bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Questioning EU Cohesion Policy in Portugal
Authors: Bateira Jorge , Ferreira Leonor Vasconcelos
Published: March 2007

During the last decade the development of the Norte region of Portugal has been the object of several studies whose conclusions - according to the present paper - need revision in line with a new scientific paradigm. It is our understanding that regional and innovation policies should be based on a complex systems approach whose emergence is acknowledged in the first part of the paper. Accepting the usefulness of this meta-theory for research on firms’ behaviour and innovation, we develop a preliminary analysis of the strategic behaviour of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Norte region in responding to direct financial support from Structural Funds. The empirical results confirm the research hypothesis that current policies based on financial incentives have little effectiveness in promoting the changes required by SMEs in the globalizing knowledge-based economy. Considering knowledge as an emergent property of complex social systems, as are firms and regions, the paper argues that SMEs need a customized and interactive innovation policy, managed at a regional level. This argument should be considered, both in Portugal and at the EU level, as part of the EU Cohesion Policy debate after 2006.
The Feminine Dimension of Human Values: A Journey with Tagore and Others
Authors: Chakraborty S.K.
Published: March 2007

This article takes a close look at the nature offeminine values in congruence with natural law. The thoughts of Tagore primarily and to a lesser degree of Vivekananda, Gandhi and Nivedita on this most momentous area of social-psychological well-beingfor humans are highlighted. Trendy and shallow modernism seems to be aiming at cheap goals in the name of women's liberation, and the long-term damage to humanity is becoming incalculable. The tragic and bizarre events occurring across the whole spectrum, from homes and schools to business and politics, can be traced in a big way to the hot pace of centrifugalized breaking up of stable family values woven around natural, centripetal feminine values.
Evolution, Religion, Science and the Creative Spirit
Authors: Ramanna Raja
Published: March 2007

This article covers very wide ground—from the Rigveda to quantum mechanics, dashavatara to molecular biology—to offer some insights into the relationships between evolution, religion, science and creativity. The author laments the unreached goal of human peace and harmony despite all the valuable achievements of spiritual giants and scientific geniuses across history. Perhaps even an unknown God would be a better choice than a God-less world, he reflects.
Leadership from Within
Authors: Brinker Sally , Gunn Bob , Nakai Paul
Published: March 2007

Transitioning from a company of individual contributors to an organization of leaders of leaders can be relatively straightforward. The organization must embrace the idea that leadership resides within every employee and continually cultivate leadership skills and abilities. It must anticipate that individuals will lose their bearings and reassure them that getting back in balance is only a thought away. For many, the shift to leaders of leaders requires daily leaps of faith rooted in wisdom; it also challenges ingrained individual or cultural thinking habits.
'Colony' under a Microscope: The Medical Works of W.M. Haffkine
Authors: Kumar Deepak
Published: March 2007

This paper attempts a prosopographical study of an important bacteriologist who made sincere efforts to combat cholera and plague in India through vaccination

As an ardent follower of the Pasteurian 'revolution', W.M. Haffkine devoted his life to a series of carefully-controlled and parallel experiments on laboratory animals, and per fected new vaccines. But then, how to transfer laboratory results to actual use for human being? This raised questions relating to the ethics and efficacy of controlled field trials, the reliability of animal models, problems of transference, technical innovations, teamwork, etc. The present paper proposes to analyse the ups and downs in Haffkine's research career in India and through it try to capture the dynamics of medical research and preventive medicine in a colonial setting. In addition, this paper takes into account Haffkine as 'a man of action', his social views, his plague work, his complex relations with the British offi cials in India, and his care and concern for ordinary Indians.
Medievalists and the Notion of the Frontier
Authors: Berend Nora
Published: March 2007

This article addresses the relevance of theories of the frontier for medi eval history. Since Turner, 'frontier' has become a widely used concept, but its different meanings have not been separated and defined. Medi eval historians have studied the development of internal boundaries within kingdoms, political frontiers and frontier societies. Their exam inations included such divergent topics as agricultural expansion and interaction between societies, the latter in turn comprising everything from military confrontation to acculturation. After disentangling the various historiographical trends, the author proposes a distinction between 'frontier zone', a meeting-point of different civilisations, and 'frontier society', a political unit that incorporates two or more reli gions and cultures.
Evaluating Adolescents' AIDS Education: The Experience of Uganda
Authors: Baldo Mariella , Uzamugunda Jolly
Published: March 2007

