Showing papers by "Kent State University published in 1984"

Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life

Abstract: The article presents a review of the book “Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life,” by Terrence E. Deal and Allan A. Kennedy.

Effects of Computer Programming on Young Children's Cognition

Abstract: Computers will soon be an integral part of the classroom and home environment of children, yet there are unanswered questions concerning their effects on young children's cognition; Particularly salient are largely unsubstantiated claims concerning the cognitive benefits of computer programming. This study assessed the effects of learning computer programming on children's cognitive style (reflectivity, divergent thinking), metacognitive ability, cognitive development (operational competence, general cognitive measures), and ability to describe directions. Eighteen 6-year-old children were pretested to assess receptive vocabulary, impulsivity/reflectivity, and divergent-thinking abilities. The children were then randomly assigned to one of two treatments, computer programming or computer-assisted instruction (CAI), that lasted 12 weeks. Posttesting revealed that the programming group scored significantly higher on measures of reflectivity and on two measures of divergent thinking, whereas the CAI group showed no significant pre- to posttest differences. The programming group outperformed the CAI group on measures of metacognitive ability and ability to describe directions. No differences were found on measures of cognitive development. The increasing acceptance of the critical necessity for children to become computer literate is leading to an increased prominence of computers in the home and school environment. Yet there are unanswered questions regarding the effects of computer use on children's thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of computer programming on 6-year:old children's cognitive style, metacognitive abilities, cognitive development, and ability to describe directions. Seymour Papert, one of the creators of the computer language Logo and a leading exponent of the use of computer programming to expand children's intellectual power, based his ideas on the theories of Piaget, with whom he studied. Papert (1980) has argued that the most beneficial learning is what he calls "Piagetian learning," or "learning without being taught." He has proposed that computer programming environments can create conditions under which intellectual models take root, conditions in which young children can master

Cranial morphology of Australopithecus afarensis: a comparative study based on a composite reconstruction of the adult skull.

Abstract: The Pliocene hominid species Australopithecus afarensis is represented by cranial, dental, and mandibular remains from Hadar, Ethiopia, and Laetoli, Tanzania. These fossils provide important information about the cranial anatomy of the earliest known hominids. Because complete crania or skulls are not known, we produced a composite reconstruction of an adult male skull based on 13 specimens from the Hadar Formation. The reconstruction serves as a testable hypothesis regarding functional relationships in the A. afarensis skull and is the basis for the comparative study presented here. We examine six major aspects of cranial and mandibular anatomy. We combine our results with those of White et al. (1981) in a discussion of alternate hypotheses of early hominid phylogeny. In the cranium, jaws, and teeth A. afarensis exhibits a morphological pattern that we interpret as primitive for the Hominidae. Homo habilis retains a number of these primitive features for which A. africanus, A. robustus, and A. boisei share derived character states, particularly in the masticatory apparatus. Homo and "robust" species of Australopithecus share a suite of derived cranial base features. These shared traits may relate to upper facial orthognathium which is also common to these taxa and are probably indicative of parallelism rather than a close phylogenetic relationship. The cranial base characteristics of A.L. 333-45 do not, contrary to Olson's (1981) claims, provide evidence for an A. afarensis--"robust" Australopithecus sister group. When the range of mastoid variation in extant African pongids and A. afarensis is examined thoroughly, the Pliocene hominid appears to retain a primitive, rather than derived, morphology.

Cenozoic High Latitude Heterochroneity of Southern Hemisphere Marine Faunas

Abstract: Discovery of 11 genera, in five classes within the Mollusca, Echinodermata, and Arthropoda in upper Eocene rocks on Seymour Island, Antarctica, previously known only from Late Cenozoic in mid-latitudes, suggests that the high latitude region of the Southern Hemisphere acted as a center of origin and dispersal for a broad spectrum of taxa. Precursors to modern deep- and shallow-water mid-latitude forms evolved and flourished in the high latitudes until conditions in lower latitudes favored their dispersal. These observations of Antarctic marine invertebrates corroborate those recently made about terrestrial mammals and plants in the Arctic.

