Consequences In Mind Research Articles

Economic Openness and the Behaviour of Great Ratios in G20 Countries

Most of the macroeconomic models suggest that great ratios of economics should be stable in the long term. Keeping the theoretical consequences in mind, the present study investigates the order of integration of two great ratios, viz. consumption–output and investment–output ratios. The study employs both mean shift and trend shift unit root tests with a structural break to examine the stationarity property of great ratios. This article attempts to analyse the relationship between economic openness and the behaviour of great ratios. Results of the study indicate a balanced growth path for 10 out of 18 G20 countries considered in our analysis. Findings show that countries that have a deficit trade balance with surplus foreign direct investment are more likely to demonstrate a balanced growth path. The multivariate analysis shows evidence in support of the balanced growth hypothesis in 13 of the 18 G20 countries. Of the 18 countries analysed, 8 internationally open and 6 financially open countries provide support for the balanced growth path. JEL: C20, E20, O50

Virtual Net Propagator: A cloud-based computational tool for systemic decision propagation analysis

Today’s organizations are witnessing a growing complexity in making interconnected decisions. Where individuals have a wider range of decisions to influence, the consequence of decisions far more propagate across the system, and the business environment continually influences the status of the system. Predicting the cascading effects of decisions in such situations would be very problematic yet can have several implications for managers and executives to think beyond organizational silos and make local decision with a bigger picture of emergent consequences in mind. A prominent challenge within this realm is the ever-increasing complexity of decision propagations, especially when incorporating the role and influence of people involved in decision-making. This paper tackles this challenge from an engineering change perspective, with the focus on computing the compound risk of decisions when their consequences concurrently propagate across the system. We introduce an interactive tool called Virtual Net Propagator, which incorporates organizational dynamics into decision analysis, with the aim to identify change opportunities and effective set of interventions. Illustrated by a field engineering case study, it is demonstrated that the proposed tool can provide detailed knowledge on how decisions are interconnected and how systemic (cascading) effects of a decision propagate through causal pathways, so highlighting key influencers along with role and influence of interfacing (hidden) players.

THE ROLE OF NEUROLINGUISTIC RESEARCH IN THE STUDY OF BILINGUALISM

The use of two or more languages is common in most countries of the world. However, until recently, bilingualism was considered as a factor that complicates the processing of speech, cognition and the brain. In the past 25 years there have been a surge in research on bilingualism, including the study, mastery and processing of languages, their cognitive and neural foundations, and the lifelong implications of bilingualism for cognition and the brain. Contrary to the belief that bilingualism complicates the language system, new research demonstrates that all known and used languages ​​become part of the same language system. The interactions that occur when using the two languages ​​have consequences for mind and the brain and indeed for language processing itself but these implications are not additive. Thus, bilingualism helps to uncover the fundamental architecture and language processing mechanisms that locates differently in monolingual speakers.

Simulation of Air Travel-Related Irradiation Exposure of Cryopreserved Mouse Germplasm Samples.

Cryopreservation of genetically modified mouse lines prevents the loss of specific mutants that are of enormous scientific value for both basic and applied research. Cryopreservation of spermatozoa or preimplantation embryos enables discontinuation of breeding as well as archiving of specific lines for future studies. Regarding active inter-laboratory exchange of mutants, cryopreserved material is more advantageous to transport than live animals. However, transportation stress should not be trivialized. Security scanning of transport boxes at airports and customs, in particular, as well as additional cosmic radiation, pose a threat to undefined dosages of irradiation exposure. To simulate this, cryopreserved samples of mouse spermatozoa and preimplantation embryos were exposed to an X-ray dosage of 1 mGy in an X-ray machine. For subsequent investigation of the cell integrity of irradiated spermatozoa and embryos, spermatozoa forward motility as well as embryo developmental capacity and apoptosis values were examined and compared with nonirradiated control samples. The percentage of forward-moving spermatozoa per sample appears to be significantly reduced after irradiation exposure. The in vitro developmental capacity of preimplantation embryos as well as their relative share of apoptotic cells do not seem to be influenced by irradiation exposure. This leads to the assumption that, at least in preimplantation embryos, X-ray dosages of 1 mGy do not induce sudden severe cellular harm. Nevertheless, stochastic effects of ionizing irradiation, such as mutations, do not have a dosage threshold and always represent the potential danger of alterations to cells and cellular components, especially the DNA. This could lead to undefined mutations inducing genetic drift, in the worst case to the loss of a mutant line. We therefore strongly recommend minimizing "transportation stress," in particular by irradiation exposure, to keep its potential consequences in mind, and to standardize shipping procedures.

