The Feasibility of Using Expert Systems in the Management of Human Resources

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a decision aid that is being used increasingly in the business world, the expert system, and to begin to examine its potential for human resource management. First, the expert system technology is reviewed, with a special emphasis on the players, those involved in developing and using the system, and the parts, the three main components of a system. This is followed by an analysis of the costs and benefits and the advantages and disadvantages that have been ascribed to expert systems. We conclude this initial research endeavor by presenting some preliminary findings which suggest that employees are willing to cooperate with expert systems, even those that require personal information, and that they see some benefits to using expert systems as decision aids

The Effects of a Flexible Benefits Expert System on Employee Decisions and Satisfaction

Anecdotal reports and recent reviews assert that expert systems are potentially useful decision aids in human resource management. This study examines the effects of an expert system designed to aid employees when they make their choices in a flexible bellcfit program. A four group quasi-field experimental design is used to examine the relative effects of the expert system compared to a conventional spreadsheet decision aid. Eighty employees at an NCR-AT&T facility were randomly selected and assigned to the groups. Employees using the expert system expressed greater benefits satisfaction compared to those using the spreadsheet aid. The spreadsheet did not have any effect on employees\u27 decisions. When the benefit choices recommended by the expert system differed from the employees\u27 current choices, employees are more likely to change their choices. Consequently, the expert system is likely to affect employees\u27 decisions. Implications are discussed and future research needs are suggested

Determination of step rate thresholds corresponding to physical activity intensity classifications in adults

Current recommendations call for adults to be physically active at moderate and/or vigorous intensities. Given the popularity of walking and running, the use of step rates may provide a practical and inexpensive means to evaluate ambulatory intensity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify step rate thresholds that correspond to various intensity classifications. Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured at rest and during 10 minute treadmill walking and running trials at 6 standardized speeds (54, 80, 107, 134, 161, and 188 m∙min-1) in 9 men and 10 women (28.8 ± 6.8 yrs). Two observers counted the participants’ steps at each treadmill speed. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses were used to develop prediction equations to ascertain step rate thresholds at various intensities. Results: Nonlinear regression analysis of the metabolic cost versus step rates across all treadmill speeds yielded the highest R2 values for men (R2 = .91) and women (R2 = .79). For men, the nonlinear analysis yielded 94 and 125 step∙min-1 for moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. For women, 99 and 135 step∙min-1 corresponded with moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. Conclusions: Promoting a step rate of 100 step∙min-1 may serve as a practical public health recommendation to exercise at moderate intensity

Returning to the True Goal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Self-Sufficiency

This country has long recognized the necessity of an education in order to function productively in society. As suggested by one of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, some degree of education is necessary to prepare citizens to participate effectively and intelligently in our open political system. More recently, the Supreme Court recognized the importance of education in Brown v. Board of foreclose the means by which that group might raise the level of es- teem in which it is held by the majority .... Illiteracy is an enduring disability. Today this need to educate remains just as pressing. Our country is plagued by economic and social costs because of its failure to provide this basic tool. Without an education, adults are unable to provide for themselves financially, much less for their families. As a result, many turn to crime. Theft, drugs, and violence become the solution, and society is left the victim of the very problem it helped to create. This Note focuses on children with mental impairments and the public school system\u27s current attempts to meet their needs. Historically, despite the American judicial system\u27s recognition of the importance of education, children with disabilities were routinely denied the benefits of the free public education the Court required for children of all races in Brown. This denial took two forms. The first was outright exclusion of children with mental impairments from public schools, and the second was more subtle, lying in the system\u27s tendency to see only the impairment, not the unique individual. Children\u27s advocates began responding to these injustices in the 1960s and early 1970s, relying on the strong language in Brown to argue that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects not only children of different races, but also children with disabilities: Such an [educational] opportunity, where the state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. \u27 The fruits of these advocates\u27 labor were realized in two federal court cases in 1972

Identifying Characteristics Associated with Ileus Development Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background: Postoperative ileus (POI) is the period of intestinal paralysis following any surgical procedure. POI is manifested by nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, delayed tolerance of oral diet and delayed time to flatus and stool. Little is known about POI following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as no other study has focused specifically on the incidence of POI following CABG. Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to determine the incidence of POI post CABG. The secondary aim is to evaluate baseline characteristics associated with POI following CABG. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 100 patients who underwent CABG from October 2014 to February 2015 at Nebraska Medicine. The incidence of POI was the primary outcome. Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square tests were used to compare characteristics between participants who did and did not develop POI. POI risk factors were determined using univariate logistic regression. Results: The incidence of POI was 15%. BMI and preoperative blood glucose were risk factors for POI (p=0.04 and p=0.03, respectively). Number of days until initiation of oral diet (p=0.014) and number of days until advancement to a solid diet (p=0.003) were also significant. Conclusion: POI is a significant complication in our population. Although further research is warranted, preoperative nutrition counseling may aid in reducing the incidence of POI by targeting weight loss and insulin sensitivity. Early postoperative oral diet may also be effective for reducing POI following CABG

