bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generic Decentralized Control for Lattice-Based Self-Reconfigurable Robots
Authors: Butler Zack , Kotay Keith , Rus Daniela , Tomita Kohji
Published: September 2004

Previous work on self-reconfiguring modular robots has concentrated primarily on designing hardware and developing reconfiguration algorithms tied to specific hardware systems. In this paper, we introduce a generic model for lattice-based self-reconfigurable robots and present several generic locomotion algorithms that use this model. The algorithms presented here are inspired by cellular automata, using geometric rules to control module actions. The actuation model used is a general one, assuming only that modules can generally move over the surface of a group of modules. These algorithms can then be instantiated onto a variety of particular systems. Correctness proofs of many of the rule sets are also given for the generic geometry; this analysis can carry over to the instantiated algorithms to provide different systems with correct locomotion algorithms. We also present techniques for automated analysis that can be used for algorithms that are too complex to be easily analyzed by hand.
An Empirical Study of the Joint Space Inertia Matrix
Authors: Featherstone Roy
Published: September 2004

The joint-space inertia matrix of a robot mechanism can be highly ill-conditioned. This phenomenon is not merely a numerical artifact; it is symptomatic of an underlying property of the mechanism itself that can make it more difficult to simulate or control. This paper investigates the problem by means of an empirical study of the eigenvalues, eigenvectors and condition number of the joint-space inertia matrix. It is shown that the condition number is typically large, and that it grows anywhere from O(N) to O(N4) with the number of bodies in the system. Several graphs are presented, showing how the condition number varies with configuration, the number of links, variations in link sizes, variations in connectivity, and fixed or floating bases. Explanations are offered for some of the observed effects.
Telemanipulation with Time Delays
Authors: Niemeyer Günter , Slotine Jean-Jacques E.
Published: September 2004

In this paper we survey the development of the wave variable concept and examine wave-based teleoperation. We study the behavior of force reflecting systems under unknown but constant transmission delays, ranging from periods less than the human reaction time to several seconds. Passive transmission procedures guarantee system stability, but wave reflections and spurious dynamics may interfere with normal operation. Using wave variables for the analysis and implementation, and making appropriate design choices, a system with consistent and predictable behavior is constructed. This design methodology aims to create a virtual tool which accounts for the implicit limitations imposed by the delay. These developments also form the basis for extensions to wave-based prediction and application to variable delays, such as those inherent to Internet-based telemanipulation.
A Formal Analysis and Taxonomy of Task Allocation in Multi-Robot Systems
Authors: Gerkey Brian P. , Matarić Maja J.
Published: September 2004

Despite more than a decade of experimental work in multi-robot systems, important theoretical aspects of multi-robot coordination mechanisms have, to date, been largely untreated. To address this issue, we focus on the problem of multi-robot task allocation (MRTA). Most work on MRTA has been ad hoc and empirical, with many coordination architectures having been proposed and validated in a proof-of-concept fashion, but infrequently analyzed. With the goal of bringing objective grounding to this important area of research, we present a formal study of MRTA problems. A domain-independent taxonomy of MRTA problems is given, and it is shown how many such problems can be viewed as instances of other, well-studied, optimization problems. We demonstrate how relevant theory from operations research and combinatorial optimization can be used for analysis and greater understanding of existing approaches to task allocation, and to show how the same theory can be used in the synthesis of new approaches.
Model-Based Dynamic Self-Righting Maneuvers for a Hexapedal Robot
Authors: Saranli Uluc , Rizzi Alfred A. , Koditschek Daniel E.
Published: September 2004

We report on the design and analysis of a controller that can achieve dynamical self-righting of our hexapedal robot, RHex. Motivated by the initial success of an empirically tuned controller, we present a feedback controller based on a saggital plane model of the robot. We also extend this controller to develop a hybrid pumping strategy that overcomes actuator torque limitations, resulting in robust flipping behavior over a wide range of surfaces. We present simulations and experiments to validate the model and characterize the performance of the new controller.
On Simplified Composite Micromechanics Equation and Inverse Mixture Rule
Authors: Sharma Rajesh , Ranta Sohan
Published: September 2004

Minimum and maximum values of the ratio and difference of reciprocals of the two values of transverse modulus given by inverse mixture rule and Chamis simplified micromechanics equation [Hopkins, D.A. and Chamis, C.C. (1988). A Unique set of Micromechanics Equations for High Temperature Metal Matrix Composite, In: DiGiovanni, P.R. and Adsit, N.R. (eds), Testing Technology of Metal Matrix Composites, ASTM STP 964, pp. 159–176, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA.] are obtained in this paper when the fractional concentrations are changed in a specified manner and the moduli of the constituents take prescribed values. It is shown that if the values of the moduli of constituents are increased by a fixed value, the value of the longitudinal modulus is also increased by this fixed value while the corresponding value of the transverse modulus is increased by a greater amount.
Bending Characteristics of Thick Multidirectional Composite Plates under Hygrothermal Environment
Authors: Rao V. V.S. , Sinha P. K.
Published: September 2004

