The Impact of Social Class in the Hiring Process

Social class describes individuals’ possession of economic, social, and cultural capital, and their subjective social rankings relative to others (Bourdieu, 1984). As social class can be easily detected, it is quite likely that it plays a significant role in many workplace processes, such as selection. By considering the context of the hiring process, my dissertation explores the impact of social class from the perspective of hiring managers. First, I conducted a construct clarity study to clarify the multidimensional nature of the construct of social class. Second, using the factors found from my construct clarity study, I developed applicant stimulus materials (e.g., referral email, resume, video interviews) representative of three stages of the hiring process (e.g., acquiring, screening, and interviewing). Stimulus materials were presented to 78 participants in the acquiring stage, 105 participants in the screening stage, and 220 participants in the interviewing stage. Results of this dissertation find that hiring managers’ perceptions of applicant P-O fit are influenced by applicants’ social class. These effects are found during the acquiring stage and decrease in significance and prevalence as the hiring process progresses. Implications to research and practice as well as future directions for continued research on social class in the management literature are presented

Zymodemes of Trypanosoma Congolense and a preliminary assessment of their epidemiological significance

Throughout this century, considerable confusion has arisen over the specific status of members of the subgenus Nannomonas. At the present time, only two species are generally recognized, T.(N.) congolense and T.(N.) simiae. However, many differences still exist in morphological and behavioural characteristics of T.congolense stocks, which led in the past, to numerous designations of species, subspecies and varieties. In an attempt to clarify the problems, 78 stocks of T.congolense were characterized intrinsically by enzyme polymorphism. Conditions devised for thin-layer starch-gel electrophoresis of the isoenzymes of trypanosomes from other subgenera were modified for 14 enzymes: L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase (TDH), purine nucleoside hydrolase (NH), pyruvate kinase (PK), glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), phoepho-glucomutase (PGM), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), malate dehydro-genase (decarboxylating NADP) (ME), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) and four peptidases using either L-leucylglycylglycine (PEP 1) or L-leucyl-L-alanine (PEP 2) as substrate. Eight of these enzymes readily distinguished T.congolense from representatives of the subgenera Trypanozoon and Duttonella. The numbers of different isoenzyme patterns for T. congolense, each often with multiple banding, ranged from one for TDH, PK and NH, to ten for GPI. Altogether 71 different isoenzyme bands were seen and from the various combinations of these bands, 75 zymodemes were found among the 78 atocke of T. congolense examined. The degree of relationship between the zymodemes was established by computer analysis. A major dichotomy existed between stocks originating from savannah regions and those from riverine or forest areas. Thia distinction was most obvious in the GPI, PEP 1 and PEP 2 isoenzyme patterns. Besides morphological comparisons of these two major zymodemes, initial investigations of behavioural characteristics included transmissibility by Glossina app., drug sensitivity, infectivity and susceptibility to disease in different strains of inbred mice. Differences between the two majpr zymodemes were found in morphology and drug sensitivity; the savannah zymodeme appeared to be more efficiently transmitted than the riverine/forest zymodeme by the savannah tests, fly, G.morsitans. The susceptibility to disease of two strains of inbred mice varied with different trypanosome stocks; there was no correlation with the two major zymodemes. The relevance of these findings is disussed

App Imperialism: The Political Economy of the Canadian App Store

© The Author(s) 2020. To critically engage with the political economy of platformization, this article builds on the concepts of platform capitalism and platform imperialism to situate platforms within wider historical, economic, and spatial trajectories. To investigate if platformization leads to the geographical redistribution of capital and power, we draw on the Canadian instance of Apple’s iOS App Store as a case study. App stores are situated in a complex ecosystem of markets, infrastructures, and governance models that the disparate fields of business studies, critical political economy of communications, and platform studies have begun to catalog. Through a combination of financial and institutional analysis, we ask if Canadian game app developers are effective in generating revenue within their own national App Store. Given Canada’s vibrant game industry one would expect Canadian developers to have a sizable economic footprint in the burgeoning app economy. Our results, however, point toward the US digital dominance and, therefore, we suggest the notion of app imperialism to signal the continuation, if not reinforcement of existing instances of economic inequalities and imperialism

Violent video games and morality: a meta-ethical approach

This paper considers what it is about violent video games that leads one reasonably minded person to declare "That is immoral" while another denies it. Three interpretations of video game content a re discussed: reductionist, narrow, and broad. It is argued that a broad interpretation is required for a moral objection to be justified. It is further argued that understanding the meaning of moral utterances – like "x is immoral" – is important to an understanding of why there is a lack of moral consensus when it comes to the content of violent video games. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is presented as a means of explaining what it is that we are doing when we make moral pronouncements and why, when it comes to video game content, differing moral attitudes abound. Constructive ecumenical expressivism is also presented as a means of illuminating what would be required for moral consensus to be achieved

Passive Facebook use, Facebook addiction, and associations with escapism: an experimental vignette study

There is relatively little research considering motivations of passive Facebook use. However, research regarding motivations of general Facebook use indicates that people use Facebook to escape – and that escapism may motivate passive Facebook use. Research also suggests that using Facebook to escape is associated with Facebook addiction. Using an experimental vignette design, the present research investigated whether passive Facebook use is motivated by escapism and whether this escape motivation is associated with passive Facebook addiction. A within-participant experimental design using vignettes was used to explore the effect of positivity and, in addition, socialness on passive Facebook use. Addiction to passive Facebook use and perceived effect of passive Facebook use on mood were also assessed. Participants (n=69) responded to 16 vignettes describing daily life events, as well as responding to a question about passive Facebook use on mood and completing the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale. Results suggested that individuals did not use Facebook to escape. There was no association between escapism in passive Facebook use and passive Facebook addiction. Social contact had a positive effect on passive Facebook use, and participants perceived passive Facebook use to have no effect on mood. Findings suggest that passive Facebook use is a less effective method of escape than general Facebook use, and reducing individuals’ likelihood of experiencing Facebook addiction symptoms

