Search

In this paper, I consider what one might call a negative-critical turn in egalitarian political theorizing, according to which egalitarians should not begin with a positive account of how a society of equals would supposedly look, but with the identification and critical analysis of existing hierarchical relations. Subsequently, these relational egalitarians proceed by asking what kind of political actions are needed to combat these hierarchies. For this egalitarian critique to be successful, however, it is crucial that unjust hierarchies can actually be identified. Yet, because many hierarchies perform their deadly operations at the margins of societal life, operate subtly and silently, or are disguised by hegemonic epistemic frameworks, they tend to be invisible to powerfully situated subjects. While critical race and feminist relational theories tend to be well aware of this problem, mainstream relational egalitarian theory often ignores the existence of these sorts of inequalities. This paper asks what relational egalitarian political theory can learn from critical race and feminist relational theories with respect to the operation of hidden hierarchies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is an empirically and quantitatively derived dimensional classification system designed to describe the features of psychopathology and, ultimately, to replace categorical nosologies. Among the constructs that HiTOP organizes are "symptom components" and "maladaptive traits," but past HiTOP publications have not fully explicated the distinction between symptoms and traits. We propose working definitions of symptoms and traits and explore challenges, exceptions, and remaining questions. Specifically, we propose that the only systematic difference between symptoms and traits in HiTOP is one of time frame. Maladaptive traits are dispositional constructs that describe persistent tendencies to manifest features of psychopathology, whereas symptoms are features of psychopathology as they are manifest during any specific time period (from moments to days to months). This has the consequence that almost every HiTOP dimension, at any level of the hierarchy, can be assessed as either a trait or a symptom dimension, by adjusting the framing of the assessment. We discuss the implications of these definitions for causal models of the relations between symptoms and traits and for distinctions between psychopathology, normal personality variation, and dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Address terms are closely related to the conceptualisation of hierarchical relations in a speech community, so, since – at least in Western societies – tendencies towards a flattening of hierarchies have been noted (cf. Mair, 2006), we expect changes in this domain. Some evidence has been produced for German, American and British English, but empirical insights on address choice in Indian English are lacking to date. As it tends to be a conservative variety (cf. e.g. Collins, 2012), we might expect resistance to change. The study makes a novel use of discourse completion tasks to investigate ongoing change using an 'apparent-time' approach. Our findings support the view of Indian English as conservative and of American English as changing most clearly towards informalisation, visible in the increasing use of informal attention getters (hey!). However, evidence of recent change is otherwise not as pronounced as expected and actually absent regarding pronoun choice in German. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue concerns agency and negotiation in the context of the hierarchical relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC), a global superpower, and Taiwan, a subordinated actor often relegated to a marginal position in contemporary global geopolitics. By exploring how Taiwan opposes, interrupts and re-creates its subordinate position vis-à-vis China, the authors of this special issue will shed light on the complexities of the ongoing Taiwan experience, shaped by different, often opposing, interests, positions and perspectives regarding its relationship with China. Yet, by exploring the experience of Taiwan with reference to its Chinese legacies, this special issue will also allow important reflections on China, not only in its hegemonic role regionally and globally, but also in its weaknesses when it deals with subordinated actors. This is a timely and important piece, which will allow alternative interpretations of contemporary events not only in Taiwan, for instance the recent national elections and related political developments, but also in the region, such as the protests which have been occurring in Hong Kong during the last four months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refers to a selected fragment, which is about children's gendered behaviours and children's thoughts on gender issue, of an ethnographic study on children's subjectivation processes through digital technologies. For this whole study, philosophy for children approach was used as a technique to conduct focus group interviews with children in a periodical basis. The selected parts for this paper are based on three different sections of those interviews; first one is about children's opinions on gender roles, referring to gendered occupations and plays for kids, the second one is also conducted to reveal the hidden discourses on gender in real society and virtual world which has been built on the existed world, and lastly adult-children hierarchical relations, was debated with children in order to connect this distinction to gender differences, will be mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a critical comparison of the spatial management of street vending in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay and New York City, USA, we show how uncertainty enables the management of vending and urban space. By uncertainty, we mean a condition characterized by legal complexity and negotiable enforcement of laws and regulations. Putting New York and Ciudad del Este in dialogue, we demonstrate that these negotiated legalities are not limited to Southern urbanisms, nor are they remnants of unmodern social forms. We find similarities in how vendors experience and negotiate uncertainty, even as divergent mechanisms link uncertainty and inequality. By claiming streets as sites of work, vendors challenge dominant notions of global urbanism which conceive of sidewalks as sites of circulation, rather than livelihood. Especially in Ciudad del Este, vendors know the biases of law, and ground their claims to livelihood in ethics rather than legal