Dynamic Interrelationships Research Articles

Dear diary: Evaluating a goal-oriented intervention linked with increased hope and cognitive flexibility

Goal reflection can have a beneficial impact on hope and cognitive flexibility, potentially via processes proposed under the Broaden and Build Hypothesis (BBH). In the present study, a novel goal-oriented intervention was developed to explore its efficacy in improving state and trait hope, affect, and cognitive flexibility. Using a convergent mixed methods approach, 44 participants completed a seven-day diary intervention, recording/reflecting on goals daily, in addition to questionnaire and cognitive fluency measures pre- and post- intervention. The intervention elicited increased levels of state hope, trait agency, and task fluency with converging evidence from quantitative/qualitative data. These results suggest a dynamic interrelation between hope and cognitive flexibility.

A FAVAR modeling approach to credit risk stress testing and its application to the Hong Kong banking industry

In October 2018, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) published its stress testing principles. One of these principles is about stress testing model validation, aided by business interpretation, benchmark comparison and backtesting. In this paper, a credit risk stress testing model based on the factor-augmented vector autoregressive (FAVAR) approach is proposed to project credit risk loss under stressed scenarios. Inherited from both factor analysis (FA) and the vector autoregressive (VAR) model, the FAVAR approach ensures that the proposed model has many appealing features. First, a large number of model input variables can be reduced to a handful of latent common factors to avoid the curse of dimensionality. Second, the dynamic interrelationship among macroeconomic variables and credit risk loss measures can be studied without exogeneity assumptions. Moreover, the application of the impulse response function facilitates the multiperiod projection of credit risk loss in response to macroeconomic shocks. All of these features make the proposed modeling framework a potentially handy solution to fulfilling the BCBS requirement of quantitative adequacy assessment of banks’ internal stress testing results with a benchmark model. The scope of its application can also extend to impairment modeling for International Financial Reporting Standard 9, which requires the projection of credit risk losses over consecutive periods under different macroeconomic scenarios.

Equality and Gender at Work in Islam: The Case of the Berber Population of the High Atlas Mountains

This article investigates how religion-based social norms and values shape women’s access to employment in Muslim-majority countries. It develops a religiously sensitive conceptualization of the differential valence of genders based on respect, which serves to (re)produce inequality. Drawing on an ethnographic study of work practice in Berber communities in Morocco, aspects of respect are analyzed through an honor–shame continuum that serves to moralize and mediate gender relations. The findings show that respect and shame function as key inequality-(re)producing mechanisms. The dynamic interrelationship between respect and shame has implications for how we understand the ways in which gender inequality is institutionalized and (re)produced across different levels. Through these processes, gender-differentiated forms of respect become inscribed in organizational structures and practices, engendering persistent inequality.

A system dynamics investigation of knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias based on activity theory

PurposeAlthough researchers have demonstrated a keen interest in knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias, previous studies have seldom explored the dynamic interrelations in online encyclopedias over time that involve the iteratively melding of individual cognitive system and knowledge collaboration system. Therefore, this paper aims to reveal the structure and dynamics of knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias from a perspective of system dynamics (SD).Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a general activity system of knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias based on Engeström’s activity theory. According to the SD methodology proposed by Forrester, this study develops a holistic SD model by identifying interactions of knowledge collaboration factors based on behavioral theories; validating the SD model by structural tests and behavior tests involving historical data of English Wikipedia; and conducting simulation to capture the interactive dynamics of the salient factors of knowledge collaboration.FindingsAccording to the SD methodology, this study develops and validates an SD model to explore interesting dynamic interrelations among core factors (contributors, conflicts, discussions, entries quantity and entries quality) that are neglected by previous research. The results show that there is a significant negative feedback relationship between inactive contributors and entries quality, between contributors and conflicts and between edit conflicts and entries quality. There is a complicated nonlinear feedback relationship between active contributors and entries quality, and between edit conflicts and discussions.Originality/valueDifferent from prior empirical studies that normally investigate the unidirectional linear relationships among prominent factors of knowledge collaboration in online encyclopedias from a static perspective, this study captures a dynamic picture of their interrelations by unfolding their behavior patterns over time. The main contribution of this study is to develop a holistic SD model and to reveal and elaborate on the complex dynamics involved online encyclopedias based on activity theory.

