bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Physical Properties of Fabrics Woven from Open-End and Ring Spun Yarns
Authors: Mohamed Mansour H. , Lord Peter R.
Published: March 2007

It is well established that open-end yarns are different from ring yarns; in particular OE yarns are weaker and more bulky in spite of the higher twist levels used. The introduction of these yarns into woven fabric affects the structure and the characteristics of the fabrics. The fabric structure traps non-load bearing fibers and thus gives increases in fabric strength and decreases in fabric extensibility. Crimp levels are altered which affect the initial modulus and the breaking extension of the fabric. This and the different yarn characteristics lead to considerable difference in tear strength. In the cases, of both ring and OE fabrics, the looser the structure, the worse the pilling performance and the better the tear performance. Compromises have to be made according to end-use.

The changes in structure alter the topography of the fabric which affects the wear behavior. The changes in structure also affect the crease resistance and flexural rigidity characteristics of the fabrics. Thus the differences in the yarn structure play a distinct part in determining the final nature of the fabric.
Activated Imines as Intermediates in Base-Catalyzed Crosslinking of Cotton by N-Methylol Agents
Authors: Welch Clark M. , Margavio Matthew F.
Published: March 2007

Certain N-methylolamides crosslink cotton cellulose at very moderate temperatures (105°-130°C) in the presence of alkaline catalysts, without the fabric yellowing that is usually associated with alkaline curing. Evidence is presented that the active crosslinking agents are alpha-, beta-unsaturated imines possessing CH2=N—C=O groups, and that these undergo base-catalyzed, Michael-type addition to cellulosic hydroxyl groups. N-Methylol agents whose struc tures preclude the formation of imines invariably failed to produce base-catalyzed crosslinking of cotton.

Crosslinking of methyl hydrogen silicone to form silicone elastomer on cotton fibers occurred under the same conditions of base catalysis as did cellulose crosslinking. The two processes could be carried out simultaneously to yield a multi purpose finish imparting 287°-305° wrinkle recovery and a high degree of water repellency. Bonding of a phenolic dye to cotton while imparting durable-press properties also has been demonstrated. Tri(methoxymethyl)urea was capable only of single-ended attachment to cotton by alkaline catalysis, as predicted, and could then be made to pro duce delayed crosslinking by acid catalysis.
The Effect of Fiber Treatment on the Coefficient of Energy Dissipation
Authors: Cheng C.C. , Duckett K.E.
Published: March 2007

The coefficient of energy dissipation, which has previously been shown to characterize the surface properties of staple fibers, is examined for cottons extracted with alcohol, mercerized, washed in a water softener, baked, and partially coated with microscopic particulates. The effect of humidity on the coefficient of energy dissipation is observed and hysteresis effects are shown to occur as the humidity is cycled. Humidity effects are discussed in terms of previously published theory on interfiber frictional behavior.
Effect of Phosphorus and Bromine on Burning Rates for Cotton and a Polyester /Cotton Blend1
Authors: Johnson James R. , Moore Donald R.
Published: March 2007

Burning rate measurements have been carried out on cotton and on 50/50 polyester/cotton samples in the presence of low to moderate levels of diammonium hydrogen phosphate and/or diammonium tetrabromophthalate. The in iluence of burning mode, i.e., horizontal or top-vertical, on the rate of burning, and effects of bromine and phosphorus on oxygen sensitivity were observed.

Low levels of added retardant enhance burning rates under all conditions for horizontal burning. Similarly, oxygen sensitivity is greater for samples treated with either retardant than for untreated samples when burned in the horizontal mode. Top-vertical burning behavior of cotton resembles horizontal burning, but at slower speeds. For 50/50 polyester/ cotton, rate enhancement effects and increased oxygen sensitivity are not observed in top-vertical burning. It is specu lated that these aberrant effects may be attributable to dominance of polyester combustion at the slower burning speeds.
Effect of Mixing Cottons Differing in Micronaire Reading and Carding Variables on Cotton Sliver Quality, Yarn Properties, and End Breakage
Authors: Simpson Jack , Fiori Louis A.
Published: March 2007

Three cotton blends of average micronaire reading but composed of various percentages of high, low, and average micronaire reading cottons were carded into three sliver weights at each of three levels of card production rates. The effect of blend, sliver weight, card production rate, and Hat speed on card loading, card waste, sliver uniformity, fiber orientation, and processing performance were observed.
A Study of the Soiling of Textiles and Development of Anti-Soiling and Soil Release Finishes: A Review
Authors: Venkatesh G.M. , Dweltz N.E. , Madan G.L. , Alurkar R.H.
Published: March 2007

