bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Industrialists
Authors: Delton Jennifer A.
Published: September 2020

Founded in 1895, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) helped make manufacturing the basis of the US economy and a major source of jobs in the twentieth century. This book traces the history of the advocacy group from its origins to today, examining its role in shaping modern capitalism, while also highlighting the many tensions and contradictions within the organization that sometimes hampered its mission. The book argues that NAM—an organization best known for fighting unions, promoting “free enterprise,” and defending corporate interests—was also surprisingly progressive. The book shows how it encouraged companies to adopt innovations such as safety standards, workers' compensation, and affirmative action, and worked with the US government and international organizations to promote the free exchange of goods and services across national borders. While NAM's modernizing and globalizing activities helped to make US industry the most profitable and productive in the world by midcentury, they also eventually led to deindustrialization, plant closings, and the decline of manufacturing jobs. The book is the story of a powerful organization that fought US manufacturing's political battles, created its economic infrastructure, and expanded its global markets—only to contribute to the widespread collapse of US manufacturing by the close of the twentieth century.
Introduction
Authors: Delton Jennifer A.
Published: September 2020

This introductory chapter presents new understandings of manufacturing's main lobbyist and trade association, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). To understand how a conservative, anti-union organization can also be seen as progressive, the chapter first takes a look at its background as it considers how disorganized and chaotic US capitalism was at the end of the nineteenth century, when NAM was founded. In addition to examining NAM's role in organizing and globalizing capitalism, the chapter explores how it worked, who it represented, and how effective it was as a lobbyist. It also identifies NAM's many internal tensions. Furthermore, the chapter identifies the economic, ideological, and institutional concerns that drove NAM actors, as these offer insight into the evolving political taxonomies of our own day.
Fighting Unions
Authors: Delton Jennifer A.
Published: September 2020

This chapter focuses on the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as an explicitly anti-union organization with the stated goal of maintaining the “open shop”—or union-free workplaces. NAM's chief target was the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which, like NAM, sought to bring order and standardization to the field of labor, but on workers' terms. NAM fought the AFL using many of the same tactics the AFL deployed against employers: disciplined organization, injunctions, lobbying, and what it variously called “propaganda” or “education.” The battle between NAM and the AFL was epic, conceived by both as a struggle for control of the American workplace. Unions and industrialists—both wary of the state—fought one another for control. Neither the AFL nor NAM were truly representative of their alleged constituency (“workers” and “industry,” respectively), but they were the organizations most fully engaged in this battle, each vilifying the other as “the enemy,” both claiming to uphold American individualism.
New Deal Blues and Global Boons
Authors: Delton Jennifer A.
Published: September 2020

This chapter shows how the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reorganized and slowly emerged as the first line of resistance to the new New Deal state—thus conforming perfectly to New Dealers' view of capitalists as class-bound reactionaries. Much has been written about the reactionary anti-New Deal National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The chapter reviews that history to demonstrate its significance in terms of the organization's identity, the struggle for workplace control, and US history in general. But some New Deal policies—such as the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934, and the establishment of the Export–Import Bank in 1934—furthered NAM's agendas in industrial rationalization and trade expansion. This highlights the tension between the conservative principles of its leaders and the progressive prerogatives of global capitalism.
Nonstandard, Mismatched, and Precarious Work
Authors: Pedulla David S.
Published: September 2020

This chapter considers what nonstandard, mismatched, and precarious employment can entail and details the changing nature of the broader economy. There is a growing emphasis on the institutional arrangements and changes that have resulted in economic strain and anxiety for many workers in the United States. The chapter delves into the ways that these nonstandard, mismatched, and precarious employment experiences are evaluated by employers during the hiring process. It also provides basic definitions and background information about these types of employment experiences and how they overlap with race and gender divisions in the labor market. Finally, the chapter examines the existing scholarship on changes over time in these positions and how they impact the lives of workers, their families, and the organizations where they labor.
“What Type of a Grown Man Doesn’t Have a Full-Time Job?”
Authors: Pedulla David S.
Published: September 2020

This chapter aims to understand why part-time work and gender interact with one another in the field experiment. The masculine nature of the ideal worker norm and the feminized nature of part-time employment are central to understanding the gender-differentiated ways that hiring professionals treat workers with histories of part-time employment. During initial screening, employers likely do not have information about why a worker was in a part-time position, leaving them with significant uncertainty. Given a job applicant's narrative is unlikely to be available at this moment of initial screening, one way that employers make sense of part-time employment is by drawing on the stereotypes and cultural beliefs about the gender of the worker to weave a narrative about the applicant's part-time experience. In this way, hiring professionals develop stratified stories.
The Grace of the Italian Renaissance
Authors: Mac Carthy Ita
Published: September 2020

