Showing papers by "Louisiana State University published in 1993"

Creating Readiness for Organizational Change

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to clarify the readiness for change concept and examine how change agents can influence employee readiness for organizational change. The article contributes to an improved understanding of change dynamics in four important ways. First, readiness for change is distinguished from resistance to change. Readiness is described in terms of the organizational members' beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Second, a model is offered that describes the influence strategies as well as the importance of change agent credibility and interpersonal and social dynamics in the readiness creation process. Third, by combining urgency of, and employee readiness for, needed changes, a typology of readiness programs is offered. Fourth, a large multinational corporation's efforts to create readiness for large-scale change are described to provide a cogent illustration of the various readiness interventions described in the model.

Rapid estimate of adult literacy in medicine: a shortened screening instrument.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to validate a shortened version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM). This screening instrument is designed to be used in public health and primary care settings to identify patients with low reading levels. It provides reading grade estimates for patients who read below a ninth-grade level. The REALM can be administered in one to two minutes by personnel with minimal training. METHODS: Two hundred and three patients in four university hospital clinics (internal medicine, family practice, ambulatory care, and obstetrics/gynecology) were given the REALM and three other standardized reading tests: the reading recognition section of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised (PIAT-R), the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R), and the Slosson Oral Reading Test-Revised (SORT-R). One hundred inmates at a state prison were also given the REALM twice, one week apart, to determine test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The REALM correlated well with the three other tests. (Correlation coefficients were 0.97 [PIAT-R], 0.96 [SORT-R], and 0.88 [WRAT-R].) All correlations were significant at P < .0001. Test-retest reliability was 0.99 (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The REALM provides an estimate of patient reading ability, displays excellent concurrent validity with standardized reading tests, and is a practical instrument for busy primary care settings.

The Perceived Fairness of Selection Systems: An Organizational Justice Perspective

Abstract: A justice model of applicants' reactions to employment-selection systems is proposed as a basis for organizing previous findings and guiding future research. Organizational justice literature is briefly reviewed, and key findings are used to provide a framework for the proposed model and to support hypotheses. The procedural justice of selection systems is examined in terms of 10 procedural rules, wherein the satisfaction and violation of these rules provide the basis for fairness reactions. Distributive justice of hiring decisions is examined with respect to equity, equality, and needs. The model also includes the interaction of procedural and distributive justice and the relationship of fairness reactions to individual and organizational outcomes.

Source effects in communication and persuasion research: A meta-analysis of effect size

Abstract: The effect of a message source on the persuasion of a target audience has been a topic of interest to scholars in psychology, consumer behavior, and communications for many years. Narrative reviews of this literature are available; the contribution of this study is that we present a quantitative review of studies of source effects on persuasion. One of our research goals is to determine how strong and consistent source manipulations tend to be. We find that, on average, source manipulations account for nine percent of explained variance among studies reporting significant findings. In particular, expertise tends to have the greatest effect on persuasion with an average of 16 percent of the explained variance being due to the expert versus non-expert manipulation. As well as gaining insight into the pattern of results across a body of literature, our findings may be used as benchmarks by researchers, as advocated by Sawyer and Ball (1981), to evaluate results of future persuasion studies employing a source manipulation.

Organizational Configurations and Performance: A Comparison of Theoretical Approaches

Abstract: Two major approaches to examining the relationship between organizational configurations and performance are found in the strategic management literature. The first, rooted in the concept of strate...

Chronic community violence: what is happening to our children?

