderate or severe bleeding was similarly increased irrespective of thienopyridine use.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00526474.
Functional Gain After Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Scrutinio Domenico , Monitillo Vincenzo , Guida Pietro , Nardulli Roberto , Multari Vincenzo , Monitillo Francesco , Calabrese Gianluigi , Fiore Pietro
Published: September 2015

Background and Purpose—

Prediction of functional outcome after stroke rehabilitation (SR) is a growing field of interest. The association between SR and survival still remains elusive. We sought to investigate the factors associated with functional outcome after SR and whether the magnitude of functional improvement achieved with rehabilitation is associated with long-term mortality risk.

Methods—

The study population consisted of 722 patients admitted for SR within 90 days of stroke onset, with an admission functional independence measure (FIM) score of <80 points. We used univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses to assess the association between baseline variables and FIM gain and univariable and multivariable Cox analyses to assess the association of FIM gain with long-term mortality.

Results—

Age (
P
<0.001), marital status (
P
=0.003), time from stroke onset to rehabilitation admission (
P
<0.001), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at rehabilitation admission (
P
<0.001), and aphasia (
P
=0.021) were independently associated with FIM gain. The
R
2
of the model was 0.275. During a median follow-up of 6.17 years, 36.9% of the patients died. At multivariable Cox analysis, age (
P
<0.0001), coronary heart disease (
P
=0.018), atrial fibrillation (
P
=0.042), total cholesterol (
P
=0.015), and total FIM gain (
P
<0.0001) were independently associated with mortality. The adjusted hazard ratio for death significantly decreased across tertiles of increasing FIM gain.

Conclusions—

Several factors are independently associated with functional gain after SR. Our findings strongly suggest that the magnitude of functional improvement is a powerful predictor of long-term mortality in patients admitted for SR.
Culture-Specific Communicative Styles as a Framework for Interpreting Linguistic and Cultural Idiosyncrasies
Authors: Larina Tatiana
Published: September 2015

This paper attempts to define a culture-specific communicative style which I call communicative ethno-style and determine the factors which lead to its formation. While defining communicative ethno-style some generalizations are unavoidable and reference is made to a typical user of standard language and his/her communicative behaviour in interpersonal interaction in everyday situations. At the same time it is not possible to take a dichotomous approach in describing the communicative styles as they form a continuum and need to be viewed in comparison. In this paper I demarcate the dominant features of Russian communicative style as opposed to British and emphasize the importance of a systemized description of culture specific communicative differences through communicative ethno-styles. This is important for developing pragmatic and discourse competence necessary for intercultural communication. The study is based on empirical data obtained through questionnaires, interviews and observations and follows contextual, pragmatic, discourse analyses. The theoretical framework is based on Politeness Theory (Brown and Levinson, 1987; Leech, 1983, 2005; Watts, 2003), Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969) and the Theory of Cultural Scripts (Wierzbicka, 1991/2003, 2002, 2006).
Communication and Core Conditions in Rapport Building: A Case Study
Authors: Žegarac Vladimir , Caley Joy , Bhatti Joanna
Published: September 2015

The main aim of this article is to show how difficulties in communication across cultural boundaries can be addressed effectively by taking account of the complex interplay between individual, culture-specific and universal aspects of social interaction. The article considers an unconventional, creative and effective approach to dealing with a critical incident situation that arose in an intercultural EFL classroom. The description and analysis of the problem situation draw on Carl Rogers’ (see Kirschenbaum and Henderson, 1989) core conditions for facilitative educational practice and the key concepts of Relevance-theoretic pragmatics (Sperber and Wilson, 1986, 1995), showing how the mechanisms of communication can be used in building positive rapport between the interactants as whole integrated individuals.
Identity Formation in Ritual Interaction
Authors: Kádár Dániel Z.
Published: September 2015

