Congruence Analysis Research Articles

Coorientation between Service Provider and Users about Providing Service Quality by the Child Welfare Agency

Purpose - The Korean child welfare services may have different feelings between providers and users. Few studies on the child welfare service quality have been conducted and research on the coorientation model of child welfare services are nonexistent. We compared the perceptions of Korean child welfare service providers and users in this study. It will have many applications in the service quality fields by applying a coorientation model. Research design, data, and methodology - In order to enhance user satisfaction with child welfare services, around 200 samples were carried out both in Busan and Kyungsangnamdo randomly. Seven point Likert scale was used in the questionnaire. Two measurements were made to evaluate the different positions on the part of child welfare service providers and users to assess their mutual orientation. Paired t-test verification was conducted for congruency analysis, and the verification of agreement and accuracy was analyzed by independent t-tests. Results - We empirically examined the differences between the providers and the users stance. The results are as follows. We have verified the statistical significance of the difference in perception between providers and users. We also confirmed a degree of agreement, a degree of congruency, a degree of accuracy and a degree of meta agreement in the study. In the Korean child welfare service quality, the coorientation model of process quality appeared in the form of semi-dissensus, the coorientation model of results quality were shown in the form of ignorances and the coorientation model of physical environment quality were investigated in the form of semi-dissensus. Conclusion - The study concluded that users need to understand more about the providers in order to enhance the coorientation model in process quality and physical environmental quality, and the providers need to persuade the users clearly about the positive factors. To enhance the coorientation model of the result quality, it can be misunderstood by guessing that the other party will positively evaluate it. Therefore, users believe that they need to talk more clearly to the provider about the results of the korean child welfare service quality to reduce misunderstandings and to understand each other about the resulting quality.

Asymmetric semantic interaction in Jedek-Jahai bilinguals: Spatial language in a small-scale, non-standardized, egalitarian, long-term multilingual setting in Malaysia

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: We investigate semantic interaction in bilinguals’ topological relations descriptions in a small-scale, non-standardized, egalitarian, long-term multilingual setting in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: Two groups of bilingual speakers of Jedek and Jahai (8 Jedek-identifying, 6 Jahai-identifying bilinguals) and two groups of monolingual Jedek and Jahai speakers (15 Jedek, 3 Jahai speakers) described the Topological Relations Picture Series in a director-matcher task, the bilinguals completing the task in both Jedek and Jahai. Data and analysis: We compare the semantic boundaries of Jedek and Jahai topological relation markers (TRMs) as used by the monolingual and bilingual groups in extension maps and congruence analyses. The analyses focus on the TRM klɛŋ, which is identical in form but semantically different in the two varieties. Findings/conclusions: We find evidence for asymmetric interaction in the expression of topological relations in Jedek and Jahai, with bidirectional influences in the Jahai-identifying bilinguals and a unidirectional influence of Jedek on Jahai in the Jedek-identifying bilinguals. This is commensurate with predictions based on Muysken’s framework of bilingual optimization strategies. Originality: The analyses shed new light on the nature of semantic interaction in bilingual systems by providing evidence from hitherto understudied bilingual language production in small-scale, non-standardized, egalitarian settings. Significance/implications: The results suggest that Muysken’s model is useful for understanding different bilingual outcomes, and highlight the complexity and connectedness of bilingual semantic systems. They also stress the need for more work in a variety of bilingual settings if we are to more fully understand the nature of bilingual systems.

Beyond necessity: Hezbollah and the intersection of state-sponsored terrorism with organised crime

ABSTRACT The world is arguably experiencing a resurgence of state-sponsored terrorism. Meanwhile, the crime-terror nexus is seen as a continued threat to global security and stability. However, there has been little attention paid to the use of organised crime by state-sponsored terror groups. This is because existing literature views the use of criminal fundraising as an alternative to state-sponsorship. Despite this, there are numerous examples of state-sponsored organisations which nevertheless engage in organised crime. This paper addresses this puzzle by comparing two competing theoretical approaches on the crime-terror nexus. Current literature tends to either focus on responses to economic necessity at the group level or on the broader structure of opportunities and constraints. A congruence analysis will be conducted using the case of Hezbollah to test these approaches to the specific issue of state-sponsorship and crime. The main finding is that approaches rooted in opportunity structures have significantly more explanatory power than those focused on group level motivation and necessity. This paper also finds a more complex role for state-sponsors with some states actively enabling crime. This suggests the need for an understanding of terror and crime which focuses on the internationalised political context as well as internal group dynamics.