Abstract: Chronic violence is a growing problem in our society today as evidenced, among other factors, by the ever-increasing murder rate in many of our large urban centers in the United States. Emphasis has begun to be placed on chronic violence, causes that may contribute to it, and the impact of this violence on cities and the country at large. While concern has been expressed, we still have not addressed adequately, nor do we fully understand, the effects on the children who must grow up in environments where they are repeatedly being exposed to significant levels of violence. VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research by Osofsky et al. was to begin to document the effects upon children of exposure to chronic community violence, by learning about the amount and kinds of violence to which children are exposed. METHODOLOGY: The authors employed a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design with a non-probability sample of 53 mothers of fifth-grade students at an elementary school in a violent area of New Orleans, LA. This figure - 53 of a possible 83 mothers - represents a participation rate of 64%. Most of the families were headed by a single parent and were in the lower socio-economic classes, and all were Afro-American. The mothers of the students were interviewed to assess the extent of their children's exposure to violence, as well as any behavioral problems that they might have noticed in their children. The Survey of Exposure to Community Violence - Parent Report Version was used to assess the extent to which each child had been exposed to severe violence, such as shootings, stabbings and rapes, to less severe violence, such as beatings and chasings, and to moderately severe violence, such as threats, drug deals, accidents and arrests. Exposure was measured in terms of presence/absence, frequency, location, and familiarity with parties involved. The 28-item Survey of Children's Stress Symptoms - Parent Report was used to measure the frequency of behaviors that can act as indicators of stress, such as worries about safety, sleep problems and loneliness. The 19-item Conflict Tactics Scale measured frequency of family conflict, with minor conflict being measured with items concerning throwing, pushing and slapping, and severe conflict being constructed as hitting with a fist or an object, beating, and threatening or using a weapon. The 118-item Child Behavior Checklist was used as a measure of behavioral problems, yielding a Total score, and Internalizing score and an Externalizing score. Analyses included examination of frequencies, correlations and multiple regressions. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The Survey of Exposure to Community Violence showed that these children were exposed to high levels of violence within their community. 98% of the children had heard about a violent incident, 91% had seen such activities and 51% had been victimized in a violent fashion. Over one-quarter of the sample had seen a shooting, and almost one-fifth and witnessed someone being stabbed. Three of the children had been stabbed or raped. Almost half had seen a dead body or someone who had been wounded, and almost three-quarters had witnessed use of a weapon. Strong positive correlations were found between exposure to violence within the community, family violence and stress symptoms. Stress symptoms were also strongly positively related to hearing about or witnessing violence, and to severe family conflict. In a multiple regression, severe family conflict, witnessing severe violence and hearing about violence predicted 53% of the variance in children's stress symptoms. Community violence was also strongly and positively related to family conflict. Scores on the Child Behavior Checklist indicated that 45% of the children fell within the range for clinical behavior problems. Behavior problems were found to have strong positive relationships with family conflict, and higher scores were found on the total and externalizing subscales for children of younger mothers. No significant relationship was found between exposure to violence and behavior problems. The authors suggested that this finding might be due to the lack of variability of the children's scores on the behavior checklist, or possibly the impact of the community violence might be mediated through the family, as family conflict was related both to exposure and to behavior problems. Severe family conflict and age at which parenting began could account for 54% of the variance in the behavior scores. The authors concluded that their study had provided strong evidence that stress reactions in children were related to exposure to high levels of violence. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors suggested that more specific behavioral and clinical assessments be carried out to determine more fully the relationship between exposure to violence within the family environment and exposure to community violence. As well as directing special attention to the treatment of children who are exposed to chronic violence, the authors suggested that an even more specialized approach be taken with children who might have an underlying vulnerability, such as children of adolescent mothers who live in a chronically violent environment. The authors concluded that awareness must be raised about the magnitude and the urgency of the problem of chronic violence, and that more intensive research be conducted in order to refine our understanding of this problem and help further our development of treatment, prevention and intervention planning strategies. EVALUATION: The authors present an important and informative examination of the problem of chronic exposure to violence within the community. However, the small sample size suggests that the results be approached with some caution. Also, the use of students' mothers to report exposure to violence might have missed some of their children's exposure of which they were unaware. As such, these findings might be underestimating the true nature of the problem. Direct interviews of the children would have provided valuable additional information to the researchers, and also could have given insight into the differential responses to violence - whilst some children might have seen little violence but have reacted strongly, others might have been exposed to many such activities but have shown little behavioral or emotional reaction. Such possibilities would have been interesting to include in this study. A more thorough discussion of the implications of the results would also have been helpful. In general, the study provides a good foundation upon which to build future research, and it succeeds in drawing attention to the serious problem of children's exposure to violence. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) N1 - Call Number: F-145, AB-145 KW - Louisiana KW - Urban Environment KW - Urban Violence KW - Urban Youth KW - Late Childhood KW - African American Child KW - African American Victim KW - African American Witness KW - Child Victim KW - Child Witness KW - Witnessing Community Violence KW - Psychological Victimization Effects KW - Witnessing Violence Effects KW - Exposure to Violence KW - Child Stress KW - Stress Causes KW - Domestic Violence Effects KW - Domestic Violence Victim Language: en

Amelioration of chronic ileitis by nitric oxide synthase inhibition.

