bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Male Markings: Uniforms in the Parisian Civil War as a Blurring of the Gender Order (A.D. 1410-1420)
Authors: Slanicka Simona
Published: March 2007

The civil war between the 'Armagnacs' and the 'Burgundians' in Paris saw the proliferation and use of a great number of new party insignia. These signs served as uniforms, distinguishing one party from the other, but they were also charged with far more potent meanings and connotations, repro ducing the elementary cognitive and perceptive structures of that society. This essay tries to investigate the basic meanings of such 'signs', which expressed the ideas of legitimate authority and justice exercised in the name of the king—a mental complex that was clearly gendered and attributed to masculinity. The gendered connotations of those party signs can be illustrated through a reading of the miniatures of the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, but they also surfaced indirectly when women wore those signs dur ing the troubles of the civil war. The fact that such women provoked reac tions of bewilderment and hostility from the chroniclers, who accused them of debasing the social order and of becoming prostitutes by wearing those signs, points to the aggressive semiotic potential of party signs and to the interpretive operations of inversion they effected. Such mechanisms of inver sion were furthered by the binary structure of the semiotic system distin guishing 'enemies' from 'friends'. The procedure of inversion as it operates through insignia during the Parisian Civil War worked towards the consti tution of gender difference and can furnish valuable insights into the func tioning of masculinity and feminity as its constructed opposite.
Health Economics or the Economics of Health?
Authors: Antia N.H.
Published: March 2007

In this article the author discusses how, despite an overall improvement of infra structure, there has been no corresponding improvement in the quality of 'illness care'. Non-medical professionals like sociologists and economists have stayed away from participating in the health sector, and there is a similar absence of concern for the non-medical components of health by the medical community. Though there is vast overproduction of doctors at public expense, a majority of them end up emigrating or serving the urban rich. Given the situation, the author calls for economists and members of the medical profession to join forces in order to provide effective health and medical care to all.
Non-medical Determinants of Maternal Death in India
Authors: Murthy Nirmala , Barua Alka
Published: March 2007

A study was carried out to explore non-medical factors responsible for the persistently high maternal mortality in India showed that most deaths occurred at home and during the postnatal period. Most 'death cases' belonged to high-risk age groups, had high parity (3+), were socially disadvantaged, had not received prenatal care and advice to go to hospital as compared to women with complications. Consequently, they either had not gone to hospital or had gone too late. Delay in care was also because of lack of transport facilities, inappropriate referrals or poor emergency preparedness of referral facilities. Data suggested that about balf the deaths could have been avoided if the health system had been alert and accessible. The critical determinants of avoidable death were families' awareness about complications, emergency transport and preparedness of referral facilities. The study highlighted the need for health workers to stress on health education, care during the third trimester and postnatal period, and referral to appropriate and accessible facilities, even bypassing the hierarchical referral system if necessary.
A Study of Consumer Concerns and Issues of Electronic Payments in India
Authors: Gupta M.P. , Sareen Rohet
Published: March 2007

This article aims to identify the key attributes of electronic money and its use by consumers through a survey. It considers the various issues and concerns of consumers regarding e-payments. It does not address pay ments by ATM or credit cards being used offline (payments other than through computer networks). The requirement is to evaluate some of the options available for e-payments and address some key specific con cerns of the users as this form of payments is yet in its nascent stage and would be one of the most dominant and widely used applications in the future. The net boom and therefore a widespread market for electronic money ('e-money') products could offer merchants, financial service providers and government entities the opportunity for greater cost efficiencies and consumers the opportunity for greater convenience and security. However, there is also recognition that these benefits cannot be fully realized without wide consumer accept ance of e-money. Consumer acceptance in turn requires that consumers have confidence in the new products, understand the benefits and risks of the products, and believe that their concerns about the products have been considered and addressed.
HERESY AS A VICTORIOUS POLITICAL PRACTICE
Authors: von der Lippe Gerd
Published: March 2007

This article deals with a question of sport politics: the fight for female participation in the most popular running competition in Norway between 1972 and 1975. The focus is on the process from doxa (what we take for granted), through heterodoxa (the effort to challenge the doxa) and finally `winning the game'. Most research in sport politics has concentrated on formal politics in sports organizations and official political aims of the state, but not, as in this article, on informal counter-cultural movements and `ad-hoc groups'. This is also an example of how private experiences become official stories. The approach used is that of the life story (my own personal account of a particular experience), with some elements of life history (in the sense that I am placing my story into a particular cultural, social and political context). In addition to Bourdieu's concepts of doxa, heterodoxa and symbolic power, Mary Douglas's symbolic systems of purity and dirt are used in the analysis. The article demonstrates, through the life-history method, how sport interlinked with gender politics and wider political alliances can challenge the sports establishment.
GENDER AND CULTURAL BIAS IN PERCEPTIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SPORT
Authors: Fejgin Naomi , Hanegby Ronit
Published: March 2007

