bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality of Family Planning Services: Lessons from Concurrent Evaluation
Authors: Kumar Dhirendra , Gupta S.D.
Published: March 2007

The concept of reproductive health received global recognition in the International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) at Cairo in 1994. A reproductive health approach means: people have the ability to reproduce and regulate their fertility; women are able to go through pregnancy and child birth safely; the outcome of preg nancy is successful in terms of maternal and infant survival and wellbeing; and couples are able to have sexual relations free of the fear of pregnancy and of contracting disease. In 1995, after the Cairo conference, the Government of Rajasthan took the initiative to translate the concept of reproductive health into policies and programmes. The innovative interventions, one in Bundi district with UNFPA support, and the other in the two districts of Tonk and Dausa under the Vikalp project were imple mented, abolishing the method-specific targets. Later, in April 1996, the government abolished the targets in all districts and introduced micro district level planning in which the emphasis was laid not on numbers but on the quality of care. In the light of a target-free approach, the quality of family planning services in Rajasthan has been examined by using data from Concurrent Evaluation of Reproductive and Child Health Services. The quality framework evolved by Bruce (1990) was adopted to evaluate the total quality of care of family planning services. Nearly 86 per cent of couples were informed about three spacing methods, namely, condoms, oral pills, IUD and sterilis ation. Less than three-fifths of the users mentioned the method of their own choice. Nearly half of the couples were not informed about the side effects and risks of the methods at the time of adoption. About one-third of the female health workers did not have correct knowledge of IUD insertion. About 79 per cent women were visited by health workers three months prior to the survey. The present study concludes that there
Purchasing Power Parity Theory Revisited: Recent Evidence from US Dollar and Japanese Yen
Authors: Kulkarni Kishore G. , Ishizaki Maiko
Published: March 2007

This article is yet another simple test of the Purchasing Power Parity explanation of the exchange rate behaviour. We use the data of the US Dollar and Japanese Yen, and conclude that the PPP explanation has a substantial explanatory power for the behaviour of this exchange rate. The article recognizes the difference between real and absolute purchasing power parity, survey-related literature, and carries out econometric analysis of the PPP theory argument.
Preparedness for Innovation: An Indian Perspective
Authors: Das G.S.
Published: March 2007

The author makes a case to prove that innovation is the only way for the Indian companies to confront com petition. To be innovative, Indian companies have to continuously adapt to market demands and integrate innovation within the work culture to ensure their survival in the competitive global business environment. This calls for a cultural change. The paper explains the process of developing a diagnostic tool, and examines the innovation orientation of five companies. The findings highlight the significance of reorienting the strategic posture of Indian companies to be market-driven, and to build new capabilities for delivering superior customer values. Further, the paper highlights a few strategic initiatives Indian companies have to undertake to be innovative.
THE POLITICS OF SPORT AND LEISURE IN JAPAN
Authors: Horne John
Published: March 2007

This paper was partly stimulated by a dissatisfaction with the recent debates about sport and globalization. It is also meant as a contribution to comparative and political sociology, in which Japan has never fitted particularly well. Rather than seeing the growth of modern sport and leisure in Japan as the product of an unfolding process of diffusion and emulation, attention will be focused on the forms of resistance that have accompanied its development. This approach is outlined in a sketch of movements and campaigns organized over the location of sports and leisure resorts, especially golf courses, in Japan and the Asian-Pacific region.
SKI TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Authors: Weiss Otmar , Norden Gilbert , Hilscher Petra , Vanreusel Bart
Published: March 2007

In this article we analyze some connections between the ecological and the economic aspects of tourism by investigating ecological awareness among different groups. The article will outline reactions of tourists, residents of ski resorts and the Austrian and Belgian population to the ecological problems arising in winter tourism resorts. It is concluded that the Austrian winter tourism sector will have to take ecological considerations into account so that the economic situation can also be improved.
Characteristics Influencing Asian Students' Learning in Contemporary Australian Classrooms
Authors: Watson Destey
Published: March 2007

The aim of this form of teacher research was to identify characteristics that hinder adult Asian students' learning in Australian classrooms. This was approached within the field of `Teaching and Learning.' In order for these barriers to be identified a number of generalisations were made in an attempt to consider individual students' learning characteristics. These generalisations address the students as a group while identifying and considering the individual s characteristics which influence their learning. The targeted students in this research were observed being confronted by a number of obstacles which became an obstruction to their overall learning in classrooms. Investigations were undertaken within a private Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college (post-school) in Melbourne. Australia. through a questionnaire, interviews and observations. The questionnaire was distributed to ole hundred (100)students of which seventy eight (78) were returned. Interviews were conducted with six (6) students. and observations were undertaken during a six month period. The results of this form of teacher research will enhance teachers' understanding of the characteristics and barriers that influence and subsequently effect the ability of the targeted students' efforts to learn in Australian classrooms.
Does Legislative Television Alter the Relationship Between Voters and Politicians?
Authors: Mixon Franklin G.
Published: March 2007

