Showing papers by "Michigan State University published in 1982"

An evaluation of environmental disclosures made in corporate annual reports

Abstract: This paper evaluates the quality and accuracy of environmental disclosures made in corporate annual reports. Annual report disclosures made by 26 firms in environmentally sensitive industries are examined. An indexing procedure is used to measure the contents of the disclosures, and the relationship between the disclosure contents and the firms' environmental performance is tested. The study provides a detailed measure of environmental disclosure contents. Results indicate that corporate environmental disclosures are incomplete and are not related to the firms' actual environmental performance.

Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Syntax: Information Processing Contributions to Sentence Formulation

Abstract: it is widely acknowledged that characteristics of the general information processing svstem in which sentence formulation occurs mav provide constraints on syntax in language use. This paper proposes one possibli&urce of such constraints. Evidence is reviewed indicating that the syntax of sentences may .to some degree reflect the transient processing demands of lexical retrieval, suggesting an interaction between syntactic and lexical processing. Specifically, the syntactic structure of utterances appears to be sensitive to the accessibility of lexical information, with phrases containing more accessible information occurring earlier in sentences. The existence of such an interaction argues that the utterance formulation system is not strictly hierarchical, as most current approaches to sentence production imply. A broad framework for models of production is outlined that incorporates these interactions within a limited-capacity processing system. This framework also permits a resolution of contradictions in the literature on pragmatic determinants of constituent order in adult language use.

Dimension, entropy and Lyapunov exponents

Abstract: We consider diffeomorphisms of surfaces leaving invariant an ergodic Borel probability measure μ. Define HD (μ) to be the infimum of Hausdorff dimension of sets having full μ-measure. We prove a formula relating HD (μ) to the entropy and Lyapunov exponents of the map. Other classical notions of fractional dimension such as capacity and Renyi dimension are discussed. They are shown to be equal to Hausdorff dimension in the present context.

The Decline of Electoral Participation in America

Abstract: Since 1960 turnout has declined in presidential elections, and since 1966 it has declined in off-year congressional elections. These declines occurred despite several major trends that could have increased electoral participation. An analysis of the eight SRC-CPS presidential election surveys conducted between 1952 and 1980 and of the six SRC-CPS congressional election surveys conducted between 1958 and 1978 suggests that these declines may result largely from the combined impact of two attitudinal trends: the weakening of party identification and declining beliefs about government responsiveness, that is, lowered feelings of “external” political efficacy. Between two-thirds and seven-tenths of the decline in presidential turnout between 1960 and 1980 appears to result from the combined impact of these trends. Data limitations hinder our efforts to study the decline of congressional turnout, but approximately two-fifths to one-half of the decline between 1966 and 1978 appears to result from the combined impact of these attitudinal trends.

Group versus individual performance: Are N + 1 heads better than one?

Abstract: Experimental comparisons of groups and individuals were analyzed on four dimensions: task, process, individual differences, and methodology. A standardized terminology based on Lorge, Fox, Davitz, and Brenner was developed to preserve operational definitions in the comparisons of (a) group versus individual, (b) group versus the most competent individual in an aggregate, (c) group versus pooled responses of an aggregate, and (d) group versus math models of performance. Research supported Steiner's theory of process loss but also suggested evidence for process gain. To avoid confounding of group conditions and subject variables, this review-focused on the results of random assignment of subjects to conditions. Belief in the adage that two heads are

Kinetic analysis of competition between sulfate reducers and methanogens for hydrogen in sediments.

