Showing papers by "University of South Carolina published in 1992"

Image compression through wavelet transform coding

Abstract: A novel theory is introduced for analyzing image compression methods that are based on compression of wavelet decompositions. This theory precisely relates (a) the rate of decay in the error between the original image and the compressed image as the size of the compressed image representation increases (i.e., as the amount of compression decreases) to (b) the smoothness of the image in certain smoothness classes called Besov spaces. Within this theory, the error incurred by the quantization of wavelet transform coefficients is explained. Several compression algorithms based on piecewise constant approximations are analyzed in some detail. It is shown that, if pictures can be characterized by their membership in the smoothness classes considered, then wavelet-based methods are near-optimal within a larger class of stable transform-based, nonlinear methods of image compression. Based on previous experimental research it is argued that in most instances the error incurred in image compression should be measured in the integral sense instead of the mean-square sense. >

The influence of global marketing standardization on performance

Abstract: The authors address a key controversy in the marketing literature about the suitability of global standardization. An empirical investigation of the differences between firms that emphasize global ...

Cultural differences and shareholder value in related mergers: linking equity and human capital

Abstract: Merger literature suggests that the relationship between shareholder gains and the relatedness of merging firms is contingent upon the compatibility of the two firms' top management cultures. This hypothesis is tested by surveying the perceptions of cultural differences of top management teams of recently acquired firms, and then relating these perceptions to related stock market gains to the buying firms. The findings suggest a strong inverse relationship between perceptions of cultural differences and shareholder gains, after controlling for perceptions of the buying firm's tolerance for multiculturalism and the relative size of the merging firms.

Toward Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: An Introduction:

Abstract: Both the qualitative and quantitative paradigms have weaknesses which, to a certain extent, are compensated for by the strengths of the other. As indicated in this article, the strengths of quantitative methods are that they produce factual, reliable outcome data that are usually generalizable to some larger population. The strengths of qualitative methods are that they generate rich, detailed, valid process data that usually leave the study participants' perspectives in tact. This article discusses how qualitative and quantitative methods can be combined and it introduces the articles included in this issue.

Labelling graphs with a condition at distance 2

Abstract: Given a simple graph $G = ( V,E )$ and a positive number d, an $L_d ( 2,1 )$-labelling of G is a function $f:V ( G ) \to [ 0,\infty )$ such that whenever $x,y \in V$ are adjacent, $| f ( x ) - f ( ...

Some Evidence on the Empirical Significance of Credit Rationing

Abstract: This paper examines the credit rationing debate using detailed contract information on over one million commercial bank loans from 1977 to 1988. While commercial loan rates are "sticky," consistent with rationing, this stickiness varies with loan contract terms in ways that are not predicted by equilibrium credit rationing theory. In addition, the proportion of new loans issued under commitment does not increase significantly when credit markets are tight, despite the fact that borrowers without commitments can be rationed whereas commitment borrowers are contractually insulated from rationing. Overall, the data suggest that equilibrium rationing is not a significant macroeconomic phenomenon.

Implementing Global Strategy: Characteristics of Global Subsidiary Mandates

Abstract: Implementing a global strategy requires coordinating subsidiary activities across country locations. The assumption often made is that such coordination must be managed at headquarters. However, an alternate approach is decentralized-centralized responsibilities in which different subsidiaries within the multinational are given worldwide mandates to manage specific products or products lines. This study identifies subsidiary characteristics that are associated with receiving a global mandate by examining foreign subsidiaries located in France, Germany, Japan, U.K., U.S., and Canada.

Career Management Issues Facing Expatriates

Abstract: This research explores expatriate assignments from a career development perspective. First, the article examines the impact of five organization-level career development programs and policies on expatriate effectiveness. Then, it explores the impact of five individual-level career management strategies on the success of expatriate transitions. Data from 118 expatriates in Saudi Arabia, Europe, South America, and Japan are presented to examine these career development issues.

Accumulation of Maillard reaction products in skin collagen in diabetes and aging.

