bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Material Transport of Sets and Fields
Authors: Casey James , Papadopoulos Panayiotis
Published: March 2007

We provide definitions for the “material transport”, or “comateriality”, of various mathematical objects of physical interest in continuum mechanics. Use is made of the concept of Lie dragging, i.e. of “pushing forward” and “pulling back” objects along path lines. Vectors in a Euclidean space can be comaterial in only two different senses, related to the behavior of their contravariant and covariant convected components; second-order tensors, regarded as linear transformations on a Euclidean vector space, can be comaterial in four different senses, related to their contravariant, covariant, and mixed representations; and, so on for tensors of higher order. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for comateriality. These lead immediately to other conditions that can be stated in terms of “comaterial rates”, which are Lie derivatives. Extensions and generalizations of the Helmholtz-Zorawski criterion are presented. The results are kinematical in nature and hold for all materials.
Constitutive Models and Singularity Types for an Elastic Biaxially Loaded Rubber Sheet
Authors: Haslach Henry W.
Published: March 2007

Experiments on a rubber sheet under equal biaxial in-plane tensile loads show that unequal stable equilibrium stretches are possible. To model these unequal stretches, the sheet strain energy function, when parameterized by the load, must have several bifurcations in the equilibrium set or must have paths of equilibria disjoint from the equal stretch equilibria path. A Liapunov-Schmidt reduction for the equilibria of a class of isotropically symmetric energy functions and elementary catastrophe theory are used to classify the degenerate singularity behavior. The classical empirical constitutive models proposed for rubberlike, isothermal, incompressible nonlinear elastic materials are shown by this analysis to fail to generate enough bifurcations or disjoint equilibria paths to represent the experimental rubber sheet behavior under equal biaxial loads. Based on a full description of the equilibria behavior of any Ogden strain invariant near a singularity, a model that has three degenerate singularities and reproduces the qualitative structure of Treloar's sheet data is constructed from linear combinations of three of Ogden's strain invariants. Errors in making the two in-plane tensions equal are represented by an imperfection parameter in the catastrophe universal unfolding of the energy function.
Some Results in the Linear Theory of Thermomicrostretch Elastic Solids
Authors: De Cicco Simona , Nappa Ludovico
Published: March 2007

The linear dynamic theory of thermomicrostretch elastic solids is considered. First, the authors derive a reciprocal theorem and a variational characterization of the solutions of the boundary-initial value problem. Then, they present a representation of Galerkin type. This representation is used to study the problem of a concentrated heat source in the case of steady vibrations.
On Boundary Integral Equations for Cracked and for thin Bodies
Authors: Mukherjee Subrata
Published: March 2007

This paper addresses usual and hypersingular boundary integral equations for three-dimensional linear elasticity for two limiting cases-a body with a crack and a thin body. Degeneracy, or lack thereof, of the usual and hypersingular boundary integral equations, for these limiting cases, are critically examined in the context of a displacement discontinuity formulation and a regularization scheme based on "simple solutions" or "modes of deformation." Finally, the paper presents conversion of certain surface integrals on closure surfaces ("tents") into line integrals using Stokes' theorem.
On Conditions at a Bonded Interface between Iwo Membranes
Authors: Luo Cheng
Published: March 2007

For a bonded interface between two membranes, which are considered as material surfaces, it is shown that the continuity of displacements can be represented by the requirement that the tangential strain and the change in curvature and torsion be matched across the interface for the case of infinitesimal deformation. The reduction of these conditions for a two-dimensional bonded interface is also discussed. Finally, it is demonstrated that the continuity of the displacements may not be replaced by the conditions involving only strains.
Locality Principle and General Integral Equations of Micromechanics of Composite Materials
Authors: Buryachenko V. A.
Published: March 2007

We consider a linearly thermoelastic composite medium, which consists of a homogeneous matrix containing either a statistically inhomogeneous random or deterministic set of inclusions, when the concentration of the inclusions is a function of the coordinates (so-called functionally graded materials). The composite medium is subjected to essentially inhomogeneous loading by the fields of the stresses, temperature, and body forces (e.g., for a centrifugal load). The general integral equations connecting the stress and strain fields in the point being considered and the surrounding points are obtained for the random and deterministic fields of inclusions. In so doing, the size of a region including the inclusions acting on a separate one is finite, that is, the locality principle takes place.
Uniqueness Theorem for a Thermomechanical Model of Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Timofte Aida , Timofte Vlad
Published: March 2007

In this paper, we give a uniqueness theorem concerning a thermomechanical model which describes the behavior of shape memory alloys and takes into account the nonisothermal character of the phase transformations, as well as the existence of the intrinsic dissipation.
On the Form for the Plastic Velocity Gradient Lp in Crystal Plasticity
Authors: Rengarajan G. , Rajagopal K. R.
Published: March 2007

