bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Horse-Race Polls and Audience Issue Learning
Authors: Zhao Xinshu , Bleske Glen L.
Published: March 2007

Media critics often complain about too much coverage of “horse-race” polls. A common assumption sustaining this criticism is that such coverage competes with issue coverage. We propose the opposite, that horse-race polls might increase voters' attention to other election messages, including issue information, which in turn leads to a better understanding of public policies. To test these competing theories, we conducted three studies during the 1992 presidential election: a controlled experiment, a statewide one-time survey, and a three-county two-wave panel survey. Each of the studies reports a positive relationship between horse-race polls and issue knowledge. The two surveys also report positive correlations between exposure or attention to polls and exposure or attention to general election coverage, which in turn is positively correlated with issue knowledge.
Pulling Apart a Press-Fitted Joint
Authors: Kinkaid Nathan M. , O’Reilly Oliver M.
Published: March 2007

Many locking devices consist of a rigid plug inserted into an annular cylindrical, rod-like body. In this paper, a one-dimensional model is developed for the resulting press-fit. This model assumes that the body is non-linearly elastic and is used to examine the mechanism by which the plug can be pulled from the rod-like body. Specifically, we find that this mechanism depends on a delicate balance between the pulling force, the deformed state of the rod-like body, and the friction holding the joint together. The application of the one-dimensional model to related problems involving press-fits is also discussed.
Thermoelastic Shear of Rubberlike Solid Cylindrical Tubes
Authors: Dunwoody J.
Published: March 2007

The condition of incompressibility, which is acceptable in the theory of large homothermal, elastic deformation of materials such as rubbers, is questionably so when the deformation gradient tensor is distortional, i.e., not spherical, and accompanied by large temperature variations. A form of the two-parameter Mooney-Rivlin model, modified by Chadwick to take account of compressibility and successfully matched by him to experiment by suitable choice of the material constants, is described as an example of a more general theory of rubberlike materials. This specific model is used to analyze by numerical methods the boundary value problem of azimuthal shear of cylindrical tubes, which are subject to a temperature gradient in the radial direction. It is found that the physical component B <12> of the left Cauchy-Green strain tensor, which corresponds to a constant S<12> component of the distortional stress tensor additional to the pressure, differs markedly from the value obtained from the incompressible theory when the temperature gradient is high and the inner radius of the tube is large in comparison to its thickness. The difference is even more marked if the tube of compressible material is allowed to expand in thickness by a small percentage.
Antiplane Piezoelectricity in the Presence of Initial Mechanical and Electrical Fields
Authors: Baesu Eveline , Soόs Eugen
Published: March 2007

We study piezoelectric crystals under antiplane strain in the presence of preexisting mechanical and electrical fields. The general representation of the solution is derived for the crystal class 42m in terms of complex potentials.
Existence Theorem for a Thermomechanical Model of Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Timofte Vlad , Timofte Aida
Published: March 2007

In this paper, we give an existence 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.
Plane Infinitesimal Waves in Elastic Sheets with Bending Stiffness
Authors: Hilgers Michael G.
Published: March 2007

Plane infinitesimal wave propagation is examined in elastic sheets whose strain energy depends on both the first and second derivatives of the deformation. The resulting acoustic-tensor analysis produces dynamical-stability conditions. These are compared to material-stability conditions found previously using equilibrium considerations. A particular solution is demonstrated for the special case of wave propagation in an isotropic elastic sheet subjected to an underlying uniform homogeneous deformation.
Propagation of Torsional Surface Waves in Dry Sandy Medium under Gravity
Authors: Dey S. , Gupta A. K. , Gupta S.
Published: March 2007

This paper studies the possibility of propagation of torsional surface waves in a gravitating earth with a dry sandy medium. The mathematical analysis of the problem has been dealt with in the Whittaker function. Assuming the expansion of the Whittaker function to linear terms, it is concluded that the gravity field will always allow torsional waves to propagate. The expansion of the Whittaker function to quadratic terms shows that two such wave fronts may exist. Finally, it is concluded that the sandy medium without support of a gravity field cannot allow the propagation of torsional surface waves, whereas the presence of a gravity field always supports the propagation of torsional surface waves regardless of whether the medium is elastic or dry sandy.
Bounds for the Elastic Shear Moduli of Isotropic and Quasi-Symmetric Composites, and Exact Modulus of the Coated Sphere Assemblage
Authors: Pham Duc Chinm
Published: March 2007