Abstract: Nitric oxide synthesis appears to be elevated in inflammatory bowel disease, but little is known about the contribution of nitric oxide to the pathophysiological process. To address this issue, we included the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in the drinking water (10 or 100 micrograms/ml) of guinea pigs immediately after induction of ileitis by intraluminal trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS 30 mg/kg in 50% ethanol). Guinea pigs were sacrificed after 7 days of this ad libitum treatment. Control groups received either intraluminal TNBS, saline or ethanol (TNBS vehicle) without L-NAME or TNBS + D-NAME (100 micrograms/ml), the inactive enantiomer. Immediately before sacrifice, guinea pigs were anesthetized and saline was administered intraluminally at the site of TNBS or saline administration and then withdrawn after 30 min. Change in lavage volume and lavage protein and nitrite levels were measured, as well as tissue myeloperoxidase and bowel wall thickness (weight/length). TNBS administration resulted in an increase in tissue thickness, myeloperoxidase and lavage protein and nitrite levels over sham controls. Oral L-NAME prevented these responses. D-NAME was ineffective with the exception of tissue thickness. The change in intestinal lavage fluid volume indicated that reabsorptive processes dominated in the sham and TNBS + L-NAME groups, and secretory responses predominated in TNBS and TNBS + D-NAME animals. In contrast to TNBS-induced ileitis, L-NAME (100 micrograms/ml, p.o., 7 days) administration to intact animals resulted in a local inflammatory response (i.e., increased myeloperoxidase activity and a fluid secretory response).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The role of attention in the treatment of attention-maintained self-injurious behavior: noncontingent reinforcement and differential reinforcement of other behavior.

Abstract: Because there are potentially serious limitations to differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) (which is probably the most widely used treatment procedure for behavior problems), we examined an alternative procedure--noncontingent reinforcement (NCR). Three females with developmental disabilities, all of whom engaged in severe self-injurious behavior, participated. During a pretreatment functional analysis, each subject's self-injury was shown to be differentially sensitive to social attention as a maintaining consequence. Next, each subject was exposed to a DRO treatment and an NCR treatment. During DRO, attention was delivered contingent on the absence of self-injury for prespecified intervals. During NCR, attention was delivered on a fixed-time schedule that was not influenced by the subject's behavior. Results showed that both procedures were highly effective in reducing self-injury, probably because the functional reinforcer for self-injury was used during treatment. Furthermore, there was evidence that NCR attenuated several of the limitations of DRO. These results are particularly interesting in light of the long experimental history of NCR as a control rather than as a therapeutic procedure.

Soil Redox and pH Effects on Methane Production in a Flooded Rice Soil

Abstract: Methane formation in soil is a microbiological process controlled by many factors. Of them soil redox potential (Eh) and soil pH are considered as critical controls. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted to study the critical initiation soil Eh, the optimum soil pH, and the interaction of Eh and pH on methane production. A small decrease in pH resulting from the introduction of acidic materials significantly decreased methane production. However, a slight increase in soil pH (about 0.2 unit higher than the natural soil suspension pH) resulted in an enhancement of methane production by 11-20 percent and 24-25 percent at controlled Eh of -250 mV and -200 mV, respectively. Results suggest that decrease in methane emission could be obtained by a small reduction in soil pH in Crowley soil.

Employee propensity to withhold effort: a conceptual model to intersect three avenues of research

Abstract: Shirking, social loafing, and free riding are concepts that have guided the recent study of how much effort employees provide on the job. Although researchers have generally treated these concepts as distinct, a common thread underlies them, that is, propensity to withhold effort (PWE). The main difference among the three concepts is the context in which or the reasons why withholding effort occurs. Building on these ideas, this article applies Knoke's (1990) synthesized motivation model to PWE and suggests that rational, normative, and affective bonding incentives may play a role in employee PWE. Using the model, this article reconceptualizes and attempts to clarify past theory and research, and it develops hypotheses to direct future research on PWE in work groups.

