bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fitting Hierarchical Holographic Modeling into the Theory of Scenario Structuring and a Resulting Refinement to the Quantitative Definition of Risk
Authors: Kaplan Stan , Haimes Yacov Y. , Garrick B. John
Published: March 2003

A point of view is suggested from which the Hierarchical Holographic Modeling (HHM) method can be seen as one more method within the Theory of Scenario Structuring (TSS), which is that part of Quantitative Risk Assessment having to do with the task of identifying the set of risk scenarios. Seen in this way, HHM brings strongly to our attention the fact that different methods within TSS can result in different sets of risk scenarios for the same underlying problem. Although this is not a problem practically, it is a bit awkward conceptually from the standpoint of the “set of triplets” definition of risk, in which the scenario set is part of the definition. Accordingly, the present article suggests a refinement to the set of triplets definition, which removes the specific set of scenarios, found by any of the TSS methods, from the definition of risk and casts it, instead, as an approximation to the “true” set of scenarios that is native to the problem at hand and not affected by the TSS method used.
Estimates of the Health Risk Reductions Associated with Attainment of Alternative Particulate Matter Standards in Two U.S. Cities
Authors: Deck Leland B. , Post Ellen S. , Smith Eric , Wiener Matthew , Cunningham Kathleen , Richmond Harvey
Published: March 2003

As part of its periodic re‐evaluation of particulate matter (PM) standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated the health risk reductions associated with attainment of alternative PM standards in two locations in the United States with relatively complete air quality data: Philadelphia and Los Angeles. PM standards at the time of the analysis were defined for particles of aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 μm, denoted as PM‐10. The risk analyses estimated the risk reductions that would be associated with changing from attainment of the PM‐10 standards then in place to attainment of alternative standards using an indicator measuring fine particles, defined as those particles of aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm and denoted as PM‐2.5. Annual average PM‐2.5 standards of 12.5, 15, and 20 μg/m3 were considered in various combinations with daily PM‐2.5 standards of 50 and 65 μg/m3. Attainment of a standard or set of standards was simulated by a proportional rollback of “as is” daily PM concentrations to daily PM concentrations that would just meet the standard(s). The predicted reductions in the incidence of health effects varied from zero, for those alternative standards already being met, to substantial reductions of over 88% of all PM‐associated incidence (e.g., in mortality associated with long‐term exposures in Los Angeles, under attainment of an annual standard of 12.5 μg/m3). Sensitivity analyses and integrated uncertainty analyses assessed the multiple‐source uncertainty surrounding estimates of risk reduction.
Acute Exposure to Extremely Hazardous Substances: An Analysis of Environmental Equity
Authors: Chakraborty Jayajit
Published: March 2003

Although environmental equity research has focused primarily on chronic pollution sources, recent advances in environmental modeling and geographic information systems (GIS) provide a foundation for developing measures that can be used to evaluate differential exposure to acute pollution events. This article describes a methodology that uses facility‐specific information to develop a risk surface representing the spatial distribution of accidental exposure to hazardous substances in a study area. Environmental pollution models recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were used in conjunction with GIS software to achieve this objective. The methodology was implemented in a large metropolitan region (Hillsborough County, Florida) to examine disproportionate exposure to worst‐case releases of extremely hazardous substances. The environmental inequity hypothesis was investigated by directly comparing the distribution of potential exposures within each racial (non‐White versus White) and income (below poverty versus above poverty) subgroup. The results indicate that a significantly large proportion of both non‐White and impoverished individuals resided in areas potentially exposed to multiple accidental releases.
Safe and Sorry: Risk, Environmental Equity, and Hazardous Waste Management Facilities
Authors: Atlas Mark K.
Published: March 2003

Many empirical environmental equity analyses have attempted to determine if hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facilities (TSDFs) are in disproportionately minority or low‐income areas. These prior analyses did not explain the extent of the risks posed by TSDFs, nor did they weight the distribution of those risks by the individual characteristics of the TSDFs. This study evaluated the risks posed by TSDFs in general and then examined whether any such risks were distributed inequitably when each TSDF was weighted by the amount of hazardous waste that it managed. Based on an assessment of the nature of the hazardous wastes that TSDFs manage, the possible exposure paths to risk from TSDFs, the laws designed to minimize the risks that TSDFs pose, and TSDFs’ safety records, the attention devoted to TSDFs by environmental equity researchers is greatly exaggerated. Furthermore, based on this study’s analyses, there was no pattern of the TSDFs or the risks that they posed being inequitably concentrated in disproportionately minority or low‐income areas. Most of the TSDFs and the hazardous waste that they manage are in areas that are either unpopulated or have fewer minority or low‐income people than the national average. There are, however, some TSDFs that are in highly populated, heavily minority or low‐income areas, which results in such people being more likely overall to be in close proximity to these facilities.
Orientalism andAntivoluntarism in the History of Ethics: On Christian Wolff's Oratio de Sinarum philosophia practica
Authors: Larrimore Mark
Published: March 2003

