bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Internet‐based Personality Testing: Equivalence of Measures and Assesses' Perceptions and Reactions
Authors: Salgado Jesús F. , Moscoso Silvia
Published: July 2003

New information technology (e.g., Internet) allows some personnel selection procedures to be adapted to or developed with this new framework. However, the process of adaptation or development of new procedures produces new questions for research. This paper has three main objectives. First, to examine whether the paper‐and‐pencil version of a Big Five personality questionnaire can be translated to an Internet‐based version without loss of psychometric properties. Second, to explore the perception and reactions of the examinees to the new version of the questionnaire. Third, to analyze the relationship among the individual's personality characteristics and the perceptions and reactions to the Internet‐based version of the questionnaire. Two studies investigated these objectives. Study 1 showed that both versions were completely equivalent in terms of distributions, reliability, and factor structure. Study 2 showed that the examinees perceived the Internet‐based version as more comfortable, less intimidating, and they prefer the Internet‐based version. This study also showed that there are no relevant relationships among the individual's personality characteristics and their perceptions and reactions. The implications for research and practice are discussed.
Technology and Discourse: A Comparison of Face‐to‐face and Telephone Employment Interviews
Authors: Silvester Joanne , Anderson Neil
Published: July 2003

Very little research has investigated the comparability of telephone and face‐to‐face employment interviews. This exploratory study investigated interviewers' questioning strategies and applicants' causal attributions produced during semi structured telephone and face‐to‐face graduate recruitment interviews (N=62). A total of 2044 causal attributions were extracted from verbatim transcripts of these 62 interviews. It was predicted that an absence of visual cues would lead applicants to produce, and interviewers to focus on, information that might reduce the comparative anonymity of telephone interviews. Results indicate that applicants produce more personal causal attributions in telephone interviews. Personal attributions are also associated with higher ratings in telephone, but not face‐to‐face interviews. In face‐to‐face interviews, applicants who attributed outcomes to more global causes received lower ratings. There was also a non‐significant tendency for interviewers to ask more closed questions in telephone interviews. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.
Reactions to Computerized Testing in Selection Contexts
Authors: Wiechmann Darin , Ryan Ann Marie
Published: July 2003

Organizations are increasingly using computerized tests (e.g., multimedia, web‐based, computer adaptive testing) in selection systems. A 2 (mode of presentation: paper‐and‐pencil – computerized)×2 (technical level of the job: high technical job–low technical job)×2 (selection decision: rejected or selected) between subjects design was used to assess proposed relationships between reactions to tests, their antecedents, and their consequences. While test‐takers' post‐test perceptions did not significantly differ as a result of mode of administration, computer anxiety and experience with computing were important factors in performing successfully. Significant relationships were found between post‐feedback reactions and test‐takers' intentions. The discussion highlights implications for implementing computerized selection tools.
Privacy and Attitudes Towards Internet‐Based Selection Systems: A Cross‐Cultural Comparison
Authors: Harris Michael M. , Hoye Greet Van , Lievens Filip
Published: July 2003

This paper examines perceptions of privacy and how they relate to reluctance to submit employment‐related information over the Internet. In addition, possible cross‐cultural differences between the US and Belgium regarding these constructs and the role of Internet knowledge are investigated. Based on theories of privacy and cross‐cultural differences, a survey methodology was applied to test several hypotheses. Results suggest that privacy considerations may affect reluctance to use an Internet‐based selection system. Moreover, as expected, some differences were observed between US and Belgian respondents. Respondents possessing a higher self‐rated knowledge of the Internet were less concerned that employment‐related data submitted over the Internet would fall into the wrong hands.
Computerized Adaptive Rating Scales for Measuring Managerial Performance
Authors: Schneider Robert J. , Goff Maynard , Anderson Steve , Borman Walter C.
Published: July 2003

Computerized adaptive rating scales (CARS) had been developed to measure contextual or citizenship performance. This rating format used a paired‐comparison protocol, presenting pairs of behavioral statements scaled according to effectiveness levels, and an iterative item response theory algorithm to obtain estimates of ratees' citizenship performance (Borman, Buck, Hanson, Motowidlo, Stark, and Drasgow, 2001). In the present research, we developed CARS to measure the entire managerial performance domain, including task and citizenship performance, thus addressing a major limitation of the earlier CARS. The paper describes this development effort, including an adjustment to the algorithm that reduces substantially the number of item pairs required to obtain almost as much precision in the performance estimates.
Technology Trends in Staffing and Assessment: A Practice Note
Authors: Jones John W. , Dages Kelly D.
Published: July 2003

