Showing papers by "San Francisco State University published in 1990"

The nu-process

Abstract: As the core of a massive star collapses to form a neutron star, the flux of neutrinos in the overlying shells of heavy elements becomes so great that, despite the small cross section, substantial nuclear transmutation is induced. Neutrinos excite heavy elements and even helium to particle unbound levels. The evaporation of a single neutron or proton, and the back reaction of these nucleons on other species present, significantly alters the outcome of traditional nucleosynthesis calculations leading to a new process: nu-nucleosynthesis. Modifications to traditional hydrostatic and explosive varieties of helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, and silicon burning are considered. The results show that a large number of rare isotopes, including many of the odd-Z nuclei from boron through copper, owe much of their present abundance in nature to this process.

Cultural similarities and differences in display rules

Abstract: Two decades of cross-cultural research on the emotions have produced a wealth of information concerning cultural similarities and differences in the communication of emotion. Still, gaps in our knowledge remain. This article presents a theoretical framework that predicts cultural differences in display rules according to cultural differences in individualism-collectivism (I-C) and power distance (PD; Hofstede, 1980, 1983), and the social distinctions ingroups-outgroups and status. The model was tested using an American-Japanese comparison, where subjects in both cultures rated the appropriateness of the six universal facial expressions of emotion in eight different social situations. The findings were generally supportive of the theoretical model, and argue for the joint consideration of display rules and actual emotional behaviors in cross-cultural research.

Toward a Technology of “Nonaversive” Behavioral Support:

Abstract: Nonaversive behavior management is an approach to supporting people with undesirable behaviors that integrates technology and values. Although this approach has attracted numerous proponents, more ...

Motivational Factors and Persistence in Foreign Language Study

Abstract: The predictive ability of motivational and attitudinal factors in continuation of foreign language study beyond the second level among high-school students was investigated among students in two different geographical areas in the U.S. Three classes of French and three classes of Spanish Level 2 high-school students participated in the study. The data were collected through a survey questionnaire. Discriminant function analyses were used to address the research questions. The results of the study indicate that motivational and attitudinal factors in addition to grade level and course grade successfully discriminate between continuing and discontinuing students. Interest in culture and in learning the language thoroughly—including reading, writing, and speaking it—distinguished continuing students from discontinuing students. On the other hand, interest in fulfilling a college entrance requirement primarily characterized the discontinuing students. Grade level when taking the second level of a foreign language and grade in the foreign language course were also found to be discriminating variables. Based upon these findings, profiles of continuing and discontinuing students were constructed and recommendations are made for interventions that may promote the type of intrinsic interest in language learning indicated by continuing students.

Parenting a Child with a Disability: A Longitudinal Study of Parental Stress and Adaptation

Abstract: Mothers' experiences in parenting children with disabilities were examined in this 3-year longitudinal study. Thirty-five mother-child pairs participated in the study. Mothers and their children re...

DNA hybridization evidence of hominoid phylogeny: a reanalysis of the data.

Abstract: Sibley and Ahlquist (1984, 1987) presented the results of a study of 514 DNA-DNA hybrids among the hominoids and Old World monkeys (Cercopithecidae). They concluded that the branching order of the living hominoid lineages, from oldest to most recent, was gibbons, orangutan, gorilla, chimpanzees, and human. Thus, a chimpanzee-human clade was indicated, rather than the chimpanzee-gorilla clade usually suggested from morphological evidence. The positions of the gibbon and orangutan branches in the phylogeny are supported by substantial evidence, but whether the chimpanzee lineage branched most recently from the human lineage or from the gorilla lineage remains controversial. The conclusions of Sibley and Ahlquist (1984, 1987) have been supported by several independent studies cited by Sibley and Ahlquist (1987), plus the DNA sequence data of Hayasaka et al. (1988), Miyamoto et al. (1988), Goodman et al. (1989, 1990), and the DNA-DNA hybridization data of Caccone and Powell (1989). The laboratory and data analysis methods have been criticized by Marks et al. (1988) and Sarich et al. (1989). In response to these critics, and for our own interests, we present a reanalysis of the Sibley and Ahlquist data, including a description of the corrections applied to the "raw counts." The validity of the laboratory methods is supported by the congruence of tree topology and delta values with those of Caccone and Powell (1989), although their tetraethylammonium chloride technique differs from the hydroxyapatite method in several respects. The utility of the T50H distance measure is indicated by its congruence with percent sequence divergence at least to delta T50H 30, as noted by Goodman et al. (1990). The Sibley and Ahlquist uncorrected data indicate that Pan is genetically closer to Homo than to Gorilla, but that Gorilla may be genetically closer to Pan than to Homo. Melting curves are presented for the pertinent experiments, plus one that includes representatives of most of the groups of living primates.