Christian Wolff's 1721 Discourse on the Practical Philosophy of the Chinese is generally read as championing the autonomy of ethics from religion. This is too simple: Wolff's ethics was an antivoluntarist religious ethics. The example of the Chinese confirmed for Wolff that revelation is not necessary for knowledge or practice of genuine virtue, though he held that the Chinese achieve only the first of three “degrees of virtue.” (Most Christians, including the Pietists who drove Wolff from Halle shortly after he delivered the Discourse, did not, in his judgment, achieve even that.) China's being perceived as outside of Western (and sacred) history made it a congenial example for the ethics and moral anthropology that, in Wolff's time, were struggling against the voluntarism of a Christian ethics premised on original sin.
Agency, Nature, Transcendence, and Moralism: A Review of Recent Work in Moral Psychology
Authors: Mathewes Charles T.
Published: March 2003

Recent work in moral and philosophical psychology provides valuable resources for religious ethicists, and this review examines contributions by Julia Annas, Annette Baier, John Bowlin, John McDowell, and William Wainwright. This literature raises important questions about the character of human moral beingas naturalistic, about whether an explicitly supernatural morality can be other than inevitably “moralistic,” and about how that might be so. Nonetheless, religious ethicists should appropriate it only with care, particularly in its emphasis on naturalism, and the partiality of its appropriation of ancient thinkers.
On A Reductionist Analysis of William James's Philosophy of Religion
Authors: Baggett David
Published: March 2003

William James undertook to steer his way between a rationalistic systemthat was not empirical enough and an empirical system so materialistic that it could not account for the value commitments on which it rested. In arguing against both the absolutists (gnostics) and the empiricists (agnostics), he defined a position of pluralistic moralism that seemed equally distant from both, leaving himself vulnerable to the criticism that he had rescued morality from scientism only by reducing religion to morals. Such criticism, however, ignores distinctions James made between religion and theology and between monistic theology and dualistic theology. When these distinctions are taken into account, it becomes evident that James can be criticized for reducing religion to morality only from the point of view of either absolute monism or religious humanism and that radical empiricism not only embraces a significant number ofnonmoral religious experiences but also leaves open the possibility of belief in the particular historical God of traditional Christianity.
Original Sin and the Hermeneutics of Charity: A Response to Gilbert Meilaender
Authors: Mathewes Charles T.
Published: March 2003

Looking for a way to read the classic texts of Christian antiquity without treating them either as if they were written yesterday or as if they were archeological artefacts, the author endorses Meilaender's endeavor to develop the insights of Augustine in the modern context. He nevertheless suggests that a different way of drawing the analogy between sex and eating would better capture Augustine's distinctive way of joining theology and ethics and would enable a more vigorous defense of Augustine against modern critics of his treatment of sexuality.
A Civil Art: The Persuasive Moral Voice of Oscar Romero
Authors: Swanson Tod D.
Published: March 2003

When moral or religious teachings have public and political effects, analysis usually focuses on the message, but attention to the manner in which the teachings are communicated is equally important in understanding their power to influence the course of events. Oscar Romero's particular style of moral discourse was remarkably effective for three reasons: First, his moral reasoning resonated with Salvadoran identity. It was intelligible within those reigning assumptions about national history and territory that could actually move a public to action. Second, his moral judgments were timely. Romero sought to discern what was possible for the Salvadoran public at a given moment. Third, Romero had integrity as public figure. He lived in such a way that his life, and especially his death, became an exemplary embodiment of the larger religious narrative that both grounded his ethics and gave meaning to the nation.
Bonhoeffer on Modernity: Sic et Non
Authors: Elshtain Jean Bethke
Published: March 2003

Though Bonhoeffer is usually thought to have been one of the architects of modern theology, he was also one of modernity’s most penetrating critics. The author lays out Bonhoeffer’s challenges to certain cherished modern assumptions by examining (1) his linkage of totalitarianism to the political utopianism that arose out of the French Revolution, (2) his fear of the nihilistic implications of the rationalists’ notion of the sovereign self and of the modern tendency to view life as an end in itself, and (3) his suspicion of all forms of moral absolutism, including the Kantian absolutizing of the duty to tell the truth. What emerges is a picture of Bonhoeffer as a theologian who coupled a keen sense of our creatureliness and limitation with a resolute belief in the activity of God in history, and of Bonhoeffer as an ethicist who generated a Christian relational ethics that offers an alternative to both the ethics of abstract principle and the ethics of intuitive situational response.
How Sin Works: A Review Essay
Authors: Weaver Darlene Fozard
Published: March 2003

