Local Peer Research Articles

Delay Insertion Based P2PTV Traffic Localization Considering Peer's Relaying Capability

Recently, P2PTV is a popular application to deliver video streaming data over Internet network. On the overlay network, P2PTV applications create the logical links between pairs of peers considering round trip time (RTT) without physical network consideration. P2PTV packets are shared over a network without localization awareness which is the serious problem for Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The delay-insertion-based traffic localization scheme was proposed for solving this problem. However, this scheme sometimes leads the newly joining peer to download streaming traffic from a local neighbor peer which has only scarce upload bandwidth. This paper proposes a novel scheme of delay-insertion-based traffic localization in which the router estimates relay capability to each relay peer candidate and leads the newly joining peer to connect to a neighbor peer with sufficient performance for relaying video data. Parameters were evaluated for the optimized condition in the relay capability estimation process. In addition, experiments conducted on a real network show that our proposed scheme can lead the newly joining peer to avoid downloading video data from insufficient relay capability peers and maintain video quality close to normal P2PTV system while efficient traffic localization in level of Autonomous System (AS) network.

CFO Country of Origin and Accounting Quality. A Cross-Country Investigation

Prior research has analyzed accounting quality around the world only working on institutional differences mainly at country level. Little research has been devoted to top management cultural values (here defined as CFO’s country of origin), which has turned out to be able to generate unique results on firms’ outcomes. In this work, building a unique hand collected dataset based on 954 unique CFOs across Europe and 4,478 firm-year observations I investigate the effect of CFO country of origin on accounting quality in the European Union. My findings show first, as a validity test, that there is a CFO fixed effect on accounting quality also in a cross-country setting (i.e. outside the US). Then, I show that in the EU foreign CFOs are able to foster accounting quality relative to local peers. Moreover, working on economies clusters I find that CFOs working in insider economies, but born elsewhere (outside this area) are able to marginally improve accounting quality for the firm they work with. On the contrary, this does not apply if a CFO born in an insider economy works outside his area of birth. Finally, working on CFO turnover, I find that overall CFO changes have an effect on accruals quality level. Nonetheless, cross-sectional tests reveal that such changes are significant when CFO turnover happens from CFO born in a low (high) IP country to a CFO born in a high (low) IP country, where accounting quality improves (worsens).

Investigating the use of appropriation in the writing of a child with autism: A case study

This case study investigated how a 10year old child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), Kameron (pseudonym), utilized appropriation as a writing strategy in the context of group therapy. Using the same questions as Lensmire and Beals (1994) in their study of a typically developing third-grader, written products were collected over the course of one semester and analyzed, along with video, audio, and participant observation data, to consider the following questions: 1) Where did the material come from? 2) What was taken? and 3) How was it used? Analysis of the process of Kameron’s writing revealed utilization of appropriation as a strategy for 2 of the 4 written products. Material was appropriated from both adult authored texts performed via read alouds and from topics and values located in the local peer culture. Kameron’s appropriation of shared experiences provided substance to initiate and engage in a shared peer culture. Increased engagement in the writing process and fewer off task behaviors were noted when appropriations were evidenced compared to the writing pieces where no appropriation occurred. The results demonstrate the powerful implications of both a process oriented and strength-based approach to writing and greater social awareness than expected in children with ASD.

Place-Based Picture Books as an Adult Learning Tool: Supporting Agricultural Learning in Papua New Guinea

This article describes the rationale, development, and outcomes of two place-based, dual-language picture books with agricultural messages for women farmers and their families in Papua New Guinea. The purpose of the books was to disseminate better agricultural and livelihood practices to women farmers with low literacy. The books were designed and illustrated in collaboration with women farmers from two provinces. Evaluation data were collected through focus groups with local peer educators (village community educators [VCEs]). The VCEs reported changes in family practices related to marketing, budgeting, and saving that reflected messages in the books. The books helped the VCEs who had received livelihood and agricultural training to recall and implement the training in addition to sharing their knowledge. Farmers with low literacy were able to access the messages through the illustrations. Such place-based picture books are a powerful medium for low literacy women farmers and their families to learn about and reinforce positive livelihood and agricultural practices.

The Long-Term Follow-up and Support for Living Organ Donors: A Center-Based Initiative Founded on Developing a Community of Living Donors.

