bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drug Trafficking and Drug Use among Urban African American Early Adolescents
Authors: Li Xiaoming , Stanton Bonita , Feigelman Susan , Black Maureen M. , Romer Daniel
Published: March 2007

The relation between drug trafficking (selling and delivering) and drug use among young adolescents has remained poorly characterized to date. In the current study, the associations between drug trafficking, cigarettes and/or alcohol use, and illicit drug use have been explored in three different areas—self-reported behaviors, personal feelings, and perception of friends' involvement—based on a sample of 455 African American youths 9 through 15 years of age residing in six urban public-housing developments. Results confirm findings from previous research that illicit drug use rarely occurs in the absence of cigarette/alcohol use or drug trafficking. By contrast, drug trafficking is equally likely to occur in isolation of, or along with, some drug use. The results support a potential role of drug trafficking in the genesis of illicit drug use. Prevention efforts should extend their focus beyond cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drug use to drug trafficking.
An Outcome Evaluation of the Woodrock Youth Development Project
Authors: LoSciuto Leonard , Freeman Mark A. , Harrington Evan , Altman Brian , Lanphear Alden
Published: March 2007

The Woodrock Youth Development Project (YDP) aims to reduce alcohol tobacco, and drug (ATOD) use among adolescents. The YDP targets riskfactors thatpredispose youth to substance abuse, such as low self-esteem, unhealthy attitudes toward substance abuse, and lack of knowledge about drug effects. The YDP aims to improve problem-solving and coping skills, to raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, and to improve self-perception through increasing academic achievement as well as fostering a sense of cultural pride. Participation in the YDP was shown to reduce the incidence of drug use. Among younger (6 through 9 years of age) participants, the program improved interracial relations and marginally boosted self-esteem and knowledge about ATOD use. Furtherresearch is needed, however, to determine why the programfailed toproduce improvements m these latter atitudinal risk factors among older (10 through 14 years of age) respondents.
Say Yes First: A Longitudinal, School-Based Alcohol and Drug Prevention Project for Rural Youth and Families
Authors: Zavela Kathleen J. , Battistich Victor , Dean B.J. , Flores Ruben , Barton Rachel , Delaney Richard J.
Published: March 2007

This study was based on a 5-year, comprehensive educational and case-management approach to drug prevention that involved 859 students of the class of the year 2000 (41.6% Hispanic) as they progressedfrom 4th through 8th grade. Among a longitudinal, 4-year cohort, program participation was associated significantly with academic achievementfor all students and was associated negatively with frequency of drug use among high-risk students. The prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use for the last 30 days among Say Yes First students in 8th grade was lower than a preceding student cohort that had not participated in the program. These findings indicated that school-based drug-prevention strategies can be effective in improving academic achievement and reducing current use of alcohol and other drugs in rural at-risk students.
Middle School Students' Perceptions of Peer Groups
Authors: England Eileen M. , Petro Kirsten D.
Published: March 2007

From the social cognitive perspective, two studies were designed to investigate adolescent peer groups. In Study 1, middle school students named their peer groups and provided characteristics they perceived to be associated with each group. Content analysis indicated that characteristics were related to adolescent social concerns. In Study 2, another group of adolescents rated how true they perceived the characteristics were of a peer group. Results indicated the early adolescents used the full rating scale, which indicated they make relative, not either/or, judgments. The ratings study provided information about the constellation of characteristics that identify peer groups as overlapping. Nerds were perceived to be similar to goody-goodies but not the same. The study also provided information about individual groups. Populars were perceived to be highly social and moderately likely to participate in antisocial behaviors. These studies indicate that further investigations of peer groups as social categories can provide important information.
Creating Positive Group Project Experiences: An Examination of the Role of the Instructor on Students’ Perceptions of Group Projects
Authors: Chapman Kenneth J. , van Auken Stuart
Published: March 2007

The role of the instructor in influencing students’ attitudes, beliefs, and concerns toward group projects was assessed in a survey of students at 32 educational institutions. Results from a path-analytic model support the view that the instructor plays a significant role in influencing students’ attitudes, perceived benefits, and work and grade equity concerns regarding group work. The research showed that students were more likely to have positive attitudes about group work if they had instructors who discussed group management issues (e.g., group dynamics) and used methods to evaluate individual performance within the group (e.g., peer evaluations). In addition, the findings indicate that in general, instructors are not doing enough to facilitate students’ group experiences.
Marketing the Fantasy Football League: Utilization of Simulation to Enhance Sport Marketing Concepts
Authors: Gillentine Andy , Schulz Jeff
Published: March 2007

