Showing papers by "Kent State University published in 1999"

The reliability of the Eating Disorder Examination-Self-Report Questionnaire Version (EDE-Q).

Abstract: Objective This research investigated the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the Eating Disorder Examination-Self-Report Questionnaire Version (EDE-Q), a 41-item measure adapted from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE). The EDE is a structured clinical interview assessing the key behavioral features and associated psychopathology of eating disorders. Results Results indicated excellent internal consistency and 2-week test-retest reliability for the four subscales of the EDE-Q: Restraint, Weight Concern, Shape Concern, and Eating Concern. There was somewhat less stability in the items measuring the occurrence and frequency of the key behavioral features of eating disorders. Conclusions Overall, results support the psychometric adequacy of the EDE-Q. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 25: 349–351, 1999.

Standard Nitrogen Adsorption Data for Characterization of Nanoporous Silicas

Abstract: The nitrogen adsorption isotherm measured at 77 K in the relative pressure range from about 5 × 10-7 to 0.988 for a macroporous silica is reported in a tabular form. The isotherm data are in good agreement in the high-pressure range with the reference data published by Gregg and Sing and by Kiselev and Aristov and provide an extension of the latter data to the low-pressure region, for which a reliable reference isotherm was not availalable in the literature. Application of the currently reported reference adsorption isotherm is discussed. The data can be used in comparative analysis (αs-plot or t-plot) to evaluate the external surface area, micropore volume, primary mesopore volume, and total surface area as well as to analyze surface properties of silica-based materials. The adsorption isotherm can also be applied as a statistical film thickness curve in the calculation of the mesopore size distribution.

Australopithecus garhi: A New Species of Early Hominid from Ethiopia

Abstract: The lack of an adequate hominid fossil record in eastern Africa between 2 and 3 million years ago (Ma) has hampered investigations of early hominid phylogeny. Discovery of 2.5 Ma hominid cranial and dental remains from the Hata beds of Ethiopia's Middle Awash allows recognition of a new species of Australopithecus. This species is descended from Australopithecus afarensis and is a candidate ancestor for early Homo. Contemporary postcranial remains feature a derived humanlike humeral/femoral ratio and an apelike upper arm-to-lower arm ratio.

Constructing national interests

Abstract: While the concept of `the national interest' has long been central to theories of international politics, its analytical usefulness has also been seriously challenged. I argue that, to be useful in accounting for state action, this concept should be reconceptualized in constructivist terms. I begin with a brief discussion of the conventional, realist notion of the national interest, lodging two criticisms against it. Then, starting from Wendt's recent constructivist interventions, I provide a constructivist reconceputalization of `the national interest'. I argue that national interests are produced in the construction, through the dual mechanisms of articulation and interpellation, of representations of international politics. This process of national interest construction is illustrated with a sketch of the production of the US national interest during the so-called `Cuban missile crisis'.

Bethe-Salpeter study of vector meson masses and decay constants

Abstract: The masses and decay constants of the light vector mesons $\ensuremath{\rho}/\ensuremath{\omega},$ $\ensuremath{\varphi},$ and ${K}^{\ensuremath{\star}}$ are studied within a ladder-rainbow truncation of the coupled Dyson-Schwinger and Bethe-Salpeter equations of QCD with a model two-point gluon function. The approach is consistent with quark and gluon confinement, reproduces the correct one-loop renormalization group behavior of QCD, generates dynamical chiral symmetry breaking, and preserves the relevant Ward identities. The one phenomenological parameter and two current quark masses are fixed by requiring that the calculated ${f}_{\ensuremath{\pi}},$ ${m}_{\ensuremath{\pi}},$ and ${m}_{K}$ are correct. The resulting ${f}_{K}$ is within 3% of the experimental value. For the vector mesons, all eight transverse covariants are included and the dominant ones are identified; the complete angle dependence of the amplitudes is also retained. The calculated values for the masses ${m}_{\ensuremath{\rho}},$ ${m}_{\ensuremath{\varphi}},$ and ${m}_{{K}^{\ensuremath{\star}}}$ are within 5%, while the decay constants ${f}_{\ensuremath{\rho}},$ ${f}_{\ensuremath{\varphi}},$ and ${f}_{{K}^{\ensuremath{\star}}}$ for electromagnetic and leptonic decays are within 10% of the experimental values.

