bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applied Science in Latin American Countries: The Case of the 'Geological and Mineralogical Survey of Brazil', 1906-1934
Authors: Figueirôa Silvia F. de M.
Published: March 2007

The role of geology in the modernisation of Brazil during the Empire (1822-1889) and the First Republic (1889-1930) is remarkable since the 1870s, when related socioeconomic demands and the institutional model adopted were interlinked, reflecting the accentuated growth in the agro-exporting economy of coffee and the intensification of the scientific cli mate marked by positivism and Spencerism The demands posed by coffee economy involved providing a solution for the lack of availability of adequate land for agriculture. The institutional model chosen to face these questions was that of the 'Geological Surveys', a tradition well-established in the Western world. A first national survey appeared in 1875, a second, regional one, was founded in the state of São Paulo in 1886, and a third one, national, and of strongly applied character, was founded in 1907: the 'Geological and Min eralogical Survey of Brazil'. Its trajectory from the foundation until 1934 is the focus of the present paper.
Science and Bureaucracy in Traditional China
Authors: Yung Sik Kim
Published: March 2007

Bureaucracy had a profound effect on nearly all aspects of the society and culture in traditional China. Science was no exception, and although bureau cracy should rank at the top of the list of subjects to be studied in the context of Chinese science, yet, the relation between science and bureaucracy in China has not been studied properly so far. What is abundant is impressionistic state ments concerning the stimulating or hindering effects of bureaucracy on the development ofscience in China. In this essay, by indicating what I consider to be problems and possibilities in the study of the subject, I try to present a more nuanced approach needed for an adequate understanding of this very complex and multifaceted relation.

Looking at previous discussions about the relations between the two, this essay then notes some common problems in them, after which the nature of this relation is examined more generally. In doing so I draw upon my reflections about the relation between science and another cultural element, religion, in traditional China. I then suggest some new perspectives that can be brought into the study of the relation between science and bureaucracy in China, and conclude by mentioning some topics that can be studied fruitfully in a new light.
Trends in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1
Authors: Lo Ying-Ru J. , Farley Timothy M. M.
Published: March 2007

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is the predominant mode of HIV transmission in children worldwide. It is estimated that around 1.3 million children are living with HIV and that approximately 1,600 children are infected with HIV each day. Numerous clinical trials using antiretroviral drugs to reduce MTCT of HIV-1 have shown that perinatal transmission can be reduced effectively. Based on the PACTG 076 study administering a long antenatal zidovudine regimen, a signific ant reduction in vertical HIV-1 transmission has been achieved in the developed world. Trials conducted in developing countries have shown that perinatal transmission can be reduced effectively even using shorter and less costly antiretroviral regimens. Prevention of MTCT interventions have been implemented on a large scale in a number of developing countries.
Health and Mortality Issues in Delhi: Some Results
Authors: Alam Moneer
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the morbidity-mortality situation in Delhi using information from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) held in 1993. Health and mortality issues in the paper are discussed at two levels. It begins with the question as to why a mere description of mortality or its reduction may not suffice in explaining the health status of a population. The level of morbidity and its effects on the quality of life need to be examined. This is followed by a discussion on emerging issues of health and mortal ity in Delhi and a few selected states. The paper inter alia concludes: (a) disease preva lence is generally higher among the aged-which suggests an overtime increase in the demand for medical services by them; (b) among the states analysed, disease prevalence is the lowest in Haryana, followed by Delhi; (c) problems of partial and complete blind ness are relatively high among children in Delhi, and mortality among males above the age of 50 in Delhi is considerably higher than in the states compared; (d) females are not essentially morbid; (e) probability of childhood mortality declines substantially with mothers' literacy and their age at birth; (f) Muslims suffer more from infant sur vival risk than others-child mortality is, however, lower among them; and (g) low age and frequent pregnancies endanger a mother's life during childbirth.
Impact of Follower Personality and Organizational Structure on Transformational Leadership
Authors: Kandalla Haritha Vashti , Krishnan Venkat R.
Published: March 2007

This study uses an experimental design to look at the effects of followers' openness to experience, one of the Big Five personality traits and an organic organizational structure (operationalized as low configuration and large span of control) on transformational leadership. The five factors of transformational leadership measured are idealized influence (attributed), idealized influence (behavioural), inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The sample consists of 96 medical professionals from two homogeneous health-care establishments of the Indian defence services. Results show that followers' openness to experience enhances idealized influence (attributed) and idealized influence (behavioural), as also the composite measure of transformational leadership. An organic structure by itself does not have any effect on transformational leadership, but it does so in combination with follower personality. Idealized influence (behavioural), intellectual stimulation and the composite measure of transformational leadership are higher when followers' openness and organic structure are present than when both of them are absent.
TWILIGHT OF THE HERO IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE
Authors: Wieting Stephen G.
Published: March 2007