One important component of health promotion, including sexual health, is the devel opment of personal skills. It is believed that a young person who has developed such skills will be better equipped to enact safe behaviours in risk situations, provided she lives in an environment that supports healthy choices in several other ways. While organisations in most countries in the world do teach young adolescents some life skills related to AIDS in schools and community programmes, indicators to evaluate such programmes are still behaviour-based. Large evaluation samples are needed to meas ure the outcome, given the small percentage who are sexually active or admit to being so. Uganda, as early as 1987, was one of the first countries along with Norway that introduced AIDS education in primary schools. An effort has been made to develop indicators to measure skills among 12- to 15-year-olds rather than behaviour. As a result of a large consultation, nine indicators were found relevant to the wide spec trum of programmes run by the government and NGOs. A protocol to assess their feasibility has been tested. The paper presents five indicators to measure the outcome and five indicators to measure the progress. It describes in detail two of these indica tors, and strongly recommends accurate testing of indicators before generalised use as well as the involvement of adolescents themselves in their development.
The Challenge of Infectious Disease: Time to Take Gender into Account
Authors: Tolhurst R. , de Koning K. , Price J. , Kemp J. , Theobald S. , Squire S.B.
Published: March 2007

Efforts to address infectious diseases have long been hindered by the failure to take into account the social aspects of these diseases. Gender is a fundamental dimension of these social aspects. There is currently a focus in international health on the import ance of addressing diseases of poverty. Attention to gender is a crucial part of a poverty-focused response to the challenges posed by infectious disease. In this article we provide a framework for analysing gender inequities in infectious disease in developing countries, and briefly draw implications for policy and practice.

Gender identities, status, roles and responsibilities influence vulnerability to dis ease, access to health care, and the impact of disease for women, men, girls and boys. Women's and men's roles affect their risk of infection with specific diseases, whilst gender relations influence their ability to protect their own health. Gender differences in access to and control over resources, in decision-making power in the household and in roles and activities can limit women's ability to access health care for them selves and their children. Gendered norms and identities influence both women's and men's willingness and ability to seek care. The social consequences of infectious disease are often more severe for women than for men, and illness imposes a parti cularly heavy labour burden upon women.

Health services need to adjust their practices to improve the appropriateness of preventive and curative services for infectious disease control for both women and men amongst the poor and disadvantaged. However, measures to reduce gender inequities in health cannot be limited to the health sector alone.
Occurrence and Management of Opportunistic Infections Associated with HIV/AIDS in Asia
Authors: Hira Subhash K.
Published: March 2007

Illnesses, diseases and malignancies occur among HIV-infected individuals along a continuum. These are directly correlated with the degree of immune suppression and are caused by common patho gens and opportunistic infections. In decreasing order offrequency, frequent opportunistic infections and malignancies that occur in Asia are: Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida spp., Herpes simplex, Cryptosporidium parvum, Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. The association of morbidityand mortality due to co-infection with HIV and M.tuberculosis has become more evident in the region. Natural history studies conducted in Mumbai and Bangkok have reported incubation periods from infection to AIDS of eight and nine years respectively. Despite the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and improved affordability of the generic drugs, only 30,000 (2 to 3 per cent) of the estimated 1.3 million eligible persons with AIDS in South Asia are presently on AR T. Apparently, the focus of the low-cost care in the region still continues to be of care and management of prevalent opportunistic infections. As care practices start to include ART over the next few years, there will be consequent change in the occurrence of opportunistic infections and need for their prophylaxis.
Cross-cultural Managerial Skill Practices: Filipino and Chinese Managers under Japanese-style Management
Authors: Wakabayashi Mitsuru , Kondo Mari , Chen Ziguang
Published: March 2007

For the purpose of identifying managerial skills needed for Asian managers and examining the impact of culture on the process of managerial skill practices, a series of in-depth interviews were designed with Fili pino and Chinese managers working for Japanese joint venture corporations in the Philippines and China respectively. The interview study was designed for understanding what managerial skills are practised and needed most by foreign managers and what are the influences of Japanese corporate culture on Asian manag ers' skill practices in Japanese overseas affiliates. Interview results indicated that managers tend to report a mix of critical skills which are common across all managers but with differences in emphasis and priority depending on their position levels and managerial functions. Also, the importance of cross-cultural negotia tion was stressed as a condition for smooth managerial skill practices. Particularly, the content of a manage rial skill (a decision-making skill, for example) was found to be adjusted when implemented in culturally different business contexts: in Japan, the Philippines and China. Differences in cultural and market situa tions, and the level of industrialization were discussed as factors influencing managerial skill practices in Asian countries.
Restructuring State Owned Power Utilities: Qualitative Observations from an Indian Experience
Authors: Rajan A. Thillai
Published: March 2007

