Winthrop University

We present a new method of detection and inference for spatial clusters of a disease. To avoid ad hoc procedures to test for clustering, we have a clearly defined alternative hypothesis and our test statistic is based on the likelihood ratio. The proposed test can detect clusters of any size, located anywhere in the study region. It is not restricted to clusters that conform to predefined administrative or political borders. The test can be used for spatially aggregated data as well as when exact geographic co-ordinates are known for each individual. We illustrate the method on a data set describing the occurrence of leukaemia in Upstate New York.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death among women, previous studies have suggested that physicians are less likely to pursue an aggressive approach to coronary artery disease in women than in men. To define this issue further, we compared the care previously received by men and women who were enrolled in a large postinfarction intervention trial. METHODS: We assessed the nature and severity of anginal symptoms and the use of antianginal and antiischemic interventions before enrollment in the 1842 men and 389 women with left ventricular ejection fractions less than or equal to 40 percent after an acute myocardial infarction who were randomized in the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement trial. RESULTS: Before their index infarction, women were as likely as men to have had angina and to have been treated with antianginal drugs. However, despite reports by women of symptoms consistent with greater functional disability from angina, fewer women had undergone cardiac catheterization (15.4 percent of women vs. 27.3 percent of men, P less than 0.001) or coronary bypass surgery (5.9 percent of women vs. 12.7 percent of men, P less than 0.001). When these differences were adjusted for important covariates, men were still twice as likely to undergo an invasive cardiac procedure as women, but bypass surgery was performed with equal frequency among the men and women who did undergo cardiac catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians pursue a less aggressive management approach to coronary disease in women than in men, despite greater cardiac disability in women.

Color is an integral part of products, services, packaging, logos, and other collateral and can be an effective means of creating and sustaining brand and corporate images in customers’ minds. Through an eight-country study, the authors explore consumers’ preferences for different colors and color combinations. The results show cross-cultural patterns of both similarity and dissimilarity in color preferences and color meaning associations. When subjects are asked to match colors for a product logo, some color combinations suggest a consistency in meaning, whereas other combinations suggest colors whose meanings are complementary. The authors discuss implications for managing color to create and sustain brand and corporate images across international markets.

Electronic sports, cybersports, gaming, competitive computer gaming, and virtual sports are all synonyms for the term eSports. Regardless of the term used, eSports is now becoming more accepted as a sport and gamers are being identified as athletes within society today. eSports has even infiltrated higher education in the form of an intercollegiate athletic sport, as two university athletic departments have made eSports an official varsity sport where scholarships are provided to collegiate eSports athletes. Thus, the intertwining of eSports and university athletics brings into question whether eSports should be considered sport by broader society. This article provides a brief history of eSports, a further developed definition of eSports, and a comparison of eSports to traditional philosophical and sociological definitions of sport. The purpose of this article is to provoke thought on the academically accepted definitions of sport and debate whether eSports should be considered a sport. Attention will be given to the following components of sport: play, organization, competition, skill, physicality, broad following, and institutionalization.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the need for and accessibility to healthier foods have not improved the overall diets of the U.S. population. Social cognitive theory (SCT) may explain how other variables, such as self-regulation and self-efficacy, may be key to integrating healthier nutrition into U.S. lifestyles. PURPOSE: To determine how SCT accounts for the nutritional content of food purchases and consumption among adults in a health promotion study. METHODS: Participants were 712 churchgoers (18% African American, 66% female, 79% overweight or obese) from 14 churches in southwestern Virginia participating in the baseline phase of a larger health promotion study. Data were collected on the nutrition related social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation components of SCT, as well as on the fat, fiber, fruit, and vegetable content of food-shopping receipts and food frequency questionnaires. These data were used to test the fit of models ordered as prescribed by SCT and subjected to structural equation analysis. RESULTS: SCT provided a good fit to the data explaining 35%, 52%, and 59% of observed variance in percent calories from fat, fiber g/1000 kcals and fruit and vegetable servings/1000 kcals. Participants' age, gender, socioeconomic status, social support, self-efficacy, negative outcome expectations, and self-regulation made important contributions to their nutrition behavior -- a configuration of influences consistent with SCT. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a pivotal role for self-regulatory behavior in the healthier food choices of adults. Interventions effective at garnering family support, increasing nutrition related self-efficacy, and overcoming negative outcome expectations should be more successful at helping adults enact the self-regulatory behaviors essential to buying and eating healthier foods.

