bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plume Dispersion Anomalies in a Nocturnal Urban Boundary Layer in Complex Terrain
Authors: Finn Dennis , Clawson Kirk L. , Carter Roger G. , Rich Jason D. , Allwine K. Jerry
Published: April 2008

The URBAN 2000 experiments were conducted in the complex urban and topographical terrain in Salt Lake City, Utah, in stable nighttime conditions. Unexpected plume dispersion often arose because of the interaction of complex terrain and mountain–valley flow dynamics, drainage flows, synoptic influences, and urban canopy effects, all within a nocturnal boundary layer. It was found that plume dispersion was strongly influenced by topography, that dispersion can be significantly different than what might be expected based upon the available wind data, and that it is problematic to rely on any one urban-area wind measurement to predict or anticipate dispersion. Small-scale flows can be very important in dispersion, and their interaction with the larger-scale flow field needs to be carefully considered. Some of the anomalies observed include extremely slow dispersion, complicated recirculation dispersion patterns in which plume transport was in directions opposed to the measured winds, and flow decoupling. Some of the plume dispersion anomalies could only be attributed to small-scale winds that were not resolved by the existing meteorological monitoring network. The results shown will make clear the difficulties in modeling or planning for emergency response to toxic releases in a nocturnal urban boundary layer within complex terrain.
Comparison of Radiosonde and GCM Vertical Temperature Trend Profiles: Effects of Dataset Choice and Data Homogenization*
Authors: Lanzante John R. , Free Melissa
Published: April 2008

In comparisons of radiosonde vertical temperature trend profiles with comparable profiles derived from selected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) general circulation models (GCMs) driven by major external forcings of the latter part of the twentieth century, model trends exhibit a positive bias relative to radiosonde trends in the majority of cases for both time periods examined (1960–99 and 1979–99). Homogeneity adjustments made in the Radiosonde Atmospheric Temperature Products for Assessing Climate (RATPAC) and Hadley Centre Atmospheric Temperatures, version 2 (HadAT2), radiosonde datasets, which are applied by dataset developers to account for time-varying biases introduced by historical changes in instruments and measurement practices, reduce the relative bias in most cases. Although some differences were found between the two observed datasets, in general the observed trend profiles were more similar to one another than either was to the GCM profiles.

In the troposphere, adjustment has a greater impact on improving agreement of the shapes of the trend profiles than on improving agreement of the layer mean trends, whereas in the stratosphere the opposite is true. Agreement between the shapes of GCM and radiosonde trend profiles is generally better in the stratosphere than the troposphere, with more complexity to the profiles in the latter than the former. In the troposphere the tropics exhibit the poorest agreement between GCM and radiosonde trend profiles, but also the largest improvement in agreement resulting from homogeneity adjustment.

In the stratosphere, radiosonde trends indicate more cooling than GCMs. For the 1979–99 period, a disproportionate amount of this discrepancy arises several months after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, at which time temperatures in the radiosonde time series cool abruptly by ∼0.5 K compared to those derived from GCMs, and this difference persists to the end of the record.
On the Possible Use of Copolar Correlation Coefficient for Improving the Drop Size Distribution Estimates at C Band
Authors: Thurai M. , Hudak D. , Bringi V. N.
Published: April 2008

A decrease in copolar correlation coefficient (ρco) at C band has been observed for several rain events with broad drop size distributions (DSDs). Observational evidence comes from simultaneous measurements with a C-band dual-polarization radar and a 2D video disdrometer. The possibility of utilizing the ρco decrease for DSD retrievals is discussed. A preliminary method using the copolar reflectivity, differential reflectivity, and ρco is given for estimating the DSD parameters. Validation is carried out by deriving the differential propagation phase (Φdp) from the estimated DSD parameters and comparing against measurements. The method presented here shows potential but needs to be further assessed in different rain climatologies.
Effect Size Reporting Practices in Published Articles
Authors: Alhija Fadia Nasser-Abu , Levy Adi
Published: March 2008

Effect size (ES) reporting practices in a sample of 10 educational research journals are examined in this study. Five of these journals explicitly require reporting ES and the other 5 have no such policy. Data were obtained from 99 articles published in the years 2003 and 2004, in which 183 statistical analyses were conducted. Findings indicate no major differences between the two types of journals in terms of ES reporting practices. Different conclusions could be reached based on interpreting ES versus p values. The discrepancy between conclusions based on statistical versus practical significance is frequently not reported, not interpreted, and mostly not discussed or resolved.
The Bem Sex-Role Inventory
Authors: Choi Namok , Fuqua Dale R. , Newman Jody L.
Published: March 2008

