Alternative Measures of Political Efficacy: The Quest for Cross-Cultural Invariance With Ordinally Scaled Survey Items

In this paper, we examine the measurement of citizens’ beliefs that politicians and political systems are responsive (external efficacy) and that citizens see themselves sufficiently skilled to participate in politics (internal efficacy). This paper demonstrates techniques that allow researchers to establish the cross-context validity of conceptually important ordinal scales. In so doing, we show an alternative set of efficacy indicators to those commonly appearing on cross-national surveys to be more promising from a validity standpoint. Through detailed discussion and application of multi-group analysis for ordinal measures, we demonstrate that a measurement model linking latent internal and external efficacy factors performs well in configural and parameter invariance testing when applied to representative samples of respondents in the United States and Great Britain. With near full invariance achieved, differences in latent variable means are meaningful and British respondents are shown to have lower levels of both forms of efficacy than their American counterparts. We argue that this technique may be particularly valuable for scholars who wish to establish the suitability of ordinal scales for direct comparison across nations or cultures.

THE DATA DIAGNOSTIC METHOD OF IN THE SYSTEM OF RESIDUE CLASSES

The subject of the article is the development of a method for diagnosing data that are presented in the system of residual classes (SRC). The purpose of the article is to develop a method for fast diagnostics of data in the SRC when entering the minimum information redundancy. Tasks: to analyze and identify possible shortcomings of existing methods for diagnosing data in the SRC, to explore possible ways to eliminate the identified shortcomings, to develop a method for prompt diagnosis of data in SRC. Research methods: methods of analysis and synthesis of computer systems, number theory, coding theory in SRC. The following results were obtained. It is shown that the main disadvantage of the existing methods is the significant time of data diagnostics when it is necessary to introduce significant information redundancy into the non-positional code structure (NCS). The method considered in the article makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the diagnostic procedure when introducing minimal information redundancy into the NCS. The data diagnostics time, in comparison with the known methods, is reduced primarily due to the elimination of the procedure for converting numbers from the NCS to the positional code, as well as the elimination of the positional operation of comparing numbers. Secondly, the data diagnostics time is reduced by reducing the number of SRC bases in which errors can occur. Third, the data diagnostics time is reduced due to the presentation of the set of values of the alternative set of numbers in a tabular form and the possibility of sampling them in one machine cycle. The amount of additionally introduced information redundancy is reduced due to the effective use of the internal information redundancy that exists in the SRC. An example of using the proposed method for diagnosing data in SRC is given. Conclusions. Thus, the proposed method makes it possible to reduce the time for diagnosing data errors that are presented in the SRC, which increases the efficiency of diagnostics with the introduction of minimal information redundancy.

Jus ad vim

Jus ad vim is the set of moral principles governing the decision to use limited force. This chapter interrogates the moral permissions and restraints of these principles by recalibrating the traditional jus ad bellum criteria (just cause, last resort, proportionality, probability of success, right intention, and legitimate authority) and delineating the novel probability of escalation principle. The chapter begins with an illustration of just cause for vim, which is more permissive than for bellum, meaning there are more moral reasons to use limited force than to go to war. The concern that this view of just cause would lower the threshold for violence too far is called the permissiveness critique. The remainder of the chapter charts a course of restraint ad vim. Recalibrating last resort yields the moral independence thesis, the view that acts of limited force should not be conceived as part of the actions leading to war but rather should be thought of as an alternative set of options, while the Rubicon assessment is the deliberation process to discern what level of force is justified. The restrictive core of jus ad vim lies in satisfying a new criterion—the probability of escalation principle, which blends elements of the jus ad bellum proportionality and probability of success criteria to conceive the risks of using limited force. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how right intention and legitimate authority can be reinterpreted in a limited force context to curtail acting too easily on just cause.

Response to “Advancing the Science of Well-Being: A Dissenting View on Measurement Recommendations”

In response to Chapter 18, the authors of this chapter agree with the points made by Ryff et al. on the importance of nomenclature, the multidimensional nature of well-being, and the importance of context while holding that none of this contradicts their own recommendations. The authors revisit the rationale provided for their specific recommendations, which they believe Ryff et al. chose to ignore. They defend the view, contrary to Ryff et al., that if it is possible to include only a single well-being item on a survey then it is best to include one, rather than nothing at all. The authors note that several single-item well-being indicators strongly predict numerous relevant outcomes in longitudinal studies. They reiterate that the present recommendations are provisional and observe that Ryff et al. offer no alternative set of recommendations. The authors state their belief that a set of provisional recommendations, drawing on current evidence, will help promote the monitoring and study of well-being and is better than none at all.