Using a simultaneous probit model, the present study examines differences in potential viewership of federal legislative television across the 50 states. A unique 1986 survey of C-SPAN2 subscribership provided by Crain and Goff (1988) is employed. With data from the 99th Congress, the estimates suggest that senators with great potential constituent audiences will exhibit an increased likelihood of employing parliamentary devices (such as the filibuster) that offer an opportunity for political posturing or grandstanding in a persuasive advertising manner.
Comment on Boudon
Authors: Shweder Richard A.
Published: March 2007

The Forum consists of comments on previously published papers and responses by authors. Unlike the Comment section in many other academic journals, the Forum includes solicited as well as unsolicited contributions. We encourage debates by actively seeking points of view contrary to those expressed in articles published in the journal. The Forum section is intended to promote an open and critical debate that contributes to the intellectual vitality and further development of rational-choice-based theory and research.

Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
In Defense of Reciprocity
Authors: Monroe Burt L.
Published: March 2007

The Forum consists of comments on previously published papers and responses by authors. Unlike the Comment section in many other academic journals, the Forum includes solicited as well as unsolicited contributions. We encourage debates by actively seeking points of view contrary to those expressed in articles published in the journal. The Forum is intended to promote an open and critical debate that contributes to the intellectual vitality and further development of rational-choice-based theory and research.

Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
Regulation, Pluralism, and Religious Market Structure
Authors: CHAVES MARK , CANN DAVID E.
Published: March 2007

At the macro level, the economics of religion implies that religion will be more vibrant where it is less regulated and hence more competitive. Recent attempts to support this hypothesis are weakened by the use of religious pluralism as a proxy measure for the extent to which the religious market is subsidized or regulated. This article extends the analysis of religious market structure by measuring directly the regulation of religious markets in 18 Western democracies. The analysis provides strong support for the hypothesized connection between religious competitiveness and vitality. The results show that (a) the relationship between subsidized religion and religious participation holds in both Protestant and Catholic countries and (b) its explanatory power is far superior to that of religious pluralism alone. However, certain features of the results suggest that the “economics of religion” should be supplemented with noneconomic variables to achieve adequate sociological explanation.
On Social Class Confusion
Authors: CARLING ALAN
Published: March 2007

Different schools of sociological thought have characteristic confusions about the concept of social class: whether it refers to individuals or households; whether it is about social inequality, social change, or social mobility; and whether the relevant inequalities arise from differences in being (identity), having (resources), or doing (activity, especially working activity). The idea is defended that inequality of welfare is the touchstone of social class, but welfare levels depend on preferences as well as circumstances and actions. It follows that class is about the unequal levels of welfare that standardized individuals suffer (or enjoy) as a result of the social distribution of the forces of production. Given this conception, the scope of class confusion narrows to the questions of how to standardize individuals appropriately and where to draw the boundaries of classes in terms of the appropriate welfare levels.
“Volonté Generale” and the Instability of Spatial Voting Games
Authors: SKOG OLE-JØRGEN
Published: March 2007

The theory of spatial voting games suggests that majority winners are extremely rare phenomena, and hence that there may be no such thing as a “volonté generale.” It is argued in this article that the theory is founded on an empirically unrealistic assumption. This assumption is relaxed and an empirically meaningful criterion for stability is derived.
A Hypothesis Regarding the Origins of Ethnic Discrimination
Authors: CORNELL BRADFORD
Published: March 2007

This article develops an explanation for ethnic discrimination based on what can be called “social decoding.” It is hypothesized that humans have developed unique cognitive skills for discerning situations in which others will behave in a self-interested opportunistic fashion. However, these cognitive skills, like the human ability to acquire language, are effectuated by environmental programming. Consequently, people will be able to decode accurately only when dealing with others of similar type. From this it follows that when selecting the “best” candidate from several populations each of which contain a large number of people, an individual will almost certainly end up choosing someone from the population that she or he can more accurately decode. Therefore, assuming that a common ethnic background is associated with more accurate decoding, people will appear to discriminate in favor of others who are ethnically similar. Ironically, this “discrimination” arises because people cannot discriminate as accurately when dealing with members of a dissimilar population.
ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR
Authors: Diekmann Andreas , Preisendörfer Peter
Published: March 2007