Several countries worldwide are implementing reform and restructuring in the electricity supply industry. The operating environments of utilities differ considerably between developed and developing countries. By taking the case of Orissa State Electricity Board, this article highlights the key features in implementation of restructuring in a developing country environment, namely, the different phases in the reform programme; the role of government, top management, lending agencies and consultants; organizational set up for reform implementation; and contextual specificity of the reform programme.
Asymmetry of Information in Emerging Markets: Should a Firm Issue its Securities Locally or Abroad?
Authors: Martins Nuno C.
Published: March 2007

We observe different market reactions regarding whether firms based in emerging countries issue equity locally or abroad. This finding suggests that the decision on where to issue may convey information regarding the value of the firm. Constructing indexes for market openness and information disclosure, we empirically find that the probability of issuing in inter national markets decreases by 7 per cent as the asymmetry of information between domestic and foreign investors decreases. Furthermore, the risk premium on market-to-book value estimated by Fama and French (1992) is correlated with the firm's decision on where to issue public securities. We use a switching-regression model to compute the price reactions to the firm's issue decision, where the endogenous switching corresponds to the firm's decision on where to issue. Our results reveal that foreign issues are associated with lower risk premium suggesting that a firm signals high quality when issuing in international markets. Finally, we find that firms that issue both locally and abroad tend to issue earlier internationally and later in domestic markets, supporting the idea that foreign issues are associated with higher fixed costs.
Beta Instability of Firms: The Case of the Taiwan Stock Market During Its Financial Development
Authors: Chiao Chaoshin , Ken Hung  , Nwanna Gladson
Published: March 2007

In this paper, we find evidence of the intra- and inter-period beta instability of firms in the Taiwan stock market during its financial development from 1982 to 1998. Particularly noteworthy is the result that the proportions of firms exhibiting beta instability, in the full sample and two well-known export-oriented industries, the textile and the electronics industries, are lower in the sub-period January 1987-December 1992 than in the other two sub-periods, January 1982- December 1986 and January 1993-December 1998. The result may be attributable to non-fundamental-driven optimism or pessimism about the market induced by speculative capital flows during the sub-period January 1987- December 1992.
A GLOBAL MEDIA EVENT?
Authors: Puijk Roel
Published: March 2007

The article takes as its point of departure the concept of media event and presents some of the main results from an international comparative study of the media coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. Participants from USA, England, Scotland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Norway contributed to the project. The results of the Norwegian study show the usefulness of the media event concept in analysing both the planning and mediation of the event and its effects. The Norweigian people, including most of those who had opposed the Games, were absorbed in a truly festive atmosphere during their duration. Still, it is argued that more emphasis should be directed to the processes evident in the event. Other countries neither covered the same event in the same way, nor made similar interpretations. The article deals with some of the differentiation mechanisms under the headings: selection, transformation and contextualization. Based on empirical results it is argued that the concept of media event has to be treated as more complex in its mediation and in its effects. As media events, the Olympic Games should rather be analysed as a layered series of events of varying `strength' and meaning.
Catching Up with Men?
Authors: Pirinen Riitta
Published: March 2007

This article used a case study to analyse representations of gender and sport in Finland's largest circulating daily newspaper. The textual analysis focused on five sports in which women are relative newcomers: boxing, ski jumping, hammer throwing, triple jump and pole vault. The article examines the different textual strategies that were used to (re)produce the two dominant discourses of trivialization/marginalization and equality.
GENDER EGALITARIANISM IN COED SPORT
Authors: Henry Jacques M. , Comeaux Howard P.
Published: March 2007

This article uses an ethnographic and case-study approach to examine aspects of egalitarianism between men and women in an American coed soccer league. We describe the formal adjustments of the league, the informal arrangements made by participants, and the conceptualization of the game by both male and female players. Our findings indicate that even in a highly egalitarian form, coed soccer remains dominated by males both on the pitch and in concept. Our results challenge the thesis of `American exceptionalism' about the failure of soccer to gain acceptance in the American sports scene. We also suggest that the involvement of men and women on the basis of egalitarianism and the unfulfilled promise of its enactment are consonant with patterns in American society at large. Furthermore, we maintain that the dominant meaning of American soccer can be best grasped by focusing on its recreational dimension rather than at the commodified level.
An Obstacle or a Useful Tool? The Role of the English Language in Internationalizing Chinese Universities
Authors: Yang Rui
Published: March 2007

Knowledge of foreign languages often has been considered an important indicator of internationalization of higher education. In modern Chinese history, foreign language learning has been one of the basic means for China’s survival. This research first looks at the status of English as a global language, with increasing separation from imperialist culture. Based on an empirical study, it then reports Chinese response to English global language and reviews the implications of the dominance of English for internationalization of Chinese higher education. It argues that foreign language learning in China reflects China’s history, perceptions of international scholarly relations, and assessment of the world situation. It shows that the disparity in importance attached to the most influential foreign languages by Chinese academics corresponds to the current influence of countries speaking those languages and hence to the unbalanced geographical foci of China’s university internationalization.
THE ROLE OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN THE MAINTENANCE OF COOPERATIVE REGIMES
Authors: Cohen Michael D. , Riolo Rick L. , Axelrod Robert
Published: March 2007

