Evaluating U.S. Medical Schools' Efforts to Educate Faculty Researchers on Research Integrity and Research Misconduct Policies and Procedures

This paper examines how well U.S. medical school institutions are doing to promote research integrity. It is an important question to ask in order to determine whether there are sufficient and adequate protections in place to protect the U.S. Public Health Service's (PHS) resources devoted to medical research. This paper focuses on 5,100 medical school researchers' knowledge of what constitutes research misconduct as well as their willingness to report it to the research integrity officer (RIO) and educate their Ph.D. trainees. We learned that 5.6% of researchers could correctly distinguish seven or more of the nine scenarios that depicted likely research misconduct, as defined by the PHS regulations, from scenarios describing other ethical issues. Instead, researchers had expansive definitions and often inappropriately identified infractions such as conflicts of interest, Institutional Review Board (IRB) violations, and other breaches in ethical standards to be research misconduct. In addition, researchers who correctly identified four instances of likely research misconduct in the test items were highly unlikely to report their observations to a RIO. Researchers also provided insight on the factors they believe influence their decision making process of whether to report research misconduct. In addition, this paper also reports on the guidance that faculty said they provided their trainees on research misconduct issues. We conclude with a discussion and recommendations on what institutional leaders might consider doing in order to enhance their research integrity efforts and protect their institution's reputation.     

Korean and American Children's Concepts of Adult and Peer Authority

The primary purpose of this research was to examine Korean children's concepts of authority. Children's judgments about commands of persons with varying age, social position, and knowledge were assessed. 48 subjects from the first, third, and fifth grades were presented with portrayals of persons giving children commands regarding two types of events: fighting and a game rule dispute. Subjects evaluated the legitimacy of commands and chose between different persons giving opposing commands. With regard to a command to stop fighting, subjects accepted the legitimacy of adult and peer authorities, as well as an adult without a position of authority. Subjects rejected commands that failed to prevent harm even when given by an adult authority. With regard to a game rule dispute, subjects most heavily weighted knowledge in evaluating the authority commands. The findings show that Korean children do not have a unitary orientation to adult authority, and have implications for an understanding of individuals' conceptions in the context of a cultural ideology emphasizing reverence for authority. A second study, with a group of fifth graders from the United States, was conducted to determine how the game event task or cultural influences accounted for some differences between previous findings in the U.S. and the findings with the Korean children. The second study showed that whereas the U.S. children mainly respond in ways similar to the Korean children, the U.S. children gave more priority to pragmatic considerations; the Korean children gave more priority to the attribute of the authority's knowledge.     

The effects of Mexico's devaluations and tariff changes on U.S. exports

The recent economic crisis in Mexico has been accompanied by several devaluations of the peso and a change in Mexico's tariff schedule. With Mexico being the third largest trading partner of the U.S. any serious disruption of this trade flow could significantly affect U.S. exports. This article presents estimates of the decline in U.S. exports in total and by industry. In total, the decline amounts to approximately $4.5 billion or a reduction in U.S. exports to Mexico of 31 percent. In addition, it is shown that approximately 40 percent of this total reduction in U.S. exports occurs in 15 product categories with 4 product categories accounting for about one-fifth of the total reduction. As is evident, only a few industries will bear a large percentage of the decline in U.S. exports to Mexico.     

Inter-organizational collaborative research networks in semiconductor lasers 1975–1994

How does the development of collaborative research networks vary? This paper investigates how research networks have developed in the same technological fields in North America, Europe, and Asia. Exploring inter-organizational co-authored papers published in the Applied Physics Letters from 1975 to 1994, we first map the collaborative research networks and demonstrate that research networks were more developed in scale and scope in North America than in Europe and Asia in semiconductor laser technology. U.S. organizations played a nodal role in networking throughout this time period. Addressing how research networks were more developed in the U.S. than in Japan in particular, this paper concludes that engineer mobility, academic–industry relationships, and entrepreneurial startups were the key factors for the development of collaborative networks during the periods studied.     

Influence of Industrial communications on public perceptions of biotechnology

The biotech industry spends significant time and funds in confronting negative public perceptions concerning acceptance of various biotechnology‐derived products prior to their commercialization. It is generally assumed that greater public awareness of a technology increases the public's comfort level, so industrial communications would be expected to lead to public acceptance of the technology. However, this study finds that throughout the world, increased public awareness and understanding of biotechnology are correlated not only with a greater appreciation of its benefits but also with increased worries about the technology. In the United States, even though the public perceives there are significant risks associated with biotechnology, public acceptance of the technology is relatively high. This may be due to the early rapid growth of the biotech industry in the United States. The U.S. biotech industry initially played a major role in addressing societal issues associated with commercialization of biotechnology. A continuing, proactive stance on the part of the U.S. biotech industry to discuss the issues may be related to public acceptance of the technology and the disproportionate growth of the industry in the United States.     