On the basis of an empirical study in Switzerland and Germany, it is shown that there are considerable inconsistences between citizens' environmental attitudes and their behavior. A disaggregation of the multidimensional concept of `environmental behavior' and a look at this behavior from the viewpoint of rational actors, are proposed as two perspectives from which to get a better understanding of these inconsistencies. Empirical analyses (making use of these two perspectives) lead to an identification of three cognitive strategies by which individual actors try to harmonize and to reconcile seemingly incongruent environmental attitudes and behaviors. These strategies can be subsumed under the short-hand labels `attention-shifting strategy', `low-cost strategy' and `subjective-rationality strategy'.
CATCH-22 AND KING-OF-THE-MOUNTAIN GAMES
Authors: Brams Steven J. , Jones Christopher B.
Published: March 2007

In his classic novel, Catch-22 (1961), Joseph Heller describes a thoroughly frustrating situation faced by a combat pilot in World War II. This is generalized to a `generic' 2 × 2 strict ordinal game, which subsumes 12 specific catch-22 games. These games, along with 4 king-of-the-mountain games, turn out to be the only games in which moving power is effective, based on the `theory of moves': each player can induce a better outcome when it possesses this power than when its opponent possesses it.

These 16 games constitute 28% of the 57 2 × 2 conflict games, in which there is no mutually best outcome. A specific catch-22 game is used to model the conflict between the pilot and the doctor who can certify his sanity in the Heller novel; a different catch-22 game is used to model medieval witch trials. King-of-the-mountain games portray related situations in which there is a contest to come out on top, but the player who `loses' does not suffer as much as in a catch-22 game. In all these games, cycling is always possible and frequently observed, despite the presence of pure-strategy Nash equilibria in 10 of the 16 games.
Haitian Ethnomedical Systems and Biomedical Practitioners: Directions for Clinicians
Authors: Miller Nikki Levy
Published: March 2007

Since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic increase in immigration to the United States from Haiti. New and recent immigrants from Haiti are likely to have little prior experience with biomedical care and are also likely to have suffered from the physical and mental effects of poverty, malnutrition, and violence. Access to care for this vulnerable population may be hampered by a lack of available services as well as a general lack of understanding of Haitian spiritual and ethnophysiologic beliefs by biomedical practitioners. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of Haitian spiritual and ethnophysiologic beliefs within their historic context, provide an introduction to Haitian ethnomedicine, and offer suggestions for clinicians and researchers who work with this population.
Health-Culture Reorientation of Registered Nurse Students
Authors: Desantis Lydia
Published: March 2007

There is a need for a health-culture reorientation of nurses from acute care to community-based care if the profession is to respond effectively to sociocultural, political, economic, and educational forces moving health care and decision making back into the community. Concepts from anthropology, international health, and transcultural nursing provided the basis for initiating a health-culture reorientation of acute care-oriented (RN-BSN) students enrolled in a population-based community health nursing course given in a weekend format. The course centered on developing a primary health care project from assessment data gathered via the community-as-partner model. Problems encountered, methods of evaluation, and ongoing project development are discussed.
From Women in White to Scholarship: The New Nurse Leaders in Thailand
Authors: Muecke Marjorie A. , Srisuphan Wichit
Published: March 2007

The nature of nursing in Thailand has changed dramatically since World War II. The field is now led by a cadre of women who make nursing one of the largest occupational concentrations of women who hold doctoral degrees in the country. In this article reflections of these nurses on their profession, on their reasons for entering it, and on their contributions to it's development are discussed. The findings are derived from a survey of 16 nurses with doctoral degrees and from participant observation. The women and their parents who guided their choice of a career were attracted to nursing by ideals of social service and family obligations. They were also attracted to nursing by its cultural definition as a female career and by the pragmatics of university entrance examinations. Most of the informants attributed their career success to hard work, family support, a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, self-sacrifice for the common good, and a calm demeanor. A minority of informants stressed new values of scholarship and management skills such as long-range planning and independent thinking. The emergence of these new values suggests that nursing in Thailand is on the verge of a new stage in its rapid evolution.
Insights into Eastern Health Care: Some Transcultural Nursing Perspectives
Authors: Larson-Presswalla Joyce
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the author's formal introduction to Eastern holistic health care while attending a conference in India. The author discusses reasons for the Western interest in Eastern health care concepts and practices, and examines the ancient holistic system of Ayurveda medicine. Leininger's (1991) three modes of action from her theory of Culture Care are examined to suggest nursing care decisions and actions that could assist nurses to provide culturally congruent care to individuals who prefer Ayurveda to traditional Western health care practices. Similarities and differences between Western and Ayurvedic approaches to health care are discussed.
Use of Culture Care Theory with Baganda Women as AIDS Caregivers
Authors: MacNeil Joan M.
Published: March 2007