Reviewing works by James Alison, Alistair McFadyen, Andrew Sung Park, Ted Peters, and Solomon Schimmel, the author suggests that the status and (dys)function of the discourse/doctrine of sin highlight tensions between theology and ethics in ways that suggest the character, limits, and promise of religious ethics. This literature commends attention to sin‐talk because it helps religious ethicists to render more adequately the dynamics of human agency, sociality, and culture and because it raises questions about the nature and task of theology, faith, and morality. Yet these volumes also indicate that religious ethics should pay more attention to particular sins.
The New Darwinian Naturalism in Political Theory
Authors: Arnhart Larry
Published: March 2003

There has been a resurgence of Darwinian naturalism in political theory, as manifested in the recent work of political scientists such as Roger D. Masters, Robert J. McShea, and James Q. Wilson. They belong to an intellectual tradition that includes not only Charles Darwin but also Aristotle and David Hume. Although most political scientists believe Darwinian social theory has been refuted, their objections rest on three false dichotomies: facts versus values, nature versus freedom, and nature versus nurture. Rejecting these dichotomies would allow the social sciences to be linked to the natural sciences through Darwinian biology.
Confucian Order at the Edge of Chaos: The Science of Complexity and Ancient Wisdom
Authors: Jones David , Culliney John
Published: March 2003

Many academics extol chaos theory and the science of complexity as significant scientific advances with application in such diverse fields as biology, anthropology, economics, and history. In this paper we focus our attention on structure‐within‐chaos and the dynamic self‐organization of complex systems in the context of social philosophy. Although the modern formulation of the science of complexity has developed out of late‐twentieth‐century physics and computational mathematics, its roots may extend much deeper into classical thinking. We argue here that the essential ideas and predictions of the science of complexity are found within the social ordering principle of li (the rites) in Confucius's Analects.
Embodied AI, Creation, and Cog
Authors: Foerst Anne
Published: March 2003

This is a reply to comments on my paper Cog, a Humanoid Robot, and the Questions of the Image of God; one was written by Mary Gerhart and Allan Melvin Russell, and another one by Helmut Reich. I will start with the suggested analogy of the relationship between God and us and the one between us and the humanoid robot Cog and will show why this analogy is not helpful for the dialogue between theology and artificial intelligence (AI). Such a dialogue can succeed only if both our fascination for humanoids and our fear of them are equally accepted. Any avoidance of these emotions, as well as any rejection of the possibility that Cog might one day be humanlike, destroy the dialogue. The interpretation of both scientific theories and religious metaphors as stories replaces seemingly “rational” arguments with the confession of the respective commitments to a body of stories and opens up a space for exchange and friendship between AI‐researchers and theologians—an option that usually remains closed.
The Spiritual Task of Religion in Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: March 2003

It is quite impossible to consider human nature within an evolutionary perspective if we leapfrog over culture and establish some direct relation between cosmic and human evolution without taking culture into consideration. Culture holds a significant place within the structures of nature, as the “epic” of evolution portrays nature—cosmic, physical, and biological. Religion emerges within culture, and it plays a role in organizing the human consciousness and in generating the stories, rituals, and morality that constitute the organization of consciousness. Since organization of consciousness determines how culture is conducted, and since we face a global crisis today because of the ways we are conducting our culture, religion's role is critical for the future of culture. Wherever it is attempted, whether in terms of traditional or posttraditional modes, the fashioning of adequate worldviews, rituals, and morality is an essentially religious activity. For both traditional and posttraditional modes, the task is to weave structures of meaning with the sciences of evolution so as to effect the most suitable organization of consciousness.
Should Religious Naturalists Promote a Naturalistic Religion?
Authors: Drees Willem B.
Published: March 2003

Religious naturalism refers here to a view of reality, and it will be contrasted with versions of supernaturalism and of atheistic naturalism. Naturalistic religion refers to certain varieties of religion, especially some inspired by the universality of science and the need for a global ethics. In this essay I explicate why a religious naturalist need not advocate a naturalistic religion. Rather, a religious naturalist can build upon the heritage of religious traditions and be open to, but at the same time be agnostic about, the idea of a nonnatural ground of reality. The religious naturalism I defend has been criticized from various directions: one reviewer in this journal considered it too much indebted to the traditions, and hence “reactionary” and supernaturalistic; another considered it too minimalist in its religion (“virtually nonexistent”) as a consequence of the preference for a too sober version of naturalism. My distinction between religious naturalism and naturalistic religion may answer some of these objections.
The Epic of Evolution: A Course Developmental Project
Authors: Genet Russell Merle
Published: March 2003