Competition and Wage Discrimination: The Effects of Interindustry Concentration and Import Penetration*

Objective. Economic theory suggests that competition reduces employers' latitude to engage in wage discrimination ( Becker, 1957 ). This study investigates the impact of foreign and domestic competition on wage discrimination. Method. Utilizing the sample of males in U.S. manufacturing industries from the 1990 Public Use Micro Sample (PUMS), industry wage equations are estimated. In a second stage, the impact of domestic and foreign competition on racial wage disparity is assessed. Results. We find little evidence to support our hypothesis. Conclusions. Notwithstanding, the failure of conventional economic theory to satisfactorily explain racial wage disparity reiterates the need to incorporate alternative theories of discrimination into mainstream economic theory.     

Who Uses Alternative Financial Services? A Latent Class Analysis of Consumer Financial Knowledge and Behavior

ABSTRACT

We examine the heterogeneity of alternative financial services (AFS) use by constructing an empirically rigorous typology of financial knowledge and behaviors. Using the 2012 National Financial Capability Study, we conducted latent class analysis of financial knowledge and behaviors to identify latent classes of AFS users (N = 25,509). The proportion of the distal outcome of AFS was investigated among latent classes. The latent classes in the best fitting model were regressed on demographic variables and selected covariates using multinomial logistic regression. Results indicate that five meaningful subgroups were found. Over half of the U.S. population struggles to establish and maintain savings and position themselves for future financial security and mobility (i.e., financially precarious (25.9%), financially striving (20.5%), and financially at-risk (18.4%) classes). The financially thriving class (27.7%) has the healthiest financial behaviors and the least probability of using AFS. The financially stable (7.4%) and financially at-risk (18.4%) classes have the highest probability of using AFS. Widespread use of AFS suggests a general consumer demand for the products and services. Future research is needed to inform policy and practice efforts to shape the formal financial system to meet the long-term financial needs of the majority of consumers.     

日美贸易失衡与中美贸易失衡的对比分析——以产业冲击为视角

中美贸易失衡是继日美贸易失衡后美国在经贸领域的又一关注焦点,美国将中美贸易失衡与“产业冲击”相挂钩。通过从汽车和半导体产业入手,对日美贸易失衡中的产业冲击问题进行分析发现:在中美贸易和日美贸易的发展过程中,由于产业发展阶段、对外直接投资对产业的影响、贸易对就业的冲击、产业竞争与互补程度以及出口管制程度等方面存在不同,日美贸易失衡对美国产业构成了实质性冲击,与中美贸易失衡在该问题上的影响存在本质差异。美国以贸易失衡和“产业冲击”责难中国,并借此发动贸易战,是美国意识形态方面的固有偏见和遏制中国发展的托词,中国需要在谋划中美磋商和反制的策略、推动中国产业结构升级及提防美国发动金融战等方面进行政策应对。     

Leadership,politics, and administrative reform at the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission,United States and Mexico

This paper draws on theories of leadership to explain administrative problems at the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico that led the U.S. President, in an unprecedented action, to remove the U.S. Section's Commissioner in 2005. The analysis proceeds from a detailed review of the history and organizational features of the U.S. Section. While popular accounts of the U.S. Section's leadership difficulties invoke an endogenous explanation of leadership failure emphasizing leadership traits and skills, we argue that this explanation should be coupled with an exogenous explanation for leadership failure. Focusing on the U.S. Section's altered administrative environment since the late-1980s, the paper argues that heightened politicization associated with its changing operational environment and mission increased the structural risks of executive failure. The paper concludes by reflecting on the theoretical and practical lessons learned from the U.S. Section's post-2000 administrative difficulties.     

Foundations of Feminism: How Philanthropic Patrons Shaped Gender Politics*

Objectives. Although recent research has documented the contributions of philanthropic foundations as “patrons” of the major identity movements, scholars know very little about the specific ways foundations have influenced these movements' development and impact. This study examines the role of foundations in shaping the U.S. women's movement of the 1960s–1980s, in particular the role that foundations played in deciding which of its claimsmakers—and by extension, its claims—would be sustained. Methods. The study is based on an original data set of nearly 6,500 foundation grants to women's groups, or for women's causes, from 1970 to 1990. It examines shifts in the types of groups that received foundation grants and in the female interests that these groups represented. Results. Philanthropic patrons were central to transforming women from servants of society into claimants against the state. Likewise, foundations played a critical role in segmenting U.S. womanhood into politically relevant subgroups (civic stewards, battered women, lesbians, etc.) with ever narrower policy claims. Conclusions. By legitimizing identity subgroups and their policy agendas, foundations played an important role in the development of special interest politics in the second half of the 20th century. In this way, professional grantmakers have constituted a critical yet overlooked force behind the construction of U.S. hyperpluralism, in the process diminishing the capacity of gender to unite women in common cause.     