Maurice Garin won the first Tour de France in 1903, and Lance Armstrong won in 1999, providing 86 races for analysis (after cancellations for war). Participation, fan interest, and success have been heavily French and by continent almost exclusively European. The bounded population of occurrences and singular geographical locus combine for a useful analytical frame for investigating how particular sports are affected by national cultures. The second race and the 1998 Tour yielded visible scandals, and there have been many other races where riders were censored even as winners were celebrated. A provocative element within the established bases for opprobrium and honor is that there are two (rather than one) normative frameworks: one of the racers themselves and the other of the surrounding society, originally French and now increasingly global. The research intends to illustrate the frequent tension and strong discontinuity between the increasingly complex surrounding normative order and the more contained normative order of the Tour participants. Culture use sports to celebrate moral values by valorizing competitors as heroes. However, the 1998 Tour and the lingering crisis of trust in the integrity of the event in 1999 create the prospect of systemically induced rule infractions and the demise of the sport hero.
THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF SPORTS
Authors: Magnússon Gudmundur K.
Published: March 2007

This report describes patterns of professional sport in Iceland that have in the past decades displayed increasing exchanges of players with other countries. Soccer and handball are given prominence because of their great popularity in the country; chess, an activity defined as a sport in some contexts, is featured as well because of the world successes of Icelandic players and the Icelandic venue for the epochal Fisher-Spassky match in 1972. `International' has partially been subsumed by the use of `globalization' in the past 10 years, and the participation of Iceland in the new, volatile, but highly variable arrangements of global exchange of sport labour talent is sketched.
AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF PAIN AND INJURY IN PROFESSIONAL RUGBY UNION
Authors: Howe P. David
Published: March 2007

In the professional game of Rugby Union the elimination of injury to players has become a paramount performative, and therefore financial, concern. The recognition that professional contact sports entail the potential for significant injury is becoming increasingly evident in the disciplines of sports medicine and the sociology of sport. Among the complex of factors that comprise the habitus of a rugby club will be the expectation and accommodation of factors relating to injury. This article makes conceptual distinctions between pain and injury. Much of the extant literature of pain and injury uses qualitative interview techniques to good effect. This article uses the methodology of participant observation to offer a more felicitous social understanding of pain and injury in a distinctive sporting context. Ethnographic research was undertaken at Pontypridd Rugby Football Club in Wales over a period of two years. This approach enables an increased diachronic understanding of pain and injury within this particular sporting context and how the personal and social experience of these phenomena are transformed through the process of professionalization.
FEMINIZING OLYMPIC REALITY
Authors: Andrews David L.
Published: March 2007

This paper appropriates elements of Jean Baudrillard's provocative contemporary cultural theorizing as a suggestive framework for examining the nature, and influence, of the mass mediated spectacles that dominate American sporting culture. Concentrating on the National Broadcasting Corporation's coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, this discussion highlights the ways in which the network manufactured a simulated model of Olympic reality that was explicitly designed to seduce female television viewers. More specifically, this paper explicates how NBC consciously mobilized traditionally feminine codes within, and through, the content and structure of its prime time televisual discourse. The paper concludes by advancing the notion that, rather than challenging them, NBC's feminization of Olympic reality merely accentuated the essentialist and hierarchically ordered notions of gender identities, practices, and experiences, which reside all too comfortably within the popular imaginary.
INTEGRATING SOCIAL ACTION AND STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS
Authors: Stevens Julie A. , Slack Trevor
Published: March 2007

A number of researchers have examined structural and systemic change within Canada's national sport organizations. The predominant approach within these studies has been to identify environmental factors, primarily the state, as the cause of change. We argue that there has been an overemphasis on the role of the environment in directing the change process and suggest that a more integrated view is needed. Consequently, our paper focuses on understanding change by integrating institutional theory, a deterministic approach to explaining organizational transformations, and the more voluntaristic notion of strategic choice. A case-study approach is used to examine the organizational changes that occurred within a Canadian amateur ice hockey organization. Our results show the importance of institutional pressures, strategic choice and the interconnectedness of both these factors in the change process. Three specific issues are raised: the temporal dimension to the scope of strategic choice; the manner in which structures that are initially constraining can become resources; and the impact of conditions of uncertainty on determinism and voluntarism.
Globalization and Internationalization: The Impact on Education Abroad Programs
Authors: McCabe Lester T.
Published: March 2007

