ACM SIGSOFT Empirical Standards Released

In October 2020, The ACM SIGSOFT Paper and Peer Review Quality Task Force released its first empirical standards. An empirical standard is "a brief public document that communicates expectations for a specific kind of study (e.g. a questionnaire survey)" [1]. (All quotations below are from the Empirical Standards report [1] unless otherwise noted.)

Hara Tanzan and the Japanese Buddhist Discovery of “Experience”

This paper explores the role of Hara Tanzan 原坦山 (1819–1892) in the transformation of Buddhism into an “experiential religion” during the Meiji period. Scholars such as Sharf have argued that this transformation is due to Western influence on figures such as DT Suzuki. Japanese language scholarship has instead shown that in the early 1900s, the notion of Buddhism as experiential religion was already widespread, considering Tanzan as a predecessor of this discourse. I argue that Tanzan was among the first to discover the importance of “experience” in the confrontation with science, yet interpreted it as an empirical standard for both religious and scientific knowledge. However, Tanzan did not yet establish the separation of science and religion characteristic of the modern understanding of both terms. I conclude that Tanzan was one starting point in a dialectic that is integral to the indigenous genealogy of “religious experience” in Japan.

Awareness, Benefits, and Services: Lecturers’ Perceived Towards The Application of ISO 9001: 2008 at University

The State Islamic Institute Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin (IAIN STS) Jambi has been applying ISO 9001; 2008 since February 2013. One of previous research findings was the resistance regarding the ISO standards and the certification process. This study was to examine the problem through conducting lecturers’ perception towards ISO 9001; 2008 at IAIN STS Jambi in terms of their awareness, benefits and services. Respondents were lecturers of IAIN STS Jambi as many as 122 people from 4 faculties. The research employed a quantitative survey method that uses a likert-scale questionnaire and analysed with descriptive statistic. The findings show that lecturers’ perception on the application of TQM ISO 9001: 2008 in IAIN STS Jambi included in the group of moderate to high. The mean empirical data (x = 47,30) was higher than the average hypothetical (μ = 42). This indicates that the perception of lecturers on the application of ISO in IAIN STS Jambi is high (positive). Empirical standard deviation (s = 9,910) was higher than the hypothetical standard deviation (σ = 9:33). This shows that the perception of lecturers on the application of ISO 9001: 2008 at IAIN STS Jambi has a high variation. Meanwhile, gender variable has a significant relationship between the perception of ISO 9001: 2008 on improving the quality of teaching. Employment status (fulltime civil employer or non-full-time civil employer) have a significant relationship between the perception of ISO 9001; 2008 for quality of services and quality of coordination.

Democratic Partisanship: From Theoretical Ideal to Empirical Standard

In recent years, a number of scholars have taken parties and partisanship as objects of normative theorizing. They posit partisanship as a fundamentally democratic practice and develop a model of what partisans can do at their best to contribute to liberal democracy. However, the standards the literature puts forth remain insufficiently specified to serve as empirical benchmarks. This article further conceptualizes this model of democratic partisanship and offers a theoretical framework within which to empirically evaluate the democratic merits of partisan discourses. It establishes a series of indicators for assessing the extent to which partisan discourse displays two main qualities: cohesiveness and respect for political pluralism. The article then discusses the implications of using this theoretical framework as a basis for empirical studies and shows how the model can thereby benefit both political scientists and theorists.

Sleep-disordered Breathing and the Menopausal Transition Among Participants in the Sleep in Midlife Women Study

ABSTRACT Objective Menopause is widely believed to be an established cause of sleep disorders, but evidence for this theory is inconclusive. Attributing any sleep problem to normal processes of menopause may lead to underdiagnosis of treatable sleep disorders in midlife women. This study uses detailed longitudinal data on sleep and menopausal health from participants in the Sleep in Midlife Women Study to investigate whether risk and severity of sleep-disordered breathing increase with progression through menopause, accounting for changes in age and body habitus. Methods A total of 219 women aged 38 to 62 years were recruited from participants in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. Menopause status was determined from daily diaries in which participants reported menstrual flow, hot flashes, and use of hormonal medications. Each participant underwent in-home polysomnography studies every 6 months, to measure the apneahypopnea index (AHI) (N = 1,667 studies). Linear models with empirical standard errors were fit for logarithm of AHI on menopause status and years in menopause, adjusting for age, body mass index, waist girth, and neck girth. Results Compared with women in premenopause, AHI was 21% higher among participants in perimenopause (95% CI, −4 to 54), 31% higher among participants in postmenopause (95% CI, 2-68), and 41% higher among participants whose menopausal stage could not be distinguished between peri- and postmenopause (95% CI, 8-82). Among women who had begun perimenopause, each additional year in menopause was associated with 4% greater AHI (95% CI, 2-6). Conclusions Progression through menopause is associated with greater sleep-disordered breathing severity. This association is independent of aging and changes in body habitus.