This paper explores the (co-)construction of identities in ritual interaction, by focusing on the choice of interactional styles. ‘Interactional style’ describes a cluster of similar indexical actions within the interaction “frame” (Goffman, 1974) of a ritual. Ritual is a recurrent interaction type, which puts constraints on the individual’s “freedom” to construct their (and others’) identities, in a somewhat similar way to institutional interactions, which have been broadly studied in the field. However, the constraints posed by ritual interactions are different from institutional, and so by examining identity (co-)construction via interactional style choices in ritual contexts, this paper fills an important knowledge gap. I approach interactional style choices through the notions of “role” and “accountability”, and by placing ritual practices within Goffman’s (1981) participation framework. I use examples of heckling at performing arts events as data. By focusing on interactional style, the paper contributes to the present Special Issue dedicated to interactional styles across cultures.
Studies on Hong Kong Hepatics II. Notes on Some Newly Recorded Liverworts from Hong Kong

Authors: So M. L. , Zhu R. L.
Published: September 2015

Based on field work and herbarium studies, 44 species belonging to 21 genera and 11 families of hepatics are newly reported for Hong Kong. A first checklist of liverworts and hornworts in Hong Kong is also included.
Floristic Survey of Epixylic Bryophytes of an Area Remnant of the Atlantic Forest (Timbaúba - PE, Brazil). 1. Hepaticopsida (except Lejeuneaceae) and Bryopsida

Authors: Germano Shirley Rangel , Pôrto Kátia Cavalcanti
Published: September 2015

A survey of the epixylic bryoflora of a remaining Atlantic forest (seasonal coastal deciduous forest), Engenho Água Azul, in the municipality of Timbaúba ( Lat 7° 35S; Long. 35° 20W ), State of Pernambuco, Brazil, registered 35 species of bryophytes distributed in 11 families of Bryopsida: Calymperaceae, Pilotrichaceae, Fissidentaceae, Hookeriaceae, Hypnaceae, Leucobryaceae, Leucomiaceae, Orthotrichaceae, Plagiotheciaceae, Sematophyllaceae, Thuidiaceae, and 5 of Hepaticopsida: Aneuraceae, Frullaniaceae, Geocalycaceae, Plagiochilaceae and Radulaceae. New records northeastern of Brazil are: Frullania caroliniana Sullivant, F. gymnotis Nees & Mont., Ochrobryum stenophyllum Besch., Plagiochila trigonifolia Steph., Radula macrostachya Linbenb. & Gott., Riccardia digitiloba (Spruce ex Steph.) Hell, Thuidium tomentosum Schimp. ex Besch. and Trichosteleum pusillum (Hornsch.) Jaeg. There is an indication of the description, illustration, and geographic distribution for Brazil of all taxons found.
Taxonomic results of the BRYOTROP Expedition to Zaire and Rwanda 32. Bryaceae

Authors: Chuah-Petiot Min S.
Published: September 2015

16 species of Bryaceae collected during the Bryotrop expedition to Rwanda and Zaire were examined resulting in 7 new records for Central Africa.
Five new species and two records of Triphorinae (Caenogastropoda, Triphoridae) from Brazil
Authors: Fernandes Maurício R. , Pimenta Alexandre D.
Published: September 2015

Triphoridae is one of the most speciose families of marine mollusks, being mainly represented by the subfamily Triphorinae. The present study aims to describe five new species of Triphorinae, and to report two species in Brazil previously known only from the Caribbean: Nanaphora verbernei (Moolenbeek & Faber) comb. nov. is herein disregarded as belonging to the genus Cheirodonta, owing to differences especially related to shell morphology; Triphora portoricensis Rolán & Redfern has its known geographic distribution greatly increased, despite its non-planktotrophic development; Cheirodonta mizifio sp. nov. has a brown shell, with the median spiral cord emerging weakly in the beginning of sixth to eighth whorl of teleoconch; Eutriphora costai sp. nov. has a beige shell, with the median spiral cord emerging in the fifth whorl of teleoconch; Nanaphora leei sp. nov. has a large shell for the genus, with the median spiral cord emerging between the eighth and ninth whorl of teleoconch; Triphora charybdis sp. nov. has a white adapical spiral cord, brown median/abapical cords, with the median one usually emerging in the seventh whorl of teleoconch; Triphora scylla sp. nov. has a reticulated embryonic shell, with the median spiral cord of teleoconch emerging between the end of the sixth to the end of the tenth whorl.
Taxonomic notes on the genus Baetiella Uéno from China, with the descriptions of three new species (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae)
Authors: SHI WEIFANG , TONG XIAOLI
Published: September 2015