This article asserts a need for educators to consider the mission and value of study abroad programs and their relation to the processes of globalization and internationalization. As educational systems increase their emphasis on the need for international education, it will be necessary to consider what types of study abroad opportunities are relevant to current world trends. This article attempts to provide a framework for understanding the distinction between the terms globalization and internationalization and their relevance to the future of international education and study abroad programs.
Interregional Cooperation in Higher Education in Europe'
Authors: Haug Guy , Race Julia
Published: March 2007

This article drau's on the preparatory research. discussions and conclusions of a conference on1 Regional Cooperation and Mobility in Higher Education jointly organized in September 1997 in Iceland by the Council of Europe and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Regional cooperation is defined as cooperation between sub-national regions" (either across a common border or longer distance). or between such regions " and/or countries located within a relatively small geographical area of Europe. The article introduces a number of very, diverse cooperation schemes fitting these definitions. It examines the nature and purpose of inter-regional cooperation in higher education, its relationship with other types of international cooperation in

higher education and its role within overall inter-regional cooperation. Kei determinants of the future development of inter-regional cooperation in higher education are identified and scenarios and recommendations for the future proposed. The article demonstrates that regional cooperation is a complement to, and in no
Tying the King's Hands
Authors: ROOT HILTON L.
Published: March 2007

Historians commonly assume that the Old Regime monarchy in France attempted to eliminate corporate society in order to create liberal institutions. They also assume that the centralization of state power occurred at the expense of such corporate bodies as provincial estates, the municipal corporations, and the village communities. By contrast, I argue that those institutions were not vestiges of an earlier society waiting to be swept away by the stronger, more unified modern state. Instead, I believe that corporate bodies not only flourished under the Old Regime, but contributed to the functioning of the absolute state.
Unraveling in Democratically Governed Groups
Authors: JOHNSON PAUL EDWARD
Published: March 2007

This essay presents a framework for the analysis of voting processes in interest group organizations. It explores the tension between majority rule and membership maintenance in a group. The major theoretical propositions are that myopic majority rule government can cause instability and a loss of members from the group. The risk of this instability, which is called unraveling, leads to behavioral and institutional solutions that impose nonmedian social choices on the group members. The theory is applied to the founding era of the American Federation of Labor, an important, long-lived organization. It is shown that the most important features of the AFL in this century are best explained by reference to the theory of social choice in voluntary organizations.
Heterogeneous Players and Specialized Models
Authors: RASMUSEN ERIC
Published: March 2007

Game theory has been criticized as neglecting key aspects of individual behavior and as relying too heavily on special assumptions. It can, in fact, handle individual heterogeneity if the modeler is willing to carefully specify how people are different, but to the extent that such things as heterogeneity and culture are important, the desire for a single unified model is impossible to satisfy. At the same time, game theory's approach is very useful for building specialized models.
Choice and Emotion in Comparison Theory
Authors: JASSO GUILLERMINA
Published: March 2007

This article examines the part played by choice and emotion in comparison processes, processes that lead to such phenomena as happiness, self-esteem, relative deprivation, and distributive justice. It begins with a systematic look at all the points in a comparison process where choice and emotion occur and proceeds to link the concepts and equations of comparison theory to three important choice and emotion phenomena: framing, emotion management, and emotion display. The article presents four illustrations that, among other things, show how the combination of comparison theory and rational action theory predicts the framing effects documented by Tversky and Kahneman and predicts as well interruptions in small groups and a variety of gift and bequest behaviors. The analysis highlights several important features of the operation of choice and emotion in comparison theory. First, except for the mathematical formula that combines the actual holding and the comparison holding of a good or bad to produce the comparison outcome, all aspects of comparison processes are, at least in part, subject to choice. Second, the choices that individuals make, taking account of the production rules for the comparison outcomes, shape not only their own but also others' emotions. Third, the choices made in emotion display and in own/other emotion management serve a variety of goals, altruistic as well as selfish. More broadly, this work suggests that both choice and emotion play important parts in human behavior; scientific accounts that exclude one or the other are incomplete. The task ahead is to identify and isolate choice elements and emotion elements in the operation of basic forces and in the determination of observable phenomena.
Repression and Revolutionary Action
Authors: OPP KARL-DIETER
Published: March 2007

