bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Case Study of Deterministic Forecast Verification: Tropical Cyclone Intensity
Authors: Moskaitis Jonathan R.
Published: May 2008

Deterministic predictions of tropical cyclone (TC) intensity from operational forecast systems traditionally have been verified with a summary accuracy measure (e.g., mean absolute error). Since the forecast system development process is coupled to the verification procedure, it follows that TC intensity forecast systems have been developed with the goal of producing predictions that optimize the chosen summary accuracy measure. Here, the consequences of this development process for the quality of the resultant forecasts are diagnosed through a distributions-oriented (DO) verification of operational TC intensity forecasts. DO verification techniques examine the full relationship between a set of forecasts and the corresponding set of observations (i.e., forecast quality), rather than just the accuracy attribute of that relationship.

The DO verification results reveal similar first-order characteristics in the quality of predictions from four TC intensity forecast systems. These characteristics are shown to be consistent with the theoretical response of a forecast system to the imposed goal of summary accuracy measure optimization: production of forecasts that asymptote with lead time to the central tendency of the observed distribution. While such forecasts perform well with respect to the accuracy, unconditional bias, and type I conditional bias attributes of forecast quality, they perform poorly with respect to type II conditional bias. Thus, it is clear that optimization of forecast accuracy is not equivalent to optimization of forecast quality. Ultimately, developers of deterministic forecast systems must take care to employ a verification procedure that promotes good performance with respect to the most desired attributes of forecast quality.
Indigenous Peace-Making Versus the Liberal Peace
Authors: Mac Ginty Roger
Published: May 2008

Recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in indigenous, traditional and customary approaches to peace-making in the context of civil wars. Supporters claim that indigenous approaches to peacemaking are participatory and relationship-focused, and that peaceful outcomes have a higher chance of community adherence than template-style international peace interventions effected through the `liberal peace'. Using historical and contemporary examples, this article assesses the feasibility of a complementary relationship between customary and Western forms of peace-making. It posits that internationally supported peace operations (the liberal peace) are promoting a standardization of peace interventions in civil war situations that often fails to deliver a widely enjoyed peace. In some cases, traditional and indigenous approaches to peace-making and reconciliation can offer a corrective to the failings of the Western peace-making model. Yet, any temptation to romanticize `indigenous' and `traditional' peace-making must be resisted: instead, the concepts require careful conceptualization and interrogation. The article concludes that the structural power of Western peace-making methods limits the space for alternative approaches to peace-making and that rather than a co-existence of both forms of peace-making we are more likely to see the co-option of indigenous and traditional approaches by Western approaches.
Geopolitics of the North: Geopolitik of the Weak
Authors: Tunander Ola
Published: May 2008

After the Cold War, the Nordic states turned to the south, to the European Union. They established borderland regions to handle practicalities and relax the tension between east and west. Now, the Nordic states were free from Cold War bloc politics. The Nordic foreign policy elite amalgamated with Nordic constructivist scholars to reshape the political landscape of the North by re-inventing the pre-nation-state regional ties. However, the Nordic states also came to adapt to a new geometry of power, the Kjellénean power triangle. This return to Kjellénean geopolitics was not based on the power politics of the `US victory school', but, paradoxically enough, on European and Scandinavian relative weakness: a Geopolitik of the weak. Even more paradoxical, this return to geopolitics took place in Norway, Finland and to some extent in Denmark, not in Kjellén's home country of Sweden, i.e. as if the Swedish geopolitical taboo still made this impossible.
Just Scraps of Paper?
Authors: Denemark Robert A. , Hoffmann Matthew J.
Published: May 2008

Despite its importance in the global system, the literature provides little guidance on how treaty-making emerged as a well-accepted practice. In either assuming the appropriateness of treaty-making (and then analysing design) or treating treaties as strategic choices in the pursuit of gains (without analysing how treaties came to be a way to pursue gains), the current literature discounts the emergence and evolution of treaty-making. This lacuna contributes to a biased view of treaty-making as the epiphenomenal result of specific, ahistorical factors, rather than as a patterned, historical practice. We contend that the evolution of the practice of treaty-making is significant for questions of design/compliance, the future of multilateral interaction and global order. In addressing this concern, we pursue two linked goals. The first is self-consciously descriptive. We introduce a dataset of multilateral treaties that provides a novel picture of treaty-making across time, space and issue-areas. The second goal is explanatory. We develop and test a social constructivist and path-dependent explanation for the patterns of treaty-making evident in the data, especially 150 years of exponential growth, the spread of treaty-making across multiple issues and the diffusion of the practice across the world.
Why Aren't Kurds Like the Scots and the Turks Like the Brits?
Authors: Somer Murat
Published: May 2008

