Use Of Theoretical Concepts Research Articles

A Study on Optimizing the Maximal Product in Cubic Fuzzy Graphs for Multifaceted Applications

Graphs in the field of science and technology make considerable use of theoretical concepts. When dealing with numerous links and circumstances in which there are varying degrees of ambiguity or robustness in the connections between aspects, rather than purely binary interactions, cubic fuzzy graphs (CFGs) are more adaptable and compatible than fuzzy graphs. To better represent the complexity of interactions or linkages in the real world, an emerging CFG can be very helpful in achieving better problem-solving abilities that specialize in domains like network analysis, the social sciences, information retrieval, and decision support systems. This idea can be used for a variety of uncertainty-related issues and assist decision-makers in selecting the best course of action through the use of a CFG. Enhancing the maximized network of three cubic fuzzy graphs’ decision-making efficiency was the ultimate objective of this study. We introduced the maximal product of three cubic fuzzy graphs to investigate how interval-valued fuzzy membership, fuzzy membership, and the miscellany of relations are all simultaneously supported through the aspect of degree and total degree of a vertex. Furthermore, the domination on the maximal product of three CFGs was illustrated to analyze the minimum domination number of the weighted CFG, and the proposed approach is illustrated with applications.

Social Network Analysis of EduTubers

The popularity of educational videos has increased in recent years. In 2018, YouTube announced a $20 million investment to support educational video creators and organized the YouTube EduCon event to bring them together and form a community. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed educational institutions to use resources contained in public repositories, such as YouTube. The objective of this research study was to explore the dynamics of EduTubers to understand the motivations for their interactions. We used social network analysis (SNA) with YouTube data to analyze the dynamics of EduTubers’ recommendation networks. Meaningful insights reveal a relationship between the level of digital engagement and the level of out-degree. Additionally, we confirm that educhannel homophily has a positive effect on the level of reciprocity. The main contribution lies in the use of theoretical concepts (reciprocity and homophily), focusing on the intrinsic motivations of EduTubers to recommend other channels. The practical implications of the results suggest that educhannels that initiate and grow digital engagement are more likely to participate in a recommendation network.

Theoretical nursing conceptions in hospitalized child care: scoping review.

Identify the theoretical concepts that have been used in the context of nursing care for hospitalized children. Scoping review was carried out according to the PRISMA-ScR methodology. The research limitations included: primary studies dealing with the use of theoretical concepts of nursing in the provision of care to hospitalized children, access in full text, in Portuguese or English and published between 2000 and 2019. Research was carried out on grassroots platforms (EBSCOhost, PubMed, SciELO and Web of Science), gray literature and in the bibliography of selected articles. 21 studies were found and 10 theoretical conceptions of nursing were identified, with family-centered care being the most used. The variability of the identified theoretical conceptions is emphasized, with no evidence to support the use of one in detriment of the other. A more integrative theoretical conception, which adds care centered both on the family and the child, emerges as a research trend.

Assessing Secondary School Students\u2019 Justifications for Supporting or Rejecting a Scientific Hypothesis in the Physics Lab

Justifications play a central role in argumentation, which is a core topic in school science education. This paper contributes to this field of research by presenting two studies in which we assess students’ justifications for supporting or rejecting hypotheses in the physics lab based on self-collected, anomalous experimental data, which are defined as data that contradict a prior belief, hypothesis, or concept. Study 1 analyzes the spectrum of possible justifications students give in semi-structured interviews and categorizes these into ten types: appeal to an authority, data as evidence, experimental competence (technical/skills), experimental competence (self-concept), ignorance, intuition, measurement uncertainties (explicit), measurement uncertainties (implicit), suitability of the experimental setup, and use of theoretical concepts. Study 2 presents a questionnaire suitable for medium- and large-scale assessments that probes students’ use of four of these types of justifications: appeal to an authority, data as evidence, intuition, and measurement uncertainties (explicit). The questionnaire can be administered in 5–10 minutes and is designed for students in the eighth and ninth grades. We outline the development and quality of the assessment tools of both studies, reporting on the content validity, factorial validity, discriminant validity, convergent validity, and reliability of the questionnaire. The two studies shed light on the various justifications students use when evaluating anomalous data at a fine-grained level.