It is usual to assume that the "velocity gradient" Lp associated with slip is KZ 1 a, 0 nK, where y, is the rate of shear of the Kth slip system defined by the slip direction so and the normal to the plane n,. The above expression, written directly as the linear superposition of instantaneous rates of shear over all the active slip systems, is motivated both by experiments and the single slip case. On the other hand, one might assume that the deformation gradient Fp has a multiplicative decomposition, but here the sequence of activation of the slip systems becomes important. These representations for Fp and Lp should be viewed as constraints, and they are consistent for linearized theories and proportional deformations but not for all deformations; that is, not all deformations for which LP has the above form can one express Fp as a product of deformation gradients associated with each of the slip systems. In this paper, we discuss sufficient conditions under which the two constraints are equivalent, and we also provide a sufficient condition that guarantees that the form for the plastic deformation gradient is independent of the sequence of activation.
Universal Relations in Constrained Elasticity
Authors: Pucci Edvige , Saccomandi Giuseppe
Published: March 2007

New universal relations for nonlinear isotropic materials with internal isotropic constraints are found. It is also shown that two families of nonhomogeneous deformations, with constant principal invariants, are universal solutions for all materials in the above-mentioned class.
Micromechanical Analysis of Surface Defects
Authors: Qin Shaowen , Kouris Demitris , Peralta Alonso , Hirose Yukio
Published: March 2007

Many overlayer/substrate systems exhibit a form of thin-film growth, which involves a layer-by-layer mode, subsequently switching to a three-dimensional growth (Stranski-Krastanov [SK]). This phenomenon has serious material implications because the layer-by-layer growth mode is often preferred in a number of important engineering applications. Recent experimental evidence suggests that the SK mode and resulting morphologies are controlled by local interactions among defects on growing crystal surfaces and cannot be properly characterized on the basis of thermodynamics alone. Surface defects corresponding to adatoms, vacancies and steps, together with misfit dislocations interact with each other affecting and often dominating the kinetic processes. Little work has actually been done in this area and problems of fundamental importance such as the elastic interaction between an adatom and a step or a misfit dislocation have not been addressed. The theoretical modeling that will be discussed here is focused on the local elastic field in the vicinity of adatoms, vacancies and steps as well as on issues involving their interaction. To obtain the near-the-defect behavior, a modified lattice theory is employed; this approach was developed by extending the eigenstrain concept into the classical lattice theory. Green' s functions for infinite and semi-infinite lattice spaces are derived and verified by comparing their asymptotic expressions with the corresponding continuum solutions. The analysis establishes the fact that differences between lattice and continuum solutions exist only in a small neighborhood of the defect. A Local Lattice Method (LLM) is subsequently proposed to study near defect deformation when a lattice level solution is required. It is shown through examples that the LLM is a simple and effective numerical scheme, regardless of the problem geometry.
Accurate Stress Analysis of Laminated Plates Combining a Two-Dimensional Theory with the Exact Three-Dimensional Solution for Simply Supported Edges
Authors: Soldatos Kostas P. , Watson Philip
Published: March 2007

This paper proposes a method for improving the performance of two-dimensional, higher order theories of homogeneous and laminated composite plates. The method is based on the appropriate specification of through-thickness shape functions which are suitable for the accurate stress analysis of plates, on the basis of a general six-degrees-of-freedom plate theory (G6DOFPT). G6DOFPT takes both transverse shear and transverse normal deformation effects into consideration using three shape functions, each of which is associated with one of the three unknown displacement components. Specification of these three shape functions is achieved by solving the corresponding equations of three-dimensional elasticity for a simply supported plate. Thus, the shape functions correspond to the exact elasticity solution presented in previous work. Hence, no results are shown for simply supported plates because, in that case, the present method will yield the results of the exact elasticity analysis. Instead, new results are presented and discussed. These deal with the cylindrical bending of homogeneous orthotropic and two-layered laminates which have both edges rigidly clamped. The new method is considered as the appropriate match of the new shape functions with the equations of G6DOFPT. This is a very promising combination because it employs through-thickness displacement and stress distributions having an "exact" shape away from the edge boundaries. In addition, it takes advantage of the relative ease with which solutions are obtained from the governing equations of a two-dimensional theory, especially in cases which involve complicated edge boundary conditions.
The Effect of a Layer on a 3-D Crack within the Substrate of a Layer/Substrate System
Authors: Sakae C. , Keer L. M.
Published: March 2007

