Showing papers by "Florida Polytechnic University published in 2005"

The Perron-Frobenius theorem: some of its applications

Abstract: The Perron-Frobenius theorem provides a simple characterization of the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of certain types of matrices with nonnegative entries. The importance of the Perron-Frobenius theorem stems from the fact that eigenvalue problems on these types of matrices frequently arise in many different fields of science and engineering. In this article, the authors discuss the applications of this theorem in diverse areas such as steady state behavior of Markov chains, power control in wireless networks, commodity pricing models in economics, population growth models, and Web search engines. The article starts with a review and discussion of the mathematical foundations.

Assessing the human element in service personality formation: personality congruency and the Five Factor Model

Abstract: Purpose – This purpose of this paper is to explore the role of service personality in services marketing and service marketing communications. Central to the study is the influence of perceived customer‐service personality congruency on service outcomes. The causal ordering of perceived customer‐service personality congruency, service perceptions, and service outcomes, is considered. The study also explores the ability of the Five Factor Model traits to explain additional variance in perceived personality congruency beyond the Brand Personality Scale.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data were gathered via survey administration from 200 customers and 132 employees of a major banking institution. Hierarchical regression analysis and t‐tests were performed to analyze the data.Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that service personality assessments should include measures of the human personality and that perspectives from both employees and customers should be included in service ...

Strategy Instruction in Primary Content Textbooks

Abstract: This article reports the findings of a study that analyzed the teacher editions of primary-grade science and social studies textbooks for comprehension strategy instruction. After observing several science and social studies classes in the primary grades, it became clear to the authors that strategy instruction was missing in many of the lessons. Because it is common for teachers to rely on textbooks as a primary source for their lessons, the authors decided to examine primary textbook materials in order to determine the support they give teachers in developing children's comprehension. The analysis found little in the teacher editions designed to help children become strategic readers of content text. Three major issues emerged from the analysis: Limited modeling of comprehension strategies Reliance on the use of instructional techniques Use of terminology Suggestions for classroom teachers are included.

Verbal mistreatment in older adults:a look at persons with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers in the state of Florida.

Abstract: Purpose. This study examined verbal aggression in a sample of community dwelling older adults with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using the Risk and Vulnerability model as a means for identifying factors associated with verbal mistreatment in caregiver/patient dyads. Design and Methods. Subjects were recruited in the State of Florida through their association with state-funded memory disorder clinics or with local chapters of the Alzheimer's Association. The sample for this analysis consisted of 254 caregivers who completed both a questionnaire and an in-home interview between the years 1998 and 2002. Verbal mistreatment was measured using the verbal aggression sub-scale of the Conflict Tactics Scale and logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors associated with increased risk. Results. Verbal aggression as a conflict resolution style was self reported by 60.1% of caregivers, and was reported as a technique used against them by 74.8% of family members with AD. Logistic regression analysis...

Exploring patient, co-worker, and management burnout in health care: an empirical study.

Abstract: Previous work in services marketing reveals that much is to be gained by considering distinct types of employee burnout. The current work extends these findings into the health care environment by examining the antecedents and effects of patient, co-worker, and management burnout. It is suggested that the distinction among the various types of burnout are especially important in the increasingly competitive and stressful health care setting. Several hypotheses are derived from burnout, social support, and exchange theory, and an empirical study from a hospital setting is discussed. The results indicate that of the three burnout types, management burnout has the strongest influence on employee service delivery, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intentions to leave the health care organization. Implications for managers and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The effect of sex on central histaminergic responses and corticosterone bioperiodicity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Abstract: Male and female rats demonstrate a difference in the relationship between food intake and H 1 receptor binding, which may be due to hormonal differences that exist. The relationship between the endocrine and histaminergic regulation and synchronization of food intake needs to be elucidated. Male and female rats fed 25% protein displayed bioperiodicity in mean corticosterone levels of 148.95±33.71 and 288.48±47.84 ng/ml, respectively. Accompanying bioperiodic times were of 22.43±1.35 h (males) and a period of 21.42±1.96 h (females). Central H 1 receptors in male rats had a mean bioperiodic value of 102.37±1.95 pmol/g protein with a period of 21.66±1.85 h, while that for females was 97.42±4.19 pmol/g protein with a period of 10.23±0.95 h. Central histaminergic activity affects feeding in rats with distinct gender variation that is bioperiodic in nature and functions as a major regulatory mechanism.

Pipeline synthesis of SRSL circuits

Abstract: In this paper, a methodology to synthesize SRSL pipelines has been presented. The synthesis of SRSL pipelines is formulated as an IP problem subject to area and timing constraints for which a heuristic procedure is proposed and applied on six circuits. Experiments reveal that SRSL pipelining is highly suitable for coarse-grain datapaths where these pipelines can yield throughput beyond the 1 GHz mark for large and deep circuits.

SRSL pipelining of coarse-grain datapaths

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a clockless handshake mechanism based on self-resetting stage logic targeted for pipelined datapaths. In this logic, a stage resets itself after it completes the evaluation of its embedded logic. As such, a stage oscillates between a reset phase and an evaluate phase thus completing a single period. This handshake mechanism is incorporated into two distinct pipelines where its coordination is limited to each pair of neighboring stages in the first pipeline, while it is driven by the last stage in the second pipeline. Implementation results of both pipelines show that they can reach throughputs of several hundred Mega outputs per second, while they can easily reach the 1.4 Giga outputs per second if implemented as FIFOs.