Abstract: The competition between sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria for hydrogen was investigated in eutrophic lake sediments that contained low in situ sulfate concentrations and in sulfate-amended sediments. Sulfate reduction and methane production coexisted in situ in lake surface sediments (0 to 2 cm), but methane production was the dominant terminal process. Addition of 10 to 20 mM sulfate to sediments resulted in a decrease in the hydrogen partial pressure and a concomitant inhibition of methane production over time. Molybdate inhibition of sulfate reduction in sulfate-amended sediments was followed by an increase in the hydrogen partial pressure and the methane production rate to values comparable to those in sediments not amended with sulfate. The sulfate reducer population had a half-saturation constant for hydrogen uptake of 141 pascals versus 597 pascals for the methanogen population. Thus, when sulfate was not limiting, the lower half-saturation constant of sulfate reducers enabled them to inhibit methane production by lowering the hydrogen partial pressure below levels that methanogens could effectively utilize. However, methanogens coexisted with sulfate reducers in the presence of sulfate, and the outcome of competition at any time was a function of the rate of hydrogen production, the relative population sizes, and sulfate availability.

Words, pictures, and priming: on semantic activation, conscious identification, and the automaticity of information processing.

Abstract: We investigated the encoding mechanisms involved in the perceptual recognition of words and pictures. Latencies in naming word and picture targets were analyzed as a function of several characteristics of a preceding prime, including whether it was a word or a picture, its duration of exposure, the interval between the prime and target onset, and whether or not the prime was consciously identified and reported by the subject. Results indicated that a common semantic code is available that can represent the meaning of either a word or a picture. This semantic representation, however, appears to be more easily activated by picture primes than by word primes and seems to benefit the naming of picture targets more than the naming of word targets. Despite the advantage for pictures with respect to semantic activation, overall processing in the naming task was slower and more attention demanding for pictures than for words. Comparison of our data with data on classification, in which an opposite pattern occurs (overall processing appears to be slower and more attention demanding for words than for pictures), suggests that, on the average, pictures have faster and more automatic access to their meanings than to their names but that words have faster and more automatic access to their names than to their meanings. This conclusion concerning the relative ability of stimuli to activate different kinds of internal representations has implications for a theory of the basis and development of automaticity.

A Golgi study of rat neostriatal neurons: Light microscopic analysis

Abstract: At least two types of large neurons (somatic cross-sectional areas, SA greater than 300 microns2) and five-types of medium neurons (SA between 100 and 300 microns2) were distinguished in Golgi preparations of the adult rat neostriatum Type I large cells had aspinous somata with long, radiating, sparsely spined dendrites which were sometimes varicose distally, whereas type II large cells had spines on both somatic and dendritic surfaces Type I medium cells had aspinous somata and proximal dendrites, but their distal dendrites were densely covered with spines Type II medium cells had somatic spines, and their radiating dendrites were sparsely spined Other medium cells had no somatic spines: Type III cells had poorly branched and sparsely spined dendrites Type IV cells had profusely branched, sparsely spined dendrites Type V cells had radiating and varicose dendrites which could also be sparsely spined Several small neurons (SA mostly less than 100 microns2) were also found in the rat neostriatum: Some had aspinous soma with sparsely spined dendrites; others had somatic spines Except for the type II large cells, intrinsic axon collaterals were observed for every type of neuron, indicating that they all had local integrating functions

Group versus individual performance: are n+1 heads better than one.

Abstract: Experimental comparisons of groups and individuals were analyzed on four dimensions: task, process, individual differences, and methodology. A standardized terminology based on Lorge, Fox, Davitz, and Brenner was developed to preserve operational definitions in the comparisons of (a) group versus individual, (b) group versus the most competent individual in an aggregate, (c) group versus pooled responses of an aggregate, and (d) group versus math models of performance. Research supported Steiner's theory of process loss but also suggested evidence for process gain. To avoid confounding of group conditions and subject variables, this review-focused on the results of random assignment of subjects to conditions. Belief in the adage that two heads are

The Effect of Treatment on Mortality in Mild Hypertension: Results of the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program

