bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Balancing Mechanisms of Distortion to Yield Distortion-free/Shape Stable Composites
Authors: Radford D.W.
Published: September 2009

The underlying mechanisms of manufacturing distortion in composite components have been suggested to be anisotropy, material property gradients, and part-tool interactions. These mechanisms have been sub-divided into those that result in shape change with changing temperature (thermoelastic) and those that are one-time-only effects (non-thermoelastic), generally related to isothermal cure shrinkage. The responses related to anisotropy and material property gradient mechanisms are predicted to include both thermoelastic and non-thermoelastic contributions; however, stresses imposed on the laminate and the resulting distortion due to part—tool interaction is merely non-thermoelastic in nature. Previous research has suggested that this non-thermoelastic component is critical to generating a composite angle bracket on net-shape tooling that is simultaneously distortion-free and shape-stable with temperature.

The current research investigates the degree of tailorability available in both the part—tool interaction and in the thermoelastic response to local corner asymmetry. Autoclave-cured angle brackets were produced with variations in the local stacking sequence in the corner to balance the thermoelastic contributions and with different mold releases to affect the stress transferred from the tool to the part. Two asymmetric stacking sequences are compared to the baseline symmetric laminate. The fraction of the corner radius that is made up of these regions of asymmetry is also adjusted to vary the thermoelastic effect. Mold release variations are investigated to evaluate the effect of changing levels of non-thermoelastic distortion. To measure the response, the curvatures of flat composite laminates are measured using an LVDT-based panel measurement technique, which enables measurement of changing curvature with temperature. The included angle of various composite angle bracket specimens is also measured as a function of temperature, using a laser reflection technique.

The results of this testing indicate that tailoring of both non-thermoelastic and thermoelastic components of process-induced distortion can be accomplished. The balancing of the compensation of these effects is shown to result in an angle bracket specimen, which has very little distortion and is much more stable with temperature than the baseline laminate. Further, it is found that the variation in laminate stiffness with changing local laminate stacking sequence plays an important role in the tailoring of the distortion of this geometry. Overall, the results of the research point very clearly to a methodology for the composites engineer to tailor the laminate, and the process, to generate a distortion-free/shape stable angle bracket molded on net-shape tooling.
Research into Melt Flow Properties of Polypropylene/Diatomite Composites
Authors: Liang J.Z. , Zhu Z.H.
Published: September 2009

Polypropylene (PP) filled with diatomite particles was manufactured using a twinscrew extruder. Melt volume flow rate (MVR) is an important parameter for characterization of flow properties of polymer. The MVR of the PP/diatomite composites was measured by means of a melt flow rate instrument to investigate the effects of die diameter and extrusion conditions (temperature 210—230°C, load 5.0—12.5 kg) on the melt flow properties of the composite systems. The results showed that the MVR of the composites increased as a quadratic function with the increase of the die diameter, while it decreased with increase of particle size; the MVR was a linear function of temperature when the die diameter and load was constant; and the MVR was also a quadratic function of the die diameter when load and temperature were fixed. In addition, the effects of load, temperature, and particle size on the MVR was enhanced with an increase in the die diameter.
Influence of Particle Concentration and Type on Flow, Thermal, and Mechanical Properties of Wood-Polypropylene Composites
Authors: Lei Xie  , Grueneberg Timo , Steuernagel Leif , Ziegmann Gerhard , Militz Holger
Published: September 2009

Two kinds of wood particles with different sizes and properties were compounded with polypropylene (PP) in highly concentrated levels (by 50% and 60% weight concentration). Their flow abilities were estimated by viscosity-shear rheological test and spiral flow mold respectively; the results show that higher concentrations result in poor flow ability. However, to estimate the relation between particle size and flow ability, spiral flow-mold testing results are not consistent with those of the rheological test. The thermal melting, crystallization, and stability of the highly filled wood/PP composites were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results clearly showed that the melting temperature, thermal stability, and crystalline degree of composites decrease when filler contents and size increase. The mechanical properties of these materials were assessed by tensile test machine and testing results also show that the filler concentration and size dramatically affect the mechanical properties, such as E module, tensile strength, and breaking strength of wood-particle-filled PP composites. The weld-line strength of all wood composites with the contents was also tested in the same way. By testing, one found that the usual defect of weld line in injection-molding process had a very significant negative impact on the mechanical properties of wood composites and the relation of wood-particle-filling fraction and size to weld-line strength was also analyzed and clarified.
The Tensile Fatigue Behavior of a GFRP Composite with Rubber Particle Modified Epoxy Matrix
Authors: Manjunatha C.M. , Taylor A.C. , Kinloch A.J. , Sprenger S.
Published: September 2009