Extreme dwelling: Assembling domus horribilis

10 Rillington Place names the site of temporally extensive practices of murder (1943–1953), and offers an empirical entry point for critically advancing the conceptual innovations of relational approaches to the criminological study of ‘home’. In so doing, the paper, firstly, (re)conceptualises serial homicide as practice, more specifically as a mode of domestic labour which materialises in and is enacted through the relational dynamics of everyday residential life; and secondly, rejects the notion of ‘home’ and argues for the concept of dwelling to better capture the active, generative and fluid dynamics of domestic life. This subtle shift in conceptual approach acknowledges how domus horribilis is etched from, and woven through the topological entanglements of everyday and extreme practices, and moves us toward an alternative set of conceptual commitments in our research of domestic space. Drawing from a mixed portfolio of cultural media (including archival, epistolary, journalistic, photographic, filmic, architectural, museological and dramaturgical data), the paper takes forward Schatzki’s site ontology as an organising framework for practice-based analytics, and advances the critical insights of an embryonic criminology of the domestic.

Does NICE apply the rule of rescue in its approach to highly specialised technologies?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK’s main healthcare priority-setting body, recently reaffirmed a longstanding claim that in recommending technologies to the National Health Service it cannot apply the ‘rule of rescue’. This paper explores this claim by identifying key characteristics of the rule and establishing to what extent these are also features of NICE’s approach to evaluating ultra-orphan drugs through its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. It argues that although NICE in all likelihood does not act because of the rule in prioritising these drugs, its actions in relation to HSTs are nevertheless in accordance with the rule and are not explained by the full articulation of any alternative set of rationales. That is, though NICE implies that its approach to HSTs is not motivated by the rule of rescue, it is not explicit about what else might justify this approach given NICE’s general concern with overall population need and value for money. As such, given NICE’s reliance on notions of procedural justice and its commitment to making the reasons for its priority-setting decisions public, the paper concludes that NICE’s claim to reject the rule is unhelpful and that NICE does not currently meet its own definition of a fair and transparent decision-maker.

Conditions under which distributions of edge length ratios on phylogenetic trees can be used to order evolutionary events

Two recent high profile studies have attempted to use edge (branch) length ratios from large sets of phylogenetic trees to determine the relative ages of genes of different origins in the evolution of eukaryotic cells. This approach can be straightforwardly justified if substitution rates are constant over the tree for a given protein. However, such strict molecular clock assumptions are not expected to hold on the billion-year timescale. Here we propose an alternative set of conditions under which comparisons of edge length distributions from multiple sets of phylogenies of proteins with different origins can be validly used to discern the order of their origins. We also point out scenarios where these conditions are not expected to hold and caution is warranted.

Envisioning a strategic framework to streamline building operation, sustainability and users’ disease control

Purpose This study aims to present a strategic framework aiming to streamline building operation and sustainability issues. To make available a further contribution to respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), an operational prevention guideline relying on the level of spread risk has also been developed, primarily intended for users when accessing and circulating within common spaces of buildings in general. Design/methodology/approach The research approach involved the development of a whole theory, essentially based on a qualitative design, by means of tree schematic representations and explanatory frames. It presents part of a model already developed (called SIAPME), although, in general, besides integrating the underlying aspects of the individual experience of daily life, it is based on insights and impressions taken from the literature review. Findings With an identity of its own, this study offers an overview of an alternative set of well-founded and integrated strategies to improve working processes in a number of fields of the building operation function. A structured vision has thus, been provided with interest in certain key topics of the present time, such as energy management, comfort and sustainability. Still, in this context, based on a frame of knowledge gathered to date, a current, innovative and simple guidance has also been designed to help prevent the contagion of COVID-19. Research limitations/implications The draft of procedures is part of an ambitious goal to serve as a well-founded strategic basis for the eventual development of an advanced software solution. As it is mainly limited to qualitative analysis, from which themes and generalisations have been arranged, this research may need more empirical evidence and additional work will be necessary to overcome any gaps that may be found. Practical implications An overall assessment of this study seems to corroborate the idea that a significant impact on the developments in building operation can occur if stakeholders seek a more integrated way of management, based on cross-referencing of current issues. At a time when great uncertainties remain and knowledge advances are in full swing, the designed framework aims to be an added input towards already existing research. Furthermore, it can be seen as a valuable contribution to improving related software applications. Originality/value The originality lies in trying to better understand how and in which aspects the general day-to-day management of building operation can be handled more effectively, sustainable and framed, following a reasoned scientific line, in addition of trying to figure out greater capacity to deal with users’ contagions, especially in the existing context of the pandemic.

Under Material Skin Lie the Bones of Identity

This paper explores the automated recognition of objects and materials and their relation to depictions in images of all kinds: photographs, artwork, doodles by children, and any other visual representation. The way artists of all cultures, ages and skill levels depict objects and materials furnishes a gamut of ‘depictions’ so wide as to present a severe challenge to current algorithms — none of them perform satisfactorily across any but a few types of depiction. Indeed, most algorithms exhibit a significant performance loss when the images used are non photographic in nature. This loss can be explained using the tacit assumptions that underlay nearly every algorithm for recognition. Appeal to the art history literature provides an alternative set of assumptions, that are more robust to variations in depiction and which offer new ways forward for automated image analysis. This is important, not just to advance computer vision, but because of the new understanding and applications that it opens.