Simple Cause-effect Relationship Research Articles

Narration of Financial Crisis in Turkish Media

Türkiye has been struggling with a serious financial crisis which led to the Turkish currency(TRY) losing about 30% of its value against the US dollar, the rising of inflation, and borrowing costs since the first quarter of 2018. The public understanding of these developments concerning a large number of people who are apart from the terms of economics, comes from a variety of narratives that involve simple cause-effect relationships. These narratives are mostly constructed and circulated by mass media by using various frames. The frames chosen by the media to portray the crisis affect the public’s perception and attitude. In the scope of these problems, this paper aims to reveal and analyze the dominant media narratives about the currency crisis of 2018 in TÜrkiye. For this aim, two opposite-wing newspapers’ websites, Sabah and Sözcü, are chosen and their news about the currency crisis from two different weeks are analyzed. Thematic content analysis and narrative analysis are used to reveal the dominant frames and interpret them. According to the results of the research, both newspapers construct narratives that focus on behaviors that do not bring structural criticism to the neo-liberal global order. However, the focus of the two newspapers as responsible for the crisis and the solution narratives they offer are different from each other.

A FRAM-based Case Study on Leakage Accidents in Cathode Material Manufacturing Process

In this study, the interrelationships among accident prevention functions targeting leakage accidents in cathode material manufacturing process were analyzed using the FRAM (Functional Resonance Analysis Method) method. 17 system functions of accident prevention were derived from the target accidents. Each function was connected and developed into six aspects such as input, output, prerequisites, resources, control, and time. And, the causes of leakage accidents in complex interactions were analyzed in detail. Results showed that the complex interaction and ripple effects of functional variability were analyzed as the cause of the accident unlike the existing root cause analysis (RCA) that deals with simple cause-effect relationships. Specific response plans were derived, including systematic management of operation plans, continuous monitoring of facilities, and strengthening of worker training and information sharing mechanisms. The FRAM method confirmed that it can serve as an effective tool for accident prevention in considered new chemical processes. It is expected to be used as an important tool that can significantly reduce human casualties, property damage, and environmental accidents in the cathode active material manufacturing process.

Gardens as Science Learning Contexts Across Educational Stages: Learning Assessment Based on Students' Graphic Representations.

The educational use of daily-life contexts is considered a valuable strategy to promote meaningful science learning, since it facilitates the establishment of connections between previous knowledge, personal interests, and new learning. The aim of this work is to provide evidence to support the presence of gardens at educational centers, by assessing key science topics whose learning is promoted at the pre-school, primary, secondary, and university stages. To this end, we analyzed the paired graphic representations of “a garden” that students drew both before and after their participation in a garden-based learning program. Firstly, we obtained the frequency of appearance of every represented element, and afterward characterized the level of change between paired graphic representations. Sample size was of 24–19–25–29 pairs per stage, respectively. Across all stages, an overall improvement in students’ graphic expression was observed, which can be attributed to their experience in the space. At the pre-school stage, the garden favored the establishment of some simple cause-effect relationships which were consolidated at the primary stage, and provided a climate of motivation and affectivity that was evident in the final drawings, given the enormous quantity of details represented, the level of the finished product, and the careful combination and variety of colors. The presence of elements related to water notably increased in final graphic representations from pre-school, primary, and secondary education, thus evidencing that the use of gardens facilitates an approach to responsible water management. At the university stage, students initially demonstrated good knowledge of conventional agriculture, while the gardening experience -which was based on permaculture practices- helped evolve their ideas toward an alternative model of cultivation. The most prevalent science learning across all stages was related to plant knowledge, particularly to their anatomical traits and diversity. Finally, the role of educational gardens as models for students was evidenced, which suggests the importance of teachers and institutions carefully considering which model to offer. Overall, our results support the legitimacy of incorporating gardens to educational centers, particularly for promoting contact with live plants and plant knowledge, and potentially for promoting contact with garden fauna and activities oriented toward learning about it.