A new numerical scheme is described for calculating the elastic field in an elastic layer/half-space caused by an embedded crack subjected to a general internal pressure and shear traction in the substrate. This scheme is based on the body force method associated with Green's functions for two perfectly bonded half-spaces, and the free surface of the coating layer is modeled by a much larger crack than the substrate crack. Thus, the surface displacement of the coating layer, which is useful for many applications, can be easily estimated from the crack opening displacements of the larger crack. Although the method can be applied generally, for simplicity, only a penny-shaped crack in a substrate subjected to a uniform tension at infinity is considered in this analysis. The effects of layering on stress intensity factors and surface displacements were also investigated.
Properties of Acoustic Polarization in a Symmetry Plane of Monoclinic and Higher Symmetry Media
Authors: Shuvalov A. L.
Published: March 2007

Polarization properties of acoustic waves propagating in a symmetry plane m may be characterized by the aggregate rotation 2πp (p = 0,±1), which is gained by the polarization vector with respect to its initial orientation as the propagation direction turns through 2π in m. The criterion is deduced, which reveals the value of the rotation index p depending on elastic coefficients of a given monoclinic medium. It is shown that knowledge ofp delivers conclusions, not attainable by direct algebraic analysis, about the number of longitudinal normals existing in m and the distribution of pure longitudinal modes between the in-plane polarized wave branches. Results for the general case of monoclinic symmetry are further specified for the cases of higher symmetry.
Home Health Integration for the Future
Authors: Veronesi James F.
Published: March 2007

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997, coupled with the effects of the Prospective Payment System implemented in October 2000, has created a situation that seriously compromises the financial viability of existing home health agencies. To survive the maelstrom, agencies must act rapidly to stem the financial hemorrhage and prevent closure. Attention to patient volumes, allowable reimbursement, timely submission of requests for payment, and education across the continuum will provide the best opportunity for survival in the short term. Regionalizing services available through home care will provide the best cost structure with which to spread traditional costs of doing business. Swift action to accomplish these goals today will promote stability across the home care agency arena.
Pediatric home infusion therapy: Obstacles and opportunities
Authors: Sudela Katherin D. , Newsom Terriel , Summers Paula , Patel Bharat
Published: March 2007

Hospitalization is a stress-provoking and disruptive event for a child and family and can create a financial burden for the parent, caregiver, and health care system. In recognition of these issues, a trend toward moving "high-tech" care from the acute care setting has resulted in greater opportu nity to provide home infusion therapy for children. This article discusses the experience of the Texas Children's Hospital Home Care Pharmacy program and describes ways in which an agency can address the many obstacles associated with care of the pediatric patient referred for home infusion therapy.
The health care reform debate in Vermont
Authors: Cobb Peter
Published: March 2007

Health care reform is not easy. In Vermont, politicians, health planners, providers, and the public have learned that it is easier to talk about health care reform than to do it. This article details some of the struggles Vermonters have had over the past 3 years in trying to develop a program of universal access to health care services for Vermonters. Key words: global budget ing, long-term care, managed care, multipayer, single payer, universal access
Using Outcome-Based Critical Pathways to Improve Documentation
Authors: Maturen Virginia , Van Dyck Lisa
Published: March 2007

Home health care providers are constantly challenged to provide cost- effective patient care while continuing to improve the quality of that care. Outcome-based critical pathways can help providers retain control of this process by providing documentation tools that record and track interventions and outcomes over the entire episode of care. These tools not only help to satisfy the documentation requirements of outside regulators and payors, they also help improve internal and external communications, provide a framework for outcome data collection, and generate data that can be used in continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs.
A Survey of Occupational Therapists Using Pet-Facilitated Therapy
Authors: Casey H.Marie
Published: March 2007

Pet-facilitated therapy (PFT) is considered a "nontraditional" modality that is being used for a variety of therapies to facilitate a wide spectrum of goals that patients may reach in the course of their therapy. The therapeutic use of animals can be applied anywhere, from the patient's home, to the clinic, or even to the patient's bedside in an institution. This study was designed to survey registered occupational therapists regarding their opinions about the use of PFT and to obtain some statistical information regarding its use in practice. Responses to the majority of questions were skewed to the favorable side. Optional discussion questions reporting drawbacks, suggestions, and comments were summarized to convey apparent trends.
Developing a Utilization Management/ Quality Improvement Program in Home Health
Authors: Michaels Marilyn J. , Herward Susan J.
Published: March 2007

In 1982 a Prospective Payment System (PPS) was brought to hospital reimbursement with the enactment of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA). Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) became the form of PPS used to reimburse hospitals. In that same year new documentation requirements came to home health. The plan of treatment (485) and the medical update form (486) gave Medicare the ability to more closely monitor and regulate the home health care industry. The completion of these forms, which required concurrent and retrospective review of the medical record, became increasingly problematic for home health care agencies to manage. Allegheny Home Care/Hospice first established a utilization review (UR) department in 1986 and six field staff nurses were recruited to fill positions as UR nurses.
Case Management and Home Health Care: An Integrated Model
Authors: Aliotta Sherry , Andre Jo-Anne
Published: March 2007

