Texas College

A Posture Toward Research The Need for a New Paradigm The Process of Inquiry Some Basic Considerations Getting Started on the Study Designing a Naturalistic Inquiry Gathering Data Data Analysis Quality Criteria for a Naturalistic Study Preparing the Report

Three types of trust in economic exchanges are identified: weak form trust, semi-strong form trust, and strong form trust. It is shown that weak form trust can only be a source of competitive advantage when competitors invest in unnecessary and expensive governance mechanisms. Semi-strong form trust can be a source of competitive advantage when competitors have differential exchange governance skills and abilities, and when these skills and abilities are costly to imitate. The conditions under which strong form trust can be a source of competitive advantage are also identified. Implications of this analysis for theoretical and empirical work in strategic management are discussed.

Halogenated aromatic compounds, typified by the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), and diphenylethers (PCDEs), are industrial compounds or byproducts which have been widely identified in the environment and in chemical-waste dumpsites. Halogenated aromatics are invariably present in diverse analytes as highly complex mixtures of isomers and congeners and this complicates the hazard and risk assessment of these compounds. Several studies have confirmed the common receptor-mediated mechanism of action of toxic halogenated aromatics and this has resulted in the development of structure-activity relationships for this class of chemicals. The most toxic halogenated aromatic is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and based on in vivo and in vitro studies the relative toxicities of individual halogenated aromatics have been determined relative to TCDD (i.e., toxic equivalents). The derived toxic equivalents can be used for hazard and risk assessment of halogenated aromatic mixtures; moreover, for more complex mixtures containing congeners for which no standards are available (e.g., bromo/chloro mixtures), several in vitro or in vivo assays can be utilized for hazard or risk assessment.

A deficiency of dietary protein or amino acids has long been known to impair immune function and increase the susceptibility of animals and humans to infectious disease. However, only in the past 15 years have the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms begun to unfold. Protein malnutrition reduces concentrations of most amino acids in plasma. Findings from recent studies indicate an important role for amino acids in immune responses by regulating: (1) the activation of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, natural killer cells and macrophages; (2) cellular redox state, gene expression and lymphocyte proliferation; and (3) the production of antibodies, cytokines and other cytotoxic substances. Increasing evidence shows that dietary supplementation of specific amino acids to animals and humans with malnutrition and infectious disease enhances the immune status, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality. Arginine, glutamine and cysteine precursors are the best prototypes. Because of a negative impact of imbalance and antagonism among amino acids on nutrient intake and utilisation, care should be exercised in developing effective strategies of enteral or parenteral provision for maximum health benefits. Such measures should be based on knowledge about the biochemistry and physiology of amino acids, their roles in immune responses, nutritional and pathological states of individuals and expected treatment outcomes. New knowledge about the metabolism of amino acids in leucocytes is critical for the development of effective means to prevent and treat immunodeficient diseases. These nutrients hold great promise in improving health and preventing infectious diseases in animals and humans.

Tribolium castaneum is a member of the most species-rich eukaryotic order, a powerful model organism for the study of generalized insect development, and an important pest of stored agricultural products. We describe its genome sequence here. This omnivorous beetle has evolved the ability to interact with a diverse chemical environment, as shown by large expansions in odorant and gustatory receptors, as well as P450 and other detoxification enzymes. Development in Tribolium is more representative of other insects than is Drosophila, a fact reflected in gene content and function. For example, Tribolium has retained more ancestral genes involved in cell–cell communication than Drosophila, some being expressed in the growth zone crucial for axial elongation in short-germ development. Systemic RNA interference in T. castaneum functions differently from that in Caenorhabditis elegans, but nevertheless offers similar power for the elucidation of gene function and identification of targets for selective insect control. The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is a common pest: a type of 'bran bug', it targets cereal products, including grain, flour and rice bran. It is also a commonly used laboratory model, combining the ease of systematic RNA interference experiments such as those used with the nematode worm C. elegans with a biology that is more representative of most insects than even Drosophila. This weeks sees the publication by the Tribolium Genome Sequencing Consortium of the genomic sequence of T. castaneum. This is the first beetle genome to be published, and it will be a valuable resource for insect development studies and pest biology. The beetle Tribolium castaneum is a commonly used laboratory model, combining the ease of systematic RNAi experiments like those in Caenorhabditis elegans, with biology that is more representative of most insects than Drosophila melanogaster. A large consortium has sequenced and analysed the genome of the red flour beetle, creating a resource for biologists everywhere.