In Uganda, AIDS patients are increasingly cared for at home by women in their traditional role of family caregiver. This transcultural nursing study utilized Leininger's (1991) Culture Care Theory to discover the meanings, patterns, and expressions of AIDS caregiving for Baganda women. Ethnonursing, supported by life history and Leininger's (1988, 1990, 1991, 1993) Sunrise Model, was used to discover care among 12 key and 25 general Baganda informants providing AIDS caregiving to family members at home. In-depth interviews were conducted with informants selected from home-based nursing care programs in the Rakai/Masaka and Kampala areas. Data were analyzed using Leininger's (1990) Phases of Ethnonursing Analysis for Qualitative Data. Six major themes were identified. The findings highlighted the struggle of Baganda women to provide care and love for family members with AIDS, identified intergenerational care as essential for survival and prevention of HIV infection, and offered insight into improving the quality of life for those who are HIV positive. Care knowledge from these findings can be used to provide culturally congruent nursing care to Baganda families who are affected by AIDS through the three modes of action and decision of the theory.
Do Casinos Attract Criminals?
Authors: PISCITELLI FRANCO , ALBANESE JAY S.
Published: March 2007

This study examines trends in the number of criminally inadmissible persons who seek admission to Canada because of the opening of Casino Niagara. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the presence of a new Canadian casino increases the rate at which criminally inadmissible persons seek entry to Canada. The impact of the casino is assessed by examination of trends in total bridge crossings before and after the opening of the casino, trends in the total number of criminals denied entry to Canada, and trends in the proportion of criminals who have convictions for offenses related to organized crime. The rate of denials of entry to Canada on grounds of criminal inadmissibility rose faster than did the border traffic in general, but there was a decline in the proportion of those with prior records for organized crime-related offenses. The implications of these findings are presented.
A Criminology of Criminal Justice: An Effort Toward Theoretical Integration
Authors: Friday Paul C.
Published: March 2007

Criminal Justice studies are frequently studies in operational effectiveness and as such are often atheoretical and primarily descriptive. The adversarial system creates structural tension between the decision making components: law enforcement, prosecution, courts. But there is an identifiable process which defines the parameters of choice in response to crime: the key factor is the perception of alternative responses. The parameters of choice result from the degree of abstract conceptualization of roles and role performances. Criminal Justice decision making is analyzed using a multi-level (structural, systemic, individual) criminological theory.
The Death Penalty: Its Relation to Murder & Suicide
Authors: Neithercutt M.G.
Published: March 2007

Despite volumes of commentary on the topic, capital punishment remains a thorny issue. Data analyses and other observations are marshalled to enlighten regarding the interplay of Murder, Suicide, and Execution, variously defined. It is concluded that supporters of capital punish ment have some explaining to do. Murder and Suicide track Execution in the same pattern. Therefore, to argue that executions depress murders would seem to require insistence that executions reduce suicides, too. The dynamics of this latter relationship boggle the mind.
First Day at the Police Academy: Stress-Reaction-Training as a Screening-Out Technique
Authors: Berg Bruce L.
Published: March 2007

This article draws its data from a larger ethnographic study of police academies in Massachusetts. The full study includes seven months of intensive field observations in seven regional police academies. The current article offers an ethnographic narrative account designed to draw out the first day in police training. In particular, to describe stress-reaction-training (SRT) programs. Recently, following allegations of brutality and torture in a municipal police academy in Massachusetts, SRT came under scrutiny. This close inspection of SRT revealed that no previous empirical study has examined this strategy of training/screening. In addition to detailed descriptions of SRT, this article considers the relationship between SRT and desocialization/resocialization of police recruits. Finally, this article offers several policy implications evident from the analysis. Included among these implications are recommendations for formal curriculum development, a limitation on duration, careful monitoring of recruits during SRT, and validation of the approach.
The Evil That Men Do
Authors: Rogovin Charles H. , Martens Frederick T.
Published: March 2007

This article is a response to the viewpoints presented by Albini regarding Donald Cressey's view of organized crime. The authors take issue with Albini's thesis that Cressey's model is inaccurate. They assert that his view of organized crime has stood the test of time.
Asian Gangs and Asian Organized Crime In Chicago
Authors: Davidson Robert L.
Published: March 2007

The primary purpose of this paper has been to conduct a preliminary examination into the existence of, and the extent of activity of Asian street gangs and Asian organized Crime in the city of Chicago. Information was acquired through field study, personal interviews, direct observation, official reports, and government documents. The author has defined and distinguished between criminal gangs and organized crime groups. Links between Asian street gangs and Asian organized criminal groups in Chicago have been examined. In addition, relationships between Asian criminal groups in Chicago, other U.S. cities, and international crime groups have been highlighted. Suggestions directed toward more effective investigation procedures and policy decisions have been recommended.
A Comparison of Canadian Native Youth Justice Committees and Navajo Peacemakers
Authors: NIELSEN MARIANNE O.
Published: March 2007