The relationship of argumentativeness to verbal aggression

Abstract: This study investigated: (1) whether high, moderate, and low argumentatives differ in how easily they are provoked by an obstinate opponent to select verbally aggressive messages; and, (2) whether the sexes differ in preference for verbal aggression. The results indicated that persons who scored high on a measure of argumentativeness were least provoked to prefer verbal aggression. This finding supports the view that verbal aggression is mainly a result of a lack of argumentative skill. The study also found that situational variables affect the difference between the sexes in verbal aggression. Thus, earlier observations of differences in verbal aggression between the sexes may be exaggerated.

Variation in the pattern of cranial venous sinuses and hominid phylogeny.

Abstract: In 1967 Tobias noted that Australopithecus boisei cranium O.H.5 exhibited a cranial venous sinus pattern in which the occipital sinus and the marginal sinuses of the foramen magnum appeared to have replaced the transverse-sigmoid sinuses as the major venous outflow track. Specimens of A. robustus and several more recently recovered A. boisei crania also show evidence of enlarged occipital-marginal sinuses. In contrast, A. africanus and H. habilis retain a dominant transverse-sigmoid system that characterizes the great majority of extant apes and modern human cadaver samples. Pliocene A. afarensis exhibits a high frequency of occipital-marginal drainage systems. An examination of several series of precontact North American Indian crania shows that the frequency distribution of the occipital-marginal sinus pattern is spatiotemporally disjunct , ranging from 7.5% to 28%. The Late Pleistocene sample from P redmost , Czechoslovakia, also shows a very high incidence of occipital-marginal sinus patterns (approximately 45%). These observations suggest that occipital-marginal and transverse-sigmoid sinus patterns are adaptively equivalent character states. This conclusion is supported by the fact that enlarged occipital-marginal and transverse-sigmoid sinus systems often coexist on the same and/or contralateral sides of the head. It is well known that the frequencies of such adaptively neutral traits are often heavily influenced by population-specific epistatic interactions. The utilization of such traits in phylogenetic reconstruction entails a substantial risk of mistaking parallelism for synapomorphy . It is concluded that using functional-adaptive criteria in the definition of morphologic characters is a more reliable method to guide phylogeny reconstruction. In light of this, the distribution of venous sinus variants in Plio -Pleistocene hominids gives little or no basis for revising the phylogenetic scheme of Johanson and White (1979), or the functional-adaptive interpretation offered by White et al. (1981).

Increasing the immunization of preschool children; an evaluation of applied community interventions

Abstract: We evaluated the relative impact of four procedures designed to encourage parents to obtain immunizations for their children. In a public health setting, the families of 1,133 immunization-deficient preschool children were randomly assigned to six conditions: (a) a general prompt; (b) a more client-specific prompt; (c) a specific prompt and increased public health clinic access; (d) a specific prompt and monetary incentives; (e) contact control; and (f) no contact control. All interventions, except the general prompt, produced some evidence of improvement when compared with the control groups. The monetary incentive group revealed the largest effect, followed by the increased access group, specific prompt group, and general prompt group, respectively. The data suggest that relatively powerful and immediate effects on preschoolers' clinic attendance for immunization may be produced by monetary incentives in conjunction with client-specific prompts. However, client-specific prompts alone appear to be the most cost-effective of the interventions.