Nine Baetiella species, including three new species, are reported from China. Baetiella lanpingensis n. sp. is diagnosed by the 2nd segment of labial palpus without inner-apical lobe, the posteromedian margin of terga I–VI each with a single protuberance, posterior margin of sterna V–IX each with a row of continuous long spatulate setae and median caudal filament with only one segment. Baetiella sexta n. sp. is characterized by the 2nd segment of labial palpus bearing an inner-apical lobe, the posteromedian margins of terga I–VI each with a single protuberance, posterior margins of sterna I–VII smooth and median caudal filament with 3–5 segments. Baetiella spathae n. sp. is distinguished from its congeners by the terminal segment of labial palpus asymmetric coniform, the posteromedian margin of terga I–IX each with a single protuberance and posterior margin of sterna V–IX each with a row of long spatulate setae. Additionally, B. macani (Müller-Liebenau, 1985) is removed from the synonymy with B. bispinosa (Gose, 1980) and considered as a valid species. B. marginata Braasch, 1983 is recorded for the first time from China. A key to fourteen species of Baetiella known from mature nymphal stages in the world is provided.
Convective Instability Underneath Midlevel Clouds: Comparisons between Numerical Simulations and VHF Radar Observations
Authors: Kudo Atsushi , Luce Hubert , Hashiguchi Hiroyuki , Wilson Richard
Published: September 2015

Deep turbulent layers can sometimes be observed on the underside of clouds that extend above upper-level frontal zones. In a recent study based on 3D numerical simulations with idealized initial conditions, it was found that midlevel cloud-base turbulence (MCT) can result from Rayleigh–Bénard-like convection as a result of cooling by sublimation of precipitating snow into dry and weakly stratified subcloud layers. In the present study, numerically simulated MCT was compared with a turbulent layer detected by the very high-frequency (VHF) middle- and upper-atmosphere (MU) radar during the passage of an upper-level front topped by clouds. The simulations were initialized with thermodynamic parameters derived from simultaneous radiosonde data. It was found that some important features of the simulated MCT (such as the scale of convection and vertical wind velocity perturbations) agreed quantitatively well with those reported in radar observations. Even if the possibility of other generation mechanisms cannot be ruled out, the good agreement strongly suggests that the MU radar actually detected MCT.
Abyssal Ocean Warming and Salinification after Weddell Polynyas in the GFDL CM2G Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Zanowski Hannah , Hallberg Robert , Sarmiento Jorge L.
Published: September 2015

The role of Weddell Sea polynyas in establishing deep-ocean properties is explored in the NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory’s (GFDL) coupled climate model CM2G. Using statistical composite analysis of over 30 polynya events that occur in a 2000-yr-long preindustrial control run, the temperature, salinity, and water mass changes associated with the composite event are quantified. For the time period following the composite polynya cessation, termed the “recovery,” warming between 0.002° and 0.019°C decade−1 occurs below 4200 m in the Southern Ocean basins. Temperature and salinity changes are strongest in the Southern Ocean and the South Atlantic near the polynya formation region. Comparison of the model results with abyssal temperature observations reveals that the 1970s Weddell Polynya recovery could account for 10% ± 8% of the recent warming in the abyssal Southern Ocean. For individual Southern Ocean basins, this percentage is as little as 6% ± 11% or as much as 34% ± 13%.
Antitrust and X-Efficiency
Authors: Frantz Roger
Published: September 2015

