bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Pertinent Information and Anxiety on Patterns of Stress in Families Caring for a Chronically III Member at Home
Authors: Bohny Barbara J.
Published: March 2007

Nursing's ultimate goal in intervening with families providing home care for a stroke victim or chronically ill member is to facilitate adaptation to the condition in a manner that results in optimal physical and mental health of the patient and of the family. Chronic illness can impose an immense burden on families unprepared to meet this challenge. This study examined the impact of pertinent information and anxiety on patterns of stress in families providing care at home for a stroke patient. The findings demonstrate support for the proposition that as knowledge of pertinent information regarding stroke increases, healthier patterns of dealing with stress will be observed.
Homelessness as a Lifestyle: A Risk Factor
Authors: Smith Shirley Powe
Published: March 2007

This article explores homelessness as a life-style and how it impacts the health of this population. Nurses' roles and nursing strategies are identified. The concept of community-based health care is introduced, as is the major role that the nurse may assume. Health education and health promotion are described in terms of their importance to the general health of the population of homeless individuals. Partnerships and collaborations between health care providers in the community and health education institutions is suggested as a means toward amelioration of problems and educating future generations of health care providers.
Wide Application of CQI in Home Care
Authors: Morahan Stephanie
Published: March 2007

Organizations are often overwhelmed when faced with a need to develop a comprehensive quality improvement program and use a cross-organizational team to improve outcomes. This article describes the total quality management program implemented in a long-term home health care program in New York State. It describes common issues, such as incidents, multi-disciplinary clinical record documentation audits, and staff competency. As a result of this comprehensive performance improvement process, this organization has not only changed the manner in which it operates but also improved its performance.
A Narrative Analysis of Success and Failure in Environmental Remediation
Authors: Campbell Robert A.
Published: March 2007

In this article, the author constructs a sociological narrative as a means of describing and analyzing a project to incinerate an estimated 700,000 tonnes of toxic sludge created as a byproduct of a century of steel making in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. On one level, the author’s objective here is to document some of the events that have taken place at what is considered one of the worst toxic sites in Canada. On another level, though, the author attempts to outline a method through which we maybetter understand the dynamics of environmental movements. Specifically, in this case, the author uses a multidimensional conceptualization of success and failure that includes scientific, technological, economic, political, social, and cultural components.
Bureaucratic responses to executive orders
Authors: Sanders Robert M.
Published: March 2007

Governmental crises may become reality when Presidential orders are not implemented by the bureaucracy. Through formal delegation and informal power, the bureaucracy can stall, ignore or delay orders mandated by the ex ecutive, despite the widespread notion that the American Presidency possesses great potency. During national emergencies, the chief executive must not only implement solutions, but must arbitrate between agency officials more con cerned with enacting personal policies than following executive directives. Fragmentation between the technical and administrative components of the public sector may result in disasters such as nuclear reactor accidents. Struggles to implement preferred policy within a Presidential administration may result in greater calamities; the aggravation of tensions between nations, and, possi bly, a nuclear exchange between the superpowers. Since the end of the Second World War, Presidents have been faced with this scenario on several occasions.

Through alliances with other branches, the civil service can establish hear ings which can not only slow Presidential orders, but also muster public sup port for the bureaucracy's cause. Agency chiefs, cognizant that more resources create more powerful organizations, devise clever strategies to expand budgets, even when the chief executive mandates cutbacks. Local agency leaders have even initiated litigation to regain funding impounded under deficit reduction legislation.
Polish Privatization Program: Action, Symbolism And Cultural Barriers
Authors: Obloj Krzysztof , Kostera Monika
Published: March 2007

This article examines the organizational culture in Polish privatized compa nies. Culture is not perceived by the authorities responsible for implement ing as a major factor calling for consideration. The reform is seen primarily as a political and economical issue.

From their experience as consultants and students of management culture the authors recognize culture as a powerful factor, which can become a pow erful barrier to the implementation of the reform of Polish state-owned enter prises and a trigger of severe crises in the privatized firms. The paper describes and interprets some of the interesting contradictions that arise between the values declared by the managers of the privatized SOEs (and promoted by the authorities) and the values-in-use in the companies.
The relationship between childhood asthma and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A review of the literature
Authors: Daly J.M. , Biederman J. , Bostic J.Q. , Maraganore A.M. , Lelon E. , Jellinek M. , Lapey A.
Published: March 2007

Objective(s): To clarify any etiological or symptomatic relationship between asthma and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Study Design: A systematic review of the literature was conducted through Medline. Results: We found little evidence of an over- representation of ADHD, academic, or behavioral problems in asthmatic children or of asthma among children with ADHD. We also failed to find convincing evidence that the standard treatment of asthma causes ADHD-like symptoms or academic decline in asthmatic children. Conclusion: These findings indicate that asthmatic children with school or behavioral problems may also suffer from ADHD and require treatment for both disorders.
Behavior therapy and methylphenidate in the treatment of children with ADHD
Authors: Klein R.G. , Abikoff H.
Published: March 2007

Objective: To assess, in hyperactive children: 1) relative efficacy of behavior therapy, methylphenidate, and their combination; 2) effects of methylphenidate withdrawal after combined treatment; and 3) normalization effects of the combination.