A theoretical model is proposed explaining why repression sometimes deters and sometimes instigates political action. Then this model is applied to explain the mounting protests in East Germany in 1989. The basic idea of the model is that repression, as a cost, has a direct deterring effect on political action, but that increasing repression instigates positive incentives up to a certain point; then positive incentives decrease—a relationship corresponding to an inverted u-curve. Apart from repression, public goods incentives (discontent, weighted by perceived political influence), moral incentives, and social incentives have positive effects on participation in protest. A representative survey of 1,300 citizens from Leipzig (East Germany) conducted in the fall of 1990, focusing on the events of the East German revolution in 1989, confirms the model with two exceptions: Increasing probability of repression raises protest, but the increase becomes smaller with increasing probability of repression (decreasing radicalization effect); increasing costs of repression lowers protest, but the decrease becomes smaller with increasing costs of repression (decreasing deterrence effect). It is argued that the protests in East Germany could emerge despite severe repression because positive incentives to protest increased due to political events.
Comment
Authors: Tullock Gordon
Published: March 2007

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

Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
Individual Thresholds and Social Diffusion
Authors: BRAUN NORMAN
Published: March 2007

Granovetter and Soong's threshold model for collective behavior focuses on decision situations of action versus nonaction. To explain the number of active people, it assumes an exogenous distribution of behavioral thresholds in a given population of well-informed individuals. Ego's threshold is the necessary proportion of active persons for ego's choice of action. This article relates the threshold model to traditional diffusion hypotheses. It is shown that simple threshold distributions correspond with well-known hypotheses of social diffusion. The approach is illustrated by an analysis of data on participation in the Monday demonstrations in the East German city of Leipzig during the fall of 1989.
Kinds of Third-Party Effects on Trust
Authors: BURT RONALD S. , KNEZ MARC
Published: March 2007

The simplest social context for trust is an isolated dyad—two people away from others. The more usual context is two people surrounded by various close friends, foes, and acquaintances. We argue that third-party gossip amplifies both the positive and the negative in a relationship, making ego and alter more certain of their trust (or distrust) in one another. We draw three broad conclusions from an analysis of network data on a probability sample of diverse senior managers: (a) Trust is associated with relation strength, as expected in private games; (b) as predicted by the gossip argument for public games, trust is significantly amplified by third parties (third parties have a positive effect on trust within strong relations, and a negative effect on trust within weak relations); and (c) different forms of indirect connection are responsible for the third-party effects on trust.
SELF-COMMAND IN ADAM SMITH'S THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENTS
Authors: Meardon Stephen J. , Ortmann Andreas
Published: March 2007

Building on an analysis of Adam Smith's enumeration of five classes of passions, we show that self-command in his Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) can be modeled as a game whose structure is identical to endogenous quality or reputation models. While acknowledging Smith's views on the evolutive nature of the general rules of morality (as well as the individual's understanding of them), we take the general rules as given. Within the game's framework we show how self-command can be attained in equilibrium solely due to the `internal reputation effect' arising from one's self-interested behavior. Our game-theoretic reinterpretation of TMS sheds new light on the acquisition of self-command and casts Smith as a sophisticated early theorist: he had already dealt with the issue of reputational enforcement, and wrestled with the same tension that has led to the eductive and evolutive approaches to non-cooperative game theory.
WAS ADAM SMITH AN ECONOMIST?
Authors: Brown Kevin L.
Published: March 2007

The eighteenth century is often termed the `Age of Reason,' and it is correctly so termed if by the phrase is meant that it was the age in which philosophers held that the credibility of all things should be tested by reason. But from the point of view of its prevailing psychological doctrines, it could more properly be called the `Age of the Passions' because of its stress on the emotions and the instincts, the affections and aversions, and its playing down of the role of reason in the behavior of ordinary man.
NETWORK GAMES
Authors: Markovsky Barry
Published: March 2007

The articles by Bienenstock/Bonacich and Willer/Skvoretz claim similar goals: to explore ways that game theory and network exchange theory may inform one another. Willer and Skvoretz offer a method for conceptualizing the micro-processes of network exchange theory in game theoretic terms, and conduct empirical tests of the resulting new formulation. Bienenstock and Bonacich make explicit attempts to supplant network exchange formulations with game theory, revealing what they consider to be fatal weaknesses in the former and remedies in the latter. A thread that wends through both works is the desirability of understanding thoroughly how a micro-level phenomenon— choice—and a macro-level phenomenon— network—integrate to produce phenomena that do not exist outside the confluence of the two. After a brief examination of the terminological question `To what does the label “network exchange theory” refer?', I address a series of key issues in each of the articles.
GREEK FREEDOM AND COLLECTIVE ACTION IN HERODOTUS
Authors: Whelan Frederick G.
Published: March 2007