This practice note listed and described, from a practitioner's perspective, ten dominant technology trends that are impacting the personnel testing industry. Five trends were classified as ‘platform‐centric,’ and five were classified as ‘information‐centric.’ Platform‐centric trends were related to virtual career centers, integrated assessment platforms, media‐rich assessments, technology‐friendly tests, and the adaptation of personnel tests to emerging technologies. Information‐centric trends were related to Internet‐age access and fairness concerns, computer‐enabled scoring innovations, strategic HR data warehousing and mining, satisfaction with computer‐based assessments, and computer‐based testing standards. A review of these ten technology trends suggests that the personnel testing industry is keeping pace with rapid technological innovations.
Concepts of special educational need
Authors: Wedell Klaus
Published: July 2003

Editor's note.
This article first appeared in ‘Education Today’ in 1981. At that time issues of classification and categorisation of children with special educational needs were being debated in many countries, and in England an enquiry into the education of children with disabilities had recommended the abolition of categories of disability in favour of the concept of special educational need (DES, 1978). Today, as the government consults on the reintroduction of disability categories, it seems appropriate to reconsider this concept and the thinking that led to its adoption.

The use of the male pronoun has been retained in this article for fluency of reading. ‘He’ and ‘his’ should be understood as ‘he or she’ and ‘his or her’.

The article is reprinted with the kind permission of the College of Teachers –http://www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk.
The labelling approach to deviance
Authors: Rains Prudence M. , Kitsuse John L. , Duster Troy , Freidson Eliot
Published: July 2003

Editor's note.
In the 1970s Professor Nicholas Hobbs directed a comprehensive study on child classification while Provost at Vanderbilt University in the USA. Though neglected in recent years his 1975 edited text, ‘Issues in the Classification of Children’, remains a relevant and important source of thinking about categorisation. Given the current policy interest in categories of special educational need it seems appropriate to reconsider some of these ideas. The following article originally appeared as Chapter 4 from Volume One of the Hobbs text. It is reprinted here with the kind permission of the Hobbs family.

The American spellings and style in this article have been altered for consistency with house style, as has the format of the references list.
All talk and no action: transforming the rhetoric of parent–professional partnership into practice
Authors: Pinkus Susanna
Published: July 2003

There is agreement in political and academic circles that partnership working between parents and professionals is critical to optimising educational provision for children who have special needs. Yet this method of optimisation often appears to be an elusive feature of current practice. In order to begin to explore this chasm between the largely hypothetical parent–professional partnerships set out centrally in British government policy and the widespread reality of parental dissatisfaction, this article identifies the key drivers and inhibitors to partnership working, as revealed within the empirical and theoretical literature. Much of the literature referred to here has its roots in organisational theory, economics, management and political studies – the aim being to learn from rigorous research undertaken in other sectors regarding partnership working, in order to begin to construct a more effective model of parent–professional partnership within special education.
Parents’ attitudes to inclusion of their children with special needs
Authors: Elkins John , Van Kraayenoord Christina E. , Jobling Anne
Published: July 2003

This study investigated the attitudes of 354 Australian parents who have a child with a disability and who attends a state school in Queensland. The types of disability of the children were broadly in accordance with accepted prevalence figures, except for a greater number reported as having autistic spectrum disorder and fewer students with a learning difficulty/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The children were in a range of classes, from special schools to schools where there was in‐class help from a special teacher or teacher aide. Many of the parents favoured inclusion, some would if additional resources were provided, and a small group of parents favoured special placement. There were a limited number of negative attitudes to inclusion reported by the parents, and though some parents thought that some need existed for in‐service education about inclusion, this was not a widespread view.
The synergy between research and practice: listening to the perspectives of key stakeholders about the development of an inclusive early years service
Authors: Jones Phyllis
Published: July 2003

This paper analyses part of a consultation project a northern Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP) engaged with in the process of developing a charter for inclusion. This consultation included parents, families, service providers and service managers. Three main research strategies were employed including questionnaires, interviews and discussion groups. This project highlights the importance of listening to the various stakeholders and of allowing the voices of people at the sharp end of inclusive practice to be instrumental in the development of such services. Issues related to shared understandings of terminology and concepts, different perceptions of the drives for greater inclusive services, and the problematic nature of translating inclusive theory into practice in early years services for disabled children developed as important elements of this project. Although stakeholders enjoy some agreement regarding the philosophical notions of inclusion, there was some diversity in the perceptions of why inclusive services are being developed at all and also about how concepts of inclusion are translated into practice. Themes emerged about the organisation of an inclusive early years service relating to the ‘adult factor’ and the efficacy of a charter for inclusion. The partnership concluded that a pilot project following principles highlighted in this project was the next natural stage of developing a charter for inclusion: a charter of promises, rights and standards that is not rhetoric but realistic and, most importantly, is actually driven by the users and front‐line service providers in the partnership.
Family-Friendly Work Practices: Differences within and Between Workplaces
Authors: Gray Matthew , Tudball Jacqueline
Published: August 2003