We analyze the role of social structure in maintaining cooperation within a population of adaptive agents for whom cooperative behavior may be costly in the short run. We use the example of a collection of agents playing pairwise Prisoner's Dilemma. We call sustained cooperative behavior in such circumstances a `cooperative regime'. We show that social structure, by channeling which agents interact with which others, can sustain cooperative regimes against forces that frequently dissolve them. We show in detail the process through which structured interaction in a population creates a `shadow of the adaptive future', allowing even a small set of cooperative strategies to grow into a cooperative regime, a coherent, self-sustaining entity that is something more than the sum of the pairwise interactions among its members.
MIXED STRATEGIES IN THE MUGGING GAME
Authors: Hoffmann Robert
Published: March 2007

This note is a contribution to the debate on Steven Brams's Theory of Moves. In particular, it aims to show that standard game-theoretic concepts can both account for and explain the statistics concerning mugging incidents that Brams presents to support the better predictive power of his own theory.
Denzin on Rational Choice Theory
Authors: Abell Peter
Published: March 2007

The Forum consists of comments on previously published papers and responses by authors. Unlike the Comment section in many other academic journals, the Forum includes solicited as well as unsolicited contributions. We encourage debates by actively seeking points of view contrary to those expressed in articles published in the journal. The Forum section is intended to promote an open and critical debate that contributes to the intellectual vitality and further development of rational-choice-based theory and research.

Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
On the Value of Game Theory in Social Science
Authors: MYERSON ROGER B.
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the value and limitations of game theory's use in the social sciences. The role of game theory is discussed and contrasted with exaggerated expectations of the subject. The importance of a modeling dialogue between theorists and empiricists is reviewed. The basic limitations of game theory are discussed, including the rationality and intelligence assumptions and the problem of multiple equilibria. The appropriate interpretation of randomized equilibria is illustrated.
Can Emotionality and Rationality be Reconciled?
Authors: SMITH-LOVIN LYNN
Published: March 2007

Economists invoke emotions narrowly to solve commitment problems; sociologists view emotions as a more pervasive basic feature of social life. A complete approach to integrating emotionality and choice requires attention to the interactional sources of emotions and examination of the role that emotions play in directing attention to different domains of comparison and choice. Systematic analysis of the situational determinants of emotional response will allow us to see how both interaction structures and emotional responses are selected by the social environment.
A Utility-Maximizing Mechanism for Vicarious Reward
Authors: Ainslie George
Published: March 2007

Julian Simon correctly argues that people discount what happens to their future selves in a curve more bowed than an exponential curve. His radical assertion that we relate to other people in the same way that we relate to future selves is also supportable, but his equation of social distance with temporal distance is an oversimplification. To show that empathic satisfactions can be treated like conventional economic goods, it is necessary to explain how emotional rewards, although available without fixed stimuli, are actually constrained by some kind of scarce condition. That scarce condition exists precisely because of highly bowed discount curves: maximal satisfaction from emotional rewards depends on their deferral and the consequent buildup of appetite for them; highly bowed discount curves create a relentless urge to harvest these rewards prematurely. Therefore, unless people peg their emotions to occasions that are both optimally unresponsive to their current wishes and optimally surprising, their emotional lives will have the highly satiated quality of daydreams. The richest source of external occasions to gamble on is the apparent experience of other people. This line of reasoning gives a better purchase than Simon's notion of social distance on how occasions for empathic reward are similar to conventional goods and thus can be reconciled with parsimonious economic models.
TRUST AND THE RELIABILITY OF EXPECTATIONS
Authors: Ziegler Rolf
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses both `parametric trust situations' and `strategic trust situations' with expectation-based strategies and (limited) forecasting ability of the trustor, which is a way of modeling some basic ideas of `bounded rationality' from a rational-choice perspective. The analysis concentrates on one-shot, `non-embedded' situations. This is not to deny the importance of iteration and embeddedness. However, both for theoretical and practical reasons this `limiting' case deserves special attention. The analysis demonstrates how actors with less than perfect forecasting ability may be able to overcome the inherent dilemma of a trust relation. In the short run, an actor may decide to raise his forecasting ability by increased but costly attention, but in the medium run it can only be improved by learning processes.
CAN WELFARE POLICY MAKE USE OF SOCIAL NORMS?
Authors: Bird Edward J.
Published: March 2007