By modelling and analysing Turkey's Kurdish question in light of democratic transition theories, the Scottish Case and recent developments, this article explains the lack of cooperation between the `moderate' Turkish majority and Kurdish actors pursuing peace and European Union membership. It analyses whether there may be more cooperation in the near future and discusses implications for theories of political moderation. A `most different case', Scotland, helps in explaining the Turkish case and in avoiding mono-causal explanations based on cultural stereotypes. Among other factors and unlike the Scottish case, cooperation in the Turkish—Kurdish case is constrained by relations with Iraqi Kurds and the difficulty of identifying the moderates: Kurdish actors moderate in the sense of renouncing violence often make more hard-line political and conceptual claims than violent actors do. Theories need more multifaceted conceptualizations of moderation. The recent electoral success of the ruling political party and the presence of a Kurdish political party in Parliament may enable more moderate—moderate cooperation in the future. This will occur if potentially moderate actors can distance themselves from violence and choose conceptual and political compromise over coercion, and if Turkey, Iraqi-Kurds and the United States can reach an agreement on cooperation.
Throttled Lazy Cancellation in Time Warp Parallel Simulation
Authors: Soliman Ramadan Hussam M.
Published: May 2008

Time Warp parallel simulations need efficient schemes to cancel erroneous event messages in order to achieve acceptable performance levels. Lazy cancellation depends on delaying the cancellation of incorrect computations until rolled-back events are re-processed. An antimessage is then sent for cancellation only if an output message re-produced after rollback is found to be unequal to its counterpart produced before rollback. One drawback of this approach is that antimessages are sent too late to catch the wave of incorrect computations, which results in more rollbacks. In this paper, we suggest an enhanced lazy cancellation technique that aims to throttle incorrect computations. It asks logical processes (LPs) that have received any output messages, generated from the first execution of a rolled-back input event in some neighboring LP, to mark those messages as temporarily blocked. Those messages remain in a blocked state until it is later decided whether or not they must be cancelled. The receiving LP becomes blocked only after a blocked input message becomes the next message to process. After re-executing the rolled-back input event, the sending LP sends each of its receiving LPs either an `Unblock' message or an antimessage for each previously marked output message, depending on the result of the equality test of that output message's versions before and after rollback. Experimental results for a synthetic benchmark show that our technique can yield better performance than both lazy and aggressive cancellation.
FPGA-based Ultra-Low Latency HIL Fault Testing of a Permanent Magnet Motor Drive using RT-LAB-XSG
Authors: Dufour Christian , Bélanger Jean , Lapointe Vincent
Published: May 2008

Presented is a real-time simulator of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drive implemented on an FPGA card. Real-time simulation of PMSM drives enables thorough testing of control strategies and software protection routines and therefore allows rapid deployment of vehicular or industrial applications. The proposed PMSM model is a phase domain model with sinusoidal flux induction. A 3-phase IGBT inverter drives the PMSM machine. Both models are implemented on an FPGA chip, without any VHDL coding, with the RT-LAB real-time simulation platform of Opal-RT Technologies using a Simulink blockset called Xilinx System Generator (XSG). The paper explains various aspects of the design of the motor drive models in fixed-point representation in XSG, as well as simulation validation against a standard PMSM drive model built in Simulink. The PMSM drive, along with a open-loop test source for the pulse width modulation, is coded for an FPGA card. The model has user-selectable dead time, modulation index, source angle offset, and frequency. The PMSM drive is completed with various encoder models (quadrature, Hall effects and resolver). The overall model compilation and simulation is entirely automated by RT-LAB. The drive can also run in a closed loop with a controller executing on a CPU of a real-time simulator. The phase-domain PMSM drive model runs with an equivalent 10 nanosecond time step (100 MHz FPGA card) and has a latency of 300 nanoseconds (PMSM machine and inverter). The motor drive is directly connected to digital inputs and analog outputs with 1 microsecond settling time on the FPGA card and has a resulting total hardware-in-the-loop latency of 1.3 microseconds.
Chip Multiprocessor Traffic Models Providing Consistent Multicast and Spatial Distributions
Authors: Tutsch Dietmar , Lüdtke Daniel
Published: May 2008

