Showing papers by "University of Alabama published in 1982"

The Self-Efficacy Scale: Construction and Validation:

Abstract: Self-efficacy theory asserts that personal mastery expectations are the primary determinants of behavioral change. Further, it is suggested that individual differences in past experiences and attri...

Evaluation of a QRS scoring system for estimating myocardial infarct size. II. Correlation with quantitative anatomic findings for anterior infarcts.

Abstract: This study evaluated by quantitative autopsy correlation a previously developed scoring system for estimating the size of myocardial infarcts based on the QRS complex of the electrocardiogram. This system was tested using electrocardiograms from patients with infarcts shown by autopsy to predominate in the inferior third of the left ventricle. The study was limited to patients whose electrocardiogram did not indicate left or right ventricular hypertrophy, left or right bundle branch block, or left anterior or posterior fascicular block. Thirty-one patients from 6 medical centers met these criteria. In the electrocardiogram of 28 of the 31 patients (90%), lead a VF exhibited a Q wave of at least 30 ms. The correlation coefficient between the total QRS score and the percent infarction of the left ventricle was 0.74. In patients without confounding factors in the electrocardiogram and with single infarcts, the electrocardiogram provides a marker for infarcts in the inferior third of the left ventricle and a quantitative QRS scoring system provides an estimate of infarct size.

Assessing the Impact of Short-Term Supermarket Strategy Variables:

Abstract: The authors examine the relative importance of temporary price reductions, display alternatives, and newspaper advertising to unit sales of supermarket products. The research was conducted as an in...

Words that Wound: A Tort Action for Racial Insults, Epithets, and Name-Calling

Abstract: One of the first articles to discuss the problem of hate speech, Words That Wound discusses the harms of racist speech before proposing a new tort enabling its victims to recover damages from the utterer. I later expanded the article into a book with Jean Stefancic. Entitled Understanding Words That Wound, the book covers a range of recent problems including hate speech on the Internet, campus hate speech codes, and child porn.

Early vidarabine therapy to control the complications of herpes zoster in immunosuppressed patients.

Abstract: We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the value of vidarabine therapy for the prevention of complications from herpes zoster in immunocompromised patients. Of 121 patients with localized herpes zoster of 72 hours duration or less, 63 received vidarabine and 58 received the placebo. Populations were matched for pertinent characteristics. Therapy accelerated cutaneous healing and decreased the rates of cutaneous dissemination (from 24 per cent [14 patients] to 8 per cent [5 patients]) (P = 0.014); and of zoster-related visceral complications (from 19 per cent [11 patients] to 5 per cent [3 patients]) (P = 0.015). therapy also decreased the total duration of post-herpetic neuralgia (P = 0.047). Patients with lymphoproliferative cancers and those 38 years of age or older were at greatest risk for complications and benefited most from therapy. There was no serious drug toxicity. We conclude that vidarabine therapy, when started within the first three days, is valuable for the reduction of complications related to herpes zoster.

Self-efficacy expectancy and outcome expectancy: Their relationship and their effects on behavioral intentions

Abstract: Self-efficacy theory maintains that self-efficacy expectancy, a belief about one's ability to successfully perform a behavior, is independent of outcome expectancy, a belief about the likelihood of the behavior leading to a specific outcome. This experiment tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy and outcome expectancy are independent and have independent effects on behavior change. Subjects read communications that differed in descriptions of the difficulty of learning and performing a behavior (self-efficacy expectancy) and the effectiveness of the behavior in producing a desired outcome (outcome expectancy). Results disclosed that increments in outcome expectancy increased intentions to perform the behavior. Increments in self-efficacy expectancy yielded nonsignificant increases in intentions. Also, the outcome expectancy manipulation influenced expectations of self-efficacy. When the behavior was presented as relatively difficult to perform, subjects who believed that the behavior was more likely to result in a favorable outcome expressed greater confidence in their ability to perform the behavior than those who perceived a relatively weak relationship between the behavior and its outcome. It was suggested that the degree of risk involved in attempting yet failing to perform correctly a behavior may determine the extent to which self-efficacy expectancy affects decisions about behavior.

