Showing papers by "University of North Texas published in 1997"

Competition, cooperation, and the search for economic rents: a syncretic model

Abstract: In this article, the notion of syncretic rent-seeking behavior is proposed to explain how firms generate economic rents through competition and cooperation Previously, competition and cooperation have been viewed largely as opposite ends of a single continuum By conceptualizing competition and cooperation as distinct but interrelated dimensions, we develop a four-cell typology of rent-seeking strategic behaviors Propositions linking syncretic rent-seeking behavior, organizational competencies, and business performance are offered to guide future theory development and research efforts

Organizing in the knowledge age: Anticipating the cellular form

Abstract: Executive Overview Each major era in business history has featured a particular form of organization. Early hierarchical, vertically integrated organizations have largely given way to network organizations that link the assets and know-how of numerous upstream and downstream industry partners. A number of leading companies today are experimenting with a new way of organizing—the cellular form. Cellular organizations are built on the principles of entrepreneurship, self-organization, and member ownership. In the future, cellular organizations will be used in situations requiring continuous learning and innovation.

A Comprehensive Model for Assessing the Quality and Productivity of the Information Systems Function: Toward a Theory for Information Systems Assessment

Abstract: Information Systems IS managers are under increasing pressure to justify the value and contribution of IS expenditures to the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of the organization. This paper examines the need for IS assessment and suggests a comprehensive IS assessment framework linked to organizational performance using existing IS assessment theory as a base and incorporating measurement concepts from other disciplines. The existing models of IS success are updated to include the emerging IS success dimensions of service quality and work group impact and provide a comprehensive method for organizing the various measures of IS success. In addition, many new measures from recent research are presented to supplement the lists supplied by previous research. Additional research is suggested to advance the IS assessment contingency theory. Such a theory has the potential to contribute to the quality and productivity of the IS function and the larger organization by providing feedback to manage and improve the IS function to better meet the needs of the organization.

Leadership theory: past, present and future

Abstract: Organizations have changed over the past several decades with regard to the structuring of work methods and processes. Moving away from the traditional hierarchical design, most organizations are developing flatter, leaner structures that support a more empowered, team‐based workforce. The nature of leadership has also changed significantly over time. Building on the body of work that has been done to understand leadership, the current paper explores the various theories of leadership and how these theories have changed over time. Starting with a review of work done on leadership, the trends and changes over time are discussed. In addition, characteristics of successful leaders are identified. Given current developments in organizations, a call for change is presented in the context of teams and team leadership. A modified view of leadership is proposed that may be more appropriate in team‐based structures.

Behavioral Cusps: A Developmental and Pragmatic Concept for Behavior Analysis

Abstract: Most concepts of development explain certain behavior changes as products or markers of the invariable succession of emerging periods, stages, refinements, or achievements that define and order much of an individual's life. A different but comparable concept can be derived from the most basic mechanisms of behavior analysis, which are its environmental contingencies, and from its most basic strategy, which is to study behavior as its subject matter. From a behavior-analytic perspective, the most fundamental developmental questions are (a) whether these contingencies vary in any systematic way across the life span, and thus make behavior change in a correspondingly systematic way; (b) whether some of these contingencies and their changes have more far-reaching consequences than others, in terms of the importance to the organism and others, of the behavior classes they change. Certain behavior changes open the door to especially broad or especially important further behavior change, leading to the concept of the behavioral cusp. A behavioral cusp, then, is any behavior change that brings the organism's behavior into contact with new contingencies that have even more far-reaching consequences. Of all the environmental contingencies that change or maintain behavior, those that accomplish cusps are developmental. Behavior change remains the fundamental phenomenon of development for a behavior-analytic view; a cusp is a special instance of behavior change, a change crucial to what can come next.

Construct validity of psychopathy in a female offender sample: a multitrait-multimethod evaluation.

Abstract: The authors examined the construct of psychopathy as applied to 103 female offenders, using the multitrait-multimethod matrix proposed by D. T. Campbell and D. W. Fiske (1959). Instruments used in the study included the following: (a) Antisocial Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (L. C. Morey, 1991); (b) Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (R. D. Hare, 1990); and (c) Antisocial scale of the Personality Disorder Examination (A. W. Loranger, 1988). Criterion-related validity was also evaluated to determine the relationship between psychopathy and staff ratings of aggressive and disruptive behavior within the institution. Results revealed significant convergence and divergence across the instruments supporting the construct of psychopathy in a female offender sample. The measures of psychopathy demonstrated moderate convergence with staff ratings of violence, verbal aggression, manipulativeness, lack of remorse, and noncompliance. It is interesting to note that an exploratory factor analysis of the PCL-R identified a substantially different factor structure for women than has been previously found for male psychopathy.