A relation between the geometric parameters appearing in the bounds for isotropic composites is found, which leads to some new results. Improved upper and lower bounds on the effective shear modulus of isotropic multicomponent materials are deduced, which are expressed in the moduli and volume fractions of the components and reduce to Hashin-Shtrikman bounds in the case of well-ordered composites (i.e., when the extremal bulk and shear moduli belong to the same phases). The respective improved bounds for the subclass of quasi-symmetric composites are given. The shear modulus of Hashin's celebrated coated sphere assemblage is determined. The model also verifies the optimality of the bounds for isotropic two-component materials over a certain range of parameters, including those of the well-ordered case.
Emerging legal issues in home intravenous services
Authors: Randall Deborah A.
Published: March 2007

Legal issues in high-tech home care include, among others, the four difficult concerns of confi dentiality—consent to care, refusal of care, and the development of standards of health care practice. This article provides concrete examples within these areas and discusses approaches for home care providers. The high-tech field, particularly the home intravenous patient care population, is discussed in light of these four concerns. Key words: confidentiality, consent, high tech, legal, standards
Home Health Care Reengineered
Authors: Gingerich Barbara Stover
Published: March 2007

This article applies the corporate strategies of reengineering to the home care setting. Examples are given of meaningful ways to apply these principles and strategies to the home care organization. Leadership involvement and development are discussed as key components to the successful restructuring/reengineering project. Key strategies include work redesign, task breakdown analysis and reintegration, clinical pathways, information technology enhancement, and patient-focused care teams. Receptiveness to change and establishment of a new organizational culture in which learning is valued are integral components of home care reengineering. The myriad of credentialling standards is taken into consideration in the article's discussion of implemented changes.
Nurse and Volunteer Competency Tools with Measurable Outcomes: Does Your Staff Measure Up?
Authors: Hughes Marsha Magnusen , Bruegman-May Karrie
Published: March 2007

The RN and Volunteer Clinical Competency Tools with Measurable Outcomes is a very practical, cost- effective tool for orientation and ongoing education. They provide a list of competencies that are then broken down into (1) subject, (2) content or learning options, and (3) measurable outcomes or evaluation mechanisms. These tools strive to facilitate productivity earlier, reduce turnover, decrease burnout, increase satisfaction, reduce supervisory load, and increase quality. These tools received the 1993 National Hospice Organization President's Award of Excellence for Hospice Staff Training and Development. These tools were also presented at workshops at the 1994 meetings of the National Hospice Organization and the National Association for Home Care.
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: Implications for Home Health Care
Authors: Howse Elizabeth
Published: March 2007

Tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise. An estimated 10 to 15 million people in the United States are infected. This resurgence poses a challenge to all health care providers, including home health care professionals, where many patients fall into the "high risk" category. Therefore it is urgent that home health care agencies look at their prevention and control measures and ensure that guidelines are current for preventing the transmission of TB. Most importantly, there should be comprehensive TB education for all staff. With this knowledge, home health staff can assist in the early identification and treatment of patients with this debilitating disease.
Caring for a Chronically Ill Child at Home: Parental Reactions and Coping Mechanisms
Authors: Rivera Sallie Jo , Stoner Martha , Groothuis Jessie
Published: March 2007

This descriptive study was designed to help identify reactions and coping methods parents use while caring for chronically ill children at home. The parent perception inventory (PPI) was used quantitatively, and two open-ended questions were used qualitatively. Twenty-one parents were interviewed and the data were analyzed separately, and then comparisons were made for similarities, differences, and any possible associations using methodologic triangulation.
Home Health Care Nursing: There Is a Difference
Authors: Miller Maggie M. , Daiey Barbara J.
Published: March 2007

Home care nursing delivery is expanding at an astounding rate. Faculty of schools of nursing and home care educators are examining methods to better prepare both the experienced nurse and the new graduate nurse to practice in the home care setting. This article summarizes a qualitative interpretive study that analyzes and articulates the characteristics of home care nursing practice. The results of this research provide faculty and staff development providers with valuable insights into how expert home care practice develops and how it can best be nurtured in our rapidly growing health care environment.
Recognizing the Need for Standardized Documentation and Classifying Patient Needs
Authors: Westra Bonnie L. , Martin Karen S. , Swan Alice R.
Published: March 2007