Method: Eighty-nine children were randomly assigned to treatment for eight weeks. Children on the combined treatments were switched to a placebo, double-blind. Ratings from parents, teachers and clinicians, and school observations were obtained.

Results: Parents and teachers viewed children on behavior therapy as improved, but objective observations did not document behavioral change. In contrast, methylphenidate and the combined treatment induced significant improvement in all measures of outcome. Methylphenidate and the combination treatments were significantly superior to behavior therapy. In a few instances, the combination, which normalized behavior, was superior to methylphenidate. Children switched to placebo deteriorated significantly. Discussion: Behavior therapy delivered in school and home is not nearly as effective as methylphenidate for ADHD, but may be a useful adjunct to methylphenidate.
Advocating the Implementation of an Airline Safety Information System
Authors: Bowen Brent D. , Lu Chien-Tsung
Published: March 2007

Concern for flight safety is at the forefront of attention for airlines, government, and the flying public. But despite the passage of several aviation safety-related bills in the 1990s, the Federal Aviation Administration’s lack of training in airline inspection and reluctance to release safety data has meant that needed airline safety information is still inaccessible to the public. In the aftermath of recent airline tragedies, however, several consumer advocacy groups, investigative commissions, and the popular media have called for an aviation safety ranking system. Such a rating tool would provide both a useful guide and an incentive for an eventual comprehensive system of aviation safety policy. The rating could include rational factors of safety measurements, such as the rate of accidents, rate of fatality, pilot violations, maintenance fraud, financial stability, average age of fleet, and type of enforcement actions (certificate or monetary). And such a rating may provide a model for forecasting airlines at risk as well as a tool for identifying gaps in the architecture of our public aviation infrastructure.
The Artificial Earthquake Electric Restructuring in California
Authors: Holden Matthew
Published: March 2007

The electric power system is a crucial aspect of the infrastructure of contemporary society. The electric power system has undergone an artificial earthquake. Vertical integration was broken up, generation made competitive, and utilities pushed out of generation. Did this artificial quake, which is of worldwide interest, have to happen or are there lessons to learn? From the viewpoint of delivering physical reliability of services to customers, the system clearly was not “broke.” Interest groups’politics seem to have been the driver, the main groups being industrial customers, independent power producers, and “Chicago School” economists. The changes have not producedthe expectedreduction of rates to customers, have resultedin major financial consequences for utilities, ledthe state into the power-purchasing business, andcalledinto question aspects of the state’s own finances. In policy making, the pure theory of any discipline is likely to yieldunexpectedandundesirable results.
Educating the Infrastructure Professional
Authors: Little Richard G.
Published: March 2007

The United States has the most extensive, complex, and arguably the most sophisticated system of public infrastructure in the world. This linked system of facilities and activities provides the broad range of essential services that support our economic well-being and overall quality of life. In light of the critical role that infrastructure plays in our everyday lives and the many challenges facing the owners and operators of these systems, professionals of the highest caliber are needed to support and manage the nation’s infrastructure. This article suggests that existing university curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels are generally inadequate to provide the necessary integrated and cross-disciplinary training required for infrastructure professionals. A focused activity should be undertaken to assess the educational needs and the adequacy of the training of those professionals and propose necessary curricula improvements.
Homicide Survivors Meet the Offender Prior to Execution
Authors: UMBREIT MARK S. , VOS BETTY
Published: March 2007

This article presents two case studies that represent the first examination of any capital murder cases involving a victim offender mediation/dialogue session between a surviving family member and the death row inmate facing execution shortly after the mediation session. The 5 participants (3 surviving family members and 2 offenders) in these ground-breaking death row mediation/dialogue sessions stated that this intervention had a powerful impact on their lives; all had been moved beyond their expectations, all were relieved, all reported significant progress on their healing journeys, and all were grateful for the opportunity. Furthermore, all 5 persons pointed to the same set of components to account for their response. The authors suggest that practitioners and policy makers should give serious consideration to cautiously expanding opportunities for such restorative encounters that are initiated and requested by victims and surviving family members of severely violent crime.
Serial Murderers in Germany from 1945 to 1995
Authors: HARBORT STEPHAN , MOKROS ANDREAS
Published: March 2007