‘Grace’ emerges as a keyword in the culture and society of sixteenth-century Italy. This book explores how it conveys and connects the most pressing ethical, social and aesthetic concerns of an age concerned with the reactivation of ancient ideas in a changing world. The book reassesses artists such as Francesco del Cossa, Raphael, and Michelangelo and explores anew writers like Castiglione, Ariosto, Tullia d'Aragona, and Vittoria Colonna. It shows how these artists and writers put grace at the heart of their work. The book argues that grace came to be as contested as it was prized across a range of Renaissance Italian contexts. It characterised emerging styles in literature and the visual arts, shaped ideas about how best to behave at court and sparked controversy about social harmony and human salvation. For all these reasons, grace abounded in the Italian Renaissance, yet it remained hard to define. The book explores what grace meant to theologians, artists, writers, and philosophers, showing how it influenced their thinking about themselves, each other and the world. It portrays grace not as a stable formula of expression but as a web of interventions in culture and society.
Religion as Weapon
Authors: McNally Michael D.
Published: September 2020

This chapter offers crucial historical context and shows just how freighted the category of religion can be for Native peoples. Religion, or its absence, served as a key instrument in the legalization of the dispossession of North America, first through the legal Doctrine of Christian Discovery, which continues to inform federal Indian law, and second through the criminalization of traditional religions under the federal Indian Bureau's Civilization Regulations from 1883 to 1934. As devastating as the regulations and their assemblage of civilization with a thinly veiled Protestant Christianity were, affected Native people strategically engaged religious freedom discourse to protect those threatened practices that they increasingly argued were their “religions” and protected under religious liberty. Even as the government and missionary sought to curb Native religious practices thought to retard civilization, Euro-Americans began in earnest to fantasize about a Native spirituality that they could collect, admire, and inhabit. But while this awakened Euro-American appreciation for Native cultures served to help lift the formal confines of the Civilization Regulations in the 1930s, it has continued to beset Native efforts to protect collective traditions.
Solutions to Selected Exercises
Authors: Stillwell John
Published: September 2020

This chapter develops the basic results of computability theory, many of which are about noncomputable sequences and sets, with the goal of revealing the limits of computable analysis. Two of the key examples are a bounded computable sequence of rational numbers whose limit is not computable, and a computable tree with no computable infinite path. Computability is an unusual mathematical concept, because it is most easily used in an informal way. One often talks about it in terms of human activities, such as making lists, rather than by applying a precise definition. Nevertheless, there is a precise definition of computability, so this informal description of computations can be formalized.
Detecting earnings manipulation and fraudulent financial reporting in Slovakia
Authors: Svabova Lucia , Kramarova Katarina , Chutka Jan , Strakova Lenka
Published: September 2020

Research background: Misleading financial reporting has a negative impact on all stakeholders since financial records are the primary source of information on financial stability, economic activity, and financial health of any company. The handling of them is primarily the responsibility of managers or owners and reasons for doing so may differ. Their common denominator is the artificial creation of information asymmetry to get different types of benefits. It is, therefore, logical that the issue of detecting opportunistic earnings management comes to the fore.
Purpose of the article: The purpose of the study is to create a discriminant model of the detection of earnings manipulators in the conditions of the Slovak economy. 
Methods: We used the discriminant analysis to create a model to identify fraudulent companies, based on the real data on companies that were convicted from misleading financial reporting in connection with tax fraud in the years 2009?2018. The model is inspired by the Beneish model, which is one of the most applied fraud detection methods at all.
Findings & Value added: In order to achieve more accurate detection results, we extended the original model by taking into account the values of indicators from three consecutive years, i.e. by taking into account the development of the potential tendency of companies to be involved in opportunistic earnings management. Our model correctly identified 86.4% of fraudulent companies and overall reaches 84.1% classification ability. Both models were applied on empirical data on 1,900 Slovak companies from the years 2016?2018, while their overlap was 32.7% for fraudulent companies and 38.4% for non-fraud companies. This is a very useful result, as the application of both models rein-forces the results obtained and the identical classification of the company into fraudulent indicates that the manipulation of earnings occurs with a high probability.
Proactive customer orientation and joint learning capabilities in collaborative machine to machine innovation technology development: the case study of automotive equipment manufacturer
Authors: Zadykowicz Anna , Chmielewski Krzysztof J. , Siemieniako Dariusz
Published: September 2020