The Epic of Evolution is a course taught at Northern Arizona University. It engages the task of formulating a new epic myth that is based on the physical, natural, social, and cultural sciences. It aims to serve the need of providing meaning for human living in the vast and complex universe that the sciences now depict for us. It is an interdisciplinary effort in an academic setting that is often divided by specializations; it focuses on values in a climate of relativism; and it concentrates on an enterprise for which there are few textbooks at hand. The course is presented in three segments: the cosmos before humans appeared, the human phenomenon, and scenarios for the future of evolution.
Science and Technology in Non‐Western Cultures
Authors: Andresen Jensine
Published: March 2003

Seline's edited volume relevates non‐Western interaction between religious and scientific domains of human intellectual history. Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Chinese thinkers have played central roles in pursuing intellectual inquiry into topics of broad human concern. Although copious and nuanced literary collections in Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan languages document non‐Western contributions, these primary sources often are inaccessible to Western scholars, creating the false illusion that members of non‐Western cultures have offered only marginal contributions to the rigorous investigation of the natural world. This illusion is dispelled thoroughly by a number of excellent articles contained in Seline's volume.
Going As Far As We Can Go: The Jesus Proposal For Stretching Genes and Cultures
Authors: Heffner Philip
Published: March 2003

The Christian perspective on morality is examined under the rubric of “being like Jesus” and the “Jesus proposal for morality.” The Peace People of Northern Ireland are examples of this proposal. Among the features of Christian moral thinking that are emphasized are: Jesus' concern for the future, the transformation that the future requires, human nature interpreted in terms of how it can undergo transformation, and self‐giving love as the core of this transformation. Attention is given to the ways in which Jesus both radicalized and relativized the moral conventions of his day. Dialogue with sociobology comes into play when Jesus is viewed as a proposal for cultural evolution and a kind of biocultural mutation. Gerd Theissen's scholarship on Jesus' moral perspectives is given special attention.
Thermodynamics: What One Needs to Know
Authors: Helrich Carl S.
Published: March 2003

Thermodynamics is the foundation of many of the topics of interest in the religion‐science dialogue. Here a nonmathematical outline of the principles of thermodynamics is presented, providing a historical and conceptually understandable development that can serve teachers from disciplines other than physics. The contributions of Gibbs to both classical and rational thermodynamics, emphasizing the importance of the ensemble in statistical mechanics, are discussed. The seminal ideas of Boltzmann on statistical mechanics are contrasted to those of Gibbs in a discussion of the microscopic interpretation of the second law. The role of information theory is discussed, and the modern ideas of Prigogine and nonequilibrium are outlined in some detail with further reference to the second law. Implications for our interaction with God are considered.
Nancey Murphy's Work
Authors: Ellis George F. R.
Published: March 2003

Nancey Murphy has been influential in the religion‐and‐science field through her espousal of the work of Imre Lakatos, more recently developed into a three‐tier approach to the joint epistemology of scientific and religious thought incorporating also the ideas of Hempel and MacIntyre. She has proposed a substantial influence of the radical reformed tradition on science and has demonstrated the nature of social influences on the form of Darwinism. She has developed important links between ethics and the science‐theology debate and has examined in depth ideas associated with hierarchical structuring, supervenience, and the nature of the soul. Together these form a unique and sharply focused contribution to the understanding of the relation between science and religion.
Is “Intelligent Design” Unavoidable—Even by Howard Van Till? A Response
Authors: Nelson Paul A.
Published: March 2003

Howard Van Till has long been a critic of interventionist conceptions of God's creative activity, and he places the “intelligent design” position in that category. Yet certain lines of reasoning in Van Till's own work can best be understood as arguing for design. It is likely that this reasoning will eventually bring Van Till into conflict with an increasingly naturalistic scientific community.
What is Religious Naturalism? A Preliminary Report of an Ongoing Conversation
Authors: Cavanaugh Michael
Published: March 2003

Religious naturalism is an emerging construct that relies greatly on science and yet affirms attitudes and practices that are distinctly religious in nature. This article explores the meaning of the term as it is used by various proponents, contrasts it to some similar constructs (especially straight naturalism and natural religion), and examines some objections andoutstanding issues from within the science‐religion community: (1) postmodernist objections; (2) whether religious naturalism is sufficiently respectful of traditional religious expression; and (3) whether religious naturalism seeks to be a descriptive or a prescriptive enterprise or both. Overall, religious naturalism is affirmed as a potentially productive new variant of naturaltheology, one that can preserve religious sensibilities without relying on supernatural constructs while maintaining a basic (though not uncritical) affirmation of other religious traditions.
Naturalizing Ethics: the Biology and Psychology of Moral Agency
Authors: Rottschaefer William A.
Published: March 2003

Moral agency is a central feature of both religious and secular conceptions of human beings. In this paper I outline a scientific naturalistic model of moral agency making use of current findings and theories in sociobiology,developmental psychology, and social cognitive theory. The model provides answers to four central questions about moral agency: (1) what it is, (2) how it is acquired, (3) how it is put to work, and (4) how it is justified. I suggest that this model can provide religious and secular moral theories with a basis for a common understanding of moral agency.
The Human Meaning of the Brain
Authors: Nelson James S.
Published: March 2003

