bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Strategic Quality Management of Health Care
Authors: Whittaker Maxine
Published: March 2007

This paper briefly explores the history of quality management principles and their application to health care. Defining some of the principles that have evolved in quality management, especially in health care management, the paper discusses the analysis of and means used to improve quality using structure, process and outcome variables, with special focus on examples of the use of these in developing countries' health care systems. Finally, the paper describes some of the measurement and implementation challenges for those interested in quality management in health care.
The Indian Foreign Exchange Market and the Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate of the Rupee
Authors: Patnaik Ila , Pauly Peter
Published: March 2007

This article seeks to analyze changes in the forex market in India and to explain the behaviour of the rupee in the nineties when India moved from a fixed to a f loating exchange rate. The analysis attempts to identify the underlying economic forces that are submerged under an interventionist market structure. The exchange rate is determined in the more slowly adjusting output markets in the long run and in volatile asset markets in the short run. The long run equilibrium exchange rate is seen to be determined by a version of the purchasing power parity condition. In the short run, the real exchange rate deviates from that determined by real interest parity due to risk. As long as pressures are not extreme, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is able to intervene effectively to influence the exchange rate. Its policy of 'keeping the rupee in line with fundamentals' has usually amounted to preventing a nominal appreciation of the rupee so that it does not effectively turn into a real appreciation. Other than attempting to keep exports competitive, the Reserve Bank has intervened to reduce volatility in forex markets. More recently, indirect intervention using interest rates has also played an increasingly important role in the RBI's foreign exchange policy.
Partnerships for Urban Infrastructure Development in India
Authors: Kumar Ashok
Published: March 2007

Partnerships forged among equal partners have more chances of being successful. This article presents an analytical framework for a complete project cycle of a partnership, which includes nine components: organ izational arrangements as choice making; selection and commitment of partners; objectives and core com petencies of the partners; partnership inputs and outcomes; involvement of partners in a programme, staff for a partnership; operations of a partnership; evaluation of a partnership; and a decision to modify or quit a partnership. This framework was applied to the Urban Basic Services Programme in Delhi. It was found that in spite of the fact that this partnership was theoretically sound, it could not achieve its chief objectives of creating sustainable community structures and convergence of basic service providers due to exclusion of local communities during important stages of the formation of the partnership. The only objective it could successfully achieve was that of universal immunization of children.
GENDER AND LEADERSHIP SELECTION PROCESSES IN NORWEGIAN SPORTING ORGANIZATIONS
Authors: Hovden Jorid
Published: March 2007

This article examines some of the gendered processes surrounding the selection of leaders in Norwegian sporting organizations. It was found that the most desirable candidates possessed professional-managerial skills that could open corporate doors. This corporate image reflects the valorization of masculine norms in contemporary organizations. The normalization of this androcentric culture rendered the organizations as gender-neutral entities, thus masking fundamental links between masculinity, power and leadership. The study illustrates the formidable distance between rhetoric and reality, as well as between legislation and realization.
PROFESSIONAL SOCCER IN THE CARIBBEAN
Authors: McCree Roy
Published: March 2007

Research for Britain, the United States and Canada has shown that the early development of professionalism in sport was met with strong resistance from the elite adherents of the amateur ethos. For Trinidad and Tobago, however, and in relation to soccer, the conflicts which erupted over several attempts to professionalize the game had nothing to do with any opposition to professionalism on the part of the governing middle class dominated, soccer elite. Rather, the conflicts were fuelled by elite concerns over the protection of their power and authority over the game locally. While noting these comparative differences, a central aim of this article is to explain the nature and outcome of several attempts to professionalize soccer in the former British colony of Trinidad and Tobago between 1969 and 1983, drawing on the work of R. Williams and R. Gruneau.
SPORT VENUES AND THE SPECTACULARIZATION OF URBAN SPACES IN NORTH AMERICA
Authors: Bélanger Anouk
Published: March 2007

As global corporations scan the world for preferential locations, particular places are forced into a competitive race to attract inward investors. All of this is leading to increased global inter-urban competition around entertainment industries, where cities must reimage and reimagine themselves in order to position themselves as `world-class'. Sports stadiums and other complexes have become increasingly important in this dynamic. In this article, the shift in sports venue from the Montreal Forum to the Molson Centre is examined as a means to explore a variety of issues: the privatization and spectacularization of urban spaces, the local customization of those developments through a marketing of nostalgia, the increasing importance of sport teams and venues in investment in civic images and infrastructure.
PLAYING SAFE
Authors: Brackenridge Celia , Kirby Sandra
Published: March 2007

