Showing papers by "University of North Texas published in 1998"

Primary Prevention of Acute Coronary Events With Lovastatin in Men and Women With Average Cholesterol Levels: Results of AFCAPS/TexCAPS

Abstract: 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.79;P,.001), myocardial infarction (95 vs 57 myocardial infarctions; RR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43-0.83; P = .002), unstable angina (87 vs 60 first unstable angina events; RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.49-0.95;P = .02), coronary revascularization procedures (157 vs 106 procedures; RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.520.85; P = .001), coronary events (215 vs 163 coronary events; RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61-0.92; P = .006), and cardiovascular events (255 vs 194 cardiovascular events; RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.62-0.91; P = .003). Lovastatin (20-40 mg daily) reduced LDL-C by 25% to 2.96 mmol/L (115 mg/dL) and increased HDL-C by 6% to 1.02 mmol/L (39 mg/dL). There were no clinically relevant differences in safety parameters between treatment groups. Conclusions.— Lovastatin reduces the risk for the first acute major coronary event in men and women with average TC and LDL-C levels and below-average HDL-C levels. These findings support the inclusion of HDL-C in risk-factor assessment, confirm the benefit of LDL-C reduction to a target goal, and suggest the need for reassessment of the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines regarding pharmacological intervention.

Real life information retrieval: a study of user queries on the Web

Abstract: We analyzed transaction logs of a set of 51,473 queries posed by 18,113 users of Excite, a major Internet search service. We provide data on: (i) queries --- the number of search terms, and the use of logic and modifiers, (ii) sessions --- changes in queries during a session, number of pages viewed, and use of relevance feedback, and (iii) terms --- their rank/frequency distribution and the most highly used search terms. Common mistakes are also observed. Implications are discussed.

2B4, the Natural Killer and T Cell Immunoglobulin Superfamily Surface Protein, Is a Ligand for CD48

Abstract: 2B4 is a cell surface glycoprotein related to CD2 and implicated in the regulation of natural killer and T lymphocyte function. A recombinant protein containing the extracellular region of mouse (m)2B4 attached to avidin-coated fluorescent beads bound to rodent cells, and binding was completely blocked by CD48 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Using surface plasmon resonance, we showed that purified soluble mCD48 bound m2B4 with a six- to ninefold higher affinity (Kd approximately 16 microM at 37 degreesC) than its other ligand, CD2. Human CD48 bound human 2B4 with a similar affinity (Kd approximately 8 microM). The finding of an additional ligand for CD48 provides an explanation for distinct functional effects observed on perturbing CD2 and CD48 with mAbs or by genetic manipulation.

Testing Models of U.S. Foreign Policy: Foreign Aid during and after the Cold War

Abstract: The end of the Cold War has provided scholars of international relations with a unique opportunity to evaluate the explanatory power of their models in a rapidly changing environment. We provide a ...

Users' criteria for relevance evaluation: a cross-situational comparison

Abstract: This article takes a cognitive approach toward understanding the behaviors of end-users by focusing on the values or criteria they employ in making relevance judgments, or decisions about whether to obtain and use information. It compares and contrasts the results of two empirical studies in which criteria were elicited directly from individuals who were seeking information to resolve their own information problems. In one study, respondents were faculty and students in an academic environment examining print documents from traditional text-based information retrieval systems. In the other study, respondents were occupational users of weather-related information in a multimedia environment in which sources included interpersonal communication, mass media, weather instruments, and computerized weather systems. The results of the studies, taken together, provide evidence that a finite range of criteria exists and that these criteria are applied consistently across types of information users, problem situations, and source environments.