Money, power, glory: the linkages between EU conditionality and state capture in the Western Balkans

ABSTRACT The Western Balkan countries are stuck in a hybrid status quo on their way to democracy. Traditional arguments related to cost–benefit calculations, national identity or conflicting objectives fail to explain the observed decoupling between gradual improvements in formal compliance with membership criteria and stagnating, if not declining, democratic performance. We explain the limited impact of the EU’s political conditionality in the Western Balkans with rampant state capture and proceed to unpack how EU conditionality has effectively contributed to the consolidation of such detrimental governance patterns. First, EU pressure for simultaneous economic and political reforms opened opportunities for business actors to build powerful clientelist networks that reach into politics. Second, top-down conditionality has weakened political competition and mechanisms of internal accountability and deliberation. Finally, formal progress towards membership and high-level interactions with EU and member state officials legitimize corrupt elites. A congruence analysis of the Serbian case provides empirical evidence for the hypothesised linkages between EU conditionality and state capture.

Identifying Pseudomonas syringae Type III Secreted Effector Function via a Yeast Genomic Screen.

Gram-negative bacterial pathogens inject type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) directly into host cells to promote pathogen fitness by manipulating host cellular processes. Despite their crucial role in promoting virulence, relatively few T3SEs have well-characterized enzymatic activities or host targets. This is in part due to functional redundancy within pathogen T3SE repertoires as well as the promiscuity of individual T3SEs that can have multiple host targets. To overcome these challenges, we generated and characterized a collection of yeast strains stably expressing 75 T3SE constructs from the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. This collection is devised to facilitate heterologous genetic screens in yeast, a non-host organism, to identify T3SEs that target conserved eukaryotic processes. Among 75 T3SEs tested, we identified 16 that inhibited yeast growth on rich media and eight that inhibited growth on stress-inducing media. We utilized Pathogenic Genetic Array (PGA) screens to identify potential host targets of P. syringae T3SEs. We focused on the acetyltransferase, HopZ1a, which interacts with plant tubulin and alters microtubule networks. To uncover putative HopZ1a host targets, we identified yeast genes with genetic interaction profiles most similar (i.e., congruent) to the PGA profile of HopZ1a and performed a functional enrichment analysis of these HopZ1a-congruent genes. We compared the congruence analyses above to previously described HopZ physical interaction datasets and identified kinesins as potential HopZ1a targets. Finally, we demonstrated that HopZ1a can target kinesins by acetylating the plant kinesins HINKEL and MKRP1, illustrating the utility of our T3SE-expressing yeast library to characterize T3SE functions.

The Therapeutic Alliance Over 10 Sessions of Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Agreement and Congruence Analysis and Relation to Outcome.

The authors examined whether alliance dynamics are affected by tailoring the therapeutic relationship to the individual patient in brief psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder. Sixty patients were randomized to 10-session Good Psychiatric Management (GPM-BV) or GPM combined with Motive-Oriented Therapeutic Relationship techniques (MOTR+GPM-BV). Patient- and therapist-rated alliance was assessed weekly. Self-reported symptomatic distress was assessed pre-, mid-, and posttreatment. In MOTR+GPM-BV, stronger therapist-rated alliance predicted lower symptomatic distress in the same timepoint, but not in a lag, whereas symptomatic distress predicted therapist-rated alliance in a lag. Therapist-rated alliance was lower than patient-rated alliance in GPM-BV but not in MOTR+GPM-BV. In MOTR+GPM-BV, higher agreement on strong alliance tended to predict lower symptomatic distress. Patient- and therapist-rated alliances were temporally congruent, but congruence did not predict outcome. Addressing the relationship needs of patients may partly exert its salutary effect by increasing agreement between patients' and therapists' experience of the alliance.