compliance. Yet vendors' claims can also reinscribe hierarchical relationships with frontline enforcers and reinforce exclusionary notions of rights based in productive citizenship. Understanding how uncertainty works as a logic of governing helps expose these unavoidable tensions and therefore to imagine and construct pathways toward more just urban economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies illicit street art and graffiti subculture among women in Helsinki, taking feminist subcultural theory into account. In previous studies of illicit street art and graffiti, women's participation has been overlooked partly due to lack of data and through the tendency of seeing them as one unified marginalised group. Through ethnographic fieldwork, using edgework as the methodological approach, and interviews with eight women painting street art and graffiti in Helsinki, this article presents a critical perspective on how these women negotiate their positions in the subcultures from different positions. Particularly, it examines the performed gendered distinctions between street art and graffiti, and the negotiations of subcultural subjectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While strengthening public–private interplay is expected to improve the climate profile of urban planning in terms of mitigation and adaptation, less is known about the practice of such new interactive modes of governing. The paper critically examines the role, benefits and limitations of extended public–private interplay in developing a new housing district in Sweden. The developer dialogue between municipal officials and property developers confirms mutual interests, shared understandings and the added value of interacting. However, the closer the dialogue comes to settling agreements, the more difficult it gets for municipal officials to steer the process and its outcomes in favor of climate proofing. Complications with adapting to the new interactive setting means that municipal officials balance between acting as facilitators and/or regulators and property developers between acting as partners, competitors and/or defenders. Refining steering-strategies for sustaining commitments and securing formal agreements are pertinent for using public–private interplay to climate-proof urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which plays key roles in many higher cognitive processes, is a hierarchical system consisting of multi-scale organizations. Optimizing the working state at each scale is essential for PFC's information processing. Typical optimal working states at different scales have been separately reported, including the dopamine-mediated inverted-U profile of the working memory (WM) at the system level, critical dynamics at the network level, and detailed balance of excitatory and inhibitory currents (E/I balance) at the cellular level. However, it remains unclear whether these states are scale-specific expressions of the same optimal state and, if so, what is the underlying mechanism for its regulation traversing across scales. Here, by studying a neural network model, we show that the optimal performance of WM co-occurs with the critical dynamics at the network level and the E/I balance at the level of individual neurons, suggesting the existence of a unified, multi-scale optimal state for the PFC. Importantly, such a state could be modulated by dopamine at the synaptic level through a series of U or inverted-U profiles. These results suggest that seemingly different optimal states for specific scales are multi-scale expressions of one condition regulated by dopamine. Our work suggests a cross-scale perspective to understand the PFC function and its modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Unique comparative case study design examining regulatory effect on OHS in TAW. • Tests PDR model on workplace level practices within contrasting regulatory contexts. • Discusses implications for occupational health and safety regulation and practice. Abstract This comparative case study investigates how regulatory frameworks of temporary agency work shape occupational health and safety at workplace level. Research is framed by Pressures-Disorganization-Regulatory Failure (PDR) model explaining workplace level occupational health and safety outcomes through economical, work organizational and regulatory factors. Two cases of using temporary agency work in manufacturing are compared within one multinational company in two contrasting EU regulatory regimes: Sweden and Poland. Workplace level practices relating to occupational health and safety of temporary agency work are explored through empirical evidence from interviews, documents and on-site observations. Results illustrate how workplace level practices that impact health and safety are overwhelmingly shaped by economic pressures and suggests a hierarchical relationship between the factors of PDR model, with economic pressures and work disorganization moderating the effect of regulatory failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image of backbone teachers has long informed the modern-era Chinese educational system. Backbone teachers play leadership and modeling roles in school-based groups of teachers focusing on research, lesson planning, and grade development. China's New Basic Education (NBE) reform, which differs from previous Chinese reforms, aims to systematically transform schools in order to respond to contemporary social and economic changes. NBE views the development of individual subjectivity as education's ultimate goal. Teachers' roles need to shift from transferring knowledge to students to constructing knowledge with students and from teacher-as-curriculum- implementer to teacher-as-curriculum-maker and knowledge constructor. Backbone teachers are foundational to the NBE reform. In this article, we introduce the NBE initiative, and elaborate how NBE nurtures backbone teachers so they can 'model as leaders; [and lead] other teachers as backbones' in the reform. To end, the national and international implications associated with our case are discussed, along with future research suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We analyzed diffusion dynamics on weakly-coupled networks (interconnected networks) by means of separation of time scales. Using an adiabatic approximation we reduced the system dynamics to a Markov chain with aggregated variables and derived a transport equation that is analogous to Fick's First Law and includes a driving force. Entropy production is a sum of microscopic entropy transport, which results from the particle's migration between networks of