bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mirror instability at finite ion‐Larmor radius wavelengths
Authors: Pokhotelov O. A. , Sagdeev R. Z. , Balikhin M. A. , Treumann R. A.
Published: September 2004

A fully kinetic theory of the magnetic mirror instability in high‐β space plasmas accounting for arbitrary ion‐Larmor radius effects is developed. It is shown that incorporation of ion‐Larmor radius effects leads to a substantial modification of both the instability growth rate and the instability threshold. For wavelengths of the order of the ion‐Larmor radius the effective elasticity of the magnetic field lines is substantially enhanced, yielding an increase in the instability threshold. We derive a compact expression for the growth rate of the fastest‐growing mode in the fully kinetic limit. Furthermore, it is shown that in the presence of finite ion‐Larmor radius effects a noncoplanar component of the magnetic field perturbations appears. Such a component is usually present in satellite measurements of mirror modes. The relevance of these results in understanding observations of mirror instability–generated signals in space plasmas is outlined.
Identification of interplanetary coronal mass ejections at 1 AU using multiple solar wind plasma composition anomalies
Authors: Richardson I. G. , Cane H. V.
Published: September 2004

We investigate the use of multiple simultaneous solar wind plasma compositional anomalies, relative to the composition of the ambient solar wind, for identifying interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) plasma. We first summarize the characteristics of several solar wind plasma composition signatures (O7/O6, Mg/O, Ne/O, Fe charge states, He/p) observed by the ACE and Wind spacecraft within the ICMEs during 1996–2002 identified by Cane and Richardson [2003], hereafter CR03. We then develop a set of simple criteria that may be used to identify such compositional anomalies and hence potential ICMEs. To distinguish these anomalies from the normal variations seen in ambient solar wind composition, which depend on the wind speed, we compare observed compositional signatures with those “expected” in ambient solar wind with the same solar wind speed. This method identifies anomalies more effectively than the use of fixed thresholds. The occurrence rates of individual composition anomalies within ICMEs range from ∼70% for enhanced iron and oxygen charge states to ∼30% for enhanced He/p (>0.06) and Ne/O and are generally higher in magnetic clouds than other ICMEs. Intervals of multiple anomalies are usually associated with ICMEs and provide a basis for the identification of the majority of ICMEs. We estimate that CR03, who did not refer to composition data, probably identified ∼90% of the ICMEs present. However, around 10% of their ICMEs have weak compositional anomalies, suggesting that the presence of such signatures does not provide a necessary requirement for an ICME. We note a remarkably similar correlation between the Mg/O and O7/O6 ratios in hourly‐averaged data within both ICMEs and the ambient solar wind. This “universal” relationship suggests that similar processes produce the first‐ionization potential bias and enhanced ion freezing‐in temperatures in the source regions of both ICMEs and the ambient solar wind.
Cassini/Huygens flyby of the Jovian system
Authors: Bolton Scott J. , Hansen Candice J. , Matson Dennis L. , Spilker Linda J. , Lebreton Jean‐Pierre
Published: September 2004

This is an introduction to the series of 15 papers that follow. These report scientific results from the fields‐and‐particles instruments on Cassini/Huygens. For these works, their data acquisition started as early as 16 months before the passage by Jupiter and, for some, continued up to the approach to Saturn. The flyby of Jupiter provided a gravitational assist, which was necessary for the spacecraft to reach its destination, the Saturnian system. In addition to the scientific results, the Cassini/Huygens team gained much because Jupiter provided a dress rehearsal for skills needed at Saturn. The flyby also fostered international cooperation between the Cassini/Huygens teams, the Galileo teams, and the scientific teams using instruments in orbit about the Earth and on the ground. A number of important discoveries and insights came from these cooperative efforts. The boundary physics and compression of the Jovian magnetosphere was observed by both fields and particle instruments. The propagation of the solar wind between Earth and Jupiter was studied. The source of Jovian radio emission was further characterized. The first images of energetic neutral atoms at Jupiter were obtained.
Sedimentary resurfacing and fretted terrain development along the crustal dichotomy boundary, Aeolis Mensae, Mars
Authors: Irwin Rossman P. , Watters Thomas R. , Howard Alan D. , Zimbelman James R.
Published: September 2004