Herodotus' History recounts how the Greeks preserved their freedom as independent city-states by forming a coalition to resist invasion and conquest by Persia in 490-480 BC. This paper argues that on this occasion the Greeks faced a collective action problem, since their avoidance of being conquered was a collective good and their very freedom allowed them to act as independent, self-interested agents. It is also argued that Herodotus himself understood the dynamics of the events in these terms; his account describes the free-riding, evasiveness, maneuvering for special advantage, and other conduct that we would expect of rational actors in this situation, as well as various factors, especially the key role of the leading cities, that led to successful resistance. That rational choice theory illuminates ancient political events as narrated by an ancient writer, despite presumably great cultural differences, supports the theory's claim to universal applicability.
An Exploration of Health Beliefs, Lifestyle Behaviours, and Health Needs of the London-Based Greek Cypriot Community
Authors: Papadopoulos Irena
Published: March 2007

This article reports selected results of the qualitative phase of a multimethod study into an investigation of the health beliefs, lifestyle behaviours, and health status of Greek Cypriots living in London. Data for this phase, which involved 79 informants, were collected through group and individual semistructured interviews. Six major themes were identified. These detail the informants’ health and illness beliefs and use of folk remedies. The importance of the family as both a force for health and a cause for health problems is discussed. The informants’ experiences as health users are also reported. The article concludes that culture is an important mediator for the health of this ethnic group. Culturally competent care depends on the nurses’ understanding of the cultural background of their patients. The article recommends that nurses must be aware of the importance of societal and institutional structures that may discriminate against people from minority ethnic groups.
Nursing in Latvia from the Perspective of Oppressed Theory
Authors: Kalnins Zaiga G. P.
Published: March 2007

Few nurses have the opportunity to witness the rebirth of a democratic state. The author, an American nurse of Latvian birth, served as a visiting professor at the Latvian Medical Academy, Department of Nursing, three weeks after Latvia had declared independence in August, 1991 during the coup d'etat of the Union of the Soviet Republics (USSR). In this article, the author shares and discusses her cultural experiences and reflections of Latvia from oppressed group theory perspectives. In an ever increasing pluralistic society, the author believes that nurses need the widening perspective of transcultural nursing to understand populations and changes in Eastern Europe. She further contends that nurses need a full understanding of what developed with the Latvians and what they have experienced during the last fifty years under communism.
The Meaning and Experience of Health Ministry within the Culture of a Congregation with a Parish Nurse
Authors: Chase-Ziolek Mary
Published: March 2007

A growing number of nurses are working with congregations in churches, synagogues, and mosques, trying to promote health through integrating religious beliefs and health knowledge. The concept of health ministry guides nursing practice when working with congregations. This ethnographic study aims to understand the meaning and experience of health ministry within the culture of a congregation with a parish nurse examining both emic and etic perspectives. Utilizing participant observation, interviews, and reviews of written documents, an ethnography was created of an ethnically diverse, urban United Methodist congregation with a volunteer parish nurse. Two forms of health ministry were found within the congregation, which the investigator named extrinsic and intrinsic health ministry. Extrinsic health ministry included activities whose explicit purpose was to promote health. Intrinsic health ministry included activities and experiences within congregational life whose express purpose was something other than health promotion, yet participants identified it as promoting their health. Implications for transcultural nurses include using knowledge of congregational cultures to facilitate culturally congruent health ministry.
How to Search for Information on Transcultural Nursing and Health Subjects: Internet and CD-ROM Resources
Authors: Andrews Margaret M.
Published: March 2007

With the proliferation of electronic resources available to search for subjects related to transcultural nursing and health, nurses must keep abreast of computer-based tools that enable them to quickly and efficiently obtain information on a variety of topics. This article provides suggestions for narrowing and focusing a search on transcultural nursing and related subjects using key terms indexed in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, International Nursing Index, Medline, Index Medicus, and Psychological Abstracts/PsychLit. Information about accessing the Native American Resource Information Service, Education Resources Information Center, Infotrac/Expanded Academic Index, and Sociological Abstracts also is provided. In the article, selected examples of Internet sites of interest in transcultural nursing and health are identified with their universal resource locator, and they are annotated. Web sites for U.S. government agencies, organizations, and commercial groups that concern transcultural nursing and health are cited. Global transcultural health and nursing Internet resources also are included.
Perinatal Death: Uncovering the Needs of Midwives and Nurses and Exploring Helpful Interventions in the United States, England, and Japan
Authors: Gardner Judith M.
Published: March 2007

Perinatal death is a crisis for midwives and nurses as well as for bereaved parents and extended families. Surveys and interviews conducted in the United States, England, and Japan described the needs and responses of nurses and mid-wives as they coped with their own feelings while caring for bereaved parents. Results emphasized common needs of caregivers for increased knowledge, mentored experience, communication skills, and personal support to confidently provide sensitive care to families. Although need for education regarding cultural-specific care was revealed, participants identified helpful strategies of care for bereaved parents that could extend and improve care universally.
Disseminating the Results of Participant-Focused Research
Authors: Flaskerud Jacquelyn H. , Anderson Nancy
Published: March 2007