With the introduction of easy-care and durable press fabrics the problems of soiling and soil release have become im portant today. Published literature contains mostly conflicting reports in regard to the effect that the chemical and physical characteristics of the fabric surface have on soiling and soil release. In an effort to understand the mechanism of soiling and soil release better, the various factors responsible for them have been reviewed. Different experimental techniques, especially those dealing with the surface characteristics of fabrics, have been discussed. Performance char acteristics of the commerically availahle soil released finishes have also been considered. It is clear that the lack of proper understanding of the mechanisms of soiling and soil release is responsible for the limited effectiveness of the com mercially availahle soil release agents. This suggests that there is a need for promoting systematic investigations with a view to acquire basic information on various parameters which contribute to the problem.
Sorptive Textile Systems Containing Activated Carbon Fibers
Authors: Arons Gilbert N. , Macnair Richard N. , Coffin Laurance G. , Hogan Hubkrtina D.
Published: March 2007

Activated carton fabrics and yarns were shown to effectively sorb gases, vapors, and dissolved solids. Fabrics pre pared by Arons and Macnair (phenotic precursor) and Maggs (viscose precursor) were the most activated of all the materials studied. The yarns had a lower activity but probably can be improved to have comparahly high sorption capacity. Other materials studied included permeable textile systems made by mechanically reinforcing carbon fabrics and yarns with stronger materials. For example, selected fabrics were laminated or quilted between two other fabric layers while the yarns were knitted or woven with other yarns.
Durability of Fabric Handle and Shape Retention During Wear of Men's Summer Suits
Authors: Yokura Hiroko , Niwa Masako
Published: March 2007

Fabric handle durability and shape retention during wear of men's summer suits were evaluated under both wear and simulation conditions, using the objective eval uation methods of handle and garment appearance based on the mechanical properties measured by the KES-FB. The simulation test was performed using the KES-F5 fatigue test machine. Shape retention during wear of a suit jacket tailored from fabric with a total appearance value ( TAV ) of 4.39 was superior to that of a jacket tailored from fabric with a TAV of 2.15. The decrease in the TAVs after the simulation test was less for those fabrics having a high TAV than those with a rather low TAV. The TAV of the fabrics can be used to characterize the appearance of a suit after wear. For the wool and wool/mohair blend fabrics, there was a linear relationship between the decrease in the total hand value after the simulation test and the increase in fabric hysteresis at low levels of shear strain (2HG) measured after the deformation test of 104 cycles along the weft direction. The fabrics with good handle durability showed a small increase in 2HG in the deformation test of 104 cycles.
Applying Fourier and Associated Transforms to Pattern Characterization in Textiles
Authors: Wood Errol J.
Published: March 2007

The regular periodic nature of many textile patterns permits Fourier transform techniques in image processing to be used to measure their visual characteristics. In carpets, the patterns may be due to either the arrangement of the pile or the repetition of a colored design. The Fourier power spectrum provides a useful description of the spatial frequency content in a digital image, and in particular the coarseness of any texture present. It is also an intermediate step in deriving the two-dimensional auto correlation function, which graphically describes the translational and rotational sym metry of an image. The cross-correlation function enables comparisons of similar patterns to be made and gives a means of measuring the changes in pattern definition that arise from wear. The low or high frequency components in an image can be suppressed with appropriate Fourier masks, allowing the pile texture or the colored pattern in a patterned carpet to be enhanced. This sort of transformation permits image processing methods that have proved useful in measuring the pile texture in plain carpets to be applied to patterned types.
Mechanics of Woven Fabrics
Authors: Seyam A. , El-Shiekh Aly
Published: March 2007

Theoretical maximum weavability relationships of fabrics woven from regular warp ends and variable thickness filling yarns are derived by developing a local geometry where the thick filling place is interlaced with warp ends and where warp yarn is interlaced with thick and thin filling yarns. Geometric relationships are derived from the local geometry, and hence a local weavability limit relationship is deduced. The average warp and filling spacings are calculated by developing an imaginary proba bilistic model of a time scale and relating the geometric parameters at different locations. The final expressions for the weavability limit, which represent the fabric sheet as a whole, relate the average maximum warp and filling cover factors to the ratio of average filling yarn to warp yarn diameters; the ratio of thick place of filling to warp yarn diameters; and the ratio of thick place length of filling to the wave length, warp and average filling densities, thick and thin places of filling yarn densities, number of filling yarns in the pattern repeat, and weave design.
In Vivo Cutaneous and Perceived Comfort Response to Fabric
Authors: Hatch K.L. , Woo S.S. , Barker R.L. , Radhakrishnaiah P. , Markee N.L. , Maibach H.I.
Published: March 2007

