Multiple partitioning of multiplex signed networks: Application to European parliament votes

For more than a decade, graphs have been used to model the voting behavior taking place in parliaments. However, the methods described in the literature suffer from several limitations. The two main ones are that 1) they rely on some temporal integration of the raw data, which causes some information loss; and/or 2) they identify groups of antagonistic voters, but not the context associated with their occurrence. In this article, we propose a novel method taking advantage of multiplex signed graphs to solve both these issues. It consists in first partitioning separately each layer, before grouping these partitions by similarity. We show the interest of our approach by applying it to a European Parliament dataset.     

Retracted: Multilevel Predictors of Math Classroom Climate: A Comparison Study of Student and Teacher Perceptions

The above article, published online on June 23, 2014 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor‐in‐Chief, Nancy Guerra, and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The retraction has been agreed upon following the discovery that this article contained inaccurate data. It came to the author's attention that the names of some of the items reported in the Measures section of the paper could not be correct because such items did not exist in the surveys. The authors tried to identify exactly which items had been used in the data analyses but they could not establish without some doubt exactly which items had actually been used. Reference Wang, M.‐T. and Eccles, J. S. (2014), Multilevel Predictors of Math Classroom Climate: A Comparison Study of Student and Teacher Perceptions. Journal of Research on Adolescence. doi: 10.1111/jora.12153     

Chemical risk communication through the Internet in Spain

In this work, some corporate websites of the chemical industry of Tarragona (Spain) are studied, analysing how the chemical trade associations and companies present information and/or encourage dialogue with the community on issues relating to the chemical risk and their environmental, health and safety (EHS) performance. The results suggest that the chemical industry in Tarragona uses the corporate websites mainly to disseminate information about its EHS commitments and performance, but they do not encourage dialogue with the community through the Internet.     

What makes a good placement? Findings of a social work student-to-student research study

Social work fieldwork placements are recognised as a key component of social work education. This article analyses the experiences of students who have completed one social work placement and examines what they felt was most effective in aiding their learning. The innovative methodology used for the research enabled first year students to design an on-line survey which they administered to their second year student colleagues. The first year students gained experience in designing and administering a piece of research, but also gained a greater understanding of what previous students have found assisted their learning on placement. This cross-sectional research surveyed accessed the 2014/15 cohort of year 1 and year 2 Masters in Social Work (MSW) students. Students reported how prepared they felt for placement and also who or what facilitated their learning on placement. Students’ perception of the volume of learning on placement was strongly correlated with satisfaction. It is argued that being able to clearly identify types of interaction that enhance students’ learning, leads to more positive outcomes for all involved in the placement experience.     

The effect of cholesterol screening on college students.

This study was designed to determine the effect of cholesterol screening on college students' knowledge retention and self-reported behavior change. Students (N = 180, age M = 21.4 +/- 4.1 years) enrolled in a self-paced personal fitness course participated in a screening accompanied by two educational handouts and oral information from the technician. Six weeks later, subjects completed a questionnaire that revealed that 76% remembered their exact cholesterol level. Only 36%, however, remembered specifically why their cholesterol level was important, 22% remembered the three National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) categories and values, and only 36% could fully identify their correct NCEP follow-up. Chi-square analyses revealed no significant differences between expected and observed frequencies for gender or cholesterol category by cognitive information retention. Analyses did reveal more self-reported dietary and exercise changes for those testing above 200 mg/dL than for those below 200. Although college students may remember their cholesterol level after 6 weeks and may take some action if they are above the desirable level, the knowledge base established in a typical screening situation appears inadequate. Educational efforts accompanying most screenings should be improved, and some attention should be given to young adults who test at the high end of the desirable category.     

Impact of Social Work Education on Student Attitudes and Behavior concerning Oppression

Although human service professionals increasingly are the victims of violence, no data exist on the prevalence of violence in the undergraduate field setting, and only one study has addressed the incidence of violence at the graduate level. To fill this gap in the research, the authors surveyed 121 social work students and 96 field instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels to identify safety issues, compare incidents of violence, and to examine agency policies on violence prevention and management. Findings revealed that undergraduate and graduate students experienced verbal abuse, as well as physical violence. Field instructors were verbally abused or threatened by clients, but did not report any verbal abuse by students; they also reported physical assaults by clients and paraprofessionals. Students reported that, although they received some classroom instruction on safety issues in practice, agencies used as practicum sites often did not have policies on violence or did not inform students of those policies. The authors suggest that curriculum materials on violence and safety issues be integrated into the curriculum or included in field placement seminars. They also recommend that the Council on Social Work Education mandate the inclusion of such content.     