This article presents a model of integration of home health care and case management programs, designed to improve outcomes and reduce cost. Components of screening mechanisms, interventions, and outcomes are described. Financial methods for funding such a model are discussed as well as how to position and market this type of program to managed care organizations. Preliminary results of such a program implemented in a staff model HMO demonstrate reduced beddays, increased memberlphysician satisfaction, high quality outcomes, and cost effectiveness.
Preparing the Baccalaureate Student for Community-Focused Nursing
Authors: Webb Mary , Gonzalez Lois , Lowry Lois
Published: March 2007

Nursing educators are being challenged to prepare baccalaureate students for the increase in community-focused health care. A collaborative approach to curriculum development was used between nursing faculty in a baccalaureate program and community agencies to create valuable home health clinical experiences for students. Home health nurses served as preceptors for two semesters, giving students the opportunity to participate actively in the care of patients in their home. Students used reflective journals to integrate practice with theory and to use the new practice environment as a meaningful learning environment. The use of registered nurse preceptors in the home setting has provided students with valuable role models and has facilitated both personal and professional growth that will prepare them for roles in a community setting.
Managed Care Opens Unlikely Doors: Innovations in Behavioral Health Home Care
Authors: Rosedale Mary
Published: March 2007

Complex market forces driving the reevaluation of health care services have unlocked institutional doors and led us back to the patient's home. All the while, health care restructuring has revolutionized the way we think about clients, ourselves as clinicians, and the delivery of mental health services. Within this rapidly changing environment, behavioral health home care is an exciting and evolving service strategy. This article examines the development of managed care and managed behavioral health care and reflects upon the clinical and economic changes that drive behavioral health home care.
The Public Speaks: A Better Alternative
Authors: Weintraub Rose
Published: March 2007

As nurses, we sometimes discount the importance of what we do because it is so routine for us. We don't think about how we improve the quality of life for so many of our patients. I found out first-hand how important our nursing skills are and how little things we feel that are routine can make a significant difference in the lives of our patients and families.
Environmental Crises and the Metabolic Rift in World-Historical Perspective
Authors: Moore Jason W.
Published: March 2007

This article proposes a new theoretical framework to study the dialectic of capital and nature over the longue duree of world capitalism. The author proposes that today’s global ecological crisis has its roots in the transition to capitalism during the long sixteenth century. The emergence of capitalism marked not only a decisive shift in the arenas of politics, economy, and society, but a fundamental reorganization of world ecology, characterized by a “metabolic rift,” a progressively deepening rupture in the nutrient cycling between the country and the city. Building upon the historical political economy of Marx, Foster, Arrighi, and Wallerstein, the author proposes a new research agenda organized around the concept of systemic cycles of agro-ecological transformation. This agenda aims at discerning the ways in which capitalism’s relationship to nature developed discontinuously over time as recurrent ecological crises have formed a decisive moment of world capitalist crisis, forcing successive waves of restructuring over long historical time..
The Missouri Botanical Garden
Authors: Luke Timothy W.
Published: March 2007

In this analysis, the author reviews the origins and operations of a major American establishment for the botanical sciences: the Missouri Botanical Garden. In recounting how the Garden was founded and why it survives today, the author suggests that botanical gardens are another one of the many social institutions used to generate knowledge in modern society, thereby articulating power. It is widely believed that modern men and women need scientific knowledge about plants to preserve and enrich life. Institutions like the United Kingdom’s Royal Botanical Garden at Kew or its North American imitator, the Missouri Botanical Garden, help create such knowledge. They express power by displaying bounded images of nature and by creating models of how humanity might coexist aesthetically and economically with certain plants in particular sites to produce the benefits of modern life. Thus, in addition to creating particular kinds of scientific information and providing entertainment, botanical gardens play a role in shaping contemporary political culture.
A Feeling for the Language
Authors: Adams Carol J.
Published: March 2007

The author proposes that animal experimentation is one part of a master narrative involving presumptions about Western medical care, knowledge acquisition, and the object status of nonhuman animals. Drawing on Cohn’s analysis of the language of nuclear defense, the author applies her insights to Dunayer’s path-breaking work on speciesist language. She identifies profound connections between Cohn’s and Dunayer’s analyses, specifically “take the high ground and hold it,”“the disappearance of the victim,” and “squeeze out all available space for feeling.” The author sketches some of these connections and concludes by suggesting some of the ecofeminist implications of Dunayer’s work, specifically ecofeminism’s critique of dualistic cultural constructions that, for instance, oppose emotion to rationality. Coining the term pathophobia —the refusal to feel and thus the refusal to engage with the suffering of animals—the author suggests why master narratives will always be pathophobic.
American Contradictions and Pastoral Visions
Authors: Cannavò Peter F.
Published: March 2007