Null results in bilingualism research

The controversy over whether bilingualism has consequences for mind and brain shows no sign of abating. A steady stream of research reporting both positive results supporting the claim for beneficial effects of bilingualism and null results finding no significant differences between monolingual and bilingual groups continues to be published. With the number of null results that are produced, it is tempting to conclude that the positive effects are not reliable and that there is in fact no effect of bilingualism. However, research results, both positive and null, need to be interpreted in the larger context of factors that describe the experimental paradigm, the linguistic context, and the individual differences of the participants and not reduced to a simple binary question. The present article discusses some of the factors that must be considered in evaluating the interpretation of these research results.

Effective Change Management for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

This study scrutinized the prevailing platform wherein change management is being practiced in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions (EHEIs) as per the theoretical argument of implementing change programs with their long-term consequences in mind. In this study the researcher investigated the change management protocol of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions (EHEIs) since the education sector is identified as the key to unlocking the economic potentials of the country. However, the sector is earnestly constrained by a number of factors which include, but not limited to, poor change management protocols. Hence, in this study the researcher aspired to make a theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge related to change management protocols in EHEIs. In view of that, this research is fundamentally designed to observe the change management protocol of EHEIs; and put forward change management practices that bring about sustainable development in the institutions and beyond. Thus, the study primarily focused on identifying effective leadership styles to be followed during periods of change and how it can generate positive change that helps the attainment of sustainable developmental goals in EHEIs. The paper also discussed leaders’ roles and deeds for effective management of change. A qualitative approach based on an extensive review of relevant literature is used to draw conclusions and recommendations. Accordingly, comprehensive enquiry of the data collected for the purpose of this study revealed that the development of new knowledge or insights that have the potential to influence behavior is the most important success factor for effective sustainable development. On the other hand, failure to progressively institutionalize change initiatives is the core cause why change initiatives often fail in EHEIs. The research findings, therefore, disclose that organizational learning should take place within the wide institutional context of inter-organizational relationships and an organization’s acquisition of understanding, know-how, techniques and practices of any kind of change and by any means need to be stimulated. Conclusively, the paper stresses that effective leadership is the key to success of every organization, for EHEIs to achieve sustainable development, the senior management of the institutions have greater role to play. Turning institutions to learning organizations and adoption of transformational leadership style are recommended for effective change management process. Keywords : Adaptation, Change Management, Organizational Learning, Organizational Leadership, Sustainable Development DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-10-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2020

Effective Change Management for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Institutions

This study scrutinized the prevailing platform wherein change management is being practiced in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions (EHEIs) as per the theoretical argument of implementing change programs with their long-term consequences in mind. In this study the researcher investigated the change management protocol of Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions (EHEIs) since the education sector is identified as the key to unlocking the economic potentials of the country. However, the sector is earnestly constrained by a number of factors which include, but not limited to, poor change management protocols. Hence, in this study the researcher aspired to make a theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge related to change management protocols in EHEIs. In view of that, this research is fundamentally designed to observe the change management protocol of EHEIs; and put forward change management practices that bring about sustainable development in the institutions and beyond. Thus, the study primarily focused on identifying effective leadership styles to be followed during periods of change and how it can generate positive change that helps the attainment of sustainable developmental goals in EHEIs. The paper also discussed leaders’ roles and deeds for effective management of change. A qualitative approach based on an extensive review of relevant literature is used to draw conclusions and recommendations. Accordingly, comprehensive enquiry of the data collected for the purpose of this study revealed that the development of new knowledge or insights that have the potential to influence behavior is the most important success factor for effective sustainable development. On the other hand, failure to progressively institutionalize change initiatives is the core cause why change initiatives often fail in EHEIs. The research findings, therefore, disclose that organizational learning should take place within the wide institutional context of inter-organizational relationships and an organization’s acquisition of understanding, know-how, techniques and practices of any kind of change and by any means need to be stimulated. Conclusively, the paper stresses that effective leadership is the key to success of every organization, for EHEIs to achieve sustainable development, the senior management of the institutions have greater role to play. Turning institutions to learning organizations and adoption of transformational leadership style are recommended for effective change management process. Keywords : Adaptation, Change Management, Organizational Learning, Organizational Leadership, Sustainable Development DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-7-03 Publication date: April 30 th 2020