The present paper analyses the extent to which access to family-friendly work practices is determined by differential access within or between organisations. It is found that the variation in access to a range of work practices is greater among employees working in the same workplace than the variation between workplaces. A number of employee characteristics are found to be related to the probability of accessing family-friendly work practices. Interestingly, there is no relationship between having dependent children and the likelihood of having access to family-friendly work practices. Another finding is that, employers are most likely to offer family-friendly work practices to employees with high skills levels or in whom they have invested training or other resources. An implication of these findings is that policy makers need to focus on policies that will increase the availability of such practices within organisations to all employees who would benefit from access to these practices.
Solidarity, Representativity and Accountability: The Origins, State and Implications of Shopfloor Democracy within the Congress of South African Trade Unions
Authors: Wood Geoffrey
Published: August 2003

The present paper explores the extent of internal democracy and grassroots participation within the Congress of South Africa Unions, focusing specifically on questions of shopfloor organisation and the office of shopsteward, and is based on a nationwide survey of members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The survey revealed remarkably high levels of participation within union internal structures, and deeply embedded notions of accountability and recall.
Management and Resistance in the Convict Work Gangs, 1788-1830
Authors: Robbins William Murray
Published: August 2003

The present paper examines the evolution of the management of the labour process within the male convict gang system. The organisation of convicts into discrete and enduring collective work units was a vital and productive part of the colonial economy and of the convict labour process generally. In providing a detailed account of the history of management’s adoption of labour process structures and strategies the present paper shows that some of these were determined by changing management objectives while others were the result of covert and/or overt convict resistance. The paper offers evidence of the interaction between the management and the convict, and argues that the origins of Australian industrial relations are to be found amongst our convict workers rather than with the arrival of free labour.
Regional Labour Councils, Local Employment Generation and Labour-Community Coalitions
Authors: Rittau Yasmin
Published: August 2003

Regional labour councils have been involved in building labour-community coalitions. The case study of the South Coast Labour Council demonstrates that a regional labour council can engage in a broader make-up of lobbying partners than is generally recognised in the literature, which includes labour-community coalitions that are not geographically, politically or socially close. The South Coast Labour Council did not focus on employer opposition, as is usually the case with building labour-community coalitions, but rather, it focused on lobbying farmers to increase pressure on government officials for the siting of a grain terminal in Port Kembla, near Wollongong in the Illawarra region of NSW. It pursued broader aims of labour-community coalitions to include local employment generation.
Industrial Relations Decentralisation and the Growth of 12-Hour Shifts in Australia
Authors: Loudoun Rebecca , Harley Bill
Published: August 2003

In the last two decades, increasing numbers of workplaces in Australia have introduced 12-hour shifts. This increase is due, in part, to government policies aimed at promoting labour flexibility. The purpose of this paper is to examine the cover afforded by the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and other industrial relations legislation in terms of shift-workers’ health and safety. Particular reference is made to the broader social, economic and political context surrounding the introduction and use of 12-hour shifts, as it is this context that shapes the constraints and opportunities facing employers and employees in the work arrangements they choose and how they are negotiated. We conclude that the current system of regulating industrial relations in Australia is largely outcome-focused and inadequate. The bargaining process receives little regulation in terms of considering how changes could affect health and safety in the workplace or how changes might affect individual workers. As a result, the increased introduction of unsafe shiftworking arrangements is a worrying, and likely, prospect.
The Process of Enterprise Bargaining in a Manufacturing Organisation
Authors: Nelson Lindsay , Frith Andrew
Published: August 2003

Among the reforms to Australian industrial relations since the 1980s has been a shift in emphasis away from the traditional centralised system to enterprise-based bargaining. The rhetoric of a decentralised approach to bargaining has focused on negotiated agreements, which result in ‘win-win’ outcomes for the parties involved. However, there is some debate about whether such outcomes are mutually advantageous. In a case study within the manufacturing industry, bargaining processes and outcomes were examined. The bargaining process appeared to follow four distinct stages in which management adopted a flexible approach, enabling the company to adjust strategies as the bargaining proceeded. On examination of the outcomes, a number of problems and issues were revealed in addition to the benefits perceived by management. A major issue related to the fact that management orchestrated the bargaining process so that genuine negotiations could not be said to have occurred. Rather, the process could be best described as pseudo bargaining.
Winds of time and place: How context has affected a 50–year marriage
Authors: Levinger George , Levinger Ann Cotton
Published: August 2003