The mind of Frederick Douglass

Abstract: Frederick Douglass was unquestionably the foremost black American of the nineteenth century. The extraordinary life of this former slave turned abolitionist orator, newspaper editor, social reformer, race leader, and Republican party advocate has inspired many biographies over the years. This, however, is the first full-scale study of the origins, contours, development, and significance of Douglass's thought. Brilliant and to a large degree self-taught, Douglass personified intellectual activism; he possessed a sincere concern for the uses and consequences of ideas. Both his people's struggle for liberation and his individual experiences, which he envisioned as symbolizing that struggle, provided the basis and structure for his intellectual maturation. As a representative American, he internalized and, thus, reflected major currents in the contemporary American mind. As a representative Afro-American, he revealed in his thinking the deep-seated influence of race on Euro-American, Afro-American, or, broadly conceived, American consciousness. He sought to resolve in his thinking the dynamic tension between his identities as a black and as an American. Martin assesses not only how Douglass dealt with this enduring conflict, but also the extent of his success. An inveterate belief in a universal and egalitarian humanism unified Douglass's thought. This grand organizing principle reflected his intellectual roots in the three major traditions of mid-nineteenth-century American thought: Protestant Christianity, the Enlightenment, and romanticism. Together, these influences buttressed his characteristic optimism. Although nineteenth-century Afro-American intellectual history derived its central premises and outlook from concurrent American intellectual history, it offered a searching critique of the latter and its ramifications. How to square America's rhetoric of freedom, equality, and justice with the reality of slavery and racial prejudice was the difficulty that confronted such Afro-American thinkers as Douglass. |Frederick Douglass was unquestionably the foremost black American of the nineteenth century. The extraordinary life of this former slave turned abolitionist orator, newspaper editor, social reformer, race leader, and Republican party advocate has inspired many biographies over the years. This, however, is the first full-scale study of the origins, contours, development, and significance of Douglass's thought.

Divorce, socioeconomic status, and children's cognitive-social competence at school entry.

Abstract: All 115 kindergarteners in a suburban school district were evaluated with an extensive battery of intellectual, academic, social, and adaptive behavior measures to determine the predictive significance of single-parent status on school-entry competencies. Divorce was found to add significant amounts of independent variance to the socioeconomic status predictions of several criteria, specifically those relating to social and academic competence. Both single-parent status and SES were more powerful predictors than other family background, developmental history, and health variables.

Training Effects on the Development and Generalization of Piagetian Logical Operations and Knowledge of Number

Abstract: The effects of two training sequences on the development of logical operations and number were investigated Four-year-old children were randomly as­ signed and trained for 8 weeks in one of three conditions: logical foundations (classification and seriation), number skills (counting), and control Each of the experimental treatments was based on either of two broad perspectives: the logical foundations model of Piagetian theorists and a skills integration model Instruments measuring number abilities and logical operations were designed as pre- and posttest measures Findings were that (a) both experi­ mental groups significantly outperformed the control group on both tests, (b) the number skills group significantly outperformed the logical foundations group on the number test, and (c) there was no significant difference between the experimental groups on the logical operations test Results are discussed in terms of their implications for developmental psychology and education Theory and research in the early devel­ opment of number and logic can be catego­ rized along two major lines (Carpenter, 1980; Reese & Overton, 1970): the logical foun­ dations model and a skills integration model The logical foundations model of Piaget ex­ plains the development of number in terms of a synthesis of classification and asym­ metrical relations operations (Piaget, 1952) In this view, significant conceptual compe­ tence regarding number is not achieved until operational competence is att~ined Skills

Extended numerical computations on the “1/9” conjecture in rational approximation theory

Abstract: The behavior of the constants λn,n(e−x), denoting the errors of best uniform approximation to e−z on the interval [0,+∞) by real rational functions having numerator and denominator polynomials of degree at most n, has generated much recent interest in the approximation theory literature. Based on high-precision calculations, we present here the table of constants {λn,n (e−x)} n 30 =0, rounded to forty significant digits, and we discuss their significance to related conjectures in this area.

