Conceptual Differences Research Articles

Patient Science: Citizen Science Involving Chronically Ill People as Co-Researchers

Citizen science projects in health-related research usually follow a crowdsourcing approach where laypersons primarily have a supplying role in data collection. By contrast, this article presents an approach on a much higher engagement level (co-creation) where a team of professional and citizen scientists jointly plans, implements, and evaluates a scientific study on a chronic disease from which the citizen (patient) scientists themselves suffer. We call this approach patient science; it systematically makes use of the patients’ expertise of living with the disease. This article describes the pilot project and conceptual differences compared to other participatory approaches in medical and health research. It elaborates on the implications of involving chronically ill people as co-researchers and, finally, reflects on the benefits and challenges of patient science.

Racial/Ethnic Variation in Family Support: African Americans, Black Caribbeans and Non-Latino Whites.

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in the receipt and provision of instrumental family support. Extended families provide significant levels of emotional and instrumental support across the life course. Despite their importance, extended family relationships and the assistance they provide are largely neglected in the literature. Further, questions remain concerning cultural variation in family support relationships and inconsistent findings on racial differences in family support in prior investigations. This study relied on data from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview (n=3,483) to investigate the provision and receipt of instrumental support from extended family among African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Latino Whites and within high- and low-income categories for each group. Eight key measures of instrumental family support are examined: receiving and providing transportation, help with chores, financial assistance, and help during an illness. African Americans and Black Caribbeans share similar profiles of providing and receiving instrumental family support. Both populations receive and provide assistance more frequently than do non-Latino Whites. Similarly, analyses stratified by income indicated that for low-income and high-income groups, African American and Black Caribbeans are similar to one another, and at each income category, both groups received and provided support more frequently than non-Latino Whites. Study findings are discussed in relation to conceptual and methodological differences in assessing Black-White differences across studies of family support. Attention to these issues and the specific contexts for receiving/providing family support (emergency vs. routine; intergenerational vs. extended) will help clarify inconsistent findings across studies.

One-on-one meetings between managers and direct reports: A new opportunity for meeting science

Meeting science has advanced significantly in its short history. However, one-on-one (1:1) meetings have not been studied empirically as a focal topic despite making up nearly half of all workplace meetings. While some meeting science insights may apply to 1:1 meetings, others may not (or may function differently) due to conceptual, theoretical, and practical differences between meetings involving dyads and groups. Although 1:1 meetings come in various forms (e.g., peer-to-peer, employee-to-customer), we chose to use manager-direct report 1:1 meetings as an exemplar given their prevalence, theoretical relevance, and practical implications. In this paper, we first review some conceptual differences between dyads and groups. We then discuss how these differences likely manifest in the meeting context (before, during, and after meetings), and outline related propositions. Last, we leverage this conceptual framework and subsequent propositions to provide guidance for future research and theory on 1:1 meetings. In doing so, we hope this paper will act as the impetus for research and theory development on 1:1 meetings.

Vocabulary and Executive Functioning: A Scoping Review of the Unidirectional and Bidirectional Associations across Early Childhood

Early childhood marks a time where word learning is accompanied by rapid growth in the cognitive processes that underlie self-modulated and goal-directed behavior (i.e., executive functions). Although there is empirical evidence to support the association between executive functioning and vocabulary in childhood, inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the extent to which early executive functioning abilities predict later vocabulary outcomes and vice versa. To clarify the nature of the longitudinal relation between these two processes and to examine what, if any, claims can be made about their interdependence, a critical review of the literature was conducted. Also addressed are the conceptual and/or methodological differences that exist across studies conducted on this topic that may be contributing to some of the discrepancies reported in the longitudinal literature. Finally, this review provides practical and empirically informed future directions to serve as a resource for early childhood researchers advancing this area of study.

A Margulian View of Symbiosis and Speciation: the Nasonia Wasp System

Species are fundamental units of biology that exemplify lineage diversification, while symbiosis of microbes and macrobial hosts exemplify lineage unification between the domains of life. While these conceptual differences between speciation and symbiosis often dominate the narrative of the respective fields, Lynn Margulis argued for interconnection between these two subdisciplines of biology in a manner that left a legacy for scholars and students alike to pursue, detail, and discover. The Margulian perspective has always been that host evolutionary processes such as speciation are more impacted by microbial symbioses than typically appreciated. In this article, we present and review the case system that she long envisioned, one in which layers of microbial symbiosis reduce species interbreeding and assist species diversification among a closely related group of small, metallic green, parasitoid wasps from the genus Nasonia.