Definitions of sexual harassment in sport are more problematic than in other social settings, as sport naturally requires more physical contact, and traditionally legitimizes male domination. This study examines perceptions of what is considered sexual harassment of female athletes by male coaches, treating them as cultural phenomena related to gender and to the society in which it is examined. The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine which coach behaviors are perceived as sexual harassment by student-athletes in Israel; (2) to examine whether these perceptions are similar to, or different from, perceptions of Israeli coaches on the one hand, and American student-athletes on the other hand; (3) to assess the harassment incidence in the lives of Israeli student-athletes. The survey sample included 301 female students and 75 coaches from the College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences and from the Coaching School at the Wingate Institute, Israel. Participants answered a 27-item questionnaire (adapted from Volkwein et al., 1997), describing various coach behaviors, marking to what degree they perceive each behavior as potential harassment. In addition, student-athletes were asked to mark how often they experienced such behaviors, and to report whether or not they were personally harassed. A factor analysis of the 27 items identified four factors: verbal or physical advances, non-instructional/potentially threatening behavior, sexist behavior, and instruction-related behavior. Statistically significant differences were found between coaches and female student-athletes in the degree of severity in which they relate to the behaviors in the first factor. Israeli student-athletes have stricter standards compared to American students in their perceptions of sexual harassment in sport. Harassment experiences related to sport were reported by 14 percent of the respondents.
Sexual Harassment in Sport
Authors: Volkwein Karin A.E. , Schnell Frauke I. , Sherwood Dennis , Livezey Anne
Published: March 2007

Sexual harassment at institutions of higher learning is not a new phenomenon, but discussions of this problem in the sporting arena and in related research are still scarce. Most studies have focused on student-instructor relationships, while few analyses have analysed coach-athlete relationships. This study examines American female college athletes' experiences with, and emotional responses to, sexual harassment in sport by coaches. The findings clearly demonstrate that the athletic world does not differ with regard to occurrences of sexual harassment compared to other social domains. Thus, in order to guarantee a safe learning environment in athletics for all participants, it is necessary to formulate clear guidelines, set up educational workshops and implement intervention programs.
GENDER, CLASS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITY IN PROFESSIONAL SAILING
Authors: Crawley Sara L.
Published: March 2007

Although the America's Cup, sailing's most prestigious international race, is nearly 150 years old, it was not until 1995 that the first women competed in it. Using feminist theory, it is suggested that female athletes have been barred from competition because sport has been constructed on the basis of men's rather than women's physical abilities. In particular, the unnecessary structuring of the crew position of grinder to emphasize upper-body strength has largely excluded women from a sport that does not inherently favor either men's or women's bodies. It is argued that sailing has been used as a site for demonstrating masculinity among sailing's upper- and middle-class, male participants. As such, the participation of women in sailing challenges perceptions of the `natural superiority' of male athletes and calls into question both the masculinity of male sailors and sailing itself.
`THERE'S MANY A SLIP 'TWIXT THE EYE AND THE LIP'
Authors: Haynes Richard
Published: March 2007

Football has long formed an essential ingredient of the BBC's public service remit. This study investigates the origins of this relationship in radio in order to reveal some of the formative struggles in the BBC's desire to provide outside broadcasts from the game. Drawing upon empirical evidence from the BBC's promotional material and the press from 1927-39, the article analyses issues of broadcasting rights, access and exclusivity. Taking the 1930 Cup Final radio broadcast as a case study, the article critically analyses the BBC's public service rhetoric in an economic and cultural battle with the Football Association. The article also investigates how running commentaries drew upon this public service ethos, and developed codes and practices that allowed its first practitioners to address the BBC's imagined national audience, predominantly occupied by men. It is concluded that this public service tradition of football commentary continues to pervade contemporary discourses on the game. However, these practices are increasingly under pressure by contemporary transformations in the market for television sports rights and delivery through digital technologies and pay per view.
SPORT, THE MEDIA AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF COMPULSORY HETEROSEXUALITY
Authors: Wright Jan , Clarke Gill
Published: March 2007