Total quality management is a data- driven process of continuously improving care. Unless standardized data that can be converted to numbers for analysis are incorporated into routine clinical documentation, the cost of doing total quality management is prohibitive. The Omaha System is useful for total quality management, since it is one of the nationally recognized classification systems for standardizing nursing diagnoses, interventions, and rating outcomes. The Omaha System is described in this article, including the research base for demonstrating the usefulness of the system. An example of using the Omaha System for total quality management is provided, including a standardized care plan for home care clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Evolution of One Continuous Improvement Program: What Has Worked and What Hasn't
Authors: Wyles Christina L. , Await John M.
Published: March 2007

A Deming style of management has finally entered the health care industry. Continually improving services and processes has forced health care professionals to learn a great deal in a short period of time. This article focuses on the evolution of one home health agency's Continuous Improvement Program and their lessons learned along the way.
HIV Continuum of Care: Challenges in Management
Authors: Goldenberg Robin I. , Bell Stefanie H. , Wright Jacqueline , Brodeur Sharon E. , Turjanica Mary Ann , Beckman Loretta , Warker Nancy
Published: March 2007

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continuum of care within the Inova Health System (IHS) has three levels of management: individual case management, linkage management, and disease-state management. Individual case management takes place at each operating unit— physician's office, hospital, home health care setting, or hospice—and has a multidisciplinary team that addresses treatment, education, therapy, and counseling. Inova Home Health and Hospice of Northern Virginia developed a staging tool to objectively determine the appropriate level of care and to provide a seamless transition between home health care and hospice. Inova's HIV Services provides the disease management component, incorporating proactive and cost-effective management of patients through the disease life cycle and across all settings.
Workplace Security for Home Health Care Employees
Authors: Thobaben Marshelle , Woodward Wendy
Published: March 2007

Workplace safety and security are increasingly important issues for home health care agencies in the 1990s. This article seeks to inform home health care employees about safe home-visit practices, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards on preventing exposure to infections, and prevention of sexual harassment. The article includes both legal and pragmatic strategies that will increase home health care employees' safety and security while at work.
Transitioning Nurses from Hospital to Home
Authors: Reid Gina C.
Published: March 2007

This article summarizes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a transition to home care course offered by a hospital-based home health agency. The course serves as an opportunity to foster relationships between hospital and home care staff, allows acute care nurses to explore future career alternatives, and provides the opportunity for the home health agency to hire from a group of nurses with previous exposure to home care practice.
Analysis of Telephone Communication Between Hospice Nurses and a Nurse Practitioner Group
Authors: Osborn Cheryl L. , Townsend Carol H.
Published: March 2007

Telephone communication between health care providers is essential for ensuring continuity of care for hospice patients in the home care setting. Research examined 114 telephone calls from hospice nurses to a nurse practitioner (NP) group. Hospice nurses called about clinical problems (53.1%); medication and supply needs (29.4%); admission, discharge, and placement issues (14.7%); and other issues (2.8%). NPs documented giving clinical and nonclinical information and instructions; ordering medications, treatments, supplies, equipment, and changes in home services; and consulting and communicating with others at the medical center. Findings begin to describe an important aspect of both hospice nurse and nurse practitioner practice and point to the need for both groups to be aware of the clinical and workload implications of their telephone practices.
The Mass Media and Disaster Awareness in Puerto Rico
Authors: Perez-Lugo Marla
Published: March 2007

Most of the literature about disasters assumes that the media are the most important mitigation tool for manager officials because its content creates disaster and risk awareness. This assumption proposes only three actors in the process of effective disaster management: the government officials that generate disaster information, the media that transmit it, and the public, who receives the information and acts accordingly. A case study of a flood in a rural community in Puerto Rico suggests that this model is inefficient in explaining how disaster awareness is created and how this relates to effective disaster mitigation. The data suggest that the literature fails to recognize important factors that increase or even create vulnerability to hazards. It also neglects other important actors, such as community leaders, and the actions of other groups and institutions that have indirect impact in generating the disaster situation.
Science and Culture in the Environmental State
Authors: Arai A. Bruce
Published: March 2007