A sign-changing solution for a superlinear dirichlet problem

Abstract: In previous work by Castro, Cossio, and Neuberger [2], it was shown that a superlinear Dirichlet problem has at least three nontrivial solutions when the derivative of the nonlinearity at zero is less than the first eigenvalue of with zero Dirichlet boundry condition. One of these solutions changes sign exactly-once and the other two are of one sign. In this paper we show that when this derivative is between the k-th and k +1-st eigenvalues there still exists a solution which changes sign at most k times. In particular, when k = 1 the sign-changing exactly-once solution persists although one-sign solutions no longer exist.

Algorithm 772: STRIPACK: Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi diagram on the surface of a sphere

Abstract: STRIPACK is a Fortran 77 software package that employs an incremental algorithm to construct a Delaunay triangulation and, optionally, a Voronoi diagram of a set of points (nodes) on the surface of the unit sphere. The triangulation covers the convex hull of the nodes, which need not be the entire surface, while the Voronoi diagram covers the entire surface. The package provides a wide range of capabilities including an efficient means of updating the triangulation with nodal additions or deletions. For N nodes, the storage requirement for the triangulation is 13N integer storage locations in addition to 3N nodal corrdinates. Using an off-line algorithm and work space of size 3N, the triangulation can be constructed with time complexity O(NlogN).

Magnetic Evidence for the Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity of Charged Fluorenyl, Indenyl, and Cyclopentadienyl Systems

Abstract: High level ab initio and density functional theory computations have been used to assess the aromaticity and antiaromaticity of the cations and anions derived from cyclopentadiene (C5H6), indene (C...

Fractional diffusion and Lévy stable processes

Abstract: Anomalous diffusion in which the mean square distance between diffusing quantities increases faster than linearly in ``time'' has been observed in all manner of physical and biological systems from macroscopic surface growth to DNA sequences. Herein we relate the cause of this nondiffusive behavior to the statistical properties of an underlying process using an exact statistical model. This model is a simple two-state process with long-time correlations and is shown to produce a random walk described by an exact fractional diffusion equation. Fractional diffusion equations describe anomalous transport and are shown to have exact solutions in terms of Fox functions, including L\'evy \ensuremath{\alpha}-stable processes in the superdiffusive domain (1/21).

Antecedent influences on behavior disorders

Abstract: The influence of antecedent events on behavior disorders has been relatively understudied by applied behavior analysts This lack of research may be due to a focus on consequences as determinants of behavior and a historical disagreement on a conceptual framework for describing and interpreting antecedent variables We suggest that antecedent influences can be described using terms derived from basic behavioral principles and that their functional properties can be adequately interpreted as discriminative and establishing operations A set of studies on assessment and treatment of behavior disorders was selected for review based on their relevance to the topic of antecedent events These studies were categorized as focusing on assessment of antecedent events, antecedent treatments for behavior disorders maintained by either positive or negative reinforcement, and special cases of antecedent events in behavior disorders Some directions for future research on antecedent influences in the analysis and treatment of behavior disorders are discussed

Elevated levels and altered fatty acid composition of plasma lysophosphatidylcholine(lysoPC) in ovarian cancer patients.

Abstract: Lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), a product of phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis via phospholipase A activity, has been proposed to activate cells from a number of lineages. Here, we demonstrate that lysoPC levels are significantly elevated (by 43% overall, relative to normal controls) in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients. This does not appear to be common to all cancers as 5 out of 6 leukemia patients tested had markedly lower (less than one-half of normal) plasma lysoPC. In the plasma of ovarian cancer patients, the percentages of palmitoyl- and stearoyl-lysoPC species were significantly higher, whereas oleoyl and particularly linoleoyl-lysoPC were significantly lower than in control subjects. The molar ratios of lysoPC/PC and palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC were also significantly elevated in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients compared with those of control subjects. Furthermore, the calculated value of plasma (lysoPC/ PC) x (palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC) was markedly higher in patients compared with controls.

Interaction in information retrieval: selection and effectiveness of search terms

Abstract: We investigated the sources and effectiveness of search terms used during mediated on-line searching under real-life (as opposed to laboratory) circumstances. A stratified model of information retrieval (IR) interaction served as a framework for the analysis. For the analysis, we used the on-line transaction logs, videotapes, and transcribed dialogue of the presearch and on-line interaction between 40 users and 4 professional intermediaries. Each user provided one question and interacted with one of the four intermediaries. Searching was done using DIALOG. Five sources of search terms were identified: (1) the users' written question statements, (2) terms derived from users' domain knowledge during the interaction, (3) terms extracted from retrieved items as relevance feedback, (4) database thesaurus, and (5) terms derived by intermediaries during the interaction. Distribution, retrieval effectiveness, transition sequences, and correlation of search terms from different sources were investigated. Search terms from users' written question statements and term relevance feedback were the most productive sources of terms contributing to the retrieval of items judged relevant by users. Implications of the findings are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Study of interactive feedback during mediated information retrieval

