bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What Are You Thinking? Postsecondary Student Think-Alouds of Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning Items
Authors: Thelk Amy D. , Hoole Emily R.
Published: May 2022

To investigate the cognitive validity of scientific and quantitative reasoning items, “think-alouds” (verbal solutions) were elicited for a general education instrument. Several items were not aligned in terms of anticipated versus actual content, and the instrument's accuracy is questioned. We discuss study weaknesses and merits of this framework and analysis.
Measuring Outcomes of Living-Learning Programs: Examining College Environments and Student Learning and Development
Authors: Inkelas Karen Kurotsuchi , Vogt Kristen E. , Longerbeam Susan D. , Owen Julie , Johnson Dawn
Published: May 2022

The National Study of Living-Learning Programs (NSLLP) survey instrument was designed to assess college environments and student learning and development outcomes associated with participation in living-learning programs. Data from the NSLLP show that students in living-learning programs demonstrate higher self-reported engagement and outcomes than students in traditional residence hall environments.
Grouped Out? Undergraduates' Default Strategies For Participating in Multiple Small Groups
Authors: Gillespie Diane , Rosamond Sally , Thomas Elizabeth
Published: May 2022

This qualitative study examined students' descriptions of their experiences in classroom groups in an interdisciplinary arts and sciences program. Using a grounded theory approach, we found that students used descriptive names to navigate complex group demands. Their reductionist strategies interfered with learning, prevented flexibility, and pointed to small group fatigue.
Out Out, Damned Spot: General Education in a Market-Driven Institution
Authors: Harris Michael S.
Published: May 2022

The influence of market forces on general education creates threats and opportunities that must be proactively addressed. This essay argues for understanding the rise of the marketplace and its influence on general education by exploring student consumerism as well as teaching and learning in a market-oriented environment.
Brief Daily Writing Activities and Perfomance on Major Multiple-Choice Exams
Authors: Turner Haley C. , Bliss Stacy L. , Hautau Briana , Carroll Erin , Jaspers Kathryn E. , Williams Robert L.
Published: May 2022

Five-minute daily writing activities requiring students to compare and contrast pairs of concepts in instructor notes and PowerPoint slides increased performance on multiple-choice exams in a large undergraduate human development course. Compared with other established predictors of exam performance, scores on the writing activities proved to be the strongest predictor.
Coherence in General Education: A Historical Look
Authors: Boning Kenneth
Published: May 2022

Coherence is a major focus of general education reform today; however, an examination of the history of higher education shows that interest in maintaining curricular coherence has fluctuated over the past 200 years and is best described as a swinging pendulum that alternates between periods of integration and fragmentation.
The Return of Practice to Higher Education: Resolution of a Paradox
Authors: Raelin Joseph A.
Published: May 2022

Although academic provision has become associated with professional education, knowledge is delivered through standard classroom methodology associated with liberal arts education. Elsewhere, a "practice turn" has elevated experience as a basis for knowledge. This article shows how practice became detached from theory and how through praxis they can be reintegrated.
Linked Psychology and Writing Courses Across the Curriculum
Authors: Cargill Kima , Kalikoff Beth
Published: May 2022

To enhance student performance, prevent attrition, and build a learning community, two courses were linked together by requiring concurrent enrollment. Students in an unlinked class were used as a comparison group. Grades, evaluations, and attrition rate suggest that linking courses can improve writing and exam scores and reduce attrition.
Developing an Integrated Strategy for Information Literacy Assessment in General Education
Authors: Mackey Thomas P. , Jacobson Trudi E.
Published: May 2022

We examine an institutional assessment model for general education that effectively incorporates instructor-driven strategies. We argue that course-specific tools for assessing information literacy are integral to the process and must be used to enhance institutional efforts. This integrated strategy is applicable to a range of other courses and programs.
Classroom Research in a General Education Course: Exploring Implications Through an Investigation of the Sophomore Slump
Authors: Gump Steven E.
Published: May 2022

General education classrooms provide a common milieu for understanding and appropriating results of classroom research projects, which are typically viewed as having little application outside their original contexts. Here, results of an investigation into the "sophomore slump," where grades and class attendance rates typically suffer, are explored for broader applicability.
Attitude Changes of Undergraduate University Students in General Education Courses
Authors: Anderson Mark W. , Teisl Mario , Criner George , Tisher Sharon , Smith Stewart , Hunter Malcolm , Norton Stephen A. , Jellison Jody , Alyokhin Andrei , Gallandt Eric , Haggard Sandra , Bicknell Elizabeth
Published: May 2022

Assessing learning outcomes in general education is increasingly important to accrediting bodies. A fertile area of assessment is measuring changes in student attitudes/values in response to general education. University of Maine faculty experimented with such an attitude assessment. The results reveal interesting questions about general education and values education.
REVISING GENERAL EDUCATION: ASSESSING A CRITICAL THINKING INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL IN THE BASIC COMMUNICATION COURSE
Authors: Mazer Joseph P. , Hunt Stephen K. , Kuznekoff Jeffrey H.
Published: May 2022

