Showing papers by "Rider University published in 2012"
TL;DR: It is shown, using an aberrant light cycle that neither changes the amount and architecture of sleep nor causes changes in the circadian timing system, that light directly regulates mood-related behaviours and cognitive functions in mice.
Abstract: The daily solar cycle allows organisms to synchronize their circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles to the correct temporal niche. Changes in day-length, shift-work, and transmeridian travel lead to mood alterations and cognitive function deficits. Sleep deprivation and circadian disruption underlie mood and cognitive disorders associated with irregular light schedules. Whether irregular light schedules directly affect mood and cognitive functions in the context of normal sleep and circadian rhythms remains unclear. Here we show, using an aberrant light cycle that neither changes the amount and architecture of sleep nor causes changes in the circadian timing system, that light directly regulates mood-related behaviours and cognitive functions in mice. Animals exposed to the aberrant light cycle maintain daily corticosterone rhythms, but the overall levels of corticosterone are increased. Despite normal circadian and sleep structures, these animals show increased depression-like behaviours and impaired hippocampal long-term potentiation and learning. Administration of the antidepressant drugs fluoxetine or desipramine restores learning in mice exposed to the aberrant light cycle, suggesting that the mood deficit precedes the learning impairments. To determine the retinal circuits underlying this impairment of mood and learning, we examined the behavioural consequences of this light cycle in animals that lack intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. In these animals, the aberrant light cycle does not impair mood and learning, despite the presence of the conventional retinal ganglion cells and the ability of these animals to detect light for image formation. These findings demonstrate the ability of light to influence cognitive and mood functions directly through intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.
425 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature on novice, expert, and quasi-expert creativity ratings and suggested guidelines to make the selection of experts more streamlined, including paying attention to which domain is being assessed.
Abstract: The Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) is a common creativity assessment. According to this technique, the best judges of creativity are qualified experts. Yet what does it mean to be an expert in a domain? What level of expertise is needed to rate creativity? This article reviews the literature on novice, expert, and quasi-expert creativity ratings. Although current research indicates that novices may be poor choices to be CAT raters, quasi-experts may represent a compromise between ideal scientific rigor and practical time and budget restrictions. Certain guidelines are suggested to make the selection of experts more streamlined, including paying attention to which domain is being assessed.
208 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the online shopper as a prospective user of an emerging social commerce platform, the social shopping website, which are sites designed specifically to support social interactions while online consumers shop.
Abstract: With businesses seeking to seize the momentum of social media and social networking, technology-enabled social commerce has emerged to combine the power of online social networking with shopping. This study examines an emerging area in E-commerce, i.e., social commerce. Extending the online consumer behavior typology, this study categorizes online consumer behaviors into three types: transactional, informational, and social. While traditional E-commerce supports the transactional and informational aspects of online shopping, social commerce fulfils the social aspects of shopping, and potentially enhances the informational aspect as well. This research examines the online shopper as a prospective user of an emerging social commerce platform, the social shopping website, which are sites designed specifically to support social interactions while online consumers shop. The study augments the Technology Acceptance Model with constructs that enhance the specificity of the model to the social shopping application of social commerce. The model was empirically tested and supported. The results provide empirical evidence to support the importance of distinguishing the social aspect of shopping from the information and transactional aspects, as well as the potential advantage to using technology to promote social interactions on E-commerce sites. Implications and future research are discussed. Keywords: Social commerce, social shopping, social comparison, social presence, enjoyment 1. Introduction Social networking technologies continue to gain popularity under the media spotlight. Seeking to tap into the potentials of such technologies for e-commerce to retain existing customers and attract new ones, businesses are actively exploring new methods to combine the power of social networking with online and offline sales. Social commerce has emerged as the latest innovation in e-commerce by combining online social networking with shopping. The distinctive feature of social commerce is its focus on supporting the social aspect of an online shopping experience. In contrast, traditional e-commerce technologies tend to focus exclusively on improving the efficiency of online