This study attempts to show that brain research brings to light religious meanings. There is a physical basis of religion in that the way the brain has evolved makes possible the religious meanings of human experience. The brain grows out of and reflects the universe. The brain is an icon of God. In the analysis of the brain's various parts and functions the relational dimensions of reality are uncovered in their physical basis. This points to ultimate reality as social and to a social God. As such, the structures of reality, experienced through the brain, reflect the reality of God.
Does God Play Dice? A Response to Niels H. Gregersen, “The Idea of Creation and the Theory of Autopoietic Processes”
Authors: Brun Rudolf B.
Published: March 2003

The idea that the Creator has a plan for creation is deeply rooted in the Christian notion of Providence. This notion seems to suggest that the history of creation must be the execution of the providential plan of God. Such an understanding of divine providence expects science to confirm that cosmic history is under supernatural guidance, that evolution is therefore oriented toward a goal—to bring forth human beings, for example. The problem is, however, that science finds evidence for neither supernatural guidance nor teleology in nature. To address this problem, I understand Niels H. Gregersen to suggest that God is involved in the creative process. The reason science cannot demonstrate God's supernatural guidance of evolution is that the Creator structures the process from within. Gregersen argues that God is involved in the process of creation by changing the overall probability pattern of evolving systems.

In my view, such a model of how God interacts with creation is supported neither by orthodox Christianity nor by modern science. After a critique of Gregersen's argument and a brief history of the relationship between Christianity and science, I shall suggest an alternative. It is that the freedom of creation to create itself is implicit in the fundamental dogma of Christianity that God is love.
Gregersen's Vision of a Theonomous Universe
Authors: Gilkey Langdon
Published: March 2003

In his article, “The Idea of Creation and the Theory of Autopoietic Processes,” Niels H. Gregersen has proposed an important thesis: God supports and sustains autopoietic processes in nature. This contribution underscores what Paul Tillich called theonomy, a conception of the divine presence or action as one which under‐girds, makes possible, and brings to perfection the creature's autonomy and creativity. The concept of theonomy is represented not only in contemporary Christian theology, but also in the work of Alfred North Whitehead and the Japanese Buddhist thinker, Tanabe Hajime. Gregersen shows that this concept extends not only to existential realities, but also to science and the processes of nature. There are connections, as well as differences, to be noted between Gregersen and Whitehead. This train of thought would be further enhanced if it included a discussion of the concept of God as the power to be—a connection that certainly is implied in Gregersen's argument.
Where Do We Go from Here?
Authors: Peterson Gregory R.
Published: March 2003

Beginning with the End represents an excellent collection of articles devoted to the thought of Wolfhart Pannenberg. This volume includes many of the most important thinkers in the science‐religion dialogue and shows as well the importance and impact of Pannenberg's theology. This response addresses themes that surface in several of the articles: What is religion? What is science? What is theology? What is God? On some of these themes there is agreement, on others sharp disagreement. The conclusion also considers what this volume suggests about the future of Pannenberg's theology.
Negotiating the Boundaries of Science and Religion: The Case of Henry Margenau
Authors: Durbin William A.
Published: March 2003

The life of Henry Margenau (1901–1997) offers a case study in the complexity of the science‐religion relation. As a physicist‐philosopher at Yale University, he pursued a public program of “amalgamating religion with science.” He drew upon his authority as a physicist and a tradition of philosophical idealism to advocate a “reciprocity” between the two spheres. He argued that a “new modesty” and “metaphysical attitude” among scientists created new opportunities for collaboration. At the same time, his view of faith and his sense of the religiousness of science created troubling ambiguities. In the end, Margenau embodied the ambivalent relation between science and religion while revealing the limits of renegotiating the boundaries.
Postmodernism: What One Needs to Know
Authors: Grassie William
Published: March 2003

This essay is an introduction to postmodernism and deconstruction as they relate to the special challenges of scholarship and teaching in the science and religion multidiscipline.
Are Science and Religion in Conflict?
Authors: Watts Fraser
Published: March 2003

The widely held legend of historical conflict between science and religion cannot be sustained on the basis of research. Different sciences show different relationships to religion; the physical sciences show rapprochement, whereas the human sciences often are antagonistic to religion. Reconciling science and religion by regarding each as applicable to a different domain is rejected in favor of seeing them as complementary perspectives on the same phenomena. The science and theology of human nature represents a fruitful arena for the development of this approach. A key general requirement is the epistemological reconciliation of science and religion.
Durkheim's Pragmatism Lectures: A Contextual Interpretation
Authors: Gross Neil
Published: March 2003