Young athletes frequently suffer from being seen as athletes first and children second. This has consequences for their legal, civil and human rights as children and for the way in which sport organizations choose to intervene on their behalf to protect them from physical, psychological and sexual abuses. Sport careers peak at different ages depending on the sport: in some, children as young as 12 or 13 may reach the highest levels of competitive performance; in others, full maturity as an athlete may come late into adulthood or even middle age. Recognition of this variation has given rise to the concept of `sport age', referring to sport-specific athlete development. This concept is of significance in helping to identify the developmental process in terms of athletic, rather than chronological, maturity. The risk of sexual abuse in sport, formerly ignored or denied, has now been documented in a number of studies, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Drawing on data from these studies and from the previous work on sport age and athletic maturation, this paper proposes a possible means of identifying and assessing relative risk of sexual abuse to elite young athletes in selected sports. The concept of a `stage of imminent achievement' (SIA) is proposed as the period of peak vulnerability of young athletes to sexual abuse.
POLITICAL CLIENTELISM AND SPORTS POLICY IN GREECE
Authors: Henry Ian P. , Nassis Pantelis
Published: March 2007

This article examines the clientelistic relations which underpinned the activities of the Greek state in the field of sports policy between 1981 and 1993. It focuses on aspects of the patronage that existed between the governments of the two major political parties and some of the national governing bodies (NGBs) that control specific sports. More specifically, the study analyses the forms of political patronage employed in support of sports organizations, the processes through which such patronage is exercised, and the impacts of such support on the budgets of particular NGBs. The study employed structured interviews with key national sporting and political figures and documentary analysis of budgets of NGBs. The article demonstrates how particular parties have systematically favoured certain NGBs when they have been in office. The article concludes with a review of reasons for the continued existence of clientelistic relationships in the contemporary context.
Students with Disabilities and Opportunities to Study Abroad
Authors: Hurst Alan
Published: March 2007

Within the context of increasing opportunities for study abroad, it is important to ensure that students with disabilities can be included in international programmes. However, to ensure that their participation is of the highest quality, there are several additional challenges to be met. The first section of the paper explores these and discusses the availability of appropriate information, financial concerns, and issues of access, both in the physical sense of access to buildings and also the educational sense of access to learning and the curriculum. The following section describes three case studies of disabled students and study abroad, including individual visits, group arrangements, and a European pilot programme organized from Ireland. The closing section provides some brief practical guidelines to assist the inclusion of students with disabilities in international programmes.
The Pedagogical Implications of Diverse Conceptualizations of Internationalization: A U.S. Based Case Study
Authors: Schoorinan Dilys
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the impact of a university-wide mission to internationalize on the everyday educational experiences of faculty members and students in two departments of a major research institution. Of specific interest to this study was how the concept of internationalization was understood and implemented by diverse organizational members, and their perceptions of the role (actual or potential) of international students in such a process. The findings, based on interviews with administrators, faculty members, and students as well as analysis of archival data pertinent to internationalization efforts at the university school, and departments indicated that (a) internationalization was understood and implemented in diverse ways; (b)participants' perspectives were linked to their perceptions of the relevance of internationalization to their field; and (c) international students were underutilized as educational resources. A key outcome of this study was the development of a conceptual definition of internationalization, which is offered as a means for extending the dialogue among educators about the conceptualization and implementation of internationalization on our campuses.
Covenants without Swords
Authors: Bicchieri Cristina
Published: March 2007

In one-shot social dilemma experiments, cooperation rates dramatically increase if subjects are allowed to communicate before making a choice. There are two possible explanations for this `communication effect'. One is that communication enhances group identity, the other is that communication elicits social norms. I discuss both views and argue in favor of a norm-based explanation.
A Game Theoretical Analysis of Sexually Transmitted Disease Epidemics
Authors: Schroeder Kirby D. , Rojas Fabio G.
Published: March 2007

Social scientists who study sexual behavior have consistently found that some HIV-infected individuals continue to have unprotected sex with uninfected partners. In this article, we address three questions that stem from this empirical finding. First, what can game theory contribute to the study of sexual behavior? Second, can a person deduce the HIV status of a potential sexual partner from observed behavior? Third, what are the implications of a game theoretic analysis for infection rate dynamics? Briefly, we argue that game theory models capture the interactive aspects of sexual behavior such as signalign status through behavior. We then go on to show that some simple signaling game models predict that behavior does not distinguish infected from uninfected partners. In those models, uninfected individuals will engage in high-risk sex with potentially infected partners if the perceived rate of infection is sufficiently low. Otherwise, they engage in low-risk sex. The final section of the article analyses an epidemiological model where individuals play the signaling game in discrete time periods. Simulations of the model under varying conditions show that the most virulent epidemics occur when individuals randomly select partners but base their estimate of the infection rate on the percentage of socially close individuals who are infected. Simulations also show that epidemics where individuals restrict partners slow the spread of disease more than other models but that the epidemic lasts longer. Another implication is that with replacement, infection rates will oscillate because individuals will switch from low- to high-risk sex as the percentage of infected individuals changes. We conclude by discussing empirically testable predictions of the model.
Comment on Root's “Tying the King's Hands”
Authors: Markoff John
Published: March 2007

