Showing papers in "Systems Research and Behavioral Science in 2014"
TL;DR: Exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments.
Abstract: Physical settings can play a role in coping with stress; in particular experimental research has found strong evidence between exposure to natural environments and recovery from physiological stress and mental fatigue, giving support to both Stress Recovery Theory and Attention Restoration Theory. In fact, exposure to natural environments protects people against the impact of environmental stressors and offer physiological, emotional and attention restoration more so than urban environments. Natural places that allow the renewal of personal adaptive resources to meet the demands of everyday life are called restorative environments. Natural environments elicit greater calming responses than urban environments, and in relation to their vision there is a general reduction of physiological symptoms of stress. Exposure to natural scenes mediates the negative effects of stress reducing the negative mood state and above all enhancing positive emotions. Moreover, one can recover the decrease of cognitive performance associated with stress, especially reflected in attention tasks, through the salutary effect of viewing nature. Giving the many benefits of contact with nature, plans for urban environments should attend to restorativeness.
408 citations
TL;DR: The system in many places is saturated, far beyond capacity to absorb new PhDs in academia at the rates that they are being produced, and it is shown that the reproduction rate in academia is very high.
Abstract: The academic job market has become increasingly competitive for PhD graduates. In this note, we ask the basic question of ‘Are we producing more PhDs than needed?’ We take a systems approach and offer a ‘birth rate’ perspective: professors graduate PhDs who later become professors themselves, an analogue to how a population grows. We show that the reproduction rate in academia is very high. For example, in engineering, a professor in the US graduates 7.8 new PhDs during his/her whole career on average, and only one of these graduates can replace the professor's position. This implies that in a steady state, only 12.8% of PhD graduates can attain academic positions in the USA. The key insight is that the system in many places is saturated, far beyond capacity to absorb new PhDs in academia at the rates that they are being produced. Based on the analysis, we discuss policy implications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
173 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the way the idea of sustainability is linked to categories traditionally examined by the general systems theory, the categories of system, environment, and complexity, and explain the nature of the trade-off between complexity and sustainability.
Abstract: This paper explores the way the idea of sustainability is linked to categories traditionally examined by the general systems theory—the categories of system, environment, and complexity. Toward this end, the paper builds upon the social systems theory of Niklas Luhmann to explain the nature of the trade-off between complexity and sustainability. Exemplified by Luhmann's theory of ecological communication, the trade-off emerges because the growing systemic complexity entails the increasing risk that systems develop insensitivity to those environmental conditions on which they critically depend. The key implication of the trade-off is that it may be rational for social systems to withdraw their internal complexity to maintain their sustainability in a given environment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
135 citations
TL;DR: Advances in wayfinding research with an emphasis on healthcare environments are covered, including the roles of plan configuration and manifest cues, technology, and user characteristics, and the status of these advances and directions for future research are summarized.
Abstract: The ability to successfully navigate in healthcare facilities is an important goal for patients, visitors, and staff. Despite the fundamental nature of such behavior, it is not infrequent for planners to consider wayfinding only after the fact, once the building or building complex is complete. This review argues that more recognition is needed for the pivotal role of wayfinding in healthcare facilities. First, to provide context, the review presents a brief overview of the relationship between environmental psychology and healthcare facility design. Then, the core of the article covers advances in wayfinding research with an emphasis on healthcare environments, including the roles of plan configuration and manifest cues, technology, and user characteristics. Plan configuration and manifest cues, which appeared early on in wayfinding research, continue to play a role in wayfinding success and should inform design decisions. Such considerations are joined by emerging technologies (e.g., mobile applications, virtual reality, and computational models of wayfinding) as a way to both enhance our theoretical knowledge of wayfinding and advance its applications for users. Among the users discussed here are those with cognitive and/or visual challenges (e.g., Down syndrome, age-related decrements such as dementia, and limitations of vision). In addition, research on the role of cross-cultural comprehension and the effort to develop a system of universal healthcare symbols is included. The article concludes with a summary of the status of these advances and directions for future research.