Media representations of sport are particularly powerful in naturalizing and normalizing hegemonic meanings about the body and social relations. While there is a considerable body of research that analyses how gender differences are constructed in media coverage of sport, much of this research does not question the hegemony of heterosexual relations. This article extends this research by exploring how print media representations of sport contribute to the denial of lesbian sexuality and social relations. Specifically, the article will demonstrate how choices in language and visual representations work to engage in a process of normalization whereby these female rugby union players playing a `man's game' are constituted in terms of hegemonic versions of heterosexual femininity.
Global Reach Through a Strategic Operations Approach: An Australian Case Study
Authors: Walters David , Adams Tony
Published: March 2007

A new business model is emerging, one in which competitive advantage is based on rapid and flexible responses to market change. The new capabilities are based on developing unique relationships with partners (suppliers, customers, employees, shareholders, government, and, often, with competitors), an understanding of and the ability to use and manage the new technology, and understanding the impact of knowledge creation and its distribution. This has become known as strategic operations management. These influences will inevitably change the ways in which universities think about internationalization, the recruitment of students, and the delivery of programs. This article examines the features of strategic operations management in the context of the internationalization of Australian universities.
Working in Teams: A Crosscultural Experience Using the Internet
Authors: Kopka Donald , Laurence Louise , Madjar Nora
Published: March 2007

Understanding how to communicate with individuals in other countries, particularly in a business environment, has become increasingly important in our global economy. This paper presents an effort by professors at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, and Sofa University in Sofia, Bulgaria, to engage students in a course project through the Internet, linking both countries and their universities. Using the Internet, the students worked in teams to prepare a study on the feasibility of starting a business in Bulgaria. The course required frequent communication and exchange of information between the teams through a web site created specifically for the course. The motivation for the project was to bring to life the cross-cultural scenarios typically read about in textbooks, but seldom experienced, and to apply and integrate business disciplines such as marketing and finance to a real-world situation. Our paper will describe the project, its successes, and its pitfalls with suggestions for how to overcome the latter.
PRIVATIZING SOCIALIST FARMING IN HUNGARY
Authors: Oberschall Anthony
Published: March 2007

In the early 1990s, some 1400 collective farms were privatized in Hungary and became agribusinesses and other farm enterprises. An important step in privatization was the division of common property (cpd) among the members, and the choice of exiting individually or in groups with one's share, or of continuing in a successor farm enterprise as a shareholder. The study reports on privatization in 78 collective farms. Constraints on farmers' choices were the privatization legislation and preserving farming efficiency. In cpd decided by majority vote in farmers' assemblies, it appears that in a third of the collective farms, interest voting prevailed, in another third equity voting was dominant, balancing need and contribution justice, and that in the others both interest and equity voting occurred. Though successfully accomplished, privatization does not yet provide the same benefits which exist in a mature market economy.
CONTENTIOUS INSTITUTIONS
Authors: Korpi Walter
Published: March 2007

Welfare states in Western countries have shared similar goals, yet the choice of institutions to approach these shared goals has generated protracted power struggles among major interest groups and great cross-country variation in institutional structures. Relating recent debates on new institutionalism to earlier debates on power, this paper outlines an augmented rational-action approach to the explanation of the origins of welfare state institutions and of variations in their degree of path dependence. With a differentiated concept of power costs and the degree of power asymmetry among actors as a central variable, this augmented approach partly combines some salient characteristics of the rational-choice, historical, and sociological versions of new institutionalism. The augmented rational-action approach proves fruitful in understanding conflicts characterizing the emergence and change of major social insurance institutions in 18 rich Western countries since the late 19th century and up to the present. It complements rational-choice institutionalism focused on voluntary cooperation, contracts and conventions.
Collective Action and the Second-Order Free-Rider Problem
Authors: HECKATHORN DOUGLAS D.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the relationship between the first- and second-order free-rider problems in collective sanction systems, with special emphasis on the relative robustness of cooperation in the first and second levels. The results indicate that second-order cooperation exhibits surprising robustness relative to first-order cooperation. The implication is that hypocrisy, though universally maligned, may play a crucial transitional role both in the emergence of collective action and in the continuity of collective action under adverse circumstances.
The Attainment of Solidarity in Intentional Communities
Authors: HECHTER MICHAEL
Published: March 2007

