Showing papers by "Wichita State University published in 1999"

An examination of leadership and employee creativity: the relevance of traits and relationships

Abstract: Creativity is becoming a topic of ever-increasing interest to organizational managers. Thus, there is a need for a greater understanding of the dynamics between the personal and contextual factors responsible for creative performance in work settings. In particular, there is a need to identify the role of leadership for creativity. Until now, creativity studies have examined leadership and employee characteristics from a single-domain perspective. Data from 191 R&D employees of a large chemical company were used to test a multidomain, interactionist creativity model of employee characteristics, leader characteristics, and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX). Results suggest that employee intrinsic motivation and cognitive style, LMX, the interactions between employee intrinsic motivation and leader intrinsic motivation, and between LMX and employee cognitive style relate to employee creative performance as measured by supervisor ratings, invention disclosure forms, or research reports. Implications for practicing managers and research on leadership and creativity are discussed.

Control of Markovian jump discrete-time systems with norm bounded uncertainty and unknown delay

Abstract: This paper studies the problem of control for discrete time delay linear systems with Markovian jump parameters. The system under consideration is subjected to both time-varying norm-bounded parameter uncertainty and unknown time delay in the state, and Markovian jump parameters in all system matrices. We address the problem of robust state feedback control in which both robust stochastic stability and a prescribed H/sub /spl infin// performance are required to be achieved irrespective of the uncertainty and time delay. It is shown that the above problem can be solved if a set of coupled linear matrix inequalities has a solution.

The NEXTGEN Model Atmosphere Grid. II. Spherically Symmetric Model Atmospheres for Giant Stars with Effective Temperatures between 3000 and 6800 K

Abstract: We present the extension of our NextGen model atmosphere grid to the regime of giant stars. The input physics of the models presented here is nearly identical to that of the NextGen dwarf atmosphere models; however, spherical geometry is used self-consistently in the model calculations (including the radiative transfer). We revisit the discussion of the effects of spherical geometry on the structure of the atmospheres and the emitted spectra and discuss the results of non-LTE calculations for a few selected models.

The Impact of Acceptance versus Control Rationales on Pain Tolerance

Abstract: Acceptance approaches, which have been receiving increased attention within behavior therapy, seek to undermine the linkage between private events and overt behavior, rather than attempting to control the form or frequency of private events per se Research comparing control versus acceptance strategies is limited The present study examined the behavioral and subjective impact of a control-based versus acceptance rationale, using a cold pressor task Subjects in the acceptance group demonstrated greater tolerance of pain compared to the control-based and placebo groups Only the control-based rationale targeted the subjective experience of pain but it did not differ across rationales Results confirmed that acceptance was effective in manipulating the believability of reason giving, a key process measure By encouraging individuals to distance themselves from their private events, acceptance methods may help reduce the use of emotional reasons to explain behavior and hence shift concern from moderating thoughts and feelings to experiencing the consequences of one’s action Acceptance is a promising new technique Its effect is all the more surprising given that it teaches principles (eg, “thoughts do not cause behavior”) that run counter both to the popular culture and to the dominant approaches within empirical clinical intervention

Kalman filtering for continuous-time uncertain systems with Markovian jumping parameters

Abstract: Studies the problem of Kalman filtering for a class of uncertain linear continuous-time systems with Markovian jumping parameters. The system under consideration is subjected to time-varying norm-bounded parameter uncertainties in the state and measurement equations. Stochastic quadratic stability of the above system is analyzed. A state estimator is designed such that the covariance of the estimation error is guaranteed to be within a certain bound for all admissible uncertainties, which is in terms of solutions of two sets of coupled algebraic Riccati equations.

The signature of a coherent system and its application to comparisons among systems

Abstract: Various methods and criteria for comparing coherent systems are discussed. Theoretical results are derived for comparing systems of a given order when components are assumed to have independent and identically distributed lifetimes. All comparisons rely on the representation of a system's lifetime distribution as a function of the system's “signature,” that is, as a function of the vector p= (p1, … , pn), where pi is the probability that the system fails upon the occurrence of the ith component failure. Sufficient conditions are provided for the lifetime of one system to be larger than that of another system in three different senses: stochastic ordering, hazard rate ordering, and likelihood ratio ordering. Further, a new preservation theorem for hazard rate ordering is established. In the final section, the notion of system signature is used to examine a recently published conjecture regarding componentwise and systemwise redundancy. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 46: 507–523, 1999

Similarities and contradictions in the core logic of three strategy research streams