Aboriginal Youth Justice Committees and Peacemakers are unique court-related initiatives designed and operated by indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. To develop a theory about the impact of colonialism on Native justice organizations, these two initiatives were examined in terms of their organizational structures, operational technologies, developmental issues, and ideologies. These two organizations were similar in their modified indigenous culture-based structures and in the developmental issues of resistance they faced. This suggests that a colonial-based social Darwinistic ideology had impact on their development. The organizations chose to respond using a discourse of organizational effectiveness rather than of discrimination, thereby not endangering their resource-dependent relationship with the state.
Vibration Suppression of Flexible Linkage Mechanisms Using Piezoelectric Sensors and Actuators
Authors: Liao C.Y. , Sung C.K.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on the vibration suppression of the elastodynamic response of high-speed flexible linkage mechanisms by incorporating smart materials featuring piezoceramic actuators and sensors into the mech anism systems. A mixed variational principle is developed to provide the basis for the deri vation of the finite element equations governing the dynamic responses of the flexible links, the behaviors of the piezoelectric materials and their coupling relationships. The mathematical models of the piezoelectric sensors and actuators are then developed and employed in the finite element analysis and the control system design. To ensure the robust stability, the classical control approach is utilized to design the control system for actively suppressing the vibratory motions of the flexible links. An experimental study on a four- bar linkage mechanism with one flexible link is performed in order to verify the mathe matical model and the results of computer simulation, and evaluate the robustness of the control system.
Existence Results for Large Deformations of Magnetostrictive Materials
Authors: Rogers Robert C.
Published: March 2007

The proof of existence results for the equations describing deformable solid materi als with coupled electromagnetic and elastic effects is complicated by two contradictory technical re quirements.

1. The descriptions of the constitutive equations and elastic effects are best done using a material (Lagrangian) coordinate formulation.

2. Because electromagnetic fields produced by unshielded materials must be described outside of the deformed body (actually on all of space), it is natural to use a spatial (Eulerian) coordinate formulation for these effects.

In order to avoid this problem, many authors have studied only small motions of the material so that material coordinates could be extended to all of space. While this approach has sometimes been successful, it has clear drawbacks in many of the applications suggested for magnetostrictive sensors and actuators.

This article describes technical tools in which material coordinates are used to describe elastic ef fects, spatial coordinates are used to describe magnetic fields, and spatial fields are "pulled back" to material coordinates so that the two can be combined. This will allow us to give existence results in micromagnetics for large deformations. In addition, results on nonattainment of minima and con struction of minimizing sequences are obtained.
Active Vibration Control in Structures Using Magnetostrictive Terfenol with Feedback and/or Neural Network Controllers
Authors: Bryant Michael D. , Fernandez Benito , Ning Wang  , Murty Venkatesh V. , Vadlamani Viswanath , West Timothy Scott
Published: March 2007

Experimental results are described in which a rod of magnetostrictive terfenol was used in the dual capacity of a passive structural support element and an active vibration control actu ator and artificial neural networks were used for the adaptive real-time control algorithm. Tests were performed on a three-legged table, where the terfenol actuators mentioned above are the table legs. For the table experiment, shaker vibrations generated in the ground and transmitted to the tabletop (via the legs) were attenuated by counter vibrations synthesized in the table leg actuators. The goal of this experiment was to maintain a quiescent tabletop in the presence of floor vibrations. Utilizing a proportional-integral derivative and a neural network controller, actuated forces were used to cancel applied disturbance forces. The neural network architecture identifies (learns) and adapts to the tabletop forced disturbance through a fast adaptation law known as Adaptive Back Propagation, generating the required counter vibration. The architecture and hence the control was designed to be modular so cross talk (coupling in the control signal) is minimized. This puts an extra burden on the controller to decouple the spillovers but maintains modularity, an important feature for large scale implementations.