different topologies and macroscopic entropy production of the Markov chain. Equilibrium particles partition between different sub-networks depends only on internal sub-network parameters. By changing structure of networks one can not only modify diffusion constants but can also induce or reverse the direction of the particles' flow between different networks. Our framework, confirmed by numerical simulations, is also useful for considering diffusion in nested systems corresponding to hierarchical networks with several different time scales thus it can serve to uncover hidden hierarchy levels from observations of diffusion processes. Highlights • Time scales separation is applied for diffusion on weakly-coupled networks. • Transport equation is analogous to Fick's First Law with a driving force. • Equilibrium numbers of particles depend on sum of all nodes degrees in both networks. • Numerical simulations fit well to analytical results the approach can be used to uncovers hidden hierarchies in network's structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study sought to investigate how individuals in BDSM or kinky relationships leveraged communication technologies to maintain their sexual relationships. From an analysis of 321 open-ended survey responses from 162 participants, results indicated that technology was disinhibiting, particularly in negotiation, fantasy exchange, and channel selection, multimodality within checking in, planning, foreplay, and preferring face-to-face sexual communication and activity, relational maintenance, particularly within 24/7 hierarchical relationships and LDRs, as well as changes in sexual communication mediums with relational progress. These patterns emphasized that technology use, common in increasingly multimodal sexual relationships, provided a means for reductions in the perception of threat typically experienced in sexual communication by increased disinhibition. As one participant said, “Sometimes it’s easier to type things than to say them”. Findings are discussed in light of extensions to the online disinhibition effect in sexual minority relationships and sexual communication in increasingly multimodal relationships. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This article is about managing complexity and requisite variety in human organisations. • Organisations have evolved mostly with hierarchical relationships and power imbalances. • Nature’s evolution, as illustrated by bee colonies, have evolved mostly with bottom-up heterarchical organisations. • This article sets the scene for an interactions revolution towards more humane organisations in the context of our current digital society. • The Viable System Model, the Viplan Method and bee colonies’ evolutionary learning are referents for this paper. Abstract This article discusses interactions in nature and in human organisations. Human organisations, to a large degree, have evolved with hierarchical relationships and power imbalances, making it common for people to experience unfair societies. Its aim is contributing towards overcoming some of the shortcoming of these top-down structures learning from nature’s bottom-up structures. We set the scene for an interactions revolution towards more humane organisations in the context of our current digital society; these, the liquid organisations, are proposed in this article as the more fluid organisations that we need in today´s society. We discuss interactions in human organisations with the support of the Viable System Model, the Viplan Method and the bee colonies’ evolutionary learning about interactions and requisite variety. We reveal aspects of what human organisations can learn from studying how natural selection has solved the problems of sensing and correcting imbalances of variety in self-organising situations where there is little or no metasystem to guide, design or engineer the requisite variety balances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a response to criticism concerning an article on competitive market structure analysis (CMSA). It states that while revealed and potential market structures are complementary, they differ in their purposes and natures. It comments that similarity is an inadequate operationalization for substitutability and that the perception of similarity measures can be supplemented through other judgmental measures. It mentions that the critique devoted a large portion of discussion to the empirical example that was provided and suggests that the majority of values being zero or one implies that the index of revealed substitutability discriminates well between independent and substitute item pairs.

Education is an essential national policy, and developing sustainable campuses has been a goal of education environment policies. This study used a literature review to establish 55 initial for assessing a sustainable campus and performed inductive analyses, after which 28 final indicators were screened out by academic researchers and campus users using the fuzzy Delphi method. The indicators were divided into three major dimensions—policy management, buildings and equipment, and educational activities—which were further subdivided into nine subdimensions; subsequently, a hierarchical analysis expert questionnaire was used for consistency testing. The differences in weights between dimensions and indicators in addition to between expert groups (with distinct backgrounds) were analysed, and sustainable development strategies and priority orders were then inferred. Among the three dimensions, “Buildings and equipment” was recommended for the most immediate attention. The other two dimensions, “Policy Management” and “Educational Activities,” were weighted differently by the two groups of experts. This study determined that resource recycling and energy efficiency generate benefits and that conserving energy and reducing carbon footprint are the core of sustainable school grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey information axiom is employed as one of the evaluation indexes to describe products with poor data and an uncertain index. The ideal model of evaluation index for grey information was established based on the extension formula of the evaluation index information. The multi-level and multi-attribute evaluation index system of reality was established with the hierarchical analysis of the relations between the function-component matrix and the evaluation index, so that the evaluation index system that accords with the actual situation was acquired. Then, the implementation steps of the scheme evaluation method for a complex product were proposed