This study examined critical thinking instruction in a required introductory communication course (N = 324). Experimental group participants received enhanced instruction using various active learning strategies, activities, and assignments. Results indicate significant improvement in their critical thinking skills. Implications for pedagogy and general education course design and assessment are discussed.
Preparing High School Students for College-Level Writing: Using ePortfolio to Support a Successful Transition
Authors: Acker Stephen R. , Halasek Kay
Published: May 2022

Seniors submitted and revised essays within ePortfolios for evaluation by high school faculty and university first-year writing instructors. The project also examined differences between high school and college teachers' responses and effects on students' assumptions about the writing expected and valued in college. Results suggest techniques useful for portfolio-supported instruction.
Making Health Happen on Campus: A Review of a Required General Education Health Course
Authors: Becker Craig M. , Johnson Hans , Vail-Smith Karen , Maahs-Fladung Cathy , Tavasso Debra , Elmore Barry , Blumell Charla
Published: May 2022

College general education courses provide fundamental knowledge and abilities essential for future success. People with risky behaviors, diabetes, obesity, depression, and other problems represent reasons for health status concerns. This article describes the need for a required general education health course in college and evaluates an example personal health course.
Investigating Differences Between Low- and High-Stakes Test Performance on a General Education Exam
Authors: Cole James S. , Osterlind Steven J.
Published: May 2022

This study investigated whether test performance on a general education test differs by test consequence: high versus low stakes. Our analysis indicates significant differences between low- and high-stakes test takers. Given the results, it may be appropriate to compare institution-level data from low-stakes conditions with data collected under similar conditions.
Arts and Humanities General Education Assessment: A Qualitative Approach to Developing Program Objectives
Authors: Joe Jilliam N. , Harmes J. Christine , Barry Carol L.
Published: May 2022

A critical stage of the assessment process is the development of learning objectives. In this study, learning outcomes for general education in the arts and humanities were identified through content analysis with thematic networks. The findings provide additional support for qualitative approaches in developing program-level learning objectives.
Achievement Goal Orientation Toward General Education Versus Overall Coursework
Authors: Miller B. J. , Sundre Donna L.
Published: May 2022

Two studies were conducted regarding the achievement goal orientations of college students within two contexts: coursework in all courses and in general education courses. Interactions were detected for achievement goals by class level and context. Findings raise concern about student attitudes toward general education, despite its importance to other stakeholders.
The Effects of Reporting One's Gender on General Education Test Performance
Authors: Anderson Robin D. , Thelk Amy D.
Published: May 2022

This study examines whether collecting gender information before general education assessments affects the performance of subjects for whom a negative domain performance stereotype exists. Results show that inquiry is not a sufficient priming stimulus to trigger stereotype threat in low-stakes assessments, yet its removal may increase motivation and performance.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Student Outcomes: The Case of a General Education Course at a Research University
Authors: Orillion Marie-France
Published: May 2022

Interdisciplinary courses have become a standard component in general education programs. The assumption is that they improve student outcomes. This article is an ethnographic case study of an interdisciplinary course at a research university. It examines the relationship among interdisciplinary curriculum, institutional context, and student outcomes.
The Utility of a College Major: Do Students of Psychology Learn Discipline-Specific Knowledge?
Authors: Sanders-Dewey Neva E. J. , Zaleski Stephanie A.
Published: May 2022

The research focuses on the assumption that the completion of courses subsumed within a college major results in a heightened knowledge base of information and ultimately increases the likelihood of successful employment within that field. Results support the primary principle underlying the college major model currently espoused by higher education.
What General Education Courses Contribute to Essential Learning Outcomes
Authors: Laird Thomas F. Nelson , Niskodé-Dossett Amanda Suniti , Kuh George D.
Published: May 2022

Based on data from eleven thousand faculty members, this study shows that general education courses place greater emphasis on developing intellectual skills, personal and social responsibility, deep approaches to learning, and diverse interactions. In contrast, other courses emphasize practical skills and are linked with greater levels of student–faculty interaction.
"Making Connections" at The University of North Carolina: Moving Toward a Global Curriculum at a Flagship Research University
Authors: Smith Jay M. , Kruse Julia
Published: May 2022

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has reformed its undergraduate curriculum to create connections across disciplines and advance efforts to internationalize its campus. As a result, global issues, experiential learning, study abroad, and international course clusters have become an integral part of a curriculum that emphasizes "Making Connections."
Strategies for Managing the Problem of Unmotivated Examinees in Low-Stakes Testing Programs
Authors: Wise Steven L.
Published: May 2022

Low examinee effort distorts low-stakes general education assessment results and thereby diminishes the validity of score-based inferences regarding what students know and can do. Several issues concerning examinee effort are noted, the research literature on examinee motivation is reviewed, and several approaches proposed for effectively managing this threat are discussed.
Skipping the Test: Using Empirical Evidence to Inform Policy Related to Students Who Avoid Taking Low-Stakes Assessments in College
Authors: Swerdzewski Peter J. , Harmes J. Christine , Finney Sara J.
Published: May 2022