In economics efficiency has meant allocative efficiency since time immemorial. Allocative efficiency means that the market price is equal to the marginal cost, and that the firm is using the cost minimizing [K/L] ratio. Allocative inefficiency in the market occurs when P ≠ MC. In the firm it means that the firm is either too capital intensive or too labor intensive. Most of the attention in economics has been on market allocative inefficiency. This is because markets will be inefficient if it contains market power. However, since “time immemorial” firms have been assumed to be efficient. Market allocative inefficiency for the entire economy is between 1/10 of 1% and 1/100 of 1% of GDP. For a $16 trillion GDP this is equal to between $16,000,000,000 and $1,600,000,000. By way of comparison, each year Americans spend $7,000,000,000 on potato chips. However, inefficiency is not limited to allocative inefficiency. In 1966 Harvey Leibenstein began using the term X-(in)efficiency. The use of the X stems from the fact that when Harvey Leibenstein first wrote about it he claimed that the nature of this type of non-allocative (in)efficiency was not known, hence the X. X-inefficiency has been estimated to be in the area of three percent of the GDP. For a $16 trillion economy this is $480,000,000,000. This paper reviews some of the issues surrounding X-(in)efficiency including some raised by Oliver Williamson, as well as reviewing the empirical literature on X-efficiency in the financial sectors of the U.S. and Europe.
Avoiding the Efficiency Trap
Authors: Hawker Norman W. , Edmonds Thomas N.
Published: September 2015

For most of the last half century, economic concepts of efficiency have dominated antitrust law and competition policy. Debates have largely centered around how to apply these concepts to specific types of business conduct, for example, whether a particular merger is efficient or a particular action will exclude equally efficient competitors from the market, while concerns about market structure have largely receded into the background. Business scholarship and practice, however, have begun to place an increasing emphasis on sustainability. Sustainability not only challenges the basic assumption of efficiency analysis that firms rationally pursue profit maximization, sustainability also suggests that overreliance on efficiency may be a trap that renders markets less resilient and more prone to collapse in the face of abrupt changes. Growing concern about the fragility of supply chain networks provides a case in point. To avoid the efficiency trap requires consideration of both efficiency and resilience.
Efficient Efficiencies Analysis
Authors: Gaynor Martin
Published: September 2015

Efficiencies analysis is both an important area and one where research efforts can be particularly productive. Thinking of efficiencies and competitive effects together as components of a unified analysis is a productive conceptual framework and one that may yield methodological advances. The increased availability of detailed data, combined with increased attention to methods for analyzing efficiencies, have the potential for increasing insights and advancing enforcement.
Reviewing Wireless Mergers
Authors: DeGraba Patrick , Rosston Gregory
Published: September 2015

The Federal Communications Commission can improve the transparency of its decision process by establishing a set of guidelines for its review of mergers. Its current process is opaque, and parties cannot discern the weights that it places on “public interest” goals in some areas and how those balance against harms in other areas. The antitrust agencies’ Merger Guidelines provide an example of how the Commission could signal more clearly its analytical process and push for more efficient remedies and lessen political pressure to undertake inefficient trade-offs such as requiring build out to areas unaffected by changes in competition due to a merger.
The Role of Measurement Quality on Practical Guidelines for Assessing Measurement and Structural Invariance
Authors: Kang Yoonjeong , McNeish Daniel M. , Hancock Gregory R.
Published: September 2015

