Empirical Approach Research Articles

Implementation approach in legal research

The use of a research approach in legal research will determine the results. There are three categories of approaches in legal research. The normative approach is the most widely used. This research aims to examine how the approach should be implemented in legal research. This research uses a conceptual approach which is still within the scope of the normative approach. Research data was collected by searching articles published in 23 law journals. The results of this research show that the approach to legal research is the use of perspective in discussing legal issues. There are three legal research approaches, namely normative, empirical, and philosophical approaches with all their variants. The normative approach reviews legal problems from a positive law perspective. The empirical approach examines legal problems as a cultural reality. A philosophical approach examines legal problems from an ideal perspective. The approach to legal research should be applied according to the type of research, research data, and level of research. The normative approach is the most widely used. This is because law is mostly understood as a set of rules. Sequentially, of the 256 articles studied, 70% of legal research used a “normative approach”, 19% empirical, and 11% philosophical.

Making a Better Logistic Regression Model Using Ensemble Learning

Abstract: Machine learning is a hot research topic in today's society and an important direction in the field of image classification research. Image classification is a supervised learning method used to classify images. There are many image classification algorithms that perform differently in different conditions. Paper focuses on improving the performance of image classification algorithms by using ensemble learning. Paper analyses the performance of logistic regression model and support vector machine model and then uses ensemble learning to increase the performance of logistic regression model. In the research work, both theoretical and empirical approaches were followed. For the theoretical approach a review of both secondary data as well as data based on results obtained by application on the tools is studied. Secondary data was acquired from the research articles, text books, journals, technical reports, published thesis, websites, e-journals, software tool manuals, conference proceedings and any other research articles published in the related domain. The empirical study was carried out on the set of experiments, using software tools. The results obtained from the experiments were analyzed for the finding of the research. The paper compares the results of three algorithms when tested on same dataset, in same environment and on same system. The final results of the research prove that ensemble techniques give best results and this type of learning is effective.

Experimental and numerical investigations of the water surface profile and wave extrema of supercritical flows in a narrow channel bend

Supercritical flows in channel bends, e.g., in steep streams, chute spillways, and flood and sediment bypass tunnels (SBTs), experience cross-waves, which undulate the free surface. The designs of these hydraulic structures and flood protection retaining structures in streams necessitate computing the locations and water depths of the wave extrema. This study numerically and experimentally investigates the water surface profiles along the sidewalls, the wave extrema flow depths, and their angular locations in a narrow channel bend model of the Solis SBT in Switzerland. The 0.2 m wide and 16.75 m long channel has a bend of 6.59 m radius and 46.5° angle of deviation. The tested flow conditions produced Froude numbers ≈ 2 and aspect ratios ranging from 1.14 to 1.83. Two-phase flow simulations were performed in OpenFOAM using the RNG k–ε turbulence closure model and the volume-of-fluid method. The simulated angular locations of the first wave extrema and the corresponding flow depths deviate marginally, within ± 6.3% and ± 2.1%, respectively, from the experimental observations, which signifies good predictions using the numerical model. Larger deviations, especially for the angular locations of the wave extrema, are observed for the existing analytical and empirical approaches. Therefore, the presented numerical approach is a suitable tool in designing the height of the hydraulic structures with bends and conveying supercritical flows. In the future, the model’s application shall be extended to the design of the height and location of retaining walls, embankments, and levees in steep natural streams with bends.