When TM strategy is not self-evident

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the talent management (TM) and talentship literature by exploring the key organizational conditions required to design a sustainable TM strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe author carried out a one-year action research with the management board of a mid-sized French company that sought to implement a TM strategy. Immersion in the phenomenon studied allowed inductive exploration of a TM strategy design from the outset of its formulation and conceptualization. Data were collected from observations, interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders (management board, managers and employees) involved in TM strategy project, and were analyzed from a congruence model to interpret a posteriori the key organizational issues affecting TM strategy.FindingsThe findings highlight the need to go beyond simple TM alignment to business strategy, as talentship asserts. They offer an overview of key organizational issues influencing TM strategy: organizational inputs such as environment, history and identity, along with organizational components such as critical tasks, people, structure, management and culture and their mutual influences and dynamics. The lack of congruence among these key organizational factors hinders the ability to conceptualize, formulate and design TM strategy successfully.Research limitations/implicationsDue to its exploratory nature and the fact that it consists of a single case, this study encourages further contributions to the TM and talentship literature on organizational issues affecting TM strategy in other contexts. It also suggests a complementary approach with the decision-making literature to explore the conceptualization stage and the influences of managers involved in TM strategy more deeply.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests an organizational diagnosis on organizational conditions and capabilities for designing TM strategy based on congruence analysis used in this case. It also proposes in addition to the talentship approach and congruence analysis, when key organizational conditions are met, a five-step process for guiding managers in making sounder decisions during TM strategy conceptualization.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on key organizational conditions required to design TM strategy that have been overlooked in the TM and talentship literature. It thus questions the apparent practicability of TM strategy in any organizational context.

A triadic approach to health and dependence in aging adults: incongruence in perception.

Taking charge of dependent people is a major challenge. Numerous studies focus on the congruence of the dyadic perceptions of the actors. This study looks into the congruence of perceptions concerning dependence (i.e., physical and mental losses that prevent carrying out everyday tasks) and pathologies affecting older people within the triad: the aged person living at home, the informal caregiver, and the in-home professional caregiver. A face-to-face questionnaire examining dependence and pathologies was administered separately to the three actors of 58 triads. This database has been analyzed mainly with techniques of data mining (MCA and AHC). The perception of pathologies and dependence are perceivably different depending on the actors. Within a same triad, perceptions of these two points-taken together or individually-turn out to be very dispersed. We bring to light three factors that structure 94% (with Benzécri's correction) of the congruence in perception within triads, and we propose a typology in four clusters of triads on this theme. The congruence analyses of the triads showed that incongruence in cross-perceptions of older people, formal, and informal caregivers on pathologies and dependence is clearly structured. Four quite distinct clusters have emerged, which could be exploited in the framework of public policies on the management of dependency in the home setting, to effectively alleviate the incongruence in the triads.

Molecular systematics of sturgeon nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses

Namao virus (NV) is a sturgeon nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (sNCLDV) that can cause a lethal disease of the integumentary system in lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens. As a group, the sNCLDV have not been assigned to any currently recognized taxonomic family of viruses. In this study, a data set of NV DNA sequences was generated and assembled as two non-overlapping contigs of 306,448 bp and then used to conduct a comprehensive systematics analysis using Bayesian inference of phylogeny for NV, other sNCLDV and representative members of six families of the NCLDV superfamily. The phylogeny of NV was reconstructed using protein homologues encoded by nine nucleocytoplasmic virus orthologous genes (NCVOGs): NCVOG0022 – mcp, NCVOG0038 – DNA polymerase B elongation subunit, NCVOG0076 – VV A18-type helicase, NCVOG0249 – VV A32-type ATPase, NCVOG0262 – AL2 VLTF3-like transcription factor, NCVOG0271 – RNA polymerase II subunit II, NCVOG0274 – RNA polymerase II subunit I, NCVOG0276 – ribonucleotide reductase small subunit and NCVOG1117 – mRNA capping enzyme. The accuracy of our phylogenetic method was evaluated using a combination of Bayesian statistical analysis and congruence analysis. Stable tree topologies were obtained with data sets differing in target molecule(s), sequence length and taxa. Congruent topologies were obtained in phylogenies constructed using individual protein data sets. The major capsid protein phylogeny inferred that ten representative sNCLDV form a monophyletic group comprised of four lineages within a polyphyletic Mimi-Phycodnaviridae group of taxa. Overall, the analyses revealed that Namao virus is a member of the Mimiviridae family with strong and consistent support for a clade containing NV and CroV as sister taxa.

