Showing papers by "University of Michigan published in 1997"
TL;DR: In this article, Naiman et al. pointed out that harnessing of streams and rivers comes at great cost: Many rivers no longer support socially valued native species or sustain healthy ecosystems that provide important goods and services.
Abstract: H umans have long been fascinated by the dynamism of free-flowing waters. Yet we have expended great effort to tame rivers for transportation, water supply, flood control, agriculture, and power generation. It is now recognized that harnessing of streams and rivers comes at great cost: Many rivers no longer support socially valued native species or sustain healthy ecosystems that provide important goods and services (Naiman et al. 1995, NRC 1992).
5,799 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors offer objectification theory as a framework for understanding the experiential consequences of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body, and propose a framework to understand the effects of objectification on women.
Abstract: This article offers objectification theory as a framework for understanding the experiential consequences of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body. Objectification the...
4,003 citations
TL;DR: Applying photovoice to public health promotion, the authors describe the methodology and analyze its value for participatory needs assessment.
Abstract: Photovoice is a process by which people can identify, represent, and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique. As a practice based in the production of knowledge, photovoice has three main goals: (1) to enable people to record and reflect their community's strengths and concerns, (2) to promote critical dialogue and knowledge about important issues through large and small group discussion of photographs, and (3) to reach policymakers. Applying photovoice to public health promotion, the authors describe the methodology and analyze its value for participatory needs assessment. They discuss the development of the photovoice concept, advantages and disadvantages, key elements, participatory analysis, materials and resources, and implications for practice.
3,862 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide evidence that firms manage reported earnings to avoid earnings decreases and losses and find evidence that two components of earnings, cash flow from operations and changes in working capital, are used to achieve increases in earnings.
3,645 citations
TL;DR: Findings underscore the need for research efforts to identify the complex ways in which economic and non-economic forms of discrimination relate to each other and combine with socio-economic position and other risk factors and resources to affect health.
Abstract: This article examines the extent to which racial differences in socio-economic status (SES), social class and acute and chronic indicators of perceived discrimination, as well as general measures of stress can account for black-white differences in self-reported measures of physical and mental health. The observed racial differences in health were markedly reduced when adjusted for education and especially income. However, both perceived discrimination and more traditional measures of stress are related to health and play an incremental role in accounting for differences between the races in health status. These findings underscore the need for research efforts to identify the complex ways in which economic and non-economic forms of discrimination relate to each other and combine with socio-economic position and other risk factors and resources to affect health.
3,541 citations
TL;DR: There have been a number of research programs that have investigated students' thinking and beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing, including definitions of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge evaluation is evaluated.
Abstract: There have been a number of research programs that have investigated students’ thinking and beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing, including definitions of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge is evaluated. However, these different research programs have pursued varying definitions and conceptual frameworks and used quite different methodologies to examine students’ epistemological beliefs and thinking. In the first section of this article, we provide a critical and comprehensive review of these different research programs. In the second part of this article, we identify nine crucial theoretical and methodological issues that need to be resolved in future research on epistemological theories. As these issues are addressed in future research, there will be more consensus regarding the nature of epistemological theories, and their relation to cognition, motivation, and learning will be made more explicit.
2,830 citations
TL;DR: The proapoptotic function of BAD is regulated by the PI 3-kinase-Akt pathway, and active, but not inactive, forms of Akt were found to phosphorylate BAD in vivo and in vitro at the same residues that are phosphorylated in response to IL-3.
Abstract: BAD is a distant member of the Bcl-2 family that promotes cell death. Phosphorylation of BAD prevents this. BAD phosphorylation induced by interleukin-3 (IL-3) was inhibited by specific inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). Akt, a survival-promoting serine-threonine protein kinase, was activated by IL-3 in a PI 3-kinase-dependent manner. Active, but not inactive, forms of Akt were found to phosphorylate BAD in vivo and in vitro at the same residues that are phosphorylated in response to IL-3. Thus, the proapoptotic function of BAD is regulated by the PI 3-kinase-Akt pathway.
2,321 citations
TL;DR: A suite of divalent metal (Ca, Cd, Ba) carbonates was synthesized over the temperature range 10-40°C by the classical method of slowly bubbling N 2 through a bicarbonate solution.
