bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring and Predicting Counterproductivity in the Laboratory Using Integrity and Personality Testing
Authors: Mikulay Shawn M. , Goffin Richard D.
Published: March 2007

To supplement current validation approaches, the authors developed laboratory-based measures of workplace fraud, rule breaking, and pilferage and used them to assess the validity associated with the use of integrity test scores derived from the Employment Inventory (El). Additionally, they investigated whether scores on the two El scales predicted criterion variable variance beyond that explained by scores on selected personality scales (Responsibility and Risk Taking) from the Jackson Personality Inventory and vice versa. Relations of admissions of past counterproductivity to personality and integrity scores and to counterproductivity measures were also examined. Regression analyses suggested that scores on the personality scales are better predictors than scores on the integrity scales, although the best prediction of fraud and pilferage occurred when using both. Relations involving the admissions measure led to suggestions of caution regarding its use as a criterion. Advantages and limitations of this strategy for evaluation of counterproductivity predictors were considered.
Teacher-Perceived Work Autonomy: The Concept and Its Measurement
Authors: Friedman Isaac A.
Published: March 2007

A scale to measure teacher sense of work autonomy, Teacher Work-Autonomy (TWA), is presented in this article. Replicability analyses of scores on the TWA —cross validation and validity generalization—were conducted and results reported in two studies. The purpose of the first study was to conceptualize the notion of teacher work autonomy, and the purpose of the second was to provide empirical evidence for the validity of scores on a scale derived from the results of the first study. The first study was based on a sample of 156 Israeli elementary school teachers, and in the second, a total of 650 elementary and secondary school teachers in Israel served as participants. Facet theory analytic techniques and factor analysis were used. Results indicated that four areas of functioning were pertinent to teachers’ sense of autonomy at work: (a) class teaching, (b) school mode of operating, (c) staff development, and (d) curriculum development.
A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Competing Values Instrument
Authors: Kalliath Thomas J. , Bluedorn Allen C. , Gillespie David F.
Published: March 2007

The competing values framework (CVF) formulated by Quinn and his colleagues was developed to specify the criteria of organizational effectiveness and was later used to study a wide range of organizational phenomena such as culture and change. We extend this work by using structural equations modeling (LISREL) to (a) test the CVF and (b) refine a scale that identifies the extent to which managers and other organizational constituencies use the framework’s criteria to evaluate organizational effectiveness. Based on a sample of 300 hospital managers and supervisors, with one exception, our results support the CVF. Moreover, scores on the scale developed to measure the CVF criteria yield excellent validity and reliability estimates.
Environmental Education and Attitudes
Authors: Pooley Julie Ann , O’Connor Moira
Published: March 2007

The main focus of environmental education programs has been to change environmental behavior through increasing environmental knowledge. As many environmental studies have failed to apply successfully attitude theory in researching environmental attitudes, the present study investigated the cognitive and affective bases of environmental attitudes to indicate that it is what people feel and believe about the environment that determines their attitudes toward it. The findings suggest that for environmental educators interested in changing environmental attitudes, emotions and beliefs, rather than knowledge, need to be targeted as sources of information on which to base their environmental programs.
Patterns of Environmental Preference
Authors: Kaplan Rachel
Published: March 2007

The Environmental Preference Questionnaire (EPQ) was developed to assess patterns of satisfaction and preference pertaining to various environmental settings; its focus is not so much on past experience as on current outlook. The 267 teenagers who completed the EPQ in this study also responded to questions relating to facets of self-esteem and reasons for selecting their favorite activities. The Nature and Suburbs scales of the EPQ provided complementary patterns of esteem and motivation dimensions; the interaction of environmental settings and various kinds of contacts with peers and friends was another theme that ran through the pattern of results. The findings give credence to the notion that environmental preferences can be partitioned into a manageable number of meaningful dimensions. They further hold promise for a useful partitioning of the domain of self-esteem, an area which has traditionally been dominated by global or unitary measures and concepts.
The Environmental Response Inventory in Application
Authors: McKechnie George E.
Published: March 2007

A rationale for the Environmental Response Inventory—a multiscale measure of environmental dispositions-is presented. Details of the development of the instrument are outlined, and a description of the scales is provided. Applications of the ERI to various areas of research in man-environment relations are reviewed-including migration, family planning, architecture and planning, environmental decision-making and conflict resolution, environmental attitudes, recreation behavior, and environmental cognition and perception. Finally, the author discusses proper use of the instrument in environmental research and comments on the process of inventory validation.
Low-Income Housing
Authors: Rent George S. , Rent Clyda S.
Published: March 2007