shopping, providing features such as product search, product categorization, and personalized recommendations based on previous purchases. Curty and Zhang conducted a longitudinal study of fifteen social commerce sites, and found social features on these sites as early as the late 1990s, long before social networking technologies become popular [Curty and Zhang, 2011]. Companies such as Proctor & Gamble began enhancing their websites to allow consumers to share their experiences of products with other consumers online, and to create online shopping communities [Vranica, 2008]. The social shopping website emerged as a new e-commerce model, designed specifically as an online social networking community devoted exclusively to online shopping. Social shopping sites such as Kaboodle and ThisNext were developed to enable consumers to share shopping advice and recommendations with likeminded individuals. Another application example included Facebook's 2007 introduction of a feature that allowed a user's purchases on a participating website, such as Overstock.com, to automatically appear as an RSS feed on the user's friends' Facebook pages. This feature was later modified due to privacy concerns [Vara, 2007]. Facebook has since moved to a revised model in which users can choose to opt-in to engage in social commerce activities such as sharing RSS feeds or purchasing recommendations with their friends on Facebook. This paper investigates the social aspect of social commerce, and proposes a new framework to understand the adoption of social shopping websites. In particular, social factors such as social comparison, social presence, as well as enjoyment are examined to augment the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for the specificity of social commerce applications. …
207 citations
TL;DR: A growing body of research evidence suggests that creativity is very domain-specific and that domain-general skills or traits contribute little to creative performance as discussed by the authors, which has implications for the ways we understand and assess creativity, and also for how we should direct our efforts to develop creative-thinking skills in diverse domains.
Abstract: A growing body of research evidence suggests that creativity is very domain-specific and that domain-general skills or traits contribute little to creative performance. The term “creativity” is a convenient term for collecting many interesting artifacts, processes, and people into a single category, and the term “creative thinking skills” may be a useful way to connect a diverse set of unrelated cognitive processes that operate on different content and in different domains. These concepts are misleading, however, because although they connect things that may seem similar to observers, they lack any underlying cognitive psychological validity. This has implications for the ways we understand and assess creativity, and also for how we should direct our efforts to develop creative-thinking skills in diverse domains. Creativity training needs either to target the domains in which creativity enhancement is desired or to use a wide range of activities in diverse domains if the goal is more general improvement in many domains. Creativity assessment needs to focus on domain-by-domain assessment and to review findings based on allegedly domain-general tests of creativity that may have misled researchers to unsupportable interpretations. Creativity theory needs to set more modest goals of domainby-domain theory development and to recognize that theories that may seem domain-general might better be understood as meta-theoretical heuristics that do not actually describe domain-general processes. These meta-theories might in some cases help guide the search for domain-based theories.
185 citations
TL;DR: The authors propose that some of our students are socialized with destructive thinking toward ethics and virtue that distorts their mind-sets long before they enter our classrooms, and that students are exposed to a...
Abstract: We propose that some of our students are socialized with destructive thinking toward ethics and virtue that distorts their mind-sets long before they enter our classrooms. Students are exposed to a...
103 citations
TL;DR: A lower jaw and associated postcranial remains from the Late Cretaceous—early Paleocene Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey form the basis of a new crocodyliform species, Borealosuchus threeensis, which phylogenetic analysis supports a closer relationship to BorealOSuchus from the early Eocene than with other LateCretaceous or early Paleocene forms.
Abstract: A lower jaw and associated postcranial remains from the Late Cretaceous–early Paleocene Hornerstown Formation of New Jersey form the basis of a new crocodyliform species, Borealosuchus threeensis. Although one of the oldest known species of Borealosuchus, phylogenetic analysis supports a closer relationship to Borealosuchus from the early Eocene than with other Late Cretaceous or early Paleocene forms. This is based on the shared presence of a short mandibular symphysis excluding the splenial, a small external mandibular fenestra, and ventral osteoderms composed of two sutured ossifications. It is also similar to Borealosuchus material from the Paleocene of western Texas, though conspecificity cannot be demonstrated at present. A close relationship with the basal alligatoroids Leidyosuchus or Diplocynodontinae is not supported. The distribution of lower jaws with very small slit-like external mandibular fenestrae, or no fenestrae at all, among basal crocodylian lineages (including Borealosuchus) ...