Abstract: Feedback is a fundamental concept within the physical and the social sciences with its modern origins drawn from cybernetics. Information science is exploring feedback as a key component in the interactive model of information retrieval (IR). This article reports results from a study exploring the information retrieval and types of interactive feedback during mediated IR. Five different types of interactive feedback were identified, extending the interactive IR model to include relevance, magnitude, and strategy interactive feedback. Implications for further research investigating the nature and models of interactive feedback in information retrieval are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A dynamic load balancing strategy for channel assignment using selective borrowing in cellular mobile environment

Abstract: We propose a dynamic load balancing scheme for the channel assignment problem in a cellular mobile environment. As an underlying approach, we start with a fixed assignment scheme where each cell is initially allocated a set of channels, each to be assigned on demand to a user in the cell. A cell is classified as ‘hot’, if the degree of coldness of a cell (defined as the ratio of the number of available channels to the total number of channels for that cell), is less than or equal to some threshold value. Otherwise the cell is `cold'. Our load balancing scheme proposes to migrate unused channels from underloaded cells to an overloaded one. This is achieved through borrowing a fixed number of channels from cold cells to a hot one according to a channel borrowing algorithm. A channel assignment strategy is also proposed based on dividing the users in a cell into three broad types—‘new’, ‘departing’, ‘others’—and forming different priority classes of channel demands from these three types of users. Assignment of the local and borrowed channels are performed according to the priority classes. Next, a Markov model for an individual cell is developed, where the state is determined by the number of occupied channels in the cell. The probability for a cell being hot and the call blocking probability in a hot cell are derived, and a method to estimate the value of the threshold is also given. Detailed simulation experiments are carried out in order to evaluate our proposed methodology. The performance of our load balancing scheme is compared with the fixed channel assignment, simple borrowing, and two existing strategies with load balancing (e.g., directed retry and CBWL), and a significant improvement of the system behavior is noted in all cases.

Activation energies of intermetallic growth of Sn-Ag eutectic solder on copper substrates

Abstract: Intermetallic phases formed along a Sn-Ag eutectic solder/Cu interface during solid-state aging have been characterized and the activation energies of Cu3Sn and Cu6Sn5 growth have been calculated. Diffusion couples consisting of Cu/ 96.5Sn-3.5Ag/Cu were aged at 110 to 208°C for 0 to 32 days. After aging, the Cu/ solder interfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The growth rate constants for each intermetallic layer were calculated assuming a simple parabolic diffusion-controlled growth model. The activation energy for Cu3Sn growth is 0.73 eV/atom and the activa-tion energy for Cu6Sn5 growth is 1.11 eV/atom.

An analysis of reinforcer substitutability using object manipulation and self-injury as competing responses.

Abstract: The concept of reinforcer substitutability proposes a continuum of interactions among reinforcers in a given situation. At one end of this continuum, reinforcers are substitutable, with one reinforcer being readily traded for another. We conducted an analysis of reinforcers that were substitutable with those produced by self-injurious behavior (SIB). Three individuals with profound developmental disabilities, whose SIB appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement, participated. Results of three experiments showed that (a) object manipulation and SIB were inversely related when leisure materials and SIB were concurrently available, with participants showing almost complete preference for object manipulation; (b) attempts to reduce SIB using the preferred objects as reinforcers in differential reinforcement contingencies were unsuccessful for all 3 participants; and (c) participants' preferences for SIB or object manipulation systematically changed when reinforcer cost (the amount of effort required to obtain the object) was varied. Results of the three experiments illustrate the importance of examining interactions among concurrently available reinforcers when conducting reinforcer assessments.

Domestic and Systemic Determinants of Capital Controls in the Developed and Developing World

Abstract: This paper examines the utility of and preference for controls on short-term capital. Recent work in international political economy has argued that the increasing internationalization of finance has constrained the ability of governments to pursue independent monetary policies. For the most part this conclusion has been reached through an examination of a small number of advanced industrialized countries. This article argues not only that the globalization of finance is far from all-encompassing but also that domestic forces play a more significant role in explaining the implementation and removal of capital controls than do systemic factors. Capital controls are more likely to be put in place by governments that repress the financial sector, that choose to maintain a fixed exchange rate, and that are facing balance-of-payments crises. These propositions are tested using a random effects probit model on a panel of ninety-one countries from 1967 to 1992.