A hybrid of fuzzy theory and quadratic function for estimating and refining transmission map

© TÜBİTAK In photographs captured in outdoor environments, particles in the air cause light attenuation and degrade image quality. This effect is especially obvious in hazy environments. In this study, a fuzzy theory is proposed to estimate the transmission map of a single image. To overcome the problem of oversaturation in dehazed images, a quadratic-function-based method is proposed to refine the transmission map. In addition, the color vector of the atmospheric light is estimated using the top 1% of the brightest light area. Finally, the dehazed image is reconstructed using the transmission map and the estimated atmospheric light. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid method performs better than the other existing methods in terms of color oversaturation, visibility, and quantitative evaluation

Using AdaBoost-based Multiple Functional Neural Fuzzy Classifiers Fusion for Classification Applications

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2018. In this study, two intelligent classifiers, the AdaBoost-based incremental functional neural fuzzy classifier (AIFNFC) and the AdaBoost-based fixed functional neural fuzzy classifier (AFFNFC), are proposed for solving the classification problems. The AIFNFC approach will increase the amount of functional neural fuzzy classifiers based on the corresponding error during the training phase; while the AFNFC approach is equipped with a fixed amount of functional neural fuzzy classifiers. Then, the weights of AdaBoost procedure are assigned for classifiers. The proposed methods are applied to different classification benchmarks. Results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed AIFNFC and AFFNFC methods

Hydroxyapatite, fluor-hydroxyapatite and fluorapatite produced via the sol-gel method: dissolution behaviour and biological properties after crystallisation.

Hydroxyapatite (HA), fluor-hydroxyapatite (FHA) with varying levels of fluoride ion substitution and fluorapatite (FA) were synthesised by the sol-gel method as possible implant coating or bone-grafting materials. Calcium nitrate and triethyl phosphite were used as precursors under an ethanol-water based solution. Different amounts of ammonium fluoride were incorporated for the preparation of the FHA and FA sol-gels. After heating and powdering the sol-gels, dissolution behaviour was assessed using ion chromatography to measure Ca(2+) and PO4 (3-) ion release. Biological behaviour was assessed using cellular proliferation with human osteosarcoma cells and alamarBlue™ assay. Statistical analysis was performed with a two way analysis of variance and post hoc testing with a Bonferroni correction. Increasing fluoride substitution into an apatite structure decreased the dissolution rate. Increasing the firing temperature of the HA, FHA and FA sol-gels up to 1,000 °C decreased the dissolution rate. There was significantly higher cellular proliferation on highly substituted FHA and FA than on HA or Titanium. The properties of an implant coating or bone grafting material can be tailored to meet specific requirements by altering the amount of fluoride that is incorporated into the original apatite structure. The dissolution behaviour can further be altered by the temperature at which the sol-gel is fired

Survey of ultrasound practice amongst podiatrists in the UK

Background: Ultrasound in podiatry practice encompasses musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging, vascular hand-held Doppler ultrasound and therapeutic ultrasound. Sonography practice is not regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), with no requirement to hold a formal qualification. The College of Podiatry does not currently define ultrasound training and competencies. This study aimed to determine the current use of ultrasound, training received and mentorship received and/or provided by podiatrists using ultrasound. Methods: A quantitative study utilising a cross-sectional, on-line, single-event survey was undertaken within the UK. Results: Completed surveys were received from 284 podiatrists; 173 (70%) use ultrasound as part of their general practice, 139 (49%) for musculoskeletal problems, 131 (46%) for vascular assessment and 39 (14%) to support their surgical practice. Almost a quarter (n=62) worked for more than one organisation; 202 (71%) were employed by the NHS and/or private sector (n=118, 41%). Nearly all (93%) respondents report using a hand-held vascular Doppler in their daily practice; 216 (82%) to support decisions regarding treatment options, 102 (39%) to provide diagnostic reports for other health professionals, and 34 (13%) to guide nerve blocks. Ultrasound imaging was used by 104 (37%) respondents primarily to aid clinical decision making (n=81) and guide interventions (steroid injections n=67; nerve blocks n=39). Ninety-three percent stated they use ultrasound imaging to treat their own patients, while others scan at the request of other podiatrists (n=28) or health professionals (n=18). Few use ultrasound imaging for research (n=7) or education (n=2). Only 32 (11%) respondents (n=20 private sector) use therapeutic ultrasound to treat patients presenting with musculoskeletal complaints, namely tendon pathologies. Few respondents (18%) had completed formal post-graduate CASE (Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education) accredited ultrasound courses. Forty (14%) respondents receive ultrasound mentorship; the majority from fellow podiatrists (n=17) or medical colleagues (n=15). Over half (n=127) who do not have ultrasound mentorship indicated they would like a mentor predominantly for ultrasound imaging. Fifty-five (19%) report they currently provide ultrasound mentorship for others. Conclusions: Understanding the scope of ultrasound practice, the training undertaken and the requirements for mentorship will underpin the development of competencies and recommendations defined by the College of Podiatry to support professional development and ensure safe practice.</p