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The foundation of any e-book analysis framework rests on knowledge of the general e-book landscape and the existing information needs of a local user community. From this starting point, quantitative [...]

Author(s): Rajan Varadarajan[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Marketing, Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, 77843-4112, College Station, TXUSA In his editorial on interesting and impactful research, Tellis (2016) [...]

Author(s): Gerard J. Tellis[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, 90089-0808, Los Angeles, CAUSA Most researchers assume that research is a quest for truth. So, [...]

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF LEGAL TEXTS A. Content Analysis of Judicial Opinions B. Non-Content Analysis: Why Style? II. MEASURING STYLE A. Data B. Preliminary Analyses 1. [...], This Article presents the results of a quantitative analysis of writing style for the entire corpus of US Supreme Court decisions. The basis for this analysis is the measure of frequency of function words, which has been found to be a useful 'stylistic fingerprint' and which we use as a general proxy for the stylistic features of a text or group of texts. Based on this stylistic fingerprint measure, we examine temporal trends on the Court, verifying that there is a 'style of the time ' and that contemporaneous Justices are more stylistically similar to their peers than to temporally remote Justices. We examine potential 'internal ' causes of stylistic changes, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the role of the modern institution of the judicial clerk in influencing writing style on the Court. Using two different measures of stylistic consistency, one measuring intra-year consistency on the Court and the other examining inter-year consistency for individual Justices, we find evidence that the writing styles of individual Justices have become less consistent as clerks have taken on a greater role on the Court.

III. TIME TRENDS IN JUDICIAL STYLE This Part applies the methodology just described to examine how writing style on the Court changes over time. Specifically, we ask whether there is [...]

This article examines products liability when consumers have private information about their susceptibilities to product-related harm. In this case, it is efficient for consumers to self-select their purchases, with those especially prone to harm refraining from purchase. Achieving this outcome requires consumers to bear their own harm, given that producers cannot observe consumer types. When consumers also misperceive risk, the problem becomes more complicated because accurate signaling of risk requires that firms bear liability. A trade-off therefore emerges between imposing liability on firms versus consumers. This article characterizes the choice among liability rules in the presence of this trade-off. (JEL K13, L15), I. INTRODUCTION A large literature has developed to explore the unique aspects of accidents involving consumer products when the victim is also the purchaser. (1) The main difference between these [...]

Scientists confronted with multiple explanatory hypotheses as a result of their abductive inferences, generally want to reason further on the different hypotheses one by one. This paper presents a modal adaptive logic ML[A.sup.s] that enables us to model abduction in such a way that the different explanatory hypotheses can be derived individually. This modelling is illustrated with a case study on the different hypotheses on the origin of the Moon. Keywords Abduction * Modelling scientific reasoning processes * Multiple explanatory hypotheses * Adaptive logics * Modal logics, 1 Introduction The aim of this paper is to present a new adaptive logic, called ML[A.sup.s], that enables us to model abductive reasoning processes. The goal of these processes is [...]

The contemporary climatic situation is as urgent as it is frustrated. The pace of movement on international agreements, public opinion and national legislation is at odds with the time frames [...]

This article is the third in a series that aims to assist nurses working in diabetes to understand research from a broad perspective, to help them critically appraise research publications [...]

Recent meta-analyses have shown that beta diversity through space is jointly driven by species traits, geographical gradients, and ecosystem properties. Spatial variation is, however, only one aspect of beta diversity. The other component is variation in species assemblages through time, that is, temporal turnover. We examined the decrease of assemblage similarity in time in aquatic ecosystems in relation to several ecological, physical, and geographical factors using an extensive data set derived from the literature. The data set was first divided into intra-annual and interannual studies depending on the temporal extent of the studies. Sampling duration was one the most significant variables affecting the degree of temporal turnover, and we found that turnover was faster in studies with shorter temporal extent. Our results further suggested that the rate of temporal turnover increased with increasing ecosystem size, thus contradicting the general species-time-area relationship. Temporal turnover also varied among the ecosystem types: lake assemblages showed faster turnover than stream or marine assemblages in the interannual data set. We found that temporal turnover exhibited large-scale geographical variation, as there was a latitudinal gradient in turnover. Turnover was faster in the tropics in the intra-annual data set, but the pattern was reversed in the interannual data set, where turnover was faster at high latitudes. Finally, we found that the degree of temporal turnover was related to organism characteristics, as larger organisms with active mobility showed slower temporal turnover than smaller organisms. Our results suggest that the degree of species turnover in time is jointly driven by several ecological, physical, and geographical factors in aquatic ecosystems and that the turnover is not uniform across taxonomic groups. Our findings have important consequences for understanding how different biotic assemblages track temporal changes in the environment and how resilient assemblages are toward such changes. Key words: beta diversity; latitudinal gradients; macroecology; sampling duration; species-time-area relationship; temporal variation.