Sociologists have tended to assume that although rational-choice theory may be appropriate for the analysis of Gesellschaften, it is inadequate for the analysis of Gemeinschaften. Taking this assumption as its point of departure, this article shows that a theory of group solidarity built on rational-choice premises provides a superior account of the differential success of nineteenth-century American intentional communities (which are taken to be exemplary Gemeinschaften ) than does the conventional sociological account.
A Model of Religious Choice Under Uncertainty
Authors: DURKIN JOHN T. , GREELEY ANDREW M.
Published: March 2007

This article analyzes a general model of religious choice under uncertainty by interpreting Pascal's wager as an expected utility problem and faith as insurance. The authors assert that the basic religious choice is one of faith and that religious practice is essentially the allocation of time required to maintain a level of faith in an uncertain environment. The optimal amount of faith and hence the optimal amount of religious practice are determined in part by the costs of maintaining faith, which depend on, among other things, the level of religious capital. The solution to the expected utility problem yields several interesting predictions regarding both the high percentage of individuals choosing at least some positive level of faith and the variation in faith levels across individuals. A series of regressions provide evidence indicating general support for the main predictions of the model.
An Economic Argument for Affirmative Action
Authors: FOSTER DEAN P. , VOHRA RAKESH V.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a model involving employers and two classes of workers, alike except for labels. Employers choose whom to hire and workers choose whether to invest in training. At one equilibrium, employers discriminate, which, the authors show, is Pareto inferior to another equilibrium where no discrimination occurs. On the basis of this observation, an argument for affirmative action is advanced.
Comment on Brines and Fiorentine
Authors: HARTMANN HEIDI
Published: March 2007

In this comment, the author commends Julie Brines for her contribution to our understanding that housework is about more than getting the housework done. In Brines's words, it is about doing gender, especially the importance of the symbolic display of gender norms, which she seems to assume is equally important to both women and men. The commentator suggests that other dimensions, such as the exchange of nurturing services, may be more important than symbolic display. She urges Brines to consider how much agency women have in the situation and not assume that displaying gender symbolically is either their choice or what they think they are actually doing. In her review of Robert Fiorentine, the commentator challenges the primacy he gives cultural and psychological explanations of the continued sex segregation of the labor market. She argues that structural barriers are likely more salient and that strong enforcement of existing laws would help bring those barriers down and reduce the sex segregation observed. Finally she suggests that both Brines's and Fiorentine's articles would have benefited from explicit consideration of the role that sexuality, and the use of sexuality as a base for male power, plays in the division of labor in both the home and the marketplace.
Evolution and Revolution
Authors: BICCHIERI CRISTINA , ROVELLI CARLO
Published: March 2007

This article considers the problem of how cooperative norms can be established by modeling the evolution of a system of corruption. A fixed population of players is assumed that play a series of supergames with randomly chosen opponents. Each stage game in the supergames is a prisoner's dilemma. This article exhibits the conditions under which an equilibrium of corruption exists and is stable. There are two types of players, adaptive and nonadaptive ones. Among the nonadaptive players, there is a small proportion that always chooses to be conditionally honest in every new supergame. Furthermore, corruption generates small but cumulative social costs. This article shows that the joint presence of a small group of “honest” players and of cumulative social costs is sufficient to drive the system to a critical (i.e., catastrophis) point in which the stable equilibrium of corruption suddenly becomes unstable. When the system has reached such a catastrophic point, a small perturbation is enough to drive it toward a different equilibrium. The new equilibrium is cooperative, in that all players choose to be conditionally honest and that a cooperative equilibrium is always stable under the model's conditions. Thus the catastrophic transition to the new equilibrium exemplifies a sudden and spontaneous establishment of a cooperative pattern of behavior.
Intra-Level and Inter-Level Interaction
Authors: Hausken Kjell
Published: March 2007

This article develops a multi-level framework for modeling rational action in context at any level of abstraction. It first shows how standard n-person collective action problems are affected by the presence and nature of external competition from other groups. The use of public goods produced within a group as means for between-group competition for a prize is shown to help overcome Prisoner's Dilemmas and hence facilitate the emergence of cooperation within groups. It is then shown how interaction on an arbitrary number of levels, with an arbitrary number of actors at each level, radically changes the predicted rational behavior of each individual agent. By assuming groups, and groups embedded in hierarchies, the multi-level model rectifies a number of reductionistically biased results flowing from the conventional single-level one-group model. Accounting for combined intra-level and inter-level interaction is also suggested as a way out of general theoretical dilemmas concerning the connection of micro- and macro-level analysis.
THE WAGES OF TRUST
Authors: Wielers Rudi
Published: March 2007

