Nominal Process Research Articles

Competition or Collusion? How Presidents and the Senate Evade or Enforce Statutory Requirements for Ambassadorial Nominees

With each presidential transition and subsequent rush of presidential appointments, the long-running debate about presidential preferences and senatorial advice and consent becomes front-page news. The political science literature has long examined the nomination and confirmation process, especially for cabinet and judicial appointments, and a growing quantitative literature evaluates political and personal factors shaping that process. Yet we lack a systematic understanding of how ex ante statutory requirements, in addition to the ex post confirmation process, affect presidential choices and how senators might seek to enforce compliance with those requirements. Using a new dataset that combines ambassadorial nominee qualifications provided by the State Department to the Senate with nomination and confirmation data, this article provides an initial glimpse of the competing perspectives of presidents and senators on the bounds Congress can set for ambassadorial appointees’ characteristics. The evidence suggests that, instead of the interbranch competition set up by Article II’s checks on presidential appointments, collusion to maintain the status quo on ambassadorial appointments is less costly and more beneficial for both presidents and senators.

Branch-and-price approach for robust parallel machine scheduling with sequence-dependent setup times

This paper studies a machine scheduling problem that minimizes the worst-case total tardiness for unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setup and uncertain processing times. We propose a robust optimization reformulation of the related machine scheduling problem and discuss several important properties of the mathematical model and the reformulation approach. The proposed model generalizes robust parallel machine scheduling problems by including sequence-dependent setup times and ellipsoidal uncertainty sets. Another key contribution of the paper is to show that scheduling problems usually have alternative optimal solutions for the worst-case tardiness objective, whose performance under nominal processing times may vary or vice a versa. This issue has been addressed by studying the Pareto efficient extensions of the proposed robust optimization models to provide solutions that are immune to changes in processing times. A branch-and-price algorithm has been developed to solve realistically sized instances in less than one hour, which a commercial solver cannot achieve. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach since realistically sized instances such as (4 machines, 32 jobs) and (150 machines, 300 jobs) can be solved to optimality within the time limit, and the (average) objective function value improvement made by the robust approach can get as high as 56% compared with the (nominal) optimal solutions that ignore uncertainty in problem data.

The Procedure for Appointing the International Criminal Court Prosecutor

Abstract Every nine years a new prosecutor is elected at the International Criminal Court. To date, three Prosecutors have been appointed, including the March 2021 election of Karim Khan QC. The nomination and election process to the position has evolved over time but there is still room for improvement. The following comment highlights the last round of nomination and election and the major shortcoming of the process — the failure to conduct vetting for high moral character. It is important to state from the onset that this article is not about any of the prosecutorial candidates nor the prosecutor and confines itself to discussing why it is important for the Court to ensure rigorous, and fair appointment procedures for one of its most coveted and important posts.

Electing Judges and Prosecutors of the International Criminal Court: A Reappraisal of the Practice through the Lenses of Transparency and Legitimacy

This article – seizing the occasion of the election of six new judges and of the third Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Assembly of States Parties’ (ASP) 19th session of late 2020 and early 2021 – aims at reassessing the practice of States and of the ASP in the nomination and election of judges and prosecutors, reflecting on its impact on the (perception of) legitimacy of the Court. The article will analyze the trends and changes in this practice over the years in relation to the challenges faced by the Court, including the practical ones posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that have impacted on the last election. Moreover, it shall assess the effectiveness of reforms aimed at establishing a more transparent nomination and election process, which have only partially contributed to strengthening the perception of legitimacy of the institution and have left some States unsatisfied with the screening of candidates carried out by the advisory bodies established by the ASP and the Bureau. The article concludes with a few proposals to enhance the nomination and election process, mainly through non-invasive measures, in the belief that far-reaching reforms of the Statute are unlikely to be adopted in the near future, and that States’ interests and political considerations cannot (and probably should not) be entirely eschewed from the process.

Choosing Performance-Based Outcome Measures of Daily Living Skills and Socialization for Clinical Trials in Autistic Children.

