Showing papers by "Concordia University published in 2006"

The Essential Impact of Context on Organizational Behavior

Abstract: I argue that the impact of context on organizational behavior is not sufficiently recognized or appreciated by researchers. I define context as situational opportunities and constraints that affect the occurrence and meaning of organizational behavior as well as functional relationships between variables, and I propose two levels of analysis for thinking about context–one grounded in journalistic practice and the other in classic social psychology. Several means of contextualizing research are considered.

Usability measurement and metrics: A consolidated model

Abstract: Usability is increasingly recognized as an important quality factor for interactive software systems, including traditional GUIs-style applications, Web sites, and the large variety of mobile and PDA interactive services. Unusable user interfaces are probably the single largest reasons why encompassing interactive systems --- computers plus people, fail in actual use. The design of this diversity of applications so that they actually achieve their intended purposes in term of ease of use is not an easy task. Although there are many individual methods for evaluating usability; they are not well integrated into a single conceptual framework that facilitate their usage by developers who are not trained in the filed of HCI. This is true in part because there are now several different standards (e.g., ISO 9241, ISO/IEC 9126, IEEE Std.610.12) or conceptual models (e.g., Metrics for Usability Standards in Computing [MUSiC]) for usability, and not all of these standards or models describe the same operational definitions and measures. This paper first reviews existing usability standards and models while highlighted the limitations and complementarities of the various standards. It then explains how these various models can be unified into a single consolidated, hierarchical model of usability measurement. This consolidated model is called Quality in Use Integrated Measurement (QUIM). Included in the QUIM model are 10 factors each of which corresponds to a specific facet of usability that is identified in an existing standard or model. These 10 factors are decomposed into a total of 26 sub-factors or measurable criteria that are furtherdecomposed into 127 specific metrics. The paper explains also how a consolidated model, such as QUIM, can help in developing a usability measurement theory.

Toward a model of drug relapse: an assessment of the validity of the reinstatement procedure.

Abstract: The reinstatement model is widely used to study relapse to drug addiction. However, the model’s validity is open to question. We assess the reinstatement model in terms of criterion and construct validity. We find that the reinstatement model has adequate criterion validity in the broad sense of the term, as evidenced by the fact that reinstatement in laboratory animals is induced by conditions reported to provoke relapse in humans. The model’s criterion validity in the narrower sense, as a medication screen, seems promising for relapse to heroin, nicotine, and alcohol. For relapse to cocaine, criterion validity has not yet been established primarily because clinical studies have examined medication’s effects on reductions in cocaine intake rather than relapse during abstinence. The model’s construct validity faces more substantial challenges and is yet to be established, but we argue that some of the criticisms of the model in this regard may have been overstated.

Learning Second Language Suprasegmentals: Effect of L2 Experience on Prosody and Fluency Characteristics of L2 Speech

Abstract: This study examines effects of short, medium, and extended second language (L2) experience (3 months, 3 years, and 10 years of United States residence, respectively) on the production of five suprasegmentals (stress timing, peak alignment, speech rate, pause frequency, and pause duration) in six English declarative sentences by 30 adult Korean learners of English and 10 adult native English speakers. Acoustic analyses and listener judgments were used to determine how accurately the suprasegmentals were produced and to what extent they contributed to foreign accent. Results revealed that amount of experience influenced the production of one suprasegmental (stress timing), whereas adult learners' age at the time of first extensive exposure to the L2 (indexed as age of arrival in the United States) influenced the production of others (speech rate, pause frequency, pause duration). Moreover, it was found that suprasegmentals contributed to foreign accent at all levels of experience and that some suprasegmentals (pause duration, speech rate) were more likely to do so than others (stress timing, peak alignment). Overall, results revealed similarities between L2 segmental and suprasegmental learning.This research was partially supported by research grants from the University of Illinois and Brigham Young University. Many thanks are extended to Youngju Hong for her help in testing the Korean participants and to Molly Mack and James E. Flege for their advice throughout this research project. The authors gratefully acknowledge Randall Halter, Elizabeth Gatbonton, and five anonymous SSLA reviewers for their helpful suggestions on earlier drafts of this paper as well as Randall Halter for his invaluable statistical assistance.