Multinetwork Management: Collaboration and the Hollow State in Local Economic Policy

Abstract: Systematic study and understanding of multiorganizational settings under hollow state conditions has lagged behind the managerial practice of operating in networks, which has become an important element of governance. This article bridges this knowledge gap by exploring the intergovernmental networking component of economic development in 237 cities. The analysis distinguishes three different strategic types of networks, identifies determinants of the variation in the structure and composition of networks across strategic purposes, and demonstrates that the capacities required for operating in networks are different from that of single organizations. The implications for public management practice and theory lie not simply in the extent to which networks have become a primary organizational setting for designing and executing policy, but in the number and type of networks that exist within the policy making realm of a single city. Public management is now thought of as involving operation of bureaucracies plus connections with other institutions through the processes of governance. According to Frederickson (1997, 84), governance involves "the wide range of types of organizations and institutions that are linked together and engaged in public activities." In many policy arenas, such as in the broadly defined area of economic development, mutually reinforcing trends like fiscal decentralization and localization of policy responsibility mean that cities increasingly manage their affairs through mechanisms of collaboration, which puts government in a position resembling the "hollow state" (Milward et al. 1993). The hollow state concept refers to units of government that are separated from their outputs, where negotiated contracts or other This research is sponsored by the Ameritech Foundation Research Program in Management and Organizational Studies, Institute for Developmental Strategies, Indiana University. An earlier version of this article was delivered at the XVII World Congress of the International Political Science Association in Seoul, Korea, August 1997. Thanks are due to H. George Frederickson and Laurence O'Toole for their very useful comments. J-PART 8(1998): 1:67-91 67/Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory This content downloaded from 157.55.39.129 on Thu, 28 Jul 2016 04:03:12 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Multinetwork Management agreements link organizations. In the case of local economic development, persons who represent government agencies spend a great deal of time arranging and operating in networks; this contrasts with the conventional view of hierarchically organizing economic policy objectives (e.g., business recruitment) through a single government agency (Fosler 1992) or acceding entirely to market forces for changes in the economy. In this article we address management in network settings by demonstrating empirically the governance context of local economic policy making and by considering the implications of this context for public management. While scholars of public management increasingly identify networks or other forms of interorganizational activity as important elements of governance, few have treated them seriously as objects of careful study, and the implications for management practice have not been systematically developed (O'Toole 1997). Toward that end, we explore networking through a comprehensive data set of the intergovernmental networking component of economic development in 237 cities. After an initial discussion of the importance of network theory and practice for local economic policy, we examine the structure of horizontal or interlocal networking and the varied contexts in which local networks occur. We also attempt to explain the variation in network activity across cities. We then draw on the study findings to provide descriptive and theoretical conclusions regarding networking and governance within the hollowing state. From an empirical standpoint, the research focuses on the dimensionality or variation of networking by strategic purpose as well as the depth or extent of network partners. Theoretically, we emphasize the link between the multidimensionality of networking in our findings and its implications for the capacity to manage within governance. Praxis involving the forces that engender networking, along with knowledge and practical information, thus is what this analysis attempts. The unique empirical contribution of local economic development policy to the study and practice of contemporary public management lies not simply in the extent to which networks are the primary organizational setting for designing and executing policy, but, more importantly, in the number and type of networks that exist within the policy-making realm of a single