Showing papers by "Columbia University published in 1985"

Alternative forms of fit in contingency theory.

Abstract: Support for this research was provided in part by the Wisconsin Job Service Division of the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations, the California Employment Department, and by the Program on Organizational Effectiveness of the Office of Naval Research under the contract number NOOO1 4-S4-K-001 6. This paper examines the selection, interaction, and systems approaches to fit in structural contingency theory. These are empirically examined as related to a taskcontingency theory of work-unit design in 629 employment security units in California and Wisconsin. Evidence was found to support the selection and systems approaches in these data but not the interaction approach. The generalizability of these findings is discussed in terms of using alternative approaches to fit to explain context-structureperformance relationships in contingency theory.

The Assessment of Affective Disorders in Children and Adolescents by Semistructured Interview: Test-Retest Reliability of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Present Episode Version

Abstract: • The reliability of assessment of Research Diagnostic Criteria and DSM-III axis I affective disorders in children and adolescents was studied using a semistructured diagnostic interview. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) for School-Age Children (Kiddie SADS) Present Episode Version, an adaptation of the adult SADS for children was used. Fifty-two subjects, aged 6 through 17 years, were interviewed in a test-retest format by one of three pairs of interviewers. Assessment of symptoms and composite scales of the depressive syndrome were determined to have acceptable reliability, as were three depressive diagnoses. Conduct disorder was assessed with high reliability. Four anxiety disorders and their composite symptoms were assessed with unacceptable reliability; only separation anxiety was assessed with acceptable reliability. The results of this study showed generally lower reliability of symptoms, scales, and diagnoses than did two studies of adults using the SADS.

Does the ocean–atmosphere system have more than one stable mode of operation?

Abstract: The climate record obtained from two long Greenland ice cores reveals several brief climate oscillations during glacial time The most recent of these oscillations, also found in continental pollen records, has greatest impact in the area under the meteorological influence of the northern Atlantic, but none in the United States This suggests that these oscillations are caused by fluctuations in the formation rate of deep water in the northern Atlantic As the present production of deep water in this area is driven by an excess of evaporation over precipitation and continental runoff, atmospheric water transport may be an important element in climate change Changes in the production rate of deep water in this sector of the ocean may push the climate system from one quasi-stable mode of operation to another

Hyperactive boys almost grown up. I. Psychiatric status.

Abstract: • We report a prospective longitudinal study of 101 male adolescents (ages 16 to 23 years) who had been diagnosed hyperactive in childhood (ages 6 to 12 years), compared with 100 normal controls. The DSM-III diagnoses were made blind to group membership. Information was obtained for 98% of the original cohort. The full attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) syndrome persisted in 31% of the probands vs in 3% of the controls. The only other two conditions that distinguished the groups significantly were conduct and substance use disorders. These disorders aggregated significantly among the probands with continued ADDH. The results indicate that the greatest risk factor for the development of antisocial behavior and drug abuse is the maintenance of ADDH symptoms. Substance use disorders followed the onset of conduct disorder in the overwhelming majority of the cases.

The Architecture of Economic Systems: Hierarchies and Polyarchies

Abstract: We present some new ways of looking at economic systems. The aspect of human behavior which we emphasize is that individuals' judgments entail errors (they sometimes reject good projects and accept bad projects). The aspect of an economic system on which we focus is its architecture; that is, how the decision making units are organized together within a system, who gathers what information, and who communicates what with whom. The architecture of a system affects its performance not only because it influences the nature of errors which individuals make within the system, but also because it has a critical effect on the aggregation of individuals' errors. We analyze and compare the performance of two polar architectures, with decentralized (polyarchical) versus centralized (hierarchical) decision making authorities. Also, we discuss several extensions of our analysis.

Text generation: using discourse strategies and focus constraints to generate natural language text

Abstract: Preface Introduction 2. Discourse structure 3. Focusing in discourse 4. TEXT system implementation 5. Discourse history 6. Related generation research 7. Summary and conclusions Appendices Bibliography Index.

Social phobia. Review of a neglected anxiety disorder

Abstract: While other anxiety disorders have recently become the subjects of increasing investigation, social phobia remains, except among behavior therapists, relatively unstudied. As a result, major uncertainties exist concerning classification, prevalence, severity, etiology, assessment, and treatment of social phobia. Existing findings do suggest that in its own right and as a comparison for other anxiety disorders, social phobia should prove a fertile area for psychobiological and clinical investigation.

A Convergence Theorem for Non Negative Almost Supermartingales and Some Applications

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to give a unified treatment of a number of almost sure convergence theorems by exploiting the fact that the processes involved possess a common “almost supermartingale” properties To be precise, let (Ω,F,P) be a probability space and F1 ⊂ F2 ⊂ … a sequence of sub-σ-algebras of F. For each n= 1,2, … let zn, βn, ξn, and ζn be non-negative Fn -measurable random variables such that $$E({z_{n + 1}}|{F_n}) \leqslant {z_n}(1 + {\beta _n}) + {\xi _n} - {\zeta _n}.$$ (1) .

Transfectomas provide novel chimeric antibodies

Abstract: Methods have been developed to transfect immunoglobulin genes into lymphoid cells. The transfected genes are faithfully expressed, and assembly can occur both between the transfected and endogenous chains and between two transfected chains. Gene transfection can be used to reconstitute immunoglobulin molecules and to produce novel immunoglobulin molecules. These novel molecules can represent unique combinations of heavy and light chains; alternatively, by means of recombinant DNA technology, genes can be assembled in vitro, transfected, and expressed. The end products of such manipulations include chimeric molecules with variable regions joined to different isotypic constant regions; this is possible both within and between species. It is also possible to synthesize altered immunoglobulin molecules, as well as molecules having immunoglobulin sequences fused with nonimmunoglobulin sequences (for example, enzyme sequences).