COI Policies: Tax Dollars Should Not Be Used to Fund U.S. Institutions Not Making the Grade

Over two billion dollars was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in research funding from 2010 to March 2012 to institutions receiving a grade of “C,” “D,” or “F” on their conflict of interest policies, as determined by the American Medical Student Association's scorecard on conflict of interest policies. More institutional oversight is needed with regard to assuring conflict of interest policies at U.S. research institutions are adequate. As stewards of public funds, HHS should require a minimum standard which institutional conflict of interest policies should meet, beyond current regulatory requirements, before granting funding.     

Capitalism's global financial crisis: The role of the state

The bankruptcy and merger of three major American investment banks: Bear Stearns, Lehmann Brothers and Merrill Lynch in 2008 have shocked the United States government to undertake dramatic market intervention by the state, and a $700 billion U.S. dollar bailout, that resembles “industrial policy” in many other countries. Critics of market intervention, often called industrial policy in many countries, point out to two potential weaknesses: governments may have less knowledge than markets on how to pick winners and industrial policy creates possibilities of corruption and rent seeking. This research note's contribution analyzes the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, through the importance of, institutional infrastructures, and how industrial policy can help create the institutional infrastructures that can expand economic wealth and stability for all countries in the 21st century.     

Research Misconduct Definitions Adopted by U.S. Research Institutions

In 2000, the U.S. federal government adopted a uniform definition of research misconduct as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP), which became effective in 2001. Institutions must apply this definition of misconduct to federally-funded research to receive funding. While institutions are free to adopt definitions of misconduct that go beyond the federal standard, it is not known how many do. We analyzed misconduct policies from 183 U.S. research institutions and coded them according to thirteen different types of behavior mentioned in the misconduct definition. We also obtained data on the institution’s total research funding and public vs. private status, and the year it adopted the definition. We found that more than half (59%) of the institutions in our sample had misconduct policies that went beyond the federal standard. Other than FFP, the most common behaviors included in definitions were “other serious deviations” (45.4%), “significant or material violations of regulations” (23.0%), “misuse of confidential information” (15.8%), “misconduct related to misconduct” (14.8%), “unethical authorship other than plagiarism” (14.2%), “other deception involving data manipulation” (13.1%), and “misappropriation of property/theft” (10.4%). Significantly more definitions adopted in 2001 or later went beyond the federal standard than those adopted before 2001 (73.2% vs. 26.8%), and significantly more definitions adopted by institutions in the lower quartile of total research funding went beyond the federal standard than those adopted by institutions in the upper quartiles. Public vs. private status was not significantly associated with going beyond the federal standard.     

Duty and discretion in a wayward agency: The U.S. environmental protection agency implementation of the hazardous waste laws

In the early 1980s the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Anne (Gorsuch) Burford became a battleground between President Reagan's appointees and the career civil servants. The new administration wanted to ease the regulatory burden, cooperate with industry, and reduce inflationary costs. The civil servants wanted to continue the existing policies of the Carter administration, or as they saw it, to implement the laws. The hazardous waste program, headed by Rita Lavelle, serves as a case study of the tension between the agency's duty (to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act) and the administrative discretion to carry out President Reagan's policy.     

Reported Peer Conflicts of Children in the United States and Indonesia

U.S. and Indonesian 9‐ to 11‐year‐old children (N=147) reported on multiple occasions conflicts that they experienced with peers. The precursors of conflict, behavior during conflict episodes, and resolutions were coded. Teacher ratings of aggression and social preference were obtained. The conflicts of children in both countries most often occurred between friends, were short, amicably settled, and solved without aggression. Indonesian children reported disengaging from conflict more often than did U.S. children, whereas U.S. children more frequently reported using negotiation. Reports of aggression during conflict were associated with U.S. and Indonesian children's teacher‐rated aggression, whereas reports of disengagement were associated with Indonesian children's teacher‐rated social preference and aggression.     