This article describes work in this area and demonstrates the ability to cancel disturbances from static to the hundred hertz frequency range.
Some Artificial Neural Networks for Visual Navigation
Authors: Penna Michael A. , Jian Wu
Published: March 2007

In this paper we illustrate how we can use artificial neural networks (ANN's) to con struct topologically accurate physical maps of environments from visual observations, and how we can use these maps for navigation. The method we use to build our ANN's is inspired by biological processes, making it more robust than comparable machine methods. Since the nodes, weights, and threshold functions of our ANN's all have physical meanings, we can easily predict network topolo gies and build networks, avoiding traditional trial-and-error training. This makes our method easy to use in constructing solutions to robotics problems.
Intelligent Systems Based on Ordered Arrays of Biological Molecules Using the LB Technique
Authors: Samuelson Lynne A. , Wiley Bonnie , Kaplan David L. , Sengupta Sandip , Kamath Manjunath , Jeong Ok Lim  , Cazeca Mario , Kumar Jayant , Marx Kenneth A. , Tripathy Sukant K.
Published: March 2007

The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique has been used to incorporate photodynamic proteins into molecular assemblies. One technique of incorporation involves a generalized cassette attachment methodology which employs a biotin-streptavidin complexation with an electroactive polymer matrix. We have focused the efforts described here on phycobiliproteins and bacteriorho dopsin, although antibodies, enzymes, gene probes and other moieties could also be coupled into the system to build in selectivity. Photoconductivity and photobleaching of these protein systems were investigated. These results suggest that coupling these proteins, either in mixed monolayers or in multilayers, with appropriate conductive polymers or other materials will provide the opto electronic signal transduction needed for biosensor, optical display and other applications. Initial studies involving the integration of conductive polymers into the molecular assemblies to enhance optical signal transduction are also discussed.
A Multiobjective Design Optimization Procedure for Control of Structures Using Piezoelectric Materials
Authors: Chattopadhyay Aditi , Seeley Charles E.
Published: March 2007

Piezoelectric materials can be used as sensors and actuators for structures that re quire active vibration control and lack sufficient stiffness or passive damping. Efficient implementa tion of these actuators requires that their optimal locations on the structure be determined and that the structure be designed to best utilize the properties of the actuators. A formal optimization pro cedure has been developed to address both of these issues. A gradient based multiobjective optimiza tion technique is used to minimize multiple and conflicting design objectives associated with both the structure and the control system design which is also coupled with the actuator location problem. Objective functions such as the fundamental natural frequency of the structure and energy dissipated by the piezoelectric actuators are included in this study. Constraints are placed on the mass of the structure, displacements and applied voltage to the piezoelectric actuators. Design variables include parameters defining both the control system and the structure. The finite element method is used to model active damping elements which are piezoelectric actuators bonded to a box beam. The op timization procedure is implemented on a flexible 2-D frame.
Magnetoelectric Effect in Piezoelectric/Magnetostrictive Multilayer (2-2) Composites
Authors: Avellaneda Marco , Harshé Girish
Published: March 2007

We consider the magnetoelectric effect arising in a multilayer composite consisting of bonded layers of a piezoelectric ceramic and a magnetostrictive material operating in the linear regime. Magnetoelectric coupling arises from the mechanical contacts between layers and the elec tric/mechanical and magnetic/mechanical coupling in each phase. Calculations of the magnetoelec tric coefficient α* as well as of the figures of merit kme and kme,cl are presented. These calculations fully take into account the electric, magnetic and mechanical mismatch in the material properties, as well as the volume-fractions of both materials. We derive the optimal volume fraction fcrit1 of piezoelectric material needed to maximize the figure of merit k fme or kme,cl for the composite and give criteria for optimizing the magnetoelectric effect in terms of the choice of the individual constit uents. We computed the figures of merit of a variety of piezoelectric/magnetostrictive combinations. The combinations CoFe2O4/PZT5H ( kme = 14%), Terfenol D/PZT5A ( kme = 22%) and Terfenol D/PZT4 ( kme = 30%) show reasonable energy transfer to be useful as magnetoelectric transducers.
Intelligent Process Monitoring of Multilayer Ceramic Actuators Using High Temperature Optical Fiber Displacement Sensors
Authors: Gunther M.F. , Claus R.O. , Ritter A. , Tran T. , Greene J.
Published: March 2007

The Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center (FEORC) has developed a sensing technique for the intelligent processing of a multilayer ceramic actuator (MCA) elements manufactured by the AVX Corporation in Conway, South Carolina. Presented are the results of the fiber optic strain sensor used to monitor the burnout of organic binders from a green actuator sam ple. The results establish the operation of the short gage length, low finesse Fabry-Perot interferometric strain sensor as a tool for intelligent processing of such ceramic actuator elements. Also pre sented is the method of sensor operation, and post-processing results using the same sensor for tracking actuator performance and hysteresis.
Application of Commercial Finite Element Codes for the Analysis of Induced Strain-Actuated Structures
Authors: Lin Mark W. , Abatan Ayo O. , Rogers Craig A.
Published: March 2007