Abstract: To investigate the contribution of glycation and oxidation reactions to the modification of insoluble collagen in aging and diabetes, Maillard reaction products were measured in skin collagen from 39 type 1 diabetic patients and 52 nondiabetic control subjects. Compounds studied included fructoselysine (FL), the initial glycation product, and the glycoxidation products, N'-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and pentosidine, formed during later Maillard reactions. Collagen-linked fluorescence was also studied. In nondiabetic subjects, glycation of collagen (FL content) increased only 33% between 20 and 85 yr of age. In contrast, CML, pentosidine and fluorescence increased fivefold, correlating strongly with age. In diabetic patients, collagen FL was increased threefold compared with nondiabetic subjects, correlating strongly with glycated hemoglobin but not with age. Collagen CML, pentosidine and fluorescence were increased up to twofold in diabetic compared with control patients: this could be explained by the increase in glycation alone, without invoking increased oxidative stress. There were strong correlations among CML, pentosidine and fluorescence in both groups, providing evidence for age-dependent chemical modification ofcollagen via the Maillard reaction, and acceleration of this process in diabetes. These results support the description of diabetes as a disease characterized by accelerated chemical aging of long-lived tissue proteins. (J. Clin. Invest. 1993. 91:2463-2469.)

The geometric phase

Abstract: When a quantum system evolves so that it returns to its initial physical state, it acquires a 'memory' of this motion in the form of a geometric phase in the wavefunction. This phase has observable consequences in a wide range of physical systems, and its presence has now been convincingly demonstrated, for example, in optical and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments.

The Entrepreneur and the Initiation of New Venture Launch Activities

Abstract: Much of the previous research attempting to relate traits of the entrepreneur to new venture creation has failed to demonstrate a definitive linkage. This failure should not impugn the importance o...

On self-diagnosable multiprocessor systems: diagnosis by the comparison approach

Abstract: The diagnosability and diagnosis problems for a model introduced by J. Maeng and M. Malek (1981) of a self-diagnosable multiprocessor system where processors compare the results of tasks performed by other processors in the system are analyzed. A set of criteria is given for determining whether the faulty processors in the system can be diagnosed on the basis of the comparisons, and a polynomial-time algorithm is presented to identify the faulty units of such a system on the basis of the comparison results when the system is known to be diagnosable. >

Patient compliance—an overview

Abstract: This article reviews the major topic areas of compliance research. Much of the research in the area has focused on measurement, extent, and determinants of non-compliance. Research on the effectiveness of educational and behavioural strategies to improve compliance suggests the need to combine them. While some authors have attempted to model compliance or medication-taking behaviours, these models cannot be applied widely. After decades of compliance research, very little consistent information is available, except that people do not take their medications as prescribed. The methodological rigour of compliance studies may partially contribute to this situation. Methodological flaws have included design features and study execution. In addition, researchers have proceeded with studies without regard to a theoretical framework. Many have argued that much of the existing compliance literature also lacks conceptual rigour. Although we know that people do not take their medications consistently, we do not know specifically why they have done so. One reason for this lack of understanding is that compliance research has been dominated by the perspective of the health professional. To better understand medication-taking behaviour, researchers need to examine the patient's perspective. Consequently, future research needs to investigate a patient's decision-making process and the reasons for those decisions.

Identifying Alterable Patterns in Employment Success for Highly Successful Adults with Learning Disabilities

Abstract: Adults with learning disabilities were studied to ascertain the patterns of successful functioning that promoted high levels of vocational success. This area of research has been neglected in the developing research base on adults with learning disabilities. In this study of 46 highly successful and 25 moderately successful adults with learning disabilities using ethnographic interviews, it was found that the overriding theme was control and that control was sought through the pursuit of two sets of themes--internal decisions and external manifestations. These themes transcended the entire sample, and the clear difference between the groups was the degree of attainment on the various elements the themes comprised. These elements and themes are discussed and a model of successful vocational functioning is developed and explained.