Inhibition of nitric oxide production. Mechanisms of vascular albumin leakage.

Abstract: The mechanisms by which nitric oxide modulates microvascular albumin exchange were investigated by monitoring leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion and fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin leakage in rat mesenteric venules exposed to NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). L-NAME elicited an initial rapid increase followed by a slower rate of albumin accumulation in the interstitial space. The initial phase of albumin leakage preceded the L-NAME-induced leukocyte adherence and emigration, whereas the magnitude of the albumin leakage observed in the later phase of L-NAME exposure was highly correlated with the number of adherent and emigrated leukocytes in the same segment of venule. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against adhesion molecules CD11/CD18, ICAM-1, or P-selectin, but not a nonbinding MAb, attenuated the albumin leakage induced by L-NAME. WEB2086, a platelet activating factor antagonist, and 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-br-cGMP) reduced the leukocyte adherence and emigration as well as the increased albumin leakage. Only 8-br-cGMP and the P-selectin MAb attenuated the platelet-leukocyte aggregation elicited by L-NAME. Phalloidin, which promotes endothelial junctional integrity, inhibited both the early and late phases of albumin leakage. Overall, these findings suggest that the increased albumin leakage observed in postcapillary venules after inhibition of nitric oxide production involves a mechanism that includes a role for cGMP, platelet activating factor, leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, and the endothelial cell cytoskeleton.

Lake-sediment record of late Holocene hurricane activities from coastal Alabama

Abstract: Coastal lake sediments contain a stratigraphically and chronologically distinct record of major hurricane strikes during late Holocene time. Frederic—a category 3 hurricane that struck the Alabama coast on the Gulf of Mexico in 1979—left a distinct sand layer in the nearshore sediments of Lake Shelby as a result of storm-tide overwash of beaches and dunes. Sediment cores taken from the center of Lake Shelby contain multiple sand layers, suggesting that major hurricanes of category 4 or 5 intensity directly struck the Alabama coast at ca. 3.2-3.0, 2.6, 2.2, 1.4, and 0.8 ka ( 14 C yr), with an average recurrence interval of ∼600 yr. The Alabama coast is likely to be struck by a category 4 or 5 hurricane within the next century.

Mechanisms of acute and chronic intestinal inflammation induced by indomethacin

Abstract: The objective of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of acute and chronic intestinal mucosal injury and inflammation induced by subcutaneously injected indomethacin (Indo). One injection of Indo (7.5 mg/kg) produced acute injury and inflammation in the distal jejunum and proximal ileum that were maximal at three days and completely resolved within one week. Two daily subcutaneous injections of Indo produced a more extensive and chronic inflammation that lasted in an active form in more than 75% of the rats for at least two weeks. Epithelial injury, as measured by enhanced mucosal permeability, was significantly elevated only at one day in the acute model (one injection) but was persistently elevated in the chronic model (two injections). Bile duct ligation completely attenuated increased mucosal permeability in the acute model, however, depletion of circulating neutrophils had no effect. Neither Indo (0-0.1 mg/ml) nor normal bile was cytotoxic to cultured rat intestinal epithelial cells; however, they synergistically promoted significant cytotoxicity. Bile collected from rats treated with Indo was cytotoxic towards the epithelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. Sulfasalazine and metronidazole (100 mg/kg/day, both) attenuated enhanced mucosal permeability in the chronic model. Massive bacterial translocation into the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen following two injections of Indo was significantly attenuated by metronidazole. We conclude that: (1) a single injection of Indo produces acute intestinal mucosal injury and inflammation that resolve completely within three to seven days, whereas two daily injections of Indo produce both acute and chronic injury and inflammation, (2) enterohepatic circulation of Indo is important in promoting the acute phases of injury and inflammation, (3) circulating neutrophils do not play a role in the pathogenesis of this model, and (4) endogenous bacteria play an important role in exacerbating and/or perpetuating the chronic phases of injury and inflammation.

Simultaneous selection for yield and stability in crop performance trials: consequences for growers

Abstract: Utilization of genotype x environment (GE) interaction encountered in crop performance trials is an important issue among plant breeders and agronomists. Practical integration of yield and stability of performance has not been achieved. The purposes of this paper are (i) to examine consequences to growers when researchers commit Type I (rejecting the null hypothesis or H 0 when it is true) and Type II (accepting the H 0 when it is false) errors under a yield-based, conventional selection method (CM) and a proposed method (yield-stability statistic or YS i ) that uses GE interaction, and (ii) to show why a greater emphasis on the stability component would be advantageous to growers [...]