For the past decade, much research effort has been devoted to finite element formulation for the electromechanical coupling effects of piezoelectric materials, and yet, fully elec tromechanical coupled piezoelectric elements have just recently become available in commercialized finite element analysis pack ages. This paper surveys the capabilities of the piezoelectric ele ments provided by commercial FEA codes. Two major packages, ANSYS by Swanson, Inc. and ABAQUS by HKS, Inc., have been reviewed. The finite element formulation of the piezoelectric ele ments are outlined and available element and analysis types are summarized. A simple case of static and dynamic finite element analysis involving piezoelectric and structural coupling has been performed. It has been shown that the piezoelectric elements in the commercial FEA codes give results comparable with those ob tained from proven analytical methods.
Efficacy for Interdependent Role Functions
Authors: Bray Steven R. , Brawley Lawrence R. , Carron Albert V.
Published: March 2007

The present study reports on the initial development of an instrument to measure role efficacy for interdependent functions and test its conceptual distinctiveness from other forms of efficacy within interdependent teams. Intercollegiate basketball players completed a role efficacy questionnaire on which they reported their confidence in capabilities to perform interdependent role functions within their team’s offensive and defensive systems. They also completed measures of task self-efficacy and collective efficacy. Consistent with predictions, role efficacy and task self-efficacy were moderately related. Role efficacy was also distinct from collective efficacy insofar as the latter perception showed evidence of a shared group perception, whereas role efficacy showed individual-level variance only. Starting players reported greater role efficacy than nonstarters, yet collective efficacy and task self-efficacy were the same regardless of starting status. Together, results supported the initial validity and conceptual distinctiveness of role efficacy within the interdependent sport team environment.
Group Development At Camp David Summit, 1978
Authors: Hare A. Paul , Naveh David
Published: March 2007

The events at the summit conference at Camp David in 1978 that led to a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and a framework for peace in the Middle East are summarized in a day-by-day account based on published records and interviews with participants. The phases ofgroup development during the 13-day period are analyzed from a functional perspective. The group progressed through the phases in the expected order, dealing in turn with problems of pattern maintenance, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. However, three different subgroups met before acceptable drafts of the agreements could be devised (the adaptive phase). Even then, conflicts during the integrative phase almost led to a breakup of the meetings.
Human Relations Training for African Public Officials
Authors: Smith Mary Lou
Published: March 2007

Conditions in African cultures, particularly Nigeria, are considered and the role of training, notably human relations training, as a force in cultural change and modernization is examined.
Group Processes in Helping Groups
Authors: Lakin Martin , Bremer Janis , Oppenheimer Bruce
Published: March 2007

Ten interaction dimensions of group behavior and three emotional atmosphere cate gories were coded and analyzed on the basis of interactions among old and young par ticipants in experimental "support-discussion" groups. The seven groups of elderly and five groups of young differed significantly with respect to frequencies of boundary, self-disclosure, and support behaviors, with the elderly exceeding the young on the first two and the young exceeding the elderly on the third. In addition, the young showed signs of boredom more frequently. The implications of these results for development and age-linked assumptions about helping group interactions and interventions were explored. The results suggest that this approach is promising in generating knowledge to facilitate age-appropriate group intervention strategies.
Small Group Conflict
Authors: Wall Victor D. , Nolan Linda L.
Published: March 2007

A descriptive study of 71 task-oriented groups was undertaken to assess the relationships among the amount of perceived inequity, group satisfaction, amount of perceived conflict, quality of group outcome, types of conflict and styles of conflict management. Results indicated that inequity was negatively related to the amount of expressed satisfaction with the group and positively related to the amount ofperceived conflict within the group. Inequity was associated more strongly with conflict centered around people than conflict centered around the task. Inequity was least associated with groups not experiencing conflict. In terms of styles of conflict management, groups characterized by integrative management reported less perception of inequity than did groups using an avoidance style. Group satisfaction was found to be negatively related to the amount of conflict experienced. However, the results provided interpretive support for the proposition that group satisfaction is more strongly associated with integrative conflict-management styles than avoidance styles. Finally, it was found that people conflicts were predominantly associated with avoidance management styles and task conflicts with integrative styles.
Teaching Single Parents to Cope With Stress Through Small Group Intervention
Authors: Rose Steven R.
Published: March 2007

Single parents are vulnerable to the effects of stress. This article presents a case study in group work with Israeli single parents using a stress-coping model. The elements include the development of relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and social relationship skills. Data were collected on attendance, participation, stress, and satisfaction. Experience with the group supported the view that single parents experience multiple sources of stress in a situational context. The international adaptability of the model is supported.
Members Leaving Groups
Authors: Rose Steven R.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the process of leave-taking (termination) in terms of the social goals and remedial and reciprocal models of group work. A typology of termination, consisting of planned and unplanned, standard and tapering, and considering individual and group dimensions ispresented. Reactions to termination and related activity patterns are discussed. Practice principles for group leaders are noted, including timing, leader-member decision making and evaluation, management of emotions, and post-termination.
Capacity and Capability
Authors: Kelly Janice , Futoran Gail Clark , Mcgrath Joseph E.
Published: March 2007

