Oklahoma State University at Tulsa

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy and safety of the humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody tocilizumab combined with conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: A total of 1,220 patients were randomized (2:1 ratio) in the phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter TOWARD (Tocilizumab in Combination With Traditional DMARD Therapy) study. Patients remained on stable doses of DMARDs and received tocilizumab 8 mg/kg or placebo (control group) every 4 weeks for 24 weeks. RESULTS: At week 24, the proportion of patients achieving a response according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria for 20% improvement (ACR20) was significantly greater in the tocilizumab plus DMARD group than in the control group (61% versus 25%; P<0.0001). Secondary end points including 50% or 70% improvement (ACR50/70), the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), DAS28 remission responses (DAS28<2.6), European League Against Rheumatism responses, and systemic markers such as the C-reactive protein and hemoglobin levels showed superiority of tocilizumab plus DMARDs over DMARDs alone. Seventy-three percent of patients in the tocilizumab group had >or=1 adverse event (AE), compared with 61% of patients in the control group. AEs leading to withdrawal from the study were infrequent (4% of patients in the tocilizumab group and 2% of those in the control group). Serious AEs occurred in 6.7% and 4.3% of patients in the tocilizumab and control groups, respectively, and serious infections occurred in 2.7% and 1.9%, respectively. Elevations in the alanine aminotransferase level, from normal at baseline to >3-fold the upper limit of normal, occurred in 4% of patients in the tocilizumab group and 1% of those in the control group, and elevated total cholesterol levels were observed in 23% and 6% of patients, respectively. Sixteen patients started lipid-lowering therapy during the study. Grade 3 neutropenia occurred in 3.7% of patients receiving tocilizumab and none of the patients in the control group, and no grade 4 neutropenia was reported. CONCLUSION: Tocilizumab combined with any of the DMARDs evaluated was safe and effective in reducing articular and systemic symptoms in patients with an inadequate response to these agents.

Purchasing organizations use various strategies and techniques to minimize the chance and impact of detrimental events occurring in the supply base. Supply risk assessments are a necessary first step in managing those risks. An analysis of in‐depth interviews with purchasing professionals from nine companies indicates that purchasing organizations often create contingency plans, and implement process‐improvement and buffer strategies in response to perceived supply risks discovered in assessments. Even though risk assessments, contingency plans, and risk management efforts are generally acknowledged as being important, many of those interviewed believed that there was not enough done in their organizations to mitigate supply‐related risks.

Although various scholars have researched issues regarding disaster management, few have studied the sharing and coordinating of information during disasters. Not much empirical data is available in this field and there is sparse insight into the factors that may impede or facilitate information sharing and coordination among stakeholders. In this paper, we provide an overview of the relevant obstacles and challenges by examining existing literature and then investigating a series of multi-agency disaster management exercises, using observations and a survey. Although all the people who took part in our study agree that sharing information is important, for the success of their own organization as well as the exercise as a whole, the extent to which information is actually being shared among organizations is often limited by a number of factors that can be attributed to the community, agency and individual level. We found that relief workers are often more concerned with receiving information from others than with providing information to others who may benefit. Incentives for sharing information, understanding each other’s work-processes and the usability of information systems have shown positive effects on information sharing and coordination. The findings of our study have been formulated using six grounded propositions, which can be used by system designers and policy-makers upon validation in further research. We also provide directions for future research.