Listeriosis in Renal Transplant Recipients: Report of an Outbreak and Review of 102 Cases

Abstract: We observed six renal transplant recipients with listeriosis during a 10-week period in the autumn of 1979. Investigation of this outbreak established that the first four cases wer close contacts, all infected by Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1b. The source of infection and route of spread were not identified. A total of 102 renal transplant recipients with listeriosis have now been reported. The major manifestation of disease was meningitis in 50% of the patients, parenchymal disease of the central nervous system in 10%, both meningitis and parenchymal disease of the central nervous system in 9%, and primary bacteremia in 30%. The overall mortality rate was 26%. Pneumonia due to L. monocytogenes, a previously neglected finding, was present in seven patients (7%); five of the seven died. The route of transmission may sometimes be respiratory. Special techniques for isolation of L. monocytogenes from sputum are usually required but not complicated. We recommend that individual renal transplant patients with listeriosis be cared for with secretion and excretion precautions and that they be treated with ampicillin and gentamicin. We advocate the serotyping of all isolates and a careful case-control analysis of all epidemics, but we do not support the use of serologic testing or surveillance cultures.

Race-of-Interviewer Effects in Telephone Interviews

Abstract: Previous studies have found a race-of-interviewer effect on survey questions dealing with racial issues. This effect has been found in both personal interviews and on questionnaires filled out in the presence of an interviewer. This study examines whether a race-of-interviewer effect is also present in telephone interviews. The results show that a race-of-interviewer effect does occur in telephone interviews on racial questions. Patrick R. Cotter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Director of Survey Research and Service in the Center for Administrative and Policy Studies at the University of Alabama. Jeffrey Cohen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama. Philip B. Coulter is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Political Science at the University of Alabama. Public Opinion Quarterly Vol. 46:278-284 ? 1982 by The Trustees of Columbia University Published by Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc. 0033-362X/82/0046-278/$2.50 1 Weeks and Moore (1981) found that an ethnicity-of-interviewer effect can occur among other groups. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.124 on Wed, 22 Jun 2016 05:39:44 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms RACE-OF-INTERVIEWER EFFECTS 279 1981). The presence of a race-of-interviewer effect has been found in both personal interviews and on questionnaires filled out in the presence of an interviewer (Sudman and Bradbum, 1974; Campbell, 1981). In recent years, survey researchers have increasingly relied on telephone interviews to conduct their surveys, primarily because of the lower per unit costs of telephone interviews. The increasing use of this method of interviewing makes it important to determine whether a factor such as race-of-interviewer influences responses in the same manner in telephone interviews as it does in other forms of surveying. There are at least two reasons why race of interviewer may have little or no effect on responses in telephone interviews. First, in telephone interviews respondents cannot see the interviewer and thus may be unable to determine the interviewer's race. As a result, respondents may feel no need to avoid offending the interviewer. Second, even if the respondent can identify the interviewer's race, the greater physical and psychological distance between respondent and interviewer in telephone surveys may reduce any need the respondent might feel to avoid offending the interviewer. A race-of-interviewer effect may, however, be present in telephone surveys. Specifically, during the interview respondents may use verbal cues to identify the race of their interviewers. This ability, along with a sense of politeness, may result in respondents seeking to avoid offending their interviewers, despite the distance between them and the interviewers.

The steady global corona

Abstract: The formation of the steady coronal structure which consists of coronal streamers and holes is seen in terms of a model employing numerical solutions of time-dependent, dissipationless, magnetohydrodynamic equations of motion applicable to the meridional plane. A coronal streamer consists of closed magnetic field lines near the solar surface with overlying and adjacent open field lines, and the atmosphere, which is stationary in the closed region, flows outward in the open region, or coronal hole. The steady coronal structure is obtained by starting the numerical calculation with a state comprising a polytropic, hydrodynamical solution to the steady-state radial equation of motion coupled with a dipole magnetic field. Global coronal configurations are calculated for values of the plasma beta which vary from 0.1 to 100. It is found that the height and lateral extension of the closed region are only weakly dependent on the data.

Epidemiologic studies of streptococcus pneumoniae in infants the effects of season and age on pneumococcal acquisition and carriage in the first 24 months of life

Abstract: In a study of the natural history of pneumococcal carriage and infection in infants enrolled at birth in Birmingham, Alabama from November 1974 to December 1975, the authors observed patterns of acquisition and carriage that appeared to be influenced by age and the season of the year. To describe more precisely these effects, the original data were used to construct multiple regression models for acquisition, carriage rates, and duration of carriage of pneumococci during the first 24 months of life. The acquisition rate was strongly seasonal, with a marked winter peak and summer low. Seasonal rate increased with age, while the duration of carriage decreased; these combined effects were reflected in the carriage rate, which increased sharply up to the age of nine months, then leveled off. While age and season accounted for a relatively small part of the variation in acquisition and carriage rates, the models were found to fit the data very well. The authors were able to analyze the data in a precise fashion, confirm earlier observations, and relate them to the work of other investigators over the past 50 years.