Residential satisfaction,both in terms of dwelling unit satisfaction and neighborhood satisfaction, was analyzed in relation to type of structure, previous housing experience, social participation, housing aspirations, and social psychological perspectives. Interviews were conducted with 257 occupants of low income housing units located in 33 different projects throughout South Carolina. While a high degree of satisfaction was found for both components of residential satisfaction, it was greater for the housing unit than the neighborhood. A high degree of housing satisfaction was found to be significantly related to owning the dwelling, living in a single rather than multiple family unit, positive sentiments toward neighbors, a short duration in present residence, and a positive life orientation. Degree of crowding, amount of payments, location to relatives and friends, and being a renter were not found to affect this satisfaction. No relationships were found between neighborhood satisfaction and either length of residence there or length of residence in previous neighborhood.
Perceived Causal Influences of Weather
Authors: Jorgenson Dale O.
Published: March 2007

Perception of weather's causal influence was examined. Using a revised model of the attributional process, predicted that the weather's perceived influence would be greater for observers than for actors, for affective states than for behaviors, for negative affective states and behavior than for positive ones, and for individuals with an external rather than internal locus of control. Subjects were asked to rate weather's influence on 50 affective states and 108 behaviors. Based on previous ratings of their social desirability value, half of the items in each category were positively valued and half negatively. Some subjects were asked to rate the weather's influence on themselves and some on other people. Subjects also completed Rotter's Locus of Control scale using a Likert response format. Analysis of variance on the weather influence ratings supported the first, second, and last hypotheses but not the third. Positive feelings and behavior were rated as being more heavily influenced than negative ones.
Liberalism, Environmentalism, and Partisanship in Public Policy-Making
Authors: Mazmanian Daniel , Sabatier Paul
Published: March 2007

This article examines the effects of partisanship, liberalism, environmental concern, and issue salience on both the general policy preferences and the actual voting behavior of administrative officials in a state agency concerned with land use and natural resources management. Building upon earlier studies of interest groups and legislative bodies, this analysis of the members of the California Coastal Commissions suggests several refinements in current thinking about the relation of environmental concern to traditional ideological and partisan cleavages. First, while our findings confirm the association found in most previous elite studies between liberalism and support for protection of natural resources, they also indicate that it is only two of the three components of liberalism that are relevant-government regulation of the market and local government autonomy as opposed to attitudes toward the welfare state. Second, party identification proves of minimal value in explaining the policy preferences and actual behavior of administrative officials.
Immediate Response to Headwater Flooding in Charlotte, North Carolina
Authors: Ives Sallie M. , Furuseth Owen J.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the immediate responses to the headwater flooding of two structurally homogeneous neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, one predominantly black and the other predominantly white. The results of the research suggest that the distress and disruption caused by noncatastrophic floods are a genuine neighborhood issue, even in neighborhoods with other serious problems like crime, lack of parks and recreation areas, speeding traffic, and unemployment. Faced with frequent flood damage, a significant number of property owners were willing to assume some monetary costs for protecting their homes and safety, but residents of the white neighborhood were not amenable to remedial measures that would necessitate relocation out of their neighborhood. Respondents in both neighborhoods appeared to possess a realistic understanding of the causes of flooding and its financial impact on property values. However, a significant subgroup of blacks viewed flooding as an uncontrollable natural event and were less confident of their ability to deal with the hazard. Residents of both neighborhoods strongly favored increased public sector involvement in implementing adjustments to the flooding hazard.
The "Map in the Head" Metaphor
Authors: Kuipers Benjamin
Published: March 2007

The "Map in the Head" metaphor states that knowledge of large-scale space is isomorphic to the information stored in a graphical map: That is, corresponding operations are used to store and retrieve information. The purpose of this essay is to look carefully at the "Map in the Head" metaphor to see the limits of its applicability. There are two types of experimental results that are difficult to accommodate within this metaphor. First, instead of being integrated into a single map, spatial knowledge can fall into disconnected components, with little or no relation between the components. Second, knowledge of routes (and other spatial facts) may be represented asymmetrically, so that a route can be followed in one direction but not in the other. The first set of results leads us to replace the simple "Map in the Head" with a more complex and sophisticated metaphor including separate metrical and topological components. The second set of results suggests that even the more sophisticated "Map in the Head" is built from computational structures that occasionally reveal their nonmaplike properties. A computational model is presented for assimilating observations gathered during travel, first into a description of the particular route, then into representations for the topological and metrical features of the environment.
Behavior and Design
Authors: Wheeler Lawrence
Published: March 2007

The article provides archival comments on 15 years of behavioral research and architectural design that Mr. Ewing Miller, A.l.A., and I undertook cooperatively from 1958 through 1973. Applications of the research results to design situations were numerous. A description of some applications to university student-residence facilities is given.
Effects of Restricted Environmental Stimulation
Authors: Barabasz Arreed , Barabasz Marianne
Published: March 2007

