Clinical Gender Differences Among Adult Pathological Gamblers Seeking Treatment

This study aimed to examine the gender-related differences in demographics, gambling measures, psychological functioning, and motivation for therapy in an outpatient sample of pathological gamblers seeking treatment. Participants in this multisite study included 103 adult outpatients (51 women and 52 men) meeting current DSM-IV-TR criteria for PG. Logistic regression was used to examine if gender was related together to categorical and continuous independent variables. Female gamblers were older than men and more likely to be divorced or widowed and to have a lower annual income. Women became more dependent on bingo and men on slot machines. Gambling motivation and the course of illness for both sexes were also different. Female gamblers were more anxious and with a poorer self-esteem than male gamblers and more affected by depressive symptoms; in turn, men were more impulsive and higher sensation seekers than women and more affected by drug/alcohol abuse. The 68.6% of female gamblers reported being victims of intimate partner violence. There were no gender differences about the motivation for treatment. Future research should examine gambling behaviors and psychological functioning and suggest treatment approaches to address specific goals according to these gender-related differences.     

Strategy and Structure in High-Performing Nonprofits: Insights from Iberoamerican Cases

Some nonprofits evolve from small into large international organizations. For years, “structure follows strategy” (Chandler) has been the dictum to explain organizational strategic changes like the ones in nonprofits. But scholars also recognized organization structure to be a precondition to carry out certain strategies. Nevertheless, research on structure and strategy in nonprofits is limited. This paper explores the mutual influence of organization structure and strategy in high-performing nonprofits in Iberoamerica based on a secondary analysis of 20 unpublished research cases of the Social Enterprise Knowledge Network. It follows the research question: Which organizations’ strategies and structures characterize high-performing nonprofits over time? Four types of organizing patterns emerged: starting-up, professionalizing, decentralizing, and conglomerating.     

Weak and strong laws of large numbers for coherent lower previsions

We prove weak and strong laws of large numbers for coherent lower previsions, where the lower prevision of a random variable is given a behavioural interpretation as a subject's supremum acceptable price for buying it. Our laws are a consequence of the rationality criterion of coherence, and they can be proven under assumptions that are surprisingly weak when compared to the standard formulation of the laws in more classical approaches to probability theory.     

Bivariate distributions with second kind beta conditionals

In this paper the most general bivariate distributions with second kind beta conditionals is fully characterized. This family is closed under inversions and the conditional moments are shown to be rational functions of the conditioned variable. Two subfamilies of dependent distributions is shown to have second kind beta marginals too. Finally, as a particular case, the most general bivariate distribution with second kind Pareto conditionals is characterized.     

Bayesian Methodology for Model Uncertainty Using Model Performance Data

A simple and useful characterization of many predictive models is in terms of model structure and model parameters. Accordingly, uncertainties in model predictions arise from uncertainties in the values assumed by the model parameters (parameter uncertainty) and the uncertainties and errors associated with the structure of the model (model uncertainty). When assessing uncertainty one is interested in identifying, at some level of confidence, the range of possible and then probable values of the unknown of interest. All sources of uncertainty and variability need to be considered. Although parameter uncertainty assessment has been extensively discussed in the literature, model uncertainty is a relatively new topic of discussion by the scientific community, despite being often the major contributor to the overall uncertainty. This article describes a Bayesian methodology for the assessment of model uncertainties, where models are treated as sources of information on the unknown of interest. The general framework is then specialized for the case where models provide point estimates about a single‐valued unknown, and where information about models are available in form of homogeneous and nonhomogeneous performance data (pairs of experimental observations and model predictions). Several example applications for physical models used in fire risk analysis are also provided.     

Inducing efficient conditional cooperation patterns in public goods games, an experimental investigation

This study analyses the behavior in a repeated public goods game when subjects know about the possibility of existence of strict conditional cooperators. We employed a baseline treatment and a threat treatment in which subjects are informed about the possibility of being in a group together with automata playing a grim trigger strategy. We conjecture the resulting game allows for almost fully efficient outcomes. Contributions in the threat treatment increase by 40% before a surprise restart, and by 50% after the surprise restart. In line with the grim trigger strategy subjects contribute either all or nothing in the threat treatment.     

Critical success factors of medical technology supply chains

This paper investigates Critical Success Factors that affect the performance of organizations involved in Medical Technology supply chains (MTSCs) in Germany. The Medical Technology sector in Germany is considered an innovative, fast-growing and promising industry, being third behind the USA and China as the biggest market in the world, worth 29.9 billion euros in 2017. MTSCs in this country are under pressure from health service funding and cheaper imports, primarily from China. Consequently, supply chain success is of high importance and OEM operational improvements are critical. This exploratory study involved a multiple case study approach where 15 OEMs within German MTSCs were investigated. Following within-case and cross-case analysis, empirical results led to the development of testable propositions, which constitute a foundation for further research investigation. The findings show that there are six, prioritized Critical Success Factors for MTSCs that include sales and operations planning, product development process and quality and compliance. These findings challenge existing assumptions about Critical Success Factors within MTSCs, providing practitioners with strategies showing that re-prioritized CSFs should improve the operational performance of OEMs.     

Moral education as intercultural moral education

In a diverse country such as Peru, moral education should reflect social, cultural, political and spiritual dilemmas of both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and their communities. To promote understanding and respect amongst people from different sociocultural backgrounds, moral education should encourage a dialogue between indigenous values and mainstream hegemonic values. In this article, we argue for the need to conceptualise moral education as intercultural. Against a common view that portraits indigenous people as incommensurable, that is, as trapped in their own radically different moral perspective, our own research in Shipibo-Konibo and Asháninka communities show that indigenous people display a moral point of view when analysing cultural traditions and practices. This moral point of view appears intertwined with their cultural values and ethnic identities and allows intercultural dialogue. In this vein, we argue for the need to incorporate intercultural moral conflicts and dilemmas into moral education to promote understanding and respect for others.