The role of social and cognitive factors in individual gambling: An empirical study on college students

Most of the studies on the determinants of individual gambling behaviour rely on cognitive theories. In our study, we argue that, besides cognitive factors, several social factors might play an important role as well. We analyse data from an ad hoc webmail survey conducted on about 2000 undergraduate students enrolled in a large public university in the Northern Italy in the academic year 2012–13. Using a variety of statistical techniques (standard regression models, boosted regression trees and structural equations models), we show that social variables affect both participation in gambling in the past year and latent gambling propensity. In particular, controlling for several proxies for individual cognitive ability and understanding of probability, gambling propensity is positively affected by the degree of gambling in the social surrounding (parents, peers, neighbourhood) and the acceptability of gambling activities to the individual. Moreover, in our sample of college students the role of social factors appears to be larger than that of cognitive factors, and this is consistent across different types of models and specifications.     

Patterns and severity of menopausal symptoms among Jordanian women

We examined 359 women aged 45–65 years who visited Jordan University Hospital between February and November 2014. The menopausal symptoms were assessed using a validated Arabic version of the menopause rating scale. The mean age at menopause was 49.4 years. Women aged 50–55 years more frequently exhibited hot flushes and vaginal dryness. Although premenopausal women were 1.5 times more likely to experience irritability, perimenopausal women were more likely to experience hot flushes, physical and mental irritability, sexual problems, vaginal dryness, and joint and muscular discomfort. Hence, health care providers should focus on women at all stages of life.     

我国生育意愿及其影响因素研究综述：1980～2015

2016年1月1日起实施的全面二孩政策能否有效地鼓励民众的生育行为,这关乎到我国未来几十年合理调整人口结构、稳固新常态发展的成功与否。本文通过对我国1980-2015年有关生育意愿的国内外文献总结回顾,将生育意愿的内涵界定为数量、时间、性别、动机四个维度,并在此基础上结合国内外学者们的研究归纳得出影响生育意愿的五个方面因素：政策、经济、观念、教育、年龄,以期在新政策背景下展望未来,借鉴国外发展的经验,做好养老、医疗、就业、教育方面的准备措施来迎接全面二孩时代,并为有关生育意愿的进一步研究提供参考。     

Prevalence of and risk factors associated with cesarean section in Lebanon — A retrospective study based on a sample of 29,270 women

Background

During the last decades, there has been an alarming and dramatic increase in the number of cesarean births in both developed and undeveloped countries. This increase has not been clinically justified but, nevertheless, has raised an important number of issues.

Causal factor relations of supply chain competitiveness via fuzzy DEMATEL method for Thai automotive industry

Abstract

The automotive industry is complex and global. An automotive supply chain involves multiple manufacturers and service providers in different parts of the chain across different countries. Diffusion of the global production system creates both opportunities and challenges for the supply chain itself as well as production base countries. Thailand is a production base for over 15 automotive brands. The industry contributes significantly to the Thai economy and employs approximately half a million people. To address competitiveness of the Thai automotive industry, its supply chain is studied in this paper. Ten factors affecting the competitiveness of the Thai automotive supply chain are analysed through the fuzzy DEMATEL method. The method forms a structural model that categorises the causal or effect roles of the factors, and the degree at which they impact the supply chain. This study focuses on Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers of the supply chain. The results reveal that there are three common causal factors and four common effects in both tiers. The other four factors play different roles in different tiers. Managerial implications relating to these factors are also discussed and certain recommendations proposed in order to enhance the competitiveness of the Thai automotive supply chain.     

Integrating Behavioral Science with Human Factors to Address Process Safety

ABSTRACT

Applying the science of human factors to eliminate error across all aspects of process design, management, operation, and maintenance has been a focus in the process safety area for many years. Human error has been attributed as a major cause of many high profile catastrophic accidents around the world. These accidents have resulted in national and international attention, which has led to a focus on improving organizational capabilities, systems, and in many cases, governmental regulations around human factors. This article provides a review of the field of human factors highlighting various topics in the literature, and introduces governmental regulatory bodies currently engaging organizations in a scientific approach to human factors. Finally, the need for integrating behavioral science methodologies with human factors is addressed. This is done with specific focus on how Organizational Behavior Management methodologies can work in concert with human factors to optimize process safety.     

Association between long-term erectile dysfunction and biochemical recurrence after permanent seed I125 implant brachytherapy for prostate cancer. A longitudinal study of a single-institution

We aimed to investigate the predictive factor of erectile dysfunction (ED) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients who underwent low-dose permanent I¹²⁵ seed implant brachytherapy and to investigate if ED could represent a patient’s reported outcome measures (PROMs) of efficacy of BT and indirectly associated with biochemical recurrence free survival (BRFS). From 2000 to 2012, 176 consecutive patients with low-risk PCa underwent BT. ED was evaluated with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Cox regression analysis was performed to assess significant predictors of mild-to-severe ED and BRFS after BT, including covariates. The 10-year actuarial rate of ED was 66%. Subjects with severe ED had higher values of D90 (183.0 versus 177.0; p?p?p?p?=?0.20), while D90?≤?180?Gy independently predicted BCR (HR: 4.65; [95%CI: 1.25–17.34]; p?125 implant, but it is not associated with better BRFS.     

试论双回路维稳模型

社会领域也存在某种惯性趋势,即社会趋稳性。这一概念的提出旨在说明,一切不稳定的产生,必定是受到某种作用力的结果。而社会趋稳性与变动力量的结合,便会造成不同程度的反作用力。这种反弹行为在实践中很容易被界定为＂不稳定因素＂。由于维稳的主客体都是人,而＂人是需求动物＂,所以,维稳的具体政策若不能够融入人的思考、理解及感情,将很难实现人际有效的沟通,进而妨碍动态稳定的实现。以组织平衡理论、需求层次理论、安全阀理论及组织学习理论为基础的双回路维稳模型的提出,旨在强调人类需求、基本秩序以及自然法则在维稳中的关键作用。     

城市边缘地带地质灾害风险的形成与分配——以L市H社区的地质灾害为例

在风险社会中,既存在着普遍性风险,也存在着特殊性风险,考察特殊性风险的形成与分配应从微观层面入手。文章从风险社会学的角度研究L市边缘地带H社区的地质灾害风险。在梳理技术资料获取地质灾害风险形成的自然致灾因素之后,运用口头访谈方式直接从被访问者处获得一手资料,了解其个人生活史、进入社区的不同原因与方式、居住条件、生计方式等内容,探求直接或间接的影响该区域地质灾害风险形成的社会因素,最终得出该风险的分配原则:社会地位直接决定其风险地位。     

西部农村留守妇女家庭压力及其影响因素分析

本文采用西部地区24个行政村千余名农村妇女的调查数据,探讨了农村留守妇女的家庭压力及影响因素。研究发现,留守确实增强了农村妇女的家庭压力,留守妇女承受的精神压力、经济压力、抚养赡养压力都要大于非留守妇女;留守妇女的年龄、家庭特征、当初择偶时对般配的重视程度、夫妻异质性、与外出丈夫的沟通状况、社会支持等因素对其家庭压力有不同程度的影响。提出建立夫妻间良好的沟通机制和构建社会支持网络的建议。