Showing papers by "DePaul University published in 1989"

Black and white response to culturally targeted television commercials: A values-based approach

Abstract: This study examines the effect of four national television advertisements for product category leader brands. These ads were developed expressly for black consumers. Through the use of cultural values, responses to ethnic or subculturally oriented marketing communication was measured. Two hundred and seventy one black and white respondents were drawn from a large urban, mid-western city and a midsize deep-south city. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the differences between responses to each advertisement by black versus white respondents. The study confirmed the results that black respondents display a more positive affect toward a commercial message featuring black actors than do comparable whites.

The formation of the Mughal Empire

Abstract: This history of the Mughal empire examines the rituals of the Mughal court, the process of the empire's expansion, and Akbar's political and administrative initiatives in order to explain the fundamental characteristics of the Mughal polity. Streusand also places Mughal institutions and practices in their political and cultural contexts to explain how the Mughal ruling class coalesced from heterogeneous groups that retained their own identities.

Time Orientation: Past, Present, and Future Perceptions:

Abstract: A survey was conducted to assess people's time orientation or where they spend most of their thinking time: past, present or future. 100 women were also asked about their expectations for the quali...

Attitudinal Tolerance and Political Freedom in Britain

Abstract: Tolerance is an important concept in democratic theory and a recurring issue in British history. With rare exceptions, however, conclusions about tolerance in Britain have been based on impressionistic rather than empirical evidence. This Note examines patterns of attitudinal tolerance in Britain and speculates about the impact of those patterns on the status of political freedom. The analysis is based on recently collected survey data on attitudinal tolerance among members of the public and Members of Parliament in Britain.

A worksite smoking cessation intervention involving the media and incentives.

Abstract: This study evaluated an attempt at 38 workplaces to help employees stop or reduce their levels of smoking. In past research, worksite support groups, in combination with a media smoking cessation program and self-help manuals, were found to be effective in helping employees quit smoking. Unfortunately, recidivism was found at the follow-up evaluations. The present study replicated the results of the previous worksite smoking cessation program with support groups, a television intervention, and self-help manuals. At this postpoint, 42% of employees provided groups plus incentives were abstinent compared to only 15% who were only provided self-help materials. An important difference in this study was that there were also monthly follow-up support groups and incentives. Work settings can be a source of stress and conflict, which can precipitate relapse. At a 12-month follow-up, 26% of those participants who were provided support and incentives were abstinent compared to 16% who were only provided the self-help materials.

Absolute orientation of the flagellar apparatus of Hibberdia magna comb. nov. (Chrysophyceae)

Abstract: The first flagellum of Hibberdia magna comb. nov. bears mastigonemes that have both short and long lateral filaments attached to the tubular shaft. The second flagellum is very short (ca. 850 nm) and is directed posteriorly approximately 160° from the first flagellum. Three microtubular flagellar roots (R1, R2 and R4) and a rhizoplast (= striated root) are present. The R1 root consists of four microtubules that arise near the right surface of the first flagellum basal body; the R1 root extends to the dorsal side of the cell and then curves back along the left side of the cell. Cytoskeletal microtubules are nucleated from the R1 root including one loose cluster of cytoskeletal microtubules that extends down the left side of the cell adjacent to the contractile vacuole. The R2 root is a single microtubule that arises along the left surface of the first flagellum basal body and extends to the left side of the cell. The R4 root consists of three microtubules that arise along the left side of the second flagellum basal body. A helical band wraps around two microtubules at the proximal end of the R4 root. Two of the three R4 root microtubules extend along the left side of the second flagellum, curve around to the right side of that flagellum and terminate. No R3 root was found. The orientation of the basal bodies of Hibberdia gen. nov. is similar to that of the Xanthophyceae and Oomycetes. There are apparent homologies in the R1, R2 and R4 roots of Hibberdia and these and other protists, but only Hibberdia lacks a R3 root. Three long flagella are present in preprophase but later one is endocytosized and the axoneme extends to the posterior of the cell. During metaphase the nuclear envelope is more or less intact except at the poles; the flagellar apparatuses are at the poles and the spindle microtubules originate near the basal bodies. Two stages are known in the life history: 1) a capsoidlike state with non-swimming flagellate cells inside a colonial gel, and 2) a free-swimming single-celled monad state. Vegetative cell division occurs in both stages. The flagellar apparatus, the cell division process and the life history combined with the previously described unique light-harvesting antheraxanthin make H. magna distinct from other algae. A new genus, Hibberdia gen. nov., a new family, Hibberdiaceae fam. nov. and a new order, Hibberdiales, ord. nov. are described.

