Clemson University

About: Clemson University is a education organization based out in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Control theory. The organization has 20556 authors who have published 42518 publications receiving 1170779 citations. The organization is also known as: Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina.

Information technology innovations: general diffusion patterns and its relationships to innovation characteristics

Abstract: While many scholars of organizational innovations have examined characteristics of innovations such as relative advantage and complexity and how they facilitate the adoption of an innovation by organizations, others have used mathematical models to fit diffusion patterns. In this study, the authors attempt to integrate these two areas of inquiry and explore the possibilities to predict diffusion patterns based on characteristics of the innovation and the adopting entities. Based on a cross-sectional sample of 313 large American firms, 20 information technology (IT) innovations were examined and their diffusion patterns assessed with respect to models that espoused internal and external influence. The mixed influence model (Bass model) was chosen as a robust common representation for the set of diffusion patterns. However, the external influence as represented by the coefficient of innovation was found to be extremely small and the internal influence dominates for all innovations. The other two parameters of the model, the saturation level and the coefficient of imitation, which represents internal influence, were then used to perform a cluster analysis. Five clusters of technologies emerged, and the potential relationships between their innovation characteristics and diffusion patterns were explored. Rigorous examination of these potential relationships by future researchers may result in practical methods for predicting patterns of IT innovation diffusion based on innovation and technology characteristics.

Community differences in the association between parenting practices and child conduct problems

Abstract: Various hypotheses were identified regarding the manner in which community context might influence the association between two dimensions of parenting-control and corporal punishment-on child conduct problems The authors used hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 841 African American families to test these hypotheses Consistent with the evaporation hypothesis, the results indicated that the deterrent effect of caretaker control on conduct problems becomes smaller as deviant behavior becomes more widespread within a community The findings for corporal punishment supported the normative parenting argument Although there was a positive relationship between caretaker corporal punishment and child conduct problems in communities where physical discipline was rare, there was no association between the two variables in communities where physical discipline was widely prevalent These results suggest that a particular parenting strategy may be more effective in some neighborhood environments than others The theoretical implications of this view are discussed Key Words: African American, conduct problems, community context, corporal punishment, parenting In recent years, several studies have examined the effect of neighborhood on families (Booth & Crouter, 2001; Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, & Aber, 1997; Burton & Jarett, 2000; Furstenberg, Cook, Eccles, Elder, & Sameroff, 1998) Much of this research has focused on the extent to which parenting strategies vary across different types of communities (Furstenberg et al, 1998; Jerrett, 1997; Simons, Johnson, Conger, & Lorenz, 1997) Although research regarding the relationship between neighborhood conditions and parental behavior is important, the present study addresses a related issue that has received much less attention We examine the extent to which the association between various parenting practices and child adjustment varies by community context Stated differently, we investigate the possibility that certain parenting strategies are more effective in some neighborhood environments than others Our analysis is based on a sample of 841 African American children and their caretakers We focus on this ethnic group because we expect that any effects of community context are more likely to be evident among African American than European American families There are two reasons for believing that this is the case First, the majority population is more likely than ethnic minorities to select friends and activities based on common interests rather than spatial propinquity For minority groups, a shared ethnic identity is likely to reinforce the effects of residential propinquity (South, 2001) Second, past research indicates that community effects are most evident when extremely disadvantaged neighborhoods are compared to more advantaged communities (Wilson, 1987) Community effects are often small when working-class neighborhoods are compared to middle-class communities White families, even those that are poor, tend to live in communities where the majority of families are not poor Many African American families, on the other hand, live in extremely disadvantaged communities Not only are they poor but most of their neighbors are as well (Sampson & Wilson, 1995; Wilson, 1987, 1996) Given these racial differences, community effects are more likely to be evident for African American than European American families We investigate the effects of two dimensions of parental behavior The first involves the extent to which caregivers set behavioral standards, monitor their child's behavior, reinforce successes, and discipline noncompliance In this article, we refer to this set of parenting behaviors as caregiver control The second dimension of parenting consists of the extent to which caregivers rely upon corporal punishment when disciplining their child Child conduct problems is used as the outcome variable in investigating the consequences of these parenting strategies …