Eco-critical Consciousness Meets Oppositional Consciousness: Reading Early Chicago Housing Activism Through an Environmental Lens

This article integrates the key concept of oppositional consciousness from social movement theory with the broader notion of community work to argue for understanding the environmental activism of African Americans. Oppositional consciousness developed through community work can significantly challenge dominant ideologies pertaining to environment-related advantages, which the authors refer to as “eco-critical consciousness.” Arguing that housing inequality is an integral part of environmental concerns, the authors show that not only did African Americans care about the environmental integrity of their communities, they also took measures to resolve some of the ways environmental degradation affected their health. Using archival information from the Chicago Defender, the authors show that African Americans have consistently challenged conditions of housing discrimination and livability, revealing an intersectional understanding of environmental issues. The analysis reveals the actions, agency, and legacies made by early black Chicagoans on environmental history.     

Labor Markets and the Process of Income Attainment in the Multimedia Age

Abstract  This paper examines several foreseeable scenarios about the effects of information technology on the labor market and the process of individual's income attainment. While I do not intend to exclude other factors, I argue that computer literacy and information literacy are two distinct but complimentary factors, and that they will be the two critical issues in determining the productive capacities of workers in the multimedia age. I view information literacy as a firm-specific skill, and argue that it will be the key factor in determining the production function of workers within the firm. Computer literacy is viewed as the endowment of information literacy skills. Workers with higher levels of computer literacy will be at an advantage at the time of labor market entry. Further, such workers are more likely to have higher rates of return on firm's investments in information literacy skills. thereby yielding higher productions. Based on the premise that information technology and labor are complementary components which should reveal an increase in the demand for higher skilled workers, I suggest that income differences are likely to widen along the lines of educational attainment and establishment-size. The "Implications" section (V) of the paper examines several issues for further research in this incipient field of sociology.     

Terrestrial vertebrates in urban ecosystems: developing hypotheses for the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore,Maryland

We review the literature on terrestrial vertebrates in urban and urbanizing areas in terms of the new paradigm in ecology that focuses on the origin, spatial pattern, and current influences of habitat patches. Studies of terrestrial vertebrates have documented differences in species composition along an urban-rural gradient and have identified some of the key land use features associated with these differences. We use information from a database developed for the Gwynns Falls Watershed in Baltimore City and County, Maryland to demonstrate how a study of forest-dependent breeding birds could be used to identify mechanisms that account for differences in the bird communities of forest patches in urban areas, and to provide useful information to planners and managers involved in wildlife conservation and management.     

Brief Report: The Unrealized Potential of Autonomous Vehicles for an Aging Population

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to improve the health and well-being of older people. This exploratory study involved in-depth interviews with 43 key stakeholders across a broad range of sectors to identify the primary policy implications of AVs for aging populations. Four main issues were evident: a general lack of salience of the needs of older people in the AV discourse, the perceived dominance of the commercial drivers of AV technology, the implications of the particular characteristics of the senior segment, and a lack of available analyses to guide decision making. Threats and opportunities represented by these issues are discussed.     

Qualitative Health Research with Children

The authors of this article identify and discuss some of the practical and ethical issues of qualitative research with children. The problems are illustrated through a research study about children's experience of asthma, and the way in which they perceive and interpret their condition. It is shown that social research with children has inherent difficulties relating to access, ethical and developmental issues. Researchers do not only have to gain parental permission but also want the child to enter the research voluntarily. Because of the children's stage of development and the asymmetrical relationship between researcher and informants, adequate safeguards and awareness of these problems are essential.     