The widespread concern about the declining state of our physical environment is often accompanied by frustration about what to do to prevent or even reverse such deterioration. In the past, policy makers, legislators, and the general public have usually turned to scientists and scientific knowledge for answers. But recently, theorists and others have reemphasized the importance of culture in understanding the environment. In this article, this culturalist critique of scientific knowledge is discussed and is then related to the decision by Ontario Hydro to lay up seven of its nuclear reactors. This situation is used to illustrate the continuing relevance of scientific knowledge for addressing environmental concerns.
Social Responsibility and the "Green" Business Firm
Authors: Jones Marc T.
Published: March 2007

Social responsibility and environmentalism are rotated concepts, par ticularly as they manifest in normative prescriptions for firm-level behavior. More specifically, the practice of environmentally friendly (or "green") policies represents a form of socially responsible behavior by business firms. As a socially responsible orientation is a prerequisite for green behavior, it follows that the viability of the green business enterprise depends to some significant extent on the viability of the concept of social responsibility. The purpose of this article is to examine the latter as it is elaborated in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social performance (CSP) literatures. The author argues that the social responsibility discourse has been undermined by acon textual development, theoretical misspecification, and unreflexiveness and is thus neither theoretically, empirically, nor normatively sustain able. At the same time, however, the author suggests that this discourse generates ideological effects with material implications for stakeholder groups.
Cognitive functioning of ADHD and non-ADHD boys on the WISC-III and WRAML: An analysis within a memory model
Authors: Mealer C. , Morgan S. , Luscomb R.
Published: March 2007

This study examined differences in patterns of cognitive functioning, as assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Revision (WISC-III) and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML), in 20 boys with ADHD and 20 boys referred for other psychological problems. The two groups were comparable in age (6 to 13 years) and WISC-III Full-Scale IQ. The ADHD group showed significantly lower scores on the WISC-III Freedom from Distractibility Index and the WRAML General Memory Index, Learning Index, and Visual Memory Index. Patterns of index scores and subtest scores, interpreted with relation to Atkinson and Shiffrin's Store Model of Memory, indicated that ADHD children show special problems on tasks requiring attention and processing through initial stages of memory. However, once material gets beyond initial stages to the long-term store, ADHD children tend to retain and apply the information as well as other children.
NIMH collaborative multimodal treatment study of children with ADHD (MTA): Design, methodology, and protocol evolution
Authors: Arnold L.E. , Abikoff H.B. , Cantwell D.P. , Conners C.K. , Elliott G.R. , Greenhill L.L. , Hechtman L. , Hinshaw S.P. , Hoza B. , Jensen P.S. , Kraemer H.C. , March J.S. , Newcorn J.H. , Pelham W.E. , Richters J.E. , Schiller E. , Severe J.B. , Swanson J.M. , Vereen D. , Wells K.C.
Published: March 2007

The steering committee of the collaborative six-site Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (the MTA) had to develop a common protocol consistent with public health goals and with scientific and clinical state of the art. With the aid of statistical, educational, and public health consultation, the steering committee balanced the stated objectives of the RFA against budgetary, clinical, ethical, and logistical practicalities. Two primary questions will be addressed: (1) What is the relative long-term effectiveness of excellent medication vs. excellent behavioral treatment vs. the combination? (2) What is the relative long-term effective ness of each of these state-of-the art intense treatments vs. routine community care? In a parallel-group design, 576 children (96 at each site) age 7-9 in grades 1-4 are thoroughly assessed in multiple domains from multiple informants and randomized to 4 treatment conditions: a medication-alone strategy, a psychosocial-treatment-alone strategy, a combination strategy, and community comparison (assessment and referral). The first three groups are treated for 14 months and all are re-assessed periodically for 24 months. Each treatment strategy is multi-component, with compromises between clinical flexibility and cross-site uniformity supported by a multi-tiered supervisory/fidelity structure, including 10 manuals, weekly teleconference panels, site visits, circuit-riding consultants, and feedback loops from therapists and supervisors to the steering committee about clinical realities. The resulting data should not only answer the primary questions above, but also support secondary data analyses about the effect of comorbidity, sex, SES, and other subject characteristics on treatment outcome. The MTA should both provide conclusions useful to the practicing clinician and define questions for the next generation of investigations.
The Importance of Defining Technical Issues in Interagency Environmental Negotiations
Authors: Lamb Berton Lee , Burkardt Nina , Taylor Jonathan G.
Published: March 2007