Effects of moisture and temperature on the bending characteristics of thick multidirectional fibrous composite plates are studied. A three-dimensional finite element analysis procedure is developed using twenty noded isoparametric quadratic brick elements. A typical multidirectional unit cell is assumed to consist of several unidirectional composite blocks. Transformation-based relationships are used to generate the stiffness properties of a multidirectional composite model. The FE analysis accounts for the hygrothermal strains and reduced elastic properties of multidirectional composites at an elevated moisture concentration and temperature. Deflections and stresses are evaluated for thick multidirectional composite plates under uniform and linearly varying through-the-thickness temperature and moisture content. Results reveal the effects of fiber directionality on deflection and stresses.
Thermal Stress Analysis in an Aluminium Metal–Matrix Orthotropic Disc
Authors: Sayman Onur
Published: September 2004

In this study, a thermal stress analysis is carried out analytically on an orthotropic aluminum metal–matrix composite hollow disc. A closed form solution is performed by using polynomials under some considerations. The temperature distribution is chosen to vary parabolically from inner surface to outer surface along the radial sections. The magnitude of the tangential stress component is the highest. It is compressive and tensile at the inner and outer points in the disc. A close approximation is obtained between the analytical and finite element solutions. The radial displacement is found analytically.
Damage Mechanisms of Hat-Shaped GRP Beams
Authors: Eksik O. , Shenoi R. A. , Blake J. I. R. , Jeong H. K.
Published: September 2004

In this study, the behaviour of hat-shaped glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) composite beams was investigated experimentally and numerically to predict the effect of different material composition on:

• Flexural stiffness of the beams

• Ultimate collapse strength of beams

• Failure mechanisms of the beams

The materials used in this study were chopped strand mat (CSM) in different weight e.g., 600, 450 and 225 g/m2 and 1600 g/m2 unidirectional (UD) glass fibre, 600 g/m2 woven rowing (WR) and 600 g/m2 biaxial [±45°] with polyester resin (isopthalic and orthopthalic) and polyurethane (PU) foam. Two types of top hat composite beam have been tested under four-point bending loads. The finite element predictions were compared with the test data and good agreement was obtained.
An Experimental Study of Saturated and Unsaturated Permeabilities in Resin Transfer Molding Based on Unidirectional Flow Measurements
Authors: Shojaei A. , Trochu F. , Ghaffarian S. R. , Karimian S. M. H. , Lessard L.
Published: September 2004

Resin transfer molding (RTM) is a manufacturing process of composite parts that consists of injecting a fluid resin through a fibrous reinforcement. Permeability of the fiber bed is a key parameter that governs the flow, together with the viscosity of the resin. In this paper, the saturated and unsaturated permeabilities of a glass-woven fabric are studied for different injection pressures and porosities of the fibrous reinforcement. Unidirectional injection experiments are carried out to evaluate the unsaturated permeability of the reinforcement during the injection and the saturated permeability that governs the permanent flow established after filling of the cavity. The unsaturated permeability is evaluated by a linear regression in function of the position of the resin front during transient flow experiments performed at constant injection pressure. For each position of the resin front in the test mold, a transient permeability can be calculated by application of Darcy’s law. This transient permeability depends on the injection pressure, position of the resin front in the mold, and porosity of the reinforcement. After a certain flow length called the convergence length, the transient permeability converges to a value that is independent of the flow rate and of the injection pressure. This limit value is called here the unsaturated permeability. The convergence length is related to a maximum flow rate or average particle velocity below which Darcy’s law holds. The saturated permeability is measured after all air bubbles have been evacuated from the cavity. As a result of this experimental investigation, three parameters can be identified that are characteristic of the pore structure of the fibrous reinforcement: (1) a maximum average resin velocity can be identified below which the transient permeability remains constant; (2) the saturated and unsaturated permeabilities differ by a value that remains constant within the injection pressure range used in this study and that is independent of the fiber volume content; (3) the new notion of convergence length proposed here, namely the flow length necessary to ensure convergence of the transient permeability, depends on the two-scale pore structure of the fibrous reinforcement. This study corroborates the findings of several other investigators, who have shown that the saturated permeability is always higher than the unsaturated permeability. The difference between these two permeability values is also related to the pore structure of the fiber bed. It is hoped that this work will contribute to define a much-needed standard on permeability measurements.
Optimization of a Semimetallic Friction Material Formulation
Authors: Lu Yafei , Tang Choong-Fong , Zhao Yongli , Wright Maurice A.
Published: September 2004