Effect of natural organic matter on arsenic release from soils and sediments into groundwater

Abstract: Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater has received significant attention recently. Natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to the worldwide occurrence of As contamination. As speciation is an important factor related to its toxic and mobile behavior. The release of As from soils and sediments into groundwater is governed by several geophysicochemical processes, of which, As sorption behavior is of principle significance. This review paper summarizes existing information regarding the effects of natural organic matter (NOM) on the fate and mobility of As species in the environment. NOM may enhance the release of As from soils and sediments into the soil solution, thereby facilitating As leaching into the groundwater. The main influencing mechanisms include competition for available adsorption sites, formation of aqueous complexes, and/or changes in the redox potential of site surfaces and As redox speciation. NOM may also serve as binding agents, thereby reducing As mobility. However, comparably little research has been performed on this aspect. Since most investigations have been done on purified minerals under laboratory conditions, further research involving various geological materials under natural environmental conditions is required. Development of proper geochemical conceptual models may provide means of predicting the role of NOM in arsenic leaching and/or immobilization.

The Life Engagement Test: Assessing Purpose in Life

Abstract: This article describes a 6-item scale, the Life Engagement Test, designed to measure purpose in life, defined in terms of the extent to which a person engages in activities that are personally valued. Psychometric data are presented including information about the scale's factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant predictive validity, and norms. The data suggest that the Life Engagement Test is psychometrically sound across different gender, age, and ethnic groups and is appropriate for wider use. Discussion centers on the use of the Life Engagement Test in behavioral medicine and health psychology research and recent associations that have begun to emerge between the scale and health-relevant outcomes.

Performance assessment of active frequency drifting islanding detection methods

Abstract: Islanding detection is a mandatory feature for grid-connected inverters. The effectiveness of passive islanding detection methods (IDMs) is usually demonstrated by means of nondetection zones (NDZs) represented in a power mismatch space (/spl Delta/P versus /spl Delta/Q). Active frequency drifting IDMs have been shown to provide improved performance but their theoretical NDZ cannot be described in the /spl Delta/P versus /spl Delta/Q space for a general RLC load. This paper shows that a load parameter space based on the values of the quality factor and resonant frequency of the local load (Q/sub f/ versus f/sub 0/) can be used in these cases. It employs a single curve to represent the NDZ of frequency drifting IDMs for any RLC loads. Equations that represent NDZs of three common active IDMs in the Q/sub f/ versus f/sub 0/ load parameter space are derived and it is shown that the slip mode frequency shift and the Sandia frequency shift IDMs can be designed to guarantee islanding detection for equivalent RLC loads with a quality factor smaller than a design value. The accuracy of the NDZs is verified with simulation and experimental results.

Self-regulation processes and health: The importance of optimism and goal adjustment

Abstract: This article discusses how self-regulatory models can be used to understand people's response to health threats. The article begins with a general discussion of the principles and assumptions of self-regulatory models of behavior. Two distinct lines of research are then presented addressing two important processes of adaptive self-regulation. First, we provide a brief overview of the literature on optimism and adjustment to chronic disease and other health outcomes. Second, we present an overview of the process of disengagement from unattainable goals, focusing on recent research. We close by making recommendations for future research.

Network Culture: Politics for the Information Age

Abstract: Downloading the book in this website lists can give you more advantages. It will show you the best book collections and completed collections. So many books can be found in this website. So, this is not only this network culture politics for the information age. However, this book is referred to read because it is an inspiring book to give you more chance to get experiences and also thoughts. This is simple, read the soft file of the book and you get it.

