bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The behavioural effects of corporate ethical codes: Empirical findings and discussion
Authors: Marnburg Einar
Published: March 2003

The use of corporate ethical codes has been increasing. It is argued that the use of ethical codes solely as an instrument in a company’s image management is morally questionable. Therefore, the introduction and use of ethical codes must have the intention of achieving behavioural change or the maintenance of already superior behaviour. This change or superior behaviour may apply to ethics in general, but also to the different sub‐structures of ethics, namely the areas of reliability ethics, human ethics, capability ethics and future ethics. Previous research has, with some exceptions, failed to demonstrate that the introduction of ethical codes has had any behavioural effect. A survey study of Norwegian professionals (N=449) in business is reported here. Using the flexibility that a multivariate analysis provides, the existence or non‐existence of ethical codes, and their influence on attitudinal differences across the four ethical sub‐structures is tested. In the following discussion, three lines of argument are used, drawing on logical, social and managerial approaches, to explain why the codes do exist and yet do not seem to influence the members of a business organisation. Finally, the paper suggests some implications for business practice and for future research.
The economics of trust, norms and networks
Authors: Pollitt Michael
Published: March 2003

The theme of this paper is that trust, norms and networks are critical contributors to social capital, itself a critical determinant of economic growth. Numerous factors have contributed in recent years to the decline of social capital, restraining business and national competitiveness. It is in the interests and part of the responsibility of business to address this issue; this provides an economic imperative – complementary to the ethical imperative – for business to take socially responsible governance seriously.
Competence Building and Corporate Renewal
Authors: Meschi Pierre‐Xavier , Cremer Eric
Published: March 2003

In 1996, the French business publication “Capital” carried an analysis of what it called “the resurrection of the dinosaurs”: the revival of corporations that had been viewed as moribund. Examples abound in every industrialised country: Chrysler, IBM or General Electric in the United States and Usinor‐Sacilor, Siemens or Fiat in Europe. What strategies are behind these cases of revival? This article describes how, starting in 1993, a French company sought to renew itself by implementing one particular strategy which has been widely discussed among managers and academics alike: competence building. It then discusses the general lessons which can be drawn from the case. In particular, the article aims to reveal empirically the relationship between competence building and the corporate renewal process and then to use the case history to help develop the theory of competence‐based competition between firms.
Does It Matter What Managers Do?
Authors: Hales Colin
Published: March 2003

After half a century of research, we now have a fair idea of what managers do. This differs both from the “heroic self‐image” idealisation and from the sanitised “management science” idealisation. Despite IT and all the talk of empowerment, management as a profession in its own right is, if anything, becoming more, not less, widespread. What managers do therefore matters simply because so many people are doing “management” as their main role. But does what managers do matter in terms of its effects on the people being managed, and, if so, how? The answer is obviously yes, but the central message of this article is how little we know through systematic research about this – particularly given how much preaching there is on how to do it well.
Excellence Revisited
Authors: Crainer Stuart , Dearlove Des
Published: March 2003

Tom Peters and Robert Waterman’s 1982 best‐seller, In Search of Excellence, ignited the business book market and altered the managerial debate in companies throughout the world. Twenty years on, the book’s contribution to business thinking is being re‐evaluated.
Culture Club: An Interview with Fons Trompenaars
Authors: Bickerstaffe George
Published: March 2003

In a globalised business world, the interaction of cultures in a business setting is a crucial but strangely overlooked area of study. Fons Trompenaars wants to put that right. Interview by George Bickerstaffe.
The Use of Trait Labels in Making Psychological Inferences
Authors: Heyman Gail D. , Gelman Susan A.
Published: March 2003

Three studies investigated children's capacity to use trait labels as tools for making inferences about mental states. For example, knowledge that a story character is “nice” as opposed to “mean” could lead to predictions that the character would respond with greater negative affect upon discovering that his or her action had made someone upset. Study 1 (N = 48) examined whether participants (kindergartners, second graders, fifth graders, and adults) would make different psychological inferences based on whether a character was labeled as “nice” versus “mean.” Study 2 (N = 30) examined the same issue with 4‐year‐olds using a simpler methodology. Study 3 (N = 30) extended the results of Study 2, by examining whether describing characters as “shy” versus “not shy” would lead 4‐year‐olds to make different mental state inferences. Taken together, these findings suggest that even for young children, trait labels can serve as a basis for making nonobvious inferences. Developmental differences are discussed.
Representational Abilities and the Hearing Status of Child/Mother Dyads
Authors: Bornstein Marc H. , Selmi Ann M. , Haynes O. M. , Painter Kathleen M. , Marx Eric S.
Published: March 2003