Participant-focused research (PFR) includes the fisubjectsfl as full partners in the research process. As such, participants share in the products or outcomes of research. PFR goes beyond the traditional research approach of disseminating findings to other scientists and clinicians and includes participants and community residents in sharing the skills, knowledge, and resources of the study with the objective of empowering the participants. This article demonstrates the use of PFR in disseminating the results or products of study to the participants through two examples of long-term research projects conducted in Los Angeles. The first example is a community-based study of HIV prevention with low-income Latina women. The second example is an ethnographic study of health concerns and risks among adolescents in juvenile detention. These examples provide two approaches to dissemination of research findings and benefits to the participants and the community.
Anomie, Spirituality, and Crime
Authors: MARTIN RANDY
Published: March 2007

Anomie has been mainly characterized in criminology as a structural variable, and the most prominent application portrays it as being decidedly material in nature. This work explores a broadened conceptualization of anomie as a factor in the etiology of criminality and deviance. The expansion of such concepts is consistent with more contemporary views proposing that, for full understanding of behavior, theories must operate at multiple levels. Focusing on one of the most neglected levels of knowing and explanation, this treatment discusses anomie as it relates to spiritual development. Spiritual alienation and crises in meaning are explored as potential factors in the development of criminality on both individual and group levels.
Non-Lethal Weapons: The Potential and the Pitfalls
Authors: Geis Gilbert , Binder Arnold
Published: March 2007

Use of non-lethal weapons by the police could significantly reduce the number of episodes involving deadly force. This paper discusses reasons why more effective nonlethal weapons have not been produced, noting in particular the priorities of military research. It also examines logistic barriers to more widespread adoption of non-lethal weapons, including the awkwardness of having the correct weapon on hand at the proper moment. The paper particularly focuses on the role of the ethos of law enforcement in generating resistance to the introduction and use of non-lethal weapons. Given the enormous social costs associated with police use of deadly force, a call is made for a more hospitable attitude toward non-lethal weapons by police personnel.
An Evaluation of the Nokomis Challenge Program in Michigan
Authors: Deschenes Elizabeth Piper , Greenwood Peter W. , Adams John
Published: March 2007

The Nokomis Challenge Program is an innovative correctional program, run by the Michigan Department of Social Services (DSS), which combines 3 months of residence and programming in a remote wilderness setting with 9 months of intensive community-based aftercare. RAND is evaluating the impact of the Nokomis program under grants from the National Institute of Justice and DSS. This article describes the various elements of the Nokomis program and presents data on the characteristics of youth in the experimental and comparison samples.
Treatment in Transition
Authors: SCOTT ROBERT , O'CONNOR THOMAS
Published: March 2007

This article describes the struggles and difficulties of providing rehabilitation services in the transitional corrections environment. Larned Mental Health Correctional Facility, located in southwest central Kansas, is used as an example for outlining the difficulties faced by mental institutions devoted to offender treatment and processing while under correctional care. After 5 years in existence, the unit has discovered that symptoms and functional disabilities that make up long-term mental disorders pose a significant challenge to treatment and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation and treatment modalities can help reduce or compensate for social and occupational disabilities, but permanent improvements and successful transitions back to regular correctional institutions are frequently unpredictable.
Psychological Profiling
Authors: EGGER STEVEN A.
Published: March 2007

The development of psychological profiling is examined from its use during World War II to its use today in criminal investigation. This historical analysis includes Dr. James Brussels's work on the Mad Bomber and the “Boston Strangler” cases and then highlights three important dates in the development of psychological profiling: 1972, 1985, and 1994. This first date is when the Federal Bureau of Investigation began its pioneer development in psychological profiling. The second (1985) was psychologist Dr. David Canter's assistance to local police in England in the “Railway Rapist” case. And the third was the establishment of the first academic graduate degree program in investigative psychology by Dr. Canter at the University of Liverpool. Current profiling efforts include a discussion of the assumptions and goals of profiling and how the process of profiling is completed. Various critiques and evaluations of profiling are summarized. The future of profiling discusses issues of profiler licensing, standardizing the process, public versus private profilers, and profiling as an art or a science. New profiling techniques such as greater use of the computer in the profiling process and the decoding of narrative documents are included.
Fiber-Optic Strain Sensors for Smart Structures
Authors: Turner Roderick D. , Valis Tomas , Hogg W. Dayle , Measures Raymond M.
Published: March 2007