Mining WordNet for a Fuzzy Sentiment: Sentiment Tag Extraction from WordNet Glosses

Abstract: Many of the tasks required for semantic tagging of phrases and texts rely on a list of words annotated with some semantic features. We present a method for extracting sentiment-bearing adjectives from WordNet using the Sentiment Tag Extraction Program (STEP). We did 58 STEP runs on unique non-intersecting seed lists drawn from manually annotated list of positive and negative adjectives and evaluated the results against other manually annotated lists. The 58 runs were then collapsed into a single set of 7, 813 unique words. For each word we computed a Net Overlap Score by subtracting the total number of runs assigning this word a negative sentiment from the total of the runs that consider it positive. We demonstrate that Net Overlap Score can be used as a measure of the words degree of membership in the fuzzy category of sentiment: the core adjectives, which had the highest Net Overlap scores, were identified most accurately both by STEP and by human annotators, while the words on the periphery of the category had the lowest scores and were associated with low rates of inter-annotator agreement.

Passion in sport: a look at determinants and affective experiences.

Abstract: Based on the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003), a sequence involving the determinants and affective experiences associated with two types of passion (harmonious and obsessive) toward sport was proposed and tested. This sequence posits that high levels of sport valuation and an autonomous personality orientation lead to harmonious passion, whereas high levels of sport valuation and a controlled personality orientation facilitate obsessive passion. In turn, harmonious passion is expected to lead to positive affective experiences in sport but to be either negatively related or unrelated to negative affective experiences. Conversely, obsessive passion is hypothesized to be positively related to negative affective experiences in sport but to be either negatively related or unrelated to positive affective experiences. Results of three studies conducted with recreational and competitive athletes involved in individual and team sports provided support for the proposed integrative sequence. These...

From individual to aggregate labor supply: a quantitative analysis based on a heterogeneous agent macroeconomy*

Abstract: At the aggregate level, the labor-supply elasticity depends on the reservation-wage distribution. We present a model economy where workforce heterogeneity stems from idiosyncratic productivity shocks. The model economy exhibits the cross-sectional earnings and wealth distributions that are comparable to those in the micro data. We find that the aggregate labor-supply elasticity of such an economy is around 1, greater than a typical micro estimate.

International Competitiveness and Comparative Advantage: A Survey and a Proposal for Measurement

Abstract: The concept of competitiveness, or competitive advantage, has been given numerous interpretations and tends to be ambiguous. Comparative advantage, although rigorously defined in the Ricardian trade model, is also subject to different interpretations when extended beyond the classical trade theory and, particularly, with respect to its measurement. The present paper first reviews the literature that deals with definitions and measurements of these concepts, distinguishing their main characteristics, such as macro vs. micro, static vs. dynamic, positive vs. normative, ex ante vs. ex post, as well as the different uses made of the proposed measures. Second, the paper proposes an integrated approach, in which it is demonstrated how competitiveness and comparative advantage are best related to each other and how they differ. The proposed measurement serves the purpose of quantifying the different sources of competitiveness. It is shown how it can be applied to guide policy makers in their evaluation of trade and industrial policies. The latter aspect is illustrated by reference to several applied studies using the method of analysis in the context of policy reforms in India, Mali, Kenya and Uganda.

Leader–member exchange in teams: An examination of the interaction between relationship differentiation and mean LMX in explaining team-level outcomes

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction between mean level of LMX and the differentiation of LMX relationships within a team to explain team potency and team conflict. Hypotheses were tested in a team-based organization, the Canadian Forces. Soldiers (N = 162), who were members of 35 military teams, completed questionnaires assessing the different variables. All analyses were conducted at the team level. As expected, mean LMX within teams was positively related to team potency and negatively related to team conflict. Furthermore, mean LMX interacted with relationship differentiation within teams to explain team potency and team conflict. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for LMX theory and leadership practice.

Developmental Differences in Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Use of Mothers, Fathers, Best Friends, and Romantic Partners to Fulfill Attachment Needs

Abstract: Adolescents and young adults (three age groups: 12–15, 16–19, and 20–28 years) reported their use of parents, and peers to fulfill attachment functions (proximity-seeking, safe haven, and secure base.) The use of each target figure varied with age and attachment function. Mothers were an important source of security across this age range. They were used as secure base consistently more than fathers or peers for all age groups, and regardless of whether or not participants had romantic partners; but were used less for proximity and safe haven by the two older groups. Best friends were used most and more than others as a safe haven; but were used less by young adults (vs. early adolescents) and by older adolescents with romantic partners. Romantic partners were used most and more than others for proximity; but were used less by early adolescents than by older participants. Fathers were selected less than other targets for all attachment functions. Those with romantic partners turned to them more than to others, and young adults selected their romantic partners as much as friends for safe haven. Those insecurely attached to mother turned to her less and to romantic partners more than did those securely attached. Implications for developmental changes in adolescent attachments are discussed.