Families of Victims Often Reject Forensic Autopsies in Cases of Unnatural Death

Forensic autopsies are integral to determining the exact cause of someone's death. In Indonesian criminal law, specifically Articles 222 of the Criminal Code and Articles 133-134 of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), provisions regarding forensic autopsies are outlined. However, there are challenges in implementing the requirement to notify the victim's family about the autopsy, which can hinder the enforcement of law in cases of unnatural deaths. It's crucial to note that only through forensic autopsies can material truths be scientifically revealed, from the initiation of investigations to the presentation of evidence in court. Legal cases and final court decisions underscore the importance of forensic autopsies in proving cases categorized as material criminal offenses. Therefore, in cases of unnatural deaths, the execution of forensic autopsies should not necessarily depend on the victim's family consent to ensure fair legal certainty for all parties involved - the victim, perpetrator, and society. This study aims to understand the role of forensic autopsies in unnatural deaths and examine cases where the victim's family rejects the autopsy based on Article 222 of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Articles 133-134 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The research methodology combines normative and empirical approaches to analyze applicable legal norms and their application in events to achieve predefined objectives. Findings indicate that the refusal of the victim's family to consent to a forensic autopsy in unnatural deaths significantly impacts court decisions, potentially obstructing law enforcement agencies in resolving cases. Even if the family objects, law enforcement agencies must continue their duties, as forensic autopsies are vital for court evidence, typically presented as a report issued by forensic experts or doctors under police instruction. During trials, victims can still attain legal certainty and justice. Forensic autopsies should align with existing laws. It is hoped that from this research the implementation of forensic autopsies can proceed as regulated in criminal laws and regulations.

The influence of collective emotions in the response to supply chain disruptions: a buyer–supplier empirical approach

The influence of collective emotions in the response to supply chain disruptions: a buyer–supplier empirical approach

Anatomic-guided ablation of the right ganglionated plexi validated by the automatic fractionation map

Abstract Background and aim Cardiac autonomic modulation through endocardial ablation of atrial ganglionated plexi (GP) is an alternative strategy in selected patients with severe vagal induced bradyarrhythmias. A strictly anatomical approach targeting the right GPs has demonstrated good success rates but is an empirical approach and has yet to be validated. The presence of fractionated electrograms has been associated with the areas of GPs and can be automatically mapped (fractionation map). The aim of this study was to compare the empirical ablated area, to the automatically assessed area of GPs based on the presence of fractionated electrograms (FEs). Methods We studied eight consecutive patients referred for parasympathetic modulation. A high-density map of the left and right atria (LA, RA) in sinus rhythm was performed. The settings for the automatic map were as follows: bipolar high pass filter of 500 Hz, a fractionation threshold of 4, and a width of 5 ms. The ablation was empirically performed by an operator blinded to the results of the fractionation map, as per site protocol. The ablation was aimed at the anatomic locations of the right GPs in the LA and RA. At the anterior and inferior aspect of the right superior pulmonary vein and inferior aspect of the right inferior pulmonary vein on the LA, and posterior RA opposite to the LA RF applications and around the coronary sinus ostium on the RA (Figure). Before ablation, 2 mg of atropine was administered in bolus, and the increase in heart rate was registered and repeated at the end of the procedure. After the operator completed the ablation, access to the fractionation map was available, and additional radiofrequency (RF) applications were applied as needed (Figure). The number of additional RF applications to cover all the areas with FEs was assessed. Success was defined as an absence of response to atropine after the procedure. Results Three patients underwent autonomic system modulation only, and five underwent additional pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The mean age was 66 (50-77) years, five males. The median mapping time of the LA and RA was 11 (17-7) and 14 (9-18) min. All patients underwent successful parasympathetic modulation. The initial median (Q1-Q3) increase in heart rate with atropine was 34 (23-39)% versus 0 (0-2)% after ablation, p=0.012. The differences between empiric and FEs map-guided ablation are depicted in the Table. The additional number of points was low. However, a median of 9 (5-15) additional points were added. Conclusions A purely anatomic-guided procedure directed only at the atrial right GPs is usually enough as a therapeutic approach for cardiac autonomic modulation, however, the fractionation map tool helped validate the method and ensure success at the first pass.