Two representational abilities, expressive and receptive language and symbolic play, were assessed in multiple formats in hearing and deaf 2‐year‐old children of hearing and deaf mothers. Based on maternal report, hearing children of hearing and deaf mothers produced more words than deaf children of hearing mothers, hearing children of hearing mothers more words than deaf children of deaf mothers, and deaf children of deaf mothers more words than deaf children of hearing mothers. Based on experimenter assessments, hearing children in both groups produced and comprehended more words than deaf children in both groups. By contrast, no differences emerged among these groups in child solitary symbolic play or in child‐initiated or mother‐initiated child collaborative symbolic play; all groups also increased equivalently in symbolic play between solitary and collaborative play. Representational language and symbolic play were unrelated in hearing children of hearing mothers and in deaf children of deaf mothers, but the 2 abilities were associated in children in the 2 child/mother mismatched hearing status groups. These findings are placed in the context of a proposed developing modularity of verbal and nonverbal symbol systems, and the implications of hearing status in communicative exchanges between children and their mothers in diverse hearing and deaf dyads are explored.
Perceived Competence and Self‐Worth during Adolescence: A Longitudinal Behavioral Genetic Study
Authors: McGuire Shirley , Manke Beth , Saudino Kimberly J. , Reiss David , Hetherington E. Mavis , Plomin Robert
Published: March 2003

This investigation is the first longitudinal behavioral genetic study of self‐concept during adolescence. It is a follow‐up of a previous study examining genetic and environmental contributions to children's perceived self‐competence and self‐worth using a twin/sibling design. The study investigated adolescents' reports 3 years later and stability across two time points. Participants included 248 pairs of same‐sex twins, full siblings, and stepsiblings between 10 and 18 years old. The results showed that six of the seven subscales were heritable at the second time point. None of the scales showed significant shared environmental effects. Longitudinal analyses revealed genetic contributions to stability for perceived scholastic competence, athletic competence, physical appearance, and general self‐worth. Social competence, on the other hand, showed nonshared environmental mediation across time. These findings highlight the importance of genetically influenced characteristics and unique experiences as correlates of individual differences in self‐concept during adolescence.
Early Maternal and Child Influences on Children's Later Independent Cognitive and Social Functioning
Authors: Landry Susan H. , Smith Karen E. , Swank Paul R. , Miller‐Loncar Cynthia L.
Published: March 2003

The present study examined whether parenting and child characteristics of 2‐ and 3H‐year‐old children had common paths of influence on their 4H‐year independent cognitive and social functioning. Structural equation modeling was guided by hypotheses that assumed children's later independence is facilitated by specialized parental support in early social interactions. To address the importance of variability in early development for understanding children's later independence, we included 104 term and 185 preterm children, as they are known to differ in early skills. As predicted, mothers' maintaining of children's interests indirectly supported 4H‐year cognitive and social independence through a direct, positive influence on 2‐ and 3H‐year skills. Directiveness positively supported children's early cognitive and responsiveness skills but by 3H years, high levels of this behavior had a direct, negative influence on their cognitive and social independence at 4H years. Whereas high levels of maintaining interests across these ages support later independence, directiveness needs to decrease in relation to children's increasing competencies. Results support a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of the social context for understanding the origins of children's later independent functioning.
The Development of Infants' Reaches for Stationary and Moving Targets
Authors: Wentworth Naomi , Benson Janette B. , Haith Marshall M.
Published: March 2003

The organization of infants' reaching skill for stationary and moving targets was examined. While 58 term, healthy infants at 5.5, 8.5, and 11.5 months of age reached for and grasped a cloth‐covered dowel, their reaches were videotaped for later slow‐motion analysis. Analyses addressed infants' anticipatory adjustment of hand alignment, use of information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, and ability to capture targets moving in depth. Infants at all ages made anticipatory adjustments of hand alignment, although the effectiveness of these adjustments improved with age. Regardless of age, infants also used dynamic information from spinning and oscillating targets to update ongoing reaches, but the way infants used this information was related to age. Developmental constancy characterized infants' reaches for approaching targets. By observing infants' reaches for stationary, spinning, and approaching targets, the study expands the range of conditions under which adaptive reaching skill has been examined and provides insight into the roles of anticipation and updating in the development of early manual skill.
Two‐Year‐Olds Will Name Artifacts by Their Functions
Authors: Kemler Nelson Deborah G. , Russell Rachel , Duke Nell , Jones Kate
Published: March 2003