80 citations
TL;DR: Cultural-informed adaptations of PE that incorporates race-related trauma themes specific to the Black experience are discussed, including adding more sessions at the front end to better establish rapport and deliberately bringing to the forefront race- related experiences and discrimination during treatment when indicated.
Abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly disabling disorder, afflicting African Americans at disproportionately higher rates than the general population. When receiving treatment, African Americans may feel differently towards a European American clinician due to cultural mistrust. Furthermore, racism and discrimination experienced before or during the traumatic event may compound posttrauma reactions, impacting the severity of symptoms. Failure to adapt treatment approaches to encompass cultural differences and racism-related traumas may decrease treatment success for African American clients. Cognitive behavioral treatment approaches are highly effective, and Prolonged Exposure (PE) in particular has the most empirical support for the treatment of PTSD. This article discusses culturally-informed adaptations of PE that incorporates race-related trauma themes specific to the Black experience. These include adding more sessions at the front end to better establish rapport, asking directly about race-related themes during the assessment process, and deliberately bringing to the forefront race-related experiences and discrimination during treatment when indicated. Guidelines for assessment and the development of appropriate exposures are provided. Case examples are presented demonstrating adaptation of PE for a survivor of race-related trauma and for a woman who developed internalized racism following a sexual assault. Both individuals experienced improvement in their posttrauma reactions using culturally-informed adaptations to PE.
78 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the contribution of adopting a systemic perspective to research sustainability in terms of inclusivity and holistic view, going beyond the limitations of a reductionist approach, is proposed.
Abstract: This paper aims to propose the contribution of adopting a systemic perspective to researching sustainability in terms of inclusivity and holistic view, going beyond the limitations of a reductionist approach. Among the different systemic approaches, the methodological lens proposed herein is the one of the Viable Systems Approach, according to which sustainability, which can be seen as a process that is dynamic and changing over time, is linked to the notion of systemic viability and connected to some of the most relevant key concepts of Viable Systems Approach.
Through the proposition of the conceptual model of ‘The Viable Systems Cycle’, the authors intend to propose a different approach to the analysis and interpretation of sustainability that concerns the relationship among efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability itself and the way they orient and influence sustainable business behaviors. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
64 citations
TL;DR: The following review aims to elucidate the differences and resemblances between impulsivity, disinhibition and other related terms following brain injury and the instruments that are commonly used to measure these constructs.
Abstract: Impulsivity is a common and debilitating sequela following traumatic brain injury (TBI), but there is no consensual definition or measure to assess this construct. The following review aims to elucidate the differences and resemblances between impulsivity, disinhibition and other related terms following brain injury and the instruments that are commonly used to measure these constructs. To do so, a search through different databases was conducted in order to find articles that mention and define impulsivity, disinhibition, impulse control, regulation deficits, dyscontrol and risky behavior. The concepts that stand out from the literature, the measures used, the similarities, the differences between these concepts are observed. The fit with the UPPS model of impulsivity, according to which impulsivity is a multidimensional concept composed of four distinct dimensions (urgency, perseverance, premeditation and sensation-seeking) is discussed.
57 citations
TL;DR: The main conclusion is that screening and referral for appropriate treatments are important given the high prevalence rates of PTSD in cardiac populations and the associated impact on morbidity and mortality.
Abstract: There is increasing awareness of the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on physical health, particularly cardiovascular disease. We review the literature on the role of trauma in the development of cardiovascular risk factors and disease, aftermath of a cardiac event, and risk for recurrence in cardiac patients. We explore possible mechanisms to explain these relationships, as well as appropriate assessment and treatment strategies for this population. Our main conclusion is that screening and referral for appropriate treatments are important given the high prevalence rates of PTSD in cardiac populations and the associated impact on morbidity and mortality.
53 citations
TL;DR: The distinction between discrete-symbolic representations as against analog-continuous representations of the sounds is introduced against the background of phylogenetic and ontogenetic claims, with a major focus on the innate auditory capabilities of the fetus and neonate.