This article reports evidence from seven different studies reflecting on the capacitylcapability hypothesis. This hypothesis states that certain aspects ofperformance (such as rate) on later trials can be predicted from the way in which participants experience difficulty on an initial trial. Difficulty can be experienced as a problem of capacity-having too much to do, or too little time to do it in. An initial capacity problem leads to a faster rate of performance on later trials in order to overcome that quantitative difficulty. Difficulty can also be experienced as a problem of capability-the items of the task themselves challenge the processing capability of the performer. An initial capability problem leads to a slower rate of performance on later trials in order to overcome that qualitative difficulty. The studies reported in this article are of varying task types (three are intellective or problem-solving, two are creativity, and two are planning tasks); varying group sizes (individuals, dyads, and triads); and varying time limits over multiple trials. Convergent evidence from three types of dependent variables (rate measures, cumulative solution curves, and self-report data) are used to support the capacity/capability hypothesis.
The Psychodynamics of Female/Male Role Differentiation within Small Groups
Authors: Gemmill Gary , Schaible Lynn Zoch
Published: March 2007

The article presents a rudimentary explanatory theory of gender role differentiation within small groups in terms of the psychodynamic concepts of psychological splitting, collective projective identification, and the anima and animus. Research on gender differences and gender issues in small groups is reviewed, and the emotional patterns enacted within the gender roles of female and male are discussed. Research areas for further exploration into the psychodynamics offemalelmale role differentiation within small groups are suggested.
The Role of the Facilitator in Computer-Supported Meetings
Authors: Clawson Victoria K. , Bostrom Robert P. , Anson Rob
Published: March 2007

The ability tofacilitate diverse human and technological interactions will be one of the most essential skillsfor leading and contributing to all levels of the organization in thefuture. Yet none of the research to date has definedfacilitation or the role of the facilitator in depth or has provided empirically grounded guidelines for effectively performing this role. The introduction of Group Support Systems (GSSs)-computer technology to support group work-into organizations has created yet another newfacilitation role-the GSSfacilitatoi: This article presents the results ofa rigorous assessment, using the critical incidents research methodology, of the role of the facilitator in computer-supported environments. The overall purpose of the study was to empirically develop the critical dimensions of the facilitator's role.
Does Work Group Cohesiveness Affect Individuals' Performance and Organizational Commitment?
Authors: Wech Barbara A. , Mossholder Kevin W. , Steel Robert P. , Bennett Nathan
Published: March 2007

Using a cross-levelframework, the authors hypothesized that work group cohesiveness and perceived task competence would be associated with individual group members'performance and organizational commitment. Specifically, the authors tested whether perceived task competence was positively related to performance and organizational commitment and whether work group cohesiveness would explain variance in performance and organizational commitment beyond what was explained by perceived task competence. Four hundred and seventy-one Air Force and civilian employees representing 71 groups from several sites across the United States were used to test the hypotheses. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses produced support for the expected effects.
Gender Differences in Questions Asked During Small Decision-Making Group Discussions
Authors: Hawkins Katherine , Power Christopher B.
Published: March 2007

Sixty minutes each of group discussions from 18 four- to seven-member decision-making groups were audiotaped and transcribed for analysis. Results indicated that questions constituted 15.6% of total turns by group members. Probes were the most frequently occurring question type (89.2%). There was a significant gender difference in only one of the five question types: Female group members asked significantly more probing questions than did their male counterparts. Implications of these findings are discussed.
ABSEL’s Contributions to Experiential Learning/Experiential Exercises: The Decade of the 1970s
Authors: Graf Lee A.
Published: March 2007

This article summarizes the contributions of ABSEL’s membership to the development of experiential learning and experiential exercises during the decade of the 1970s. It overviews papers written on experiential learning and experiential exercises by ABSEL contributors during each year of the decade and for the decade as a whole. Furthermore, it categorizes each experientially related paper by the paper’s major focuses to provide a systematic means of assembling literature reviews for related future research projects in various topical areas of experiential learning/experiential exercises. Also, year-by-year and decade-long statistics on types of delivery systems (i.e., regular paper session, workshop or demonstration, tutorial, panel or roundtable presentation) and extensiveness of published manuscripts (i.e., full paper, condensed paper) are provided. Finally, year-by-year and decade-long comparative statistics related to the number of proceedings papers written on the three primary pedagogies supported by ABSEL (i.e., experiential learning/ experiential exercises, simulation games, and cases) also are included.