Abstract This study comprehensively reviews the literature on product placements to develop an integrative conceptual model that captures how such messages generate audience outcomes. The model depicts four components: execution/stimulus factors (e.g., program type, execution flexibility, opportunity to process, placement modality, placement priming); individual-specific factors (e.g., brand familiarity, judgment of placement fit, attitudes toward placements, involvement/connectedness with program); processing depth (degree of conscious processing); and message outcomes that reflect placement effectiveness. The execution and individual factors influence processing depth (portrayed as a high—low continuum), which in turn impacts message outcomes. The outcomes are organized around the hierarchy-of-effects model into three broad categories: cognition (e.g., memory-related measures such as recognition and recall); affect (e.g., attitudes); and conation (e.g., purchase intention, purchase behavior). This study integrates potential main and interaction effects among model variables to advance a series of theoretical propositions. It also offers an extensive research agenda of conceptual and empirical issues that future work can address.

"A Step-by-Step Approach to Using the SAS System for Univariate and Multivariate Statistics." Technometrics, 37(4), p. 471

The authors explore how a global firm's ability to foster successful relationships between its foreign subsidiaries’ and headquarters’ marketing operations can enhance the performance of products across markets. The results show that cooperative behaviors are positively associated with product performance in the subsidiaries’ markets. National culture in the foreign markets is also found to moderate the effect of trust on relational behaviors. In addition, the subsidiaries’ acquiescence becomes increasingly important as the firm attempts to standardize marketing programs.

We conducted four experiments to test various properties of classical conditioning in an advertising/consumer behavior context. Experiment 1 demonstrates attitude conditioning at each of four levels of conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus pairing. In Experiment 2, latent inhibition due to subject preexposure to the conditioned stimulus is shown to retard conditioning for both 10-trial and 1-trial pairings of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. Experiment 3 reveals that forward conditioning of attitudes is superior to backward conditioning. Experiment 4 extends the findings from the first three experiments and serves to counter some of their potential methodological problems. Collectively, these experiments provide an initial response to McSweeney and Bierley's (1984) call for more sophisticated classical conditioning research in consumer behavior.

The effect of coeluting matrix compounds on the quantitation of SR 27417 in human plasma using electrospray liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry has been examined. During the method development stage of this assay, plasma samples spiked with the analyte at 100 pg/mL were extracted using three different procedures: a hexane liquid-liquid extraction, an ethyl acetate back-extraction, and a solid phase extraction. Ion intensity of the analyte was found to be related inversely to the percent ionization of coeluting matrix components as evidenced by full scan spectra. The ethyl acetate back-extraction, which contained the fewest coeluting components, resulted in the highest ion intensity for the analyte. An assay comparison was done by using the liquid-liquid hexane and the ethyl acetate back-extractions for sample preparation. Replicate 1-mL samples (n=5) at 11 concentrations from 5 to 2000 pg/mL were extracted and analyzed. The results for the ethyl acetate back-extracted samples were acceptable from 2000 to 5 pg/mL with accuracy ranging from -11.6 to 2.61% of the nominal concentrations. In contrast, the hexane liquid-liquid method had poor accuracy and precision below 20 pg/mL. The difference is explained by suppression of analyte ion intensity. These results are consistent with the current theory of electrospray ionization.

Web accessibility is the practice of making Web sites accessible to all, particularly those with disabilities. As the Internet becomes a central part of post-secondary instruction, it is imperative that instructional Web sites be designed for accessibility to meet the needs of disabled students. The purpose of this article is to introduce Web accessibility to university faculty in theory and practice. With respect to theory, this article first reviews empirical studies, highlights legal mandates related to Web accessibility, overviews the standards related to Web accessibility, and reviews authoring and evaluation tools available for designing accessible Web sites. With respect to practice, the article presents two diaries representing the authors’ experiences in making their own Web sites accessible. Finally, based on these experiences, we discuss the implications of faculty efforts to improve Web accessibility. *Authors are listed alphabetically by last name. Both authors made equal contributions to the paper.

Abstract An empirical study based upon a sample of 645 small businesses assesses the relationship that life cycle stage and level of competition exhibit with the problems perceived to constrain small business strategic planning. Problems have been identified as either internal (cash flow) or external (competition); they have further been classified as either situational or core problems. Among the most prevalent problems reported by decision makers are customer contact, market knowledge, marketing planning, location, and adequacy of capital. A total of 16 problem areas were identified. Traditional wisdom offers the scenario where problems faced will vary as the organization progresses through the life cycle. Much of this research refutes conventional wisdom in that level of competition was determined to have more of an impact on problem perception.