Domestic Political Incentives, Congressional Support, and U.S. Mediation

AbstractPowerful states have numerous resources that can be mobilized in mediation processes. However, evidence suggests that such states are not more likely to be successful than other mediators. This article examinesU.S.mediations through the lens of foreign policy decision making and argues that leaders make foreign policy decisions primarily with their domestic consequences in mind. Further, it contends that presidential administrations seek to build a record of success in order to improve their domestic political fortunes based on the policy options available to them. The study tests two explanations of foreign policy substitution based on domestic conditions and institutional configurations, the “party cover” and “policy availability” arguments, forU.S.mediations from 1945–1999. Results for the party cover argument are more robust, suggesting that domestic conditions play an important role in the decision to engage in mediation and imply that successful mediation is secondary to domestic politics.

Waveforms in massive gravity and neutralization of giant black hole ringings

A distorted black hole radiates gravitational waves in order to settle down in a smoother geometry. During that relaxation phase, a characteristic damped ringing is generated. It can be theoretically constructed from both the black hole quasinormal frequencies (which govern its oscillating behavior and its decay) and the associated excitation factors (which determine intrinsically its amplitude) by carefully taking into account the source of the distortion. In the framework of massive gravity, the excitation factors of the Schwarzschild black hole have an unexpected strong resonant behavior which, theoretically, could lead to giant and slowly decaying ringings. If massive gravity is relevant to physics, one can hope to observe these extraordinary ringings by using the next generations of gravitational wave detectors. Indeed, they could be generated by supermassive black holes if the graviton mass is not too small. In fact, by focusing on the odd-parity $\ell=1$ mode of the Fierz-Pauli field, we shall show here that such ringings are neutralized in waveforms due to (i) the excitation of the quasibound states of the black hole and (ii) the evanescent nature of the particular partial modes which could excite the concerned quasinormal modes. Despite this, with observational consequences in mind, it is interesting to note that the waveform amplitude is nevertheless rather pronounced and slowly decaying (this effect is now due to the long-lived quasibound states). It is worth noting also that, for very low values of the graviton mass (corresponding to the weak instability regime for the black hole), the waveform is now very clean and dominated by an ordinary ringing which could be used as a signature of massive gravity.

China addresses food and environment security

Global Food Security Chinese leaders are addressing the difficult challenge of meeting growing demands to produce more food in sustainable ways. Lu et al. describe current air, water, and soil conditions in China, along with changing food security demands. They argue that national policies must rely on a science-based “ecological red line” that balances food security and safety with sustainable management of soil, air, water, and biodiversity resources. The scientific community will need to work with policy-makers to ensure that national, provincial, and local land-use practices are data-driven. Land-use programs should be created and enforced with long-term consequences in mind. Science Advances 10.1126/sciadv.1400039 (2015).

