Showing papers by "Texas A&M University published in 1985"

A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research

Abstract: The attainment of quality in products and services has become a pivotal concern of the 1980s. While quality in tangible goods has been described and measured by marketers, quality in services is la...

Problems and strategies in services marketing

Abstract: This article compares problems and strategies cited in the services marketing literature with those reported by actual service suppliers in a study conducted by the authors. Discussion centers on s...

Corporate Governance and the Board of Directors: Performance Effects of Changes in Board Composition

Abstract: Recent advances in economic theory suggest that the board of directors is an important part of the governance structure of large business corporations (Fama and Jensen, 1983a; Williamson, 1983, 1984). The board of directors, which has the power to hire, fire, and compensate senior management teams, serves to resolve conflicts of interest among decisionmakers and residual risk bearers. This economizes the transaction (agency) costs associated with the separation (specialization) of ownership and control and facilitates the survival of the open corporation as an organizational form. Thus, it is not surprising that state corporation laws require that the affairs of business corporations be managed under the guidance of a board of directors (Cary and Eisenberg). Both economic theory and state corporation laws, however, are largely silent on matters concerning the size, composition, and structure of boards; directors' compensation; place, time, and frequency of board meetings; and so forth. The laissez-faire attitude of the state toward board composition has permitted substantial compositional diversity among the board dimensions listed above. Even among the relatively small group of very large corporations, boards may differ considerably with respect to such potentially salient

A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in Marketing

Abstract: This article addresses a significant gap in the theoretical literature on marketing ethics. This gap results from the lack of an integrated framework which clarifies and synthesizes the multiple va...

Mitochondrial DNA and two perspectives on evolutionary genetics

Abstract: This essay reviews comparative studies of animal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), with emphasis on findings made and ideas developed at Berkeley. It argues that such studies are bringing together two previous paths of progress in evolutionary biology. One path is that of those who worked far above the species level and were concerned with genealogical trees, time scales and the accumulation of new mutations on surviving molecular lineages. The other path is that of those who worked at and below the species level and were concerned mainly with population structure, migration and the frequencies of alleles that existed in an ancestral population. This fusion of paths is made possible by the high rate at which mutations accumulate on mtDNA lineages and by this molecule's uniparental and apparently haploid mode of inheritance. These properties make mtDNA a superb tool for building trees and time scales relating molecular lineages at and below the species level. In addition, owing to its mode of inheritance, mtDNA is more sensitive to bottlenecks in population size and to population subdivision than are nuclear genes. Joint comparative studies of both mtDNA and nuclear DNA variability give us valuable insights into how effective population size has varied through time. Such studies also give insight into the conditions under which mtDNA from one species can colonize another species.

Active filter design using operational transconductance amplifiers: A tutorial

Abstract: Basic properties of the operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) are discussed. Applications of the OTA in voltage-controlled amplifiers, filters, and impedances are presented. A versatile family of voltage-controlled filter sections suitable for systematic design requirements is described. The total number of components used in these circuits is small, and the design equations and voltage-control characteristics are attractive. Limitations as well as practical considerations of OTA-based filters using commercially available bipolar OTAs are discussed. Applications of OTAs in continuous-time monolithic filters are considered.

Water Wave Mechanics for Engineers and Scientists

Abstract: This book is intended as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the physical ocean sciences and engineering. It is also offered as a reference for practicing engineers. A definite need exists for texts in water wave mechanics that bring under one cover all the important theories for both regular (periodic) wave forms and irregular (spectral) waves. This book definitely satisfies this need.

Synthesis of ethylene and ethane by partial oxidation of methane over lithium-doped magnesium oxide

Abstract: The partial oxidation of methane into more useful chemicals such as methanol, ethylene and benzene has been investigated extensively, although yields for these products have been poor1–4. Moreover, in several of these processes the required oxidant is N2O rather than O2. Recent work5 in our laboratory has demonstrated that lithium-doped magnesium oxide (Li/MgO) in the presence of O2 has high activity for abstracting H from CH4 to form ·CH3 radicals. This suggests that C2H6 and C2H4 (C2 compounds) are produced by a coupling between two gaseous ·CH3 radicals formed on this catalyst. We report here our success in converting CH4 to C2 compounds in high yields in conventional catalytic conditions.

Sovereign Debt as a Contingent Claim: Excusable Default, Repudiation, and Reputation

Abstract: History suggests the following stylized facts about default on sovereign debt:(1) Defaults are associated with identifiably bad states of the world. (2) Defaults are usually partial, rather than complete.(3) Sovereign states usually are able to borrow again soon after a default. Motivated by these facts, this paper analyses a reputational equilibrium in a model that interprets sovereign debts as contingent claims that both finance investments and facilitate risk shifting. Loans are a useful device to facilitate risk shifting because they permit the prepayment of indemnities. Nevertheless, because the power to abrogate commitments without having to answer to a higher enforcement authority is an essential aspect of sovereignty, a decision by a sovereign to validate lender expectations about debt servicing depends on the sovereign's concern for its trust worthy reputation. A trustworthy reputationis valuable because it provides continued access to loans. A key aspect of the analysis is that lenders differentiate excusable default, which is associated with implicitly understood contingencies, from unjustifiable repudiation. In the reputational equilibrium, the short-run benefits from repudiation are smaller than the long-run costs from loss of a trustworthy reputation. Thus, although sovereigns sometimes excusably default, they never repudiate their debts. The reputational equilibrium can involve efficient risk shifting and efficient investment or it can involve a binding lending ceiling that limits risk shifting and can also restrict investment. The factors that tend to produce a binding lending ceiling include a high time discount rate for the sovereign, low-risk aversion forthe sovereign, and a low net return from the sovereign's investments.