This article attempts to understand Émile Durkheim's 1913–14 lectures on pragmatism and sociology by situating them in the socio-intellectual context of the time. An analysis of books and journal articles from the period reveals that the ideas of the Anglo-American pragmatic philosophers Charles Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and F.C.S. Schiller were very popular in pre-World War I France. The French term le pragmatisme, however, was used to refer not only to the thought of these philosophers, but also to the work of French thinkers, such as Henri Bergson and the Catholic Modernists Maurice Blondel and Edouard Le Roy, who wrote extensively about human action. Pragmatism, because of its associations with Bergsonian spiritualism and the theology of the Modernists, came to have religious connotations for many French intellectuals. Durkheim had a similar understanding of pragmatism and his critique of the pragmatists cannot be fully grasped unless these religious connotations are considered. The article concludes by discussing several implications of this interpretation for sociological theory.
Sociology and the Englishness of English Social Theory
Authors: Kumar Krishan
Published: March 2003

Although England has a rich tradition of social and political thought, sociology does not figure strongly in this tradition. Several influential accounts—such as those by Noel Annan, Philip Abrams, and Perry Anderson—exist to explain this fact. I examine these accounts and, while largely agreeing with the explanations, question whether we should accept the authors' conclusions. In particular, we need to ask whether England was so different from other countries in this respect. Moreover, even if sociology was weak in England, does this mean that the contribution of English social theory was also weak? What alternative traditions of social thought might exist? In examining the English case, we may get some insight not just into the “peculiarities of the English” but also into the way in which the history of sociology has come to be written and into some of the assumptions underlying the nature of sociology as a discipline.
Multiobjective Optimization of Bridge Deck Rehabilitation Using a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Liu Chunlu , Hammad Amin , Itoh Yoshito
Published: March 2003

The solution methods of multiobjective optimization have undergone constant development over the past three decades. However, the methods available to date are not particularly robust. Because of the complicated relationship between the rehabilitation cost and deterioration degree of infrastructure systems, it is difficult to find a near‐optimal solution using common optimization methods. Since genetic algorithms work with a population of points, they can capture a number of solutions simultaneously and easily incorporate the concept of Pareto optimality. In this paper a simple genetic algorithm with two additional techniques, Pareto optimality ranking and fitness sharing, is implemented for the deck rehabilitation plan of network‐level bridges, aiming to minimize the total rehabilitation cost and deterioration degree. This approach is illustrated by a simple example and then applied to a practical bridge system with a large number of bridges.
Genetic Algorithms in Optimal Detailed Design of Reinforced Concrete Members
Authors: Koumousis V. K. , Arsenis S. J.
Published: March 2003

Genetic algorithms emulate biologic evolutionary concepts to solve search and optimization problems. In this work, they are employed to perform the optimal detailed design of reinforced concrete members of multistory buildings. The objective is to convert the required reinforcement in square centimeters, given at a number of cross sections, into a set of reinforcing bars of specific diameter and length located at specific places along the member taking into account different criteria and rules of design practice. The anchorage lengths are taken into account, and the bars are cut at appropriate locations. For such problems, enumeration methods lead to expensive solutions, whereas genetic algorithms tend to provide near‐optimal solutions in reasonable computing time. The genetic algorithms used in this work are based on a roulette wheel reproduction scheme; single, multiple‐point, and uniform crossover; and constant or variable mutation schemes. A constant or variable elitist strategy is also used that passes the best designs of a generation to the next generation. The method decides the detailed design on the basis of a multicriterion objective that represents a compromise between a minimum weight design, a maximum uniformity, and the minimum number of bars for a group of members. By varying the weighting factors, designs with different characteristics result. Various parameters of the genetic algorithm are considered, and the corresponding results are presented.
Optimal Hybrid Control for Structures
Authors: Lu Jianbo , Skelton Robert E.
Published: March 2003

A new method for integrated design of passive and active elements is presented. Rather than the existing qualitative selection of parameters for passive elements, a quantitative approach is proposed that finds optimal active and passive parameters with respect to an H2/H∞ performance requirement. This new approach automatically yields passive designs when the given performance limits are high enough and active (hybrid) designs when the given performance constraints are stringent. Furthermore, our algorithm finds the special performance requirement (the peak of the frequency response) that cannot be satisfied by any passive design. Hence this article shows how to determine when control is required rather than assuming a priori that it is or is not required. A simple design method given herein yields either passive, active, or hybrid designs depending only on the level of the performance constraints that are specified in the statement of the problem.
Active Saturation Control of Hysteretic Structures
Authors: Asano Koichiro , Nakagawa Hajime
Published: March 2003