Robust and psychometrically sound performance-based outcome measures are needed for clinical trials of occupational therapy interventions for children with autism. To demonstrate a systematic approach for choosing psychometrically sound performance-based outcome measures of daily living skills and socialization for use in clinical trials of occupational therapy interventions for children with autism. Rapid literature review to identify appropriate measures for studies with this population followed by quality indicator ratings and a nominal group process. University. Four experts in autism and pediatric outcome measurement. Outcomes and Measures: Twenty-one outcome measures of daily living skills and socialization were identified and reviewed. Seven measures met the inclusion criteria. The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills and the Evaluation of Social Interaction-Second Edition, received the highest ratings and group consensus. Several other measures were also scored highly. Careful assessment of psychometric properties is an important component of choosing outcome measures for a clinical trial, but burden of assessment and study objectives are important considerations. What This Article Adds: This project demonstrates use of a systematic process for choosing outcome measures for a planned clinical trial.

Establishing quality indicators for pre-hospital advanced airway management: a modified nominal group technique consensus process

BackgroundPre-hospital advanced airway management is a complex intervention composed of numerous steps, interactions, and variables that can be delivered to a high standard in the pre-hospital setting. Standard research methods have struggled to evaluate this complex intervention because of considerable heterogeneity in patients, providers, and techniques. In this study, we aimed to develop a set of quality indicators to evaluate pre-hospital advanced airway management. MethodsWe used a modified nominal group technique consensus process comprising three email rounds and a consensus meeting among a group of 16 international experts. The final set of quality indicators was assessed for usability according to the National Quality Forum Measure Evaluation Criteria. ResultsSeventy-seven possible quality indicators were identified through a narrative literature review with a further 49 proposed by panel experts. A final set of 17 final quality indicators composed of three structure-, nine process-, and five outcome-related indicators, was identified through the consensus process. The quality indicators cover all steps of pre-hospital advanced airway management from preoxygenation and use of rapid sequence induction to the ventilatory state of the patient at hospital delivery, prior intubation experience of provider, success rates and complications. ConclusionsWe identified a set of quality indicators for pre-hospital advanced airway management that represent a practical tool to measure, report, analyse, and monitor quality and performance of this complex intervention.

The Partisanship of Protestant Clergy in the 2016 Presidential Election

AbstractGiven their strategic position within American society, clergy continue to remain important actors in American politics. This article examines the partisan identifications and electoral behavior of American Protestant clergy in the 2016 presidential election. Although clergy partisanship may be of interest in any election, the 2016 contest, given the milieu of political polarization and the presence of the Trump candidacy, provides an intriguing context for assessing the profession's electoral behavior, particularly among Republican clergy. Based on survey results from over 2,500 clergy drawn from ten Protestant (five mainline and five evangelical) denominations, the study finds that, during the early stages of the 2016 nomination process, only a small percentage of Republican clergy supported Trump and that, despite the high level of political polarization, a sizable segment of Republican clergy resisted partisan pressures and refused to vote for Trump in the general election. The propensity of both independent and Republican clergy to vote for the GOP nominee varied largely with the level of perceived “threats”: to the Christian heritage of the nation, from Islam, and from the process of “globalization.”

MADURESE DEVERBAL NOMINALIZATION PROCESS

Nominalizations can be structured by adding affixes before or after root to create new words in language. Madurese has several language aspects that have not been widely explored. Previous linguistic studies on Madurese mostly focused on morphological aspects such as Madurese affixation in general. Therefore, this research discusses Madurese Deverbal Nominalization Process (Noun Derived from Verb). The goals of this research are to identify what types of affixes which form deverbal nouns in Madurese and to know how the affixation process that forms the deverbal nouns in Madurese. For example: pa-mandi-an, the root is mandi (take a shower) after it attachés to confix (pa- -an) the word class category changes to noun pa-mandi-an, that is a bath room. This research is a descriptive qualitative research, and the data were collected from a Madurese short story entitled Tora (satengkes carpan Madura), which was written by Jamal D. Rahma (2017). The findings are presented descriptively by identifying the process of the derivational forming nouns. The results of this research shows that prefixes, suffixes, confixes and infixes are contributed to create new lexemes in Madurese.