The evolution of the Martian crustal dichotomy boundary, which separates the southern cratered highlands from the northern lowland plains by 1–3 km of elevation, remains among the fundamental outstanding issues in Mars research. For a study area at Aeolis Mensae we show that fretted terrain formed exclusively in a >2 km thick, late Noachian (∼3.7 Ga) sedimentary deposit that overlies the base of an older, cratered dichotomy boundary slope. In this equatorial study area, fretted terrain does not exhibit the debris aprons or lineated valley fills that are attributed to ground ice in otherwise similar, midlatitude fretted terrain in Arabia Terra. The massive deposit of fine sand or loess was probably transported from the north by wind and trapped against the precursor dichotomy slope, producing a similar initial form to the younger Medusae Fossae layered materials that occur east of Aeolis Mensae. Contemporary with the latest Noachian to early Hesperian decline in fluvial erosion, the fretting process likely initiated as the massive layer's indurated surface was compromised by fracture, cratering, or collapse into possible voids. In these depressions, grain impact or contact with water disaggregated the fine sedimentary materials, which were then largely deflated by wind. The fretting process largely ended when liquid water was no longer widely available for weathering during the early Hesperian period, although some degradation of the region by aeolian and slope processes has continued to the present.
Mapping Cosmopolis: Moral Topographies of the Medieval City
Authors: Lilley Keith D
Published: September 2004

Cosmopolis is a concept that has a long history in many cultures around the globe. It is a mirroring of the ‘social’ and ‘natural’ worlds, such that in one is seen the order and the structures of the other—a mutual ‘mapping’. In this paper I examine how the presence of cosmopolis—a Christianised cosmopolis of the European Middle Ages—was made evident in the representation and formation of cities at that time. I reveal a dualism between the social and spatial ordering of both city and cosmos which defined and reinforced social and spatial boundaries in urban landscapes, evident for example in the 11th and 12th centuries. Recently, Toulmin (1992) has taken the idea of cosmopolis to argue that it has been a persistent presence in Western-Enlightenment science, philosophy, and religion—a ‘hidden agenda of modernity’. I contend that, as an idea, cosmopolis has a much earlier circulation in European thinking, not least in the Middle Ages. Locating cosmopolis in the medieval and the modern periods then begs a question of what is it that really makes the two distinct and separate? All too often human geographers have emphasised discontinuities between the ‘medieval’ and ‘modern’ age, locating the ‘rise of modernity’ some time in the Enlightenment period. However, what ‘mapping’ cosmopolis reveals are continuities, binding time and space together, which when looked at begin to help query the modernity concept itself.
Displaced Memories, or the Architecture of Forgetting and Remembrance
Authors: Sargin Güven Arif
Published: September 2004

Under the political pressure of Turkey's Modernity Project Ankara's urban-planning processes and its monuments have always been utilized as significant tools of architectural displacement in the expedience of utopias, both socially and spatially. Urban-scale operations since the 1950s, a significant conservative breakthrough as a result of global liberalism and populism, however, have overwhelmed the secular state's organized forgetting, and have increasingly demobilized the capital city's modernist collective memory into conservatively schizophrenic experiences. In this paper I aim at discovering the ever-changing qualities of collective memory and its spatiotemporal remainders within the context of Turkey's political history by addressing the forces and trajectories of identity politics.
Pleasure and Propriety: Teen Girls and the Practice of Straight Space
Authors: Thomas Mary E
Published: September 2004

Heterosexuality is often perceived by geographers to be a dominant social force in the production of space, yet the ways that heterosexuality achieves this domination have not been scrutinized. In this paper I focus on two straight girls' narratives to explore, first, how they sexualize space and thus make space heterosexual; and, second, how space and spatiality imbue their everyday social and sexual practices and thus exist as a central component of subjectivity. I argue that considering the spatiality of their sexual practices presents a theoretical advantage over current feminist conceptualizations that place girls in gendered relationships in which boys maintain control. Instead, I suggest that a close reading of the pleasures and proprieties of sex and sexuality in these two girls' stories illustrates how the girls become invested with and perform social-sexual norms and meanings through spatialized practices.
Skilled Landscapes: Mapping Practices of Locality
Authors: Grasseni Cristina
Published: September 2004

In this paper I focus on a local initiative to produce a hiking map of Valtaleggio (in northern Italy). In the effort of redrawing the valley to attract tourism a group of locals engaged in planning and negotiating visibility, but also got involved in an exercise of memory, remembering the history of their valley through recent changes in the landscape. The ethnographic observation of the ‘map enterprise’ spurs reflections on differing local perceptions of the landscape—and, accordingly, on how practices of locality shape identities.
China’s reformed science and technology system: an overview and assessment1
Authors: Gao Zhicun , Tisdell Clem
Published: September 2004

Science and technology (S&T) systems are interconnected with economic systems. After China began to make its economic system more market‐oriented in 1979, reforms to its S&T system became urgent. China’s major breakthrough in reforming its S&T system occurred in 1985. This paper provides data on China’s changing S&T sector, outlines the processes of its reform and China’s changing sources of funding for R&D. China’s evolving technology market is given particular attention and some of its pitfalls are discussed.
Hepatitis C and HIV Infections: Implications for Clinical Care in Injection Drug Users
Authors: Sullivan Lynn E. , Fiellin David A.
Published: September 2004