Abstract: The logical foundations shaping three prominent streams of strategic management thought are summarized and then compared and contrasted. The intent is to determine whether these research streams are restatements of a single core logic using different terms to describe the same phenomena and relationships, or whether they provide alternate, and potentially competing, explanations for effective strategic action. Analysis reveals some concordant assertions, some similarities across pairs of frameworks, and some fundamental contradictions among the various logic sets. Since key elements in the fundamental premises of each research stream present logical contradictions with each of the other two, a strategy derived from an integration of these perspectives creates inconsistencies in a firm’s enacted context, its assumptions about strategy making, and its administrative arrangements. As circumstances change, a firm may be required to undergo a ‘core logic shift’ to maintain consistency between its strategy and its strategic context. When a shift becomes necessary, a firm needs to overcome structural inertia, competitive inertia, organizational momentum, and its current management logic to maintain internal consistency. Additional implications of the comparison of these three logics for both theory and practice are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sources of job satisfaction among police officers: A test of demographic and work environment models

Abstract: Knowledge about police officers' job satisfaction to date has been limited to empirical inquiry based on individual officers' educational level, ethnicity, gender, and rank/years of service. This study explores the effect of the agency work environment on officers' job satisfaction in addition to the usual demographic variables. Until now, the police work environment primarily has been viewed in a pejorative context, synonymous with workers' stress, job burnout, cynicism, and alienation. Analysis of survey data from a medium-sized police department in the northwestern United States suggests that a police agency's work environment is a principal source of job satisfaction, regardless of the measure of the dependent variable employed.

Sim: a utility for detecting similarity in computer programs

Abstract: We describe the design and implementation of a program called sim to measure similarity between two C computer programs. It is useful for detecting plagiarism among a large set of homework programs. This software is part of a project to construct tools to assist the teaching of computer science.

Numerical Simulations of Fe II Emission Spectra

Abstract: This paper describes the techniques that we have used to incorporate a large-scale model of the Fe+ ion and resulting Fe II emission into CLOUDY, a spectral synthesis code designed to simulate conditions within a plasma and model the resulting spectrum. We describe the numerical methods we use to determine the level populations, mutual line overlap fluorescence, collisional effects, and the heating-cooling effects of the atom on its environment. As currently implemented, the atom includes the lowest 371 levels (up to 11.6 eV) and predicts intensities of 68,635 lines. We describe our data sources, which include the most recent transition probabilities and collision strengths. Although we use detailed fits to temperature-dependent collision strengths where possible, in many cases the uncertain approximation is the only source for collision data. The atom is designed to be readily expanded to include more levels and to incorporate more accurate sets of collision and radiative data as computers grow faster and the atomic databases expand. We present several test cases showing that the atom goes to LTE in the limits of high particle and radiation densities. We give an overview of general features of the Fe II spectra as their dependencies on the basic parameters of our models (density, flux, microturbulent velocity, the Fe abundance, and Lyα pumping). Finally, we discuss several applications to active galactic nuclei to illustrate the diagnostic power of the Fe II spectrum and make some predictions for UV observations.

Uniqueness, stability and numerical methods for the inverse problem that arises in financial markets

Abstract: Market prices of financial derivatives such as options are directly observable. This information can be used to recover an unobservable local volatility function for the underlying stochastic process. We give a rigorous mathematical formulation of this inverse problem, provide available uniqueness and stability results using the dual equation and review various approaches to the numerical solution.

The effect of just-in-time with customers on organizational design and performance

Abstract: Faced with environmental volatility and increased competition, firms are turning to supply chain management and associated time‐based initiatives to develop sustainable competitive advantages. This research examines just‐in‐time (JIT) as one such logistics strategy. While prior research has focused on internal and upstream JIT (i.e., production and purchasing), the present research examines the extent to which exchange with downstream customers is just‐in‐time oriented. The results of the research show that JIT with customers is associated with organizational designs that are more decentralized, integrated, and formalized and with better performance in terms of less finished goods inventory and higher overall financial performance. The analysis controls for firm size, production technology, and tenure of the senior logistics executive and shows that the effects of JIT with customers on organizational structure and performance are, with a limited number of exceptions, relatively robust.

Self-assembled porphyrin-c60 and porphycene-c60 complexes via metal axial coordination

Abstract: Noncovalently linked electron donor−acceptor complexes consisting of either zinc tetraphenylporphyrin, (TPP)Zn, or zinc octaethylporphycene, (OEPc)Zn, as donor and pyridine appended C60, py∼C60, as...

Total system JIT outcomes: inventory, organization and financial effects

Abstract: Despite anecdotal evidence of the performance implications of just‐in‐time (JIT) implementation, little empirical research has been conducted. Examines total system JIT’s empirical relationships with a variety of performance outcomes. Total system JIT encompasses JIT purchasing, JIT production, and JIT selling. In a mail survey of 200 logistics executives, total system JIT was found to be: inversely related to weeks of inventory (inclusive of inbound, in‐process, and outbound); inversely related to the number of layers in various functional areas (e.g. marketing); and positively related to three different indicators of financial performance (ROI, profits, and ROS). Results, managerial implications, and further research are discussed.