We studied the scores of students who avoided low-stakes testing and those who attended required testing. "Avoiders" who did exert effort on makeup tests scored similarly to students who initially attended testing. Practitioners should consider effort and include scores from avoiders to ensure that results reflect the entire student population.
Objectivist Atheology
Authors: Toner Patrick
Published: May 2022

Objectivists insist on the primacy of existence—the axiom that existence exists. This axiom is taken to entail that the universe exists independent of any consciousness, human or divine. Objectivists hold that a straightforward consequence of this axiom is that God does not exist. The central argument of this paper is that the Objectivist atheological argument based on the primacy of existence fails. Atheological arguments based on the alleged incoherence of the Divine attributes are at best inconclusive. Theism has not been shown to be incompatible with Objectivism.
Isabel Paterson and the Idea of America
Authors: Beito David T.
Published: May 2022

Stephen Cox's book, The Woman and the Dynamo: Isabel Paterson and the Idea of America, is a wellwritten, thoughtful, and exhaustively researched biography of a key pioneer in the libertarian movement. Isabel Paterson, who was a mentor to and close friend of Ayn Rand, had an accomplished career in her own right. From the 1920s to 1940s, she was a nationally respected, and sometimes feared, literary critic and best-selling novelist. Her masterwork, The God of the Machine, appeared in the same year as The Fountainhead and The Discovery of Freedom by Rose Wilder Lane.
Recent Writings on Ethics
Authors: Seddon Fred
Published: May 2022

This essay reviews three books in the ethics literature of interest to contemporary Rand scholars: Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics by Tara Smith; EthicalIntuitionism by Michael Huemer; and Is Virtue Only a Means to Happiness? by Neera Badhwar.
Unilateral Transfers and a Reinterpretation of Objectivist Ethics
Authors: Ozgen Eren
Published: May 2022

Kathleen Touchstone's Then Athena Said: Unilateral Transfers and the Transformation of Objectivist Ethics is an intriguing book on unilateral transfers within the context of Objectivism. Touchstone examines Rand's primary social ethic, the Trader Principle—the bilateral exchange of value between independent equals. In reconsidering Rand's thoughts, she raises many arguments and provides thought-provoking insights especially on charity, reproductivity, retaliation and rights. Touchstone reinterprets Objectivism through the prism of economics, applying economic tools such as consumer theory, capital theory, game theory, and decision making under uncertainty to address the questions she raises.
Reply to David Graham and Nathan Nobis, "Putting Humans First?" (Fall 2006): Putting Humans First? YES!
Authors: Altick John
Published: May 2022

In "Putting Humans First?" David Graham and Nathan Nobis question Tibor Machan's critique of the idea of "animal rights." They suggest that Machan does not adequately respond to arguments about the impact of ' marginal cases' on theories such as his, which claim that natural rights stem from the manner in which human beings as a species interact with the world. Altick argues that Graham and Nobis' critique is misdirected and that it misses Machan's underlying argument, thus leaving his defense of distinctly human natural rights relatively untarnished.
A Critique of Ayn Rand's Theory of Intellectual Property Rights
Authors: Sandefur Timothy
Published: May 2022

Ayn Rand viewed copyrights and patents as natural rights that were secured by legislation, rather than as monopoly privileges that were created by the state. Other Objectivist writers have followed suit. This article disputes this thesis on the grounds that it fails to recognize the distinction between the right to use and the right to exclude, the latter of which cannot be justified with regard to intellectual property on Objectivist premises. In addition, the article discusses three significant objections to the natural-rights interpretation of copyright that Objectivist authors have failed so far adequately to address.
Reply to Fred Seddon, "Recent Writings on Ethics" (Spring 2007): On Behalf of Ethical Intuitionism
Authors: Huemer Michael
Published: May 2022

This is a response by the author of Ethical Intuitionism to criticisms raised by Fred Seddon (Jars, Spring 2007). Among other things, Huemer observes that his attack on ethical reductionism does not depend upon excluding relational properties from consideration at the start; that he does not claim that all philosophers are intuitionists; and that Objectivism is susceptible to the general arguments he discusses against the possibility of deriving an "ought" from an "is".
Rand on Hume's Moral Skepticism
Authors: Machan Tibor R.
Published: May 2022

This brief discussion argues that Ayn Rand misconstrued David Hume's famous "is/ought" gap, just as innumerable others have. Hume objected to deducing ought claims (or judgments or statements) from is claims and not to deriving the former from the latter. He was silent about this but his own work in ethics and politics suggests that he would agree that one can infer ethical, moral or political beliefs from an understanding of facts (such as those of history).
Toward the Development of a Paradigm of Human Flourishing in a Free Society
Authors: Younkins Edward W.
Published: May 2022

This essay presents a skeleton of a potential conceptual framework for human flourishing in a free society. Its aim is to present a diagram that illustrates the ways in which its topics relate to one another and why they do. It argues for a plan of conceptualization rather than for the topics themselves. It emphasizes the interconnections among the components of the schema presented. It sees an essential interconnection between objective concepts, arguing that all of the disciplines of human action can be integrated into a paradigm of human flourishing based on the nature of man and the world.
Defending Advertising
Authors: Jablecki Juliusz
Published: May 2022