Practice as research in animation: A provisional engagement

Let me start with a confession. Though for years, I have had an interest in animation and have observed students engaged in puppet, paper and plasticine processes of animation by analogue and digital means, I have myself never constructed an animated sequence. Why, then, have I been invited to write a contribution to this collection? For philosophical and political reasons related to a lifelong engagement with arts and screen media practices and education, I have developed expertise in what some call artistic research and I prefer to call practice as research (PaR). In particular, I have developed an epistemological model for PaR, which sets three modes of knowing – know-how, know-what and know-that – in dynamic inter-relation. In what follows, I place my specialist terms in italics to mark them out.

Identities and beliefs across time and space

Abstract This paper presents a case study of a Hong Kong university student’s experiences of learning English as a second language (L2) over a four-year period, with particular attention to the changes in her identities and beliefs across time and space. Drawing on a narrative inquiry approach, the study revealed that the student’s L2 identities appeared to be shaped by specific contextual conditions and agentic choices made by the student in response to different contexts, including consultation sessions with native English-speaking tutors, study abroad in the U.S., interactions with non-native English-speaking peers, and classroom interactions. It was also found that her L2 identities and beliefs not only varied over time in a complex and dynamic manner, but also appeared to be closely interconnected and interacted with each other in a reciprocal and bi-directional manner. The case study points to the need to pay more attention to the complex and dynamic interrelationship between identity and belief in L2 learning trajectories.

Exploring The Dynamic Interrelationships Between Stigmatization and Legitimation in Social Media

Stigmatization of organizations can threaten their sheer existence. However, despite being stigmatized, organizations often survive and even thrive, indicating that they are, in fact, legitimized. With this article we study the dynamic interrelationship between stigmatization and legitimation processes during a series of scandals in the financial sector. We adopt a communication-based audience perspective and analyse how audiences transform legitimizing conversations through targeted labelling, vilifying, and mobilising against banks in social media. We observe how this stigmatization process reinforces itself through a vicious loop, and later becomes diluted through the re-emergence of legitimizing conversations that render banks as a broader legitimate business category, yet how partial stigmatization remains. Our analysis based on 2.8 million tweets contributes to our understanding of stigma emergence and dilution based on an exploration of the complex interrelationship between stigmatization and legitimation in the so far little understood social media arena of Twitter.

Natural Histories of Form

Arguing that aesthetic preference generates the historical forms of human racial and gender difference in The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin offers an alternative account of aesthetic autonomy to the Kantian or idealist account. Darwin understands the aesthetic sense to be constitutive of scientific knowledge insofar as scientific knowledge entails the natural historian’s fine discrimination of formal differences and their dynamic interrelations within a unified system. Natural selection itself works this way, Darwin argues in The Origin of Species; in The Descent of Man he makes the case for the natural basis of the aesthetic while relativizing particular aesthetic judgments. Libidinally charged—in Kantian phrase, “interested”—the aesthetic sense nevertheless comes historically adrift from its functional origin in rites of courtship.

Does economic complexity reduce output volatility in developing countries?

AbstractEconomic complexity measures the productive knowledge embedded in an economy by analysing the export structure of countries. Although the recent literature suggests that economic complexity might arise as a useful tool to lower output volatility by both diversifying export bundles and increasing the sophistication of exports, the empirical evidence on this issue is rather scarce. We contribute to the existing literature by investigating the effect of economic complexity on output volatility for a large set of developing countries. To this end, we apply a panel vector auto regression (PVAR) methodology, which allows us to capture the dynamic interrelationships between variables. The findings of the paper robust to the alternative specifications reveal that economic complexity affects output volatility negatively. Hence, economic policies aimed at diversifying productive capabilities and export bundles should be one of the major priorities in developing countries.