The total number of serial murderers who were convicted between 1945 and 1995 in the Federal Republic of Germany (N = 61) are described in terms of their characteristics, with reference to sociodemographics, family background, social integration, intellectual capability, and personality disorders. A comparison with a larger sample of German single murderers from a previous study shows that the serial perpetrators appear to constitute a particular class of homicide offenders. In particular, the serial murderers have a higher likelihood of personality disorder, cerebral anomalies, and offense premeditation and are more likely to have had no relationship with the victim prior to the offense. With respect to differentiation among serial murderers, differences become apparent between serial murderers whose offenses have a strong sexual component (n = 22) and the remainder of the sample. Finally, the limited capacity of modus operandi and signature for linking cases in ongoing investigations is discussed.
Routine Activities and Urban Homicides
Authors: CAYWOOD TOM
Published: March 2007

This study examined the victim-offender relationship and location of occurrence of homicides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the years 1987 to 1992. A routine activities approach was used as a theoretical framework for interpreting homicides in this city. The sociodemographic variables of age, sex, and employment status and the temporal variable of season of the year were found to be the strongest predictors of homicide victimization. These results were compared with those of a similar study by Messner and Tardiff of homicides in Manhattan (a borough of New York City). Overall, the findings provide further, although limited, support for the routine activities approach as a means of examining urban homicides.
Homicide in Minneapolis
Authors: KENNEDY DAVID M. , BRAGA ANTHONY A.
Published: March 2007

Academics have long studied the basic dimensions of homicide, with Marvin E. Wolfgang's pioneering 1958 classic, Patterns in Criminal Homicide, defining the shape of criminological research on homicide. However, this research has generally contributed relatively little to practical homicide prevention strategies. Recently, problem-solving initiatives have undertaken homicide studies in particular cities with the goal of understanding homicide patterns and dynamics and crafting city-specific intervention strategies. One such initiative in Minneapolis found that a large component of the city's homicides was committed by and against chronic, gang-involved offenders. Particularly where youth homicide was concerned, the Minneapolis findings were very similar to recent findings regarding youth homicide in Boston. Based in part on these findings, a “pulling levers” strategy focused on deterring violent offending by gang members, and on reducing tensions between gangs, was designed and implemented. Although very preliminary, initial results from the Minneapolis intervention appear to be promising.
The General Equilibrium Effects of Commodity Taxes in an Economy With Inter-Industry Flows
Authors: Treddenick John M. , Boadway Robin W.
Published: March 2007

A computational method is presented for obtaining a general equilibrium solution in a static neoclassical model of an economy which has intermediate products, exports and imparts, and tax distortions. Using an input-output table, the parameters of the various demand and supply functions in the economy can be chosen so that the general equilibrium solution exactly replicates the real world. The model is then applied to estimate the effects of commodity tax distortions in the Canadian economy using various assumptions about the form of production functions. The method is to replace the commodity tax distortions with lump-sum taxes, compute a new general equilibrium solution, and compare it with the original one to obtain changes in resource allocation, relative prices, the exchange rate, and economic welfare.
The Causes of School Finance Inequalities: Serrano and the Case of California
Authors: Grubb W. Norton , Osman Jack W.
Published: March 2007

Based on a model of school district behavior, this paper investigates the determinants of school revenue and expenditure variation using data for California unified school districts The effects of stratifying the statewide sample by district size and by wealth are considered in detail The hypotheses of the model are consistently supported and prove useful in explaining other wise puzzling results Implications for both the Serrano case and legislative reforms are developed
Alternative Approaches To Compensatory Education: Expenditure Effects
Authors: Feldstein Martin S. , Friedman Bernard
Published: March 2007

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 introduced a program to provide financial assistance to school districts in relation to their numbers of low-income pupils. In the fiscal year 1977, this Title I program provided more than $2.2 billion of aid. There is now substantial debate in the Congress and the administration, as well as in education circles, about the desirability of changing the block grant system that is currently used by the Title Iprogram. Thepresent article employs a behavioral simulation model and data on 4,693 school districts to provide new information about the expenditure effects of the current program and three major alternatives.
School Funding and Student Achievement: an Empirical Analysis
Authors: Sebold Frederick D. , Dato William
Published: March 2007

