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This paper focuses on trust building as an organizational phenomenon, more specifically, trust building through discursive leadership from the perspective of communicative engagement. The study draws on prior trust literature and discursive leadership theory, adopting an explorative approach in seeking a deeper understanding of organizational trust building in a higher education organization. The data comprises leaders' speeches and the field notes analyzed by the method of meaning-pattern reconstruction. The qualitative study demonstrates that by showing trustworthiness, the leader promotes an atmosphere for the organizational engagement of the followers. The main contribution is the empirical evidence supporting the confluence of theoretical models regarding perceived factors of organizational trustworthiness and collective organizational engagement in a rarely studied organizational environment. Trust as a core element of leadership appears to be a discursively developing process in higher education management. The findings imply for managerial leadership that the importance of raising the level of awareness of trustworthiness is crucial in leadership. Moreover, this study illustrates how discursive leadership may have a notable impact on the trust building process in the organization, especially in times of crisis. The context of a higher education organization highlights the need for exploring trust building through discursive in other than business-oriented organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combines the 'local turn' in the study of migration policy with the 'practice turn' in EU studies by analysing the humanitarian practices applied in the Sicilian city of Siracusa in the years 2013-2018. The primary interest of this research is to explore the practices by which the local community responded to the migration crisis in the Mediterranean and the contribution provided to migration governance by border cities such as Siracusa. It seeks to test the hypothesis that local communities are better apt to react to the emergency. While scholarly attention has focused extensively on the explanation of the multiple causes of migration as a global phenomenon, the practices adopted to manage migration still deserve investigation. Migration governance relies upon practices, i.e. competent performances, existing or emerging 'on the ground', to effectively address the phenomenon. By deconstructing the dynamics involving the European Union, decentring the study of migration governance in the Mediterranean allows us to go beyond the lack of EU policy-response to explore the local levels where politics takes place. Drawing on interviews with local actors, or international and national ones acting locally, the article explores the interaction among stakeholders in a practical context where actors, as members of a 'community of practice', are involved in a process of 'learning by doing'. Empirical research demonstrates that the actors' role in addressing the crisis, their ideas and know-how, have shaped migration governance and developed community practices in a process of 'learning by doing'. It suggests further empirical research to test whether an emergency operational model – consisting of competent performances, routine practices and procedures to be adopted in other areas and cases, has emerged in this Sicilian border city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a mixed-frequency dynamic factor model (MFDFM) taking into account the high-frequency variation and low-frequency variation at the same time. The factor loadings in our model are affected by the past quadratic variation of factor returns, while the process of the factor quadratic variation is under a mixed-frequency framework (DCC-RV). By combing the variations from the high-frequency and low-frequency domain, our approach exhibits a better estimation and forecast of the assets covariance matrix. Our empirical study compares our MFDFM model with the sample realized covariance matrix and the traditional factor model with intraday returns or daily returns. The results of the empirical study indicate that our proposed model indeed outperforms other models in the sense that the Markowitz's portfolios based on the MFDFM have a better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private sector intelligence is on its way to professionalization, but the road is a long one and the destination is uncertain. Studies of intelligence professionalization have not yet systematically analyzed private sector intelligence, a field that focuses on mitigating geopolitical and security risk and supporting decision-making. This paper leverages the author's extensive empirical research of private sector intelligence with reference to five key pillars of professionalization: a shared identity, knowledge advancement, training and education, a code of ethics, and certification. The article concludes with implications for professionalizing private sector intelligence and proposes further research on this understudied field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning analytics (LA) is a fast-growing field but adoption by teachers remain limited. This paper presents the results of a review of 18 LA frameworks and discusses how they have tried to address prominent challenges in LA adoption. The results show that researchers have made significant advances in developing appropriate frameworks to conceptualise LA adoption among teachers, and have advanced considerably in connecting LA and learning theory. However, few frameworks are concretised into technological artefacts and concrete data streams. Moreover, there is a need to empirically validate and put into use the most promising existing frameworks. We hope that this review will be informative for teachers who have little LA experience but are interested in adopting LA in authentic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an efficient generalized estimation strategy has been proposed to present the problem of estimation of current population mean Y ¯ of study variable y in two-occasion rotation sampling. The properties of the proposed estimation procedure have been deeply examined and its optimum replacement strategy is formulated. Empirical studies are carried out to show the superiority of the proposed estimator over the sample mean estimator, natural successive sampling