bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The New Central Cities
Authors: Otlensmann John R.
Published: March 2007

The new definition of the metropolitan area changes the definition of central cities to one based on employment centrality, with no limits on the number of central cities in any metropolitan area. The result has been the designation of 80 cities as new central cities in the 50 largest metropolitan areas. These new cities contain 10% of the total central-city population in these areas. Including these new central cities can dramatically affect central-city/suburban comparisons. This is illustrated with an examination of the location and change of the African-American population in metropolitan areas.
From Coney Island to Las Vegas in the Urban Imaginary
Authors: Zukin Sharon , Baskerville Robert , Greenberg Miriam , Guthreau Courtney , Halley Jean , Halling Mark , Lawler Kristin , Nerio Ron , Stack Rebecca , Vitale Alex , Wissinger Betsy
Published: March 2007

A discursive analysis of cultural images, social practices, and space adds a new level of social critique to the usual explanations of urban growth and decline. Instead of focusing on either "objective" or "subjective" factors, a discursive analysis assumes a coherence between social and spatial arrangements that is derived in and through cultural meanings attached to specific places and has a material effect on their growth and decline. Both the conscious manipulation and slow accretion of images are important, as they are diffused by mass media and interpreted by ordinary men and women. Taking the decline of Coney Island and growth of Las Vegas as examples, a discursive analysis emphasizes how these public spaces of amusement represent low-class and high-class spaces, racialized spaces, and different eras of capitalism-culminating in a national rejection of urban populism for freewheeling speculation and privatization.
Why Elections Are Bad News
Authors: Lichter Robert , Smith Ted
Published: March 2007

Beginning in 1992, news organizations adopted a more assertive posture in covering presidential elections in order to raise the level of campaign discourse. This article assesses the impact of this change in professional norms by comparing network television news coverage of the 1996 Republican presidential primaries with the speeches and paid advertisements of the candidates. A content analysis is applied to both the media and candidate messages with regard to such characteristics as the topics and issues that were addressed, the context in which policy issues were framed, and the evaluative tone of the campaign debate. We conclude that rather than raising the tone of public discourse, the media coverage contributed to the negativism and lack of substance for which the campaign was criticized. These findings raise questions about the effectiveness of reporting practices that were intended to benefit voters by assigning the media a more active role in the campaign process.
Advertising Watchdogs
Authors: Tedesco, John C. , McKinnon, Lori Melton , Kaid Lynda Lee
Published: March 2007

For years, scholars have been interested in how the media report political campaigns. Until recently, however, few researchers have focused attention on how the media cover televised political ads. In response to the increasing number of ads capturing media and public attention, we conducted a content analysis of 1992 print and broadcast presidential ad watches. The findings offer much support for previous research but point to inconsistencies in neutrality, fairness, and analysis of televised presidential ads. Findings also show a lack of coverage of Clinton in broadcast ad watches and an unsystematic coverage of candidates. We urge journalists to attempt a systematic approach to the study of televised presidential campaign ads.
Cuban Americans, Latinos, and the Print Media
Authors: DeSipio Louis , Henson James Richard
Published: March 2007

This article examines how newspapers in forty cities across the United States cover Latinos. Cuban Americans, who make up a small minority of U.S. Latinos, disproportionately shape this coverage. Each of the cities under study is at least 10 percent Latino, and the cities were selected to be representative of the populations of the three largest Latino national-origin groups: Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans.
A Charismatic Leader's Use of the Media
Authors: Chalaby Jean K.
Published: March 2007

This article analyzes the relationship between Charles de Gaulle and television during his presidency. It examines the way the Gaullist regime controlled television and how this control influenced political coverage. It shows how propaganda requirements interfered with news values and the journalistic criteria of story suitability. This article also seeks to understand the influences that have shaped the relationship between de Gaulle and the media. It argues that de Gaulle refused to liberalize state television because of his belief in a powerful state, his preference for strong leadership, and the necessity for him to establish a personal relationship with the nation above and beyond the political parties against which he struggled. Finally, this article develops the concept of charismatic action, which refers to the public and broadcast acts that de Gaulle performed either to reinforce his charisma or to make demands on people by relying on his charisma.
Reporting Public Opinion in Singapore
Authors: Chang Tsan-Kuo
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this article is twofold: to examine the form and content of public opinion reporting in the Singaporean news media and to determine their social implications for public policy decision making. The article analyzes coverage of public opinion polls in the two most important newspapers in Singapore over a three-year span. The data show that public opinion surveys in Singapore are fraught with theoretical and methodological problems and that their reporting in the news media leaves much to be desired. The implication is that manufacturing consent in the news, forced consensus in opinion formation, and uncontested policy debates are likely to breed government complacency.
Incorporation of Microfield Distortion into Rapid Effective Property Design
Authors: Zohdi T. I.
Published: March 2007

