scholarly journals Detecting Convergence Trends among EU Universities

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Maria Adamakou ◽  
Dimitris Kallioras ◽  
George Petrakos

Universities are emerging growth determinants. This is so as, in addition to the fulfillment of their traditional role in teaching and (basic) research, universities, as aptly described within the helix framework, are expected to engage in regional development processes. The paper aims to detect trends of convergence among EU universities in terms of performance. To the best of our knowledge, this topic has not hitherto been examined. The empirical analysis of the paper covers the period 2014–2021, utilizes data obtained from URAP (University Ranking by Academic Performance), and employs the methodological approach of convergence clubs. The findings of the paper provide valuable insight into both theory and policy-making. We conclude that despite the unification of EU educational space, trends of divergence among EU universities are still present, and notable divisions still remain. Consequently, this indicates that the impact of EU universities on the formation of spatial disparities across EU space is not neutral.

RMD Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e001063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berend Stoel

After decades of basic research with many setbacks, artificial intelligence (AI) has recently obtained significant breakthroughs, enabling computer programs to outperform human interpretation of medical images in very specific areas. After this shock wave that probably exceeds the impact of the first AI victory of defeating the world chess champion in 1997, some reflection may be appropriate on the consequences for clinical imaging in rheumatology. In this narrative review, a short explanation is given about the various AI techniques, including ‘deep learning’, and how these have been applied to rheumatological imaging, focussing on rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis as examples. By discussing the principle limitations of AI and deep learning, this review aims to give insight into possible future perspectives of AI applications in rheumatology.


2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 1166-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Arkoosh ◽  
L Johnson ◽  
P A Rossignol ◽  
T K Collier

Twenty-six salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) stocks from the Pacific Northwest are listed as either threatened or endangered. A number of anthropogenic factors, likely including degradation of habitat by chemical contaminant exposure, have contributed to their decline. Techniques that can assess injury or judge the efficacy of regulatory actions on the recovery of this species are needed. We strive to understand why a population is changing by examining changes in their intrinsic birth rates, death rates, and (or) growth rates. However, salmon populations are influenced by other species in the community. To address this issue, we developed a parsimonious three-trophic-level community model consisting of prey, salmon, and parasites and examined the model's response to one anthropogenic factor (contaminant exposure) using qualitative analysis. This community model may not only provide valuable insight into salmon survival but also may broaden the approaches available to elucidate direct and indirect effects. We demonstrate analytically that some community members, possibly salmon themselves, might be ambiguous or unreliable variables to monitor. We also demonstrate that other species in the community, such as parasites, may be more sensitive than salmon in monitoring the influence of anthropogenic factors such as contaminants.


2000 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurangzeb Khan ◽  
Nethaji Dharmarasu ◽  
Masafumi Yamaguchi ◽  
Kenji Araki ◽  
Tuong K. Vu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe report the results of comparison of radiation-induced defects (1 MeV electrons) in n+-p-p+ Si diodes doped with gallium or boron ranging in concentration from 8 × 1014 to 5 × 1016 cm-3, together with the impact of oxygen on radiation –induced defects. Present results provide evidence for new defects states in addition to those previously reported in gallium- and boron-doped Si. The combined boron and gallium data provide enough information to gain valuable insight into the role of the dopants on radiation-induced defects in Si. The interesting new future of our results is that the gallium appears to strongly suppress the radiation induced defect, especially hole level EV+0.36 eV, which is thought to act as a recombination center. Similarly the dominant electron level at EC-0.18 eV in B-doped Si (which act as a donor) has not been observed in Ga-doped CZ-grown Si.


2019 ◽  
pp. 003022281983152
Author(s):  
Rachael Nolan ◽  
Chelsey Kirkland ◽  
Ronald Davis

Grief and bereavement are universal human experiences that do not discriminate based on sex, gender, or sexual orientation. Existing literature provides valuable insight into the bereavement experiences of persons who identify as heterosexuals, but much less can be found on persons who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender/queer* (LGBT*). Given that the historical experiences of loss and personal characteristics such as interpersonal, familial, and social patterns of coping with grief are likely to influence the bereavement process, this study focused on the impact of partner bereavement on the interpersonal relationships and subsequent partnerships of the LGBT* bereaved. To this end, the purpose of this study was to use a mixed-methods approach to better understand how LGBT* persons described their experiences with partner bereavement and to identify what effect these experiences had on interpersonal relationships and subsequent partnerships.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 143-157
Author(s):  
Xu Huijun

Whether a death sentence is fair or not is an fundamental question for a country’s criminal justice system, yet in practice, similar cases still occasionally receive differing judgments. In response to this problem, this paper has proposed to take sentencing evidence as the breakthrough for the balanced application of death penalty. This paper begins by analysing written judgments from 40 cases, which involve 69 individuals and have been sampled from all those archived under the Gazettes section by the Beidafabao,1 Peking University Centre for Legal Information. This analysis provides considerable insight into the type of sentencing evidence admitted in capital cases, as well as the impact that principal evidence has on where death sentences are imposed. Next, in accordance with the basic problems of evidence law, this paper separates out sentencing evidence of capital cases from conventional theories that confuse it with convictions. Taking sentencing evidence as the core, the objective of the empirical analysis and theoretical discussion is to establish guidelines as well as a policy analysis for capital cases in China in the future.


2000 ◽  
Vol 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurangzeb Khan ◽  
Nethaji Dharmarasu ◽  
Masafumi Yamaguchi ◽  
Kenji Araki ◽  
Tuong K. Vu ◽  
...  