Using a modified Kawabata Thermolabo apparatus housed in a controlled envi ronmental chamber, we obtained measurements of heat transfer through a specially selected set of jersey knit textile fabrics. We then used analytical models to compute thermal comfort limits based on the experimental values and predetermined estimates of human metabolic activity. The jersey knit fabrics differed primarily on the basis of fiber content: the comparisons were between two knits, both made with 100% polyester fibers of different deniers, and a 100% cotton fabric. This research confirms the results of several previous studies that fabric structural features, not component fibers, are the most important controllers of thermal dissipation in the presence of moisture diffusion. Our results also show that heat transfer is highly related to fabric thickness, bulk density, and air volume fraction. Thermal transfer from a simulated sweating skin surface is strongly correlated with fabric porosity and air permeability.
Geometric Constraints with a Raceboard: The Shuttle Loom
Authors: Dawson R.M.
Published: March 2007

The need to. align the front shed boundary, the filling insertion element, and any insertion element guides within the working width imposes constraints on loom timings. An earlier analysis of these constraints is extended to cover the use of a raceboard as an insertion element guide. The deviations that can occur from the ideal configuration for insertion element guidance by a raceboard are analyzed for the general case, and then this analysis is applied to the shuttle loom. The results suggest that warp shuttle interference can play an essential part in enabling shuttle alignment requirements to be met when early shed-change timings are used.
Dynamic Water Vapor and Heat Transport Through Layered Fabrics
Authors: Wang J.-H. , Yasuda H.
Published: March 2007

An experimental apparatus has been developed to permit simultaneous measurement of temperature change and moisture flux through fabrics during the transient period after one set of fabrics has been exposed to humidity and temperature gradients. Both the water vapor method and the sweat method were used to study the transport of water vapor and water vapor emanating from liquid water in contact with the bottom layer of fabric through several fabrics. Tested fabrics included single fiber and blended fiber fabrics, treated either by hydrophobically or hydrophilically. Analysis of the ex perimental results verified that after either hydrophobic or hydrophilic treatment, the fabrics did not show any significant change in moisture flux when compared to their untreated counterparts using the water vapor method, but did show a significant dif ference when measured by the sweat method. In the sweat case, the dominant factor that controls the water vapor transfer rate is considered to be the wicking ability of the fabric.
An Empirical Model for Fabric Hand
Authors: Raheel Mastura , JIANG LIU
Published: March 2007

A new model for fabric hand assessment is developed that uses fuzzy comprehensive evaluation to predict hand. One of the main aspects of this research is the establishment of a fuzzy relation matrix R for objective evaluation of fabric hand. This was achieved by investigating a large number ( n = 100) of light weight fabrics for selected physical and mechanical properties and developing a series of membership functions for the properties tested. Another important element is the weighted factor vector A, which was deduced from a survey of a panel of judges ( n = 25). A in conjunction with R generates multifactorial equations that can be used to calculate fabric hand.
Analysis of Known Fiber Arrays by the Peyer Texlab System
Authors: Hemstreet J.M. , Krowicki R.S.
Published: March 2007

The Peyer Texlab system (Peyer) measures fiber length distribution. Cotton arrays are taken before and after each processing operation, and the change in length distri bution indicates fiber damage during processing. However, the Fibroliner used in the system also loses or breaks fibers. To measure the differences in fiber length distribution caused by the Fibroliner, three varieties of cotton were sent to USDA, AMS, Clemson, where they were sorted into known length groups using the Suter-Webb method. These three sorted varieties of known length distributions were re-sorted with the Fibroliner and analyzed with the Almeter. The results show a discrepancy in the short fiber content and the presence of fibers that were not in the original array.
Using Liposomes in Wool Chlorination: Stability of Chlorine Liposomes and Their Application on Wool Fibers
Authors: De LA Maza A. , Parra J.L. , Bosch P.
Published: March 2007

We have investigated the use of liposomes as vehicles for oxidative reagents in chlorination of wool fibers. For this purpose, we first studied the interaction between phospholipidic vesicles and chlorine to determine the physicochemical stability of liposomes containing this oxidative agent. Our study of chemical stability was based first on the lipidic peroxidation index of liposomes and second on the alteration of fatty acids that make up of the liposomic structures containing different active chlorine concentrations at pH value of 7.0. Likewise, we studied the physical stability of li posomes through changes in the absorbance of the vesicle suspensions, which are directly related to the aggregation or solubilization of liposomes, and also by mea surements of mean particle size distribution. Regarding the oxidative effects promoted by chlorine treatments on wool applied directly or via liposomes at pH 1.5, we in vestigated the extent of cysteic acid formation groups in wool fibers.
Texture Evaluation of Carpets Using Image Analysis
Authors: Wu Y. , Pourdeyhimi B. , Spivak S.M.
Published: March 2007