Chip multiprocessors (CMPs) have become the center of attention in recent years. They consist of multiple processor cores on a single chip. These cores are connected on-chip by a bus or, if many cores are involved, by an appropriate network. To investigate how a multicore processor behaves dependent on the chosen network-on-chip topology, a corresponding model must be established for performance evaluation. Modeling and simulating the entire system would lead to high model complexity. Thus, it is more reasonable to exclude the cores and to simply model stochastically the detached network. The cores are replaced by traffic generators which must provide reasonable CMP traffic. It usually consists of multicasts and a particular spatial distribution. Because the traffic is not known exactly, both multicasts and spatial traffic are described as stochastic distributions for model input. The easiest way is to specify the spatial distribution of the traffic and the kind of multicasts independently of each other. However, not all multicast distributions can be achieved with a particular desired spatial distribution and vice versa. It is therefore important to check for the compatibility of the spatial distribution and the multicasts that the modeler is willing to investigate. Such a compatibility check is provided by the algorithm presented in this paper. It prevents inconsistent traffic parameters while modeling.
A Simulation Model to Develop QoS Control Strategies for Application Servers
Authors: García Daniel F. , García Manuel , García Javier , Entrialgo Joaquín
Published: May 2008

The development of new Quality of Service (QoS) control strategies is essential for improving the global quality of the services provided by application servers operating in business-to-business (B2B) scenarios. Although the development and validation of new QoS control strategies based on prototypes is costly and time-consuming, simulation techniques can noticeably reduce the development effort. A simulation model of the application server and its clients is required. Later, any QoS control strategy can be integrated into the model between the clients and the server. The available models are too simplistic to represent the complex applications currently executed in application servers. This article introduces a new model, which is capable of representing the current applications with a high degree of accuracy. As an application representative of the modern B2B environments, the TPC-App (Transaction Processing Performance Council) benchmark has been modeled.
The Impact of Critical Sporadic Jobs on Gang Scheduling Performance in Distributed Systems
Authors: Karatza Helen D.
Published: May 2008

A commonly used task scheduling algorithm for parallel and distributed systems is gang scheduling. In this paper, we study gang scheduling performance in the presence of critical sporadic jobs. A simulation model is used to address performance issues associated with gang scheduling on distributed processors for various workloads. Simulated results indicate that the relative performance of the gang scheduling policies depends on the arrival rates of gangs and critical sporadic jobs and also on the variability in the critical sporadic jobs inter-arrival times.
An Integrated Simulation Environment for the Investigation of Future THz Communication Systems: Extended Version
Authors: Kürner Thomas , Jacob Martin , Piesiewicz Radoslaw , Schoebel Joerg
Published: May 2008

The first stages of developing indoor communication systems operating at frequencies beyond 300 GHz are currently undeway. In this paper, an integrated simulation environment is introduced, where the system parameters of future THz communication systems can be estimated under realistic hardware and propagation conditions. It is shown how this simulation environment can be used to determine the most critical parameters in the whole system and may be used to derive requirements for the development of hardware components. Exemplary simulation results, taking into account various factors of influence (different modulation schemes, antenna gains and wall materials), are presented.
Challenging “Factor–Cluster Segmentation”
Authors: Dolnicar Sara , Grün Bettina
Published: May 2008

The concept of market segmentation has been widely accepted and warmly embraced both by tourism industry and academia. In tourism research, this increased interest in segmentation studies has led to the emergence of a standard research approach. Most notably a concept referred to as “factor–cluster segmentation” has been broadly adopted. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that this approach is not generally the best procedure to identify homogeneous groups of individuals (market segments).
Mixed Methods Approaches in Family Science Research
Authors: Plano Clark Vicki L. , Huddleston-Casas Catherine A. , Churchill Susan L. , O'Neil Green Denise , Garrett Amanda L.
Published: May 2008

The complex phenomena of interest to family scientists require the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Researchers across the social sciences are now turning to mixed methods designs that combine these two approaches. Mixed methods research has great promise for addressing family science topics, but only if researchers understand the design options and procedures that accompany this methodological choice. Discussions of mixed methods in the family science literature are difficult to locate, and little has been written about how family scientists apply this approach in practice. This article presents an overview of mixed methods research, including its definition, terminology, and design types, and examines how it is being successfully used and reported in family research journals. The authors review the application of mixed methods designs in 19 studies and discuss design features and issues that arose during implementation. They conclude with recommendations for family scientists considering using this approach.
The Concept of Family
Authors: Weigel Daniel J.
Published: May 2008

Family scholars have offered a host of formal definitions of family with little consensus. One reason scholars may have trouble reaching agreement is that rather than having a classical definition, there may be a variety of features and forms of family that people consider more typical than others. Three studies were undertaken to gain a better understanding of laypeople's concept of family. Study 1 indicates that people have central features and attributes that they ascribe to the concept of family. Study 2 likewise reveals that certain forms of family are considered more exemplary than others. Study 3 brings the elements of features and forms together and provides evidence of a possible underlying structure of family in which central features are matched with central forms. Research, measurement, and social policy implications for the study of family are discussed.
Reopening the Discussion: Another Contextual Look at the Sons of God
Authors: Fockner Sven
Published: May 2008