A thermosetting epoxy polymer was modified by incorporating 9 wt% of a CTBN rubber microparticles. The stress-controlled CA tensile fatigue behavior at stress ratio, R = 0.1 for both the neat and the modified epoxy was investigated. The addition of rubber particles increased the epoxy fatigue life by a factor of about three to four times. The rubber particle cavitation and plastic deformation of the surrounding material was observed to contribute to the enhanced fatigue life of the epoxy polymer. Then, the neat and the rubber-modified epoxy resins were infused into a quasi-isotropic, lay-up E-glass fiber, non-crimp fabric in a RIFT set -up to fabricate GFRP composite panels. Further, the stress-controlled CA tensile fatigue tests at stress ratio, R = 0.1 were performed on both of these GFRP composites. Matrix cracking and stiffness degradation was continuously monitored during the fatigue tests. Similar to bulk epoxy fatigue behavior, the fatigue life of GFRP composites increased by a factor of about three times due to the presence of rubber particles in the epoxy matrix. The suppressed matrix cracking and the reduced crack propagation rates in the rubber-modified matrix contribute towards the enhanced fatigue life of GFRP composites employing a rubber-modified epoxy matrix.
The Reliability and Validity of a Chinese-Translated Version of the Gifted Rating Scale- Preschool/Kindergarten Form
Authors: Siu Angela F. Y.
Published: September 2009

This study examines the reliability and validity of a Chinese-translated version of the Gifted Rating Scales—Preschool/Kindergarten Form (GRS-P) and explores the effect of gender and age on each of the subscales. Data were collected from 250 kindergarten children, with age ranging from 4 years, 0 months to 6 years, 11 months. Results indicated that the reliability for the subscales of GRS-P was high. There were also significant correlations between GRS-P subscale scores and children’s school performance in language, number concept, and music. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the five-factor model of the original GRS-P. No significant difference was identified across all age groups and in gender. The study, however, provided some initial findings for the use of GRS-P as a screening tool for identifying gifted young children in a Chinese population. Suggestions for further research on exploring the use of GRS-P for preschoolers are discussed.
Late-Onset Epileptic Spasms in Children With Pallister-Killian Syndrome: A Report of Two New Cases and Review of the Electroclinical Aspects
Authors: Cerminara Caterina , Compagnone Eliana , Bagnolo Valentina , Galasso Cinzia , Lo-Castro Adriana , Brinciotti Mario , Curatolo Paolo
Published: September 2009

Pallister-Killian syndrome is a rare syndrome of multiple congenital anomalies attributable to the presence of a mosaic supernumerary isochromosome (12p). Although the clinical manifestations of Pallister-Killian syndrome are variable, the most common anomalies include craniofacial dysmorphisms, limb deformities, progressive psychomotor development delay, severe hypotonia, and epilepsy. Standard karyotype is nearly always normal, but the isochromosome (12p) is present in a high percentage of skin fibroblasts. In this article, we report the case of 2 boys with Pallister-Killian syndrome having late-onset, drug-resistant epileptic spasms. Seizures have been reported in 40% of patients with Pallister-Killian syndrome but are poorly described. Epileptic spasms are not unusual in patients with brain malformations, chromosomal aberrations, and genetic syndromes, but epileptic spasms could be easily mistaken for behavioral manifestations. A better electroclinical characterization of epileptic seizures in Pallister-Killian syndrome using appropriate polygraphic tests (video-electroencephalography, electromyography) may lead to an early diagnosis and specific treatment for this form of epileptic spasms caused by this rare syndrome.
Evaluation by Bone Scintigraphy of Osteogenic Activity of Commercial Bioceramics (Porous β-TCP and HAp Particles) Subcutaneously Implanted in Rats
Authors: Nakayama Hitoshi , Kawase Tomoyuki , Kogami Hiroyuki , Okuda Kazuhiro , Inoue Hikaru , Oda Takaaki , Hayama Kazuhide , Tsuchimochi Makoto , Wolff Larry F.
Published: September 2009

Osteogenic potential of biomaterials used in bone regenerative therapy has been mainly examined in an animal-implantation study. We have here evaluated the applicability of bone scintigraphy in imaging ectopic bone formation, especially its initial phase, by β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) particles that were implanted in rat dorsal subcutaneous tissues. In implanted osteogenic osteosarcoma cells used as a positive control, osteoid formation was found by histological examination and bone scintigraphy using 99mTc- hydroxymethyl diphosphonate (HMDP) at 2 and 3 weeks post-implantation, respectively, while the microfocuscomputed tomography (μCT) system required further mineralization, which occurred at 4 weeks. Implantation of β-TCP particles alone induced only faint biomineralization inside the particles, which could be microscopically detected by calcein chelation at 2 weeks post-implantation, but not by other histological examinations (e.g., HE staining) or μCT. However, the bone scintigraphy successfully detected this microscopic change at 1 week. Implanted hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles alone used as a negative control did not induce mineralization at microscopic levels, and therefore nothing was detected by either calcein chelation or bone scintigraphy. In conclusion, the bone scintigraphic methodology, although exhibiting less quantitation and resolution, would be applicable as a non-invasive, highly sensitive methodology in detecting the initial, microscopic changes associated with mineralization.
In vitro Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Cultured with Hardystonite (Ca2ZnSi 2O7) and β-TCP Ceramics
Authors: Hongxu Lu  , Kawazoe Naoki , Tateishi Tetsuya , Guoping Chen  , Xiaogang Jin  , Jiang Chang
Published: September 2009