Transplant professionals recognize that the long-term follow-up of living organ donors is a priority, yet there has been no implemented solution to this problem. This critical gap is essential, because the transplant field is now emphasizing living donation as a means to address the organ shortage. We detail our living donor initiative, which sets several priorities we recognize as fundamental to persons who have donated organs at our transplant center. This intervention attempts to mitigate the donor and center factors that are known to contribute to the lack of long-term follow-up. Beyond that, our goals are aimed at providing ongoing engagement, wellness, clinical data accrual, laboratory follow-up, and social support for our living donors, in continuity. Our ultimate goal is to nurture the development of local living donor community networks by providing social engagement for current and past donors, which also serves as a platform for greater population education on the societal importance of living donation. This initiative is based on joint recognition by our transplant team and our hospital leadership that supporting the long-term welfare of living donors is essential to accomplishing the goal of expanding living donor transplantation. The transplant team and hospital missions are aligned, and both contribute resources to the initiative.

Insights into the agency, positioning and development of professional Finnish language skills of international nursing students

This article focuses on international students studying in an English-mediated nursing degree program in Finland. From sociocognitive and ecological perspectives, this study examines the development of the students’ professional Finnish language skills and agency during their practical training. In addition, this article explores how students are positioned as capable workers. To shed light on the students’ professional language skills, agency, and positionings, interviews with vocational teachers, head nurses, and two international nursing students are examined using narrative analysis. The findings suggest that due to their lack of Finnish language skills, international students are positioned differently than their local peers. Hence, they are given fewer responsibilities and fewer opportunities to perform work tasks independently. Although international students are expected to know the language needed before they start work as a nurse, neither the educational institution nor workplaces are willing to take responsibility for language skills training. Therefore, language learning seems to be students’ own responsibility. Consequently, international students may be set in unequal positions regarding their access to the labor market in Finland. Nonetheless, during their practical training, the students are positioned as active agents and scaffolded in many ways so that they can potentially exercise their agency and promote their professional language skills more independently. In this study, it was found that positionings are interconnected with the development of agency and professional Finnish language skills.

“Being brave”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of an innovative peer review approach to identifying and addressing the causes of inappropriate admissions from hospital to nursing homes in South Gloucestershire (SG). It explains the methodology that was developed, the findings of the peer review process and reflects on the effectiveness of the process. Design/methodology/approach – The peer review consisted of two stages. The first stage involved a panel of local stakeholders carrying out an audit of a random selection of cases where people had been assessed as needing permanent nursing or residential care. From this four cases of inappropriate admissions were identified. Stage two involved an externally facilitated process with two peer challenge panels; one of local stakeholders and the other external experts. The two panels analysed the cases of inappropriate admissions, identified the system causes and suggested actions to tackle the issues which were fed back to an audience of local stakeholders. Findings – The combination of case audit and peer review was successful in providing robust challenge to the processes in SG by identifying shortcomings in the system and suggesting actions to improve outcomes. Research limitations/implications – The approach was taken in one Council area and therefore may not be replicable in another area. Practical implications – The case study suggests that a peer review approach using both local and external peers, including providers, is an effective way to identify weaknesses in the health and social care processes. The insights offered by external peers and providers is helpful for councils in identifying where to focus resources and suggests that other areas should consider proactive adaptations to the peer review methodology that is offered as part of the LGA’s programme of sector-led improvement. Social implications – The case study suggests that a peer review approach could have a positive impact on the quality of care and quality of life for older people who are admitted to hospital. Originality/value – The case study offers an innovative and original use of the peer review approach in social care that can be shared with other councils and partners. The Southwest Improvement Board have identified it as of particular interest to other areas seeking to work with partners to identify and implement positive change.

Construire le street workout , faire le genre : snapshots ethnographiques sur le bricolage identitaire engagé par les pratiquant-e-s de « fitness des rues »