Online crowdsourcing markets (OCM) are becoming more popular as a source for data collection. In this paper, we examine the consistency of survey results across student samples, consumer panels, and online crowdsourcing markets (specifically Amazon’s Mechanical Turk) both within the United States and outside. We conduct two studies examining the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the expectation– disconfirmation theory (EDT) to explore potential differences in demographics, psychometrics, structural model estimates, and measurement invariances. Our findings indicate that (1) U.S.-based OCM samples provide demographics much more similar to our student and consumer panel samples than the non-U.S.-based OCM samples; (2) both U.S. and non-U.S. OCM samples provide initial psychometric properties (reliability, convergent, and divergent validity) that are similar to those of both student and consumer panels; (3) non-U.S. OCM samples generally provide differences in scale means compared to those of our students, consumer panels, and U.S. OCM samples; and (4) one of the non-U.S. OCM samples refuted the highly replicated and validated TAM model in the relationship of perceived usefulness to behavioral intentions. Although our post hoc analyses isolated some cultural and demographic effects with regard to the non-U.S. samples in Study 1, they did not address the model differences found in Study 2. Specifically, the inclusion of non-U.S. OCM respondents led to statistically significant differences in parameter estimates, and hence to different statistical conclusions. Due to these unexplained differences that exist within the non-U.S. OCM samples, we caution that the inclusion of non-U.S. OCM participants may lead to different conclusions than studies with only U.S. OCM participants. We are unable to conclude whether this is due to of cultural differences, differences in the demographic profiles of non-U.S. OCM participants, or some unexplored factors within the models. Therefore, until further research is conducted to explore these differences in detail, we urge researchers utilizing OCMs with the intention to generalize to U.S. populations focus on U.S.-based participants and exercise caution in using non-U.S. participants. We further recommend that researchers should clearly describe their OCM usage and design (e.g., demographics, participant filters, etc.) procedures. Overall, we find that U.S. OCM samples produced models that lead to similar statistical conclusions as both U.S. students and U.S. consumer panels at a considerably reduced cost.

BACKGROUND: Changes in employment conditions in the global economy over the past 30 years have led to increased job insecurity and other work organization hazards. These hazards may play a role in creating and sustaining occupational health disparities by socioeconomic position, gender, race, ethnicity, and immigration status. METHODS: A conceptual model was developed to guide the review of 103 relevant articles or chapters on the role of work organization and occupational health disparities identified through a comprehensive search conducted by NIOSH. A second review was conducted of employment and workplace policies and programs designed to reduce the health and safety risks due to job insecurity and other work organization hazards. RESULTS: There is consistent evidence that workers in lower socioeconomic or social class positions are exposed to greater job insecurity and other work organization hazards than workers in higher socioeconomic positions. Likewise, racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants are exposed to greater job insecurity. Limited research examining the effects of interventions targeting work organization hazards on disparities has been conducted; nonetheless, intervention strategies are available and evidence suggests they are effective. CONCLUSIONS: Job insecurity and work organization hazards play a role in creating and sustaining occupational health disparities. Employment and workplace policies and programs have the potential to reduce these hazards, and to reduce disparities.

Concern about minimizing harm and maximizing benefit has been particularly acute with regard to the scientific study of individuals exposed to potentially traumatic events such as terrorist attack or disaster. This review outlines conceptual and practical issues and summarizes available evidence regarding potential risks and benefits of participation in trauma-related research. Current, limited evidence suggests that most individuals make favorable cost-benefit appraisals regarding their participation. Although a subset of participants report strong negative emotions or unanticipated distress, the majority of these do not regret or negatively evaluate the overall experience. Continuing efforts are needed to identify individuals at risk for unfavorable reactions to research participation. A systematic empirical approach to evaluating participant experience in all human research is recommended.

Consumer purchase decisions can be influenced by many emotions, including guilt. Guilt which enters into the consumer purchase decision is identified as “consumer guilt” and may provide opportunities for marketers to influence the consumer decision process. A negative emotion which results from a consumer decision that violates one′s values or norms, explores the consumer guilt construct in a series of focus groups. The groups were composed of subjects representing various age, religious affiliation, occupation, and income groups. Four types of consumer guilt were identified: financial; health; moral; and financial responsibility. Consumer guilt is further classified in terms of anticipatory and reactive states, occurring in both decisions to purchase as well as not to purchase, and as it relates to focus on oneself or others.