Research background: There is a considerable amount of literature focused on customers? motivation to participate in cooperative new product development [NPD], but previous research neglected the suppliers? perspective concerning organizational mechanisms for the facilitation of customer involvement in cooperative new product development.
Purpose of the article: The aim of the study is to explore the influence of two kinds of dynamic capabilities, proactive customer orientation [PCO] and joint learning capability [JLC] on the acceptance and use of machine to machine interaction [M2M] in collaborative innovation development [CID], from the supplier?s perspective.
Methods: The research is based on a case study carried out from June 2018 till June 2019 of a Polish automation integrator supplying a manufacturer of automotive equipment, i.e. automotive industry, in a fully robotized workstation. In order to understand how the company functions in this case, in-depth interviews with the company?s employees have been conducted.
Findings & Value added: The results revealed that intelligent devices, interacting machines, and real-time data transfer to the supplier may cause disruptions through their impact on establishing trustful business relationships. We believe our findings could have a profound impact on the way how proactive customer orientation and relational interactions supported knowledge sharing and joint learning sense-making through operational meetings and on-the-job workshops which role was to evaluate the collaborative project.
Quantifying Recent Upsurge in Covid-19 Incidence and Related Fatalities: An Implication of Delayed Response or State of Delivery Health Care System?
Authors: Taofik Olatunji Bankole  , Glory Urhere
Published: September 2020

Study Aim: To validate the recent upsurge in COVID-19 incidence and related fatalities in a retrospective to the state of the healthcare delivery system and delayed in response to the pandemic in Nigeria.
Methods: The quantitative cross-sectional times series method was adopted. COVID-19 Data for Nigeria were extracted for reported cases and fatalities arising from COVID-19 complications from the WHO COVID-19 situational data bank between March 15 and July 15, 2020. The incidence and fatality growth rates were generated at intervals for four months. Data were analyzed with the Stata version 15.
Results: Findings showed that the recent upsurge in COVID-19 accounted for 99.2%, 98.9%, 98.5%, 99.8%, 99.2%, 99.8%, and 97.3% complications that led to the death of infected patients in the Northcentral, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southsouth. Southwest and the FCT. The results showed that there was a strong uphill linear (r = 0.991) and a significant association between COVID-19 incidence and fatalities arising from COVID-19 complications in Nigeria (ß = 0.022; t = 30.2; p<0.001).
Evolução das despesas públicas em políticas sociais na região funcional 7 e impactos no IDESE
Authors: Rotta Edemar , Smolski Felipe Micail da Silva
Published: September 2020

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a evolução das despesas públicas em políticas sociais e seus impactos sobre o Índice de Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico (IDESE) para os 77 municípios da Região Funcional 7 (RF-7), do Rio Grande do Sul, no período de 2007 a 2015. Tem-se como referência o método empírico analítico, trabalhando com dados secundários obtidos junto à Secretaria do Tesouro Nacional e à Fundação de Economia e Estatística do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Utilizam-se análises descritivas e, juntamente com os respectivos níveis de correlação de Pearson, estimam-se modelos de regressão em dados em painel para o conjunto de municípios da referida região. Entende-se as políticas sociais como o conjunto de ações do Estado com o objetivo de garantir proteção e promoção social aos cidadãos. Trabalha-se com o enfoque do desenvolvimento humano, nos espaços locais-regionais. As evidências mostraram que: o IDESE dos municípios elevou-se na maioria dos anos da amostra; embora poucos municípios tenham alcançado o alto desenvolvimento (acima de 0,800), a quantidade neste patamar tem se elevado; os investimentos em políticas públicas sociais são positivamente correlacionados com o indicador de desenvolvimento na maioria dos municípios da região; e que os impactos da aplicação dos investimentos se apresentaram distintos ao longo do território e com significância estatística em um grupo específico de municípios.
Palavras-chave: Políticas Públicas Sociais. Idese. Dados em Painel. Regiões Funcionais. Desenvolvimento.
Desafios do programa de aquisição de alimentos (PAA) em fomentar autonomia de agricultores familiares
Authors: Borsatto Ricardo Serra , Duval Henrique Carmona , Grigoletto Fábio , Santos Leandro de Lima , Andrade Victória Rosália Silveira de , Fernandes Larissa Cristina de Almeida
Published: September 2020

O presente artigo analisa os desafios do PAA em expandir a autonomia relativa da agricultura familiar. Foi realizado um estudo longitudinal sobre o PAA tomando como base empírica o arranjo institucional conformado no município de Angatuba, sudoeste do estado de São Paulo, para a execução deste programa. O arranjo de Angatuba foi selecionado pois operava o PAA há mais de cinco anos consecutivos. Os dados primários que subsidiam as discussões foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas em dois momentos distintos, sendo o primeiro quando o programa estava em pleno funcionamento e, o segundo, quando o programa não era mais executado no município devido a cortes no orçamento federal. Dados secundários também subsidiam as análises. Os resultados indicam que o arranjo institucional constituído no município, apesar de muito eficiente, operava de modo a não aproveitar o mercado institucional criado pelo programa no sentido de consolidar avanços estruturais que pudessem garantir benefícios a longo prazo, assim, amortecendo as oportunidades de tomar a garantia de compra como base para a configuração de um ciclo virtuoso de ação pública. Com o fim do programa, os agricultores voltaram às mesmas condições de produção, renda e acesso a mercados que vivenciavam anteriormente. Desta forma, a pesquisa aponta que a garantia de acesso a um mercado protegido com remuneração justa, traz um alívio para os agricultores, mas não, necessariamente, expande a autonomia relativa dos agricultores.
Palavras-chave: Sistemas Agroalimentares. Mercado Institucional. Compras Públicas. Política Pública. Desenvolvimento Rural.
Perspectivas de desenvolvimento no semiárido
Authors: Levino Natallya de Almeida , Carvalho Rafael Santos , Pereira Vitor Bruno Santos
Published: September 2020