Soil redox-pH stability of arsenic species and its influence on arsenic uptake by rice

Abstract: Arsenic absorption by rice (Oryza sativa, L.) in relation to As chemical form present in soil solution was examined. Rice plants were grown in soil suspensions equilibrated under selected conditions of redox and pH, affecting arsenic solubility and speciation. A decrease in pH led to higher dissolved arsenic concentrations. When the soil redox potential dropped below 0 mV, most of the arsenic was present as As(III). Under more oxidizing conditions both As(III) and As(V) are present. Chemical speciation of As in the watersoluble fraction affected its phytoavailability. Most indigenous arsenic taken up by the plants remained in the root. Plant arsenic availability increased with increasing arsenic concentration in solution (lower soil pH) and with increasing amounts of soluble As(III) (lower soil redox). We also studied the uptake of monomethyl arsenic acid (MMAA), a widely used defoliant and herbicide, as affected by soil redox-pH condition. Amended MMAA was approximately two times more phytoavailable than the indigenous inorganic As forms and increased with decreasing pH and redox.

Microhabitat use by marsh-edge fishes in a Louisiana estuary

Abstract: We used a drop sampler to characterize use of the marsh-edge ecotone by small fishes along two transects running inland from the Gulf of Mexico for ca. 25 km in Louisiana's Barataria-Caminada Bay System. Monthly sampling was stratified among upper, middle, and lower reaches and within reaches to characterize fish responses to salinity, depth, distance from shore, substrate, dissolved oxygen concentration, temperature, turbidity, velocity, and emergent stem density. In 681 quantitative samples, covering 658 m2, collected between October 1987 and October 1989, we collected 57 fish species and 16 864 individuals, primarily larvae and juveniles. The 15 most abundant fishes, comprising 97.7% of all individuals, were concentrated near the marsh edge (i.e., 0 to 1.25 m distance). Some significant differences within species for seasonal variables (e.g., temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration) reflected the ephemeral duration of early life history stages. Other differences reflected ontogenetic microhabitat shifts (e.g., depth and distance from shore). Within ecological groups, characterized as demersal residents, nektonic transients, and demersal transients, spatial and temporal segregation reflected the particular habitat requirements of each species. In a principal component analysis of microhabitat use, the first three components were interpreted as seasonal, depth-and-distance, and salinity axes, respectively. The array of species and size classes in principal component space reflected the complex dimensionality of microhabitat use. The high density of fish larvae and juveniles near the marsh edge confirmed the importance of the marsh-edge ecotone as a nursery for many estuarine-dependent fishes.

A bimetallic hydroformylation catalyst: high regioselectivity and reactivity through homobimetallic cooperativity.

Abstract: The racemic and meso diastereomers of an electron-rich binucleating tetraphosphine ligand have been used to prepare homobimetallic rhodium norbornadiene complexes. The racemic bimetallic Rh complex is an excellent hydroformylation catalyst for 1-alkenes, giving both a high rate of reaction and high regioselectivity for linear aldehydes, whereas the meso complex is considerably slower and less selective. A mechanism involving bimetallic cooperativity between the two rhodium centers in the form of an intramolecular hydride transfer is proposed. Mono- and bimetallic model complexes in which the possibility for bimetallic cooperativity has been reduced or eliminated are very poor catalysts.

Evaluating Results Using Corrected and Uncorrected Effect Size Estimates

Abstract: Magnitude-of-effect (ME) statistics, when adequately understood and correctly used, are important aids for researchers who do not want to place a sole reliance on tests of statistical significance in substantive result interpretation. We describe why methodologists encourage the use of ME indices as interpretation aids and discuss different types of ME estimates. We discuss correction formulas developed to attenuate statistical bias in ME estimates and illustrate the effect these formulas have on different sample and effect sizes. Finally, we discuss several cautions against the indiscriminate use of these statistics and offer reasons why ME statistics, like all substantive result interpretation aids, are useful only when their strengths and limitations are understood by researchers.