University of Wisconsin–Stout

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is increasingly being chosen by researchers as a framework for gaining scientific insights from the quantitative analyses of data. New ideas and methods emerging from the study of causality, influences from the field of graphical modeling, and advances in statistics are expanding the rigor, capability, and even purpose of SEM. Guidelines for implementing the expanded capabilities of SEM are currently lacking. In this paper we describe new developments in SEM that we believe constitute a third‐generation of the methodology. Most characteristic of this new approach is the generalization of the structural equation model as a causal graph. In this generalization, analyses are based on graph theoretic principles rather than analyses of matrices. Also, new devices such as metamodels and causal diagrams, as well as an increased emphasis on queries and probabilistic reasoning, are now included. Estimation under a graph theory framework permits the use of Bayesian or likelihood methods. The guidelines presented start from a declaration of the goals of the analysis. We then discuss how theory frames the modeling process, requirements for causal interpretation, model specification choices, selection of estimation method, model evaluation options, and use of queries, both to summarize retrospective results and for prospective analyses. The illustrative example presented involves monitoring data from wetlands on Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park. Our presentation walks through the decision process involved in developing and evaluating models, as well as drawing inferences from the resulting prediction equations. In addition to evaluating hypotheses about the connections between human activities and biotic responses, we illustrate how the structural equation (SE) model can be queried to understand how interventions might take advantage of an environmental threshold to limit Typha invasions. The guidelines presented provide for an updated definition of the SEM process that subsumes the historical matrix approach under a graph‐theory implementation. The implementation is also designed to permit complex specifications and to be compatible with various estimation methods. Finally, they are meant to foster the use of probabilistic reasoning in both retrospective and prospective considerations of the quantitative implications of the results.

State tourism image is a complex combination of various products and associated attributes . Attribute identification, along with state tourism product position, was inves tigated using multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS). Two-dimensional analysis on image data collected for the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah revealed salient attributes together with state touristic product images. The MDS procedure allowed for subjective interpretation of data, resulting in marketing implications for redirecting state image and modifying promotional campaigns. It was suggested that MDS analysis provides for alternative assessments of state tourism image, but before product reposition ing efforts are undertaken , individuals possessing intimate familiarity with the destination area be consulted for assistance in data interpretation.

Smooth muscle cells were grown from thoracic aortas of 1-year-old monkeys (Macaca nemistrina). The effect of insulin on the proliferation of these cells was studied by comparing the growth of cells in culture medium to which insulin had been added with that of cells in basal (1% monkey serum) medium and in growth-promoting 5% monkey serum. Insulin in concentrations of 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 muunits/ml resulted in successively greater stimulation of growth which was highly significant (P smaller than 0.001) by analysis of variance. There was a significant linear relationship between the logarithm of the insulin dose and cell growth. However, the highest concentration of insulin produced only 50% of the effect of 5% monkey serum. Serum from which insulin had been removed stimulated growth less well (P smaller than 0.05) than did untreated serum at the same concentration (5%) but had significant (P smaller than 0.05) stimulating properties compared with whole serum at a lower concentration. Cells that were older in culture life (eight or nine passages) did not show a growth response to insulin and had an attenuated response to 5% serum. The effect of insulin (100 muunits/ml) was inhibited by dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP) (5 times 10-5 M), although there was a latent period of 3 days before inhibition occurred; db-cAMP had no effect on cell counts in the absence of insulin. The electron microscopic appearance of the cells was unaltered by insulin.

Concerns have been growing about the veracity of psychological research. Many findings in psychological science are based on studies with insufficient statistical power and nonrepresentative samples, or may otherwise be limited to specific, ungeneralizable settings or populations. Crowdsourced research, a type of large-scale collaboration in which one or more research projects are conducted across multiple lab sites, offers a pragmatic solution to these and other current methodological challenges. The Psychological Science Accelerator (PSA) is a distributed network of laboratories designed to enable and support crowdsourced research projects. These projects can focus on novel research questions, or attempt to replicate prior research, in large, diverse samples. The PSA's mission is to accelerate the accumulation of reliable and generalizable evidence in psychological science. Here, we describe the background, structure, principles, procedures, benefits, and challenges of the PSA. In contrast to other crowdsourced research networks, the PSA is ongoing (as opposed to time-limited), efficient (in terms of re-using structures and principles for different projects), decentralized, diverse (in terms of participants and researchers), and inclusive (of proposals, contributions, and other relevant input from anyone inside or outside of the network). The PSA and other approaches to crowdsourced psychological science will advance our understanding of mental processes and behaviors by enabling rigorous research and systematically examining its generalizability.

