Showing papers by "Nova Southeastern University published in 2001"

Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Relations

Abstract: In 7 studies, the authors examined the link between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. In Studies 1 and 2, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for empathic perspective taking and self-monitoring in social situations. In Study 3, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for social skills. In Study 4, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence displayed more cooperative responses toward partners. In Study 5, the participants with higher scores for emotional intelligence had higher scores for close and affectionate relationships. In Study 6, the participants' scores for marital satisfaction were higher when they rated their marital partners higher for emotional intelligence. In Study 7, the participants anticipated greater satisfaction in relationships with partners described as having emotional intelligence.

Business Process Orientation: Gaining the E-Business Competitive Advantage

Abstract: From the Publisher: Business Process Orientation: Gaining the E-Business Competitive Advantage provides the "why" and the "how" for building the "horizontal" organization - an essential component of the "e" in e-commerce and business. This book shows you how to weave your business processes into hard-to-imitate strategic capabilities that distinguish you from your competition.The book explores the impact that well-defined and carefully integrated processes have on organizational performance. Using the results of extensive research conducted among consumer, business-to-business, and services-based companies, the authors demonstrate that adopting a business process orientation (BPO) has a positive impact on the organizational culture and business performance. The resulting process oriented e-corporation is now positioned as a necessity not only to thrive but also to survive.The old ways of conducting business are out: pushing costs and compromising quality in order to achieve the lowest possible price. The emerging paradigm focuses on the core processes. The hallmarks of a great business still include high customer relevance, internally consistent decisions about scope and value chain activities performed, value capture mechanisms, a source of differentiation and strategic control, a sound operational system, and carefully designed processes. Business Process Orientation: Gaining the E-Business Competitive Advantage shows you how to balance your functional and horizontal orientation to create and maintain a healthy organization.

COWAT Metanorms Across Age, Education, and Gender

Abstract: Norms for the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT; Benton & Hamsher, 1976) have been published as summary statistics from many relatively small samples. The purpose of this study was to combine statistics from these samples to produce metanorms broken down by age, gender, and level of education. Means and standard deviations of letters F, A, and S (FAS) totals from normative samples and samples of normal controls were gathered from a wide variety of research studies and then stringently selected based on factors such as adequacy of the sample and presence of the appropriate statistics. The resulting aggregate statistics for FAS totals suggest differences may exist in verbal fluency task performance, depending on a person 's age, gender, and level of education.

Audit Committee Characteristics and the Quality of Financial Reporting: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract: In this paper, we empirically examine the relationship between two audit committee characteristics - the composition (expertise and independence) and size of the audit committee - and the quality of financial reporting. We show that after controlling for firm size, board composition, a measure of management's commitment to transparency (the existence of an ethics program) and institutional ownership, the percentage of audit committee members having expertise in accounting or financial management is positively related to financial reporting quality. We also find some evidence of a positive relationship between the size of the audit committee and financial reporting quality. However, audit committee independence is not related to financial reporting quality. We also verify that our results are robust across different measures of financial reporting quality. Our results suggest that mandating greater expertise on audit committees rather than simply requiring one expert on the audit committee may be beneficial to investors. In addition, our results also provide weak support for the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Committee that firms devote significant directorial resources to the audit committee. Given the prior evidence of a negative relationship between financial reporting quality and cost of capital, firms could improve their reporting quality by appropriately structuring their audit committees, thus reducing their cost of capital.

Treatment of post-concussion syndrome following mild head injury.

Abstract: Approximately 38% of patients who sustain head trauma characterized by a brief disturbance of consciousness and clinically unremarkable neuroradiologic findings meet International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) diagnostic criteria for postconcussion syndrome (PCS). Physicians treat a majority of cases with nonsteroidal analgesics or antidepressants, and refer about 40% for psychological consultation. Psychological treatment typically involves education, reassurance, and reattribution of symptoms to benign causes. A review of controlled treatment outcome studies conducted over the past 2 decades in Scandinavia, Great Britain, Canada, and the United States suggests that early single session treatment can prevent the syndrome as effectively as traditional outpatient therapy. Several standardized, empirically supported treatment manuals are available.

Adverse events, including death, associated with the use of 1,4-butanediol.