Using Lyle Eslinger's work on the text as a stepping stone, this article contends that—in contrast to general opinion—Gen. 6.1-8 is a carefully structured, unified section which was consciously inserted to inform the reader about the developments that led to the flood. The Genesis passage is preceded by the depiction of two opposing groups of humanity, one of which is almost lost in the verses immediately following the pericope. Through textual and contextual analysis, this article tries to show that the sons of God passage serves to clarify this disappearance. A non-mythological reading of the text is proposed, one which integrates Gen. 6.1-8 into the narrative of Genesis 1-11.
Beautiful Women or 'False Judgment'? Interpreting Genesis 6.2 in the Context of the Primaeval History
Authors: Kaminski Carol M.
Published: May 2008

In Gen. 6.2 the sons of God see that the daughters of humankind are 'beautiful', yet the adjective used in 6.2 is not ‭הפי‬, 'beautiful, handsome', but ‭בוט‬, 'good'. An examination of the adjective ‭בוט‬ in the present study leads to the conclusion that ‭בוט‬ in Gen. 6.2 does not mean 'beautiful', but 'good'. This study proposes that 6.2 is not connected to the 'beauty' motif found in the ensuing chapters of Genesis, but to the 'seeing...good' motif in the preceding creation story (Gen. 1-3). The conclusion is reached that what sets the story in motion is not the attractive appearance of the women, but the false judgment by the sons of God whose actions recall Eve's in Gen. 3.6.
Tradition, History, and Our Story: Some Observations on Jacob and Esau in the Books of Obadiah and Malachi
Authors: Krause Joachim J.
Published: May 2008

In both Genesis and early prophecy, Jacob, the father of the chosen people of Israel, is harshly criticized for the shrewd trickery that he employs to supplant his brother Esau. The role reversal of the twins thus challenges later biblical authors. It is argued in this study that, from the way this tradition is used for purposes of communication in Obadiah and Malachi, two alternative interpretations may be discerned. While Obadiah explains the role reversal as a result of Esau's misconduct, Malachi interprets it as an inscrutable act of divine election. Tracing the latter approach in Paul's letter to the Romans, both the bearing of these actualizing interpretations on the tradition itself and the way different communities used it as common story are observed.
Attitudes toward Dogs in Ancient Israel: A Reassessment
Authors: Miller Geoffrey David
Published: May 2008

For the past half-century, many scholars have argued that the Israelites viewed dogs with contempt. They point to passages in the Old Testament that depict dogs as despicable creatures who should be avoided. Such a sentiment is puzzling in light of the widespread utilization and enjoyment of canines throughout the ancient Near East. A closer examination of these Old Testament texts reveals that, although the word ‭כבל‬ was often used pejoratively, dogs were not contemptible in Israelite society. In fact, Job 30.1 and Tob. 6.2 and 11.4 illustrate that they were valued for their services as sheepdogs, travel companions, guardians, and possibly pets.
Jerusalem in the Persian (and Early Hellenistic) Period and the Wall of Nehemiah
Authors: Finkelstein Israel
Published: May 2008

Knowledge of the archaeology of Jerusalem in the Persian (and Early Hellenistic) period—the size of the settlement and whether it was fortified—is crucial to understanding the history of the province of Yehud, the reality behind the book of Nehemiah and the process of compilation and redaction of certain biblical texts. It is therefore essential to look at the finds free of preconceptions (which may stem from the account in the book of Nehemiah) and only then attempt to merge archaeology and text.
Tackle Injuries in Professional Rugby Union
Authors: Quarrie Kenneth L , Hopkins Will G.
Published: May 2008

Background

The tackle is the most dangerous facet of play in rugby union, but little is known about risk factors for tackle injuries.

Purpose

To estimate the injury risk associated with various characteristics of tackles in professional rugby union matches.

Study Design

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Method

All 140 249 tackles in 434 professional matches were coded from video recordings for height and direction of tackle on the ball carrier, speed of tackier, and speed of ball carrier; injuries were coded for various characteristics, including whether the tackier or ball carrier required replacement or only on-field assessment.

Results

There were 1348 injury assessments requiring only on-field treatment and 211 requiring player replacement. The inciting event and medical outcomes were matched to video records for 281 injuries. Injuries were most frequently the result of high or middle tackles from the front or side, but rate of injury per tackle was higher for tackles from behind than from the front or side. Ball carriers were at highest risk from tackles to the head-neck region, whereas tacklers were most at risk when making low tackles. The impact of the tackle was the most common cause of injury, and the head was the most common site, but an important mechanism of lower limb injuries was loading with the weight of another player. Rates of replacement increased with increasing player speed.