In the field of construction engineering and management, archival data sets are not always as correct and consistent as it would be desirable. Between different sources that are studied, e.g., companies, they may differ in format or content and within them, they may still be incongruous and require substantial preparation. This makes examining theories and extracting trends from historic data more difficult than it is for carefully controlled experimental studies or for collecting new data. The purpose of this paper is not to review the regression models that the writers developed during their research, but to focus on the data preparation that had to be applied before those analyses. The objective is to outline various techniques that can be applied to archival data that are related to construction engineering and management to give researchers a set of best practices on data preparation that can assist them in gleaning truths from them. CE Database subject headings: Construction companies; Construction equipment; Construction industry; Data analysis; Economic factors; History; Computer software; Statistics; Databases. Author keywords; Construction companies; Construction equipment; Construction industry; Data analysis; Economic factors; History; Inflation, economic; Qualitative analysis; Spreadsheets; Statistical models. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000078

Scenarios where the results of well-intentioned scientific research can be used for both good and harmful purposes give rise to what is now widely known as the "dual-use dilemma". There has been growing debate about the dual-use nature of life science research with implications for making biological weapons. This paper reviews several controversial publications that have been the focus of debates about dual-use life science research and critically examines relevant policy developments, particularly in the United States of America. Though the dual-use dilemma is inherently ethical in nature, the majority of debates about dual-use research have primarily involved science and security experts rather than ethicists. It is important that there is more ethical input into debates about the governance of dual-use research. Les scenarios dans lesquels les resultats d&apos;une recherche bien intentionnee sont utilisables a la fois a des fins benefiques et nefastes nous confrontent au desormais celebre << dilemme du double usage >> de la recherche. Les debats sur la nature duale des recherches en science de la vie susceptibles de deboucher sur la fabrication d&apos;armes biologiques prennent de l&apos;ampleur. Le present article analyse plusieurs publications controversies, qui ont fait l&apos;objet de discussions sur le double usage des recherches en science de la vie et realise un examen critique des evolutions politiques liees a cette question, notamment aux Etats-Unis d&apos;Amerique. Bien que le dilemme suscite par ce double usage soit par nature ethique, la majorite des debats sur la double finalite de la recherche ont ete menes principalement par des experts scientifiques et des specialistes de la securite et non par des ethiciens. Il importe d&apos;introduire davantage d&apos;ethique dans les debats sur la gestion du double usage de la recherche. La posibilidad de usar los resultados de investigaciones cientificas bienintencionadas con fines beneficiosos o con animo de causar dano da lugar a lo que boy dia se conoce en general como el dilema del <>. Mas concretamente, ha cobrado intensidad el debate sobre el doble uso de las investigaciones en ciencias de la vida que puedan facilitar la produccion de armas biologicas. En este articulo se examinan varias publicaciones que han generado bastante polemica en ese campo y se analizan criticamente algunas novedades de interes en materia de politicas, sobre todo en los Estados Unidos de America. Aunque el problema del doble uso constituye en lo fundamental un dilema etico, en la mayoria de los debates sobre las investigaciones de doble uso hart participado principalmente cientificos y expertos en seguridad mas que especialistas en etica. Es importante que haya mas aportaciones desde el campo de la etica en los debates sobre la gobernanza de las investigaciones de doble uso., Introduction In the early days of atomic physics, it was realized that discoveries regarding nuclear fission and the chain reaction might be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes. The [...]

We examine a periodic-review stochastic inventory model with quantity discounts from the buyer's perspective. In each period the buyer places an order to meet stochastic demands and receives a price discount on purchases in excess of a price break point. Our analytical and computational results suggest that the buyer's optimal order-up-to inventory levels depend on initial inventory and the price break point. We also provide some counter-intuitive results, compared with the traditional multi-period newsvendor model. Key Words: Quantity discounts, Stochastic inventory model, Periodic-Review, 1. INTRODUCTION This paper considers a periodic-review stochastic inventory model with quantity discounts from the buyer's perspective. In each period the buyer places an order with the supplier to meet [...]