estimator (when no auxiliary information is used) and some well-known recent contemporary estimators under various situations. Numerical results are given in support of the study and recommendations are also made to the survey practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Islamic religious education (IRE) has been offered in Austrian public schools since 1982, public opinion and the general opinions of several stakeholders in the school system tend to be negative. One of the main reasons is the shortage of professionals, which led to recruiting personnel from different disciplines, who often lack the proper qualification for IRE. Public discourses do not consider the possibility of professionalisation after lateral entry into the career as an IRE teacher. Based on empirical research considering the biographical experiences and professional development of IRE teachers, the present paper examines how IRE teachers themselves perceive and asses their professionalisation and professionalism. The study's findings show that professionalisation and recognition as a professional depend on many factors, such as the degree of teachers' training and education at academic institutions, their work schedule, state accreditation, different types of employment contract, and more. The research results reveal, moreover, the different beliefs and views of IRE teachers regarding their profession and subject. This article focuses on the concept of performative competence staging as part of the professionalisation processes of IRE teachers in the Austrian context and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporality and in particular principals' time use is attracting increasing scholarly attention in educational administration and leadership research. There is a long history of studies looking at how principals spend or allocate their time. This paper draws on initial data from the Principals' Experiencing Time (PET) project which focuses on how principals experience their day rather than conceiving of time as an external resource that is spent (wisely) or wasted. Theoretically informed by Eacott's relational approach and working with data generated through document analysis, interviews, and web-based diary entries, it is argued that the principalship has a temporal foundation. This foundation is constitutive of and emergent from how principals experience their day. Understanding these experiences provides a sound empirical basis for preparation and development programs aimed at current and aspiring school leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the noncontractual setting of customer-base analysis, heterogeneity parameters in purchase model and lifetime model are usually assumed to follow some familiar parametric distribution such as gamma or log-normal distribution. But, in many applications, these assumptions may be questionable because the true distributions of heterogeneity parameters are usually unknown. To this end, this paper relaxes these assumptions imposed on heterogeneity parameters to develop a nonparametric approach to purchase model and lifetime model, in which unknown distributions of heterogeneity parameters are approximated by a truncated Dirichlet process prior. A nonparametric empirical Bayesian method is developed to obtain Bayesian estimations of unknown parameters in the proposed nonparametric models. The blocked Gibbs sampler is presented to draw observations required for Bayesian inference from the corresponding posterior distributions of the components of parameters. Extensive simulation studies and a CDNOW data set are presented to illustrate the newly developed methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new efficient and robust inference method by combing the robust generalized estimating equations and the well-known empirical likelihood method in longitudinal data analysis. Based on a bounded exponential score function and leverage-based weights, robust auxiliary random vectors are constructed to achieve robustness against outliers both in the response and the covariate domains. Moreover, the additional tuning parameter in the exponential score function can be automatically selected by the observed data. Finally, some simulation studies and a real data analysis are carried out to demonstrate the performances of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On Brandom's view, we can understand objectivity in terms of the view that what is objectively correct potentially transcends any given attitude. But Levine challenges this view. He distinguishes between two questions of objectivity: 'How do we grasp the concept of objectivity?' and 'What determines the difference between what is correct and what is merely taken to be correct?' And he argues that Brandom's account of objectivity fails to address the second question of objectivity. Furthermore, based on classical pragmatist views, he defends an alternative account, which he calls 'an experiential-theoretical account of objectivity'. I agree with Levine that Brandom's structural account of objectivity can hardly answer the second question of objectivity. In this paper, however, I argue that we can answer the second question of objectivity without accepting Levine's claim that experience has a rational bearing on the contents of empirical thoughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (ESDOF) models are widely used to evaluate the collapse capacity of multistory structures, and their rationality is very important because it greatly affects the accuracy of the evaluation results. Prior studies have indicated that obvious cyclic deterioration (CD) behaviors exist before structural collapse, and such deterioration behaviors are the primary sources of collapse for reinforced concrete (RC) frames subjected to long-duration ground motions. Although several ESDOF models have been developed to represent the global mechanical behaviors during the collapse of RC frames, such models cannot reasonably consider CD behaviors. This paper establishes an ESDOF model capable of considering CD behaviors by utilizing the Ibarra-Krawinkler (I-K) model. The ESDOF model includes a monotonic backbone curve with a negative tangent stiffness and a hysteretic rule to consider CD behaviors based on hysteretic energy dissipation. A simple method utilizing the empirical relationship between the monotonic ductility capacity and hysteretic energy dissipation capacity of RC columns