The dynamic interrelationship between interest rate and macroeconomic policy objectives: Case of the United Kingdom

Abstract. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence on the short- and long-run relationships between the short-term interest rate, London interbank offered rate (LIBOR) and macroeconomic policy objectives, such as price stability, economic growth, and stability of the exchange rate market. For this purpose, we deploy quarterly frequency data from the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2015 and adopt a multiple regression model. Furthermore, this study uses the Johansen, Stock-Watson cointegration test and the Granger Causality test in order to examine the dynamic short- and long-run relationships among LIBOR, the consumer price index as a proxy of price stability, the real gross domestic product as a proxy of economic growth, and the exchange rate as a proxy of exchange rate market stability. The results showed that all variables have the same order of integration and long-run equilibrium relationships exist between them. The results show evidence of long-run equilibrium relationship between the variables with strong evidence of unidirectional granger causality flow from GDP, CPI and exchange rates to LIBOR. The recommendations proposed in this study have important policy implications for the U.K. government. It is therefore recommended that policy makers and government authorities together with the Bank of England develop and pursue sensible fiscal and monetary policies that would aim at stabilizing both the micro- and macroeconomic indicators such as the inflation rate, interest rate, exchange rate, and money supply, to enhance the growth of the economy, especially for the period after the BREXIT decision. Keywords. Macroeconomics, Interest rate, Monetary policy, London interbank offered rate, United Kingdom. JEL. E43, E51, E58.

Patient-centered care in Russian maternity hospitals: Introducing a new approach through professionals' agency.

The article relies on qualitative research methods to investigate how by the means of institutional work healthcare professionals introduce patient-centered care in Russian maternity hospitals. Post-socialist healthcare is commonly viewed in academic literature as a highly centralized and state-controlled domain, where autonomy and agency of both patients and practitioners are significantly restricted. Our research contributes empirically to scholarly debate by questioning this assumption and by providing shreds of evidence of healthcare professionals' ground-level initiatives. On the conceptual level, we add to the discussion about the dynamic interrelation between institutional change, clients' demands, and the transformation of professionals' position. We argue that neoliberal reforms in Russian healthcare have created institutional uncertainty which is strategically used by professionals to expand the scope of their workplace autonomy and to develop patient-centeredness as an institutional innovation. However, our research shows that the resulting model of patient-centeredness contributes to empowering healthcare practitioners, rather than to increasing patients' participation in decision-making.

Prestimulus alpha and beta contributions to equiprobable Go/NoGo processing in healthy ageing

The immediately-prestimulus electroencephalographic (EEG) brain state influences subsequent event-related processing, dynamically impacting event-related potential (ERP) and behavioural outcomes. Both EEG and ERPs are known to undergo age-related change, yet few have investigated the consistency in their dynamic interrelations in the context of ageing. The present investigation assessed the impact of prestimulus alpha and beta brain states in 20 young (18–26 years) and 20 gender-matched healthy older (59–75 years) adults who completed an equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo paradigm. Prestimulus alpha and beta band amplitudes in their prominent band topographies were separately used to derive Go and NoGo ERPs at 10 ascending levels of prestimulus activity, and ERP components were derived for these levels using Principal Components Analysis. Prestimulus alpha directly modulated Go/NoGo P3a amplitudes across the groups, while beta inversely modulated the young (cf. older) adult NoGo N1–1, each supporting and extending limited prior research. Several novel effects were also uncovered, most notably an inverse relationship between prestimulus alpha and reaction time. Prestimulus alpha and beta were confirmed as significant determinants of the processing outcomes in this task, and the complex pattern of results provides a normative map in healthy ageing.

Identifying Capabilities and Potentials of System Dynamics in Hydrology and Water Resources as a Promising Modeling Approach for Water Management