O semiárido brasileiro possui dentre suas características marcantes o enfrentamento de problemas socioeconômicos atrelados à combinação de sua elevada população, histórico de ações governamentais e fatores físico-climáticos que provocam a escassez de recursos hídricos, configurando um cenário de reduzido desenvolvimento na região. O Canal do Sertão, inserido em Alagoas na região nordeste do Brasil, é um empreendimento que visa desenvolver a fração semiárida deste estado elevando a sua disponibilidade hídrica, levando as águas do Rio São Francisco ao longo de 250 Km, tendo já a metade de sua extensão concluída. Assim, o presente trabalho analisa o desenvolvimento na região onde o canal já está em funcionamento, sob a ótica de um grupo de produtores locais. A pesquisa abrangeu 44 usuários do canal em seis municípios, sendo as visitas a campo realizadas entre dezembro de 2016 e julho de 2018. Foram utilizados para a coleta de dados: questionários estruturados, entrevistas e conversas informais, bancos de dados oficiais e registros fotográficos. Os resultados mostram que o principal uso da água do canal é para a irrigação de lavouras, no entanto, a presença deste por si só não é suficiente para transformar efetivamente a realidade local, sendo vista ainda a predominância de pequenas áreas de plantio e baixos valores de renda obtidos pelos produtores em geral. Notou-se também a carência de políticas públicas efetivas voltadas a expansão da produção local, apontadas como imprescindíveis para que se possa maximizar o aproveitamento do potencial do canal enquanto provedor de desenvolvimento para a região.
Palavras-chave: Canal do Sertão. Desenvolvimento regional. Disponibilidade hídrica. Produção irrigada. Semiárido.
A Novel Joint Transmitting and Receiving Antenna Selection for Spatial Multiplexing Systems
Authors: Zhuang Mingjie , Li Haitao , Lin Yisong
Published: September 2020

How to reduce the hardware cost and high power consumption of RF link of communication device is the key problem to be solved for multi-transmitting antenna and multi-receiving antenna system (MIMO). Always choose the best antennas connection a limited number of RF circuits, which is called antenna selection technology (AS), are a perfect solution to the problem, Assuming that the spatial range of the antenna meets the requirements of signal multiplexing and based on the maximum capacity criterion of the selected MIMO system, the manuscript proposes a low computational complexity (CC) and high performance joint transmitting and receiving antenna selection technique (JTRAS). Starting from the traditional capacity formula and the full matrix of MIMO channel, we utilize a simplified channel capacity expression through repeatedly iterating to delete a row and a column of the equivalent decrement channel matrix, which is to remove a pair of transmitting and receiving antennas. Based on the decreasing JTRAS (DJTRAS) algorithm, the capacity results of simulating calculation indicate that its median capacity overtakes other ones, such as optimum selection (OS), AS based on Frobenius 2 norm (NBS), and concise joint AS criterion (CJAS) etc., and the novel DJTRAS scheme can significantly reduce computational complexity (CC) compared to the exhaustive search method with maximum capacity, which defined as optimal algorithm in the curve graphs. This new technology of the AS is particularly suited to large number of selected antennas, such as Lt ≥ NT
/2,Lr ≥ NR
/2.
Assortative preferences in choice of major
Authors: Aydede Yigit
Published: September 2020

The primary objective of this study is to examine the contribution of available information constrained by parents’ fields of study to the observed assortative preferences in their children’s choice of major. Comparable to panel models, we define within-family transmission functions with 1-to-2 matches (1 for each parent). Using the confidential major file of the 2011 National Household Survey from Canada, the results show that children’s choice of field of study exhibits significant assortative preferences isolated from ability sorting and unobserved differences across majors and other family characteristics. With some caution, we attribute this persisting assortative tendency to the information asymmetry across alternative majors built on by parents’ educational backgrounds within families.
Genetic relationship of Salmonella isolates found in subcutaneous abscesses in leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)
Authors: Zając Magdalena , Maluta Aleksandra , Wasyl Dariusz , Skarżyńska Magdalena , Lalak Anna , Samcik Ilona , Kwit Renata , Szulowski Krzysztof
Published: September 2020

Introduction

The article describes the occurrence and phylogenetic relationship of Salmonella isolates found in subcutaneous abscesses of leopard geckos. The aim of the study was to determine the cause of the abscesses and to characterise isolated Salmonella strains.