The role of technical clarity in successful multiparty negotiations was studied. Investigations involved in-depth interviews with the principal participants in six consultations conducted under the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s hydroelectric power project licensing procedures. Technical clarity was especially important in these cases because they concerned science-based questions. The principal issues in the six cases were fish passage, instream flow for fish habitat, and entrainment of fish in hydropower turbines. It was concluded that technical clarity was one of the most critical elements in resolving these conflicts. In the least successful negotiations, parties failed to address the basic values of the dispute before plunging into technical studies. The results of those studies usually highlighted the potential for negative outcomes and increased polarization between the participants. In the most successful negotiations, the various parties shared an understanding of each of their basic values. These shared understandings led to technical studies that cast the negotiation in a positive light and illuminated possible solutions.
Requirements for Successful Technology Transfer in the Highway Industry
Authors: Diewald Walter J.
Published: March 2007

Change provides opportunities for improvement, and many times it requires improvement. In the case of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), recent budgetary and organizational changes resulted in the need for the agency to improve its technology transfer program and accelerate innovation in the highway industry. Past studies of public works infrastructures point to the need to exploit opportunities that recent technological developments—in materials, electronics, information systems, and telecommunications—offer to help meet current and future demand for all categories of infrastructure facilities. Expenditures on U.S. highways amount to about $100 billion per year, so innovation that improves performance and/or reduces cost is an important goal. This article (a) describes innovation and technology transfer in the highway industry, (b) describes the key role FHWA plays in highway industry innovation, and (c) suggests how FHWA can accelerate innovation by focusing on requirements associated with the implementation of innovation by state and local highway agencies.
Efficient Water Pricing Policies as an Appropriate Municipal Revenue Source
Authors: Merrifield John , Collinge Robert
Published: March 2007

Marginal-cost pricing of municipal water in water-scarce regions is both an efficient way to achieve conservation goals and an efficient revenue source for municipalities. Nevertheless, marginal-cost water pricing is quite unusual and often prohibited, probably because water revenues are perceived to have an unfairly regressive incidence. To examine the validity of this perception, Census data from San Antonio, Texas, is used to estimate the income elasticity of demand for water there. This result and similar estimates elsewhere suggest that the regressivity of water revenues compares favorably with published regressivity estimates for traditional municipal revenue sources. Moreover, a form of two-part water pricing is shown capable of increasing progressivity without inefficiency. Revenue under this pricing regime is flexible, which allows authorities to meet a range of preset revenue targets, trading off neither efficiency nor fairness.
Long-Term Nonrelationship of Widespread and Increasing Firearm Availability to Homicide in the United States
Authors: KATES DON B. , POLSBY DANIEL D.
Published: March 2007

This article seeks to examine the common view that widespread availability of firearms is a major cause, or even the principal cause, of high American rates of homicide. Reasonably accurate data as to both homicide rates and the acquisition and ownership of firearms in the United States are available back to the mid-1940s. These data do not show a correlation over the long term between the distribution of firearms in the population at large and homicide rates. The two variables do cross occasionally, but they do not do so consistently. Rather, the trend in the period 1973-1997 was one of very large increases in firearms accompanied by essentially flat, even diminishing, homicide rates. That is the general rule for the period since the end of World War II to date.
The Nature of Expressiveness and Instrumentality in Homicide
Authors: SALFATI C. GABRIELLE
Published: March 2007