Abstract: Background 1,4-Butanediol is an industrial solvent that, when ingested, is converted to γ-hydroxybutyrate, a drug of abuse with depressant effects, primarily on the central nervous system. After reports of toxic effects of γ-hydroxybutyrate and its resultant regulation by the federal government, 1,4-butanediol and γ-butyrolactone, another precursor of γ-hydroxybutyrate and an industrial solvent, began to be marketed as dietary supplements. We investigated reports of toxic effects due to the ingestion of 1,4-butanediol and reviewed the related health risks. Methods From June 1999 through December 1999, we identified cases of toxic effects of 1,4-butanediol involving patients who presented to our emergency departments with a clinical syndrome suggesting toxic effects of γ-hydroxybutyrate and a history of ingesting 1,4-butanediol and patients identified through public health officials and family members. We used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to measure 1,4-butanediol or its metabolite, γ-hydroxybutyra...

Immediate loading of implants with fixed restorations in the completely edentulous mandible: report of 27 patients from a private practice.

Abstract: Numerous authors have documented clinical success in loading threaded implants at the time of implant placement when carefully controlled surgical and restorative protocols are followed. This clinical series documents the application of immediate loading techniques to fixed mandibular restorations in 27 patients who were edentulous or had non-restorable mandibular dentitions. Eighteen patients had complete conventional maxillary dentures, while 9 had natural or fixed prosthetic maxillary dentitions. Twelve different restorative dentists provided prosthetic support for these patients and used 4 different restoration types: laboratory- or office-processed, with cement or screw retention. Five to 8 threaded implants were placed in each patient. One hundred sixty-one of the 186 implants that were placed by the authors were loaded immediately using fixed provisional restorations of the various designs. More than 99% (160/161) of the immediately loaded implants and 99.5% (185/186) of all implants were clinically integrated and radiographically successful at the time of final evaluation for restoration fabrication. After final implant evaluation, no additional implant losses occurred, indicating an implant survival rate of nearly 100% over a mean of 25.0 months (range 13 to 41 months) following implant placement. While a strong preference for cement-retained restorations was apparent, all prostheses showed similar success. The data and the experience described in this report indicate that immediate loading with fixed restorations using appropriate surgical and restorative techniques can be a predictable technique for rehabilitation of the completely edentulous mandible.

A Controlled Evaluation and Description of Individual-Cognitive Problem Solving and Family-Behavior Therapies in Dually-Diagnosed Conduct-Disordered and Substance-Dependent Youth

Abstract: There is a strong comorbid relationship between conduct and substance disorders in youth. However, there is an absence of controlled studies that have explicitly examined treatment efficacy in this dually-diagnosed population. In the present study, 56 such youth were randomly assigned to receive either individual-cognitive therapy or family-behavioral therapy. Subjects in both intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements in their conduct and reductions in their use of illicit drugs from pretreatment to post-treatment, and these results were maintained at follow-up. Measures of youth satisfaction with parents, parent satisfaction with youth, and overall mood of these youth demonstrated similar improvements and closely corresponded with improvements in standardized measures of conduct and drug use. No significant differences were found in conduct or reductions of illicit drug use between subjects in the two intervention conditions at post-treatment, or at 6-month follow-up. Study impli...

Prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer patients.

Abstract: Interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the past several years. Cancer patients are always looking for new hope, and many have turned to nontraditional means. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer patients and what if any agents are being used. Approximately, 100 adult cancer patients in a private nonprofit South Florida hospital completed a descriptive cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The mean age of participants was 59 years; 42 patients were male and 58, female. According to survey results, 80% of patients reported using some type of CAM; 81% took vitamins, 54% took herbal products, 30% used relaxation techniques, 20% received massages, and 10% used home remedies. Among patients who took vitamins, 65% said they took a multivitamin, 39% took vitamin C, and 31%, vitamin E. The most common herbal remedies used were green tea, echinacea, shark cartilage, grape seed extract, and milk thistle. Meditation and deep breathing were the two most common relaxation techniques practiced. A large majority of cancer patients are using CAM. In light of the growing interest in CAM, health-care professionals need to be educated about the most common therapies used.

Cross-cultural evaluation of two drinking assessment instruments: alcohol timeline followback and inventory of drinking situations.

Abstract: This article describes the psychometric characteristics of two major assessment instruments used in a World Health Organization (WHO) clinical trial: (a) Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB, which as...

Serological Changes Associated with Gill-Net Capture and Restraint in Three Species of Sharks

Abstract: To investigate the biochemical effects of capture and restraint on sharks, 17 serum constituents were measured in three species (bonnethead shark Sphyrna tiburo, blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus, and bull shark C. leucas) after gill-net capture. The relative degree of capture effects on each animal was judged using an index of behavioral response devised for use in tag−recapture studies. Serum from each shark was assayed for glucose, creatinine, uric acid, sodium, chloride, potassium, inorganic phosphate, total and ionized calcium, total protein, albumin, globulin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total iron. In addition, hematocrit was measured from whole blood for each shark. When correlated with the relative degree of capture effects, there were significant intraspecific changes in the concentration of potassium, lactate, inorganic phosphate, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, total and ionized calcium, and gluc...