Our objective is to provide a state‐of‐the‐art review on hepatitis C (HCV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in injection drug users (IDUs), highlighting important clinical issues. We performed a literature review from the MEDLINE database for research from 1966 to 2003, with an emphasis on recent consensus documents. Of the estimated 15 million illicit drug users in the U.S., approximately 1.0 to 1.5 million inject drugs. IDUs are at significant risk of contracting HCV and HIV, with IDUs accounting for 60% of new HCV cases and 25% of new HIV infections. It is a major risk factor for HCV/HIV coinfection, which significantly impacts on each disorder's progression. It appears that treatment response in IDUs with HCV or HIV is similar to non‐IDUs with these viruses and that medication adherence and treatment outcomes are optimized when linked with substance abuse treatment. Providers caring for patients who are or were IDUs must be aware of the management of these diseases and make efforts to integrate their medical care with the treatment of their substance abuse.
Burden of Medical Illness in Drug‐ and Alcohol‐dependent Persons Without Primary Care
Authors: Alba Israel De , Samet Jeffrey H. , Saitz Richard
Published: September 2004

Little is known about the frequency, severity, and risk factors for disease in drug‐ and alcohol‐dependent persons without primary medical care. Our aims are to assess the burden of medical illness, identify patient and substance dependence characteristics associated with worse physical health, and compare measures of illness burden in this population. This was accomplished through a cross‐sectional study among alcohol‐, heroin‐ or cocaine‐dependent persons without primary medical care who were admitted to an urban inpatient detoxification unit. The mean age of these patients was 35.7 (SD 7.8) years; 76% were male and 46% were Black. Forty‐five percent reported being diagnosed with a chronic illness, and 80% had prior medical hospitalizations. The mean age‐adjusted SF‐36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) score was lower than the general U.S. population norm (44.1 vs 50.1; p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, female gender (adjusted mean change in PCS score: −3.71 points, p = .002), problem use of hallucinogens (−3.51, p = 0.013), heroin (−2.94, p = 0.008), other opiates (−3.20, p = .045), living alone (−3.15, p = .023), having medical insurance (−2.26, p = 0.014) and older age (−.22 points per year, p = 0.001) were associated with worse health. From these data, it seems that alcohol‐ and drug‐dependent persons without primary medical care have a substantial burden of medical illness compared to age‐ and gender‐matched U.S. population controls. While the optimal measure of medical illness burden in this population is unclear, a variety of health measures document this medical illness burden in addicted persons.
Continental inconsistencies on the path to activation
Authors: Barbier Jean-Claude , Fargion Valeria
Published: September 2004

A priori, Italy and France would appear as unfit for activation policies. Yet, when activation is seen as a diversified strategy of restructuring welfare states across Europe, and not only the ‘activation’ of individuals from assistance, then the empirical picture over the last 20 years is much more complex. One of the main differences between both countries is with regard to the role of the state, whilst at the same time they share many common features. However, French achievements in matters of activation seem to be important, whereas in Italy institutional features have consistently impaired the development of comprehensive strategies.
Activation in Scandinavian welfare policy
Authors: Halvorsen Rune , Jensen Per H.
Published: September 2004

The article discusses ‘activation’ in Denmark and Norway from an ‘active society’ perspective. The argument forwarded is that activation in the two Nordic countries shows continuity over the last 50 years, where Denmark and Norway have shared much of the same policy rationale or logic. At the same time there have been discrepancies in the activation opportunities, especially during the 1970s and 1980s. Such differences should be understood in terms of differences in the level and structure of unemployment in the two countries. All too often, changes in policy programmes and related ‘discourses’ have been evaluated without taking the changing labour-market conditions into account. On occasion this has led to too hasty or imbalanced conclusions. In part this has led to a misrepresentation of the relatively generous welfare benefit regime in Denmark during the 1980s, and in part to exaggeration of the alleged ‘repressive’ or unreasonable nature of the welfare-policy reforms in Denmark in the 1990s.
Continuities within paradigmatic change
Authors: Wright Sharon , Kopač Anja , Slater Gary
Published: September 2004

In this paper, we examine the inception and development of activation in Slovenia and the UK in order to identify the rationales for its introduction, to plot the direction of reforms and to consider the outcomes of policy implementation for citizens. In this unconventional country comparison, we are interested in understanding third-order (Hall 1993Cpmparitive Politics 25 (3): 25–96) welfare state change as the context for the introduction of activation. The UK and, to a much greater extent, Slovenia, underwent paradigmatic changes in the goals of the economy, structure of the labour market and basis of social provisions in the late twentieth century. This provided the possibility for activation to develop a more distinct character and to be implemented to a greater extent than in other European countries. However, we argue that the nature of the activation strategies pursued in Slovenia and the UK have both retained strong flavours of their earlier policy traditions and point to the role of political institutions and arrangements in adjusting the demands of supranational organisations, particularly in the corporatist Slovenian case.
Which is better for cDNA-microarray-based classification: ratios or direct intensities
Authors: Attoor Sanju , Dougherty Edward R. , Chen Yidong , Bittner Michael L. , Trent Jeffrey M.
Published: September 2004