Diabetes und depressive Störungen

AbstractDepressive disorders are highly prevalent in patients with diabetes. While depressive disorders themselves require therapy, they also contribute negatively to diabetes-related medical, social and psychological outcomes, and therefore need to be addressed. Disease burden is very high for both diabetes and depression, even more so in case of comorbidity. Comorbid depressive symptoms in patients with diabetes are associated with a reduced quality of life and adherence to treatment regimes, impaired coping abilities, as well as increased morbidity and mortality rates, diabetes-related distress, and economic burden.The interactions between diabetes and depression are bidirectional. Both diseases appear to have a variety of shared bio-psychosocial, as well as biological risk factors. Recent research implies that the interaction between diabetes and depression cannot be understood as a simple cause-effect relationship but might rather be explained by being part of a disturbed homeostasis of biological and psychological circuits.Regular depression screenings should be applied to identify depressive symptoms in patients with diabetes. To verify positive screening results, treating physicians have a key role in targeting depression by actively asking patients for depressive symptoms within the last 14 days. If symptoms are present, further diagnostics, and the exploration of psychosocial problems are necessary. In case of a depressive disorder, varieties of effective antidepressant treatments (psychotherapy, psychopharmacological medications) are available. Physical activation and diabetes education programs can be offered additionally. The current paper offers insights on epidemiology, symptoms, interactions, diagnostics, treatments as well as the relationship between physician and patient.

Impactos ambientais causados pela disposição inadequada de dejetos humanos

Impacts result from a simple cause-effect relationship such as lack of basic sanitation, dumping of household waste in inappropriate places and outdoors, which contributes to the proliferation of diseases and environmental degradation.

Urban socio-ecological dynamics: applying the urban-rural gradient approach in a high Andean city

ABSTRACTThe urban-rural dichotomy and the simple cause-effect relationship do not allow establishing specific criteria for territorial management from a socio-ecological perspective. The gradient approach could be a powerful tool to understand urban socio-ecological dynamics. This research applied a methodological protocol to obtain urban-rural gradients while considering the specific characteristics of a mid-size Andean city. To achieve this goal, a mixed classification process was applied to a Landsat 8 image. Subsequently, a factor analysis (FA) grouped 25 urbanisation variables. Finally, we applied agglomerative hierarchical clustering.FA established four factors that explained (72%) of the urbanisation metrics’ variation. From this information, we obtained factor maps and a gradient map. The resulting map differentiated six gradients that contrast with the city’s territorial planning based on the urban-rural dichotomy. This study is a starting point to apply the gradient approach in land-use management and urban ecology planning for Andean cities.

A Stratified Repeated Measures Design to Examine Acute Effects of Air Pollution on Preterm Birth

Background: Epidemiological study of preterm birth typically relies on birth certificate data for which records of gestational age are imprecise, leading to outcome misclassification biases that confound short-term temporal patterns for this outcome. We hypothesize that these biases hinder analysis of acute effects of pollutants using standard time-series approaches and propose an alternative study design as a solution. Methods: We group subjects into strata based on recorded date of last menstrual period and formulate each stratum as a cohort undergoing a repeated measures experiment. To render this design computationally tractable, we make use of t-distributed auxiliary variables and specify a model having two sets of non-nested random intercepts. We demonstrate the approach by estimating a multi-pollutant distributed lag model for births among women living within a 5-km radius of a criteria air pollutant monitor located in downtown Los Angeles during 1998-2012. Results: Compared to those of standard models, our coefficients have larger magnitudes and tend to be monotonically consistent across sequential quartiles of exposure. Both harmful and protective effects are observed, the latter potentially reflecting beneficial delays in delivery arising from clinical interventions directed at women hospitalized for potential preterm delivery. Conclusions: Distributed lag coefficients generated by this method suggest complex, non-random temporal relationships between criteria pollutants and preterm birth risk. While these results fail to demonstrate a simple cause-effect relationship, the method holds promise for advancing our understanding of short-term pollutant effects on this outcome.

Predicting the effect of land use and climate change on stream macroinvertebrates based on the linkage between structural equation modeling and bayesian network

Land use and climate change are increasingly important stressors affecting freshwater ecosystems. Although their effects on freshwater organisms have been widely studied, most studies applied traditional statistical methods, which only focus on single stressor and simple cause-effect relationships without considering the complex interactions among stressors. Therefore, we developed an integrated method by combining Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) and Bayesian Networks (BNs) to estimate the interactive effect of land use and climate change on freshwater macroinvertebrates. A field investigation was conducted in August 2009 in Taizi River Basin, Northeast China, and samples of stream macroinverterbates and water chemistry were collected from 211 sites. The SEM-BN models were developed to explore the complex relationships among land use cover (crop, forest and residential land), water quality (total phosphorus, total nitrogen and dissolved oxygen), physical factors influenced by climate change (water temperature, flow velocity), other habitat characteristics (slope and substrate composition) and macroinvertebrate EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) indices (the percentage of EPT taxa, EPT richness, EPT abundance and the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index of EPT). Three scenarios were designed to assess the possible responses of EPT indices to land use change, climate change and their interactions. Our results showed that when the change of land use and climate were considered alone, increasing crop and urban land led to declines in EPT indices whereas moderate rise of air temperature and more rainfall had opposite effects. However, the combined effect showed that the positive effects caused by climate change could weaken some negative effects, but land use change still had stronger effect on EPT indices. Our results provided more detailed understanding on how environmental stressors affect freshwater organisms, and further catchment management should integrate the combined effect of different environmental stressors on streams.