A Visual Survey of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Performance in Tunneling Excavation: Mainstream Direction, Brief Review and Future Prospects

This study employs scientometric analysis to investigate the current trajectory of research on tunnel boring machine (TBM) performance and collaborative efforts. Utilizing software tools like Pajek 5.16 and VOSviewer 1.6.18, it scrutinizes literature from 2000 to 2021 sourced from the Web of Science (WOS). The findings illuminate TBM research as an interdisciplinary and intersectoral field attracting increasing national and institutional attention. Notable contributions from China, Iran, the United States, Turkey, and Australia underscore the global significance of TBM research. The recent upsurge in annual publications, primarily driven by Chinese research initiatives, reflects a renewed vigor in TBM exploration. Additionally, the paper presents a succinct evaluation of TBM advantages and drawbacks compared to conventional drill and blast methods, discussing key considerations in excavation methodology selection. Moreover, the study comprehensively reviews TBM performance prediction models, categorizing them into theoretical, empirical, and artificial intelligence-driven approaches. Finally, rooted in metaverse theory, the discourse delves into the immersive learning model and the architecture of a TBM metaverse. In the future, the immersive training and learning model diagram can be employed in scenarios such as employee training and the promotion of safety knowledge. Additionally, the TBM metaverse architecture can simulate, monitor, diagnose, predict, and control the organization, management, and service processes and behaviors of TBMs. This will enhance efficient collaboration across various aspects of the project production cycle. This forward-looking perspective anticipates future trends in TBM technology, emphasizing societal impact and enhancement of economic benefits.

Empirical Approaches to Portuguese Linguistics - New insights from studies in various areas of grammar

Over the last two decades, empirical methods have become increasingly prominent in linguistics. Even traditionally more introspective theoretical frameworks have begun to embrace empirical methods to test their hypotheses. This special collection unites works applying state of the art empirical methods to the study of Portuguese and its varieties, to highlight the applicability of these methods to Portuguese linguistics. In doing so, this collection aims to show the potential and the possible limitations of these methods. This special collection brings together contributions on different varieties of Portuguese from the subfields of phonology, morpho-syntax, syntax and semantics, using a variety of empirical methods: The methods range from classic corpus linguistics and sociolinguistic field methods to psycholinguistic experiments. The aim of this collection is to illustrate how these methods can be applied to the study of Portuguese in all linguistic subfields. By explicitly addressing how empirical methods contribute to furthering our understanding of Portuguese linguistics, we want to increase awareness for empirical methods and their applicability to the study of Portuguese, and ultimately encourage researchers to make greater use of them.

Customer discourse power and green innovation in industrial chain enterprises: A theoretical and empirical approach.

Leading enterprises in the industry chain play a demonstrative role, and promoting green innovation among leading enterprises is a meaningful approach to unlocking industry chain dividends. According to an analysis of the game process between customers and leading firms that incorporates the open innovation theory, we find a nonlinear role for the consumer discourse power in the leading firms' innovation. Furthermore, using data from Chinese A-share listed companies between 2012 and 2021, we observe an inverted "U" relationship between customer discourse power and green innovation. Notably, this effect is more pronounced in leading non-technology-intensive enterprises, industries with a high degree of industrial innovation, or regions with a high marketization degree. Our analysis also reveals that leading enterprises' client leads to financial limitations that influence green innovation. Additionally, leading enterprises play a driving role in achieving "joint progress" in green innovation with local non-leading firms, and this effect exhibits spatial spillover.

Mapping job fitness and skill coherence into wages: an economic complexity analysis

Leveraging the discrete skill and knowledge worker requirements of each occupation provided by O*NET, our empirical approach employs network-based tools from the Economic Complexity framework to characterize the US occupational network. This approach provides insights into the interplay between wages and the complexity or relatedness of the skill sets within each occupation, complementing conventional human capital frameworks. Our empirical strategy is threefold. First, we construct the Job and Skill Progression Networks, where nodes represent jobs (skills) and a link between two jobs (skills) indicates statistically significant co-occurrence of skills required to carry out those two jobs, that can be useful tools to identify job-switching paths and skill complementarities Second, by harnessing the Fitness and Complexity algorithm, we define a data-driven skill-based complexity measure of jobs that positively maps, but with interesting deviations, into wages and in the bottom–up and broad abstract/manual and routine/non-routine job characterisations, however providing a continuous and endogenous metric to assess the degree of complexity of each occupational skill-set. Third, building on relatedness and corporate coherence metrics, we introduce a measure of each job’s skill coherence, that negatively maps into wages. Our findings may inform policymakers and employers on designing more effective labour market policies and training schemes, that, rather than fostering hyper-specialization, should favor the acquisition of complex and “uncoherent” skill sets, enabling workers to more easily move throughout the job and skill progression networks and make informed career choices decisions while unlocking higher wage opportunities.