Abstract: This paper provides an attempt to conceive of music in terms of a sounding environment. Starting from a definition of music as a collection of vibrational events, it introduces the distinction between discrete-symbolic representations as against analog-continuous representations of the sounds. The former makes it possible to conceive of music in terms of a Humboldt system, the latter in terms of an experiential approach. Both approaches, further, are not opposed to each other, but are complementary to some extent. There is, however, a distinction to be drawn between the bottom-up approach to auditory processing of environmental sounds and music, which is continuous and proceeding in real time, as against the top-down approach, which is proceeding at a level of mental representation by applying discrete symbolic labels to vibrational events. The distinction is discussed against the background of phylogenetic and ontogenetic claims, with a major focus on the innate auditory capabilities of the fetus and neonate and the gradual evolution from mere sensory perception of sound to sense-making and musical meaning. The latter, finally, is elaborated on the basis of the operational concepts of affordance and functional tone, thus bringing together some older contributions from ecology and biosemiotics.
53 citations
TL;DR: A systematic review of PTSD treatment trials was conducted to identify medication and psychotherapy interventions proven to be efficacious for PTSD and developed a semi-structured clinician interview called the Emory Treatment Resistance Interview for PTSD (E-TRIP).
Abstract: Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who fail to respond to established treatments are at risk for chronic disability and distress. Although treatment-resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD) is a common clinical problem, there is currently no standard method for evaluating previous treatment outcomes. Development of a tool that could quantify the degree of resistance to previously provided treatments would inform research in patients with PTSD. We conducted a systematic review of PTSD treatment trials to identify medication and psychotherapy interventions proven to be efficacious for PTSD. We then developed a semi-structured clinician interview called the Emory Treatment Resistance Interview for PTSD (E-TRIP). The E-TRIP includes clinician-administered questions to assess the adequacy and benefit derived from past treatment trials. For each adequately delivered treatment to which the patient failed to respond, a score is assigned depending on the strength of evidence supporting the treatment’s efficacy. The E-TRIP provides a comprehensive assessment of prior PTSD treatments that should prove valuable for researchers studying TR-PTSD and evaluating the efficacy of new treatments for patients with PTSD. The E-TRIP is not intended to guide treatment; rather, the tool quantifies the level of treatment resistance in patients with PTSD in order to standardize TR-PTSD in the research domain.
43 citations
TL;DR: An evaluation model based on user trust cloud and user capability for trusted e-learning and a capability matrix method is introduced to assess a user's objective trust are presented.
Abstract: In recent years, electronic learning (e-learning) has become an increasingly important method in education. Under the environment of Internet of Things, it has been predicted that e-learning systems will grow at an even greater pace. Therefore, it is crucial to find a simple and effective evaluation method to assess user trust in e-learning systems. In this paper, we present an evaluation model based on user trust cloud and user capability for trusted e-learning. A user trust cloud model is proposed to assess a user's subjective trust, and a capability matrix method is introduced to assess a user's objective trust. The proposed model has been implemented for trust management in e-learning systems. Experimental results show that the proposed trust evaluation model is useful and applicable to the user trust assessment in complex e-learning systems. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of smallholder beef farmer groups in rural Java, Indonesia was conducted, where five archetypes were identified: limit to growth, shifting the burden, success to successful, tragedy of the commons fixes that fail, and the implications for identification of the possible system leverage points.