The confidence‐accuracy relation – A comparison of metacognition measures in lie detection

AbstractPrevious research has produced mixed results on the question of whether confidence in ad hoc veracity judgments can be used as an indicator of judgment accuracy. These studies have used a variety of measures to analyze the confidence‐accuracy relationship; however, they have rarely explicitly addressed why a particular measure was chosen and what its properties are. We theoretically and empirically examined previously used measures of metacognition in lie detection and report the results these measures yielded in re‐analyses of 12 lie detection studies (total N = 2817 participants). Regardless of the measure, none of the studies found a confidence‐accuracy relationship. Discrepancies between the measures are likely due to conceptual differences between them, emphasizing the importance of carefully selecting appropriate measures for the research question at hand. More work on the underlying processes of confidence judgments in lie detection is needed to improve the assessment of confidence and the selection of appropriate measures.

The Dividend Puzzle A Progress Report by Steven V. Mann (1989): A Review with Insights from Philippines’ New Corporate Tax Law

This research reviews the progress of the “dividend puzzle” in the finance literature. The article tracks the theoretical evolution of dividend policy and its conceptual and practical differences throughout the years. As such, this paper gives an updated literature discussion on the dividend policies of corporations, its impact to investor preferences, and the linkage to corporate taxes. This literature review implies that the “dividend puzzle” remains unsolved and continues to be an intriguing subject matter as academicians and practitioners alike cannot exactly explain the behavior of investors and corporations as seen in the decades of corporate dividend policies. Furthermore, this article ends with a brief update regarding Philippine’s new Corporate Tax Law (CREATE Law) and author’s brief perspective on dividend policies.

Design of gas collection systems: Issues and challenges.

The design of a gas collection system (GCS) for a landfill involves estimating several critical parameters, such as the radius of influence (ROI), suction pressures, number of wells and their spacing. One of the biggest challenges lies in the estimation of ROI for a particular landfill. In this study, the ROI for a Bagalur landfill is estimated for various possible gas generation rates. ROI for active and passive GCS is estimated with numerical modelling (two-dimensional) for all definitions of ROI at different suction pressures. An inverse correlation was observed between the values of various definitions of ROI at different gas generation rates. Justification for this behaviour is brought out by addressing the conceptual difference between these definitions. The number of wells along with their spacing was then calculated, and the efficiency of the design was assessed with three-dimensional modelling. Passive and active systems had average methane recovery rates of 84% and 88%, respectively, with an atmospheric methane flux ranging from 10-9 to 10-10 kg m-2 s-1. The high recovery rate and low methane flux indicate the effectiveness of the design. The values of the methane flow rate from the extraction well were validated with a theoretical method, suggesting the usability of the model for future investigations.

Talent management and organizational performance: applying the amo theory

The purpose of this study is to advance an understanding of the nature and scope of talent management practice in the unique context of the developing economy of Pakistan, and to identify the relationship between talent management and organizational performance applying the AMO theory. This research was exploratory in nature and adopted a case study methodology within three leading Pakistani banks, in Karachi (Sindh). A total of twenty two in-depth interviews were carried out with senior HR and talent managers. All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed thematically. Evaluating interview data from three leading commercial banks, findings show substantial differences in the talent conceptualisation when compared to Western management orthodoxy. The empirical findings revealed that the conceptualisation of talent within the Pakistani banking organisations reflected a specific, path dependent historical, political and social legacy which viewed talent through a conceptual lens of qualifications and experience and had a significant influence on the sourcing and deploying talent. For managers, it should be to review the process of conceptualising talent and talent management within their organisation, to challenge any preconceived assumptions about the nature of talent and to consider alternative approaches to an exclusive approach in order that the right talent can be identified, developed and deployed for competitive advantage.