2,187 citations
2,147 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the organic matter content of sediments is inferred from bulk properties such as elemental compositions, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, Rock-Eval pyrolysis data, and organic petrography.
1,947 citations
TL;DR: The results show that alcohol abuse and dependence are often associated with other lifetime NCS/DSM-III-R disorders and suggest that, at least in recent cohorts, the alcohol use disorders are usually temporally secondary.
Abstract: Objective: To study patterns of co-occurrence of lifetimeDSM-III-Ralcohol disorders in a household sample. Methods: Data came from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), a nationally representative household survey. Diagnoses were based on a modified version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results: Respondents with lifetimeNCS/DSM-III-Ralcohol abuse or dependence had a high probability of carrying at least 1 other lifetimeNCS/DSM-III-Rdiagnosis. Retrospective reports have suggested that most lifetime co-occurring alcohol disorders begin at a later age than at least 1 other NCS/DSM-III-Rdisorder. Earlier disorders are generally stronger predictors of alcohol dependence than alcohol abuse and stronger among women than men. Lifetime co-occurrence is positively, but weakly, associated with the persistence of alcohol abuse among men and of alcohol dependence among both men and women. Conclusions: Caution is needed in interpreting the results due to the fact that diagnoses were made by nonclinicians and results are based on retrospective reports of the age at onset. Within the context of these limitations, though, these results show that alcohol abuse and dependence are often associated with other lifetimeDSM-III-Rdisorders and suggest that, at least in recent cohorts, the alcohol use disorders are usually temporally secondary. Prospective data and data based on clinically confirmed diagnoses are needed to verify these findings.
TL;DR: In this paper, a structural theory of racism based on the notion of racialized social systems is proposed, which is based on Fanon's notion of racism as a mental quirk.
Abstract: The study of race and ethnic conflict historically has been hampered by inadequate and simplistic theories. I contend that the central problem of the various approaches to the study of racial phenomena is their lack of a structural theory of racism. I review traditional approaches and alternative approaches to the study of racism, and discuss their limitations. Following the leads suggested by some of the alternative frameworks, I advance a structural theory of racism based on the notion of racialized social systems. "The habit of considering racism as a mental quirk, as a psychological flaw, must be abandoned." -Frantz Fanon (1967:77) he area of race and ethnic studies lacks a _ sound theoretical apparatus. To complicate matters, many analysts of racial matters have abandoned the serious theorization and reconceptualization of their central topic: racism. Too many social analysts researching racism assume that the phenomenon is selfevident, and therefore either do not provide a definition or provide an elementary definition (Schuman, Steeh, and Bobo 1985; Sniderman and Piazza 1993). Nevertheless, whether implicitly or explicitly, most analysts regard racism as a purely ideological phenomenon.
TL;DR: In this paper, a multinomial log-linear regression was performed for the simultaneous prediction of organ-confined disease, isolated capsular penetration, seminal vesicle involvement, or pelvic lymph node involvement.
Abstract: Objective. —To combine the clinical data from 3 academic institutions that serve as centers of excellence for the surgical treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer and develop a multi-institutional model combining serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, clinical stage, and Gleason score to predict pathological stage for men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Design. —In this update, we have combined clinical and pathological data for a group of 4133 men treated by several surgeons from 3 major academic urologic centers within the United States. Multinomial log-linear regression was performed for the simultaneous prediction of organ-confined disease, isolated capsular penetration, seminal vesicle involvement, or pelvic lymph node involvement. Bootstrap estimates of the predicted probabilities were used to develop nomograms to predict pathological stage. Additional bootstrap analyses were then obtained to validate the performance of the nomograms. Patients and Settings. —A total of 4133 men who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (n=3116), Baylor College of Medicine (n=782), and the University of Michigan School of Medicine (n=235) were enrolled into this study. None of the patients had received preoperative hormonal or radiation therapy. Outcome Measures. —Simultaneous prediction of organ-confined disease, isolated capsular penetration, seminal vesicle involvement, or pelvic lymph node involvement using updated nomograms. Results. —Prostate-specific antigen level, TNM clinical stage, and Gleason score contributed significantly to the prediction of pathological stage ( P Conclusions. —The data represent a multi-institutional modeling and validation of the clinical utility of combining PSA level measurement, clinical stage, and Gleason score to predict pathological stage for a group of men with localized prostate cancer. Clinicians can use these nomograms when counseling individual patients regarding the probability of their tumor being a specific pathological stage; this will enable patients and physicians to make more informed treatment decisions based on the probability of a pathological stage, as well as risk tolerance and the values they place on various potential outcomes.