The effects of hardystonite (Ca2ZnSi2O7, CSZn) and tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were compared by directly culturing MSCs on ceramic disks (contact mode) or separately culturing cells with ceramic disks (non-contact mode). In non-contact mode, the CSZn ceramic supported MSC proliferation more strongly than did the β-TCP ceramic. However, in contact mode, the MSCs proliferated more quickly on the β-TCP ceramic than they did on the CSZn ceramic. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and osteogenic gene expression analysis showed that the CSZn and β-TCP ceramics had significant effects on the promotion of the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs in both non-contact and contact mode. Furthermore, in contact mode, the CSZn disk promoted the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs more strongly than did the β-TCP disks. Even without the induction of dexamethasone and β-glycerophosphate, CSZn stimulated the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. These results suggest that CSZn ceramic would be a useful candidate material for bone regeneration and hard tissue engineering.
Optimization for the Chemical Synthesis of Conducting Poly (m-aminophenol) in HCl using Ammonium Persulfate
Authors: Kar Pradip , Behera Ajaya K. , Adhikari Basudam , Pradhan Narayan C.
Published: September 2009

Poly ( m-aminophenol) (PmAP) was synthesized from m-aminophenol (mAP) by ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidizing agent in aqueous HCl. Polymerization conditions were optimized by varying HCl concentration, amount of mAP and APS, temperature and time. The synthesized polymers were insoluble in organic solvents even after dedoping. The polymers were characterized by UV-VIS and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental (CHNS) analyses. Four-probe DC electrical conductivity of the pelletized polymer was measured. The spectral results clearly indicated that the ladder structure was formed during the chemical polymerization of mAP in aqueous HCl. This structure was supported by elemental analysis. Thermal stability of the undoped and in-situ HCl doped polymers was measured. The highest conductivity of the synthesized polymer pellet was 1.0 × 10-7 S cm -1. A polymerization mechanism was proposed.
Hybrid Films Based on a Polyimide Containing Nitrile Groups and Barium and Titanium Oxides
Authors: Hamciuc Elena , Hamciuc Corneliu , Ignat Mircea
Published: September 2009

Hybrid polyimide films based on barium and titanium oxides were obtained by sol-gel technique using a poly(amic acid) containing nitrile groups and a soluble precursor of barium and titanium oxides. The poly(amic acid) was synthesized by solution polycondensation reaction of 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride with 2,6-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzonitrile. Hybrid polymer films were investigated by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analyses. The nanoactuation properties of some hybrid polyimide films were also investigated.
Gender, innovation and ambiguity: speech prohibitions as a resource for ‘space to move’
Authors: Beck Rose Marie
Published: September 2009

This article is based on the observation that in African women’s interactional practices, there is a space ‘between speech and silence’ (Gal, 1991), an ambiguous space between norm and sanction (Jaworski et al., 2005: 4), which allows for the negotiation of socially and culturally adequate gendered behaviour. As it is a space of negotiation, it is also one of social change. Notions of gender, ambiguity and risk, which are characteristic for this kind of space, are thus transferred also to social change, or in more general terms, innovation. I take two widely diverging examples from the Swahili (in eastern Africa) and Herero (in south-western Africa) societies to demonstrate this hypothesis, which aims at bringing together two threads of widely discussed topics: that of gender and social change (or development); and that of gender and language. Methodologically, this article is based on a micro-analysis and contextualized reconstruction of interactional practices, which provides a privileged path into understanding local processes of social change.
When are persons ‘white’?: on some practical asymmetries of racial reference in talk-in-interaction
Authors: Whitehead Kevin A. , Lerner Gene H.
Published: September 2009

This report contributes to the study of racial discourse by examining some of the practical asymmetries that obtain between different categories of racial membership as they are actually employed in talk-in-interaction. In particular, we identify three interactional environments in which the ordinarily ‘invisible’ racial category ‘white’ is employed overtly, and we describe the mechanisms through which this can occur. These mechanisms include: (1) ‘white’ surfacing ‘just in time’ as an account for action; (2) the occurrence of referential ambiguities with respect to race occasioning repairs that result in overt references to ‘white’; and (3) the operation of a recipient design consideration that we term ‘descriptive adequacy’. These findings demonstrate some ways in which the mundane invisibility of whiteness — or indeed, other locally invisible racial categories — can be both exposed and disturbed as a result of ordinary interactional processes, revealing the importance of the generic machinery of talk-in-interaction for understanding both the reproduction of and resistance to the racial dynamics of everyday life.
Self-interest, Legal Commitment and Benevolence: The Emergence and Enforcement of a Swiss Labour Market Institution
Authors: Broussolle Damien
Published: September 2009