Dans cet article, je m’intéresse au travail de mobilisation de différentes logiques et catégories par les adeptes de street workout , une nouvelle forme d’activité sportive urbaine, pour rationaliser leur pratique, la mettre en récit et la promouvoir. J’entreprends cet examen en m’intéressant plus particulièrement (1) au genre, que je conceptualise comme une forme de travail, engagé de manière routinière et mobilisant un ensemble de ressources (logiques, représentations et catégories) préexistantes, et dont le résultat participe à la consolidation ou à la transformation de ces dernières ; et (2) aux modalités de son entremêlement dans un bricolage identitaire plus large, participant de la mobilisation conjointe de différents registres d’identification et de classification, comme l’ethnicité, le milieu, la territorialité et les groupes de pratiquants à différentes échelles (communauté imaginée de pratiquant-e-s à échelle globale, groupes de pairs locaux). Dans un premier temps, je propose une contextualisation historique du street workout, avec une attention particulière portée aux usages, aux trajectoires et aux effets de différentes catégories et des registres d’identification et de classification auxquels elles renvoient. Dans un second temps, je poursuis cette analyse en m’intéressant plus spécifiquement aux discours tenus par les adeptes de street workout pour promouvoir leur activité sportive et qui, pour des raisons que j’explique, constituent souvent le terreau sur lequel vient s’articuler plus directement la mise en récit du genre. Je montre ainsi que ces discours participent souvent d’un encouragement actif à la participation des femmes au street workout, et plus largement d’une posture pouvant être qualifiée, dans une certaine mesure, de (pro-)féministe. Je m’intéresse ensuite aux stratégies déployées pour tenter de pallier le décalage entre cette logique d’encouragement de la pratique des femmes et le fait que la discipline demeure néanmoins pratiquée majoritairement par des hommes. Je m’intéresse enfin aux arguments mobilisés par les pratiquant-e-s pour expliquer la persistance de ce décalage, et montre que ceux-ci laissent transparaître une forme de mise à l’épreuve de la posture (pro-)féministe par des logiques et des représentations qui les précèdent, et notamment certains stéréotypes de genre.

Building Resilient Finance? Uncertainty, complexity, and resistance

Research Highlights and Abstract The article develops a critical analysis of the politics of financial resilience as an increasingly prevalent discourse of economic policy and practice. Against existing critiques of resilience which focus on the neoliberal rationalities and subjectivities that it (apparently) perpetuates, we argue that resilience per se does not—of necessity—infer any particular form of governance or subjectivity. Instead, resilience can be thought of as a sphere of political engagement. An emphasis on system, structure, and the relations between actors over time gives financial resilience a productive ambiguity: neither structure nor subject is ever fully defined and thus remains open. To this end, we engage the Bank of England’s recent turn to complexity modeling and its correlative, somewhat metaphorical, ethos of ‘clear thinking’ in ‘complex times’. This idea of complexity foregrounds the ‘unknown’ through positing the unpredictability of system-wide events; however, ensuing attempts to ‘model complexity’ entail a closure, rendering uncertainty ‘known’ in particular (and limited) ways. Indeed, we identify a general disconnect between the radical rhetoric of resilience agendas that emphasize complexity and the relative banality of resulting policy advice: self-regulation, capital ratios, and so on. We then explore how a focus on the ‘unknown’ can also give financial resilience an open quality, emphasizing the role of imagination and the diversity of agency. Put simply, if financial governance must be imagined, then it can be imagined differently. We therefore examine a set of everyday attempts to use the openness of resilience/complexity, in order to imagine finance in more democratic or communitarian terms. In particular, market formations such as local banking, peer lending, and wider attempts to politicize financial regulation through documentaries like Bank of Dave play on the productive ambiguities of financial resilience in critical ways. Such agendas do not exhaust or solve the dilemmas identified, but do represent a creative set of attempts to engage the politics of finance in inclusive, participatory, and reciprocal terms.

Did Cheaper Flights Change the Direction of Science?

We test how a reduction in travel cost affects the rate and direction of scientific research. Using a fine-grained, scientist-level dataset within chemistry (1991-2012), we find that after Southwest Airlines enters a new route, scientific collaboration increases by 50%, an effect that is magnified when weighting output by quality. The benefits from the lower fares, however, are not uniform across scientist types: younger scientists and scientists that are more productive than their local peers respond the most. Thus, cheaper flights, by reducing frictions otherwise induced by geography and allowing for additional face-to-face interactions, seem to enable better matches over distance.

"R&D investment, efficiency and shareholder value creation of foreign subsidiaries in the UK"

Using a large-scale panel dataset covering the period 2002-2010, we test whether foreign subsidiaries differ from local peers concerning R&D investment, efficiency and shareholder value creation. T...

Did Cheaper Flights Change the Direction of Science?