Mutual Fund Performance: Does Fund Size Matter?

Abstract: Fund size (net assets under management) affects mutual fund performance. Mutual funds must attain a minimum fund size in order to achieve sufficient returns to justify their costs of acquiring and trading on information. Furthermore, there are diminishing marginal returns to information acquisition and trading, and the marginal returns become negative when the mutual fund exceeds its optimal fund size. In a sample of 683 nonindexed U.S. equity funds over the 1993–95 period, we found that 20 percent of the mutual funds were smaller than the breakeven-cost fund size and 10 percent of the largest funds overinvested in information acquisition and trading. In addition, we found that value funds and blend (value-and-growth) funds have more to gain than growth funds from these information activities.

Baryon stopping and charged particle distributions in central Pb + Pb collisions at 158 GeV per nucleon

Abstract: Net proton and negative hadron spectra for central Pb+Pb collisions at 158thinspthinspGeV per nucleon at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron were measured and compared to spectra from lighter systems. Net baryon distributions were derived from those of net protons. Stopping (rapidity shift with respect to the beam) and mean transverse momentum {l_angle}p{sub T}{r_angle} of net baryons increase with system size. The rapidity density of negative hadrons scales with the number of participant nucleons for nuclear collisions, whereas their {l_angle}p{sub T}{r_angle} is independent of system size. The {l_angle}p{sub T}{r_angle} dependence upon particle mass and system size is consistent with larger transverse flow velocity at midrapidity for Pb+Pb compared to S+S central collisions. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

WHO ARE THEY WITH AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING? Delinquent Behavior, Substance Use, and Early Adolescents' After‐School Time

Abstract: The relationship among after-school time, parental monitoring, and problem behavior was examined in a sample of 1,170 early adolescents. Those spending unsupervised time with peers reported higher levels of aggression, delinquency, substance use, and susceptibility to peer pressure, and lower levels of parental monitoring, than did adolescents at home with parents. Adolescents home alone after school were similar to those who spent time with adults or in school activities.

Effectiveness and Longevity of Phosphorus Inactivation with Alum

Abstract: Effectiveness and longevity of alum treatments were evaluated in 21 lakes (or lake basins) across the United States; 9 were polymictic and 12 were dimictic. Effectiveness was judged from reductions in lake TP (total phosphorus) and internal loading rate, as well as chlorophyll a (chl a), both initially and over periods ranging from 4 to 20 years following treatment. Internal loading rate was reduced in six of nine polymictic lakes/basins by an average of two-thirds, and lake TP was reduced by about one-half, which persisted for 5–11 years. Internal loading rate in dimictic lakes (7 of 7 with adequate data) remained reduced by an average of 80% for 4 to 21 years (average 13 yrs). For the six polymictic lakes, in which treatment was effective, chl a decreased by an average of two-thirds initially, but was about 40% less than die pre-treatment level after 5 to 11 years. Chl a decreased in seven dimictic lakes by an average of 57% initially and 42% after 5–18 years. In some cases, response was indepe...

Nonlinear Predictability of Stock Returns Using Financial and Economic Variables

Abstract: Inspired by the linear predictability and nonlinearity found in the finance literature, this article examines the nonlinear predictability of the excess returns. The relationship between the excess returns and the predicting variables is recursively modeled by a neural-network model, which is capable of performing flexible nonlinear functional approximation. The nonlinear neural-network model is found to have better in-sample fit and out-of-sample forecasts compared to its linear counterpart. Moreover, the switching portfolio based on the recursive neural-network forecasts generates higher profits with lower risks than both the buy-and-hold market portfolio and the switching portfolio based on linear recursive forecasts.