Conclusion

Strategies for reducing tackle injuries without radically changing the contact nature of the sport include further education of players about safe tackling and minor changes to laws for the height of the tackle.
Trans-Rotator Cuff Portal is Safe for Arthroscopic Superior Labral Anterior and Posterior Lesion Repair
Authors: Oh Joo Han , Kim Sae Hoon , Lee Ho Kyoo , Jo Ki Hyun , Bae Kee Jeong
Published: May 2008

Background

There are numerous accessory portals for the arthroscopic repair of superior labral anterior and posterior lesions. Many surgeons are reluctant to make a portal through the cuff because of concern about iatrogenic injury to the cuff.

Hypothesis

An arthroscopic superior labral anterior and posterior lesion repair procedure using the trans-rotator cuff portal may yield favorable clinical and radiological outcomes, and cuffs may heal properly.

Study Design

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

Fifty-eight consecutive patients undergoing superior labral anterior and posterior lesion repair using the trans-rotator cuff portal, who had available both functional and radiological outcomes after 1 year of the operation, were enrolled. We evaluated the structural outcomes for the labrum and cuff using computed tomographic arthrography and measured various clinical outcomes (the supraspinatus power, visual analog scale for pain and satisfaction, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder evaluation form, University of California-Los Angeles shoulder score, Constant score, and Simple Shoulder Test) at the final visit.

Results

All functional outcomes were improved significantly ( P < .001). On computed tomographic arthrography, labral healing to the bony glenoid was achieved in all patients. Subacromial leakage of contrast media was observed in 3 patients (5.2%) through the muscular portion without any retraction or gap of the tendon. Two of 3 had preoperative cuff pathologic changes, and they were older than 45 years of age. Partial articular cuff tears were observed in 6 patients (10.3%), and 4 had the lesion preoperatively. There were no statistical differences in functional scores according to the presence of preoperative lesion, postoperative leakage, or partial cuff tear.

Conclusion

The data demonstrate favorable outcomes for arthroscopic superior labral anterior and posterior lesion repair using the trans-rotator cuff portal. We suggest that the trans-rotator cuff portal is an efficient and safe portal for superior labral anterior and posterior lesion repair, although there are some valid concerns of damaging the cuff in patients with a superior labral anterior and posterior lesion with concurrent cuff disorders, as well as in older patients.
Significant Effect of Gender on Hamstring-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio and Static Balance in Prepubescent Children from 7 to 12 Years of Age
Authors: Holm Inger , Vøllestad Nina
Published: May 2008

Background

A number of studies have reported lower muscular strength of the hamstring and the quadriceps and better postural control in female compared with male athletes. Whether those differences are innate and also exist in children and adolescents or are caused by training and participation in different sports is unknown.

Hypothesis

Gender differences in hamstring and quadriceps muscular strength and static balance exist even before maturity.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods

A total of 368 children between 7 and 12 years of age participated in the study. They performed isokinetic concentric hamstring and quadriceps muscle strength measurements at 60 and 240 deg/s and a static balance test using the KAT 2000. Data analysis consisted of independent-samples t tests and multiple regression analysis.

Results

Gender had a significant effect on both the hamstring/quadriceps (HQ) ratios and static balance in children between 7 and 12 years of age. Except for the 7-year-old participants, boys showed significantly higher HQ ratios than the girls in every age group, indicating that the hamstring muscles in girls were relatively weak when compared with the quadriceps muscles. There was also a gender effect on the balance index with better balance in girls than boys.

Conclusion

There is a significant gender difference in HQ ratios and static balance in children between 8 and 12 years of age. Because many children start their handball careers before the age of 10 years, the present findings indicate that prevention programs including hamstring strength training should be prescribed at an earlier age than recommended in previously published studies.
Text and Context: Domestic Harmony and the Depiction of Hagar in Jubilees
Authors: Rothstein David
Published: May 2008

The women of Genesis, and their depiction in both biblical and post-biblical sources, have been the focus of much scholarly activity. One beneficiary of this literary output is Jubilees, whose formulation of Israel's matriarchs and their relationships with their respective spouses reveals a systematic, and tendentious, reworking of the biblical material. This study focuses on Jubilees' presentation of Hagar, and demonstrates that, while not according her the same status as that granted Sarah and the other matriarchs, the work does portray her, and her relationship with Abraham, as enjoying a measure of importance not reflected in the biblical text.
Moses—A Well-Educated Man: A Look at the Educational Idea in Early Judaism
Authors: Koskenniemi Erkki
Published: May 2008

