Are chimpanzees really so poor at understanding imperative pointing? Some new data and an alternative view of canine and ape social cognition

There is considerable interest in comparative research on different species’ abilities to respond to human communicative cues such as gaze and pointing. It has been reported that some canines perform significantly better than monkeys and apes on tasks requiring the comprehension of either declarative or imperative pointing and these differences have been attributed to domestication in dogs. Here we tested a sample of chimpanzees on a task requiring comprehension of an imperative request and show that, though there are considerable individual differences, the performance by the apes rival those reported in pet dogs. We suggest that small differences in methodology can have a pronounced influence on performance on these types of tasks. We further suggest that basic differences in subject sampling, subject recruitment and rearing experiences have resulted in a skewed representation of canine abilities compared to those of monkeys and apes

Interdisciplinary perspectives on the development, integration and application of cognitive ontologies

We discuss recent progress in the development of cognitive ontologies and summarize three challenges in the coordinated development and application of these resources. Challenge 1 is to adopt a standardized definition for cognitive processes. We describe three possibilities and recommend one that is consistent with the standard view in cognitive and biomedical sciences. Challenge 2 is harmonization. Gaps and conflicts in representation must be resolved so that these resources can be combined for mark-up and interpretation of multi-modal data. Finally, Challenge 3 is to test the utility of these resources for large-scale annotation of data, search and query, and knowledge discovery and integration. As term definitions are tested and revised, harmonization should enable coordinated updates across ontologies. However, the true test of these definitions will be in their community-wide adoption which will test whether they support valid inferences about psychological and neuroscientific data

Validation of Satellite Rainfall Products for Western Uganda.

Central equatorial Africa is deficient in long-term, ground-based measurements of rainfall; therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the accuracy of three high-resolution, satellite-based rainfall products in western Uganda for the 2001–10 period. The three products are African Rainfall Climatology, version 2 (ARC2); African Rainfall Estimation Algorithm, version 2 (RFE2); and 3B42 from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, version 7 (i.e., 3B42v7). Daily rainfall totals from six gauges were used to assess the accuracy of satellite-based rainfall estimates of rainfall days, daily rainfall totals, 10-day rainfall totals, monthly rainfall totals, and seasonal rainfall totals. The northern stations had a mean annual rainfall total of 1390 mm, while the southern stations had a mean annual rainfall total of 900 mm. 3B42v7 was the only product that did not underestimate boreal-summer rainfall at the northern stations, which had ~3 times as much rainfall during boreal summer than did the southern stations. The three products tended to overestimate rainfall days at all stations and were borderline satisfactory at identifying rainfall days at the northern stations; the products did not perform satisfactorily at the southern stations. At the northern stations, 3B42v7 performed satisfactorily at estimating monthly and seasonal rainfall totals, ARC2 was only satisfactory at estimating seasonal rainfall totals, and RFE2 did not perform satisfactorily at any time step. The satellite products performed worst at the two stations located in rain shadows, and 3B42v7 had substantial overestimates at those stations

A generalization of the Pfähler-Lambert decomposition

The aim of this paper is to provide a generalization of the Pfähler (1990) and Lambert (1989, 2001) decomposition that allows us to overcome some limitations of the original methodology. In particular, our proposal allows avoiding the problem of sequentiality when the tax has several types of deductions or allowances, schedules or tax credits. In addition, our alternative decomposition is adapted to the dual income class of tax structures. Moreover, in order to adapt this methodology to real-world taxes, our alternative includes the re-ranking effects of real taxes, caused by the existence of differentiated treatments based on non-income attributes. This theoretical proposal is illustrated with an empirical analysis for the Spanish Personal Income Tax reform enforced in 2007

Implementing a Scholarly Impact Outreach Program for Faculty and Graduate Students

There are two intersecting realities in research and academia today: There are greater expectations for individual faculty and academic departments to substantively demonstrate evidence of research productivity and impact for such applications as promotion and tenure, annual reporting, and benchmarking. Graduate students require knowledge of top articles and researchers in their discipline and those pursuing a career as faculty need to know how to determine their impact towards promotion and tenure. Database vendors and other content providers are regularly developing and offering robust, yet user-friendly, bibliometric and altmetric tools within current as well as new products. Many of the tools are interdisciplinary or generalist in scope, while some are optimal for certain subject clusters. In response to these realities, academic librarians are increasingly offering new or expanded scholarly impact services for faculty and graduate students in the form of activities such as library workshops, research guides, and individual consultations to promote and demonstrate the range of available bibliometric and altmetric tools. This poster will outline the components of developing and implementing a scholarly impact outreach program including challenges, assessment, and suggested readings from the library literature on this topic. Poster content is based on the article below: Helmstutler, B. (2015). Taking research services to the next level: A case study of implementing a scholarly impact outreach program for faculty and graduate students. Journal of Library Innovation, 6(2), 96-104. http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/univ_lib_facpub/119/