to determine the hysteretic energy dissipation capacity of the ESDOF model is proposed. The CD behaviors are simulated by calculating the hysteretic energy dissipation capacity of the ESDOF model using the empirical relationship, which is obtained by the regression analysis of the existing experimental data of the RC column tests. The proposed ESDOF model is validated by pseudo-static collapse experiments and collapse fragility analyses. The results demonstrate that CD behaviors cannot be ignored when performing the collapse analyses of RC frames and that the proposed ESDOF model can adequately predict the collapse capacity of RC frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to propose a model integrating different factors that influence the decision-making process of choosing foreign academic destinations for short-term mobility. The theoretical model will be supported by empirical research carried out using a questionnaire administered to students who participated in an exchange programme in Poland (N = 135) and in Portugal (N = 137). This paper contributes to literature by empirically investigating the pull factors affecting the international students' decision-making process in three dimensions: the country, the city and the university. The findings have implications not only for universities but, for that matter, for local and national governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a systematic review study that aimed to map how the scientific literature is characterized concerning family or couple interventions and therapies regarding lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. The searches were conducted in the Web of Science, BVS, PsycINFO, and PUBMED databases, from 2009 to 2019, in Portuguese and English. The PRISMA protocol guidelines were followed and the CONSORT Statement and its extension for non-pharmacological interventions instruments were used. Frequencies and content analysis were performed at software NVivo. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, gender-nonconforming19 articles were retrieved. The results revealed a greater focus on the North American context, mainly on psychoeducational interventions that worked on marital status and family systems with LGB teenagers or young adults. Adaptation of well-consolidated practical approaches was the most used and multiple formats were applied to conduct interventions, using film-based, cognitive-behavioral and systemic techniques. It is argued that theoretical and empirical research focused on stigma and discrimination at marital and family levels is needed in other contexts, such as Global South countries. Future directions and limitations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the villages of Nagaon district of Assam(India), Axomiya Sikhs are residing for the past two centuries. They are the believers and practitioners of their religion though not averse to local customs and festivals. They are immersed in the language and culture of Assam and many have got name and fame in their respective fields including Assamese literature. They claim to be the descendants of Sikh soldiers from Punjab sent there by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to help the Ahom ruler in 1820. The present paper explores the question of their social, religious and linguistic identity. They were contented with themselves until they interacted with the Punjabi Sikhs in Assam, relatively recent settlers, who call them 'duplicate Sikhs'. They are now in a dilemma with regard to their Sikh identity. The data are collected from a sample of 365 respondents. This is the only empirical study after Medhi's work in 1989. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latest issue of Rural Theology includes a review of a book that advocates for a research-based approach to rural ministry. The review highlights the relevance of this approach for further reflection in the UK. The issue also features three papers that explore the impact of empirical studies on specific areas of ministry and mission. These papers examine the relationship between fostering a relational culture and faith development, the contribution of rural church schools to a sense of belonging, and the attraction of intuitive types to rural churches shaped in the Catholic tradition. Additionally, the issue includes a discussion of the Christian poetry of Andrew Young and its place in the tradition of rural parson poets. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, we outline a content analysis of 541,083 national and international news articles, all published between 2018 and 2020 in the print and online versions of the two newspapers of the biggest private media company in Flanders (Belgium). Through automated text analysis, we assess articles for their internal content overlap, which has been linked by scholarship to possible negative effects of increased media market consolidation. Results reveal that while the overall content overlap between the two newspapers has remained stable, one of the two titles has copy-pasted articles from the other one increasingly, while also recycling content more frequently across its own newspaper and website. These findings are positioned in Flanders' small and highly concentrated media market and subsequently contextualised in a broader perspective of news diversity within media markets and societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incorporation of epistemic aspects of science in science education continues to be a challenge for researchers and practitioners. The paper presents an empirical study investigating how epistemic framing of scientific methods can be incorporated in science teaching, learning and summative assessment, and what impact such framing has on student learning outcomes. The study was conducted with 969 secondary students taught by 152 teachers from a national sample in England. Teaching videos and summative assessments were framed by Brandon's Matrix, a theoretical framework derived from the work of a philosopher of science and focusing on the diversity of scientific methods ranging from hypothesis testing to non-manipulative parameter measurement. The findings are discussed, including (a) the students' views on the teaching videos and summative assessments, (b) the impact of the teaching videos on students' understanding of the epistemic aspects of scientific methods and (c) students' performance on