Showing papers by "Florida State University published in 1991"

Measuring Consumer Innovativeness

Abstract: The development of a self-report scale to measure domain specific consumer innovativeness is described A major problem faced by researchers interested in the diffusion of innovations has been the difficulty in measuring the innovativeness construct in a reliable and valid way Several operationalizations have been proposed and are commonly used, yet none has received substantial evidence supporting its reliability and validity A series of six studies describes the development and evaluation of a six-item, self-report scale to measure innovativeness within a specific domain of interest familiar to the consumer The scale is shown to be easy to administer, highly reliable and valid, and adaptable across domains

Stack-based scheduling for realtime processes

Abstract: The Priority Ceiling Protocol (PCP) of Sha, Rajkumar and Lehoczky is a policy for locking binary semaphores that bounds priority inversion (i.e., the blocking of a job while a lower priority job executes), and thereby improves schedulability under fixed priority preemptive scheduling. We show how to extend the PCP to handle: multiunit resources, which subsume binary semaphores and reader-writer locks; dynamic priority schemes, such as earliest-deadline-first (EDF), that use static “preemption levels”; sharing of runtime stack space between jobs. These extensions can be applied independently, or together. The Stack Resource Policy (SRP) is a variant of the SRP that incorporates the three extensions mentioned above, plus the conservative assumption that each job may require the use of a shared stack. This avoids unnecessary context switches and allows the SRP to be implemented very simply using a stack. We prove a schedulability result for EDF scheduling with the SRP that is tighter than the one proved previously for EDF with a dynamic version of the PCP. The Minimal SRP (MSRP) is a slightly more complex variant of the SRP, which has similar properties, but imposes less blocking. The MSRP is optimal for stack sharing systems, in the sense that it is the least restrictive policy that strictly bounds priority inversion and prevents deadlock for rate monotone (RM) and earliest-deadline-first (EDF) scheduling.

The spin- 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on a square lattice and its application to the cuprous oxides

Abstract: The spin-\textonehalf{} antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model on a square lattice is used to describe the dynamics of the spin degrees of freedom of undoped copper oxides. Even though the model lacks an exact solution, a solid, accurate, and rather conventional picture emerges from a number of techniques---analytical (spin-wave theory, Schwinger boson mean-field theory, renormalization-group calculations), semianalytical (variational theory, series expansions), and numerical (quantum Monte Carlo, exact diagonalization, etc.). At zero temperature, the effect of the zero-point fluctuations is not strong enough to destroy the antiferromagnetic long-range order, despite the fact that we are dealing with a low-spin low-dimensional system. The corrections to the spin-wave theory, which treats perturbatively the effect of such fluctuations around the classical N\'eel ground state, appear to be small. At any nonzero temperature the order disappears and the correlation length at low temperature $T({k}_{B}\frac{T}{J}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, where $J$ is the antiferromagnetic coupling) follows the singular form $\ensuremath{\xi}(T)=C\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{\alpha}\frac{J}{{k}_{B}}T)$. In the long-wavelength limit and at low $T$, the model has the same behavior as the quantum nonlinear $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ model in two spatial dimensions and one Euclidean time dimension, which we also study with available analytical and Monte Carlo techniques. The quasiparticles of the theory are bosons; at low $T$ and for wavelengths shorter than the correlation length they are welldefined spin-wave excitations. The spectrum of such excitations and the temperature-dependent correlation length have been determined by neutron and Raman scattering experiments done on ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$. The good agreement of the experimental data with the predictions of this theory suggests that the magnetic state of the undoped materials is the conventional ordered state. We discuss, within a simple mean-field theory, the effect of weak three-dimensional antiferromagnetic coupling and the role of an antisymmetric term, introduced to explain a hidden ferromagnetic behavior of the uniform susceptibility. We find that understanding the copper-oxide antiferromagnetic insulator is only the first essential step towards the development of a theory of the superconductor created upon doping such materials.

The Development and Concurrent Validity of the Procrastination Scale

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a self-report measure of procrastination tendencies and to investigate its relationship to a behavioral measure of procrastination and to a self-report meas...

Assessment of a problem-centered second-grade mathematics project.

