Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
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Scott, Godwin, and the Casuistry of Romantic Individualism: Politics, Legal Dysfunction, and Social Inequality
No full textThough William Godwin and Walter Scott stated politically opposite goals in their differently historical novelistic projects, they shared an underlying investment in personal judgment as a corrective provided by the implicit suggestion that the novel itself is more capable of solving certain problems than is the courtroom. This essay examines moral and legal justice in Godwin’s Caleb Williams (1794) and in Scott’s Guy Mannering (1815) alongside their authors’ involvement in real cases, from Godwin’s role in the treason trials of the 1790s to Scott’s decisions as rural magistrate in Selkirkshire. Godwin’s and Scott’s emphasis on a backward-looking, historical understanding of personal judgment over modern legal principles and procedures appears to be philosophically conservative, yet they theorize social justice as a function of a legal system properly sensitive to the individuality of the accused’s character. The casuistry of Romantic individualism underlies and ultimately resolves the tensions between Godwin’s and Scott’s approaches to justice in their novels and in their overt politics, and I track both authors’ experiments with creative jurisprudence to conclude that they were not nearly as different from one another as is generally assumed
Relative accuracy of anthropometric-based body fat equations in males and females with varying BMI classifications
No full textBackground: BMI based body fat equations developed from Womersley and Durnin (BMIWO), Jackson et al. (BMIJA), Deurenberg et al. (BMIDE), and Gallagher et al. (BMIGA) are commonly used to quantify body fat percentage (BF%). However, relative fat mass (RFM) is a new anthropometric-based method that has been proposed as an alternative. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of sex and BMI classification on the relative accuracy of BMI-based body fat equations and RFM. Methods: Males (n = 75) and females (n = 75) were stratified and classified into three different groups; 1) normal weight (n = 50 [NW: 50% males]; BMI\u3c25.0 kg/m2); 2) overweight (n = 50 [OW: 50% males]; BMI≥25.0–29.9 kg/m2); 3) obese (n = 50 [OB: 50% males]; BMI≥30.0 kg/m2). A criterion three-compartment model (3C model) was determined with air displacement plethysmography for body volume and multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis for total body water. Data were stratified by sex and BMI classification. Difference scores were created by subtracting estimated BF% from 3C model BF%. Results: A significant SEX × BMI interaction was detected for all comparisons (all p \u3c 0.05). Post hoc analysis indicated the differences in BF% were statistically significant between OW females and males for all equations (BMIWO:-2.99 ± 4.79% vs. 4.71 ± 5.86%, p = 0.003; BMIJA:-1.77 ± 4.83% vs. 5.77 ± 5.85%, p \u3c 0.001; BMIDE:-3.09 ± 4.80% vs. 4.97 ± 5.98%, p \u3c 0.001; BMIGA:0.36 ± 4.51% vs. 4.56 ± 5.55%, p = 0.018; RFM:-2.17 ± 4.84% vs. 3.01 ± 5.34%, p = 0.004, respectively). In addition, there were significant differences between females and males classified as NW (BMIJA:-2.11 ± 4.15% vs. 2.61 ± 5.98%, p = 0.008) and OB (BMIGA:2.40 ± 3.36% vs. −1.09 ± 6.40%, p = 0.006). Conclusions: The current findings highlight that RFM does not appear to overcome error commonly associated with BMI-based body fat equations when stratifying by sex and BMI classification. Nonetheless, practitioners can use BMIWO, BMIDE, and RFM in males and females classified as NW or OB, but should employ caution prior to use in OW persons
You exist in my song! How a destination-related popular song enhances destination image and visit intentions
No full textResearch on media-induced tourism has been growing in recent years. The existing research has shown that films, television programs, and radio commercials can induce tourism behavior. The present research aimed to introduce a new form of music-induced tourism to the literature by examining the impact of a destination-related popular song on prospective tourists’ intentions to visit the destination. A theoretical model that included music-evoked mental imagery, affective image, overall image, and visit intentions was developed; 381 respondents participated in a web-based experiment to test the hypotheses, and the model was validated using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that music-evoked mental imagery led tourists to generate positive affective images and overall images of the destination, which in turn influenced their intentions to visit the destination. The implications of the findings for tourism marketers and future research directions are also discussed
Reliability and Agreement of Various InBody Body Composition Analyzers as Compared to Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Healthy Men and Women
No full textBackground: Bioelectrical impedance analysis has evolved over the years to include the use of multiple frequencies and impedance measurements to improve the accuracy and reliability of body composition estimates. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the reliability of the InBody230, InBody720, and InBody770 to measure body fat percent (BF%), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM) in the general population and to compare results to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Methods: A total of 31 males and 36 females participated in 2 d of testing separated by 24–72 h. Each visit consisted of a DXA scan, and analysis with the InBody230, InBody720, and InBody770. Results: All 3 bioelectrical impedance devices (InBody230, InBody720, and InBody770) were reliable in men and women as indicated by high intraclass correlation coefficients for BF% (≥0.98), FM (≥0.98), and FFM (≥0.99) and low standard error of measurement for BF% (0.77%–0.99%), FM (0.54–0.87 kg), and FFM (0.58–0.84 kg) and minimum difference for BF% (2.12%–2.73%), FM (1.49–2.39 kg), and FFM (1.60–2.32 kg), respectively. When examining the agreement between the 3 InBody analyzers with DXA, systematic bias (underestimation of BF% and FM and overestimation of FFM) was present for all comparisons (p \u3c 0.05) while proportional bias was present for FM in women and FFM in men. However, there was small individual error for all comparisons as indicated by the standard error of estimate and 95% limits of agreement. Conclusion: The InBody analyzers produce small individual error, which suggest these methods can be used as a surrogate when DXA is not available; however, practitioners should be aware of the systematic bias for all comparisons and proportional bias for FM in women and FFM in men. Furthermore, findings revealed that the research grade models, InBody720 and InBody770, added minimal benefit over the portable InBody230 when assessing BF%, FM, and FFM
Technology standardization, competitive behavior, and enterprises’ performance of innovation: A conceptual model