Leo Marx’s 1964 The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America was a foundational work in environmental studies. This article discusses the volume’s significance and how Marx’s ideas have evolved in later essays. Especially noteworthy is Marx’s insight into the contradictory relationship with nature embodied in American pastoralism. Americans celebrate nature and rural values and yet embrace industry and commercialism as means to a pastoral utopia, even though these are ultimately destructive of the natural environment. Given these contradictions and the ascendancy of industrial and commercial values, Marx argues that American pastoralism ultimately fails as a viable cultural and political ideal. This article is critical of such pessimism but also shows how, in later essays, Marx revises his prognosis. Marx comes to see the pastoral ideal, particularly as manifested in environmentalism, as offering a key political alternative to contemporary industrial society and its social and ecological pathologies.
Improving press coverage of environmental risk
Authors: Sachsman David B. , Sandman Peter M. , Greenberg Michael R. , Salomone Kandice L.
Published: March 2007

Continuing education programs are needed to provide journalists with an understanding of risk assessment, and the preparation required to produce ac curate, professional coverage of environmental problems. The key audience for such programs is general assignment and local-beat reporters and their editors, rather than specialized science and environmental writers. In conducting such educational programs, the researchers learned that reporters and editors auto matically think in terms of the traditional journalistic determinants of news, rather than the scientific degree of risk. Journalists and news sources often col lide because they make assumptions based on their own very different defini tions and expectations. News sources wishing to influence media coverage should adjust their messages according to the needs of journalists: to achieve this, they too can benefit from continuing education programs.
From Socialist Realism To Postmodern Ambiguity: East German Companies In Transition
Authors: Rottenburg Richard
Published: March 2007

The transformation of East German companies is presented as a crisis in cor porate reality construction. The socialist system has generated a particular view on what is "real" as opposed to the fictions of the official philosophy. The notion of the "self" and of "solidarity" lay at the core of this "socialist realism." The change to market economy has shaken up many an idea which was previously taken for granted. The same process also exposes corporate reality constructions under the conditions of capitalism as fragile and precar ious.
Conquering the Brownfields Frontier through the Enhanced Deployment of Environmental Assessment Technologies
Authors: Munro John F. , Tzoumis Kelly A.
Published: March 2007

Communities desperately needing economic revitalization are often not benefiting from the nation’s general prosperity and sustained growth. A culprit in this imbalance is perceived environmental contamination that deters public and private investments in redevelopment. Despite the Clinton administration’s commitment to the economic and environmental revitalization of brownfields (properties whose future use is limited because of real or perceived environmental contamination, and which number over 450,000 in the United States), the rate at which brownfields are returning to productive use is disappointing. Delays stem from uncertainties with regard to the extent and nature of contamination. Accelerated deployment of innovative technology could dramatically increase the quantity of brownfields cleaned up over the next 5 years by providing communities with critical scientific information. This strategy would require the national laboratories working in concert with land grant universities, nonprofits, and the private sector to deploy innovative technologies at the community level.
Where are we in Infrastructure Education?
Authors: Grigg Neil S.
Published: March 2007

Recent articles in PublicWorks Management& Policy have explained how societal and technological changes are placing new requirements on managers of civil infrastructure systems. One author proposed a curriculum of core courses, primarily for engineering students, and suggested that the market for such courses should be tested. Another author outlined a plan to reexamine the curriculum in infrastructure management. This dialogue reports on experiences with courses in infrastructure management over three decades and on experiments in related programs. The dialogue suggests that real needs in infrastructure education go well beyond these courses, and that the more urgent issue is to integrate skill training in areas such as problem formulation, systems analysis, and public involvement into ongoing educational programs.
Funding Urban Infrastructure Using Developer Charges
Authors: Mcneill Judith , Dollery Brian
Published: March 2007

Australian local government has come under increasing financial pressure and has recently begun financing urban infrastructure—including roads—by means of exactions or developer charges. This article examines the question of funding roads through developer charges in the Australian state of New South Wales by focusing on the determination of developer charges by two distinct municipalities, namely Eurobodalla Shire Council and Tweed Shire Council. Various methods of improving existing practice are suggested.
Assessing Efficiency of European Airports
Authors: Nyshadham Easwar A. , Rao Vadhindran K.
Published: March 2007