A semimetallic friction material formulation consisting of Al2O3,B2O3, brass chips, graphite, NBR (nitrile rubber), steel wool, and benzoxazine (a ring-opening polymerized phenolic) with high friction coefficient ( μ) and low wear was developed using the Golden Section approach to search the optimal volume fraction of each ingredient in the formulations. All raw materials used were divided into three groups: fibers, fillers, and binder. The volume fraction of each ingredient in the formulations was calculated by means of V i = 0.618 n in phase 1, V j = V i ± V i × r m/ V F and V j = V i ± V i × r m/ V f in phase 2 and V j = V i ± V i × r m/( V F + V f) in phase 3. Two exponent equations, w = k0 V1 k1 V2 k2 … V p kp and μ = m0 V1 m1 V2 m2 … V p mp, were proposed to correlate the compositional dependence of wear and μ. The least-squares error method was utilized to calculate the effect of each ingredient on and wear. Experimental and calculated results proved that both brass chips and B2O3 play important roles in enhancing. After doing 18 formulation experiments that preformed using Friction Assessment and Screening Test (FAST), an optimized formulation (BB-17) with high μ (average μ = 0.701) and low wear ( w = 4.74%) was obtained.
Impactor Mass Effects in Glass–Epoxy Composites Subjected to Repeated Drop Tests
Authors: Sugun B. S. , Rao R. M. V. G. K.
Published: September 2004

Experimental studies were carried out to understand the impactor mass effects on glass–epoxy composites using an instrumented impact machine (DYNATUP 8250) under low-velocity test conditions. Repeated drop tests were carried out at pre-determined energy levels for selective mass height combinations. Number of drops to failure (Nf) was chosen as the damage criterion.

Analysis of test results clearly showed that, at low incident energies, heavier impactors caused more damage to the laminates as reflected by their lower number of drops to failure. This effect diminished gradually at relatively higher incident energies.
Analysis of Flow Phenomena during the Filling Stage of CTM
Authors: Chang Chih-Yuan , Hourng Lih-Wu , Yu Chih-Sen
Published: September 2004

Resin transfer molding (RTM) is one of the most popular polymer composites manufacturing processes because it provides the advantages of low injection pressure, fast cyclic periods, and the ability to mold parts with highly complex shapes. However, the mold-filling process may need a long time for some cases such as large parts or parts with low permeability of the reinforcement. A flexible RTM process, compression transfer molding (CTM), is developed to reduce the mold-filling time. The mold-filling process of CTM can be divided into resin-injection and mold-closing periods. Flow visualization experiments are carried out to understand the flow behavior of each period in the CTM mold-filling process. As the closing action of the mold proceeds before the resin-injection period ends, experiments are also performed to investigate the effect of simultaneous procedures on the total mold-filling time.
Anastomosis of Small Arteries Using a Soluble Stent and Bioglue
Authors: Wang Xiaohong , Yan Yongnan , Zhang Renji , Fan Y.W. , Cui F.Z. , Feng Q.L. , Liang X.D.
Published: September 2004

A soluble intralumenal stent for vascular anastomosis was prepared from glucose, dextran-40 and disodium (1–4)-2-deoxy-2-sulfoamino-ß-D-glucopyranuronan (S-chitosan). The in vitro and in vivo solubility of the stent was tested. Animal tests were carried out using femoral arteries of rabbits. In comparison with the previously reported data for poly(ethylene glycol), (PEG) and sugar stents, the S-chitosan containing stent (S-sugar stent) had a shorter dissolution time and a higher vessel patency rate that led to a higher rabbit survival rate. Neither irritation nor thrombosis, due to the introduction of S-sugar stent, was observed from histological sections 2 months after the anastomosis. This S-chitosan containing sugar stent is a promising candidate for fast sutureless anastomosis of vessels in non-trauma surgery.
N,N-Diethyl N-Methyl Chitosan as an Enhancing Agent for Colon Drug Delivery
Authors: Avadi M.R. , Erfan M. , Sadeghi A.M. M. , Moezi L. , Dehpour A.R. , Younessi P. , Tehrani M. Rafiee , Shafiee A.
Published: September 2004

Chitosan exhibits poor solubility above pH 6 which prevents absorption at treatment sites in the colon. pH titrations and infrared methods were used to determine the degree of deacetylation of the starting chitosan. In the present work, N,N-diethyl N-methyl chitosan (DEMC) was synthesized based on a modified two-step process via a 22 factorial design to optimize the preparative conditions. DEMC chloride was characterized using FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. For pharmacological and pharmaceutical applications, DEMC needs to have specific degrees of quaternization. Based on the 1H NMR data, a high degree of quaternization was achieved by the two-step process. The N-diethyl methyl chitosan chlorides were completely soluble in water at room temperature. Sodium fluorescein and brilliant blue were used as model reagents for in vitro colonic absorption studies. These studies show a significant increase in the absorption of sodium fluorescein and brilliant blue in the presence of DEMC in comparison with normal chitosan. DEMC with positive charge is able to interact with tight junctions of colon epithelial cells and hence increased the permeability of sodium fluorescein and brilliant blue across the tight junctions. These investigations demonstrated that the DEMC derivative of chitosan could have a significant effect on colonic drug absorption.
Dendritic Poly-[N-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-L-Glutamine] as Potential Drug Carrier
Authors: de Winne Katleen , Vanderkerken Sylvie , Hoste Katty , Dubruel Peter , Schacht Etienne , Jelinkova Marketa , Rihova Blanka
Published: September 2004