Honoring the Cultural Diversity of Families When Gathering Data

Abstract: The cultural histories, values, and beliefs of families who are among the growing and diverse, non-white, non-Anglo population must be recognized and valued by early intervention specialists who provide family services. This article describes these concerns and suggests strategies for gathering information from these families.

Confronting Anthropological Ethics: Ethnographic Lessons from Central America:

Abstract: The concern with ethics in North American cultural anthropology discourages political economy research on unequal power relations and other 'dangerous' subjects. US anthropologists define ethics in narrow, largely methodological terms - informed consent, respect for traditional institutions, responsibility to future researchers, legal approval by host nations, and so on. The responsibility of the researcher to uphold 'human rights' or to document political repression and suffering is not merely dismissed by mainstream anthropology as a partisan issue outside the realm of scholarship, but is actually condemned as ethically problematic. The growing postmodernist deconstructivist approach within US anthropology allows ethnographers to obey their discipline's narrow ethical dictates through a reflexive investigation of the hermeneutics of signs and symbols devoid of political economic social context. Drawing on his fieldwork experiences in Central America, the author argues that anthropologists have a historical responsibility to address larger moral issues because their discipline's traditional research subjects - exotic others in remote Third World settings - are violently being incorporated into the world economy in a traumatic manner that often includes starvation, political repression, or even genocide. Meanwhile, in the name of ethics, North American anthropologists continue to ignore or avoid the human tragedies engulfing their 'research subjects'.

A Follow-up Study of Recent Special Education Graduates of Learning Disabilities Programs

Abstract: This study investigated the postschool vocational and community adjustment of recent special education graduates from a southwestern metropolitan school district. Sixty-four students with learning disabilities (LD) who had attended self-contained classes at 12 high schools were randomly selected. A questionnaire, administered either via the telephone or in person, was the source of data. Thirty-eight of the LD sample were in competitive employment. In general, the LD students received very few community services. For the most part, they received no agency support after graduation. Most of the LD subjects lived with parents or other relatives and most had a driver's license and car. Implications for postsecondary services and future research are discussed.

Spring Phenology: Nature's Experiment to Detect the Effect of ``Green-Up'' on Surface Maximum Temperatures

Abstract: In spring many plants break dormancy and begin foliage production The appearance of leaves (the “green-up” period) triggers a rapid increase in transpiration at the surface as well as changes in albedo Subsequently, these processes alter the thermodynamic properties of the surface layer Normally, seasonal variations in tropospheric thickness, and year-to-year variability in the green-up date, mask the impact of these effects on surface maximum temperatures In this study we used first leaf phenological data (from the clone lilac Syringa chinensis in the central and eastern United States) as the indicator of transpiration onset, in order to reveal the effects of this change from a dormant vegetative surface, perhaps comparable to the worst summertime droughts, to an active foliage-producing and transpiring vegetative surface Simple plots using average hypsometric layer-mean temperature (derived from geopotential thickness) and average surface daily maximum temperature were examined for variati

Visual Inspection and Statistical Analysis in Single-Case Designs

Abstract: Past research has questioned the reliability of visual inspection in single-case research. It has also reported or called for the use of statistical analysis in single-case research. The present study randomly selected 44 graphs from recent issues (1975–1985) of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. The study found moderate agreement (56–74%) of visual significance among a panel of five judges. The judges also detected a rather low proportion (48%) of significant differences between the adjacent phases of published graphs. A randomization test was applied to a subset (n = 15) of the graphs and found statistical significance between only four of the adjacent phases. Considerable agreement (80%) was found between the visual inspection and statistical procedures, although most of it involved agreement of the nonsignificance of treatment effects. It was recommended that future single-case research jointly utilize visual and statistical procedures when determining significance. It was also suggeste...