The dynamics of leisure motivation: the effects of outcome on leisure needs.

Abstract: Predicated upon the premise that leisure needs are socially determined and therefore dynamic qualities of leisure motivation, this field study investigated the effects of outcome (winning, losing, no outcome) of leisure participation on male and female subjects' leisure needs. Subjects were 438 players of 60 teams in the intramural basketball program comprised of competitive and recreational leagues. Factor analysis produced seven need factors, of which three dealt with interpersonal relationships, two with competence and two with escape or diversion. ANOVAs performed on the resultant factor scores showed that successful and unsuccessful leisure experiences strongly shaped subjects' needs for leisure participation, but these effects were often mediated by the sex of subjects and the competitive levels of leagues in which they played. Generally, winning and losing had just the opposite effects on males' and females' needs; winning increased females' and decreased males' needs. The effects of compe...

The complete sequence and coding content of snowshoe hare bunyavirus small (S) viral RNA species

Abstract: The complete sequence of the small (S) viral RNA species of snowshoe hare (SSH) bunyavirus has been determined, principally from a DNA copy of the RNA cloned in the E.coli plasmid pBr322. The viral S RNA (negative sense strand) is 982 nucleotides long (3.3 x 10(5) daltons) with complementary 5' and 3' end sequences. It has a base composition of 30.5%U, 25.8%A, 24.9%C and 18.7%G. In the viral complementary (plus sense) strand there are two overlapping open reading frames initiated by methionine codons. One reading frame codes for a 26.8 x 10(3) dalton protein, the other for a 10.5 x 10(3) dalton protein. The larger gene product is presumably related to the viral nucleoprotein (N) that is coded by the S RNA (Gentsch and Bishop (1978) J. Virol. 28, 417-419). The smaller gene product is probably related to the recently identified S RNA coded nonstructural protein (NSS) induced in virus infected cells (Fuller and Bishop (1982) J. Virol. 41, 643-648).

The hidden ion population of the magnetosphere

Abstract: The presence of a cold ion population in the magnetosphere which is normally hidden from particle detector observation by the positive charging of the spacecraft is reported. Ion and electron data were obtained from particle detectors on the ATS 6 and SCATHA satellites designed to measure the 1-eV to 80-keV plasma population. The cold, isotropic ion population, with temperature 1 eV and density 10-100/cu cm, was detected only when the spacecraft were in eclipse, when spacecraft potential had dropped from +10 V in sunlight to +4 to +5 V. The hidden ion population was found at geosynchronous altitude only during geomagnetically quiet times and when there has been an absence of geomagnetic activity for several hours, and appears to coexist with the plasma sheet. More consistent measurements of the cold ion population at midnight or at other local times would require the biasing of the ion detector with respect to the spacecraft, or the controlling of spacecraft potential.

Seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. A distinct immunogenetic disease

Abstract: Measurement of serum rheumatoid factor (RF) by conventional methods in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has repeatedly identified a subpopulation of patients without detectable RF. Previous investigators have consistently confirmed the association of HLA–DR4 with seropositive RA, but studies of seronegative RA have been limited and contradictory. We studied 140 randomly selected patients from Alabama, all of whom had either classic or definite RA, and we were able to obtain complete HLA typing for 110 of these individuals. Eighty were consistently seropositive (on at least 2 separate occasions) and 30 were consistently seronegative (on at least 3 separate determinations). There was no statistically significant difference between the seronegative RA patients and 123 control subjects in the distribution of DR antigens. In seropositive RA, there was a significant increase in DR4 (P P>0.001; relative risk = 0.33). The clinical data also distinguished between seropositive RA and seronegative RA; subcutaneous nodules (37.5%) and vasculitis (6.3%) were present only in seropositive RA. DR4 positivity did not correlate with any of the clinical variables measured in the seropositive RA group. In contrast, DR4 in the seronegative RA group was associated with more destructive disease. The data suggest that seronegative RA represents a disease entity clinically and immunogenetically distinct from seropositive RA. Moreover, our results indicate that DR4 may be a previously undisclosed marker for disease severity in seronegative RA.

Sodium-Neural Interactions in the Development of Spontaneous Hypertension

Abstract: The influence of alterations in sodium intake on blood pressure and indices of peripheral sympathetic activity was studied during the development of hypertension in the SHR. Male SHRs were given a diet containing either low (0.05%), normal (0.29%) or high (3.4%) sodium content beginning at 7 weeks of age. Systolic blood pressure was measured weekly by the tail cuff method in conscious animals. Three weeks after initiation of the diets 24 hour urines were collected for analysis of catecholamines. Plasma catecholamines were measured and the blood pressure response to ganglionic blockade (hexamethonium bromide, 30 mgm/kg) determined. High sodium resulted in a marked increase in the severity of hypertension that was associated with an increase in plasma and urinary norepinephrine concentration and an exaggerated depressor response to ganglionic blockade. In addition, a highly significant positive correlation was seen between plasma norepinephrine concentration and systolic blood pressure. The results are comp...