Confined states and direction-dependent transmission in graphene quantum wells

Abstract: We report the existence of confined massless fermion states in a graphene quantum well (QW) by means of analytical and numerical calculations. These states show an unusual quasilinear dependence on the momentum parallel to the QW: their number depends on the wave vector and is constrained by electron-hole conversion in the barrier regions. An essential difference with nonrelativistic electron states is a mixing between free and confined states at the edges of the free-particle continua, demonstrated by the direction-dependent resonant transmission across a potential well.

Frequency deviation of thermal power plants due to wind farms

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a study on the frequency deviation of the utility grid due to wind power fluctuations. The deviation is estimated by a deterministic method based on the transfer functions of system components. As the grid frequency is regulated, the deviation can limit high wind power penetration. The research identifies speed governors as one key component in enabling high wind penetration and there is need to factor their increased wear and tear into the ancillary services cost. It also raises the question as to whether the existing standards set for frequency deviation, which have to be complied at the points of connection of wind energy providers, are adequate to promote high wind penetration

Missing and Murdered Women: Reproducing Marginality in News Discourse

Abstract: While current mainstream media stories oscillate between Canadian troops in Afghanistan attempting to restore safety and democracy and the imminent threat of a war on terror on domestic soil, a sorely neglected story concerns the continued war on women in Canada In this paper, we look at one site of this war—the case of missing and murdered women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Employing a frame analysis, we analyze 128 articles from The Vancouver Sun published between 2001 and 2006 We argue that prevailing and historically entrenched stereotypes about women, Aboriginality, and sex-trade work continue to demarcate the boundaries of ‘respectability’ and degeneracy, interlocking in ways that situate these women’s lives, even after death, in the margins Resume : Les reportages qui font la une presentent soit les troupes canadiennes postees en Afghanistan tentant de retablir la securite et la decromatie, soit la menace imminente d’une guerre contre la terreur en sol domestique Il est pourtant une histoire deliberement occultee : la guerre sans fin que subissent les femmes au Canada Cet article explore une facette de cette guerre—celle des femmes disparues et assassinees du Downtown Eastside de Vancouver Conduite a partir d’une methodologie analytique, cette etude compile 128 articles tires du Vancouver Sun entre 2001 et 2006 Notre enquete revele que les stereotypes historiquement ancres prevalant aux sujets des femmes, Autochtones et travailleuses du sexe ne cessent de demarquer les limites entre « respectabilite » et depravation, de maniere telle que mime decedees la vie de ces femmes se situe en marge

Media and Pedagogy in Undergraduate Distance Education: A Theory-Based Meta-Analysis of Empirical Literature

Abstract: This meta-analysis employs a theoretical framework in quantitatively synthesizing empirical studies that investigate the effects of distance education (DE) versus classroom instruction on undergraduate student achievement. Analyses of 218 findings from 103 studies were conducted according to how media were used to support DE pedagogy. The results indicate that the effect sizes far synchronous instructor-directed DE were consistent and not significantly different from zero; in asynchronous DE, media only supporting independent learning was generally less effective than media supporting collaborative discussion among students, although both subsets were significantly heterogeneous. Follow-up analysis of asynchronous DE findings was framed in terms of three patterns of interaction—student-content, student-instructor and student-student.