71 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored connections between 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds' performance in theory-of-mind tasks, their performance on an assessment of selective trust, and their decisions to (not) imitate the questionable tool choices of an adult model.
Abstract: This study explores connections between 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds’ performance in theory-of-mind tasks, their performance on an assessment of selective trust, and their decisions to (not) imitate the questionable tool choices of an adult model. The prediction was that all the tasks would be related, with improvements in theory of mind and selective trust leading children to be less likely to imitate a model who could be construed as deceptive or unreliable. Controlling for age, we found a positive correlation between false-belief understanding and selective trust but no relation between theory of mind and tool choices. Unexpectedly, children who were more discriminatory in their trust were more likely to imitate. Possible explanations for children's reasoning are discussed.
55 citations
TL;DR: A new three-dimensional quality assurance method that provides comprehensive dosimetry verification and facilitates evaluation of the clinical significance of QA data acquired in a phantom is demonstrated and represents an important development that advances the clinical relevance of complex treatment QA.
Abstract: Purpose To demonstrate a new three-dimensional (3D) quality assurance (QA) method that provides comprehensive dosimetry verification and facilitates evaluation of the clinical significance of QA data acquired in a phantom. Also to apply the method to investigate the dosimetric efficacy of base-of-skull (BOS) intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment. Methods and Materials Two types of IMRT QA verification plans were created for 6 patients who received BOS IMRT. The first plan enabled conventional 2D planar IMRT QA using the Varian portal dosimetry system. The second plan enabled 3D verification using an anthropomorphic head phantom. In the latter, the 3D dose distribution was measured using the DLOS/Presage dosimetry system (DLOS = Duke Large-field-of-view Optical-CT System, Presage Heuris Pharma, Skillman, NJ), which yielded isotropic 2-mm data throughout the treated volume. In a novel step, measured 3D dose distributions were transformed back to the patient’s CT to enable calculation of dose–volume histograms (DVH) and dose overlays. Measured and planned patient DVHs were compared to investigate clinical significance. Results Close agreement between measured and calculated dose distributions was observed for all 6 cases. For gamma criteria of 3%, 2 mm, the mean passing rate for portal dosimetry was 96.8% (range, 92.0%–98.9%), compared to 94.9% (range, 90.1%–98.9%) for 3D. There was no clear correlation between 2D and 3D passing rates. Planned and measured dose distributions were evaluated on the patient’s anatomy, using DVH and dose overlays. Minor deviations were detected, and the clinical significance of these are presented and discussed. Conclusions Two advantages accrue to the methods presented here. First, treatment accuracy is evaluated throughout the whole treated volume, yielding comprehensive verification. Second, the clinical significance of any deviations can be assessed through the generation of DVH curves and dose overlays on the patient’s anatomy. The latter step represents an important development that advances the clinical relevance of complex treatment QA.
51 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the effects of the 2008 economic crisis on smoking, heavy drinking, dietary behaviors, sleep and other health behaviors and investigated changes in work hours, real income, wealth, and mental health as potential mediators.
Abstract: This study exploits the October 2008 economic crisis in Iceland to identify the effects of a macroeconomic downturn on a range of health behaviors. Using longitudinal survey data that include pre- and post-reports from the same individuals, we investigate the effects of the crisis on smoking, heavy drinking, dietary behaviors, sleep, and other health behaviors and investigate changes in work hours, real income, wealth, and mental health as potential mediators. We also consider the role of prices in shaping health behaviors and compute participation elasticities for the various behaviors. We find that the crisis led to reductions in all health-compromising behaviors examined and that it led to reductions in certain health-promoting behaviors but increases in others. The individual-level mediators explained some, but not all of the effects. We infer that price increases played a large role in the effects of the crisis on health behaviors.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
43 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, corporate social responsibility and sustainability were incorporated into a business course by using four assignments, a project with a CSR question, 7 ethics cases, and 17 ethics scenarios tied to a corporate code of ethics.