Material and Methods

Samples of abscesses from five animals and internal organs (lungs, liver, and gut) of three of them were tested for Salmonella according to the PN-EN ISO 6579:2002/A1:2007 standard. The antimicrobial resistance was evaluated by minimal inhibitory concentrations and the genetic similarity of the isolates was assessed with pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Results

In total, seventeen Salmonella isolates belonging to five different serovars were found to be susceptible to all tested antimicrobials except streptomycin. The serovars were S. Hadar, S. Fluntern, S. Tennessee, S. enterica subsp. salamae 55:k:z39, and S. Kentucky. Up to three serovars from different organs were isolated from the same individual. In two geckos, Salmonella were detected in the lungs. In three serovars, XbaI-PFGE typing revealed indistinguishable isolates from organs and abscesses.

Conclusion

Multiple Salmonella serovars might be involved in abscess formation and infections. The occurrence of the same PFGE profiles of the isolates may testify to the role of opportunistic organisms in causing infection.
Relevance of the social support network for the emancipation of young adults leaving residential care
Authors: Campos Gema , Goig Rosa , Cuenca María Elena
Published: September 2020

Introduction:  This work studies the situation of young people after leaving residential care when they become of age. We have analysed, specifically, one of the most relevant factors for the emancipation: the perception of the social support network.Method: This is a descriptive quantitative study. To this end, a questionnaire (C4) was created and validated with experts, it has open and closed questions distributed in eight dimensions: housing and accommodation, family, social and affective relations, health, training, labour integration and economic management and residential life.  The participants of the study are included in the Preparation Plan for Independent Living of the Community of Madrid and are  equivalent to the 70% of the total population.Results: The results show that the social network comes from the centre and other care institutions, followed by friends from the neighbourhood and schools and high schools; there are some cases of social isolation. In regard of the social support that they identify, they perceive help from educators and friends, to a lesser extent from the family, whose support is mainly material, and from the couple; both being valued as unstable sources of help. New networks appear with the creation of a new family through maternity, considering that it undermines their autonomy much more than it facilitates it. The quality of the relationships with those who live with them has special relevance in their subjective well-being evaluation.Discussion or Conclusion: Young people look up for figures who have a real interest in their lives, people who listen to them and accompany them with relative independence of the context from which they come: family, community, school, residential, etc. Therefore, with regard to educational intervention, facilitating interdependence and working towards the attainment and maintenance of a social network, even if it is made up of only one or two people, are guarantees of a satisfactory intervention that favours their well-being.
No sólo la apertura define a los estudiantes con mayor potencial creativo
Authors: Ruiz Melero María José , Bermejo García Rosario , Ferrando Prieto Mercedes , Sainz Gómez Marta
Published: September 2020

Introducción. La relevancia de estudiar los rasgos de personalidad en los estudiantes creativos dentro del ámbito educativo implica su identificación y posterior respuesta educativa adecuada a los diferentes perfiles creativos que manifiestan. Por tanto, el objetivo fue analizar la relación entre los rasgos de la personalidad y las habilidades creativas, así como profundizar en qué rasgos de personalidad son los que definen a los estudiantes con mayor potencial creativo en una muestra de adolescentes, basándonos en el modelo de los Cinco Grandes Factores de la personalidad (Costa & McCrae, 1992).   Método.  Participaron 178 estudiantes de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) de la Región de Murcia (España), con edades entre los 12 y los 17 años (M = 14.59; DT = 1.40). De los cuales un 49.3% eran varones. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron: el TTCT (Torrance, 1974), para valorar la creatividad; y el BFQ-NA (Big Five Questionnaire de Personalidad para niños y adolescentes; Barbaranelli, Caprara y Rabasca, 1998) y NEO-FFI (Inventario de Personalidad NEO Revisado, versión reducida; Costa & McCrae, 2008), para los rasgos de personalidad. Para valorar las diferencias en personalidad realizamos tres grupos en función de su nivel de creatividad (alta, media y baja).  Resultados.:  Los datos sugieren que fueron tres los rasgos de la personalidad relacionados con las dimensiones creativas: la Extraversión, la Conciencia y la Apertura. Mientras que, las personas más creativas presentaron puntuaciones significativamente más elevadas en los siguientes rasgos de personalidad: Extraversión, Conciencia y Amabilidad. Discusión y conclusiones.  A nivel general se observa cierta relación entre las habilidades creativas y los rasgos de personalidad. Concretante son la Extraversión, la Conciencia y la Apertura las dimensiones más relacionadas con la creatividad. De las cuales, la Extraversión y la Conciencia son las que definen en mayor medida un perfil creativo. Resultados en esta línea son los obtenidos por Chamorro-Premuzic y Reichenbacher (2008), Furnham (2015), y Szobiová (2006).
Actitudes hacia la lectura, sentimiento de competencia, implicación familiar y comprensión lectora en segundo curso de Educación Primaria
Authors: MELERO ANGELES , VILLALÓN MOLINA RUTH , IZQUIERDO-MAGALDI BELÉN
Published: September 2020