To examine the effects of contexts on a relationship, we consider the case of our own 50–year marriage and its preliminaries. We employ a three–level conception of a couple's environment. The macrocontext refers to the prevailing cultural winds in a society that affect all its residents during any given historical era. The mesocontext pertains to the settings in which a particular relationship operates, such as its family and other social networks, physical habitats, work settings, or institutional associations, often chosen by the partners themselves. The microcontext is the pair's own intimate environment, constructed over time by the partners’ unique interactions. Each of these contexts has affected us. We describe and analyze instances of luck, choice, and dyadic interaction in our 52–year relationship.
The value tensions in Korean–American mother–child relationships while facilitating academic success
Authors: Yang Sungeun , Rettig Kathryn D.
Published: August 2003

The current study explored mothers’ perspectives concerning their experiences in facilitating the academic success of their adolescents in American schools, using a naturalistic study design, data from transcribed personal interviews of 17 Korean–American mothers, and a phenomenological analysis approach (Giorgi, 1985, 1997). The purposes of this study were to (a) reveal the layers of context that influenced mothers’ thoughts, actions, and mother–child relationships as they assisted their adolescents in realizing academic success, a core value in Korean culture, and (b) uncover the relationship difficulties mothers perceived in these processes. The results indicated that mothers were influenced by their individualistic and collectivist cultural (meta) contexts as they tried to facilitate the academic success for their adolescents. Second, they were struggling with their competing Korean and American value systems (general context) in the adjustment processes of “becoming an American” and “remaining a Korean.” Third, mothers revealed their value tensions with adolescents (specific context) in school and family settings. In the family setting the tensions involved balancing obedience and respect with freedom and equality, similarity preference with diversity tolerance, and achievement and recognition with happiness and fulfillment.
Contexts, relationship quality, and family value socialization: The case of parent–school ideological fit in Israel
Authors: Knafo Ariel
Published: August 2003

Parent–school ideological fit is studied as the context of parent–child relationships and socialization. It was hypothesized that parents’ choice of school environments that promote values consistent with parents’ values is related to a better parent–child relationship and facilitates socialization. Participants were 589 Israeli families with religious, traditional, and nonreligious parents, whose adolescent children attended either religious or nonreligious schools. Most parents chose high–fit contexts—that is, schools that fit their own values. Parents in high–fit contexts exhibited relatively higher levels of value consistency, but lower levels of value discussion with their children. Value conflict with parents was lower in high–fit contexts, and the relationship with the father, but not with the mother, was warmer and closer. Accuracy of perception and acceptance of parental values, and parent–child value congruence were higher in high fit contexts, an effect partially mediated by relationship characteristics. The relevance of fit for family relationships, socialization, and school adaptation is discussed.
Correlates of Wisdom‐Related Performance in Adolescence and Adulthood: Age‐Graded Differences in “Paths” Toward Desirable Development
Authors: Staudinger Ursula M. , Pasupathi Monisha
Published: August 2003

Across time and cultures, wisdom has been nominated as the ideal endpoint of development. Evidence suggests that the beginnings of wisdom are observed in adolescence. But are the correlates of wisdom‐related performance in adolescence different from those in adulthood because of differences in developmental status? To answer this question, heterogeneous samples of German adolescents (N=148, 14–20 years) and adults (N=143, 35–75 years) responded verbally to 2 wisdom‐related tasks and completed a psychometric battery involving measures of intelligence, personality, and the personality–intelligence interface. As predicted, in the adolescent sample intelligence and personality emerged as the strongest unique predictors of wisdom‐related performance. In contrast, in the adult sample the interface measures were the strongest unique predictors. Implications for the facilitation of positive development in adolescence are discussed.
Adolescent Problem Behavior in China and the United States: A Cross‐National Study of Psychosocial Protective Factors
Authors: Jessor Richard , Turbin Mark S. , Costa Frances M. , Dong Qi , Zhang Hongchuan , Wang Changhai
Published: August 2003

An explanatory model of adolescent problem behavior (problem drinking, cigarette smoking, and general delinquency) based on protective and risk factors in the individual and in 4 social contexts (family, peer group, school, and neighborhood) is employed in school‐based samples from the People's Republic of China (N=1,739) and the United States (N=1,596). Despite lower prevalence of the problem behaviors in the Chinese sample, especially for girls, a substantial account of problem behavior is provided by the same protective and risk factors in both countries and for both genders. Protection is generally higher in the Chinese sample than in the U.S. sample, but in both samples protection also moderates the impact of risk. Despite mean differences in psychosocial protective and risk factors, as well as in problem behavior, in the 2 samples—differences that may reflect societal variation—the explanatory model has, to a large extent, cross‐national generality.
How Academic Achievement, Attitudes, and Behaviors Relate to the Course of Substance Use During Adolescence: A 6‐Year, Multiwave National Longitudinal Study
Authors: Bryant Alison L. , Schulenberg John E. , O'Malley Patrick M. , Bachman Jerald G. , Johnston Lloyd D.
Published: August 2003