Inexpensive and highly efficient luminescent materials based on multinary halides have received increased attention in recent years. Among those considered most promising are the perovskites such as CsPbX3 because of their highly efficient and tunable emission through precise control of chemical composition and nanostructuring. However, the presence of the toxic heavy metal Pb and relatively poor stability are among the major challenges for the introduction of lead-halide-based materials into the marketplace. Here, we report the optical properties of nontoxic and highly emissive one-dimensional (1D) all-inorganic halides CsCu2X3 (X = Cl, Br, I) and their mixed halide derivatives, which also show improved thermal and air stability. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show tunable bright room temperature emission from green to yellow with photoluminescence quantum yields ranging from 0.37 (CsCu2Cl1.5Br1.5) to 48.0% (CsCu2Cl3). Temperature- and power-dependent PL measurements suggest that the emission results from self-trapped excitons induced by strong charge localization and structural distortions within the lD ribbon structure.

The recent achievement of the high thermoelectric figure of merit in nanograined materials is attributed to the successful optimization of the consolidation process. Despite a thermal conductivity reduction, it has been experimentally observed that the porous nanograined materials have lower thermoelectric figure of merit than their bulk counterpart due to significant reduction in the electrical conductivity. In this paper, nanoscale porosity effects on electron and phonon transport are modeled to predict and explain thermoelectric properties in porous nanograined materials. Electron scattering at the pores is treated quantum mechanically while phonon transport is treated using a classical picture. The modeling results show that the charge carriers are scattered more severely in nanograined materials than the macroscale porous materials, due to a higher number density of scattering sites. Porous nanograined materials have enhanced Seebeck coefficient due to energy filtering effect and low thermal conductivity, which are favorable for thermoelectric applications. However, the benefit is not large enough to overcome the deficit in the electrical conductivity, so that a high sample density is necessary for nanograined SiGe.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among demographic factors (gender, age, education, and income), consumer traits (technology anxiety, need for interaction, and technology innovativeness), and intention to use retail self‐checkouts. Design/methodology/approach A total of 285 usable responses are obtained through a web‐based survey after excluding non‐qualified respondents. Structural equation modeling is developed and tested. Findings The results of this paper demonstrate that demographic factors only indirectly influence intention to use retail self‐checkouts through consumer traits and thus the authors conclude that individual differences in the use of retail self‐checkouts can be attributed to consumer traits which are determined by some of the demographic factors. Research limitations/implications Demographic factors and consumer traits are only included as determinants of intention to use retail self‐checkouts. Therefore, future research could attempt to draw a comprehensive picture of retail self‐checkouts by incorporating other relevant factors. Originality/value By classifying individual difference traits into demographic factors and consumer traits, this paper provides more detailed explanations of the relationships among demographic factors, consumer traits, and intention to use retail self‐checkouts.

The purpose of this study was to synthesize internal consistency reliability for the subscale scores on the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The authors addressed three research questions: (a) What is the mean subscale score reliability for the MBI across studies? (b) What factors are associated with observed variance in MBI subscale score reliability? (c) What are the implications for appropriate use based on MBI subscale mean internal consistency estimates? Of the 221 studies reviewed, 84 provided alpha coefficients and were used in the current analysis. Results suggest that mean alpha estimates across subscales generally fell within the .70 to .80 range. Scale variance and language most often accounted for the variance in coefficient alpha, although some variations were apparent between subscales. Of the three MBI subscales, Personal Accomplishment and Depersonalization mean alpha estimates were well below recommended levels for high-stakes decisions, such as the diagnosis of burnout syndrome. Recommendations for the use of the current version of the instrument’s scale scores as well as suggestions for scale refinement are provided.

The role of immigrant ethnic entrepreneurs in the small business milieu of the developed world has been studied within sociology for the past three decades. This article attempts to generate interest in the study of ethnic entrepreneurs within marketing and international business, especially noting the distinct business and marketing systemic features of ethnic entrepreneurial networks. Using prior literature and the findings from a qualitative study, the authors build some elements of a theory of ethnic business systems and demonstrate aspects on which such systems differ from other business firms and networks, especially in the United States. The authors argue that ethnic enterprises make tremendous contributions to local and international economies while bridging small business, globalization, and the nation-state in interesting ways.