Abstract: Ten second-grade classes participated in a year-long project in which instruction was generally compatible with a socioconstructivist theory of knowledge and recent recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. At the end of the school year, the 10 project classes were compared with 8 nonproject classes on a standardized achievement test and on instruments designed to assess students' computational proficiency and conceptual development in arithmetic, their personal goals in mathematics, and their beliefs about reasons for success in mathematics. The levels of computational performance were comparable, but there were qualitative differences in arithmetical algorithms used by students in the two groups. Project students had higher levels of conceptual understanding in mathematics; held stronger beliefs about the importance of understanding and collaborating; and attributed less importance to conforming to the solution methods of others, competitiveness, and task-extrinsic reasons for success. Responses to a questionnaire on pedagogical beliefs indicated that the project teachers' beliefs were more compatible with a socioconstructivist perspective than were those of their nonproject colleagues.

The biogeochemistry of manganese and iron in the Black Sea

Abstract: The solution speciation and solid-phase suspended particulate fractionation of Mn and Fe were investigated in the Black Sea in an effort to understand the biogeochemical cycling of Mn and Fe across redox boundaries and to study the scavenging/precipitation reactions affecting their distributions. The redox cycling of Mn (in a distinct “suboxic” zone from 15 to 50 m thick) and the redox cycling of Fe (coincident with total sulfide concentrations exceeding 0.4 μM) occur along isopycnal surfaces which deepen sharply towards the Turkish coast. Dissolved Mn behaves primarily as the free hydrated Mn2+ species and approaches saturation with respect to MnS2 (haurite) in the deep anoxic waters. In the oxic zone, colloidal and organically-complexed Fe species account for 10–30% of the total dissolved Fe, while colloidal Fe-sulfides account for 30–60% of the total in the mid-depth dissolved Fe(II) maximum. The deep waters are close to saturation with respect to FeS (mackinawite) or Fe3S4 (greigite). A weak-acid soluble Mn phase dominates in the broad particulate Mn maximum in the suboxic zone and appears to be associated with Mn-oxidizing bacteria. More resistant Mn and Fe phases, presumed to be sulfide precipitates, were found in the deep anoxic waters. Particulate Al showed a broad maximum below the sulfide interface, presumably due to offshore transport of resuspended sediment. A vertical mixing model for dissolved Mn in the central basin of the Black Sea yields removal rates consistent with measured bacterial Mn oxidation rates. The redox cycling of Fe occurs somewhat deeper in the water column. The vertical supply of oxygen cannot account for the Mn oxidation rate. However, horizontal advection and/or seasonal vertical mixing could provide enough oxidizing equivalents.

Poverty, income inequality, and community crime rates

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between crime rates and aggregate economic conditions for 57 small social areas. The principal analyses address a continuing controversy—are community crime rates associated with absolute poverty, relative poverty (i.e., income inequality), or both. Using victimization data from 57 small residential neighborhoods, the analyses examine the association between absolute and relative poverty and rates of violent crime and burglary. The findings indicate that absolute poverty is more strongly associated with neighborhood crime rates, although the relationship is conditional on the type of crime considered. The implications of the findings are discussed within a perspective of community social control.

Career Development and Services: A Cognitive Approach

Abstract: Section one: Theoretical foundations in cognitive information processing and career development. Introduction to career development and cognitive information processing. Information processing in career problem solving and career decision making. Cognitive information processing and theories of career choice and career development. Cognitive development in career problem solving and career decision making. The assessment of client needs: a cognitive information processing approach. Section two: Using cognitive information processing theory to help individuals become better career problem solvers and decision makers. From theory to practice selecting career interventions. Using career information and media in career counselling. Individual career counselling: a case study. Self-directed career decision making. Group and curricular approaches to career counselling: a case study. Section three: developing and evaluating career development services in schools, colleges and work settings. Designing a career service centre. Developing and implementing a career service centre: a personal case history. Developing and operating a career information library. Accountability and evaluation in career development services: a CIP perspective. Preparing for the future of career development and career services through strategic planning. Appendices. Index.

Lysozyme and alpha-lactalbumin: structure, function, and interrelationships.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter considers both the structure and function of α-lactalbumin and lysozyme in relation to each other, and also the potential significance of the studies in health and the pathology of disease, such as cancer. The chapter begins with brief report of the early discovery of the occurrence and isolation of these proteins and the elucidation of their function and homology, followed by a brief discussion of some problems in their isolation and the determination of their activity. Various aspects of their three-dimensional structures and their significance are also considered. Studies on the implications of their sequence similarities are summarized and also on the binding of metal ions, especially calcium (II), and consider their implications. A brief discussion of lactose synthase, an enzyme of which a-lactalbumin and galactosyltransferase are essential components, is provided. The determination of the three-dimensional structure of domestic hen egg-white lysozyme was the first elucidation of the X-ray crystal structure of an enzyme. Attention was directed to models for the α-lactalbumin structure based on the coordinates for lysozyme and on energy minimization programs.