Agriculture is the most important sector with regard to water resources management due to its social, economic, hydrological, and environmental aspects, and many scholars and researchers have been driven to investigate the dynamic interrelationships among hydrological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors affecting agriculture. The system dynamics (SD) approach has become widely used because of its merits and benefits as a tool to deal with complex, dynamic problems and systems with many aspects and components that are involved and must be understood to ensure sound decisions regarding water and hydrological systems. Although agricultural water management needs to be studied as a main part of water management, socioeconomic management, and environmental management requiring the use of SD, this review shows that SD is currently used to a limited extent in terms of agricultural water management. This paper sheds light on the studies and investigations on the use of SD in the water sector and highlights the strengths of SD in order to encourage researchers to use this promising method to manage such a vital resource. Accordingly, this review seeks to include a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of existing publications and scholarly papers on the use of SD modeling as an effective technique for dealing with different problems associated with planning, management, and analysis of hydrology and water resources systems. Recent trends in the integration of SD with other modeling systems, such as artificial intelligence systems, are discussed along with the limitations and challenges facing application. This article makes a new contribution by giving a foundation of references and studies for scholars, researchers, and academics which encourages future investigation in employing the SD approach to hydrology and water resources management and planning, especially with agricultural water.

FORMATION OF BUDGET EXPENDITURE IN THE SYSTEM OF FISCAL REGULATION

The purpose of the article is to substantiate scientific and methodological approaches to the development of a financial and budgetary strategy for budget expenditures in the context of globalization of the economy. The comparative and factor method allowed to reveal the peculiarities of the financial and budgetary strategy of forming the budget expenditures of the EU and Ukraine in the system of public finance management, to determine approaches for its improvement. Methodology. The substantiation of scientific and methodological approaches to the development of the financial and budgetary strategy of budgeting in the conditions of globalization of the economy is based on the generalization and systematization of the relevant instruments and instruments of the financial and budgetary strategy in the countries with advanced and transformative economies. To this end, the analysis and evaluation of budget architecture in terms of expenditures in different countries was done. Results. The results showed that the financial and budgetary strategy for budget expenditures is a comprehensive, adaptive system of directions and tasks of public administration in the sphere of budgeting expenditures to socio-economic transformations, which aims at improving the welfare of the population and the efficiency of the national economy. To accelerate economic growth, the EU countries are changing the structure of public sector spending in favor of productive ones, while optimizing unproductive spending. In particular, there is an increase in government capital investment. Long-term financial and budgetary sustainability should be assessed based on a system of thresholds for both budget expenditures and revenues; the increase in government spending should not exceed GDP growth. Practical implications. The financial and budgetary strategy is the target of the reproduction process. An adequate level of reasonableness of the architectonics of budget expenditures will contribute to ensuring the dynamic balance and stability of the budget system. It is advisable to make institutional changes to the architecture of budget expenditures based on an assessment of the dynamic interrelation of macroeconomic and budgetary indicators. There is an important task to develop economic and mathematical models based on the analysis and evaluation of macroeconomic proportions and the level of devel-opment of social production. Value/originality. Substantiation of scientific and methodological approaches to the development of financial and budgetary strategy for budget expenditures in the context of globalization of the economy is an important condition for ensuring macroeconomic stability and social development. To increase the feasibility of architectonics of budget expenditures, it is advisable to optimize them, to increase the share of productive costs and to reduce unproductive ones, to reconcile the dynamics of budget expenditures with macroeconomic indicators. Based on the aforementioned in this article, substantiated scientific and methodological approaches to the development of financial and budgetary strategy for budgeting expenditures in the context of strengthening globalization processes and their impact on the financial and budget sphere; approaches to improving the system of fiscal regulation in terms of budget expenditures are revealed, and it is determined that the soundness of the budget expenditures architectonics is the basis for the formation and implementation of effective fiscal policy, which determines the effectiveness of changes in the public finance system.

Digital learning across cultures: an account of activity theory

ABSTRACT This paper explores a teaching and learning process as it unfolds in an online offshore classroom. The paper reports on teaching and learning narratives distilled from different cultures, namely the cultures of educators and students in the context of digital learning environments. Drawing on activity theory as a conceptual framework to analyse the narrative, we employ self-study as a methodological tool for capturing the dynamism and complexities that unravel in intercultural and technology-enabled teaching activities. The framework explores the relationships, tensions and opportunities of diverse activity elements that constitute the design and delivery of digital pedagogies. In the networked intercultural system, sustaining the position of activity elements and the specific relational circuit that they institutionalise is a key task for understanding digital technologies as an influential tool for effective learning and teaching practices. We argue that seeing the digital platform from the perspective of its role in creating dynamic interrelationships in a complex activity system is one way to move beyond the cultural confines of any particular element in the system.