Abstract: More than 70% of the national beef herd of Indonesia is controlled by smallholders, who therefore play a vital role in beef cattle development programs. This paper reports on a study into disappointing results of recent government policy initiatives on practices of smallholder beef farmer groups in rural Java, Indonesia. Despite funding aimed at increasing the national beef herd and domestic beef production though enhancing smallholder productivity, perverse effects of declining reproductive rates and breeding cow numbers are being observed. Smallholder beef farming is a complex system. It involves multiple actors including farmers, farmer groups, farmer households, researchers, government officers, and traders. The interactions of these stakeholders are characterised by power asymmetry, whereby smallholders, whether as individuals or as members of groups possessing social entity, experience less power and access to privileges than other actors. For effective research aimed at system improvement, an approach capable of recognising system complexity, multiple perspectives and social power asymmetry is necessary. In the body of systems thinking, System Dynamics (SD) is considered to be a powerful tool, as it enables the construction of rigorous models and visualisation of the causal linkages among variables which might influence the system’s performance. One of the fundamental essences of SD is the identification of system archetypes: generic systems structures describing the common dynamic processes which characterise the behaviour of the system. System archetypes provide simplified insights into the system’s structures. Analysing system archetypes can assist in the identification of system leverage points, i.e. the places where an intervention should have the most influence on systems behaviour. However, when dealing with a social entity like a smallholder group, SD is considered to be a researcher-centrist methodology, as it lacks the instruments to engage multi-stakeholders’ perspectives which are likely to be varied, and is insensitive to the issue of societal power structures. This paper reports on research in which these deficiencies are addressed through complementary application of Soft System Methodology (SSM), which has strength in acknowledging multiple perspectives, and emancipatory Critical System Heuristics (CSH), which can explicitly address power asymmetry, in an effort to enhance SD. A series of interviews and workshops was undertaken to identify the problematic situation of smallholder beef farming in Java. The main research instruments of Rich Picture development, CATWOE analysis of SSM, and the 12 boundary critique questions of CSH were applied sequentially in the problem analysis stage, resulting in a four dimensional structure incorporating motivation, power control, knowledge and legitimacy. Applying SSM and CSH ensured that the perspectives of all stakeholders, including those of the less powerful, were acknowledged, thereby enriching and enhancing subsequent SD modelling. The structured problematic situation was then used to guide investigation of variables which were thought to be contributory. The results were visualized in a conceptual model which was then translated into a causal loop diagram (CLD) consisting of 17 reinforcing and 13 balancing loops which map the feedback loops of the 4 dimensional situation of the smallholder beef system. The CLD was then investigated to identify the system archetypes. Five archetypes were identified: limit to growth, shifting the burden, success to successful, tragedy of the commons fixes that fail . The nature of each archetype is described, and the implications for identification of the possible system leverage points are discussed.
TL;DR: A relationship is proposed between the individual cognitive processes that occur during wayfinding, relative street connectivity measured through space syntactic techniques and the spatial geometry of the environment.
Abstract: Space-geometric measures are proposed to explain the location of fixations during wayfinding. Results from an eye tracking study based on real-world stimuli are analysed; the gaze bias shows that attention is paid to structural elements in the built environment. Three space-geometric measures are used to explain the data: sky area, floor area and longest line of sight. Together with the finding that participants choose the more connected street, a relationship is proposed between the individual cognitive processes that occur during wayfinding, relative street connectivity measured through space syntactic techniques and the spatial geometry of the environment. The paper adopts an egocentric approach to gain a greater understanding on how individuals process the axial map.
TL;DR: In this article, the amount of time users spend on social networking sites (SNSs) was used to differentiate user groups and investigates the following three issues: (1) the most common behavior of different groups when using SNS; (2) whether users have different perceptions of their social capital on SNSs versus in real-life environments; and (3) whether there are differences in the perceived social capital in different groups.
Abstract: This study uses the amount of time users spend on social networking sites (SNSs) to differentiate user groups and investigates the following three issues: (1) the most common behavior of different groups when using SNS; (2) whether users have different perceptions of their social capital on SNSs versus in real-life environments; and (3) whether there are differences in the perceived social capital of different groups. This study discovered that users have different user behavior depending on their amounts of usage. In particular, heavy users tend to be willing to share information and often use application programs associated with SNSs. With regard to perceptions of social capital, the study found that different groups have somewhat different ideas as to what constitutes social capital. We summarize a novel individual social capital systematic behavior and discuss the practical implications of this work and suggestions for future research. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the common systems-theoretic core of two schools of modern economic thought, the new institutional economics and the heterodox institutionalism, and highlight the complementary and paradoxical relationship between the concepts of transaction costs and social costs analyzed by the respective schools.