The social representation of distance education from a Brazilian perspective

Abstract This quali-quantitative, exploratory field study approach is based on analyzing data obtained by applying the word recall test involving 100 respondents in order to build the social representation of distance learning (DL) from a Brazilian viewpoint. The ‘four-house board’ technique by Pierre Vergès was adopted as the data-treatment technique. Making use of theoretical concepts previously presented to discuss distance learning (DL), the social representation of DL is compared to this theory, in order to validate the knowledge and identify learning gaps. It was found that the main focus of the social representation of DL consists of the following words: Flexibility, Facility, Practicality, Discipline, Time, Low-cost, Cost, Opportunity, Internet and Convenience. The main conclusion is that, despite the positive outlook that Brazilians have of distance learning, some assumptions should be adopted to ensure its effectiveness: 1) the need to mix DL with classroom encounters; 2) the need for DL-based courses to have trained teachers that insist on interaction and 3) the need for material to be suitable for this form of education, as well as for the communication media and technologies used.

Editorial: Challenges and opportunities for multinational corporations in sustainable development

This editorial paper outlines key concepts in the realm of multinational corporations (MNCs), sustainability and social change. It also highlights possible synergies between the concepts of corporate sustainability and corporate entrepreneurship and introduces the articles included in this special issue. In so doing, patterns in extent research on MNCs' roles in sustainable development are identified, such as a focus on case-study research and the use of theoretical concepts rooted in mainstream business studies. On this basis, the editorial paper draws pathways for future investigations, such as applying a broader understanding of sustainable entrepreneurship to the sustainability activities of MNCs.

The relevance of “Western” theoretical concepts for investigations of the margins of post-socialist cities: the case of Prague

The exceptional dynamics of urban change in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries sparked an almost immediate revitalization of urban studies during the 1990s. In academia, this interest implied an urgent need to make use of theoretical concepts that would inform the description and interpretation of observed new social and spatial phenomena and processes. Consequently, developmentalism – the belief in the realignment of former socialist cities to their Western counterparts and in the gradual “correction” of their socialist character – became the dominant paradigm of urban studies throughout the 1990s in most CEE countries. A strong confidence in the explanatory and predictive function of theoretical concepts that functioned well in Western cities was typical of this period. However, more than two decades of post-socialist urban research have led to the recognition of the limited utility of some imported Western concepts. This paper documents these trends using the example of the outer areas of Czech (post-socialist) cities, which, having been shaped by socialist planning practice for decades, convinced many CEE urban scholars of the need to seek alternative theoretical concepts. It is hoped that this may create fertile ground for new ideas, which would be then exported as a part of wider and internationally more relevant urban theory.

Revisioning History: A Deconstructionist Reading of a Learner’s Multimodal Text, Revenge

<p>Recent interest in multimodality recognizes the integration of text and image in meaning-making as representing reality. It has also been argued that with the use of digital communication, the meanings of visual and verbal data can be easily manipulated rendering them unreliable. As such, a close and critical reading of the text is required to discover what is hidden, absent, or inconsistent with it. In a deconstruction of a multimodal digital composition of a poem that involves revisioning of history, this paper privileges the absences of cultural and historical texts to signify socio-political issues. An eclectic use of theoretical concepts on meaning-making, especially those proposed by Kress and van Leeuwen, Foucault and Baudrillard, constructs the discussion of the analysis. The digital poem entitled ‘Revenge’ is deconstructed to further discover such absence in the text. The findings reveal that language and images are used by the learner as a source of power to negotiate the boundaries of identity. It has also been discovered that the message in rhetoric and visuals complement each other to support the process of meaning-making.</p>

Advances in theory and their empirical application in humanitarian supply chain management research

In disaster relief network, several humanitarian organisations participate and coordinate their efforts. Coordination remained a key hurdle as the use of theoretical concepts at strategic level to provide understanding of the phenomena has yet to be explored. This research is aimed to examine the empirical applicability of two strategic management theories in the new research stream of humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM). The study includes series of thoughts using the previous literature and additional support from the case studies to examine what social network and resource dependence theory can bring to this research stream. The paper concludes that the research in humanitarian supply chain can borrow these two theories and their related characteristics for a better coordination in disaster relief network. Three propositions are formulated and two complementary theories are recommended for further investigation.