The use of simulation offers marketing educators many instructional opportunities that would be unavailable to students without the use of simulation. The operation of a fantasy football league offers a simulation that encompasses many of the factors that occur in day-to-day marketing operations in the sport industry. Previous studies investigating the use of role-play and simulation activities have documented higher levels of student motivation and involvement compared with traditional lecture methods. Through simulation, the student becomes an active participant in problem-solving situations rather than a passive recipient of information. Simulations also help prepare students to gain job-related skills desired by future employers. To explore the use of simulation, this article will examine the development and the advantages and disadvantages of using a fantasy football league to enhance comprehension of sport marketing concepts.
Exploring Achievement Striving as a Moderator of the Grading Leniency Effect
Authors: Bacon Donald R. , Novotny Jenny
Published: March 2007

Graduate and undergraduate students were asked to rate hypothetical teachers in a full-factorial, full-profile conjoint task. Teacher attributes of grading leniency, workload assigned, enthusiasm, and real-world orientation were manipulated. Achievement striving, a subscale of the Type A personality scale, was found to be inversely related to the tendency to give higher evaluations to lenient-grading teachers at the undergraduate level but not at the graduate level. Additional analyses and implications are discussed.
Enriching Our Understanding of Student Team Effectiveness
Authors: Deeter-Schmelz Dawn R. , Kennedy Karen Norman , Ramsey Rosemary P.
Published: March 2007

As team projects become ever more common in business and in the marketing classroom, an increased understanding of factors contributing to team effectiveness is necessary for instructors to assist students in realizing the potential benefits of this pedagogical tool. Drawing from a wide base of literature on team research, the authors develop an input-process-output model of team effectiveness. Using data from 85 teams from marketing classes, this model was tested. Results support the positive and direct role of cohesion as an input variable on the process variable of team work. Additional relationships are explored, and the implications of the research findings are discussed with practical suggestions for the marketing classroom.
Beyond the Core Triad: Just What Do Marketing Academics Do Outside of Teaching, Research, and Service?
Authors: Rapert Molly Inhofe , Kurtz David L. , Smith Scott
Published: March 2007

Just as the business world is in a constant state of flux and evolution, so is the academic world in which we operate as marketing educators. Most institutions embrace the core triad of teaching, research, and service. But what do we do outside of this triad? A nationwide survey reveals that the majority of marketing educatorsengage in activitiesoutside the core such as consulting opportunities with industry, serving as expert witnesses, overload teaching, working on contract or research grants, and more. This study identifies current trendsin how faculty membersexpend their time, compensation ranges for these activities, and the perception of colleagues and administrators.
Planning and Developing an Effective Teaching Strategy for Adult Marketing Education in Academic Courses, Continuing Education or Management Development Programs
Authors: Weinrauch J. Donald
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the tremendous growth, challenges, and implications for adult marketing education in tradi tional credit courses, continuing education or management development programs. It provides an exploratory frame work for marketing educators in developing content, for mat, and pedagogical techniques in instructing the dy namic adult market. It highlights adult learning behav ioral characteristics and then provides some specific di rections and suggestions for meeting the specific educa tional needs of adults.
An Investigation of Student Peer Evaluation on Group Project Performance
Authors: Cook Robert W.
Published: March 2007

This study was undertaken to determine whether the introduction of one form of peer grading could create an atmosphere whereby marketing students would be better able to learn and apply marketing concepts in the group project setting. Iden tical group projects were assigned to marketing students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in two successive quarters. In one case peer evaluation was used; the following quarter it was not.
The Mystery Shopper Technique as an Experiential Exercise to Teach Undergraduate Marketing Principles
Authors: Czepiec Helena
Published: March 2007

This article describes how the mystery shopper research technique can be adapted for teaching marketing principles. Trained as comparison shoppers, students visit stores and evaluate competitive product, price, and sales strategies.
Marketing Faculty Promotion and Tenure Policies and Practices
Authors: Beltramini Richard F. , Schlacter John L. , Kelley Craig
Published: March 2007

The promotion and tenure policies and practices of marketing departments in particular are explored. The balance among the evaluative areas of performance (teaching, research, and service) are assessed, together with the perceived importance of the various components of each area. The results are discussed in terms of trends in today's educational system.
An Experiential Approach for Integrating Ethical Analysis into Marketing Coursework
Authors: Gaidis William C. , Andrews J. Craig
Published: March 2007

This article presents an instructional module designed to help students confront the ethical issues often found in business practice. It uses the experiential approach increasingly found in marketing course work. An example of the use of this module in a promotion strategy class is provided.
Marketing Dissertations: Profiling the Successful Thesis Candidate
Authors: Smart Denise T. , Conant Jeffrey S.
Published: March 2007