AbstractWe report the results of comparison of radiation-induced defects (1 MeV electrons) in n+-p-p+ Si diodes doped with gallium or boron ranging in concentration from 8 × 1014 to 5 × 1016 cm−3, together with the impact of oxygen on radiation –induced defects. Present results provide evidence for new defects states in addition to those previously reported in gallium- and boron-doped Si. The combined boron and gallium data provide enough information to gain valuable insight into the role of the dopants on radiation-induced defects in Si. The interesting new future of our results is that the gallium appears to strongly suppress the radiation induced defect, especially hole level EV+0.36 eV, which is thought to act as a recombination center. Similarly the dominant electron level at EC-0.18 eV in B-doped Si (which act as a donor) has not been observed in Ga-doped CZ-grown Si.


Geografie ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hampl

The paper provides an empirical analysis of short-term regional development processes in the Czech Republic. A particular emphasis is given to the assessment of changes in regional organisation of commuting in 1991-2001. A strengthening of the impact of main regional centres is stressed, especially the macro-regional influence of Prague. The results of the empirical analysis support general claims pointing to the importance of qualitatively new forms of geographical development in the post-industrial era: a strengthening of controlling functions of the largest urban centres and a general increase in contacts in the national settlement system, on the one hand, and a decrease or termination of population growth of large cities, on the other hand.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 342-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kennedy ◽  
Francisco Guzmán

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of Millennials’ perceived ability to influence a brand and how this perception about the brand impacts the consumers’ desire to engage in co-creation. Additionally, the paper examines the effects of perceived influence on attitude toward the ad and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were developed. In the first study, Millennial consumers identify technology brands they feel they are able to influence and not able to influence. Using the results from Study 1, Study 2, a 2 × 2 between subjects factorial design, is used to test the impact that perceived brand influence has on co-creation, attitude toward the ad and purchase intention. Findings The results of this paper offer new insight into consumer co-creation. Instead of co-creation being a constant that a brand can rely on, managers must now consider the attributions that consumers have about the brand. If a brand is perceived as being unable to be influenced, then not only will consumers not engage in co-creation but attitude toward that ad and purchase intention will also decrease. Research limitations/implications This paper focuses exclusively on Millennial consumers. While this segment of the population is large and important, validating the results with a national generalizable sample could shed additional insight into the power of the ability to influence on co-creation. The survey was created to mimic an online social media platform that a consumer interacts with on a regular basis. To further verify the test results, additional platforms for co-creation, including company websites and retail settings, could be tested. Practical implications If a brand wishes to engage Millennial consumers with active co-creation, then the perception of the brand is important for success. Brand managers must create a perception of the brand that is open to engagement with consumers – which allows for consumers to give input and help to shape the brand. Consumers should become comfortable with the idea of the brand asking for, accepting and implementing feedback from customers. Originality/value This paper is the first of its kind to combine attribution theory, theory of reasoned action and co-creation to measure the perceptions that consumers have about a brand. The results of this paper provide valuable insight to the limits and conditions in which co-creation will occur.


Author(s):  
Esra Karapınar Kocağ

Welfare, in general, refers to both economic and social prosperity of individuals. From an economic point of view, individuals are very important actors of the labour market in the production process. This chapter focuses on employees and attempts to offer a valuable insight into the concept of welfare, its measurement, and its potential impact on the national product. Measuring welfare is not straightforward due to its multidimensional concept. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a way of measurement of employee welfare through an index that combines selected welfare components of employees. In the process of building that index, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied. Preserving variability and reducing dimensionality, this method is a very functional tool to represent multidimensional variables such as welfare in this case. Eurostat data for the period of 2008-2018 were utilized to explain the impact of employee welfare on the GDP per capita for 32 European countries. Findings revealed that employee welfare is a significant indicator of the national product.


Sports ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Rohan Edmonds ◽  
Meaghan Wood ◽  
Patricia Fehling ◽  
Sarah DiPasquale

Heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) is a useful tool for assessing cardiac autonomic function and identifying potential readiness to perform in athletic populations, but has yet to be investigated in dance populations. As such, HRV may be able to provide valuable insight into the preparedness of dancers and the demands of performance in a collegiate dance population. 29 female dancers were monitored leading up to and following a dance performance. Analysis of HRV focused on the square root of the mean squared differences of the successive RR intervals (RMSSD). A one-way ANOVA, with Bonferroni post-hoc, paired with magnitude-based-inferences (MBI) with effect sizes (ES) were used to analyze changes during the Winter Dance Concert, while the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (REST-Q Sport) measured the frequency of stress of dancers. When compared to baseline (69.8 ± 1.7 bpm), mean (HR) was increased at both pre-show recordings (76.5 ± 2.1 bpm and 75.6 ± 1.8 bpm). In contrast, RMSSD was significantly diminished (p < 0.05) at both pre-show recordings (40.6 ± 28.4 ms and 40.5 ± 21.8 ms) as compared to baseline (70.3 ± 38.4 ms). Dancers reported increased (p < 0.05) self-efficacy before the second show and at 36 h post-concert. As expected, Dance Exposure (DE) increased significantly (p < 0.05), while Academic Exposure (AE) was similar, during the week leading up to the dance concert. The results suggest dancers responded to concert dance performances similarly to other athletic populations approaching intense competition by exhibiting decreased parasympathetic activity prior to the dance performances, which returned to baseline values 36 h after their performances. Given the increase in self-efficacy, these fluctuations may indicate a readiness to a performance comparable to athletes.


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