Editor\u27s Statement

It has been almost nine years since I concluded my term as the fifth editor of Journal of Public Policy & Marketing (JPP&M). As indicated in my outgoing “Editor’s Statement” (2001), I consider it a tremendous honor to have served as editor for a journal that has evolved into one of the leading outlets for scholarly work in the marketing field. However, as most former editors will acknowledge, it can be best described as an ever-changing journey, with peaks and valleys in the evolution process. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to reflect on my tenure and background, my objectives for the journal, initiatives that were tried (including what worked and what didn’t), special issues and sections, and award-winning articles and reviewers. I conclude with a closing set of thoughts and reflections for future JPP&M editors, authors, reviewers, and readers

Reviewer agreement trends from four years of electronic submissions of conference abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the inter-rater agreement between reviewers on the quality of abstract submissions to an annual national scientific meeting (Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians; CAEP) to identify factors associated with low agreement. METHODS: All abstracts were submitted using an on-line system and assessed by three volunteer CAEP reviewers blinded to the abstracts' source. Reviewers used an on-line form specific for each type of study design to score abstracts based on nine criteria, each contributing from two to six points toward the total (maximum 24). The final score was determined to be the mean of the three reviewers' scores using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: 495 Abstracts were received electronically during the four-year period, 2001 – 2004, increasing from 94 abstracts in 2001 to 165 in 2004. The mean score for submitted abstracts over the four years was 14.4 (95% CI: 14.1–14.6). While there was no significant difference between mean total scores over the four years (p = 0.23), the ICC increased from fair (0.36; 95% CI: 0.24–0.49) to moderate (0.59; 95% CI: 0.50–0.68). Reviewers agreed less on individual criteria than on the total score in general, and less on subjective than objective criteria. CONCLUSION: The correlation between reviewers' total scores suggests general recognition of "high quality" and "low quality" abstracts. Criteria based on the presence/absence of objective methodological parameters (i.e., blinding in a controlled clinical trial) resulted in higher inter-rater agreement than the more subjective and opinion-based criteria. In future abstract competitions, defining criteria more objectively so that reviewers can base their responses on empirical evidence may lead to increased consistency of scoring and, presumably, increased fairness to submitters

Bipartite graph partitioning and data clustering

Many data types arising from data mining applications can be modeled as bipartite graphs, examples include terms and documents in a text corpus, customers and purchasing items in market basket analysis and reviewers and movies in a movie recommender system. In this paper, we propose a new data clustering method based on partitioning the underlying bipartite graph. The partition is constructed by minimizing a normalized sum of edge weights between unmatched pairs of vertices of the bipartite graph. We show that an approximate solution to the minimization problem can be obtained by computing a partial singular value decomposition (SVD) of the associated edge weight matrix of the bipartite graph. We point out the connection of our clustering algorithm to correspondence analysis used in multivariate analysis. We also briefly discuss the issue of assigning data objects to multiple clusters. In the experimental results, we apply our clustering algorithm to the problem of document clustering to illustrate its effectiveness and efficiency.Comment: Proceedings of ACM CIKM 2001, the Tenth International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, 200

12th International Workshop on Termination (WST 2012) : WST 2012, February 19–23, 2012, Obergurgl, Austria / ed. by Georg Moser

This volume contains the proceedings of the 12th International Workshop on Termination (WST 2012), to be held February 19–23, 2012 in Obergurgl, Austria. The goal of the Workshop on Termination is to be a venue for presentation and discussion of all topics in and around termination. In this way, the workshop tries to bridge the gaps between different communities interested and active in research in and around termination. The 12th International Workshop on Termination in Obergurgl continues the successful workshops held in St. Andrews (1993), La Bresse (1995), Ede (1997), Dagstuhl (1999), Utrecht (2001), Valencia (2003), Aachen (2004), Seattle (2006), Paris (2007), Leipzig (2009), and Edinburgh (2010). The 12th International Workshop on Termination did welcome contributions on all aspects of termination and complexity analysis. Contributions from the imperative, constraint, functional, and logic programming communities, and papers investigating applications of complexity or termination (for example in program transformation or theorem proving) were particularly welcome. We did receive 18 submissions which all were accepted. Each paper was assigned two reviewers. In addition to these 18 contributed talks, WST 2012, hosts three invited talks by Alexander Krauss, Martin Hofmann, and Fausto Spoto

Evaluating the Quality, Usability, and Potential Effectiveness of Online Learning Modules: A Case Study of Teaching with Technology Grant Recipients at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Online learning has become an ever-increasing means of acquiring knowledge. As educational institutions worldwide are trying to keep pace with the demand, faculty is being urged or mandated to move their curriculum online. This research addressed selected factors involved in developing quality and effective instruction and how these factors can be applied to the development of quality learning modules that are usable and effective in online teaching and learning. Specific emphasis was given to the pedagogical, instructional design, and developmental support issues involved in developing online learning modules. Online learning modules (11) submitted in fulfillment of the Innovative Technology Center\u27s 2001 Teaching with Technology Grant were evaluated on quality, usability, and potential effectiveness as a teaching tool. Independent reviewers were in agreement that overall, the modules met the criteria for being quality, and usable online learning modules. However, the reviewers agreed that six (55%) modules did not meet the criteria for potential effectiveness as a teaching tool. In fact, the reviewers were in agreement on the recommendation of only four (36%) modules as effective teaching tools. The developers\u27 agreed as well that overall, their modules rated lower (satisfactory) on potential effectiveness than quality or usability. Recommendations on factors to consider in developing online learning modules are provided. There are also recommendations for further research

Two mechanisms for optic flow and scale change processing of looming

Published in final edited form as: J Vis. ; 11(3): . doi:10.1167/11.3.5.The detection of looming, the motion of objects in depth, underlies many behavioral tasks, including the perception of self-motion and time-to-collision. A number of studies have demonstrated that one of the most important cues for looming detection is optic flow, the pattern of motion across the retina. Schrater et al. have suggested that changes in spatial frequency over time, or scale changes, may also support looming detection in the absence of optic flow (P. R. Schrater, D. C. Knill, & E. P. Simoncelli, 2001). Here we used an adaptation paradigm to determine whether the perception of looming from optic flow and scale changes is mediated by single or separate mechanisms. We show first that when the adaptation and test stimuli were the same (both optic flow or both scale change), observer performance was significantly impaired compared to a dynamic (non-motion, non-scale change) null adaptation control. Second, we found no evidence of cross-cue adaptation, either from optic flow to scale change, or vice versa. Taken together, our data suggest that optic flow and scale changes are processed by separate mechanisms, providing multiple pathways for the detection of looming.We thank Jonathan Victor and the anonymous reviewers of the paper for feedback and suggestions regarding the stimuli used here. This work was supported by NIH grant R01NS064100 to LMV. (R01NS064100 - NIH)Accepted manuscrip

REDAKSIONEEL / EDITORIAL

It has been a great honour for me as outgoing editor to be able to see this specific volume of Akroterion through to its final stages. Writing the editorial column gave me the opportunity to reflect on what the journal has accomplished since 2001. It is gratifying to note that with the constant support of the editorial board, the continued submissions by authors (of which only about 60% are finally published), the selfless work of reviewers, the diligence of the editorial assistants (dr. Maridien Schneider and mrs. Carien Punt), and above all the positive feedback from readers, we have succeeded in what we set out to do eight years ago: “that efforts should be made to promote an awareness of Classics among the general public” and “that Akroterion should cater for a broader reading public by publishing articles that have a general appeal without sacrificing their academic value” (Editorial, Akroterion 46:2001)