Introducción.  En la lectura, instrumento cultural clave que hay que aprender a dominar en las sociedades letradas, confluyen aspectos cognitivos, afectivo-motivacionales y contextuales. Pero en el ámbito internacional hay escasez de investigaciones sobre la relación entre comprensión lectora, actitudes hacia la lectura, sentimiento de competencia e implicación familiar en los dos primeros cursos de Educación Primaria. Además, no hay estudios en España que aborden esas variables al mismo tiempo.Método.  Nuestro estudio investiga la relación entre estas cuatro variables en alumnado español de 2º curso de Educación Primaria mediante un estudio corte cuantitativo (descriptivo y correlacional) en el que han participado 181 niños y 167 niñas.Resultados. Se hallaron actitudes muy positivas hacia la lectoescritura así como un elevado sentimiento de competencia. Las niñas obtuvieron puntuaciones más altas que los niños. Esta última variable y la implicación familiar exhibieron correlaciones significativas con la comprensión lectora.Discusión y conclusiones. Se resalta la importancia de trabajar en la implicación de las familias, de mantener un positivo sentimiento de competencia y de conocer las tempranas diferencias en actitudes y preferencias de niños y niñas por parte del profesorado.
Construcción de un instrumento de valoración de la expresividad musical en profesorado y alumnado en la Enseñanza Superior de Música
Authors: BONASTRE VALLES CAROLINA , Nuevo Roberto
Published: September 2020

Introducción. Una de las principales funciones de la música es la expresión y comunicación de emociones. El aprendizaje de las habilidades centradas en esta comunicación es una parte central en la formación de los intérpretes y, el estudio de las concepciones de profesores y alumnos sobre los modos adecuados de mejorar la expresividad puede considerarse una de las tareas prioritarias para la investigación psicoeducativa. Por ello, este trabajo está dirigido a: a) validar un instrumento para su evaluación; b) conocer la valoración de diferentes estrategias de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la expresividad emocional en la música, en profesores y alumnos de niveles superiores de educación musical y c) comparar esas valoraciones en ambos grupos. Método. Para ello, 229 personas (170 estudiantes y 59 profesores) del Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid completaron un cuestionario sobre la mejora de la expresividad con cuatro estrategias distintas de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Resultados. Se encontraron algunas diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre grupos respecto a las preferencias de dichos modelos. Se pueden destacar las diferencias en intra-grupo: la estrategia basada en el uso de instrucciones técnicas fue la mejor valorada mientras que el modelado recibió la peor valoración. Estos efectos fueron independientes del sexo y la edad. La estructura factorial teórica tuvo un excelente ajuste a los datos (CFI=.95). Discusión y conclusiones. En conclusión, ambos grupos difieren en sus concepciones sobre las estrategias óptimas para trabajar la expresividad, pero coinciden en las preferencias sobre una u otra estrategia, valorando especialmente el uso de instrucciones técnicas. Se discuten las posibles implicaciones pedagógicas y se propone este cuestionario como herramienta para su uso en contextos educativos.
Extracurricular activities, Positive Parenting and Personal Positive Youth Development. Differential relations amongst age and academic pathways.
Authors: Balaguer Estaña Álvaro J. , Orejudo Hernández Santos , Rodríguez Ledo César , Cardoso Moreno María Jesús
Published: September 2020

Introduction.  Positive parenting and Extracurricular Activities are contextual assets for enhancing Personal Positive Youth Development. However, these assets have not been studied simultaneously or in students of different ages. This paper analyzed these associations, by testing a mediator model in students with different academic trajectories. Method.  The sample was composed by 1.402 adolescents, aged between 12 and 20 years (Mean=14.40; SD=1.910; males=49%). Students completed various questionnaires regarding the personal constructs of Optimism, Hope, General Self-efficacy and Sense of Coherence, as well as questionnaires that address perceptions of Parental Style and Extracurricular Activities. A random sampling was carried out by schools in Aragon (Spain) that offered the degrees carried out by adolescents. Results.  Structural equation modeling showed that Positive Parenting was associated with the accomplishment of Extracurricular Activities and personality constructs. Further, participation in activities was associated with the same pattern of personality traits (Expectancies, Self, and Sense of Coherence). These results were found mainly in younger students (12-15 years old), while in older students (16-20 years old) this effect was found only for those with a profile of less successful academic pathways. Discussion and Conclusion.  Relationships with family are the essential asset for adolescents, especially to promote Personal Positive Youth Development, but also for the engagement in Extracurricular Activities. Implications for developmental psychologists, practitioners and educators are discussed, especially underscoring the importance of offering extracurricular opportunities.
The Effect of Social Information Processing (SIP) Model Intervention on Reducing Challenging Behavior Among Children with Mild To Borderline Intellectual Functioning
Authors: Saad Mourad Ali Eissa
Published: September 2020