The authors proposed and tested a model in which data were collected from managers (n = 539) at 116 corporate-owned quick service restaurants to assess the structural and psychological empowerment process as moderated by shared-felt accountability on indices of performance from a managerial perspective. The authors found that empowering leadership climate positively relates to psychological empowerment climate. In turn, psychological empowerment climate relates to performance only under conditions of high-felt accountability; it does not relate to performance under conditions of low-felt accountability. Overall, the present results indicate that the quick-service restaurant managers, who feel more empowered, operate restaurants that perform better than managers who feel less empowered, but only when those empowered managers also feel a high sense of accountability.

Airborne formaldehyde (CH 2 O) measurements were made by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) at high time resolution (1 and 10 s) and precision (±400 and ±120 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) (2σ), respectively) during the Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS) 2000. Measurement accuracy was corroborated by in‐flight calibrations and zeros and by overflight comparison with a ground‐based differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) system. Throughout the campaign, the highest levels of CH 2 O precursors and volatile organic compound (VOC) reactivity were measured in petrochemical plumes. Correspondingly, CH 2 O and ozone production was greatly enhanced in petrochemical plumes compared with plumes dominated by power plant and mobile source emissions. The photochemistry of several isolated petrochemical facility plumes was accurately modeled using three nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) (ethene (C 2 H 4 ), propene (C 3 H 6 ) (both anthropogenic), and isoprene (C 5 H 8 ) (biogenic)) and was in accord with standard hydroxyl radical (OH)‐initiated chemistry. Measurement‐inferred facility emissions of ethene and propene were far larger than reported by inventories. Substantial direct CH 2 O emissions were not detected from petrochemical facilities. The rapid production of CH 2 O and ozone observed in a highly polluted plume (30+ parts per billion by volume (ppbv) CH 2 O and 200+ ppbv ozone) originating over Houston was well replicated by a model employing only two NMHCs, ethene and propene.

Abstract Publications on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) continue to increase including the number of publications on recycling. PET is a versatile material with the ability to be remade from its polymer state through mechanical recycling and even back to its original monomer through advanced recycling. The scale of PET's use affords continued research and applications in improved recycling. Publications on new uses of discarded PET and the ability to clean and convert it into many forms including alternative materials are expanding with an attempt to complete circular use or improve the end of life. As indicated in life cycle assessment studies, increases in recycling lower the energy required to manufacture products. The future for PET will reduce energy demands further with the largest breakthroughs in recycling technologies and bio‐sourced resins trending toward zero energy and carbon negative solutions. Opportunities remain for improvement in the use of PET with light weighting. The testing of new resins, development of bio‐feedstocks, improvements in engineering, processing, recycling, and design continue to provide benefits. This review provides context for these developments.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show that academic misconduct appears to be on the rise; some research has linked academic misconduct to unethical workplace behaviors. Unlike previous empirically‐driven research, this theory‐based study seeks to examine the usefulness of a modification of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to predict academic misconduct. Design/methodology/approach A total of 271 students enrolled at a US university were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Findings The modified theory of a planned behavior model in which intentions and justifications both serve as antecedents to behavior fits the data well. The model accounted for 22 per cent of the variance in intentions to cheat and 47 per cent of the variance in self‐reported cheating. Research limitations/implications The primary limitations of this research are the cross‐sectional research design, the self‐selected sample, and the single source of survey data. Practical implications The study extends the TPB model in the prediction of misconduct behavior. Attitudes, subjective norms, behavioral control, intentions and justifications were related to cheating behaviors. Academic misconduct may be reduced by shaping attitudes toward cheating, changing perceptions of subjective norms regarding the prevalence of cheating, and lowering students' perceptions of their control of cheating by, for example, emphasis on the consequences of getting caught. Understanding and reducing academic misconduct are important for promoting ethical behavior and values in future worker and organization leaders. Originality/value Identification of factors that influence academic misconduct is an important aspect of professional development research, given its link to workplace misconduct. To date, academic misconduct research has been primarily empirically‐ rather than theory‐driven. The current study identifies factors that contribute to academic misconduct by extending an established theoretical model of behavior.