city. Like the many public problems that defy taming into simple, manageable steps, local development managers attend to multiple strategic tasks within the context of designing and executing economic policy. As a result, even the fundamental, routine tasks of the development manager-such as building organizations, designing strategies, marketing the area, seeking out finances, or organizing numerous development projects (Blakely 1994; Levy 681J-PART, January 1998 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.129 on Thu, 28 Jul 2016 04:03:12 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Multinetwork Management 1990)-cannot be carried out alone or with the same set of actors. Like the hub of a multispoked wheel, the development manager is connected to all of the spokes-each representing a different strategic task; each consisting of networks of different composition, scope, and size; and each with its own set of management challenges and responsibilities. Managers in networks are continually faced with problems that can lead to instability (Milward 1996), and these concerns are compounded by the number of networks that constitute local economic policy making. Insofar as the performance of a particular policy sector is dependent on the effectiveness of organizational and network design, development of the capacity to organize and manage these processes is critical to both public policy and management. In this regard, public management in such complex settings likely effectuates policy to a greater degree and is more "consequential"9 (O'Toole 1996, 241) than public management in traditional bureaucratic contexts. LOCAL ECONOMIC POLICY AND THE EMERGENCE OF NETWORKING Since the early 1980s when local governments returned in earnest to economic policy making, the number of actors that have a stake in developing local economies and thus must be mobilized in order to effectively facilitate and influence economic activity has increased substantially. Consequently, local economic development is fraught with organizational maladies. Like most multiorganizational settings, multiplicity of goals is ubiquitous. Goals are so complex and so often contradictory that one analyst suggests such activity cannot be viewed as policy making because it is nearly impossible to appraise it with reference to specific goals and objectives. Instead, local economic development should be viewed solely as a political arena (Keating 1995). This arena incorporates a host of local public and private actors and organizations-as well as higher level governments-that set the development context and are potential loci of assistance. Additionally, actors involved in local economic development decision making operate in an environment that is "complex and undefined and involves an uncertain technology . . ." (Rubin 1988, 237). This uncertainty is exacerbated by a degree of information asymmetry analogous to a poker game where all of the players know what the manager is holding but the manager is not even sure of the game. Faced with the need to acquire financial resources to enhance local revenues as well as information and expertise to compensate for the complexity and uncertainty of the policy area, the development manager has become dependent on many other 69/J-PART, January 1998 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.129 on Thu, 28 Jul 2016 04:03:12 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Multinetwork Management actors inside and outside the community. The governance instruments through which cities now plan, design, and execute economic development policy are complex, multiorganizational arrangements referred to as networks. Networks constitute the basic social form that permits interorganizational interactions of exchange, concerted action, and joint production (Alter and Hage 1993). O'Toole (1997, 45) defines networks as "structures of interdependence involving multiple organizations or parts thereof, where one unit is not merely the formal subordinate of the others in some larger hierarchical arrangement." Network connections among units can be either formal or informal. Multiorganizational arrangements like those that characterize local economic policy making are intersectoral and built upon the idea of collaborative problem solving (Radin et al. 1996, 151). Such networks are not merely mechanisms for coordination; they are arrangements for solving interorganizational problems that cannot be achieved by single organizations. Key actors in economic policy settings operate in networks that are mechanisms of joint production and joint service delivery, within contexts where strategic interdependence is complementary (Pennings 1981, 434). Networking then is the act of creating and/or maintaining a cluster of organizations for the purpose of exchanging, acting, or producing among the member organizations (Alter and Hage 1993, 46).