This paper explores in detail new image enhancement techniques for assessing tuft geometry and concomitant appearance changes in new and worn carpets. Using im proved algorithms and more advanced tuft geometry, saxony tufted carpets of nylon and polyester BCF yams are capable of being extensively and reliably characterized as to texture and changes in appearance with laboratory or floor wear. While still using a relatively low resolution grey level imaging system, the newly developed al gorithms demonstrate how tuft size distribution, number of tufts, evenness of tuft spatial distribution, and aspect ratio (shape factor) of tufts can be objectively measured. Statistical analysis confirms that customary wear levels, and their visual appearance change in carpet, can be separated and correctly grouped by these new techniques. Some limitations of these and other texture-sensitive image analysis techniques are also discussed.
Mechanical Properties of Fabrics Woven from Yarns Produced by Different Spinning Technologies: Yarn Failure as a Function of Gauge Length
Authors: Realff M.L. , Seo M. , Boyce M.C. , Schwartz P. , Backer S.
Published: March 2007

In a study of yam strength translation into woven fabric behavior, experiments were conducted to establish the effect of test gauge length on yarn properties. Yams produced on each of the three major spinning systems were tensile tested at varying gauge lengths. Yam strength data were fit to two-parameter Weibull distributions and corresponding shape and scale parameters were determined. Strength increased as gauge lengths decreased, a trend indicated by the weakest-link theory. At very short gauge lengths, however, the data deviated from prediction based on the weakest-link theory, thus suggesting a change in the yam failure mechanism, as one would expect when the gauge length approximates the staple length. More direct evidence of such a change is provided in SEM photomicrographs of tensile failures of long versus short gauge test specimens. Combined fiber slippage/pullout and breakage prevailed at longer gauges, whereas a greater extent of fiber breakage with less slippage occurred at shorter gauge lengths. The balance between fiber slippage and fiber breakage varied with yarn structure as produced on different spinning systems. Finally, tensile tests were con ducted on plain and twill weave fabrics woven from yams produced on the different spinning systems. The resultant fabric tenacities approximated corresponding yarn tenacities only for the shortest gauge lengths.
Friction in Fibrous Materials
Authors: Gupta Bhupender S. , El Mogahzy Yehia E.
Published: March 2007

The classical laws of friction adequately describe the behavior of materials that deform plastically but fail to do so in fibers that deform viscoelastically. This paper presents a structural model that characterizes friction in fibrous materials. The theory is general and can account for the behavior of a wide range of materials. The model provides a theoretical base for the empirical equation F = aNn, which has been fitted successfully to experimental data from previous investigations. It gives theoretical meaning to the indices a and n, which heretofore were empirical constants, and brings out the factors, structural as well as procedural, that affect their values. The factors affecting friction in fibers are shown to fall in two main groups, one governing the morphology of contact and the other the mechanical properties of the junctions. A detailed discussion of these factors is given in this paper. The results of an experimental investigation, where acrylic and polypropylene yarns varying systematically in structure were the materials, will be submitted for publication later. Friction is measured in dry and wet media using both line and point contact methods. The effects of structural factors are examined and interpreted in light of the model.
Large-Scale Extension and Recovery of Plain Woven Fabrics
Authors: Anandjiwala Rajesh D. , Leaf G.A.V.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes an attempt at a theoretical study of large-scale tensile defor mation of plain woven fabrics. The basis of the investigation is to use a more realistic approximation of nonlinear yarn bending behavior for both the undeformed fabric state and the stress analysis than has been used by most previous workers. A theoretical model is proposed for the load-extension behavior of plain woven fabric during the first cycle of loading and unloading. In order to demonstrate the possibility of extending this to include cyclic behavior, a theoretical analysis of load-extension behavior over several cycles of loading and unloading is developed.
Mathematical Modeling and Simulation for Carding
Authors: Rust Jon P. , Gutierrez Hector M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this work is to increase the understanding of carding system dynamics based on mathematical tools that will ultimately lead to the development of on-line real-time controllers for carding. The work comprises both modeling the process and comparing simulated results with experimental data. A mathematical model for one worker-stripper group is described and subsequently expanded to model a carding engine with six carding (worker-stripper) groups. The process variable in this work is restricted to fiber areal density on the main cylinder; the expanded model predicts output (web) fiber areal density in time. Both simulated and experimental results are presented.
Perception, Detection, and Diagnosis of Appearance Defects in Fabrics
Authors: Mcgregor Ralph , Mershon Donald H. , Pastore Christopher M.
Published: March 2007