This article reports results of a field study undertaken with 34 marketing doctoral program advisors. The respondents were contacted through the mail and asked to identify the differentiating characteristics of their most successful dissertation-stage doctoral candidates. The doctoral advisors who participated also were asked to provide suggestions on dissertation topic identification, chairperson selection, committee management and coordination, and proposal development. Results indicate that successful dissertation-stage doctoral candidates are perseverant, intellectually curious, and methodologically competent, and that they possess strong interpersonal skills. The findings have direct and meaningful implications both for doctoral candidates and faculty involved in doctoral education.
Student Evaluations in Marketing: What is Actually being Measured?
Authors: Clayson Dennis E. , Haley Debra A.
Published: March 2007

An analysis of one university's student evaluation used to measure teaching effectiveness in marketing classes found that students' perceptions of fairness, instructor knowledge and interest, and student learning all were related to how the instructor was evaluated. The rigor of the class was negatively related to the evaluation. The personality of the instructor was related to all other variables and was almost twice as strong of a predictor of the final evaluation as any other factor.
A Procedure for Determining Sample Size for Multiple Population Parameter Studies
Authors: Ballenger Joe K. , McCune Sandra K.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this article is to present, by example, a procedure for determining sample size that would be useful in those marketing research projects which gather primary data by questionnaire. A sample questionnaire that seeks to determine several population parameters in one study is presented and a procedure is suggested for determining the sample size for the study.
The Effects-Reasoning Matrix: A Tool for Broadening Ethics Sensitivity
Authors: Duke Charles R. , Pickett Gregory M. , Grove Stephen J. , Carlson Les
Published: March 2007

An ethical effects-reasoning matrix (ERM) is proposed as a device to broaden ethics sensitivity by encouraging students to examine ethical decisions from various perspectives. The framework is designed to help students appreciate the wide range of ethical approaches that may be expected from multiple stakeholders in any business decisions.
Enhancing Learning in Consumer Behavior by Incorporating Course Material into Radio Scripts
Authors: Olsen G. Douglas
Published: March 2007

This article describes an innovative, instructional method for consumer behavior in which students, within groups, incorporate course material into a radio script. Benefits, limitations, and implementation issues are examined, and empirical research is provided suggesting that this method of learning performs well on a wide range of educational criteria.
Skating on Thin Ice: A Metaphorical Approach to Teaching Services Marketing
Authors: Fisk Raymond P. , Grove Stephen J. , Goodwin Cathy
Published: March 2007

A metaphorical approach to teaching services marketing is explored. A discussion of the utility of metaphors is presented, and the role of metaphors in marketing is reviewed. The article then examines the "Thick Ice"problem of both professors and students pursuing low-risk learning strategies. A "Skating on Thin Ice" strategy of experimenting with the use of metaphors as pedagogical tools in services marketing classes is detailed. Other applications of the metaphorical approach are also considered.
Telemarketing for the Business School as a Sales Course Project
Authors: Milner Laura M.
Published: March 2007

Client-based projects provide a more comprehensive learning experience than other participation exercises in business school courses. Most client-based projects, however, share two basic disadvantages: changing clients each semester entails heavy work and constantly intense learning curves for the faculty involved, and extensive cold calling exposes students to a potentially high rate of rejection, which may discourage them from pursuing sales careers. This article describes a client-based telemarketing project that avoids these disadvantages by using the students' own business school as the client and prospects who have already indicated some interest in the school. Methodology and teaching considerations are discussed.
Marketing the Marketing Major
Authors: Hugstad Paul
Published: March 2007

This article addresses the issue of recent declines in the number and quality of marketing majors within business schools. These issues are discussed within the more general context of changing student enrollment patterns and alternative models of student choice of major The development of proactive marketing plans and strategic alliances between marketing departments and other departments and units, both on campus and outside the university, is discussed as a means of more effectively marketing the marketing major.
Marketing Departments on the World Wide Web: State of the Art and Recommendations
Authors: McBane Donald A.
Published: March 2007

The World Wide Web has become an important communications tool for businesses and universities alike. This article details the kind of information being presented on department of marketing Web sites and provides recommendations for improvements in content and organization. A brief look at future trends concludes the article.
Meeting the Challenges to Undergraduate Marketing Education
Authors: Lamont Lawrence M. , Friedman Ken
Published: March 2007