Jerry Kirkpatrick's book, In Defense of Advertising, is an intellectually stimulating and enjoyable read that combines a Randian philosophical framework with Misesian economics to provide a solid defense of advertising as an essential element of free market economy.
Rejoinder to Adam Reed, "Not Even False: A Commentary on Parrish and Toner" (Spring 2008): What's Good for the Goose and Related Matters
Authors: Parrish Stephen E. , Parrish Stephen R.
Published: May 2022

This is a response to Adam Reed's critique ("Not Even False," The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, Spring 2008) of Parrish's essay, "God and Objectivism" (The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, Spring 2007). Parrish argues that Reed ignores most of his critical points with regard to Objectivism, while committing several fallacies and embracing his own arbitrary positions.
Rejoinder to Adam Reed, "Not Even False: A Commentary on Parrish and Toner" (Spring 2008): God-Talk and the Arbitrary
Authors: Toner Patrick
Published: May 2022

In this brief note, Toner discusses Adam Reed's reply ("Not Even False," The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, Spring 2008) to his earlier paper, "Objectivist Atheology" (The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, Spring 2007). He argues that Reed's criticisms do not hold up under scrutiny.
Mind, Introspection, and "The Objective"
Authors: Bissell Roger E.
Published: May 2022

In this sequel to his essay "Ayn Rand and The Objective'" (JARS, Fall 2007), the author warns against "the seduction of 'the basic"' and uses ideas by Efron, Peikoff, and Aristotle to argue that introspection and mental data (including mind) are objective and that causal efficacy of mind and mind-body interaction only make sense if mind is conceived of not as an attribute, but as an entity (viz., the conscious human brain). None of this, however, implies Epiphenomenalism or that consciousness is irrelevant to human history.
The Peikovian Doctrine of the Arbitrary Assertion
Authors: Campbell Robert L.
Published: May 2022

The doctrine of the arbitrary assertion is a key part of Objectivist epistemology as elaborated by Leonard Peikoff. For Peikoff, assertions unsupported by evidence are neither true nor false; they have no context or place in the hierarchy of conceptual knowledge; they are meaningless and paralyze rational cognition; their production is proof of irrationality. A thorough examination of the doctrine reveals worrisomely unclear standards of evidence and a jumble of contradictory claims about which assertions are arbitrary, when they are arbitrary, and what ought to be done about them when they are. A wholesale rejection of the doctrine is recommended.
Plato, Aristotle, Rand, and Sexuality
Authors: Seddon Fred
Published: May 2022

This essay offers a critical review of Robert Mayhew's translation oí Plato: I aws 10, Chris Matthew Sciabarra's monograph, Ayn Rand, Homosexuality, and Human I iberation, and Roderick T. Long's monograph, Reason and Value: Aristotle versus Rand. Seddon finds especially questionable Long's treatment of Plato.
Reply to Fred Seddon, "Plato, Aristotle, Rand, and Sexuality" (Fall 2008): Interpreting Plato's Dialogues: Aristotle versus Seddon
Authors: Long Roderick T.
Published: May 2022

In reply to Seddon's charge that Long's analysis in Reason and Value rests on a mistaken reading of Plato, Long both defends his interpretation of Plato and argues that nothing in Reason and Value depends on Plato interpretation in any case.
Reply to Peter E. Vedder, "Self-Directedness and the Human Good" (Fall 2007): Defending Norms of Liberty
Authors: Den Uyl Douglas J. , Rasmussen Douglas B.
Published: May 2022

This essay is a response to Peter E. Vedder's Fall 2007 review of the authors' book, Norms of Liberty: A Perfectionist Basis for Non-Perfectionist Politics. Vedder argues that the authors 1) have a Kantian notion of self-directedness, and 2) are inconsistent in the application of their philosophical anthropology to their view of political liberty. In denying both claims, the authors assert that Vedder both fails to define certain terms and holds them to positions they do not accept.
Ronald E. Merrill and the Discovery of Ayn Rand's Nietzschean Period
Authors: Reed Adam
Published: May 2022

In scientific and technological journals, it is customary to include in the first special issue on a mature invention or discovery a traditionally informal, first-person memoir of how the invention or discovery came about. Because Ronald E. Merrill died of myeloma in 1998, Reed has written an inevitably second-hand account of his discovery of Nietzsche's influence on the young Ayn Rand, and of the subsequent intellectual history of this discovery.
Prometheus: Ayn Rand's Ethic of Creation
Authors: Montmarquet James
Published: May 2022

Like Prometheus, Ayn Rand's heroes would seem valuable much less for what they do for themselves, than for others. I argue, first, however, that the ethical scheme implied by her treatment of these figures is properly classed as neither "egoist" nor "altruist,"for the value invested by the creator in his creation eludes both views. A more satisfactory Randian ethic of creation, it becomes clear, must involve a distinction between Nietzschean "self-reverence" versus mere "self-interest" and, much more substantially, Aristotle's distinction between those in whom "self-love" is good and those in whom it is not.
A Political Standard for Absolute Political Freedom
Authors: Hartford Robert
Published: May 2022