Early Judaism often freely retold the life of the Old Testament heroes. This article analyzes the kind of education provided to Moses as reported in early Jewish texts before the Mishnah. Because Exodus says nothing about the theme, everything is either taken from the tradition or created by the writers. Ezekiel the Tragedian, Artapanus and Philo suppose that Moses had a profound Gentile education. Jubilees only briefly refers to the education given by the father and Liber antiquitatum biblicarum and Josephus say nothing about the studies in Gentile schools. From what we may surmise from the evidence (and lack thereof) it appears that each of these writers emphasizes his own educational ideal.
History and Fiction in the Acts of Thomas: The State of the Question
Authors: McGrath James F.
Published: May 2008

The Acts of Thomas has not yet received as much attention as the Gospel associated with the same individual, and this is understandable. Current students of this early Christian work, however, are in danger of missing out on the discussions and differing perspectives long offered by scholars of the Indian church and Indian history on this work. This study suggests that, while the Acts of Thomas is almost certainly a work of novelistic fiction, this should not lead us to ignore the instances of confirmable historical information embedded therein, as in many other works of historical fiction. The Acts of Thomas merits renewed detailed study by historians interested in early Christianity both in Syria and in India.
Risk in Action: the Practical Effects of the Youth Management Assessment
Authors: Ballucci Dale
Published: May 2008

This article illustrates the importance of empirical investigations that reveal `risk in action'. Using interviews, operation manuals and correctional policies, I examine the governance of female young offenders at `Youth House' (an open custody facility in Canada). This article focuses on the ways in which risk discourses and practices shape the governance process. Particular attention is paid to the discretionary power of front-line workers and administrators who employ the Youth Management Assessment (YMA), a risk tool used to govern young offenders. My research shows that contrary to the belief that risk tools remove the subjective nature of the governing process, such practices not only still exist but are necessary for risk tools to operate. Furthermore, I reveal an unanticipated outcome of risk tools. I argue their use unintentionally results in the surveillance of an unsuspecting population: those that govern. Risk tools are implemented seemingly with the intent to manage offenders, however, in practice the YMA also governs those that govern.
Border Control and the Limits of the Sovereign State
Authors: Bosworth Mary
Published: May 2008

As has been widely recognized and commented upon, border controls across Europe and America have been strenuously tightened since September 11th. In fact, of course, the movement of certain non-citizens in and around most western, industrialized countries had been restricted for some time predating the advent of the `war on terror'. In this article I will explore the particular use being made in Britain of criminal justice rhetoric and policy as a means of securing the border and the implications of this reliance on criminal justice discourses in the development of immigration and asylum policies. Building on work by David Garland (1996) and Jonathan Simon (2007), I suggest not only that the increased concern over border control reflects a decline in the power of the state in the face of globalization, but also that the adoption of harsh rhetoric about foreigners risks undermining the agency and democratic freedoms long held dear by British citizens.
Towards a Fiscal Sociology of Tax Credits and the Fathers' Rights Movement
Authors: Mumford Ann
Published: May 2008

The case of Hockenjos v Secretary of State (2004) held that a father who was denied the childcare element of Jobseekers' Allowance (a benefit which now has been repealed) had been `discriminated against'. The case was litigated by a fathers' rights activist, and has been hailed both as an important victory for the wider `movement', and as a step towards obtaining child tax credits for fathers who live separately from their children. This article argues that efforts by the UK fathers' rights movement to obtain child tax credits, in particular, reflect an attempt to use the tax system to force an allocation of rights. This thesis is advanced through a fiscal sociological analysis, largely because the insights into the role of class in the functioning of economies that are offered by a Marxian analysis are made accessible to tax scholars through fiscal sociology. These perspectives are particularly important in an analysis of tax credits, given that the architects of these `Third Way' initiatives very much had class mobility in mind.
Demystifying Deaths in Police Custody: Challenging State Talk
Authors: Pemberton Simon
Published: May 2008

This article seeks to understand the processes which occur after a death in police custody in England and Wales. The analytical focus falls upon the identities which are attributed to the victim by state actors. It will be argued that these identities are part of a discursive formation `state talk' which seeks to inflate the dangers faced by state actors in order to legitimate their often oppressive interventions in the lives of marginalized groups. A death in police custody poses serious questions about these interventions. Consequently, considerable ideological attention is required to ensure hegemonic support for coercive state apparatus. This article seeks to challenge the discourses of danger and disorder that state talk preaches in order to maintain authoritarian populism's hold over the historical bloc. Drawing upon a number of empirical sources, the article interrogates these narratives and presents a series of alternative truths about deaths in police custody.
Trips and Pharmaceutical Patents in Djibouti: an ANT Analysis of Socio-Legal Objects
Authors: Cloatre Emilie
Published: May 2008