Do young children take functional information into account in naming artifacts? In three studies of lexical categorization, 112 children 2 years of age learned new names for novel artifacts with novel functions and then extended the names to new objects. The objects were designed to have functions that were causally related in simple and compelling ways to perceptible aspects of their physical structure. Despite only minimal opportunity to familiarize themselves with the objects, children generalized the names in accordance with the objects' functions. This result obtained even when children had to discover the functions of the named objects on their own (Experiment 2) and when all the test objects had some discernible function (Experiment 3). Two‐year‐olds name by function when they can make sense of the relation between the appearances and the functions of artifacts.
Comparisons of Adopted and Nonadopted Adolescents in a Large, Nationally Representative Sample
Authors: Miller Brent C. , Fan Xitao , Christensen Mathew , Grotevant Harold D. , Van Dulmen Manfred
Published: March 2003

There are conflicting findings about whether adopted children have more psychological and behavioral problems than nonadoptees. Research results are discrepant partly because many previous studies were based on small clinical samples or on samples biased by self‐selection. A nationally representative school survey (Add Health) was used to compare adopted (n= 1,587) and nonadopted adolescents (total N= 87,165) across a wide variety of measures. Standardized mean differences show that adopted adolescents are at higher risk in all of the domains examined, including school achievement and problems, substance use, psychological well‐being, physical health, fighting, and lying to parents. Demographic and background variable breakdowns show that the effect sizes for differences between adopted and nonadopted adolescents were larger for males, younger or older adolescents, Hispanics or Asians, and adolescents living in group homes or with parents of low education. Distributional analyses revealed approximately a 1:1 ratio of adopted to nonadopted adolescents in the middle ranges of the outcome variables but a ratio of 3:1 or greater near the tails of the distributions. These data clearly show that more adopted adolescents have problems of various kinds than their nonadopted peers; effect sizes were small to moderate based on mean differences, but comparisons of distributions suggest much larger proportions of adopted than nonadopted adolescents at the extremes of salient outcome variables.
Findings of Addition and Subtraction in Infants Are Robust and Consistent: Reply to Wakeley, Rivera, and Langer
Authors: Wynn Karen
Published: March 2003

Findings showing numerical computation abilities in infants are considerably more robust and consistent than Wakeley, Rivera, and Langer suggest. All the interim replication attempts have successfully replicated my original findings. Possible reasons for Wakeley et al.'s failure to replicate are discussed.
Mothers of Anxious/Ambivalent Infants: Maternal Characteristics and Child‐Care Context
Authors: Scher Anat , Mayseless Ofra
Published: March 2003

A general model of the determinants of parenting was employed to explore the antecedents of the ambivalent attachment pattern in Israel. Specifically, three classes of variables were identified: maternal, infant, and child‐care context. Participants were 98 mothers and their infants. This research was part of a longitudinal study on sleep patterns. Mothers filled out questionnaires and were observed with their infants in the Ainsworth Strange Situation laboratory procedure. Mothers of ambivalent infants showed lower education level, higher separation anxiety, and higher parenting stress than mothers of secure infants. Infants' perceived difficult temperament did not discriminate between the two groups. Longer hours spent at work and placement in group day‐care were both associated with ambivalent attachment. The findings are discussed in light of the importance of considering distal factors such as maternal attitudes and general caregiving strategy in clarifying the antecedents of attachment patterns.
Learning Proper Nouns and Common Nouns without Clues from Syntax
Authors: Imai Mutsumi , Haryu Etsuko
Published: March 2003

Syntax has been noted to play an important role in word learning in English; it distinguishes the fundamental conceptual difference between individuals (coded as proper nouns), nonindividuals (coded as mass nouns), and classes of individuals (coded as count nouns). The Japanese language does not have grammatical markers flagging the distinctions between count nouns and mass nouns, between proper nouns and common nouns, or between singulars and plurals. How Japanese 2‐ and 4‐year‐olds assign meaning to novel nouns associated with familiar and unfamiliar animals and inanimate objects was studied in the research reported here. When a novel label was given to an unfamiliar object, children assumed it to be a name for a basic‐level object category whether the referent was an animal or an inanimate object. If the named object already had an established name, and if the object was an inanimate object, the children mapped the noun to a subordinate category. When the named object was an animal, however, they tended to interpret the label as a proper name. These results demonstrated that in the absence of useful information from syntax, 2‐year‐old Japanese children are able to fast map a noun to its meaning by elegantly coordinating word‐learning biases and other available sources of information.
Parents' Roles in Shaping Early Adolescents' Occupational Aspirations
Authors: Jodl Kathleen M. , Michael Alice , Malanchuk Oksana , Eccles Jacquelynne S. , Sameroff Arnold
Published: March 2003