Motivation: There are two general methods for making gene-expression microarrays: one is to hybridize a single test set of labeled targets to the probe, and measure the background-subtracted intensity at each probe site; the other is to hybridize both a test and a reference set of differentially labeled targets to a single detector array, and measure the ratio of the background-subtracted intensities at each probe site. Which method is better depends on the variability in the cell system and the random factors resulting from the microarray technology. It also depends on the purpose for which the microarray is being used. Classification is a fundamental application and it is the one considered here.

Results: This paper describes a model-based simulation paradigm that compares the classification accuracy provided by these methods over a variety of noise types and presents the results of a study modeled on noise typical of cDNA microarray data. The model consists of four parts: (1) the measurement equation for genes in the reference state; (2) the measurement equation for genes in the test state; (3) the ratio and normalization procedure for a dual-channel system; and (4) the intensity and normalization procedure for a single-channel system. In the reference state, the mean intensities are modeled as a shifted exponential distribution, and the intensity for a particular gene is modeled via a normal distribution, Normal(I, αI), about its mean intensity I, with α being the coefficient of variation of the cell system. In the test state, some genes have their intensities up-regulated by a random factor. The model includes a number of random factors affecting intensity measurement: deposition gain d, labeling gain, and post-image-processing residual noise. The key conclusion resulting from the study is that the coefficient of variation governing the randomness of the intensities and the deposition gain are the most important factors for determining whether a single-channel or dual-channel system provides superior classification, and the decision region in the α−d plane is approximately linear.

Supplementary information: A companion website containing supplementary and background material can be accessed at http://ee.tamu.edu/~edward/ratio_intensity/
CIS: compound importance sampling method for protein–DNA binding site p-value estimation
Authors: Barash Y. , Elidan G. , Kaplan T. , Friedman N.
Published: September 2004

Motivation: A key aspect of transcriptional regulation is the binding of transcription factors to sequence-specific binding sites that allow them to modulate the expression of nearby genes. Given models of such binding sites, one can scan regulatory regions for putative binding sites and construct a genome-wide regulatory network. In such genome-wide scans, it is crucial to control the amount of false positive predictions. Recently, several works demonstrated the benefits of modeling dependencies between positions within the binding site. Yet, computing the statistical significance of putative binding sites in this scenario remains a challenge.

Results: We present a general, accurate and efficient method for computing p-values of putative binding sites that is applicable to a large class of probabilistic binding site and background models. We demonstrate the accuracy of the method on synthetic and real-life data.

Availability: The procedure for scanning DNA sequences and computing the statistical significance of putative binding site scores is available upon request at http://compbio.cs.huji.ac.il/CIS/

Contact:  nir@cs.huji.ac.il
Seq2Struct: a resource for establishing sequence-structure links
Authors: Via Allegra , Zanzoni Andreas , Helmer-Citterich Manuela
Published: September 2004

Summary: Several methods for establishing cross-links between Protein Data Bank (PDB) structures or Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) domains and Swiss-Prot + TrEMBL sequences (or vice versa) rely on database annotations. Alternatively, sequence alignment procedures can be used. In this study, we describe Seq2Struct, a web resource for the identification of sequence-structure links. The resource consists of an exhaustive collection of annotated links between Swiss-Prot + TrEMBL and PDB + SCOP database entries. Links are based on pre-established highly reliable thresholds and stored in a relational database, which has been enhanced using annotations derived from Swiss-Prot, PDB, SCOP, GOA and DSSP databases. The Seq2Struct database contents, supported by a WWW web interface, can be queried both online and downloaded.

Availability: The Seq2Struct resource, with related documentation, is available at http://surface.bio.uniroma2.it/seq2struct/

Contact:  seq2struct@cbm.bio.uniroma2.it
arrayMagic: two-colour cDNA microarray quality control and preprocessing
Authors: Buness Andreas , Huber Wolfgang , Steiner Klaus , Sültmann Holger , Poustka Annemarie
Published: September 2004

Summary: arrayMagic is a software package for quality control and preprocessing of two-colour cDNA microarray data. The automated analysis pipeline comprises data import, normalization, replica merging, quality diagnostics and data export. The script-based processing combines reproducibility and flexibility at high-throughput and provides quality-assured and preprocessed microarray data to high-level follow-up analysis.