A Rigged Game? How Candidate, Partisan, and Electoral Factors Shape Elite Support for the Party Nomination Process

The 2016 presidential nominations revealed deep, yet distinct, divisions within each major party. These divisions persisted and permeated the general election campaign and were reflected in voters’ dissatisfaction with the candidates. Movements such as the “Bernie or Bust” supporters and the “Never-Trumpers” indicated that vocal portions of the parties were dissatisfied with the party nominees or the processes that selected those candidates. There were also indications that many party elites were not pleased with the nomination processes or the outcome; yet, we lack a comprehensive understanding of the extent to which party elites support the nomination process and their party’s nominee and what explains this support. By combining the 2016 Convention Delegate Study and an original dataset of the nomination electoral rules utilized by the states, we assess how candidate, partisan, and electoral factors shape delegate support for the nomination process and nominee. Our analysis reveals that candidate and party-centric explanations better explain delegate views toward the nomination process and nominee than factors related to the electoral context.

Throughput and Material Utilization by Glass Wafer Laser Dicing

Abstract Laser-based dicing of glass wafers for up to 300 mm diameter provides a high quality as well as a high throughput solution for dicing of glass-based products. This technology can be applied to glass wafers for Microfluidic, ME(O)MS and other semiconductor applications as for sensor cover glasses. Based on a die per wafer calculation and nominal processing speeds for laser and breaking technologies, a wafer per hour performance for small dies can be calculated. e.g. for a 3 mm square die design on a 300 mm diameter wafers, a dicing takt of ~10 wafers per hours can be expected. Exemplary investigations of a Corning® HPFS® Fused Silica (HPFS) glass wafer demonstrate the exceptional performance for chipping and edge quality and provide a quality, where the chipping performance is better than 50 μm with very precise edges and die corners.

Development of an intervention to manage knee osteoarthritis risk and symptoms following anterior cruciate ligament injury

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a risk factor for developing knee osteoarthritis (OA). We developed an intervention to support people manage risk factors for OA. We conducted one-on-one interviews with 20 individuals with OA symptoms 6-15 years post ACL injury and used a nominal group process during a workshop with 40 patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to elicit information on the intervention content and delivery characteristics (timing, HCPs, and methods). Interview data were analyzed using content analysis. Nominal group ideas with importance ratings ≥5 of 7 met criteria for inclusion. Results were integrated, considering similarities and differences. Eight content categories were identified: 1. understanding knee injury and expectations about recovery; 2. understanding OA risk; 3. understanding OA signs and symptoms; 4. managing OA risk; 5. managing knee OA symptoms; 6. information for influencers; 7. credible sources; and, 8. updates on new evidence and treatments. Delivery timing reflected a lifespan approach from time of injury through symptomatic knee OA management. Although multiple media for delivery were identified, introductory face-to-face discussions and opportunity for re-accessing HCPs were critical. All HCPs who treat people with ACL should be familiar with and able to deliver the intervention. This co-development approach identified that an intervention to support people with ACL injury to limit and manage knee OA requires content embedded within an easily accessible, multi-media delivery model with capacity for check-back with HCPs that is appealing to different age groups and personal preferences over the lifespan post injury.

What is the accuracy of the surgical guide in the planning of orthognathic surgeries? A systematic review.

Background To investigate the true accuracy of the surgical guide in the planning of orthognathic surgeries, which are performed worldwide.Material and Methods A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed database, Web of science, Scopus and Embase, covering August 2020 to January 2021. Studies that included patients with dentofacial deformity including anteroposterior, vertical and asymmetry problems who were undergoing an orthognathic surgery procedure were included; QUADAS-2 was used to determine the risk of bias by analyzing the quality of the studies. A PRISMA (flowchart) was created to show the study selection, keywords, nomination processes, and inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results Eleven studies were selected for qualitative and quantitative synthesis. All studies evaluated described high precision of the surgical guide, where the lowest error values were represented by the CAD/CAM technique.Conclusions The planning and printing errors related to the guide were all less than 2 mm, and the absolute averages of the errors related to virtual planning in the analysis of the different plans were less than 1 mm. Finally, the measurement of the ANB angle obtained equivalent results between the virtual planning and the traditional. Key words:Orthognathic surgery, splints, data accuracy, 3-D printing.