The Dimensions of Students' Perceptions of Teaching Effectiveness.

Abstract: The use of student ratings of instructional quality is enhanced by an understanding of the nature of the underlying dimensions. In the current investigation, confirmatory factor analysis procedures...

Effects of temperature on the toxicity of m-parathion, chlorpyrifos, and pentachlorobenzene to Chironomus tentans

Abstract: This study examined the influence of temperature (10, 20, and 30 degrees C) on the acute toxicity and accumulation of two organophosphate (OP) insecticides and a narcotic chemical to the midge (Chironomus tentans). OP insecticides used in this study included chlorpyrifos and m-parathion, and pentachlorobenzene was the chosen narcotic. Chlorpyrifos was the most toxic chemical tested, followed by m-parathion and then pentachlorobenzene. A positive correlation was found between temperature and toxicity for each of the chemicals tested. A reverse trend was noted for total OP insecticide body residues with decreased concentrations found at the higher temperatures. Pentachlorobenzene body residues remained constant at all temperatures. All three chemicals showed increased uptake rates at 20 and 30 degrees C in comparison to 10 degrees C. The noted decrease in midge body residues at the higher temperatures for the OP insecticides was contributed to increased biotransformation and elimination rates at the higher temperatures. Overall, temperature had a greater influence on OP toxicity than for pentachlorobenzene, and this may be due to accelerated biotransformation of the OPs to more toxic o-analog metabolites at the higher temperatures.http://link.springer-ny. com/link/service/journals/00244/bibs/37n4p542.html

Brief-tone frequency discrimination by children.

Abstract: This study investigated maturational changes in children's ability to discriminate the frequency of short-duration tone pulses. Frequency difference limens (DLs) were measured for digitally generat...

The status of community policing in American cities: Facilitators and impediments revisited

Abstract: “Community policing” has become the watchword for organizational change among law enforcement agencies across the USA over the past several years. In particular, concerted efforts to internalize this new policing philosophy have intensified with the passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act in 1994, and since the strong endorsement of the community policing concept by the Clinton administration. Our analysis of data collected from a representative sample of 281 American police agencies in 1993 and again in 1996 permit a compelling examination of the community policing movement in this country over time. Our findings suggest that there has been a significant increase in community policing activities in recent years. Further, the level of interest in community policing training has intensified and impediments to the adoption of the community policing philosophy have become more easily identifiable. In addition, the results reported here also suggest that this change process has been quite dynamic, but the ultimate and widespread institutionalization of community policing still remains somewhat uncertain.

Design of Automatic Landing Systems Using Mixed H/H Control

Abstract: Mixed H2/HX control technique is employed to develop controllers for auto-landing systems for a commercial airplane. A linear model of the aircraft in longitudinal motion is established using the appropriate aerodynamic coefficients. With the control actuator, tracking errors, and altitude motion, the aircraft is shown to be governed by an augmentation system along with its filter model. Two kinds of optimal and robust control requirements are designed, which need to be satisfied simultaneously. One of requirements is with respect to an optimal trajectory selection for landing routes. The H2 method is used to minimize a cost function such that the optimal gain for trajectory optimization can be obtained. The other requirement is with respect to the disturbance attenuation. The Hm technique is employed to obtain the necessary formulation for the robust control gain to minimize the affection of the disturbance to the performance output. An algorithm is developed based on the convex theory for the mixed H2I Hn control and filter gains, which provides a suboptimal solution. A large commercial aircraft (Boeing 747-200) is employed to illustrate the potential of the proposed method. It is shown that the glide slope capture motion and flare maneuver of the aircraft are accomplished quite well, and the amplitudes of all maneuver are within FAA requirements. L INTRODUCTION Control of aircraft under difficult maneuvers is a problem of both theoretical and practical interest. Control under one of these difficult maneuvers, that of landing, is discussed and addressed in this paper. Design of automatic landing systems has been achieved using both robust and optimal control methods [1-3]. Reference [1] employed the #„ synthesis to design an automatic landing controller for an F-14 aircraft. Design of landing systems encountering windshear is given in

Geometric constraint satisfaction using optimization methods

Abstract: The numerical approach to solving geometric constraint problems is indispensable for building a practical CAD system. The most commonly-used numerical method is the Newton–Raphson method. It is fast, but has the instability problem: the method requires good initial values. To overcome this problem, recently the homotopy method has been proposed and experimented with. According to the report, the homotopy method generally works much better in terms of stability. In this paper we use the numerical optimization method to deal with the geometric constraint solving problem. The experimental results based on our implementation of the method show that this method is also much less sensitive to the initial value. Further, a distinctive advantage of the method is that under- and over-constrained problems can be handled naturally and efficiently. We also give many instructive examples to illustrate the above advantages.