Physical initialization for numerical weather prediction over the tropics

Abstract: The current operational World Weather Watch over the tropical latitudes exhibits large data gaps. This paper proposes a detailed physical initialization procedure where the combined use of the World Weather Watch and detailed satellite data sets are used to enhance the definition of initial surface fluxes of water vapor and sensible heat, the initial rainfall rates and the earth's radiation budget. The satellite radiances are used to unify the physical initializations of the fluxes, rainfall, and the clouds. This is carried out using a Newtonian relaxation during a pre integration phase between day — 1 and day 0 where the fluxes, the rainfall rates, and the cloud distributions provide a consistent humidity analysis and a spin up of the diabatic heating and the divergent circulations. A comparison of medium range forecasts from a control experiment (that utilizes the standard nonlinear normal mode initialization, with physics, at day 0) with an experiment based on the unified physical initialization is carried out to demonstrate the effective enhancement of the World Weather Watch over the tropics by the proposed method. These experiments are carried out with a global spectral model which is run at a resolution of 106 wave triangular truncation. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1991.t01-2-00007.x

Regulation of histone mRNA in the unperturbed cell cycle: evidence suggesting control at two posttranscriptional steps.

Abstract: The levels of histone mRNA increase 35-fold as selectively detached mitotic CHO cells progress from mitosis through G1 and into S phase. Using an exogenous gene with a histone 3' end which is not sensitive to transcriptional or half-life regulation, we show that 3' processing is regulated as cells progress from G1 to S phase. The half-life of histone mRNA is similar in G1- and S-phase cells, as measured after inhibition of transcription by actinomycin D (dactinomycin) or indirectly after stabilization by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. Taken together, these results suggest that the change in histone mRNA levels between G1- and S-phase cells must be due to an increase in the rate of biosynthesis, a combination of changes in transcription rate and processing efficiency. In G2 phase, there is a rapid 35-fold decrease in the histone mRNA concentration which our results suggest is due primarily to an altered stability of histone mRNA. These results are consistent with a model for cell cycle regulation of histone mRNA levels in which the effects on both RNA 3' processing and transcription, rather than alterations in mRNA stability, are the major mechanisms by which low histone mRNA levels are maintained during G1.

Ecomorphology: Experimental Functional Anatomy for Ecological Problems

Abstract: It is generally believed that the functional design of an organism relates to its ecology, yet this ecomorphological paradigm has historically suffered from the lack of a rigorous framework for its implementation. I present a methodology for experimentally exploring the ecological consequences of variation in morphology. The central idea is that morphology influences ecology by limiting the ability of the individual to perform key tasks in its daily life. Inthis scheme the effect of morphological variation on behavioral performance is first tested in laboratory experiments. As the behavioral capability of an individual defines the range of ecological resources that it can potentially make use of (the potential niche), the second step in the scheme involves comparing the potential niche of an individual to actual patterns of resource use (the realized niche). This permits a quantitative assessment of the significance of an organism's maximal capabilities in determining actual patterns of resource use. An example is presented from work on the feeding biology of fishes in the family Labridae (wrasses and parrotfishes). Most labrids feed by crushing shelled prey in their powerful pharyngeal jaws. This example explores the dietary consequences of variation in crushing strength amongand within species. Crushing strength was estimated from biomechanical analyses of the crushingapparatus in several species, and these predictions of relative strength were tested in laboratory feeding experiments with hard-shelled prey. Morphology accurately predicted relative crushing ability, and the final section of the study explored the effect of variation in crushing ability on diet. Within each of three species crushing strength appears to underlie a major ontogentic dietary switch from soft-bodied prey to a diet dominated by hard-shelled prey. In each species this switch occurred at about the same crushing strength, around 5 Newtons (N), in spite of the fact that this crushing strength is achieved by the three species at different body sizes. Diet breadth increases during ontogeny in each species, until a crushing strength of 5 N is achieved, when diet breadth begins to decline. The strongest fishes specialized almost entirely on molluscs and sea urchins. Thus, these labrids take advantage of ontogenetic and interspecific differences in crushing strength by including harder and harder prey in their diet, and ultimately specializing on hard prey types. The specialized organization of the labrid pharyngeal jaws can be viewed as a key innovation that has permitted this lineage of fishes to invade the mollusc eating niche, a relatively empty trophic niche within the highly speciose and diverse communities of coral reef fishes.