The long-established ‘basic agreements’ in the Nordic countries are well known; less familiar is the analogous institution in the Swiss labour market, first established in 1937 in the metalworking industry. This article contributes to the understanding of such agreements though an analysis of the peace clauses that are central to collective bargaining in Switzerland. It describes the emergence of the 1937 agreement, with an emphasis on the actors’ strategies and the external economic pressure that provoked the move towards cooperation, and explains the persistence of cooperative institutions, emphasizing the role of mutual interests, of a mandatory cooperative framework and of benevolence. Since the benefits of the agreement have come to represent a public good, the conclusion examines the emergence of a free-rider problem.
National and Sectoral Influences on Wage Determination in Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Stockhammer Engelbert , Onaran Özlem
Published: September 2009

The article investigates wage determination in Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. In particular, what is the relative influence of national and sectoral factors? While industrial relations in these countries are still in the process of change, different national patterns have emerged; what is their significance for wage determination? The literature on Western economies is unanimous that coordination of wage bargaining reduces wage dispersion, but disagrees on its effects on unemployment and inflation. The article provides a panel analysis for manufacturing sectors, examining average wages in the total economy and sectoral productivity. The openness of the economy, capital intensity and skill are also discussed. The results are compared with the recent index of the collective bargaining coordination by Visser and with cross-country data on union density.
Evaluation of calcium excretion in Brazilian infantile and young population environmentally exposed to lead
Authors: Oliveira da Costa Mattos Rita de Cássia , Xavier Ely Caetano , Domingos Mainenti Helena Ramirez , Mitri Nogueira Simone , Ribeiro de Carvalho Márcia Aparecida , Ramos Moreira Maria de Fátima , Vargas de Carvalho Leandro Barreto , Tabalipa Mariane , Borges Renato , Malizia Alves Maria de Fátima
Published: September 2009

Lead exposure is an important issue in the research of several toxic effects resulting from the biochemical interaction between this metal and the organism. Calcium is a fundamental mineral for the maintenance of the organism homeostasis where there is interaction between lead and calcium in metabolic pathways. Environmental lead exposure by verifying the usefulness and applicability of urinary calcium/creatinine ratio (UCa/Cr) in this context was evaluated. This was an extensive socio-demographic study of the nutritional profile, lead exposure biomarkers in blood and the urine and UCa/Cr ratio. The children studied were from a low socio-economic group characterized by unsatisfactory nutritional diet. Lead environmental exposure was shown by biomarkers, with UCa/Cr ratio having positive and significant correlations with both lead and δ-aminolevulinic acid in urine (ALA-U), without colinearity diagnosis. There was a strong association between calcium excretion and lead exposure as a result of linear regression construction models. In children, lead increases calcium excretion which is an additional risk to infantile health. Urinary calcium/creatinine ratio may be a useful tool in the biological monitoring of lead exposure and health promotion programs.
A New Global Humanity and the Calling of a Post-colonial Cosmopolis
Authors: Giri Ananta Kumar
Published: September 2009

The discourse and practice of humanism is at a cross-road, now challenged by posthuman reflections on what it means to be human. Our understanding of human and humanism is also challenged by transformations in nation-state and citizenship. In this context, the present article explores pathways of a new global humanity emerging out of cross-cultural reflections and new intellectual and social movements.
Content and Adequacy of Specialized Police Training to Handle Youth-Related Incidents
Authors: Schulenberg Jennifer L. , Warren Deirdre M.
Published: September 2009

Examinations of specialized police training to handle youth-related incidents are typically approached with researcher-defined concepts rather than key concepts derived from the perceptions of police officers. In response to disagreements in the literature on the usefulness and applicability of training for specific law enforcement functions, this research builds on previous literature by investigating the content and perceived adequacy of specialized training received based on their duty assignment. A grounded theory analysis of 59 interviews conducted in 2002, with 67 Canadian police officers who received training from one of the two training facilities (Justice Institute of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP] Depot) finds similarities and differences in the perceptions of training content and adequacy for training, supervisory, and frontline personnel. The differences are most pronounced between the trainers and practitioners than they are between supervisors and frontline officers. Definitions of training adequacy are considerably conditioned by the informal socialization process in the police culture. The data suggest that the academy focus on training generalists has the effect of increasing the impact and importance of informal socialization by field training officers on officer perceptions and procedures for handling youth-related incidents.
Zero Tolerance
Authors: Goldstein Tara , Wickett Jocelyn
Published: September 2009