The dynamic nature of antipredator behavior: prey fish integrate threat-sensitive antipredator responses within background levels of predation risk

Abstract: Prey animals often have to face a dynamic tradeoff between the costs of antipredator behavior and the benefits of other fitness-related activities such as foraging and reproduction. According to the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis, prey animals should match the intensity of their antipredator behavior to the degree of immediate threat posed by the predator. Moreover, longer-term temporal variability in predation risk (over days to weeks) can shape the intensity of antipredator behavior. According to the risk allocation hypothesis, changing the background level of risk for several days is often enough to change the response intensity of the prey to a given stimulus. As the background level of risk increases, the response intensity of the prey decreases. In this study, we tested for possible interactions between immediate threat-sensitive responses to varying levels of current perceived risk and temporal variability in background risk experienced over the past 3 days. Juvenile convict cichlids were preexposed to either low or high frequencies of predation risk (using conspecific chemical alarm cues) for 3 days and were then tested for a response to one of five concentrations (100, 50, 25, 12.5%, or a distilled water control). According to the threat-sensitive predator avoidance hypothesis, we found greater intensity responses to greater concentrations of alarm cues. Moreover, in accordance with the risk allocation hypothesis, we found that cichlids previously exposed to the high background level of risk exhibited a lower overall intensity response to each alarm cue concentration than those exposed to the low background level of risk. It is interesting to note that we found that the background level of risk over the past 3 days influenced the threshold level of response to varying concentrations of alarm cues. Indeed, the minimum stimulus concentration that evoked a behavioral response was lower for fish exposed to high background levels of predation than those exposed to low background levels of predation. These results illustrate a remarkable interplay between immediate (current) risk and background risk in shaping the intensity of antipredator responses.

The Market's Perception of the Transactional Risks of Information Technology Outsourcing Announcements

Abstract: Despite the fact that several event studies have investigated the market's reaction to information technology (IT) investment announcements, little is known about how specific transactional risks influence the market value of a firm. This study examines stock market data to assess investors' responses to various transactional risks associated with IT outsourcing. More specifically, we develop and test several hypotheses to understand how transactional risks that arise due to a range of factors (i.e., the size of outsourcing contracts, difficulties in performance monitoring, asset specificity of IT resources, vendor capability, and the lack of cultural similarity between client and vendor firms) influence investors' reactions to IT outsourcing announcements. Our results indicate that most of these factors indeed significantly influence investors' perceptions of the risks involved in IT outsourcing. We discuss these findings in a larger organizational context and offer implications for both research and practice. In particular, our study offers a theoretical rationale for why negative reactions to IT outsourcing announcements may occur, while providing practitioners with several means by which they can increase the informational value of outsourcing arrangements.

Condition Rating Model for Underground Infrastructure Sustainable Water Mains

Abstract: One of the greatest challenges facing municipal engineers is the condition rating of buried infrastructure assets, particularly water mains This is because water mains are typically underground, operated under pressure, and usually inaccessible Condition rating is a mandatory process to establish and employ management strategies for any asset To assess the condition of water mains, current research considers physical, environmental, and operational factors and their effect on different types of mains (ie, cast iron, ductile iron, and asbestos) A condition rating model is developed to assess and set up rehabilitation priority for water mains using the artificial neural network (ANN) approach Data are collected from different municipalities to train the developed model The ANN input factors incorporate pipe type, size, age, breakage rate, Hazen-Williams factor, excavation depth, soil type, and top road surface; however, the output is pipe condition The trained ANN shows robust performance (learning

Neither Romance Nor Regulation: Re‐evaluating Community

Abstract: As the realm of the community has grown increasingly important in the contemporary political economy, the theoretical debates surrounding community have also grown in importance and volume. Too often this literature has been either celebratory or dismissive; either romanticizing the concept and thereby elevating it to primary rank as the focal point of societal initiatives, or objecting to its regulated limits and contradictions and thereby dismissing its importance and political utility. There are important contributions being made by both those who dismiss community and those who celebrate it. But for those interested in understanding the potential for emancipatory social change in the contemporary political economy of neoliberalism there are also severe limitations imposed by these perspectives. After critiquing these literatures and debates, we put forward an understanding of community that is neither dismissive nor celebratory, but instead argues that communities need to be understood as simultaneously products of both their larger, and largely external, contexts, and the practices, organizations and relations that take place within them. Thus, communities, because of their central place in capitalist political economies, can be vital arenas for social change. But they are also arenas that are constrained in their capacities to host such efforts.