New knowledge and powerful forces, such as technology and globalization, have converged to present significant challenges to traditional marketing curricula. It is time for educators to rethink marketing education, including curriculum design and teaching methods. This article discusses the forces shaping the future of marketing education, presents a view of the future to guide curriculum development, and develops four themes for marketing educators to consider in meeting the challenges to marketing education.
A Customer Value-Based Approach to MBA Marketing Education
Authors: Moon Mark A. , Mentzer John T. , Reizenstein Richard C. , Woodruff Robert B.
Published: March 2007

At the University of Tennessee, the authors have developed a curriculum that exposes MBA students to a customer value-based approach to marketing and that strives to teach a set of skills that will allow the students to implement this approach when they enter marketing organizations. The purpose of this article is to describe this innovative curriculum and how it was developed.
Guaranteeing Student Satisfaction: An Exercise in Treating Students as Customers
Authors: McCollough Michael A. , Gremler Dwayne D.
Published: March 2007

Service guarantees, formal promises made to customers about the service they will receive, are rarely offered in university classes. In this article, the authors report on their experience in guaranteeing the satisfaction of undergraduate students with the instructor’s performance. The rationale for, success of, and lessons learned from this pedagogical exercise are reviewed. In addition, detailed feedback from students gained through focus group interviews and a written student assignment regarding the guarantee is examined. General advice related to the guarantee is offered for instructors interested in guaranteeing their own performance.
Privatization as a Problem of Satisficing and Dissatisficing
Authors: Rose Richard
Published: March 2007

Privatization has four distinguishing qualities: an increase in private ownership, competition, deregulation, and reducing reliance upon public funds. It is a multidimensional concept involving trade-offs between competing objectives in a continuing process of dissatisfaction and satisfaction. Thus, to understand the dynamics of privatization we need to consider in which direction government is moving. The extensive British experience shows that there can be a large reduction in public ownership and public subsidies without promoting competition and even introducing new forms of regulation. Three extreme "satisficing" goals are considered: renationalization through the back door of regulation and subsidy; further privatization of public enterprises selling goods and services; and the privatization of social programs. The most likely political equilibrium involves a mixture of both state and market calculations rather than a rigid separation of activities into purely private or purely public.
Liberalizing Restrictions on Political Activities of State Employees: Perceptions of High-Level State Executives
Authors: Pearson William M. , Castle David S.
Published: March 2007

Examination of state executives' perceptions of state Hatch Acts from a 1988 survey indicates that about two-fifths of those that responded think their present political activity level would increase if existing restrictions on political involvement were relaxed. Those respondents professed a slightly higher inclination for increased political participation than those in a 1977 study. Executives who are female, young, black, newcomers, and affiliated with social service agencies demonstrate the greatest potential for political activism stemming from liberalized state Hatch Acts. Debate continues over the question of whether state executives will act on these predilections and convert perceptions into behavior.
The Information-Seeking Behavior of Local Government Officials
Authors: Levin Marc A.
Published: March 2007

This research assesses the information-seeking behavior of top-level municipal and county government officials. Data were obtained through a 1989 mail questionnaire sent to 200 local officials serving in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. One hundred and fifty-six officials returned usable questionnaires, resulting in a 78% response rate. The survey explored eight attitudes of policy-makers toward gathering information: kinds of information needed, preferred sources, barriers to accessing information, use and usefulness of professional reading materials, receptiveness of public affairs organizations, satisfaction with amount of information, time spent in information-gathering, and the role of office computers. Findings are that high-ranking local officials spend significant work time engaged in information-related tasks, are generally satisfied with their results, are pessimistic about the professional literature yet optimistic about public interest organizations as information providers, and undervalue external library-based resources and computer-assisted information services. Suggested improvements in the delivery of information to local decision-makers focus on the development of electronic "expert systems" and the need for an information-literate local bureaucracy.
Estimating the Costs of Public/Private Infrastructure Deals in Municipal Government
Authors: Nunn Samuel
Published: March 2007

City governments in the U.S. enter into agreements with private developers to provide infrastructure such as roads, drainage systems, and utilities. From a normative perspective, public managers should calculate the costs to city government to execute these public/private deals before they agree to participate. Four cost categories deserve attention: (1) initial expenses required for project approval by city officials (approval spending); (2) spending for changes during project construction (momentum spending); (3) public spending to entice private investment (incentive spending); and (4) city government spending to maintain and operate the new infrastructure (operations spending). This paper calculates spending categories in a case study of Alliance Airport, a major public/private development in Fort Worth, Texas, requiring $63 million of direct and indirect public expenditures. Officials estimated less than 25 percent of total spending before project approval. Two-thirds of the public costs are foregone revenues associated with incentive spending by city government. The findings suggest city administrators and legislators should focus more closely on a precise calculation of these four types of costs before agreeing to public/private economic development deals.
Industrial Engineering: A Productivity Improvement Discipline Underutilized by Government
Authors: Coe Charles K. , Ammons David N.
Published: March 2007