SCL and EEG correlates of restricted environmental stimulation (REST) reported in the literature were obtained in the presence of anxietyarousing experimental procedures no longer employed in REST research. The present investigation represents the first attempt to obtain psychophysiological data using current REST procedures aimed at reducing subject anxiety and disorientation. Consistent with earlier studies, EEG alpha densities were significantly enhanced following REST. However, contrary to the early reports, this alpha increase was not progressive. Mid-REST alpha densities were significantly lower than preor post-REST levels. The study also failed to replicate the earlier reports of increasing electrodermal activity throughout REST. Subjects showed significant increases in SCL followed by significant decreases in SCL. Subjects' core and peripheral temperatures showed no significant variations during REST. Changes in chamber ambient temperature did not significantly influence SCL or EEG data. Subjective reports and a measure of stimulus hunger did not indicate particularly stressful reactions to REST.
Perceived Urban Residential Quality
Authors: Zube Ervin H. , Vining Joanne , Law Charles S. , Bechtel Robert B.
Published: March 2007

This research involved Saudi Arabians and Americans in the assessment of urban residential quality. The study sites were four residential areas in each of two desert cities, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Tucson, Arizona. Both cities were portrayed in audiovisual simulations. In addition, on-site visits were made by touring panels of Saudi Arabians and Americans to the Tucson sites. Primary research objectives included investigation of potential crosscultural differences and assessment of the validity of the bimodal urban simulations and of the use of touring panels for assessing environmental quality. Cross-cultural differences were found in all phases of the research; modest support was found for the validity of the simulations; and important differences were found between on-site assessments by touring panels and residents of the study areas.
Out of Sight Further from Mind
Authors: Nasar Jack L. , Valencia Hugo , Omar Zainal Abidin , Chueh Shan-Chy , Hwang Ji-Hyuan
Published: March 2007

This research assessed the effects of the visibility of destinations on perceived distance to them. Fifteen pairs of outdoor sites on The Ohio State University campus were selected such that two buildings, one visible and one hidden, were equidistant from each and such that for each pair of sites, the building visible from one was hidden from the other. At each site, one male and one female were asked to estimate the distance to each building, to tell which was further away, and to indicate their familiarity with each building. For distance estimates by the full sample, a marginally significant effect in the expected direction emerged. For males, the estimated distances to visible buildings were significantly less than to hidden ones. For females, no significant difference emerged. Buildings judged as more familiar were rated as significantly closer. With familiarity controlled, male estimates of distance were affected by visibility; for the full sample, more individuals selected the visible building as being closer.
Movement toward the Familiar
Authors: Sime Jonathan D.
Published: March 2007

A study is reported of the direction of people's escape from a fire in a large-scale room containing an entrance and emergency fire exit in opposite corners. The affiliative model tested predicts that in a situation of potential entrapment people would move toward familiar persons and places. This model of behavior is contrasted with physical science and complementary panic concepts underlying escape route design. These assume a deterministic relationship between the physical availability and proximity of an emergency exit and its subsequent use. Although proximity to an exit was important, support was also found for the affiliative model in the statistical interrelationships found. In general, staff left by the fire exit whereas individual members of the public separated from other group members located themselves toward the entrance end and left that way. Choice of location and exit used were mediated by person and place affiliations. Future research should examine the degree to which people's direction of movement is influenced by affiliative ties in a variety of fires. Place affiliation, it is argued, is not addressed sufficiently in escape route design.
The "Objective-Behavioral" Environment of Isidor Chein
Authors: De Rivera Joseph
Published: March 2007

Isidor Chein was committed to the development of a unified science of human behavior. His observations of behavior led him to stress the importance of two somewhat paradoxical facts: (1) that persons were active agents whose behavior was directed at the perceived environment and (2) that all behavior had to be understood in the context of the objective environment. This article discusses why Chein chose to stress the objective environment and how he managed to describe objective environmental forces in a way that still allowed for the personal freedom and responsibility of active agents. It shows how his conception of an "objective-behavioral" environment accounts for the tremendous impact of the environment on contranormative behavior yet does not excuse delinquents, or us, from responsibility for that behavior.
Determinism Redux
Authors: Rotton James
Published: March 2007

Research on climate and behavior has been guided by one of four models: climatic determinism, dismissal of climatic factors, cultural mediation of climatic effects, and redux. The last model predicts that climate exerts direct as well as indirect effects upon behavior. This model's predictions were assessed by correlating suicide and homicide rates in different nations with three measures of climatological conditions and an equal number of sociocultural variables. Apparent correlations between homicides and climatic variables vanished when a social variable (life expectancy) was partialled out, but an inverse relationship between temperature and suicides retained its significance in analyses that included controls for socioeconomic conditions. It is suggested that research on climate and behavior has been hampered by single-factor explanations, which earlier led investigators to ignore cultural factors and now lead them to deny environmental factors.
Aesthetics, Affect, and Cognition
Authors: Kaplan Stephen
Published: March 2007