Self‐report data regarding alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use were collected biennially from ages 14 to 20 in a nationally representative panel sample of adolescents (N=1,897) from the Monitoring the Future study. Growth curve analyses were performed using hierarchical linear modeling to consider psychosocial background, motivation and school attitudes, and parental and peer influences at age 14 as predictors of concurrent substance use and change in substance use. Results indicated that school misbehavior and peer encouragement of misbehavior were positively associated with substance use at age 14 and with increased use over time; school bonding, school interest, school effort, academic achievement, and parental help with school were negatively associated. The protective effects of positive school attitudes and perceptions of high status connected to academics were stronger for low‐achieving compared with high‐achieving youth. Implications for a developmental perspective on substance use etiology and prevention are discussed.
The Role of Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in Shaping Public Support for Policing
Authors: Sunshine Jason , Tyler Tom R.
Published: July 2003

This study explores two issues about police legitimacy. The first issue is the relative importance of police legitimacy in shaping public support of the police and policing activities, compared to the importance of instrumental judgments about (1) the risk that people will be caught and sanctioned for wrongdoing, (2) the performance of the police in fighting crime, and/or (3) the fairness of the distribution of police services. Three aspects of public support for the police are examined: public compliance with the law, public cooperation with the police, and public willingness to support policies that empower the police. The second issue is which judgments about police activity determine people's views about the legitimacy of the police. This study compares the influence of people's judgments about the procedural justice of the manner in which the police exercise their authority to the influence of three instrumental judgments: risk, performance, and distributive fairness. Findings of two surveys of New Yorkers show that, first, legitimacy has a strong influence on the public's reactions to the police, and second, the key antecedent of legitimacy is the fairness of the procedures used by the police. This model applies to both white and minority group residents.
Confessions and Criminal Case Disposition in China
Authors: Lu Hong , Miethe Terance D.
Published: July 2003

This research examines confessions and criminal case disposition in China. It describes how wider economic reforms in China and subsequent changes in its legal system may have affected the nature and consequence of criminal confessions. Bivariate and multivariate analyses of a sample of 1,009 criminal court cases reveal that the majority of offenders confessed to their crime and that confession is associated with less severe punishments (e.g., lower risks for imprisonment, shorter sentences). Changes in the nature of confession and its impact on criminal court practices are also examined before and after legal reforms in the mid-1990s. These context-specific findings are then discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the interrelationships between legal structure, legal culture, and case disposition in communitarian-based societies.
Fear of Reversal as an Explanation of Lower Court Compliance
Authors: Klein David E. , Hume Robert J.
Published: July 2003

Lower courts in the United States are generally responsive to specific precedents and trends in the decisionmaking of their judicial superiors. In this article, we ask why. We test one popular explanation—that compliance can be attributed to judges' fear of having their decisions reversed—through an analysis of search and seizure cases decided in the U.S. Courts of Appeals between 1961 and 1990. Since the Supreme Court cannot reverse a decision unless it agrees to review it, we ask whether circuit judges are more likely to decide as the Supreme Court would be expected to when they face cases that are otherwise more likely to be reviewed by the Court. Finding that they are not, we conclude that fear of reversal cannot account for widespread circuit court compliance in these cases, nor, presumably, more generally. More broadly, our findings point to the importance of factors apart from supervisors and the threat of sanctions in determining subordinates' compliance.
Fair Treatment or Preferred Outcome? The Impact of Police Behavior on Victim Reports of Domestic Violence Incidents
Authors: Hickman Laura J. , Simpson Sally S.
Published: July 2003

This research is an exploratory test of two hypotheses emerging from debates about how police behavior may influence domestic violence victim reporting. From a procedural justice perspective, victims should be more apt to report victimization when previous encounters with police are viewed as procedurally fair. From a distributive justice perspective, denying victims their preferred outcome may discourage future police utilization. We find that satisfaction with police is related to both distributive and procedural justice but that re-utilization of police is conditioned by preferred outcome. Specifically, if the offender was arrested in accordance with victim preference, the victim is significantly more apt to utilize police in the future.
Judicial Decisionmaking and the Use of Panels in the Canadian Supreme Court and the South African Appellate Division
Authors: Hausegger Lori , Haynie Stacia
Published: July 2003

Research on the U.S. Supreme Court suggests that judges' decisions are influenced by their policy preferences. Moreover, judges behave strategically to facilitate outcomes that conform as close as possible to those preferences. We seek to generalize this assertion to judicial actors in two very diverse social systems: Canada in the post-Charter years and apartheid-era South Africa. Specifically, we analyze the use of panel assignments by the chief justices in both countries. We find that chief justices do behave strategically. Chief justices in both countries do not assign judges to panels randomly but rather are influenced by the tenure and ideology of the sitting judges and the issues presented in the case.
Poverty, Welfare, and the Affirmative State
Authors: Munger Frank
Published: July 2003