In May 2007, 15-year-old Jordan Manners was shot and killed in the hallway of his Toronto school. In June 2007, the Toronto District School Board commissioned an investigation into school safety, which resulted in a report entitled The Road to Health: A Final Report on School Safety. In February 2008, in an attempt to provoke discussion about the investigative report among teacher candidates and teacher educators in Toronto, the author adapted The Road to Health into a performance script. The script, directed by MA student and theatre artist Jocelyn Wickett, was performed in September 2008, for 500 teacher candidates at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s annual Safe Schools Conference. The preparation of script involved the task of adapting a very large investigative report on school safety into a performance for the stage, in order to provide an example of how arts-based researchers or research-based artists can assist in the dissemination of important research and investigative reports.
Teaching team invasion games and motivational climate
Authors: Gray Shirley , Sproule John , Morgan Kevin
Published: September 2009

Team invasion games (TIG) make up a large part of the PE curriculum in Scottish schools. It is important, therefore, to understand the environmental conditions that contribute to pupils’ motivation to learn to play TIG. Consequently, this study aimed to identify the teaching behaviours exhibited when teaching TIG using a game-based approach and a skill-focused approach to teach secondary 1 (S1) basketball. Additionally, this study investigated pupils’ and teachers’ thoughts about their experiences during each basketball lesson. We found a change to more mastery behaviours during the game-based lessons and very similar percentages of mastery and ego behaviours during the skill-focused lessons. The game-based teacher discussed the pupils’ performance in terms of game performance and understanding, and the skills-focused teacher discussed the pupils’ ability to execute game skills. The pupils in the game-based class discussed game understanding, teamwork, enjoyment and involvement. The skill-focused class valued skill learning and evaluated their performance based on the successful execution of game skills. The findings from this study suggest that game-focused teaching strategies appear to promote a mastery oriented motivational climate and, therefore, have the potential to increase pupils’ motivation in PE and TIG.
Co-creative labour
Authors: Banks John , Deuze Mark
Published: September 2009

• This article introduces a special issue on the topic of cocreative labour. The term co-creation is used to describe the phenomenon of consumers increasingly participating in the process of making and circulating media content and experiences. Practices of user-created content and user-led innovation are now significant sources of both economic and cultural value. But how should we understand and analyse these value-generating activities? What are the identities and forms of agency that constitute these emerging co-creative relations? Should we define these activities as a form of labour and what are the implications and impacts of co-creative practices on the employment conditions and professional identities of people working in the creative industries? In answering these questions we argue that careful attention must be paid to how the participants themselves (both professional and non-professional, commercial and non-commercial) negotiate and navigate the meanings and possibilities of these emerging co-creative relationships for mutual benefit. Co-creative media production is perhaps a disruptive agent of change that sits uncomfortably with our current understandings and theories of work and labour. The articles in this special issue follow and unpack the often diverse and contradictory ways in which the participants themselves use and remake the social categories of work and labour as they seek to coordinate and contest co-creative media practices. •
Long-term sickness absence and social exclusion
Authors: Bryngelson Anna
Published: September 2009

Background: In previous research, ill-health and marginalization from the labour market have been pointed out as potential triggers for being marginalized from other spheres of society as well, e.g. economic, political and social, i.e. social exclusion. However, very few studies have examined the consequences of long-term sickness absence. Aim: The research question raised here is therefore to examine the relationship between long-term sickness absence (≥60 days) and social exclusion among individuals. Methods: The logistic regression analyses are based on longitudinal data (n = 3,144) from the Swedish Level of Living Survey linked to register data. Results: The results suggest that both women and men have higher odds of having no excess cash (‘‘cash margins’’) after their long-term sickness absence, compared with people with no such sickness absence. Women seem more likely to have no cash margins combined with being single/unmarried and having no close friends after long-term sickness absence, than do women without such sick-listing. The results indicate a slight mediating effect of employment status on the odds ratios for these economic and social conditions. Conclusions: The present study suggests that long-term sickness absence increases the risk of adverse economic and social conditions among individuals. That these conditions can be seen as indicators of social exclusion is more doubtful.
Working consumers: the next step in marketing theory?
Authors: Cova Bernard , Dalli Daniele
Published: September 2009

In marketing and consumer research, consumers have been increasingly theorized as producers. However, these theorizations do not take all facets of consumers’ productive role into account. This paper mobilizes both post-Marxist economics and post-Maussian socioeconomics to develop the concept of working consumer. This concept depicts consumers who, through their immaterial labour, add cultural and affective value to market offerings. In so doing consumers increase the value of market offerings, although they usually work at the primary level of sociality (interpersonal relationships) and are therefore beyond producers’ control. However, given certain conditions, companies capture such a value when it enters the second level of sociality (the market). The concept of the working consumer summarizes and enriches extant approaches to consumer (co)production, while challenging widespread developments, such as the service-dominant (SD) logic of marketing, which try to create/construct an ethereal marketscape in which consumers and producers live in harmony.
Marketing and the structuration of organizational learning
Authors: Peters Linda D. , Gassenheimer Jule B. , Johnston Wesley J.
Published: September 2009