Polymer gels with engineered environmentally responsive surface patterns

Abstract: The polymer gels called hydrogels may be induced to swell or shrink (taking up or expelling water between the crosslinked polymer chains) in response to a variety of environmental stimuli, such as changes in pH or temperature, or the presence of a specific chemical substrate1. These gels are being explored for several technological applications, particularly as biomedical materials2. When hydrogels swell or shrink, complex patterns may be generated on their surfaces3,4,5,6,7. Here we report the synthesis and controlled modulation of engineered surface patterns on environmentally responsive hydrogels. We modify the character of a gel surface by selectively depositing another material using a mask. For example, we use sputter deposition to imprint the surface of an N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) gel with a square array of gold thin films. The periodicity of the array can be continuously varied as a function of temperature or electric field (which alter the gel's volume), and so such an array might serve as an optical grating for sensor applications. We also deposit small areas of an NIPA gel onthe surface of an acrylamide gel; the patterned area can be rendered invisible reversibly by switching the temperature above or below the lower critical solution temperature of the NIPA gel. We anticipate that these surface patterning techniques may find applications in display and sensor technology.

From highly relevant to not relevant: examining different regions of relevance

Abstract: User relevance judgments are central to both the systems and user-oriented approaches to information retrieval (IR) systems research and development. User-oriented relevance research has also operated on two largely unconnected tracks. First, a relevance level track that examines users' criteria for relevance judgments. Second, a regions of relevance track that examines the measurement of users' relevance judgments. Users judgments and criteria for highly relevant items have been central issues for much of the relevance research. Findings are presented from four separate studies of relevance judgments by 55 users, conducting their initial online search on a particular information problem. In three studies, the number of items judged “partially” relevant (on a scale of relevant, partially relevant or not relevant) was positively correlated with different aspects of changes in users', including: (1) information problem definition, (2) search intermediaries' perceptions that a user's question and information problem has changed during the mediated search interaction, (3) personal knowledge due to the search interaction, and (4) criteria for making relevance judgments. Users with high knowledge and topic levels were more likely to judge items as highly relevant. Differences between users' criteria for highly, partially and non-relevant items are also identified. Findings suggest the need to expand the framework for relevance research and further identify the characteristics of the middle region of relevance or partial relevance as: (1) partially relevant items may play an important role in the early stages of a user's information seeking process over time for a particular information problem and (2) a relationship may exist between partially relevant items retrieved and changes in users' information problems during an information seeking process. Results also suggest that partially relevant items may be useful at the early stages of users' information seeking processes. We propose a useful concept of relevance as a relationship and an effect on the movement of a user through the iterative stages of their information seeking process. Users' relevance judgments can also be plotted on a three-dimensional spatial model of relevance level, region and time. Implications for the development of IR systems, searching practice and relevance research are also discussed.

Psychopathy and recidivism among female inmates.

Abstract: Despite a plethora of studies investigating psychopathy among male offenders, little is known about the applicability of this construct to female populations. Research has shown that prevalence rate, symptom presentation, and diagnostic comorbidity differ for females as compared to males. The current study is the first to examine the relationship between psychopathy and recidivism among women. Recidivism data on a sample of 78 female inmates were examined at a 1-year interval in relation to the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), inclusion criteria for the Antisocial Personality Disorder Diagnosis from the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE), and selected scales from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Antisocial and Aggression scales). The egocentricity subscale of the PAI, Factor 1 of the PCL-R, and the verbal aggression subscale of the PAI were the best predictors of future recidivism. Specific differences emerged between male and female offenders when comparing the present data with previous studies of male psychopaths.

Civil Society, Political Capital, and Democratization in Central America

Abstract: Robert Putnam argues that civil society-citizen organizational activity-contributes to successful governance and democracy, outcomes potentially helpful in reconstructing Central America. Putnam does not, however, specify how civil society shapes government performance. We demonstrate how group participation might impinge upon the state through the "political capital" of political participation and democratic norms. We first explore the relationships among two civil society measures (formal group activism and community self-help activism) and social and political capital, employing survey data from Central America. We then investigate the effects of civil society and social and political capital upon levels of democracy. We find that while higher levels of formal group membership and several political capital measures associate with higher levels of democracy, social capital lacks the relationship Putnam predicts. We conclude that political rather than social capital links formal group activism to democra...

L2 ACQUISITION AND OBLIGATORY HEAD MOVEMENT: English-Speaking Learners of German and the Local Impairment Hypothesis

Abstract: This paper presents results of a response-latency (RL) experiment with English-speaking learners of German that investigated to what extent—if any—two different groups of second language (L2) learners permit raising of the thematic verb. The framework under which the study was conducted involves varying theoretical predictions derived from the native-language (NL) transfer view of Schwartz and Sprouse (1994, 1996), the gradual-development view of Vainikka and Young-Scholten (1994, 1996), the underspecification view of Eubank (1993/1994), and a local-impairment view that presents a more parsimonious solution to the L2 developmental problem than standard “no access” views. The L2 results reported here show that learners respond in different ways to stimulus sentences with raised and unraised verbs depending on the subjects' level of development. Surprisingly, it is the less advanced learners who exhibit an RL preference for apparently raised-verb experimental stimuli; the more advanced learners do not differentiate between raised-verb and unraised-verb stimuli. Analysis of these findings reveals that the less advanced group may only project VPs, consistent with the gradual-development view of Vainikka and Young-Scholten. Crucially, however, the Local Impairment Hypothesis is the only view that is consistent with the results from the more advanced learners, especially when they are seen in developmental context.

Alternative Modes of Measuring Store Image: An Empirical Assessment of Structured versus Unstructured Measures

Abstract: Store image has been measured frequently by means of structured scales. Some researchers exhort against the use of structured scales for the measurement of this construct and recommend the use of unstructured measures instead. They argue that structured scales are inadequate for capturing the “gestalt” associated with the perception of a store image. This research attempts, for the first time, to investigate empirically the relative efficacy of the structured scales and the unstructured measures of store image. The results reveal that the two types of measures have similar properties and that the structured scales are more correlated with a set of self-reported behavioral measures. Thus practitioners should feel more comfortable utilizing structured, semantic differential scales to assess their store image.