It is advantageous to use analytical effective property approximations during the initial stages of the design and development of new multiphase solids. Materials of this class are typified by microscopic second-phase particles suspended in a binding matrix. Such approximate methods are ideal since they require minimal computational effort, thus allowing one to perform rapid analyses for large numbers of multiphase solid combinations controlling parameters like the volume fractions and phase contrasts. Afterwards, when the number of feasible microstructural design combinations has been sufficiently narrowed down, one can perform further in-depth studies, applying computationally intensive numerical simulations, or more involved laboratory tests, to a reduced set of design alternatives. However, a limitation of approximate methods is that they do not provide much quantifiable information about the internal stress and strain fields in the material. Clearly, during material design development, when selecting micro-additives, information about the changes in the otherwise (relatively) smooth internal fields, corresponding to the matrix material alone, would be valuable to characterize a new multiphase material’s performance. With regard to materials possessing microstructures described by particles suspended in a binding matrix, one obvious quantity of interest is the microfield distortion, defined as the difference between the fields produced when heterogeneities are present and fields produced when the heterogeneities are absent. Consistent with the use of computationally inexpensive effective property approximations, such information would be attractive, especially if it involved no extra intensive numerical simulations. Accordingly, in this work an exact expression is derived for the microfield distortion, solely in terms of the external loading, property mismatches and volume fractions. Examples are given illustrating use of the expression in a design setting whereby second-phase additives are sought which deliver desired effective responses, while simultaneously obeying microfield distortion constraints.
An Asymptotically Consistent Model for Long-Wave High-Frequency Motion in a Pre-Stressed Elastic Plate
Authors: Kaplunov J. D. , Nolde E. V. , Rogerson G. A.
Published: March 2007

A one-dimensional asymptotic model is derived to elucidate the effect of pre-stress on long-wave high-frequency two-dimensional motion in an incompressible elastic plate. Solutions for the leading-order displacements and pressure increment are derived in terms of the long-wave amplitude; a governing equation for which is derived from the second-order problem. This equation is shown to become elliptic for certain states of pre-stress. Loss of hyperbolicity is shown to be synonymous with the existence of negative group velocity at low wavenumber. A higher-order theory is constructed, with solutions obtained in terms of both the long-wave amplitude and its second-order correction. An equation relating these is obtained from the third-order problem. The dispersion relations derived from the one-dimensional governing equations are also obtained by expansion of the corresponding exact two-dimensional relations, indicating asymptotic consistency. The model is highly relevant for stationary thickness vibration of, or transient response to high-frequency shock loading in, thin-walled bodies and also fluid-structure interaction. These are areas for which the effects of pre-stress have previously largely been ignored.
Material Identification of Nonlinear Solids Infused with a Fluid
Authors: Hron J. , Humphrey J. D. , Rajagopal K. R.
Published: March 2007

It is common in the theory of mixtures to prescribe a constitutive relation for the homogenized mixture rather than for each of the individual constituents. Such a relation should describe well the behavior of the mixture, that is experimental data. In this paper, we offer a theoretical framework to guide the performance and interpretation of biaxial tests on solid-fluid mixtures and, in particular, to identify forms of the response functions directly from the data. Moreover, in contrast to prior work, we include the effects of the inertia of the fluid constituent. The potential importance of the latter is illustrated via solutions for an assumed form of the Helmholtz potential for the mixture.
Transformations and Equation Reductions in Finite Elasticity IV: Illustration of the General Integral for a Plane Strain Similarity Deformation
Authors: Hill James M. , Cox Grant M.
Published: March 2007

In three previous parts of this work, for plane strain, plane stress, and axially symmetric deformations, a number of new first integrals are deduced for the so-called perfectly elastic Varga materials. These results constitute a considerable advance in the theory of finite elastic deformations, there being no results similar to these in existing theory. The new integrals, together with the constraint of incompressibility, mean that certain highly nonlinear fourth-order partial differential equations admit second-order systems, every solution of which is a solution of the corresponding fourth order problem. Moreover, many of the second-order partial differential equations admit linearization to either the harmonic equation or the Helmholtz equation, thus giving rise to the possibility of generating quite general solutions. However, it is not immediately clear how such solutions relate to solutions of the full system. This part of the work (IV) attempts to discover the extent to which the solutions of these new first integrals span the solutions of the full space. In this paper, the general integral for plane strain deformations, given in Part III, is illustrated with reference to a specific similarity deformation, which maps one wedge-shaped region into another such region and for which the general solution of the full system can be obtained in closed form.
Yield Functions, Damage States, and Intrinsic Strength
Authors: Christensen Richard M.
Published: March 2007