Scenes of the outdoor physical environment vary substantially in the extent to which they are preferred. Variables empirically found to predict preference can be analyzed both in terms of their information-processing implications and in terms of their evolutionary significance. Some of these predictors appear to require fairly extensive information processing, thus supporting the hypothesis that a rapid, unconscious type of cognition may precede certain affective judgments. Such ties between cognition and affect are understandable in the context of the proposed theoretical framework for environmental preference. This framework not only provides a coherent guide to research but also points to the pervasiveness and significance of aesthetics as a factor in human behavior and human experience.
The Defensible Space Model of Fear and Elderly Public Housing Residents
Authors: Normoyle Janice Bastlin , Foley Jeanne M.
Published: March 2007

This study examines elderly public housing residents' fear and perceptions of the local crime problem. Based upon hypotheses proposed in Newman's theory of defensible space (1972), it was predicted that (a) high-rise tenants are more fearful and perceive the crime problem as greater than do tenants of low-rise buildings and (b) the negative effects of the high-rise are reduced when older residents are segregated from younger tenants. The analysis of survey responses by 945 elderly tenants nationwide indicated that building height had a significant effect upon reactions to crime. Unexpectedly, however, fear was lower among high-rise dwellers even though those who were segregated within these buildings assessed the local crime problem as more serious. These effects were not mediated by the incidence of crime on-site nor the elderly's victimization experience. The implications of these findings for the defensible space model of fear are discussed.
The Leford Test of Tenant Locus of Control
Authors: LeBrasseur Rolland , Blackford Karen , Whissell Cynthia
Published: March 2007

A 20-item questionnaire was devised and pilot tested to measure tenant locus of control. The items were inspired by Rotter's l-E Scale and the housing literature. Internal consistency and acceptable reliability over time were demonstrated. This Leford Test of Tenant Locus of Control was then applied to 91 female single-parent, public housing tenants. A principle components factor analysis of the Leford identified 4 factors that accounted for 46% of the variance: system control, powerful others, and personal control. Tenants in the 31-40 age range scored significantly higher (p <.05) than other age groups in tenant internal locus of control. The Leford Test was positively related with Rotter's I-E Scale (p < .01), with the Housing Satisfaction Index, and with all specific housing satisfaction scales (p <.01); the relationship was negative with Management Strictness and Fear of Eviction. Housing satisfaction scales were regressed onto the Leford Test and onto the Housing Satisfaction Index. In both cases, Neighbors, Management Empathy, and Management Strictness emerged as predictive variables. Implications of the findings for managers are explored.
People's Perceptions of Animals
Authors: Finlay Ted , James Lawrence R. , Maple Terry L.
Published: March 2007

Eleven semantic differential scales were developed to assess the effects of contextual setting on peoples' perceptions of animals. The scales were given to subjects viewing slides of eight species of animals in either the wild, naturalistic zoo, or caged zoo environments. A control group, which saw no slides, also rated the animals. The ratings on the semantic differential scales were the dependent measure, while the four contexts and eight animals were the independent variables. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) the zoo group animals would be rated significantly different from, and less favorably, than all other conditions-wild, naturalistic zoo, and control; (2) the naturalistic zoo group would be rated significantly different from, and less favorably, than the wild animal group across all species; and (3) there would be differences in the ratings of the animals within conditions. Data were analyzed using canonical discriminant analysis. Results generally supported all three hypotheses. Zoo animals were seen as restricted, tame, and passive while wild animals were characterized as free, wild, and active. Results are discussed with reference to exhibit evaluations and the influence of exhibits on visitors' attitudes and perceptions.
Communicating Environmental Knowledge
Authors: Vanetti Eric J. , Allen Gary L.
Published: March 2007

The impact of verbal and spatial abilities on the communication of route information was investigated using a two-part procedure. Initially, subjects were selected for inclusion in four groups based on their combination of spatial and verbal abilities. Subsequently, the performance of high spatial-high verbal, high spatial-low verbal, low spatial-high verbal, and low spatial-low verbal subjects was measured on tasks requiring the comprehension and production of route directions. No differences were found with regard to subjects' abilities to comprehend route directions. However, the results suggested that spatial abilities are very important in the production of efficient route directions and that verbal abilities are related to subjects' tendency to conform to certain proposed linguistic conventions regarding the communication of route knowledge.
Use and Image of Neighborhood Parks
Authors: Joardar Souro D.
Published: March 2007