Calculating the grain size effect during strain hardening through a probabilistic analysis of the mean slip distance in polycrystals

Grain refinement is an important mechanism to produce stronger alloys. Strain hardening is an essential phenomenon in metal forming processes. The interaction between grain size and strain hardening is evident: a decrease in grain size (dg)causes an increase in ultimate tensile strength but a decrease in uniform elongation. The Kocks-Mecking (KM) model for strain hardening is based on the relationship between shear strain and the path length for dislocation slip. It provides good general estimates for stress-strain curves, and empirical modifications have been made to include dg. Here, the empirical approach is substituted by theoretical probability calculations, accounting for the fact that the grain size imposes a bound on the mean slip distance, while strain compatibility defines a relationship between grain boundary-dislocation interaction and bulk storage and annihilation. The resulting differential only uses the two parameters inherent to KM. Fitting to published tensile curves for Al, Cu, and Ni produces excellent results. The fitting parameters allow to predict the tensile strength as a function of dgto good approximation, for dg>1μm. Below this limit, fundamental changes in dislocation statistics impose the activation of grain boundary dislocation sources and may induce dislocation density gradients, which seem to determine the flow stress in the sub-μm range.

The behavioral, economic, and political impact of the Internet and social media: Empirical challenges and approaches

AbstractThis paper presents a review of empirical methods used to assess the behavioral, economic, and political outcomes of Internet and social media usage. Instead of merely surveying the various impacts of the Internet, we examine the methods adopted to identify these impacts. We describe two main approaches for establishing causal effects, each with strengths and limitations. The first approach involves searching for exogenous sources of variation in the access to fast Internet or specific content. The second approach takes the form of field or laboratory experiments. In this paper, we focus on the first approach, delving into the methodological threats, empirical design, and main findings of the most prominent studies that exploit natural or quasi‐experiments for identifying the causal impact of high‐speed Internet or specific social media. This undertaking allows us to highlight the key empirical challenges in the field of Internet and social media economics while summarizing the causal relationships that the literature has uncovered so far.

Stability in plant-pollinator communities across organizational levels: present, gaps, and future

Abstract The study of ecological stability continues to fill the pages of scientific journals almost seven decades after the first ecologists initiated this line of research. The many advances in this field have focused on understanding the stability of populations, communities or functions within single guilds or trophic levels, with less research conducted across multiple trophic levels and considering the different interactions that relate species to each other. Here, we review the recent literature on the multiple dimensions of ecological stability specifically within plant-pollinator communities. We then focus on one of stability´s dimensions, temporal invariability, and adapt an existing partitioning framework that bridges invariability and synchrony measures across spatial scales and organizational levels to accommodate interactions between plants and their pollinators. Finally, we use this framework to analyze temporal invariability in plant reproductive success, partitioning it on invariability and synchrony components across plant and pollinator populations and communities, as well as their interactions, using a well-resolved dataset that encompasses data for two years. Our review of the literature points to several significant gaps in our current knowledge, with simulation studies clearly overrepresented in the literature as opposed to experimental or empirical approaches. Our quantitative approach to partitioning invariability shows similar patterns of decreasing temporal invariability across increasing organizational levels driven by asynchronous dynamics amongst populations and communities, which overall stabilize ecosystem functioning (plant reproductive success). This study represents a first step towards a better comprehension of temporal invariability in ecosystem functions defined by interactions between species and provides a blueprint for the type of spatially replicated multi-year data that needs to be collected in the future to further our understanding of ecological stability within multi-trophic communities.