A survey of the members of the primary association of industrial engineers (IEs) confirms that relatively few IEs work in government, especially for state and local governments. Underutilization exists despite evidence that IEs can improve governmental productivity through a variety of analytic techniques. More wide-spread use of IEs in government would be encouraged by forging stronger interdisciplinary ties between public administration and industrial engineering.
Assuring Failure: Implementation Design and Policy Environment of a Federal Program Provision
Authors: Helms Lelia B. , Kurtt Sharon B. , Henkin Alan B.
Published: March 2007

A viable policy design, considered in policy implementation, should integrate understandings of the increasing autonomy of the public-policy environment, especially where policies are nested within a policy sector. Environmental factors are accentuated in policies employing a strong statute implementation design with little latitude for adaptation and negotiation. A case study of one aspect of the Guaranteed Student Loan Program illustrates the advantage of viewing and designing policies from an ecological perspective in a crowded policy sector.
Toward Identifying the Determinants of Public-Employee Unions' Involvement in Political Activities
Authors: Chandler Timothy D. , Gely Rafael
Published: March 2007

Public-employee unions' political activities directly affect collective bargaining outcomes, yet we know little about the determinants of such activities. In this paper, we present a model that specifies public-employee unions' political activities to be a function of organizational characteristics of cities, institutional features of labor management relations, and various environmental factors. We tested the model using municipal-level data collected by the International City Management Association. The findings support several conclusions regarding public-employee unions' political activities. First, factors that determine unions' involvement in electoral politics differ from those that determine unions' involvement in legislative politics. Second, electoral political activities appear to be used as a complement to collective bargaining. Third, who serves as chief negotiator for a city significantly affects unions' participation in political activities.
Frederick the Great on Government and Public Administration
Authors: Spicer Michael W.
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the political and administrative ideas of Frederick the Great, as expressed in his writings, and attempts to assess their significance for American public administration thinking. Frederick's ideas on enlightened government, the good of the state, and the role of public administration are examined here. It is argued that the ideas espoused by Frederick have been influential in American public administration thinking about the role of public administration and the nature of the state.
Methods of Knowledge Development in Marketing and Macromarketing
Authors: Zinkhan George M. , Jones Marilyn Y. , Gardial Sarah , Cox Keith K.
Published: March 2007

A framework is proposed to examine the process of knowledge development in marketing and macromarketing. To this end, various approaches for developing new knowledge are specified and discussed: theory applications, effects applications, and replication/extensions. This framework is used to highlight differences between micro- and macromarketing. A content analysis of North American journal articles published over the past 10 years demonstrates where the knowledge development focus has been in recent years and facilitates recommendations to guide future knowledge development.
Rejection of Mortgage Refinancing: An Analysis from a Macromarketing Perspective
Authors: Goff Brent G. , Nataraajan Rajan
Published: March 2007

This study explores the social consequences of rejection of mortgage refinancing and attributes the causes primarily to market imperfections. The implications of such rejection to public policy makers, consumers, and marketers are discussed. Although the findings support increased competition, government intercession in the mortgage and refinancing industry is suggested to protect consumer interests.
Identifying and Understanding the Energy Conservation Consumer: A Macromarketing Systems Approach
Authors: Powers Thomas L. , Swan John E. , Lee Seung-Dong
Published: March 2007

This article examines the issue of consumer participation in energy conservation programs. A macromarketing systems framework is used to examine the complex problem of consumer response to these programs. Research propositions are derived based on the framework suggested by Costanzo and others (1986). The results indicate that energy conservation is related to several social structure elements. The findings can be used to develop more effective marketplace interventions of this type in the future.
Empirical Research in Macromarketing
Authors: Finn Adam , McQuitty Shaun
Published: March 2007

This article examines the research articles published in the first 11 volumes of the Journal of Macromarketing. The objectives are to determine whether the journal has become more empirical over time and how the analytical and statistical methods being used in macromarketing compare with those used elsewhere in the marketing literature.
Marketing, Theory Borrowing, and Critical Reflection
Authors: Murray Jeff B. , Evers Deborah J. , Janda Swinder
Published: March 2007