We test how a reduction in travel cost affects the rate and direction of scientific research. Using a fine-grained, scientist-level dataset within chemistry (1991-2012), we find that after Southwest Airlines enters a new route, scientific collaboration increases by 50%, an effect that is magnified when weighting output by quality. The benefits from the lower fares, however, are not uniform across scientist types: younger scientists and scientists that are more productive than their local peers respond the most. Thus, cheaper flights, by reducing frictions otherwise induced by geography and allowing for additional face-to-face interactions, seem to enable better matches over distance.

Helping Families Make Difficult Choices: Creation and Implementation of a Decision Aid for Neuromuscular Scoliosis Surgery.

Decision aids serve to prepare families for a meaningful discussion with their physician during the shared decision-making (SDM) process. Although SDM processes have been used primarily in adult health care settings, we sought to develop a decision aid for use in pediatrics. The treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis was selected due to the complexity of decision making when surgery is considered. Our objective was to determine whether this tool would improve families' knowledge and satisfaction while decreasing decisional conflict. The decision aid was created using a multistep process to provide unbiased evidence-based information about the risks and benefits of the treatment options for neuromuscular scoliosis. The initial draft was written by an orthopaedic surgeon and then formatted by a multidisciplinary group to meet international decision aid standards. The document underwent local, national, and international peer review before prospective implementation by 4 orthopaedic surgeons at a single institution. The decision aid was evaluated and revised for further use. Eleven children, mean age 12 years (range, 8 to 17 y), were included in the study. Nine of the 11 families opted for surgery. The mean scores on the knowledge test increased from 3.0 (range, 2 to 5) to 4.0 (range, 3 to 5) of a possible 5 points (P=0.067). The mean item score on the SDM satisfaction scale was 3.8 (range, 3.5 to 4.0). The mean score on the SURE test for decisional conflict was 3.7 (range, 3 to 4) of a maximum score of 4. The mean total score on the clinician SDM satisfaction scale was 22.5 (range, 17 to 25). The decision aid created for this complex decision resulted in improvements in knowledge gain, satisfaction, and decisional conflict while gaining acceptance of the physicians who utilized it. Consideration should be given to developing additional decision aids within professional societies to maximize efficiency and consensus.

Peer Effects and Academics’ Industry Involvement: The Moderating Role of Age on Professional Imprinting

This study explores the interaction between professional imprinting and age in the context of industry-science collaboration. Specifically, we examine the impact of localized and personal peer effects on academics’ involvement with industry and how these effects are moderated by the career age of the scientist. We suggest that both localized and personal peer effects drive industry involvement but that the effects from such imprinting are more pronounced for younger researchers, suggesting that professional imprinting takes place in the early stages of a scientist’s academic career. Based on a sample of 330 German academics in the field of biotechnology and publication data from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), we find that scientists with industry-oriented co-authors are more likely to be involved with industry (personal peer effect). Moreover, we find that the scientist’s involvement increases with the orientation of the scientist’s department towards industry (localized peer effect). Only the latter effect turns out to be moderated by scientist’s age. While personal peer effects are independent of the scientist’s age, localized peer effects emerge for younger researchers.

Human capital, political capital, and off-farm occupational choices in rural China

This paper estimates the determinants of off-farm occupational choices by rural people from six counties in Shaanxi Province, with particular emphases on the comparisons between migrants and local off-farm workers. The results indicate that the positive influences of human capital on people's engagement in managerial jobs, skilled jobs and self-employment are greater for migrants than for their local peers. Political capital increases the access for local off-farm workers to white-collar jobs and self-employment, but this impact is reduced when it comes to migrants' choices. Counterfactual comparisons reveal that migrants, had they stayed locally, would be more likely to engage in occupations with high human capital requirements, and less likely to conduct self-employed business. Overall, human capital nearly plays its full role in the migration destination's labor market, while political capital remains effective in the local labor market.

The Social Geography of Education: Neighborhood, Class Composition, and the Educational Achievement of Elementary School Students in Zurich, Switzerland

Summary Despite an impressive amount of research and policy intervention no robust pattern of neighborhood effects on educational attainment has previously been identified. Adequate theoretical modeling and the sensitivity of the results to the method of the study are the major challenges in this area of research. This paper elaborates the social mechanisms of neighborhood effects and applies various methodological approaches to test them. Using data from Switzerland, the research reported here has detected heterogeneous effects of neighborhood on elementary school students’ educational achievement in Zurich. Although modest in comparison with the effects of classroom composition, these effects appear to be mediated primarily through social integration into a local peer network and are differentiated according to students’ gender and their social origin.