The Relationship between Intelligence, Honesty, and Theft Admissions

Abstract: Paper-and-pencil integrity tests are used by thousands of companies to assess job applicants' propensity for on-the-job theft. One question that has been continually raised is whether there is a relationship between intelligence and integrity test scores. The present research is a summary of two independent studies of the London House Personnel Selection Inventory (PSI), an instrument designed to identify theft-prone applicants. Across both studies, the results indicated that no significant relationships existed between integrity test scores and either (a) education level of applicants, an unobtrusive measure of intelligence; or (b) scores on Scale B of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16-PF), a valid, albeit brief measure of intellect. While these results should be regarded as preliminary, the general direction of the relationship can be noted.

Prenatal ossification as an indicator of exposure to toxic agents

Abstract: Following exposure to bromodeoxyuridine (BUDR), acetazolamide (ACZM), trypan blue (TRBL), cortisone (CORT), or diphenylhydantoin (DPH), alizarin-stained, cleared fetuses were examined at 18 days postcoitus for unossified cervical vertebral centra; number of ossified caudal vertebrae; number of ribs; and ossification of sternebrae, metatarsals, metacarpals, and phalangeal rows. At all teratogenic doses, in no vehicle-treated groups, and rarely in lower-dose groups, there were significant increases in frequency of unossified cervical centra, the first vertebra (C1) being most often affected, and C7 least often affected. In the high-dose CORT group, there was a significant correlation between unossified C1 and cleft palate. No association between abnormality and reduced ossification of cervical vertebrae was seen in other series examined, nor was there any correlation between litter size and abnormality. With minor complications, the number of ossified caudal vertebrae was significantly reduced after exposure at teratogenic dose levels to all compounds except DPH. Although caudal and cervical ossification were correlated with each other in those series examined, neither was correlated with abnormality. Frequency of 14 ribs was increased in BUDR, ACZM, and TRBL but not CORT or DPH. Other parameters were essentially unaffected. Significantly increased frequency of abnormality, when contrasted with untreated or vehicle-treated groups, was seen at high-dose levels in all but DPH treatments, and mortality was increased in ACZM D9-11, TRBL, and CORT. These studies show that reduced ossification of cervical centra is an excellent indicator of prenatal exposure to noxious substances, and caudal vertebrae appear to be useful as well. Increased frequency of 14 ribs occurred for all strong teratogens utilized if they were administered on day 7 or day 8 postcoitus.

The geometry of differential operators with application to image processing

Abstract: A family of second-order nonlinear differential operators that are useful in building simple edge detectors is treated. The authors provide a uniform definition for these operators and describe their internal geometry. Based on their geometric analysis, they associate symbolic descriptors with the abstract edges defined by the operators. One of them, Q, is essentially the same operator that J.F. Canny (ibid., vol.PAMI-8, p.552-7, 1986) used to define his two-dimensional simple edge detector. The authors give a parse tree for Q, which provides a complete analysis of its local geometry. The analysis shows that Q has a fondness for edges that lift to certain types of asymptotic curves. These include select straight line segments lying on the surface, inflections of mean curvature, and paths with constant rate of ascent. The methods are drawn largely from vector calculus and differential geometry. The authors illustrate their theoretical work with results obtained when Q was applied to image data that were interpolated with a B-spline. >

