Showing papers by "University of North Carolina at Wilmington published in 1995"

Tracking service failures and employee recovery efforts

Abstract: Demonstrates a method for examining service failures and recovery strategies in service industries and provides a typology of service failures and recoveries in the restaurant industry. Based on 373 critical incidents collected from restaurant customers, uses the critical incident technique (CIT) to identify 11 unique failure types and eight different recovery strategies. Additional data regarding the magnitude of the service failure, the service recovery rating, the lapsed time since the failure/recovery incident, and customer retention rates were also collected. Presents this information along with managerial and research implications.

Flow hydrodynamics in tidal marsh canopies

Abstract: The transport of particulate and dissolved matter on the surface of coastal marshes is controlled by the hydrodynamic characteristics of over-marsh flows. High-frequency (5 Hz) in situ measurements of flow speed were collected in Spartina alternijlora, Juncus roemerianus, and Di:-tichlis spicata canopies using hot-film anemometry sensor arrays. These data indicate that mean flow speed, turbulence intensity, and the shape of the vertical speed profile are influenced by variations in plant morphology and stem density. Mean flow speed and turbulence intensity are inversely related to stem density and to distance from the creek edge. Flow energies decrease by about one order of magnitude when flows encounter the vegetated marsh surface and continue to decrease as vegetation density increa,ses. Turbulent flow energy also decays exponentially with increasing distance from the creek edge. Reductions in flow speed coupled with energy decay provide a hydrologic mechanism for sediment deposition patterns commonly observed in marsh systems. Suspended matter transport is also affected by plant-flow interactions. Vertical flow structure is strongly influenced by canopy morphology (plant type and plant shape). Plant-flow interactions result in vertical speed profiles whose shapes deviate from the logarithmic profile typical in free-stream conditions and in the development of transitional flow regimes (i.e. neither laminar nor fully turbulent).

Religion and crime reexamined: the impact of religion, secular controls, and social ecology on adult criminality*

Abstract: Since Hirschi and Stark's (1969) surprising failure to find religious (“hellfire”) effects on delinquency, subsequent research has generally revealed an inverse relationship between religiosity and various forms of deviance, delinquency, and crime. The complexity of the relationship and conditions under which it holds, however, continue to be debated. Although a few researchers have found that religion's influence is noncontingent, most have found support—especially among youths—for effects that vary by denomination, type of offense, and social and/or religious context. More recently the relationship has been reported as spurious when relevant secular controls are included. Our research attempts to resolve these issues by testing the religion-crime relationship in models with a comprehensive crime measure and three separate dimensions of religiosity. We also control for secular constraints, religious networks, and social ecology. We found that, among our religiosity measures, participation in religious activities was a persistent and noncontingent inhibiter of adult crime.

Differential gender effects of exposure to rap music on African American adolescents' acceptance of teen dating violence

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of exposure to nonviolent rap music on African American adolescents' perceptions of teen dating violence. African American male and female subjects were exposed to nonviolent rap videos (which contained images of women in sexually subordinate roles) or they saw no videos. They read a vignette that involved teen dating violence perpetrated by a male. The results indicated that there was a significant interaction between gender and video exposure. More specifically, acceptance of the use of violence did not vary as a function of exposure for male subjects. Conversely, female subjects who were exposed to the videos showed greater acceptance of the violence than females who were not exposed. Possible basis and implications for these findings are discussed.

Sex difference in signature whistle production of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncates

Abstract: Signature whistles of 42 free-ranging bottle-nose dophin calves were compared to those of their mothers. Humans judged their similarity by inspection of spectrograms. There was a sex difference in the tendency of calves to produce whistles similar to or different from those of their mothers; most female calves produced whistles that were different from those of their mothers, whereas male calves were more likely to produce whistles that were similar to those of their mothers. Because matrilineally related females associate together and use signature whistles to establish and/or maintain contact with their calves, there may be a selective pressure for females to produce whistles that are distinct from those of their mothers. There may be fewer constraints governing whistle development in males, with the result that some males produce whistles similar to those of their mothers and others do not.

Reversal of baseline relations and stimulus equivalence: I. Adults.

Abstract: Following the emergence of two four-member equivalence classes (A1B1C1D1 and A2B2C2D2), 5 students were exposed to a series of phases including a baseline conditional discrimination reversal (i.e., choosing D2 was reinforced and D1 punished given Sample A1; choosing D1 was reinforced and D2 punished given Sample A2), the delayed introduction of CD/DC transitivity/equivalence probes, DE conditional discrimination training, a second baseline conditional discrimination reversal (i.e., choosing C2 was reinforced given B1, etc.), and a return to original baseline reinforcement contingencies. Results showed that baseline and symmetry probe performances were extremely sensitive to baseline modifications. In contrast, patterns on transitivity/equivalence probes remained predominantly consistent with the originally established equivalence classes, although there were exceptions on some E probe relations for 2 subjects. The dissociation between baseline and symmetry versus transitivity/equivalence patterns may have important implications because it is not easily accounted for by current models of equivalence phenomena.