Relations among dimensions of parenting and adolescents' occupational aspirations were examined in two specific domains: academics and sports. The sample consisted of 444 seventh graders, with approximately equal numbers of African American and European American males and females, from two‐parent nondivorced families. Multiple measures were used as indicators of parents' values and behaviors, youths' values and beliefs, positive identification with parents, and adolescents' occupational aspirations. In the academic domain, parents' values predicted youths' values directly rather than indirectly through their behaviors. In contrast, fathers' behaviors mediated the relation between parents' and youths' values in the sports domain. Positive identification was directly related to adolescents' values (especially about academics); however, positive identification did not moderate the transmission of values from parent to child in either domain. Parents' values predicted adolescents' occupational aspirations via both direct and indirect pathways. Similar results were obtained for African American and European American males and females. These findings highlight the potential role of parents as socializers of achievement‐related values, and, ultimately, adolescents' occupational visions of themselves in the future.
Adolescent, Parent, and Observer Perceptions of Parenting: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Shared and Distinct Perceptions
Authors: Feinberg Mark , Neiderhiser Jenae , Howe George , Hetherington E. Mavis
Published: March 2003

Agreement among reporters on features of family life, whether family members or outside observers, is considered to be low. This study, which involved a national sample of 720 families comprised of identical and fraternal twins, full siblings, half siblings, and biologically unrelated stepsiblings, examined the issue of low interrater agreement by decomposing the common and unique variance among parent, child, and observer reports of parenting behaviors (warmth and negativity) into genetic and environmental factors. Quantitative genetic analyses were employed to decompose the “Social” level of perception (common variance among parents, children, observers), the level of “Family” subculture (common variance only among parents and children), and the unique “Individual” level into genetic and environmental components. It was predicted that genetic factors would account for substantial portions of the variance at the Social and Family levels; nonshared environmental factors were expected to influence variance unique to child reports; and shared environmental factors were expected to influence variance unique to parent reports. A second and related aim of the study was to examine the subjective – objective dimension of genetic effects on measures of the environment. Results of model‐fitting analyses generally supported the predictions for parental warmth and negativity at the Family and Individual levels. At the Social level, genetic factors were predominant for parental negativity and shared environmental factors for parental warmth. The findings are discussed in terms of genetically influenced child effects on parenting and methodological difficulties in constructing latent variables.
Genetic and Environmental Influences in Adolescent Peer Socialization: Evidence from Two Genetically Sensitive Designs
Authors: Iervolino Alessandra C. , Pike Alison , Manke Beth , Reiss David , Hetherington E. Mavis , Plomin Robert
Published: March 2003

Harris argues that peer relationships are the chief determinants of personality development. Harris’s thesis makes the behavioral genetic investigation of peer groups particularly timely. The present study examined genetic and environmental contribution to self‐reported peer‐group characteristics in two samples of adolescent siblings: 180 adoptive and nonadoptive sibling pairs from the Colorado Adoption Project, and 386 sibling pairs from the Nonshared Environment and Adolescent Development Study. Substantial genetic influence emerged for college orientation, with the remaining variance accounted for by nonshared environment. For delinquency, however, the majority of the variance was explained by nonshared environment. Although genetic influence was implicated for peer popularity in twin analyses, genetic factors were not important in explaining individual differences in nontwin siblings. These results suggest that although some dimensions of peers are somewhat mediated by genetic factors, nonshared environmental influence is substantial.
Parental Involvement in the Development of Children’s Reading Skill: A Five‐Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Sénéchal Monique , LeFevre Jo‐Anne
Published: March 2003

This article presents the findings of the final phase of a 5‐year longitudinal study with 168 middle‐ and upper middle‐class children in which the complex relations among early home literacy experiences, subsequent receptive language and emergent literacy skills, and reading achievement were examined. Results showed that children’s exposure to books was related to the development of vocabulary and listening comprehension skills, and that these language skills were directly related to children’s reading in grade 3. In contrast, parent involvement in teaching children about reading and writing words was related to the development of early literacy skills. Early literacy skills directly predicted word reading at the end of grade 1 and indirectly predicted reading in grade 3. Word reading at the end of grade 1 predicted reading comprehension in grade 3. Thus, the various pathways that lead to fluent reading have their roots in different aspects of children’s early experiences.
Emotion Regulation in Context: The Jealousy Complex between Young Siblings and Its Relations with Child and Family Characteristics
Authors: Volling Brenda L. , McElwain Nancy L. , Miller Alison L.
Published: March 2003

Jealousy is a social emotion that has received little attention by developmental researchers. The current study examined sibling jealousy and its relations to child and family characteristics in 60 families with a 16‐month‐old toddler and an older preschool‐age sibling. Sibling jealousy was elicited in social triads consisting of a parent (mother or father) and the two siblings. Positive marital relationship quality (i.e., love and relationship maintenance) was a particularly strong predictor of the older siblings’ abilities to regulate jealousy reactions in the mother sessions. Younger siblings’ jealous affect with mothers was linked to the child’s temperament, whereas older siblings’ jealous affect with mothers was related to the child’s emotional understanding. Younger siblings displayed more behavioral dysregulation in the mother–sibling triads if there was greater sibling rivalry reported by mothers. Session order (i.e., which sibling was challenged first in the jealousy paradigm) had a strong effect on both the affect and behavioral dysregulation displayed by the older and younger siblings. Results are discussed with respect to the need for future research to consider social relationships as developmental contexts for young children’s emotion regulation.
Neural Correlates of Face and Object Recognition in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delay, and Typical Development
Authors: Dawson Geraldine , Carver Leslie , Meltzoff Andrew N. , Panagiotides Heracles , McPartland James , Webb Sara J.
Published: March 2003