Human use and perceptions of residential parks have received significant attention from researchers in the West (for instance, Bangs and Mahler, 1970; Cole, 1977; Gold, 1977, 1972; Hester, 1975; Jacobs, 1969; Pigram, 1983; Rutledge, 1981), but little is known about how people across poor and crowded Third World cities respond to the very limited outdoor recreational facilities available within their day-to-day living milieu. Citizens' high mobility and purchas-ing power, as well as the supply of varied recreational resources, counterbalance the need for urban residential parks in the West, whereas small outdoor areas interwoven into the residential fabric of poor Third World cities are potentially the prime resource to meet the day-to-day outdoor recreational needs of their residents.
Neighborhood Environmental Satisfaction, Victimization, and Social Participation as Determinants of Perceived Neighborhood Safety
Authors: Baba Yoko , Austin D. Mark
Published: March 2007

This research examines the effect of overall neighborhood satisfac-tion, victimization, and social participation on perceived neighborhood safety. It systematically tests the relative importance of victimization, concern with neigh-borhood "environmental" quality, and social integration into the community in predicting fear of crime. Our research incorporates three aspects into a single model that predicts the level of fear of crime experienced by local community residents. Fear of crime is measured in terms of perceived risks in various circumstances in the neighborhood of residence. As such, a measure of fear of crime can be seen as a measure of perceived neighborhood safety. Results suggest that those who exhibit higher levels of satisfaction with the neighborhood environment tend to express higher perceived levels of neighborhood safety. Property victimization, not personal victimization, is found to have an impact on residents' perception of neighborhood safety. In contrast, social participation does not seem to be related to perceived neighborhood safety. The result implies that improving the quality of neighborhood environmental characteristics will increase residents' concern with the appearance of the neighborhood along with their concerns about the quality of people who live there, which in turn enhances higher perceived levels of neighborhood safety.
Cognitive and Arousal Effects of Masking Office Noise
Authors: Loewen Laura J. , Suedfeld Peter
Published: March 2007

To test the effects of masked and unmasked office noise on arousal, stress and cognitive performance, each of three groups of 15 student volunteers was exposed to one of the following conditions: taped office noise (54 dbA with bursts to 60-66 dbA), the same noise masked by white noise at 59 dbA, and no extraneous noise. Findings confirmed predictions based on theories of arousal and disruptive stress. The no noise group performed best on a measure of cognitive complexity and felt the least disturbed and stressed by the environment. Masked noise subjects performed better than those in the unmasked condition on both complexity and a simple attention task; they felt more aroused but less disturbed or stressed by the environment. The findings are relevant to both theoretical and applied aspects of ambient noise.
Domes and Astroturf
Authors: Goodman Guy H. , Mcandrew Francis T.
Published: March 2007

An analysis of baseball statistics from the 26 major league baseball stadiums for five seasons (1983-1987) confirmed many commonly held beliefs about the effects of artificial playing surfaces and domed stadiums on the performance of baseball players. Specifically, it was determined that performance measures dependent on running speed and fielding are superior on artificial turf and that, other factors being equal, batting averages are higher and home runs are more frequent in domed stadiums.
Factors that Enhance Effectiveness of Visitor Maps
Authors: Talbot Janet Frey , Kaplan Rachel , Kuo Frances E. , Kaplan Stephen
Published: March 2007

The focus of the series of studies reported here is on the effectiveness of handout maps as wayfinding aids for museum visitors, and on the importance of wayfinding to the quality of museum visitors' experiences. The design of the handout maps that were used in the studies was guided by a series of cognitively based principles that focus on the concept of simplicity. More than 700 visitors participated in these studies, which involved both surveys and performance measures. The results show that visitors are eager to use handout maps and find them helpful even when they contain few details. Furthermore, visitors who were given simple handout maps reported more positive expectations of their visit, and satisfaction levels were higher among exiting visitors who felt that they had been able to find their way around the museum more easily.
Schoolyards
Authors: Lindholm Gunilla
Published: March 2007

Two groups of schoolyards for junior- and intermediate-level schools were studied. A previous study had shown that teachers considered these groups of schoolyards to be "good" and bad, respectively. It was found that the good schoolyards had woods either in or near them, whereas the bad schoolyards did not. It also was seen that children in the good schoolyards took-part In a greater number of activities than children in the bad ones. The schoolyards' different places were used with different frequency and for different activities in the two groups. The results indicate that when the place is included in the activity concept, it is possible to point out general differences, regarding place as well as activity, between schoolyards that were perceived as good or bad.
Self-Presentational Barriers to Resource Conservation
Authors: Sadalla Edward K. , Krull Jennifer L.
Published: March 2007