Phonological restrictions on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands: evidence from corpus and elicited data

Abstract This study focuses on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT). The aim is to offer a comprehensive description of nominal pluralization processes in the language, based on both corpus data and elicited data, taking into account potential phonological restrictions. The results reveal that NGT nouns can undergo several pluralization processes, the main ones being simple reduplication (i.e., repeating the noun sign at one location) and sideward reduplication (i.e., repeating the noun sign while moving the hand sideward). The choice of pluralization process depends on phonological properties of the base noun: (i) nouns that are body-anchored or involve a complex movement undergo simple reduplication; (ii) nouns articulated at the lateral side of the signing space undergo sideward reduplication; (iii) nouns articulated on the midsagittal plane can undergo both simple and sideward reduplication. Strikingly, the data show considerable variation, and all types of nouns can be zero-marked, that is, plural marking on the noun is not obligatory. The results further suggest that all nouns can undergo at least one type of reduplication. Thus, while phonological properties of the base noun influence the type of reduplication, they do not block reduplication altogether. Plural reduplication in NGT is therefore less constrained than has been reported for other sign languages, where certain noun types cannot undergo reduplication. This shows that reduplication – despite being iconically motivated – is subject to language-specific grammatical constraints.

Phonological restrictions on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands: evidence from corpus and elicited data

Abstract This study focuses on nominal pluralization in Sign Language of the Netherlands (NGT). The aim is to offer a comprehensive description of nominal pluralization processes in the language, based on both corpus data and elicited data, taking into account potential phonological restrictions. The results reveal that NGT nouns can undergo several pluralization processes, the main ones being simple reduplication (i.e., repeating the noun sign at one location) and sideward reduplication (i.e., repeating the noun sign while moving the hand sideward). The choice of pluralization process depends on phonological properties of the base noun: (i) nouns that are body-anchored or involve a complex movement undergo simple reduplication; (ii) nouns articulated at the lateral side of the signing space undergo sideward reduplication; (iii) nouns articulated on the midsagittal plane can undergo both simple and sideward reduplication. Strikingly, the data show considerable variation, and all types of nouns can be zero-marked, that is, plural marking on the noun is not obligatory. The results further suggest that all nouns can undergo at least one type of reduplication. Thus, while phonological properties of the base noun influence the type of reduplication, they do not block reduplication altogether. Plural reduplication in NGT is therefore less constrained than has been reported for other sign languages, where certain noun types cannot undergo reduplication. This shows that reduplication – despite being iconically motivated – is subject to language-specific grammatical constraints.

Метафорична термінологія на позначення гомеопатичної сировини: зіставний і перекладацький аспект (на матеріалі української і англійської мов)

The article deals with the problem of multilevel - cognitive-conceptual, translation and comparative analysis of the Ukrainian and English metaphorical nominations-composites designating the homeopathic raw materials. The scientific novelty of the study is due to its attempt to combine established models of translation analysis with modern methods of cognitive-conceptual analysis. The relevance of the study relies on the lack of linguistic investigations to substantiate the principles of compiling translated (bilingual and multilingual) dictionaries of metaphorical terminology. The purpose of the article is to develop an integrative model of comparative and translation analysis of composite terms with a metaphorical component. To achieve this goal, the article uses a number of methods of analysis: model of translation analysis, based on a reference set of features specific to the terminological elements of the Ukrainian and English languages, in combination with elements of semantic and denotative models; methods of conceptual integration and cognitive-onomasiological reconstruction, which specify the onomasiological structure of the metaphorical term by the structure of knowledge about its signified. The results of the study indicate a significant discrepancy between interlingual metaphorical composites-synonyms, identified in their conceptual, denotative and semantic facets. Isomorphism is manifested only at the level of the Referent-Domain (associated with a living being), the denotatum-subdomain (body part) and the implied seme "comparability", which determines the process of metaphorical nomination. In view of this, it is expedient when composing translation dictionaries of the metaphorically-based homeopathic terminology combine the principles of compiling a terminological, translation and explanatory dictionaries with elements of an encyclopedic dictionary. A similar integrative principle should, in our opinion, form the basis of any other translation dictionary of metaphorical terms.