English

The purpose of this paper is to verify the impact of a series of company’s variables in small and medium-sized companies, which affect their debts degree. We referred to Giacosa (2015) and Broccardo et al. (2016) as a framework, which identified some company’s variables which impact on its financial structure. Our sample contains small and medium-sized enterprises, belonging to the Italian manufacturing sector. The choice of the manufacturing context is linked to the fact that this sector is the one with the highest population in the Italian economic context and is therefore, a representative of the Italian economy. We identified a series of variables affecting the company’s indebtedness, working in a systemic perspective. Indeed, the company has been considered as a system, in which different factors have specific roles in the business (Ferrero, 1968, 1987) and are linked not through a simple cause-effect relationship; but through a sort of concatenation, and this relationship impacts on the debts recourse. In particular, by observing the survey of the reference sample, a relationship between main variables identified by the literature emerged that permits illustration of the company’s debts degree. Key words: Company’s indebtedness, debts degree, small and medium companies, financial structure.

Acercar la ciencia a la etapa de infantil: experiencias educativas en torno a talleres desde el Grado de Maestro en Educación Infantil

En el presente artículo se desarrolla y analiza una experiencia educativa en torno a una serie de talleres de ciencias realizados por los estudiantes del Grado de Maestro/a en Educación Infantil, con el objetivo de acercar y despertar el interés hacia la ciencia a niños y niñas de 3, 4 y 5 años de un centro escolar. Los talleres se conciben como el producto final de un proceso de formación dirigido a futuros maestros/as de infantil con el principal objetivo de contribuir a su alfabetización científica-tecnológica todo ello en el marco de un proyecto de innovación y mejora docente puesto en marcha en el actual curso académico 2015-2016. Los estudiantes diseñaron, desarrollaron y evaluaron un total de 10 talleres en torno a grandes temas como los seres vivos, el cuerpo humano y las propiedades del agua. Dichos talleres resultaron ser muy atractivos para los niños y niñas hacia los que iba dirigida la actuación, se utilizaron una gran variedad de recursos y materiales fabricados por los propios estudiantes y los contenidos eran apropiados para la etapa de infantil. Los talleres contribuyeron en gran medida a desarrollar contenidos procedimentales propios de la ciencia, la manipulación, observación o establecer relaciones simple causa-efecto, y sobre todo potenciar la curiosidad y el deseo innato de descubrir e indagar de los niños en estas etapas. Finalmente, tras el desarrollo de los talleres, los futuros maestros/as, valoran sus actuaciones favoreciendo la reflexión y análisis de su práctica educativa

Histopathological and ultrastructural perturbations in tilapia liver as potential indicators of pollution in Lake Al-Asfar, Saudi Arabia

Lake Al-Asfar (Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia) is under threat from contaminants released through human activities such as agriculture and urban and industrial developments. In the present study, histopathologic and ultrastructural changes in liver of tilapia Oreochromis niloticus were analyzed to monitor the possible impact of pollution in Al-Asfar estuary. Heavy metals such as Ni, Fe, Zn, Co, Ba, Pb, and Cd were predominant in the lake water and far exceeded the international permissible limits. In fish samples, high prevalences of preneoplastic changes (50 %) and one case of cholangiocarcinoma were revealed in liver tissues. Cytological damage in fish hepatocytes included glycogen exhaustion, deformation of nuclear envelope, heterochromatin condensation, mitochondrial degeneration, vesiculation of rough endoplasmic reticulum, augmentation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomal proliferation. In conclusion, the observed biomarker responses were potential indicators of health impairment or disease in field fish populations, although there was no direct proof of a simple cause-effect relationship. This is the first biological effect assessment in Lake Al-Asfar using tilapia as suitable target species.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND ETHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MATING IN TWO SPECIES OF THE FAMILY HELICIDAE (GASTROPODA PULMONATA): THEBA PISANA (MÜLLER) AND HELIX APERTA BORN

SUMMARY The mating behaviour of two Helicidae (Gastropoda Pulmonata) species, Theba pisana (Muller) and Helix (Cantareus) aperta Born, is described. Comparison with prior studies suggests that the position assumed for mating is not determined by the ecology of the species but is an occasionally acquired element. Each partner reacts to the stimuli of the other. The stimuli are necessary for the initiation of the approach and the realization of a correct mating position and appear to induce one snail to accept the other. If one of the subjects is not sufficiently motivated the stimuli are ineffective. The stimuli are not specific and responses indicating a simple cause-effect relationship were not observed. The shooting of the dart marks the beginning of attempts at copulation and occurs when, after repeated stimulation, a threshold of excitement is exceeded. In T. pisana and H. aperta, although the darts are shot simultaneously after the contact organs have been pressed closely together, this happens only ...