Abstract: The author discusses how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability were incorporated into a business course by using 4 assignments, a project with a CSR question, 7 ethics cases, and 17 ethics scenarios tied to a corporate code of ethics. The author also discusses student evaluation of CSR learning experience, strengths and weaknesses of the assignments, and teaching tips. Because these materials are not discipline-specific, instructors in any discipline may adopt them with minimal modification and preparation time. Helping students appreciate the strategic and economic significance of CSR and sustainability is an important step because these issues will likely define business strategy and performance globally in the next decade.
38 citations
TL;DR: Using the same random sample of 260 colleges and universities in the USA and Canada from their original study, the authors revisited each institution's library web page to ascertain whether the OPAC interface(s) offered were the same or different than in their initial data collection.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to determine the current usage of next generation online public access catalogs (OPACs) and discovery tools in academic libraries in the USA and Canada.Design/methodology/approach – Using the same random sample of 260 colleges and universities in the USA and Canada from their original study, the authors revisited each institution's library web page to ascertain whether the OPAC interface(s) offered were the same or different than in their initial data collection. Data was collected and analyzed in October and November 2011.Findings – Discovery tool use has practically doubled in the last two years, from 16 percent to 29 percent. A total of 96 percent of academic libraries using discovery tools still provide access to their legacy catalog. The percentage of institutions using ILS OPACs with faceted navigation has increased from 2 percent to 4 percent. Combining the use of discovery tools and faceted OPACs, at least 33 percent of academic libraries are now using a faceted interface...
TL;DR: The authors examines the impact of Chinese grassroots nationalism on foreign brands on four fronts, that is, the political, cultural, economic, and consumer rights, and argues that the four fronts are interlinked and involve the participation of not only the consumer but also the government, the media, and local companies.
Abstract: A complex phenomenon, nationalism has surged worldwide in recent years and presents a serious challenge to international marketers. This article examines the impact of Chinese grassroots nationalism on foreign brands on four fronts, that is, the political, cultural, economic, and consumer rights. It argues that the four fronts are interlinked and involve the participation of not only the consumer but also the government, the media, and local companies. Thus, the effects of nationalism on foreign brands are largely mediated by these agents and manifest the most in the arena of public policy making.
TL;DR: This paper discusses the latest information on cloud computing in a library context including literature review and vendor‐provided information and concludes that cloud computing is both a trend and technology to deliver software and hardware as a service, not as a product.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the latest information on cloud computing in a library context.Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts an investigative approach including literature review and vendor‐provided information.Findings – Cloud computing is both a trend and technology to deliver software and hardware as a service, not as a product. It involves a centralized data center, virtual server space, and secure transfer of data over the internet. The alleged advantages of cloud computing include low cost to own (CTO), agile updates, openness, zero initial investment, just to name a few. Lately library system vendors have begun to deliver cloud computing options. For instance, Ex Libris will release Alma in early 2012. It is an Integrated Library System with a discovery layer based on cloud computing. Amazon (Elastic Compute Cloud called Amazon EC2) and other vendors also offer virtual servers for cloud computing and charge customers by hours, usage, and capacity. If this trend co...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined whether a pessimistic explanatory style mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and frequency of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in the past year.
Abstract: For this study the researchers recruited a random sample of college men and women (N = 390) and examined whether a pessimistic explanatory style mediated the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and frequency of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in the past year. The study found that pessimistic explanatory style was positively associated with NSSI and that pessimistic style functioned as a partial mediator of the childhood emotional abuse-NSSI relation. Clinical implications for mental health counselors are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors find that PRESAGE(®) dosimeter is overall more tissue-equivalent than water-equ equivalent before the Bragg peak, and suggest that tissue-Equivalent thickness may provide better dosimetric and geometric accuracy than water -equivalent thickness for 3D dosimetry of this proton beam.
Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the water and tissue equivalence of a new PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} 3D dosimeter for proton therapy. Methods: The GEANT4 software toolkit was used to calculate and compare total dose delivered by a proton beam with mean energy 62 MeV in a PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} dosimeter, water, and soft tissue. The dose delivered by primary protons and secondary particles was calculated. Depth-dose profiles and isodose contours of deposited energy were compared for the materials of interest. Results: The proton beam range was found to be Almost-Equal-To 27 mm for PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign }, 29.9 mm for soft tissue, and 30.5 mm for water. This can be attributed to the lower collisional stopping power of water compared to soft tissue and PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign }. The difference between total dose delivered in PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} and total dose delivered in water or tissue is less than 2% across the entire water/tissue equivalent range of the proton beam. The largest difference between total dose in PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} and total dose in water is 1.4%, while for soft tissue it is 1.8%. In both cases, this occurs at the distal end of the beam. Nevertheless, the authors find that PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} dosimeter is overall more tissue-equivalentmore » than water-equivalent before the Bragg peak. After the Bragg peak, the differences in the depth doses are found to be due to differences in primary proton energy deposition; PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} and soft tissue stop protons more rapidly than water. The dose delivered by secondary electrons in the PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} differs by less than 1% from that in soft tissue and water. The contribution of secondary particles to the total dose is less than 4% for electrons and Almost-Equal-To 1% for protons in all the materials of interest. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the new PRESAGE{sup Registered-Sign} formula may be considered both a tissue- and water-equivalent 3D dosimeter for a 62 MeV proton beam. The results further suggest that tissue-equivalent thickness may provide better dosimetric and geometric accuracy than water-equivalent thickness for 3D dosimetry of this proton beam.« less
TL;DR: Evidence is found that welfare reform significantly reduced the probability that teens from disadvantaged families dropped out of high school and decreased the probability of college enrollment among adult women at risk of welfare receipt.
Abstract: Education beyond traditional ages for schooling is an important source of human capital acquisition among adult women. Welfare reform, which began in the early 1990s and culminated in the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, promoted work rather than education acquisition for this group. Exploiting variation in welfare reform across states and over time and using relevant comparison groups, we undertake a comprehensive study of the effects of welfare reform on adult women’s education acquisition. We first estimate effects of welfare reform on high school drop-out of teenage girls, both to improve upon past research on this issue and to explore compositional changes that may be relevant for our primary analyses of the effects of welfare reform on education acquisition among adult women. We find that welfare reform significantly reduced the probability that teens from disadvantaged families dropped out of high school, by about 15%. We then estimate the effects of welfare reform on adult women's school enrollment and conduct numerous specification checks, investigate compositional selection and policy endogeneity, explore lagged effects, stratify by TANF work incentives and education policies, consider alternative comparison groups, and explore the mediating role of work. We find robust and convincing evidence that welfare reform significantly decreased the probability of college enrollment among adult women at risk of welfare receipt, by at least 20%. It also appears to have decreased the probability of high school enrollment among this group, on the same order of magnitude. Future research is needed to determine the extent to which this behavioral change translates to future economic outcomes.
01 Nov 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the cup-product structure for the cohomology ring of Z(K; (X, A)) was studied for a family of CW-pairs X, A = {(Xi, Ai)mi=1 together with an abstract simplicial complex K with m vertices.