The status of memory following experimentally induced amnesias: Gone, but not forgotten

Abstract: Although the concept that information processing continues following the termination of a learning trial has long been represented in human research (e.g., "rehearsal"), it has only recently gained ac­ knowledgement in studies of animal memory. An in­ fluential paper by McGaugh (1966) provided an im­ portant impetus in this direction by reviewing evi­ dence that various posttrial manipulations could modulate retention. Thus, electroconvulsive shock (BCS) after training impaired memory, whereas strychnine administration enhanced it. Although McGaugh's (1966) specific interpretation was linked to a consolidation model of memory, the more gen­ eral impact of his analysis may have been in calling attention to phenomena implying that the processing of information continues after the events constituting the nominallearning episode have ended. The notion of postacquisition processing has come to furnish a frame of reference for a variety of studies of animal memory (e.g., directed forgetting­ Maki & Hegvik, 1980, and Stonebraker & Rilling, 1981; memory counterconditioning-Richardson, Riccio, Jamis, Skozcen, & Cabosky, 1982; priming­ Wagner, 1978; posttrial surprise-Wagner, Rudy, & Whitlow, 1973), but our presentation here will con­ centrate on a phenomenon that has been particularly weIl established, namely, experimentally induced retrograde amnesia (RA). In this paper we consider some of the data that demonstrate that postacquisi­ tion traumatic insult can produce profound memory losses. But we will also suggest that these retrograde amnesias are not attributable to disruption or failure of the storage process. Rather, the memory loss ap­ pears to be linked to the lack of appropriate cues for retrieva1. It is in this respect, then, that memory can

Glycosidase activities in principal cells, basal cells, fibroblasts and spermatozoa isolated from the rat epididymis.

Abstract: The activity levels of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-N-acetylgalactosaminidase, beta-galactosidase and beta-glucosidase were fluorometrically assessed in spermatozoa, principal cells, basal cells and fibroblasts isolated from the rat epididymis by centrifugal elutriation. Among the various cell types, corpus principal cells had the highest activities for beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, beta-N-acetylgalactosaminidase and beta-galactosidase. These enzymes characteristically react with membrane structural carbohydrates. Corpus/caput principal cell activity ratios of these glycosidases remained constant when determinations were done at an alternate pH and substrate concentration, suggesting that similar enzyme forms were present in both regions. Based on cell number and cell volume, sperm glycosidase activities generally increased from the caput to the corpus region of the epididymis, while decreasing from corpus to cauda. However, when data were expressed on the basis of cell protein, sperm glycosidase activities increased from caput to cauda. Since the total protein of sperm decreases dramatically from caput to cauda, the increase in glycosidase activity based on total protein suggests that relative to other sperm proteins, glycosidases may be selectively retained or taken up during epididymal transit. High levels of glycosidase activity associated with the corpus epididymidis may contribute to modification of sperm glycoproteins and observed increases in fertility of sperm as they emerge from this region.

Comparisons of regular splittings of matrices

Abstract: In this article, new comparison theorems for regular splittings of matrices are derived. In so doing, the initial results of Varga in 1960 on regular splittings of matrices, and the subsequent unpublished results of Wo?nicki in 1973 on regular splittings of matrices, will be seen to be special cases of these new comparison theorems.

Validity of "Generalized" Equations for Body Composition Analysis in Women Athletes.

Abstract: Equations by Jackson, Pollock, and Ward (1980) and by Durnin and Womersly (1974) for estimating body density (BD) from skinfolds (SF) purportedly overcome the criticism of “population specificity” by taking into account age and the curvilinear relationship between SFs and BD. Selected equations were validated on 79 women athletes against %fat and fat(kg) measured by underwater weighing. Equations by Sloan, Burt, and Blyth (1962), Wilmore and Behnke (1970), and Katch and McArdle (1973) were also evaluated to compare the newer equations to older ones. The mean estimate of %fat by one equation by Jackson et al. utilizing the sum of triceps, abdomen, suprailiac and thigh SF was the same as the true value (20.1%) and correlated .795 (SEE ± 3.27 total error 3.23). Regression analysis showed it to have acceptable accuracy over the range of sample values (10.3–34.0%). The Durnin-Womersly equations overestimated %fat by 3.9 to 4.4% and were not acceptable. For the older equations, the mean Sloan et al. es...