In fewer than three hundred years tourism has become a global service industry of great economic, cultural and political importance. Published to critical acclaim, the Encyclopedia of Tourism - now available as a Routledge World Reference title - is the definitive one-volume reference source to this challenging multisectoral industry and multi disciplinary field of study. Comprising over one thousand entries, this volume has been written by an international team of contributors to provide a comprehensive guide to both the manifest and hidden dimensions of tourism. It explores the wide range of definitions, concepts, perspectives and institutions and includes: comprehensive coverage of key issues and concepts  definitions of all terms and acronyms entries on the significant institutions, associations and journals in the field country-specific tourism profiles, from Greece to Japan and Kenya to Peru thorough analysis of the trends and patterns of tourism development and growth. The extensive cross-referencing and comprehensive index will assist the reader in making links between the diverse aspects of tourism studies, and the suggestions for further reading are invaluable.

Transgender patients have particular needs with respect to demographic information and health records; specifically, transgender patients may have a chosen name and gender identity that differs from their current legally designated name and sex. Additionally, sex-specific health information, for example, a man with a cervix or a woman with a prostate, requires special attention in electronic health record (EHR) systems. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is an international multidisciplinary professional association that publishes recognized standards for the care of transgender and gender variant persons. In September 2011, the WPATH Executive Committee convened an Electronic Medical Records Working Group comprised of both expert clinicians and medical information technology specialists, to make recommendations for developers, vendors, and users of EHR systems with respect to transgender patients. These recommendations and supporting rationale are presented here.

Peer review of research articles is a core part of our scholarly communication system. In spite of its importance, the status and purpose of peer review is often contested. What is its role in our modern digital research and communications infrastructure? Does it perform to the high standards with which it is generally regarded? Studies of peer review have shown that it is prone to bias and abuse in numerous dimensions, frequently unreliable, and can fail to detect even fraudulent research. With the advent of web technologies, we are now witnessing a phase of innovation and experimentation in our approaches to peer review. These developments prompted us to examine emerging models of peer review from a range of disciplines and venues, and to ask how they might address some of the issues with our current systems of peer review. We examine the functionality of a range of social Web platforms, and compare these with the traits underlying a viable peer review system: quality control, quantified performance metrics as engagement incentives, and certification and reputation. Ideally, any new systems will demonstrate that they out-perform and reduce the biases of existing models as much as possible. We conclude that there is considerable scope for new peer review initiatives to be developed, each with their own potential issues and advantages. We also propose a novel hybrid platform model that could, at least partially, resolve many of the socio-technical issues associated with peer review, and potentially disrupt the entire scholarly communication system. Success for any such development relies on reaching a critical threshold of research community engagement with both the process and the platform, and therefore cannot be achieved without a significant change of incentives in research environments.

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the influences of consumer trust and perceived internet confidence on consumer apparel shopping intention via the online retailer operated by a multi‐channel retailer. Design/methodology/approach A total of 261 students in a large US Midwestern University participated in the paper‐based survey and provided usable responses. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings Consumer trust in an online retailer was a significant predictor of perceived internet confidence and search intention for product information via the online retailer. Search intention for product information via the online store and perceived internet confidence were significant and strong predictors of consumers' behavioral intention toward the online retailer. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the present study include sampling, which prevents the generalization of the results to all multi‐channel shoppers. Practical implications The findings of the study suggest that retailers offer an internet channel as part of a multi‐channel retail strategy and provide consistent service throughout their various channels. Originality/value The paper finds that there are significant influences of consumer trust and perceived internet confidence on consumer apparel shopping intention via the online retailer operated by a multi‐channel retailer.