Given the rapid trends toward privatization and a commercial orientation, it is becoming more important than ever to investigate alternate approaches to assess the efficiency of airports. The main objective of this article is to evaluate the efficiency of European airports using a total factor productivity (TFP) approach. The second objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between the proposed TFP index and several partial measures of airport productivity. The results demonstrate the problems inherent in using partial measures in evaluating airport productivity and confirm the importance of using overall measures such as TFP. The study further suggests that revenue per workload unit and employee productivity are the key determinants of overall efficiency of an airport.
Different Times, Different Places
Authors: Hanley Richard
Published: March 2007

The articles in this focus issue evolvedfrom papers originally presentedduring two urban infrastructure sessions of the November 1999 annual meeting of the Social Science History Association. Claire Felbinger andRichardHanley jointly chaired those sessions at the Fort Worth conference. Each article, in its way, details the elements necessary to develop urban infrastructures—powerful decision makers, the right social conditions, adequate funding, and effective political leadership and support.
An Examination of the Costs and Benefits of State Highway Turnback Programs
Authors: Peters Robert Andrew , Hidalgo Jorge
Published: March 2007

During the past 15 years, Pennsylvania's highway transfer (tumback) program has transferred slightly more than 4,200 miles of state highways to local governments. A pooled time-series analysis of the period 1984 to 1994 indicates that (a) turnback rates in a majority of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) maintenance districts were not affected by a county's representation on the state legislature's transportation or appropriations committees, (b) PennDOTexhibited a preference for maximizing turnback miles via the selection of roadways that required the least costly repairs, (c) the preference 's impact was modulated by formulas that allocatedfunds on the basis of average road conditions, and (d) local participation was affected by the provision of adequate incentives, which was dependent on the establishment of an earmarked source offunding.
Local Government and Environmental Quality
Authors: Kellogg Wendy A.
Published: March 2007

This article describes results from an assessment of the status of local environmental protection mechanisms in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, an area typical of many in the Great Lakes region that is experiencing settlement sprawl and declining or stabilizing population and that has a history of industrial pollution. The study was motivated by recent trends infederal and state requirements, shifts in environmental management paradigms, and changing environmental priorities that portend an increasing local role and require local governments to address increasingly sophisticated environmental problems. The study found that local governments operate in a fragmented institutional environment, rarely access technical or resource assistance programs, and seldom use planning and management strategies to enhance or maintain environmental quality. How well local governments can respond to change depends in part on their current environmental management system and their access to and use of technical assistance. Key to these factors is the role of state government, and several changes in state policies are recommended.
Partner-Killing by Women in Cohabiting Relationships and Marital Relationships
Authors: SHACKELFORD TODD K.
Published: March 2007

Using a national-level U.S. database that includes more than 400,000 homicides committed from 1976 to 1994, the author calculated rates of partner-killing by women by relationship type (cohabiting or marital), by partner ages, and by the age difference between partners. Men in cohabiting relationships are 10 times more likely to be killed by their partners than are married men. Within marriages, the risk of being killed by a partner decreases with a man's age. Within cohabiting relationships, in contrast, middle-aged men are at greatest risk of being killed by their partners. The risk that a man will be killed by his partner generally increases with greater age difference between partners. These findings provide the first national-level replications of risk patterns reported for a national-level Canadian sample. Discussion highlights future research directions, including identifying why men in cohabiting relationships incur greater risk of being killed by their partners than do married men.
The Duistribution of Income and Tax Incidence in Panama: 1969
Authors: McLure Charles E.
Published: March 2007

This paper reports estimates of the distribution of income and tax Abstract incidence in Panama in 1969. The distribution estimates are based upon the 1969 manpower survey, social security, income tax and Canal Zone records, and detailed studies of nonemployment incomes in each major industry. Despite the existence of the Panama Canal and a substantial commercial sector, the distribution of income seems to be no less unequal than in other Latin American countries. However, there is some evidence that the tax structure of Panama may be mildly progressive throughout.
Costs of Collective Decisions, Choice of Tax Base, and Median Voter Equilibrium
Authors: Flowers Marilyn R.
Published: March 2007

This note examines the relationship between public expenditure growth and tax base elasticity in the context of the median voter model. If the revenue elasticity of the tax base and the median voter's income elasticity of demand for public services are not identical, the automatic increase in public revenue resulting from an increase in voter income will not match the median voter's increase in demand for public service expenditures. If adjusting tax rates is costly, the short-run rate of growth ofpublic expenditures will be biased in the direction of the automatic growth in tax revenue rather than being tied directly to changes in the median voter's demand for public services. The welfare loss occasioned by these positive decision-making costs can be reduced by choosing that tax base for which revenue elasticity most closely corresponds to income elasticity and also by evaluating tax rates in a multiperiod context at the time they are imposed.
Wic and the Paradox of in-Kind Transfers
Authors: Bendick Marc
Published: March 2007