A Glimmer of Hope for Noncitizens and Their Advocates: Why Missouri v. Frye Necessitates a Reevaluation of Strickland's Prejudice Prong

Following the Supreme Court's groundbreaking decision in Padilla v. Kentucky, many noncitizens have successfully vacated prior convictions on the grounds that they had not been accurately advised of the immigration consequences of their criminal conviction. As accurate immigration advice is now considered within the ambit of the Sixth Amendment’s right to effective assistance of counsel, the main vehicle used to vacate these constitutionally infirm convictions has been through motions for post-conviction relief. Unfortunately for many noncitizens, relief under Padilla has been limited due to unreasonably strict readings of the second prong of the Strickland test. Under Strickland, the petitioner must show “a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Many courts, emphasizing state interests in the finality of criminal convictions, have interpreted this language to mean that the petitioner must be able to show that, absent the defective plea bargain, she would have been able to achieve a better result at trial. Many of these courts relied upon the Supreme Court’s language in Hill v. Lockhart, where the Court held that a prisoner failed to meet the prejudice prong of Strickland because he could not show a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s errors, he would have insisted on going to trial. This note seeks to show how the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Missouri v. Frye necessitates a reevaluation of how courts currently interpret the prejudice prong of Strickland. Section II provides an introduction to both Strickland, which established the test used when evaluating claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, and Padilla, which extended Strickland into situations where a noncitizen was not accurately advised of the potential immigration consequences of her criminal conviction. Section III then turns the focus to how courts currently evaluate the second prong of the Strickland test, with a particular focus on how narrow readings of Strickland have limited relief for noncitizens. Section IV introduces Missouri v. Frye, a recent Supreme Court decision that discussed the right to effective assistance of counsel during plea bargaining. Section V, then, describes the potentially game-changing effects that Frye could usher in if advocates are able to extend its use to situations where a defense attorney did not engage in plea bargaining with the client’s interest in avoiding any potential immigration consequences in mind.

Assessing the Evolving Threat of Terrorism

AbstractThe ‘war on terror’ has focused exclusively on transnational terrorism since the hijackings of 9/11. Based on almost 40 years of data, this article shows that domestic terrorism poses a much greater threat to the world community. Thus, this focus needs to be reconsidered, especially because recent research shows that domestic terrorism spills over into transnational terrorism. This article also argues that homeland security and the dominance of religious fundamentalist terrorists are making the hardest‐to‐defend targets – private parties – the target of choice since 1999. Moreover, terrorists are increasingly favoring attacking people over property. Even though terrorism murders relatively few people, it poses a supreme collective action problem for the world community.Policy Implications The war on terror needs to focus on more than just transnational terrorism, because domestic terrorism poses a greater threat in terms of lives and property loss than transnational terrorism. This is also true because domestic terrorism tends to spill over into transnational terrorism as local terrorists seek greater world recognition. For transnational terrorism, enhanced defensive counterterrorism precautions and the increasing dominance of religious fundamentalist terrorists have made the hardest‐to‐defend targets – private parties – the terrorists’ target of choice since 1999. The changing targeting of transnational and domestic terrorists has made public places – shopping malls, department stores, public squares and public transport – likely attack venues. For domestic terrorism, private parties have been the prime target since 1981. Targeting differences between domestic and transnational terrorism can inform the allocation of homeland security resources. For all target types, there is an increased targeting of people over property, which makes defensive homeland security measures more challenging. As defensive action becomes more difficult and costly, more resources must be put into proactive measures that dismantle terrorist groups and their infrastructure. For transnational terrorism, the need for proactive measures raises a collective action problem because prime‐target nations are more likely to act, with other nations taking a free ride against a common terrorist threat. With the spillover of domestic terrorism into transnational terrorism, there is also a collective action problem arising with respect to the fight against domestic terrorism. Policy makers must keep the risks and consequences in mind and not overspend on defensive efforts that attempt to shift potential terrorist attacks abroad.