A set of requirements is proposed for fiber-optic strain sensors, and specific criteria are suggested for such sensors in the context of "smart" structures. The suitability of several potential sensor types is evaluated against these criteria, and the characteristics of two particular suitable sensors are presented.
Active Control of Seismic Response of Structures
Authors: Sato Tadanobu , Toki Kenzo
Published: March 2007

A new closed-open-loop optimal control algorithm is proposed that has been derived by minimizing the sum of the quadratic time-dependent performance index and the seismic energy input to the structural system. This new control law provides feasi ble control algorithms that can easily be implemented for applications to seismic-excited structures. We developed optimal control algorithms, taking into account the nonlinearity of the structural system for applying a control force to a structural system subjected to gen eral dynamic loads. The formulation of a predictive control law has been developed in which emphasis is placed on compensation for the time delay due to measurement process and the control action. These optimal algorithms are simple and reliable for on-line con trol operations and effective for a structural system with a base isolation mechanism. The control efficiency affected by two weighting matrices included in the performance index is investigated in detail. Numerical examples are worked out to demonstrate the control effi ciency of the proposed algorithms.
Studies of Coil-Globule Transition and Cross-Linking of Poly(acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester) Prepared by Radiation-Induced Polymerization
Authors: Yoshida Masaru , Omichi Hideki , Kubota Hitoshi , Katakai Ryoichi
Published: March 2007

Uncross-linked acryloyl-L-proline methyl ester (A-ProOMe) polymer, which was obtained by irradiating up to 30 kGy at 25°C using γ-rays from a 6°Co source, showed a coil-globule transition in water around a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of approximately 14°C. From results of light-scattering measurements, it was found that the molecular weight (Mw) of the polymer was 964,000 at 4°C, 1,270,000 at 10°C, 56,100,000 at 20°C, 82,200,000 at 35°C, and 98,200,000 at 50°C in water, in contrast to 41, 40, 20, 10, and 8 nm in the above order for the particle radius of gyration (½), in which the pendant ProOMe group with cis-form might occur in big clusters above the LCST temperature. Cross-linked homopolymers were obtained with irradiation at doses more than 80 kGy at 25°C. The results of electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements showed that the formation of cross-linked poly(A-ProOMe) gels is due to the bridging of neighbor ing ProOMe groups. Even after cross-linking, the gels obtained gave characteristic thermo- responses, such as low-temperature swelling and high-temperature deswelling in water.
A Finite Dimensional Model Problem in Ferromagnetism
Authors: Keane Michael K. , Rogers Robert C.
Published: March 2007

In this article we calculate magnetic equilibria of a finite dimensional model of a polycrystalline ferromagnetic body. Our model incorporates recent advances on frustration and microstructure in ferromagnetism. In particular, we will use minimizing sequences or Young- measures to model equilibrium states, and we make use of nonlocal exchange energies. We show that our model problem has a rich class of relative equilibria. Furthermore, this set of solutions can be interpreted as representing a quasistatic hysteresis diagram that exhibits hysteresis subloops and the Barkhausen effect.
Multimodal Passive Vibration Suppression with Piezoelectric Materials and Resonant Shunts
Authors: Hollkamp Joseph J.
Published: March 2007

Passive piezoelectric damping devices are studied. These devices, consisting of a piezoelectric element and a resonant shunt, are analogous to mechanical damped vibration ab sorbers. In the past, a single piezoelectric device has been used to suppress a single structural mode. In this paper, the theory is expanded so that a single piezoelectric element can be used to suppress multiple modes. The multimode damper is demonstrated experimentally as a two-mode device ap plied to a cantilevered beam.
Enhanced Cooling of Shape Memory Alloy Wires Using Semiconductor "Heat Pump" Modules
Authors: Shahin Ali R. , Meckl Peter H. , Jones James D. , Thrasher Mark A.
Published: March 2007

A novel concept of using semiconductor "heat pump" modules to heat and cool Nitinol shape memory alloy (SMA) wires under a zero-stress condition is analytically investigated in an effort to examine the feasibility of reducing the response time for complete thermal cycling. A heat transfer model is developed to provide both a qualitative and quantitative comparison between the effectiveness of semiconductor modules and other conventional modes of heating and cooling SMA wires, specifically, resistive heating/free convection cooling and resistive heating/forced con vection cooling. In the model, a complete thermal cycle is examined which includes both the forward and reverse phase transformations between martensite and austenite. The rate of temperature change as a function of energy transfer can be estimated during each stage of thermal cycling. A numerical integration program was developed to include both the energy transfers associated with the latent heat of transformation and the internal energy changes. Temperature profiles are presented for each of the heating/cooling methods as well as estimates of the total response time needed to complete an entire thermal cycle. Results of the heat transfer modeling indicate that the time required to cool the SMA represents the dominant part of the cycle time in the conventional methods of cooling. Both phase transformations (martensite-to-austenite and austenite-to-martensite) retard heating and cool ing rates). Compared to other existing methods of thermal cycling, semiconductor "heat pump" modules can potentially reduce heating/cooling cycle times by up to an order of magnitude.
Improving the Power Consumption Characteristics of Piezoelectric Actuators
Authors: Niezrecki Christopher , Cudney Harley H.
Published: March 2007