This article presents the results of an empirical analysis of the relationship between school funding and student achievement across school districts in Cali- fornia. Student achievement is measured by district average scores on ien standardized tests. The model controls for standard socioeconomic factors and entry-level student performance. It is found that changes in expenditure patterns, e.g., equalization of funding per student, would have a statistically sig nificant effect on test scores.
Alternative Mortgage Instruments: Their Effects On Consumer Housing Choices in an Inflationary Environment
Authors: Alm James , Follain James R.
Published: March 2007

This article compares the effects of the standard fixed-payment mortgage instrument (SMI) and the graduated-payment mortgage instrument on an individual's housing decisions in an inflationary environment. Using a simulation model of life-cycle consumer choice, the results with the SMI suggest that low to moderate rates of inflation increase housing demand but rates in excess of 10% have the opposite effect. The results also suggest that the GPM has the potential to increase substantially housing demand, with households willing to pay moderate premiums in order to obtain GPMs.
Economic Determinants of Theft: Some Empirical Results
Authors: Sesnowitz Michael L. , Hexter J. Lawrence
Published: March 2007

A simultaneous equations model in which crime is a function of the probabillty of conviction, penalty, gross yield, and socioeconomic variables is presented and tested for the crimes of robbery and burglary. The cross-section data used from 31 states for 1970 support the hypotheses that crime rates fall when the severity and certainty of punishment are increased and the gross gain from the crime is decreased. The results reported are consistent with those of previous investigators. However, the current study uses homeowners insurance claims as a proxy for the gross gain from robberies and burglaries. While imperfect, this measure is more direct than those used by most previous investigators. As a result, the present study provides more direct support for the hypothesis that thieves respond to the amount available for stealing.
Federalism, Horizontal Equity, and the Optimal Grant
Authors: Hamlin Alan P.
Published: March 2007

Federalism is often argued to produce a particular problem in designing hori-Abstract zontal equity policy that may be partially overcome by the use of intergovernmental grants. The nature of the federal equity problem is reconsidered; it is argued that only a specific subclass offederations suffer from an inherent equity problem and that in these cases, the use of grants is a necessary part of the problem rather than its solution. The specific choice ofgrant is reconsidered in the context of simple majority voting on local issues to illustrate a difficulty in the identification of the optimal grant.
Government By Contract
Authors: Boudreaux Donald J. , Holcombe Randall G.
Published: March 2007

Many organizations have characteristics that normally are associated with govern-ments, but which are created by private contract. Neighborhood associations and condominium associations are examples. These organizations often provide public goods, have the power to tax their members, and are governed democratically. They tend to be created by an entrepreneur who creates a contractual government and then sells shares in the government along with property ownership, with the expectation that the contractual government increases the value of the associated property. Property value is enhanced because the entrepreneur produces constitutional rules, which allows subsequent purchasers to avoid the decision-making costs inherent in reaching agreement at the constitutional level.
Micro-Based Examination of the Demand for Income-Redistribution Benefits
Authors: Husted Thomas A.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the possibility that two factors simultaneously motivate nonrecipient demand for income redistribution. The empirical analysis indicates that support for food stamp program benefits can be explained within a public good framework, while Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits are desired as personal insurance against randomness in income as well as for the public good characteristics of the program. The presence of more than one motivation helps to explain the many differences in income-redistribution programs currently found in the United States.
The Algebra of a Class of Transformations with Applications to Log-Log Models of School Spending
Authors: Rothstein Paul
Published: March 2007

A transformation is defined and algebraic relatconships developed between the least squares coefficients, standard errors, and R2 in the original and transformed models. This complete analysis is then used to explain the impact on these quantities of different measures of the tax price and dependent variable in log-log school spending models. More generally, it is shown that the different specifications are linked to each other through this transformation so that they have a common fundamental structure. The results should be interpreted in this light. Other applications are described briefly.
Does It Make Sense To Double Count? Problems in Assessing Rent-Seeking Costs
Authors: Cullis John G. , Jones Philip R.
Published: March 2007

Identification of the welfare costs associated with rent seeking depends sensitively on the conditions that pertain to each case being considered It is dangerous to suppose that a particular rule will apply across the board. This argument is illustrated with respect to two examples. In the first example, the extent of rent-seeking costs is shown to depend on whether or not rent seekers are able to benefit from the X-inefficiency that is created by monopoly provision. In the second example, the alleged preference that external diseconomies be corrected by regulation rather than by penalty taxes is shown to be sensitive to individuals'perception of tax costs.
Work Requirements and Income Transfers
Authors: Colburn Christopher B.
Published: March 2007