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

Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
Taking Interests Seriously
Authors: LONG DOUGLAS
Published: March 2007

After a brief preliminary examination of the role in classical and medieval political thought of such concepts as “virtue,”“law,” and “nature,” this article argues that in 17th-century British and French social and political theory, the idea of “interest” achieved an unprecedented and significant centrality. The discovery that “interest will not lie” was followed by the discovery that self-interest was fundamental to social and political behavior. Benthamite utilitarianism was the quintessential, though not the only, embodiment of this perspective. Bentham's intellectual response to the natural rights theories of the French revolutionaries is examined to illustrate the possibilities for contrast and contention between rights-based and interest-based political theories. Finally, possible implications for contemporary political discourse of the distinction between rights- and interest-based modes of discourse are examined.
Social Capital, Labor Mobility, and Welfare
Authors: SCHIFF MAURICE
Published: March 2007

It is generally assumed that a technological or political change resulting in greater labor mobility raises welfare because it allows labor to move to where returns are higher and exploit profit opportunities. This article argues that the impact on welfare is ambiguous because of a negative externality of migration. Society benefits from a common property resource. That resource is social capital and includes the network of relations among people. Someone who migrates imposes a cost on those left behind which is not internalized. Hence migration will be excessive, and an increase in labor mobility will not necessarily raise welfare. Several implications are examined, including the impact of changes in the size of the labor market and the impact of modern society and colonialism on the social structure of traditional societies.
On the Limits of Rational Choice
Authors: SRUBAR ILJA
Published: March 2007

Hartmut Esser states an extensive correspondence of rational choice theory and Alfred Schütz's interpretative sociology. He postulates the possibility of explaining everyday behavior using a rational choice (RC) approach that is “relaxed” by employment of actors' subjective knowledge. My comment traces the stated correspondence to its origins in Schütz's work and points out the limits of the RC model that emerge from Schütz's discussion of Ludwig von Mises' theory of action: Although the RC approach recognizes that the conditions of action are selected by actors' subjective stock of knowledge, it does not offer any theoretical explanation for the social constitution of this knowledge, nor for the selectivity of its everyday structures.
Cross-Cultural Differences in Family and Sexual Life
Authors: BECKER GARY S. , POSNER RICHARD A.
Published: March 2007

This article uses rational choice theory to explain family and sexual life in so-called primitive societies. It develops implications of the theory that relate the degree of polygamy, the relative value placed on men and women (as proxied by the respective amounts of “bloodwealth” prescribed for killing or wounding a man or a woman), and the degree of homosexuality to each other and to other variables, including the relative numbers of men and women and the mode of production—whether agricultural or hunting and gathering. Examined is quantitative evidence bearing on these implications from almost 70 societies.
RECIPROCITY AND EFFICIENCY
Authors: Wagner Thomas
Published: March 2007

Social orientations open up niches for voluntary cooperation. This hypothesis is examined with respect to actors in social dilemmas who have internalized the norm of reciprocity. If the intensity of the social motivation stays within certain limits, efficiency enhancing cooperation evolves. In the ultimatum game and in the battle of the sexes, reciprocity brings about an Equal Split of the social surplus and the behavior pattern known as Turn Taking where the actors alternately win and lose. Moreover, as the battle of the sexes demonstrates, strong social motivations create new predicaments and material inefficiencies unknown in a society of egotistical actors. The reciprocity norm is embedded in a social psychological process called relationship accounting. Relationship accounting transforms repeated games into state-space games, such that, e.g. in a finitely repeated state-space prisoners' dilemma players first cooperate and then switch to non-cooperation in the endgame.
THE STATE, THE CHILD, AND IMPERFECT PARENTING
Authors: Brandon Peter David
Published: March 2007

This paper considers state interventions in families on behalf of children whose parents are negligent. The state faces an `agency problem' when it intervenes on behalf of neglected children because it cannot fully monitor families; for instance, it can give cash transfers to poor parents, but it cannot observe them and make sure that they spend the money on their children. Consideration of this agency problem leads to three additional considerations: that because of the state's agency problem, legislators have preferred giving in-kind benefits, rather than income transfers, to negligent parents; that society benefits economically from maintaining alternatives to the traditional family, such as foster homes; and that parents neglect their children because they prefer their own consumption over that of their children.
USING LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS TO TEST THEORIES OF CORPORATE BEHAVIOR
Authors: Kanazawa Satoshi
Published: March 2007