Ethnographic study of American poverty from the Progressive Era to the present has provided a sympathetic window on the lives of the poor. Ethnographers bear witness to the world of need, oppression, and survival, but the best ethnography has always provided more than the stark facts of life in poverty. Carol Stack, Elliott Liebow, Joyce Ladner, and earlier generations of scholars helped us do more than put faces on the poor; their mission was to understand poverty in its social and institutional context—how the institutions of a democratic society create poverty and limit the capacity of the poor to participate fully in social life. Their scholarship grew first from a powerful moral and political principle: unless such institutions “work” for the poor as well as the better off, we cannot say that the poor have received an equal opportunity to become autonomous, successful participants in our society. Second, their scholarship exposes the myth of universal citizenship rights in the American welfare state, revealing such rights to be contingent upon identity.
Drilling in the Cathedral
Authors: Rasmussen Larry
Published: August 2003

Utilitarianism, alienation, consumerism, and oppression are major forces endangering Earth's well‐being. Over and against these morally and ecologically destructive forces are practices and ideas rooted and nourished in both ancient and modern religio‐moral institutions and traditions. As powerful voices of faith calling the present to account, sacramentalism, mysticism, asceticism, and prophetic liberative practices offer Earth‐honoring ways of life that draw from shared wells and deep‐running waters.
So That He Might Fill All Things: Comprehending the Cosmic Love of Christ
Authors: Santmire H. Paul
Published: August 2003

What does Jesus Christ have to do with the starry skies above and the good earth under our feet? Although theological discussions of cosmic and ecological issues have often been developed in dialogue with the natural sciences, “cosmic christology” is itself intrinsically a theological theme. In response to the cosmic vision of Ephesians, this paper explores the contributions of two contemporary theologians who have developed cosmic christologies, Colin Gunton and Jürgen Moltmann, and then seeks to build critically on their achievements by reclaiming Luther's ubiquity christology and by calling upon the Johannine witness to Christ as the light and the shepherd of the cosmos.
Code of practice for x‐ray therapy linear accelerators
Authors: Wootton P. , Almond P. R. , Holt J. G. , Hughes D. B. , Jones D. , Karzmark C. J. , Schulz R. J.
Published: August 2003

Details are presented on the tests that should be performed during the installation of a megavoltage linear accelerator. Also discussed are the dosimetry studies that should be done as part of the operation of the machine. Information in specific radiation monitoring equipment is provided. (AIP)
Boron neutron capture therapy for the treatment of cerebral gliomas. I: Theoretical evaluation of the efficacy of various neutron beams
Authors: Zamenhof Robert G. , Murray Brian W. , Brownell Gordon L. , Wellum Glyn R. , Tolpin Eugene I.
Published: August 2003

The technique of boron neutron capture therapy in the treatment of cerebral gliomas depends upon the selective loading of the tumor with a 10B‐enriched compound and subsequent irradiation of the brain with low‐energy neutrons. The charged particles produced in the 10B (n,α) 7Li reaction have ranges in tissue of less than 10 μm so that the dose distribution closely follows the 10B distribution even to the cellular level. The effectiveness of this therapy procedure is dependent not only on the 10B compound but on the spectral characteristics of the neutron source as well. Hence, an optimization of these characteristics will increase the chances of therapeutic success. Transport calculations using a neutral particle transport code have been made to determine the dose–depth distributions within a simple head phantom for five different incident neutron beams. Comparison of these beams to determine their relative therapeutic efficacy was made by the use of a maximum useable depth criterion. In particular, with presently available compounds, the MIT reactor (MITR) therapy beam (a) is not inferior to a pure thermal neutron beam, (b) would be marginally improved if its gamma‐ray contamination were eliminated, (c) is superior to a partially 10B‐filtered MITR beam, and (d) produces a maximum useable depth which is strongly dependent upon the tumor‐to‐blood ratio of 10B concentrations and weakly dependent upon the absolute 10B concentration in tumor. A pure epithermal neutron beam with a mean energy of 37 eV is shown to have close to the optimal characteristics for boron neutron capture therapy. Furthermore, these optimal characteristics can be approximated by a judiciously D2O moderated and 10B‐filtered 252Cf neutron source. This tailored 252Cf source would have at least a 1.5 cm greater maximum useable depth than the MITR therapy beam for realistic 10B concentrations. However, at least one gram of 252Cf would be needed to make this a practical therapy source. If the moderated 252Cf source is not 10B filtered, the resultant neutron beam has characteristics similar to those of the MITR beam with no gamma‐ray contamination. For such a beam, 100 mg of 252Cf would produce a flux of 2.4×108 neutrons/(cm2 sec), which is an intensity suitable for therapy applications.
Victoreen calibration “discrepancies” noted
Authors: Gray Laurence
Published: August 2003