No full textPurpose: With the development and innovation of IoT technologies, both domestic and international people in the industry believe the development of IoT are the new points of technological innovation and economic growth. But it is becoming more and more prominent that the industries are difficult to connect and the IoT technologies are not standardized. The purpose of this paper is to promote the further development of IoT technology and industry, technology standardization of IoT has become the focus of all concerned parties. Technology standardization, as a technological innovation and development process of the “pruning shears,” has been embedded into the various aspects of innovation activities. Design/methodology/approach: Based on many previous theories, the authors establish a matrix of the patterns of technology standardization. The authors use the relative state of the highest level of technology of the enterprise and The degree of independent technological innovation as the two dimensions of the model. At the same time, the authors divide the competitive behaviors into two categories and match them with the technology standardization model. Findings: The authors explain the short-term competitive behaviors in the same enterprise and among different enterprises by using the theories of mutualism and competition among species in biology, and make an analogy between the phenomenon of base pairing in DNA double helix structure and the corresponding relationship of two kinds of innovation abilities and two kinds of competitive behaviors in the process of technology standardization. Originality/value: Combined with previous theories, explain that innovation capability plays a mediating role in the process in which the combinations of the patterns of technology standardization and competitive behaviors are transformed into the enterprise innovation performance, and the uncertainty of external environment play a regulatory role in the process. Finally, the authors established the final conceptual model for providing theoretical basis for the later research, and put forward the conclusions and prospect at the end of the paper
A survey on industrial information integration 2016–2019
No full textIndustrial information integration engineering (IIIE) is a set of foundational concepts and techniques that facilitate the industrial information integration process. In recent years, many applications of the integration between Internet of Things (IoT) and IIIE have become available, including industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cyber-physical systems, smart grids, and smart manufacturing. In order to investigate the latest achievements of studies on IIIE, this paper reviews literatures from 2016 to 2019 in IEEEXplore and Web of Science. Altogether, 970 papers related to IIIE are grouped into 27 research categories and reviewed. The results present up-to-date development of IIIE and provide directions for future research on IIIE
The Distributional Justice of Oil Industry Social Development Projects and Oil Field Production Activities
No full textIn order to share the benefits of oil production with people living in extraction areas, the oil industry targets social development investments and projects to communities most affected by production activities. Yet, the effectiveness of industry-led community development projects remains unclear and under explored. In this study, we use a benefit-sharing, distributional justice framework to assess the efficacy of social development projects among 11 municipal governments and 114 local communities in the Tampico-Misantla Basin, a major oil extraction region in Mexico. To test for distributional justice, we use geospatial, rapid rural appraisal, and government data to compare the spatial overlap of oil production, pipelines, recent drilling activity, well counts, state-funded public works, and social marginalization indexes to social development infrastructure (e.g. paved roads, schools, bridges). We explain the uneven distribution of risks and benefits among some rural communities as the result of premature investments in social development projects, party politics, corruption, community capacity, and proximity to urban areas. This study contributes an empirical approach to evaluate distributional justice in oil extraction areas. It also provides insights into Mexico\u27s oil sector during a period of significant neoliberal restructuring, most recently with the 2014 Energy Reforms
Misdemeanor Courts, Due Process, and Case Outcomes
No full textVery little research on courts and sentencing outcomes focuses on misdemeanor courts despite the fact that most crime processed through the criminal justice system is misdemeanor in nature. In fact, the overwhelming empiricism in this area is on felony court outcomes at either the federal or state levels. This research utilized a mixed methodology approach, a combination of observation, survey, and secondary data, to explore misdemeanor court outcomes across the State of Florida. In particular, this research focused on the extent of due process afforded misdemeanor defendants and how this impacted case outcomes. Findings indicate an overall lack of due process and awareness of due process rights across the vast majority of cases. This study also explored sentencing outcomes via traditional metrics associated with contemporary sentencing research. Findings suggest that misdemeanor courts processing operate much differently than felony courts. The implications for future research and policy are discussed
Online victimization, social media utilization, and cyber crime prevention measures
No full textEngaging concepts germane to lifestyle-routine activities theory (LRAT), this study examines how social media (SM) utilization shapes online victimization experience. It also explores how considerations about online prevention measures play a moderating role between utilization and victimization. This study focuses on the Facebook® utilization of a subset of the U.S. population hitherto understudied in cybercrime prevention studies: Hispanics. An online survey was used to collect information pertaining to respondents’ online victimization experience, social media utilization, and aspects of prevention measures. Logistic and negative binomial regression analyses were performed on two measures of online victimization (ever victimized and frequency of victimization). The findings demonstrate how LRAT can explain the link between SM utilization, prevention measures, and online victimization. The results highlight the role of two temporal aspects of utilization (intensity and extensity) in shaping online victimization experience along with the conditioning role of the salience of mutuality (i.e., the importance of mutuality—to an SM user—in deciding to accept an online friend request). Mutuality was found to be a critical moderating factor between temporal aspects of SM utilization and online victimization. The findings have important implications for online safety, cybercrime prevention, and online victimization awareness initiatives