Dynamic Interrelationship and Volatility Spillover among Sustainability Stock Markets, Major European Conventional Indices, and International Crude Oil

This study examines the dynamic interrelationship and volatility spillover among stainability stock indices (SSIs), international crude oil prices and major stock returns of European oil-importing countries (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands) and oil-exporting countries (Norway and Russia). We employ the DCC-MGARCH model and use daily data for the sample period from 28 September 2001 to 10 January 2020. We find that the dynamic interrelationship between SSIs, stock returns of European oil importing/exporting countries and oil markets is different. There is higher correlation between SSIs and oil-importing countries, while oil-exporting countries have higher correlation with the oil market. Notably, the correlation between oil and stock returns became higher during and after the global financial crisis. This study also reveals the existence of significant volatility spillover between sustainability stock returns, international oil prices and the major indices of oil importing/exporting countries. These results have important implications for investors who are seeking to hedge and diversify their assets and for socially responsible investors.

CSF total and oligomeric \u03b1-Synuclein along with TNF-\u03b1 as risk biomarkers for Parkinson\u2019s disease: a study in LRRK2 mutation carriers

BackgroundAsymptomatic carriers of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene mutations constitute an ideal population for discovering prodromal biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study, we aim to identify CSF candidate risk biomarkers of PD in individuals with LRRK2 mutation carriers.MethodsWe measured the levels of CSF total- (t-), oligomeric (o-) and phosphorylated S129 (pS129-) α-syn, total-tau (tTau), phosphorylated threonine 181 tau (pTau), amyloid-beta 40 (Aβ-40), amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ-42) and 40 inflammatory chemokines in symptomatic (n = 23) and asymptomatic (n = 51) LRRK2 mutation carriers, subjects with a clinical diagnosis of PD (n = 60) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 34). General linear models corrected for age and gender were performed to assess differences in CSF biomarkers between the groups. Markers that varied significantly between the groups were then analyzed using backward-elimination logistic regression analysis to identify an ideal biomarkers panel of prodromal PD.ResultsDiscriminant function analysis revealed low levels of CSF t-α-syn, high levels of CSF o-α-syn and TNF-α best discriminated asymptomatic LRRK2 mutation carriers from both symptomatic PD and healthy controls. Assessing the discriminative power using receiver operating curve analysis, an area under the curve > 0.80 was generated.ConclusionsThe current study suggests that CSF t-, o-α-syn and TNF-α are candidate risk biomarkers for the detection of PD at the prodromal stage. Our findings also highlight the dynamic interrelationships between CSF proteins and the importance of using a biomarkers’ panel approach for an accurate and timely diagnosis of PD.

Decentralization: the key to accelerating access to distributed energy services in sub-Saharan Africa?

The decentralization of governance is increasingly considered crucial for delivering development and is being widely adopted in sub-Saharan countries. At the same time, distributed (decentralized) energy systems are increasingly recognized for their role in achieving universal access to energy and are being promoted in sub-Saharan countries. However, little attention has been paid by governments and energy practitioners to the dynamic interrelationships between national and local government and the role of governance decentralization in transitioning to distributed energy systems. This paper traces the complex relationships between accelerated delivery of distributed energy and decentralized local governance systems. The argument is grounded in an exploration of two different approaches to decentralized energy systems governance in Kenya and Malawi. For Kenya, analysis focuses on the energy sector since the adoption of the new decentralized constitution in 2010. In Malawi, it focuses on the involvement of the authors in piloting Local Authority Energy Officers in districts under the decentralization of Malawian energy policy. Our analysis shows that accelerating the speed and scale of implementation for distributed energy systems and enhancing their sustainability and socio-economic impacts is directly linked to the quality of local and national governance structures and their interrelationships. The paper extends existing work in energy and evidence literacy for policy actors by developing an analytical framework, to enable more effective local governance within energy access initiatives in the Global South.