The mental health of children of migrant workers in Beijing: the protective role of public school attendance.

The present study aims to understand the mental health status of an understudied group of migrant children - children of migrant workers in China. A total of 1,466 children from Beijing participated in the study that compared migrant children (n=1,019) to their local peers (n=447) in public and private school settings. Results showed that overall, migrant children reported more internalizing and externalizing mental health problems and lower life satisfaction than local peers. However, public school attendance served as a protective factor for migrant children's mental health. The mental health status of migrant children attending public schools, including externalizing problems as well as friend and school satisfaction, was not different from local children. In addition, our data indicates that the protective effect of public school attendance for migrant children may be even more salient among girls than boys, and for younger children than older children.

Review of the Umthombo Youth Development Foundation scholarship scheme, 1999-2013.

IntroductionStaffing of rural and remote facilities is a challenge throughout the world. Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) has been running a rurally based scholarship scheme since 1999. The aim of this review is to present data on the number of students selected, their progress, graduation and work placement from inception of the scheme until 2013.MethodsData were extracted from the UYDF data base using a data collection template to ensure all important information was captured.ResultsSince 1999, 430 rural students across 15 health disciplines have been supported by UYDF. The annual pass rate has been greater than 89%, and less than 10% of students have been excluded from university. All graduates have spent time working in rural areas (excluding the 32 currently doing internships) and 72% (52/73) of those with no work-back obligation continue to work in rural areas.Discussion and conclusionThe UYDF model is built around local selection, compulsory academic and peer mentoring and social support, comprehensive financial support and experiential holiday work. The results are encouraging and highlight the fact that rural students can succeed at university and will come back and work in rural areas. With 46% of the South African population situated rurally, greater thought and effort must be put into the recruitment and training of rural scholars as a possible solution to the staffing of rural healthcare facilities. The UYDF provides a model which could be replicated in other parts of South Africa.

Design for the Emergency Command Information System Architecture of Ocean Oil Spill

On the basis of defining the Ocean Oil Spill Information Services and in order to improve the efficiency of disposal and command of more frequent ocean oil spill accidents, the SOA (service oriented architecture) and P2P (peer-to-peer) are utilized to design the physical framework and functional framework of the emergency ocean oil spill command information systems. The goal in this is to study the composition and structure of each framework. The emergency command information system of ocean oil spill is built on C4ISR (command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) architectural framework that is composed of command view, system view, and technology view. The physical framework of the command information system architecture is characterized by a multi-layer structure. The node is divided into LSP (local service peer), GSP (group service peer) and CSP (common service peer). Each system and software set can be encapsulated as part of the Ocean Oil Spill Information Services, with each service being capable of serving as a local service node. Furthermore, each local service node participates within a peer group. According to the service purpose and granularity, the functional framework is divided into physical resource layer, data layer, support service layer, application layer. Data layer mainly includes communication protocol, message format, data type, and various database, etc. Support service layer includes storage management service, information distribution service, service management, human-computer interactive service, resource sharing service and information security service, etc. Application layer includes situation generating service, emergency plan service, emergency command service, emergency assessment service, communication support service, navigation and positioning service, etc. We draw conclusions that the information system architecture proposed in the paper has more prominent reliability and flexibility through contrastive analysis of similar information system architecture, and lay foundations for research intoocean oil spill service-oriented command information systems.

Global learning partnerships in the Café: peer feedback as a formative assessment tool for animation students

This paper reports on a global learning partnership using the Café: the collaborative application for education as an e-learning environment within the Facebook framework, for first-year animation students at the University of South Australia (USA) in Australia and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. “The Café” has been designed based on five principles of user interface design – visibility, usability, relevance, accessibility, and interactivity – and aims to provide institutions with an established, structured, and dedicated e-learning environment that meets the needs of modern-day tertiary students and teaching staff. From July to November in 2013, 71 students participated within the e-learning environment. Students submitted work-in-progress imagery related to major assignments, and provided feedback and critiques to their local and global peers. A post-semester survey provided students with the opportunity to critically reflect on the learning experience. The results are discussed in light of the use of peer feedback as a formative assessment tool.