This paper reviews research on the antecedent conditions and the cognitive and social consequences of the need for cognitive closure (Kruglanski, 1989). This particular need is conceived of as a desire for definite knowledge on some issue and the eschewal of confusion and ambiguity. It is considered proportionate in magnitude to the perceived benefits of closure and the costs of lacking closure. Those benefits and costs, in turn, are assumed to vary situationally and also represent stable individual differences in the tendency to value closure. The consequences of the need for closure are assumed to derive from two general tendencies, those of urgency and permanence, respectively. The urgency tendency refers to the inclination to attain closure without delay, and to “seize” on early information potentially leading to closure. The permanence tendency refers to the inclination to maintain closure for as long as possible, hence to “freeze” on present closure and safeguard future closure. Those dual tendencies are shown to impact a broad variety of social psychological phenomena on intrapersonal, interpersonal and group levels of analysis.

A community sample of 391 adult women was screened for a history of sexual assault during childhood and assessed for lifetime and current mental disorders using a structured victimization history interview and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. One third of the women had been victims of rape, molestation, or sexual assault not involving physical contact prior to the age of 18 years. Child rape victims were more likely than nonvictims to have ever met DSM-III diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, and sexual disorders. Molestation victims were overrepresented on major depressive episode, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and sexual disorders. Noncontact child sexual assault was not a significant risk factor for any disorder. Child rape and molestation victims were more likely than victims of noncontact assault to have had crime-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Mental disorder lifetime prevalence risk ratios for child rape and molestation victims versus nonvictims ranged from 1.5 for major depressive episode to 6.7 for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

We analyzed the 1980 U.S. vital statistics and available ambient air pollution data bases for sulfates and fine, inhalable, and total suspended particles. Using multiple regression analyses, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the association between various particle measures and total mortality. Results from the various analyses indicated the importance of considering particle size, composition, and source information in modeling of particle pollution health effects. Of the independent mortality predictors considered, particle exposure measures related to the respirable and/or toxic fraction of the aerosols, such as fine particles and sulfates, were most consistently and significantly associated with the reported SMSA-specific total annual mortality rates. On the other hand, particle mass measures that included coarse particles (e.g., total suspended particles and inhalable particles) were often found to be nonsignificant predictors of total mortality. Furthermore, based on the application of fine particle source apportionment, particles from industrial sources (e.g., from iron/steel emissions) and from coal combustion were suggested to be more significant contributors to human mortality than soil-derived particles.

Thirty–four matched pairs of sixth– and seventh–grade students were selected from 358 participants in a comparison of an explicit concrete–to–representational–to–abstract (CRA) sequence of instruction with traditional instruction for teaching algebraic transformation equations. Each pair of students had been previously labeled with a specific learning disability or as at risk for difficulties in algebra. Students were matched according to achievement score, age, pretest score, and class performance. The same math teacher taught both members of each matched pair, but in different classes. All students were taught in inclusive settings under the instruction of a middle school mathematics teacher. Results indicated that students who learned how to solve algebra transformation equations through CRA outperformed peers receiving traditional instruction on both postinstruction and follow–up tests. Additionally, error pattern analysis indicated that students who used the CRA sequence of instruction performed fewer procedural errors when solving for variables.