Abstract: In the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program, 7825 (71.5 per cent) of the 10,940 participants had diastolic blood pressures averaging between 90 and 104 mm Hg on entry into the study and were designated Stratum 1. Half were referred to their usual source of care in the community (the referred-care group), and half were treated intensively in special clinics (the stepped-care group). Five-year mortality in the Stratum 1 patients given stepped care was 20.3 per cent lower than in those given referred care (P less than 0.01). Particularly noteworthy was the beneficial effect of stepped-care treatment on persons with diastolic pressures of 90 to 104 mm Hg who had no evidence of end-organ damage and were not receiving antihypertensive medication when they entered the study. This subgroup had 28.6 per cent fewer deaths at five years among those treated with stepped care than among those treated with referred care (P less than 0.01). These findings support a recommendation that in patients with mild hypertension, treatment should be considered early, before damage to end organs occurs.

Metal chelate conjugated monoclonal antibodies

Abstract: Methods of manufacturing and purifying metal chelate conjugated monoclonal antibodies are described. The chelated metal may be one which emits alpha, beta or gamma radiation, or positrons. Alternatively, the metal can be one which is fluorogenic or paramagnetic. The conjugates are suited for diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

Dehalogenation: a novel pathway for the anaerobic biodegradation of haloaromatic compounds.

Abstract: Microorganisms of lake sediment and sewage sludge anaerobically metabolized halobenzoates by a novel pathway. The primary degradative event was loss of the aryl halide without the alteration of the aromatic ring. Dehalogenation required strict anaerobic conditions and depended on the halogen and position, but not the number of halogen substituents. A stable methanogenic bacterial consortium was enriched from sludge and found capable of dehalogenating and often mineralizing a variety of halobenzoates to CH4 and CO2. The results suggest that reductive dehalogenation of aromatics could be important in removal of some chlorinated xenobiotics from the environment.

Relation of Soil Water Movement and Sulfide Concentration to Spartina alterniflora Production in a Georgia Salt Marsh

Abstract: It is proposed that differences in plant height and productivity of the salt-marsh cordgrass Spartina alterniflora are the result of a dynamic interaction among tidal water movement, dissolved iron and sulfide concentrations in marsh soils, and bacterial sulfate reduction. Tidal water movement regulates the input of iron into marsh soils and the drainage of sulfide-containing interstitial water, and thereby controls the concentration of dissolved sulfide formed as a result of bacterial sulfate reduction. Near tidal creeks, where water movement and plant height and production are greatest, sulfide concentrations are lowest; in more elevated regions of marsh, where water movement andplant production are least, sulfide concentrations are highest. Plant height and productivity may be limited by the effects of sulfide on nutrient uptake.

Increased drought tolerance of mycorrhizal onion plants caused by improved phosphorus nutrition.

Abstract: Onion plants (Allium cepa L, cv. Downing Yellow Globe) grown in pots and infected by the mycorrhizal fungusGlomus etunicatus Becker and Gerdemann were more drought tolerant than were non-mycorrhizal individials when exposed to several periods of soil water stress separated by periods of high water supply, as shown by greater fresh and dry weights and higher tissue phosphorus levels in the mycorrhizal plants. The tissues of stressed, non-mycorrhizal plants were deficient in P, despite the fact that only non-mycorrhizal plants were fertilized with high levels of P (26 mg P per 440 g soil). Differences in plant water relations (leaf water potentials or transpiration rates) and changes in soil P levels which may have affected plant growth were investigated, and discounted as factors important for the results. The P nutrition of plants has been implicated in the ability of plants to tolerate drought and it was concluded that the ability of the mycorrhizal fungus to maintain adequate P nutrition in the onions during soil water stress was a major factor in the improved drought tolerance. Infection of the root by the fungus was found not to be affected by water stress or P fertilization but fungal reproduction, as determined by spore numbers in the soil, was decreased by water stress and by P fertilization.