Errors of 12% are noted for condenser R‐Meters calibrated at the Victoreen Laboratory. Radiotherapists relying on these factors are cautioned to verify the calibration of each ionization chamber.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation spectroscopy in tissues
Authors: Barroilhet L. E. , Moran P. R.
Published: August 2003

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques have been used to study several in vivo and stabilized tissue samples. The results show that a multicomponent behavior characterizes the magnetization relaxation of all investigated samples. Various specimens were allowed to undergo necrotic processes and then they were examined with the same techniques used in in vivo tissue. A marked approach toward a single‐exponential magnetization‐decay behavior was observed in these necrotic samples. In addition, large and sometimes irreversible temperature variations have been observed in the relaxation parameters of several preserved and stabilized tissue samples. The most dramatic changes observed throughout these experiments relate to the long‐lived magnetization components, and are not observed in in vitro experiments performed solely on necrotic tissues. Meaningful differentiation between normal and neoplastic tissue by NMR techniques is virtually useless unless the roles of the temperature and necrosis on the different magnetization‐decay components are well understood.
Modulation transfer function of a finite scanning microdensitometer slit
Authors: Villafana Theodore
Published: August 2003

Inherent in the line‐spread function approach in modulation transfer function (MTF) determinations is the use of a microdensitometer to scan the density pattern resulting from the line exposure. In such a procedure, loss of fidelity in the distribution being scanned is expected. This loss is due in part to the use of a finite‐width scanning slit. In spite of the central role of the scanning slits in the MTF determination, little if anything has appeared in the literature from which one can quantitate the effect of a scanning slit on the MTF determination. This paper analyzes the loss of response attendant with use of scanning slits of differing widths. Specifically, the MTF of a finite scanning slit is derived. A method for correcting for loss of response, given a specific slit width, is indicated on the basis of the chain‐multiplication property of MTFs. The current practice of using a 10‐μm width for film‐screen combinations is shown to be justified. Results can be generalized to any configuration scan slit. In addition, it may also be applied to any generalized sampling or display‐type slit.
Method for gantry angle repositioning on rotational teletherapy equipment
Authors: Connor W. G. , Boone M. L. M. , Mayer E. G.
Published: August 2003

Repositioning errors for given angles have been found to be as large as ±0.5°. Errors of this magnitude are undesirable and unnecessary. To overcome this difficulty, a small laser was mounted to the counterweight of our accelerator with its light beam projected at 90° to the axis of the x‐ray beam. The light beam is used as a lever arm to indicate large distances (0.125 in.) for small changes in gantry angle (0.1°). Gantry angles can easily be repositioned within 0.1°. Routine use of the laser beam indicator has reduced the time taken to reposition the gantry.
Intensifying screen for xeroradiography
Authors: Hevezi James M. , Harle Thomas S.
Published: August 2003

A high‐atomic‐number rare gas has been incorporated into xeroradiographic cassettes in order to increase the sensitivity of the process to x radiation. Preliminary results indicate that krypton gas at 1‐atm pressure increases the sensitivity by approximately a factor of 2 in the mammography energy region.
Line‐focusing x‐ray monochromator for the analysis of trace elements in biological specimens
Authors: Ong Poen S. , Cox Hollace L.
Published: August 2003

A line‐focusing x‐ray monochromator has been designed and developed to be used with an energy dispersive detection system for the quantitative analysis of trace elements in biological specimens. This instrument uses a cylindrically curved Johansson‐type crystal to monochromatize and focus the excitation radiation into a line 0.5 mm wide and 40 mm long. The excitation radiation chosen for these experiments was Mo Kα and the total intensity of the line‐focused beam was estimated to be 2×107 cps. Because of the narrow width and high power density of the excitation beam, small tissue specimens 1×1×12 mm in size along with a single strand of hair were analyzed for trace elements from Al through Sr. For the transition elements, concentrations of a few parts per million were easily detected with this analyzer.
Demonstration of whole blood analysis using proton‐induced x‐ray emission
Authors: Malanify J. J. , Burns C. E. , Close D. A. , Bearse R. C.
Published: August 2003

The elemental variations in whole blood following γ‐radiation injury of mice have been studied. The trace‐element analyses were performed using the proton‐induced x‐ray emission technique, and the results were compared with the red blood‐cell count. It is shown that, by using this method, the variation of the six elements, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Rb, can be studied simultaneously.
Real‐time display of radiation field intensity distribution
Authors: Berardo Peter A. , Willis James A.
Published: August 2003