This study utilized electroencephalographic recordings to examine whether young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have impaired face recognition ability. High‐density brain event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to photos of the child's mother's face versus an unfamiliar female face and photos of a favorite versus an unfamiliar toy from children with ASD, children with typical development, and children with developmental delay, all 3 to 4 years of age (N= 118). Typically developing children showed ERP amplitude differences in two components, P400 and Nc, to a familiar versus an unfamiliar face, and to a familiar versus an unfamiliar object. In contrast, children with ASD failed to show differences in ERPs to a familiar versus an unfamiliar face, but they did show P400 and Nc amplitude differences to a familiar versus an unfamiliar object. Developmentally delayed children showed significant ERP amplitude differences for the positive slow wave for both faces and objects. These data suggest that autism is associated with face recognition impairment that is manifest early in life.
Reorganizing the Lexicon by Learning a New Word: Japanese Children’s Interpretation of the Meaning of a New Word for a Familiar Artifact
Authors: Haryu Etsuko , Imai Mutsumi
Published: March 2003

This research investigated how children interpret the meaning of a new word associated with a familiar artifact. The existing literature has shown that syntactic form–class information plays an important role in making this kind of inference. However, this information is not available to Japanese children, because Japanese language does not have a grammatical distinction between count nouns and mass nouns, proper nouns and common nouns, or singular and plural. In Study 1, 12 three–year–old monolingual Japanese children were tested to examine whether they interpreted a new noun associated with a familiar artifact to be a material name or a new label for the object. They interpreted the new word as a new category label for the object, rather than as a name for the material. How children related the new category to the old familiar one was then examined in Studies 2 and 3. The results of Study 2, in which 24 three–year–olds participated, showed that children could flexibly shift between two interpretations using shape information. When the named object had a typical shape for the familiar category, they mapped the new word to a subordinate category. In contrast, when the shape of the named object was atypical, they mapped the new word to a new category that was mutually exclusive to the familiar category by excluding the named object from the familiar category. In Study 3, 12 three–year–olds were tested to examine relative importance of shape and functional information in this inference process. The results of the three studies suggest that children flexibly recruit clues from multiple sources, but the clues are weighed in hierarchical order so that they can determine the single most plausible solution in a given situation when different clues suggest different solutions.
Arrows of Time in Early Childhood
Authors: Friedman William J.
Published: March 2003

Three studies with 149 children were conducted to provide information about development of the perception of temporally unidirectional transformations, such as dropping blocks or breaking a cookie. Children 3.5 through 6.5 years of age compared forward and backward videotapes of events or made individual judgments of what would happen if the actions were attempted. Even children 3.5 to 4.5 years of age recognized the anomaly of backward versions of gravity and separation events. In addition, relatively few children predicted impossible transformations in the prediction task. The results show that young children, like adults, are sensitive to the unidirectional nature of varied transformations.
Anxious Solitude and Peer Exclusion: A Diathesis–Stress Model of Internalizing Trajectories in Childhood
Authors: Gazelle Heidi , Ladd Gary W.
Published: March 2003

A diathesis–stress model was proposed in which the joint forces of individual vulnerability (anxious solitude) and interpersonal adversity (peer exclusion) predict depressive symptoms in children over time. Children's (N = 388; 50% female) social behavior, peer exclusion, and emotional adjustment were assessed at kindergarten entry and every spring thereafter through 4th grade, primarily by teacher report. Results indicated that anxious solitude and peer exclusion co–occur in children soon after kindergarten entry and that anxious solitary children who are excluded early on, in comparison with their nonexcluded anxious solitary counterparts, display greater stability in their subsequent display of anxious solitude. As hypothesized, the joint influence of anxious solitude and exclusion predicted the most elevated depressive symptom trajectories.
Trends in Agent Communication Language
Authors: Chaib‐draa B. , Dignum F.
Published: March 2003