Recent literature in social policy proposes that problems like poverty can be reduced by strengthening community norms and other forms of social capital. This paper presents a simple model of social norms, and explores the effects and counter-effects of anti-poverty policies on poverty-related norms. The basic result is to show that the norm system may react in unintended ways: a policy of cutting welfare grants in order to reduce the welfare caseload, for example, can lessen the stigma shown against the poor, in certain cases enough to cause caseloads to rise instead of fall. As a result, strengthening community norms may in some cases do more to frustrate the intentions of policy-makers than to satisfy them.
Organ Donation Beliefs of African American Women Residing in a Small Southern Community
Authors: Wittig Deborah Richey
Published: March 2007

There is a widening gap between the supply of available human organs and the critical number needed for transplants in the United States. For African Americans, the waiting period is about twice that of non-African Americans. Contributing to this situation is that organ donation among African Americans is less frequent than that among the general population. The purpose of this study was to discover the culture care beliefs, meanings, and practices of selected African American women regarding organ donation. Using the ethnonursing research method, data were collected through lengthy community visits and in-depth interviews. Two cultural and social structure dimensions, kinship ties and religion, were discovered to be most influential for these African American women. This study focused on the significance these dimensions play in the decision to donate an organ. Cultural care modalities for the provision of culturally congruent care were developed based on these findings.
The Health Care Meanings, Values, and Practices of Anglo-American Males in the Rural Midwest
Authors: Sellers Sandra Courtney , Poduska Malinda Dittberner , Propp Linda Haviland , White Susan Ide
Published: March 2007

Limited nursing knowledge exists to explain how culture influences men’s health care decisions and practices. The purpose of this collaborative research was to explore the health care meanings, values, expressions, lived experiences, and practices of Anglo-American adult males residing in the rural Midwest. Using the ethnonursing research method, data were collected through interviews with 7 key and 12 general informants residing in Iowa. Four culture values and five themes were supported by the findings. Leininger’s culture care modes were used to explicate culturally meaningful nursing care actions and decisions that are in harmony with the cultural values and practices of rural men.
Investigating Vulnerability and Reporting Behavior for Consumer Fraud Victimization
Authors: VAN WYK JUDY , MASON KAREN A.
Published: March 2007

This study investigates vulnerability and reporting behavior for victimization by consumer fraud. Because socialization may increase the amount of contacts with others, contributing to greater opportunities for victimization, we predict that people who socialize more often may increase their likelihood of victimization. Greater levels of socialization are also predicted to increase the likelihood of official reporting behavior for consumer fraud victimization because victims may depend on others for guidance in official reporting. The authors found support for the first prediction, but not the second. Although socialization does increase the likelihood of victimization, the authors found it to have no effect on official reporting behavior. These findings shed some light on the disparity between self-reports and official reports of victimization by consumer fraud.
Does Crime Pay? AFSCME Reviews the Record on the Privatization of Prisons
Authors: Lampkin Linda M.
Published: March 2007

Advocates of privately-operated prisons and jails con sider them to be a solution to the problems of overcrowding and high costs which characterize corrections systems in the United States. This paper discusses such issues as the cost- effectiveness, the quality, and public accountability of privately-operated prisons. It also examines the treat ment of employees in privately-operated prisons. It concludes that public jurisdictions should closely exam ine claims that prison privatization produces savings for taxpayers and results in better quality services.
Female Serial Murderesses: Constructing Differentiating Typologies
Authors: Holmes Stephen T. , Hickey Eric , Holmes Ronald M.
Published: March 2007

Despite the claims of several researchers in the examina tion of serial murder that there are no female serial killers, the authors have researched the serial murders which have occurred during the past fifty years and discovered a large number of female serial murderesses. There is an attempt to establish a typology of females who killed serially in the same fashion which has been already formed with male serial killers. With this typology discussed, homicidal behavioral traits are also discussed.
A Sociological Jurisprudence for Parricide
Authors: HALE ROBERT , SCOTT DONALD
Published: March 2007

Although rates of violence committed by adults have recently been declining, murder by juveniles has continued a steady increase. Of particular interest are cases of parricide, which are receiving more attention in both the popular media and criminal justice research. As more research emerges addressing parricide, particular implications arise concerning the etiology, prosecution, and treatment of these offenders. Under existing law, only a medical finding of clinical psychosis can be used as a defense for parricide. An alternative explanation understands parricide as a rational response to long-standing abuse. By examining representative case studies, this article finds psychiatric explanations of parricide and self-defense by abused children inadequate explanatory models. A sociological jurisprudence is proposed that considers family disintegration, weakened moral values, drug abuse, and family violence and neglect as salient causes of parricide. Only by considering all the factors that create this offender can postoffense intervention be effective.
A Comparison of Actuators for Vibration Control of the Planar Vibrations of a Flexible Cantilevered Beam
Authors: Clark William W. , Robertshaw Harry H. , Warrington Thomas J.
Published: March 2007