High uniformity of appearance is essential for textiles. Unintended variations of color between and within fabrics pose serious problems: their avoidance makes great demands on manufacturing and quality control at all stages from the extrusion of synthetic fibers and yarns up to the final finishing of a fabric. Most fabric inspection for quality control is visual. Unfortunately in some cases, the appearance of a color defect is a very poor guide to the true nature of the defect, a fact not generally recognized by the industry. This paper describes studies of the responses of observers to well . characterized model color defects using standard psychophysical methods. The results from this new approach will help the industry to understand these problems and provide a basis for the design of sensor systems to be used in automated fabric in spection.
Comparison of Rheological Measurements During Mold Filling for Glycol and Amine Extended Urethane RIM Systems
Authors: Vespoli N.P. , Alberino L.M.
Published: March 2007

Mold filling is an important aspect of the RIM process. Component tempera tures and viscosities, mold temperatures, gel times and material flowrate are all significant variables in the equation for optimal mold filling. In this work, an automated data collection system is used to monitor flow in a mold for two RIM processed systems; the use of a specially designed tool allowed the calculation of the viscosities of the reacting materials at different locations in the tool.
bureaucracy nd Community Organization
Authors: Cooper Terry L.
Published: March 2007

An analysis of the relationship between the Pico-Union Neighborhood Council (PUNC) and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles reveals the pressure of bureaucratic perspectives and role demands to be a significant factor in the interaction of public agencies and community organizations. In spite of independent funding, this neighborhood council has moved from militant advocacy, with broad community par ticipation. to community development directed largely by professionals, with substan tially reduced involvement from community residents. This transformation is examined through an analysis of the perspectives and roles of these two organizations as well as those of the technical advisers from the University of California at Los Angeles. The pressure of role demands and the dynamics of modernization are presented as explana tions for the changes which took place in PUNC. Three major considerations for puhlic administrators of agencies involved with community organizations are discussed.
Language and Curriculum Development : a necessary compromise
Authors: Sharp Derrick
Published: March 2007

The emphasis of the Schools Council Project on "The Teaching and Learning of English in Wales, 8 to 13" was on curriculum development, and this article is about one part of one aspect — the problem of acquiring the necessary basic knowledge when long-term, rigorous research studies are not possible. About 250 teachers throughout Wales completed surveys by filling in questionnaires on language errors made by pupils, methods of teaching English, language textbooks in use, pupils' interests and popular reading. All information was channelled into the preparation of classroom materials for both pupils and teachers.

The limitations of asking teachers to report their pupils' language errors are obvious, but useful information was gained about, for example, the influence of the Welsh language on English spelling and sentence patterns. Responses were least helpful in those areas which cause confusion amongst teachers, notably idiom and spoken English. The greatest problem for teachers is the question of standards in oral work. Such limited surveys for specific purposes were valuable, not least in indicating the size and complexity of language learning and teaching problems.
On Asking Children Bizarre Questions
Authors: Hughes Martin , Grieve Robert
Published: March 2007

When five-and seven-year old children were presented with questions intended to be bizarre (in the sense that their meaning required clarification, or that further information beyond that provided was required for an answer), the children almost invariably gave replies. The older children were more likely to do so by making sense of the questions through characteristics of the elements referred to, or through rules that might be expected to apply in the situations referred to; the younger children were more likely to make sense of the questions by importing additional context. Older children were also more likely to indicate their uncertainty about the questions by qualifying their responses in some way.
A developmental study of low- and middle-class children's responses to wh-questions
Authors: Gullo Dominic F.
Published: March 2007

Qualitative and developmental differences in low- and middle socioeconomic status (SES) preschoolers' responses to wh-questions were investigated. Sixty low-SES and 60 middle-SES children between the ages 3;6 and 5;2 participated in the study. Findings indicate that the order of acquisition of wh-words was different between low- and middle- SES children relative to the development of why constructs. Low-SES children were also shown to employ a different answering strategy to questions where the answer is not known. Results indicate that among incorrect response patterns for where, when, how, or why questions, significantly more low-SES children responded with what answers. Examination of correct responses revealed that low-SES children gave significantly more responses to where, when, how, and why questions at a level indicating a minimal or restricted understanding of what was being asked.
Clarification strategies in joint book reading
Authors: Hayden Helen M.R. , Fagan William T.
Published: March 2007

Within joint book reading, parents and children are provided with many opportunities to interact verbally. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of clarification requests and responses within such an episode. Five kindergarten children were read a traditional fairy tale by their mothers. The dialogue evolving from this experience was categorized into two main focuses - clarifying requests (form and function) and responses. Results indicated that whereas parents and children did not differ greatly in the nature of the function of their requests, they did differ in the form used to express requests for clarification. Differences for responses were also noted to both groups.
A longitudinal study of mothers' speech to preverbal Down's Syndrome infants
Authors: McCconkey Roy , Martin Heather
Published: March 2007