The dynamic system of parental work of care for children with special health care needs: A conceptual model to guide quality improvement efforts

BackgroundThe work of care for parents of children with complex special health care needs may be increasing, while excessive work demands may erode the quality of care. We sought to summarize knowledge and develop a general conceptual model of the work of care.MethodsSystematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles that focused on parents of children with special health care needs and addressed factors related to the physical and emotional work of providing care for these children. From the large pool of eligible articles, we selected articles in a randomized sequence, using qualitative techniques to identify the conceptual components of the work of care and their relationship to the family system.ResultsThe work of care for a child with special health care needs occurs within a dynamic system that comprises 5 core components: (1) performance of tasks such as monitoring symptoms or administering treatments, (2) the occurrence of various events and the pursuit of valued outcomes regarding the child's physical health, the parent's mental health, or other attributes of the child or family, (3) operating with available resources and within certain constraints (4) over the passage of time, (5) while mentally representing or depicting the ever-changing situation and detecting possible problems and opportunities. These components interact, some with simple cause-effect relationships and others with more complex interdependencies.ConclusionsThe work of care affecting the health of children with special health care needs and their families can best be understood, studied, and managed as a multilevel complex system.

Relationships between craniofacial pain and bruxism*

A still commonly held view in the literature and clinical practice is that bruxism causes pain because of overloading of the musculoskeletal tissue and craniofacial pain, on the other hand, triggers more bruxism. Furthermore, it is often believed that there is a dose-response gradient so that more bruxism (intensity, duration) leads to more overloading and pain. Provided the existence of efficient techniques to treat bruxism, it would be straightforward in such a simple system to target bruxism as the cause of pain and hence treat the pain. Of course, human biological systems are much more complex and therefore, it is no surprise that the relationship between bruxism and pain is far from being simple or even linear. Indeed, there are unexpected relationships, which complicate the establishment of adequate explanatory models. Part of the reason is the complexity of the bruxism in itself, which presents significant challenges related to operationalized criteria and diagnostic tools and underlying pathophysiology issues, which have been dealt with in other reviews in this issue. However, another important reason is the multifaceted nature of craniofacial pain. This review will address our current understanding of classification issues, epidemiology and neurobiological mechanisms of craniofacial pain. Experimental models of bruxism may help to further the understanding of the relationship between craniofacial pain and bruxism in addition to insights from intervention studies. The review will enable clinicians to understand the reasons why simple cause-effect relationships between bruxism and craniofacial pain are inadequate and the current implications for management of craniofacial pain.

Territoriality and War in International Crises: Theory and Findings, 1918-2001

The ongoing interest in the effects of territoriality on conflict among states makes it necessary to integrate and examine the existing claims on this topic and to apply them to the empirical data on crisis, conflict, and war. The early literature on territoriality has presented a unidimensional model explaining the occurrence of war. Its major claim accords well with common sense: the more salient the territorial conflict between states, the more likely is the outbreak of war between them. Conventional wisdom and the existing literature about territoriality and violence suggest a simple cause-effect relationship between these two variables (see, for example, Most and Starr 1980; Diehl 1985, 1991, 1992; Diehl and Goertz 1988; Thompson 1990; O'Loughlin and Anselin 1991; Starr 1991; Goertz and Diehl 1992; Ruggie 1993; Gleditsch 1995; Kocs 1995; Gray 1996).' Yet, the concept of territoriality has not always been clearly defined. Nor has it been consistently operationalized or tested across a large number of cases. Furthermore, most empirical data relate to war situations but not to the complex escalation patterns that unfold in the course of an international confrontation and do not always end with full-scale war.2 The fact that neighbors confront one another, and sometimes even fight, does not automatically validate the link between territoriality and conflict. To determine if such a relationship exists, one must compare nonwar with war situations and explore several dimensions of territoriality in these diverse situations. Such an analysis is the purpose of this essay. So, how important is territoriality in explaining international conflict? This is the major research question explored in this essay. More specifically, it will focus on the extent to which territory is a driving force in the outbreak of crises, violence, and even war. The argument is made that the role of territory has not yet been fully examined. It does appear to have a causal effect on violence, but a comprehensive theory of territoriality and war has yet to be established. Stated differently, territoriality may be, in part, an extension of the power context for interstate rivalry and the outbreak of hostilities. For the weaker states in the system, it is a major constraint, but this does not always make territory a necessary or sufficient condition for violence or war. In order to devise a theory of territoriality, the nature of the impact that territory has on war must be explained. Political scientists need to investigate what it is in territoriality that triggers interstate conflict, crisis, and war. The goals of this essay are geared to meeting this challenge by formulating three

HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT: UNPREDICTABILITY AND THE PRIMACY OF PLACE

Landscapes, environments, and ecosystems (i.e., places) are historically and spatially contingent and therefore unique. Generalizations and laws are based on “all other things being equal.” Owing to historical and spatial contingency, all other things are never completely equal and often do not approach that ideal closely enough to allow for reliable prediction. The problem is illustrated by examining effects of grazing and fire suppression on transitions between grass and woody vegetation communities. In three different environments in the southern United States (central Texas, southwestern Virginia, and eastern North Carolina), three different relationships exist between grazing and fire regime, and vegetation. Other examples are common in the geographic and environmental literature. This suggests that the search for a single applicable generalization or predictive model of a given human-induced environmental change that can be applied without accounting for the particular characteristics of places may be futile. Several general ways to address this issue are suggested. First is the recognition that place matters. Conditions specific to a location or region will influence what, how, or even if generalizations apply. Second is the adoption of a “demographic” approach. This is based on the idea that for places, like people, it is possible to make aggregate or probabilistic generalizations or predictions, but these cannot be applied to deterministic prediction of individuals. Third is a synoptic approach based on forecasting not via simple cause-effect relationships, but based on a typology of situations that recognizes and incorporates the unique characteristics of site and situation. Several converging threads of inquiry in geography and geosciences explicitly or implicitly address the issue of historical and spatial contingency. [Key words: landscape, environment, place, prediction.]

A proposed intergenerational model of substance abuse, family functioning, and abuse/neglect

Although the link between substance abuse and child maltreatment has been relatively well established, there is a general recognition that this is not a simple cause-effect relationship. The current study explored the relationships among substance abuse, family functioning, and abuse/neglect in a sample of incarcerated substance abusers. Data were gathered on the earlier life experiences of 81 men and women serving sentences in two maximum security prisons, including assessments of their parents' substance abuse problems; levels of family competence within their families-of-origin; their exposure, as children and adults, to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and physical/emotional neglect; and their own levels of substance abuse. Results showed generally high percentages of parental substance abuse and abuse/neglect, and relatively low levels of family competence. Correlational analyses revealed significant direct and indirect relationships among parental substance abuse, family dynamics, and exposure to both child and adult maltreatment. These four variables were also significantly associated with respondents' own substance abuse in later life, suggesting the potential for continuation of these patterns into successive generations. An intergenerational model of these family and personal functioning variables is presented and implications for service delivery with correctional clients is discussed.

Ouabain binding and Na+ content in resistance vessels and skeletal muscles of spontaneously hypertensive rats and K+-depleted rats.

The possible role of Na+ in the development of hypertension in rats was explored in measurements of intracellular Na+, 22Na efflux, and 3H-ouabain binding sites in resistance vessels and skeletal muscles. In resistance vessels obtained from 13-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) or age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), (Na)i, total or ouabain-resistant 22Na efflux, and the concentration of 3H-ouabain binding sites showed no significant differences. Soleus muscles obtained from 6-week-old and 13-week-old SHR contained 5 to 11% more 3H-ouabain binding sites than those of WKY. The small difference in ouabain binding probably was related more to variations in growth rate and strain than to the hypertension. In SHR and WKY the Na+ and K+ contents of gastrocnemius muscles were almost identical at 6 and 13 weeks of age. By contrast, in Wistar rats in which the (Na)i of skeletal muscle was increased sixfold by K+ depletion, the systolic blood pressure was decreased by 10%. The K+ depletion was associated with a 35 to 55% decrease in the concentration of 3H-ouabain binding sites in both resistance vessels and skeletal muscles. The results provide no support for any simple cause-effect relationships between either elevated (Na)i or altered concentration of 3H-ouabain binding sites and hypertension in SHR.