The methods and results of an analytical study comparing the effectiveness of four actuators in damping the vibrations of a planar clamped-free beam are presented. The actuators studied are two inertia-type actuators, the proof mass and reaction wheel, and two variable geometry trusses, the planar truss and the planar truss proof mass (a combination variable geometry truss/inertia-type actuator). Actuator parameters and loca tions used in the models were chosen based on the results of a parametric study. A full- state, LQR optimal feedback control law was used for control in each system. Numerical simulations of each beam/actuator system were performed in response to initial condition inputs. These simulations provided information such as time response of the closed-loop system and damping provided to the beam. This information can be used to determine the "best" actuator for a given purpose.
Adaptive Structures Research at ISAS, 1984-1990
Authors: Miura Koryo
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the research and development on adaptive structures and intelligent structural systems done by the structures and structural dynamic group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) from 1984 to 1990. Our activity is closely linked to the practical needs for actively controlled structures on board scientific satellites and interplanetary vehicles which ISAS launches annually. The subjects described here are: the proposal of novel structural concepts such as the variable geometry truss, the adaptive structure and the tension truss antenna; the proposal of vibration control schemes for flexible structures and the shape control scheme for precision antenna reflectors; and the study on construction of large space structures by assembling adaptive structures.
Pseudomuscular Gel Actuators for Advanced Robotics
Authors: De Rossi D. , Suzuki M. , Osada Y. , Morasso P.
Published: March 2007

The demand for muscle-like actuators in advanced robotics has, in the last few years, stimulated a growth in research activities on contractile polymer gels and on mechanisms for their electric drive.

In this article, the different classes of polymeric gels which have been shown to be capable of reversible contraction and expansion under physicochemical stimuli are re viewed.

In view of the ongoing development of direct-drive polymeric actuators, continuum and lumped parameter models used to describe their dynamical properties under electrical ex citation are analyzed.

Control schemes for single actuators and computational architectures which have been proposed to command redundant, multiactuator systems are also illustrated.
Electrostrictive and Piezoelectric Materials for Actuator Applications
Authors: Damjanovic D. , Newnham R.E.
Published: March 2007

The piezoelectric and electrostrictive effects in ferroelectric ceramics are reviewed with an emphasis on those properties that are relevant for applications in actua tors. Various contributions to the piezoelectric effect in ferroelectric ceramics, especially lead zirconate titanate ceramics, are discussed in some detail. Relaxor ferroelectrics such as lead magnesium niobate are shown to be a unique family of materials with very attrac tive electrostrictive effects as well as piezoelectric properties. Finally, several actuator sys tems that employ piezoelectric end electrostrictive ceramics are briefly discussed.
Effective Medium Theories and Effective Electromechanical Coupling Factors for Piezoelectric Composites
Authors: Avellaneda Marco , Olson Tamara
Published: March 2007

Two examples of piezoelectricity in composite materials are studied. The first con sists of a laminate of a homogeneous piezoelectric reinforced with a non-piezoelectric material, e.g., a metal. The effective piezoelectric response tensor is computed, as well as the effective elec tromechanical coupling factors, which measure the efficiency in converting electricity into mechanical work and vice versa. The second example consists of an isotropic polycrystalline material. Here, we study the influence of the piezoelectric coupling at the grain level on the effective permittivities via an effective medium approximation. The results are compared with experimental data and with predictions of other effective medium theories. We also give a theorem which provides an absolute upper bound on the effective electromechanical coupling factor for arbitrary piezoelec tric composites.
Inherently Conducting Polymers —A Versatile and Adaptive Chemical Sensing System
Authors: Sadik O.A. , Talaie A. , Wallace G.G.
Published: March 2007

The development of appropriate chemical sensing technologies is necessary if the desire to produce intelligent chemical systems is to be realised. This sensing technology should be generic and preferably, adaptive.
Volume Phase Transition in Polymer Gels Induced by Uniaxial Stress
Authors: Kondo O. , Suzuki A. , Shimazaki T.
Published: March 2007