The Amazonian Theater of Cruelty

This article deploys the “Theater of Cruelty,” articulated by the French surrealist Antonin Artaud, as a conceptual heuristic to explicate the empirical world of contemporary Amazonia, in particular the “South of Pará,” a site of land war and forest destruction, which the Theater of Cruelty posits as a single dramatic event. We pursue this explication via direct physical immersion, in the form of a travelogue following State Road PA-150 from Marabá to Eldorado dos Carajás, the scene of a massacre of nineteen land reform activists, shot down by Brazilian military police in collusion with the landed elite in 1996. Along the way, we have occasion to encounter the land reform movements and the forces of repression, which we depict both descriptively and theoretically, using our field trip as a point of departure for philosophical elaboration. To this end, we activate Artaud's “Theater of Cruelty” to disclose the nature of violent conflict in the region. We suggest that theater, more generally, provides structure for cruel performance, and that violent land conflict, together with forest destruction, constitutes a predictable tragedy of theatrical events. In other words, violent land conflict in Amazônia, with all its terrible implications for people and environment, can be grasped as a theatrical structure, with philosophic and material consequences for mind and body. Thus, we articulate the development discourse of Amazônia as a violent, existential game, not a narrative of disembodied forces.

Beyond Defensive Denials: Evidence from the Blackmun Files of a Broader Scope of Strategic Certiorari

The U.S. Supreme Court sets its own agenda. The consequentiality of this decision and the little institutional constraints involved induce justices to select cases strategically. They exercise their gatekeeping capacity with future consequences in mind. Based on original material from the Blackmun Files, this article examines strategic thinking of a broader scope than the type traditionally described in the literature. On top of dispositional outcomes, the strategic behavior analyzed concerns doctrinal output and policy implications. Thus, strategic conduct during certiorari is attached to a broader institutional context that incorporates various goals of individual justices, the collegial game, the other branches, and time. In closing, implications for the constitutional position of the Court are discussed.

Validating Assessment for Learning: Consequential and Systems Approaches

In order to adequately evaluate assessment for learning, expanded approaches to validity need to be considered. The purpose of this manuscript is to explore what is necessary to evaluate claims that assessment facilitates learning. Messick’s (1994) concept of consequential validity provides one lens for determining the learning consequences of assessment. His approach suggests that learning consequences are a special case of the general concept of consequential validity and should be evaluated from that perspective. The systems approach developed by Frederiksen and Collins (1989) provides another perspective of how assessments can be designed with learning consequences in mind. Their model provides a transparent way to link assessments to learning by making teaching to the test a valid activity. The adequacy of both models for evaluating claims of learning from assessment is explored. Based on the analysis, a model for evaluating the validity of evidence for assessment for learning is outlined.

Inhibition and induction of human cytochrome P450 enzymes: current status

Variability of drug metabolism, especially that of the most important phase I enzymes or cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, is an important complicating factor in many areas of pharmacology and toxicology, in drug development, preclinical toxicity studies, clinical trials, drug therapy, environmental exposures and risk assessment. These frequently enormous consequences in mind, predictive and pre-emptying measures have been a top priority in both pharmacology and toxicology. This means the development of predictive in vitro approaches. The sound prediction is always based on the firm background of basic research on the phenomena of inhibition and induction and their underlying mechanisms; consequently the description of these aspects is the purpose of this review. We cover both inhibition and induction of CYP enzymes, always keeping in mind the basic mechanisms on which to build predictive and preventive in vitro approaches. Just because validation is an essential part of any in vitro-in vivo extrapolation scenario, we cover also necessary in vivo research and findings in order to provide a proper view to justify in vitro approaches and observations.

Which expert should I believe?