Although differences in goodness-of-fit indices (ΔGOFs) have been advocated for assessing measurement invariance, studies that advanced recommended differential cutoffs for adjudicating invariance actually utilized a very limited range of values representing the quality of indicator variables (i.e., magnitude of loadings). Because quality of measurement has been found to be relevant in the context of assessing data-model fit in single-group models, this study used simulation and population analysis methods to examine the extent to which quality of measurement affects ΔGOFs for tests of invariance in multiple group models. Results show that ΔMcDonald’s NCI is minimally affected by loading magnitude and sample size when testing invariance in the measurement model, while differences in comparative fit index varies widely when testing both measurement and structural variance as measurement quality changes, making it difficult to pinpoint a common value that suggests reasonable invariance.
At the front line: examining the effects of perceived job significance, employee commitment, and job involvement on public service motivation
Authors: Kim Taehee , Henderson Alexander C. , Eom Tae Ho
Published: September 2015

Social welfare work has long been identified as a highly stressful occupation, and one in which considerations of motivating employees and encouraging increased responsibility and commitment are central to understanding individual and collective performance. In the face of organizational factors that negatively affect employees’ motivation, including a lack of promotion opportunities, red tape, and expected emotional exhaustion, it becomes much more important for management to motivate employees in such a way that they can provide meaningful and satisfactory services to their clients. Extant research suggests that employees with higher levels of public service motivation (PSM) are motivated to engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit others. Using survey data gathered from social welfare workers in South Korea, this research examines the impact of a number of job-related factors on employee levels of PSM. The results indicate that job significance, professional job involvement, and affective commitment all impact the levels of PSM, suggesting that attention to job characteristics and the dynamic nature of PSM are important in particularly stressful front-line professions.

Points for practitioners

Given the organizational constraints on reward programs that exist in public agencies, it becomes increasingly important to consider other job-related factors that may improve motivation – especially related to public goals – among social welfare workers. The findings of this study suggest that increasing opportunities for social welfare workers to directly meet and interact with their service beneficiaries or enabling employees to gain access to citizens’ feedback about their service quality or service impact (e.g. citizen satisfaction survey results), can play a major role in maintaining or improving employees’ level of public service motivation. The results also underline the importance of managers’ giving consideration to fostering employees’ public service motivation.
Who you are/where you live: do neighbourhood characteristics explain co-production?
Authors: Thijssen Peter , Van Dooren Wouter
Published: September 2015

Co-production establishes an interactive relationship between citizens and public service providers. Successful co-production hence requires the engagement of citizens. Typically, individual characteristics such as age, gender, and income are used to explain why citizens co-produce. In contrast, neighbourhood-level variables receive less attention. Nevertheless, the co-production literature, as well as social capital and urban planning theory, provides good arguments why neighbourhood variables may be relevant. In this study, we examine the administrative records of citizen-initiated contacts in a reporting programme for problems in the public domain. This co-production programme is located in the district of Deurne in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. A multilevel analysis is used to simultaneously assess the impact of neighbourhood characteristics and individual variables. While the individual variables usually found to explain co-production are present in our case, we also find that neighbourhood characteristics significantly explain co-production. Thus, our findings suggest that participation in co-production activities is determined not only by who you are, but also by where you live.

Points for practitioners

In order to facilitate co-production and participation, the neighbourhood should be the first place to look. Co-production benefits may disproportionaly accrue to strong citizens, but also to strong neighbourhoods. Social corrections should take both into account. More broadly, a good understanding of the neighbourhoods in the city is needed to grasp citizen behaviour. Place-based policies in the city should focus on the neighbourhood.
Stakeholder responses to government austerity: what happens when strong stakeholders fail to react?
Authors: Ogata Ken
Published: September 2015

Using stakeholder theory and a historical case study, I examine how key stakeholders failed to challenge the Alberta provincial government’s fiscal reforms, leading to the emergence of an unlikely champion in the Calgary hospital laundry workers. Notwithstanding that several prominent and powerful professional groups had the opportunity to oppose the government’s reforms, these groups either acquiesced or sought compromise individually with the government. This case calls into question the professions’ ability to protect public institutions under their domain.