This paper derives political freedoms from the ethics of egoism, demonstrates the equivalence of absolute political freedom and Liberty, and advocates absolute political freedom as a moral ideal. Protection of voluntary consent along an individual's entire politically legitimate valuing chain provides a standard for identifying political freedoms. Actions meeting the standard are political freedoms. Actions violating the standard are violations of political freedom. As a political standard, protection of voluntary consent is presented as superior to either the non-initiation of force or the non-aggression axiom.
Objectivism and Christianity
Authors: Dent Eric B.
Published: May 2022

The two primary philosophies upholding reason today are Objectivism and Christianity. They may seem like strange bedfellows, but many of the large perceived gaps between them disappear upon close inspection. This paper analyzes five areas (creation; tabula rasa; life as the ultimate standard; romantic love, sex and marriage; and altruism and the trader principle) in which Objectivist philosophy can be enhanced by assuming Christian philosophical axioms. The argument focuses on Christianity as a philosophy and intentionally does not assume a transcendent God. In each case, the Christian philosophical axioms are more realistic and better supported empirically than the Objectivist axioms.
The Sim-Dif Model and Comparison
Authors: Jetton Merlin
Published: May 2022

This article presents a new conceptual or categorization model. It will be compared to a similar but simpler model. The models are given in the form of Venn diagrams. The model and examples using are explored to illuminate the role of similarities and differences in concept formation, which is sometimes complex. It explores abstraction, conceptual change by children and in science, and similarity metrics. It proposes that comparison is the basic act of thought.
The Logic of Liberty: Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and the Logical Structure of the Political Spectrum
Authors: Bissell Roger E.
Published: May 2022

Analyzing various false alternatives using a technique based on Aristotle's Law of Ex eluded Middle, the author show s how a system of individual rights and laissez-faire capitalism relates logically to other politico-economic systems and ideologies. He gives special attention to Nolan's two-dimensional diagram of the political spectrum, Rand's critique of conservatism and liberalism, and Rothbard's work on the historical phenomenon of Salutary Neglect and its relationship to fascism, socialism, and laissez-faire. The author also assesses current prospects for liberty, as reflected in such policies as Obamacare and education vouchers.
A Defense of Rothbardian Ethics via a Mediation of Hoppe and Rand
Authors: Share Cade
Published: May 2022

This paper will provide Murray N. Rothbard's "ethics of liberty" with a greater theoretical cogency and ultimately validateits natural law underpinnings. This can be achieved via a mediation of Hans-Herrmann Hoppe's praxeological argumentation ethics and Ayn Rand's Objectivist teleologjcal/Objectivist theory of ethics. Synthesizing these two disparate schools of epistemology provides a metaethic or praxeological/Objectivist epistemology that considerably strengthens and ultimately validates the central axioms of the Rothbardian natural law project on both rational and moral grounds.
Expanding Boards, Expanding Horizons
Authors: Sciabarra Chris Matthew
Published: May 2022

Beginning in 2013, Pennsylvania State University Press will manage design, production, distribution, and subscription fulfillment, in both print and online editions, of The Journal of Rand Studies. This enterprise requires an expansion of the journal's editorial and advisory boards. The Editorial Board— Stephen Cox, Roderick Long, and Chris Sciabarra—welcomes Robert Campbell, while the Board of Advisors welcomes six new members, reflecting its growing interdisciplinary and global reach: David Beito, Peter Boettke, Susan Love Brown, Hannes Gissurarson, Steven Horwitz, and David Mayer, who join founding board members Douglas Den Uyl, Mimi Gladstein, Robert Hessen, Lester Hunt, Eric Mack, and Douglas Rasmussen.
Private War: Objectivist Political Philosophy and the Privatization of Military Force
Authors: van Wetten Martin
Published: May 2022

This article focuses on the recent work of James Pattison, who raises questions about the ethical justification of using private military forces in waging war. Objectivists argue that the State has a legal monopoly over the use of force; they reject privatization of military force as leading to anarchism or crony capitalism. However, this essay argues that Objectivism should accept the privatization of the military business and that Objectivism can overcome the profitmotive and right intention objections that Pattison lays out. Privatization entails neither anarchism nor crony capitalism.
Ayn Rand Nation
Authors: Parille Neil
Published: May 2022

In his book, Ayn Rand Nation, Gary Weiss provides a journalistic critique of Ayn Rand and the influence of her followers. It is a valuable piece of reporting. His conclusions about her philosophy and influence, however, should be used with some caution.
The Effect of Dividend Policy, Investment Decision, Leverage, Profitability, and Firm Size on Firm Value
Authors: Bon Sergius Fribontius , Hartoko Sri
Published: May 2022