The value and purpose of the traditional qualitative literature review

Both meta-analysis and traditional literature or narrative reviews strive to compile a great deal of information in an accessible and succinct manner. In recent years, social work researchers have been turning toward meta-analysis to identify issues in large areas of research. In order for meta-analysis to be a rigorous and objective source of information there are a certain set of assumptions that must be met about how to carry out the process of including and excluding various studies. However, when these assumptions are not met, the information provided can be misleading. Traditional literature reviews continue to offer a valid and important way to identify existing patterns and gaps in social work research. In fact, because they draw not only on quantitative (as does meta-analysis) but also qualitative studies their reach may often be broader. This paper examines the strengths, weaknesses and utility of both practices in social work research today.     

Identifying and Responding to Activist Publics: A Case Study

Activist groups are strategic publics because they constrain an organization's ability to accomplish its goals and mission. Activists create issues; they appeal to government, the courts, or media for litigation, regulation, or other forms of pressure. As a result, research on activism has become one of the most important domains of public relations research. I begin this article with the premise that public relations practitioners must develop sensitivity to activists, he able to identify activist publics before they become active, and develop communication strategies to foster mutual understanding with them. The results are reported of a case study of environmental activism against a multinational company working in the Central American country of Belize. The organization failed to identify activist publics at the beginning of its Belize project and made no attempt to communicate with them. The activists then went elsewhere for information and escalated overt pressure on the organization. Media coverage, however, had little effect on the activists because they had their own specialized communication networks and newsletter. The organization then used press agentry and public information models of public relations to counteract the activists; as a result, the pressure escalated. I also found evidence that the organization became more successful with activists when it used a symmetrical model of public relations during a radio debate.     

Disability Research by Disabled and Non‐Disabled People: Towards a Relational Methodology of Research Production

This paper explores some of the problems and opportunities that may derive from the development of working relationships between disabled and non‐disabled researchers. First a number of key barriers that face disabled researchers from the outset of research are sketched out. However, these barriers are not dwelt on as they have been documented and challenged well by others. Rather, in seeking to identify good research practice that can challenge such barriers, it is suggested that enabling modes of research production may often be uncovered through a careful examination of the working relationships between members of research teams. This approach is illustrated through a discussion of a range of relational issues that have impacted upon the authors’ own research partnership: (i) Relating in research: Tackling fears and issues around self‐disclosure; (ii)Psychoanalytic sensitivity: Privileging ontological experience and reflexivity; (iii) Towards a feminist ethics of care: Challenging methodological individualism; and (iv) Interdependence in research: towards enriched analysis. In terms of advancing an agenda for inclusive disability research, it is believed that making explicit the complexity of disabled/non‐disabled research relationships like this is one practical way in which general assumptions of a binary disabled/non‐disabled split may be challenged, whilst simultaneously recognizing that equitable working partnerships can only derive from the equal valuing of difference.     

Translating messages from research on child development into social work training and practice

Social work training should equip students with both the knowledge and the skills required for good practice. Although research messages are available through books and papers, they may more easily be conveyed through the repeated use of practice tools which have been developed from research findings. The Looking After Children Assessment and Action Records have been used in formal social work training to help students develop competencies, but their value as a means of conveying a knowledge basis of key issues in child development has yet to be exploited. The Children and Families Assessment Programme has a similar potential, to help practitioners set child protection issues within a developmental framework and further their understanding of those factors that impede children's satisfactory progress. New requirements to provide routine data on children's progress for aggregation and analysis can both improve practitioners' skills and understanding of the purpose of management information, as well as providing evidence of the effectiveness of services.     

CELEBRATING HETEROGENEITY?: A survey of female ICT professionals in England

This paper introduces key findings from a large-scale, online survey of women in the ICT industry across England undertaken between October 2004 and October 2005. Placed in a theoretical framework which draws on critical perspectives from within information systems (IS), and the sociology of gender and of technology, the authors examine some of the issues faced by female ICT professionals. The context for this paper is the ongoing under-representation of women in the ICT industry in England, and the difficulties that the industry is having retaining women, particularly at senior levels. Data are presented on the demographic composition of women in the ICT industry in England. In addition the authors focus on their management of domestic and caring responsibilities, including changes in working practices they have experienced as a result of these responsibilities. These data are particularly pertinent given current government and industry debates regarding the 'work-life balance' and 'flexible working' in the ICT industry, partially as a response to the need for a more diverse ICT workforce. Alongside information on the career histories of female ICT professionals, the authors review their perceptions of pay and reward packages, working environments, the skills they hold, and the recognition they may or may not receive in their current posts. They present reports of a 'long-hours' and 'presenteeism' culture in the ICT industry, and the existence of gendered informal networks in ICT. They also examine female ICT professionals' perceptions of the current and future-possible image of the industry. The findings highlight the continued masculinization of ICT work, and some of the difficulties faced by women working in what remain statistically and symbolically male-dominated environments.     