One of the main areas of concern regarding offender profiling has been the general lack of extensive empirical studies on the psychological processes underpinning this process. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of establishing a model of homicide behaviors that could be used as a basis for evaluating the scientific validity of offender profiling. A sample of 247 British single offender-single victim solved homicide cases was analyzed using a nonmetric multidimensional scaling procedure known as Smallest Space Analysis. The results indicated that homicide crime scenes could most readily be differentiated in terms of the expressive and instrumental role the victim had to the offender. The backgrounds of the offenders could similarly be differentiated by an expressive/instrumental thematic split. However, when these two elements were combined, there was a substantial mix between crime scene themes and themes of background characteristics. The results are discussed in terms of the validity of classifying homicide into a expressive/instrumental dichotomy and the implications this classification may have for offender profiling.
Homicide Trends in Eight U.S. Cities
Authors: RILEY KEVIN JACK , LATTIMORE PAMELA K. , LEITER JORDAN , TRUDEAU JAMES
Published: March 2007

Sharp declines in homicides have been recorded in some major cities of the United States, including, for example, a 31% decline in New York City's homicide rate between 1990 and 1994. The downward trend is by no means universal. Indeed, between 1990 and 1994, the total number of homicides in the United States reflected little change (23,440 homicides recorded in 1990 and 23,310 in 1994) and greatly exceeded the most recent low of 18,980 recorded in 1985. Further, in 41 of 78 cities with populations greater than 200,000, the per capita homicide rate in 1994 exceeded the rate in 1985. The focus on national trends, and on trends in major cities such as New York, thus masks a more complex picture that has substantial variation. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has initiated a series of research projects to identify and examine factors associated with violence—and changes in violence—in U.S. cities. In this article, we describe one of these projects, the “Homicide Trends in Eight U.S. Cities Project,” which is a study of policy, community, and individual factors hypothesized to influence local homicide trends.
Alcohol, Homicide, and Cultural Context
Authors: PARKER ROBERT NASH
Published: March 2007

The study of homicide in North America has been limited by its focus on U.S. data and cross-sectional analyses, as well as a lack of consideration of alcohol in homicide causation. European research has been more dynamic, dealing extensively with the alcohol and violence relationship, but these studies also have limited generalizability. A cross-national dynamic analysis of homicide victimization by gender is reported here as an extension and replication of Gartner's theoretical model of homicide, with alcohol-related concepts integrated into this model. Results based on the analysis of 17 nationstates for the period 1950-1980 provide evidence that two aspects of alcohol-related behavior, consumption rates and the drinking culture, produce interaction effects with divorce rates that are strongly predictive of homicide victimization. However, gender differences are in the nature of these interactions. The importance of these results for homicide causation and violence prevention policy are discussed.
Immigration and the Ethnic Distribution of Homicide in Miami, 1985-1995
Authors: MARTINEZ RAMIRO , LEE MATTHEW T.
Published: March 2007

This article extends the city-level research tradition initiated by Marvin E. Wolfgang in a unique comparison of immigrant (Haitian, Latino) and native born (Anglo, African American) criminal homicide in the city of Miami, Florida. Although previous research has been limited primarily to Anglo and African American victims and offenders, direct access to Miami police records on 1,450 homicides for the period 1985 through 1995 allowed the authors to compare the homicide risk of Anglos, African Americans, Haitians, and Latinos. Although current policy debates focus on immigration as a contributing factor to rising crime rates, the results indicate that the groups with higher proportions of foreign-born members have comparatively low homicide rates. The findings underscore the need to extend homicide research to include diverse ethnic groups in designs that attempt to disentangle the relative influence of social conditions, ethnicity, and immigration on patterns of criminal homicide.
Trade Creation and Trade Diversion in Tax Unions and Customs Unions
Authors: Georgakopoulos Theodore
Published: March 2007

The production effects of tax unions have recently been discussed and compared with the production effects of customs unions. The analysis of the production effects of tax unions, however, has been carried out within a complete specialisation model and under assumptions different from the corresponding assumptions employed in the analysis of the production effects of customs unions. As a result, some of the conclusions drawn from tax union analysis are not strictly comparable to those obtained from customs union analysis. This paper examines the production effects of tax unions within a noncomplete specialisation model and under assumptions similar to those employed in the theory of customs unions, and compares the results obtained in the two cases.
State Taxation of Intangibles: the Problem of Evasion
Authors: Jaffee Bruce L.
Published: March 2007