The interdisciplinary nature of marketing and macromarketing has resulted in borrowing theories from other disciplines. Informed and purposeful theory borrowing, that is, the use of a theory in a context different from its original one to explain a new phenomenon, has developed and enriched the field. To the extent that theory borrowing is indiscriminate or opportunistic, however, researchers may be misled in their attempts to understand the phenomenon of interest. This article presents the key philosophical issues involved in theory borrowing and develops evaluative criteria for appropriate borrowing. The criteria are a workbench heuristic, useful to researchers engaged in theory borrowing, and important issues are illustrated with examples from marketing and macromarketing, including population ecology, financial economics, and motivation research.
The Early Development of Purchasing Roles in the American Household, 1750 to 1840
Authors: Witkowski Terrence H.
Published: March 2007

This article investigates American household purchasing roles from the late colonial era to the mid-nineteenth century. Issues examined include marital authority versus the real balance of power, home production and the gendered division of labor, and family decision-making influences and purchasing behaviors. The article points out historical changes and continuities as well as some social class differences. The concluding section suggests implications for marketing and consumer history as well as some limitations of the research.
Postmodernism Perspectives for Macromarketing: An Inquiry into the Global Information and Sign Economy
Authors: Venkatesh Alladi
Published: March 2007

The author proposes a postmodern framework for understanding the contemporary global economic and social/cultural order. Because the origins of postmodernism are so diverse and disparate, the challenge for macromarketers is to capture the key concepts that are relevant to macromarketing theory and practice. Toward this goal, the author specifies five postmodern conditions that constitute the postmodern framework: the sign system, hyperreality, particularism, fragmentation, and the symbolic nature of consumption. The article proceeds to identify and analyze three contemporary macromarketing topics using the postmodern framework: the global sign economy, flexible regimes of production and consumption, and the information economy and informational capitalism. The article concludes with implications for future research and practice.
On the Inverse Kinematics of Redundant Manipulators
Authors: Baker Daniel R. , Wampler Charles W.
Published: March 2007

Many conventional nonredundant manipulators have singu lar configurations, near which some small motions of the end-effector require excessive and physically unrealizable joint speeds. Consequently, the usable workspace of the ma nipulator is effectively reduced. It has been proposed that high joint speeds could be avoided by introducing redundant joints and using an appropriate kinematic inversion algo rithm. For a very general class of kinematic inversion algo rithms, the theorems of this paper state some fundamental relations between the properties of the algorithm and its ability to resolve such problems. These results have practical implications in the design of controllers for redundant ma nipulators, especially when real-time sensory input is used to modify the manipulator's trajectory.
Efficient Intersection Tests for Objects Defined Constructively
Authors: Cameron Stephen
Published: March 2007

Testing for the existence of intersections is an important part of algorithms for interference detection, collision detection, and the like. We describe three techniques that can be used to implement an efficient intersection detection routine when entities are described constructively, that is, as set combina tions of primitive entities. All three techniques are described in a domain where constructive solid geometry is the princi pal entity description used, although their use in boundary representation schemes is also discussed. The first technique, called S-bounds, is a method of reasoning about where inter sections may be taking place; in practice it is fast and often sufficient. S-bounds can also be used as a general constraint manipulation method over Boolean algebras. The second technique is based on spatial subdivision, and is used mainly to improve the speed of the intersection test. The third tech nique is employed only on regions of space left by the first two techniques; it is a specialization of the "classical" tech nique of generate and test. The combination of these tech niques has been implemented as an intersection detection routine which shows a speedup over the "classical" algorithm of about two orders of magnitude.
Fundamental Limits of Performance for Force Reflecting Teleoperation
Authors: Daniel R.W. , McAree P.R.
Published: March 2007

The quality of telepresence provided by a force-reflecting teleopera tor is determined, for the most part, by the fidelity of the contact-force information fed back to the operator. These fed-back forces, how ever, also directly influence system stability, and in this paper we investigate the relationship between fidelity and stability with a view toward understanding how stability considerations impose funda mental limits on system performance. The key idea of our work is to draw an explicit distinction between the information conveyed by the force signal and the energy inherent in that signal. Using known physiological properties of the operator, we argue that there exists a natural partitioning between information and energy wherein in formation is conveyed at frequencies above roughly 30 Hz, while the energetic interaction between the slave and the environment takes place at frequencies below this. We embody this distinction in a two-channel framework that we claim provides insight into the de sign of force-reflecting systems. Using a 1-DOF model, we study the effect of various system characteristics, notably mass, stiffness, and damping properties, on performance and stability. This model is used to derive expressions for the maximum force-reflection ratio that guarantees stability against pure-stiffness environments and to investigate the role of various compensation elements, including lo cal force control around the slave. Finally, a framework is developed for force-reflecting teleoperation that maximizes the force informa tion conveyed to the operator, subject to the constraints imposed by stability considerations.
Multilevel Path Planning for Nonholonomic Robots Using Semiholonomic Subsystems
Authors: Sekhavat Sepanta , Svestka Petr , Laumond Jean-Paul , Overmars Mark H.
Published: March 2007

We present a new and complete multilevel approachfor solving path- planning problems for nonholonomic robots. At the first level, a path is found that disrespects (some of) the nonholonomic constraints. At each of the next levels, a new path is generated by transformation of the path generated at the previous level. The transformation is such that more nonholonomic constraints are respected than at the previous level. At the final level, all nonholonomic constraints are respected.