A study of the application of power factor correction methods to piezoceramic actua tors is performed. The power factor is corrected by adding an inductor both parallel to and in series with the piezoceramic actuator. The actuator consists of two lead zirconate titanate (PZT) patches mounted symmetrically to a cantilever beam. The inductance values were chosen such that each inductor-capacitor (LC) circuit was at resonance at the second natural frequency of the beam. Imple menting the parallel LC circuit reduced the current consumption of the piezoceramic actuator by 75 % when compared to the current consumption of the actuator used without an inductor. Imple menting the series LC circuit produced a 300 % increase in the voltage applied to the actuator com pared to the case when no inductor was used. In both cases, employing power factor correction methods corrected the power factor to near unity and reduced the apparent power by 12 dB. A theo retical model of each circuit was developed, and the analytical and empirical results are virtually identical. The results of this study can be used to synthesize circuits to modify piezoceramic actua tors, reducing the voltage or current requirements of the amplifiers used to drive those actuators.
Biosystems Analysis: The Relationship between Direct Velocity Feedback Control and the Monosynaptic Pathway of the Central Nervous System
Authors: Clark Robert L.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the potential of biosystems analysis for engineering applications and review a control methodology which is analogous to a form of control in biological systems known as the muscle stretch reflex. The function of the muscle stretch reflex in the central nervous systems is analogous to direct velocity feedback control in electromechanical systems. If active materials such as piezoelectric ceramics or polymers are incorporated as sen soriactuators in the piezostructure design, the general architecture of the biological system can be captured as well in a physiological sense. The stretch reflex in biological systems effectively adds "damping" to motor control commands, while direct velocity feedback control serves to add damp ing to electromechanical structures upon commanding some response or in the attenuation of a structural response due to some external disturbance. The work presented in this study motivates further analysis of the central nervous system from a systemic level as opposed to a cellular level in search of simple, autonomous, adaptive control strategies.
Effectiveness and Efficiency in Small Academic Peer Groups
Authors: Hare Linda R. , O’Neill Kevin
Published: March 2007

What are the dynamics that affect a peer group, making one work more effectively and efficiently than another? What are some of the factors that influence peer group behavior to make some experiences positive and uplifting, whereas others are negative and frustrating? Using the case study method, the current research focuses on a small, academic peer group, during a particular period, in relation to group efficiency and effectiveness in achieving group goals. Issues the group encounters in the process of group work are documented and discussed by peer members and by a participant observer. The authors suggest that the contextual and affective processes associated with the study are not unique and can characterize group behavior in other peer situations. If this is the case, then the ability for such groups to monitor interactional behavior and recognize group problems before effectiveness and efficiency are greatly compromised may be a key factor for peer group success.
The Effect of Contributing Substantively on Perceptions of Participation
Authors: Bonito Joseph A.
Published: March 2007

Participation often affects group processes and decision making. Members who are considered to be more useful participators often speak more frequently and are more influential than other participants. Consequently, it is important to identify the mechanisms that affect judgments of participation. This article examines how self- and other-judgments of participation are affected by contributions to discussion. As predicted, assessments of self’s and others’ participation were influenced by what was said and how often. Moreover, a participant’s satisfaction with discussion was positively associated with both self- and other-assessments of participation. Discussion focuses on the relation between characteristics of group interaction and the task and provides issues for future research.
To Err is Human, to Correct for it Divine
Authors: Orlitzky Marc , Hirokawa Randy Y.
Published: March 2007

This meta-analysis tests the functional perspective of small-group decision making, which holds that certain critical requisite functions must be satisfied for an effective group decision to be likely. The results suggest that evaluation of negative consequences of alternative solutions, problem analysis, and establishment of solution criteria (in this order) are the strongest predictors of group decision-making effectiveness. In addition, methodological study artifacts (sampling error, measurement error) and task moderators explain variability in previous findings. More specifically, the moderator subgroup analysis shows that evaluation of negative consequences is an even better predictor of group performance when task evaluation demands are high.