Dendritic poly-[ N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-glutamine] (PHEG) with different molecular weights were synthesized by aminolysis of dendritic poly-(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBG), which was obtained by polymerization of the corresponding N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) with poly(amido amine) (PAMAM, starburst®) of the fourth generation as initiator. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to determine the size of the polymeric carriers and to compare the dendritic polymer to the linear analogue. The body distribution and blood clearance of 125 I-radiolabelled linear and dendritic PHEG with similar molecular weight were investigated in female BALB/c mice.
Microporous Scaffolds from Poly(Lactide-Co-∊-Caprolactone) Composites with Hydroxyapatite and Tricalcium Phosphates Using Supercritical CO2 for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Aydin Hali·l Murat , Pi·şki·n Erhan , Çalimli Ayla
Published: September 2004

A copolymer of L-lactide and ∊-caprolactone ( M n:73,523, M w: 127,990 and PI: 1.74) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization and confirmed by FTIR, 1 H-NMR and DSC. The copolymer ratio of L-lactide to ∊-caprolactone, determined by 1H-NMR, was 89/11. Specific amounts of hydroxyapatite or tricalcium phosphate were blended in the copolymer matrix to form new composites. Films were made by solvent casting the copolymer and the composite materials. The films were subjected to supercritical CO2 at 3300psi and 70°C to create porous structures. The pore sizes were in the range of 40–80 μm. The porous films (both copolymer and composite) degraded in Ringer solutions much faster than corresponding untreated non-porous films.
Controlling Biostability of Collagen Films for Fibroblast Cytocompatibility
Authors: Mao Zhengwei , Gao Changyou , Wang Dengyong , Ma Lie , Shen Jiacong
Published: September 2004

The influence of cross-linking reagent, glutaraldehyde, on the biostability of collagen films was examined. With greater cross-linking, water absorption ability, swelling degree and degradation rate were all decreased. Based on scanning electron microscopy observations, the collagen films changed from a compact structure to a fiber-dominated morphology after cross-linking. Cross-linking provides a more integrated fiber-like structure that impeded degradation. To assess the influence of the cross-linking on cytocompatibility, in vitro cell culture was performed on the cross-linked collagen films using human fibroblasts. Good cytocompatibility of the initial collagen was largely retained after cross-linking, while biostability was greatly improved.
Investigation of Blood Compatibility and Determination of Clinical Performance of PMEA Coated and Flow Optimized Oxygenator
Authors: Demirkilic U. , Kuralay E. , Tatar H. , Kocakulak M. , Kocum C. , Ayhan H.
Published: September 2004

In this study, the blood compatibility of the tip-to-tip coated and flow-optimized extracorporeal circuits were investigated using poly(2-methoxyethylacrylate) PMEA-coated oxygenators and tubing sets. Total protein, human serum albumin, fibrinogen, erythrocyte, leukocyte and platelets loss quantities were analyzed on blood samples withdrawn five different times during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) such as: baseline (T1), during CPB (T2), end of CPB (T3), after protamine injection (T4) and intensive care (T5), no fibrinogen loss was observed for the tip-to-tip coated system. After an operation, protein desorption assays from fiber surfaces of the tip-to-tip coated and flow-optimized extracorporeal circuits showed very little desorption. Less protein desorption was found between sonicated fibers and fiber sample solutions at <0.2mg/dL and 0.58mg/dL, respectively. For tip-to-tip coated and flow-optimized extracorporeal system, no platelet aggregation and no erythrocyte, leukocyte losses were observed. Optimized flow path and eliminated straight turns due to integration of exchangers minimized turbulent flows. Larger surface areas of the fibers optimized blood flow speed and improved gentle flow conditions and lowered shear stress. Clinically, no excessive postoperative bleeding was observed by the patients with the tip-to-tip coated system after 24 hours (hemorrhage was 387mL). The average unit of red blood cell and fresh frozen plasma transfusions were 0.98 and 2.10 units, respectively. Differences in adsorbed HSA on the hollow fiber surfaces were examined by STM which indicated that less protein existed on the sample solution of the non-sonicated fiber surfaces.
Fae Spirits and Gender Trouble
Authors: Hennen Peter
Published: September 2004