A real‐time display system has been designed and tested for use with a radiation field monitor. The system uses only pulse and waveform generators, a multiplexer, and an oscilloscope. The display consists of either a three‐dimensional representation of the field intensity distribution or a series of simultaneous profiles.
Mathematical model of conventional tomography
Authors: Orphanoudakis Stylianos C. , Strohbehn John W.
Published: August 2003

A Fourier decomposition approach is used to study the imaging properties of conventional tomography. Spatial frequency response curves (MTFs) are calculated for both linear and axial transverse tomography. These curves depend on the product of the spatial frequency of the sinusoidal density variations in thin layers parallel to the tomographic plane and the distance between such layers and the tomographic plane. Based on the spatial frequency response curves, a quantitative definition of tomographic layer thickness is given. Furthermore, the spatial frequency response curves suggest that unattenuated low‐frequency information from outside the tomographic layer limits the resolution in conventional tomograms and that high‐pass spatial filtering of the image may substantially improve the diagnostic quality of tomographic images, particularly in the identification of boundaries.
Digital display plug‐in module for the Victoreen model 555 integral and rate exposuremeter
Authors: Silberberg Jeffrey L.
Published: August 2003

A digital display plug‐in for use with the Victoreen 555 exposuremeter is described. The device is a readout subsystem for displaying numerical and dimensional information in a clear, legible form, with both probe and range scale factors accounted for in the display itself. In addition to facilitating data gathering with the 555, the device circumvents nonlinearity in the analog meter movement. Minor modifications required of the 555 mainframe are described.
State‐of‐the‐art of single‐transducer ultrasonic imaging technology
Authors: Eggleton Reginald C.
Published: August 2003

This paper attempts to take note of some recent improvements in ultrasound echo‐ranging technology and make some observations on the single‐ versus multiple‐transducer element approach. It would appear at this time that the problems encountered with visualization systems may not be solved by using multiple transducers per se, and that the unique advantages that accrue to the multiple‐transducer systems have yet to demonstrate that they fulfill an important clinical need.
State‐of‐the‐art in two‐dimensional ultrasonic transducer array technology
Authors: Maginness M. G. , Plummer J. D. , Beaver W. L. , Meindl J. D.
Published: August 2003

Attention is given to means of sensing ultrasonic energy distributions over an area. Under the restraints appropriate to real‐time imaging of deep body organs, piezoelectric arrays offer the most promising method. Adaptation of integrated circuit techniques to array assembly permits very large arrays of small elements to be batch fabricated. Further, special semiconductor switching devices specifically designed for addressing the array have been produced and applied. These permit both the passage of weak received signals and the application of voltage and current levels sufficient for transmission without significant disturbance of the basic piezoelectric element properties. Emphasis is placed on the complete data acquisition, processing, and display flexibility that arises from an array capability. Operation becomes possible in any of the presently used A or time motion (TM), in real time B or C scan, or in novel scan patterns adapted to specific organs. Further development with acoustic and electronic focusing, taking advantage of the unique possibilities obtained with the bidirectional array structure, is discussed.
In vivo measurements of lung corrections for fast‐neutron therapy
Authors: Smith A. R. , Jardine J. H. , Raulson G. L. , Almond P. R. , Boyd D. D.
Published: August 2003

Silicon diodes were inserted into the esophagus and bronchus of anesthetized rhesus monkeys in order to measure the corrections to tumor dose resulting from intervening lung tissue during fast‐neutron therapy. The derived corrections were applied to tumor doses for patients being treated for cancer of the esophagus on the fast‐neutron beam at TAMVEC. In vivo dosimetry performed on these patients using silicon diodes in the esophagus confirmed the accuracy of the lung corrections. The measured dose and calculated dose agreed to within 4% for four different patients. The magnitude of the correction is on the order of 16% for the typical esophageal cancer patient. These studies were also done with Cobalt‐60 in order to test, against other data, the results obtained with this animal model.
On the application of a liquid‐dielectric ionization chamber to 252Cf dosimetry
Authors: Bednarek Daniel R. , Lanzl Lawrence H. , Rozenfeld Martin
Published: August 2003

Our investigations of an iso‐octane‐filled liquid‐dielectric ionization chamber indicate that this dosimeter is well suited for the measurement of dose distributions at distances close to 252Cf interstitial implant sources. Initial research has shown that such an instrument provides good discrimination between the radiation components of a mixed field and possesses excellent sensitivity. Calculations indicate that iso‐octane will yield a neutron and γ‐ray dose response independent of energy over a major part of the 252Cf spectral range, while transmission measurements have demonstrated that the liquid causes little perturbation of the radiation field.