Abstract: The present paper draws upon the open systems perspective to identify the common systems-theoretic core of two schools of modern economic thought, the new institutional economics and the heterodox institutionalism. This core is shown to be in the argument that the maintenance of complexity requires appropriate self-regulatory mechanisms. While the new institutional economics focuses on the technological complexity maintained by corporate hierarchies, the heterodox institutionalism is concerned with the civilizational complexity that needs to be maintained by broader self-regulatory institutions of the public and nonprofit sector. This argument highlights the complementary and paradoxical relationship between the concepts of transaction costs and social costs analyzed by the respective schools. Corporate hierarchies may successfully exercise their self-regulatory role by economizing on transaction costs, yet in doing so they generate social costs that are reducible through the self-regulatory activity of public and nonprofit institutions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of knowledge management in new product development (NPD) in new technology ventures is explored from a behavioral perspective by employing experiential learning theory, and a conceptual model to study the relationships between knowledge management, learning behavior arising from failures, and new ventures' NPD performance using a sample of 176 new high-tech technology ventures.
Abstract: This research examines how knowledge management influences new product development (NPD) in new technology ventures Researchers demonstrate that knowledge management is a critical antecedent of NPD However, few studies have explored the role of knowledge management in NPD from a behavioral perspective By employing experiential learning theory, this research develops a conceptual model to study the relationships between knowledge management, learning behavior arising from failures, and new ventures' NPD performance Using a sample of 176 new high-tech technology ventures, the theoretical model is examined The findings show that, for new technology ventures, knowledge acquisition facilitates NPD performance positively and that the relationship is partially mediated by learning behavior from failures In addition, it is demonstrated that knowledge application plays a moderating role between learning behavior from failure and NPD Both the theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
TL;DR: The data suggest that NT receptor analogs have the potential to be used as novel therapeutic agents acting through modulation of neurotransmitter systems dys-regulated in these disorders.
Abstract: Neurotensin (NT) is a neuropeptide that is closely associated with, and is thought to modulate, dopaminergic and other neurotransmitter systems involved in the pathophysiology of various mental disorders. This review outlines data implicating NT in the pathophysiology and management of major mental disorders such as schizophrenia, drug addiction, and autism. The data suggest that NT receptor analogs have the potential to be used as novel therapeutic agents acting through modulation of neurotransmitter systems dys-regulated in these disorders.
TL;DR: The model shows that capping the duration of postdoctoral careers, a policy proposed previously, favours international postdoctoral researchers, and many policies implemented at the postgraduate level have minimal or unintended effects on diversity.
Abstract: The US government has been increasingly supporting postdoctoral training in biomedical sciences to develop the domestic research workforce. However, current trends suggest that mostly international researchers benefit from the funding, many of whom might leave the USA after training. In this paper, we describe a model used to analyse the flow of national versus international researchers into and out of postdoctoral training. We calibrate our model in the case of the USA and successfully replicate the data. We use the model to conduct simulation-based analyses of effects of different policies on the diversity of postdoctoral researchers. Our model shows that capping the duration of postdoctoral careers, a policy proposed previously, favours international postdoctoral researchers. The analysis suggests that the leverage point to help the growth of domestic research workforce is in the pregraduate education area, and many policies implemented at the postgraduate level have minimal or unintended effects on diversity.
TL;DR: This literature review examines the changing roles of ethnic enclaves, the question of their authenticity, and their value as commodified spaces, giving special attention to Little Italy neighborhoods in the United States.