Identification of a Novel Group of Bacteria in Sludge from a Deteriorated Biological Phosphorus Removal Reactor

Abstract: The microbial diversity of a deteriorated biological phosphorus removal reactor was investigated by methods not requiring direct cultivation. The reactor was fed with media containing acetate and high levels of phosphate (P/C weight ratio, 8:100) but failed to completely remove phosphate in the effluent and showed very limited biological phosphorus removal activity. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S ribosomal DNA was used to investigate the bacterial diversity. Up to 11 DGGE bands representing at least 11 different sequence types were observed; DNA from the 6 most dominant of these bands was further isolated and sequenced. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of the partial 16S rRNA sequences suggested that one sequence type was affiliated with the alpha subclass of the Proteobacteria, one was associated with the Legionella group of the gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria, and the remaining four formed a novel group of the gamma subclass of the Proteobacteria with no close relationship to any previously described species. The novel group represented approximately 75% of the PCR-amplified DNA, based on the DGGE band intensities. Two oligonucleotide rRNA probes for this novel group were designed and used in a whole-cell hybridization analysis to investigate the abundance of this novel group in situ. The bacteria were coccoid and 3 to 4 microm in diameter and represented approximately 35% of the total population, suggesting a relatively close agreement with the results obtained by the PCR-based DGGE method. Further, based on electron microscopy and standard staining microscopic analysis, this novel group was able to accumulate granule inclusions, possibly consisting of polyhydroxyalkanoate, inside the cells.

Efficient and Reabsorption-Free Radioluminescence in Cs 3 Cu 2 I 5 Nanocrystals with Self-Trapped Excitons

Abstract: Radioluminescent materials (scintillators) are widely applied in medical imaging, nondestructive testing, security inspection, nuclear and radiation industries, and scientific research. Recently, all-inorganic lead halide perovskite nanocrystal (NC) scintillators have attracted great attention due to their facile solution processability and ultrasensitive X-ray detection, which allows for large area and flexible X-ray imaging. However, the light yield of these perovskite NCs is relatively low because of the strong self-absorption that reduces the light out-coupling efficiency. Here, NCs with self-trapped excitons emission are demonstrated to be sensitive, reabsorption-free scintillators. Highly luminescent and stable Cs3Cu2I5 NCs with a photoluminescence quantum yields of 73.7%, which is a new record for blue emission lead-free perovskite or perovskite-like NCs, is produced with the assistance of InI3. The PL peak of the Cs3Cu2I5 NCs locates at 445 nm that matches with the response peak of a silicon photomultiplier. Thus, Cs3Cu2I5 NCs are demonstrated as efficient scintillators with zero self-absorption and extremely high light yield (≈79 279 photons per MeV). Both Cs3Cu2I5 NC colloidal solution and film exhibit strong radioluminescence under X-ray irradiation. The potential application of Cs3Cu2I5 NCs as reabsorption-free, low cost, large area, and flexible scintillators is demonstrated by a prototype X-ray imaging with a high spatial resolution.

Gait synthesis for the SD-2 biped robot to climb sloping surface

Abstract: A scheme to enable the SD-2 biped robot to climb sloping surfaces is proposed. By means of sensing devices, namely position sensors on the joints and force sensors underneath the heel and toe, the robot is able to detect the transition of the supporting terrain from a flat floor to a sloping surface. An algorithm is developed for the biped robot control system to evaluate the inclination of the supporting foot and the unknown gradient, and a compliant motion scheme is then used to enable the robot to transfer from level walking to climbing the slope. While the robot walks on the slope, the gait synthesis is a simple modification to the one used for level walking. Experiments with the SD-2 biped robot show that the overall scheme, while simple to implement, is powerful and reliable enough to permit walking from level to slope or vice versa. Finally, it is argued that the proposed mechanism can be extended to quasi-dynamic and dynamic gaits. >