Financial reporting uniformity: Its relation to comparability and its impact on financial statement users

AbstractWe explore the relation between financial reporting uniformity and comparability. We also examine the effect of uniformity on analyst coverage, analyst forecast accuracy and analyst forecast dispersion. We develop a Compustat‐based financial statement account uniformity measure based on the presentation of common financial statement line items. We define uniformity using a Jaccard similarity index where a firm's non‐missing Compustat data items are compared to a prototypical firm for that industry year. We emphasize the conceptual difference between uniformity and comparability, and our tests do not show a significant association between uniformity and output‐based accounting comparability. However, we find that the association between account uniformity and comparability becomes positive in high research and development firms, while it becomes negative in firms with higher managerial discretion. We explore the association between uniformity and information processing efficiencies, and we show that our uniformity measure is positively associated with analyst coverage. Furthermore, we partition our uniformity measure into separate income statement and balance sheet components. We find that income statement uniformity is associated with higher forecast accuracy and lower forecast dispersion, while balance sheet uniformity is associated with greater analyst coverage. Finally, we provide further support for these findings using an XBRL‐based uniformity measure.

Chance, Orientation, and Interpretation: Max Weber’s Neglected Probabilism and the Future of Social Theory

The image of Max Weber as an “interpretivist” cultural theorist of webs of significance that people use to cope with a meaningless world reigns largely unquestioned today. This article presents a different image of Weber’s sociology, where meaning does not transport actors over an abyss of meaninglessness but rather helps them navigate a world of Chance. Retrieving this concept from Weber’s late writings, we argue that the fundamental basis of the orders sociologists seek to understand is not chaos. Action is rendered interpretable, rather, to the extent persons orient themselves to possibilities and probabilities, which remain real but unknowable. In this framework, interpretation and probability are allies, not antagonists. Weber’s systematic use of the probabilistic notion of Chance as a central resource for concept formation and sociological explanation seriously challenges current understandings of probability as a purely statistical, atheoretical concern. We outline the conceptual difference it makes when basic categories of sociology are understood as rooted in Chance, and we point to the larger implications of Weber’s probabilism for contemporary debates around issues of prediction, action, and interpretation.

Association of Modified Rankin Scale With Recovery Phenotypes in Patients With Upper Extremity Weakness After Stroke.

Precise measurement of outcomes is essential for stroke trials and clinical care. Prior research has highlighted conceptual differences between global outcome measures such as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and domain-specific measures (e.g., motor, sensory, language or cognitive function). This study related motor phenotypes to the mRS, specifically aiming to determine whether mRS levels distinguish motor impairment and function phenotypes, and to compare mRS outcomes to meaningful changes in impairment and function from acute to subacute recovery after stroke. Patients with upper extremity weakness after ischemic stroke were assessed with a battery of impairment and functional measures within the first week and at 90 days after stroke. Impairment and functional outcomes were examined in relation to 90-day mRS scores. Clinically meaningful changes in motor impairment, activities of daily living, and mobility were examined in relation to 90-day mRS score. In this cohort of 73 patients with stroke, impairment and functional outcomes were associated with 90-day mRS scores but showed substantial variability within individual mRS levels: within mRS level 2, upper extremity impairment ranged from near hemiplegia (with an upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score 8) to no deficits (upper extremity Fugl-Meyer score 66). Overall, there were few differences in impairment and functional outcomes between adjacent mRS levels. While some outcome measures were significantly different between mRS levels 3 and 4 (Nine-Hole Peg, Leg Motor, gait velocity, Timed Up and Go, NIH Stroke Scale, and Barthel Index), none of the outcome measures differed between mRS levels 1 and 2. Fugl-Meyer and grip strength were not different between any adjacent mRS levels. A substantial number of patients experienced clinically meaningful changes in impairment and function in the first 90 days after stroke but did not achieve good mRS outcome (mRS score ≤ 2). The mRS broadly relates to domain-specific outcomes after stroke, confirming its established value in stroke trials, but it does not precisely distinguish differences in impairment and function, nor does it sufficiently capture meaningful clinical changes across impairment, activities of daily living status, and mobility. These findings underscore the potential utility of incorporating detailed phenotypic measures along with the mRS in future stroke trials.

Assisted gestative technologies

A large body of literature considers the ethico-legal and regulatory issues surrounding assisted conception. Surrogacy, however, within this body of literature is an odd-fit. It involves a unique demand of...