Ten mothers were videotaped at home while playing with their Down's Syndrome infant and a standard set of toys. The visits commenced when the infants were 12 months and they were at approximately six-weekly intervals until the infants were 24 months old. As well as analysing maternal speech, records were also made of the infants' vocalizations and play actions. It was found that the mothers' speech changed over the year even though the children's vocalizations remained constant. Changes in the children's play actions appeared to influence mothers' speech. These findings illustrate the need to examine mother-child interactions within a broad framework, embracing nonverbal as well as verbal behaviours. The implications for intervention strategies are also discussed.
The production of this and that by young children
Authors: Garton Alison F.
Published: March 2007

Many studies have considered the child's developing comprehension of the deictic terms this and that, used to refer to spatial proximity and distance. This is in contrast with the paucity of research into the child's early use of these terms. In the present study, three-year-old children produced both of these deictic terms and each was accompanied by characteristic specific gestures. This was accompanied by a picking up and handling of the object being referred to, while the gestural support for that was either a point or a proffering of the object, depending on spatial contextual restrictions. From this evidence, it is argued that children can use a pragmatic system of deictic contrasts, integrating both verbal and gestural aspects.
The acquisition of the transitive and intransitive action verb categories in Japanese
Authors: Rispoli Matthew
Published: March 2007

The goal of this study was to use evidence from production data to identify three dimensions along which Japanese children may dis criminate transitive from intransitive verbs. The three dimensions are: (1) case marking, (2) locus of change animacy, as indicated by theme animacy, and (3) planning, as indicated by the appropriate use of verb suffixes denoting request, desire, and prohibition. Production data from two Japanese boys were used in cluster analyses that modelled the role of semantic and formal factors in the organization of the children's verb lexicons. The results confirmed that the semantic dimensions of theme animacy and the planning of an action were sufficient to classify children's verbs into transitive and intransitive groups. It is concluded that at a time when these Japanese children did not use case marking for classification, the children had verb lexicons that were already dif ferentiated into transitive and intransitive classes.
Children's speech act comprehension strategies and early literacy experiences
Authors: Reeder Kenneth , Wakefield Jane , Shapiro Jon
Published: March 2007

Our previous research showed a developmental shift in young children's speech act processing, from more context-dependent to more lan guage-dependent strategies. To what extent is this shift related to early literacy experiences and knowledge?

The first study examined the speech act comprehension of 64 three- and four-year-old subjects from a university preschool. Subjects were required to choose one of two paraphrases which most closely matched the pragmatic intention of a stimulus utterance. These stimulus forms were presented with puppets in a simulated preschool context previ ously shown to predispose children's interpretations of stimulus items toward request uptakes. Subjects were exposed to both grammatical and ungrammatical examples of a range of these request types. Dif ferences in literacy experience were identified by means of a parental questionnaire.

All subjects discriminated pragmatic intention significantly more reliably on grammatical items than on ungrammatical ones, but children with more extensive experiences of literacy performed poorly on the ungrammatical input, regardless of age.

A second study of 41 children investigated the links between their early concepts about literacy and speech act comprehension strategies. Performance on the speech act comprehension task was analysed by grouping subjects according to their performance on two separate measures of early concepts of literacy, Clay's Concepts About Print, and Downing's Linguistic Awareness in Reading Readiness, with age group confounded. Children on the higher ends of both literacy measures again experienced difficulty when confronted with ungrammatical input in the speech act comprehension task.

Results of both studies are interpreted in the context of the develop ment of linguistic awareness, and within the larger framework of the development of metacognitive representational ability.
The role of social cognition in comprehension monitoring
Authors: Bonitatibus Gary , Godshall Stephanie , Kelley Maureen , Levering Theresa , Lynch Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

Two studies were conducted to examine the effect of children's social cognitions on their ability to monitor their comprehension in the referential communication paradigm. Specifically, it was hypo thesized that children's beliefs about the intentions and cooperative- ness of speakers prevent them from accurately evaluating messages. In Experiment 1, it was found that children who were made aware of the possibility that speakers themselves (rather than simply their words) might refer to more than one referent, were significantly better able to detect referential ambiguity than were children who, as in traditional referential communication studies, assumed that speakers attempted to describe a single referent. In Experiment 2, it was found that children faced with potentially uncooperative or dishonest speakers, carefully examined the words of referential directions and therefore detected more problems with those directions than children faced with honest, if potentially incompetent speakers. The results are discussed in terms of the interaction between the social and linguistic aspects of communication.
Encounters with Japanese verbs: caregiver sentences and the categorization of transitive and intransitive action verbs
Authors: Rispoli Matthew
Published: March 2007