ABSTRACT Widespread occurrence of several different minor sedimentary structures in shallow-water Gulf of Mexico sediments has been shown by more than 2,000 cores and bottom samples. Minor internal structures in two areas, one off the east side of the Mississippi River Delta and the other along the central Texas coast, were found to be similar. Deposits in these two areas were subdivided into those containing: (1) regular layers (thin beds or laminations), (2) irregular layers (rough or crude layers and lenses), (3) mottles (discontinuous lumps, tubes, and pockets), and (4) structureless homogeneous sediments, depending on the principal type that occurs. Areal distributions of these different structures in the surficial sediments are mappable. Similar sedimentary structures and sequences of structures occur in the open gulf and in the bays and sounds. In the open gulf the structures occur in wide bands, and the sequences are developed through wide ranges of water depths; in the bays and sounds the bands generally are narrower, and the sequences are compressed into much smaller ranges of water depths. The different types of structures are formed on or near the depositional surface, contemporaneous or nearly contemporaneous with deposition. The differences between depositional environments which produce the various structures are differences in: (1) sediment sources, (2) in physical processes and their intensities, and (3) rates of deposition. Regular layers are characteristic of areas of rapid deposition and/or relatively few bottom-living animals; they are either primary—formed by fluctuations of sediment, or secondary—formed by wave or current winnowing. Irregular layers and mottles are mostly secondary features, formed mainly by bottom-living animals altering existing sediments. Homogeneous deposits are either primary or secondary; they form by extremely rapid deposition, uniform deposition, or by complete secondary reworking. The appearance of many normal marine sediments is due in large measure to burrowing and crawling organisms. Structures similar to those in presently forming sediments of the Gulf of Mexico apparently were developed in rocks of all ages when environmental conditions were proper. Knowledge of how these structures form, why they vary, and the relationships between them furnishes a valuable key for interpreting deposition of ancient rocks.

This study investigated the impact of work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) on women's organizational commitment and examined both the direct and moderating effects of their perceived organizational support. Participants were 143 professional employed mothers with at least 1 preschool-age child. The study found that WIF was positively related to continuance organizational commitment but unrelated to affective commitment, and FIW was not related to either form of organizational commitment. Results also indicated that perceived organizational support exhibited a main effect on both types of commitment.

This study explored content posted and interactions taking place on adolescent online social networking profiles. Although "blogging" continues to soar in popularity, with over half of teenagers online participating in some form, little research has comprehensively explored blog communication within the context of adolescent development. Content was qualitatively coded from 100 randomly selected profiles authored by adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18. Rich thematic elements were identified including family and social issues, risk behaviors, disclosure of personally identifiable information, and frequent peer interaction. Results indicate adolescent blogs frequently contain appropriate images, positive comments about parents and peers, athletics, a variety of risk behaviors, and sexual and profane language. In addition, school type was examined (public versus private, religious) as a potential factor in understanding the differences in content posted by adolescents; however, no significant differences were found. Implications for parental monitoring and intervention are discussed as well as direction for future research. Adolescents' online profiles contain a wealth of intimate, candid, and publicly available information on a wide range of social issues pertinent to adolescence that contribute to the understanding of adolescent development and well-being.

Evidence of group differences in reproductive control and access to reproductive health care suggests the continued existence of "stratified reproduction" in the United States. Women of color are overrepresented among people with infertility but are underrepresented among those who receive medical services. The authors employ path analysis to uncover mechanisms accounting for these differences among black, Hispanic, Asian, and non-Hispanic white women using a probability-based sample of 2,162 U.S. women. Black and Hispanic women are less likely to receive services than other women. The enabling conditions of income, education, and private insurance partially mediate the relationship between race-ethnicity and receipt of services but do not fully account for the association at all levels of service. For black and Hispanic women, social cues, enabling conditions, and predisposing conditions contribute to disparities in receipt of services. Most of the association between race-ethnicity and service receipt is indirect rather than direct.