Scholars working in a number of fields have proposed disruptive strategies for resisting the disciplinary power of gender. Theoretical work in this area seeks to transcend dichotomies and the hierarchical logic entailed in binary conceptions of gender. Utilizing Michael Burawoy’s extended case method and drawing on the theoretical work of R. W. Connell and Judith Butler, this research applies some of these ideas to an ethnographic study of the Radical Faeries, an intentional community devoted to undermining traditional masculinity through a celebratory deployment of drag. Founded by gay activist Harry Hay in the early 1980s, the group provides an excellent opportunity to investigate both resistant and compliant gender practices, as well as the prospects for making “gender trouble.” I conclude that while my case study community does indeed produce resistant cultural forms that undermine hegemonic masculinity, they do not produce meaningful gender trouble in the Butlerian sense.
Ethnic Inclusion and Exclusion
Authors: Sizemore David S.
Published: September 2004

This article is part of a larger qualitative project on the processes of Hispanic social integration in a rural Southern Illinois community. Findings indicate that Anglo insiders and outsiders describe the changes associated with Hispanic settlement by using a dualistic language of ethnocentrism and paternalism. I suggest that the discourse of inclusion is double edged because (1) it treads lightly on the sensitive nature of interethnic relations so that no one is offended, yet (2) it allows for the sentiment, especially among Anglos, that this is “our country” and Hispanics should “fit-in.” A complex language of quasi-ethnocentrism is in operation that allows for Hispanic incorporation but only to the extent that it is “fair” and not based on “special” ethnic considerations. Building on critical race theory and other linguistic frameworks, several theoretical approaches are employed to understand the relationship between normative exclusion, language, paternalism, and ethnicity.
The Social Contexts of Focus Groups
Authors: Hollander Jocelyn A.
Published: September 2004

This article argues that focus group discussions are shaped by multiple social contexts, a fact that is often ignored by researchers. Using data from a focus group study of the effects of violence on everyday life, this article provides an analysis of four such contexts: the associational, status (especially gender), conversational, and relational contexts. These multiple and overlapping contexts foster both problematic silences (lack of disclosure) and problematic speech (strategic shaping of comments) in group discussions. These processes limit the usefulness of focus groups as a tool for understanding individual thoughts, feelings, or experiences. However, they make focus groups an excellent site for analyzing the processes of social interaction. The article concludes with suggestions for improving the implementation and interpretation of focus groups in light of this analysis.
Those Obscure Objects of Desire
Authors: Colwell-Chanthaphonh Chip
Published: September 2004

The desire to collect objects that represent a distant age has long been a part of the human social anatomy. However, only in the last several decades have academics given attention to collecting behaviors that affect local and global heritage sites. Although this scholarly discourse has become increasingly sophisticated, writers still often cast all collecting within the framework of “looting.” Grounded in detailed ethnographic interviews and observations in the San Pedro Valley of Arizona, this study suggests other possible connections to the archaeological landscape. By incorporating a more humanistic approach and focusing on the everyday experiences of people who collect objects, scholars may more fully comprehend the complex intersections that link people to the ancient past through things.
Technology and Equity in Schooling: Deconstructing the Digital Divide
Authors: Warschauer Mark , Knobel Michele , Stone Leeann
Published: September 2004

This qualitative study compared the availability of, access to, and use of new technologies in a group of low– and high–socioeconomic status (SES) California high schools. Although student-computer ratios in the schools were similar, the social contexts of computer use differed, with low-SES schools affected by uneven human support networks, irregular home access to computers by students, and pressure to raise school test scores while addressing the needs of large numbers of English learners. These differences were expressed within three main patterns of technology access and use, labeled performativity, workability, and complexity, each of which shaped schools’ efforts to deploy new technologies for academic preparation.
Where’s the “Up” in Bottom-Up Reform?
Authors: Honig Meredith I.
Published: September 2004

Bottom-up reform as a policy strategy for decades has faltered in implementation. This article starts from the premise that these disappointing results stem from researchers’and practitioners’almost exclusive focus on implementation in schools or on what some call “the bottom” of hierarchical education systems but not shifts in policy makers’roles that might enable school change—the “up” in bottom-up reform. These gaps are addressed with a strategic, comparative case study of city-level policy makers in bottom-up reform implementation in Oakland, California, during the 1990s. The author demonstrates that organizational learning theory defines basic dimensions of policy makers’ roles in implementation and that they faced four paradoxes in adopting these roles. Over time, they tended to favor avenues consistent with traditional topdown, not bottom-up, policy making. Findings highlight policy makers as important participants in bottom-up reform implementation and suggest that new institutional supports for them may enable implementation.
Egalitarianism and the Land Question in China
Authors: Vermeer Eduard B.
Published: September 2004

Based on a survey of 3000 households in 22 villages in industrialized and agricultural areas in China, this article discusses private egalitarian attitudes towards income distribution, support for the elderly, poverty relief and land distribution. The effects of employment, age, political affiliation and income differ substantially between the two regions. Data on contracted landholdings are used to demonstrate inter-village differentials in implementation of land distribution policies. Egalitarian distribution of farmland does not necessarily produce greater equality of total income.
Introduction
Authors: Mullaney Thomas S.
Published: September 2004