This article discusses the complexity inherent in the relationship between written law and social action. It uses actor-network theory (`ANT') to amplify this complexity and considers its value both in understanding socio-legal objects and, more broadly, to socio-legal studies itself. The article uses a case study of the role of the Trade Related Intellectual Property agreement (`TRIPS') regarding pharmaceutical patents in a `least developed country', Djibouti. The study uses this pharmaceutical example to argue the insights offered by ANT, conceptualizing socio-legal objects, beyond comparable approaches such as implementation studies. It also offers a different, more compelling set of understandings than that which appears in the more standard texts on TRIPS.
Transnational Higher Education
Authors: Naidoo Vik
Published: May 2008

Transnational higher education (TNHE) development is not an entirely new international activity in the education services sector. The nature and scale of the global expansion of contemporary TNHE developments are, however, changing substantially. An understanding of this growth is currently largely lacking because of a dearth of comprehensive statistics. The scale of the latter TNHE developments has been particularly hard to identify and has until now been largely based on guesstimates. This article is an attempt at filling this gap. Through a triangulation methodology of available secondary data, this article is a very first attempt at providing a stock take of the current level of activity in TNHE worldwide.
“Reinventing Social Work Accreditation”: Write On!
Authors: Feldman Ronald A.
Published: May 2008

Stoesz and Karger contend that the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has promulgated accreditation mechanisms and processes that have failed to assure sufficient quality in social work education. Although certain of their conclusions are subject to challenge, their central propositions are credible and warrant serious consideration on the part of social work educators. Many of the systemic problems associated with CSWE accreditation also appear to characterize other organizations that are committed to social work education such as the National Association of Deans and Directors of Social Work Schools and the St. Louis Group for Excellence in Social Work Research and Education. Consonant with the urgings of Stoesz and Karger, it appears timely for social work educators to explore accreditation mechanisms and venues other than those provided by CSWE.
An Exchange Approach on Firm Cooperative Orientation and Outcomes of Strategic Multilateral Network Participants
Authors: Wincent Joakim
Published: May 2008

Based on exchange theory, this study develops and tests a model that explores the associations among strategic multilateral network participants' cooperative orientations (contributions to and benefits from network partners) and network connectedness, entrepreneurial behavior, and firm performance. Empirical analyses of 54 firms in two strategic multilateral networks show that the two firm orientations of benefiting from and contributing to the network are positively related to each other. Results substantiate the expected association between benefiting orientations and firm performance and confirm the nonsignificant relationship between contributing orientations and firm performance. The indirect performance path, where cooperative orientations were proposed to influence performance via network connectedness and entrepreneurial behavior, was not supported. Implications and suggestions for future research on firm cooperative orientations are presented.
Employees' Perceptions of Their Leaders
Authors: Goldberg Caren , Riordan Christine M. , Zhang Lu
Published: May 2008

Using a sample of middle and upper level managers, the authors examined the effects of employee—supervisor demographic similarity on employees' perceptions of their supervisor's leadership ability. The authors also examined the moderating effects of individuals' needs for self-continuity and the status of the demographic groups on these relationships. Very little evidence was found for direct similarity effects. However, the authors found strong and consistent evidence that employees in high-status demographic groups exhibited a positive relationship between self-continuity and perceptions of their leaders when the leader was demographically similar, whereas employees in low-status demographic groups exhibited a negative relationship between self-continuity and perceptions of their leaders when the leader was demographically similar. Implications for social identity theory and relational demography research are discussed.
Issues in the Application of Bayes' Theorem to Child Abuse Decision Making
Authors: Proeve Michael
Published: May 2008

Proposals for the application of Bayes' Theorem as an aid to child abuse decision making are discussed critically. Subsequently, two examples of the application of research findings concerning signs of child abuse to decision making are demonstrated, using data from research studies of signs of physical abuse and sexual abuse. The calculation of the probability of the presence of abuse using Bayes' Theorem is described, given prevalence information and specific indicators of abuse. In addition, a method for describing the degree of imprecision in estimates of the probability of abuse is discussed. Specific issues that affect the valid application of research findings within Bayes' Theorem are discussed, including estimates of the prevalence or base rate of child abuse, sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic signs, and the independence of information that is combined in Bayes' Theorem. Recommendations for addressing these issues when Bayes' Theorem is applied to child abuse decision making are discussed, including assessment of the independence of indicators that are combined in Bayes' Theorem, suitable bases for estimating the prevalence of abuse, and the calculation of imprecision in probability estimates of abuse.
Developmental Needs and Individualized Family Service Plans Among Infants and Toddlers in the Child Welfare System
Authors: Casanueva Cecilia E. , Cross Theodore P. , Ringeisen Heather
Published: May 2008