A new dominant logic for marketing has evolved, one that sees both firms and customers as resource integrators. Proponents of this new marketing logic have called for the refinement and elaboration of this resource integration concept and a more explicit connection to the interactivity and networking literature. We address this need by exploring these literatures and drawing inferences for value creation. In particular, we explore how value creation in marketing is reliant upon organizational learning. To do this we draw upon structuration theory as a means of explaining the relationship between organizational and individual learning. We then explore how this relationship helps a firm to improve its value creation capabilities. We examine three key aspects of the structuration process of organizational learning: (1) the structural properties that enable and constrain learning practices; (2) the ways in which knowledgeable individuals carry out learning practices; and (3) the social processes in which learning practices are embedded. We illustrate these processes with the example of a typical network relationship dilemma in the construction industry. We then conclude by highlighting the ways in which our framework captures the central role that marketing plays in enhancing the organization’s capacity and capability to engage in knowledge management, organizational learning, and value creation and what that means to both the customer and the organization.
Prolegomena to the Study of the Jewish Magical Tradition
Authors: Bohak Gideon
Published: September 2009

Recent years have seen a steady rise in the scholarly interest in Jewish magic. The present paper seeks to take stock of what has already been done, to explain how further study of Jewish magical texts and artifacts might make major contributions to the study of Judaism as a whole, and to provide a blueprint for further progress in this field. Its main claim is that the number of unedited and even uncharted primary sources for the study of Jewish magic is staggering, and that these sources must serve as the starting point for any serious study of the Jewish magical tradition from antiquity to the twenty-first century. Such a study must both compare the Jewish magical texts and practices of each historical period with those of the contemporaneous non-Jewish world, and thus trace processes of cross-cultural contacts and influences, and compare the Jewish magical texts and practices of one period with those of another, so as to detect processes of inner-Jewish continuity and transmission. Finally, such a study must flesh out the place of magical practices and practitioners within the Jewish society of different periods, and within different Jewish communities.
Several views of metal halide and high-pressure sodium lighting for outdoor applications
Authors: Rea MS , Bullough JD , Akashi Y.
Published: September 2009

Metal halide (MH) lighting systems are gaining in acceptance relative to high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting systems for many night time applications. The present paper describes a series of studies carried out to address some of the ‘quality’ issues associated with MH and HPS lighting systems. HPS and MH installations were compared in terms of perceptions of brightness and safety, acceptability for social interaction, facial recognition and eyewitness identification. At equal photopic light levels, a street scene illuminated at night by an MH lighting system was reliably seen as brighter and safer than the same scene illuminated by an HPS system. In terms of acceptability for social interaction, facial recognition and many aspects of eyewitness identification, the measured differences between lighting systems were not as clear.
Improving HEI Productivity and Performance through Project Management
Authors: Bryde David , Leighton Diana
Published: September 2009

As higher education institutions (HEIs) look to be more commercial in their outlook they are likely to become more dependent on the successful implementation of projects. This article reports a benchmarking survey of PM maturity in a HEI, with the purpose of assessing its capability to implement projects. Data were collected via questionnaires from 110 employees involved in projects. The key results indicate the university to be low in overall PM maturity, particularly in the areas of leadership and project support structures and to have a maturity profile similar to business sectors that are late adopters of PM. These findings suggest the HEI, and probably others in the sector, may have difficulty in sustaining activity in which PM maturity is a pre-requisite. Their capability to implement new teaching methods through project-related change management is potentially impaired by a lack of PM maturity, as is their ability to adapt to the increased project focus in non-teaching areas of activity, such as research and enterprise. To this end, defining a systematic process for increasing PM maturity that aligns corporate practices in a manner that is appropriate to the ethos and culture of HEIs is clearly a priority for attention.
Attracting and Retaining Teachers
Authors: Müller Karin , Alliata Roberta , Benninghoff Fabienne
Published: September 2009

Attracting and retaining competent teachers is a key concern when it comes to managing the supply and demand for teachers. This article examines the motivation that prompts people to enter or leave the teaching profession with the aim of identifying a decision framework for defining teacher policies. The results are based on the teacher workforce planning system put in place by the Education Department of the Swiss Canton of Geneva. Having identified the most influential factors affecting teacher motivation, we rated these with regard to their responsiveness to policy measures in a bid to identify levers for deriving effective teacher policies. This decision framework highlights three main issues to serve as a focus for policy measures—the characteristics of the job activities, working conditions and professional image. Finally, priority policy measures have been derived from motivational inducement systems, which include task, leadership, reward, professional development and social systems.
Linking the Policymaking Capacities of Schools and the Quality of School Self-evaluations
Authors: Vanhoof Jan , Van Petegem Peter , Verhoeven Jef C. , Buvens Ina
Published: September 2009