We have measured the changes in diameter and length of cylindrical N-isopropylacrylamide gels of sub-millimeter diameter under uniaxial stress along the axis The measurements have been carried out on two types of gels with low and high den sity of cross-linking. As a result, the transition temperature and discontinuity were increased with increasing stress, which indi cates the possibility of the uniaxial stress-induced phase transition of gels The swelling curves obtained under the small stress region were quite successfully described by the phenomenological model on the basis of the extended Flory-type free energy. With increas ing stress, mechanical work at the transition point increased, and thereafter decreased under the larger stress. The peak of mechan ical work depends strongly on the degree of cross-linking
Optical Effects of Electro-Rheological Fluids
Authors: Hunter L.W. , Mark F.F. , Kitchin D.A. , Feinstein M.R. , Blum N.A. , Platte B.R. , Arcella F.G. , Kuespert D.R. , Donohue M.D.
Published: March 2007

Measurements have been made of the 525 nm re gion (green) light transmission through suspensions of silica in a liquid fluorocarbon. Transmission dropped when electrostatic field strengths up to 1350 V/mm were applied perpendicular to the light path, but no drop was detected for fields parallel to the light path. The transmission drop did not depend on incident polarization. We observed that an ER fluid changes the polarization of transmitted light with and without an applied electric field, but we were unable to resolve the dependence on the electric field.
Optimal Placement of Piezoelectric Actuators for Active Structural Acoustic Control
Authors: Wang Bor-Tsuen , Burdisso Ricardo A. , Fuller Chris R.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a general formulation of the optimization problem for the place ment and sizing of piezoelectric actuators in adaptive LMS control systems. The selection of objec tive function, design variables and physical constraints are separately discussed. A case study for the optimal placement of multiple fixed size piezoelectric actuators in sound radiation control is pre sented. A solution strategy is proposed to calculate the applied voltages to piezoelectric actuators with the use of linear quadratic optimal control theory which is to simulate the LMS feedforward control algorithm. The location of piezoelectric actuators is then determined by minimizing the ob jective function, which is defined as the sum of the mean square sound pressure measured by a number of error microphones. The optimal location of piezoelectric actuators for sound radiation control is determined and shown to be dependent on the excitation frequency. Particularly, the opti mal placement of multiple piezoelectric actuators for on-resonance and off-resonance excitation is presented. The results show that the optimally located piezoelectric actuators perform far better sound radiation control than arbitrarily selected ones. This work leads to a design methodology for adaptive or intelligent material systems with highly integrated actuators and sensors. The optimiza tion procedure also leads to a reduction in the number of control transducers.
A Self-Tuning Piezoelectric Vibration Absorber
Authors: Hollkamp Joseph J. , Starchville Thomas F.
Published: March 2007

A self-tuning piezoelectric vibration absorber is presented. A piezoelectric absorber, similar to a mechanical vibration absorber, has to be tuned to a particular structural vibration mode in order to be effective. The absorber presented here will tune itself to a particular mode and track that mode if it varies in frequency. Design of the aborber consists of a pair of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) tiles attached to the structure and shunted by an inductor-resistor circuit. This produces an electrical resonance that can be tuned to the desired structural mode by a simple control system. The absorber is experimentally demonstrated on a cantilevered beam. The experiments include an ex amination of the response of the absorber to an abrupt change in system parameters.
Intelligent Polymers for Opto-Electronic Applications
Authors: Ogata Naoya
Published: March 2007

Thin films of poly(benzothiazole) containing thiophene in main chains were success fully prepared at air/water interface by using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method and they were transferred onto quartz plate as multi-layers built-up films. Third harmonic generation of the thin film was measured as χ3 = 10-11 esu which was 10 times higher than that of normal poly(ben zothiazole) without having thiophene.

New ion conductive polymer complexes were formed by dissolving poly(1-butyl-4-vinylpyri dinium) salts into room temperature molten salts consisting of 1-butylpyridinium salts and aluminium chloride. The viscoelastic films were fabricated from the molten salts added at least 10 mol % of the polypyridinium salts. The ionic conductivities of the polymer complexes were in the range of 10-3-10-4 Scm-1 at room temperature and were affected by their composition.
Semiactive Control for Vibration Attenuation
Authors: Leitmann George
Published: March 2007

With the advent of materials, such as electrorheological fluids, whose material prop erties can be altered rapidly by means of external stimuli, employing such materials as actuators for the controlled attenuation of undesirable vibrations is now possible. Such control schemes are dubbed semiactive in that they attenuate vibrations whether applied actively or passively. We in vestigate various such control schemes, allowing for both separate and joint control of the stiffness and damping characteristics of the material.
Reexamining Teamwork KSAs and Team Performance
Authors: Miller Diane L.
Published: March 2007