Availability: The R package arrayMagic is available with BSD license at http://www.bioconductor.org

Contact:  a.buness@dkfz.de

Supplementary information: The package contains documentation in the form of manual pages and a vignette with a guided tour of a typical workflow.
Validation of a PCR method for Campylobacter detection on poultry packs
Authors: Wong TeckLok , Devane Megan Louise , Hudson John Andrew , Scholes Paula , Grace Savill Marion , Klena John D.
Published: September 2004

This study describes a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection system combined with enrichment growth conditions for simultaneous detection and identification of C. jejuni, C. coli and thermotolerant Campylobacter in poultry pack rinses. The PCR primers were tested against a range of Campylobacter and non‐Campylobacter species, and PCR products were only amplified from target organisms. The sensitivity of the method was similar to that obtained by conventional plating procedures, but when used in combination with the MPN method of enumeration could detect levels down to 6 MPN/100 ml of rinse. The validation of 50 samples of chicken pack rinses demonstrated the versatility of this approach in microbiological surveys to yield data for risk assessments.
Competitive reactions to market entry
Authors: Uusitalo Outi
Published: September 2004

Grocery retailing markets are becoming more open and international. Finland is an example of a previously closed and restricted market which has recently opened its borders to foreign food products as well as food retailers. This paper describes the competitive dynamics and actions of the domestic retailers that took place when the first foreign grocery retailer entered the market. The paper concludes that the main competitive moves were related to the price of food products and to changes in product ranges. The domestic retailers imitated the concept of the entrant and added new low‐priced own brands into their product mixes. The roles of the market actors were reversed during the entry process: the domestic market leaders became followers and the small entrant played the role of the market leader.
Isolation and amplification of DNA from turmeric powder
Authors: Remya R. , Syamkumar S. , Sasikumar B.
Published: September 2004

An efficient protocol for the isolation of high molecular weight DNA from dry powdered samples of turmeric including market samples is described which will help in PCR based detection of adulteration in marketed turmeric powders. The method involves a modified CTAB (3 per cent) procedure with 2 M NaCl, 0.3 per cent β‐mercaptoethanol coupled with purification of DNA in 30 per cent polyethylene glycol (8000). The yield of the DNA obtained from the samples varied from 2 to 4 μg/g tissue. The DNA obtained from the five different samples were consistently amplifiable (RAPD primers).
The conservation and preservation of film and magnetic materials (2): magnetic materials
Authors: Bereijo Antonio
Published: September 2004

This article is the second of two concentrating on the conservation of audio‐visual materials. This paper focuses on the conservation of one particular form of A‐V material, magnetic materials, which can be used for sound recording and for optical recording in film and television. An historical account of the development of the use of magnetic media in radio, television and film applications accompanies practical insights in to the conservation requirements of the medium. The companion piece to this article focuses on the conservation of photosensitive film materials, and can be read prior to this first paper.
Managerial myopia or systemic short‐termism?
Authors: Laverty Kevin J.
Published: September 2004

For more than two decades both the business press and research in several academic disciplines have seen an extended debate over what has been called “myopia” or “short‐termism”. These terms have been used to describe decisions in which firms pursue short‐term gains ( for example, seeking to maximize quarterly profits) at the expense of long term strategies ( for example, investing in basic research or laying the groundwork for new core competencies). Despite the attention to this subject, there remain conflicting positions in the business press and inconclusive evidence from research regarding causes and proposed solutions. This paper proposes that progress may be possible by looking inside firms – addressing how managerial systems and decision‐making processes affect the development of long term strategies. Survey results suggest that systemic elements – organizational culture, processes, and routines – have promised in understanding why firms may undervalue the long term and pay too much attention to the short‐term. This study finds that firms are less likely to undervalue the long term when they are able to manage tradeoffs between short‐term and long term results, and create a climate of trust that allows individuals to weather the short‐term setbacks necessary to achieve long term results.
Temporary workers
Authors: Foote David A.
Published: September 2004

Increasing numbers of firms are turning to the temporary labor market in an attempt to enhance their competitiveness in the global market. Those firms differ widely in their approaches to human resource management in terms of training, orientation, socialization and integration of temporary workers. This paper suggests several factors associated with the management of temporary workers that may lead to higher than necessary rates of departure prior to contract end dates. These factors include inadequate socialization, perceptions of injustice, exclusion from decision‐making, expectations for permanent work, lower age and tenure, lower tolerance for inequity, low levels of commitment, and limited motivation. Implications for client firms are discussed, with an emphasis on the development of comprehensive HRM systems that address the factors identified, and directions for future research are suggested.
A quantitative approach to the outsourcing‐insourcing decision in an international context
Authors: Schniederjans Marc J. , Zuckweiler Kathryn M.
Published: September 2004