Age-related changes in cognitive abilities are well-documented, and a very important indicator of health, functioning, and decline in later life. However, less is known about the course of cognitive functioning before and after retirement and specifically whether job characteristics during one's time of employment (i.e., higher vs. lower levels of mental work demands) moderate how cognition changes both before and after the transition to retirement. We used data from n = 4,182 (50% women) individuals in the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study in the United States, across an 18 year time span (1992-2010). Data were linked to the O*NET occupation codes to gather information about mental job demands to examine whether job characteristics during one's time of employment moderates level and rate of change in cognitive functioning (episodic memory and mental status) both before and after retirement. Results indicated that working in an occupation characterized by higher levels of mental demands was associated with higher levels of cognitive functioning before retirement, and a slower rate of cognitive decline after retirement. We controlled for a number of important covariates, including socioeconomic (education and income), demographic, and health variables. Our discussion focuses on pathways through which job characteristics may be associated with the course of cognitive functioning in relation to the important transition of retirement. Implications for job design as well as retirement are offered.

An experimental scale to measure shame, the Internalized Shame Scale, is described with data on reliability and validity presented from a large nonclinical sample of college students and adults and a small clinical sample that included clients with alcohol problems. Implications from the scale for understanding the phenomenology of shame and its relationship to addictions is discussed.

To understand the composition and structure of denitrifying communities in the oxygen-deficient zone off the Pacific coast of Mexico, the molecular diversity of nir genes from sediments obtained at four stations was examined by using a PCR-based cloning approach. A total of 50 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for nirK and 82 OTUs for nirS were obtained from all samples. Forty-four of the nirS clones and 31 of the nirK clones were sequenced; the levels of similarity of the nirS clones were 52 to 92%, and the levels of similarity of the nirS clones were 50 to 99%. The percentages of overlapping OTUs between stations were 18 to 30% for nirS and 5 to 8% for nirK. Sequence analysis revealed that 26% of the nirS clones were related to the nirS genes of Alcaligenes faecalis (80 to 94% similar) and Pseudomonas stutzeri (80 to 99%), whereas 3 to 31% of the nirK clones were closely related to the nirK genes of Pseudomonas sp. strain G-179 (98 to 99%), Bradyrhizobium japonicum (91%), Blastobacter denitrificans (83%), and Alcaligenes xylosoxidans (96%). The rest of the clones, however, were less than 80% similar to nirS and nirK sequences available in sequence databases. The results of a principal-component analysis (PCA) based on the percentage of OTUs and biogeochemical data indicated that the nitrate concentration and oxygen have an effect on the denitrifying communities. The communities at the stations in oxygen-deficient zones were more similar than the communities at the stations in the oxygenated zone. The denitrifying communities were more similar at the stations that were closer together and had similar nitrate levels. Also, the results of PCA based on biogeochemical properties suggest that geographic location and biogeochemical conditions, especially the nitrate and oxygen levels, appear to be the key factors that control the structure of denitrifying communities.

ABSTRACT Among the changes employers say are needed in the educational preparation of American young people to meet the evolving needs of the workplace is improvement in the development of individual creativity and creative thinking. However, a variety of definitions for creativity exist, hindering a consistent educational response. The major areas of controversy concerning creativity's definition are reviewed here, in roughly chronological order corresponding to the publication of each definition of significant influence. Each definition's reasons for failing to achieve widespread acceptance are analyzed, and a suggestion for a general definition of the sort that should be widely acceptable is provided.

Abstract Objective To define causes of increased susceptibility to coliform mastitis after parturition. Animals 12 healthy Holstein cows assigned to 2 groups. Group-1 cows (n = 6) had calved between 6 and 10 days earlier. Group-2 cows (n = 6) were in midlactation. Procedure Cows from each group were paired and challenge exposed with Escherichia coli in 1 mammary gland. Mastitis severity was determined by bacterial concentration in milk, pyrexia, and milk production. Measures of host defense were neutrophil chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression, leukocyte recruitment, and cytokine production. Results After challenge exposure, group-1 cows had more rapid E coli growth, higher peak bacterial concentration, and higher fever. Leukocyte recruitment was poor in 1 group-1 cow that had peracute mastitis. In contrast, leukocyte recruitment in 5 other group-1 cows began sooner than that in group-2 cows. In these group-1 cows, prechallenge-exposure milk somatic cell counts (SCC) were significantly lower than those in group-2 cows. Pre-challenge-exposure SCC were correlated to stimulated CD18 expression (R 2 = 0.79), and both measures correlated inversely with bacterial growth rate (R 2 = -0.75). Values for tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1, and interleukin 8 in group-1 cows after challenge exposure were greater than or equal to those in group-2 cows. Conclusions Weak leukocyte recruitment to the mammary gland is associated with increased severity of coliform mastitis. Impaired production of cytokines measured is not a cause of increased susceptibility to coliform mastitis in early lactation. Clinical Relevance Low milk SCC after calving may increase susceptibility to severe coliform mastitis. ( Am J Vet Res 1996;57:1569–1575)