Gender equity in televised sports: A comparative analysis of men's and women's NCAA division I basketball championship broadcasts, 1991–1995

Abstract: This study compares the variety and frequency of camera shots and graphics in broadcasts of men's and women's NCAA Division I championship basketball games from 1991 to 1995. Hypotheses predict that broadcasts of women's games—in comparison to broadcasts of men's games—employ fewer camera shots and graphics, use camera shots and graphics of longer duration, and consume significantly less broadcast time. The data partially confirms the first two hypotheses but rejects the third.

Cognitive Deficits in a Genetic Mouse Model of the Most Common Biochemical Cause of Human Mental Retardation

Abstract: Phenylalanine hydroxylase ( Pah )-deficient “PKU mice” have a mutation in the Pah gene that causes phenylketonuria (PKU) in humans. PKU produces cognitive deficits in humans if it is untreated. We report here the first evidence that the genetic mouse model of PKU ( Pah enu2 ) also produces cognitive impairments. PKU mice were impaired on both odor discrimination reversal and latent learning compared with heterozygote littermates and with wild-type mice of the same BTBR strain. A small container of cinnamon-scented sand was presented on the right or left, and nutmeg-scented sand was presented on the other side; left–right location varied over trials. Digging in sand of the correct scent was rewarded by finding phenylalanine-free chocolate. To prevent scent cuing, new containers were used on every trial, and both containers always contained chocolate. Digging in the incorrect choice was stopped before the chocolate was uncovered. Once criterion was reached, the other scent was rewarded. PKU mice were impaired on reversals 2, 3, and 4. They were also impaired in latent learning. On day 1, half the mice were allowed to explore a maze and discover the location of water. On day 2, all mice were water-deprived and were placed in the maze. Whereas pre-exposed wild-type and heterozygous mice showed evidence that they remembered the location of the water and hence could find the water faster on day 2, pre-exposed PKU mice showed no significant benefit from their pre-exposure on day 1.

Gender differences in questions asked during small decision-making group discussions

Abstract: Sixty minutes each of group discussions from 18 four- to seven-member decision-making groups were audiotaped and transcribed for analysis. Results indicated that questions constituted 15.6% of total turns by group members. Probes were the most frequently occurring question type (89.2%). There was a significant gender difference in only one of the five question types: Female group members asked significantly more probing questions than did their male counterparts. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Higher fluctuating asymmetry as a measure of susceptibility to pesticides in fishes

Abstract: Two species of fishes common to the Great Plains of North America (the western mosquitofish [Gambusia affinis] and the sand shiner [Notropis ludibundus]) were used to examine the relationship between individual time-to-death (TTD) in 96-h toxicity tests and average fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Previous studies have indicated that FA, the random deviation from bilateral symmetry in metric traits, is increased in organisms that develop in stressful and/or marginal environments. This association has led to the prediction that FA may be useful as a bioindicator. For example, if an individual's FA is negatively related to stress resistance, a population that has comparatively high values of FA may be more susceptible to further stressors. Adult fish used in these experiments were captured from natural populations in Kansas and acclimated to laboratory conditions for 1 month before use in toxicity tests. Each species was separately exposed to two insecticides: parathion, an organophosphate, and lindane, an organochlorine. For each TTD test, 200 individuals were exposed over a 96-h period to an LC70 concentration. Dead individuals were removed every 3 h. Individuals that survived the test were sacrificed for comparison to those that died. Measurements for seven external morphologic characters were obtained for each individual and used to estimate average FA. Three of four statistical tests showed a significant negative regression between TTD and average FA, indicating that individuals with smaller FA survived longer in the test conditions. These results support the use of FA as an indicator of susceptibility to pesticides.

The application of acoustic emission for precision drilling process monitoring

Abstract: Precision drilling is a process where a close tolerance hole can be produced with a special drill bit without subsequent reaming Producing a hole without reaming results in less overall processing time during hole preparation Precision drilling is best accomplished by a robot with a computer controlled drilling end effector due to the high degree of process control required Some aspects of the process, such as spindle speed, feed rate, and peck cycles, can easily be controlled by a computer controlled end effector Other variables, such as drill bit wear, chipping, and point geometry variation, cannot be controlled with the end effector These variables affect the diameter of the hole but cannot be detected unless the hole or the drill bit is manually inspected It is not practical to stop the process and check the diameter after every hole Therefore, a means to perform real time drilling process monitoring is required to detect if an oversized hole is being drilled The primary objective of this research was to correlate the diameter of a hole drilled in steel with any acoustic emission (AE) signal measurement parameter The secondary objective was to correlate drill bit lip height variation, which has a significant influence on the diameter of a hole, with any AE signal measurement parameter The results of this study showed that acoustic emission could only be correlated to hole diameter variations if those variations were related to the lip height variations However, AE energy and RMS were correlated to lip height variations under a wide variety of conditions