Recent structural changes m the Aid of Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program brought about by the 1988 Family Support Act mandate work requirements and training for many income transfer recipients. The article uses a theoretical analysis that predicts changes in the level and composition of income transfers resulting from the introduction of these policy changes. The model incorporates the labor supply decision of potential income transfer recipients into a public choice model that describes the process by which the level of income transfer per recipient for each state is determined. The statistical analysis involved the pooling of data on labor force participation, wage rates, and other variables relevant to the labor supply model of potential income transfer recipients with the level of transfers, guarantees, donor and recipient characteristics, and information on the marginal cost of income redistribution from the public choice model. A panel data set of time series for each state was used to estimate how sensitive the income transfer is to changes in the labor supply of welfare recipients. Policy implications of the analysis are offered that focus on the implementation of the requirement that a percentage of income transfer recipients work on the level of AFDC transfer that states provide.
Housing Demand and Property Tax Incidence in a Life-Cycle Framework
Authors: Sacher Seth B.
Published: March 2007

Studies of tax incidence usually present estimates based on annual data and then simply note that estimates based on lifetime information would be preferable but are precluded by data limitations. This article presents estimates of property tax incidence in both an annual and a life-cycle framework. Under various shifting assumptions, the property tax appears less regressive in a lifetime sense than an annual one. It also appears that transitory influences on measured income may be more important than life-cycle issues in causing annual and lifetime tax incidence profiles to differ .
The Nonprofit Sector's Capital Constraint: Does It Provide a Rationale for the Tax Exemption Granted To Nonprofit Firms?
Authors: Goodspeed Timothy J. , Kenyon Daphne A.
Published: March 2007

The exemption of the nonprofit sector from the corporate income tax is an implicit subsidy that has received little attention in the nonprofit literature A fundamental question concerning this subsidy is its rationale. The present analysis suggests that the theoretical basis for the rationale previously proposed by Hansmann, that the nonprofit sector's capital constraint justifies its tax exemption, relies heavily on the output effect of exemption. The article first suggests that the nonprofit sector's capital constraint might not be effective. Granting an effective capital constraint, the equivalence of the ration to a partial factor tax is used to show the effect of the constraint on the allocation of resources. If the tax exemption is targeted to the rationed factor, it can have no effect on the misallocation of resources because the rationed factor is immobile. If the tax exemption falls on mobile capital, that capital can avoid the tax by moving to the nonprofit sector. This must worsen the production distortion but might improve allocative efficiency. For an overall improvement in welfare, the improvement in allocative efficiency must outweigh the additional production distortions. Thus the Hansmann rationale for exemption of the nonprofit sector is similar to the rationale for exempting a sector that produces goods that are public in nature: the exemption provides a supply side subsidy to nonprofit output for both cases. In either case, the exemption is inherently a second-best method to achieve an increase in nonprofit output.
Economic Impact of Taxes On Financial Characteristics of the Natural Resources Industry
Authors: Billings B. Anthony
Published: March 2007

The objective of this article is to investigate the effects of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA86) on financial characteristics of firms in the natural resources industry. Financial characteristics of the post-TRA86 period are compared with financial characteristics in the pre-TRA86 period in a multivariate analysis of covariance approach. The financial characteristics examined are the mode of asset acquisition and the method of external financing. The evidence suggests that tax law changes under TRA86 led to an increase in the proportion of operating assets acquired by lease rather than by purchase. The results failed to confirm the hypothesized effect of tax law changes on the mix of debt and equity in the capital structure. Marginal support is provided for the joint effect of the TRA86 changes and the firm's state of tax exhaustion. The results have tax policy implications regarding the influence of the alternative minimum tax and the tax wedge between debt and equity on business decisions.
The Intended Relationship Between Federal Operating Subsidy and Cost
Authors: Obeng Kofi , Azam Golam
Published: March 2007

There are many studies, including those of J. Pucher et al. and S. C. Anderson, that found higher costs to be associated with transit operating subsidies. However, none of them investigated the effect of state and local federal subsidy formulas on cost efficiency of transit operations. In this article, the subsidy-cost relationship is derived by using the federal operating subsidy formula directly within the transit firm's optimizing framework, and the resulting system of equations is estimated. Our results demonstrate that there exists a positive cost-subsidy relationship that conforms with the previous studies and that the formula results in very little capital bias.
Tax Credits for Job Creation and Job Retention in the California Economy
Authors: Pope Ralph A. , Kuhle James L.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the potential impact of a wages-paid tax credit and a tax credit for the cost of retraining workers in California. The empirical results suggest that a wages-paid tax credit would be most effective in increasing employment atfirms with the fewest resources. The results also suggest that a tax credit for the cost of retraining workers would not be effective in the retention of workers.
A Comparison of Logical and Physical Parallel I/o pAtterns
Authors: Simitci Huseyin , Reed Daniel A.
Published: March 2007