This study aims to obtain empirical evidence related to the effect of dividend policy, investment decisions, leverage, profitability, and firm size on firm value. The population of this study is all manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian stock exchange in 2015-2019 with 30 companies as samples. Determination of the sample in this study using the purposive sampling method. Hypothesis testing in this study uses panel data regression. The results showed that dividend policy does not affect firm value, investment decisions do not affect firm value, leverage affects positively firm value, profitability affects positively firm value, and firm size does not affect firm value.
Evidence of Greenwashing in Talent Attraction: Is Deceptive Marketing an Effective Recruiting Strategy?
Authors: Speckemeier Lars , Tsivrikos Dimitrios
Published: May 2022

This research explores the effects of greenwashing on employer branding and job pursuits. Through the lens of signaling theory, we specifically examine the interaction of deceptive green marketing and perceived green organization image, aiming to highlight the conditions under which talents disregard the authenticity of job advertisements. Across four field experiments, using a total of 941 actual job seekers, we found that genuine green marketing leads to the highest attraction scores. However, when the perceived green identity of a company is low, green marketing can lead to an even lower number of applications than no green marketing. Thus, green marketing does not increase job attraction per se. It is rather a function of identity and ad campaign design. We also found that among participants with high environmental attitudes, the negative effects of greenwashing are amplified, resulting in even lower job pursuit intentions. On the contrary, job seekers with high person-organization fit appear to be unaffected by deceptive marketing. We are among the first studies to incorporate the notion of inauthentic green employer branding in job advertising and, in doing so, provide a new theoretical viewpoint of how talent’s perceptions of employers are built and modified. Our results aim to show to employers that providing misleading information harms job attraction and to provide insights on how to reduce greenwashing practices in the recruitment domain.
Analysis Factors and Decision Strategies Dealing with Ongoing Project Delay in RDMP Balikpapan Project
Authors: Nurdin Nungcik Hengky
Published: May 2022

The business activity in oil & gas sector may include accounting and financing, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, safety, and supply chain processes including include in PT. Pertamina Kilang Balikpapan (PT. KPB) as well. In related manufacturing, currently PT. KPB was assigned the task of running and supervising the Balikpapan RDMP megaproject, a national strategic project for national energy independence and security through an increase in capacity of 100 MBSD, and an increase in diesel fuel of 30 MBSD. In addition, it will also produce new propylene products of 230 thousand tons per year, at the end all the production will decrease the import number quantity of fuel. Unfortunately, these figures are inverse to the overall progress of the current project, which is around 40%, of which 12% is the under-construction component, and large project delays are more than 50% higher than the baseline. The focus of this research is to understand the key factors that have a significant impact on project delays. To find the root cause of problems in project delays, the author tries to elaborate on technical data analysis from internal data, non-technical analysis, and qualitative data from expertise. Based on the available alternative business solution items for each root cause factor, the author establishes proposed initiatives and solutions to overcome and anticipate delays in the ongoing project RDMP Balikpapan.
ABAFOR: A Blockchain-based Privacy-Preserving Architecture for Efficient Contact Tracing and GIS Analysis
Authors: Tauhidi Syed Ibtisam , Abubakar Abdullahi , Ishola Abdulhakeem , Babate Alhaji Idi , Alkali Tanko Musa Abubaka , Abdulkadi Ahmad Maccido , Mustapha Umar Audu , Rasheed Muhammad Haruna , Muhammad Hashiru Isiaka
Published: May 2022

The Coronavirus disease 2019 has manifested into a global pandemic spreading into almost all the countries and territories in the world. Contact tracing, followed by testing and isolation, have been identified as important tools in containing the proliferation of the disease. Because of manual contact tracing limitations, smartphone apps for digital contact tracing have been deployed by authorities in multiple countries. However, many of these apps have faced criticism because of interoperability, privacy and security issues. This paper proposes an open architecture based on blockchain technology that addresses some of these criticisms. It enables interoperability through a publicly-readable consortium blockchain database, preserving privacy by distributing users’ partial identities among multiple decentralised authorities and providing security through digital signature and asymmetric key encryption. In addition, the architecture provides a fast proof-of-authority based consensus algorithm using reputation as a stake to add and validate blocks on the blockchain efficiently and a swift contact tracing algorithm using Spatio-temporal and key-valued databases.
Integration of Renewable Energy with Smart Grid Application into the Nigeria’s Power Network: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Adebanji Bankole , Ojo Ayotunde , Fasina Taiwo , Adeleye Samson , Abere Julius
Published: May 2022

Availability of diverse renewable energy sources (RES) in Nigeria makes their large penetration into the electricity supply mix reasonable. The increasing energy demand, and limited fossil fuel resources (with their negative environmental impacts) support the need for energy from RES. The conventional system of centralized power generation can no longer meet up with the growing demand for electrical energy. Hence, the need for a robust decentralized energy system incorporated with computer and automated systems, for information analysis and response to network operations. Smart Grid Technology (SGT) can be used to address some of the issues and challenges inherent in the traditional grid system for efficient and reliable power supply. This work reviewed the current electricity supply status in Nigeria and the existing policies. The existing network was studied and compared with such in some countries. It identified most of the major problems and challenges in the electricity sector and proposed the integration of RES with SGT into the network. Major policy recommendations were made. Some of the barriers that may likely affect the integration of RES with SGT were also discussed. The outcomes are useful for government and renewable energy developers in formulating effective policies for the smooth integration of renewable energy with SGT into the electricity supply mix.
Effect of Tongue Thrust on Implants Integration
Authors: Dal Carlo Luca , Dal Carlo Zeno , Pasqualini Marco E. , Moglioni Enrico , Shulman Mike
Published: May 2022