summative assessments in the context of science topics covered in high-stakes examinations in England. The findings suggest that the students' understanding of scientific methods significantly improved after watching the videos. Furthermore, the students' performance on the summative assessment items indicated a high level of accuracy in responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cocologs, which are made out of coir fibers, have proven to be an erosion control product along river banks. Cocologs are densely packed coconut fibers wrapped in coir net. This paper presents the laboratory experimental results on the permeability characteristics of cocologs. The permeability of cocologs is a critical parameter in the design of cocolog-stabilized geostructures. In this study, the experiments to determine the permeability of cocologs were carried out in a modified permeability test apparatus using clear water as the permeating medium. The effect of different parameters such as the density of cocolog, opening size (d) of outer cover and orientation of cocologs on the permeability of cocolog was investigated. It was found that the permeability of cocologs increases from 20 mm/s to 85 mm/s when density decreases from 220 kg/m3 to 100 kg/m3. The opening size of the outer net covering of cocologs should not be reduced below a d/L (opening size to the length of cocologs) ratio of 0.0075. It is concluded that the density of cocolog is the only governing parameter which has a significant influence on the permeability of cocologs. Furthermore, an empirical relationship was developed to determine the permeability of cocologs considering the effect of different parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lead-lag relationship between stocks is an interesting phenomenon, which has been empirically seen to widely exist in stock markets. This paper aims to discover the dynamic patterns of the daily lead-lag relationships between stock pairs, to detect the features of the discovered dynamic patterns, and to explore which factors significantly affect the emergence of the feature. To this end, a series of statistical analyses is conducted to find that the (longest) successive lead-lag days satisfy a power-law distribution in the two mainland stock markets in China, which answers the question regarding the dynamic pattern. Note that the heavy tail of the power-law distribution is the core of the discovered dynamic pattern. A formal and solid definition of the lead-lag effect is provided by statistical testing, and then the corresponding detection method is designed and applied to obtain the heavy tail. Finally, an empirical study of the detected stocks with lead-lag effect is further conducted via an exponential random graph model (ERGM). Our work adds new knowledge to the lead-lag phenomenon in the financial domain, provides a formal definition of the lead-lag effect and proposes a new detection method benefiting future studies on the lead-lag relationship in financial markets. It further contributes to the existing relevant literature by a deep understanding of which factors cause the emergence of the power-law distribution discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does a researcher investigate phenomena that continually emerge through, with and as various practices? This paper explores this question, drawing on transformative reflections on the unfolding process of an empirical research project investigating professional practice in Dutch early childhood education. The project initially applied an open, exploratory mixed-methods research design, with the aim of gaining a comprehensive understanding of educational realities. As the research project proceeded, however, we found ourselves exploring the multiplicity of educational realities. Incorporating actor-network theory (ANT) into the study design led to an important ontological re-positioning of the project. Drawing on our experiences, we aim to develop the argument that a methodologically heterogeneous research approach is a valuable way to evoke the paradigmatic and methodological reflexivity and humility that is needed to capture the emerging multiplicity of professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprofessional education (IPE), as preparation for interprofessional practice (IPP), is essential for quality, coordinated, outcome-focussed patient care. To develop capacity for IPP in future healthcare practitioners, IPE needs to be developed within curriculum and applied within authentic settings. The study aims were threefold: (a) determine if an established type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) exercise and healthy lifestyle program could be replicated and delivered at a satellite health precinct; (b) report on changes in students' attitudes to IPP in response to involvement in the program; (c) explore the perceptions of students in response to participation in the program whilst on placement. This paper reports on the quantitative changes in perceptions of IPE as measured by the SPICE-R2 instrument and a qualitative analysis of the student reflection of participating in IPP. Thirty-five students, from 4 health professions, participated in the study. The quantitative outcomes showed significant improvement in the perceptions of IPE (p <.01), including significant improvements understanding of roles and responsibilities, teamwork, and patient outcomes (p <.01). The qualitative analysis included a subset of 18 students who participated across two focus groups, highlighting four key themes: (a) health students reported varied initial experience with, and understanding of IPE; (b) the IPE program enabled students to see the value of teamwork for patient care; (c) IPE enhanced role clarity amongst the students, and (d) the IPE program provided an authentic learning experience, best suited to final year students. Our findings reinforced the value of a partnership between higher education and health services to deliver IPP care and learning, student valuing of the importance of IPE as part of authentic learning, and need for a scaffolded approach toward IPE is needed across health curriculums, and clinical placement to ensure all students can develop IPE capabilities that will enable them to work together to deliver the best healthcare to clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper presents a simple mathematical model for replication of the transient