Agent technology is an exciting and important new way to create complex software systems. Agents blend many of the traditional properties of AI programs—knowledge–level reasoning, flexibility, proactiveness, goal–directedness, and so forth—with insights gained from distributed software engineering, machine learning, negotiation and teamwork theory, and the social sciences. An important part of the agent approach is the principle that agents (like humans) can function more effectively in groups that are characterized by cooperation and division of labor. Agent programs are designed to autonomously collaborate with each other in order to satisfy both their internal goals and the shared external demands generated by virtue of their participation in agent societies. This type of collaboration depends on a sophisticated system of inter–agent communication. The assumption that inter–agent communication is best handled through the explicit use of an agent communication language (ACL) underlies each of the articles in this special issue. In this introductory article, we will supply a brief background and introduction to the main topics in agent communication.
Negotiating the Semantics of Agent Communication Languages
Authors: Reed Chris , Norman Timothy J. , Jennings Nicholas R.
Published: March 2003

This article presents a formal framework and outlines a method that autonomous agents can use to negotiate the semantics of their communication language at run–time. Such an ability is needed in open multi–agent systems so that agents can ensure they understand the implications of the utterances that are being made and so that they can tailor the meaning of the primitives to best fit their prevailing circumstances. To this end, the semantic space framework provides a systematic means of classifying the primitives along multiple relevant dimensions. This classification can then be used by the agents to structure their negotiation (or semantic fixing) process so that they converge to the mutually agreeable semantics that are necessary for coherent social interactions.
eMediator: A Next Generation Electronic Commerce Server
Authors: Sandholm Tuomas
Published: March 2003

This paper presents eMediator, an electronic commerce server prototype that demonstrates ways in which algorithmic support and game–theoretic incentive engineering can jointly improve the efficiency of e–commerce. eAuctionHouse, the configurable auction server, includes a variety of generalized combinatorial auctions and exchanges, pricing schemes, bidding languages, mobile agents, and user support for choosing an auction type. We introduce two new logical bidding languages for combinatorial markets: the XOR bidding language and the OR–of–XORs bidding language. Unlike the traditional OR bidding language, these are fully expressive. They therefore enable the use of the Clarke–Groves pricing mechanism for motivating the bidders to bid truthfully. eAuctionHouse also supports supply/demand curve bidding. eCommitter, the leveled commitment contract optimizer, determines the optimal contract price and decommitting penalties for a variety of leveled commitment contracting mechanisms, taking into account that rational agents will decommit strategically in Nash equilibrium. It also determines the optimal decommitting strategies for any given leveled commitment contract. eExchangeHouse, the safe exchange planner, enables unenforced anonymous exchanges by dividing the exchange into chunks and sequencing those chunks to be delivered safely in alternation between the buyer and the seller.
The Personal Interaction Panel – a Two‐Handed Interface for Augmented Reality
Authors: Szalavári Zsolt , Gervautz Michael
Published: March 2003

This paper describes the introduction of a new interaction paradigm to augmented reality applications. The everyday tool handling experience of working with pen and notebooks is extended to create a three dimensional two‐handed interface, that supports easy‐to‐understand manipulation tasks in augmented and virtual environments. In the design step we take advantage from the freedom, given by our very low demands on hardware and augment form and functionality to this device. On the basis of examples from object manipulation, augmented research environments and scientific visualization we show the generality of applicability. Although being in the first stages implementation, we consider the wide spectrum of suitability for different purposes.
Stochastic Dynamics: Simulating the Effects of Turbulence on Flexible Structures
Authors: Stam Jos
Published: March 2003

This paper addresses the problem of realistically simulating the motion of tree‐branches subjected to turbulence. Since the resulting motion is random in nature, we model it as a stochastic process. We synthesize this process directly by filtering a white noise in the Fourier domain. The filter is constructed by performing a modal analysis of the tree. We use a sophisticated numerical technique which is able to compute the first few significant modes of large trees. The main advantage of our technique over previous methods is that we are able to compute complicated motions without the necessity of integrating dynamical equations over time. Consequently, a user can view and manipulate tree‐motions in real‐time. Our technique can be further extended to other flexible structures such as two‐dimensional plates.
Radiosity with Well Distributed Ray Sets
Authors: Neumann László , Neumann Attila , Bekaert Philippe
Published: March 2003

In this paper we present a new radiosity algorithm, based on the notion of a well distributed ray set (WDRS). A WDRS is a set of rays, connecting mutually visible points and patches, that forms an approximate representation of the radiosity operator and the radiosity distribution. We propose an algorithm that constructs an optimal WDRS for a given accuracy and mesh. The construction is based on discrete importance sampling as in previously proposed stochastic radiosity algorithms, and on quasi Monte Carlo sampling. Quasi Monte Carlo sampling leads to faster convergence rates and the fact that the sampling is deterministic makes it possible to represent the well distributed ray set very efficiently in computer memory. Like previously proposed stochastic radiosity algorithms, the new algorithm is well suited for computing the radiance distribution in very complex diffuse scenes, when it is not feasible to explicitly compute and store form factors as in classical radiosity algorithms. Experiments show that the new algorithm is often more efficient than previously proposed Monte Carlo radiosity algorithms by half an order of magnitude and more.
Multiresolution Isosurface Extraction with Adaptive Skeleton Climbing
Authors: Poston Tim , Wong Tien‐Tsin , Heng Pheng‐Ann
Published: March 2003