Although there are several extant studies of parallel scien tific application request patterns, there is little experimen tal data on the correlation of physical I/O patterns with application I/O stimuli. To understand these correlations, the authors have instrumented the SCSI device drivers of the Intel Paragon OSF/1 operating system to record key physical I/O activities, and have correlated this data with the I/O patterns of scientific applications captured via the Pablo analysis toolkit. This analysis shows that disk hard ware features profoundly affect the distribution of request delays and that current parallel file systems respond to parallel application I/O patterns in nonscalable ways.
A Brief Tutorial on the Development of Measures for Use in Survey Questionnaires
Authors: Hinkin Timothy R.
Published: March 2007

The adequate measurement of abstract constructs is perhaps the greatest challenge to understanding the behavior of people in organizations. Problems with the reliability and validity of measures used on survey questionnaires continue to lead to difficulties in interpreting the results of field research. Price and Mueller suggest that measurement problems may be due to the lack of a well-established framework to guide researchers through the various stages of scale development. This article provides a conceptual framework and a straightforward guide for the development of scales in accordance with established psychometric principles for use infield studies
A Three-Dimensional Scale of Intangibility
Authors: Laroche Michel , Bergeron Jasmin , Goutaland Christine
Published: March 2007

As new information technologies are being developed, so have new generations of information products. Because these new products appear highly intangible, this renews the debate about intangibility as defined in the marketing literature, which has traditionally considered it as a unidimensional or two-dimensional construct and has associated it almost exclusively with services. The objective of this study is to show that intangibility is a three-dimensional construct. A survey was conducted, and structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the proposed scale. Results showed that intangibility is indeed composed of three dimensions: mental intangibility, physical intangibility, and generality. The scale was then applied to some goods and services, and it was found that some goods appear to be less tangible than many services. These results suggest the need for some changes in how service marketing research is carried out and how managers deal with the “intangibility” of their services.
Becoming “Real Men”
Authors: MESSERSCHMIDT JAMES W.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies of adolescent male sexual violence have ignored—among other issues—offender agency and gender. The life-history method offers a means to explore both. In this article, the life histories of two adolescent male sex offenders are juxtaposed and analyzed. Although both boys initially launched a hegemonic masculine project, bodily and sexual practices institutionalized in the school presented “masculinity challenges” to both boys and played a major role in structuring their subsequent formation of subordinate masculinities. Both boys eventually used sexual violence as a resource for over-coming the masculinity challenges and, thus, constructing a fragmented representation of in-school dominant masculinity. The life-history data support feminist perspectives that highlight the meaningful actions of individual agents and the significance of gender accomplishment as socially situated and intermittent. The article suggests that future research examine the salience of masculinity challenges, the body, and sexuality to adolescent male sexual violence.
Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the Guarded Hot Plate Apparatus and Its Computer Implementation
Authors: Troussart L.R.
Published: March 2007

A three-dimensional finite element formulation is used in order to find a numerical solution to the field problem of the guarded hot plate. The study is focused on the square appara tus. It determines the influence of the operating and construction parameters on the performance of the instrument.
NVLAP and the Thermal Insulation Proficiency Testing Program
Authors: Horlick Jeffrey , Berger Harvey W.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Pro gram (NVLAP), administered by the National Bureau of Standards, and sum marizes the proficiency testing program for the Thermal Insulation Materials Laboratory Accreditation Program (Insulation LAP). NVLAP and its procedures for assessing, evaluating, and accrediting laboratories are presented briefly. The scope of the Insulation LAP is described. The results of the proficiency testing program over a four year period of testing are given. Eight tables show the sta tistical results of data submitted by participating laboratories for thermal trans mission properties, thermal conductance, surface flammability, settled density, critical radiant flux, and smoldering combustion.
Analysis of Transient Heat Transfer Measurements on Porous Thermal Insulations
Authors: Tong T.W. , McElroy D.L. , Yarbrough D.W.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents the results on developing an appropriate heat transfer model for analyzing transient thermal measurements on porous insulation using the flat- screen tester at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A transient radiation and con duction model that employed the two-flux equations for describing radiation ex change was considered. The details of the finite-difference method used to solve the two-flux equations implicitly and the energy equation explicitly are presented Calculations for the screen temperature rise for two test insulations were made and compared to the measured results. The two test insulations were the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) fiberglass batt transfer standard and the NBS standard reference material 1450b fiberglass board. It was concluded that the heat transfer model was suitable to be used as a data-reduction model for deducing the thermophysical prop erties of porous insulation from transient flat-screen test data.
Building Envelope Systems with Sprayed Cellular Insulation —A Program for Developing Evaluation Procedures
Authors: Bomberg M. , Schwartz N.V.
Published: March 2007