Points for practitioners

In terms of potential implications for public administrators, this case provides an example of professional failure to intercede in the public interest, despite having the power and legitimacy to act according to stakeholder theory. This raises questions as to the circumstances under which professional groups will exercise their advocacy role. Unaddressed are the conditions under which relatively powerless demanding stakeholders can acquire power and legitimacy. Accordingly, administrators ‘relying’ upon established stakeholders as barometers of public opinion may misread public sentiment.
Consolidation in the public sector: methods and approaches in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries
Authors: Bergmann Andreas , Grossi Giuseppe , Rauskala Iris , Fuchs Sandro
Published: September 2015

Organisational changes of the public sector have led to increased decentralisation of public services. Only fully fledged financial accounting and reporting systems guarantee the consolidated information needed by executive and legislative bodies to fulfil their duties in financial management and the supervision of network entities. Consolidated financial statements may serve to increase accountability and transparency towards internal and external stakeholders. The article aims at giving an overview of consolidation approaches in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. It will focus on the methods applied and the guiding principles followed to define the perimeter of consolidation. The analysis is carried out through a comparison of legal requirements and standards for consolidation, and the published consolidated financial statements, taking the International Public Sector Accounting Standards as a benchmark.

Points for practitioners

The analysis of consolidation practice in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries reveals that while the use of consolidated financial statements is increasing, there are still significant deviations from the perspective of international accounting standards. The results show that the equity method plays a crucial role as it is used in a transition period to full consolidation and/or for organisations having major influence on the statements of financial position. These findings are of interest in the ongoing debate of international standard-setting in the field of consolidation, as well as for the discussion of European Public Sector Accounting Standards.
Holding the European Commission to account: the promise of delegated acts
Authors: Brandsma Gijs Jan
Published: September 2015

This article focuses on a new type of rules that the European Union may adopt: delegated legislation. Although this instrument may be new, it follows from a long-standing controversy over the means by which the European Parliament can hold the European Commission to account when it adopts executive rules. On the basis of interviews and documentary evidence, this article aims to test to what degree the new system delivers on its promise of stronger accountability. Although the new system is still in its infancy, the article concludes that formal rules, internal norms and practices are already indicative of stronger legislative control. However, capacity issues within the European Parliament, as well as a lack of public transparency, may well prove to be detrimental when the number of delegated acts increases.

Points for practitioners

This article assesses the degree to which the European Parliament is equipped to hold the European Commission to account when it adopts delegated legislation. Current accountability systems and practices are still in their infancy, but there are already clear signs of stronger legislative control over the European Commission. However, capacity issues within the European Parliament and a lack of transparency of delegated legislation will jeopardize accountability as the number of delegated acts increases.
Government-driven social enterprises in South Korea: lessons from the Social Enterprise Promotion Program in the Seoul Metropolitan Government
Authors: Jung Kyujin , Jang Hee Soun , Seo Inseok
Published: September 2015

Although scholars and practitioners in the field of public administration have investigated the nature of social enterprises emerging from the nonprofit sector, little research has been undertaken on the role of governments in facilitating prospective social enterprises to transform nonprofits into social enterprises. This research explores the global phenomenon of social entrepreneurship by analysing the government-driven social enterprise programs in South Korea. What is the government-driven social enterprise policy in South Korea? What is the role of the government in driving the success of the social enterprises in South Korea? What are the factors that affect the success of government-driven social enterprises? The results of this study highlight how government support helps nonprofit organizations cope effectively with diverse constraints that may cause nonprofit failure in societies like South Korea. The study findings confirm that Salamon's third-party government perspective and nonprofit failure theory justify government intervention, suggesting that governments may drive nonprofit organizations efficiently to overcome a propensity to failure by providing them with resources.