Use of theoretical concepts in lesson study: an example from teacher training

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present a lesson study (LS) approach implemented as part of the initial training of primary school teachers in a course on the oversight and accompaniment of learning. This course aims to develop students’ ability to analyse their practice and to shift attention to pupils’ learning processes.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected on the contribution of the LS system and interaction protocols used in class, according to students.Findings– Qualitative analysis of this data shows the role played by the use of theoretical concepts in the quality of their planning, the depth of their analysis and the quality of their work in class.Practical implications– This work opens avenues for teacher training, in particular in terms of encouraging students to use theoretical concepts to prepare, implement and analyse their teaching.Originality/value– This approach is of interest in that it examines the use of theoretical concepts in a study lesson system during initial teacher training.

Who’s the Daddy now? Fathers, sons and the search for a sense of self

What do fathers teach their sons, how do sons learn? This paper considers the way boys develop, become men, specifically with regard to their relationships with their fathers or indeed any other male authority figures they come into contact with. The material examined is a mix of the author’s own biographical experience, a clinical vignette and a film – The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). In all three, the development of young men is considered with particular emphasis on how ‘sons’ manage the urge to love the father, to placate him, with a need to hate him, to triumph over him. How between fathers and sons there might be a transition from being competitors and rivals to co-conspirators. In particular, the author makes use of theoretical concepts by Bollas, Klein and Winnicott to highlight how fathers’ ability to withstand the challenges of their sons – without resorting to punitive responses – is critical in facilitating the younger men’s growth. Specifically, the author suggests that one of the father’s central functions is to model a capacity to engage with loss and so prepare his son’s ability to tolerate his own losses.

Testing the integrated theory of health behaviour change for postpartum weight management.

This is a report of a correlational study to test the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change within the context of postpartum weight self-management including the impact of race/ethnicity and weight classification. Women experiencing childbirth face increasing challenges to manage their weight postpartum. Little is known about women's weight self-management during the complex physiological and psychosocial transition of the postpartum period. Data were collected during the birth hospitalization and 4 months postbirth during 2005 and 2006. A quota sample of 250 postpartum women using two strata, race/ethnicity and prepregnant weight classification, were enrolled; 179 women completed the follow-up survey. A survey questionnaire measured concepts from the Integrated Theory of Health Behaviour Change concepts, including knowledge and beliefs (self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and goal congruence), self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation (social support and social influence) and the proximal outcome of weight retention. Factor analysis identified 5 factors consistent with the theoretical concepts that accounted for 47·1% of total survey variance. Model testing using path analysis explored the relationship among factors. The final model explained 25·7% of the variance in self regulation at 4 months, but did not explain weight retention. The contribution of select concepts to total variance was different for Caucasian and African American women, but not by weight classification. Findings support use of theoretical concepts and relationships to understand postpartum weight self-management. The different relationships among concepts in Caucasian and African American women should be considered in planning targeted postpartum weight self-management interventions.

Careers and human resource management—a European perspective

Although many of the principal milestones of current career research are of U.S. origin, the influence of European contributions slowly grows. Drastic changes of careers and career contexts surfacing in the early 1990s have renewed the interest in career issues. In addition, new concepts such as the boundaryless career propelled the European career discourse and triggered career studies in Europe. Despite the difficulty to give a comprehensive picture because of the differences within Europe and the many possible measures of comparison, this paper identifies three major characteristics of European career research and practice: (1) Substantial heterogeneity in terms of career practice; (2) The use of theoretical concepts usually coming from social sciences in career research; (3) The emphasis on social structures in conceptualizing influencing factors of career. After identifying and explaining these characteristics, the paper discusses their implications for human resource management research and practice.

Zentralamerika-Geschichte auf Abwegen. Kritische Anmerkungen zu Michael Riekenbergs Veröffentlichungen zur guatemaltekischen Geschichte

This essay critically evaluates Michael Riekenberg's publications on the social history of Guatemala and the (alleged) phenomenon of ethnic wars in nineteenth-century Latin America. It points out that Riekenberg has consistently ignored a significant number of relevant scholarly studies, that he fails to acknowledge the fact that his archival sources have already been examined and quoted extensively by other historians, and that his use of theoretical concepts is either vague or outright misleading. In particular, his claim that Guatemalan Indians were engaged in ethnic wars in the nineteenth century rests on an irresponsible mis-representation of sociological and ethnological concepts and is not based on any sound empirical evidence. Consequently, the essay suggests that the works of German historians on non-European regions should be submitted to closer critical scrutiny in order to prevent the blatant disregard for international scholarly standards that marks the writings of Michael Riekenberg.