Components of the research program jointly sponsored by the Institute for Re search in Construction, National Research Council of Canada, and the Polyurethane Division, Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada, are described. The program is designed to improve the means of evaluating and comparing the value-in-use of various residential thermal insulation materials and systems. To assess value-in-use of insulations such as glass fibre, cellulose, and spray-applied products of which sprayed polyurethane foam is one, the performance of the building envelope as a system, in addition to analysing the materials and components, will be considered. Elements of the program will include:

• thermal and energy performance,

• contribution of the insulation to the air and vapour barrier performance of the en velope system,

• interaction with other building components,

• changes in the material performance with time.
Thermal Bridges: A Non-Computerized Calculation Procedure
Authors: Staelens P.
Published: March 2007

This study presents a non-computerized calculation procedure for steady state two-dimensional conductive heat losses through thermal bridges. The heat flow is divided into distinct flow paths based on physical considerations. A resistance is derived analytically for each flow path. These resistances are combined into a net work. The network simulates the construction. Calculating the total resistance of the network gives the thermal resistance of the construction. The algorithm is compared with a finite forward difference method. The relative error on the linear thermal transmittance of the thermal bridges calculated does not exceed 10%. The absolute error on the mean surface temperature is approximately 1°C and independent of the type of construction. The minimum inside surface temperature can be estimated in only a few cases; the absolute error is approximately 0.5°C. The algorithm is devel oped mainly for designers. Its simplicity and the possibility it offers for quick and ac curate control calculations makes it an ideal design tool. It can be programmed in Lotus for specific applications of a designer. It is ideal for prevention of condensa tion, more so than predicting heat loss (or gain).
Moisture Transport Through Glass-Fibre Insulation in the Presence of a Thermal Gradient
Authors: Kumaran M.K.
Published: March 2007

A heat flow meter apparatus is used to monitor the heat flux across a moist speci men of a low density glass-fibre insulation. The results indicate that moisture is transported through the specimen predominately by vapour diffusion. A thermo dynamic model is suggested to represent the transport process. This model leads to two moisture transport coefficients characteristic of the specimen.
Fire Performance of Combustible Insulation in Buildings
Authors: Mehaffey J.R.
Published: March 2007

The increased use of foamed plastic insulation in buildings has led to concern over fire safety. Some of the potential fire hazards are identified. In particular, emphasis is placed on two issues: the spread of fire by combustible insulation within cavity walls, and the effect of insulation on the intensity of fire within rooms. These two issues have received a great deal of attention within the NRC/SPI Fellowship Program. The findings of several experimental studies conducted in the program (and complement ing earlier or concurrent research activities within NRC) are reviewed. The impact of the research on the fire safety regulations in the National Building Code of Canada are highlighted.
Seasonal Variations in the Modes of Heat Transfer in a Moist Porous Thermal Insulation in a Flat Roof
Authors: Hedlin C.P.
Published: March 2007

Glass fiber insulation specimens 60 mm thick, with moisture contents ranging up to 15% by volume, were placed on the roof of the Outdoor Test Building of the In stitute for Research in Construction, National Research Council of Canada in Saska toon, Saskatchewan The specimens were sealed in polyethylene to prevent the loss of moisture.

Temperatures were measured at the top and bottom surfaces of each specimen and at the quarter points inside some of them. Heat fluxes were measured with calibrated heat flux transducers. Measurements were recorded every 20 minutes at all seasons of the year.

Thermal conductances were calculated using transfer functions. The results showed an increase in thermal conductance when the weather was warm enough to produce daily reversals in temperature gradient across the wet specimens. This was attributed to latent heat transfer produced by evaporation of water at the warmer side of the insulation and its condensation at the cooler side.

In winter, the moisture was deposited in the upper, colder part of the insulation. It was apparently distributed through the upper part of the insulation and not depos ited as a solid layer at the top surface, since its effect on thermal conductance, indi cated by the interior temperature gradient, extended well down in the insulation.
What Property Do We Measure— Considerations on a Decade of ISO/TC 163
Authors: De Ponte F. , Klarsfeld S.
Published: March 2007

In April 1973 Subcommittee C-16.30 of ASTM Committee C-16 presented the milestone paper "What Property Do We Measure?" recognizing that a single measurement on an insulating material could not represent a material property. Since that paper a lot of research has been done and in the meantime ISO Committee 163 on Thermal Insulation was established, soon becoming an excellent international forum for new ideas and concepts

In this paper, that is not an official statement from ISO/TC 163, we first analyze what a figure means that we get from a guarded hot plate or heat flow meter appara tus. Two concepts can be stressed: (1) a material can possess an intrinsic property but this may need more than one number to be assigned and (2) a test result, in many in stances, is not a measure of a material property, but it is rather a more or less complex function of material properties and testing conditions.