A Follow-Up Study Of Special Education Graduates

Abstract: This study investigated the vocational and community adjustment of 129 special education high school graduates. A questionnaire was administered via the telephone to verbal subjects, their parents, and adult service providers. All subjects had received a minimum of 3 years of self-contained (5 to 6 hours daily) special education on regular school campuses and some had received community-based instruction. The sample comprised graduates between the years 1983 and 1985; 64% were male. The employment picture was not optimistic for these individuals. When work-related placements such as day activity centers and sheltered vocational placements were counted as employment, 48% of women and 75% of men were employed. Only 33% of the sample were employed competitively; a majority of these subjects were severely learning disabled. Subjects who were mentally retarded were employed largely in subsidized work; 4 were employed competitively. Most subjects (70%) were living with their families, 15% were in group homes, 1...

Cloning, characterization, and expression of two alpha-amylase genes from Aspergillus niger var. awamori.

Abstract: Using synthetic oligonucleotide probes, we cloned genomic DNA sequences encoding an alpha-amylase gene from Aspergillus niger var. awamori (A. awamori) on a 5.8 kb EcoRI fragment. Hybridization experiments, using a portion of this cloned fragment to probe DNA from A. awamori, suggested the presence of two alpha-amylase gene copies which were subsequently cloned as 7 kb (designated as amyA) and 4 kb (amyB) HindIII fragments. DNA sequence analysis of the amyA and amyB genes revealed the following: (1) Both genes are arranged as nine exons and eight introns; (2) The nucleotide sequences of amyA and amyB are identical throughout all but the last few nucleotides of their respective coding regions; (3) The amyA and amyB genes from A. awamori share extensive homology (greater than or equal to 98% identity) with the genes encoding Taka-amylase from A. oryzae. In order to test whether both amyA and amyB were functional in the genome, we constructed vectors containing gene fusions of either amyA and amyB to bovine prochymosin cDNA and used these vectors to transform A. awamori. Transformants which contained either the amyA- or amyB-prochymosin gene fusions produced extracellular chymosin, suggesting that both genes are functional.

Generalized Effects of Conversation Skill Training

Abstract: Three high school students with severe disabilities were taught to initiate and maintain a conversation independently through a 4-min session with a communication book adaptation. Instruction occur...

Beyond the workplace metaphor: The classroom as a learning setting

Abstract: (1990). Beyond the workplace metaphor: The classroom as a learning setting. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 29, Metaphors We Learn By, pp. 94-101.

Role overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between role overload, social support, and burnout among nursing educators. Ninety percent (N = 141) of nursing educators from eight campuses of the California State University system completed a four-part questionnaire. Later, in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 nursing educators and five chairpersons. The findings indicated that a demanding job correlated, significantly and positively with almost all aspects of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization of students, and decreased sense of accomplishment). The degree of support from one's chairperson and peers correlated significantly and negatively with almost all aspects of burnout. The findings from the interviews verified these relationships. In the hierarchical regression analyses, a demanding job was the most important predictor of emotional exhaustion. Lack of peer support was the most important predictor of depersonalization towards students. Chairperson support was the most important predictor of a person's sense of accomplishment. Social support did not serve as a buffer against the negative effects of overload on burnout. It was concluded that attempts to alleviate burnout must directly address the extent of overload or the lack of support. Any attempt to mitigate the overload-burnout relationship by merely amplifying the amount of support is not likely to be effective.

Increased cage size does not alter heart rate or behavior in female rhesus monkeys

Abstract: Newly proposed federal regulations will mandate that singly caged non-human primates be kept in cages larger than the current minimum standard, or be given 4 hours in an exercise cage per week. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of increasing cage size in improving well-being, the behavioral and heart rate responses of 10 female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to three different cage sizes were measured. With the exception of vocalizations, no significant differences in behavior were obtained. Grunts increased in the largest cage, following the birth of an infant in a cage within view of the test cages. No differences with respect to cage size were found in heart rate or activity level, although there were significant variations at different times of day. We conclude that modest increases in cage size are less likely to enrich the environment of singly caged laboratory primates than are changes in social opportunities or increases in environmental complexity.