Introduction. It is believed that children with mild to borderline intellectual functioning are not successful in processing the information received from peers and other people in their surroundings during social interactions, which leads to challenging and aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social information processing (SIP) model intervention on reducing challenging behavior among children with mild to borderline intellectual functioning.Method.  For the purpose of this study, a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, with pre-post – and follow up test in two groups were employed. A total of 40 children in the age of 5–10 participated. Participants were 33 boys and 7 girls with a mean age of 8.32 (SD=3.14) and a mean IQ of 75.64 (SD=7.34).Results.  Findings from this study revealed the effectiveness of social information processing (SIP) model intervention on reducing challenging behavior among children with mild to borderline intellectual functioning.Discussion and Conclusion. In conclusion, results from this study suggested that children with mild to borderline intellectual functioning utilized the Social Information Processing (SIP) Model and their challenging behaviors and prosocial behaviors (challenging behavior) could be reduced.  Application and implications, limitations, future research were included.
Memoria secuencial auditiva y memoria verbal en alumnado con discapacidad intelectual
Authors: Ramos Gutiérrez Juan Antonio , Valiente Barroso Carlos
Published: September 2020

Introducción. El modelo de Baddeley sobre memoria de trabajo establece la base para identificar los componentes que intervienen en las tareas de repetición inmediata de materiales verbales. Partiendo del mismo, se propone este estudio cuyo objetivo general es analizar la relación entre memoria secuencial auditiva y memoria verbal en alumnado con discapacidad intelectual y, así, proponer una escala que permita comparar, según la edad mental, las puntuaciones de cada sujeto en estas pruebas. Método. Estudio cuantitativo, no experimental, transversal, descriptivo y correlacional. Muestra no probabilística incidental en la que participaron 250 alumnos con discapacidad intelectual (123 alumnas y 127 alumnos), evaluados mediante el subtest de memoria secuencial auditiva del Test Illinois de Aptitudes Psicolingüísticas (ITPA) y las dos listas de oraciones con alta carga de significado y gramatical del Test Sentence Repetition (SentRep). Resultados. Se observan relaciones significativas y positivas entre las listas de mediación semántica y morfosintáctica, y la memoria verbal, e igualmente entre cada una de ellas, la edad mental del sujeto y la memoria secuencial auditiva. Resultados que sustentan la construcción de dos baremos para establecer la edad mental equivalente a la repetición de los dos tipos de oraciones, en memoria verbal y en memoria secuencial auditiva. Discusión/Conclusiones.  Se ha demostrado la complementariedad de las pruebas aplicadas y que los baremos construidos permiten comparar las puntuaciones obtenidas por un sujeto en relación a su grupo. No obstante, una propuesta futura es extender la muestra y, de este modo, obtener baremos representativos de la población con discapacidad intelectual que apoyen la formulación de hipótesis diagnósticas sobre el nivel funcional alcanzado por este alumnado en el procesamiento fonológico, sintáctico y semántico.
Use of Electronic Books among Postgraduate Students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa
Authors: Masenya Tlou Maggie , Ngema Nqubeko Siyanda
Published: September 2020

The advancement of digital technologies has improved the information environment with more information being available and disseminated in electronic format. Electronic books have been used in the academic institutions, and academic users have recognised their potential in supporting scholarships. However, the increase in the acquisition of electronic books has brought about changes to the interface of academic institutions in the provision of electronic books to users. The aim of the study was to determine the use of electronic books among postgraduate students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa. The study used the quantitative research method underpinned by a survey research design for the data collection. The findings show a high level of awareness of electronic books that are available at the institution and that are used by postgraduate students in learning and research. Postgraduate students access and use electronic books daily through some of the popular databases such as EBSCO Discovery Service, EBSCOhost and Emerald. However, most of the postgraduate students encountered many challenges that hinder the effective use of and access to electronic books, for example, limited access to the internet, the lack of information technology skills and the lack of training on the use of electronic books. The study recommends information and digital computer literacy training, continuous professional development, and workplace learning workshops on the access to and use of electronic books.
Investigation into Factors Inhibiting Effective Job Performance of Academic Librarians at Selected University Libraries in North Central Nigeria
Authors: Kutu Jacob , Garaba Francis
Published: September 2020