Laboratory experiments provide the most rigorous method of testing scientific theories. However, their current use is primarily limited to testing theories of individual behavior. I suggest the conditions under which one can test theories of corporate behavior in laboratory experiments, using human subjects in the role of purposive corporate actors (such as groups or the state). Using the Condorcet Jury Theorem, I demonstrate that, when four conditions are met, laboratory experiments with human subjects represent statistically conservative tests of such theories. I address the issue of `external validity' and argue that it is not a concern for laboratory experiments as a means of testing theories with clearly stated scope conditions. Finally, I point out that, contrary to popular belief, supermajority decision rules, used by juries and legislatures alike presumably for more important decisions, actually lead to inferior collective decisions.
Reflections Across Boundaries: The European Nursing Module
Authors: Watt Sigrid , Law Kate , Ots Ulla , Waagø Kirsten
Published: March 2007

This article explores the development and implementation of an internationally agreed module, the European Nursing Module. This module comprises 4 weeks of student learning and is coordinated by a network of 26 colleges in 14 European countries. It is hoped that through the module, students are helped to acquire cultural sensitivity, which leads toward the development of a culturally competent health care practitioner. The development of the module, the student experience, and the added value of the network are shared. It is argued that considerable cultural learning can occur from short international electives when students and teaching staff are well prepared and sensitised to cultural issues prior to their exchange.
Prejudice, Paradox, and Possibility: Nursing People from Cultures Other than One’s Own
Authors: Spence Deborah G.
Published: March 2007

Nurses in New Zealand are being challenged to recognise and address racism in their practice. Yet, the implementation of cultural safety in nursing education has created tension within the profession and between nursing and the wider community. This article provides a brief overview of the findings of a hermeneutic study that explored the experience of nursing people from cultures other than one’s own. The notions prejudice, paradox, and possibility are argued to describe this phenomenon. As nurses negotiate the conflicts essential for ongoing development of their practice, the play of prejudice, paradox, and possibility is evident at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels as well as in relation to professional and other discourses. Nurses are challenged to continue their efforts to understand and move beyond the prejudices that otherwise preclude the exploration of new possibilities.
Engaged Mothering: The Transition to Motherhood for a Group of African American Women
Authors: Sawyer Linda M.
Published: March 2007

Using grounded theory methodology, 17 first-time African American mothers were interviewed to elicit their experiences of pregnancy and motherhood. Participants had a mean age of 30 years, were mostly married, employed, middle income, college educated, and all received adequate prenatal care. Engaged Mothering was identified as the core category, denoting the active, involved, and mutual process in which a woman prepares to be a mother, cares for herself and her infant, and dreams about and plans for the future to have a good life for her child. Strategies women used in this process included getting ready, dealing with the reality, settling in, and dreaming. Conditions of intentionality of the pregnancy and prior history of miscarriage or health problems of the mother affected the process. Women described the effects of racism on their daily lives and on the criteria they used to choose providers. Nursing interventions are proposed based on these results.
Health Promotion in Cervical Cancer Prevention among the Yakama Indian Women of the Wa’shat Longhouse
Authors: Strickland C. June , Squeoch Marion Dick , Chrisman Noel J.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this 3-year study was to gain a greater understanding of the importance of the Wa’Shat Longhouse religion to the design of a culturally appropriate health promotion (cervical cancer prevention) program with the Yakama Indian people of eastern Washington. This descriptive study involved interviews with 10 Wa’Shat members, observations, and participant observations of 30 community ceremonial activities. The framework of health promotion planning guided the investigation. We found that (a) program goals needed to be holistic and wellness oriented, (b) teaching methods needed to include circular symbols, and (c) intervention strategies needed to be linked to the natural patterns of communication of the Wa’Shat Longhouse and to involve elders. Storytelling, talking circles, and use of role models were all found to be important teaching methods. We confirm previous perspectives on the importance of religion, provide greater depth in this understanding and outline implications for transcultural nursing practice.
The Culture of the Deaf
Authors: Stebnicki Jodi A. McCreary , Coeling Harriet V.
Published: March 2007