Emulation: an institutional theory of value formation*

Abstract: Illegal insider trading in the stock market is a highly visible symbol of the fact that American morality is on the decline. Our values are degenerating. The pundits of the New right have noticed the decline and the degeneration but blame them on the rise of the liberal welfare state and on the spread of the so-called permissiveness that allegedly has accompanied the liberal welfare state. [Gilder, 1981] But the reactionaries are wrong. They have set up a scapegoat. And they wish to re-establish the authority of a more patriotic, patriarchal, and respectful age. Their nostalgia is not harmless, for their reminiscences reek of proto-fascism, and the reasons they give for our moral malaise are dangerously deluded. In short, the reactionary conven? tional wisdom as to why morals are declining and values degenerating is wholly inadequate. More adequate insight can be gained into value forma? tion and value transmission by contrasting how socialization processes affect the individual in a hegemonic institutional structure versus a pluralistic institutional structure and by exploring emulation ? a socialization process that is transforming pluralism into hegemony in the United States. Here is the cause of moral degeneration in the United States, not the permissive? ness of the liberal welfare state, for pluralism fosters free will and moral integrity while hegemony fosters mindless conformity and moral opportun? ism. Besides, the insider traders responsible for demoralizing our securities markets were not exactly products of the welfare system. The reactionaries of the 1980s were right about only one thing: something has gone dreadfully wrong with American values. Nevertheless, we must turn away from reaction to understand what and why. This journal pub? lished a formal framework that can be used to analyze the shortcomings of rampant consumerism. [Dugger, 1985c] And in a major book, Christopher

Children helping children: Implications for prevention.

Abstract: This article reviews a series of studies ranging from those focusing on high-risk youngsters to those attempting to effect changes in the social environments of the children. In each of the studies, direct efforts were made to formulate the projects with the input and participation of the recipients of the services. The implications of this value stance in preventive interventions are explored.

Children's and adults' beliefs about emotion elicitation

Abstract: Eight-year-old children and adult female college students were asked to describe situations in which each of six emotions would be felt (production task) and to judge which emotion would be felt in situations described by other subjects (judgment task). In addition, mothers of the child subjects were asked to judge descriptions generated by their own child and by other children. Data analysis showed that adults and children produced stories that could be classified into the same set of thematic categories. In addition, adults and children could accurately identify the emotion in stories produced by other adults and children. Last, mothers judged descriptions produced by other children as easily as descriptions produced by their own child.

Salsa Music as a Cultural Expression of Latino Consciousness and Unity

Abstract: A content analysis of lyrics ofpopular Salsa music reveals the emergence over the last fifteen years of cultural themes emphasizing the shared lives of Spanishspeaking groups in the United States. This new orientation is different from the ethnic-distinctive Puerto Rican reality that formed the content of the original Salsa sound. The emerging "Latino "character is examined, with major emphasis given to identifying the various cultural elements or symbols used by the performers in their construction of this Latino world.

Pollen Morphology of Embothrieae (Proteaceae)

Abstract: This is the first of two papers detailing pollen morphology and evolution with the tribe Embothrieae comprising eight genera and ca. 56 spp. The present paper examines pollen of subtribes Buckinghaminae (Buckinghamia; 2 spp., Opislhiolepis; 1 sp.), Stenocarpinae (Strangea; 3 spp.), Stenocarpus (ca. 27 spp.) and Lomatiinae (Lomatia; ca. 12 spp.) in the light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Pollen is medium-sized, oblate, foveolate to microreticulate to reticulate, and predominantly columellate with a complex modified postvestibulate aperture morphology. Pollen data indicate ties between Lomatia and Stenocarpus on the one hand and Stenocarpus and Strangea on the other. Though Buckinghamia and Opislhiolepis have been placed in the same subtribe, the unique combination of pollen features in each suggests only a remote relationship to each other as well as to remaining Embothrieae. Comparisons to the remaining genera of Embothriae (Embothrium, Oreocallis, Telopea) and ov...