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract: Two patients with established systemic lupus erythematosus developed bullous dermatoses clinically suggestive of bullous pemphigoid (BP). Direct immunofluorescence demonstrated linear staining at the dermoepidermal junction for IgG and C3 in a pattern typical for BP. However, immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated deposits of IgG largely below the basal lamina, with little if any deposit present within the lamina lucida. These findings are consistent with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and effectively rule out BP. In addition, the leukocyte attachment assay, an in vitro assay of the functional activity of tissue-deposited immune complexes, demonstrated strong attachment of leukocytes to the dermoepidermal junction of patients' skin, suggesting that the immune reactants were functional immune complexes of possible importance to the pathogenesis of the bullous lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first time that immunoelectron microscopy has been performed on skin from patients suspected of manifesting concurrent SLE and BP. Our findings cast doubt on previous such reports by demonstrating the existence of a bullous form of SLE resembling BP both clinically and by direct immunofluorescence. (J AM ACAD DERMATOL 7:511-520, 1982.)

Syntactic and Vocabulary Development in the Written Language of Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students at Four Age Levels

Abstract: Learning disabled students demonstrate serious problems in developing written language facility. Although written expression is one of seven aspects of achievement specified in the federal guidelines for identification of learning disabled students, measurement of written language development is quite complex. The search for a single, sensitive index of written language development is compounded by the synergistic nature of written language and the influence of contrived formats used in assessment. Syntax and vocabulary are frequently employed in research on written language development. Thus, the minimal terminable unit (T-unit) and the type/token ratio have been used as indices of syntactic and vocabulary development in analyzing samples of students' written language. Recently, computer technology has permitted the use of more complex measures of syntactic density and vocabulary intensity. The purpose of this study was to compare the written language development of learning disabled and non-learning dis...

The discovery of nitrogen ions in the Earth's magnetosphere

Abstract: Operating in a mass scanning mode, the Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer (RIMS) has measured N+ and N++ ions in the magnetosphere. Both N+ and N++ are observed in the plasmasphere with N+ ions also seen flowing out of the northern polar cap at altitudes up to 3 RE. The N+ fluxes are 5 to 10% of the O+ fluxes with the N++ fluxes at 1 to 5% of the N+ fluxes.

Radiographic mottle: a comprehensive theory.

Abstract: A comprehensive theory of radiographic density fluctuations is developed. The theory incorporates film granularity, quantum mottle, the absorbed x-ray photon energy distribution, fluctuations in phosphor light photon yield, and phosphor coating weight variations. The resulting expressions allow one to calculate the density fluctuations or, alternatively, the Wiener spectrum that will be obtained with a radiographic screen/film system from the physical parameters of the system. Reasonable agreement is obtained between experimental results and calculated values for three typical screen/film systems. An expression is also derived for the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) of screen/film systems, and the results of DQE calculations are presented for a commonly used screen/film combination as a function of density and of object size.

Analysis of the genomes of bluetongue viruses recovered from different states of the United States and at different times.

Abstract: The ribonucleic acid (RNA) genomes of the original representatives of the four serotypes of bluetongue virus (BTV) isolated from the United States (BTV-10, BTV-11, BTV-13 and BTV-17) have been analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Ten double-stranded RNA species were resolved for each virus and categorized into the size classes of large (L segments #1-3), medium (M segments #4-6) and small (S segments #7-10). Minor electrophoretic mobility differences were observed for the M5 and S10 RNA segments of BTV-10 by comparison with the other US prototype viruses. The oligonucleotide fingerprints of the individual RNA species of BTV-11 were obtained and compared to each other providing proof that each of the viral double-stranded RNA species contains unique genetic information. Alternate isolates of BTV-11 isolated in the same year (1973), but from different states (Texas, Idaho, California and Oregon), or in different years (1963, 1970, 1974 and 1975), but from the same state (Colorado), have been analyzed by both RNA gel electrophoresis and L, M and S RNA oligonucleotide fingerprinting. When compared to the individual RNA fingerprints of the US prototype BTV-11 strain, the results indicated that there has been both genetic drift (accumulation of point mutations) and recombination (RNA segment reassortment) for BTV-11 in the United States over a 12-year period since 1963.