Technology is rapidly altering the nature of competition and strategy in the late twentieth century, moving us toward a ‘new competitive landscape’ in the twenty-first century. The new competitive landscape presents new issues, new concepts, new problems and new challenges. This essay examines the broad nature of the technological changes that are occurring and identifies some of the important implications of these changes for strategic management. The purpose of the paper is to stimulate further research into these issues in strategic management and to provide an overall context for the other papers appearing in this special issue.

Abstract Chief executives in 50 manufacturing companies were interviewed about the perceived strategic uncertainty in six environmental sectors, and the frequency and mode of scanning used for each sector. The findings suggest that customer, economic and competitor sectors generated greater strategic uncertainty than technological, regulatory and sociocultural sectors. When sector uncertainty was high, executives reported greater frequency of scanning and greater use of personal information sources. Chief executives in high‐performing companies scanned more frequently and more broadly in response to strategic uncertainty than their counterparts in low‐performing companies.

Abstract Different perspectives of strategic decision‐making and outcomes have been advanced in the literature. Among those are the rational normative, external control, and strategic choice models. The current research examined hypothesized effects of factors associated with these three perspectives on strategic acquisition decisions. Strong support was found for the rational/analytical normative choice perspective with objective criteria explaining the greatest amount of total explained variance in evaluation of target firms. However, industry and executive characteristics also produced main effects on target firm evaluations. Furthermore, the strategic decision models were found to vary by industry and executive characteristics of age, educational degree type, amount and type of work experience, and level (CEO and below). The results suggest that strategic decision models are quite complex with significant implications for future research and for strategic decision‐making.

Abstract A new, multi‐item scale for operationalizing Miles and Snow's (1978) strategic typology— defenders, prospectors, analyzers, and reactors—is proposed and field‐tested in this paper. Relatively pure strategic types, identified as those organizations classified similarly using both the newly developed, multi‐item scale and the traditionally employed paragraph approach, are used to analyze the relationship between strategic types, distinctive marketing competencies, and organizational performance. Results of analysis suggest that while the marketing competencies of prospector organizations are superior to those of analyzer, defender, and reactor organizations, all three stable archetypes perform equally well in terms of profitability and outperform reactors. The newly developed strategic types scale performs well and appears to possess significant managerial and research potential. It is theoretically anchored, easily administered, and possesses diagnostic value to both strategists and their organizations.

BACKGROUND: Advances in biomedical science and technology have resulted in dramatic improvements in the healthcare of pediatric chronic conditions. With enhanced survival, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues have become more salient. The objectives of this study were to compare generic HRQOL across ten chronic disease clusters and 33 disease categories/severities from the perspectives of patients and parents. Comparisons were also benchmarked with healthy children data. METHODS: The analyses were based on over 2,500 pediatric patients from 10 physician-diagnosed disease clusters and 33 disease categories/severities and over 9,500 healthy children utilizing the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Patients were recruited from general pediatric clinics, subspecialty clinics, and hospitals. RESULTS: Pediatric patients with diabetes, gastrointestinal conditions, cardiac conditions, asthma, obesity, end stage renal disease, psychiatric disorders, cancer, rheumatologic conditions, and cerebral palsy self-reported progressively more impaired overall HRQOL than healthy children, respectively, with medium to large effect sizes. Patients with cerebral palsy self-reported the most impaired HRQOL, while patients with diabetes self-reported the best HRQOL. Parent proxy-reports generally paralleled patient self-report, with several notable differences. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate differential effects of pediatric chronic conditions on patient HRQOL across diseases clusters, categories, and severities utilizing the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales from the perspectives of pediatric patients and parents. The data contained within this study represents a larger and more diverse population of pediatric patients with chronic conditions than previously reported in the extant literature. The findings contribute important information on the differential effects of pediatric chronic conditions on generic HRQOL from the perspectives of children and parents utilizing the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales. These findings with the PedsQL have clinical implications for the healthcare services provided for children with chronic health conditions. Given the degree of reported impairment based on PedsQL scores across different pediatric chronic conditions, the need for more efficacious targeted treatments for those pediatric patients with more severely impaired HRQOL is clearly and urgently indicated.