TL;DR: Recombinant Agouti-related protein was a potent, selective antagonist of Mc3r and Mc4r, melanocortin receptor subtypes implicated in weight regulation and is a neuropeptide implicated in the normal control of body weight downstream of leptin signaling.
Abstract: Expression of Agouti protein is normally limited to the skin where it affects pigmentation, but ubiquitous expression causes obesity. An expressed sequence tag was identified that encodes Agouti-related protein, whose RNA is normally expressed in the hypothalamus and whose levels were increased eightfold in ob/ob mice. Recombinant Agouti-related protein was a potent, selective antagonist of Mc3r and Mc4r, melanocortin receptor subtypes implicated in weight regulation. Ubiquitous expression of human AGRP complementary DNA in transgenic mice caused obesity without altering pigmentation. Thus, Agouti-related protein is a neuropeptide implicated in the normal control of body weight downstream of leptin signaling.
TL;DR: A historical perspective on a body of steroid receptor research dealing with the structure and physiological significance of the untransformed 9S receptor is provided, and it is shown that hsp90 itself exists in a variety of native multiprotein heterocomplexes independent of steroid receptors and other 'substrate' proteins.
Abstract: We have provided a historical perspective on a body of steroid receptor research dealing with the structure and physiological significance of the untransformed 9S receptor that has often confused both novice and expert investigators. The frequent controversies and equivocations of earlier studies were due to the fact that the native, hormone-free state of these receptors is a large multiprotein complex that resisted description for many years because of its unstable and dynamic nature. The untransformed 9S state of the steroid and dioxin receptors has provided a unique system for studying the function of the ubiquitous, abundant, and conserved heat shock protein, hsp90. The hormonal control of receptor association with hsp90 provided a method of manipulating the receptor heterocomplex in a manner that was physiologically meaningful. For several steroid receptors, binding to hsp90 was required for the receptor to be in a native hormone-binding state, and for all of the receptors, hormone binding promoted dissociation of the receptor from hsp90 and conversion of the receptor to the DNA-binding state. Although the complexes between tyrosine kinases and hsp90 were discovered earlier, the hormonal regulation or steroid receptor association with hsp90 permitted much more rapid and facile study of hsp90 function. The observations that hsp90 binds to the receptors through their HBDs and that these domains can be fused to structurally different proteins bringing their function under hormonal control provided a powerful linkage between the hormonal regulation of receptor binding to hsp90 and the initial step in steroid hormone action. Because the 9S receptor hsp90 heterocomplexes could be physically stabilized by molybdate, their protein composition could be readily studied, and it became clear that these complexes are multiprotein structures containing a number of unique proteins, such as FKBP51, FKBP52, CyP-40, and p23, that were discovered because of their presence in these structures. Further analysis showed that hsp90 itself exists in a variety of native multiprotein heterocomplexes independent of steroid receptors and other 'substrate' proteins. Cell-free systems can now be used to study the formation of receptor heterocomplexes. As we outlined in the scheme of Fig. 1, the multicomponent receptor-hsp90 heterocomplex assembly system is being reconstituted, and the importance of individual proteins, such as hsp70, p60, and p23, in the assembly process is becoming recognized. It should be noted that our understanding of the mechanism and purpose of steroid receptor heterocomplex assembly is still at an early stage. We can now speculate on the roles of receptor-associated proteins in receptor action, both as individuals and as a group, but their actual functions are still vague or unknown. We can make realistic models about the chaperoning and trafficking of steroid receptors, but we don't yet know how these processes occur, we don't know where chaperoning occurs in the cell (e.g. Is it limited to the cytoplasm? Is it a diffuse process or does chaperoning occur in association with structural elements?), and, with the exception of the requirement for hormone binding, we don't know the extent to which the hsp90-based chaperone system impacts on steroid hormone action. It is not yet clear how far the discovery of this hsp90 heterocomplex assembly system will be extended to the development of a general understanding of protein processing in the cell. Because this assembly system is apparently present in all eukaryotic cells, it probably performs an essential function for many proteins. The bacterial homolog of hsp90 is not an essential protein, but hsp90 is essential in eukaryotes, and recent studies indicate that the development of the cell nucleus from prokaryotic progenitors was accompanied by the duplication of genes for hsp90 and hsp70 (698). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)
TL;DR: The DR4-TRAIL axis defines another receptor-ligand pair involved in regulating cell suicide and tissue homeostasis.