A recently derived isotropic yield/failure criterion is here shown to give a measure of the state of the damage relative to an intrinsic (ideal) yield strength. The formulation of the intrinsic strength itself is obtained through a spectral analysis. A criterion for the ductile-brittle transition is found in the process of deriving the effect of pressure on the new yield function formalism.
Complex Eigenvalues of the Deformation Gradient
Authors: Boulanger Ph. , Hayes M.
Published: March 2007

Thomson and Tait pointed out that the deformation gradient F at a point X in a continuous medium has at least one real positive eigenvalue and showed that material line elements along N, the corresponding right eigenvector of F, retain their direction in the deformation. Here, we consider the case when the two remaining eigenvalues of F are complex conjugate, with corresponding right eigenvectors c ± id (say). It is seen that the "directional ellipse" corresponding to the bivector c + id is preserved in the deformation, the ellipse associated with the bivector c + id being transformed into a similar and similarly situated ellipse. Any two material line elements at X along a pair of conjugate radii of the directional ellipse are deformed into material line elements along another pair of conjugate radii of this ellipse. They are stretched by the same amount which is the modulus of the complex eigenvalue. Key Words: continuum kinematics, deformation, material line element, bivector
Stick-Slip Interface Motion as a Singular Limit of the Viscosity-Capillarity Model
Authors: Vainchtein Anna
Published: March 2007

This work is a follow-up on a study by Vainchtein and Rosakis of interface dynamics and hysteresis in materials undergoing solid-solid phase transitions. The author investigates the dynamics of a bar with a nonconvex double-well elastic energy density. The model includes both viscosity and strain-gradient capillarity terms. Viscous stress provides eiergy dissipation. The capillarity term models interfacial energy. The bar is subject to time-dependent displacement boundary conditions. Numerical simulations predict hysteretic behavior in the overall load-elongation diagram. The hysteresis is primarily due to metastability and persists even at very slow loading when viscous dissipation is small. At a given loading, a large capillarity coefficient a results in a smooth interface motion and small hysteresis loop. As a becomes smaller, the loop grows and acquires serrations, while the interface motion alternates between slow and fast regimes. The results suggest that the stick-slip interface motion and serrated hysteresis loop predicted by Vainchtein and Rosakis in the absence of interfacial energy are a singular limit of the viscosity-capillarity model as the capillarity coefficient tends to zero. The irregular interface motion and serrated load-elongation curves qualitatively agree with some experimental observations in shape-memory alloys.
Generalization of Drucker's Yield Criterion to Orthotropy
Authors: Cazacu Oana , Barlat Frédéric
Published: March 2007

Within the framework of the theory of representation, generalizations to anisotropic conditions of the invariants of the deviatoric stress are proposed. Using these generalized invariants, any isotropic yield criterion can be extended such as to describe any type of material symmetry. In this paper, we apply this method to extend to orthotropy Drucker's isotropic criterion. Comparison with data on aluminum alloys show that this new criterion describes with improved accuracy the anisotropy of the plastic response.
Existence and Uniqueness of Azimuthal Shear Solutions in Compressible Isotropic Nonlinear Elasticity
Authors: Paullet Joseph E. , Warne Debra Polignone , Warne Paul G.
Published: March 2007

The authors consider the two-point boundary-value problem resulting from the equations of nonlinear elastostatics for azimuthal shear of a Blatz-Ko tube. Previous work on this problem by Simmonds and Warne includes a numerical study of these equations and indicates that smooth radial deformation solutions (no kinks) should exist regardless of the aspect ratio of the tube, provided that the dimensionless applied torque r is small enough (r <-0.72). The numerics of Simmonds and Warne also indicated that the existence of smooth solutions for r >-0.72 depends on the geometry of the tube, and that for r = A, no smooth solution exists. Motivated by this numerical work, the authors prove via a topological shooting argument the existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions to this problem for r < tr, = 3/44 S 0.69, and the nonexistence of smooth solutions for r = a.
On the Nonlinear Mechanics of Bravais Crystals with Continuous Distributions of Defects
Authors: Cermelli Paolo , Sellers Shaun
Published: March 2007