Pedhazur and Tetenbaum speculated that factor structures from self-ratings of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) personality traits would be different from factor structures from desirability ratings of the same traits. To explore this hypothesis, both desirability ratings of BSRI traits (both for a man and for a woman) and self-ratings were obtained from the same sample and factor analyzed. Factor analyses performed on the three sets of ratings of the 40 BSRI traits (self-ratings, desirability ratings for a man, and desirability ratings for a woman) confirmed that the factors across ratings were diverse. Thus, the underlying constructs must be studied independently. Predictive discriminant analyses replicated the finding that two traits alone ( Masculine and Feminine) provided nearly all of the discrimination of males and females in the sample when self-ratings were employed. Also, predictive discriminant analyses revealed that the classification of participants into gender groups was very accurate using self-ratings but deteriorated remarkably when using the desirability ratings.
Factor Structure of Scores From the Maslach Burnout Inventory
Authors: Worley Jody A. , Vassar Matt , Wheeler Denna L. , Barnes Laura L. B.
Published: March 2008

This study provides a summary of 45 exploratory and confirmatory factor-analytic studies that examined the internal structure of scores obtained from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). It highlights characteristics of the studies that account for differences in reporting of the MBI factor structure. This approach includes an examination of the various sample characteristics, forms of the instrument, factor-analytic methods, and the reported factor structure across studies that have attempted to examine the dimensionality of the MBI. This study also investigates the dimensionality of MBI scale scores using meta-analysis. Both descriptive and empirical analysis supported a three-factor model. The pattern of reported dimensions across validation studies should enhance understanding of the structural dimensions that the MBI measures as well as provide a more meaningful interpretation of its test scores.
Analysis of Three-Dimensional Quadratic Failure Criteria for Thick Composites using the Direct Micromechanics Method
Authors: Stamblewski Christopher , Sankar Bhavani V. , Zenkert Dan
Published: March 2008

Currently fiber composites are used in thick structures with significant out of plane stresses for which new 3D failure criteria are required. In this article the direct micromechanics method is used to determine the exact failure envelope of a unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite. A hexagonal unit cell of the composite is modeled using finite elements. Assuming that the failure criteria for the fiber and matrix materials and for the fiber-matrix interface are known, the exact failure envelope is constructed from a large number of three-dimensional stress states that correspond to failure initiation in the composite. These 3D failure stress states are then used to develop five three-dimensional phenomenological failure criteria: maximum stress; maximum strain; quadratic stress; quadratic strain; and optimized quadratic failure criteria. It is observed that the 3D quadratic stress and strain failure criteria may not always be closed, that is, they predict infinite strength in some directions. They can be made closed in combination with the maximum stress or the maximum strain failure criterion. It is found that a combination of aforementioned 3D failure criteria make failure prediction in thick composites more accurate and reliable. It is noted that the newly proposed optimized quadratic failure criteria is always closed, and is found to be more reliable than all other 3D failure criteria.
Whole Mount Enzyme Histochemistry as a Rapid Screen at Necropsy for Expression of β-Galactosidase (LacZ)–Bearing Transgenes: Considerations for Separating Specific LacZ Activity from Nonspecific (Endogenous) Galactosidase Activity
Authors: Bolon Brad
Published: March 2008

Whole mount enzyme histochemistry to localize lacZ-bearing transgenes (lacZ-WMH) also detects endogenous β-galactosidases. The experiments reported here evaluated lacZ-WMH as a potential tool for transgene expression analysis during high-throughput rodent necropsies. A lacZ-WMH survey of organs from adult, wild-type, male and female mice (C57BL/6, FVB/N) and female rats (Sprague-Dawley) performed at the optimal pH (≥ 7.0) for bacterial lacZ yielded intense endogenous staining in the gonads, kidney, male accessory sex organs, salivary glands, submucosal glands in the duodenum, and thyroid. Substantial staining occurred in the adrenal cortex, lymph nodes, and linings of the gastrointestinal tract, the urinary bladder and uterus, and (for rat only) in the adenohypophysis, bone marrow, thymus, and trigeminal ganglia. Endogenous galactosidases were distributed similarly in sections of flash-frozen organs used for slide-based lacZ histochemistry (lacZ-SBH) at pH ≤ 5.0 (optimal for eukaryotic enzymes). Cerebral neurons were labeled only by lacZ-SBH. At pH 7.4, endogenous but not specific lacZ activity was abolished for lacZ-SBH, while endogenous activity was not halted without reducing specific activity for lacZ-WMH. These data demonstrate that lacZ-WMH is feasible during rodent necropsies for many but not all organs if species-, strain-, and sex-specific divergence in endogenous galactosidase activity is considered and special fixation (3% paraformaldehyde for 3 hours at 4°C) is used.
Third Clarke Hall Lecture Probation and Other Social Services of the Courts
Authors: Harris S.W.
Published: March 2008