Emotional Intelligence and Task Performance

Abstract: Theory and some empirical research suggest that there is a relationship between emotions and performance on cognitive tasks. The construct of emotional intelligence may provide a vehicle for explor...

Perceptions of Workplace Spirituality Among Professionals and Executives

Abstract: As a new century begins, it is becoming increasingly clear that workers are experiencing a fundamental change of business world values, a change of paradigms as radical as the Age of Information. Corporate America and its employees are responding to a call for a deeper sense of purpose, a more significant sense of faith, and a renewed commitment to spirituality. This paper reports research that focuses on the relationship among the 3 key stakeholders in this new emphasis on spirituality: individual, organization, and work unit. Significant correlations were found to exist among 3 factors of spirituality and among 11 variables that were submeasures of the factors.

Identification of malingered head injury on the wechsler adult intelligence scale - 3rd edition.

Abstract: Head injured patients show an IQ subtest pattern that can be discriminated from the profile produced by individuals who attempt to malinger intellectual decline due to head trauma. The current paper demonstrates that previously replicated methods for making this discrimination on the WAIS – R generalize to the WAIS – 3. The discriminant function equation accurately classified 83% of nonlitigating head-trauma patients with documented injuries and 72% of persons simulating intellectual impairment due to head trauma. A total of 45% of litigating mild head-trauma patients with purported intellectual decline but no documented loss of consciousness, hospitalization, or CT abnormality were classified as malingering by the discriminant function. A Vocabulary-Digit Span difference score provided 71% overall diagnostic accuracy, and may be informative when screening profiles by visual inspection or when complete WAIS – 3 results are unavailable.

Consociational and Civic Society Approaches to Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

Abstract: A number of consociational power-sharing initiatives are compared to explore some of the reasons why the elite conflict regulation model has not settled the Northern Ireland conflict. In the period...

Transition to Middle and High School: Increasing the Success of Students with Asperger Syndrome

Abstract: The transition from elementary to secondary school is challenging for all students as a number of environmental, social, psychological, and physiological changes are imposed on them. These challenges often have a significant effect on typical students but may have an even more profound effect on students with Asperger Syndrome (AS) due to the nature of the disability. This article outlines the numerous difficulties that students with AS may encounter during the transition to middle and high school. In addition, a range of specific supports and strategies are offered in order to assist students with AS in making a successful transition.

Influences of diurnal and intraseasonal forcing on mixed‐layer and biological variability in the central Arabian Sea

Abstract: A three-dimensional, physical-biological model of the Indian Ocean is used to study the influences of diurnal and intraseasonal forcing on mixed-layer and biological variability in the central Arabian Sea, where a mooring was deployed and maintained from October 1994 to October 1995 by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Upper Ocean Processes group. The physical model consists of four active layers overlying an inert deep ocean, namely, a surface mixed layer of thickness h1, diurnal thermocline layer, seasonal thermocline, and main thermocline. The biological model consists of a set of advective-diffusive equations in each layer that determine nitrogen concentrations in four compartments: nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detritus. Both monthly climatological and “daily” fields are used to force solutions, the latter being a blend of daily-averaged fields measured at the mooring site and other products that include intraseasonal forcing. Diurnal forcing is included by allowing the incoming solar radiation to have a daily cycle. In solutions forced by climatological fields, h1 thickens steadily throughout both monsoons. When h1 detrains at their ends, short-lived, intense blooms develop (the model's spring and fall blooms) owing to the increase in depth-averaged light intensity sensed by the phytoplankton in layer 1. In solutions forced by daily fields, h1 thins in a series of events associated with monsoon break periods. As a result, the spring and fall blooms are split into a series of detrainment blooms, broadening them considerably. Diurnal forcing alters the mixed-layer and biological responses, among other things, by lengthening the time that h1 is thick during the northeast monsoon, by strengthening the spring and fall blooms and delaying them by 3 weeks, and by intensifying phytoplankton levels during intermonsoon periods. Solutions are compared with the mixed-layer thickness, phytoplankton biomass, and phytoplankton production fields estimated from mooring observations. The solution driven by daily fields with diurnal forcing reproduces the observed fields most faithfully.