Familial Japanese has a high rate of noun phrase ellipsis and optional case marking. Because of these traits, caregiver sentences seldom allow for the specification of thematic roles and their syntactic encod ing. A model is proposed for the acquisition of the transitive and intransitive action verb classes in Japanese. The child matches action verbs to three semantic causal types: self-agentive, non-agentive, or causal agentive events. The model uses minimal sentences consisting of only a verb, its inflections, and auxiliaries by paying attention to: 1) the intentionality of the figure-patient referent, and 2) the expression of intentional, planned action by verb suffixes, auxiliaries and adverbs. A sample of 300 action verb sentences spoken by six Japanese care- givers to their two-year-old children, and previous research, support the plausibility of the model.
When `Silence = Death', Keep Talking: Trust, Control and the Discursive Construction of Identity in the Canadian HIV/AIDS Treatment Domain
Authors: Maguire Steve , Phillips Nelson , Hardy Cynthia
Published: March 2007

When we trust someone, it is because we believe there is something about his or her behaviour that makes it predictable. From a control perspective, it means that their behaviour is subject to some type of control mechanism. Building on this connection, we argue that trust and control are closely related and, in fact, that different forms of trust are associated with different types of control. We present a model explaining the control mechanisms associated with three different forms of trust commonly proposed in the literature. Based on a three-year study of the Canadian HIV/AIDS treatment domain, we then explore in more detail the dynamics of identification-based trust and normative control. Our findings reveal the discursive foundations of generating identification-based trust
Organizational Responses to an Environmental Bill of Rights
Authors: McKay Ruth Burnice
Published: March 2007

Organizations are continually confronted by new regulatory pressures, but there is debate as to how much freedom organizations have to select a strategic response to such pressures. Organizations do not respond to a regulatory pressure in isolation, but rather in concert with, and in reaction to, the response of other relevant stakeholders and pressures within the environment. This inductive study contributes to the established resource dependence and institutional literature by examining organizational responses to a new external regulatory pressure, the Ontario (Canada) Environmental Bill of Rights, and the influences that motivated such responses. Results of the study challenge the mechanistic approach of organizational responses to external pressures, presenting evidence of the interactive nature of such responses. This research also revealed four organizational strategies and three influences, not previously identified in organizational theory, which motivate organizational responses.
Project Networks and Changing Industry Practices Collaborative Content Production in the German Television Industry
Authors: Windeler Arnold , Sydow Jorg
Published: March 2007

Changing industry practices and forms of production organization are the medium and result of co-evolutionary processes of change. The disruptive event of transforming the German TV industry into a dual system triggered a change in content production from in-house to collaborative forms in project networks which are not only highly sensitive to previous and anticipated project practices, but also to industry practices. In turn, the change in the production organization recursively influences the reproduction of industry practices. The co-evolutionary analysis is based on structuration theory.
Essai: Doing Time in Organization Theory
Authors: Hatch Mary Jo
Published: March 2007

In this essay I examine my proclivity to theorize time in a cyclical way. Using artist David Hockney's reflections on representing time in art through movement, I suggest that, like Hockney's paintings, my dynamic theories of organizational culture, identity and collective creativity were produced with an awareness of my movement through time. Hockney not only helps me to explain the necessity of movement to understand organizing more dynamically, he also suggests that taking a dynamic approach to theorizing introduces intimacy. On this basis, the essay concludes with the speculation that my way of theorizing moves beyond the claims of subjectivity to interiorization a willingness to embed oneself in the processes of organizing in order to describe their dynamics from the viewpoint of participation.
Essai: Real Time/Real Space Research: Connecting Action and Reflection in Organization Studies
Authors: Calon Roland
Published: March 2007

This essai discusses real-time/real-space research in which the time-space of the researcher and the time-space of the researched overlap, and in which action and reflection are intimately connected through fusion or cooperation. The paper first presents the principles of a pragmatic epistemology, and then briefly reviews real-time/real-space research strategies, particularly co-authorship, by reflective practitioners and pragmatic researchers who get involved together in theory building.
Culture and Network Institutions in Hong Kong: A Hierarchy of Perspectives. A Response to Wilkinson: 'Culture, Institutions and Business in East Asia'
Authors: Lowe Sid
Published: March 2007

In response to Barry Wilkinson's (1996) criticisms of the culturalist and institutionalist explanations of the structure of business in East Asia, this paper examines the influence of culture at the macro- and meso-level of business activity in Hong Kong. Aspects of Wilkinson's critique are criticized as unhelpful, whereas other aspects of it are taken as valid and are addressed.