The human tongue is a muscular organ with a variety of life-important functions. Mastication and swallowing, taste, and speech are vital functions. From the analysis of the lingual function, clinical considerations during the oral-pharyngeal phase of swallowing, the tongue thrusts anteriorly and laterally, creating enormous pressure. If it applies to freshly inserted dental implants, it could be leading to early implant failure.

Different authors have calculated this pressure between 20 and 200 kPa, depending on tongue volume, producing resultant torsion forces on implant abutment. The work aims to understand the importance of the destabilizing action of the tongue in the post-operative period.

When the use of implants resting in quiescence for a long time under the gums is not possible, because of anatomical reasons (for example: thin ridge), or: immediate loading is planned, the action of the tongue must be considered.

We are proposing some solutions to the problem to improve therapeutic safety: 1)Attach immediate provisional prostheses to existing adjacent teeth. 2)Immediately upon implants insertion, rigidly connect implants. 3)When an immediate loading protocol is implemented, the operator should follow the guideline, taking care to apply correctly balanced axial forces, without any lateral stress.

Our professional experience, based on over 10.000 clinical cases performed during 35 years, confirms that, with implants emerging in the oral cavity, handling in proper way the tongue thrust during the healing period makes the difference.

All what has been here implemented about this subject, represents the development of the legacy left by Prof. Ugo Pasqualini, an Italian dentist who, since the seventies, has been deepening the topic of the risks tied to the intra-oral stresses acting on the emerging part of the implants.
The Electronic Gadgets Explosion Burn
Authors: Jalal A. , Chfiri A. , Karti S. , Jaafari Z. A. , Alaoui M. , Elharti A. , Diouri M.
Published: May 2022

With the technological progress of humans and the need to stay connected by various means of communication including laptops and smartphones, security measures must follow the qualities of computers as well as their chargers.

Explosion burns of electronic gadgets are rarely reported in the scientific literature. We report three cases of explosive burns of electronic gadgets including one by explosion of a laptop computer.

The aim of our work is to explain the explosion mechanism and emphasize the safety measures to be followed to limit this type of accident, which can be serious and sometimes fatal.
Cardiac Manifestations in COVID‐19 Patients-Admitted in Tertiary Care Hospital of Peshawar
Authors: Ali Muhammad , Liaqat Hafsa , Humayun Saba , Liaqat Aisha , Liaqat Javeria , Rauf Abdur
Published: May 2022

Objectives: To find the frequency of CVS diseases in admitted COVID patients and its associations with outcomes.

Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar from April- June 2021. All patients admitted in COVID ward and COVID ICU, consenting to participate were included. Questionnaire along with patients ECG and Echo report, Canadian classification used for angina grading and NYHA classification to classify shortness of breath.

Results: The mean age of the sample (n=75) was 60.44 years. Majority were 44(58.66%) males and from ward 82.66%. According to responses using Canadian classification for chest pain were 61 (81.36%) class 2 angina, IN NYHA classification majority (72%) of patients had class 2 SOB. About 14.6% of patients echo showed positive ECHO findings. The average stay of patients were 7.45+-1.3 days .About 22.6% of mortality was noted, majority of expiry were from COVID icu (52.9%) and 69.3% of patients were discharged. About 21.33% of COVID patients had cardiac manifestations, majority were males 87.5%. 43.75% of mortality was seen in patients developing cardiac manifestations. 75% of patients that developed cardiac manifestation had multiple comorbidities, AF was reported in patients age 70 and above. NSTEMI was reported in patients with multiple comorbidities. Most of the Cardiac patients 78.66% did not have cardiac manifestations, only 16.9% of mortality was seen in patients with no cardiac manifestations.

Conclusion: Males are more prone to COVID and have more cardiac events. Age above 60 years develop more serious disease and adverse outcomes.
Motivations for the Practice of Self-Care Measures Applicable to Mitigate COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ayosanmi Oluwasola Stephen , Alli Babatunde Y. , Akingbule Akinwale , Adeniran Olanrewaju , Adewuyi Adeyemi , Ayosanmi Titilope , Dada Stephen , Oparah Vivian Ifeyinwa , Oden Lorette
Published: May 2022