based on the ideal solution of grey information. Finally, the clamp tire of the carrier robot scheme was taken as an example, and the effectiveness and operability of this method were verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have inspired inquiries about what circumstances allow people to gain from interactions with those who rank higher than themselves in the social hierarchy. We examine how self-reported benefits of such upward contacts vary by tie strength and network structures in everyday life. Data were drawn from contact diaries that 137 individuals recorded over seven months in 2014; these diaries captured unique features of 94,353 one-on-one contacts that 137 diary keepers made, along with the estimated tie strength and the extent of embeddedness among network members. Multilevel models with interaction terms show that diary keepers benefit from contacts with people who play higher hierarchical roles and that the benefits become more substantial when the higher-ranked others are weakly tied to the diary keepers and connected with fewer fellow network members. The paper extends contact diary studies to estimate alter-alter ties that help construct comprehensive structures in egocentric networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction and updating of indexing languages depend on the organization of their hierarchical structures in order to determine the classification of related terms and, above all, to allow a constant updating of vocabulary, a condition for knowledge evolution. The elaboration of an indexing language for online catalogs of libraries' networks is important considering the diversity and specificity of knowledge areas. From this perspective, the present paper reports on the work of a team of catalogers and researchers engaged in the construction of a hierarchical structure of an indexing language for an online catalog of a university library's network. The work on hierarchical structures began by defining the categories and subcategories that form the indexing language macrostructure by using the parameters of the Library of Congress Subject Headings, the National Library Terminology and the Vocabulary of the University of São Paulo Library's system. Throughout the stages of the elaboration process of the macrostructure, difficulties and improvements were observed and discussed. The results enabled the assessment of the hierarchical structures of the languages used in the organization of the superordinate and subordinate terms, which has contributed to the systematization of operational procedures contained in an indexing language manual for online catalogs of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are proposing a new algorithm that improves the performance of the DBSCAN clustering algorithm using a packed X-tree. The proposed algorithm does not require the minpoints and eps values. We have extensively described how the system is achieved and we have also proposed a new effective method for finding the k-nearest neighbours of spatial objects in a large database. The study shows that the proposed method is very efficient and will greatly accelerate the operations of density based clustering in large dataset as against the existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1970s,, the publications of Alvin Toffler and Jean Cloutier were essential for the emergence of two concepts, prosumer and emirec, whose meanings have been mistakenly equated by numerous scholars and researchers. At the same time, the mercantilist theories linked to prosumption have made invisible the models of communication designed by Cloutier. In this article, configured as a review of the state of the art made from an exhaustive documentary analysis, we observe that, while the notion of prosumer represents vertical and hierarchical relations between companies and citizens, Cloutier's emirec evokes a horizontal relationship and an isonomy between professional and amateur media creators. The prosumption presents an alienated subject, who is integrated into the logic of the market under free work dynamics and from the extension of time and productive spaces, while the emirec is defined as a potentially empowered subject that establishes relations between equals. The theory of the prosumer reproduces the hegemonic economic model by seeking solutions from the field of marketing so that the media and entertainment industries must face the challenges they have to face in the digital world. On the contrary, the emirec theory connects with disruptive communicative models that introduce new relationships between media and audiences and the establishment of a logic of affinity between communication participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Person re-identification is one of the most important and challenging problems in video surveillance systems. For person re-identification, feature description is a fundamental problem. While many approaches focus on exploiting low-level features to describe person images, most of them are not robust enough to illumination and viewpoint changes. In this paper, we propose a simple yet effective feature description method for person re-identification. Starting from low-level features, the proposed method uses perceptual hashing to binarize low-level feature maps and combines several feature channels for feature encoding. Then, an image pyramid is built, and three regional statistics are computed for hierarchical feature description. To some extent, the perceptual hash algorithm (PHA) can encode invariant macro structures of person images to make the representation robust to both illumination and viewpoint changes. On the other hand, while a rough hashing may be not discriminative enough, the combination of several different feature channels and regional statistics is able to exploit complementary information and enhance the discriminability. The proposed approach is evaluated on seven major person re-identification datasets. The results of comprehensive experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed method and notable improvements over the state-of-the-art approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on an analysis of the perception of danger in a sample of conservative Evangelical Christian sermons and Thai Forest Tradition dhamma talks. Through the analysis of keywords, frames, conceptual metaphors, and patterns of agency in the use of metaphor, it seeks to explore how one Christian believer and one Buddhist practitioner conceptualize their ways of being religious. We argue that this specific set of dhamma talks has a primary focus on an individual actively