The population of the United States includes over 1 million deaf people, the majority of whom have chosen to differentiate themselves in terms of a Deaf culture. These Deaf people share unique values and norms and use sign language for communication. The differences that exist between hearing and Deaf individuals necessitate that the nurse understand this population. This article will describe the Deaf culture using Leininger’s Sunrise Model and present specific nursing actions in the modes of culture care preservation and/or maintenance, accommodation and/or negotiation, and repatterning or restructuring that enable the nurse to provide culturally congruent care for Deaf clients.
A Rhetorical Critique of the Drug War, Slavery, and the “Nauseous Pendulum” of Reason and Violence
Authors: HARTNETT STEPHEN J.
Published: March 2007

This article offers detailed rhetorical analyses of the recent National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS) reports, which outline President Clinton's strategies for winning the so-called war on drugs. Unpacking their arguments tells us much about our government's understanding of the relationships among drugs, violence, race, crime, and democracy. To situate this critique of the drug war in a historically based analysis of the relationships among law, power, and force, this article turns to Thucydides' Peloponnesian Wars and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, which emphasize the “nauseous pendulum” that swings between reason and violence. Considering the drug war in relationship to Thucydides and Aristotle bolsters the thesis that our contemporary means of producing power via reasonable political discourse that in practice serves as but the veneer on state-sanctioned violence is not a necessarily abhorrent form of hypocrisy but, rather, one of the fundamental traditions of law itself.
Probation Trends in Felony Cases: a Look At Prosecutorial Decision- Making in Plea Bargain Agreements
Authors: Champion Dean J.
Published: March 2007

In this research, records and responses of 166 prosecuting attorneys from three area jurisdictions, including portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia, were examined to determine the frequency with which plea bargaining is used. Additionally, felony convictions were examined by means of content analysis for the period 1970-1985 to determine if there were any trends regarding the use of plea bargaining and/or probation as a sentencing alternative.

Findings revealed increased use of plea bargaining over the fifteen years examined. The use of felony probation also increased dramatically, especially in those cases involving property crimes. Currently, for the jurisdictions examined, over 80 percent of all felony convictions result in probation where first-offenders were involved. In the case of recidivists, these felony cases resulted in probation approximately 22 percent of the time. Prosecutor views concerning the probation issue are also examined and correctional concerns discussed.
The Long Term Development of Criminal Offenses in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1985 - 2030
Authors: Blum Ulrich C. H. , Feltes Thomas
Published: March 2007

Based on a disaggregate Monte Carlo simulation model, we will compute paths of long term development of criminal offenses in the Federal Republic of Germany until the year 2030 based upon hypotheses on the long term development of crime. The use of this approach permits us to relate probabilities to different outcomes of the forecasts.
Changing Conceptions of Human Nature and the Law
Authors: Jacobs Robert
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses the relation between changes in the legal system and changes in the conception of human responsibility which have taken place as a result of belief in the work of Freud and Darwin. The evolution of these beliefs - a matter of intellectual history - has had a crucial effect on the structure and practices of the criminal justice system. Broad public acceptance of the ideas discussed in this essay will continue to affect the development of the system to the year 2000 and beyond.
Crisis Planning Management For The International Organization
Authors: Quarles Chester L.
Published: March 2007

The Index of Concern was first administered in 1983 as a pilot survey to American missionaries living overseas. Since the pilot study, over 500 members of missionary, charitable andphilanthropic organizations havebeen tested. This population of international citizens living overseas is considered to be unique, but nontheless representative of "vulnerable" citizens who do not have the protective services offered diplomats, businessmen and military officials.

Over one hundred and sixty-eight books were reviewed during the study. Hundreds of international news reports were analyzed. Interviews were accomplished on mission and charitable organization sites in Mexico, Peru, Columbia, Equador, Brazil, England and the Phillipines.

The article addresses the lack of crisis planning and the problems associated with reactive management of crisis events. It seeks to give direction to administrators of international organizations.
The Refocused Probation Home Visit: A Subtle But Revolutionary Change
Authors: Lindner Charles
Published: March 2007

Field activities have long been viewed as basic to the probation supervision process. Historically, field visits have been utilized both in the control/law enforcement function of probation work as well as in the treatment/social service function. It was long believed that home visits should be made in all cases, and with great frequency.
Community Policing and Changes in the Organizational Structure
Authors: Redlinger Lawrence J.
Published: March 2007

This paperreviews arguments made by advocates of community policing concerning the need for organizational changes in the structure of police agencies. It examines how the organizational model produced in the previous period of reform lead agencies to develop a formidable command-and-control bureaucracy that deemphasized citizen concerns, and explores some of the internal and external consequences of these developments. Finally, elements of resistance to the community policing movement are surveyed and the broader social context surrounding the community policing movement is noted.
The Dynamics of Navajo Peacemaking
Authors: ZION JAMES W.
Published: March 2007