What Do Students Think Scientists Look Like

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a gender difference in the way nine to 12-year-old students drew scientists before and after their teachers implemented intervention strategies Rubrics were used to analyze for stereotypic characteristics such as sex of the scientist and the presence of eye glasses, a lab coat, funny hair, a weird smile, wild eyes, facial hair, robotic features, and facial scars Results indicated that boys held more stereotypic views on pretest drawings than did girls and also demonstrated the most improvement to less stereotypic views as a result of intervention

The impact of an interactive distance learning network on classroom communication

Abstract: Using a qualitative research methodology (observations and interviews), I examined how the implementation of an interactive distance learning network impacted the communication and learning process in the classroom. The analysis revealed that instructors who used a sense of humor in dealing with technical nuances, used a relaxed interpersonal style focusing on the interaction across the sites, and involved students directly in the course content were perceived as more successful on the network. It also revealed that communication and interaction were hampered by the cameras, the microphones, and by the students seeing themselves on the television monitors. Thus, the findings suggest that technological classroom designs of the future need to be more conducive to the interpersonal dimensions of classroom communication to help bridge the “psychological distance” as well as the physical distance.

Justice is Still Not Colorblind: Differential Racial Effects of Exposure to Inadmissible Evidence

Abstract: An experiment was conducted to assess whether the effects of inadmissible information in a simulated criminal trial is moderated by race. The significant interaction between information admissibility and defendant's race indicated that the effect of inadmissible information was stronger when the defendant was Black. More specifically, perceptions of the appropriate verdict did not vary as a function of race in the admissible or control condition. On the other hand, in the inadmissible condition, perceptions of the appropriate verdict were higher for the Black defendant than for the White defendant. Interestingly, subjects in the Black-defendant-inadmissible condition felt that they were less affected by the inadmissible information than subjects in the White-defendant-inadmissible condition.

Measuring market orientation: some evidence on Narver and Slater's three-component scale

Abstract: The dimensionality o f Narver and Slater's market orientation measure is investigated via three different measurement models using confirmatory factor analysis. None o f the three models, including unidimensional and multidimensional specifications, provide a good fit. Further, an examination o f the original 21-item scale indicates that the components comprising the market orientation scale are only partially related to the dimensions originally proposed by Narver and Slater.

Business ethics and job-related constructs: A cross-cultural comparison of automotive salespeople

Abstract: Although a number of articles have addressed ethical perceptions and behaviors, few studies have examined ethics across cultures. This research focuses on measuring the job satisfaction, customer orientation, ethics, and ethical training of automotive salespersons in the U.S. and Taiwan. The relationships of these variables to salesperson performance were also investigated. Ethics training was found to be negatively related to perceived levels of ethicalness and performance. High performance U.S. salespeople reported high ethical behavior, while the opposite was true in Taiwan. Customer orientation in both countries was influenced by ethics training. Managers should evaluate current ethics training programs to insure correct ethical behavior is taught and rewarded.

Stages of epiphyseal union for thoracic and lumbar vertebral centra as a method of age determination for teenage and young adult skeletons

Abstract: Many current methods of age determination available to forensic anthropologists are limiting in that the age ranges provided are often broad, particularly for individuals in their late teens to early 20's. This study introduces an improved method for aging teenagers and young adults. The pattern and stages of union of the superior and inferior epiphyses of the vertebral centra (or ring epiphyses) were examined in 55 individuals, females and males, black and white, between ages 11 and 32 years. Vertebral ring epiphyseal union was found to be a good predictor of age. The correlation between stages of union and known age was 0.78 (P < .0001). The standard deviation was 2.566 years at the 99.9% confidence level. Sex differences were observed, but were not statistically significant. A larger sample size may perhaps demonstrate statistically significant differences in sex, and may or may not yield differences in race. A preliminary interobserver bias test showed high replicability. Results of this study compare favorably with results of other aging studies. Current age information for the progress of vertebral ring epiphyseal union is supplied for young males--and for the first time--females. This improved aging method provides necessary corroborative information for use with observations from other skeletal age indicators. Data collected from epiphyseal union of the vertebral centra aid in lessening the gap for early adult age determination.

Reversal of baseline relations and stimulus equivalence: II. Children.