Survey of Open Data Concepts Within Fundamental Physics: An Initiative of the PUNCH4NFDI Consortium

PUNCH4NFDI (Particles, Universe, NuClei and Hadrons for the NFDI) aims at developing concepts and tools for the efficient management of digital research products in fundamental physics research. At the heart of the research products are scientific data sets that should be made interoperable and available to a broad scientific community and the public for a sustainable usage (“open data”). The first PUNCH4NFDI “Open Data Workshop” gave the opportunity for an initial survey of existing and planned open data initiatives within the PUNCH science field. The paper addresses the conceptual differences and commonalities of the participating communities presented in the workshop. Existing open data collections were presented and discussed. This is an inquiry into the community’s requirements for a better use of open data and in this context also of “Open Science”.

Differences in Cyberchondria, Internet Addiction, Anxiety Sensitivity, Health Anxiety, and Coronavirus Anxiety Among Students: A Web-Based Comparative Survey

Background: Students’ health-related anxiety may exacerbate cyberchondria and internet addiction (IA), especially during pandemics such as the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the associations of students’ demographic and academic characteristics with cyberchondria, anxiety, and IA have not yet been examined. Aim: The present study aimed to compare university-level students’ scores in cyberchondria, IA, and anxiety (i.e. anxiety sensitivity, health anxiety, and coronavirus anxiety) based on students’ characteristics of number of years online, grade point average (GPA), the field of study, year of study, gender, and the availability of Internet access at school. Methods: Data were collected using valid questionnaires from 143 university-level students via a web-based survey. Results: Cyberchondria levels were moderate, IA mild, anxiety sensitivity low, health anxiety typical, and coronavirus anxiety functional. No significant differences in the total scores of the compared variables were noted between the compared groups. However, some individual items differed, as follows: 1) Cyberchondria differed according to the student’s GPA and the availability of the Internet access at school and 2) IA differed according to all characteristics; and 3) anxiety sensitivity and health anxiety differed according to students’ GPA. Conclusions: The students did not demonstrate high levels of cyberchondria, IA, anxiety sensitivity, or anxiety caused by searching for online health information. Conceptual differences in the concepts can be used in designing interventions to help students prevent and manage such challenges and address avoidance behaviors.

Impact of Interest Congruence on Study Outcomes.

Grounding on Holland’s RIASEC model of vocational interests and the respective assumptions on person-environment fit (congruence), this paper focuses on how congruence is related to study outcomes, especially students’ persistence, performance, and satisfaction. The paper distinguishes the measure of congruence with respect to social congruence (SOC) (interest fit with the study mates) and aspirational congruence (ASP) (interest fit with the occupation aspired) and also distinguishes the effects of congruence for gender and six different study areas including Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), medicine, economics, education, and languages. The paper analyses 10,226 university freshmen of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) and follows them longitudinally with respect to their study outcomes. The results show that students’ persistence was more related to SOC than to ASP, especially for male students. Furthermore, SOC was particularly important for students in STEM areas. Regarding performance, however, ASP was more important. Here, we notably found correlations for STEM subjects with a balanced proportion of female students. Regarding satisfaction, mainly marginal correlations could be found. The results indicate conceptual differences between social and aspirational congruence as well as specific effects for gender and study area. While research might take this into account by specifically developing their models for different study areas, career counseling may reflect on the different significance of the interest-based person-environment fit for different study areas. Initiatives for raising young people’s participation in STEM should therefore specifically focus on students that have high chances to develop interest profiles that are congruent to STEM rather than students who show profiles which already indicate a low congruence.

Danish translation and linguistic validation of new body-Q scales measuring expectations, eating behavior, distress, symptoms and work life

The aim of this study was to translate and achieve a linguistical and cultural adaption of the newly developed BODY-Q Obesity Module for use in Danish patients. The BODY-Q Eating Module consists of five new modules aiming to measure expectations of weight-loss, eating behavior, eating-related distress, eating-related symptoms and work life. Translation and linguistic validation were performed using a combination of the recommendations developed by the World Health Organization and the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. The translation was performed in five steps consisting of a forward translation, backward translation, expert panel meeting, cognitive debriefing and final proofreading. Each step aimed for a conceptual and cultural equal translation that was easily understood by patients. The discrepancies encountered in the forward translation included the use of layperson versus medical terminology, different tense and sentence structure. The harmonized version was then backwards translated which led to no conceptual differences. The expert panel reviewed the instrument in full and found two items needing correction in the instrument. Cognitive debriefing did not lead to any revisions and the instrument was well received by the participant group. Proofreading of the instrument led to few corrections in grammar and punctuation but no conceptual corrections. The translation of the BODY-Q Eating Module led to a conceptual and cultural equal version of the instrument for use in Danish patients. The instrument can be used in clinical care and research to inform advancements in the field of bariatric and body contouring surgery.