Development of Antral Follicles in Cattle after Prostaglandin-Induced Luteolysis: Changes in Serum Hormones, Steroids in Follicular Fluid, and Gonadotropin Receptors*

Abstract: Changes in growth, concentrations of steroids in follicular fluid, and numbers of gonadotropin receptors in follicles 6 mm or more in diameter were examined 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h after prostaglandin (PG)-induced luteolysis in heifers. Follicles with higher concentrations of estradiol than progesterone and androgens in follicular fluid (FF) were classified as estrogen active (E-A). Follicles with higher concentrations of progesterone or androgens than estradiol in follicular fluid were classified as estrogen inactive (E-I). Although E-A and E-I follicles were similar in size 12–72 h after PG treatment, before the preovulatory surge of LH, numbers of granulosa cells, estradiol concentrations, and capacities of follicles to specifically bind gonadotropins were markedly lower in E-I follicles. Most E-I follicles had histological signs of atresia, whereas E-A follicles did not. Sizes, concentrations of steroids in FF, and specific binding of gonadotropins to follicle cells did not change in E-A or E-I f...

Intermediary Metabolism of Organic Matter in the Sediments of a Eutrophic Lake

Abstract: The rates, products, and controls of the metabolism of fermentation intermediates in the sediments of a eutrophic lake were examined. 14C-fatty acids were directly injected into sediment subcores for turnover rate measurements. The highest rates of acetate turnover were in surface sediments (0- to 2-cm depth). Methane was the dominant product of acetate metabolism at all depths. Simultaneous measurements of acetate, propionate, and lactate turnover in surface sediments gave turnover rates of 159, 20, and 3 μM/h, respectively. [2-14C]propionate and [U-14C]lactate were metabolized to [14C]acetate, 14CO2, and 14CH4. [14C]formate was completely converted to 14CO2 in less than 1 min. Inhibition of methanogenesis with chloroform resulted in an immediate accumulation of volatile fatty acids and hydrogen. Hydrogen inhibited the metabolism of C3-C5 volatile fatty acids. The rates of fatty acid production were estimated from the rates of fatty acid accumulation in the presence of chloroform or hydrogen. The mean molar rates of production were acetate, 82%; propionate, 13%; butyrates, 2%; and valerates, 3%. A working model for carbon and electron flow is presented which illustrates that fermentation and methanogenesis are the predominate steps in carbon flow and that there is a close interaction between fermentative bacteria, acetogenic hydrogen-producing bacteria, and methanogens.

Tumor imaging with radioactive metal chelates conjugated to monoclonal antibodies

Abstract: High-resolution gamma camera images of mouse erythroid tumors were obtained by use of leukemia cell-specific monoclonal antibodies labeled with bifunctional radioactive metal chelates. Small tumors (200 to 300 milligrams) were visible without subtraction or enhancement 1 to 5 hours after injection of antibody. Chelate-derivitized monoclonal antibodies permit targeting of a broad spectrum of radioisotopes, including those that are optimum for agamma for gamma camera imaging or positron tomography, as well as those that are tumoricidal.

Managing Pesticide Resistance in Crop-Arthropod Complexes: Interactions Between Biological and Operational Factors

Abstract: Computer simulation was used to study the evolution of resistance to pesticides under four main classes of conditions common to agricultural arthropod pests and natural enemies. Results show that the influence of biological and operational factors on the rate of resistance evolution depends on the presence or absence of immigration and the functional dominance of resistance. A high-dose strategy for retarding resistance, which requires high immigration by susceptibles and functionally recessive resistance, can disrupt biological control and promote resistance in secondary pests. A low-pesticide-use strategy which can retard resistance in pests and promote resistance in natural enemies is recommended.