This article explains the traditional Navajo justice process using social psychology and Navajo discourse. It identifies the nayee or monster (things that get in the way of a successful life) in disputes in light of cognitive dissonance or the state of tension when a person holds two inconsistent beliefs. It then describes an approach to the excuses people give as a result. The article identifies and discusses the excuses and shows how traditional Navajo process addresses them. It outlines the dynamics of traditional Navajo justice to show that it is a practical means to resolve conflict. It also illustrates how a traditional Indian legal method can be replicated in the new field of restorative justice to better deal with crime, violence, and conflict.
Control of Sound Radiation with Adaptive Structures
Authors: Clark Robert L. , Fuller C.R.
Published: March 2007

Active control of sound radiation from a vibrating simply supported rec tangular plate excited by a steady state harmonic point force disturbance is experimentally studied. A variety of test cases were studied for controlling sound radiation due to a distur bance both on and off structural resonance. Control structural inputs are achieved by three piezoceramic actuators bonded to the surface of the plate. The control approach is based upon a Filtered-X version of the adaptive LMS algorithm. Error information for the con troller was taken from two sensor formats, either microphones placed in the acoustic far- field, or polyvmylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric distributed sensors bonded to the surface of the structure. The two narrow strip PVDF sensors were positioned on the plate such that the dominant observed response was due to the odd-odd and to a lesser degree, the odd-even modes (i.e., the more efficient acoustic radiators). Results from these experi ments indicate that piezoceramic elements provide an efficient method for modification of structural response to attenuate sound radiation. In many cases, the PVDF sensors were as effective as microphones in providing error information necessary to reduce the far-field sound radiation from the structure. In addition, the adaptive LMS algorithm is shown to be an effective narrowband controller, which in contrast to feedback approaches, requires no exact system modelling.
Eigenproperties of Feedforward Controlled Flexible Structures
Authors: Burdisso R.A. , Fuller C.R.
Published: March 2007

Adaptive feedforward algorithms have been successfully applied in the ac tive control of sound and vibration. However, the actual mechanisms of control inherent in the technique remain an area of much interest. The main objective of this research is to study the dynamic characteristics of a feedforward controlled elastic system. An en tirely new mathematical approach to predicting the dynamic characteristics of the con trolled structure is presented. It is shown that the controlled system effectively behaves as having new eigenproperties. The controlled eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are func tions of the control force and error sensor locations, and independent of the input disturbance.
Structural Safety Control and Stochastic Aspects
Authors: Liu S.C. , Lagorio H.J. , Chong K.P.
Published: March 2007

Recently, increasing interest has been shown in structural safety design us ing active and hybrid control systems. This interest is driven by the rapid development of intelligent control systems, advanced sensor technology, signal processing, and successful applications in the control of large flexible space structures.
The New Bilayer Lipid Membrane System: Self-Assembling Bilayer Lipid Membranes
Authors: Ti Tien H. , Salamon Z. , Guo D.-L. , Ottova-Leitmannova A.
Published: March 2007

Supported bilayer lipid membranes (s-BLMs) were formed by the self- assembly method on freshly fractured metallic wires. The influence of a host of com pounds in membrane forming solutions on s-BLMs and the effect of pH on the function of the s-BLM were studied. Additionally, the redox reactions of a s-BLM containing vinyl- ferrocene as an electron mediator have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The results have shown that ferrocene can be very easily immobilized in s-BLMs. This sug gests that s-BLM systems offer a novel approach to the electrode modification by simple way of immobilization of compounds within BLM.
Molecular Interpretations of Chemo-Mechanical Responses in Polymer-Liquid Systems
Authors: Errede L.A. , Osada Yoshihito , Tiers George V.D.
Published: March 2007

Earlier publications from 3M Laboratories reported that the volume sorbed into a gel at liquid-saturation under constant environmental conditions is proportional to two factors: the adsorption parameter (α,) of the liquid with respect to the polymer that supports the gel, and the relative "looseness" (A) of the macrostructure of that polymer. Earlier publications from the Ibaraki Laboratories reported that major changes in sorption capacity of such gels can be induced rapidly by sudden changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature or imposed electric field, and that the change in volume resulting from the imposed perturbation can be used in devices that mimic muscular responses. We now report that these effects can be rationalized qualitatively by considera tion of the behavior of α, and/or A, and are illustrated by representative examples taken from the scientific literature.
The Active Control of Panel Vibrations with Piezoelectric Actuators
Authors: D'Cruz Jonathan
Published: March 2007