In this paper it is argued that the assumptions of the neoclassical and wage efficiency models do not adequately explain the governance structure of employment relationships. Trust may be a constituent element of at least some employment relationships, e.g. those of child minders. According to the tradition of research in social science, trust is established by gifts. It is argued that in employment relationships in which both employer and employee have a gain and damage potential, gifts will be used to establish a trust relationship. This argument helps to produce new hypotheses about wages and allocation in employment relationships. The model is elaborated for the employment relationships of child minders. It is shown that it is not only job and human capital characteristics that determine wages, but also the financial resources of the parents (or employers). In addition, more personal means of exchange are used to establish trust relationships. It is concluded that the trust argument helps to explain different governance structures in employment relationships.
ADOLESCENT EDUCATIONAL EXPECTATIONS
Authors: Morgan Stephen L.
Published: March 2007

Educational expectations are not perfect forecasts of how much education students will acquire. Nonetheless, we should not treat educational expectations as affective fantasies or status-based value orientations. Educational expectations are educational intentions, generated from rational calculations of the costs and benefits of educational training but subject to constant revision in response to new information. This conclusion is supported by an analysis of the association between family-background-adjusted educational expectations of high-school seniors and earnings returns on educational investments of labor market participants between the ages of 26 and 35 years. After an adjustment for family background differences, White high school seniors had lower educational expectations than Black high school seniors in the late 1970s, but increased their expectations relatively more than Black students in the 1980s. Earnings returns on education follow similar patterns across race and sex groups. If educational expectations are overly optimistic, but still based on reasonable cost-benefit calculations, then they can be considered rational fantasies. Further research is needed to determine whether this last possibility is supported by empirical evidence.
GOVERNMENT REGULATION, SOCIAL ANOMIE AND PROTESTANT GROWTH IN LATIN AMERICA
Authors: Gill Anthony
Published: March 2007

The rapid growth of evangelical Protestantism in Latin America has received a substantial amount of scholarly attention in recent years. The most common explanation for this phenomenon has been a variant of `social anomie' theory that focuses on changes in social demand for religion. Individuals experiencing socio-economic crisis become displaced from their communities and lose their cultural identities. These individuals are then more susceptible to the appeals of new religious movements. An alternative, supply-side hypothesis is advanced. I argue that the degree of government regulation of religious economies can best account for cross-national variations in Protestant growth. Less restrictive laws regulating religious organizations lower the cost of consuming religion, thus leading to an increase in religious diversity and participation. Comparative statistical analysis of 20 Latin American countries supports the latter hypothesis. This analysis suggests that secularization is a function of government policy.
Beliefs and Perceptions of African American Women who have had Hysterectomy
Authors: Augustus Cheryl E.
Published: March 2007

This study used a qualitative, ethno-nursing, ethnographic design to identify cultural beliefs within the African American community related to hysterectomy. Three themes were derived from interviews with 30 women: African American cultural myths, fears, and sexual symbolism related to hysterectomy; benefits of hysterectomy that included freedom from pain and public embarrassment and freedom from risk of pregnancy; and improved self-esteem and sexuality. Results of this study indicate that there are negative connotations of hysterectomy in the African American community, which may cause some African American women to delay the procedure until they have no choice. Education and knowledge of cultural beliefs will enable health care providers to provide culturally sensitive and comprehensive care to African American women; it also will enable health care providers to instruct African American women to avoid unnecessary delay of hysterectomy.
Culturally Congruent End-of-Life Care for Jewish Patients and their Families
Authors: Bonura Denise , Fender Mary , Roesler Maria , Pacquiao Dula F.
Published: March 2007

This qualitative study was conducted to determine cultural influences in end-of-life care among Jewish people. The conceptual framework for this study was drawn from Leininger’s culture care theory. Informants consisted of 16 professional caregivers, family members, and rabbis who had experience with end-of-life care for Jewish patients. Interviews using open-ended and focused questions were used to gather informants’ descriptions of their generic values, beliefs, and practices. Findings revealed the strong influence of religious, cultural, and historical factors in caring. Sanctity of life and life promotion are central to Judaism. Caring is a communal obligation that unites the family and community into a cohesive unit. Attitudes toward death are influenced by beliefs about afterlife and suffering. The value put on expert knowledge influences patients’ and family members’ expectations of professional caregivers. Similarities and differences were noted among different groups of informants.
Transcultural Nursing Considerations of Child Abuse/Maltreatment in American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia
Authors: Oneha Mary Frances M. , Magyary Diane L.
Published: March 2007