We present two techniques for these transformations. The first, which we call the pick and link technique, repeatedly picks pieces from the given path, and tries to replace them by more feasible ones. The second technique restricts the free configuration space to a "tube" around the given path, and a road map that captures the free-space connectivity within this tube is constructed by the prob abilistic path planner. From this road map we retrieve a new, more feasible path.

In the intermediate levels, we plan paths for what we refer to as semiholonomic subsystems. Such systems are obtained by taking real (physical) systems, and removing some of their nonholonomic constraints.

In this paper, we apply the scheme to carlike robots pulling trail ers, that is, tractor-trailer robots. In this case, the real system is the tractor-trailer robot, and the ignored constraints in the semiholo nomic subsystems are the kinematic ones on the trailers. These are the constraints of rolling without slipping, on the trailer's wheels.

Experimental results are given that illustrate the time efficiency of the resulting planner. In particular, we show that using the multilevel scheme leads to significantly better performance (in computation time and path shape) than direct transformations to feasible paths.
Automatic Design of 3-D Fixtures and Assembly Pallets
Authors: Brost Randy C. , Peters Ralph R.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents an implemented algorithm that automatically de signs fixtures and assembly pallets to hold three-dimensional parts. All fixtures generated by the algorithm employ round side locators, a side clamp, and cylindrical supports; depending on the value of an input-control flag, the fixture may also include swing-arm top clamps. Using these modular elements, the algorithm designs fix tures that rigidly constrain and locate a part, obey task constraints, are robust to part-shape variations, are easy to load, and are eco nomical to produce. For the class of fixtures that are considered, the algorithm is guaranteed to find the global optimum design that sat isfies these and other pragmatic conditions. We present the results of the algorithm applied to several practical manufacturing problems. For these complex problems, the algorithm typically returns initial high-quality fixture designs in less than a minute, and identifies the global optimum design in just over an hour. The algorithm is also capable of solving difficult design problems where a single fixture is desired that can hold either of two parts.
The Emotional Effects of Music on Religious Experience: A Study of the Pentecostal-Charismatic Style of Music and Worship
Authors: Miller Mandi M. , Strongman Kenneth T.
Published: March 2007

The relationship of the Pentecostal-Charismatic (P-C) style of music and worship practices to religious experience was investigated. The compositional devices typically found in this type of church music were analysed with respect to their potential emotional effects. In Study 1, members of a P-C church responded to questionnaires and interviews about the importance of music in their church services. Participants' mood significantly increased from directly before the service until directly after the music and worship part of the service, although there was little change throughout the remainder of the service.

In Study 2, a P-C group and a non-P-C group had their reactions assessed to four musical selections. Two selections were secular and two were religious, as used in P-C church services. The groups had similar reactions to the secular pieces but the P-C group had stronger "energetic" and "awesome" emotional reactions than the non-P-C group to the religious selections. Familiarity with and associations to the music seemed to be the important factors in this effect. The investigation demonstrated how music is used as a facilitator of religious experience in a P-C church. Results are discussed with respect to their implications for the links between music, emotion and religious experience.
An Experimental Study of Children's Sensitivity to Mood in Music
Authors: Giomo Carla J.
Published: March 2007

This experiment tested children aged five and nine years in their abilities to perceive in music. The non-verbal response instrument used schematic faces arranged in a semantic differential format within each of Wedin's (1972) three musical mood dimensions. Twelve brief but complete classical music selections were used. Three public school elementary music educators acted as the criterion group. Involved in this study were 81 five-year-olds and 92 nine-year-olds. In addition to the age factor in the ability to perceive mood in music, other variables were examined, including gender, handedness, home musical environment, and socio-economic status. Age and handedness did not show significant single effects. Girls performed significantly better than boys at both age levels. Socio-economic status was revealed as a significant effect among the nine-year-olds. The presence of a home musical environment did show a significant effect.
Figural and Metric Understanding of Rhythm
Authors: Smith Karen C. , Cuddy Lola L. , Upitis Rena
Published: March 2007

Bamberger's studies of visual descriptions of rhythmic patterns led to a distinction between two kinds of rhythmic understanding: metric and figural (Bamberger, 1982). Metric understanding describes events in terms of a measured underlying beat, while figural understanding describes events in terms of the events surrounding them. The present study asked whether the ability to produce accurate figural representations is related to the level of metric understanding.