Journal Article THE ORIGIN OF TRITICUM SPELTA AND ITS FREE-THRESHING HEXAPLOID RELATIVES Get access E. S. MCFADDEN, E. S. MCFADDEN †Associate Agronomist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. College StationTexas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar E. R. SEARS E. R. SEARS ‡Senior Geneticist. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Genetics Building, University of MissouriColumbia, Missouri Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of Heredity, Volume 37, Issue 3, March 1946, Pages 81–89, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a105590 Published: 01 March 1946

Goat P-lactoglobulin was prepared from the milk of two Saanen goats by the procedure of Kalan and Basch (12).

Abstract Diversification has emerged as a central topic of research in strategic management. Although this topic has been widely and intensively studied by scholars from other areas such as industrial organization economics, financial economics, organization theory, and marketing, a synthesis of these diverse streams of research is lacking. This paper attempts such a synthesis with a view to fostering further strategic management research in this area by taking a multi‐disciplinary perspective on diversification. A wide‐ranging search of the literature led to the development of an overarching research framework that facilitates the classification of a vast body of literature. Proceeding from the framework, a critique of the literature is performed with a particular emphasis on studies by strategic management researchers. Five key conceptual and methodological problems are identified and discussed. Suggestions are offered for future research on diversification.

Abstract Rationale Evidence concerning the acute health effects of air pollution caused by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in developing countries is quite limited. Objectives To evaluate short-term associations between PM2.5 and daily cause-specific mortality in China. Methods A nationwide time-series analysis was performed in 272 representative Chinese cities from 2013 to 2015. Two-stage Bayesian hierarchical models were applied to estimate regional- and national-average associations between PM2.5 concentrations and daily cause-specific mortality. City-specific effects of PM2.5 were estimated using the overdispersed generalized additive models after adjusting for time trends, day of the week, and weather conditions. Exposure–response relationship curves and potential effect modifiers were also evaluated. Measurements and Main Results The average of annual mean PM2.5 concentration in each city was 56 μg/m3 (minimum, 18 μg/m3; maximum, 127 μg/m3). Each 10-μg/m3 increase in 2-day moving average of PM2.5 concentrations was significantly associated with increments in mortality of 0.22% from total nonaccidental causes, 0.27% from cardiovascular diseases, 0.39% from hypertension, 0.30% from coronary heart diseases, 0.23% from stroke, 0.29% from respiratory diseases, and 0.38% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There was a leveling off in the exposure–response curves at high concentrations in most, but not all, regions. The associations were stronger in cities with lower PM2.5 levels or higher temperatures, and in subpopulations with elder age or less education. Conclusions This nationwide investigation provided robust evidence of the associations between short-term exposure to PM2.5 and increased mortality from various cardiopulmonary diseases in China. The magnitude of associations was lower than those reported in Europe and North America.

Abstract Using a transaction cost approach this paper analyzes the relationship between strategy, structure and organizational performance. It addresses three related questions. First, what determines the limit to growth through internalization for a firm pursing a particular strategy? Second, why does a firm pursue different strategies for achieving growth? Third, what determines changes in the strategy and structure used by the firm over time? This analysis serves to integrate work in strategic management and provides a framework for analyzing corporate strategy choice.