A taxonomy of business-level strategies in global industries

Abstract: This study presents a taxonomy of business-level strategies in global industries. Empirical data suggest there are four broad strategies: domestic product niche, exporting high quality offerings, international product innovation, and quasi-global combination. A discussion of the characteristics and performance differentials of each strategy type is provided as well.

Child Sexual Assault as a Risk Factor for Mental Disorders among Women: A Community Survey.

Abstract: A community sample of 391 adult women was screened for a history of sexual assault during childhood and assessed for lifetime and current mental disorders using a structured victimization history interview and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. One third of the women had been victims of rape, molestation, or sexual assault not involving physical contact prior to the age of 18 years. Child rape victims were more likely than nonvictims to have ever met DSM-III diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and sexual disorders. Molestation victims were overrepresented on major depressive episode, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sexual disorders. Noncontact child sexual assault was not a significant risk factor for any disorder. Child rape and molestation victims were more likely than victims of noncontact assault to have had crime-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Mental disorder lifetime prevalence risk ratios for child rape and molest...

Comparing codeswitching and borrowing

Abstract: An issue regarding codeswitching discourse is the extent to which material from a donor language (the Embedded Language or EL) appearing in a recipient language (the Matrix Language or ML) shows internal differentiation. Three questions are relevant: (1) Are all singly‐occurring EL lexemes in such discourse borrowed forms, or are some codeswitched forms (CS forms)? (2) If some are CS forms, how are they differentiated from borrowings? (3) What is the relationship of either established borrowings or singly‐occurring CS forms to multiword stretches of codeswitching? Working within a model of the structural constraints on codeswitching (the Matrix Language Frame Model), this paper argues that while some important differences do exist among the various forms of EL material appearing in codeswitching discourse, in general the forms arise from related processes. Therefore, any model of the structural aspects of codeswitching must provide a unified account for all EL material in codeswitching utterances.

Effects of carbohydrate feedings on plasma free tryptophan and branched-chain amino acids during prolonged cycling

Abstract: Brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been suggested to be involved in central fatigue during prolonged exercise. Changes in the ratio of plasma free tryptophan (free Trp) to branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are associated with altered brain 5-HT synthesis. The purposes of this study were to describe systematically the effects of prolonged exercise on changes in plasma free Trp and BCAA and to examine the effects of carbohydrate (CHO) feedings on these same variables. Eight well-trained men [\(\dot V{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} \)max = 57.8 (SE 4.1) ml kg−1 min−1] cycled for up to 255 min at a power output corresponding toVO2 at lactate threshold (approximately 68%VO2max) on three occasions separated by at least 1 week. Subjects drank 5 ml kg−1 body wt−1 of either a water placebo, or a liquid beverage containing a moderate (6% CHO) or high (12% CHO) concentration of carbohydrate beginning at min 14 of exercise and every 30 min thereafter. Exercise time to fatigue was shorter in subjects receiving placebo [190 (SE 4) min] as compared to 6% CHO [235 (SE 10) min] and 12% CHO [234 (SE 9) min] (P<0.05). Glucose and insulin decreased in the placebo group, and free Trp, free-Trp/BCAA, and free fatty acids increased approximately five- to sevenfold (P < 0.05). These changes were attenuated in a dose-related manner by the carbohydrate drinks. Plasma free Trp and plasma free fatty acids were highly correlated (r=0.86,P<0.001). Plasma BCAA did not change in the placebo group, but decreased slightly in those receiving 6% CHO and 12% CHO (P<0.05). No differences in heart rate,\(\dot V{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} \), plasma volume and respiratory exchange ratio were found. The results indicate that free Trp and free Trp/BCAA increase progressively during prolonged cycling to fatigue. This response was attenuated by CHO feedings. Changes in plasma free fatty acids probably play a prominent role in these responses.