The behavior of both recipients and administrators tends to convert in-kind Abstract welfare assistance into cash assistance. Therefore, reduction of recipients' utility through constraints on their behavior is not an issue in evaluating in-kind transfers. The main disadvantage of in-kind transfers is instead their reduction of recipients' and donors' utility through excess administrative cost and misdirection of benefits. These patterns are illustrated in the operating experience of WIC, a nutrition program for low-income mothers and children.
The Government Budget Constraint
Authors: Frazer William J.
Published: March 2007

This paper restates the government budget constraint and addresses the issue Abstract of symmetry (asymmetry, as it turns out) between the definitions of monetary and fiscal policy, as originally advanced by Blinder and Solow. The emphasis is on the arbitrary definition of monetary policy. It suits their convenience, but renders their approach inoperative. A consideration of several analytical, operational, and definitional problems constitutes a defense of the monetarist position on the government budget constraint.
Land Taxation, Neutrality, and Risk Aversion
Authors: Douglas Richard W.
Published: March 2007

Taxation of land value has recently been shown to encourage early land devel-opment. This paper develops a somewhat different model to consider taxation of land's "use" value, incorporating risk aversion into the model. Within this framework a land tax may either encourage or discourage development.
Post-Fisc Distributions of Income: Measuring Progressivity With Application To the United States
Authors: Kienzle Edward C.
Published: March 2007

Building upon recent research designed to measure the progressivity of the pub-lic budget, this article contributes a mathematical and computational method for measuring the progressivity of public expenditures and net fiscal incidence (NFI), and derives the mathematical relationship among the NFI progressivity index, the tax progressivity index, and the public expenditure progressivity index. The computational methodology is utilized in a fiscal application to United States data. The results indicate that from 1950 to 1970 the movement toward increased progressivity in the federal expenditure structure was dominated by the combination of the movement toward less progressivity in the state and local expenditure structure, less progressivity in the federal tax structure, and more regressivity in the state and local tax structure. It is shown that from 1950 to 1970 NFI progressivity decreased for all three government levels studied.
State Income Tax Progressivity
Authors: Formby John P. , Sykes David
Published: March 2007

This article compares the degree of personal income tax progressivity in selected states and investigates the determinants of changes in progressivity through time. D. Suits's and N. C. Kakwani's recently proposed summary measures of tax progressivity are estimated and compared for twelve states with comparable income tax systems. Time series estimates are made for a single state, North Carolina. The analysis reveals that there are systematic differences in progressivity among the states and that inflation and real income growth are important determinants of declining state income tax progressivity.
On the Measurement of Tax Progressivity: Relative Share Adjustment
Authors: Baum Sandra R.
Published: March 2007

Numerous methods for measuring tax progressivity have been proposed but none has gained enthusiastic acceptance. A new measure, relative share adjustment, is introduced that is useful both because of its simplicity and because of the amount of information it provides about the impact of the tax. Relative share adjustment measures the change in relative income shares caused directly by the imposition of a tax.
Limitations of the with and without Principle in Benefit-Cost Analysis
Authors: Hof John G. , Rideout Douglas B.
Published: March 2007

This article evaluates common applications of the "with and without principle" in benefit-cost analysis. This principle is often used to analyze and justify individual projects and purposes by comparing their separable costs with separable benefits. These comparisons are shown to be unreliable, especially when nonmarginal output changes are evaluated. Simple examples demonstrate the theoretical points.
An Analysis of the Formation and Behavior of Partnerships
Authors: Watson Harry
Published: March 2007

The partnership form of business has become increasingly popular in the United States and may account for a significant portion of new business formation in the future. In spite of the growth of partnerships, there has been little formal analysis of their formation or behavior. In this article, we consider the possibility that the level of partnership formation is inefficient and find conditions under which tax-subsidy schemes yield welfare-improving changes in the level of partnership formation. We also determine the effects of income taxation on partnership activity. Finally we examine the impact of government expenditure programs on partnership behavior. We find that some of these programs, for example those that are ostensibly designed to foster new business, may actually inhibit partnership formation and increase the likelihood of partnership failure.
Proposition 13 and Effective Property Tax Rates
Authors: Wiseman Michael
Published: March 2007

This article uses sales data and the entire property assessment roll to calculate the ratio of assessed value to market value for all taxed real estate in San Francisco in 1984. The object is to examine the distribution of effective rates of property taxation under the assessment system introduced in California in 1978 by voter initiative (Proposition 13). The estimated aggregate assessment ratio for the city is .55. Assessment ratios differ signifzcantly among and within property types, with average business and private homeowners paying lower rates than owners of multiple-unit dwellings. Within property classes, assessment ratios (and consequently, effective rates of property taxation) are shown to be inversely related to property values.
The Alaska Permanent Fund and Dividend Distribution Program
Authors: O'Brien J. Patrick , Olson Dennis O.
Published: March 2007