The seasonal circulation of the upper ocean in the Bay of Bengal

Abstract: The present analysis of results generated by a multilayer, adiabatic, monthly mean wind-driven numerical model of the upper Indian Ocean indicates that its simulated northeastern currents are in general agreement with observations and interpretations Attention is given to the large anticyclonic flow during Northern Hemisphere winter The model's layer-thickness reveals the propagation of Kelvin waves along the coast, travelling the entire perimeter of the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal; this wave excites westward-propagating Rossby waves into the bay's interior A time-series analysis of transport calculations yields peaks in the 20-30 day and 50-60 day ranges which are unlikely to have been directly forced by the applied stress

Innovation and reinvention in state policymaking: theory and the evolution of living will laws.

Abstract: Most research on the diffusion of policy innovations focuses on the date of adoption and its correlates. This research examines an aspect of innovation which has received little attention: policy reinvention during the initial diffusion process and through amendment. The central proposition is that even though a set of laws or policies may be grouped into one broad, general category, states create substantively different policies through reinvention, which has important consequences for groups affected by the legislation. Hypotheses concerning the relationship between date of adoption and policy content and the effect of particular controversial policy provisions on reinventions are examined. The study has general implications for the study of the diffusion of innovations and policy in state politics.

Mental Links to Enhanced Healing: An Exploratory Study

Abstract: The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether athletes who healed very rapidly demonstrated greater evidence than did slower healing athletes of psychosocial factors thought to be related to enhanced healing. A survey format was used to measure the following factors—positive attitude, outlook, stress and stress control, social support, goal setting, positive selftalk, and mental imagery—as well as related items about beliefs and recommendations for enhanced healing. Thirty-two former sports medicine clinic patients with either knee or ankle injuries participated in the study. Some 19% of these athletes had exceptionally fast recoveries. These subjects evidenced high scores on all variables tested, while those in the slowest healing group evidenced low scores. The most significant results were found in the more action related factors of goal setting, positive self-talk, and the use of healing imagery. This is particularly encouraging for those working in an applied setting, as these factor...

Genuine, suppressed and faked facial behavior during exacerbation of chronic low back pain.

Abstract: Facial activity was examined as 60 female and 60 male chronic low back pain patients responded to a painful range of motion exercise during a scheduled physical examination. Subsequently, they were asked to fake the facial response to the movement inducing the most pain or to attempt to suppress evidence that they were experiencing pain when this same movement was again repeated. Facial behavior was measured using the Facial Action Coding System. Self-reports of pain also were provided. The genuine expression was consistent with that observed in previous research, but minor differences indicated that the facial display of pain reflects differences between sources of pain, social context in which pain is induced and individual differences among patients. Considerable voluntary control over the facial expression of pain was observed, although the faked expression was more an intensified caricature of the genuine expression, and an attempt to suppress the facial grimace of pain was not entirely successful as residual facial activity persisted. Self-reports were only moderately correlated with facial behavior.

Weighted Least Squares Estimation for Aalen's Additive Risk Model

Abstract: Cox's proportional hazards model has so far been the most popular model for the regression analysis of censored survival data. However, the additive risk model of Aalen can provide a useful and biologically more plausible alternative. Aalen's model stipulates that the conditional hazard function for a subject, whose covariates are Y = (Y 1, …, Yp )', has the form h(t | Y) = Y' α(t), where α = (α 1, …, αp )' is an unknown vector of hazard functions. This article discusses inference for α based on a weighted least squares (WLS) estimator of the vector of cumulative hazard functions. The asymptotic distribution of the WLS estimator is derived and used to obtain confidence intervals and bands for the cumulative hazard functions. Both a grouped data and a continuous data version of the estimator are examined. An extensive simulation study is carried out. The method is applied to grouped data on the incidence of cancer mortality among Japanese atomic bomb survivors.

War-related stress. Addressing the stress of war and other traumatic events.

Abstract: A task force on war-related stress was convened to develop strategies for prevention and treatment of psychological, psychosocial, and psychosomatic disorders associated with the Persian Gulf War and other extreme stressors facing communities in general The task force focused on the return home, reunion, and reintegration of service personnel with their families and work Although the Persian Gulf War was won with relative ease, negative psychological sequelae may develop in some individuals because of the stress of war, family disruption, financial difficulty, and changes in family routines Typical stress reactions and modes of coping that are usually unsuccessful or destructive were outlined, and suggestions were made for monitoring these In addition, guidelines for successful coping were developed Special attention was given to children's reactions and needs Recommendations were made for outreach and intervention on the policy, systems (eg, schools, businesses, governmental agencies), family, and individual levels