Four experiments examined the attributional consequences of engaging in conservation-oriented behavior. Based on symbolic interactionist and self-presentational theory, it was hypothesized that behaviors associated with resource conservation would tend to affect the perceived status of the performer and would lead to systematic attributions regarding the performers identity. In the three initial experiments, each manipulating a different conservation behavior, subjects were asked to judge the identity of a target person based on a description of the targets activities. Results indicated that stereotypes regarding the identity of people who engaged in the manipulated conservation-oriented behaviors were widely shared. Further, the performance of these particular energy conservation behaviors was found to stigmatize the target by lowering the target's perceived status and by negatively influencing other dimensions of identity. A final study explored the perceived appropriateness of engaging in particular conservationist activities given specific self-presentational concerns. The data revealed considerable inter subject agreement as to the appropriateness of such behavior in situations in which the goal is to convey a specific image of the self to a social audience. The research suggests that the self-presentational connotations of conservation-oriented activities may be important determinants of their performance.
Solid-Waste Recycling Behavior and Support for Curbside Textile Recycling
Authors: Daneshvary Nasser , Daneshvary Rennae , Schwer R. Keith
Published: March 2007

This study examines determinants of residents' support for a curbside textile-recycling policy in southern Nevada. Based on the existing solid-waste recycling behavior literature and 817 responses to a mail survey of the residents, a model for support of curbside textile-recycling policy is developed. The model is empirically tested, using univariate analyses such as chi-square tests and student t tests and multivariate analysis using binary logit regression. Results from the univariate analyses indicate that the likelihood of support for a curbside textile-recycling policy is significantly influenced by regular waste-recycling habits, political affiliation, family size, minority status, home ownership, and income. Results from the binary logit regression analysis indicate that (a) current waste-recycling behavior is a good predictor of support for a curbside textile-recycling policy, and (b) the importance of recycling habits is manifested by its impact on the effect of political affiliation on support for a policy.
Televisualization of Politics in Greece
Authors: Daremas Georgios , Terzis Georgios
Published: March 2007

The article argues that the deregulation of the television sector in Greece resulted in a series of sociocultural changes in the national political culture. Commercial television quickly assumed a hegemonic position in the Greek mediascape. The television medium has dislodged the press from its traditional role as the official vehicle of political communication. Furthermore, through the broadcasting of significant portions of `political programming', television has exposed large segments of the viewing female population to political discourses. Such televisual exposure has resulted in the growing politicization of women, who have been traditionally excluded from the public political culture. The `televisualization of politics', i.e. the dissemination and absorption of politics via television, not only affects electoral campaigns but it also constructs a symbolic distance between citizen viewers and televised central political figures that leads to feelings of political dealignment and apathy. Moreover, the conferral of equivalent television status on the new entertainment elites has modified the received political hierarchy. Lastly, politicians are obliged to assume `flexible' televisual personalities in order to abide by a new set of criteria of telepolitical evaluation instituted by television.
Communication and Democratization in Africa
Authors: Ogbondah Chris W.
Published: March 2007

The current democratization process in Africa has ushered in significant constitutional and legislative changes in the continent. This article critically analyzes these changes with a view to finding new constitutional and legislative provisions that facilitate the development of the media and freedom of expression. It also examines the prospects for freedom of expression as well as problems that persist, and therefore need to be addressed. The main conclusion is that while recent constitutional changes offer promises for mass growth and freedom of expression, there are persistent problems that need to be addressed as part of the overall democratization process. For example, there is need to abrogate anachronistic statutory provisions in many African countries, put an end to the use of extra-legal and coercive measures in the state's relations with the media, as well as a need for sharp delineation and separation of the branches of government. Judicial independence, equitable access to government media, tariffs on media equipment and journalistic morality and professionalism are other problems highlighted in the article.
Public Service and the Media Economy
Authors: Collins Richard
Published: March 2007

Broadcasting and telecommunications have undergone a very rapid transformation from provision by public sector monopolies to provision by many private (and public sector) firms. This transformation has been stimulated by measures adopted by the European Union which, particularly in the case of television, have led to significant unanticipated consequences - notably increased consumption of non-European programming. Public service broadcasters have been particularly marked by such changes and, in spite of the addition of the `Amsterdam Protocol' to the European Treaty, continue to function in a hostile environment. Not least because broadcasting is a failed market but a failed market with positive social consequences. Making broadcasting markets fit the neo-classical economic model on which the Treaty is based risks social loss. However, public service broadcasters must also change if they are to realize their positive potential and play a part in the evolving EU broadcasting markets.
Cost-Property Index for Comparing Load Bearing Materials
Authors: Williams M.L.
Published: March 2007