Process tracing and congruence analysis to support theory-based impact evaluation

Theory-based impact evaluations have been put forward increasingly as an alternative for counterfactual impact evaluations. However, this raises questions regarding the foundations of drawing causal inference on the basis of such approaches. Case study methods such as QCA (Quantitative Comparative Analysis), process tracing and congruence analysis are emerging as a way to match the methodological rigor of counterfactuals. While QCA relies on multiple cases, process tracing and congruence analysis are methods that claim to be able to draw causal inference within a single case. In this article, a completed theory-based impact evaluation of a European Social Fund intervention is used as a foundation to demonstrate and discuss the differences between process tracing and congruence analysis and their relative (dis)advantages.

Do You See Me as I See Me? The Effects of Impression Management Incongruence of Actors and Audiences

Based on the idea that both actor and audience member are present in impression management (IM), we argue that the effectiveness of IM usage can only be determined when ratings from both the actor and the audience are considered. Further, we use self-verification theory to explain how IM incongruence may impact workplace outcomes. To test our arguments, we employed congruence analysis (Cheung in Organizational Research Methods 12, 6–33, 2009a). Our approach differs from the majority of extant IM research that employs measures of IM only from the actor’s perspective. By incorporating assessments from the actor and the audience, we bring research on IM back to its theoretical roots and offer a rationale for the varied and inconsistent findings reported in the literature. Using a sample of 175 employees and their supervisors, we examined and compared IM ratings of subordinates’ ingratiation, self-promotion, and exemplification from both the employee and supervisor. Additionally, we investigate the ability of those ratings, individually and together, to predict both subordinate and supervisor ratings of key organizational outcomes. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research also are provided.

May the matrix be with you! Guidelines for the application of expert-based matrix approach for ecosystem services assessment and mapping

Matrices or look-up tables are increasingly popular flexible tools for ecosystem services mapping and assessment. The matrix approach links ecosystem types or land cover types to ecosystem services by providing a score for ecosystem service (ES) capacity, supply, use, demand or other concepts. Using expert elicitation enables quick and integrative ES scoring that can meet general demand for validated ES mapping and assessment at different scales. Nevertheless, guidance is needed on how to collect and integrate expert knowledge to address some of the biases and limits of the expert elicitation method. This paper aims to propose a set of guidelines to produce ES matrices based on expert knowledge. It builds on existing literature and experience acquired through the production of several ES matrices in several ES assessments carried out in France. We propose a 7-steps methodology for the expert-based matrix approach that aims to promote cogency in the method and coherency in the matrices produced. The aim here is to use collective knowledge to produce semi-quantitative estimates of ES quantities and not to analyse individual or societal preferences or importance of ES. The definition of the objectives and the preparation phase is particularly important in order to define the components of capacity to demand ES chain to be addressed. The objectives and the ES components addressed will influence the composition of the expert panel. We recommend an individual filling of an empty matrix in order to strengthen the statistical analysis of the scores' variability and the analysis of congruency between experts. Expert scoring should follow a process of discussion, information-sharing and collective appropriation of a list of ecosystem types and ES to be assessed. We suggest that the ES matrix should not only focus on ES central scores but also address the variabilities and uncertainties as part of the ES assessment. The analysis of these sources of variability allows the documentation of variations in the ES quantity but also an exploration into the lack of consensus or knowledge gaps that needs to be addressed.