Abstract: TRAIL (also known as Apo-2L) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) ligand family that rapidly induces apoptosis in a variety of transformed cell lines. The human receptor for TRAIL was found to be an undescribed member of the TNF-receptor family (designated death receptor-4, DR4) that contains a cytoplasmic "death domain" capable of engaging the cell suicide apparatus but not the nuclear factor kappa B pathway in the system studied. Unlike Fas, TNFR-1, and DR3, DR4 could not use FADD to transmit the death signal, suggesting the use of distinct proximal signaling machinery. Thus, the DR4-TRAIL axis defines another receptor-ligand pair involved in regulating cell suicide and tissue homeostasis.
TL;DR: Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to examine brain activation in human subjects during performance of a working memory task and to show that prefrontal cortex along with parietal cortex appears to play a role in active maintenance.
Abstract: Working memory is responsible for the short-term storage and online manipulation of information necessary for higher cognitive functions, such as language, planning and problem-solving. Traditionally, working memory has been divided into two types of processes: executive control (governing the encoding manipulation and retrieval of information in working memory) and active maintenance (keeping information available 'online'). It has also been proposed that these two types of processes may be subserved by distinct cortical structures, with the prefrontal cortex housing the executive control processes, and more posterior regions housing the content-specific buffers (for example verbal versus visuospatial) responsible for active maintenance. However, studies in non-human primates suggest that dorsolateral regions of the prefrontal cortex may also be involved in active maintenance. We have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activation in human subjects during performance of a working memory task. We used the temporal resolution of this technique to examine the dynamics of regional activation, and to show that prefrontal cortex along with parietal cortex appears to play a role in active maintenance.
TL;DR: In this paper, an agent-based adaptive model is proposed to reveal the effects of a mechanism of convergent social influence, where actors are placed at fixed sites and the basic premise is that the more similar an actor is to a neighbor, the more likely that that actor will adopt one of the neighbor's traits.
Abstract: Despite tendencies toward convergence, differences between individuals and groups continue to exist in beliefs, attitudes, and behavior. An agent-based adaptive model reveals the effects of a mechanism of convergent social influence. The actors are placed at fixed sites. The basic premise is that the more similar an actor is to a neighbor, the more likely that that actor will adopt one of the neighbor's traits. Unlike previous models of social influence or cultural change that treat features one at a time, the proposed model takes into account the interaction between different features. The model illustrates how local convergence can generate global polarization. Simulations show that the number of stable homogeneous regions decreases with the number of features, increases with the number of alternative traits per feature, decreases with the range of interaction, and (most surprisingly) decreases when the geographic territory grows beyond a certain size. MAINTENANCE OF DIFFERENCES If people tend to become more alike in their beliefs, attitudes, and behavior when they interact, why do not all such differences eventually disappear? Social scientists have proposed many mechanisms to answer this question. The purpose of this article is to explore one more mechanism. The mechanism proposed here deals with how people do indeed become more similar as they interact, but also provides an explanation of why the tendency to converge stops before it reaches completion. It therefore provides a new type of explanation of why we do not all become alike. Because the proposed mechanism can exist alongside other mechanisms, it can be regarded as complementary with older explanations rather than necessarily competing with them. Unfortunately, no good term describes the range of things about which people can influence each other. Although beliefs, attitudes, and behavior cover a wide range indeed, there are still more things over which interpersonal influence extends, such as language, art, technical standards, and social norms. The most generic term for the
Book•
23 May 1997TL;DR: The Shadow of Language Glossary as mentioned in this paper is a collection of glossaries about the history of racism in the United States and its relationship to the use of language in the educational system.