The article examined factors that inhibit effective job performance of academic librarians at selected universities in North Central Nigeria. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and task–technology fit theories were the theoretical frameworks underpinning the study. The survey research design was used for the study. The study population consisted of 135 academic librarians and heads of library at seven university libraries. The total enumeration method was then adopted to select academic librarians. Sampling was purposive and enumerative as all members of the population were used for the study. A total of 128 copies of a questionnaire were administered across the seven university libraries. Out of this total, 103 copies were duly completed and returned for quantitative analysis, giving a response rate of 81 per cent. In addition, the census method was used. Copies of the survey questionnaire were used mainly to collect quantitative data from the academic librarians, and interviews were used to collect qualitative data from the university librarians (heads of library). The findings from the study revealed that 90 per cent of the respondents noted that there are hindrances to their job performance.
Use of Online Databases by the Third-Year Students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa
Authors: Luthuli Lungile P. , Fakazi Nozizwe F.
Published: September 2020

Online databases are an important part of the information resources provided by universities in many countries. They are valuable and up-to-date sources of information that provide electronic access to journal articles, books, reports, the latest research in various fields, and other publications through the internet. Several studies have been done on the online databases by researchers but the use of online database by undergraduate students is the area that needs more research. This study sought to investigate the use of online databases by third-year students in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa. The study also looked at the types of online database that the students use, the training programmes that help students to use online databases, and the challenges encountered by the students when accessing online databases. The study employed a quantitative research method and adopted a survey research design with a study population of 80 third-year students from which a sample of 63 students was selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. The findings revealed that some of the third-year students are aware of the online databases that are provided by the library and some are not aware of those online databases and also that some use them and others do not use them. The study recommends that students use online databases to do their assignments and that the library promotes or markets online databases so that the students can understand the value of online databases.
Access to Health-Related Information in a Selected Community in the Gokwe South District, Zimbabwe
Authors: Ncube Mthokozisi Masumbika , Tsvuura Godfrey
Published: September 2020

The Gokwe South District is among the top districts in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe with several health-related challenges, as indicated by the statistics from the Zimbabwe National Health Profile. The premise of this study was, therefore, to establish mechanisms that could be instituted to ensure access to health-related information for the Gokwe South community members. The study was pragmatic, through an embedded mixed-methods design. Opportunity sampling was used to select 72 community members. Expert sampling was used to select an information officer of the Gokwe Rural District Council and two members of the Zimbabwe Library Association Midlands Branch. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the community members, whereas interviews were used to generate data from the information officer, and the members of the Zimbabwe Library Association Midlands Branch. The study found that the community members faced varied challenges when accessing health-related information, which included digital illiteracy, the lack of health information centres, geographic seclusion of communities, and information format challenges. As a way forward, the study noted the need for the institution of community libraries and health information centres by the government, through the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, in conjunction with the local council. In addition, diverse associations, such as the Zimbabwe Library Association, were recommended to play an active role in offering digital and information literacy programmes to the community members.
Examining the Extent of Internet Access in Public Libraries in South Africa
Authors: Ledwaba Lesiba Stephen , Mugwisi Tinashe , Jiyane Glenrose V.
Published: September 2020

The provision of free internet access to users, anchors public libraries as the beacon to be heavily relied on for information access. This article reports on a study undertaken to determine the extent of internet access in South African public libraries. The paper was guided by research questions on the level of internet connectivity in South African public libraries and the challenges experienced in providing internet access to public libraries in South Africa. The study employed a survey design in which a questionnaire was used to collect data from 322 respondents, while interviews were used to collect data from nine participants. The study used the non-probability purposive sampling technique to select heads of provincial public libraries (directors) and further used stratified, probability proportional to size, and systematic techniques to select heads of public libraries. No sampling was done on the nine heads (directors) of provincial public libraries, as the nature of this population did not warrant further dissection due to its small size. The study achieved a response rate of 63% which was adequate to proceed with the analysis. It emerged that 97% of public libraries were connected to the internet, 80% of them were connected to the internet through fixed lines, and that each of the nine provinces had its own internet service provider. The study recommended, among others, that fixed lines for internet access be laid to all public libraries in South Africa, and that a government agency be used as a dedicated internet service provider for public libraries across all nine provinces.
The Importance of Solid-state Molecular Motion to Luminescence in Solid State
Authors: Tu Yujie , Liu Junkai , Zhang Xuepeng , Cheung Tsz Shing , He Xuewen , Guo Jing , Lam Jacky W. Y. , Chen Sijie , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: September 2020

Molecular motion is often considered detrimental to luminescence because it favors nonradiative decay. However, nothing is absolute, and molecular motion can also do useful work if utilized properly. For example, photothermal therapy makes use of the heat generated in light irradiation for cancer treatment. To further explore the merits of molecular motion, ortho-substituted benzoic acids were used as model compounds to evaluate the importance of molecular motion to luminescence in the solid state. It is verified that the twisting of the carboxylic acid group can activate spin vibronic coupling to facilitate intersystem crossing to result in more efficient room temperature phosphorescence (RTP). A five-state model is established to understand the ISC process and an effective pre-twisted molecular design strategy is put forward for the development of efficient RTP materials.