In the Hall of Gray's Inn, London, on 27th January, Mr. S. W. Harris delivered the Third Clarke Hall Lecture before a distinguished audience. The chair was taken by Sir Herbert Samuel, who in I907, as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Department, was responsible for the introduction and passage of the Probation of Offenders Act, I907.
Robotic Self-replication in Structured Environments: Physical Demonstrations and Complexity Measures
Authors: Lee Kiju , Moses Matt , Chirikjian Gregory S.
Published: March 2008

In this paper we define a complexity ratio that measures the degree to which a robot is self-replicating based on the number and complexity of subsystems that it can assemble to form a functional replica. We also quantify how structured the environment must be in order for a robot to function. This calculation uses Sanderson's concept of parts entropy. Together, the complexity measure of the robot and environmental entropy provide quantitative benchmarks to assess the state of the art in the subfield of self-replicating robotic systems, and provide goals for the design of future systems. We demonstrate these principles with three prototype systems that show different degrees of robotic self-replication. The first robot is controlled by a microprocessor and consists of five subsystems. The second has no microprocessor and is implemented as a finite-state machine consisting of discrete logic chips that are distributed over five subsystems. The third design consists of six subsystems and is able to handle greater environmental entropy. These systems demonstrate the desired progression towards self-replicating robots consisting of greater numbers of subsystems, each of lower complexity, and which are able to function in environments with increasing levels of disorder.
Automated Design of Adaptive Controllers for Modular Robots using Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Varshavskaya Paulina , Kaelbling Leslie Pack , Rus Daniela
Published: March 2008

Designing distributed controllers for self-reconfiguring modular robots has been consistently challenging. We have developed a reinforcement learning approach which can be used both to automate controller design and to adapt robot behavior on-line. In this paper, we report on our study of reinforcement learning in the domain of self-reconfigurable modular robots: the underlying assumptions, the applicable algorithms and the issues of partial observability, large search spaces and local optima. We propose and validate experimentally in simulation a number of techniques designed to address these and other scalability issues that arise in applying machine learning to distributed systems such as modular robots. We discuss ways to make learning faster, more robust and amenable to on-line application by giving scaffolding to the learning agents in the form of policy representation, structured experience and additional information. With enough structure modular robots can run learning algorithms to both automate the generation of distributed controllers, and adapt to the changing environment and deliver on the self-organization promise with less interference from human designers, programmers and operators.
Distributed Watchpoints: Debugging Large Modular Robot Systems
Authors: De Rosa Michael , Goldstein Seth , Lee Peter , Campbell Jason , Pillai Padmanabhan
Published: March 2008

Distributed systems frequently exhibit properties of interest which span multiple entities. These properties cannot easily be recognized from any single entity, but can be readily detected by combining the knowledge of multiple entities. Testing for distributed properties is especially important in debugging or verifying software for modular robots. We have developed a technique we call distributed watchpoint triggers which can efficiently recognize distributed conditions. Our watchpoint description language can handle a variety of temporal, spatial and logical properties spanning multiple robots. In this paper we present the specification language, describe the distributed online mechanism for detecting distributed conditions in a running system and evaluate the performance of our implementation.
Million Module March: Scalable Locomotion for Large Self-Reconfiguring Robots
Authors: Fitch Robert , Butler Zack
Published: March 2008

Self-reconfiguring robots have the potential to explore highly variable terrain, operating as parallel groups or combining to surmount large obstacles. If the modules are at a smaller scale, they may also be able to physically render arbitrary shapes in an interactive way. In order to realize these capabilities, groups with large numbers of modules must be used, and algorithms to control such large groups must be extremely scalable in order to be executed on simple modules. In this work, we present an algorithm for locomotion of lattice-based self-reconfiguring robots that uses constant memory per module with execution times that are sublinear in the number of modules. The algorithm is inspired by reinforcement learning and uses dynamic programming to plan module paths in parallel. We have also developed a novel localized cooperation scheme that allows the modules to move both without disconnecting the system and with small amounts of communication. The combined algorithm is able to direct locomotion over arbitrary obstacles, and due to continuous replanning the goal can be moved at any time to `joystick' the robot over the environment. The formulation of the goal used in the planning also encourages dynamic stability. We have developed both centralized and decentralized implementations in simulation, as well as an implementation for the Superbot system, and present empirical results showing the sublinear nature of our technique.
Miche: Modular Shape Formation by Self-Disassembly
Authors: Gilpin Kyle , Kotay Keith , Rus Daniela , Vasilescu Iuliu
Published: March 2008