The active control of vibration using point actuators has received much attention. Presented here is a means by which panel vibrations may be controlled through the action of a dis tributed actuator. The actuator consists of a single-sheet piezoceramic adhesively bonded to the sur face of the panel. Control is achieved by a digital control law that artificially increases the damping of the modes which dominate the panel response, the sensing being provided by a single accelerom eter mounted on the panel surface. Presented are results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the control law/piezoceramic actuator combination. In order to show that a reduction in vibration levels is also achieved at points other than at the sensing accelerometer, acceleration levels are monitored at other points on the plate. The results show that panel vibrations may indeed be successfully con trolled through the action of the distributed piezoceramic actuator.
Computation of Microstructure Utilizing Young Measure Representations
Authors: Nicolaides R.A. , Walkington Noel J.
Published: March 2007

An algorithm is proposed for the solution of non-convex variational problems. In order to avoid representing highly oscillatory functions on a mesh, an associated Young measure, which characterizes such oscillations, is also approximated. Sample calculations demonstrate the viability of this approach.
Fatigue and Hysteresis Modeling of Ferroelectric Materials
Authors: Yoo In K. , Desu Seshu B.
Published: March 2007

Due to their nonlinear properties, ferroelectric materials are ideal candidates for smart materials. Degradation properties such as low voltage breakdown, fatigue, and aging have been major problems in commercial applications of these materials. Such degradations affect the lifetime of ferroelectric materials. Therefore, it is important to understand degradation for reliability improvement.

In this article, recent studies on fatigue and hysteresis of ferroelectric ceramics such as Lead Zir conate Titanate (PZT) thin films is reviewed. A new fatigue model is discussed in detail which is based on effective one-directional movement of defects by internal field difference, defect entrapment at the ferroelectrics-electrode interface, and resultant polarization loss at the interface. A fatigue equation derived from this model is presented. Fatigue parameters such as initial polarization, piling constant, and decay constant are defined from the fatigue equation and voltage and temperature de pendence of fatigue parameters are discussed. The jump distance of defect calculated from voltage dependence of the decay constant is close to the lattice constant of ferroelectric materials, which im plies that oxygen or lead vacancies migrate either parallel or antiparallel to the polarization direc tion. From the temperature dependence of the decay constant, it is shown that the activation energy for domain wall movement plays an important role in fatigue.

The hysteresis model of ferroelectrics is shown using polarization reversal. The hysteresis loop is made by four polarization stages: nucleation, growth, merging, and shrinkage of domains. The hysteresis equation confirms that dielectric viscosity controls hysteresis properties, and temperature dependence of the coefficient of dielectric viscosity is also discussed in conjunction with fatigue mechanism.
Thermo-Responsive Devices Using Poly(vinyl methyl ether) Hydrogels
Authors: Kishi R. , Ichijo H. , Hirasa O.
Published: March 2007

Aqueous solution of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) shows phase transition around 38°C. PVME hydrogel cross-linked by γ-ray irradiation is also a thermally responsive hydrogel and undergoes volume change at the same temperature; it swells below and shrinks above 38°C. PVME hydrogel prepared near phase transition temperature has heterogeneous and macroporous structure. The volume change of the macroporous hydrogel takes place rapidly with changing temperature. An attempt has been made to develop thermally activated chemomechamcal devices such as an artificial muscle model, an automatic separation system, an artificial finger model, and a photo-responsive device.
Adaptive Response Control of Cantilevered Thin-Walled Beams Carrying Heavy Concentrated Masses
Authors: Song Ohseop , Librescu Liviu , Rogers Craig A.
Published: March 2007

An integrated distributed actuator design is presented, based on the converse piezoelectric effect and aimed at actively controlling the excessive deflections and large bending mo ments at the root section of a cantilevered thin-walled beam carrying a system of heavy concentrated masses. The numerical illustrations reveal the great capabilities of the adaptive technology to alleviate, without weight penalties, these undesirable effects.
Light Induced Phase Transition of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-chlorophyllin) Gels
Authors: Suzuki Atsushi
Published: March 2007

ABSTRACT: Transducers that enable the direct utilization of energy derived from sunlight have long been sought after. Such systems could be used as actuators, artificial muscles, separators, switches, sensors, memories, etc. In this paper, some properties of visible light-induced phase transitions of poly(N isopropylacrylamide-co-chlorophyllin) gels are presented, which include the dependence of diameter on the light intensity, the transmittance of light, and the swelling and shrinking kinetics. The phase transitions of these gels can be understood in terms of the increased temperature in the immediate vicinity of polymer chains subjected to local heating due to the absorption and sub- sequent thermal dissipation of light energy. The results are described semi-qualitatively by making use of a simple phenomenological model. A set of the phenomena presented here is one of the ex- amples of how to add intelligence to functional polymer gels using volume phase transition and its related phenomena.
Seismic Response Modeling of Multi-Story Buildings Using Neural Networks
Authors: Conte Joel P. , Durrani Ahmad J. , Shelton Robert O.
Published: March 2007