Abstract: Preface Introduction: Language Ideology or Science Fiction? 1. The Linguistic Facts of Life 2. Language in Motion 3. The Myth of Non-Accent 4. The Standard Language Myth 5. Language Subordination 6. The Educational System: Fixing the Message in Stone 7. Teaching Children How to Discriminate (What We Learn From the Big Bad Wolf) 8. The Information Industry 9. Real People with a Real Language: The Workplace and the Judicial System 10. The Real Trouble with Black English 11. Hillbillies, Hicks & Southern Belles: The Language Rebels 12. Defying Paradise: Hawai'i 13. The Other In The Mirror 14. !Ya Basta! 15. The Unassimilable Races: What It Means To Be Asian 16. Case Study: Moral Panic in Oakland 17. Case Study: Linguistic Profiling and Fair Housing 18. Conclusions: Civil (Dis)obedience And The Shadow of Language Glossary Bibliography I Bibliography II
TL;DR: The result suggests a functional importance for the posterior cingulate cortex in impairment of learning and memory, which is a feature of very early Alzheimer's disease.
Abstract: This study investigated cerebral glucose metabolism in very early Alzheimer's disease, before a clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease is possible, using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. First, 66 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease with a spectrum of dementia severity (Mini-Mental State Examination score, 0-23) were recruited and studied. Cortical metabolic activity was analyzed topographically using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections. Regression analysis was performed for each brain pixel to predict metabolic patterns of very early disease. Predictions were tested prospectively in a group of 8 patients who complained only of memory impairment without general cognitive decline (Mini-Mental State Examination score, 25 +/- 1) at the time of scanning but whose condition later progressed to probable Alzheimer's disease. Both results were compared to cerebral metabolic activity in 22 age-similar normal control subjects. Prediction and analysis of actual patients consistently indicated marked metabolic reduction (21-22%) in the posterior cingulate cortex and cinguloparietal transitional area in patients with very early Alzheimer's disease. Mean metabolic reduction in the posterior cingulate cortex was significantly greater than that in the lateral neocortices or parahippocampal cortex. The result suggests a functional importance for the posterior cingulate cortex in impairment of learning and memory, which is a feature of very early Alzheimer's disease.
TL;DR: Ectopic expression of TRID protected mammalian cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which is consistent with a protective role.
Abstract: TRAIL, also called Apo2L, is a cytotoxic protein that induces apoptosis of many transformed cell lines but not of normal tissues, even though its death domain-containing receptor, DR4, is expressed on both cell types. An antagonist decoy receptor (designated as TRID for TRAIL receptor without an intracellular domain) that may explain the resistant phenotype of normal tissues was identified. TRID is a distinct gene product with an extracellular TRAIL-binding domain and a transmembrane domain but no intracellular signaling domain. TRID transcripts were detected in many normal human tissues but not in most cancer cell lines examined. Ectopic expression of TRID protected mammalian cells from TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which is consistent with a protective role. Another death domain-containing receptor for TRAIL (designated as death receptor-5), which preferentially engaged a FLICE (caspase-8)-related death protease, was also identified.
TL;DR: The authors found that discussions of course content with other students outside class and membership in religious and social-community organizations are strongly associated with students' sense of belonging, while perceptions of a hostile racial climate have direct negative effects on students' feeling of belonging in the third year.
Abstract: To clarify the conceptual underpinnings of V. Tinto's theoretical model of students' departure, the study presented here tested a conceptual model of the antecedents of sense of belonging to examine the extent to which Latino students' background characteristics and college experiences in the first and second years contribute to their sense of belonging in the third year. The study found that discussions of course content with other students outside class and membership in religious and social-community organizations are strongly associated with students' sense of belonging. First-year experiences have positive effects, while perceptions of a hostile racial climate have direct negative effects on students' sense of belonging in the third year. The results suggest that greater attention needs to be paid to minority students' subjective sense of integration in campus life, temporal sequencing of college experiences and new avenues for understanding students' adjustment to college
TL;DR: H-RasV12-induced transformation can lead to the production of ·O2− through one or more pathways involving a flavoprotein and Rac1, suggesting a possible mechanism for the effects of antioxidants against Ras-induced cellular transformation.