Morphology of the substantia nigra pars reticulata projection neurons intracellularly labeled with HRP

Abstract: The technique of intracellular recording and staining of the same neuron with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to study the soma-dendritic and axonal morphology of nigrothalamic and nigrotectal cells in the rats. The nigrothalamic and nigrotectal cells were spread throughout the dorsoventral extent of the pars reticulata (SNR) and exhibited the same soma-dendritic and axonal features. Both populations consisted of medium-sized and large cells with extensive dendritic fields overlapping in all three directions. Their axons collateralized within the substantia nigra (SN) and in the mesencephalic tegmentum. The intrinsic collaterals were thin and branched partly within the dendritic field of a parent cell partly in remote regions of the SNR, and even in the pars compacta (SNC). The extrinsic branches involved thin arborizations in the rostroventral mesencephalic reticular substance and thicker descending and ascending collaterals. This material was supplemented by physiologically nonidentified HRP stained medium-sized and large neurons located in the SNR. The two kinds displayed the same extent and orientation of their dendrites but the branching patterns differed slightly. Proximal dendrites of all cells were coarse and smooth; thinner distal dendrites had varicosities and spinelike appendages. Some dendrites, especially those near the crus cerebri, terminated in dendritic thickets bearing many pleomorphic appendages. The orientation of dendritic fields varied with dorsoventral position of cells within the SNR. The most ventral region of the SNR contained neurons with dendrites oriented parallel to the crus cerebri and thus remained confined to the deepest stratum. The dendrites of cells in the central region of SNR were oriented mainly anteroposteriorly and ventrally, the ventral dendrites terminating in the ventralmost layer. Cells in the dorsolateral part of the SNR were characterized by the large dorsoventral extent of their dendrites which penetrated the entire thickness of SN. This variation in the arrangement of dendritic fields indicates that the SN is organized in three dorsoventral layers.

Hydatidosis/cysticercosis: immune mechanisms and immunization against infection.

Abstract: Publisher Summary The hydatidosis/cysticercosis disease complex is caused by infection with the larval stages of tapeworms belonging to the family Taeniidae. It is a threat to the people because of its effect on human health and on the food-animal industries. This chapter focuses on the larval cestodes of the family Taeniidae. There have been significant recent advances in the immunological diagnosis of the cysticercoses and, especially in hydatid disease of man. Factors determining the innate resistance to infection with larval taeniid cestodes not only play an important part in determining the epidemiology of natural infection with larval cestodes but also have a central role in the critical evaluation and interpretation of research data concerning immunity to these parasites. The intermediate hosts of all larval taeniid cestodes, thus, far examined manifest an impressive level of acquired immunity to reinfection. The propagation of taeniid cestodes depends on the evolution and persistence of predator–prey relationships between definitive and intermediate hosts and on the survival of tissue-invading larval stages for the remaining life of infected individuals. When pathological complications override the benign tolerance on the part of the host, they often involve acute inflammatory episodes, specifically triggered by the release or exposure of antigens that have previously sensitized the individual. Cysticercosis and hydatidosis are, especially prevalent amongst the rural poor of the world and attention to them is demanded as a critical component of the development process.

Alexithymia and the effectiveness of psychoanalytic treatment.

Abstract: A subgroup of those patients who are not responsive to analytic treatment, despite meeting the usual criteria of analyzability, is considered. These patients typically have significant addictive, psychosomatic, and post-traumatic problems. They show a characteristic picture, now called \"alexithymia.\" This involves an impairment of the ability to recognize, name, or verbalize emotions. The effects manifest themselves mainly in mixed physiological responses, which call attention to themselves rather than to their meaning or story. These emotions, which are less useable as signals, are dedifferentiated and resomatized. There is also a type of \"operative thinking\" with marked limitations in wishfulfillment and drive-related fantasy. There is a diminution of symbolization, and with it an impairment in the capacity to elaborate the kind of fantasies that underly neuroses and the related transferences. They also have a seriously diminished emotional involvement with their objects and a lowered capacity for empathy. Lastly, there are frequently associated problems such as anhedonia, impairments in the capacities for self-care, and affect tolerance. The impediments to psychoanalytic treatment resulting from this picture are considered, and some theories of its causation and therapeutic modifications calculated to enable these patients to benefit from psychotherapy are offered.

Privacy and Communication

Abstract: (1982). Privacy and Communication. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 6, Communication Yearbook 6, pp. 206-249.