One of the approaches for the analytical description of the interaction of an elastic wheel with a solid surface

The design of branched transmissions of multi-axle vehicles, multistage steering systems and automated workflow control systems requires their preliminary dynamic calculation. These calculations are based on mathematical models of structural elements corresponding to the modern level of development of system theory, i.e. taking into account dynamic interrelations between the system links. The aim of the work is to build a mathematical model of the automobile wheeled propulsor intended for use in the dynamic model of the “car-road” system or models of separate automobile systems. The approach to mathematical modeling of the automobile wheeled propulsor is offered, consisting in its description by methods of the control theory as an element of dynamic system. The method of construction and analysis of the complete system of equations of kinematic bonds superimposed in the contact zone on the movement of points of the external surface of the tire of linear elastic wheel at its perturbed rectilinear rolling on a solid uneven support surface is developed. The method of construction of a transfer matrix of automobile linear elastic wheel at which its structure practically does not depend on features of the settlement scheme of the tyres is developed too in this study. The method of obtaining the tire characteristics necessary for the calculation of the transfer matrix elements by the generalized method of successive approximations, which gives the qualitatively correct results in zero approximation, is proposed. The method of qualitative theoretical analysis of the features of rectilinear stationary rolling of the automobile wheel is given in this paper. The results allow to carry out researches and calculations of dynamic characteristics of automobile systems, units and assemblies directly interacting with the wheel; they can serve as a basis for further improvement of mathematical models of automobile ruts by methods of system theory.

BUDGETARY PROJECTION IN THE SYSTEM OF FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC REGULATION OF SOCIAL PROCESSES

The purpose of the article is to reveal the role of budgetary projection in the system of financial and economic regulation of social processes within the framework of improving the efficiency of fiscal policy intended to macroeconomic stability maintenance in both countries with transformational and advanced economies. The comparative and factorial methods allowed to developthe features of the institutional environment of the budgetary progection methodology, to identify approaches for its improvement. Methodology. Substantiation of the role of budget forecasting in the system of financial and economic regulation of social processes, determination of provisions for improving its methodology is based on generalized and systematic approaches that are applied in both developed and transformational economies. An analysis of the stages of the process and the budgetary projection methods evaluation, that are used in different countries, have been carried out. Results showed that the efficient budgetary projection methodology is the basis for sound fiscal policy. The development of realistic budgetary projections facilitates justified management decisions aimed at ensuring the country financial firmness. Devia-tions from budget revenues from the projected indicators do not make it possible to achieve certain fiscal policy outcomes and, accordingly, cause a budget cut. In order to develop realistic budgetary projections, a welldesigned and coherent database is needed for all time series, necessary to analyze and project budget revenues. Time series of key determinants affecting the budget revenues level should be available at different frequencies (monthly, quarterly, annually). Where data reflecting similar economic processes by different revenue sources are available, any differences between them shall be determined by reference to their coverage and methodology. Practical implications. Budgetary projections are the basis for the formation of effective fiscal policy and the benchmark of the reproduction process. Adequate level of justification for budget projection will help to provide a dynamic balance of budgetary indicators and the budgetary system stability. Institutional changes to the budgetary projection methodology should be made on the basis of taking into account the dynamic interrelation of budgetary and macroeconomic indicators. The remarkable task here is the development of an economic and mathematical model based on the assessment of the national economy capabilities by reference to the assessment of macroeconomic proportions and the corresponding social and economic conditions of social production. Value/ originality. Developing the budgetary projection approaches in the context of improvement of the fiscal policy efficiency is an important precondition for ensuring macroeconomic stability. In order to increase the budget projection justifiability, it is advisable to make institutional changes to its methodology. Based on the methioned above, the article reveals the essence and role of the budgetary projection in the system of financial and economic regulation of social processes in the context of improving the fiscal policy effectiveness aimed at macroeconomic stability maintenance; approaches to improving the budgetary projection methodology have been identified, and it has been determined that the soundness and feasibility of budgetary projection are the basis for effective fiscal policy. The predictability of budgetary criteria, budgetary architectonics contribute to improving the efficiency of transformations in the public finance system.