Abstract: This literature review examines the changing roles of ethnic enclaves, the question of their authenticity, and their value as commodified spaces, giving special attention to Little Italy neighborhoods in the United States. Understanding the roles of ethnic enclaves requires some understanding about immigrants’ identities. For some theorists, immigrants become blended into society over the course of generations; for other theorists, descendants of immigrants sometimes retain their cultural heritage and traits, helping form a multicultural or pluralist society. In the traditional sense, ethnic enclaves consist of both ethnic residents and ethnic businesses (such as restaurants, shops, and grocers). One way that ethnic enclaves change is when the area experiences a demographic shift, and people from outside the ethnic group move their residences and businesses to the neighborhood, resulting in the area becoming diversified in people and businesses. A second way that an ethnic enclave changes is when the ethnic group shrinks, but the shops and other businesses remain, resulting in the area becoming diversified in residents but not businesses. This latter situation may encourage commodification of the neighborhood’s ethnic identity, where a municipality or business association seeks to preserve an enclave’s ethnic reputation for tourism purposes. This commodification has implications for many individuals and groups within the enclave as well as outside of it.
TL;DR: Research for sustainable land management appears to be a designated field for a transdiciplinary approach as discussed by the authors, which is characterized by a high level of complexity, and an integrative understanding is required that goes beyond disciplinary knowledge and sectoral viewpoints, including diverse societal needs, values as well as local knowledge.
Abstract: Research for Sustainable Land Management appears to be a designated field for a transdiciplinary approach. Because of the number of involved scientific disciplines, stakeholders and target groups, sustainable land management is characterized by a high level of complexity. An integrative understanding is required that goes beyond disciplinary knowledge and sectoral viewpoints, including diverse societal needs, values as well as local knowledge. From April 17th to April 19th 2013, the ‘Sustainable Land Management’ funding measure launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research sponsored a status conference in Berlin, Germany, to discuss findings from the first 3 years. This article reports on experiences with and discussion results about transdisciplinary research. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-level employee turnover risk identification model using modified QFD method is proposed, which contributes to the QFD and employee turnover research literature and provides practical guidance to business practitioners.
Abstract: Employee turnover is costly in terms of direct costs and indirect costs faced by organizations. Thus, researchers have investigated turnover for more than two decades. Different methods have been proposed to identify employee turnover risk. However, reducing and preventing employee turnover is still one of the biggest challenges to organizations. Quality function deployment (QFD) method is a systems approach to quality engineering. Employee turnover risk identification mainly involves employee turnover risk factors modelling, identifying risk factors' index, and determining index weights. In this paper, we propose a multi-level employee turnover risk identification model using modified QFD method. This study contributes to the QFD and employee turnover research literature and provides practical guidance to business practitioners. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: An overview of current literature on cognitive training is provided and how knowledge of working memory training in healthy populations can be applied to enhance cognitive functioning of individuals with schizophrenia is explored.
Abstract: Cognitive deficits are consistently demonstrated in individuals with schizophrenia. Cognitive training involves structured exercises prescribed and undertaken with the intention of enhancing cognitive abilities such as attention, memory, and problem solving. Thus, cognitive training represents a potentially promising intervention for enhancing cognitive abilities in schizophrenia. However, cognitive training programs are numerous and heterogeneous, hence, the generalizability of training related outcomes can be challenging to assess. This article will provide a brief overview of current literature on cognitive training and explore how knowledge of working memory training in healthy populations can potentially be applied to enhance cognitive functioning of individuals with schizophrenia.
TL;DR: A spatial-based cyclist movement statistical model is presented that regress cyclist movement flows with measure of spatial configuration, safety and infrastructure and urban character attributes to better understand the trade off between cycling safety and cycling legibility and to help inform cycling route design in the future.