Critical thermal minima and maxima of three freshwater game-fish species acclimated to constant temperatures

Abstract: A total of 120 critical thermal maxima (CT maxima) and 120 critical thermal minima (CT minima) were determined for channel catfish, largemouth bass and rainbow trout acclimated to three constant temperatures: 20, 25 and 30 °C in catfish and bass, and 10, 15 and 20 °C in trout. Highest mean CT maximum and lowest mean CT minimum measured over these acclimation temperatures were 40.3 and 2.7 °C (catfish), 38.5 and 3.2 °C (bass) and 29.8 and ∼ 0.0 °C (trout). Temperature tolerance data were precise with standard deviations generally less than 0.5 °C. Channel catfish had the largest thermal tolerance scope of the three species while rainbow trout had the lowest tolerance of high temperatures and the highest tolerance of low temperatures. In all species CT minima and CT maxima were highly significantly linearly related to acclimation temperature. Within each species, slopes relating CT maxima to acclimation temperature were approximately half as large as those relating CT minima to acclimation temperature, suggesting that acclimation temperature has a greater influence on tolerance to low rather than high temperatures. Slopes relating both CT minima and CT maxima to acclimation temperature for the two warm-water species were similar and approximately twice those for the rainbow trout.

A field study of a cognitive approach to understanding transformational and transactional leadership

Abstract: A part of the cognitive model of transformational and transactional leadership proposed by Wofford and Goodwin (1994) was examined in a field setting. Ninety-six managers and 157 subordinates completed questionnaires that assessed transformational leadership and transactional leadership dimensions, four cognitive variables (i.e., follower-schemata, motivation-scripts, abstractness of vision, and idealization of vision) and three dependent variables (i.e., subordinate satisfaction with supervision, subordinate perception of leader effectiveness, and leaders' evaluation of group effectiveness). Partial Least Squares (PLS) analyses indicated that the data generally supported the hypothesized model. Some of the proposed relationships examined, however, were not statistically significant. Implications of the findings for application and future research were discussed.

Team Orientation, Self-Orientation, and Diversity in Task Groups Their Connection to Team Performance Over Time

Abstract: Members of more than 50 student groups involved in a team problem-solving environment were surveyed with the Group Style Instrument (GSI) to examine interpersonal group processes for task groups. Analyses of the GSI data resulted in team-oriented and self-oriented dimensions for both samples by comparing several factor models. In a second sample, more than 80 culturally diverse and nondiverse groups involved in a similar team problem-solving format completed the GSI at three points in time after they had completed team projects involving substantial collaborative member effort. For Sample 2, culturally diverse teams reported more self-oriented behaviors (SOBs) over time and performed better that nondiverse teams on two of the three projects. Periodic feedback regarding team performance and interpersonal processing was given to all teams. By the third team project, nondiverse teams performed better. Emphasis is given concerning the importance of managing the balance of team-orientated behaviors and SOBs wi...

A developmental approach to the examination of friendship in leader-follower relationships

Abstract: A developmental approach to the examination of the leader-follower relationship offers further insight into how the relationship evolves over time and the extent to which the presence of friendship contributes to effective versus ineffective working relationships. According to Graen and Uhl-Bien (1995), the development of a leader-member exchange relationship “is based on the characteristics of the working relationship as opposed to a personal or friendship relationship” (p. 237). This article provides a developmental model of the leader-follower relationship that incorporates both the literature on friendship formation from the field of social psychology and the approach to leadership represented by the leadermember exchange (LMX) model. Propositions and research questions are presented, as are implications for future research.

A comparison of forensic and nonforensic malingerers: A prototypical analysis of explanatory models.