Electron Capture Dissociation Mass Spectrometry of Metallo-Supramolecular Complexes

The electron capture dissociation (ECD) of metallo-supramolecular dinuclear triple-stranded helicate Fe2L3 4 ions was determined by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Initial electron capture by the di-iron(II) triple helicate ions produces dinuclear double-stranded complexes analogous to those seen in solution with the monocationic metal centers CuI or AgI. The gas-phase fragmentation behavior [ECD, collision-induced dissociation (CID), and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD)] of the di-iron double-stranded complexes, (i.e., MS3 of the ECD product) was compared with the ECD, CID, and IRMPD of the CuI and AgI complexes generated from solution. The results suggest that iron-bound dimers may be of the formFeI 2L2 2 and that ECD by metallo-complexes allows access, in the gas phase,to oxidation states and coordination chemistry that cannot be accessed in solution

Preface

Volume 18 of Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD introduces the theme of author as travel guide who can transport their reader to new places. Lisa Eichhorn’s article, “Tonal Variation,” introduces the concept of tone, which is defined as the author’s attitude toward the audience. Using this frame, Professor Eichhorn explains how the author can use tone to shape the relationship with the reader. The article examines and contrasts two recent judicial opinions authored by Supreme Court Justices Kagan and Gorsuch. Through these tonal analyses, Professor Eichhorn shows how, even within an opinion, the tone may shift as the opinion moves from one purpose to another. These techniques are subtle but can be powerful and useful for any legal practitioner. Tonal analyses help practitioners better understand judicial opinions and their authors’ judicial personas. Practitioners would also benefit from studying the use of tone in judicial opinions so that they can use the same techniques to create more forceful or persuasive tone in their own writing

Determination of step rate thresholds corresponding to physical activity intensity classifications in adults

Journal ArticleBackground: Current recommendations call for adults to be physically active at moderate and/or vigorous intensities. Given the popularity of walking and running, the use of step rates may provide a practical and inexpensive means to evaluate ambulatory intensity. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify step rate thresholds that correspond to various intensity classifications. Methods: Oxygen consumption was measured at rest and during 10 minute treadmill walking and running trials at 6 standardized speeds (54, 80, 107, 134, 161, and 188 m?min-1) in 9 men and 10 women (28.8 ? 6.8 yrs). Two observers counted the participants? steps at each treadmill speed. Linear and nonlinear regression analyses were used to develop prediction equations to ascertain step rate thresholds at various intensities. Results: Nonlinear regression analysis of the metabolic cost versus step rates across all treadmill speeds yielded the highest R2 values for men (R2 = .91) and women (R2 = .79). For men, the nonlinear analysis yielded 94 and 125 step?min-1 for moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. For women, 99 and 135 step?min-1 corresponded with moderate and vigorous intensities, respectively. Conclusions: Promoting a step rate of 100 step?min-1 may serve as a practical public health recommendation to exercise at moderate intensity

Preface to Legal Comm. & Rhetoric: JALWD

We celebrate the Twentieth Volume of Legal Communication & Rhetoric: JALWD! This volume reveals and discusses opportunities for growth and new frontiers in the field of legal communication. ChatGPT makes its first impact on the journal with former Editor-in-Chief Ian Gallacher\u27s essay, and we invited ChatGPT to help with the preface. ChatGPT\u27s response to write a preface for a journal volume with a theme of opportunities for growth and new frontiers in the field of legal communication was a bit over the top (which could have been tempered with a revised prompt)

AlGaAs top solar cell for mechanical attachment in a multi-junction tandem concentrator solar cell stack

The AstroPower self-supporting, transparent AlGaAs top solar cell can be stacked upon any well-developed bottom solar cell for improved system performance. This is an approach to improve the performance and scale of space photovoltaic power systems. Mechanically stacked tandem solar cell concentrator systems based on the AlGaAs top concentrator solar cell can provide near term efficiencies of 36 percent (AMO, 100x). Possible tandem stack efficiencies greater than 38 percent (100x, AMO) are feasible with a careful selection of materials. In a three solar cell stack, system efficiencies exceed 41 percent (100x, AMO). These device results demonstrate a practical solution for a state-of-the-art top solar cell for attachment to an existing, well-developed solar cell