Abstract: NIH 3T3 fibroblasts stably transformed with a constitutively active isoform of p21(Ras), H-RasV12 (v-H-Ras or EJ-Ras), produced large amounts of the reactive oxygen species superoxide (.O2-). .O2- production was suppressed by the expression of dominant negative isoforms of Ras or Rac1, as well as by treatment with a farnesyltransferase inhibitor or with diphenylene iodonium, a flavoprotein inhibitor. The mitogenic activity of cells expressing H-RasV12 was inhibited by treatment with the chemical antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity was decreased and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was not activated in H-RasV12-transformed cells. Thus, H-RasV12-induced transformation can lead to the production of .O2- through one or more pathways involving a flavoprotein and Rac1. The implication of a reactive oxygen species, probably .O2-, as a mediator of Ras-induced cell cycle progression independent of MAPK and JNK suggests a possible mechanism for the effects of antioxidants against Ras-induced cellular transformation.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate whether there are conditions under which there are tradeoffs between customer satisfaction and productivity, and propose a conceptual framework useful in resolving these contradictory viewpoints, which serves, in turn, as a basis for developing a theoretical model relating customer satisfaction with productivity.
Abstract: There is widespread belief that firms should pursue superiority in both customer satisfaction and productivity. However, there is reason to believe these two goals are not always compatible. If a firm improves productivity by “downsizing,” it may achieve an increase in productivity in the short-term, but future profitability may be threatened if customer satisfaction is highly dependent on the efforts of personnel. If so, there are potential tradeoffs between customer satisfaction and productivity for industries as diverse as airlines, banking, education, hotels, and restaurants. Managers in these types of service industries, as well as goods industries in which the service component is increasing, need to understand whether or not this is the case. For example, if efforts to improve productivity can actually harm customer satisfaction---and vice-versa---the downsizing of U.S. and European companies should be viewed with concern. It follows that developing a better understanding of how customer satisfaction and productivity relate to one another is of substantial and growing importance, especially in light of expected continued growth in services throughout the world economy.
The objective of this paper is to investigate whether there are conditions under which there are tradeoffs between customer satisfaction and productivity. A review of the literature reveals two conflicting viewpoints. One school of thought argues that customer satisfaction and productivity are compatible, as improvements in customer satisfaction can decrease the time andeffort devoted to handling returns, rework, warranties, and complaint management, while at the same time lowering the cost of making future transactions. The second argues that increasing customer satisfaction should increase costs, as doing so often requires efforts to improve product attributes or overall product design.
A conceptual framework useful in resolving these contradictory viewpoints is developed. The framework serves, in turn, as a basis for developing a theoretical model relating customer satisfaction and productivity. The model predicts that customer satisfaction and productivity are less likely to be compatible when: 1 customer satisfaction is relatively more dependent on customization---the degree to which the firm's offering is customized to meet heterogeneous customers' needs---as opposed to standardization---the degree to which the firm's offering is reliable, standardized, and free from deficiencies; and 2 when it is difficult costly to provide high levels of both customization and standardization simultaneously.
To move forward from the model's propositions to the development of testable hypotheses, we argue that services are more likely than goods to have the preceding characteristics. Hence, tradeoffs between customer satisfaction and productivity should be more prevalent for services than for goods. Although this classification is not precise---many services are standardizable and many goods have a service component---it has the advantage of allowing an initial test of the propositions.
The empirical work employs a database matching customer-based measures of firm performance with traditional measures of business performance, such as productivity and Return on Investment ROI. The central feature of this database is the set of customer satisfaction indices provided by the Swedish Customer Satisfaction Barometer SCSB. The SCSB provides a uniform set of comparable customer-based firm performance measures and offers a unique opportunity to test the study's hypotheses.
The findings indicate that the association between changes in customer satisfaction and changes in productivity is positive for goods, but negative for services. In addition, while both customer satisfaction and productivity are positively associated with ROI for goods and services, the interaction between the two is positive for goods but significantly less so for services.
Taken together, the findings suggest support for the contention that tradeoffs are more likely for services. Hence, simultaneous attempts to increase both customer satisfaction and productivity are likely to be more challenging in such industries. Of course, this does not imply that such firms should not seek improvements in both productivity and customer satisfaction. For example, appropriate applications of information technology may improve both customer satisfaction and productivity simultaneously.