Abstract: Davis–Januszkiewicz introduced manifolds which are now known as moment-angle manifolds over a polytope [6]. Buchstaber–Panov introduced and extensively studied moment-angle complexes defined for any abstract simplicial complex K [4]. They completely described the rational cohomology ring structure in terms of the Tor-algebra of the Stanley-Reisner algebra [4].Subsequent developments were given in work of Denham–Suciu [7] and Franz [9] which were followed by [1, 2]. Namely, given a family of based CW-pairs X, A) = {(Xi, Ai)}mi=1 together with an abstract simplicial complex K with m vertices, there is a direct extension of the Buchstaber–Panov moment-angle complex. That extension denoted Z(K;(X,A)) is known as the polyhedral product functor, terminology due to Bill Browder, and agrees with the Buchstaber–Panov moment-angle complex in the special case (X,A) = (D2, S1) [1, 2]. A decomposition theorem was proven which splits the suspension of Z(K; (X, A)) into a bouquet of spaces determined by the full sub-complexes of K.This paper is a study of the cup-product structure for the cohomology ring of Z(K; (X, A)). The new result in the current paper is that the structure of the cohomology ring is given in terms of this geometric decomposition arising from the “stable” decomposition of Z(K; (X, A)) [1, 2]. The methods here give a determination of the cohomology ring structure for many new values of the polyhedral product functor as well as retrieve many known results.Explicit computations are made for families of suspension pairs and for the cases where Xi is the cone on Ai. These results complement and extend those of Davis–Januszkiewicz [6], Buchstaber–Panov [3, 4], Panov [13], Baskakov–Buchstaber–Panov, [3], Franz, [8, 9], as well as Hochster [12]. Furthermore, under the conditions stated below (essentially the strong form of the Kunneth theorem), these theorems also apply to any cohomology theory.
TL;DR: This article investigated the effects of financial insecurity measured along two dimensions (safety nets and hardships) on two types of social interactions (participating in community organizations and having close friends) and explored the potential mediating effects of mental health.
Abstract: Little is known about the effects of financial insecurity on social interactions despite consistently observed income effects on social capital and a growing recognition of the potential importance of income volatility in affecting hardships, distress, and other aspects of well-being We use data on women participating in a longitudinal study in the US to investigate the effects of financial insecurity measured along two dimensions (safety nets and hardships) on two types of social interactions (participating in community organizations and having close friends) In auxiliary analyses we explore the potential mediating effects of mental health We find that safety nets in the form of bank accounts, credit cards, and ability to borrow money increase both participation in organizations and friendships, whereas material hardships decrease friendships but increase participation in organizations We find no evidence that mental health, as we have measured it, mediates the observed effects of financial insecurity on social interactions, although it has strong and negative independent associations with having close friends
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the tier assignment decisions for students across grade-level teams in three K-5 elementary schools implementing identical RTI models for reading, and found that teams had high overall levels of agreement with the DIBELS recommendations, especially after Grade 1 and during the winter of each year.
Abstract: Data-based decision making by teams is central to implementation of response to intervention (RTI) models. Few studies have examined the actual decision-making process within RTI systems of service delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine the tier assignment decisions for students across grade-level teams in three K–5 elementary schools implementing identical RTI models for reading. Decisions of grade-level teams primarily composed of teachers were compared against the recommendation made by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) universal screening measure during fall and winter assessments across a 2-year period. Results showed teams had high overall levels of agreement with the DIBELS recommendations, especially after Grade 1 and during the winter of each year. When teams initially disagreed with the DIBELS recommendations, increased agreement in the use of data-based decisions was present over time. Implications for the data decision-making process within an RTI model...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the feasibility of using a proton formula PRESAGE® for 3D dosimetry of small fields in a uniform scanning proton beam delivery system with dose layer stacking technology.