A neural network based approach to model the seismic response of multi-story frame buildings is presented. The seismic response of frames is emulated using multi-layer feedforward neural networks with a backpropagation learning algorithm. Actual earthquake accelerograms and corresponding structural response obtained from analytical models of buildings are used in training the neural networks. The application of the neural network model is demonstrated by studying one to six story high building frames subjected to seismic base excitation. Furthermore, the learning ability of the network is examined for the case of multiple inputs where lateral forces at floor levels are included simultaneously with the base excitation. The effects of the network parameters on learn ing and accuracy of predictions are discussed. Based on this study, it is found that appropriately con figured neural network models can successfully learn and simulate the linear elastic dynamic be havior of multi-story buildings.
Dynamic Response of Circular Shaft with Piezoelectric Sensor
Authors: Yeh Meng-Kao , Chin Chih-Yuan
Published: March 2007

The dynamic behavior of a circular shaft with piezoelectric sensors under torsion was studied analytically and experimentally. The system equations were derived from the mechani cal properties of the shaft and the electroelastic behavior of the piezoelectric material. These equa tions were converted into a set of matrix equations using the finite element method. Since the dynamic response of the circular shaft was coupled with a small fraction of its bending modes during torsional vibration, both axisymmetric torsional and bending elements were used in the finite ele ment method. The sensor equation of the piezoelectric film was derived from its constitutive laws by rotating the film an angle with the shaft axis. The piezoelectric sensor was used to obtain frequency responses of the system. In the experiment, a circular shaft with three flywheels was built to examine its dynamic behavior. External excitation was applied to the shaft using an impact hammer. The dynamic responses of the system were monitored by the potential differences of the piezoelectric sensor. Good agreement was obtained between the analytical and experimental results.
Identification of Foreign Object Impact in Structures Using Distributed Sensors
Authors: Choi Keeyoung , Chang Fu-Kuo
Published: March 2007

An impact load identification method using distrib uted built-in sensors for detecting foreign object impact is pro posed. The method consists of a system model and a response comparator. The system model characterizes the dynamic response of the structure subjected to a known impact force. The comparator compares the measured sensor outputs with the estimated mea surements from the model and predicts the location and the force history of the impact. The method has been developed for beams containing distributed piezoelectric sensors.
The Nature of Norms in Individual Sport Teams
Authors: Colman Michelle M. , Carron Albert V.
Published: March 2007

It has been suggested that the salience and legitimacy of norms for performance excellence are universal in all sport teams. However, the different task structures within sport influence the nature of interactions, which in turn, may influence the development of team norms. Thus, one purpose of this study was to examine the strength of group norms in individual sport teams. A second purpose was to determine the relationship between those norms and self-reported behaviors reflective of the norms. Participants (N = 97) of university-level individual sport teams completed a questionnaire, which assessed performance norms and behaviors for practice, competition, off-season, and team social functions. The results provided support for the conclusion that normative expectations in individual sport teams exert a weak influence. Also, generally, individual perceptions of the strength of team norms were unrelated to self-reported behaviors. The results were discussed in terms of the dynamics of the group task.
Leadership as Medium
Authors: Fisher B. Aubrey
Published: March 2007

The present article attempts to adapt the current emphasis on social relationship interpersonal communication research to the phenomenon of group leadership. A synthesis of "what we know and don't know" about group leadership from past research leads to the conclusion that present metaphors used to guide inquiry into leadership are incapable of dealing with the complexity inherent in the phenomenon. An alternative metaphor, leader as medium, is described and adapted to group communication as relationships. Central to the medium metaphor of leadership is the law of requisite variety, a repertoire of actions, externalized constraints, retrospective sense making, and a here-and-now orientation. Implications of the medium metaphor to communication research and leadership training programs conclude the discussion.
Dealing With "Fallout" From Inpatient Group Psychotherapy
Authors: Smith Janet E. , Marcovitz Robert J.
Published: March 2007

Fallout from group psychotherapy involves feelings that have been brought out by the group discussion being carried outside of the group into the inpatient community. Group therapists act as educators to teach unit staff about the potential for fallout and to help them deal with it in a therapeutic manner. Fallout most frequently takes the form of complaints about the group, complaints about authority figures, and suicidal or homicidal ideas or behavior. This article describes a general model used to deal with the fallout from group psychotherapy, as well as several specific types of fallout that can occur in the inpatient milieu.