Abstract: There has been a world-wide surge of interest in cycling over the last 10 years of which London has seen a continuous growth in cyclists and investment in infrastructure that has resulted in the introduction of the Barclays Cycle Superhighway and Barclays Cycling Hiring Scheme. Despite the investment in cycling infrastructure, there has been little understanding of cycling activity patterns in general and the effect of spatial configuration on cycling route choices. This research aims at measuring the impact of cycling infrastructure and spatial configuration on aggregate cyclist movement over two time periods. To do so, this paper presents a spatial-based cyclist movement statistical model that regress cyclist movement flows with measure of spatial configuration, safety and infrastructure and urban character attributes. Using Elephant and Castle, a Central London location, as a case study, the authors analyze cycling movement data sets from 2003 and 2012 to compare the change in cycling behaviour and the impact that the Cycling Superhighway 07, introduced in 2011, has had on cycling patterns. Findings confirm the growth of cycling in London with a 1000% increase in cyclists along some routes in comparison to a 10% increase in population at the same time. More importantly, results also suggest that higher cyclist movement were observed along routes with greater convenience and continuity—over and above route segregation from vehicular traffic. The relationship between spatial configuration and aggregate cyclists movement is consistent between 2003 and 2012 where spatial configuration have remained the same while changes were observed in both modal split and cycling infrastructure. This result is in line with previous research wherein aggregate higher cyclists movement are observed on major routes offering direct connections than less direct routes. From a spatial cognition perspective, this research enriches our understanding on how the external built environment as measured by the spatial configuration measure relates to aggregated cyclists movement overtime and in identifying key potential factors in influencing cyclist wayfinding. Further research is needed into validating the results and examining this relationship at an individual basis on route choice. These results help us better understand the trade off between cycling safety and cycling legibility which could help inform cycling route design in the future.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors view supply chain decision making from a system perspective, using multiple criteria decision-making as a framework, and discuss how systemic features are demonstrated by these decisionmaking criteria.
Abstract: Supply chains are critical to global operations. However, they involve many risks that require consideration of trade-offs. Furthermore, consideration of the environment is becoming critical as well. This paper views supply chain decision-making from a system perspective, using multiple criteria decision-making as a framework. Systems perspectives of supply chains are discussed. Criteria and factors are reviewed for green supply chain management, supply chain risk, and supply chain efficiency. Selected papers balancing criteria in supply chain decision-making are reviewed with the purpose of demonstrating risk and environmental criteria with efficiency. The conclusions discuss how systemic features are demonstrated by these decision-making criteria. It is contended that consideration of systemic trade-offs will lead to sounder supply chain decision-making. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: Group-delivered cognitive therapy is an effective, efficient, time-limited treatment for PTSD, and clinical improvement showed a third decreasing 10 or more PCL points and 22% no longer meeting PTSD diagnostic criteria, with the best results in the 10-session group.
Abstract: The effectiveness and length of group-delivered cognitive treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was examined in a sample of women veterans. The sample included 271 primarily non-Hispanic white (61%) and Hispanic (25%) women veterans treated in 8-, 10-, or 12-group length sessions with manualized cognitive therapy for PTSD. Outcome was measured with the PTSD Symptom Checklist (PCL) in an intention-to-treat analysis (N = 271), in completer subjects (n = 172), and with group as the unit of analysis (n = 47 groups). Significant decreases in PTSD were found in the full sample (effect size [ES] range = 0.27 to 0.38), completers (ES range = 0.37 to 0.54), and group as the unit of analysis (ES range = 0.71 to 0.92), suggesting effectiveness of cognitive group treatment for PTSD. PCL scores significantly improved in the 8, 10, and 12 group lengths, with no differences between each. Clinical improvement showed a third decreasing 10 or more PCL points and 22% no longer meeting PTSD diagnostic criteria, with the best results in the 10-session group. The results suggest group-delivered cognitive therapy is an effective, efficient, time-limited treatment for PTSD.
TL;DR: The Synergism Hypothesis, originally proposed in 1983, addresses the evolution of “cooperation” in nature and why there has been a secular trend over time toward increased complexity in living systems.
Abstract: Living systems theory and other theory and research in the systems sciences and complexity science has illuminated many aspects of how living systems work—their mechanisms, processes and relationships. The Synergism Hypothesis, originally proposed in 1983, addresses the evolution of cooperative phenomena in nature and why there has been a secular trend over time toward increased complexity in living systems. This theory highlights the role of functional synergy—adaptively significant combined effects that are interdependent and otherwise unattainable—in shaping the ‘progressive’ emergence of complex living systems. This approach is entirely consistent with modern evolutionary biology and natural selection theory and is thus radically opposed to various orthogenetic/deterministic theories of complexity that have been proposed over the years. The Synergism Hypothesis has recently gained scientific support, and there is growing appreciation for the role of various kinds of synergy as an influence in the evolutionary process. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: This paper challenges the unilateral focus on structural interventions—which seemingly control people's behavioral decisions—as such a focus ignores the flipside—namely, attitudes or, as they are called in economics, preferences.