A theoretical framework is outlined which synthesises culturalist and institutionalist explanations constituted by combinations of models from formal market and hierarchy perspectives and informal network perspectives. This enables sufficient complexity to identify cultural influences, and reflects a general submission that only complex models contain the multiple social, political, economic and other influences inherent in cultural investigation. Simple organizational models, based upon assumptions of the market, are shown to be culture-bound in Anglo-Saxon ethnocentrism and of little validity in the Hong Kong context.

The considerable methodological problems and research issues associated with this desirable synthesis of the culturalist and institutionalist explanations are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed upon the relevance of a 'network' approach, along with implications for 'strategy'. In addition, the implications for the promotion of 'intercultural' and interdisciplinary approaches amongst social scientists interested in Hong Kong and other 'Confucian Dynamic' economies are outlined.
Theorizing Subjectivity in Organizations: The Failure of Foucauldian Studies?
Authors: Newton Tim
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the promise of Foucault as a vehicle for addressing subjectivity and organizations. It questions the supposed non-essentialism and nondualism of Foucauldian work, and argues that such work has difficulties in theorizing agency, and the relation between self and discourse. Though the paper is critical of previous attacks on the anti-materialistic stance of Foucauldian work, it nevertheless suggests that Foucauldian studies have been unable to adequately theorize 'material' relations, and that they have so far provided an inadequate basis by which to develop an ethics of either individual or collective change. In developing this critique, the paper largely focuses on Foucauldian work rather than the text of Foucault himself, though some attention is paid to Volumes 1 to 3 of The History of Sexuality. Feminist work is also employed in order to illustrate the limitations of Foucault in theorizing the self and subjectivity.
Inside Story: Mind Your Identity When Conducting Cross National Research
Authors: Tsang Eric W. K.
Published: March 2007

In this short note, I would like to share with fellow researchers a few interesting incidents encountered in the fieldwork of my doctoral research conducted in Singapore and China. Some of these incidents were related to my identity as a researcher. Using the perspective of social identity theory, I argue that a researcher's identity can be a critical success factor for conducting cross-national research.
Covered by Equality: The Gender Subtext of Organizations
Authors: Benschop Yvonne , Doorewaard Hans
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the results of an empirical study of the gender subtext in organizations. We examine the divergence of practice and impression of gender distinctions: gender inequality is still persistent in organizational practices while a dominant perception of equality occurs at the same time. Our analysis focuses on the processes (re)producing this divergence. We argue that both the persistency of gender inequality and the perception of equality emerge from a so-called gender subtext: the set of often concealed, power-based gendering processes, i.e. organizational and individual arrangements (objectives, measures, habits), systematically (re)producing gender distinctions. These gendering processes are examined in five departments in the Dutch banking sector. We explore the gender subtext in three organizational settings: show pieces (the token position of the few women in top functions), the mommy track (the side track many women with young children are shunted to) and the importance of being asked (the gendered practices of career making).
Learning as Problem-Driven or Learning in the Face of Mystery?
Authors: Gherardi Silvia
Published: March 2007

The phrase `learning in the face of mystery' is borrowed in homage from Barry Turner, who coined it in contrast to `learning in the face of problems', which assumes learning to be voluntaristic, always functional to the organization, synonymous with change. The shift from the one to the other resides in an aesthetic choice between rationality and relationality. In fact, in spite of the huge amount of literature on organizational learning, there is still very little understanding about organizing as a practice based on a distributed knowledge system. At the same time, the normative/prescriptive discourse on Organizational Learning and the Learning Organization is mobilized as a further means of organizational control. The aim of this paper is to explore, from the perspective of the sociology of knowledge, the implicit assumptions underlying the Organizational Learning literature, and to look for alternative ways of conceptualizing learning-working-innovating as non-distinct activities. The term `learning-in-organizing' is proposed as a replacement for `organizational learning', so that its distributed and provisional nature can be considered when interpreted as a practical accomplishment.
Research Note: The Creation of Capabilities in New Ventures—A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Kazanjian Robert K. , Rao Hayagreeva
Published: March 2007

The role of the organization's resources and capabilities in its competitive advantage, and, by extension, its performance, has become a topic of renewed interest. Although the importance of capabilities is the basis of much of this research, there is little work which investigates how capabilities are actually created. This paper empirically assesses the role of management in the creation of capability within organizations over time. Of five hypotheses, two were fully supported, and partial support was found for a third. We find that managerial advocacy in the form of specialized directors of sub-units, and the number of executives on the top management team, influence capability creation as does the existence of formalized rules related to resource allocation. CEO background was found to have no effect. The results present the initial outlines of how competencies might be created and suggest avenues for further inquiry.