Random sampling from hash files

Abstract: In this paper we discuss simple random sampling from hash files on secondary storage. We consider both iterative and batch sampling algorithms from both static and dynamic hashing methods. The static methods considered are open addressing hash files and hash files with separate overflow chains. The dynamic hashing methods considered are Linear Hash files [Lit80] and Extendible Hash files [FNPS79]. We give the cost of sampling in terms of the cost of successfully searching a hash file and show how to exploit features of the dynamic hashing methods to improve sampling efficiency.

The Distribution of Deep Convection over Ocean and Land during the Asian Summer Monsoon

Abstract: Tle highly reflective cloud (HRC) dataset is a daily index of organized deep convection, at one degree resolution, from 17 years of polar-orbiting, satellite imagery. These data are used to analyze and discuss the climatological geographical distribution of deep convection observed over the Asian summer monsoon season and its component months (June, July, August and September). Intraseasonal variations of convection for selected regions am examined using normalized pentad time series of regional median HRC values. We also compare HRC data over two regions (western coastal India and western coastal Burma/Thailand) with the results from a two-dimensional numerical model, consisting of a simple differentially heated land-ocean system which predicts that a preponderance of deep convection occurs over the coastal zone. The Buma/Thailand regional comparison supports the model result. Comparison of the model with the western coastal India region is less conclusive, which may be due to the limitations of...

Gastric evacuation of three food types in the black and yellow rockfish Sebastes chrysomelas (Jordan and Gilbert)

Abstract: The evacuation patterns of shrimp, crab and fish from the stomachs of black and yellow rockfish, Sebastes chrysomelas, were examined by feeding meals of known size and measuring the amount remaining after various post-prandial intervals. Linear, square-root, exponential, power exponential, logistic and Gompertz models (the latter two with unrestricted lower asymptotes, or with lower asymptotes restricted to 0% food remaining) were fitted to the wet weight, dry weight and volume of food remaining in the stomach as a function of post-prandial time. Evacuation patterns ranged from steeply concave (fish wet weight, dry weight, volume, shrimp dry weight), to linear (shrimp wet weight, crab dry weight), to highly convex with lag phases of up to 30 h (crab wet weight, crab and shrimp volume). Friability, the ease with which a food item is fragmented in the stomach, may be an important factor in determining evacuation patterns. The evacuation of a crab meal by tagged, free-ranging S. chrysomelas in the field was not significantly different from that of S. chrysomelas held in the laboratory.

The CF Table

Abstract: Letf be a continuous function on the circle ¦z¦=1. We present a theory of the (untruncated) “Caratheodory-Fejer (CF) table” of best supremumnorm approximants tof in the classes\(\tilde R_{mn} \) of functions $${{\tilde r(z) = \sum\limits_{k = - \infty }^m {a_k z^k } } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\tilde r(z) = \sum\limits_{k = - \infty }^m {a_k z^k } } {\sum\limits_{k = 0}^n {b_k } z^k ,}}} \right. \kern- ulldelimiterspace} {\sum\limits_{k = 0}^n {b_k } z^k ,}}$$ , where the series converges in 1< ¦z¦ <∞. (The casem=n is also associated with the names Adamjan, Arov, and Krein.) Our central result is an equioscillation-type characterization:\(\tilde r \in \tilde R_{mn} \) is the unique CF approximant\(\tilde r^* \) tof if and only if\(f - \tilde r\) has constant modulus and winding numberω≥ m+ n+1−δ on ¦z¦=1, whereδ is the “defect” of\(\tilde r\). If the Fourier series off converges absolutely, then\(\tilde r^* \) is continuous on ¦z¦=1, andω can be defined in the usual way. For general continuousf,\(\tilde r^* \) may be discontinuous, andω is defined by a radial limit. The characterization theorem implies that the CF table breaks into square blocks of repeated entries, just as in Chebyshev, Pade, and formal Chebyshev-Pade approximation. We state a generalization of these results for weighted CF approximation on a Jordan region, and also show that the CF operator\(K:f \mapsto \tilde r^* \) is continuous atf if and only if (m, n) lies in the upper-right or lower-left corner of its square block.

Evaluating the Whole Language Approach to Language Arts

Abstract: Whole language is an approach to teaching written language that focuses on the oral language experiences of the child, and the communication of meaning through print, rather than emphasizing the te...