Basic ideas in the mechanics of Bravais crystals with continuous distributions of point and line defects are revisited from a perspective that emphasizes the role of configurational forces. In addition, the creation, destruction, and transport of defects are presented in detail. The formulation of the balance laws is given over time-dependent spatial control volumes; furthermore, independent configurational and deformational force balances are postulated. Such a formulation is more versatile than one with standard fixed control volumes and provides the correct Eshelby relation from simple invariance arguments independent of constitutive relations. Two alternative but equivalent constitutive models are proposed, and the corresponding restrictions following from a dissipation inequality are determined. Relations to some previous formulations of continuous distributions of dislocations and vacancies are discussed.
An Asymptotic Analysis of the Flexure Problem for Thin Tubes
Authors: Morassi Antonino
Published: March 2007

In this paper, the author studies the Saint-Venant flexure problem for hollow, homogeneous, isotropic cylinders with a thin multiconnected cross section. By using the framework of the F-convergence of fimctionals, the classical theory of Jouravski is shown to be the variational limit of the flexure problem when the thickness of the wall goes to zero.
Home-Based Disease Management in Congestive Heart Failure
Authors: Atkinson Rachel Copple , Branum Kay
Published: March 2007

Disease management programs have emerged as a comprehensive strategy to decrease costs and increase quality of care for patients with chronic diseases. It is a long-term strategy that emphasizes patient involvement in his or her own care and early recognition of potential worsening of the condition. Disease management programs address more than just the educational needs of patients by intervening before the problems get out of control. Because of their role in patients’ homes and lives, home care nurses are ideal agents of disease management. This discussion presents a comparison of disease management in home care and proposes a way for the best of both entities to be combined in the setting of congestive heart failure (CHF). The program developed at the Visiting Nurse Association of Maryland is presented as an example of how the two can be blended to address the complex problems of patients with CHF.
Home Visits in Rural Nicaragua: A Transcultural Primary Care Experience
Authors: Leonardo Maureen E. , Checco Barbara J. , Coggins Gerri A.
Published: March 2007

The focus of the health care delivery system in the United States has shifted from an emphasis on acute care delivery and hospital-based care settings to disease prevention and modification of lifestyle. More nurses are focusing on primary care and health promotion. The nurse practitioner (NP) role was developed in response to an increased need for access to primary care. NPs integrate clinical knowledge with the knowledge of community resources. With the development of multicultural communities and the increase in the diversity of our population, health professionals need to develop more cultural sensitivity. What better way to understand the needs of clients and the culture from which they come than to assess them in their natural environment? This article will describe a family NP clinical practicum in the rural mountainous region of Nicaragua and how home visits were used as an integral part of the NP transcultural primary care experience.
Delegation: The Views of Case Managers
Authors: Hirst Sandra P. , Foley Lynda
Published: March 2007

Care is provided under the direction of case managers within the Home Care Services division of the Calgary Regional Health Authority, Alberta, Canada. More than 90% of the case managers are registered nurses, with the other 10% being made up of physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Often, case managers delegate personal care and housekeeping to provider agency staff who have less professional education, whereas other tasks are given to family members, friends, and clients themselves. In light of the need to be cost-effective and yet for care to be delivered by the most appropriate provider, it is time to examine delegation by case managers.
Cardiac specialty program for home health care: A model for implementation
Authors: Lazarre Margaline , Ax Sally
Published: March 2007

A new trend is emerging in home health care—specialty programs. With the emphasis on dis ease management, home health agencies must develop programs that focus on specific patient groups with similar diagnoses or problems. Health care providers, such as managed care compa nies, demand better patient outcomes. Specialty programs target specific populations by using advance practice personnel as primary caregivers to achieve better outcomes. This article in cludes a blueprint for a cardiac specialty program developed by a home health agency in central Florida that can be adapted for any specialty program. Key words: home health care, specialty program, specialty staff
The Use of Physical Therapist Assistants in Home Health Care Agencies in New York
Authors: Sherry Deborah , Walsh Katherine
Published: March 2007

The shortage of physical therapists in home care has led many agencies to consider the ramifications of employing physical therapist assistants (PTAs) to provide services. However, regulations governing the use of PTAs in home care vary widely from state to state, and little research exists to document utilization patterns within the industry. This article examines PTA utilization patterns in a random sample of New York home health care agencies 1 year after amendment of the state education law to allow PTAs to work in the home without continuous on-site supervision.
Expanding the Home Health Care Paradigm: Regionalizing Standards of Diabetes Care
Authors: Snitgen Mary
Published: March 2007

As financial resources for health care dwindle and demands for care of chronic disease increase with the aging population, new paradigms for providing care must be developed. This article describes the development and implementation of a regional diabetes outreach network. Emphasis is on education of professionals who provide diabetes care to ensure current and competent diabetes care practices.
Professional Development of Home Health Care Aides: The Key to Retention
Authors: Schmidt Kari L.
Published: March 2007