Security of ramp schemes

Abstract: A k out of n p/s/r process [AS81] is a very efficient way to convey information (k words suffice to reclaim k words). But it provides virtually no cryptographic security for the information it deals with.

Towards a definition of ecological disturbance

Abstract: The terms disturbance, perturbation, and stress have been used in various ecological contexts, often synonymously, inconsistently and ambiguously. Consequently, the meaning of these terms lack any ecological rigor upon which to construct a coherent theory of ecosystem response to disturbance. Herein are some of the semantic and conceptual problems involved in defining disturbance, perturbation and stress, and proposals of working definitions as a basis for further discussion.

The New Demographics and Market Fragmentation

Abstract: The underlying premise of this article is that changing demographics will lead to a splintering of the mass markets for grocery products and supermarkets. A field study investigated the relationshi...

Heat transfer enhancement in channels with turbulence promoters

Abstract: Repeated rib-roughness elements have been used in advanced turbine cooling designs to enhance the internal heat transfer Often the ribs are perpendicular to the main flow direction so that they have an angle-of-attack of 90 degrees The objective of this investigation was to determine the effect of rib angle-of-attack on the pressure drop and the average heat-transfer coefficients in the fully developed turbulent air flow in a square duct with two opposite rib-roughened walls for Reynolds numbers varied from 7,000 to 90,000 The rib height-to-equivalent diameter ratio was kept at a constant value of 0063, the rib pitch-to-height ratio was varied from 10 to 20, and the rib angle-of-attack (alpha) was varied from 90 to 60 deg to 45 to 30 deg, respectively The thermal-performance comparison indicated that the increased heat conductance for the rib with an oblique angle to the flow (alpha = 45 deg - 30 deg) was about 10-20 percent higher than the rib with a 90 deg angle to the flow, and the pumping power requirement for the angled rib was about 20-50 percent lower than the transverse rib Semi-empirical correlations for friction factor and heat-transfer coefficients were developed to account for rib spacing and rib angle The correlations can be used in the design of turbine-blade cooling passages

Vent-type taxa in a hydrocarbon seep region on the Louisiana slope

Abstract: Recent discoveries on the northern Gulf of Mexico continental slope have altered our understanding of biological and chemical processes occurring in the deep ocean A biological community of hydrothermal vent-type organisms was recently discovered at the base of the Florida Escarpment1, where the fauna are apparently nourished by hydrogen sulphide-rich hypersaline water seeping out onto the sea floor Dense colonies of deep living chemosynthetic benthic organisms were first discovered during investigations of warm water anomalies along the axis of the Galapagos Rift in the Pacific Ocean in 19772—4, and this first discovery of clusters of clams, tube worms and other filter feeders in the immediate proximity of warm water vents has been followed by the discovery of a number of other hydrothermal vent sites, for example Guaymas Basin, East Pacific Rise at 21° N The dense population assemblages at these sites are apparently restricted to small areas of the ocean floor where hydrogen sulphide-rich water is escaping from spreading centres, but the Florida Escarpment discovery indicates that these communities can also exist on passive margins Here we report the discovery of dense biological communities associated with regions of oil and gas seepage on the Louisiana continental slope These communities of large epi- and infaunal organisms are similar to those associated with the vents of the Pacific and the hypersaline brine seeps of the Florida Escarpment Carbon isotope analyses suggest that these communities are chemosynthetic and derive their energy from hydrogen sulphide and/or hydrocarbons Similar communities may be widely distributed on the sea floor in other oil-producing regions of the ocean

Volume Transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current from Bottom Pressure Measurements

Abstract: Meausrements from bottom pressure gauges located at the north and south sides of Drake Passage are used to extend the one-year time series of volume transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) given previously by Whitworth. A small error in that paper is corrected, and a revised transport time series is presented which shows the importance of including the transport in the northern and southern margins of Drake Passage. Direct measurements of vertical shear averaged across the passage, are in good agreement with geostrophic shear and suggest that the ACC is in geostrophic balance. Although most of the ACC transport is in the baroclinic field, transport fluctuations are mainly barotropic. Transport estimates based on pressure difference alone differ from the estimates of Whitworth by less than 10 × 106 m3 s−1. Fluctuations in transport of almost half of the mean value occur over periods as short as two weeks.

Explaining Challenger Quality in Congressional Elections.