An intriguing demographic equation resides at the heart of the People’s Republic of China. The equation reads: 55 minorities + the Han = the PRC or, in shorthand format, 55+1=1. Where did this remarkable equation come from? How was it derived and why in this particular form? In an exploration of this question, the present introduction and edited volume investigates the Ethnic Classification Project (or minzu shibie), a massive state-sponsored enterprise undertaken in the PRC wherein a team of social scientists and cadres fanned out in the non-Han minority regions of China to determine once and for all the precise ethnic make-up of the nation.
‘Just a Temp?’
Authors: Casey Catherine , Alach Petricia
Published: September 2004

Women’s continued high rate of participation in non-standard employment, especially temporary and part-time jobs, attracts much critical concern. Many social analysts of work regard non-standard employment as heightening risks of economic insecurity, workplace exploitation and social marginalization. Labour economists regard temporary and part-time work as comprising ‘secondary’labour markets and workers in this sector as ‘secondary earners’.Many analysts consider women’s over-representation in this sector to be a consequence of women’s exclusion from primary sector employment and its expected better conditions.

This article develops an interpretive analysis of a qualitative study of 45 women temporary workers in New Zealand in 2001–2002.The experiences and aspirations with respect to work of this particular sample of women currently engaged in temporary employment relations indicate some divergent trajectories from those more commonly observed. In contrast to most current depictions of women and temporary employment, the findings indicate that some women are striving to practise their own preferential employment arrangements in ways that actively challenge conventional economic assumptions of employment behaviour and traditional trajectories of women’s lives.The article proposes that these efforts may indicate alternative oppositional strategies to normative acceptance of qualitatively degraded jobs and employment relations.
Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice in Britain:
Authors: Hoque Kim , Noon Mike
Published: September 2004

This article evaluates the nature and incidence of equal opportunities (EO) policies in the UK using data from the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS 98).The article identifies the types of workplaces that are more likely to adopt formal gender, ethnicity, disability and age policies. It then assesses whether the policies are ‘substantive’ or merely ‘empty shells’: first, by evaluating the extent to which workplaces that have adopted EO policies have also adopted supporting EO practices; and second, by evaluating the proportion of employees who have access to EO practices in workplaces where they have been adopted. On balance, the ‘empty shell’ argument is more convincing. Smaller workplaces, private sector workplaces and workplaces without an HR or personnel specialist are identified as being more likely to have an ‘empty shell’ policy.While unionized workplaces are more likely to have a formal policy, those policies are no less likely to constitute ‘empty shells’. Finally, the policy, economic and legal implications of the findings are discussed.
Divided Workers
Authors: Byoung-Hoon Lee , Frenkel Stephen J.
Published: September 2004

Against the background of a rise in contingent labour and an emphasis by employers on flexibility, this article focuses on the relations between regular production and contract workers in a major Korean auto company. We show how regular workers use discursive and other practices to discriminate against contract workers.The concept of moral exclusion is used to frame these activities and provide meaning to contract workers’ experience.The moderate degree of moral exclusion that chararacterizes contract–regular worker relations is analysed and explained by reference to a theory that combines structural factors that affect the way contract labour is managed and relational factors that influence inter-group dynamics.
Working Time and Work and Family Conflict in the Netherlands, Sweden and the Uk
Authors: Cousins Christine R. , Tang Ning
Published: September 2004

This article presents evidence on working time flexibility and the experience of work and family conflict in the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, using data from a comparable questionnaire. We find that the experience of balancing work and family life in the different countries yields some surprising and paradoxical results. This is particularly the case in Sweden where, despite the establishment of gender equality and work–family reconciliation policies, we find that higher proportions of both mothers and fathers than in the other two countries report a conflict between their work and family lives. In the Netherlands and the UK it is fathers rather than mothers who are more likely to report conflicting pressures between work and family life. In each country these experiences are related to the hours of work of women and men, but in the context of different working-time regimes and with different compromises and solutions to the unresolved tensions surrounding the conciliation of work and family life.
Work and Family Life Balance
Authors: Fagnani Jeanne , Letablier Marie-Thérèse
Published: September 2004

Is it sufficient to reduce working time to improve the work and family balance? This article attempts to answer this question by analyzing the impact of the French law reducing the working week to 35 hours on the daily life, as perceived by parents with a young child under six years old. Six out of ten respondents reported a positive impact of the reduction on their work/family balance. Their judgment is dependent on the organization of work, whether it is regular and based on standard working hours or irregular schedules. It is also correlated to the negotiation process in the workplace.