Stevens and Campion created the Teamwork Test to be used for the selection of high potential individuals into team situations. The idea of being able to test and select high team performers based on knowledge, skills, and ability (KSA) measures has great appeal. However, methods used to validate the test leave some question as to whether it is measuring capabilities related to teamwork. This study further evaluated the test by measuring the relationship between team levels of KSAs and team effectiveness.
The Effects of Personality and Media Differences on the Performance of Dyads Addressing a Cognitive Conflict Task
Authors: Topi Heikki , Valacich Joseph S. , Rao Madhu T.
Published: March 2007

Prior information systems research has found that numerous contextual factors, including individual differences, can influence which communication technologies are chosen for various situations. Because the adaptability of information and communication technologies to individual preferences and different environments is continuously improving, it has become increasingly feasible and important to investigate the relationships between individual characteristics (such as personality) and features of technology. In this study, the communication environment (face to face vs. synchronous computer mediated) and partners’ personality types (extraversion-introversion) in two-person groups were contrasted in a laboratory experiment. Dyads addressed a cognitive conflict task—allocation of limited funds to controversial social causes. Contrary to the hypotheses, introverts exerted influence over extraverts. As expected, extraverts were more satisfied with the process than introverts, and face-to-face dyads required less time, were more satisfied, and perceived less conflict than computer-mediated dyads. Given the ease with which some modern technologies can be melded to each individual’s preferences and that prior research has shown that individual differences influence the selection of technologies, these results have important implications for future information systems researchers and technology designers.
Assessing the Impact of Encounter Group Experiences
Authors: Nidiffer F. Don , Zoff-Sievert Kathyrn F.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a format for the assessment, evaluation, and comparison of the impact of specifically described encounter groups. Based on the use of this format, the encounter group experience results in moderate changes in several dependent measures such as reduction in problem experience, and in no change in assertiveness. Group leaders need to determine the relative worth of a given approach, and use judgment as to the expected value of anticipated changes indicated by particular dependent measures. The format presented here can be used generally, and represents an attempt to measure changes in behavior and attitude resulting from specific group experiences.
Are Funny Groups Good At Solving Problems?
Authors: Pollio Howard R. , Bainum Charlene Kubo
Published: March 2007

A two-part study was conducted to determine if groups producing many different instances of laughing and joking were better at problem solving than groups displaying fewer of these behaviors. In the first phase of the study, nominally high, medium, and low wit individuals were selected to form six all-male and six all-female groups. These groups were then evaluated during a second phase of the study for the amount of joking and laughing produced as well as forgroup performance on a simple anagrams task and on a more complex decision task requiring an optimal ordering of alternatives. Initial results revealed that cross-phase predictability for humorous behaviors was low for male groups and somewhat better for female groups. For this reason, behaviorally high, medium, and low humor groups were then defined in terms of the amount of laughing and joking produced during phase 2. When total seconds of laughter was used, significant differences favoring high over medium and low groups were found for the number of anagrams produced but not for the more complex ordering task. When number of jokes was used to rank groups, no clear effect was obtained for either task. The different roles laughing and joking play in group problem solving and the methodological difficulties involved in the cross-situation selection of witty individuals are discussed.
Talk and Interaction Strategy in a Task-Oriented Group
Authors: Sigman Stuart J.
Published: March 2007

This article describes selected "rules" that may be abstracted from discussions in a given natural group, in this case, a nursing home admissions board. These rules may be seen as gmding the verbal contributions made by the participants in sustaming the interaction. Interactants avail themselves of options for behavioral production, and, in the process of domg so (that is, of making behavioral choices), they construct "strategic" messages. Accordingly, small group interaction may be seen as an implicitly structured activity. From the vantage point of discourse analysis, it is suggested that, to comprehend this structure and its meaning, mvestigators must move beyond the study of the internal or constituent units of conversation and toward a consideration of conversational behavior in the larger context of an ethnographic present.
The Mythology of the Leader Role in Small Groups
Authors: Gemmill Gary
Published: March 2007

The proposition that the "leader "role is an unconscious myth invented by members of a group to ward off anxieties and uncertainties associated with the day-to-day exercise of interpersonal power is examined. The discussion focuses on describing the myth, its consequences for the involvement of group members, and researchable propositions derivable from the myth.
Small, Task-Oriented Groups
Authors: Wall Victor D. , Galanes Gloria J. , Love SueBeth
Published: March 2007

This study focuses on the relationship among amount of conflict experienced, the style of its management, individual satisfaction, and decision quality of small, task-oriented groups. In all, 129 subjects took part in a task requiring a group product. Data suggested that a curvilinear relationship exists between the number of conflict episodes experienced by group members and the subsequent quality of their decisions. The study also found that integrative conflict-management strategies were associated with higher quality solutions than were distributive strategies. Satisfaction was found to be negatively related to conflict. Interaction between number of conflict episodes and management style was discussed in terms of its implications for increasing decision quality and future research.