Schools are increasingly expected to take responsibility for aspects of educational quality assurance. The fact that the Flemish government requires its schools to conduct self-evaluations of their equal opportunities policies is an example of this. This article reports on the findings of a study that investigated the quality of these school self-evaluations and the impact of key factors of policy effectiveness on quality aspects of these self-evaluations. The headteachers of a representative sample of schools ( N = 580) that pursue equal opportunities for all pupils were questioned by means of a written survey. The results indicate that most headteachers take the view that their school performed well on the quality aspects of the school self-evaluation. However, there are considerable differences between schools. School scores with regard to the quality indicators of school self-evaluations show a correlation with aspects of schools’ policy-making capacities. On this basis, the concepts of policymaking capacities and policy effectiveness seem to be a promising tool with regard to the description, monitoring and improvement of the quality of school self-evaluations.
Accountability in Arab Bedouin Schools in Israel
Authors: Mizel Omar
Published: September 2009

‘School-based management’ (SBM) rose to become a prominent trend in educational reform in Western countries during the last few decades of the 20th century and has likewise been introduced into a number of Asian and African nations. A key component of SBM is the increase of internal accountability within the school with the aim of improving academic outcomes. This research initially questions whether the social/cultural context of traditional Bedouin society in Israel influences the implementation of SBM in the community’s schools, and then discusses the ramifications of this influence. The research findings point to a lack of educational accountability in Bedouin schools in Israel, while concomitantly identifying two omnipresent forms of traditional cultural accountability within this sector—tribal and religious. Moreover, the research contends that these forms of accountability conflict with individual educational accountability among Bedouin school principals and teachers, and thus contribute to poor academic outcomes. Being a member of this community—with intimate knowledge of and sensitivity to its culture—the researcher concludes with specific suggestions for enhancing accountability implementation that will lead to improvement in the academic level of Israeli Bedouin schools.
Leading Change in Higher Education
Authors: McRoy Ian , Gibbs Paul
Published: September 2009

This article considers the situation in the UK higher education system and investigates specifically the leadership practice in a cluster of UK institutions as they changed their status. The research goes further to advocate a form of contextualized leadership that is relevant to higher institutions under change.
Investigating Architectural Quality Theories for School Evaluation
Authors: Flygt Erland
Published: September 2009

This article presents a critical review of instruments used to evaluate compulsory schools in Sweden and is part of a doctoral programme project investigating the relationship between school architecture and learning. In Sweden, as in many countries, evaluation instruments are used both to improve school quality and as a means to provide accountability according to new public management policies. Since the early 1990s, the Swedish municipalities have been responsible for compulsory schools and, despite a strong evaluative tradition in Sweden, current reports indicate that many school buildings do not fit the activities of teachers and pupils. Existing evaluative efforts do not seem to be effective. A basic assumption of this article is that ‘quality’ is an elusive concept and that instruments for evaluation of schools need an adequate theoretical framework in order to be feasible. Drawing on both theoretical and empirical literature the article explores this theoretical framework. The findings suggest that relevant criteria for the evaluation of school architecture should be motivated on a local level to reflect actual needs of end users in a specific learning context. The article concludes that the theoretical foundation of instruments for evaluation of schools could be reconsidered using architectural quality theories.
Having Your Porn and Condemning it Too: A Case Study of a “Kiddie Porn” Expose
Authors: Khan Ummni
Published: September 2009

In 2005, the Toronto Police Department’s Sex Crime Unit embarked upon the unprecedented move to go public with forensic evidence related to an on-going child pornography investigation. This strategy provided the public with exceptional glimpses into the taboo arena of child pornography. In this article, I trace the media coverage of this investigation to highlight the rhetorical and aesthetic components that, I posit, are related to a pedophilic logic. My goal is to reveal the latent but omnipresent desire encoded in the media narratives to imagine children and childhood in sexualized contexts. In particular, my analysis maps the literary and photographic aspects of the coverage to highlight the “performative contradiction” of the texts; though the media articulated a one-dimensional story of outrage and condemnation, the rhetorical and pictorial aspects of the story produced meanings that undermined the purported censure of child sexualization.
“The play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the conscience”: The Legal Community Reads Hamlet
Authors: Boyd Richard
Published: September 2009

This article explores the response of the contemporary legal community to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a play that has garnered much attention from those who would investigate the complex intersections of law and literature. The particular focus of this article is the way legal scholars have interpreted Hamlet’s “problem,” that is to say, his famous delay in carrying out acts of violent retribution at the behest of his murdered father’s ghost. Such scholarly speculations have much to tell us, for to consider the meaning of Hamlet’s delay is also to grapple with such critical issues as the relationship between private vengeance and the law and the ethical meaning of violence in any codified legal system. This article thus surveys several representative readings of the Hamlet’s “problem” in an effort to outline how the contemporary legal community has engaged the deepest legal and ethical questions residing at the center of Shakespeare’s play.
Strategic-Pricing Policy Based on Analysis of Service Attributes
Authors: Yang Ching-Chow , Cheng Lai-Yu , Sung Dylan , Withiam Glenn
Published: September 2009