A conceptual analysis focuses on defining child maltreatment from the perspective of two Island nations in the Pacific Basin, American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia. Based on a review of the literature on child maltreatment laws and cultural factors in each region, a range definition is proposed. The range definition is comprised of defining features and borderline features for child maltreatment as it exists across these cultures in the Pacific Basin. Defining features were derived from evaluation of child abuse and neglect laws in each specified population. Borderline features were derived from cultural factors in American Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia. While these Island nations already have child abuse and neglect laws, they are adapted from the United States. The degree at which unreasonable harm becomes abuse is culturally dictated, hence, these territories of the Pacific Basin are seeking culturally specific terminology when defining child maltreatment. The findings of this analysis indicate the significance of transcultural knowledge in nursing practice and the legal accountability nurses hold on the issue of child maltreatment
Multiculturalism and Transcultural Nursing in Australia
Authors: Gorman Don
Published: March 2007

The author looks at Australia's multicultural society and identifies the failure of the nursing profession to provide nursing services that meet the commitment of Australia to preserve the cultural backgrounds and meet the needs of the people nurses serve. The author suggests ways in which this problem can be addressed. It is argued that there is a need to ensure that transcultural nursing services are recognized and made accessible to people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Nurses need educational preparation to provide them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to work with people from different cultures. Moreover, the cultural profile of the nursing profession should approximate those served. Nurses today must recognize these critical needs and be committed to provide transcultural nursing care that is so essential in Australia's multicultural society.
Prenatal Care of African American Women in Selected USA Urban and Rural Cultural Contexts
Authors: Morgan Marjorie
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this ethnonursing research was to systematically discover, describe, and analyze the beliefs, practices, and values of African American women related to prenatal care. The domain of inquiry was prenatal care of African American women within their familiar cultural contexts. The study was conceptualized within Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality which enabled the researcher to study professional and generic care as influenced by the worldview, social structural factors, cultural values and beliefs, ethnohistory, and environmental context. The goal of the study was to discover knowledge that could be used by health professionals to provide culturally congruent prenatal care that would increase the health and well being of the people. The rationale for the study was based on studies that showed the lack of prenatal care in the African American cultural group leads to low birth weights and high infant mortality rates. Four major themes that focused on the domain of inquiry were identified: 1) Cultural care meant protection, presence, and sharing; 2) social structural factors that greatly influenced the health and well being were spirituality, kinship, and economics; 3) professional prenatal care was seen by the women as necessary and essential but there was distrust of noncaring professionals, and barriers to such care; and 4) folk health beliefs, practices, and indigenous health care providers were widely used by women in the African American community.
Violence among African Americans
Authors: BRUCE MARINO A.
Published: March 2007

An overwhelming majority of studies examining the relationship between race and criminality uses racial composition as a proxy for cultural context or simply race effects without actually specifying what it may or may not be capturing. This ambiguous operationalization neglects the dynamic nature of race/class stratification and the more general patterning of opportunity and spatial concentration. Inroads toward a better understanding of race/racial concentration and its relation to violence and criminological outcomes more generally can be made with an alteration of the current conceptual landscape. This article facilitates the reconceptualization process by critically examining current research and presenting a conceptual framework illustrating that race effects on violence are linked to very tangible macrostructural, normative, and recursive dynamics that are sensitive to the local and historical context within which most African Americans reside.
Getting Down to Business
Authors: OLSON DAVID E. , WEISHEIT RALPH A. , ELLSWORTH THOMAS
Published: March 2007

Studies of the police and courts suggest substantial rural-urban variations in resources and in the manner in which cases are handled. Although probation is among the most frequently utilized sentencing options, little research has considered geographic variation among probationers, in the conditions of probation, or in case outcomes. This study utilizes data from every adult probationer discharged during a 4-week period ( N = 2,468) in a large Midwestern state. The study focuses on rural-urban differences in probationer characteristics, probation sentence characteristics, and case outcome measures.
Wrongfulness and Harmfulness as Components of Seriousness of White-Collar Offenses
Authors: ROSENMERKEL SEAN P.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the way that individuals rate the seriousness of white-collar crimes in relation to other types of crime. The contention is that individuals will rate white-collar crimes as less serious than more common street crimes. Furthermore, the belief is that individuals will show some consensus in the way in which they rank white-collar crimes, with slight variations for those offenses with little or no perceived harm. This study will progress past simply rating a general definition of crime seriousness by examining the crimes in terms of the concepts of morality and the harm associated. Replicating a study by Mark Warr, in which the concepts of crime wrongfulness and harmfulness were introduced, the author will examine the dimensions of seriousness that people use to determine the concept. This will provide an in-depth examination of the perceptions of seriousness, specifically in regards to white-collar offenses.
Task-Based Paradigms and the Structure of Baccalaureate Crime Study Curricula
Authors: Adamitis James A.
Published: March 2007