In the changing health care arena, there are intense demands to provide quality, cost-effective service. Retaining qualified staff is essential for all health care organizations. Home care organizations can maximize the return on dollars spent and clients can receive the maximum benefit from health care dollars spent by promoting the professional development of home health aides. Increased skills and confidence in skills enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of care delivered. Promoting professional development increases job satisfaction, which increases staff retention and saves dollars. A team approach to the professional development of home health aides benefits staff, home care, organizations and, most importantly, clients.
Legal and Ethical Parameters of the Right to Die
Authors: Ruark Ronald Reese
Published: March 2007

The home health care practitioner who works with elderly clients is oftentimes confronted with the competing interests of the patient, family members, medical community, and community at large. A correct understanding of legal and ethical issues relating to the right to die will help home health care agencies adopt appropriate clinical policies to guide practitioners.
Developing Home Health Care Nursing Specialties in the Managed Care Environment
Authors: Casey Kathleen
Published: March 2007

As the need for high-technology services for the home care patient becomes increasingly more critical, it has become necessary for home health care agencies to meet these needs by providing highly specialized nursing services. The benefits of this emerging specialty are numerous, both within the nursing agency and to the community. Nursing specialties can enhance your agency's visibility by increasing collaboration with other community health care providers. This article provides suggestions and recommendations for development of such a program.
Home Care of the High-Risk Perinatal Patient
Authors: Campbell Della
Published: March 2007

The decade of the nineties has already exhibited a dramatic growth in the home health care industry. Ongoing health care reform in this country provides home health care professionals an exciting opportunity to broaden their scope of practice as they care for the prenatal client who presents with complex home health care needs. The purpose of this article is to provide the nurse with an overview of those conditions that are now frequently seen in the home care environment. These informational guidelines provide a framework in which the home health nurse can work while allowing flexibility for the individual differences of providers, institutions, and clients.
Care and Management of the Child with Diabetes
Authors: Moore Joanne D. , Kaiser Christine , Aisenberg Javier E.
Published: March 2007

The management and care of the child with diabetes is ever changing and increasingly complex. The past 20 years have seen a burst in technologic advances, diabetes research, and new information to facilitate optimal diabetes control. Application of those advances is necessary for home health care professionals involved in the care of children with diabetes and their families. Common issues of management for the child with diabetes need to be addressed, and practical information for home health care interventions needs to be developed for those who assist children with diabetes and their families. In light of managed care programs and limited hospital stays, home health care offers an opportunity to ensure appropriate and adequate diabetes education to care for the child with diabetes at home safely and effectively. Home health care professionals ideally should be a part of the diabetes management team but can also act as a bridge between the inpatient and outpatient settings.
Understanding Sleep Disturbance: Pragmatics for Home Health Care Providers
Authors: McEnany Geoffry
Published: March 2007

Sleep is not only an integral part of everyone's life, but provides an incredibly accurate mirror on the quality of life. Disturbed sleep equates with disturbed daytime functioning. Such a correlation makes great sense, particularly with the realization that sleep and wake cycles are based in the same biological rhythms. While everyone has a few nights of suboptimal sleep from time to time, some people live their lives sleeping poorly, experiencing daytime sleepiness, and functioning marginally. The causes of these patterns of poor sleep are many, and this paper will focus on how to focus a lens on clinical assessment of sleep to make sense out of sleep-related complaints and related behaviors in persons receiving home care services.
Care Planning for the Homebound Elderly Client
Authors: Forker Judith E. , Gallagher Bridget , Lewis Agnes
Published: March 2007

Considering the needs of the elderly long-term client in the context of the current healthcare environment adds urgency to the ongoing challenge of effective care planning for this population. Increasingly, home health agencies must demonstrate progress toward achievement of predicted care outcomes. With such emphasis on achieving positive outcomes, a well-designed plan of care for clients receiving long-term home health services becomes even more necessary. This article presents a strategy for creating individualized care plans for the homebound elderly based on a stepwise approach to goal development.
Thorstein Veblen
Authors: Mitchell Ross E.
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the writings of American institutional economist Thorstein Bunde Veblen (1857-1929) on capitalism and environment. The two main queries concern (a) Veblen’s stand on natural resource utilization as a consequence of capitalism and (b) its current relevance to environmental sociology. Veblen’s theories of conspicuous consumption, absentee ownership, and natural resource exploitation are examined from several of his seminal contributions. The article concludes that Veblen’s pioneering analysis of wasteful use of natural resources and emulative consumerism is essential to environmental sociology and timely because of current environmental crises. Future research is suggested in two areas: (a) applying Veblen’s theoretical approaches to the ecological aspects of capitalism and (b) comparing Veblen with other classical theorists such as Marx and Weber within the subfield of environmental sociology.
Alternative Ways of Framing Parkinson's Disease: Implications for Priorities in Health Care and Biomedical Research
Authors: van der Wilt Gert Jan
Published: March 2007