Are the phosphatases released by Daphnia magna components of its food?1

Abstract: A laboratory culture of Daphnia magna was fed an axenic culture of Chlamydomonas acidophila. The predominant enzyme released by the zooplankter was a soluble alkaline phosphatase but it also released a smaller quantity of acid phosphatase. Five enzymes were released from the alga by the neutral detergent Triton X-100: two alkaline phosphatases and three acid phosphatases. Alkaline and acid phosphatases from each organism differed in Michaelis constant (p-nitrophenylphosphate as substrate), degree of inhibition by o-phosphate, and anion exchange chromatographic behavior. We conclude that D. magna produces its own phosphatases, suggesting that it participates directly in the phosphorus regeneration mechanisms that aid the growth of its food resource.

Polar Calcium Flux in Sunflower Hypocotyl Segments I. The Effect of Auxin

Abstract: The flux of Ca(2+) at the apical or basal ends of short sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) hypocotyl segments was monitored using a Ca(2+)-specific electrode. A higher Ca(2+) efflux was observed at the apical end relative to the basal end, indicating a net polar flux of Ca(2+). The extreme low mobility of Ca(2+) in the isolated segment makes it likely that the observed Ca(2+) fluxes are of localized origin, that is, from the parenchyma cells close to the exposed cut ends and may represent acropetal transport of Ca(2+) at the cellular level. The rate of Ca(2+) efflux depended on the concentration of Ca in the seedling medium. Incubation of hypocotyl segments in 10 mm CaCl(2) for 24 h did not eliminate the net acropetal flux of Ca(2+) at the apical end.IAA, as well as the synthetic auxin alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid, significantly enhanced Ca(2+) efflux; the non-auxin analog, beta-naphthaleneacetic acid, was ineffective. The transport of auxin, not merely its presence in the medium, was found to be a requisite for the enhancement of Ca(2+) efflux since the presence of the auxin transport inhibitor 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid eliminated the auxin-promoted Ca(2+) efflux. A model for how auxin promotion of Ca(2+) efflux could play a role in promoting subsequent auxin secretion is proposed. Calcium probably serves as a ;second messenger', as it does in the secretion of various substances by animal cells.

New Fossil Crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) from the La Meseta Formation (Eocene) of Antarctica: Paleogeographic and Biogeographic Implications

Abstract: TWO new species of brachyuran decapod crustaceans, Lyreidus antarcticus and Chas- mocarcinus seymourensis, have been collected in close association with the recently reported first marsupial remains from the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctica. Lyreidus antarcticus is similar to specimens of that genus currently being studied from upper Eocene beds in New Zealand. Both the Antarctic and New Zealand forms of the genus, in contrast with the ecological distribution of recent Lyreidus spp., are adapted to nearshore, high energy regimes. In the Antarctic specimens, this adaptation is reflected in the architecture of the abdomen and walking legs and is confirmed by associated fauna and sedimentary structures. Modem representatives of the genus are interpreted to have adapted to a deeper water, outer shelf to inner slope habitat with concomitant morphological changes. This transition to lower latitudes and deeper water might reflect continued adaptation to cool temperate water conditions. Chasmocarcinus is reported, for the first time, from the fossil record and appears to have been adapted to a similar shallow water, moderately high energy environment as are recent species of that genus. Discovery of these crabs represents only the second occurrence of Brachyura from Antarctica. Their presence corroborates conclusions drawn from the interpretation of the molluscs regarding age and environment of deposition of the La Meseta Formation. Milder climatic conditions in the late Eocene (40 m.y.B.P.) may reflect the high latitude circulation of the southern oceans by the main Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceanic gyres prior to development of a deep oceanic separation between Antarctica and Australia and subsequent initiation of the circum-Antarctic current. tions result which are also of significance. Comparison of Lyreidus antarcticus n. sp. with living and fossil representatives of the genus provides reconfirmation of the Eocene age of the La Meseta Formation, suggests close relationship with species of the genus known from New Zealand, and provides additional evidence that the genus, now adapted to rel- atively deep water environments, previously occupied nearshore, shallow water habitats. Chasmocarcinus has never before been re- ported from the fossil record but does appear to provide some additional documentation for a moderately high energy, shallow water environment of deposition for the La Meseta Formation. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to describe two new species ofbrachyurans, and to apply information from the study of these two forms to the interpretation of the paleo- ecology of the La Meseta Formation. Addi- tionally, recognition of these two new species inevitably has implications on the interpre- tation of the paleobiogeography of the south- ern hemisphere and those implications will also be discussed.