Abstract: A better understanding of when and why nudges (e.g., defaults, visibility or accessibility alterations) and other structural behavior-change measures work or fail can help avoid subsequent surprises such as unexpected political opposition. In this paper, we challenge the unilateral focus on structural interventions—which seemingly control people's behavioral decisions—as such a focus ignores the flipside—namely, attitudes or, as they are called in economics, preferences. We argue for a conceptual understanding of individual behavior that views personal attitudes and behavioral costs as its two separate compensatorily effective determinants. This classical understanding was reintroduced into attitude research as the Campbell paradigm. In the logic of the Campbell paradigm, a person's attitude becomes obvious in the face of the behavioral costs the person surmounts. Technically, individual attitudes reveal themselves in a set of cost-dependent transitively ordered performances. Behavioral costs in turn reflect the structural boundary conditions that are relevant as obstructive and/or supportive environmental forces that generically affect a specific behavior. So far, our research on people’s attitudes toward environmental protection has demonstrated that the Campbell paradigm—and thus its conceptual account of individual behavior—holds true for approximately 95% of the people in a given society.
TL;DR: The authors argue that there are empirical grounds for considering that there is an intelligibly ordered reality underlying the phenomena of the experienced world and that a unity of knowledge is therefore possible in principle.
Abstract: The world as we experience it appears to be a kind of unity, and yet different sectors of the academy have apparently incommensurable world views. For example, in the social sciences, the possibility of objective knowledge is disclaimed (constructivism); whereas in the natural sciences, it is insisted upon (e.g. physicalism). In this paper, I argue that Systems Philosophy suggests that there are empirical grounds for considering that there is an intelligibly ordered reality underlying the phenomena of the experienced world and that a unity of knowledge is therefore possible in principle. I discuss possible ways in which work towards such unification can be approached. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: Based on the literature, the factors influencing employee satisfaction in Lenovo Group were studied in this paper, where a comprehensive evaluation index system of employee satisfaction was established based on a survey and a thorough data analysis.
Abstract: With the rapid development of information technology (IT), IT service quality has become a popular topic in both academic circles and enterprises. Based on the literature, the factors influencing employee satisfaction in Lenovo Group were studied. In terms of users in IT enterprises, a comprehensive evaluation index system of employee satisfaction was established based on a survey and a thorough data analysis. Using the structural equation modelling method, the critical factors affecting employee satisfaction and their interrelationships are identified. This method has practical value and can be used as a reference for employee satisfaction measurement and management in IT service enterprises. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
TL;DR: This work tested whether capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)—a species that has previously demonstrated prosocial preferences—would behave prosocially using a novel touchscreen task and found that capuchins as a group did not prosocialally deliver food to a partner.
Abstract: Over the past decade, many researchers have used food donation tasks to test whether nonhuman primates show human-like patterns of prosocial behavior in experimental settings. Although these tasks are elegant in their simplicity, performance within and across species is difficult to explain under a unified theoretical framework. Here, we attempt to better understand variation in prosociality by examining the circumstances that promote and hinder the expression of prosocial preferences. To this end, we tested whether capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)—a species that has previously demonstrated prosocial preferences—would behave prosocially using a novel touchscreen task. In contrast to previous studies, we found that capuchins as a group did not prosocially deliver food to a partner. Importantly however, data from control conditions revealed that subjects demonstrated limited understanding of the reward contingencies of the task. We also compared individuals’ performance in the current study with their performance in a previously published prosociality study. We conclude by discussing how continuing to explore intraspecies variation in performance on prosocial tasks may help inform debates regarding the existence of other-regarding preferences in nonhuman species.