We describe the design, implementation and programming of a set of robots that, starting from an amorphous arrangement, can be assembled into arbitrary shapes and then commanded to self-disassemble in an organized manner to obtain a goal shape. We present custom hardware, distributed algorithms and experimental results from hundreds of trails which show the system successfully forming complex 3D shapes. Each of the 28 modules in the system is implemented as a 1.8-inch autonomous cube-shaped robot able to connect to and communicate with its immediate neighbors. Embedded microprocessors control each module's magnetic connection mechanisms and infrared communication interfaces. When assembled into a structure, the modules form a system that can be virtually sculpted using a computer interface and a distributed process. The group of modules collectively decides which elements are a part of the final shape and which are not using algorithms that minimize information transmission and storage. Finally, the modules not in the structure disengage their magnetic couplings and fall away under the influence of an external force: in this case, gravity.
Automatic Configuration Recognition Methods in Modular Robots
Authors: Park Michael , Chitta Sachin , Teichman Alex , Yim Mark
Published: March 2008

Recognizing useful modular robot configurations composed of hundreds of modules is a significant challenge. Matching a new modular robot configuration to a library of known configurations is essential in identifying and applying control schemes. We present three different algorithms to address the problem of (a) matching and (b) mapping new robot configurations onto a library of known configurations. The first method solves the problem using graph isomorphisms and can identify configurations that share the same underlying graph structure, but have different port connections amongst the modules. The second approach compares graph spectra of configuration matrices to find a permutation matrix that maps a given configuration to a known one. The third algorithm exploits the unique structure of the problem for the particular robots used in our research to achieve impressive gains in performance and speed over existing techniques, especially for larger configurations. With these three algorithms, this paper presents novel solutions to the problem of configuration recognition and sheds light on theoretical and practical issues for long-term advances in this important area of modular robotics. Results and examples are provided to compare the performance of the three algorithms and discuss their relative advantages.
Designing Modular Lattice Systems with Chiral Space Groups
Authors: Brener Nicolas , Ben Amar Faiz , Bidaud Philippe
Published: March 2008

We propose to use the concept of chiral space groups used by crystallography science to define and design lattice robots. Chiral space groups are of great interest because they give all possible sets of discrete displacements having a group structure and a translational symmetry. We explain the analogy between lattice robot kinematics and crystal symmetry, and identify three fundamental properties of lattice robots: (1) discreteness; (2) translational symmetry; and (3) composition. Then we give the possible connector symmetries and orientations into a chiral space group, and the possible sliding and hinge joint locations and orientations compatible with the displacements in the groups. We present a framework for the design of lattice robots by assembling compatible joints and connectors into a chiral space group. Several two-dimensional and three-dimensional examples of designs are given to illustrate the framework. Moreover, we list the symmetries of the two chiral space groups P432 and P622 because they contain the symmetries of all the 65 chiral space groups and allow the design of any lattice system.
The use of historical data and artifacts in geomorphology
Authors: Trimble Stanley W.
Published: March 2008

Historical data and artifacts, as commonly used in historical geography, can provide powerful tools for dating geomorphological processes over the past century or more and applications can range from months to millennia. Investigations in geomorphology and environmental management can be greatly enhanced by the use of historical techniques. The approach is useful for tracing human-induced changes as well as for those occurring naturally. Several primary techniques are introduced in this essay.
Goal functions in ecosystem and biosphere evolution
Authors: Phillips Jonathan D.
Published: March 2008

Although natural selection operates at the gene or individual level, a number of proposals, hypotheses and theories exist postulating the evolution of entities such as ecosystems, and indeed the entire biosphere. Further, there exist theories of evolution that are based not on the relative advantages (be they competitive or mutualistic) conferred on individuals, populations, or taxa, but on community, ecosystem, or biosphere-level goal functions, typically related to productivity criteria. A key question is why nature would seek to optimize energy flux or efficiency, biogeochemical cycling, or anything else. While development along some optimal pathway does occur, whether this is a rule, a tendency, or merely a possibility is not clear. This paper reviews theories of evolution and ecosystem development based explicitly or implicitly on goal functions. If the environment is conceptualized as a multidimensional resource space allocated among organisms, then only three assumptions are necessary for a developmental pathway toward increasing productivity: (1) higher rates of resource procurement and use are associated with ecological or selective advantages; (2) the environment is biologically saturated (or tending in that direction); and (3) the resource space is not contracting due to external abiotic forcings. This suggests that a tendency for evolution along a pathway toward maximum energy and/more matter fluxes, storages, transformations, or cycling does not require goal functions or natural selection operating at levels beyond the individual. Key research needs involve rigorous testing of these assumptions (particularly the first two), and the relative importance of, and relationships between, various notions of productivity.
Survey of Amanita phalloides poisoning: clinical findings and follow-up evaluation
Authors: Křenová M , Pelclová D , Navrátil T
Published: March 2008