Ideology, Status, and The Differential Success of Direct Parties Before the Supreme Court

Abstract: A substantial literature on lower federal courts and state courts suggests that the "haves" usually come out ahead in litigation because they possess superior resources for it and they reap advantages from their repeat player status. We investigate the success of 10 categories of litigants before the Warren, Burger, and Rehnquist Courts to determine whether the resources or experience of litigants has effects on Supreme Court outcomes paralleling those found in the courts below. While different categories of litigants are found to have very different rates of success, those differences do not consistently favor litigants with greater resources. A time series analysis of the success of different categories of litigants over the 36 years studied suggests that the changing ideological complexion of the Court has a greater impact on the success of litigants than differences among litigants in resources and experience. W e examine the impact of litigant status and the changing ideology of the U.S. Supreme Court on differences in the success rates of direct parties before the Court. Simply, we seek to explain why some categories of litigants win more frequently than others when appearing before the Court. Previous explanations have attributed differential success rates in lower federal courts to, inter alia, disparities between litigants of different status in judicial experience and resources. We argue, however, that differential success rates in Supreme Court decisions have more to do with the ideological composition of the Court and the Court's receptivity to the different types of legal claims made by litigants of different status. Previous research indicates that the status of litigants before American courts has substantial influence on judicial outcomes. Higher-status parties enjoy significant advantages in appellate courts and usually win. This has been demonstrated in the U.S. courts of appeals (Sheehan and Songer 1989) and, to a lesser degree, in state supreme courts (Wheeler et al. 1987). Curiously, the impact of litigant status on

Educators, homosexuality, and homosexual students: are personal feelings related to professional beliefs?

Abstract: This study is based on interviews with Southern lesbian and gay young adults and survey data from school counselors and prospective teachers living in the South. The essay explores adolescents' per...

Strategies for Managing Human Resources During Mergers and Acquisitions: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that many mergers and acquisitions have not achieved the strategic and financial benefits that acquiring top managers have expected them to. A number of reasons have been advanced for this, including lack of strategic fit between the combining firms, excessive purchase prices and organizational and human resource problems. This article explores the last cause in detail and provides an empirical investigation of how 80 firms affiliated with the Human Resource Planning Society attempted to manage or avoid these problems. Particular areas examined in this investigation include pre-merger planning and post-merger implementation.

International Configuration and Coordination Archetypes for Medium-Sized Firms in Global Industries

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the basic configuration and coordination patterns for medium-sized firms competing in global industries. Analyzing 126 businesses competing in nine different global industries, five distinct archetypes are identified. The results suggest that selective globalization—in which the firm defines its global strategy around a narrow subset of the value chain—may lead to the most effective outcomes.

Strategic management's potential contributions to a theory of entrepreneurship

Abstract: The article offers an overview of strategic management and its various schools of thought, followed by a summary of the field of entrepreneurship and its own disagreements over definition and bound...

Role of Oxygen in Cross-Linking and Chemical Modification of Collagen by Glucose

Abstract: The role of oxygen in chemical modification and cross-linking of rat tail collagen by glucose was studied at physiological pH and temperature in vitro. Cross-linking of collagen under air depended on glucose concentration, but was inhibited under antioxidative conditions (nitrogen atmosphere with transition metal chelators). The cross-linking reaction under air depended on phosphate buffer concentration, but this effect was eliminated by addition of chelators, identifying trace metal ions in the buffer as catalysts of oxidative cross-linking reaction. Antioxidative conditions had no effect on glycation, that is, formation of fructose lysine, but inhibited formation of the glycoxidation products N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine and pentosidine as well as the development of fluorescence in glycated collagen. Glycation itself decreased during continued incubation of the collagen without glucose; however, cross-linking and concentrations of glycoxidation products and fluorescence in collagen were not reversible under either oxidative or antioxidative conditions. These observations are consistent with recent studies in vivo on the reversibility of collagen glycation, the irreversibility of formation of glycoxidation products and fluorescence, and the strong correlations between glycoxidation products and fluorescence in collagen (1). These results indicate that oxidation reactions play a critical role in the extended chemical modification and cross-linking of collagen by glucose and suggest that measurement of glycoxidation products should be useful for assessing cumulative chemical modification of collagen by glucose in vivo.