EXPRESS: Impact of Inventory Levels and Product Variety on Consumers' Perceptions of Brands

Past research in operations management and marketing on inventory levels and product variety has predominantly focused on their effects on brand performance indicators, such as sales and market share, while overlooking the influence on consumers’ perceptions of brands. Brand perceptions, encompassing reputation, quality, credibility, and emotional associations, go beyond typical revenue metrics and offer foresight into a brand’s future performance. Hence, understanding the effects of inventory and product variety on brand perceptions is crucial, and that constitutes the main contribution of this paper. Through a consumer-facing automobile search platform, we collect data on new cars’ inventories of more than 20,000 dealerships in the United States from August 2020 to March 2021. We measure brand perceptions using 273,991 responses by in-market consumers collected by YouGov. To address endogeneity concerns, we model the effects of inventory and variety on perceived brand strength using three different empirical approaches: 1) high-dimensional fixed effects, 2) instrumental variables, and 3) causal forest. Across all analyses, we find that inventory has a positive effect on perceived brand strength but the main effect of product variety is not significant. Our second contribution is related to the fact that past research on inventory and variety does not, for the most part, investigate systematic heterogeneity due to brand- or consumer-specific factors that impact the effectiveness of inventory or variety; to help fill this gap in the literature, we investigate the role of two important and theoretically motivated moderators: consumer income and luxury status of the brand. We find that consumers’ income levels and brands’ luxury status negatively (positively) moderate the effects of product inventory (variety) on perceived brand strength. Our results have managerial implications for effective assortment planning under scarcity, determining the right range of product offerings for luxury versus non-luxury brands, optimizing the customer’s online browsing experience, and targeting advertisements based on brand and consumer characteristics.

A tale of government spending efficiency and trust in the state

AbstractThis paper empirically links the efficiency and performance assessment of the general government, proxied by efficiency scores, to the trust in government. Government spending efficiency scores are first computed via data envelopment analysis (DEA). Then, relying on panel data and instrumental variable approaches, we estimate the effect of public sector efficiency on citizens trust on national governments. The sample covers 36 OECD countries between 2007 and 2019. We find that the more efficient countries in terms of government spending are Australia, Chile, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland. Secondly, our main finding is that better public sector spending efficiency is positively associated with citizens’ higher trust in governments. In general, political economy variables and the existence of fiscal rules do not seem to significantly affect our measure of trust. The results hold using alternative proxies for public sector efficiency, alternative measures for trust, specifications with different control variables and different empirical approaches (instrumental variables).

Commodity price volatility, institutions and economic growth: An empirical investigation

AbstractThis article investigates the role of institutional quality in transmitting effects of commodity price volatility to economic growth. To do so, we collect data on 107 primary commodity exporting countries in both developing and developed ones over the period 1976–2015. Our empirical approach is based on Solow growth model framework (Solow, R. M. (1956). The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70(1), 65) and consists of estimating a dynamic panel model using the two‐step system GMM estimator. Our results show evidence that commodity price booms are associated with good economic performances that are unfortunately wiped out by the negative effects of price volatility in developing commodity‐dependent countries (CDCs). The main channel through which this volatility affects economic growth turns out to be through factor productivity. Finally, we have formally established that the negative effect of price volatility in CDCs is mainly due to the poor quality of institutions in these countries. These results suggest that it is important for commodity‐exporting economies, especially developing CDCs, to work on building strong economic and political institutions to guard against the risk of commodity price volatility.

Implementation of Sharia Principles in Micro Waqf Bank Financing Products at Minhadlul'ulum Islamic Boarding School (Based on the National Sharia Board Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council Number 19 of 2001)