Abstract: In a systematic replication of a study using college-student subjects (Pilgrim & Galizio, 1990), 5- to 7-year-old children learned two conditional discriminations (i.e., A1B1, A2B2, A1C1, and A2C2) in a two-choice arbitrary match-to-sample task and showed the emergence of two three-member equivalence classes (A1B1C1 and A2B2C2). Baseline conditional discrimination performance were quickly controlled by reversals of the AC reinforcement contingencies (i.e., choosing Comparison Stimulus C2 was reinforced given Sample A1, and choosing C1 was reinforced given Sample A2) when the reversals were introduced in restricted baselines. On reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity/equivalence probes following the reversal, there was some limited indication of equivalence-class reorganization (i.e., A1B1C2 and A2B2C1) in keeping with the concurrently performed baseline relations for 2 of 5 subjects, but the predominant pattern across probe trials was one of inconsistent conditional control. These findings suggest that, given similar challenges, equivalence-class performances may be more easily disrupted in young children than in adults.

Unitary transformation and the dynamics of a three-level atom interacting with two quantized field modes

Abstract: Starting from a three-level atom coupled to two modes of radiation field, we derive a Raman-coupled Hamiltonian by a unitary transformation, evaluated perturbatively in coupling constants The Rabi oscillation frequency and the collapse and revival times of the atomic coherence are found to have strikingly different photon-intensity dependence than those found previously

The distribution of intermediate water in the western equatorial Pacific during January–February 1986

Abstract: The distribution of intermediate water in the western equatorial Pacific (WEP) for the two month period January–February, 1986, is examined with hydrographic data collected by researchers on six different ships from five different countries. The WEP contains intermediate waters derived from the poleward reaches of both the North and South Pacific, and the mixing of these waters creates a complex and interleaving pattern of fronts. Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) enters the WEP via the Vitiaz Strait in the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent with a characteristic salinity minimum of about 34.55 at a density of approximately 27.2 σ φ ). The salinity minimum is seen as far north as 10°N; however, distributions of oxygen indicate that newer AAI W from the South Pacific spreads only as far as 2°S to the east of 143°E and possibly further north to the west of 143°E. North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) has a salinity minimum of less than 34.5. It enters the WEP via the Mindanao Current at 26.5–26.6 σ φ and spreads eastward in the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC) as a thin filament at about 2–3.5°N. This filament is visible as far east as 150°E. An intermediate water mass named North Pacific Tropical Intermediate Water (NPTI W) is found between two fronts at approximately 4.5 and 10°N between 26 and 27 σ φ . NPTIW is associated with a core salinity maximum and oxygen minimum at 26.8 ay and may be part of a “shadow zone”, an area of weak flow isolated from surface forcing. A companion to NPTIW. South Pacific Tropical Intermediate Water (SPTIW), spreads into the western equatorial Pacific in the Equatorial Intermediate Current along the Equator centred at 27.1 σ φ . It is identified by a lateral oxygen minimum between 2°N and 2°S as far west as 143°E.

Postecdysial cuticle alteration in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus: Synchronous changes in glycoproteins and mineral nucleation

Abstract: In order to investigate the control of the onset of postecdysial mineralization of the cuticle of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, EDTA-soluble proteins and glycoproteins were analyzed at short intervals after ecdysis by SDS-PAGE. Gels were either stained with silver, blotted to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and stained with periodic acid/Schiff reagent (PAS), or blotted to nitrocellulose membranes and probed with a variety of lectins [particularly the mannose-binding lectins concanavalin A(Con A) and Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA)]. Pieces of cuticle were also tested for their ability to nucleate calcite in vitro. A major change occurred in the biochemistry of the cuticle between 1 and 3 hr after ecdysis. This change, which we term the post-ecdysial cuticle alteration (PECA), involved 1) loss of a major 66 kDa glycoprotein band, 2) decrease in Con A binding by a 79 kDa protein band, 3) complete loss of PAS-reactivity of both 66 and 79 kDa proteins, 4)gain in Con A affinity of an existing band at 73 kDa, and 5) an increase in the intrinsic ability of cell-free cuticle pieces to mineralize, as measured by the in vitro calcite crystal nucleation assay. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Monotone method and convergence acceleration for finite‐difference solutions of parabolic problems with time delays

Abstract: In this article we study a finite-difference system, which is a discrete version of a class of nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems with time delays. Existence-comparison and uniqueness theorem are first established for the discretized problem by the method of upper and lower solutions. A monotone iterative scheme is also developed for the solution of the finite-difference system. Under a convergence acceleration scheme, it is shown that the monotone sequences converge quadratically to the solution of the finite-difference system. At last, numerical results on some model problems are demonstrated to substantiate our theorems. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.