United States trade and possible restrictions in high-technology products

This paper assesses the changing U.S. competitive position in high-technology products, and examines reasons for changes. It then inquires into the potential value of restrictive trade policies for promoting the U.S. interest in this sector, including mutual restrictions between the U.S., the EC, and Japan. The paper shows that the U.S. market share in most high-technology products, while still high, is declining. While industrial policy in other countries may have been a facilitating factor in this adverse development, the main explanation appears to lie in changing factor endowments, particularly the marked increase in the human capital/labor endowment ratios of Japan and Germany relative to that of the United States. When considering all the criteria relevant to trade policy, the differences between the high-technology industries bring into question the validity of lumping them into one sector for the purpose of strategic trade policy. Each industry needs to be treated separately. Their main common characteristic is intensity in human capital input. When they are viewed as one sector, a move to redress the declining U.S. lead calls for a domestic rather than a trade policy: massive U.S. investment in human capital and in research and development of the post-sputnik variety.     

Researchers’ Views of the Acceptability of Restrictive Provisions in Clinical Trial Agreements with Industry Sponsors

We conducted a mail survey of 884 U.S. medical school faculty active in clinical research to elicit their views about the acceptability of provisions in contracts for industry-sponsored clinical trials that would restrict investigators’ academic freedom and control over trials. We compared their responses to results from a similar survey of research administrators at 107 medical schools. There was substantial variation among clinical researchers in their acceptability judgments, with a relatively large proportion of clinical trial investigators willing to accept provisions that give industry sponsors considerable control over the dissemination of research results. There were significant differences in the perceptions of clinical trial investigators versus other recently published clinical researchers; investigators with a high versus low percentage of research support from industry; junior versus senior faculty; and investigators at institutions with high versus low National Institute of Health (NIH) funding ranks. There was also a significant divergence of views in a number of areas between clinical trialists and research administrators who negotiate clinical trial contracts on their behalf. Medical school faculty could benefit from additional guidance about what their institution views as acceptable parameters for industry-sponsored clinical trial agreements.     

Price controls, trade protectionism and political business cycles in the U.S. steel industry

The U.S. steel industry is subject to a microeconomic political business cycle resulting from U.S. Presidents designing protectionist policies on behalf of the steel industry; experiencing complaints from consumers and foreign producers as a result of the policy; modifying the policy which results in complaints from the steel industry; and finally, maneuvering policy back in favor of the industry to achieve re-election. Using a cointegrating vector error correction framework, this paper tests the hypothesized political business cycle for its effect on steel prices. We find that trade protectionism does not seem to have succeeded in its primary objective of supporting prices. By expending so much political capital on ineffective trade protection, the steel industry may have lost the opportunity to focus on more substantive issues that might have restrained factor cost and enhanced its competitive ability. The devolution of the steel industry, ironically, may have resulted from it's persistent pleas for protection. Political business cycles in the steel industry, with all its attendant negative consequences, would not occur if the steel industry did not continually lobby for protection.     

Researchers' views of the acceptability of restrictive provisions in clinical trial agreements with industry sponsors

We conducted a mail survey of 884 U.S. medical school faculty active in clinical research to elicit their views about the acceptability of provisions in contracts for industry-sponsored clinical trials that would restrict investigators' academic freedom and control over trials. We compared their responses to results from a similar survey of research administrators at 107 medical schools. There was substantial variation among clinical researchers in their acceptability judgments, with a relatively large proportion of clinical trial investigators willing to accept provisions that give industry sponsors considerable control over the dissemination of research results. There were significant differences in the perceptions of clinical trial investigators versus other recently published clinical researchers; investigators with a high versus low percentage of research support from industry; junior versus senior faculty; and investigators at institutions with high versus low National Institute of Health (NIH) funding ranks. There was also a significant divergence of views in a number of areas between clinical trialists and research administrators who negotiate clinical trial contracts on their behalf. Medical school faculty could benefit from additional guidance about what their institution views as acceptable parameters for industry-sponsored clinical trial agreements.     

Do psychologists understand honor cultures when they operationalize them?

This paper brings the thought of philosopher and world-class chemist Michael Polanyi to bear on psychologists' study of honor cultures. After reviewing some fundamentals of Polanyi's outlook on science and persons, the paper develops a heuristic involving two dimensions to the process of knowing others—one that is integrative, another that is affective—in which seeing with honor cultures only characterizes one side of the intersection between these dimensions. This leads on to consideration of the Honor Ideology for Manhood scale (Barnes, Brown, & Osterman, 2012), an operationalization of honor in the southern U.S. that misses understanding because of impairments it naturally suffers as an instrument of detachment. The possibility follows that understanding as seeing with another culture most readily succeeds when that culture's way of life is personally indwelt so that the psychologist directly encounters what its members can speak of and only convey by showing. The distinction Polanyi makes between explicit and tacit knowledge informs this proposal, and his vision of apprenticing—such as occurs between masters and pupils in the training of a science or an art—is presented as an exemplary form of such encounters.