American philosopher Donald Schön provided an account of profes sional problem solving, "reflection in action." An important compo nent of this is "framing experiments"—testing different ways of defin ing (framing) a problem by asking "Can I solve the problem thus set?" and "Would it result in a different solution?" Such questions are an swered by taking recourse to bodies of knowledge, theories, norms, and principles, which together constitute "overarching theories" and "appreciative systems." Such overarching theories and appreciative systems are quite specific for particular professional communities. In this article, Schön's theory is used to describe professional problem solving in a medical context by unraveling the contents of the over arching theories and appreciative systems of various medical subspe cialities. Thus Schön's theory is used to reveal the factors that determine to a large extent patient care and priorities in biomedical research and development. The existence of multiple, sometimes incompatible over arching theories and appreciative systems is used as an argument in favour of interactivity in technology assessment.
The Exploitation of Common Property Natural Resources: A Social Ecology Perspective
Authors: Selsky John W. , Creahan Scott
Published: March 2007

Concepts from the literatures on common property resources (CPRs) and social ecology a branch of systems theory, are integrated to explain how many contemporary crises of resource exploitation develop and how they might be avoided. An expanded interpretation of CPRs provides a basis for identifying different classes of resource appropria tors and for illustrating how CPR systems evolve into critical, unsus tainable states. Emery and Triat's concept of environmental textures suggests that population growth and technological advance bring increasing pressure to bear on CPRs. The authors of the present article suggest that this pressure provokes unsustainable use. In response, a special set of stakeholders, called primary appropriators, with an in trinsic interest in the sustainability of CPRs may be able to construct a social boundary about the resource system that contains resource ap propriation at a sustainable level. Other adaptive responses by primary appropriators to avoid crises of exploitation are discussed. These in clude altering property rights regimes and fostering shared communi tarian values.
Kevin Kelly’s Complexity Theory
Authors: Best Steven , Kellner Douglas
Published: March 2007

Regarded as a contemporary prophet of the new technology and economy, Kevin Kelly argues that the realms of nature and human construction are becoming one. Human-made things are becoming more lifelike, and life is becoming more engineered. In this future world, control is dispersed in highly pluralistic, open, and decentralized systems. Natural, technological, economic, and social elements of the system coevolve toward a superior, neobiological civilization that will foster bottom-up control, coordinated change, and cooperation among all elements. The authors contest Kelly’s metaphysics of the new economy and technologies, arguing that he illicitly collapses technology and the economy into nature, using nature metaphors to legitimate the new forms of economy and organization. The authors argue that Kelly fails to factor in the logic of capital into his scenario and fails to explore the consequences of the new organization of economy and new technology for the environment and society.
An Exploration of the “Reflex” in Reflexive Modernity
Authors: Christopher Michael
Published: March 2007

An increasingly larger portion of the environmental movement claims that environmental destruction can only be stopped when our concern about environmental destruction is coupled with an “ecological consciousness,” that is, a wholistic understanding of the relationship between self, society, and nature. The author offers three interconnected theses to explain the increasing affinity for ecological consciousness: (a) Ecological consciousness, as opposed to traditional environmental consciousness, has prerational social causes that challenge modern rationality and, as such, is less reliant on knowledge and experience of environmental degradation for its spread; (b) the prerational dimension of social order links our affective responses and our most basic ontological presuppositions into a cognitive framework in which material and ideal interests are perceived as such; and (c) the experience of powerlessness can, under the right conditions, lead to a change in selfunderstanding such that individuals are left with an affinity for ecological consciousness.
Assessment of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder in adult alcoholics
Authors: Wiegartz P.S. , Bair J.P. , Besyner J.K. , Cox W.M. , Seidenberg M.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship of alcoholics' self-report of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (retrospectively and currently) to objective measures of attentional ability, and to alcohol-related characteristics. Forty-six male alcoholics presenting for substance abuse treatment were administered the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), a current self-report attentional symptom questionnaire, objective attentional measures, the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, a drug use history questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Twenty-eight percent of the sample scored above established cutoffs for both the retrospective and current symptom questionnaires. However, the self-report and objective measures of attention were not significantly correlated. Only 9% of the sample showed both high rates of self-report endorsement of attentional difficulties and objective attentional impairment. As predicted, depressive symptoms (high BDI scores) were associated with increased self-report of attentional problems. Presence of a DSM Axis I or Axis II diagnosis was also associated with increased retrospective self-report of ADHD symptoms. These findings have important implications for the assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD in alcoholic populations.
Meeting Great Expectations Through Performance Measures
Authors: Groden Bryan T.
Published: March 2007