acceleration motion of displacement hulls in calm water under the action of a propulsion system. Different empirical methods are coupled, and an operational speed problem is solved in the time domain. The resistance of the ship is calculated by using the Holtrop method. The values of thrust force, torque and propeller efficiency are computed by using B-Series empirical equations. The acceleration motion of the vessel, which is triggered as the engine starts to work, is simulated by solving a set of first-order differential equations, which are discretised in the time domain. It is shown that different propellers can lead to different transient and steady behaviours of the vessel. Finally, using a genetic algorithm library, it is demonstrated that the method can be helpful and be easily linked to the design process. Moreover, an optimisation study is performed, showing that, the developed method provides an efficient propeller, under the action of which ship reaches the maximum possible speed in the earliest possible time with the highest efficiency for the propeller. The current method can be useful in the mathematical reproduction of the ship-propeller-engine, which needed to be modified in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased popularity of mobile learning, there is a growing demand on the understanding of how the scalable technology, such as mobile devices, influences individual learning behaviours as well as their learning outcome. A theoretical model was built based on the adaptive structuration theory (AST) and the knowledge spiral theory. Using this model, we examined the relationship between structural sources, individuals' adaptive structural behaviours, and their perceived learning. A Structural Equation Modeling method was employed in our empirical study. Findings indicate that users' task adaptation had a positive influence on their perceived learning, In addition, their exploitive technology adaptation influenced the ultimate perceived learning, but the impact of users' exploratory technology adaptation on learning was mediated by their task adaptation. Contrary to expectations, the effect of computer self-efficacy on exploitive and exploratory technology adaptation was negative, and exploratory technology adaptation negatively affected exploitive task adaptation. A detailed discussion of the findings and implications are provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reggio Emilia approach is identified as a resource and inspiration in the field of early childhood education. The term 'Reggio Inspired' refers to all Reggio Emilia approach-based practices outside of Reggio Emilia, Italy. This paper presents a comprehensive study of Reggio Inspired empirical research. Results from an integrative review of the literature (51 unique studies) reveal the lack of outcome research to support the efficacy of the implementation of Reggio Inspired practices and the varied nature of this body of literature. After providing a survey of the literature on Reggio Inspired approaches from around the world, we propose an integrative framework that offers both a structure for future research and a tool for synthesizing literature rooted in the transplantation of Reggio Emilia approach to other contexts, the Reggio Inspired Research Re-framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We argue consistent with the knowledge-based theory that variances in the outcome of firms' coopetition strategy depend on the characteristics of industries. Industry characteristics are one of the reasons for the heterogeneity of existing research. Design/methodology/approach: This article conducts a meta-analysis on the relationship between coopetition and performance. Empirical evidence was collected from 86374 firms nested in 49 independent samples. Meta-regression was used for moderator analysis. Findings: Empirical evidence from 86374 firms nested in 49 independent samples reveals a positive relationship between coopetition and performance. Industry positively moderates the relationship between coopetition and innovation. In contrast, we neither find a significant relationship between the intensity of coopetition and performance nor for industry's moderation on the coopetition- performance association. Originality/value/contribution: In the field of coopetition, there is a lack of literature that uses meta-analysis to integrate existing empirical studies. The present article provides a more detailed perspective in explaining the heterogeneity prevailing in the coopetition and performance relationship. This paper ends with a series of limitations and avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a method called "least-work solution" was empirically simplified to evaluate shear lag stress in the steel box moment connections with internal diaphragms in order to serve for the preliminary design. This approach considered the effects of column flange flexibility and depth of the beam web, and their relations on the stress distribution. The stress equations were manually obtained with a complicated form. Therefore, a simplified method was proposed to facilitate the calculation procedure. The results showed that least-work solution could be simplified to provide valid stress distribution and can thus be authenticated by FEM and existing test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper prospected the evidence synthesized in meta-analyses on child–parent attachment to discuss its implications for the future of attachment research. Based on the 75 identified meta-analyses, effect size benchmarks may need to be adjusted to small (r =.10), medium (r =.20), and large (r =.30). Topics of attachment meta-analyses predominantly (53%) reflected interest in testing theory. Bibliometric analysis of scientific publications (k = 7,595) that cited these meta-analyses reflect waxing uptake in work on interventions, mental health, and attachment anxiety/avoidance and waning uptake in work on attachment relationships and representations, except for the subtopics of sensitivity and fathers. Prospects for scientifically rigorous research are to be found in engagement with stakeholders working to address important societal challenges. Promoting nurturing care and reducing harm in child welfare contain "Goldilocks-problems" that are amenable to incremental progress while simultaneously advancing theory and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]