The research reported here is from the first national survey of British undergraduate attitudes to the methodological character of the discipline and specifically to quantitative methods. The study found that most sociology students saw their subject as closer- to the humanities than the sciences. However, whilst as anticipated many students expressed anxiety about quantitative methods and 'number', a slight majority nevertheless expressed no such anxiety. The methodological issue for sociology is perhaps less to do with a numeric deficit and more to do with a lack of student interest in the use of quantitative methods. It may be concluded that the views held by present undergraduates do not augur well for a methodologically pluralist discipline in the future, or more generally for key numeric and analytic skills sociology graduates can bring to other professions and occupations. KEY WORDS methodological pluralism / numeracy / quantitative methods / science / sociology curriculum

The remarkable successes of the physical sciences have been built on highly general quantitative laws, which serve as the basis for understanding an enormous variety of specific physical systems. How far is it possible to construct universal principles in the cognitive sciences, in terms of which specific aspects of perception, memory, or decision making might be modelled? Following Shepard (e.g., 1987), it is argued that some universal principles may be attainable in cognitive science. Here, 2 examples are proposed: the simplicity principle (which states that the cognitive system prefers patterns that provide simpler explanations of available data); and the scale-invariance principle, which states that many cognitive phenomena are independent of the scale of relevant underlying physical variables, such as time, space, luminance, or sound pressure. This article illustrates how principles may be combined to explain specific cognitive processes by using these principles to derive SIMPLE, a formal model of memory for serial order (Brown, Neath, & Chater, 2007), and briefly mentions some extensions to models of identification and categorization. This article also considers the scope and limitations of universal laws in cognitive science. Keywords: Scale; Scale-invariance; Memory; Free recall; Serial recall; Kolmogorov complexity; Similarity; Generalization; Universal laws; Categorization

BACKGROUND: Although existing literature does discuss difficulties of doing science in contexts of litigation and regulation, work to date reflects little first-hand experience in such contexts. This gap is understandable [...]

The article reveals the lack of authenticity in applying standard bibliometrics and citation counting to Australasian political science. The hidden problems in the use of such 'standard' data to measure research quality are discussed.

The merits and demerits of statistical and qualitative analyses are discussed in response to Robert Thompson's article 'Time to Comply: National Responses to Six EU Labor Market Directives Revisited'. It is argued that evaluation standards for quantitative analyses needs to go beyond statistical calculations and should include the quality of assumptions imputed.

Business cycles in small emerging economies differ from those in developed economies. Emerging economies feature interest rates that are higher, more volatile, and countercyclical (interest rates are usually acyclical in [...]

Some scientific research should not be published. The risks to national security and public health override the social benefits of disseminating scientific results openly. Unfortunately, scientists themselves are not in [...]

The new imperative to be more methodologically inclusive has generated a burgeoning interest in synthesizing the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies, or mixed research synthesis. Yet, the very diversity seen to define the mixed research synthesis enterprise is also considered to defy it as it intensifies the problem of comparing the seemingly incomparable to enable the combination of the seemingly uncombinable. We propose here that the research synthesis enterprise, in general, and the mixed research synthesis enterprise, in particular, entail comparability work whereby reviewers impose similarity and difference on the studies to be reviewed. The very study diversity requiring management does not exist a priori but rather is itself an outcome of comparability work already done whereby judgments have been made about what constitutes methodological and topical diversity and uniformity. Conceiving the research synthesis process as defined by comparability work moves the backstage interpretive work of systematic review to center stage and, thereby, sets a new stage for addressing the methodological issues involved. These issues are explored by reference to the synthesis of empirical studies of antiretroviral adherence in HIV-positive women in the US. Keywords. Comparability work; Evidence-based practice: Research synthesis; Systematic review; HIV

In this article, we have examined how historical events shape the research process, even when research is carefully planned and rigorously executed. Through an examination of our experiences conducting international [...]

'Basic research' is often used in science policy. It is commonly thought to refer to research that is directed solely toward acquiring new knowledge rather than any more practical objective. Recently, there has been considerable concern about the future of basic research because of purported changes in the nature of knowledge production and increasing pressures on scientists to demonstrate the social and economic benefits of their work. But is there really something special about basic research? The author argues here that 'basic research' is a flexible and ambiguous concept that is drawn on by scientists to acquire prestige and resources. She shows that it is used for boundary work and gives examples of the work it does in different situations by drawing on interviews with scientists and policy makers on the category of basic research and the changes they have seen in it over time. Keywords: basic research; boundary work; science policy

A study analyzing the longitudinal tracer approach for studying the relevance gap in the context of researcher-practitioner is presented. The tracer is, in effect, a methodological middle-range method of allowing the practitioners into research process. It also makes the research a relevant material for practitioners.