As the aggregate level of outsourced highway maintenance and operations work rises, so too does the potential for public works agencies to lose control of service quality. To minimize this risk and maximize the effectiveness of service contracts, public works agencies must clearly define the specific performance standards they expect their contractors to achieve. If a contract is silent or unclear about an agency’s requirements with respect to quality, timeliness, or responsiveness to customer needs, the work performed may fall short of the agency’s expectations. This article will analyze these issues and present a framework for public works agencies to use in developing effective performance measures for highway maintenance and operations contracts. It will also provide guidance in how to monitor and enforce compliance with defined performance standards when agencies elect to outsource this work.
Infrastructure and Public Works Education
Authors: Bernhardt Kristen L. Sanford , McNeil Sue
Published: March 2007

Public awareness of infrastructure issues and a body of well-educated infrastructure professionals are critical to the efficient provision of public services such as water, wastewater, transportation, and utilities. It is important to introduce aspects of infrastructure management at all levels of education, both to interest students in pursuing further education and to increase public awareness and knowledge. However, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to infrastructure or public works education. This article describes (a) a vision for public works management education in the future, (b) the elements of an infrastructure or public works management education program in terms of the skills and knowledge necessary for effective public works management, (c) alternative forms of delivery for these skills and knowledge, (d) the roles of the American Public Works Association and universities in this education, and (e) the authors’ experiences with public works management education.
Restructuring the Federal Budget for Future Investment
Authors: Chambers Letitia
Published: March 2007

Testimony originally presented to the President’s Commission to Study Capital Budgeting proposes dividing the federal unified budget into three parts: (a) a capital investment budget that includes government spending on capital assets that have multiple-year lives and the potential to increase future productivity; (b) a pension budget that includes investments in and for current, future, and retired workers; and (c) an operating budget that reflects government spending for current consumption. Under this restructuring, the budget will lead to sound decision making on federal fiscal policy, which in turn will foster increased productivity and economic growth.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Works Accreditation on Quality of Service
Authors: Tzoumis Kelly A. , Delaney Kathleen I.
Published: March 2007

Accreditation of public works departments is a new method of improving quality of service that incorporates best management practices. Using a self-administered survey of 166 public works employees, this study examines the effects of accreditation on the towns of Greeley, Colorado, and Schaumburg, Illinois, currently the only communities to have completed the accreditation process. Results from chisquare tests and correlation coefficients indicated that communication among employees and communication between management and staff are statistically significant factors in the quality of service provided by employees. The other important factor correlated with quality of service was job knowledge that comes from the accreditation process. Findings suggest that benefits from accreditation, such as increased communication and job knowledge, are not captured in traditional performance measures of public works departments. Conclusions suggest that although higher quality of service can be a reason to pursue accreditation, administrators should consider survey techniques to capture its benefits.
Using Newly available Homicide Data to Debunk Two Myths about Violence in an International Context
Authors: PRIDEMORE WILLIAM ALEX
Published: March 2007

This article employs newly available crime and vital statistics data from Russia to debunk two myths about violence in an international context. The first myth is that the United States is the most violent industrialized nation in the world. The second myth is that in spite of other problems associated with Soviet society, at least the totalitarian regime was able to maintain low rates of crime and violence. The newly available data reveal the inaccuracies in each of these statements. Not only is the current Russian homicide victimization rate more than 3 times higher than in the United States, but it has been comparable to or higher than the U.S. rate for at least the past 35 years. Furthermore, preliminary analyses of these data also question the generalizability of other commonly held notions about the production of high rates of violence in the United States.
Approaches To the Analysis of Government Expenditure Growth
Authors: Peacock Alan T. , Wiseman Jack
Published: March 2007

The article surveys the literature on public expenditure growth, and makes some suggestions for possible future developments. At the theoretical level, it is argued that public choice and associated theoretical constructs have improved our understanding by insisting that public expenditure growth must be explained by the utility-maximizing behavior of the demanders and suppliers of public services in defined technical conditions, through "political" as well as "economic" behaviour. But what we yet lack is a comprehensive intellectual construct capable of embracing these elements, and also of dis aggregation for purposes of empirical enquiry. After a commentary on the conceptual and econometric problems of establishing empirical laws, the article suggests two potentially complementary approaches: through factor analysis at the general econometric level, and through the development of models of group behavior leading to "explanations" in terms of the changing relationships of social groups through time. The tentative results of an attempt to use factor analysis are summarized, but the authors are conscious of the difficulties and cautious about the potential of either approach.
On the Efficacy of Fiscal Policy and Price Level Changes
Authors: Kofuji Yasuo
Published: March 2007