Cash Flow Accounting Revisited: A Note on a Partial Replication of the Lee Study

Abstract: This paper examines the attitudes of audit partners in U.S. public accounting firms towards various forms and dimensions of cash flow accounting (CFA), and in part replicates Lee's 1981 study. A total of 800 questionnaires were mailed. Despite the call by some cash flow proponents (i.e., Thomas, 1974) for additional CFA disclosures, the conclusions drawn from this study were that the current historical costs system is, in general, regarded as adequate for evaluating the economic performance of an entity, and there is a perception that publicly disclosed, supplementary cash flow information is not required.

On the tracking of featureless objects with occlusion

Abstract: The author discusses an extremely efficient low-level tracking algorithm using only centers of gravity and sizes of the objects. He uses the center of gravity as the main tracking mechanism and the size of the object to aid in solving occlusion problems. Thus the size of the objects is mainly used as an aid in deciding how and if the number of objects changes from one frame to another. The author reports on experiments using video images of tennis balls bouncing through the field of vision. The camera is fixed and the lighting conditions are controlled. The balls are easily extracted from the background by subtraction of the image from a registered image of the background under the same lighting conditions. It is concluded that the proposed techniques can be applied to both video and infrared images, and are especially useful when the objects lack significant 'features' for matching. >

Uniqueness of representation by trigonometric series

Abstract: In 1870 Georg Cantor proved that a 2π periodic complex valued function of a real variable coincides with the values of at most one trigonometric series. We present his proof and then survey some of...

Perpetuity rate of return analysis

Abstract: This paper introduces a new method of capital project analysis called the perpetuity rate of return (PRR). As implied by its name, the PRR is found by transforming a project's cash flow stream into a perpetuity and then relating this value to the required investment outlay. The PRR method is essentially a compromise between the NPV and IRR techniques. Like the NPV, the PRR correctly values a project's cashflows by using the market-determined cost of capital as the discount rate; like the IRR, the PRR is a rate of return that is appropriately compared to the cost of capital to determine a project's acceptability. The new yield-based method fares well in comparison with the IRR on a conceptual level and appears to have practical potential.

Using a community model in media-based health promotion interventions.

Abstract: Over the past few years, a number of media-based health promotion interventions have been broadcast in the Chicago area. The interventions focused on helping viewers stop smoking, better deal with stress, and improve nutrition and weight management. For each of these interventions, from 50,000 to 175,000 self-help manuals were distributed. These large-scale media interventions were made possible by the collaboration of university researchers, a variety of community agencies, and several television stations. The process by which this unique series of interventions was developed is described and the implications of mounting such large-scale health promotion programs are presented.

The Impact of Corporate Restructuring on Human Resource Management Functions

Abstract: Corporate mergers and acquisitions are pervasive. Much of the attention has focused on the dollars involved and the financial packages put together to effect them. Little attention has been given to the human resource management implications of such corporate restructuring. Attention here is focused on the impact of these restructurings on individual employee stress and on various human resource management functions such as human resource planning, recruitment, training and organisational development, and employee benefits and compensation.

Of women men and divorce: not by economics alone.

Abstract: The authors "present an empirical exploration of the determinants of marital dissolution which begins with variables found in economic models but also incorporates at least one non-economic factor religion. This enables us both to examine to what extent this variable adds to the explanatory power of the model and also how it interacts with some of the economic variables. Such evidence lends credence to the view that norms also influence marital behavior." The geographical focus is on the United States. (EXCERPT)

The effects of rater training, job analysis format and congruence of training on job evaluation ratings

Abstract: An experiment was conducted in order to assess the effects of three independent variables, rater training (accuracy versus error versus dimension), job analysis format (descriptions versus specifications) and congruence of training (congruent versus incongruent) on differential accuracy and halo and leniency error of job evaluation ratings. Subjects were 144 college students at a large midwestern university. The results indicated a significant main effect for job analysis format on all three dependent variables and a significant training X job analysis format effect on halo error. These results suggest at least some similarity in the processes across different types of rating tasks.