Developing an immersive virtual reality medication administration scenario using the nominal group technique

AimThis paper aims to describe how the Nominal Group Technique was applied to obtain focused content to develop medication administration error scenarios for future use to educate practicing RNs with immersive virtual reality simulation. BackgroundIn the United States, medication errors account for up to $46 million in daily loss to hospital operational budgets. Each phase of prescribing, dispensing, administration, monitoring, and reconciliation is crucial in reducing potentially life-threatening outcomes associated with medication errors. Registered Nurses are responsible for safely administering diverse classifications of medications to patients in various healthcare settings. However, human and system factors can contribute to the exposure of hospitalized patients to a medication error. Virtual reality simulation-based education can be a methodology to educate practicing Registered Nurses on safe medication practices. DesignA Nominal Group Technique process was used to generate consensus from participating Registered Nurses on human and system factors that can contribute to medication administration errors. MethodsThe process consisted of (a) preparation, (b) running the group with an introduction of the subject, (c) generation of ideas, (d) listing of ideas, (e) discussion of ideas, (f) ranking of top ideas, (g) voting on top ideas, (h) discussion of the vote outcome, and (i) re-ranking and rating the top items. Human and system factor idea items encompassed medication errors during ordering, prescribing, or administering medications. Both novice and experienced Registered Nurses rank-ordered these factors as those most likely to encounter or which would most likely occur during one working shift. ResultsDescriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the findings when grouped by human and system factor categories. Non-parametric testing with a Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted to compare the human and system factors by categories and years of Registered Nurse experience. Findings revealed that the factors of Time Management: getting behind, hurried, urgent (KW-H 11.2, df 4, p = .025) and Right Medication: medications have similar look and sound-alike names (KW-H 11.1, df 4, p = .025) impacted safe medication administration for both the novice and experienced nurse. ConclusionThe NGT process identified human and system factors contributing to errors and impacting safe medication administration practices. Findings will support the creation of medication administration scenarios for use with immersive virtual reality simulation.

News, Events, Publications, and Awards

News, Events, Publications, and Awards

Development and Validation of a New Scale to Assess Attitudes and Perspectives Toward Persons With Disabilities.

Objective To develop and validate a scale to assess people’s attitudes and perspectives toward persons with disabilities.MethodsThe three-stage development of the scale included a preliminary version drafted from the literature review and a nominal group process. Thereafter, the draft was examined further and revised through two rounds of Delphi survey by 16 disability experts. Lastly, the psychometric properties of the scale were assessed through an online survey of 1,359 employees at three university hospitals.ResultsA 32-item scale, defined after two Delphi surveys, was refined into 14 items with four subcategories: community integration, discomfort, charitability, and sense of burdening. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.839 and domain reliability from 0.638 to 0.845. Recent education on disabilities yielded more positive attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Meaningful acquaintances with disabilities yielded more positive attitudes toward persons with disabilities.ConclusionThis newly developed scale that measures attitudes toward persons with disability is reliable and valid. A future use of the scale could be to measure attitudinal improvements toward persons with disabilities after awareness education.

Das Logische Modell als Grundlage für ein strukturiertes Konzept der Evaluation und Qualitätssicherung der Kompetenzzentren Weiterbildung Allgemeinmedizin

BackgroundThe Competence Centers for Postgraduate Medical Education (KW) established throughout Germany represent complex programs to increase the efficiency and quality of postgraduate medical education in general practice. So-called Logic Models serve as the framework for evaluations and quality management processes of complex programs in many areas. The aim of this article is to develop such a model, using the example of the Competence Center in Baden-Württemberg (KWBW) in order to structure its complex program logic and use it as a framework for future evaluations and quality management processes. MethodsThe adaptation of the Logic Model to the KWBW took place in an informal, nominal group process with employees and participants of the program. ResultsWe identified 76 core elements of the KWBW. These core elements were classified in one of the five pillars of the Logic Model (input, activity, output, outcome and impact) and categorized according to fields of action and target groups. DiscussionThe Logic Model, which was developed using the KWBW as an example, identifies and structures important core elements of a complex postgraduate medical training program for the first time. It seems to be well suited for visualizing the internal logic of this complex program and the interaction of the various elements within the KWBW. It can thus be used as the basis for a comprehensive and systematic evaluation concept and for quality assurance. ConclusionThe model is also a prerequisite for comparative research questions of other university programs for postgraduate medical education and thus offers an opportunity for cooperative development efforts. This article therefore contributes to promoting quality in continuing medical training.

Defining Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Results From an International Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Study Group Consensus Process

Defining Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Results From an International Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Study Group Consensus Process