Objective: To identify relevant factors influencing the practice of self-care measures for prevention of the ongoing COVID-19 preventions based on prior evidence-based experiences.
Method: We conducted a literature review of empirical studies conducted between the years 2000 and 2020 focusing on self-care measures in a pandemic situation.
Result: Of the 250 studies identified, 19 studies met inclusion criteria. Sixty-three percent of the eligible studies reported handwashing, 21% reported social distancing, facemask wearing, 11% reported social avoidance and information-seeking behaviour. The identified factors motivating these practices include risk perception, health education and social trust.
Conclusion: We found that public health agencies commonly recommend self-care measures during pandemics. The adherence to them depends on individuals' perception of risk, knowledge about the situation, trust in the government agencies providing the recommendations and empathy that can motivate adherence.
Practice Implication: The public, researchers, and policymakers could learn from the past and present situation to understand what measures are proven relevant and what factors could motivate adherence. More emphasis could be placed on the role of individuals in health promotion and disease prevention as they have been proven to be helpful.
Assessment of Echocardiography-Derived Total Atrial Activation Time at Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Rexhepi Atilla , Asani Valon , Ismaili Hysni , Demiri Fisnik , Ibrahimi Vlora , Jani Ylber
Published: May 2022

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the main cardiovascular complications associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Echocardiography-derived total atrial activation time (PA-TDI duration) which reflects electrical and structural changes to the atria, consistently and accurately predicts new-onset AF. In this study, we aimed to determine the value of PA-TDI duration in T2DM patients.
Methods:  A total of 40 consecutive patients with T2DM, mean age 51.5 ± 14.3 years, and 40 age and gender-matched healthy volunteers were evaluated. Conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed. Additionally, we determined the PA-TDI duration as the time interval from the onset of the P-wave in lead II of the ECG to the peak A’-wave on the tissue Doppler tracing.
Results: Left atrial (LA) diameter and LA volume index were significantly higher in T2DM patients (3.36 ± 0.5 cm vs.3.10 ± 0.45cm, p=0.037; 30.8 ± 30ml/m2 vs. 29.0 ± 3.4ml/m2, p=0.03 respectively). Mitral A velocity was significantly higher in T2DM patients (69.72 ± 10.16 cm/s vs. 64.75 ± 10.64 cm/s, p=0.029).  Doppler E/A ratio was lower in T2DM patients.  Tissue Doppler E’/A’ ratio for left ventricular lateral annulus was significantly lower in the diabetic group (1.28±0.33 vs. 1.49±0.40, p=0.024) and E/E’ was significantly higher in the diabetic group (7.33±2.5 vs. 6.45±1.1, p=0.038). PA-TDI duration was significantly higher in the T2DM patients when compared with the controls (134.2±6.0ms vs. 124.3±9.4ms p<0.001).
Conclusions: Our results showed that PA-TDI duration is significantly increased in patients with T2DM as compared with healthy volunteers. PA-TDI duration measurement, using transthoracic echocardiography can serve as an easy and non-invasive method of detecting patients with T2DM at risk of atrial fibrillation.
Global biodiversity-related conventions on facilitating biodiversity conservation in Vietnam
Authors: Tung Do Quang , Bravo Felipe , Sierra-de-Grado Rosario , Sam Hoang Van
Published: May 2022

Global biodiversity-related conventions have positively influenced nature conservation in Vietnam. Adherence to international policies and strategies is one of the critical motivations for reducing biodiversity loss. As highlighted in Aichi Target 11, protected areas are central for this effort and Vietnam is not an exception. In this study we reflect on and suggest how this Target can be most effectively pursued in Vietnam. Of which, besides remaining the status of special-use forests, uplifting protection forests, especially focusing on forest areas which are in rich biodiversity condition, to special-use forests category should be a priority.
A Parallel Model of Musical Research and Creation
Authors: Dediu Dan
Published: May 2022

Stages of both processes – research and creation – are depicted and proposed as tools for understanding the uniqueness of the musical triad: musicology, interpretation, composition. Although the borderlines between them are fuzzy and the interconnections powerful, we can find sufficient reasons to compare these different ways to obtain knowledge and to generate results in the field of music. The proposition of a single model for all three areas takes into account the following stages: information, analysis, design, processing (combining intuition with rational procedures), adaptation, finalization. Similarities between the processes of musical research and musical creation are expressed and emphasized with examples, maps and figures.
Performers and musical texts – a controversial relationship
Authors: Bera Adriana
Published: May 2022

The present study departs from the debates caused by the idea of performers’ faithfulness to composers’ intentions in the context of Western-European type academic music. In the musicological research of the past three decades there appeared significant changes in approaching the relationship between performers and musical texts, which I set out to comment from a performer’s perspective. I wish to outline a few answers to questions posed by the desideratum of faithful interpretation in the performing act of composers’ intentions:

▪ are musical texts faithful mirrors of the works conceived by composers? To what extent can performers know composers’ intentions from reading musical texts?

▪ what is the degree of freedom that performers can assume in interpreting musical texts noted by composers? To what extent are the two requirements of the performing act – respecting composers’ intentions and being creative – compatible?

▪ what does performers’ creativity consist of and how is it manifested?

Departing from the premise that the analysis of the relation between composition and research in performing a musical work can supply us with some answers to these questions, I set out to prove that:

▪ performers can be creative without encroaching on composers’ copyright;

▪ the analysis of musical texts opens a wide field for performers, in which their creativity can be manifested by knowing and observing the laws governing the makeup of the performed work.