Forty-nine children (6-12 years old), and forty-eight adults (17-45 years old), served as subjects. Twenty-four of the adults, but none of the children, were musically trained. Each listener completed four tasks: (1) drawing, (2) clap-back, (3) join-in, and (4) an intelligence test. For the first three tasks, eighteen rhythm sequences were designed so that metric and figural representations did not coincide.

The drawing task required listeners to represent each sequence with symbols of their choice, so that someone else could reproduce the sequence from their description. For the clap-back task, listeners were asked to clap back the sequence. For the join-in task, listeners were asked to clap along with what they perceived to be the underlying beat of the sequence.

For both children and adults correlations between accuracy on drawing and performance tests were significant for the figural drawers but not for the metric drawers. Accuracy of figural drawing is related, for both children and adults, to the ability to respond to the metric aspects of rhythm. Figural descriptions and metric actions may be complementary aspects of rhythmic understanding.
Children's Invented Notations as Measures of Musical Understanding
Authors: Gromko Joyce Eastlund
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of children's invented notations as a measure of their musical understanding. Notations were compared on the basis of their inventor's performance on tests of perceptual discrimination, performance by singing and playing, and their age. Sixty children aged between 4 and 8 years were tested for their perceptual discrimination with the rhythm and tonal subtests of the Primary Measures of Musical Audiation (PMMA) (Gordon, 1979). After each child reproduced a short folk song by singing and playing, he or she was asked to "write the way the song sounds". Three independent judges scored the children's singing and playing for their tonal and rhythmic accuracy and the children's invented notations for indications of tonal and rhythmic awareness. A correlation of all independent variables showed scores on PMMA rhythm, PMMA tonal, singing, and playing and the child's age to be significantly related. Because of the multicollinearity among variables, a principal components analysis was performed that extracted one factor and assigned a factor score to each subject. Inventors were divided into two groups. Mean factor scores for each group of inventors were compared using a one-way ANOVA. Significant differences (F = 39-12, p<-001) were found between musical understanding factor scores for groups of inventors. The higher the musical understanding factor score, the more likely the notation reflected pitch awareness. Likewise, inventors were grouped according to rhythm awareness. Mean factor scores for groups were found to be significantly different (F= 24*41, p< 001). The higher the musical understanding score, the more likely that the notation embodied an awareness of rhythm. The results of this study suggest that skills in perception and performance, as well as age, may contribute to musical understandings that are reflected in children's invented musical notations, lending evidence to the validity of children's invented notations as a measure of their musical understanding.
The Assessment of Musical Performance: Development and Validation of Five New Measures
Authors: McPherson Gary E.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the ability of 101 high school instrumentalists to perform rehearsed music, sight-read, play from memory, pay by ear and improvise. It is organised into three parts: part one describes the development of measures to assess instrumentalists' ability to perform music from memory, by ear and by improvising. In part two, scores on each of these measures are compared with results obtained using (1) the Watkins-Farnum Performance Scale to measure sight-reading ability, and (2) awards in an Australian Music Examinations Board performance examination to indicate subject ability to perform a repertoire of rehearsed music. For part three, 16 variables related to subjects' musical background were examined in order to determine the degree of correlation between these variables and the five performance skills. Results show a pattern of higher correlations between the five types of performance as instrumentalists mature. In addition, important differences between each of the five skills and 16 variables were observed and discussed.
Enjoyment of Negative Emotions in Music: An Associative Network Explanation
Authors: Schubert Emery
Published: March 2007

It is paradoxical that people should like music that evokes negative emotions. In this article an associative network, incorporating principles of connectionism and semantic networks, is presented to explain this incongruity. Negative and positive emotion nodes are appropriately connected to pleasure and displeasure centres. Activation of any nodes, apart from those in the "displeasure centre", results in the sensation of pleasure. An aesthetic context activates a node which inhibits this displeasure centre. Therefore, in an aesthetic context, such as listening to music, any activation is pleasurable. Negative emotion nodes representing anger, sadness or fear can become activated and at the same time be enjoyed. Changing nodal activation thresholds explains why musical preferences do not remain constant. It is proposed that such networks may be useful in providing a mechanistic explanation of other aesthetic experiences in response to music.