The aim of our study was to evaluate the severity of hepatic and kidney damage with a focus on their reversibility, and to analyze the prognostic factors following Amanita phalloides poisoning based on calls made to the Czech Toxicological Information Centre. A variety of clinical and laboratory parameters were collected. Student’s t-test and Fisher’s test were used for statistical analysis. Amanita phalloides poisoning was verified in 34 cases (5 children, 29 adults). The following findings emerged: vomiting (76%), diarrhea (62%), hepatic failure (24%), and renal failure (11%). Two patients died on the fifth day after mushroom ingestion. In 18 patients, all serum levels normalized by the time of discharge; in 10 patients up to 7.3 months on average after discharge. Five patients did not comply with follow-up. Renal damage persisted in only one patient, 19 months after discharge. In conclusion, the interval to recovery from hepatic and renal damage by the time of discharge depended on a decrease in the prothrombin index and an increase in serum transaminase and bilirubin levels. Recovery was favorable in all subjects who survived the acute phase of poisoning, except in one patient with a solitary kidney.
Medicaid Nursing Home Payment and the Role of Provider Taxes
Authors: Grabowski David C. , Zhanlian Feng  , Mor Vincent
Published: March 2008

In the context of recent state budget shortfalls and the repeal of the Boren Amendment, state Medicaid expenditures for nursing home care were considered a potential target for payment cuts. The authors examine this issue using data from a survey of state nursing home payment policies. Results indicate that aggregate inflation-adjusted Medicaid payment rates steadily increased through 2004, and this growth is partly attributable to the adoption of nursing home provider taxes in many states. A recent proposal to cap provider taxes, if enacted, may lead to a decrease in Medicaid payment rates for nursing home care.
Sensorial and Physicochemical Characteristics of Salmon (Salmo salar) Treated by Different Smoking Processes during Storage
Authors: Martinez O. , Salmerón J. , Guillén M.D. , Casas C.
Published: March 2008

This study compares the effects of four different smoking processes on the sensorial and physicochemical characteristics of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fillets. Two commercial liquid smoke flavourings (FA and FB) and two types of wood used for cold-smoking wood smoke generation (BS: Beech wood and OS: Oak wood) are investigated. Comparisons were made over a 45 day storage period. Control salmon samples (Cn) (i.e., samples that underwent no smoke treatment of any kind) were characterised by their low colour intensity, firmness, fat release and fibrousness and high adhesiveness, pH, TBARS and TMA values, and a strong amine odour. Fillets treated with smoke flavouring FA showed characteristics very similar to those of the Cn samples, however their colour and smoke odour are more intense and their adhesiveness, amine odour and TMA values lower. Fish treated with smoke flavouring FB show low brightness and pH, but high firmness, elasticity, colour intensity and a high expressible water content. Salmon samples smoked with BS or OS smoke had a low intensity amine odour as well as low brightness, pH, TBARS and TMA values, high colour and smoke odour intensities, and a high fat release value. The effect of storage time on sensorial and physicochemical parameters was evident: the values recorded for certain characteristics decrease, such as, colour intensity, elasticity or firmness, and others increase, such as, amine odour, expressible water content or TMA, and some showing a linear relationship with time (elasticity or amine odour intensity).
Effect of Physico-chemical Characteristics of Raw Muscles from Three Iberian × Duroc Genotypes on Dry-cured Meat Products Quality
Authors: Ramirez M.R. , Cava R.
Published: March 2008

The effect of raw material characteristics (longissimus dorsi and biceps femoris) on dry-cured loin and ham quality from three different Iberian · Duroc genotypes was studied: GEN1: ♂ Iberian · ♀ Duroc1, GEN2: ♂ Duroc1 · ♀ Iberian; GEN3: ♂ Duroc2 · ♀ Iberian. GEN1 and GEN2 are reciprocal crosses, while the difference between GEN2 and GEN3 is the Duroc sire line. The line Duroc1 (DU1) was selected for the manufacture of dry-cured meat products, whereas the line Duroc2 (DU2) was selected for meat production with low carcass fat. Raw material and dry-cured meat products did not differ between reciprocal crosses (GEN1 vs. GEN2). However, the genotype of the Duroc sire line affected the quality of meat and dry-cured meat products. GEN1 and GEN2 had higher adipogenic nature and higher postmortem pH than GEN3, and as a result, these dry-cured meat products had better instrumental and sensory quality than those from GEN3. By contrast, meat from GEN3 had lower pH, fat content, and oxidative stability which decreased the quality of dry-cured meat products. Therefore, there was a close connection between raw material and dry-cured meat products quality as it was affected by characteristics related to the genotype such as the adipogenic character and meat quality traits associated with pH.
Food Proteins as Precursors of Bioactive Peptides — Classification Into Families
Authors: Dziuba M. , Darewicz M.
Published: March 2008