The Proliferation of Theoretical Paradigms Quandary: How One Novice Researcher Used Eclecticism as a Solution

When a doctoral student plans to conduct qualitative education research, the aspect of the dissertation that often becomes problematic is determining which theoretical paradigm(s) might frame the study. In this article, the author discusses how he resolved the quandary through eclecticism. The author begins by describing briefly the purpose of his dissertation study, providing a justification for eclecticism in the selection of theories. He follows with a description of the three theories-poststructural theory, critical race theory, and critical theory-that framed his study and discusses briefly the methodology employed. The author concludes with a discussion of likely objections of his study and with an explanation of why his study was positioned within a critical postmodern paradigm

A Comparative Perspective on the Paradox of Choice

The paradox of choice leads one to desire more options over fewer options even when there are negative consequences when choosing from larger arrays (choice overload). The paradox of choice may be shared among mammals or it could result from cultural influences relevant to humans. Research with monkeys and young children sheds light on the developmental precursors of the paradox and may highlight the human-uniqueness of this effect. I tested young children (41.5–66.0 months) and monkeys (tufted capuchins, rhesus macaques) to examine choice overload effects. Limited evidence was found that children exhibited choice overload when choosing among six and twelve toys but not when choosing among three toys. No evidence of choice overload was found for monkeys, although this may be due to methodological limitations. Consistent with previous literature on choice and control, monkeys also demonstrated a preference for more options over fewer

Digital Technologies and the Violent Surveillance of Nonbinary Gender

The enforcement of the gender binary is a root cause of gender-based violence for trans people. Disrupting gender-based violence requires we ensure “gender” is not presumed synonymous with white cisgender womanhood. Transfeminists suggest that attaining gender equity requires confronting all forms of oppression that police people and their bodies, including white supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism (Silva & Ornat, 2016; Simpkins, 2016). Part of this project, we argue, includes confronting the structures of gender-based violence embedded within digital technologies that are increasingly part of our everyday lives. Informed by transfeminist theory (Koyama, 2003; Simpkins, 2016; Stryker & Bettcher, 2016; Weerawardhana, 2018), we interrogate the ways in which digital technologies naturalize and reinforce gender-based violence against bodies marked as divergent. We examine the subtler ways that digital technology can fortify binary gender as a mechanism of power and control. We highlight how gendered forms of data violence cannot be disentangled from digital technologies that surveil, police, or punish on the basis of race, nationhood, and citizenship, particularly in relation to predictive policing practices. We conclude with recommendations to guide technological development to reduce the violence enacted upon trans people and those whose gender presentations transgress society’s normative criteria for what constitutes a compliant (read: appropriately gendered) citizen

An Exploratory Study of The Factors Affecting Hospital Performance: Safety, Clinic Care, Patient Experience, Efficiency and Cost

Healthcare systems have interrelated, collaborative, and interdependent elements from the human aspects to facilities geared towards providing people with medical care. This dissertation explores healthcare reform in the context of hospital value-based purchasing programs. Hospital performance is a byproduct of a hospital’s characteristics, demonstrated through organizational behavior—a key driver towards an institution’s overall success and sustainability. Hospital value-based purchasing (VBP) program is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS) initiative that rewards acute-care hospitals with incentivized payments for the quality care provided to Medicare beneficiaries ((HHS), 2017). The program adopts a philosophy of measurement and promotes an appraisal mechanism to provide equitable reimbursement for patient care; however, the program has had a marginal influence on hospital performance. The study aimed to assess hospital performance ‘VBP program’ and provide a prescriptive guide to decision-makers. Secondary data from 2,786 acute care hospitals across the united states, which offers inpatient services to Medicare beneficiaries, has been used. Statistical significance was measured by applying bivariate and multivariate regression. The findings showed that teaching intensity, hospital size, and case mix index had an impact on hospital performance