Inequalities between workers are revealed: between those employed in sheltered economic sectors and ‘family-friendly’ companies, and those who have to accept unsocial or flexible hours of work in exchange of a reduction of their working time.The article concludes that the 35-hours law has widened the gap between these two groups of workers irrespective of gender and professional status.
‘Portfolio Careers’ and the Search for Flexibility in Later Life
Authors: Platman Kerry
Published: September 2004

Economic activity rates among older men have declined rapidly in recent decades, presenting major challenges for individuals and society. One solution suggested to the problems of a lack of full-time permanent jobs for older men has been more flexible ways of working such as portfolio careers, freelancing and consulting for those nearing retirement age. But there has been a lack of research examining the realities of flexible working for the 50-plus age group. This article examines the experiences of older professionals as freelancers in the UK media industry where such working practices have long been common. By examining this relationship from the employer’s and older freelancer’s perspective, this article aims to discover the true extent of choice, freedom and autonomy experienced by portfolio professionals in late career.
IV. Civil Partnerships: A New Couple’s Conversation
Authors: Peel Elizabeth , Harding Rosie
Published: September 2004

The practicalities of introducing partnership registration for gay couples, with rights and responsibilities attached, are complex. But the case for doing it is clear and, I believe, strong. I believe there will be a day when gay couples dont have to struggle to have their partnerships, their families, recognized. (Barbara Roche, UK Labour MP1)
Mars and Venus Collide: A Discursive Analysis of Marital Self-Help Psychology
Authors: Crawford Mary
Published: September 2004

Relationship self-help advice often blames women for relationship difficulties and endorses relatively traditional gender roles. Its appeal to female consumers is thus somewhat puzzling. This paper uses critical feminist discourse analysis to explore two Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus relationship self-help texts. Both these texts construct gender as a set of natural dichotomies, claim that women and men are fundamentally different in relationship needs, and hold women responsible for maintaining relationship harmony. Thus, they reproduce a discourse that historically has been oppressive to women. However, like all texts, these afford multiple readings. I argue that their rhetoric may be deployed to voice dissatisfaction with inequality and to encourage change in a partners behavior. By affording openings for marital negotiation, these self-help texts and others like them may undermine the ideology of fixed gender differences in relationship orientation and may serve to hold both partners accountable for maintaining marital satisfaction.
Political Institutions and the Wealth of Regions
Authors: Freitag Markus , Vatter Adrian
Published: September 2004

This investigation evaluates the effects of political institutions on the wealth of regions. It provides an empirical test of how consensus democracy, institutional decentralization, and plebiscitary instruments influence economic performance of the Swiss cantons. Our pooled cross-sectional time-series analyses show that direct democracy and institutional centralization are particularly forceful political determinants of economic performance, while the type of democracy is not systematically associated with economic wealth. Moreover, part of the variation in economic power between the Swiss cantons in the 1990s is explained by differences in educational expenditure and in the degree of overall taxation.
Rebuilding Local Governance in Post-Communist Economies
Authors: Hardy Jane
Published: September 2004

At the beginning of the transformation process in Poland in 1990, local and regional governance structures were practically non-existent. The ‘voivodship’ was the regional administrative centre, which simply acted as a conduit for the policies of various government departments in Warsaw. The article reviews dominant perspectives on the transformation of regions in post-communist economies. While the evolutionary approach is a good critique of neoliberal approaches, it is argued that it assumes a consensus and congruity of local interests and underplays the role of exogenous influences in shaping emerging governance structures at both the local and national level. The framework adopted in the article is institutionalist, drawing on the importance of informal institutions in shaping local and national economies. Further, power and differentiated interests are seen as central to understanding emerging structures. Finally, the role of exogenous influences such as aid and investment are highlighted in understanding how the regions of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are fitting into the emerging international division of labour. The empirical focus of the article is the Wrocław local economy, with particular reference to changes in the municipality. Transformation is explored in relation to three agents of change. First, the ‘nomenklatura’ who have converted their social capital of the past into economic capital during the process of transformation. Second, the role of workers is seen as important in either contesting or cooperating with the restructuring process. Finally, the role of imported intellectual capital through foreign investment, consultants and aid is viewed as central to instituting a new set of informal institutions compatible with the market.
Balkan Immigrants in the Greek City of Thessaloniki
Authors: Hatziprokopiou Panos
Published: September 2004

This paper aims to explore aspects of the contemporary phenomenon of immigration from Balkan countries into Greece, linking it to wider developments taking place at the international level and locating transnational elements. More precisely, it focuses on contradictory processes of social incorporation of Albanian and Bulgarian immigrants in Thessaloniki, based on empirical material deriving from fieldwork research. The analytical framework used in the paper is built upon: (a) the political, institutional and cultural context, with particular reference to the social and political responses to immigration; (b) the socio-economic context of the local labour market where immigrants work; and (c) the sociospatial context, seen in relation to the city’s social geography and the transformation of the urban space.
The Finance-Growth Nexus
Authors: Valverde Santiago Carbó , Fernández Francisco Rodríguez
Published: September 2004