The Bioactive Peptides (BIOPEP) database developed at the Department of Food Biochemistry, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn was used to determine the profiles of the potential biological activity of food proteins and to classify them into families. Proteins whose amino acid sequences contained fragments with a specified activity and which were a potential source of this activity were divided into families. Among the 44 biological activities of peptides included in the BIOPEP database, 23 were selected for analysis. The number of families was diversified. The largest families were composed of proteins — precursors of antihypertensive peptides and dipeptidyl aminopeptidase IV inhibitors as well as those activating ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and opioid ones. Only a few proteins included in the database contained in their sequences fragments with the following activities: chemotactic, binding and transporting metals and metal ions, stimulating red blood cells synthesis, inducing contractions of smooth muscles, and hemolytic. Highly numerous families were divided into five sub-families according to the value of the frequency of occurrence of fragments exhibiting given activity (A parameter).
A Functional Framework for the Influence of Implicit and Explicit Motives on Autobiographical Memory
Authors: Woike Barbara A.
Published: March 2008

A functional framework explains the influence of implicit and explicit motives on autobiographical memory. Personality motives at different levels of awareness are differentially activated by the social context and, in turn, engage memory processes. Research shows that these motives influence both what and how autobiographical events are remembered. Specifically, implicit motives modulate encoding and recall of emotional experiences, vivid memories, and event-specific knowledge through nonconscious organizing strategies that facilitate affective end states. Explicit motives modulate encoding and recall of events linked to self-concept stability change, as well as routine experiences and general event scripts that represent typical self-attributed behaviors that facilitate the attainment of current goals. Research from narrative essays, self-report data, and controlled experiments demonstrates that implicit and explicit motives have a differential influence on each step of the memory process. An integrative framework explains this research from a functional perspective.
Evaluation of Change in Local Governance
Authors: Haveri Arto
Published: March 2008

This article, grounded in evaluation research on intermunicipal cooperation, contends that processes of change in local government present specific challenges for evaluation. In the course of data collection, researchers encountered a phenomenon that they called `the rhetorical wall', where there is a wide gap between intentions as expressed at the rhetorical level and what actually occurs.The rhetorical wall indicates the complexity and difficulty of decision-making involved in local government change processes. It also indicates what can be termed `the politics of images', which may be regarded as a new institutionalized rule affecting the behaviour, interpretations and actions of local-level actors. It is suggested that the notions of the rhetorical wall and the politics of images have many implications with regard to evaluation of change in local government.
Current Challenges in Development Evaluation
Authors: Conlin Sean , Stirrat Roderick L.
Published: March 2008

Over the past 20 years, the development industry has changed rapidly and now presents evaluators with a series of new challenges.This article considers this process of change. It argues that there has been a move away from a `project-based' approach to a broader vision of development centred on the Millennium Development Goals, which has led to a change of the evaluation approach: from an assessment of outputs to an evaluation of results. Furthermore, the increasing complexity of ways in which the development process is conceptualized demands increasingly sophisticated and interpretive approaches to evaluation.Whilst there will remain space for positivist approaches in certain sectors of the industry, it is increasingly likely that other approaches will become more dominant.
Evaluation and/as Social Relation
Authors: Abma Tineke A. , Widdershoven Guy A.M.
Published: March 2008

This article discusses the importance of social relations in evaluation. It focuses first on social relations among stakeholders in the evaluation setting. It is argued that social relations are crucial as an object of study, since they are integral to and partly constitutive of the quality and effectiveness of the programme being evaluated. Next, it focuses on the social relations between the evaluator and the stakeholders in the programme. Several positions concerning the evaluator—stakeholder relationship are identified and related to evaluative traditions and underlying normative frameworks. It is argued that evaluation is inherently and inevitably a social practice. Evaluators should therefore not only attend to the social relations as an object of study, but also be aware of the normative dimensions and implications of their practice, and accompanying relational responsibilities. Acknowledgement of the normative dimensions of evaluation as social relation creates room for new, joint ways of learning between evaluators and stakeholders.
Telling My Story
Authors: Washington Olivia G.M. , Moxley David P.
Published: March 2008

The authors document the integration of methods from the arts and humanities into a social research and development project, the objectives of which are to create and test promising interventions helpful in assisting older homeless African American women get and stay out of homelessness in the city of Detroit, Michigan, USA. The exhibit incorporates multiple forms of narrative, includes performative features, promotes public awareness of homelessness in the city of Detroit, and engages homeless and formerly homeless women in social action. The authors examine the prototype design and the involvement of participants in creating artistic portrayals of their homeless experience.
From Page to Stage
Authors: Rossiter Kate , Gray Julia , Kontos Pia , Keightley Michelle , Colantonio Angela , Gilbert Julie
Published: March 2008