This article presents an analytical approach to estimating the seismic random response of MDOF elastoplastic structural systems with bilinear hysteretic characteristics under saturation control force. Active saturation control is used for both seismic safety and vibration mitigation under severe earthquake excitation. Numerical calculations are carried out for five‐degree‐of‐freedom systems, and the efficiency of the theoretical saturation control approach is examined from two viewpoints of random seismic response and energy response. Considering the inability to install a saturation control system in actual structural systems, much more realistic nonlinear control systems are developed and examined from the control efficiency viewpoint through simulation analysis based on the earthquake accelerogram recorded during the Hyogo‐ken Nanbu earthquake.
Energy Dissipation in Shape Memory Alloy Devices
Authors: Casciati Fabio , Faravelli Lucia , Petrini Lorenza
Published: March 2003

A way of reasoning to reduce the response of a structural system under dynamic excitation is to think in terms of energy dissipation via plastic deformation devices. The concept of recoverable plastic deformation opens the way to the application of smart materials and, in particular, of shape memory alloys (SMAs). The characterization of the TiNi alloy structural component, with a complete definition of its mechanical properties and assembling features, is discussed.
Laboratory Evaluation of Real‐Time Dynamic Traffic Assignment Systems
Authors: Miaou Shaw‐Pin , Summers Mike S. , Lieu Henry C.
Published: March 2003

The success of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) depends on the availability and dissemination of timely and accurate estimates of prevailing and emerging traffic conditions, as well as the provision of faithful and coherent pretrip and en‐route travel information and advisory to travelers. Real‐time Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) systems, envisioned as an ATMS support system that resides in transportation management centers, are being developed to supply these estimates and information. To ensure the deployment potential of such DTA systems in the field, extensive laboratory evaluations are required throughout the development process. This article discusses a software environment that economically supports the development and evaluation of DTA systems. A major simulation component developed under this environment is called a DTA evaluation system (DES). The DES is a virtual representation of a transportation system in which ATMS and ATIS technologies are deployed. It simulates the trip‐making and vehicle‐driving behaviors of travelers in response to real‐time information and advisories from ATIS and ATMS. This article presents (1) major DES modeling capabilities required for developing and evaluating DTA systems, (2) a modular and extensible modeling framework for the DES, and (3) a top‐level, object‐oriented, and distributed DES design.
Evaluating Off‐Peak Traffic Signal Control Strategies
Authors: Parker Mark , Pursula Matti , Ardeshir Faghri  , Egyháziová Erika
Published: March 2003

This article discusses the evaluation of flashing yellow as an off‐peak traffic signal control strategy by establishing an interface between a real‐time traffic simulation software HUTSIM (Helsinki University of Technology Simulation Model) and a standard NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) traffic signal controller. The analysis was performed as part of research dealing with evaluation of different off‐peak traffic signal operation strategies and their relative impacts on delay, fuel consumption, vehicle emissions, and driver safety. Because of its widespread use, the main emphasis was on the flashing yellow signal control. Delay field study was performed to obtain and analyze real‐world data and compare the efficiency of flashing yellow and fixed time control strategies. To widen the research effort and eliminate inaccuracies due to certain assumptions made during the field study, computer simulation was chosen as an effective tool for comparison of different control strategies. Four different strategies were evaluated: fixed time, fully and semiactuated, and flashing yellow. Flashing yellow was found to be the most efficient of the signal strategies. The impact of this type of off‐peak signal control on driver safety also was studied, and a summary of results is presented.
Distributed Simulation of Freeway Traffic Flow Using Personal Computers
Authors: Kwon Eil , Choi Backyoung , Park Haesun
Published: March 2003

This article presents a personal computer (PC)–based distributed simulation methodology that can be applicable for real‐time estimation of time‐variant parameters in freeway traffic flow. The method uses the interprocess communication procedures currently available under Windows NT and adopts two types of distributed computing architectures, i.e., a distributed‐memory structure with a network of PCs communicating through Named Pipe and a multithread‐based shared‐memory structure with a multiprocessor PC. The proposed method, based on the macroscopic traffic models developed and tested in previous studies, first divides a given freeway into a set of subsections depending on the number of available processors or personal computers. At every time step, each processor simulates its own subsection and exchanges the internal boundary data with another processor that simulates the adjacent subsection. The performance of the parallel algorithm was compared with that of a single‐processor‐based sequential simulation using two different types of hardware configurations: a network of two PCs and a dual‐processor PC. The test results with the two‐PC network parallel system showed the speedup of 1.94 over the sequential simulation with a single PC, i.e., 48.4 percent reduction in the execution time, for the 1‐hour simulation of a 20‐mile freeway section. The speedup for 1‐hour simulation of an 80‐mile section was increased to 1.96 with two processors, which is close to the ideal speedup. The performance tests with the dual‐processor PC resulted in consistently, but not significantly, faster execution than those with the two‐PC network, which indicates the feasibility of developing a practical on‐line decision support system with a network of personal computers for freeway operations.
Substructuring for Structural Optimization in a Parallel Processing Environment
Authors: Patnaik Surya N. , Coroneos Rula M. , Hopkins Dale A.
Published: March 2003