This study was to determine the practice of financing products at the Micro Waqf Bank of the Minhadlul ’Ulum Islamic Boarding School and to determine the suitability of Sharia applied at the Micro Waqf Bank of the Minhadlul ’Ulum Islamic Boarding School. This research uses a qualitative method by conducting research directly in the field through an empirical normative approach. Sources of research data were primary and secondary data. This is descriptive research with data collection techniques such as observation, interviews, and documentation. The results showed that the financing product at the Micro Waqf Bank of the Minhadlul’Ulum Islamic Boarding School, namely the Qardh contract, is by Sharia principles and is by the provisions of DSN-MUI Fatwa No.19/DSN-MUI/IV/2001 concerning qardh. This conformity is due to the financing of the Qardh contract with a profit-sharing margin fee equivalent to 3% per year as a consulting service. The cost of consulting services for operational costs, namely transportation to KUMPI, because the system is the party from the Micro Waqf Bank who comes directly to the customers to pay the loan installments. Keywords: Sharia principles, financing products, Micro Waqf Bank, Fatwa DSN-MUI

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Government Policy on MSMEs Through Empirical Data Analysis in Lampung

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the Indonesian economy, including in Lampung Province. Although the government has issued various policies to support the development of MSMEs, the effectiveness of these policies still needs to be evaluated in depth. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of government policies in supporting MSMEs in Lampung through empirical data analysis. The research uses an empirical data analysis approach to evaluate the effectiveness of MSME support policies in Lampung. The analytical method in this research uses literature study through collecting and analyzing secondary data in the form of journal articles, government documents, and other scientific articles about entrepreneurship and MSMEs sourced from libraries. It is hoped that the results of this research will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of government policies in supporting MSMEs in Lampung, as well as identifying supporting and inhibiting factors for policy success. This research found that government policy in supporting MSMEs in Lampung had a positive impact in encouraging the growth of the MSME sector in Lampung. However, there are still challenges that still need improvement, namely lack of socialization, and limited access for MSMEs in remote areas. Keywords: empirical analysis, government policy, MSMEs

Salvation, Enlightenment and Awakening in Shaping Followers' Perception and Understanding of Their Faith: A Linguistic Exploration

This paper examines how religious concepts of salvation, enlightenment, and awakening shape followers’ perception and understanding of their faith. Drawing on theories of language ideology (Woolard, 1998) and linguistic structuration (Giddens, 1979), it explores how linguistic and conceptual variations surrounding these key terms influence religious worldviews. A mixed methods approach integrates comparative-historical case studies, interviews, surveys, and textual analysis of three religious’ denominations. Findings reveal ideological divergences in the metaphorical framing of the key concepts, relating to differences in perceived resonances and definitions among followers. The study demonstrates that religious conceptual systems transmit between contexts via semiotic processes of indexicality and erasure, undergoing shifts in meaning. These ideological variations in turn contribute to divergent understandings of core principles across faith traditions. Ultimately, illuminating conceptual divergences and the symbolic processes by which they spread provides vital insight into religion’s cultural logic and diversity. The research contributes to theoretical models of religious language’s co-constitutive relationship with thought and experience. It offers an empirical approach employing cognitive linguistics and the sociology of religion to promote understanding across belief systems in an increasingly pluralistic world.

Empirically exploring the veracity of the new stakeholder perspective in strategy: Documenting workforce rents

AbstractResearch SummaryWithout compelling empirical proxies for economic profits, we may need to reconsider the decades of empirical research purporting to inform our theories of competitive advantage. The new stakeholder perspective suggests that stakeholders may capture significant shares of the firm's economic profits that should be incorporated into these proxies. In this article, we propose a novel empirical approach to measuring stakeholder rents and then apply our approach to measure workforce rents across the population of all Belgian firms employing workers from 2008 to 2016. Our results demonstrate substantial variance in workforce rents among firms, with some firms allowing most of the economic profits they generate to flow to the workforce. We discuss the implications of our findings in detail and lay out a pathway for future research.Managerial SummaryThis article examines the extent to which companies pay their workforces above (below) what the labor market demands as a way of exploring how much of the company's economic profits go to stakeholders other than shareholders. We demonstrate a wide range of over (under) payments to workforces in a large sample of Belgian firms from 2008 to 2016. One of the important contributions of our paper is developing a method to determine over (under) payments for the workforce, but our method can also be applied to other stakeholders. We hope our work provides an empirical approach for others to explore how stakeholders capture portions of the economic profits that companies create.