Abstract: Explanatory models of malingering strive to understand the primary motivation underlying attempts to feign. Rogers, Sewell, and Goldstein (1994) provided empirical support for the conceptualization of pathogenic, criminological, and adaptational models. In the current study, a prototypical analysis of 221 forensic experts results in a slightly refined formulation: the adaptational model was decomposed into its two broad dimensions (cost–benefit analysis and adversarial setting). An important finding is that the factor structure for the explanatory models remained stable when applied to both forensic and nonforensic cases. As a first investigation, significant differences were observed in prototypical cases of malingering by the category of referral (forensic or nonforensic) and by type of feigning (mental disorders, cognitive impairment, and medical syndromes). Surprisingly, the feigning of medical syndromes appeared to play a relatively prominent role in both forensic and nonforensic cases and to be influenced by the apparent adversarial context of the assessment. Finally, important gender differences were observed, especially with nonforensic prototypical cases of malingering.

A minmax principle, index of the critical point, and existence of sign-changing solutions to elliptic boundary value problems

Abstract: In this article we apply the minmax principle we developed in [6] to obtain sign-changing solutions for superlinear and asymptotically linear Dirichlet problems. We prove that, when isolated, the local degree of any solution given by this minmax principle is +1. By combining the results of [6] with the degree-theoretic results of Castro and Cossio in [5], in the case where the nonlinearity is asymptotically linear, we provide sucient conditions for: i) the existence of at least four solutions (one of which changes sign exactly once), ii) the existence of at leastve solutions (two ofwhichchangesign), andiii)theexistenceofpreciselytwosign-changing solutions. For a superlinear problem in thin annuli we prove: i) the existence of a non-radial sign-changing solution when the annulus is suciently thin, andii)theexistenceofarbitrarilymanysign-changingnon-radialsolutions when, in addition, the annulus is two dimensional. The reader is referred to [7] where the existence of non-radial signchanging solutions is established when the underlying region is a ball.

The Effect of Parent Participation in Strategies to Improve the Homework Performance of Students Who Are At Risk

Abstract: The effect of teaching parents of at-risk students to facilitate a home-based self-management program to improve homework performance and academic achievement was Investigated. The parents of 26 sixth- and seventh-grade students from two middle school programs for at-risk youth received training and implemented home-based self-management and reinforcement strategies. Results indicated that overall levels of homework completion and homework quality increased significantly for those students whose parents consistently implemented the 10-week homework program. Significant increases in mathematics achievement also occurred. These results suggest that the practice of homework may be an important element of academic programming for students at risk and students with disabilities and that parents may play a primary role in the homework process.

Assessment of malingering with simulation designs: Threats to external validity.

Abstract: Comprehensive forensic evaluations are predicated on the accurate appraisal of response styles that may affect evaluatees' clinical presentation and experts' conclusions associated with psycholegal issues. In the assessment of malingering, forensic experts often rely heavily on standardized measures that have been validated exclusively via analogue research. While such research augments internal validity, the threats to external validity are readily apparent. As the first study of these threats, type of incentive (positive versus negative), context (a familiar versus unfamiliar scenario), and relevance to the participants was investigated systematically with a between-subjects factorial design. A sample of 231 undergraduates was asked to either (a) feign major depression and given an easily understood description of this disorder or (b) serve as controls responding honestly. They were administered a brief measure of psychopathology (Hopkins Symptom Checklist; Derogatis, Lipman, Rickels, Uhlenhuth, & Covi, 1974) and a recent screen for malingering (Screening Inventory of Malingered Symptoms or SIMS; Smith, 1992) in 1 of 18 experimental conditions. Results suggested that incentive had a main effect on the SIMS. More specifically, simulators under negative incentives appeared more focused in their feigning; they produced more bogus depressed symptoms, but fewer symptoms unrelated to depression. Interactions were also observed between context and incentive, and context and relevance. Implications of these results are explored for both analogue research on malingering and current forensic practice.

Determinants of service quality and satisfaction in the auto casualty claims process

Abstract: The insurance industry has placed increased emphasis on service quality and customer satisfaction as companies seek to compete with generally undifferentiated products. This attention to customer service dictates that insurers understand exactly what elements individuals use to assess their providers’ performance. This study examines the most significant dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction across four large companies in the auto casualty industry, using the familiar SERVQUAL instrument. Results indicate that reliability is consistently the most important determinant of both perceived service quality and feelings of satisfaction among customers engaged in auto insurance claims. Implications for auto insurance providers are discussed.