In recent years, interdisciplinary collaboration between artists and social scientists has received sustained interest from many members of the academic community. However, cross-disciplinary work is often more difficult than presumed. Epistemological and methodological differences between disciplines create barriers that may impede collaborative projects. This article explores some of the unique tensions and challenges that arose from the creation of `After the Crash', a research-based theatre production about traumatic brain injury. Through the narrative lens of the project's dramaturg, we explore moments of interdisciplinary tension, and the possibility for the role of the dramaturg to build bridges between disparate methods of knowledge generation and translation.
Expanding Health Literacy
Authors: Stewart Suzanne , Riecken Ted , Scott Tish , Tanaka Michele , Riecken Janet
Published: March 2008

How can creating videos contribute to expanding health literacy? This article describes a participatory action research project with a group of Canadian Indigenous youth and their teachers. As the youth explored their interests about health and wellness through the artistic creation of videos, they developed a critical consciousness about community, culture, confidence, and control. They became mobilized and obtained information about health and wellness that allowed for the development and expansion of their notion of health literacy that included cultural conceptions of health and wellness.
Theatre of the Oppressed and Environmental Justice Communities
Authors: Sullivan John , Petronella Sharon , Brooks Edward , Murillo Maria , Primeau Loree , Ward Jonathan
Published: March 2008

Community Environmental Forum Theatre at UTMB-NIEHS Center in Environmental Toxicology uses Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) to promote involvement of citizens, scientists, and health professionals in deconstructing toxic exposures, risk factors, and cumulative stressors that impact the well-being of communities. The TO process encourages collective empowerment of communities by disseminating information and elaborating support networks. TO also elicits transformation and growth on a personal level via a dramaturgical system that restores spontaneity through image-making and improvisation. An NIEHS Environmental Justice Project, Communities Organized against Asthma & Lead, illustrates this interplay of personal and collective change in Houston, Texas.
Gender and sexual identity authentication in language use: the case of chat rooms
Authors: Del-Teso-Craviotto Marisol
Published: March 2008

In this article, I investigate the linguistic practices by which participants in online dating chats become authentic gendered and sexual beings in the virtual world. This process of authentication validates them as members of a specific gender or sexual group, which is a key prerequisite for engaging in the intricacies of online desire and eroticism. Authentication in this context is necessarily a discursive act because of the absence of visual or aural cues, and it takes place through linguistic strategies such as the age/sex/location schema, descriptions of the self, and screen names. The resulting gender and sexual identities are sketches or stereotypes whose value derives from the acceptance of social and cultural discourses on gender and sexuality that are negotiated in the interactions. Authentication, therefore, is not an external process imposed upon people, but the result of specific social practices.
Internationalizing curriculum
Authors: Wylie Michael
Published: March 2008

This article defines how the message systems of international schools and the mechanisms of learning and control can be located in a trajectory from colonialism to global civil society. A discussion of Bernstein's message systems introduces how practice in international schools can be defined. The practice of international schools is framed theoretically by taking colonial, post-colonial, globalization and global civil reform perspectives of international education. The `International Education Matrix' emerges as a taxonomy for schools enacting international education. Ideologically international education, it is argued, espouses global civil society yet in practice this is not necessarily the case.
A cure for insomnia
Authors: MacDonald James
Published: March 2008

Using data provided by the Council of International Schools and a literature review to contextualize the subject, this article examines the topic of international school finance. It is suggested that postgraduate programmes are not doing enough to supply financial training for teachers turned administrators, and that a lack of understanding of school finance could be leading to at least four serious and fundamental misconceptions of the nature of international school finance. Administrators are encouraged to develop financial competencies to ensure key decisions are not delegated to non-educators.
Factors affecting option choices relative to the uptake of design and technology at a selected Hong Kong international school
Authors: Hughes Marshall
Published: March 2008

The purpose of the study described in this paper was to identify those factors which affect Year 9 students at Sha Tin College, Hong Kong, as they make option choices at the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9: age 14). The main focus of the investigation was how these factors influence the selection or rejection of the four subjects offered under the heading of Design and Technology. In particular, the effects of attitude, gender and ethnicity were considered. The subjects responded to a questionnaire, and 10 per cent of the sample were interviewed. Responses were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics and results were then used to make recommendations about how the uptake of Design and Technology could be improved in the selected school.
New Approach for Improving Antibacterial Functions of Cotton Fabric
Authors: Gouda M. , Ibrahim N.A.
Published: March 2008