Among many studies on fiscal policies there is the theoretical study by Blinder and Solow. In this study, they demonstrate two propositions concerning the efficacy of fiscal policy. However, because these propositions are based on the assumption that theprice level is constant, it is necessary to examine whether these two propositions are true or not in the context of flexible price level. We have presented the Blinder and Solow model that incorporates the equation of price level determination and demonstrated that even if the system is stable, the two propositions are not necessarily true in the context of a flexible price level. We can obtain the two propositions contrary to those obtained by Blinder and Solow when the value of the rate of inflation is high.
Product Quality and Taxation: a Reconciliation
Authors: Bohanon Cecil E. , Van Cott T. Norman
Published: March 2007

Within the last few years, two articles in this journal (one ours) have discussed the relationship between product quality, excise taxes, and tax revenue. The articles are marked by seemingly contradictory results regarding the effect specific taxes and ad valorem taxes have on product quality. This article reconciles the contradiction. The authors show that the difference stems from opposite assumptions about the substitutability between physical units and their quality attributes. For all intermediate substitutabilities, the tax-quality relationship of this article is relevant for specific taxes, while the tax-quality relationship of the other article is relevant for ad valorem taxes.
A Further Perspective on Neutrality in a Public Goods Economy with Conjectural Variations
Authors: Buchholz Wolfgang
Published: March 2007

The results of Sandler and Posnett (1991) are generalized using a simple representation of conjectural variations.
Businesses and the Incidence of Sales and Use Taxes
Authors: Derrick Frederick W. , Scott Charles E.
Published: March 2007

Sales taxes paid by businesses are buried in production costs and therefore hidden from consumers and policymakers. Final (tax included) prices are related to the number of taxable transactions that the good has undergone and who bears the tax as well as to resource costs. Thus the total sales tax embedded in final prices is obscured. This study investigates the level and the incidence of sales taxes applied to business transactions. An input-output model assuming a full pass forward of the tax is employed. The embedded sales tax is more regressive than the direct share paid by consumers and is found in most commodities including those exempted by legislation.
Fiscal Illusion and the Output Expansion Hypothesis
Authors: Turnbull Geoffrey K.
Published: March 2007

In the traditional certainty model of voter fiscal illusion, voters misperceive non-stochastic tax prices as being lower than they actually are and therefore allow public sector officials to expand output beyond the perfect information output. This article shows how modeling fiscal illusion as imperfect voter information or uncertainty introduces an additional risk term that offsets the certainty model illusion-output expansion effect. The fiscal illusion-output expansion hypothesis is evaluated by empirically examining the impact of fiscal structure complexity, both with respect to sources and uses of revenues, on public expenditure demand. In keeping with the uncertainty model of fiscal illusion, the data reveal little support for the illusion-output expansion hypothesis.
A Spatially Autoregressive Median Voter Model of Recreation Expenditures
Authors: Murdoch James C. , Rahmatian Morteza , Thayer Mark A.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a median voter model to explain the expenditures on recreation by local governments. The authors show that when the benefits of a public good provided by one community can spill over to members of other communities the correct empirical specification is a spatially autoregressive econometric model With respect to local recreation, it was found that communities with relatively high incomes and air pollution spend relatively less on provision.
Upping the Ante for Lotto: a Strategy for Enhancing State Revenues
Authors: Scoggins John F.
Published: March 2007

Many state lottery agencies operate a numbers game in which a grand prize accumulates (i.e. "rolls over") until at least one player wins it. This type of game is usually called a "lotto. " This article investigates the possibility of enhancing net revenues from a lotto by artificially increasing the expected grand prize amount with funds not generated by the game itself. Using data from the Florida Lotto, a time series regression for weekly ticket sales is estimated. Also introduced is a limited dependent variable model to estimate the probability that the grand prize will roll over as afunction of ticket sales. This model is based on a variation of the binomial distribution. The findings are that net revenues can be increased by artificially increasing the grand prize, but the timing of the increase has a large impact on the expected rate of return.
Capitalization and Sorting: a Revision
Authors: Yinger John
Published: March 2007

Can "matched" sorting, the assignment of high-income households to communities with high-quality public services, be sustained by competition alone? This article revises an analysis of this question and extends this analysis to consider a simple case of zoning. This revision reveals that housing market competition cannot sustain matched sorting under all circumstances but is likely to do so given available estimates of the relevant elasticities. Moreover, a simple zoning policy can lead to matched sorting whenever competition is not sufficient.