An isosurface extraction algorithm which can directly generate multiresolution isosurfaces from volume data is introduced. It generates low resolution isosurfaces, with 4 to 25 times fewer triangles than that generated by marching cubes algorithm, in comparable running times. By climbing from vertices (0‐skeleton) to edges (1‐skeleton) to faces (2‐skeleton), the algorithm constructs boxes which adapt to the geometry of the true isosurface. Unlike previous adaptive marching cubes algorithms, the algorithm does not suffer from the gap‐filling problem. Although the triangles in the meshes may not be optimally reduced, it is much faster than postprocessing triangle reduction algorithms. Hence the coarse meshes it produces can be used as the initial starts for the mesh optimization, if mesh optimality is the main concern.
Efficient and Handy Texture Mapping on 3D Surfaces
Authors: Matsushita Kenji , Kaneko Toyohisa
Published: March 2003

There has been a rapid technical progress in three‐dimensional (3D) computer graphics. But gathering surface and texture data is yet a laborious task. This paper addresses the problem of mapping photographic images on the surface of a 3D object whose geometric data are already known. We propose an efficient and handy method for acquiring textures and mapping them precisely on the surface, employing a digital camera alone. We describe an algorithm for selecting a minimal number of camera positions that can cover the entire surface of a given object and also an algorithm to determine camera’s position and direction for each photograph taken so as to paste it to the corresponding surfaces precisely. We obtained a matching accuracy within a pixel on a surface through three experimental examples, by which the practicability of our method is demonstrated.
Multiresolution Curve and Surface Representation: Reversing Subdivision Rules by Least‐Squares Data Fitting
Authors: Samavati Faramarz F. , Bartels Richard H.
Published: March 2003

This work explores how three techniques for defining and representing curves and surfaces can be related efficiently. The techniques are subdivision, least‐squares data fitting, and wavelets. We show how least‐squares data fitting can be used to “reverse” a subdivision rule, how this reversal is related to wavelets, how this relationship can provide a multilevel representation, and how the decomposition/reconstruction process can be carried out in linear time and space through the use of a matrix factorization.

Some insights that this work brings forth are that the inner product used in a multiresolution analysis in uences the support of a wavelet, that wavelets can be constructed by straightforward matrix observations, and that matrix partitioning and factorization can provide alternatives to inverses or duals for building efficient decomposition and reconstruction processes. We illustrate our findings using an example curve, grey‐scale image, and tensor‐product surface.
Context‐based Space Filling Curves
Authors: Dafner Revital , Cohen‐Or Daniel , Matias Yossi
Published: March 2003

A context‐based scanning technique for images is presented. An image is scanned along a context‐based space filling curve that is computed so as to exploit inherent coherence in the image. The resulting one‐dimensional representation of the image has improved autocorrelation compared with universal scans such as the Peano‐Hilbert space filling curve. An efficient algorithm for computing context‐based space filling curves is presented. We also discuss the potential of improved autocorrelation of context‐based space filling curves for image and video lossless compression.
Automatic Surface Reconstruction from Point Sets in Space
Authors: Attene Marco , Spagnuolo Michela
Published: March 2003

In this paper an algorithm is proposed that takes as input a generic set of unorganized points, sampled on a real object, and returns a closed interpolating surface. Specifically, this method generates a closed 2‐manifold surface made of triangular faces, without limitations on the shape or genus of the original solid. The reconstruction method is based on generation of the Delaunay tetrahedralization of the point set, followed by a sculpturing process constrained to particular criteria. The main applications of this tool are in medical analysis and in reverse engineering areas. It is possible, for example, to reconstruct anatomical parts starting from surveys based on TACs or magnetic resonance.
Recent Advances in Volume Visualization
Authors: Brodlie Ken , Wood Jason
Published: March 2003

In the past few years, there have been key advances in the three main approaches to the visualization of volumetric data: isosurfacing, slicing and volume rendering, which together make up the field of volume visualization.

In this survey paper we set the scene by describing the fundamental techniques for each of these approaches, using this to motivate the range of advances which have evolved over the past few years.

In isosurfacing, we see how the original marching cubes algorithm has matured, with improvements in robustness, topological consistency, accuracy and performance. In the performance area, we look in detail at pre‐processing steps which help identify data which contributes to the particular isosurface required. In slicing too, there are performance gains from identifying active cells quickly.

In volume rendering, we describe the two main approaches of ray casting and projection. Both approaches have evolved technically over the past decade, and the holy grail of real‐time volume rendering has arguably been reached.