This paper investigates imparting antibacterial properties to cotton fabric via introducing hydantoin groups in/onto the cellulose structure using a new hydantoin derivative followed by chlorination to get the N-halamine biocidal groups. The antibacterial functions of the treated fabric samples are determined by the extent of modification, amount, and availability of the additional active sites, nature of bacteria, as well as number of repeated washing cycles. The biocidal effect is high and follows the descending order: Bacillus subtilis > Escherichia coli microorganisms and can be rechargeable by post-treatment with dilute chlorine solution.
Building community partnerships: case studies of Community Advisory Boards at research sites in Peru, Zimbabwe, and Thailand
Authors: Morin Stephen F , Morfit Simon , Maiorana Andre , Aramrattana Apinun , Goicochea Pedro , Mutsambi John Michael , Robbins Jonathan Leserman , Richards T Anne
Published: March 2008

Background Differences in resources, knowledge, and infrastructure between countries initiating and countries hosting HIV prevention research trials frequently yield ethical dilemmas. Community Advisory Boards (CABs) have emerged as one strategy for establishing partnerships between researchers and host communities to promote community consultation in socially sensitive research.

Purpose To understand the evolution of CABs and community partnerships at international research sites conducting HIV prevention trials.

Methods Three research sites of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) were selected to include geographical representation and diverse populations at risk for HIV/AIDS — in Lima, Peru; Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Data collection included review of secondary data, including academic publications and site-specific progress reports; observations at the research sites; face-to-face interviews with CAB members, research staff, and other key informants; and focus groups with study participants. Rapid assessment techniques were used for data analysis.

Results Two of the three CABs developed new strategies for community representation in response to new studies. All three CABs expanded their original function and became advocates for broader community interests beyond HIV prevention. The participation and input of community representatives, in response to critical incidents that occurred at the sites over the past five years, helped to solidify partnerships between researchers and communities.

Limitations Rapid Assessment is an exploratory methodology designed to provide an understanding of a situation based on the integration of multiple data sources, collected within a short period of time, without a formal examination of transcribed and coded data. Case studies, as a method, are meant to draw out what can be learned from a single case but are not, in the scientific sense, generalizable.

Conclusions In developing countries, CABs can be dynamic entities that enhance the HIV research process, assist in responding to issues involving research ethics, and prepare communities for HIV research. Clinical Trials 2008; 5: 147—156. http://ctj.sagepub.com
New times demand new scholarship
Authors: Stanton Timothy K.
Published: March 2008

This article summarizes discussions held by 23 scholars from research universities in the USA, who are committed to civic and community engaged scholarship and working to advance this work on their campuses and in their communities. This meeting was second in a series first convened by Campus Compact and Tufts University to advance civic engagement within research institutions. This statement, endorsed by the entire group, focuses on opportunities and challenges in four critical areas: engaged scholarship; scholarship focused on civic and community engagement; educating students for civic and community engagement; institutionalization. It identifies challenges to establishing and sustaining engaged scholarship presented by research university contexts, and offers a vision for fully engaged institutions, calling on colleagues to embrace this vision and work to bring it about.
The university in the modern world
Authors: Watson David
Published: March 2008

Building on the analysis in his Managing Civic and Community Engagement (McGraw-Hill/Open University Press, 2007), the author offers an international perspective on the ways in which universities relate to their various communities. Relevant issues of leadership, policy and management are approached through key areas such as: the `narrative' of the institution (especially in relation to its foundation and development); funding of relevant activities (who pays for what, and with what strings attached); external relationships, including the sharing and management of risk (with partners and `stakeholders' of various kinds, as well with as the institutions of civil society and the state); the contributions of staff and students; and the physical and moral `presence' of the university. He concludes by assessing the prospects for a twenty-first century reinvention of liberal higher education.
Embedding community engagement in South African higher education
Authors: Lazarus Josef , Erasmus Mabel , Hendricks Denver , Nduna Joyce , Slamat Jerome
Published: March 2008

Community engagement was a relatively unknown concept in South African higher education until the late 1990s. In response to the call of the White Paper on the Transformation of Higher Education (1997) for `feasibility studies and pilot programmes which explore the potential of community service in higher education' the Joint Education Trust launched the Community — Higher Education — Service Partnerships (CHESP) initiative in 1999. The purpose of this initiative was to assist South African Higher Education Institutions to conceptualization and implementation community engagement as a core function of the academy. This article tracks the development of community engagement in South African higher education through the CHESP initiative and identifies some of the processes and outcomes at a programmatic, institutional and national level. The article includes four South African universities as case studies to illustrate the processes and outcomes of embedding community engagement in South African higher education.