Statistical Significance Testing: A Historical Overview of Misuse and Misinterpretation with Implications for the Editorial Policies of Educational Journals

Abstract: Statistical significance tests (SSTs) have been the object of much controversy among social scientists. Proponents have hailed SSTs as an objective means for minimizing the likelihood that chance factors have contributed to research results; critics have both questioned the logic underlying SSTs and bemoaned the widespread misapplication and misinterpretation of the results of these tests. The present paper offers a framework for remedying some of the common problems associated with SSTs via modification of journal editorial policies. The controversy surrounding SSTs is overviewed, with attention given to both historical and more contemporary criticisms of bad practices associated with misuse of SSTs. Examples from the editorial policies of Educational and Psychological Measurement and several other journals that have established guidelines for reporting results of SSTs are overviewed, and suggestions are provided regarding additional ways that educational journals may address the problem.

A fast hierarchical algorithm for 3-D capacitance extraction

Abstract: We present a new algorithm for computing the capacitance of three-dimensional perfect electrical conductors of complex structures. The new algorithm is significantly faster and uses much less memory than previous best algorithms, and is kernel independent. The new algorithm is based on a hierarchical algorithm for the n-body problem, and is an acceleration of the boundary element method for solving the integral equation associated with the capacitance extraction problem. The algorithm first adaptively subdivides the conductor surfaces into panels according to an estimation of the potential coefficients and a user-supplied error bound. The algorithm stores the potential coefficient matrix in a hierarchical data structure of size O(n), although the matrix is size n/sup 2/ if expanded explicitly, where n is the number of panels. The hierarchical data structure allows us to multiply the coefficient matrix with any vector in O(n) time. Finally, we use a generalized minimal residual algorithm to solve m linear systems each of size n/spl times/n in O(mn) time, where m is the number of conductors. The new algorithm is implemented and the performance is compared with previous best algorithms. For the k/spl times/k bus example, our algorithm is 100 to 40 times faster than FastCap, and uses 1/100 to 1/60 of the memory used by FastCap. The results computed by the new algorithm are within 2.7% from that computed by FastCap.

Household health expenditures in Nepal: implications for health care financing reform.

Abstract: His Majesty's Government of Nepal has embarked on an ambitious social welfare programme of increasing the accessibility of primary education and health care services in rural communities. The implications on the financing of health care services are substantial, as the number of health posts has increased twelve-fold from 1992 to 1996, from 200 to 2597. To strengthen health care financing, government policy-makers are considering a number of financing strategies that are likely to have a substantial impact on household health care expenditures. However, more needs to be known about the role of households in the current structure of the health economy before the government designs and implements policies that affect household welfare. This paper uses the Nepal Living Standards Survey, a rich, nationally-representative sample of households from 1996, to investigate level and distribution of household out-of-pocket health expenditures. Utilization and expenditures for different types of providers are presented by urban/rural status and by socioeconomic status. In addition, the sources of health sector funds are analyzed by contrasting household out-of-pocket expenditures with expenditures by the government and donors. The results indicate that households spend about 5.5% of total household expenditures on health care and that households account for 74% of the total level of funds used to finance the health economy. In addition, rural households are found to spend more on health care than urban households, after controlling for income status. Distributing health care expenditures by type of care utilized indicates that the wealthy, as well as the poor, rely heavily on services provided by the public sector. The results of this analysis are used to discuss the feasibility of implementing alternative health care financing policies.

Theoretical Investigation of the Relationship between Proton NMR Chemical Shift and Hydrogen Bond Strength.

Abstract: Hartree−Fock, Moller−Plesset, and DFT (BLYP, B3LYP) calculations have been carried out using the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set to study the relationship between calculated 1H NMR chemical shifts and calculated hydrogen bond strengths in several model low-barrier hydrogen bond complexes. For both the formic acid-substituted formate anion and enol-substituted enolate anion model systems, we find an excellent linear correlation between calculated hydrogen bond strength and predicted 1H NMR chemical shift, with an average slope of 1.5 kcal/mol per ppm chemical shift.