Modeling Local BES Indicators by Copula-Based Bayesian Networks

In Italy, the measure of the Equitable and Sustainable Well-being is provided by the Italian Institute of Statistics by means of a dashboard of basic and composite indicators. To investigate the dependence structure between the different domains of well-being, we propose the use of Non-Parametric Bayesian Networks based on the normal copula distribution, that allow to explore the conditional independence relationships between the composite indicators. The main advantage of the non-parametric models is that, as opposed to the parametric approach, they do not require any assumption on the marginal distributions of the variables. The proposed model is applied to the Equitable and Sustainable Well-being indicators measured at the provincial level and enriches the analysis of well-being by inspecting similarities and differences between Italian urban areas and territories.

     

Reporting quality data on your hospital website: what? why? how?

Explore the challenges in making performance improvement data publicly available on hospital websites, and consider some practical tips and suggestions for aligning organizational goals with community and consumer needs.     

Postmodernism: A Dead End in Social Work Epistemology

Postmodernism continues to have a detrimental influence on social work, questioning the Enlightenment, criticizing established research methods, and challenging scientific authority. The promotion of postmodernism by editors of Social Work and the Journal of Social Work Education has elevated postmodernism, placing it on a par with theoretically guided and empirically based research. The inclusion of postmodernism in the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education and its 2015 sequel further erode the knowledge-building capacity of social work educators. In relation to other disciplines that have exploited empirical methods, social work’s stature will continue to ebb until postmodernism is rejected in favor of scientific methods for generating knowledge.     

Increased wealth and income as correlates of self-assessed retirement

This study examined whether retirement implies complete withdrawal from the labor force and the role that increased wealth and income play in regard to the nature of retirement. Data came from the Health & Retirement Study, Waves 1-5. Findings indicated that most study sample pre-retirees remained in the labor force as they moved into what are considered the normal retirement years. As they moved on average from 50+ years of age to 60+ years of age, increasing percentages of study sample pre-retirees reported themselves as completely retired. Those who viewed themselves as completely retired were far less likely to work than those who did not view themselves as completely retired. Of particular importance was the finding that increased income in 2000 decreased the likelihood of self-reported complete retirement. Equally important was the finding that increased assets had no effect on retirement status with the exception of survey year 1998 when increased assets decreased the likelihood of viewing oneself as completely retired. Findings suggested that pro-work retirement policies aimed at increasing labor force participation among pre-retirees and increasing the normal retirement age can be effective. Five pro-work policies were discussed.     

Case study of grassroots community development: sustainable, flexible and cost-effective responses to local needs

This paper presents the results of a case study of a grassrootscommunity development initiative in St. John, New Brunswick.It was part of a larger study designed to investigate the sustainabilityof community-based crime prevention activities. This case studyhighlights a unique strategy for addressing local communityneeds. The lessons learned in St. John address many of the commonchallenges related to community development such as communitymobilization, capacity building, planning, partnerships andsustainability. Some attention is also directed at the roleof government and non-governmental agencies in community-basedinitiatives since this represents an ongoing concern for thoseinvolved in community development.     

Adult Daughters as Parental Caregivers: Rational Actors Versus Rational Agents

Using logistic regression analyses on a sub-sample (n = 611) of the National Longitudinal Survey, Young Women's Cohort, the study found that inheritance-related factors added no explanatory power to other factors influencing the likelihood of adult daughters providing personal care or doing household chores for their aging parents, suggesting the motivational primacy of adherence to social norms. The study also found that inheritance-related factors increased the likelihood of providing financial assistance beyond that of other factors, suggesting the primacy of self-interest when money transactions are concerned. This is an important study because it offers insights into developing and implementing public and private incentives and policies to ensure an adequate supply of informal caregivers as baby boomers enter their twilight years.     

Oxygen consumption, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and systolic blood pressure with water treadmill walking

The purpose of this study was to examine the cardiovascular responses to water treadmill walking at 2.0 mph (3.2 km/hr), 2.5 mph (4.0 km/hr), and 3.0 mph (4.8 km/hr) in older adults. Responses to water treadmill walking in 92 degrees F (33 degrees C) water were compared with responses to land treadmill walking at 70 degrees F (21 degrees C) ambient temperature. After an accommodation period, participants performed 5-min bouts of walking at each speed on 2 occasions. Oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were significantly higher during therapeutic water treadmill walking than during land treadmill walking. Furthermore, VO2, HR, and RPE measures significantly increased with each speed increase during both land and water treadmill walking. SBP significantly increased with each speed during water treadmill walking but not land treadmill walking. Thus, it is imperative to monitor HR and blood pressure for safety during this mode of activity for older adults.     

A multiple buyer – supplier relationship in the context of SMEs’ digital supply chain management*

Abstract

By underlining the relevance of the use of ICTs, knowledge sharing and electronic markets for SMEs, it emerges the need for stimulating a debate on digitisation process of supply chain management (SCM). Electronic infrastructure in the service sector are reducing each kind of cost and improving multiply buyer–supplier relationships, facilitating negotiations and transactions. However, since the coordination costs are still high, the use of ICTs is limited. This phenomenon thus attracts the interests of scholars and practitioners. Although it still needs to further investigate. Especially, the optimal use of ICTs within SMEs’ SCM have not been studied yet. Therefore, by leveraging on four proxies: ICTs specialised human resources, knowledge sharing activities, buyer–supplier relationships, adoption of electronic markets this optimal was analysed via structural equation modelling based on a sample of 1254 SMEs operating in the service sector in Italy.     

The Impact of Intergenerational Head Start Participation on Success Measures Among Adolescent Children

This study examines the influence of intergenerational Head Start participation on success outcomes among adolescent children of mother-adolescent pairs (N = 1,251). Data come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) and the National Longitudinal Survey's Child-Mother (NLSCM) files. Of 290 adolescents who participated in Head Start as children, one-third (n = 97) had mothers who had also participated in Head Start when they were children. Graduates of Head Start appear roughly comparable to other adolescents in regard to highest grade completed, a sense of mastery, perceived health, and level of depressive symptoms. They do not attain the levels of achievements as other adolescents in regard to reading comprehension and years living above the poverty level.