Advanced composites are now vying with well-established metals, glass, and ceramics in load bearing applications. The economic success of these composites depends upon the cost-property index, B/P where B is the price per pound of the composite and P is the specific property of the composite critical to the load bearing ap plication. Until this index approaches those for commonly-used materials, advanced composites will be utilized only in applications where there is a premium for light weight, such as transportation.
Young's and Shear Moduli of Unidirectional Composites by a Resonant Beam Method
Authors: Dudek T.J.
Published: March 2007

The resonant frequencies of unidirectional graphite epoxy com posite beams were found to deviate markedly from classical beam theory predictions at higher modes of vibration. Timoshenko beam theory was used to account quantitatively for the dependence of ex perimental resonant frequencies on mode of vibration, length/thickness ratio, and the ratio of Young's modulus/shear modulus of the com posite beam. By using reasonable values for the longitudinal-trans verse shear moduli, the longitudinal Young's modulus of anisotropic composite beams under vibration agreed well with values determined by static tests and became independent of mode of vibration and L/t. The vibrating beam test method was employed for the deter mination of E11, E22, and G12.
The Integration of Composite Structures into Aircraft Design
Authors: Waddoups M.E. , Jackson S.K. , Rogers C.W.
Published: March 2007

Advanced composite materials are significantly different from conven tional aircraft materials. These differences between the two are such that all facets of airplane design are significantly affected when use of advanced composite materials is considered.

Examples of the impact of composite application to a lightweight fighter design, with regard to configuration and structural integrity, are given in this paper.
Hygrothermal Microstresses in a Unidirectional Composite Exhibiting Inelastic Material Behavior
Authors: Adams Donald F. , Miller A. Keith
Published: March 2007

A finite element numerical analysis is presented which models the influ ences of temperature variations and dilatations due to moisture absorption on the local stress state in a unidirectionally-reinforced composite material. These influences are admissible in both fiber and matrix, and all material properties are assumed to be temperature- and moisture-dependent. The fiber is assumed to be elastic and transversely isotropic, the matrix material inelastic and isotropic. A generalized plane strain condition is formulated, which permits the analysis of applied normal loadings in three directions (i.e., longitudinal and biaxial transverse) combined with arbitrary tempera ture and moisture content changes. Numerical results are presented for a typical graphite/epoxy composite, indicating the residual microstresses induced during cooldown from the curing temperature, and how they can be altered by a subsequent moisture absorption at room temperature. Results are also given for predicted microstress states and failure initiation in a graphite/epoxy composite modeled both with and without curing stresses and moisture dilatation, for a transverse normal applied loading continued beyond the elastic limit, to first failure.
Crack-Tip Damage and Fracture Toughness of Boron/Aluminum Composites
Authors: Awerbuch Jonathan , Hahn H. Thomas
Published: March 2007

The fracture behavior of center notched unidirectional boron/aluminum composite under tensile loading has been investigated. Load-crack opening displacement (COD) curves were obtained for crack length-to-width ratios varying from 0.05 to 0.5. The COD was measured across the crack surfaces by means of the laser interferometric technique (gage length of 500 μm). As expected, the interferometric displacement gage (IDG) was found to be very sensitive to the appearance of damage at the crack tip, resulting in highly nonlinear load-COD curves. The damage at the crack-tip has been carefully examined by radiographs, SEM, photomicrographs, interfero metric miscroscope and optical interferometry technique. Fracture strength results and experimental load-COD curves were compared with analytical predictions and an excellent agreement has been established. The resistance curve method has also been tried and found to be non- applicable. An understanding of the correlation between the observed failure modes and deformation characteristics has been achieved.
An Assessment of Buffer Strips for Improving Damage Tolerance of Composite Laminates
Authors: Poe C.C. , Kennedy John M.
Published: March 2007

Graphite/epoxy panels with buffer strips were tested in tension to measure their residual strength with crack-like damage. Panels were made with [45/0/-45/90]2 S and [45/0/-45/0]2 S layups. The buffer strips were parallel to the loading direction. They were made by replacing narrow strips of the 0° graphite plies with strips of either 0° S-Glass/epoxy or Kevlar-90/epoxy on either a one-for-one or a two-for-one basis. In a third case, 0° graphite/epoxy was used as the buffer material and thin, perforated Mylar strips were placed between the 0° plies and the cross-plies to weaken the interfaces and thus to isolate the 0° plies. Some panels were made with buffer strips of different width and spacings.