Abstract Drought prediction is of critical importance to early warning for drought managements. This review provides a synthesis of drought prediction based on statistical, dynamical, and hybrid methods. Statistical drought prediction is achieved by modeling the relationship between drought indices of interest and a suite of potential predictors, including large‐scale climate indices, local climate variables, and land initial conditions. Dynamical meteorological drought prediction relies on seasonal climate forecast from general circulation models (GCMs), which can be employed to drive hydrological models for agricultural and hydrological drought prediction with the predictability determined by both climate forcings and initial conditions. Challenges still exist in drought prediction at long lead time and under a changing environment resulting from natural and anthropogenic factors. Future research prospects to improve drought prediction include, but are not limited to, high‐quality data assimilation, improved model development with key processes related to drought occurrence, optimal ensemble forecast to select or weight ensembles, and hybrid drought prediction to merge statistical and dynamical forecasts.

Abstract This study measures the construct validity of an objective (entropy) approach to measurement of diversification strategy. Results indicate strong convergent, discriminant and criterion‐related validity for the entropy measure of diversification. In particular, support for the entropy measure of diversification strategy was demonstrated through associations with the Rumelt subjective measure of diversification (convergent validity); size, debt and R&D intensity (discriminant validity); and accounting and market‐based performance (criterion‐related validity). Using structural equations modeling, the study reports strong standardized validity coefficients with a diversification factor (0.87 for the entropy and 0.94 for Rumelt's measures). The objective (SIC count) measure exhibits a low standardized validity coefficient (0.44) with the diversification factor. In a discriminant validity test, 70 percent of the variance in the entropy measure is unique to diversification while only 2.8 percent and 7.6 percent are unique to leverage and size, respectively. However, only 6.3 percent of the variance in the SIC count measure is unique to diversification. The study suggests that it may be more appropriate to use the diversification factor with both the entropy and Rumelt subjective measures for maximum accuracy (however, using either alone would be acceptable). Also, the results suggest that the SIC measure may be appropriate in more limited circumstances.

Abstract A taxonomy of managerial goals in mergers and acquisitions is developed through a cluster analysis of data from interviews with merger and acquisition practitioners. These clusters of objectives overlap with some objectives cited for mergers and acquisitions in the academic literature, but the correspondence is not complete. Further analysis shows that different types of mergers and acquisitions are characterized by different managerial objectives. The implications of this research for the development of a contingency model of the relationship between managerial objectives and mergers and acquisitions are discussed.

Board of director involvement in restructuring reveals whether restructuring is brought on as an action by the board in its central oversight role or whether managers are purusing positive strategic action or correction. Therefore, based on an integration of organization economics (agency theory and market for corporate control) and strategic management theory (internal control and strategic leadership contingencies), this research examines board involvement in restructuring. Board involvement is hypothesized to be contingent on the governance mechanisms used by the board to monitor top management, control emphasis used by managers to process strategic information and board and managerial characteristics. The basic premise of the paper is that, due to their oversight role, board members (especially outside directors) become involved in restructuring only when managerial strategy implementation appears to be deficient. Top management team equity stakes are found to be negatively related to board involvement in restructuring, while outside director ownership is found to be positively related. Emphasis on strategic controls by managers was found to be negatively related to board involvement in restructuring. Top management team tenure and top management organizational tenure are negatively related to board involvement. Outsider representation on the board is positively related to board involvement in restructuring, while board tenure was found to be unrelated. Results imply that incentives to monitor (ownership) and emphasis on strategic controls reinforced by higher top management team tenure result in less board involvement in restructuring. However, restructuring may be initiated by outsiders on the board when other governance and control mechanisms fail. This implies a substitution process between governance tactics (ownership vs. board monitoring) and internal controls (managerial vigilance).

There is much debate about the effect of institutional investors on firm innovation. This paper tests three competing hypotheses by including differences among institutions in their ability to influence firms. Results using an outcome-based measure of innovation indicate that institutions do not foster short-term orientation; instead they may influence firms to increase innovation.