Abstract: Small field dosimetry is challenging due to the finite size of the conventional detectors that underestimate the dose distribution. With the fast development of the dynamic proton beam delivery system, it is essential to find a dosimeter which can be used for 3D dosimetry of small proton fields. We investigated the feasibility of using a proton formula PRESAGE® for 3D dosimetry of small fields in a uniform scanning proton beam delivery system with dose layer stacking technology. The relationship between optical density and the absorbed dose was found to be linear through small volume cuvette studies for both photon and proton irradiation. Two circular fields and three patient-specific fields were used for proton treatment planning calculation and beam delivery. The measured results were compared with the calculated results in the form of lateral dose profiles, depth dose, isodose plots and gamma index analysis. For the circular field study, lateral dose profile comparison showed that the relative PRESAGE® profile falls within ± 5% from the calculated profile for most of the spatial range. For unmodulated depth dose comparison, the agreement between the measured and calculated results was within 3% in the beam entrance region before the Bragg peak. However, at the Bragg peak, there was about 20% underestimation of the absorbed dose from PRESAGE®. For patient-specific field 3D dosimetry, most of the data points within the target volume passed gamma analysis for 3% relative dose difference and 3 mm distance to agreement criteria. Our results suggest that this proton formula PRESAGE® dosimeter has the potential for 3D dosimetry of small fields in proton therapy, but further investigation is needed to improve the dose under-response of the PRESAGE® in the Bragg peak region.
TL;DR: Using soil column experiments and data from natural watersheds, the changes in Na/Cl molar ratios during a salting cycle of aqueous-soil systems are analyzed to enhance the understanding of sodium retention and improve the scientific basis for future environmental policies intended to suppress the increase of sodium concentrations in salted watersheds.
TL;DR: Including 1–3 mM ( ca. 0.2 wt%) of any of the three investigated metal compounds in the composition of the PRESAGE ® dosimeter is found to be an efficient way to enhance the sensitivity of the dosimeter to radiation dose and stabilize its post-response for longer times.
TL;DR: In this paper, a recent campaign of drill coring boundary sections in the Atlantic coastal plain of southern New Jersey was used to identify the locations of late Maastrichtian mosasaurs.
Abstract: Key-words. - Mosasaurs, Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, Iridium. Abstract. - New data regarding the placement of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary in New Jersey is presented based on a recent campaign of drill coring boundary sections in the Atlantic coastal plain of southern New Jersey. The occurrence of late Maastrichtian mosasaurs worldwide and in New Jersey is reviewed in light of the continuing contro- versy over the rate and cause of the extinction at the K/Pg boundary. At the Meirs Farm site in Monmouth County, NJ, the biostratigraphic position of mosasaur specimens (Halisaurus platyspondylus, Mosasaurus hoffmann) is related to the occurrence of an iridium excursion of 0.5 ppb (5x background levels) in the basal Hornerstown Formation just above the upper Maastrichtian New Egypt Formation. Other specimens in museum collections obtained during the acme of nine- teenth century marl mining are from this area of the Maastrichtian outcrop belt in New Jersey. It is concluded that late Maastrichtian mosasaurs show no diminution of their biogeographic ranges and are not particularly rare in New Jersey in comparison to older mosasaur faunas. Mosasaurs became extinct in association with the collapse of the marine food web at the K/Pg boundary, and were replaced as apical marine predators in the early Danian by a variety of crocodilians.
TL;DR: In this article, an instructional method based on group emotional intelligence (GEI) theory for assisting students in addressing potential group derailment is described, and the effectiveness of the model for building strong group norms and reducing social loafing was evaluated using a comparison group design.
Abstract: Group-based learning is common practice in university classrooms. Despite the frequent student complaint of social loafing from teammates, methods for teaching students how to address teamwork issues are rarely incorporated into group assignments. Students are instructed on their final product, rather than their group process. In this article, an instructional method based on group emotional intelligence (GEI) theory for assisting students in addressing potential group derailment is described. The effectiveness of the model for building strong group norms and reducing social loafing was evaluated using a comparison group design. Formative and summative evaluation results are presented. Findings suggest that the instruction positively affected group handling of emotions and reduced social loafing behaviors.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the standardization of graphical representations of managerial accounting information at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) during the 1920s and found that this innovation in management practice promoted operational efficiency by reducing the uncertainty associated with internal informational asymmetries that frequently arise in enterprises of great scale, scope and complexity.