Drawdown Measures: Are They All the Same?

Over the years, a diverse range of drawdown measures has evolved to guide asset management. The authors show that almost all of these measures fit into a unified framework. This new framework simplifies the implementation of drawdown measures and improves an understanding of their similarities and differences. Conceptual differences between drawdown measures translate into different rankings of portfolios, which the authors document in a simulation study. Their research also shows that all drawdown measures can (to some degree) discriminate between skillful and unskillful portfolio managers, but differ in terms of accuracy. However, the ability to detect skill does not easily improve performance ratios where drawdown measures serve as the denominator. In conclusion, this article shows that the choice of an adequate drawdown measure is vital to the assessment of investments because different measures emphasize different aspects of risk.

Digital well-being in an age of mobile connectivity: An introduction to the Special Issue

Although the ubiquitous connectivity afforded by mobile media brings benefits to people’s work, social, and leisure lives, these benefits are sometimes overshadowed by the burdens of 24/7 connectivity, which challenge the well-being of individuals and society. Digital well-being is an emerging concept that refers to how people experience these benefits and burdens. This Special Issue brings together five articles that push the boundaries of digital well-being research by shedding light on the opportunities and challenges that people experience in relation to mobile connectivity, exploring the role of digital disconnection for digital well-being, and theorizing the conceptual underpinnings of digital well-being. In this editorial, we first give a definitional overview of the digital well-being concept and situate it in the field of mobile media and communication scholarship. Next, we identify two key issues that emerge from the Special Issue, and explain how the individual articles further our understanding of them. These issues are: (a) the strong conceptual link between digital well-being and digital disconnection; and (b) the conceptual difference between digital well-being as a psychological condition and as a socio-cultural artefact. To end, we present a future research agenda on digital well-being by first identifying current knowledge gaps, and next highlighting several themes that we anticipate as crucial in the forthcoming decade of digital well-being research in an age of mobile connectivity.

Species-based indicators to assess habitat degradation: Comparing the conceptual, methodological, and ecological relationships between hemeroby and naturalness values

Naturalness and hemeroby indicator values are specialized species-based indicators used in Continental Europe that reflect plant species’ affinity to degraded habitats. Despite their potential utility for basic and applied science, their similarities have gone unnoticed, and they have yet to be studied together. Here, we combine literature review and novel data analyses to ask 1) How are the naturalness and hemeroby indicator systems related, and 2) Do naturalness and hemeroby indicator values reflect similar functional patterns? To address these questions, we first reviewed the conceptual and methodological differences underlying naturalness and hemeroby values. We then directly compared the indicator values, including splitting species by origin. Next, to determine if the values capture similar ecological patterns, we related the indicator values to leaf traits, specifically leaf area, dry matter content, and specific leaf area. The main conceptual difference we identified was the differing reference states of the systems: naturalness values are value-laden and emphasize a lack of human influence, whereas hemeroby values are evaluative and apply the potential natural vegetation concept. Naturalness and hemeroby indicators have contrasting resolutions on opposite ends of the naturalness/degradation continuum, with naturalness placing greater emphasis on lightly impacted areas, whereas hemeroby divides degraded contexts more finely. Overall, naturalness and hemeroby values were inversely related. Naturalness and hemeroby values were strongly (rho < -0.6) correlated in direct comparisons. These correlations were curvilinear due to the scoring differences for non-native species: the systems had contrasting score variances (i.e., resolution) between non-native and native species. Leaf traits were generally “mirror images” between the systems; hemeroby was negatively associated with dry matter content and positively associated with specific leaf area, and vice versa for naturalness.. However, these relationships were weak (R2 < 0.05). The weakness of these patterns implies that species’ degradation tolerance may not be generalizable by simple leaf traits. Our work showed that hemeroby and naturalness are inverse, bilaterally consistent indicator systems. These indicator values, or improved versions of them, could be better utilized in the future for applied management and conservation.