Jet noise generated by large-scale coherent motion

Abstract: The noise generated by large scale turbulence structures and instability waves of jets is discussed Emphasis is placed on supersonic jets with moderate to high Reynolds numbers This is because it is in these jets that unambiguous experimental and theoretical evidence is found indicating that large turbulence structures and instability waves are directly responsible for generating the dominant part of the noise For subsonic jets similar large turbulence structures and instability waves do play a crucial role in the dynamics, spread, and mixing of the jet fluid However, at subsonic convection speeds, they do not appear to be efficient noise generators Many investigators believe that the dominant noise source of subsonic jets is, in fact, the small scale turbulence As yet, this belief has not yet received universal acceptance The issues involved are complicated and are not easy to resolve

Cessation from cigarette smoking: changes in body weight, body composition, resting metabolism, and energy consumption.

Abstract: This study examined the effect of cessation from smoking on body weight, body fat, resting metabolic rate (RMR), and caloric consumption. Twenty-six women aged 25 to 45 years (mean, 37.2 ± 4.7) who smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day for the past 5 years served as volunteers. Twelve subjects abstained from smoking for a period of 60 days (EXSMOKERS). Six stopped smoking for 30 days, then resumed the habit for an additional 30 days (RESMOKERS). Eight subjects continued to smoke for the entire 60 days (SMOKERS). Additionally, 10 women who had never smoked served as nonsmoking controls (NONSMOKERS). Body weight was recorded weekly and body fat was calculated from body density as determined by hydrostatic weighing. RMR was assessed by open-circuit spirometry. Caloric intake was obtained from 3-day food records using a computerized nutrient data base. Group means for body weight, body fat, RMR, and caloric intake were compared using a repeated measures ANOVA with a Scheffe post hoc at day 0 (baseline), day 30, and day 60 of cessation from smoking. NONSMOKERS weighed significantly ( P

Physiological Diversity and Distributions of Heterotrophic Bacteria in Deep Cretaceous Sediments of the Atlantic Coastal Plain

Abstract: A series of 23 intact core segments was obtained from two distinct deep subsurface geological formations, the Middendorf and the Cape Fear formations, underlying the southeastern coastal plain of South Carolina The Middendorf formation in this region consists of permeable, saturated, sandy sediments; the Cape Fear formation consists mainly of less permeable sediments The core segments were separated by vertical distances ranging from several centimeters to 48 m Aerobic chemoheterotrophic bacteria were enumerated on a dilute medium, and populations ranged from 31 to 64 log CFU g of sediment-1 in the Middendorf cores and from below detection to 43 log CFU g-1 in the Cape Fear cores A total of 198 morphologically distinct colony types were isolated, purified, and subjected to 108 different physiological measurements The isolates from the two formations were distinct (ie, they produced substantially different response patterns to the various physiological measurements), as were those in different core samples from the same formation Cluster analysis revealed 21 different biotypes based on similarities of 75% or higher in response patterns to 21 physiological assays One biotype contained 57 (29%) of the subsurface isolates, 10 biotypes contained 5 or more isolates, and the remainder had 4 or fewer The organic compounds that were most commonly metabolized by the subsurface bacteria included Tween 40 (85%) and β-hydroxybutyric acid (60%) Organic acids, in general, were also commonly metabolized by the subsurface bacteria Isolates from the Cape Fear core segments were capable of metabolizing a higher percentage of the substrates than were bacteria isolated from the Middendorf formation Although the heterogeneous distributions of bacteria in deep subsurface sediments may make it difficult to use aquifer microcosms to predict in situ biotransformation rates, the diversity of the physiological properties of these organisms offers promise for in situ remediation of contaminants

Unemployment and punishment: an empirical assessment*

Abstract: Evidence for a relationship between unemployment and imprisonment has been regarded as “elusive” and “conflicting.” Such conclusions have been based primarily on aggregate-level data. Individual-level data have provided only indirect evidence for this relationship. This research considers prosecution, incarceration, and length of incarceration outcomes for 1,970 criminal defendants arrested in 1982. Multivariate logit and OLS estimates show a significant, strong, and independent impact of unemployment on pretrial and postsentencing incarceration. The interaction of race and unemployment shows that the greatest likelihood of incarceration is for unemployed black defendants, especially those who are young males or charged with violent and public order crimes. Theoretical implications for the control and punishment of “dangerous classes” are discussed.

An Introduction To Game-theoretic Modelling

Abstract: Noncooperative games Evolutionary stability and other selection criteria Cooperative games in strategic form Characteristic function games Cooperation and the prisoner's dilemma More population games Appraisal The tracing procedure Solutions to selected exercises Bibliography Index.