The majority of reverse auctions for procurement use a single-attribute (price) format while providing constraints on nonprice attributes such as quality and lead time. Alternatively, a buyer could choose to conduct a multiattribute auction where bidders can specify both a price and levels of nonprice attributes. While such an auction may provide higher theoretical utility to the buyer, it is not clear that this theoretical improvement will be realized given the increased complexity of the auction. In this research, we present an ascending auction mechanism for a buyer whose utility function is known and dependent on three attributes. Motivated by a supply chain procurement problem setting, we consider quality and lead time for the two attributes in addition to price. The auction mechanism provides the bidders with restricted feedback regarding the buyer's utility function. We explore, experimentally, the performance of this multiattribute auction mechanism as compared to a price-only auction mechanism. Compared with the price-only auction, we find that our mechanism design is effective in increasing both buyer utility and bidder (supplier) profits. Key words: auctions; experimental economics; supply chain management, 1. Introduction Reverse auctions are auctions in which the auctioneer, on behalf of a buyer, solicits bids from a group of potential sellers. They provide a promising alternative to buying [...]

The nature, definition of field experiments and its comparative analysis with the laboratory experiments are analyzed.

People with disabilities often are precluded from research by accessibility problems. This article explores what it really means to make research accessible, and provides suggestions for including people with 2 [...]

Research-based guidelines for the design of four components of instructions like the desired state, the prerequisite state, the interim state and the unwanted state are discussed. The research and findings are summarized and formulated into design guidelines and compared with existing procedures to see how well they match along with a scientific research based manageable and expandable framework for user support.

Recent theoretical research on retail pricing dynamics provides an explanation of why retailers periodically put items on sale, even when their costs are unchanged. The authors extend this research to show that more popular items (i.e., those that appeal to a wide range of consumers) are more likely to go on sale. One implication of the proposed model is that a good is more likely to be on sale when demand for the good is at its season peak (e.g., eggs at Easter). This implication is tested using store-level retail price data, and the prediction is borne out for the categories of goods that are examined. Additional tests also support the premise that popularity and frequency of sales are positively related.

To help understand substance use treatment providers' attitudes about research, 164 providers completed surveys about experiences with research, perceived barriers, and training needs. Providers tended to consider their agencies' lack of research expertise to be less of a barrier to research than their agencies' focusing on clinical work rather than research. Providers with good or neutral research experience were less likely than others to consider agency's lack of research focus a barrier. However, only providers with good research experience were less likely than others to consider agency's clinical focus a barrier to research. Providers with bad research experience were the least interested in getting further research training. Implications for research are discussed.

It has long been recognized in the nonverbal communication literature that individual differences in extraversion are expected to be most clearly evident in expressive forms of nonverbal behavior. Although several studies designed to examine the correlation between extraversion and nonverbal behavior have been conducted, most attempts to summarize these studies reflect the inconsistent nature of the research findings. Indeed, correlations range from--.36 to .73. The extant literature summaries are limited to narrative reviews, however, which tend to be highly selective. The purpose of this study was to meta-analyze the relevant studies. Results indicated that the mean correlation coefficient weighted for sample size was .13 for the entire sample of studies. Although 63% of the variance was attributable to sampling error, the distribution of correlations was heterogeneous. The remaining variance was due to two methodological artifacts: sample size and the number of nonverbal behaviors coded. For example, hierarchical breakdowns by moderator indicated that the mean correlation was .50 for highly focused studies--those in which researchers concentrated on a few behaviors and limited coding to 40 or fewer subjects. A cognitive-overload model for these findings is offered and corroborated by findings from other research domains. Implications for communication research and theory are discussed. In addition to clarifying the empirical relationship [TEXT INCOMPLETE IN ORIGINAL SOURCE]

In the context of Brazil/Chile, this article examines ways in which innovation policy can enhance the competitiveness of developing countries while building on organizational innovations which benefit multinational enterprises (MNEs). [...]

This paper provides commentary from a policy maker's perspective to researchers seeking to inform public policy and practice. It points to a number of issues that limit the usefulness of researchers' work. These issues are grouped into the two broad areas: format and forum. Format issues include the manner in which research reports are presented, their often equivocal nature, and their failure to take into account the cycles and calendars of executive or legislative policy makers. Forum issues involve, among other things, undertaking a systematic response to substance abuse, and related problems, among adult and juvenile offenders--so as to guide systemic action. The paper ends with some practical steps researchers can take to make their work more accessible, and useful, to policy makers and practitioners. Keywords: Research; Practice; Policy; Communication

Abstract The research methods literature recommends peer debriefing as a process to enhance the credibility of qualitative research. However, few details about how to plan, implement, and report this process [...]

This article empirically analyses the link between innovation and performance using a sample of large Australian firms, with a specific aim of developing benchmarking tools. Innovation is measured by firms' investment in R&D and applications for patents, trademarks and designs. An innovation index is constructed to provide one method of benchmarking. The index incorporates a firm's innovative activities into a single figure after accounting for firm size. The index provides a ranking of the most innovative firms in Australia. A second method of benchmarking uses a stochastic production frontier. This type of analysis identifies the firms which are located closest to a 'best practice innovation frontier'.