progressing within the practice of meditation while interacting with elements that may be beneficial or harmful to that progress. In contrast, this particular sample of sermons has a primary focus on two groups or categories of people, fallen sinners and true Christians, and their strictly defined hierarchical relationship to God. Aspects of this relationship are often defined in terms of power, fear, and danger, with shifting intersections between active behavior and being acted upon by greater forces or powers. We conclude that a cognitive linguistic approach to analyzing perceptions of danger within a specified genre of religious discourse can be useful in producing a picture of how an individual religious believer within a particular context and moment in time views reality, their position within it, and their progression through it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of the current study were to measure patterns of relational framing linked with categorization in young, typically developing children and to correlate framing performance with linguistic and cognitive potential as measured by standardized instruments, including the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition (PPVT-4), the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth Edition (SB5), and the Children's Category Test (CCT). The relational protocol developed for this study assessed properties of relational framing in 3 relational domains, including nonarbitrary and arbitrary containment relations and arbitrary hierarchical relations. There were 50 participants, 10 from each of the following age ranges: 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, and 7-8. The results provided data concerning the acquisition of relational categorization skills across childhood and also showed strong correlations between relational performance and that on each of the 3 standardized measures. The results are discussed in relation to previous research and for their implications in regard to future studies on relational framing and categorization in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexibility is a highly desired attribute of many systems operating in changing or uncertain conditions. This paper presents a study of enabling flexibility through designing and operating systems of systems (SoSs). The paper analyzes flexibility mechanisms of SoSs and, accordingly, identifies needs for flexibility that SoSs can meet. Following that, it proposes a hierarchical network as a more flexible SoS architecture for complex or distributed large-scale systems. Then, decision problems for forming and evolving a SoS network are defined. A case that involves integrating distributed renewable energy sources with the main grid is presented to illustrate the implementation of the proposed methodology. Results from this study support the idea of acquiring and maintaining flexibility with SoSs. The paper also identifies research needs for advancing this particular use of SoSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of records classification schemes is an undeveloped topic to which the archival discipline has dedicated little effort. This is not easily understandable, as records classification schemes are the main tool traditionally used to organize and manage records. This article analyzes the elements that are taken into consideration when building a classification scheme, as well as how these elements can interrelate. Hierarchical versus non-hierarchical relationships are also examined, and future research directions are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the hierarchical problem of large-scale control systems. As a natural extension of traditional simulation function, the new notion of vector simulation function is introduced for investigating the hierarchies between abstract systems and concrete systems. By constructing a comparison system, we present a generalized result on this problem which, in the case of a scalar simulation function, specializes to the classical result. When interconnected nonlinear systems are considered, an easily checkable sufficient condition is obtained to facilitate the compositional construction of abstractions. Based on the condition, we propose a particular construction of abstractions for interconnected linear systems. Finally, two examples are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the impact of brand management system (BMS) practices on subjective and objective performance in both service- and product-oriented sectors.Design/methodology/approach Based on a “grounded-in-practice” approach to BMS, a comprehensive formative BMS scale is developed and its validity is assessed. The impact of BMS on subjective brand performance (i.e. predictive validity) and on objective financial performance is assessed. Data are collected from a sample of 298 brand managers and marketing directors in five business sectors (cosmetics, convenience goods, industry, bank/insurance and media) and from a financial database. Path analysis and multigroup analysis are performed to test mediating and moderating effects.Findings The results reveal that subjective brand performance (perceived brand performance) mediates the relationship between the BMS and objective financial performance of the firm and on each of the three BMS dimensions; and product-oriented (vs service-oriented) sector positively moderates the relationship between the BMS and subjective brand performance.Research limitations/implications The paper offers insights into adapting brand management practices along all BMS dimensions to achieve better business performance and improve objective financial performance in product-oriented activities. It highlights the role of brand management implementation, as well as the role of brand management in hierarchical relationships, in improving performance in service activities.Practical implications The formative BMS scale offers a tool which can be used to improve strategic decisions and give practical guidance on product vs service sector specificities. The indirect impact of a BMS on financial objective performance reinforces the legitimacy of brand managers and marketing managers.Originality/value This paper shows the impact of the BMS on objective financial performance by using a “grounded-in-practice” BMS scale. It also affords explanation on sectoral effects of brand management practices and their consequences on subjective and objective performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research is advancing in the analysis of the defusion and self-based exercises used in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) through