As a reader of this journal you are probably a professional scientist with an interest in communicating the importance of what you do to the world at large. We share that interest, and advertise to journalists the work we publish that we feel most likely to be of general interest, via press releases on the EurekAlert! website. This works very well, and papers in Current Biology are frequently covered in the general media. This is all fine and dandy; good for us, our authors, the science journalists and their readers.... There is an aspect of this process that is, I believe, deadly serious and of the utmost importance. In certain areas of science, public understanding has an influence on behaviour with serious consequences — this is especially true of medical and environmental matters. Take the recent case in the UK, where there was a report suggesting a possible link between the triple MMR vaccine and autism: this received a great deal of publicity and was followed by a reduction in vaccination levels to dangerous levels, exposing the population as a whole to increased risk of infection. The potential link was never accepted as strong evidence by the majority of specialists in the field, some initial supporters have recanted, and the claim has now largely been refuted. But doubts linger among parents, confused by apparent differences among ‘experts’ in the field — the British Medical Journal, for example, has recently reported that uptake of MMR among two-year-olds in the UK fell from around 92% in early 1995 to around 80% in 2003/4 (see the recent story on the BBC news website, with some interesting reactions from the general public: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4539887.stm). Or consider global warming: this is another situation where the behaviour of the population as a whole is crucial, as we all contribute to the global carbon dioxide level. Public belief is of huge importance here, as only when there is clear acceptance of the problem and the need to address it will politicians be persuaded to implement measures that may, in the short-term at least, be perceived by their electorate as providing downward pressure on their standard of living. Again, the public is confused by the impression of ‘mixed messages’ from ‘experts’. There is a common belief that there is serious disagreement about whether global warming is a real phenomenon, and whether it is ‘scientific fact’ that human activity is causing the warming via carbon dioxide production. Witness recent effusions from Michael Creighton in the US, or the botanist and television personality David Bellamy in the UK — both very well known figures, who continue to argue against the view that global warming is a human-induced phenomenon we can and should do something about. In both cases, however, there is a clear and strong scientific consensus: the overwhelming scientific evidence is that the triple MMR vaccine does not cause autism; and the vast majority of climatologists and ecologists are convinced that we are promoting global warming and need to take immediate action by reducing carbon dioxide production worldwide. These things are known within the respective scientific and medical communities, so why the problem in persuading the public? Part of the problem lies in the indiscriminate way the general media talk about ‘experts’. As we all know, a doctorate or professorship is not a guarantee of good sense. Even a Nobel prize can be (particularly) misleading; just consider the controversy over HIV and AIDS, where Kary Mullis, who won a Nobel prize for inventing PCR, weighed in on the side of those who argued — against a huge body of evidence — that HIV is not the cause of AIDS. The media has a great responsibility here — their actions can have huge influence on public behaviour, with potentially great consequences. They need to bear these potential consequences in mind, and to find ways to distinguish among ‘experts’ and convey the distinctions clearly in their communications. All too frequently they are too agnostic about the relative merits of their sources — in the UK at least they even have an alarming predilection for making heroes of ‘mavericks’ and villains of the scientific establishment, parodied as some kind of conservative mafia. This is not only unfounded but dangerous. We shall try to do what we can to counter this unfortunate tendency, and the UK’s Royal Society is making great efforts in this direction (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4553077.stm for example), but the onus of responsibility lies with journalist and their editors in the general media.

Economic crisis, small-scale agriculture, and forest cover change in southern Cameroon

The rate of forest cover loss in the humid tropics of Cameroon is one of the highest in Central Africa. The aim of the large-scale, two-year research project described here was to understand the effect of the country's economic crisis and policy change on small-scale agricultural systems and land-clearing practices. Hypotheses were tested through surveys of more than 5000 households in 125 villages, and through time-series remote sensing analysis at two sites. The principal findings are that: (1) the rate of deforestation increased significantly in the decade after the 1986 onset of the crisis, as compared to the decade prior to the crisis; (2) the main proximate causes of this change were sudden rural population growth and a shift from production of cocoa and coffee to plantain and other food crops; and (3) the main underlying causes were macroeconomic shocks and structural adjustment policies that led to rural population growth and farming system changes. The implication of this study is that it is necessary to understand and anticipate the undesirable consequences of macroeconomic shocks and adjustment policies for forest cover. Such policies, even though they are often not formulated with natural resource consequences in mind, are often of greater relevance to the fate of forests than forest policy.

Fringe Benefits and Overtime as Barriers to Expanding Employment

There is currently wide concern over the employment impact of overtime and of the cost of benefits. The data on overtime worked and the role of fringe costs in employment decisions are examined in this study. The analysis suggests that there is no distinct upward trend in overtime, and that the usual method of supporting the argument that there is a barrier to expanded employment is insufficient and in need of refinement. It is concluded, how ever, that the entire system of financing our economic security programs, public as well as private, may need to be reexamined on an integrated basis and with its employment consequences in mind. (Author's abstract courtesy EBSCO.)