Abstract: Drawing principally on archival resources, this study examines the standardization of graphical representations of managerial accounting information at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) during the 1920s. This innovation in management practice promoted operational efficiency by reducing the uncertainty associated with internal informational asymmetries that frequently arise in enterprises of great scale, scope and complexity. This change also invigorated management accounting and reduced risk perceptions by providing clearer delineation of important trends and relationships in a dynamic business environment. The innovative practices extended the vision of top management and, thus, strengthened their ability to coordinate and control the enterprise’s business activities. This new form of organizational learning was also adaptive, drawing on well established approaches followed in the firm’s extensive range of scientific and engineering endeavors. It shaped corporate culture in important wa...
TL;DR: This paper explored the role of the president identifying himself as a sporting figure, which can be successful as well as detrimental in the presidents' overall public relations strategy, and found that identifying the president as a sports figure can be both beneficial and detrimental.
Abstract: This article explores the role of the president identifying himself as a sporting figure, which can be successful as well as detrimental in the presidents’ overall public relations strategy, throug...
TL;DR: In this article, exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors to describe group emotional regulation of its members: Caring Orientation, Confronting Members, and Ground Rules, and reliability and evidence of validity were strong.
Abstract: Counseling work is increasingly conducted in team format. The methods counseling teams use to manage the emotional component of their group life, or their group emotional intelligence, have been proposed as significantly contributing to group member trust, cooperation, and ultimate performance. Item development, exploratory factor analysis, and evidence of validity for the Group Emotional Intelligence Individual Regulation (GEIQ–IR) scale are described. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three factors to describe group emotional regulation of its members: Caring Orientation, Confronting Members, and Ground Rules. Reliability and evidence of validity were strong.
TL;DR: A total of 19 graduate students enrolled in a graduate course conducted 6 consecutive administrations of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV, Canadian version) test.
Abstract: A total of 19 graduate students enrolled in a graduate course conducted 6 consecutive administrations of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 4th edition (WISC-IV, Canadian version). Test ...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors study the contemporaneous co-movements of and the time-series lead/lag linkages between global stock markets after the 2008 stock market crash by using time-varying correlation analysis, principal components analysis (PCA), and Granger-causality (G-C) statistical techniques.
Abstract: The 2008 crash was the most important global stock market crash in history since the Great Depression. In this paper, we study the contemporaneous co-movements of and the time-series lead/lag linkages between global stock markets after the 2008 stock market crash by using the time-varying correlation analysis, principal components analysis (PCA), and Granger-causality (G-C) statistical techniques. We find that correlation between global stock markets has increased and the benefit of global portfolio diversification has decreased since the 2008 stock market crash. The PCA technique can group global stock markets in terms of the similarities in their contemporaneous movements. Global investors can maximize the portfolio diversification benefit by investing in stock markets with high factor loadings in different principal components. Our PCA results indicate that all Asian stock markets, except the Japanese stock market, are lumped together in one principal component and the stock markets in the rest of the world are lumped together in another principal component. Our G-C test results show that the U.S. stock market has substantial influence on the European and Australasian stock markets. U.S. stock returns lead the European and Australasian stock returns (i.e., the past returns of the U.S. stock market can predict the future returns of the European and Australasian stock markets).
30 Oct 2012
TL;DR: This paper examined the survival patterns of new firms that were created during difficult economic times (2009-2011), and how their survival rates might compare to earlier research, given that they used a more inclusive measure of births.
Abstract: This study examines the survival patterns of new firms that were created during difficult economic times (2009-2011), and how their survival rates might compare to earlier research, given that we used a more inclusive measure of births. Our findings indicate a similar survival pattern compared to previous studies for the first year of a firm’s existence but a significantly worse rate for the second year. We discuss the implications of this finding in light of our more inclusive sample and the current macro-economic climate.