Trading Security for Seats: Strategic Considerations in the Redistricting Process

Abstract: In this paper, we examine redistricting in the 1982 House elections, paying particular attention to the strategic elements of redistricting. We argue that past reliance on aggregate approaches has hindered district-level studies of strategic processes and effects. To overcome this problem, we propose a method that uses individual districts as the unit of analysis. After showing how our district-level approach works, we apply it to the 1982 House elections and demonstrate its relevance for the strategic dimensions of redistricting. Leaders appeared to trade security for seats in their redistricting decisions; these tradeoffs have important consequences for future elections.

Role of Calcium in the Polar Secretion of Indoleacetic Acid

Abstract: The rate of auxin transport in sunflower hypocotyls (Helianthus annuus L. cv ;Russian mammoth') or corn coleoptiles (Zea mays L. cv ;WF9 x 38') was less in seedlings grown in Ca-deficient medium than in controls. The rate of IAA transport depended on the concentration of Ca in the root medium up to 1 millimolar. Further increases in auxin transport were observed when the isolated segments were incubated in medium containing up to 30 millimolar Ca. We suggest that the rate of auxin transport in plant tissue is dependent on the pool of ionic Ca in the extracellular space.Segments from Ca-deficient seedlings exhibited a high specific requirement for Ca(2+) in auxin transport. Magnesium, strontium, and several other divalent cations tested for their ability to replace Ca(2+) in restoring auxin transport showed no effect; partial replacement by lanthanum was observed.Auxin transport, or auxin flux through the segment, which is the result of IAA secretion by individual cells, was reduced in the low Ca(2+) segments due both to lowered velocity and to reduced capacity of transport. The requirement for Ca(2+) in the secretion of auxin is believed to be equivalent to the phenomenon observed in animal cell secretion, where the influx of Ca(2+) serves as a link between an external stimulus and the secretion response.

The importance of protein for athletes.

Abstract: Although it is generally believed that carbohydrate and fat are the only sources of energy during physical activity, recent experimental results suggest that there are also significant alterations in protein metabolism during exercise. Depending on several factors, including intensity, duration and type of exercise, as well as prior diet, training, environment and perhaps even gender or age, these changes may be quite large. Generally, exercise promotes: a decrease in protein synthesis (production) unless the exercise duration is prolonged (greater than 4h) when increases occur; either an increase or no change in protein catabolism (breakdown); and an increase in amino acid oxidation. In addition, significant subcellular damage to skeletal muscle has been shown following exercise. Taken together, these observations suggest that the protein requirements of active individuals are greater than those of inactive individuals. Although the underlying reasons are different, this statement applies to both endurance and strength/power athletes. At present, it is not possible to precisely determine protein requirements. However, because deficiencies in total protein or in specific amino acids may occur, we suggest that athletes consume 1.8 to 2.0 g of protein/kg of bodyweight/day. This is approximately twice the recommended requirement for sedentary individuals. For some athletes this may require supplementation; however, these quantities of protein can be easily obtained in a diet where 12 to 15% of the total energy is from protein. Although the effect of exercise on protein metabolism has been studied for many years, numerous questions remain. Hopefully, with the recent renewed interest in this area of study, most of these answers will soon be available.