Outsourcing manufacturing and services to differing locations throughout the world is a common practice today. Yet, very little research has dealt with the known risks of outsourcing when it takes place between business organizations in differing countries or in an international context. This study presents a quantitative model that permits the inclusion of international risk factors in the outsourcing‐insourcing decision. A Fortune 500 firm case study is used to illustrate the informational efficacy of the decision model.
The challenges of performance measurement
Authors: Powell Sarah
Published: September 2004

An interview with Professor Andy Neely who talks to editor Sarah Powell about the challenges of performance measurement, the role of the Centre for Business Performance, aims of the Performance Management Association and advantages of The Performance Prism.
Effects of couple stresses and convective inertia forces in parallel circular squeeze‐film plates
Authors: Lin Jaw‐Ren , Lu Rong‐Fang , Liao Won‐Hsion , Kuo Chia‐Chuan
Published: September 2004

A theoretical study of the combined effects of non‐Newtonian couple stresses and fluid inertia forces on the squeeze‐film behaviors for parallel circular plates is presented in this paper. Based upon the micro‐continuum theory, the Stokes constitutive equations are used to account for the couple stress effects resulting from the lubricant blended with various additives. The convective inertia forces included in the momentum equation are approximated by the mean value averaged across the fluid film thickness. Numerical solutions for the squeezing film characteristics are presented for various values of couple stress parameter and Reynolds number. Comparing with the classical Newtonian non‐inertia flow, the combined effects of couple stresses and convective inertia forces result in a larger load‐carrying capacity and therefore, increase the response time of the squeezing film plates.
Tribological studies of ZrO2‐implanted on stainless steel substrate
Authors: Dogan Halit , Findik Fehim , Oztarhan Ahmet
Published: September 2004

The tribological properties such as surface hardness, friction and wear have been studied for AISI 316L stainless steel substrates which were co‐ion implanted with zirconium and oxygen ions. It is found that the wear resistance for AISI 316L stainless steel substrates implanted with zirconium and oxygen ions increased quite a lot. It is concluded that the increase in surface microhardness and the decrease in friction coefficient of AISI 316L stainless steel substrates play an important role in improving the wear resistance, and the relationship between relative wear volume and microhardness is correlated for zirconium and oxygen co‐ion implantation.
Employee involvement: opening the diversity Pandora’s Box?
Authors: Shapiro Gillian
Published: September 2004

Recent studies have found that initiatives relying on the participation and development of employees, such as TQM, can struggle if different kinds of employees are not involved equally. For instance, part‐time workers, administrative or shift staff often receive less training and communication on company performance levels than full‐time permanent, professional or senior staff. This article analyses research conducted with 14 organisations across eight European Union Member States. It finds that employee involvement, particularly the promotion of teamwork and use of staff experience and creativity frequently highlights the diversity between staff. In spite of this, firms have been slow to develop the skills and capabilities to manage diversity in a positive way. A change in the approach of management is needed to ensure diversity does not damage the improvement process.
Sweet charity!Managing employee commitment in the UK voluntary sector
Authors: Cunningham Ian
Published: September 2004

Presents results from an exploratory study of 143 voluntary organisations. Aims to evaluate management employee relations policies in the voluntary sector in the era of contracting. Reveals evidence of employee relations policies being influenced by the funding priorities of the state. Provides evidence to suggest that these policies may be leading to discontent among the workforce. Concludes with a discussion regarding the implications such policies may have on employee commitment in the sector, and suggests several possible avenues for continued research.
Exploring the mutual interaction of societal culture and human resource management practices
Authors: Papalexandris Nancy , Panayotopoulou Leda
Published: September 2004

This paper attempts to interpret the HRM practices studied through the CRANET research in the light of the general societal culture tendencies as revealed by the GLOBE study. The study analyses the nine dimensions of societal culture, using data from 19 countries that have participated in both studies (Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany (former East and West), Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and UK). The most significant correlations between societal culture and HRM have been isolated and will be discussed. Results show that the function that seems to be related the most to culture is internal communication, while the least related is rewards and benefits. This study's findings could serve as a guide in transferring HRM policies within MNCs or across countries, as they give an indication of the most culture‐sensitive practices and the way they are related to societal culture characteristics.
Coming to the table with Acas: from conflict to co‐operation
Authors: Dix Gill , Oxenbridge Sarah
Published: September 2004

Whilst notions of conflict have historically underpinned the rhetoric and policy focus of employment relations, more recently the locus of debate has shifted towards the relationship between employment relations and organisational performance. Yet, Acas remains best known for its dispute resolution services. Using new data, the paper explores Acas' dispute resolution functions, but also examines a broader range of Acas interventions aimed at supporting organisations in handling conflict through arrangements for improved employment relations. It reports data on Acas customers' perceptions of the nature and impact of Acas interventions. Focusing on the activities aimed at tackling collective issues, it considers how these fit into the Government's wider “productive workplace” agenda. It concludes that Acas' strength lies in bringing the parties to the table, both to resolve disputes and also to develop innovative strategies for improving workplace effectiveness. The paper also assesses future opportunities for seeking a more strategic approach to managing conflict at work.
Policy and practice in general print: the workplace reality of national bargaining
Authors: Healy Geraldine , Rainnie Al , Telford Jim
Published: September 2004