A riderless bicycle can automatically steer itself so as to recover from falls. The common view is that this self-steering is caused by gyroscopic precession of the front wheel, or by the wheel contact trailing like a caster behind the steer axis. We show that neither effect is necessary for self-stability. Using linearized stability calculations as a guide, we built a bicycle with extra counter-rotating wheels (canceling the wheel spin angular momentum) and with its front-wheel ground-contact forward of the steer axis (making the trailing distance negative). When laterally disturbed from rolling straight, this bicycle automatically recovers to upright travel. Our results show that various design variables, like the front mass location and the steer axis tilt, contribute to stability in complex interacting ways.

The purpose of this paper is to provide retrospective and prospective views on tourism s scientific journey. More specifically, the aim is to identify some of the past conditions that have helped tourism to assume its present scholarly dimensions and depth; to sketch the formation of this landscape of knowledge, to selectively extract from this context emerging central socioeconomic issues; to suggest research crossroads for advancing to new frontiers; to sample the richness of the state of knowledge —along with challenges and opportunities ahead— that, in turn, can guide present and future planning and operation of this diverse

This investigation examined the associations between maltreatment and aggression using a gender-informed approach. Peer ratings, peer nominations, and counselor reports of aggression were collected on 211 maltreated and 199 nonmaltreated inner-city youth (M age = 9.9 years) during a summer day camp. Maltreatment was associated with aggressive conduct; however, these effects were qualified by gender, maltreatment subtype, and the form of aggression under investigation. Findings revealed that maltreatment was associated with physical aggression for boys and relational aggression for girls. Physical abuse was associated with physically aggressive behaviors, but sexual abuse predicted relational aggression for girls only. Findings suggest that investigating the interaction between familial risk and gender is important in understanding aggressive behaviors of boys and girls.

This study experimentally explored hiring recommendations involving disabled job applicants. One hundred eight supervisors and mid‐level managers reviewed the cover letter and resume of an applicant and the job description for a simulated position. The applicant's type of disability and cause of disability were systematically manipulated in the resume and cover letter. The results demonstrated that subjects made different recommendations for hiring the applicant as a function of the type as well as the cause of the disability. Implications for employers' bias are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.

This article advocates the need for a much stronger emphasis on and commitment to the science and practice of prevention in counseling psychology. Historical and recent developments in the profession are highlighted, as are the changing U.S. demographics and societal needs that mandate an enhanced prevention focus for the field. A prevention-based agenda of four fundamental goals for counseling psychology is articulated. The goals include eight training domains and objectives as well as skills needed to support a prevention agenda for counseling psychology. Barriers and adjustments needed to give renewed vitality toward prevention are discussed. Prevention resources and funding opportunities are presented.

Researchers and marketers are interested in understanding and predicting the complex behaviours of consumers. One important facet of consumer behaviour is the ‘involvement’ construct. Involvement is ‘a person’s perceived relevance of the object based on inherent needs, values, and interests’. 1 This study examined the interplay between the involvement construct and push/pull factors as motivators in destination selection. Clements and Josiam 2 found that college students who had travelled during the Spring Break vacation had significantly higher levels of involvement than non-travellers. This study surveyed 795 college students during their Spring Break vacation at the beach in Panama City Beach, Florida. Vacationers were found to be highly involved with the concept of travelling on Spring Break. As hypothesised, high levels of involvement were significantly associated with push factors relevant to travel to beachfront destinations on Spring Break. High levels of involvement were also significanlty associated with the pull factors of Panama City Beach, Florida, as a popular beachfront destination for Spring Breakers.

This paper reviews empirical research which looks at family and leisure. Both the effects of family factors on leisure behavior, and leisure behavior effects on marital and family outcomes are discussed. It is concluded that leisure behavior appears to be both affected by, and to affect, marriage and family factors. Research to date, however, has been largely exploratory and descriptive. Several research recommendations are made.