Energy and angular distributions of photons from medical linear accelerators

Abstract: For accurate three‐dimensional treatment planning, new models of dose calculations are being developed which require the knowledge of the energy spectra and angular distributions of the photons incident on the surface of the patient. Knowledge of the spectra is also useful in other applications, including the design of filters and beam modifying devices and determination of factors to convert ionization chamber measurements to dose. We have used Monte Carlo code (egs) to compute photon spectra for a number of different linear accelerators. Both the target and the flattening filter have been accurately modeled. We find the mean photon energy to have a value lower than the generally perceived value of one‐third the maximum energy. As expected, the spectra become softer as the distance from the central axis increases. Verification of the spectra is performed by computing dose distributions and half‐value layers in water using the calculated spectra and comparing the results with measured data. We also examined the angular distributions of photons incident on the surface of the phantom. In currently used models of dose computations, it is assumed that the angular distribution of photons with respect to fan lines emanating from the source is negligible. Although the angular spread of photons with respect to the incident direction has been found to be small, its contribution to the diffuseness of the beam boundaries is significant.

Symptomatic and Neuropsychological Components of Defect States

Abstract: The distinction between positive and negative symptoms has gained prominence in schizophrenia research, but the construct has not been unequivocally validated. The authors report preliminary findings of investigations in which symptomatic and neuropsychological assessments were conducted in a sample of 32 chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Three distinct clusters of symptoms were identified in correlative analyses. One cluster of symptoms (alogia, attentional impairment, positive formal though disorder, and bizarre behavior) appeared to reflect primarily a disorganization of though independent of current definitions of the positive/negative symptom construct. A second cluster of symptoms (affective flattening, avolition/apathy, and anhedonia) appeared to reflect predominantly blunting of affect and volition. A third cluster (delusions, hallucinations, and "breadth of psychosis") seemed to represent only the florid psychotic features. The first and (to a lesser extent) second clusters of symptoms were selectively associated with neuropsychological impairment. The patterns of neuropsychological deficits correlated with the first cluster of symptoms appeared to be consistent with a process characterized by failure in the development of a normal repertoire of cognitive abilities. It is suggested that the "defect state" may not be a monothetic construct, and that within the domain of "type II" schizophrenia, disturbances of thought may be distinguished from those of affect and motivation.

Vertical Integration and Corporate Strategy

Abstract: Proposing a new look at vertical integration and the dimensions that comprise it, this study develops a framework for predicting when firms use make-or-buy decisions. The strategic business units (SBUs) studied made fewer products and services in-house and firms were engaged in fewer stages of processing when demand was highly uncertain than they did when demand was more certain. Internal transfers from upstream or to downstream business units were more numerous when synergies with adjacent SBUs were substantial than when they were not. Some competitive imitation of vertical integration strategies occurred, and firms with high market shares sought higher ownership stakes in stages of processing adjacent to those markets. Vertical integration involves a variety of decisions concerning whether corporations, through their business units, should provide certain goods or services in-house or purchase them from outsiders instead. Corporations considering vertical integration - one of the first diversification strategies firms consider as they progress from being single-business companies - must make decisions regarding the autonomy of these business units. Most research concerning vertical integration has assumed that savings in the costs of transactions that integration accomplishes supersede autonomy needs of strategic business units (SBUs). According to such an assumption, integrated firms will transfer all of their relevant goods and services to adjacent, in-house business units. However, this paper argues for a dynamic concept of vertical integration in which,the key to effective management is understanding when corporate needs for intrafirm cooperation might take precedence over the concerns of autonomous business units, and when the opposite might be true. The theory developed in this study incorporates the forces of competitive settings and corporate (as well as business-level) strategy needs in a suggested framework for appropriate use of vertical integration. Developing this strategy framework introduces several new dimensions that characterize all vertical integration strategies. My intent is to bridge the gap between economic treatments of vertical integration and activities observed in the histories of several industries; the next section briefly sketches the dimensions of this gap.

The social dimensions of correctional officer stress

Abstract: Based on a survey of line staff in a southern correctional system, we analyzed how various stressors, coping factors, and status characteristics influenced three types of stress: work stress, job dissatisfaction, and life stress. The stressors of role problems and perceived dangerousness were positively related to multiple forms of stress. While supervisory support mitigated both work stress and job dissatisfaction, the effects of other coping factors were variable. Black and educated officers had higher levels of dissatisfaction, while female officers experienced more stress on the job. Taken together, the independent variables in our framework accounted for a large amount of the variance of work stress, a moderate amount of job dissatisfaction, and a relatively low amount of life stress. Apart from the specific findings, the data suggest that theoretical models of officer stress must incorporate coping factors and specify how the dimensions of an officer's occupational role and personality differentiall...

The stressfulness of daily social roles for women: marital, occupational and household roles.

Abstract: L'intensite des symptomes dont se plaignent les femmes qui remplissent differents roles, la nature des tensions et des stress inherents a trois de ces roles (conjugal, professionnel et menager) et leur consequences sur le bien-etre de ces femmes sont etudiees sur un echantillon de 197 femmes representatives d'une communaute urbaine du nord-est des Etats-Unis