Qualitative research in sport psychology is slowly becoming more of an accepted form of inquiry, and most of this research is conducted using various interview methods. In this paper, information is provided on a paradigm that has been given little consideration in sport psychology literature. This paradigm is termed existential phenomenology, and within this paradigm a chief mode of inquiry is the phenomenological interview. With its open-ended format and similarities to the athlete-sport psychology consultant interaction in a performance enhancement intervention, it is a method that appears to offer valuable information about the participant’s experience that might otherwise go unnoticied. The basic views of existential phenomenology, including its philosophical foundations as well as instructions for conducting a phenomenological interview study, are provided. Specific discussion of the potential significance of this type of research for the field of sport psychology is offered.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate Generation Y consumers’ luxury fashion consumption. Generation Y is becoming a very important segment for the luxury market in the USA. Specifically, this study is designed to investigate Generation Y consumers’ consumption of luxury fashion products from the following perspectives: the influence of self-related personality traits on their brand consciousness; and the influence of brand consciousness on consumption behaviours in terms of consumption motivations, purchase intention, and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model was developed to represent the proposed relationships among the related variables. An online survey was conducted and 305 valid surveys were collected. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses. Findings – From the perspective of self-concept, this research shed some light on the luxury fashion consumption behaviour of Generation Y consumers. Public self-consciousness and self-esteem were both found having significant influence on Generation Y consumers’ brand consciousness and in turn their luxury consumption motivations and brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications – Limitations for this study mainly come from the representativeness of the sample, which was recruited from a panel of a third party research group. Implications for luxury fashion brand managers and retailers focus on strategies that influence the social and self-motivation for luxury consumption and level of brand consciousness. Originality/value – This research is unique because it focuses on luxury fashion consumption of Generation Y consumers, an emerging segment in the luxury market. Generation Y consumers’ behaviour towards luxury fashion was examined in terms of their self-related personality traits, brand consciousness, motivation, and brand loyalty.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is a trusted source of health information for growing majorities of Web users. The promise of online health interventions will be realized with the development of purely online theory-based programs for Web users that are evaluated for program effectiveness and the application of behavior change theory within the online environment. Little is known, however, about the demographic, behavioral, or psychosocial characteristics of Web-health users who represent potential participants in online health promotion research. Nor do we understand how Web users' psychosocial characteristics relate to their health behavior-information essential to the development of effective, theory-based online behavior change interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics of Web-health users recruited for an online social cognitive theory (SCT)-based nutrition, physical activity, and weight gain prevention intervention, the Web-based Guide to Health (WB-GTH). METHODS: Directed to the WB-GTH site by advertisements through online social and professional networks and through print and online media, participants were screened, consented, and assessed with demographic, physical activity, psychosocial, and food frequency questionnaires online (taking a total of about 1.25 hours); they also kept a 7-day log of daily steps and minutes walked. RESULTS: From 4700 visits to the site, 963 Web users consented to enroll in the study: 83% (803) were female, participants' mean age was 44.4 years (SD 11.03 years), 91% (873) were white, and 61% (589) were college graduates; participants' median annual household income was approximately US $85,000. Participants' daily step counts were in the low-active range (mean 6485.78, SD 2352.54) and overall dietary levels were poor (total fat g/day, mean 77.79, SD 41.96; percent kcal from fat, mean 36.51, SD 5.92; fiber g/day, mean 17.74, SD 7.35; and fruit and vegetable servings/day, mean 4.03, SD 2.33). The Web-health users had good self-efficacy and outcome expectations for health behavior change; however, they perceived little social support for making these changes and engaged in few self-regulatory behaviors. Consistent with SCT, theoretical models provided good fit to Web-users' data (root mean square error of the approximation [RMSEA] < .05). Perceived social support and use of self-regulatory behaviors were strong predictors of physical activity and nutrition behavior. Web users' self-efficacy was also a good predictor of healthier levels of physical activity and dietary fat but not of fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Social support and self-efficacy indirectly predicted behavior through self-regulation, and social support had indirect effects through self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest Web-health users visiting and ultimately participating in online health interventions may likely be middle-aged, well-educated, upper middle class women whose detrimental health behaviors put them at risk of obesity, heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes. The success of Internet physical activity and nutrition interventions may depend on the extent to which they lead users to develop self-efficacy for behavior change, but perhaps as important, the extent to which these interventions help them garner social-support for making changes. Success of these interventions may also depend on the extent to which they provide a platform for setting goals, planning, tracking, and providing feedback on targeted behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Insertion of an External Ventricular Drain (EVD) is arguably one of the most common and important lifesaving procedures in neurologic intensive care unit. Various forms of acute brain injury benefit from the continuous intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion provided by an EVD. After insertion, EVD monitoring, maintenance and troubleshooting essentially become a nursing responsibility. METHODS: Articles pertaining to EVD placement, management, and complications were identified from PubMed electronic database. RESULTS: Typically placed at the bedside by a neurosurgeon or neurointensivist using surface landmarks under emergent conditions, this procedure has the ability to drain blood and CSF to mitigate intracranial hypertension, continuously monitor intracranial pressure, and instill medications. Nursing should ensure proper zeroing, placement, sterility, and integrity of the EVD collecting system. ICP waveform analysis and close monitoring of CSF drainage are extremely important and can affect clinical outcomes of patients. In some institutions, nursing may also be responsible for CSF sampling and catheter irrigation. CONCLUSION: Maintenance, troubleshooting, and monitoring for EVD associated complications has essentially become a nursing responsibility. Accurate and accountable nursing care may have the ability to portend better outcomes in patients requiring CSF drainage.