This study examines levels of developmental need in young children investigated by child protective services, estimates early intervention service use, and examines need and service use variations during the 5-6 years after investigation on the basis of maltreatment substantiation status. Data were from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, the first nationally representative study of children investigated for maltreatment. The sample comprised 1,845 children aged 0 to 36 months at baseline. Logistic regression with covariate adjustment was used to examine the relationship between having an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP; a proxy and marker of early intervention services through Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act) and substantiation status. A high prevalence of developmental problems was found among children with substantiated cases and children with unsubstantiated cases. Few children with developmental needs had an IFSP. Substantiation status and level of child welfare system involvement were significantly associated with having an IFSP.
Antecedents of Intention to Adopt the Web‐Based Computer Aided Facility Management System
Authors: Saengratwatchara Supornchai , Elsworth Jeffery D.
Published: May 2008

Computer aided facility management (CAFM) is a computerized network system that connects graphic and non‐graphic information in a central and comprehensive source of facilities information. Previous studies have revealed that facility management (FM) professionals have been reluctant to adopt the CAFM application. Drawing on diffusion of innovations theory, a model was developed describing the relationships between intention to adopt the CAFM application and five characteristics of an innovation shown to lead to the intention to adopt. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence individual FM professionals to adopt the CAFM application. Eight hypotheses used to examine the relationship were supported. Perceived trialability, perceived visibility, and perceived result demonstrability positively related to intention to adopt the CAFM system indirectly through perceived relative advantage and perceived complexity, and perceived advantage and perceived complexity had significant effects on FM professionals' intention to adopt the CAFM application.
Time-Frequency Method for Nonlinear System Identification and Damage Detection
Authors: Pai P. Frank , Lu Huang  , Jiazhu Hu  , Langewisch Dustin R.
Published: May 2008

This paper presents a method for extracting system nonlinearities and time-localized transient response to impulsive loading by processing stationary/transient responses using the Hilbert—Huang transform (HHT) and a sliding-window fitting (SWF) technique. Time-dependent dynamic characteristics of nonlinear systems are derived using perturbation analysis. The SWF is introduced mainly to show the mathematical implications of HHT and the differences between HHT and the discrete Fourier transform. Similar to the wavelet transform the SWF uses windowed predetermined regular harmonics and function orthogonality to extract local harmonic components. It simultaneously decomposes a signal into just a few regular/distorted harmonics, and the obtained time-varying amplitudes and frequencies of the harmonics can reveal system nonlinearities. On the other hand the HHT uses the apparent time scales revealed by the signal's local maxima and minima and cubic splines of the extrema to sequentially sift components of different time scales, starting from high-frequency to low-frequency ones. Because HHT does not use predetermined basis functions and function orthogonality for component extraction, components are extracted without distortion and hence their time-varying amplitudes and frequencies can be accurately computed using the Hilbert transform to reveal system characteristics and nonlinearities. Moreover, because the first component extracted from HHT contains all discontinuities of the original signal, its time-varying frequency and amplitude are excellent indicators for pinpointing the time instants of impulsive loads. However, the discontinuity-induced Gibbs' phenomenon makes HHT analysis inaccurate around the two data ends. On the other hand, the SWF analysis suffers less from Gibbs' phenomenon at the two data ends, but it cannot extract accurate time-varying frequencies and amplitudes because the use of predetermined basis functions and function orthogonality in the sliding-window fitting process distorts the extracted components. Numerical and experimental results show that the proposed method with the use of HHT can provide accurate extraction of intrawave amplitude and phase modulations, distorted harmonic response under a single-frequency harmonic excitation, softening and hardening effects, different orders of nonlinearity, interwave amplitude and phase modulations, multiple-mode vibrations caused by internal/ external resonances, and time instants of impact loading on a structure. These are key phenomena for performing dynamics-based system identification and damage detection.
Speaking for ourselves
Authors: Broad Gayle , Reyes José Agustin
Published: May 2008

As an Assistant Professor in Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) at Algoma University College, Ontario, Canada and a member of Asopricor Holistic Association, Cundinamarca, Colombia, respectively, the authors have engaged in an ongoing dialogue regarding the inherent contradictions of forming a North—South, university—community research collaboration. For those who have engaged in and/or read about action research, the questions addressed in this article are familiar: How can we maintain respectful relations between us? How can we ensure the project respects local knowledge? How can we ensure the ownership of the new knowledge created by the project remains with the collective? How can we balance the power dynamics between ourselves, and between the organizations involved? What the article offers, is a dialogical reflection on how these challenges are being met within this particular project. It examines the development of a common set of values and beliefs that emerge as the researchers attempt to engage within the `ethical space' (Ermine, 2005) necessary for the development of a respectful collaboration. The article explores and develops a series of questions for researchers to consider as they struggle to find common ground where such an exchange, crossing cultural and power divides, can occur.