NSAID Impairment of Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the impairment of orthodontic tooth movement caused by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).DATA SOURCES:Biomedical literature accessed through MEDLINE (1966–January 2000), EMBASE (1980–January 2000), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts(1970–January 2000). Key search terms included NSAIDs, orthodontics, and tooth movement.DATA SYNTHESIS:Orthodontic dentistry applies mechanical force to generate tooth movement. Since prostaglandins are mediators of tooth movement, it is reasonable to expect that prostaglandin inhibitors, such as NSAIDs, inhibit or delay tooth movement. An evaluation of studies measuring the extent of NSAID impairment on tooth movement was undertaken.CONCLUSIONS:Results from animal studies have shown that NSAIDs can impair the tooth movement process. Until long-term human data are obtained, acetaminophen remains an appropriate alternative to NSAIDs for treating orthodontic-associated pain.

Rapid and Simultaneous Identification of Body Parts from the Morphologically Similar Sharks Carcharhinus obscurus and Carcharhinus plumbeus (Carcharhinidae) Using Multiplex PCR

Abstract: Many commercially exploited carcharhinid sharks are difficult to identify to species owing to extensive morphological similarities. This problem is severely exacerbated when it comes to identifying detached shark fins, and the finless and headless shark carasses typically sold in markets. To assist in the acquisition of urgently needed conservation and management data on shark catch and trade, we have developed a highly streamlined approach based on multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that uses species-specific primers derived from nuclear ribosomal ITS2 sequences to achieve rapid species identification of shark body parts. Here we demonstrate the utility of this approach for identifying fins and flesh from two globally distributed, morphologically very similar carcharhinid sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus and Carcharhinus plumbeus) intensively targeted in fisheries worldwide, and often confused for each other even as whole animals. The assay is conducted in a 4-primer multiplex format that is structured to simultaneously achieve the following efficiency and cost-reduction objectives: it requires only a single-tube amplification reaction for species diagnosis, it incorporates an internal positive control to allow detection of false-negative results, and it is novel in that it allows species identification even when DNAs from two species are combined in the same tube during the PCR reaction. The latter innovation reduces the required effort for screening a set of unknown samples by 50%. The streamlined approach illustrated here should be amenable for use in a shark conservation and management context where large numbers of samples typically need to be screened; the approach shown may also provide a model for a rapid diagnostic method applicable to species identification in general.

The Detection of Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with MMPI-2 Fake Bad Indices

Abstract: This investigation explored the effect of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) simulation on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) responses, to detect malingered from genuine PTSD. Sixty-four adult PTSD outpatients at a child sexual abuse (CSA) survivor treatment program were compared with 85 adult college students instructed and trained to malinger PTSD. MMPI-2 overreporting indices examined were F, I F-Fb l, F-K, F(p), Ds2, O-S, OT, and FBS. A stepwise discriminant analysis identified F(p), F-K, and O-S as the best malingering predictors. A predictive discriminant analysis yielded good hit rates for the model, with impressive cross-validation results. Cutoff scores were assessed for the model's predictors. Clinical implications for detecting malingered PTSD using the MMPI-2 are discussed.

Role of Visual Attention in Cognitive Control of Oculomotor Readiness in Students with Reading Disabilities

Abstract: This study investigated eye movement and comprehension therapy in Grade 6 children with reading disabilities (RD). Both order of therapy and type of therapy were examined. Furthermore, the implications of visual attention in ameliorating reading disability are discussed. Thirty-one students with RD were identified using standardized reading comprehension tests. Eye movements were analyzed objectively using an infra-red recording device. Reading scores of participating children were 0.5 to 1 SD below the national mean. Testing took place before the start of therapy (T1) and was repeated after 12 weeks (T2) and 24 weeks (T3) of therapy. One group of students had eye movement therapy first, followed by comprehension therapy; in the other group, the order was reversed. Data were evaluated using a repeated measures MANOVA and post hoc tests. At T1, mean reading grade was 2 years below grade level, and eye movement scores were at about Grade 2 level. Mean growth in reading comprehension for the total sample was 2.6 years (p < .01) at T3; equally significant improvement was measured in eye movements (p < .01). Learning rate in reading comprehension improved from 60% (T1) to 400% (T3). Although within-group differences were statistically significant, between-group differences were not significant for comprehension or eye movements. Order of therapy (comprehension first or eye movements first) was not significant. Improvements in within-group scores for comprehension and eye movements were consistently significant at T2 and T3. Eye movement therapy improved eye movements and also resulted in significant gains in reading comprehension. Comprehension therapy likewise produced improvement both in eye movement efficiency and in reading comprehension. The results support the notion of a cognitive link among visual attention, oculomotor readiness, and reading comprehension.

The hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour syndrome in a Portuguese kindred

Abstract: The hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour (HPT-JT) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid tumours and fibro-osseous tumours of the jaw bones. Some HPT-JT patients may also develop renal abnormalities, which include Wilms' tumours, hamartomas and polycystic disease. The HPT-JT gene has been mapped to chromosome 1q25-q31, and we report the clinical and genetic findings in a kindred from central Portugal. HPT-JT was observed in six members from three generations; all had primary hyperparathyroidism (five had parathyroid adenomas, one a parathyroid carcinoma). Ossifying jaw fibromas affecting the maxilla and/or mandible were observed in 5/6. Renal cysts (<2.5 cm) were observed in four. Genetic studies using 18 polymorphic loci from chromosome 1q25-q31, together with leukocyte DNA from 11 family members and tumour DNA from three parathyroids (two adenomas and one carcinoma), revealed loss of tumour heterozygosity in the parathyroid carcinoma only, and the retained haplotype was found to cosegregate with the disease in the six affected members. A new Portuguese kindred with the HPT-JT syndrome that maps to chromosome 1q25-q31 has been identified, and these findings will help in the further characterization of this inherited disorder.

Alcohol and drug abusers' perceived reasons for self-change in Canada and Switzerland: computer-assisted content analysis.

Abstract: Although many people recover from substance-use associated problems on their own, little is known about this phenomenon. The paper had two objectives: to use a new research method, computer-assisted content analysis, to understand alcohol and drug abusers' perceived reasons for self-change and to undertake a comparative evaluation across substances and cultures to validate previous findings about subjective appraisal processes. Three studies of natural recoveries of alcohol and drug abusers in two countries conducted tape-recorded interviews with 216 respondents. The taped responses were coded based on a content analytic dictionary approach using a computerized content analysis program. All three studies found several processes mediating the decision to change substance use. The computer content analysis confirmed a cognitive appraisal process regardless of the cultural setting or substance. The findings suggest that several procedures might have benefit in clinical interventions.

Rational reprogramming of the R2 subunit of Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase into a self-hydroxylating monooxygenase.

Abstract: The outcome of O2 activation at the diiron(II) cluster in the R2 subunit of Escherichia coli (class I) ribonucleotide reductase has been rationally altered from the normal tyrosyl radical (Y122•)1 production to self-hydroxylation of a phenylalanine side-chain by two amino acid substitutions that leave intact the (histidine)2(carboxylate)4 ligand set characteristic of the diiron-carboxylate family. Iron ligand Asp (D) 84 was replaced with Glu (E), the amino acid found in the cognate position of the structurally similar diiron-carboxylate protein, methane monooxygenase hydroxylase (MMOH). We previously showed that this substitution allows accumulation of a μ-1,2-peroxodiiron(III) intermediate,2,3 which does not accumulate in the wild-type (wt) protein and is probably a structural homologue of intermediate P (Hperoxo) in O2 activation by MMOH.4 In addition, the near-surface residue Trp (W) 48 was replaced with Phe (F), blocking transfer of the “extra” electron that occurs in wt R2 during formation of the for...

The hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour syndrome in a Portuguese kindred

Abstract: The hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumour (HPT-JT) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the occurrence of parathyroid tumours and fibro-osseous tumours of the jaw bones. Some HPT-JT patients may also develop renal abnormalities, which include Wilms' tumours, hamartomas and polycystic disease. The HPT-JT gene has been mapped to chromosome 1q25-q31, and we report the clinical and genetic findings in a kindred from central Portugal. HPT-JT was observed in six members from three generations; all had primary hyperparathyroidism (five had parathyroid adenomas, one a parathyroid carcinoma). Ossifying jaw fibromas affecting the maxilla and/or mandible were observed in 5/6. Renal cysts (<2.5 cm) were observed in four. Genetic studies using 18 polymorphic loci from chromosome 1q25-q31, together with leukocyte DNA from 11 family members and tumour DNA from three parathyroids (two adenomas and one carcinoma), revealed loss of tumour heterozygosity in the parathyroid carcinoma only, and the retained haplotype was found to cosegregate with the disease in the six affected members. A new Portuguese kindred with the HPT-JT syndrome that maps to chromosome 1q25-q31 has been identified, and these findings will help in the further characterization of this inherited disorder.