A pilot study of the personality assessment inventory (PAI) in corrections: assessment of malingering, suicide risk, and aggression in male inmates

Abstract: Provision of mental health services to correctional populations places considerable demands on clinical staff to provide efficient and effective means to screen patients for severe mental disorders and other emergent conditions that necessitate immediate interventions. Among the highly problematic behaviors found in correctional settings are forms of acting out (e.g., suicide and aggression towards others) and response style (e.g., motivations to malinger). The current study examined the usefulness of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in assessing problematic behaviors in a corrections-based psychiatric hospital. As evidence of criterion related validity, selected PAI scales were compared to (a) evidence of malingering on the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS), (b) suicidal threats and gestures, and (c) ratings of aggression on the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). In general, results supported the use of the PAI for the assessment of these problematic behaviors.

Political Democracy and Economic Growth: Pooled Cross-Sectional and Time-Series Evidence

Abstract: Interest in the relationship between political democracy and economic growth has been long-standing.See, for example, S. M. Lipset, ‘Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy’, American Political Science Review, 53 (1959), 69–105. Recently this work has been reanalysed b y J. Helliwell, ‘Empirical Linkages between Democracy and Economic Growth’, British Journal of Political Science, 24 (1994), 225–48; and by R. Burkhart and M. Lewis Beck, ‘Comparative Democracy: The Economic Development Th esis,’ American Political Science Review, 88 (1994), 903–10. Recently, there has been an explosion of empirical research emanating from political science and economics that once again attempts to understand the relationship between democracy and economic growth. The goal in much of this research has been to explain the variation in per capita growth rates that exists across nations. This goal has translated into a straightforward empirical mod elling strategy: regress a country's growth rate on a democracy variable and a number of control variables and see whether the partial correlation between democracy and economic growth is statistically significant. The last few years has seen the publicat ion of over twenty empirical studies; however, the results are far from conclusive. In their recent review of twenty-one statistical findings investigating this relationship, Przeworski and Limongi explain that ‘eight found in favor of democracy, eight in favor of authoritarianism, and five discovered no difference.’ Of the thirteen studies surveyed by Sirowy and Inkeles, three find a negative effect of democracy on economic growth, four find this negative effect in some situations, and six find no relationship whatsoever.See A. Przeworski and F. Limongi, ‘Political Regimes and Economic Growth’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 7 (1993), 1002–37; and L. Sirowy and A. Inkeles, ‘The Effects of Democracy on Economic Growth and Inequality: A Review,’ Studies in Comparative International Development, 25 (1990), 126–57. See also R. Levine and D. Renelt, ‘Cross-Country Studies of Growth and Policy: Methodological, Conceptual, and Statistical Problems’ (World Bank Working Paper, No. 608, Washington, DC, 1991). These conclusions are far from reassuring or instructive.

Toward a Synthesized Framework of Relational Commitment: Implications for Marketing Channel Theory and Practice

Abstract: Despite its status as a significant factor in business relationships, the nature and scope of commitment within marketing channels remain unresolved. The value of relationship commitment rests on its interrelatedness with other variables that precede or follow from its role in or contribution to the marketing exchange process. Following from this premise, insights gleaned from the relationship marketing and organizational commitment literatures are reviewed and synthesized into a single framework. The nature, scope and consequences of commitment within marketing channels are thus addressed through the emergent relational commitment framework. The framework also raises several implications for channels management and marketing research.

Predictors of adolescent psychopathy: oppositional and conduct-disordered symptoms

Abstract: Psychopathy is an important clinical construct in the evaluation and treatment of adolescent offenders. In this study, predictors of adolescent psychopathy are explored in 81 adolescents from a residential treatment program for dually diagnosed offenders. The number of aggressive conduct disorder symptoms and total rate (number x frequency of symptoms) of deceit/theft symptoms are predictive of adolescent psychopathy. Although age of onset for conduct disorder symptoms is associated with psychopathy, its interpretation appears to be confounded by gender and ethnicity correlates. Unexpectedly, adolescent psychopathy was only modestly associated with institutional infractions. Past research and current findings are summarized with reference to their forensic implications.

Dynamic load balancing strategies for conservative parallel simulations

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of load balancing for conservative parallel simulations for execution on a multicomputer. The synchronization protocol makes use of Chandy-Misra null-messages. We propose a dynamic load balancing algorithm which assumes no compile time knowledge about the workload parameters. It is based upon a process migration mechanism, and the notion of CPU-queue length, which indicates the workload at each processor.We examine two variations for the algorithm which we refer to as centralized and multi-level hierarchical methods, in the context of queueing network simulation of a torus. The torus was chosen because it of its many cycles aid in the formation of deadlock making it a stress test for any conservative synchronization protocols. Our experiments indicate that our dynamic load balancing schemes significantly reduce the run time of an optimized version of Chandy-Misra null message approach, and decreases by 30-40\% the synchronization overhead when compared to the use of a static partitioning algorithm. Significantly, the results obtained also indicate that the multi-level scheme always outperforms both the centralized load balancing approach and the static partitioning algorithm.