This paper investigates the operation of the National Agreement in the general printing industry at a time when the future of such agreements is in doubt. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data from union representatives, the paper provides insights into the workplace practices of pay, technology, flexibility and work intensification in the context of the National Agreement and local labour market factors. Set against a highly competitive, technologically dynamic environment, the paper demonstrates the general resilience of the National Agreement alongside a complex and uneven picture at the level of the workplace.
Influences on HRM practices in MNCs: a qualitative study in the Australian context
Authors: McGraw Peter
Published: September 2004

This paper uses data from interviews with HRM managers of the Australian operations of overseas multinational companies to critically question the analytical utility of a number of standard factors that have traditionally been claimed, in the international HRM literature, to influence decisions concerning the appropriate balance between centralization and localization in HRM. The variables reviewed are primarily structural: industry sector, strategic role of the subsidiary, administrative heritage and formal organizational structure. The data suggest that the firms modify their formal structures frequently in response to environmental turbulence and have evolved towards structural forms that are radically asymmetrical. Two variables that have received limited academic attention to date but which critically mediate the pattern of intended changes are identified. First, the perception by key actors in subsidiaries of HR competence elsewhere in the MNC network, particularly head office. Second, the propensity of the staff in the subsidiary to lobby politically against changes they did not perceive to be rational.
Work orientation as an element of national culture and its impact on HRM policy‐practice design choices
Authors: Chandrakumara Anil , Sparrow Paul
Published: September 2004

This study extends the contention that national culture affects human resource management (HRM) policies and practices and explores meaning and values of work orientation (MVWO) as an element of national culture in predicting HRM policy‐practice design choices. The data were obtained in a sample of 487 employees in domestic and foreign‐invested firms (FIF) in Sri Lanka. Eight distinct MVWO patterns emerged from the sample. Twenty‐six HRM design choices were clustered into four components: planned and open career and empowering system, qualifications and performance based reward system, generic functional perspective of job‐person fit, and job‐related competence and rewards. All the four HRM preference practices are influenced by MVWO. The evidence suggests MVWO relativity of HRM design choices in Sri Lankan context. The question of transferability of empowering and performance management to developing countries becomes evident. Moreover, MVWO relativity of HRM design choices is relatively high in FIF, reflecting that the “type of ownership” can have an impact not only on actual HRM practices but also on preferred HRM practices in FIF. The existence of business in the long‐run and host government expectations also seem to be important factors in understanding HRM preferences in FIF. Theoretical and practical implications for international HR managers are discussed.
The role of values in servant leadership
Authors: Russell Robert F.
Published: September 2004

This paper reviews the existing literature regarding values in leadership. It identifies issues relating to both personal values and organizational values. The literature indicates that values affect leader behavior, as well as organizational performance. The paper also provides an overview of servant leadership theory and extrapolates applications of the values in leadership literature to three aspects of servant leadership: trust; appreciation of others; and empowerment. Values constitute the foundation of servant leadership. Fundamentally, leader values may be the underlying factors that separate servant leaders from all other leadership types.
A test of the path‐goal leadership theory in Taiwan
Authors: Silverthorne Colin
Published: September 2004

The path‐goal theory of leadership states that the leader helps subordinates to achieve their goals by providing a clear path for them to follow. This research project used data collected in Taiwan to test the applicability of this theory in a non‐western culture. The three groups of subjects studied (peers, managers and subordinates), perceived the level of task structure to be equivalent. Three aspects of leadership were measured: instrumental, supportive and participative leadership. Leaders reported that they used each style of leadership at a statistical significantly higher level than their peers believed. Two dimensions of motivation were also considered: efforts that lead to performance and efforts that lead to rewards. Overall, the results provide some support for the path‐goal theory of leadership. The theory was supported for the relationship between managers and subordinates but not supported for the relationship between managers and peers.
The impact of organizational culture and person‐organization fit on organizational commitment and job satisfaction in Taiwan
Authors: Silverthorne Colin
Published: September 2004