relational frame theory (RFT) terms. This study aimed to analyze the effect of two RFT-defined defusion protocols in promoting psychological flexibility by altering the discriminative functions of avoidance of aversive private events. Thirty participants first responded to several questionnaires. Subsequently, participants were exposed to 2 experimental tasks (pretest): a cold pressor and an aversive film. Participants were then randomly assigned to 3 experimental conditions: (a) a control condition, (b) a defusion protocol based on framing one's own behavior through deictic relations (Defusion I), and (c) a defusion protocol that also included hierarchical relations and giving regulatory functions to that discrimination (Defusion II). Finally, participants were again exposed to the 2 experimental tasks (posttest). Results showed that participants who received the defusion protocols performed better in the posttest than did the control participants, and that Defusion II participants showed higher tolerance than Defusion I participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesize findings from studies of principal instructional leadership conducted in five East Asian societies. The authors first identify similarities and then differences in approaches to instructional leadership across the societies. Then the findings of the synthesis are compared with broad findings from the global literature on principal instructional leadership.Design/methodology/approach The paper employs a thematic approach to synthesizing findings from the five qualitative studies.Findings The authors identified numerous similarities in practices of instructional leadership across the five societies. These included first, a top-down approach to defining the mission and goals of schools whereby principals worked within a fairly narrow zone of discretion. Second, principals devoted relatively little attention to coordinating the curriculum due to working within strict national curriculum frameworks. Third, principals executed their instructional leadership practices with an ever-present sense of the need to honor hierarchical relations and maintain harmony among staff and other stakeholders. Differences across the five societies centered on the extent to which the instructional leadership role of principals was explicitly defined and the extent to which they received training for the role.Originality/value This synthesis sought to build upon reviews of research published in a special issue of this journal two years ago. The synthesis and this body of research papers have contributed toward moving empirical research on educational leadership broadly, and instructional leadership in particular, forward in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-level data, the type generated by an increasing number of metabarcoding studies, is often graphed as stacked bar charts or pie graphs that use color to represent taxa. These graph types do not convey the hierarchical structure of taxonomic classifications and are limited by the use of color for categories. As an alternative, we developed metacoder, an R package for easily parsing, manipulating, and graphing publication-ready plots of hierarchical data. Metacoder includes a dynamic and flexible function that can parse most text-based formats that contain taxonomic classifications, taxon names, taxon identifiers, or sequence identifiers. Metacoder can then subset, sample, and order this parsed data using a set of intuitive functions that take into account the hierarchical nature of the data. Finally, an extremely flexible plotting function enables quantitative representation of up to 4 arbitrary statistics simultaneously in a tree format by mapping statistics to the color and size of tree nodes and edges. Metacoder also allows exploration of barcode primer bias by integrating functions to run digital PCR. Although it has been designed for data from metabarcoding research, metacoder can easily be applied to any data that has a hierarchical component such as gene ontology or geographic location data. Our package complements currently available tools for community analysis and is provided open source with an extensive online user manual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic image segmentation is challenging due to the large intra-class variations and the complex spatial layouts inside natural scenes. This paper investigates this problem by designing a new deep architecture, called multiscale sum-product network (MSPN), which utilizes multiscale unary potentials as the inputs and models the spatial layouts of image content in a hierarchical manner. That is, the proposed MSPN models the joint distribution of multiscale unary potentials and object classes instead of single unary potentials in popular settings. Besides, MSPN characterizes scene spatial layouts in a fine-to-coarse manner to enforce the consistency in labeling. Multiscale unary potentials at different scales can thus help overcome semantic ambiguities caused by only evaluating single local regions, while long-range spatial correlations can further refine image labeling. In addition, higher orders are able to pose the constraints among labels. By this way, multi-scale unary potentials, long-range spatial correlations, higher-order priors are well modeled under the uniform framework in MSPN. We conduct experiments on two challenging benchmarks consisting of the MSRC-21 dataset and the SIFT FLOW dataset. The results demonstrate the superior performance of our method comparing with the previous graphical models for understanding scene images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Redundant hierarchical relations refer to such patterns as two paths from one concept to another, one with length one (direct) and the other with length greater than one (indirect). Each redundant relation represents a possibly unintended defect that needs to be corrected in the ontology quality assurance process. Detecting and eliminating redundant relations would help improve the results of all methods relying on the relevant ontological systems as knowledge source, such as the computation of semantic distance between concepts and for ontology matching and alignment. Results: This paper introduces a novel and scalable approach, called FEDRR - Fast, Exhaustive Detection of Redundant Relations - for quality assurance work during ontological evolution. FEDRR combines the algorithm ideas of Dynamic Programming with Topological Sort, for exhaustive mining of all redundant hierarchical relations in ontological hierarchies, in O(c · ∣V∣ + ∣E∣) time, where ∣V∣ is the number of concepts, ∣E∣ is the number of the relations, and c is a constant in practice. Using FEDRR, we performed exhaustive search of all redundant is-a relations in two of the largest ontological systems in biomedicine: SNOMED CT and Gene Ontology (GO). 