A change in testing philosophy is then proposed: instead of asking for as many measurements as those duplicating all end use conditions, the minimum number of measurements to foresee all conditions of practical interest should be defined.

To be consistent with the concepts just outlined, new parameters, and hence new terms, are needed to unambiguously describe thermal performance of insulating ma terials.
Apparent Thermal Conductivities of Fiberglass Insulation
Authors: Abuaf N. , Jaster H.
Published: March 2007

This paper deals with the thermal characterization of fiberglass insu lation used in baking oven applications. The apparent thermal conductivities of fiber glass bats were measured with a commercially available guarded hot plate k-tester as a function of density, thickness, hot and cold surface emissivities and mean tempera ture levels applicable to range operation and self cleaning conditions. An axisym metnc conduction analysis was performed to estimate the k-tester accuracy, and a few calibration measurements were executed with a fiberglass mat provided by the k-tester manufacturer. The apparent thermal conductivities, measured within the specific ranges of the parameters listed above, were correlated with a model which in cludes the gas and solid conduction, as well as radiation transport.
Image Analysis and the Characterization of Cellular Plastics
Authors: Schwartz N.V. , Bomberg M.T.
Published: March 2007

An evaluation of sprayed polyurethane foams manufactured with alternative blowing agents is being performed under a joint research program be tween the Society of the Plastics Industry of Canada and the Institute for Research in Construction. Image analysis, or the computer-aided quantification of the cell structure of the foams is a part of this evaluation.

Samples of foams prepared using the same polymer with different blowing agents were examined under a low-power microscope. The blowing agents used in prepar ing the foam samples were: CFC-11, CFC-11 + 1% water, HCFC-123, HCFC- 141b, and a blend of the two HCFCs with 0.5% water. With the aid of a computer, histograms were obtained of the distribution of areas and of aspect ratios for win dows undamaged in the sectioning process as well as for cells that were opened during the sectioning of the foams. A comparison of these histograms allows one to differentiate the foams. In addition, reasonable estimates of average cell size can be made from measurements of cross-sectional areas of cell windows and of opened cells. Thickness of struts, i.e., the edges where two cell windows intersect, were esti mated by the use of a thinning technique on strut images, and estimates of cell wall thickness were made using an optical interference technique.
Two Studies of Mold and Mildew in Florida Buildings
Authors: Lstiburek Joseph W.
Published: March 2007

All across North America, the hotel industry has been plagued by moisture problems leading to odor, staining, and structural degradation. According to a 1990 survey by the Association of Hotels and Motels (AHM), mold and mildew costs the industry about 68 million dollars per year in lost revenues and repairs. The association suspects that these problems stem from faulty design of building enve lope and HVAC systems. Indeed, this case study of two buildings supports AHM assumptions and illustrates how the design faults may lead to excessive wetness and mold growth in hotels and motels in Florida.
Evaluation in the Government Marketplace
Authors: House Ernest R.
Published: March 2007

A large government market has developed in evaluation over the past few decades. Governments let contracts to conduct evaluation studies, and these contracts shape the studies. Such contracting does not follow the idealized image of open markets. Rather, a few firms conduct most studies because of the dynamics of the contracting process. If we are to have honest, unbiased evaluations, evaluation ethics must take these market factors into consideration. The conditions under which evaluations are produced are as important as House how evaluation results are used.
Communicating and Reporting: Practices and Concerns of Internal and External Evaluators
Authors: Torres Rosalie T. , Preskill Hallie S. , Piontek Mary E.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated internal and external evaluators' practices and concerns about communicating and reporting evaluation findings. Approximately three-quarters (72%) of a random sample of American Evaluation Association members responded to a survey on this topic. Most of those responding: (1) adhere to traditional reporting formats; (2) are only moderately satisfied with their communicating and reporting efforts; (3) found that insufficient time and political/organizational complexity impedes success in communicating and reporting; and (4) describe effective Rosalie T. Torres practice as typically entailing high stakeholder involvement. Internal evaluation was found to be not only equally as prevalent as external evaluation, but different in relation to certain communication and reporting practices.