Points for practitioners

This study found that government support to the small nonprofit organizations may facilitate civil society growth in Eastern Asia countries. Our research of government-driven social enterprise policy in Seoul Korea will provide a policy model for policy decision-makers for program design that would expand social services provided by non-state actors, and government-driven nonprofit policies will allow public agencies to direct and expand the social services without creating new agencies. However, we also found that the mandatory administrative approach may not address nonprofits’ daily challenges in an effective manner.
Informally Governing Information: How Criminal Rivalry Leads to Violence against the Press in Mexico
Authors: Holland Bradley E. , Rios Viridiana
Published: September 2015

A well-functioning press is crucial for sustaining a healthy democracy. While attacks on journalists occur regularly in many developing countries, previous work has largely ignored where and why journalists are attacked. Focusing on violence by criminal organizations (COs) in Mexico, we offer the first systematic, micro-level analysis of the conditions under which journalists are more likely to be violently targeted. Contrary to popular belief, our evidence reveals that the presence of large, profitable COs does not necessarily lead to fatal attacks against the press. Rather, the likelihood of journalists being killed only increases when rival criminal groups inhabit territories. Rivalry inhibits COs’ ability to control information leaks to the press, instead creating incentives for such leaks to be used as weapons to intensify official enforcement operations against rivals. Without the capacity to informally govern press content, rival criminals affected by such press coverage are more likely to target journalists.
The Diffusion of Nonviolent Campaigns
Authors: Gleditsch Kristian S. , Rivera Mauricio
Published: September 2015

Existing research has uncovered strong geographical clustering in civil war and a variety of diffusion mechanisms through which violence in one country can increase the risk of outbreaks in other countries. Popular coverage of nonviolent protest often emphasizes regional waves like the 1989 revolutions in Eastern Europe and the Arab Spring. However, most research on nonviolence focuses only on features within countries affecting motivation and opportunities, and we know little about the possible role of diffusion and transnational factors. We detail how nonviolent campaigns in other states can increase nonviolent mobilization and direct action, highlighting important differences in the likely actors for violent and nonviolent direct action and the relevant diffusion mechanisms. We find strong empirical evidence for diffusion in nonviolent campaigns. The effects are largely confined to campaigns in neighboring countries, and there is little evidence of global diffusion. The potential diffusion effects are also specific to whether dissent is violent and nonviolent rather than general political instability. Moreover, we find that the effects of neighboring campaigns on nonviolent direct action apply only in cases with plausible motivation for contesting the government, and the effects are stronger when the regional environment can help expand opportunities for organizing dissent.
The Motivational Force of Descriptive Norms
Authors: Gelfand Michele J. , Harrington Jesse R.
Published: September 2015

Descriptive norms, or cognitions concerning the dominant beliefs, values, and behaviors of a particular reference group, are distinct from personal values and predict a wide range of cultural behavior. However, questions remain as to when and in what contexts descriptive norms predict behavior and what cultural, situational, and individual difference factors influence their motivational force. In this article, we focus on three primary motive goals that may help us determine when descriptive norms are particularly predictive: the goal to manage uncertainty and threat, the goal to manage impressions, and goals derived from power and dependence. We argue that descriptive norms serve important epistemic, identity, and social coordinative functions that help satisfy these goals.
Wage inequality and neoliberalism: The Australian experience
Authors: Watson Ian
Published: September 2015

This article examines wage inequality in Australia from 1982 to 2012 using income distribution data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The analysis shows that wage inequality grew steadily during this period, and that the growth was particularly strong from 1996 onward. Through the use of quantile regression it is possible to decompose the growth in inequality into three components: changes in the wage structure, changes in workforce characteristics and a residual (‘unobservables’). The results of this analysis are conclusive among male full-time employees: despite the conventional wisdom that the changing nature of the workforce contributed to the growth of inequality, I find that the changes in the wage structure accounted for more than three-quarters of this growth. In the case of female full-time employees, changes in the wage structure accounted for about half of this growth. The article locates these findings within an analysis of neoliberalism in Australia and suggests that deindustrialisation and financialisation appear to be closely related to increased wage inequality.