The aim of this review paper is to pull these developments together in a coherent review of recent advances in volume visualization.
Artistic Surface Rendering Using Layout of Text
Authors: Surazhsky Tatiana , Elber Gershon
Published: March 2003

An artistic rendering method of free‐form surfaces with the aid of half‐toned text that is laid‐out on the given surface is presented. The layout of the text is computed using symbolic composition of the free‐form parametric surface S(u, v) with cubic or linear Bézier curve segments C(t) = {cu (t), cv (t)}, comprising the outline of the text symbols. Once the layout is constructed on the surface, a shading process is applied to the text, affecting the width of the symbols as well as their color, according to some shader function. The shader function depends on the surface orientation and the view direction as well as the color and the direction or position of the light source.
Radiosity in Flatland
Authors: Heckhert Paul S.
Published: March 2003

The radiosity method for the simulation of interreflection of light between diffuse surfaces is such a common image synthesis technique that its derivation is worthy of study. We here examine the radiosity method in a two dimensional, flatland world. It is shown that the radiosity method is a simple finite element method for the solution of the integral equation governing global illumination. These two‐dimensional studies help explain the radiosity method in general and suggest a number of improvements to existing algorithms. In particular, radiosity solutions can be improved using a priori discontinuity meshing, placing mesh boundaries on discontinuities such as shadow edges. When discontinuity meshing is used along with piecewise‐linear approximations instead of the current piecewise‐constant approximations, the accuracy of radiosity simulations can be greatly increased.
Landscapes Synthesis Achieved through Erosion and Deposition Process Simulation
Authors: Roudier P. , Peroche B. , Perrin M.
Published: March 2003

This paper describes an original approach to terrain evolution in landscapes synthesis. In order to create some realistic landforms, we simulate geologically contrasted terrains and apply to them deterministic erosion processes. This allows us to relate the erosion on any point of the landsurface to local geological parameters. Any height field may be chosen as an initial topographic surface. Small perturbations may be introduced to avoid unpleasant regularities. A 3D model defines the geological parameters of each point according to its elevation. Our method is iterative: at each step, rock removal and possible alluvial deposition are computed at each point of the landsurface. The available erosion laws simulate mechanical erosion, chemical dissolution and alluvial deposition. At the end of each iteration, a new landsurface and the corresponding river network are created. Landsurfaces can be visualized at the final stage by two rendering algorithms including natural textures mapping. The stream network and the ridges may also be visualized.
A Data Structure for Artificial Terrain Generation
Authors: Dixon A. R. , Kirby G. H. , Wills D. P. M.
Published: March 2003

This paper addresses the problems of maintaining the consistency of spatial data under recursive subdivision algorithms for artificial terrain generation. Fractal modelling techniques are outlined, with particular reference to those based on fractional Brownian motion, and included is a brief history of recursive subdivision techniques. Existing polyhedral data structures are reviewed and shown to be inadequate for maintenance of consistency as polygons are subdivided. A new edge‐based data structure is presented which provides for the efficient use and consistent storage of spatial data under these conditions. The data structure is applicable to polygons of any order and allows neighbouring polygons of different order to be stored and subdivided. Artificial terrain is demonstrated from subdivision of the hexagon, of the quadrilateral and of a combination of hexagons, quadrilaterals and triangles.
Symbolic and Numeric Computation in Curve Interrogation
Authors: Elber Gershon
Published: March 2003

The control of shape of curves is of great importance in computer aided geometric design. Determination of planar curves' convexity, the detection of infection points, coincident regions, and self intersection points, the enclosed area of a closed curve, and the locations of extreme curvature are importantfeatures of curves that can affect the design, in modelling environments.

In this paper, we investigate the ability to robustly answer the above queries and related questions using an approach which exploits both symbolic computation and numeric analysis.
Isometric Piecewise Polynomial Curves
Authors: Fiume Eugene
Published: March 2003

The main preoccupations of research in computer‐aided geometric design have been on shape‐specification techniques for polynomial curves and surfaces, and on the continuity between segments or patches. When modelling with such techniques, curves and surfaces can be compressed or expanded arbitrarily. There has been relatively little work on interacting with direct spatial properties of curves and surfaces, such as their arc length or surface area. As a first step, we derive families of parametric piecewise polynomial curves that satisfy various positional and tangential constraints together with arc‐length constraints. We call these curves isometric curves. A space curve is defined as a sequence of polynomial curve segments, each of which is defined by the familiar Hermite or Bézier constraints for cubic polynomials; as well, each segment is constrained to have a specified arc length. We demonstrate that this class of curves is attractive and stable. We also describe the numerical techniques used that are sufficient for achieving real time interaction with these curves on low‐end workstations.