372 and 1609 redundant is-a relations were found in the 2015-09-01 version of SNOMED CT and 2015-05-01 version of GO, respectively. We have also performed FEDRR on over 190 source vocabularies in the UMLS - a large integrated repository of biomedical ontologies, and identified six sources containing redundant is-a relations. Randomly generated ontologies have also been used to further validate the efficiency of FEDRR. Conclusions: FEDRR provides a generally applicable, effective tool for systematic detecting redundant relations in large ontological systems for quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been few attempts to devise suitable methods of analysis for the implications grid devised by Hinkle (1965). As Hinkle noted (Hinkle, 1965, p. 63), there are three implications needed to define a hierarchical relationship (A → B, B → C, and A → C). Hinkle did not attempt to test this requirement, as neither did the only other published use of the technique (Fransella, 1972). Subsequently, Caputi, Breiger, and Pattison (1990) published a technique that explicitly sought to model implications data with respect to this requirement. In this study we use this technique to both (a) evaluate some of the choice points in the technique using data from the 28 implications grids collected by Hinkle and published as an appendix to his thesis, and (b) subsequently analyze this data to examine the hierarchical relationships as defined above. Our evaluation of the choice points showed that the joint modification approach worked best and that there was a clear cut-off to most fully represent the relationships in the raw data. Our analysis via the modeling approach found that there was no difference between the mean number of transitive superordinate constructs implied by subordinate constructs and the mean number of transitive subordinate constructs implied by superordinate constructs in the modeled data, suggesting that the laddered constructs in this study were not necessarily superordinate to the generating constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chondrichthyan teeth are capped with a hypermineralized tissue known as enameloid. Its microstructure displays a hierarchical organization that has increased in structural complexity from a homogenous single-crystallite enameloid (SCE) in early Chondricthyans to the complex multilayered enameloid found in modern sharks (consisting of bundles of crystallites arranged in intriguing patterns). Recent analyses of the enameloid microstructure in batoid fishes, focused on Myliobatiformes and fossil taxa, point to the presence of a bundled (or fibred) multilayered enameloid, a condition proposed as plesiomorphic for Batoidea. In this work, we provide further enameloid analysis for a selection of taxa covering the phylogeny of batoids. Our SEM analysis shows a superficial layer of SCE, where individualized crystallites are clearly discernable, capping the teeth in most of the species studied. A bundled double-layered enameloid was found only in a Rhinoidei, Rhina ancylostoma Bloch & Schneider, 1801. We conclude that the most widespread condition among extant batoids is a monolayer SCE lacking microstructural differentiation, probably plesiomorphic at least for crown batoidea. We suggest that the complex bundled enameloid present in other batoids is a convergent character that has appeared repeatedly during the evolution of batoids, probably as a mechanical adaptation towards moderate durophagous diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Vector of Locally Aggregated Descriptors (VLAD) has been proposed to index image by compact representations, which encodes powerful local descriptors and makes significant improvement on search performance with less memory compared against the state of art. However, its performance relies heavily on the size of the codebook which is used to generate VLAD representation. It indicates better accuracy needs higher dimensional representation. Thus, more memory overhead is needed. In this paper, we enhance VLAD image representation by using two level hierarchical-codebooks. It can provide more accurate search performance while keeping the VLAD size unchanged. In addition, hierarchical-codebooks are used to construct multiple inverted files for more accurate non-exhaustive search. Experimental results show that our method can make significant improvement on both VLAD image representation and non-exhaustive search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge organization systems (KOS) can use different types of hierarchical relations: broader generic (BTG), broader partitive (BTP), and broader instantial (BTI). The latest ISO standard on thesauri (ISO 25964) has formalized these relations in a corresponding OWL ontology (De Smedt et al., ISO 25964 part 1: thesauri for information retrieval: RDF/OWL vocabulary, extension of SKOS and SKOS-XL. , ) and expressed them as properties: broaderGeneric, broaderPartitive, and broaderInstantial, respectively. These relations are used in actual thesaurus data. The compositionality of these types of hierarchical relations has not been investigated systematically yet. They all contribute to the general broader (BT) thesaurus relation and its transitive generalization broader transitive defined in the SKOS model for representing KOS. But specialized relationship types cannot be arbitrarily combined to produce new statements that have the same semantic precision, leading to cases where inference of broader transitive relationships may be misleading. We define Extended properties (BTGE, BTPE, BTIE) and analyze which compositions of the original 'one-step' properties and the Extended properties are appropriate. This enables providing the new properties with valuable semantics usable, e.g., for fine-grained information retrieval purposes. In addition, we relax some of the constraints assigned to the ISO properties, namely the fact that hierarchical relationships apply to SKOS concepts only. This allows us to apply them to the Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), where they are also used for non-concepts (facets, hierarchy names, guide terms). In this paper, we present extensive examples derived from the recent publication of AAT as linked open data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse logistics has become an important issue for most of the organizations