The findings should provide motivation for future research concerning the nature of customer satisfaction and productivity, as well as appropriate strategy and tactics for each one. It is worth emphasizing that this is an issue that is not only important today, but certainly will become even more important in the future. As the growth of services continues and world markets become increasingly competitive, the importance of customer satisfaction will also increase. To compete in such a world, firms must strike the right balance between their efforts to compete efficiently and their efforts to compete effectively.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The preliminary data indicates the FLACC pain assessment tool is valid and reliable and supported by the correlation with scores assigned by the Objective Pain Scale (OPS) and nurses' global ratings of pain.
Abstract: Purpose To evaluate the reliability and validity of the FLACC Pain Assessment Tool which incorporates five categories of pain behaviors: facial expression; leg movement; activity; cry; and consolability. Method Eighty-nine children aged 2 months to 7 years, (3.0 +/- 2.0 yrs.) who had undergone a variety of surgical procedures, were observed in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). The study consisted of: 1) measuring interrater reliability; 2) testing validity by measuring changes in FLACC scores in response to administration of analgesics; and 3) comparing FLACC scores to other pain ratings. Findings The FLACC tool was found to have high interrater reliability. Preliminary evidence of validity was provided by the significant decrease in FLACC scores related to administration of analgesics. Validity was also supported by the correlation with scores assigned by the Objective Pain Scale (OPS) and nurses' global ratings of pain. Conclusions The FLACC provides a simple framework for quantifying pain behaviors in children who may not be able to verbalize the presence or severity of pain. Our preliminary data indicates the FLACC pain assessment tool is valid and reliable.
TL;DR: In this article, a combination of Procrustes analysis and thin-plate splines is used to assign point-to-point correspondences, called semi-landmarks, between curves of similar but variable shape.
TL;DR: Multiple exposures to ultraviolet irradiation lead to sustained elevations of matrix metalloproteinases that degrade skin collagen and may contribute to photoaging.
Abstract: Background Long-term exposure to ultraviolet irradiation from sunlight causes premature skin aging (photoaging), characterized in part by wrinkles, altered pigmentation, and loss of skin tone. Photoaged skin displays prominent alterations in the collagenous extracellular matrix of connective tissue. We investigated the role of matrix-degrading metalloproteinases, a family of proteolytic enzymes, as mediators of collagen damage in photoaging. Methods We studied 59 whites (33 men and 26 women, ranging in age from 21 to 58 years) with light-to-moderate skin pigmentation, none of whom had current or prior skin disease. Only some of the participants were included in each of the studies. We irradiated their buttock skin with fluorescent ultraviolet lights under standard conditions and obtained skin samples from irradiated and nonirradiated areas by keratome or punch biopsy. In some studies, tretinoin and its vehicle were applied to skin under occlusion 48 hours before ultraviolet irradiation. The expression of ...
TL;DR: The authors found evidence that most people see their work as either a job (focus on financial rewards and necessity rather than pleasure or fulfillment; not a major positive part of life), a career, or a calling, while enjoying the enjoyment of fulfilling, socially useful work.
TL;DR: It is provided evidence that CLV1 expression in the inflorescence is specifically associated with meristematic activity, suggesting a role in signal transduction.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new theoretical framework, executive-process interactive control (EPIC), is introduced for characterizing human performance of concurrent perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks, and computational models may be formulated to simulate multiple-task performance under a variety of circumstances.
Abstract: A new theoretical framework, executive-process interactive control (EPIC), is introduced for characterizing human performance of concurrent perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks. On the basis of EPIC, computational models may be formulated to simulate multiple-task performance under a variety of circumstances. These models account well for reaction-time data from representative situations such as the psychological refractory-period procedure. EPIC's goodness of fit supports several key conclusions: (a) At a cognitive level, people can apply distinct sets of production rules simultaneously for executing the procedures of multiple tasks; (b) people's capacity to process information at "peripheral" perceptual-motor levels is limited; (c) to cope with such limits and to satisfy task priorities, flexible scheduling strategies are used; and (d) these strategies are mediated by executive cognitive processes that coordinate concurrent tasks adaptively.