The critique of Heideggerian hermeneutical nursing research

Abstract: The critique of Heideggerian hermeneutical nursing research Within the past decade, over 25 research reports claiming to be based on Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology have been published in the nursing literature. This article reviews this research focusing on two critical issues. First, do the reports reflect a convergence of researcher understanding and participant narratives as called for by the Heideggerian tradition? Second, do Heideggerian ideas inform and enrich the studies’ findings? The review reveals wide variations with regard to how these two issues are reflected in published reports. The author recommends that Heideggerian nurse researchers (a) seek to create a new narrative literature that allows for flexible and creative presentation of interpretive findings, while demanding adherence to sound interpretive scholarship, and (b) strengthen their partnerships with philosophers and other scholars so that ideas from Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology and other sources can not only guide their methods, but enrich their findings.

Contributors to violent behavior among elementary and middle school children

Abstract: Objective. To examine the relative contributions of exposure to violence, parental monitoring, and television-viewing habits to children9s self-reported violent behaviors. The study hypothesized that: 1) children9s exposure to violence would be associated positively with self-reported violent behaviors; 2) parental monitoring would be associated negatively with children9s violent behaviors; and 3) the number of daily television-viewing hours and a preference for watching violent television shows would be associated positively with children9s violent behaviors. Methods. The study used a survey design with an anonymous self-report questionnaire administered to students (grades 3–8) in 11 public schools. A total of 2245 students participated in the study, representing 80% of the students attending the participating schools during the survey. The subjects were from 7 to 15 years of age; 51% were male, 57% were white, 33% percent were black, and 5% were Hispanic. Results. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis of the total sample revealed that the combination of demographic variables, parental monitoring, television-viewing habits, and exposure to violence explained 45% of students9 self-reported violent behaviors. Violence exposure and parental monitoring were the most influential contributors in explaining children9s violent behaviors, accounting for 24% and 5% of the variance in violent behaviors, respectively. Conclusions. All three hypotheses were supported. A significant association was demonstrated linking violence exposure, lack of parental monitoring, and television-viewing habits with children9s self-reported violent behaviors within a diverse sample of elementary and middle school students. Our findings support the importance of parental monitoring of children and emphasize the need to identify and to provide services to youth who are exposed to violence.

Morphological Analysis of the Mammalian Postcranium: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract: The past two decades have greatly improved our knowledge of vertebrate skeletal morphogenesis. It is now clear that bony morphology lacks individual descriptive specification and instead results from an interplay between positional information assigned during early limb bud deployment and its “execution” by highly conserved cellular response programs of derived connective tissue cells (e.g., chondroblasts and osteoblasts). Selection must therefore act on positional information and its apportionment, rather than on more individuated aspects of presumptive adult morphology. We suggest a trait classification system that can help integrate these findings in both functional and phylogenetic examinations of fossil mammals and provide examples from the human fossil record.

Relations between pore structure parameters and their implications for characterization of MCM-41 using gas adsorption and X-ray diffraction

Abstract: Structural parameters for ordered mesoporous materials are shown to be strongly interrelated as a result of their well-defined structures. Equations for mesoporous materials with hexagonal arrays of uniform pores (e.g., MCM-41 and SBA-15) are presented, which can be used to calculate the pore size, pore wall thickness, and specific surface area on the basis of several quantities, which are easily available from X-ray diffraction and gas adsorption data (i.e., the interplanar spacing, primary mesopore volume, and micropore volume). The influence of assumptions about the pore shape, pore wall density, and the presence of microporosity or disordered nonmesostructured domains on the evaluation of structural parameters is examined. It is suggested that because of very large specific surface areas and primary mesopore volumes for many MCM-41 materials, the existence of extensive disordered domains is not a common feature of MCM-41. Examination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and nitrogen adsorption isotherm...