An evaluation of the success of invasive fish species of the Great Fish River

Summary There is a worldwide concern over the impact assessment and management of altered ecosystems. Increasingly, attention is being focussed on the role of invasive species in environmental degradation. A practical example of the use of theoretical concepts is presented with particular reference to the invasive species Barbus aeneus, Clarias gariepinus, Austroglanis sclateri and Labeo capensis of the Great Fish River, South Africa. The intrinsic species characteristics of age, growth and reproduction are presented. The status of the invasion by exotic species and the susceptibility of the environment are described. Zusammenfassung Eine Bewertung des Erfolges in den Great Fish River eingewanderter Fischarten Ein weltweites Interesse gilt dem Einfluß, der Bewertung und dem Management veränderter Ökosysteme. Zunehmend richtet sich die Aufmerksamkeit auf neu eingewanderte Arten und ihre Rolle bei der Umweltzerstörung. Ein praktisches Beispiel der Nutzung eines theoretischen Konzeptes mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf die in den Great Fish River, Südafrika, eingewanderten Arten Barbus aeneus, Clarias gariepinus, Gephyroglanis sclateri und Labeo capensis wird vorgestellt. Alter, Wachstum und Fortpflanzung der Arten wurden untersucht. Der Umfang der Einwanderung exotischer Arten und die Sensibilität der Umwelt werden beschrieben. Résumé Evaluation du succès d'espèces envahissantes de poissons dans la Great Fish River Dans le monde entier on s'intéresse sà l'influence, sà la détermination et sà l'exploitation d'écosystèmes altérés. De plus en plus l'attention est tirée sur le rôle des espèces envahissantes dans la dégradation de l'environnement. Un exemple pratique de l'application de concepts théoriques est présenté tout particu-lièrement en ce qui concerne les espèces envahissantes Barbus aeneus, Clarias gariepinus, Gephyroglanis sclateri et Labeo capensis dans la Great Fish River, Afrique du Sud. Les caractéristiques intrinsèques des espèces (âge, croissance, reproduction) sont préséntees. Le degré d'invasion par des espèces exotiques et la sensibilité de l'environnement sont décrits.

THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF BITUMINOUS PAVEMENTS FOR HEAVY TRAFFIC.

The paper describes the state-of-the-art of the development of a structural design method for asphalt pavements based on the use of theoretical concepts and traditional design procedures. It is considered that the development of a structural design method based on fundamental concepts is necessary to deal with the challenges of the future in terms of increased numbers and magnitudes of wheel loads and the introduction of new or modified paving materials. In addition, pavement failures, which occur more frequently than is generally admitted, can be better explained with a proper appreciation of fundamentals. /TRRL/

Personality and system influences on behavior in groups: Frequency models

Social interaction depends on a great variety of simultaneous factors. Aggressive behavior of person A towards B e.g. commonly is explained by one or several of the following factors: (a) a personal disposition of A to behave aggressively towards others (the ‘aggression- potential’ of A); (b) a capability of B to elicit aggressive behavior from others (B's ‘cue value for aggression’); (c) an antipathy of A to B (the relationship between A and B). It is obvious that the constellation of simultaneous factors cannot be analysed by means of ‘pure’ observational methods only. Several principles for the use of theoretical concepts in explaining this kind of behavior are developed in the present paper. It is postulated that the proof of the validity of a theoretical model has to be independent of the (qualitative or) quantitative identification of the theoretical constructs of the model (thesis 3). The identification of theoretical constructs in turn has to be based on mutually independent parts of evidence present in the data (thesis 2). It is very unlikely that a complex constellation of social factors will occur on more than one occasion. Thus the required independent parts of evidence have to be derived from a single set of data. Formal models are suggested, which are in complete agreement with the above postulates. The model control and estimation of independent sets of parameters can be separated by conditional inference procedures in these models.

Telephone Rates and Cost Behavior

in the traditional process of public utility rate making, such as the establishment of a rate base and a fair return, but also very special problems peculiar to the structure of the Bell System. The problems involve cost determination, and we believe that at least part of the confusion presently prevailing on the subject may be dispelled by use of theoretical concepts, which are familiar matter to academic economists.