Topological congruence between phylogenies of Anacanthorus spp. (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) and their Characiformes (Actinopterygii) hosts: A case of host-parasite cospeciation.

Cophylogenetic studies aim at testing specific hypotheses to understand the nature of coevolving associations between sets of organisms, such as host and parasites. Monogeneans and their hosts provide and interesting platform for these studies due to their high host specificity. In this context, the objective of the present study was to establish whether the relationship between Anacanthorus spp. with their hosts from the upper Paraná River and its tributaries can be explained by means of cospeciation processes. Nine fish species and 14 monogenean species, most of them host specific, were studied. Partial DNA sequences of the genes RAG1, 16S and COI of the fish hosts and of the genes ITS2, COI and 5.8S of the parasite species were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees of the host and parasite species were built and used for analyses of topological congruence with PACo and ParaFit. The program Jane was used to estimate the nature of cospeciation events. The comparison of the two phylogenies revealed high topological congruence between them. Both PACo and ParaFit supported the hypothesis of global cospeciation. Results from Jane pointed to duplications as the most frequent coevolutionary event, followed by cospeciation, whereas duplications followed by host-switching were the least common event in Anacanthorus spp. studied. Host-sharing (spreading) was also identified but only between congeneric host species.

Sharpening Image Details Using Local Phase Congruency Analysis

We suggest a method for sharpening an image or video stream without using convolution, as in unsharp masking, or deconvolution, as in constrained least-squares filtering. Instead, our technique is based on a local analysis of phase congruency and hence focuses on perceptually important details. The image is partitioned into overlapping tiles, and is processed tile by tile. We perform a Fourier transform for each of the tiles, and define congruency for each of the components in such a way that it is large when the component's neighbours are aligned with it, and small otherwise. We then amplify weak components with high phase congruency and reduce strong components with low phase congruency. Following this method, we avoid strengthening the Fourier components corresponding to sharp edges, while amplifying those details that underwent a slight or moderate defocus blur. The tiles are then seamlessly stitched. As a result, the image sharpness is improved wherever perceptually important details are present.

Emotional congruence between clients and therapists and its effect on treatment outcome.

The present study aimed to (a) explore 2 indices of emotional congruence-temporal similarity and directional discrepancy-between clients' and therapists' ratings of their emotions as they cofluctuate session-by-session; and (b) examine whether client/therapist emotional congruence predicts clients' symptom relief and improved functioning. The sample comprised 109 clients treated by 62 therapists in a university setting. Clients and therapists self-reported their negative (NE) and positive emotions (PE) after each session. Symptom severity and functioning level were assessed at the beginning of each session using the clients' self-reports. To assess emotional congruence, an adaptation of West and Kenny's (2011) Truth and Bias model was applied. To examine the consequences of emotional congruence, polynomial regression, and response surface analyses were conducted (Edwards & Parry, 1993). Clients and therapists were temporally similar in both PE and NE. Therapists experienced less intense PE on average, but did not experience more or less intense NE than their clients. Those therapists who experienced more intense NE than their clients were more temporally similar in their emotions to their clients. Therapist/client incongruence in both PE and NE predicted poorer next-session symptomatology; incongruence in PE was also associated with lower client next-session functioning. Session-level symptoms were better when therapists experienced more intense emotions (both PE and NE) than their clients. The findings highlight the importance of recognizing the dynamic nature of emotions in client-therapist interactions and the contribution of session-by-session emotional dynamics to outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Congruence Analysis of Performance Goal Management System for Finance Performance Management

The Congruence Analysis of Performance Goal Management System for Finance Performance Management

Comprehensive Analysis Reveals Two Distinct Evolution Patterns of Salmonella Flagellin Gene Clusters.