The Alaska Permanent Fund and its associated dividend distribution program are a unique experiment in the intergenerational transfer of wealth and in the redistribution of public funds back to the private sector. This article provides an historic perspective for the establishment of the Alaska Permanent Fund and presents the economic rationales for the dividend distribution program. We argue that dividends in the form of direct cash payments to state residents made from the interest income of the fund have benefited currentAlaskans through higher personal income, higher employment, and mitigated recesscons. Future generations also may benefit from the dividend distribution program due to its role in reducing fiscal illusion and limiting current state spending.
Does the Decision to Retire Increase the Amount of Political Shirking?
Authors: Vanbeek James R.
Published: March 2007

This article tests the hypothesis that removing the reelection constraint on congres-sional representatives will alter their voting behavior. This article uses 1977 and 1978 congressional voting records to determine residuals that are taken as a proxy for shirking. The contribution of this article is to test the hypothesis by implementing timing variables to indicate when the decision to retire occurs. Despite many different tests of the hypothesis, there is no evidence that removing the reelection constraint actually causes a change in representatives' voting behavior when they do vote.
In-Kind Distribution, Uncertainty, and Merit Wants: a Simple Model
Authors: Munro Alistair
Published: March 2007

This article considers the direct provision of merit goods when consumers and the government hold different sets of beliefs about the likelihood of uncertain events. In a simple model, it is shown that direct provision of the good can outperform tax and subsidy systems when consumers differ only in their beliefs. However, when agents differ in other characteristics, it is demonstrated that transfers in-kind need not raise welfare.
Tests of Median Voter and Political Support Maximization Models: the Case of Federal/State Welfare Programs
Authors: Baumgardner James R.
Published: March 2007

Empirical tests of basic formulations of a median voter approach versus a political support maximization approach to state government decision making are conducted in this article. Refutable empirical implications are rigorously developed from the theoretical models and are tested with data on welfare programs for which there is both a state and a federal component. The programs analyzed include both an in-kind program (Medicaid) and a cash transfer program (AFDC). Efficient esti mates are produced by using a systemwide approach in the estimation. The results favor the use of political support models that include altruistic motives on the part of taxpayers. Empirical estimates indicate that a state's welfare generosity per poor person falls with the total number of poor, rises with the total number of nonpoor, and rises with the strength of a relevant producer group.
Estimates of Tax-Favored Retirement Saving Behavior of the Self-Employed
Authors: Long James E.
Published: March 2007

Self-employment activity has increased in the United States in recent years, and this growth has expanded the role of saving by self-employed workers as a source of funds for investment. A major if not the primary motive for saving by the self-employed is to provide for income during retirement. Retirement saving via Keogh plans receives preferential tax treatment not unlike that accorded IRAs, yet Keogh saving behavior has generally been overlooked in econometric research. This article presents empirical estimates of the determinants of the decision to participate in a Keogh savings plan and the amount of annual contributions to the plan.
Imperfect Competition and Industry-Specific Input Taxes
Authors: Myles Gareth D.
Published: March 2007

The article considers the role of industry-specific input taxes and aggregate production efficiency in economies with imperfect competition. It is first established that differentiated employment taxes can increase efficiency, and the determinants of the relative rates of such taxes are investigated. The employment of an industry will be taxed at a lower rate when that industry has low returns to scale and the tax-shifting effect is large. These findings are then combined with previous analysis of the taxation of final commodities and intermediate inputs. The results show that the optimal tax system will not, in general, maintain production efficiency. A charactertzation of optimal input taxes based on the elasticity of input demand is derived.
Special Versus General Elections and Composition of the Voters: Evidence From Louisiana School Tax Elections
Authors: Pecquet Gary M. , Morris Coats R. , Yen Steven T.
Published: March 2007

Using Louisiana school board property tax elections from the past decade, the authors study the question of whether or not special elections tend to produce lower turnout and a greater percentage of yes votes than do general elections. With the problem focusing on the choice of voting yes, voting no, or abstaining from voting, modified minimum chi-square methods are used in the analysis. The authors find that opposition to local school taxes increases with turnout. They also find that turnout is affected by the size of the tax, by the presence or absence of other taxes on the ballot, and by the presence or absence of state or federal matters on the same ballot. Both the inclusion of state or federal issues (or candidates) on the ballot and a higher tax rate lead to increased relative opposition at the polls.