The buffer strips arrested the cracks and increased the residual strengths significantly over those of plain laminates without buffer strips. A shear-lag type stress analysis correctly predicted the effects of layup, buffer materi al, buffer strip width and spacing, and the number of plies of buffer material.
A Rapidly Convergent Scheme to Compute Moisture Profiles in Composite Materials under Fluctuating Ambient Conditions
Authors: Weitsman Y.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a highly efficient numerical scheme to compute the moisture distribution in composite materials and adhesive joints under time varying ambient relative humidities and temperatures. The moisture diffusion is assumed to follow Fick's laws. It is shown that by appropriate switching among the various forms of the analytic solutions, all involving infinite series, it is possible to attain extremely high accuracy by means of a small number of terms.

An example is provided to illustrate the method.
Interlaminar Fracture of Random Short-Fiber SMC Composite
Authors: Wang S.S. , Suemasu H. , Zahlan N.M.
Published: March 2007

The interlaminar fracture behavior of a random short-fiber SMC composite is studied both experimentally and analytically. In the experimental phase of the study, the random short-fiber SMC-R50 composite with different thicknesses is used. The commonly used double-cantilever-beam (DCB) fracture test is employed to evaluate the mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness. In the analytical portion of the research, owing to significant deformation in the DCB test, a geometrically nonlinear analysis is introduced to account for large deflection and nonlinear load-deflection curves in the evaluation of the interlaminar fracture toughness. For the SMC-R50 material studied, the interlaminar toughness of the composite is found to be an order of magnitude higher than that of unreinforced neat resin due to unusual damage mechanisms ahead of the crack tip and significant fiber bridging across crack surfaces. The effect of com posite thickness on the interlaminar fracture is appreciable. The influence of the SMC material microstructure on interlaminar crack resistance is discussed in detail.
Experimental Evaluation of Longitudinal Splitting in Unidirectional Composites
Authors: Wolla Jeffrey M. , Goree James G.
Published: March 2007

An experimental study was conducted to determine the fracture behavior of center- notched, unidirectional graphite/epoxy laminates when subjected to tensile loading. The actual behavior is compared to the behavior predicted by a mathematical model based on classical shear-lag assumptions.
Fiber Orientation Control by Means of Magnetic Moment
Authors: Hatta Hiroshi , Yamashita Shu
Published: March 2007

An attempt was analytically made to explore the feasibility of fiber orientation control in a short fiber composite by loading magnetic moment. The analysis was carried out for a paramagnetic short fiber coated with ferromagnetic substance. Formulations to predict the torque applied to the coated fiber and time required for the rotation of the fiber were presented. Numerical calculations based on the formulations showed that the fiber orienta tion control can be made by the loading of the magnetic moment even if the magnetic coating is thin and the magnetic field is reasonably low.
Setting Stress Distribution in Particle Reinforced Polymer Composites
Authors: Boriek A.M. , Akin J.E. , Armeniades C.D.
Published: March 2007

The effect of the geometric arrangement of spherical aggregates in a highly filled polymer composite (such as polymer concrete) on the setting stresses, due to resin shrink age during cure was investigated using three-dimensional finite element analysis. Simple cubic and face-centered cubic arrangements of perfect spherical aggregate were con sidered as well as a hexagonal-close-packed arrangement of hexagonal, prism-shaped aggregate. The shape of the aggregate has a very significant effect on the setting stresses. The effects of packing factor of aggregate particles were investigated. The higher the pack ing factor of spherical particles the lower the magnitude of setting stresses throughout the polymer composite system.
Formulation of Three Simple Triangular Plane Stress Anisotropic Finite Elements for a Microcomputer
Authors: Wanthal Steven P. , Yang T.Y.
Published: March 2007

This paper extends the formulations for a class of three isotropic triangular plane stress and plane strain finite elements to include the effect of symmetrically laminated aniso tropic materials. The formulation is tailored and pertinent numerical algorithms are adopted so that this development is efficiently implemented in a microcomputer. The matrix equations are solved using an iterative scheme while minimizing the amount of memory storage required.
On a Modeling of the Plastic Response of FRP under Monotonic Loading
Authors: Surrel Y. , Vautrin A.
Published: March 2007

It is shown that the extensive non-linearity which can be observed in the stress-strain response of CFRP submitted to tensile tests in angle-ply or off-axis configurations cannot be of viscoelastic nature.

A simple model is proposed to evaluate the response of a lamina of glass- or carbon- reinforced plastic under tensile loading. This model is based on an exponential decrease of the shear and transverse moduli, with respect to the corresponding total strains. It has been experimentally assessed and successfully applied to fit the mechanical response of various [±θ] nS laminates under tensile testing. This model gives acceptable results up to the failure of those laminates which can be correlated with a quadratic criterion involving shear and normal stresses within the laminae.

This model provides a framework to quantitatively study the effects of environmental conditions such as moisture or temperature on the mechanical response of these materials.