due to increased flow of product returns and growing concern for the environment, legislation, and corporate social responsibility. Reverse logistics activities include product collection, inspection and sorting, disposition (reuse, repair, remanufacture or recycle), and redistribution of products. One of the important decisions is whether such activities must be outsourced partly or all must be outsourced or nothing must be outsourced. The articles on the selection of third party reverse logistics service providers are abundant but the articles on outsourcing reverse logistics fully or partly are very limited. The proposed study develops a framework for outsourcing decisions in reverse logistics by using graph theoretic approach. The ability of graph theoretic approach to consider interdependencies and maintaining hierarchical relationship among attributes and sub-attributes makes it an attractive approach. The attributes and sub-attributes were selected by combining four traditional balanced scorecard perspectives i.e. stakeholder, internal business process, learning and growth, and finance with triple bottom line aspects of sustainability known as sustainable balanced scorecard. By considering sustainable balanced scorecard based attributes and sub-attributes, organizations can ensure their contribution toward sustainability even after outsourcing the reverse logistics activities. The proposed framework is illustrated by case example of a mobile manufacturing firm. Scenario based alternatives were developed and “outsourcing index” were calculated for all the alternatives by evaluating permanent function using graph theoretic approach. The best alternative was selected based on the “outsourcing index”. The proposed framework will help managers and practitioners in outsourcing reverse logistics decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is not a consensus about the benefits of implementing Real-Time Optimization (RTO) technologies to increase the profit of process plants. A lack of experimental and theoretical works which evaluate the scope and limitations of different RTO approaches makes it more difficult to have a sensible opinion about this topic. Most works available in the open literature that study different RTO approaches use few (often one) operation conditions to draw general conclusions about the virtues of a particular methodology. In the present work, we compare the performance of the classical two-step method with more recently proposed derivative-based methods (modifier adaptation, Integrated System Optimization Parameter Estimation (ISOPE), and an algorithm based on the Sufficient Conditions of Feasibility and Optimality (SCFO)) under different measurement noise, model mismatch, and disturbance using a Monte Carlo methodology. The results show that the classical RTO method can be reasonably reliable if provided with a model flexible enough to mimic the local process topology, a parameter estimation method suitable for handling measurement noise characteristics, and a method to improve the sample information quality. Implementing a derivative-based RTO method, in cases of evident model mismatch, should be considered only if the gap between the predicted and the real optimum is large enough and the level of measurement noise is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory is the property of University of Chicago Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study was conducted for the purpose of understanding how functional the religious narrative is in establishing and maintaining the female piousness in modern life. Participant observation was performed during the religious communions organized by women, and the obtained data were scrutinized via the means provided by the narrative discourse analysis. In the research we carried out, it was found out that the subjects considered by the opinion leaders to be religiously important were discussed in these communions, that religious narratives were frequently analyzed in the conversations among women, and that they were interpreted and actualized by depending on the basic principles of the religious group they belonged to. The narrative was interpreted within a rational system by the female opinion leader of the group, and an absolute obedience to the Guide of the Path was legitimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical multi-label classification is a relatively new research topic in the field of classifier induction. What distinguishes it from earlier tasks is that it allows each example to belong to two or more classes at the same time, and by assuming that the classes are mutually related by generalization/specialization operators. The paper first investigates the problem of performance evaluation in these domains. After this, it proposes a new induction system, HR-SVM, built around support vector machines. In our experiments, we demonstrate that this system's performance compares favorably with that earlier attempts, and then we proceed to an investigation of how HR-SVM's individual modules contribute to the overall system's behavior. As a testbed, we use a set of benchmark domains from the field of gene-function prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical imprinting was developed to prepare the protein imprinted materials, as the artificial antibody, for the selective depletion of HSA from the human serum proteome. Porcine serum albumin (PSA) was employed as the dummy template for the fabrication of the recognition sites. To demonstrate the advantages of the hierarchical imprinting, molecularly imprinted polymers prepared by hierarchical imprinting technique (h-MIPs) were compared with those obtained by bulk imprinting (b-MIPs), in terms of the binding capacity, adsorption kinetics, selectivity and synthesis reproducibility. The binding capacity of h-MIPs could reach 12 mg g–1. And saturation binding could be reached in less than 20 min for the h-MIPs. In the protein mixture, h-MIPs exhibit excellent selectivity for PSA, with imprinting factors as about 3.6, much higher than those for non-template proteins. For the proteomic application, the identified protein group number in serum treated by h-MIPs was increased to 422, which is 21% higher than that obtained from the original serum, meanwhile the identified protein group number for the Albumin Removal kit was only 376. The results demonstrate that protein imprinted polymers prepared by hierarchical imprinting technique, might become the artificial antibodies for the selective depletion of high abundance proteins in proteome study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]