Abstract: This study seeks to explain why some incumbents attract politically experienced, well-financed challengers while others do not. Using data from contested House races in 1980, we analyze the effects of four sets of variables including: (1) incumbents' policy and nonpolicy behavior (ideological discrepancy and use of "perks" for advertising and casework); (2) local partisan conditions (previous vote margin and the normal partisan vote in the district); (3) district diversity; and (4) the national tide. We find that both short-term and long-term partisan forces (previous vote and normal vote), national tides, and policymaking behavior (ideological discrepancy) significantly affect the probability of attracting politically experienced, well-financed challengers. District diversity and incumbents' use of "perks" available for advertising and casework, on the other hand, are not related to any indicator of challenger quality.

Ammonia Volatilization from Ammonium or Ammonium-Forming Nitrogen Fertilizers

Abstract: Ammonia (NH3) loss is only one of several ways nitrogen (N) can be lost from the plant environment. Nitrogen can leach below the root zone with water, nitrate can be reduced to gaseous forms in anaerobic environments, and NH3 can be lost to the atmosphere when N fertilizer is applied to the soil surface. The intensity of loss from each mechanism depends on water content, temperature, soil texture, form of nitrogen, and other environmental factors. Fertilizer N use efficiency can vary from one environment to another. An agricultural producer can reasonably expect half of the applied N fertilizer to be recovered by the current crop. It is the portion that is unaccounted for in the crop that is addressed by much of the current research. Effective use of applied N by the crop will reduce input cost per unit of product harvested.

Breeding crop varieties for stress environments

Abstract: Plant stress is a major limitation to crop yield. The amelioration of crop environments is either impossible or costly. The breeding of crop varieties resistant to environmental stress is the most effective economical means to improve and stabilize yield under conditions of stress. Crop resistance to various environmental stresses is being improved by traditional and costly breeding methods that involve the stability of yield performance over different environments as a major criterion. Recent advances in stress physiology allow embarkation upon breeding programs that employ distinct physiological selection indices for stress tolerance. Using physiological selection indices in breeding work requires the definition of the importance and effectiveness of given physiological attributes under stress conditions, the design of a proper selection scheme within the logistic framework of the breeding program and the development of rapid and effective selection techniques. These requirements, the progress made and ...

Formation and Success of New Parties: A Cross-National Analysis

Abstract: After describing the universe of 233 new parties formed in 19 West European and Anglo-American democracies from 1960 through 1980, the authors use data on those parties to address several hypothese...

Identity verification through keyboard characteristics

Abstract: Most personal identity mechanisms in use today are artificial. They require specific actions on the part of the user, many of which are not “friendly”. Ideally, a typist should be able to approach a computer terminal, begin typing, and be identified from keystroke characteristics. Individuals exhibit characteristic cognitive properties when interacting with the computer through a keyboard. By examining the properties of keying patterns, statistics can be compiled that uniquely describe the user. Initially, a reference profile is built to serve as a basis of comparison for future typing samples. The profile consists of the average time interval between keystrokes (mean keystroke latency) as well as a collection of the average times required to strike any two successive keys on the keyboard. Typing samples are scored against the reference profile and a score is calculated assessing the confidence that the same individual typed both the sample and the reference profile. This mechanism has the capability of providing identity surveillance throughout the entire time at the keyboard.

Determinants of PAC Participation Among Large Corporations

Abstract: Political scientists and other researchers have begun to focus increasingly on the role of interest groups in American politics. In particular, they have devoted increasing attention to the political representation of institutional interests. Several studies have been published that examine various aspects of business political action committees. However, there has been a tendency to treat business PACs as pervasive or homogenous, despite the fact that most businesses do not have a PAC. This study has attempted to address this deficiency by examining the determinants of PAC participation among Fortune-ranked firms in the 1981-1982 election period. Using an exploratory expected benefits-costs framework, the study empirically tests hypotheses on the effect of organizational and contextual factors on the probability of a corporation having an active PAC. The results support several hypotheses and suggest that the expected benefits and costs of PAC activity affect a corporation's decision to form a PAC.

Is Date Rape Justifiable?: The Effects of Dating Activity, Who Initiated, Who Paid, and Men's Attitudes toward Women

Abstract: In two related studies, 268 male undergraduates rated the justifiability of date rape under various circumstances. As predicted, rape was rated as significantly more justifiable (a) if the couple went to the man's apartment rather than to a religious function, (b) if the woman asked the man out rather than vice versa (significant in Study 1 only), and (c) if the man paid all the dating expenses rather than splitting them with the woman. It was also predicted that men who were classified as traditional on the Attitudes toward Women Scale would rate rape as more justifiable than nontraditional men, especially under the three conditions mentioned above. These results were always in the predicted directions, but did not always reach statistical significance. Two explanations for the differences between traditional and nontraditional men are explored.

Public Environmental Amenity Benefits of Private Land: The Case of Prime Agricultural Land

Abstract: lins; MacMullan). The economic justification for public intervention into the private agFailure of land markets to account for en- for publc intervention into the private ag ricultural land market, however, is unclear. vironmental amenity benefits may lend sup- One fairly controversial reason given for pubport to public policies to protect agricultural inrention is e nee e e lic intervention is the need to protect the . .^ . ~...~.