When it Rains, it Pours: The Greater Impact of Resource Loss Compared to Gain on Psychological Distress

Abstract: The authors prospectively investigated stress in 71, mostly European American, pregnant women. Conservation of Resources (COR) theory was applied to assess the impact of resource losses and gains that occur in women’s lives. Resources were defined as those things that people value or that act as a means to obtaining that which they value and include social, personal, object, and condition resources. The authors hypothesized that women’s resource losses would better predict postpartum anger and depression than their resource gains (in the opposite direction). They also predicted that earlier resource loss would accelerate the negative impact of later resource loss on postpartum distress. Resource gain was expected to be most salient when resource losses co-occurred, such that resource gains buffered the negative impact of resource loss. The hypotheses were generally supported and argue for the primacy of resource loss in the stress process.

Elliptic flow: Transition from out-of-plane to in-plane emission in Au + Au collisions

Abstract: We have measured the proton elliptic flow excitation function for the Au + Au system spanning the beam energy range 2 -- 8 AGeV. The excitation function shows a transition from negative to positive elliptic flow at a beam energy, $E_{tr} \sim$ 4 AGeV. Detailed comparisons with calculations from a relativistic Boltzmann-equation are presented. The comparisons suggest a softening of the nuclear equation of state (EOS) from a stiff form (K \sim 380 MeV) at low beam energies (E_{Beam} \le 2 AGeV) to a softer form (K \sim 210 MeV) at higher energies (E_{Beam} \ge $ 4 AGeV) where the calculated baryon density $ \rho \sim 4 \rho_0$.

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of AKAP110, a Novel, Sperm-Specific Protein Kinase A-Anchoring Protein

Abstract: Agents that increase intracellular cAMP are potent stimulators of sperm motility. Anchoring inhibitor peptides, designed to disrupt the interaction of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) with A kinase-anchoring proteins (AKAPs), are potent inhibitors of sperm motility. These data suggest that PKA anchoring is a key biochemical mechanism controlling motility. We now report the isolation, identification, cloning, and characterization of AKAP110, the predominant AKAP detected in sperm lysates. AKAP110 cDNA was isolated and sequenced from mouse, bovine, and human testis libraries. Using truncated mutants, the RII-binding domain was identified. Alignment of the RII-binding domain on AKAP110 to those from other AKAPs reveals that AKAPs contain eight functionally conserved positions within an amphipathic helix structure that are responsible for RII interaction. Northern analysis of eight different tissues detected AKAP110 only in the testis, and in situ hybridization analysis detected AKAP110 only in round spermatids, suggesting that AKAP110 is a protein found only in male germ cells. Sperm cells contain both RI, located primarily in the acrosomal region of the head, and RII, located exclusively in the tail, regulatory subunits of PKA. Immunocytochemical analysis detected AKAP110 in the acrosomal region of the sperm head and along the entire length of the principal piece. These data suggest that AKAP110 shares compartments with both RI and RII isoforms of PKA and may function as a regulator of both motility- and head-associated functions such as capacitation and the acrosome reaction.

Phase-Separated Composite Films for Liquid Crystal Displays

Abstract: A method of preparing liquid crystal devices by phase separation of liquid crystal from its solution in a prepolymer, which results in adjacent layers of liquid crystal and polymer, is described. Liquid crystals in these phase-separated composite films exhibit electro-optical properties not observed in devices prepared by conventional methods, polymer dispersion, or polymer-stabilization methods. Devices incorporating ferroelectric liquid crystals have gray scale and switch 100 times faster at low fields than conventional surface-stabilized devices. This method makes it possible to prepare devices with liquid crystal film thickness comparable to optical wavelengths.

Multidimensional Director Modeling Using the Q Tensor Representation in a Liquid Crystal Cell and Its Application to the π Cell with Patterned Electrodes

Abstract: To estimate numerically multidimensional director configurations in a liquid crystal cell, it is important to use the Q tensor representation of the strain free energy because it solves the problem of the difference between the directors, n and -n, in the Frank-Oseen free energy representation. In this paper, we discuss the numerical methods for calculating the multidimensional director configurations, using Berreman's Q tensor representation. Numerical issues discussed include the relaxation method for the director calculation, the liquid crystal (LC)/glass interface problem, the boundary conditions for the electric potential, and the possible ways to obtain faster convergence. We compare the calculated results obtained from the Frank-Oseen and Q tensor representations. By considering a π cell with patterned electrodes, we show the consistency of the model used with experimental observations. The calculated data explain well the position shift of the defects that appear in the test π cell.