This study proposes a strategic pricing model for service industries that can offer customers enhanced value through lower prices while maintaining appropriate features. Based on a correlation of the categories in the refined Kano model and frequency of use of service items, the integrated model proposes that service items and attributes should be individually assessed with a view to making appropriate decisions on whether items should be deleted from service packages, offered for a separate charge, or outsourced. The model also provides guidance on prioritizing decisions regarding service items or attributes. The application of the proposed model is demonstrated in a case study of a 5-star hotel in Taiwan. The study concludes that strategic decisions on the composition of service modules can lead to appropriate pricing policies that enhance customer value and assist companies to control costs.
Work-Related Depression among Hotel Employees
Authors: Shani Amir , Pizam Abraham
Published: September 2009

Given the putative cost of work-related depression, this article reports the results of a pilot study conducted among hotel employees in Central Florida. The study finds an initial indication of a small but noteworthy incidence of depression among workers in the hospitality industry. The article explores the antecedents and possible origins of depression, as well as critical issues related to depression in the workplace, particularly its effects on organizations and employees. The findings indicate a need for greater organizational awareness of depression.
Alternatively activated macrophages engage in homotypic and heterotypic interactions through IL-4 and polyamine-induced E-cadherin/catenin complexes
Authors: Van den Bossche Jan , Bogaert Pieter , van Hengel Jolanda , Guérin Christopher J. , Berx Geert , Movahedi Kiavash , Van den Bergh Rafael , Pereira-Fernandes Anna , Geuns Jan M. C. , Pircher Hanspeter , Dorny Pierre , Grooten Johan , De Baetselier Patrick , Van Ginderachter Jo A.
Published: September 2009

Alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs), triggered by interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13, play a modulating role during Th2 cytokine-driven pathologies, but their molecular armament remains poorly characterized. Here, we established E-cadherin (Cdh1) as a selective marker for IL-4/IL-13–exposed mouse and human macrophages, which is STAT6-dependently induced during polarized Th2 responses associated with Taenia crassiceps helminth infections or allergic airway inflammation. The IL-4–dependent, arginase-1/ornithine decarboxylase–mediated production of polyamines is important for maximal Cdh1 induction, unveiling a novel mechanism for IL-4–dependent gene transcription. At the macrophage surface, E-cadherin forms a functional complex with the catenins that accumulates at sites of cell contact. Macrophage-specific deletion of the Cdh1 gene illustrates the implication of E-cadherin in IL-4–driven macrophage fusion and heterotypic interactions with CD103+ and KLRG1+ T cells. This study identifies the E-cadherin/catenin complex as a discriminative, partly polyamine-regulated feature of IL-4/IL-13–exposed alternatively activated macrophages that contributes to homotypic and heterotypic cellular interactions.
Glycoprotein Ibα inhibitor complex structure reveals a combined steric and allosteric mechanism of von Willebrand factor antagonism
Authors: McEwan Paul A. , Andrews Robert K. , Emsley Jonas
Published: September 2009

Platelet glycoprotein Ibα (GpIbα) interactions with von Willebrand factor (VWF) are a critical early event in platelet adhesion, which contributes to hemostasis and thrombosis. Here we report the structure of a complex between GpIbα and a potent peptide inhibitor. The cyclic peptide (CTERMALHNLC) was isolated from a cysteine-constrained phage display library, and in the complex this forms one and a half turns of an amphipathic α-helix, the curvature of which facilitates contacts with the curved concave face of the GpIbα leucine-rich repeats. The peptide has only limited overlap with the VWF binding site. It effectively inhibits by stabilizing an alternative α-helical conformation of a regulatory loop that forms an extended β-hairpin upon VWF binding. The structure defines a previously unrecognized binding site within GpIbα and represents a clear strategy for developing antiplatelet agents targeting the GpIbα-VWF interaction allosterically.
Muscling through AAV immunity
Authors: VandenDriessche Thierry
Published: September 2009

AAV-1 is one of the most promising vectors for gene delivery to skeletal muscle. In this issue of Blood, Mingozzi and colleagues now demonstrate that AAV-1–mediated gene transfer into human skeletal muscle results in activation of capsid-specific T cells.1
Allotransplantation in pediatric HL
Authors: Nachman James
Published: September 2009

In this issue of Blood, Claviez and colleagues report on the outcomes of 91 patients younger than 18 years of age who underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for HL between 1987 and 2005. The outcomes were reported to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.1