Design optimization of large structures can be attempted through a substructure strategy. In this strategy, the structure is divided into smaller substructures that are clustered to obtain a sequence of subproblems. Solution to the large problem is obtained iteratively through repeated solutions to the modest subproblems. Substructure strategies, in sequential and parallel computational environments on a Cray‐YMP computer, have been implemented in a design test bed CometBoards. The issues encountered during substructure solution and their resolution are discussed under (1) coupling and constraint formulation, (2) differences in optimal solutions, and (3) amount of computation. Coupling between subproblems and separating constraints into local and global sets promote convergence of the iterative process. The substructure strategy can converge to different local optimal designs with equal minimum weight. Substructure optimization can be computation‐intensive. However, in a parallel computational mode, it can effectively use assigned processors.
Multiregion Boundary Element Analysis in Geomechanics Including Body Forces
Authors: Wu Chih‐Ping , Tseng Kuo‐Wei
Published: March 2003

A multiregion boundary element method (BEM) is developed for the plane elasticity analysis in geomechanics including body forces. The boundary element scheme considers the zoned nonhomogeneous material property in the realistic soil media, and the body‐force term in the scheme is transformed from domain to boundary integrals. A geomechanics problem of footing founded on a horizontal layer considering self weight is analyzed. The multiregion BEM solution is compared with other available solutions in the literature.
Uncertainty in Damage Assessment of Structures and Its Numerical Simulation
Authors: Möller Bernd , Graf Wolfgang , Nguyen Song Ha
Published: March 2003

Supporting structures are subject to damage processes during their service lifetime. Damage may occur in the form of material or structural damage during the loading process. The parameters for describing damage are modeled as fuzzy values in the computational model. Damage is modeled by means of a fuzzy damage indicator, which assesses changes in stiffness as a result of damage. The damage indicator is applied for assessing damage development in plane reinforced concrete framework structures. Damage assessment with the aid of the introduced fuzzy damage indicator is demonstrated by way of two examples.
How Do Profoundly Deaf Children Learn to Read?
Authors: Goldin‐Meadow Susan , Mayberry Rachel I.
Published: March 2003

Reading requires two related, but separable, capabilities: (1) familiarity with a language, and (2) understanding the mapping between that language and the printed word (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2000; Hoover & Gough, 1990). Children who are profoundly deaf are disadvantaged on both counts. Not surprisingly, then, reading is difficult for profoundly deaf children. But some deaf children do manage to read fluently. How? Are they simply the smartest of the crop, or do they have some strategy, or circumstance, that facilitates linking the written code with language? A priori one might guess that knowing American Sign Language (ASL) would interfere with learning to read English simply because ASL does not map in any systematic way onto English. However, recent research has suggested that individuals with good signing skills are not worse, and may even be better, readers than individuals with poor signing skills (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2000). Thus, knowing a language (even if it is not the language captured in print) appears to facilitate learning to read. Nonetheless, skill in signing does not guarantee skill in reading—reading must be taught. The next frontier for reading research in deaf education is to understand how deaf readers map their knowledge of sign language onto print, and how instruction can best be used to turn signers into readers.
Market Efficiency and Return Statistics: Evidence from Real Estate and Stock Markets Using a Present‐Value Approach
Authors: Fu Yuming , Ng Lilian K.
Published: March 2003

This paper develops a methodology to identify asset price response to news in the framework of the Campbell–Shiller log‐linear present‐value equation. We further show that a slow price adjustment in real estate markets not only induces a high serial autocorrelation in excess returns, but also dampens the return volatility and the correlation with excess returns in other asset markets. Using Hong Kong real estate and stock market data, we find that the quarterly real estate price assimilates only about half the effect of market news, whereas the quarterly stock price incorporates the news fully. Our analysis identifies a cumulative price adjustment that recovers lost information in real estate returns due to market inefficiency and thereby restores the real estate return volatility and the correlation between real estate and stock markets.
The Impacts of Contract Type on Broker Performance
Authors: Rutherford Ronald C. , Springer Thomas M. , Yavas Abdullah
Published: March 2003

This paper offers a theoretical and empirical analysis of the exclusive agency and exclusive‐right‐to‐sell contracts used in real estate brokerage. The theoretical model predicts that while both contract types will yield the same price, the exclusive agency contract will result in faster sales than the exclusive‐right‐to‐sell contract. In the empirical model, we find that houses sold faster under the exclusive agency contract than the exclusive‐right‐to‐sell contract. However, houses sold with exclusive agency contracts also sold at a marginally lower price. We also find a slightly greater concession from the listing price at the negotiation stage of exclusive agency listings.