Over the past few years, the multi-disciplinary field of crime-study has attempted to address various aspects of its higher educational curricular structure. However, there has been apaucity of research concerning the confirmation of academic credit for experiential learning and the structure of baccalaureate programs that are the gatekeepers for transfer creditor advance study. This article is adescriptive study involving archival research examining 1) existing task-based paradigms in higher education, 2) the titles, statuses, structures and type of degrees offered by crime-study curricula, and 3) the credit conferring experiential options employed in criminal justice. The information involved coding, transcribing and tabulating same as nominal data from 380 institutional publications (catalogues) of criminal justice curricula throughout the United States (and one from Canada). The variables were independent with a composite measurement used for scaling purposes. The findings revealed the multi-disciplinary character of the field with its diverse structures, titles and statuses as well as the evolution of task-based paradigms and the field's changing clientele.
The Quest for Alternatives to Lethal Force: A Heuristic View
Authors: Peak Ken
Published: March 2007

The evolution of non-lethal weapons is traced, as developed for and used by law enforcement personnel from 1829 to present. This analysis is accomplished through an examination of product advertisements and technical updates in police trade magazines as well as a review of related literature. Also discussed are differences in the philosophy toward and the application of force by American and Japanese police. Implications for future research and development are given as well.
Family Violence and Parental Abductions: The Legal Response
Authors: Sagatun-Edwards Inger J.
Published: March 2007

This article provides an overview of the legal response to parental abduction, and presents data from a study of parental abductions reported to two district attorney offices in California. Over 600 case files were examined, with a focus on the relationship between family violence and parental abductions. The data showed an overrepresentation of poor and minority families in the sample. Overall, about 34% of the left-behind parents, and 18% of the abductor parents had made allegations of family violence, with Hispanic abductors the least likely to make such allegations. Almost half of the violence allegations were substantiated by prior records, investigations or court records. However, very few parents had actually been charged with child abuse or domestic violence. Female abductors were more likely than male abductors to allege family violence. The data suggest that family violence may be a major factor in a parent's decision to take a child away from the other parent, particularly for female abductors.
International Organized Crime: Emerging Trends in Entrepreneurial Crime
Authors: Carter David L.
Published: March 2007

This paper explores changing trends in international organized crime with particular attention to changes in Eastern Europe. Discussions and findings are based on research both in the United States and abroad at various police organizations, law enforcement intelligence agencies, related government organizations, international organized crime entities. Among the findings are the growth in comparatively short-term criminal alliances, diversity among the commodities of crime cartels, and growth in transnational criminal alliances. It was also found that Eastern European organized groups are diverse, violent, and will engage in changing "structures" in order to maximize profits in any given enterprise or in the criminal trafficking of commodities.
Covert Participant Observation: Reconsidering The Least Used Method
Authors: Miller Mitch
Published: March 2007

"The goal of any science is not willful harm to subjects, but the advancement of knowledge and explanation. Any method that moves us toward that goal is justifiable" (Denzin 1968).
Cultural and Social Factors and Vietnamese Gangs
Authors: LONG PATRICK DU PHUOC
Published: March 2007

Although Vietnamese criminal activity is not yet organized in the sense of the Cosa Nostra, Vietnamese gang leaders are working with other Vietnamese criminals in this country and abroad and actively recruiting Vietnamese juveniles. Alienated from their homes, schools, and society, Vietnamese juveniles join gangs as a result of a distinct pattern of cultural and social problems that drive them onto the streets where they find themselves under the domination of Vietnamese adult criminals known as Big Brothers. Any effort on the part of individuals or institutions to reduce Vietnamese criminal activity in general must address the specific cultural and social problems confronting juvenile Vietnamese because they are at the business end of an expanding global network of crime.
Modelling of Piezoelectric Actuator Dynamics for Active Structural Control
Authors: Hagood Nesbitt W. , Chung Walter H. , Von Flotow Andreas
Published: March 2007