Attitudes of Principals and Special Education Teachers Toward the Inclusion of Students with Mild Disabilities: Critical Differences of Opinion

Abstract: Attitudes of 49 principals and 64 special education teachers regarding the inclusion of students with mild disabilities were investigated. Results of a discriminant analysis indicated that principals and special educators were separated into groups with 76% accuracy according to their responses to items drawn from the Regular Education Initiative Teacher Survey (Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, & Lesar, 1991). items measuring attitudes toward the efficacy of included placements with consultative services, the academic outcomes associated with included placements, and the protection of resources devoted to students with mild disabilities correlated most highly with the discriminant function. Findings are discussed in relation to their implications for the implementation of inclusion reforms and the educational opportunities of students with mild disabilities.

Longitudinal patterns of risk for depression in dementia caregivers: objective and subjective primary stress as predictors.

Abstract: The present study examined how patterns of risk for depression over 1 year in 188 dementia caregivers (consistently asymptomatic, n = 88; consistently symptomatic, n = 40; changing risk, n = 60) could be predicted by objective (behavior problems of the relative) and subjective (role captivity and overload) primary stress. Results reveal that all primary stressors differentiated caregivers who remained at low levels of symptomatology over the course of 1 year from those who were at risk for experiencing a depressive disorder. In addition, caregivers' subjective experience of role captivity predicted the chronicity of risk. Findings extend prior caregiving research on patterns of depressive symptomatology by highlighting the relationship between subjective primary stressors and stability and change in caregivers' mental health.

Hybrid redox polyether melts based on polyether-tailed counterions

Abstract: Interesting ionic materials can be transformed into room temperature molten salts by combining them with polyether-tailed counterions such as polyether-tailed 2-sulfobenzoate (MePEG-BzSO3-) and polyether-tailed triethylammonium (MePEG-Et3N+). Melts containing ruthenium hexamine, metal trisbipyridines, metal trisphenanthrolines, and ionic forms of aluminum quinolate, anthraquinone, phthalocyanine, and porphyrins are described. These melts exhibit ionic conductivities in the 7 × 10-5 to 7 × 10-10 Ω-1 cm-1 range, which permit microelectrode voltammetry in the undiluted materials, examples of which are presented.

New Approach to Evaluate Pore Size Distributions and Surface Areas for Hydrophobic Mesoporous Solids

Abstract: A new approach to pore size and surface area analysis for hydrophobic mesoporous solids is proposed. Well-defined materials with strongly hydrophobic surfaces were prepared via chemical bonding of ...

Intraspecific phylogeography of Lasmigona subviridis (Bivalvia: Unionidae): conservation implications of range discontinuity

Abstract: A nucleotide sequence analysis of the first internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-1) between the 5.8S and 18S ribosomal DNA genes (640 bp) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) (576 bp) was conducted for the freshwater bivalve Lasmigona subviridis and three congeners to determine the utility of these regions in identifying phylogeographic and phylogenetic structure. Sequence analysis of the ITS-1 region indicated a zone of discontinuity in the genetic population structure between a group of L. subviridis populations inhabiting the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers and more southern populations. Moreover, haplotype patterns resulting from variation in the COI region suggested an absence of gene exchange between tributaries within two different river drainages, as well as between adjacent rivers systems. The authors recommend that the northern and southern populations, which are reproductively isolated and constitute evolutionarily significant lineages, be managed as separate conservation units. Results from the COI region suggest that, in some cases, unionid relocations should be avoided between tributaries of the same drainage because these populations may have been reproductively isolated for thousands of generations. Therefore, unionid bivalves distributed among discontinuous habitats (e.g. Atlantic slope drainages) potentially should be considered evolutionarily distinct. The DNA sequence divergences observed in the nuclear and mtDNA regions among the Lasmigona species were congruent, although the level of divergence in the COI region was up to three times greater. The genus Lasmigona, as represented by the four species surveyed in this study, may not be monophyletic.