Recent cross-country studies suggest that finance and economic growth are significantly related. The characteristics and geographical scope of this relationship have become central to explain differences in economic development and financial exclusion. Two concepts are highly relevant in this context. First, financial deepening, which involves the development of traditional and non-traditional financial services in these territories. Second, bank dependence, which makes households and firms rely heavily on banks. Employing dynamic causality and panel data techniques on a sample of Spanish banks during 1993-9 we find that at a regional level, economic growth predicted financial deepening in this period. Regarding bank dependence, the bank-lending specialization appears to be a key issue in financing firms and households compared to other bank specializations.
‘Europe’, National Identities and Multiple Others
Authors: Simonsen Kirsten
Published: September 2004

Provoked by recent developments in Denmark (and also other European countries), I consider the construction and reconstruction of territorial (national and transnational) identities in the ‘new’ Europe to be a question of exceptional ethical and political importance. Therefore, the paper concentrates upon this issue and discusses the construction and re-negotiation of (trans)national identities as a multi-scalar process of ‘othering’. Specific attention is drawn to current discourses of ‘neo-nationalism’.
The Changing Geography of Europe: A Balkan and Southern European View
Authors: Hadjimichalis Costis
Published: September 2004

Three key issues are identified describing the changing geography of Europe from a Balkan and Southern European perspective: (a) international migration flows are directed these days mainly towards Southern Europe and are becoming major geopolitical and cultural themes; (b) uneven sociospatial development remains a major problem in the area, attracting, however, less attention from national governments and the European Commission; (c) military interventions are being used again in the Balkans as a policy option with wider negative effects on the European integration project.
On Diversity and Difference in Geography: A Southern European Perspective
Authors: Garcia-Ramon Maria-Dolors
Published: September 2004

At the time of the European Union’s eastern enlargement, some personal reflections are given about the need to keep alive diversity and difference in geography. Nowadays there is almost undisputed hegemony of one single geography and scholarly tradition - that of Anglo-American geography. Increasingly, it sets the guidelines and the agenda for intellectual debate (in Europe as well as in many parts of the world), and discourages other traditions from entering international academic debates and reaching wider audiences. At the moment when the European Union is enlarging with 10 new countries, we should be aware of our potential strength and take advantage of this opportunity to enhance cross-fertilization, thereby enriching our discipline.
What Convergence between What Geographies in Europe? A Hungarian Perspective
Authors: Timár Judit
Published: September 2004

In studying different understandings of the changing geography of Europe from the perspective of a ‘transition country’, namely Hungary, this paper seeks to expand on the following argument. During the 50-year period of state socialism, the study of geography in Hungary never approximated that in advanced capitalist Europe as closely as it does now. However, if such approximation is to be termed ‘convergence’, then it is, at best, ‘uneven convergence’. Three manifestations of the one-sidedness and or partiality of convergence are presented.
West and East in ‘New Europe’: The Pitfalls of Paternalism and a Claimant Attitude
Authors: Domański Bolesław
Published: September 2004

The author discusses dangers which stem from the old West-East divide of Europe. On the one hand, there may be a deterministic interpretation of Central and Eastern Europe as political, economic and cultural periphery, which leads to paternalistic attitudes and belief in one-way transfers of knowledge and decisions. This may legitimize unequal treatment and exclusionary political action on the part of Western Europe. On the other hand, the people of Central and Eastern Europe may tend to adopt what can be termed a ‘claimant’ attitude towards the West. The ideology of ‘catching-up’ and a sense of having being wronged in the past reinforce acceptance of the role of recipients of external influences and of wealth generated in the West, as well as the image of the European Union as a bureaucratic institution, to which claims are directed. This may entail passive behaviour on the part of Central and Eastern European societies and lack of solidarity with ‘the outsiders’ remaining outside the new EU boundaries. Together these can lead us to discard the idea of European solidarity, coherence and trust. Instead, there is a need to recognize the capacity for action and foster social mobilization in Central and Eastern Europe, so that its peoples can contribute their values and activities to Europe as a whole.
Bending Model of an Integrated SMA Micro-Actuator
Authors: Abadie J. , Chaillet N. , Lexcellent C.
Published: September 2004

In this paper, we give a model of a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) thin blade working in bending. This work is based on the general study and modeling of an integrated SMA micro-actuator called the “ module”, controled by thermoelectric effect. This module was developed in two versions. The first one is composed of a NiTi thin blade on which are placed two copper elements which play the role of heat sinks. Its temperature is controlled by Joule effect. In the second version, Bismuth Telluride ingots are used instead of copper elements. This second configuration allows the temperature control of the SMA blade by Peltier effect. The model of the bending behavior is based on a general macroscopic description of the thermomechanical behavior of SMA. The self-accommodating (pure thermal effect) and oriented (stress-induced) martensites are taken into account. The thermal boundary conditions used in this paper correspond to the first version of the micro-actuator. The numerical resolution by finite differences leads to the comprehension of phase transformation for pseudo-elastic and thermal cycling bending tests.