The paper models the effects of dynamic coupling between a structure and an electrical network through the piezoelectric effect. The coupled equations of motion of an arbitrary elastic structure with piezoelectric elements and passive electronics are derived. State space models are developed for three important cases: direct voltage driven electrodes, direct charge driven electrodes, and an indirect drive case where the piezoelec tric electrodes are connected to an arbitrary electrical circuit with embedded voltage and current sources. The equations are applied to the case of a cantilevered beam with surface mounted piezoceramics and indirect voltage and current drive. The theoretical derivations are validated experimentally on an actively controlled cantilevered beam test article with indirect voltage drive.
Bending and Shape Control of Beams Using SMA Actuators
Authors: Chaudhry Z. , Rogers Craig A.
Published: March 2007

Two new configurations for enhanced bending control of beams with in duced strain actuators are presented. In the first configuration the actuator is external to the beam and passes through selective points on the beam. Since the actuator is outside the beam, differential movement between the actuator and the beam is possible; this results in enhanced bending due to the buckling action of the actuator force. Before actual buckling, there is a fairly large useful range of enhanced bending. In this range the beam displace ments are much greater than can be obtained by embedded or surface bonded actuators. The theoretical formulation for this configuration and its experimental verification is pre sented.
Response of Electrorheological Fluid-Filled Laminate Composites to Forced Vibration
Authors: Choi Y. , Sprecher A.F. , Conrad H.
Published: March 2007

Laminate composite beams consisting of metal or polystyrene outer strips and an electrorheological (ER) fluid (corn starch in corn oil) filler were constructed and tested using the standard Oberst test for viscoelastic materials. Application of an electric field of 2 kV/mm increased both the frequency of the various resonance modes and the loss factor associated with each. The apparent elastic modulus and loss factor of the composite beam and those of the ER fluid alone were calculated employing standard ASTM equa tions. Both modulus and loss factors of the composite beams decreased with resonance mode or frequency. The calculated shear modulus of the ER fluid increased with fre quency and the loss factor decreased, their magnitudes being in reasonable accord with those measured directly on the fluid employing a rheometer. However, the calculated mag nitude of the increase (GPa) of the apparent modulus of the metal/ER fluid composite beams with electric field and the fact that it decreases with frequency suggest that the standard ASTM equations do not adequately describe the vibration characteristics of the ER fluid laminate composites. A relatively simple on-off control system is illustrated as a potential application of ER fluid composites for vibration control in structural materials.
Intelligent Orthopaedic Materials
Authors: Hastings G.W. , Mahmud F.A.
Published: March 2007

In the use of implants in orthopaedic surgery, the critical reactions occur at the inter face between the implant and the bone. The physical discontinuity between the implant and the bone results from the nature of the biomaterial and affects the mechanism of stress transfer. If the material is designed to minimise this discontinuity, there is the possibility to introduce control or adaptive processes and thus to develop the use of intelligent materials. This article examines this in terms of fracture fixation. Biomaterials, which sense and respond to strain gradients, can be used to affect the healing process.
Damage Detection Using Neural Networks: An Initial Experimental Study on Debonded Beams
Authors: Chaudhry Z. , Ganino A.J.
Published: March 2007

Frequency response data obtained from a pieoelec tric actuator/sensor pair bonded to a composite/aluminum beam structure with a debond between the interface is used to train an ar tificial neural network by backpropagation to identify the severity and presence of a delamination. The PZT actuator/sensor pair is so arranged that the damage site lies between the actuator and sensor. The damage consists of an artificially created de-bonding between an aluminum beam and a bonded composite patch. The experi mentally obtained transfer function data in the form of a magnitude and phase, over a specified frequency range, is obtained from a sig nal analyzer. The training process consists of training the network with several fully bonded specimens and several debonded speci mens with various sized damage. The effectiveness of several different configurations of the network applied to this problem is investigated. The neural network after training on a limited number of training data is able to identify the damaged specimens with substantial accuracy.
Smart Ferroelectrics for Acoustic and Vibration Control
Authors: Kumar S. , Bhalla A.S. , Cross L.E.
Published: March 2007

The dynamic compliance coefficient S33 of hard ceramic structures can be changed by incorporating them as sensor-actuator combinations and applying electronic feedback in proper phase. These smart ceramic structures can sense and react to pressure fluctuations by changing their compliance so that energy can be removed from the stimulus. Some basic geometries of smart struc tures in which there is negligible field coupling between the sensor and the actuator and a basic smart structure with very high field coupling are developed and their applications in active vibration control investigated. Results for narrowband vibration control are presented which clearly show that ceramic structures can be made harder or softer depending on the phase of the feedback signal.