The related concepts of organizational culture and person‐organization (P‐O) fit or congruence between the person and organization are important to organizational success. The psychological contract, which is both perceptual and individual, forms the basis of the P‐O fit. However, there has been little attention paid to the interaction of fit and organizational culture with such concepts as job satisfaction and organizational commitment and the application of this concept in non‐western cultures. The results of this study, conducted in Taiwan, indicate that P‐O fit is a key element in both the level of job satisfaction that employees experience and also in their level of organizational commitment whether measured by an instrument or turnover rates. An organization is not a passive or stable institution and it evolves and grows within an organizational culture. While P‐O fit may be linked to organizational culture, the impact of specific types of organizational culture was also assessed. Involvement in an organization that had a bureaucratic organizational culture resulted in the lowest levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. An innovative culture was next highest and a supportive culture had the highest level of employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment. These findings indicate that organizational culture plays an important role in the level of job satisfaction and commitment in an organization. In terms of the impact of the P‐O fit on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Taiwan, the results indicate that the degree of fit plays an important role in all of the types of organizational culture studied. The better the fit the higher the levels of these two variables. The results indicate that the P‐O fit is an important variable within the organizations in non‐western cultures.
The Influence of the Perceived Styles of Leadership on a
Group of Workers on their Attitudes to Work
Authors: Savery Lawson K.
Published: September 2004

Suggests that, owing to changes in the business environment, leadership
rather than management is needed. Proposes, also, that a co‐operative
relationship between the management and the workforce should be
encouraged. Posits that there is a relationship between perceived and
preferred styles of leadership which affects job tenure. Presents the
results of a questionnaire on the preferred and perceived styles of
leadership which was carried out at a Western Australian State
headquarters of a Federal statutory body. Concludes that the democratic
style of leadership leads to a more positive organizational commitment
from the individual and also higher job satisfaction. Suggests,
therefore, that managers should made as much as they possibly can.
Perspectives on mentoring
Authors: Scandura Terri A. , Tejeda Manuel J. , Werther William B. , Lankau Melenie J.
Published: September 2004

Explores perspectives on mentoring, including the mentor, the protégé and the organization. Emphasizes key benefits to each of these parties. Addresses the question of why mentors engage in mentoring. Discusses the role of leadership in the development of leader‐supported mentoring processes.
Personality, life experience and leadership capability
Authors: Khaleelee Olya , Woolf Ralph
Published: September 2004

A critical element of leadership is the capacity to tolerate uncertainty, both one’s own and that of followers. The larger and more complex the enterprise and the more responsible the position in it, the greater the time‐span of uncertainty and hence the greater the requisite capacity of the leader to live and work with it. This capacity is a function of the individual’s emotional development and emergent pattern of defences. The Defence Mechanism Test is a powerful tool in identifying the nature and strength of the individual’s defences. These can be matched to the critical events in the person’s life that mobilized them. Gives case examples to show that use of those data in assessment of people for leadership positions makes it possible to estimate the individual’s time‐span and to predict his/her effectiveness in the context of a specific leadership position.
Psychoanalytic contributions to authority and leadership issues
Authors: Obholzer Anton
Published: September 2004

Provides a review of the psychoanalytic contributions to authority and leadership issues. Notes how the personality of the leader can affect the responses of his/her followers. Considers the risks involved in this process.
Measuring the efficiency of Brazilian post office stores using data envelopment analysis
Authors: Borenstein Denis , Luiz Becker João , José do Prado Vaner
Published: September 2004

Postal companies around the world have been seeking methods to support their operational practices in order to keep or increase their market share. The Brazilian Mail and Telegraph Company (ECT) has a portfolio of products and services to offer to its customers through several similar postal offices all over Brazil. The units use several resources with different intensities, currently having their performance evaluated by a single economical factor: revenues over expenses. We propose a performance evaluation method based on data envelopment analysis (DEA), a linear programming technique that makes it possible to include other factors beyond the simplistic, purely economical approach. The objectives of this paper are to define which factors can be used to evaluate the units; to define sets of similar units that develop the same functions, differing only in the intensity of resource usage; to generate, through the technique, the results of the evaluation process obtained from the quantitative factors defined, providing a sensitivity analysis, and to provide useful information to help managers in their decision‐making process.
PVDF piezoelectric polymer
Authors: Ueberschlag Pierre
Published: September 2004

PVDF piezo polymers are new, valuable materials for sensing and actuating applications. These materials are strong candidates for new sensors that cannot be realised with piezoceramics or single crystals. The combination of the mechanical properties of a plastic material with those of a piezoelectric material led to new sensors and transducers whose design is not easy. For this reason, the characteristics and properties of piezo polymer are described as well as basic knowledge that engineers need for technical use.
New instrument aims to measure appearance
Authors: Connolly Christine
Published: September 2004

A new instrument has been designed and built to measure the reflectance of light at continuously variable angles of incidence and reflection. The project aims to improve the correlation between visual assessment and instrumental measurement, for products in which gloss and colour must be assessed together. This includes diverse materials such as wood, leather, hair, teeth, fabrics, metal and confectionery.