Salmonella is one of the primary causes of foodborne disease, especially Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (I) which has caused ~99% of clinical salmonellosis cases for humans and domestic mammals. The flagella genes, fliC and fljB, which encode the Salmonella phase 1 and phase 2 antigens respectively, are considered as the Salmonella serotype determinant genes, and contribute to the virulence of Salmonella. However, the evolution of the two flagellin genes is still not well-understood. In this study, the fliC and fljB gene clusters were analyzed among 205 S. enterica subspecies I genomes. The dataset covered 87 different serovars of S. enterica subsp. enterica and included 9 genomes (six serovars) of four other Salmonella subspecies. Based on a pan-genome definition and flanked gene linkages, the fliC and fljB gene clusters were identified in 207 (91 serovars) and 138 (61 serovars) genomes, respectively. A phylogenetic tree constructed based on SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) of core genes were used to reflect the essential evolutionary relationships among various serovars. Congruence analysis was performed among the core genome and each gene of fliC and fljB gene clusters, with only fliA and fliS showing congruence to Salmonella core genome. Congruence was also observed among fliB, fliC/fljB, and fliD genes, and their phylogeny revealed a division into two major groups, which strongly corresponded to monophasic and biphasic serovars. Besides, homologous recombination events referring fliB, fliC, and fliD were found to have mainly occurred within each group. These results suggested two distinct evolutionary patterns of Salmonella flagellin gene clusters. Further insight on the evolutionary implication of the two patterns and a framework for phase variation mechanism are needed to be further processed.

Covariant kinematics of light in media and a generalized Raychaudhuri equation

There is ongoing interest in adopting various tools and ideas from general relativity for optical applications and the study of light propagation through natural or engineered media. Here, the covariant kinematics of light propagating through arbitrary dielectric media in curved space-times are derived, allowing for analysis and tracing of congruences of light through media that may smoothly vary in character between vacuum, positively refracting, and negatively refracting; or null, timelike, and spacelike with respect to the background metric. The kinematics are then used to generalize the Raychaudhuri equation -- an important tool in general relativity that describes the focus of a congruence. These results will be useful for the analysis of optical devices, particularly those designed using transformation optics, and serve as theoretical tools to study generalized concepts in general relativity.

Soft Balancing the Titans: Venezuelan Foreign‐Policy Strategy Toward the United States, China, and Russia

This article analyzes Chavist Venezuela's foreign policy toward three major powers, the United States, China, and Russia. Based on neoclassical, peripheral, and subaltern‐realism theories, it considers the Latin American duality between alignment and autonomy as strategic alternatives, and uses congruence analysis to consider the coherence between Chavism's geopolitical objectives and concrete actions in its foreign policy with the three powers. Venezuela's foreign‐policy strategy consists of three overlapping triads. In Venezuela–U.S.–China relations, Caracas assumes the power‐transition theory, aligning economically with the Asian rising power and serving as a gateway to Latin America. In Venezuela–U.S.–Russia relations, Chavism is politically and militarily aligned with Putin's Russia, taking advantage of the Russian–U.S. geostrategic rivalry. The most‐interesting and novel finding is in Venezuela–China–Russia relations, where the Bolivarian Revolution exploits a favorable economic relationship with China but aligns to Russian geostrategy, conducting a “softer balancing” against China to hold on to the partnership and to autonomy.

Congruence analysis of geodetic networks – hypothesis tests versus model selection by information criteria

Abstract Geodetic deformation analysis can be interpreted as a model selection problem. The null model indicates that no deformation has occurred. It is opposed to a number of alternative models, which stipulate different deformation patterns. A common way to select the right model is the usage of a statistical hypothesis test. However, since we have to test a series of deformation patterns, this must be a multiple test. As an alternative solution for the test problem, we propose the p-value approach. Another approach arises from information theory. Here, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) or some alternative is used to select an appropriate model for a given set of observations. Both approaches are discussed and applied to two test scenarios: A synthetic levelling network and the Delft test data set. It is demonstrated that they work but behave differently, sometimes even producing different results. Hypothesis tests are well-established in geodesy, but may suffer from an unfavourable choice of the decision error rates. The multiple test also suffers from statistical dependencies between the test statistics, which are neglected. Both problems are overcome by applying information criterions like AIC.