The Nonprofit Almanac: what are the issues?

Conclusion Despite the issues raised here, theNonprofit Almanac represents an extremely valuable addition to the source materials on the non-profit sector in the United States. The estimates of some of the key parameters of non-profit finances and employment provided in theAlmanac represent an important contribution to research and information in this field. In addition, theAlmanac does a good job of pulling together its own research findings with those already available and presenting them within the confines of a single, coherent volume.At the same time, however, theAlmanac buries, or at least neglects to surface clearly enough, a number of very significant issues that could affect how the document is interpreted and used. As we have seen, some of these involve lack of clarity about methods and procedures and could presumably be remedied fairly easily. Others are more substantive. Whatever the source, however, it is important that these issues be clearly understood so that this extraordinary document can be put to its most effective use.     

Developing a methodology to assess the impact of research grant funding: A mixed methods approach

This paper discusses the development of a mixed methods approach to analyse research funding. Research policy has taken on an increasingly prominent role in the broader political scene, where research is seen as a critical factor in maintaining and improving growth, welfare and international competitiveness. This has motivated growing emphasis on the impacts of science funding, and how funding can best be designed to promote socio-economic progress. Meeting these demands for impact assessment involves a number of complex issues that are difficult to fully address in a single study or in the design of a single methodology. However, they point to some general principles that can be explored in methodological design. We draw on a recent evaluation of the impacts of research grant funding, discussing both key issues in developing a methodology for the analysis and subsequent results. The case of research grant funding, involving a complex mix of direct and intermediate effects that contribute to the overall impact of funding on research performance, illustrates the value of a mixed methods approach to provide a more robust and complete analysis of policy impacts. Reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are used to examine refinements for future work.     

Richard Davis 1943-1981

This article examines some of the key issues discussed and debated in the literature on ‘world music’ in anthropology and ethnomusicology. In particular, it focuses on the kinds of aesthetic and musical decisions made by non-Western musicians as they produce music for a global market; as both producers and consumers of global music, musicians labelled by the term ‘world music’ must consider both local and global audiences when they take the stage or enter the recording studio. The article then relates these issues to the other articles in this issue of TAPJA, which explore a variety of local responses to the world music phenomenon.     

A stimulus for sustainable growth and development: Construing a composite index to measure overall corporate performance

Abstract

Various methods have been developed to measure sustainability. When it comes to measuring whether sustainability issues are integrated in overall corporate performance, companies broaden their reporting from economic performance to ‘sustainability performance’ and there are various frameworks around for benchmarking sustainability outcomes. A major emphasis, however, is on technical data. The main efforts have been consolidated in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Each of the indicators prudently measures a well-determined set of facts. However, one major discussion point is whether the reporting frameworks do really reflect the link between sustainability and economic value, and how they would properly connect to the information used by management for running the business on a day-to-day basis. This article tries to point out that one way out of the disconnected ness might be through expanding the concept of ‘Economic Value Added’ (EVA). EVA measures overall corporate performance by claiming that shareholders gain when the return from the capital employed in a corporation is greater than the cost of that capital. From there it is a short way to proclaiming that all stakeholders gain when the value created by a corporation is greater than the cost of the capital employed in the corporation and the capital employed in whichever commonly available resources outside the corporation are used by its business. The expansion of EVA that is envisaged would be to enlarge the cost of capital by the costs that are caused by that part of ‘Public Goods’ that is available to a corporation. There is one political and one theoretical obstacle in this: the argument is quite radical and complying with it would require some leadership from ‘big corporations’; and valuing public goods is a research field that has not yet reached the stadium of generally accepted applicability, at least with regard to aggregative monetary value. However there are new initiatives under way, by the GRI, which will join forces to reach a breakthrough. The article also reflects on the effects the new indicator would stimulate for businesses, their markets and their stakeholders.