Seven states in the United States are identified as having significant intangibles taxes. The characteristics of these taxes are surveyed, and the degree of tax evasion is estimated. It is found that evasion is a major problem in all states. In fact, in all but one state the revenue generated does not even equal the revenue predicted, assuming full compliance, from just the portion of the tax levied on corporate stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Various policy alternatives are evaluated.
A Note on the Efficient Pricing of Public Goods
Authors: Lee Dwight R.
Published: March 2007

It has been concluded by some that no positive price for a public good is con-sistent with consumption efficiency as it will discourage consumption that could be provided at zero cost. It is argued here that this conclusion is m error because it fails to distinguish between two distinct components ofpublic good consumption: (1) the quantity of the good made available, and (2) the duration of the use of what is available. By developing a model which explicitly considers these two components of consumption it is shown that a pattern of positive "entry" prices exists which will motivate efficiency in both the consumption and provision of a public good.
A Note On the Political Economy of Indexation
Authors: Bohanon Cecil E. , Van Cott T. Norman
Published: March 2007

Utilizing three U. S. Senate votes on indexation, this article statistically examines the relationship between public spending tendencies of legislators and their votes on indexing the tax code. Heretofore, the public finance literature has argued that periodic discretionary tax cuts have offset past inflation-induced bracket creep. A problem with discerning whether discretionary tax cuts offset bracket creep, however, is that one's conclusion is sensitive to the base year from which one indexes. Looking at public spending tendencies and voting patterns on indexation represents an alternative approach to the issue. If government naturally rebates inflation-induced revenue gains, support for or opposition to indexation would not be associated with senators' spending tendencies, since indexation per se would have no impact on the size of the funded budget. This study shows, however, that the more liberal are senatorial spending tendencies, the greater is the likelihood of opposition to indexation.
The Efficacy of State and Local Governments' Redistributional Policies
Authors: Hayes Kathy , Slottje Daniel J.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the relative effectiveness of the redistributive efforts of state and local governments. Specifically, we examine whether these efforts have affected both income inequality within a state and income inequality within racial groups as well as in urban/rural populations across states. To do this, we use a recently developed statistical model of comprehensive inequality to analyze the size distribution of income in the United States for the fifty states for the years 1970 and 1980. We proceed by examining the relationships of these income inequality measures to state and local tax progressivity, state and local government expenditures on education and welfare, federal tax burden, and federal expenditures. We find that states with more progressive sales and personal income taxes tend to have more inequality, while the overall state/local tax progressivity appears to contribute to reducing inequality.
The Private Provision of Public Goods: a Perspective on Neutrality
Authors: Sandler Todd , Posnett John
Published: March 2007

This article has two purposes. First, the bounds of the neutrality theorem for the private provision of public goods are more firmly established The focus is on the non-neutrality of non-Nash equilibria in which nonzero conjectures depend on the agent's own contribution. The non-neutrality of equilibria involving general externalities, nonlinear constraints, and joint products are also examined Second, it is argued that non-Nash behavior and joint products, induced by institutional design, may be behind the contribution patterns reported by some researchers who investigate charities.
The Search for Leviathan Revisited
Authors: Heil James B.
Published: March 2007

This empirical study explores the relationship between public sector size (in fiscal terms) and the degree of fiscal centralization at the national level of government. A cross-sectional model is estimated using both ordinary and two-stage least squares techniques for two international samples. Two different measures for public sector centralization are used In all cases no significant relationship is found between the size of government and fiscal centralization.
Global Tax Progressivity
Authors: Ebert Udo
Published: March 2007

The article is concerned with how to choose an appropriate summary measure of tax progressivity. Knowing the relevant properties of a global index is important because the answer one gets is, in general, dependent on the choice of an index. Some properties of summary measures are proposed and their consequences are investigated. The starting point of the analysis is a local measure, namely, the residual income progression. For a given distribution of before-tax income, the global indices that are suggested assess the average progressivity, that is, the average degree of progression. The characterization of two families of progressivity indices are presented. Furthermore, one index, the geometric mean of the local measures of progressivity, is proposed and characterized. It possesses attractive properties. Finally, distributional considerations (i.e., distributional weights) are taken into account.
Pigouvian Taxation, Risk Aversion, and Avoidance
Authors: Kohn Robert E.
Published: March 2007

When there are large numbers of government projects in which benefits and costs are uncertain, strong arguments have been made for ignoring people's aversion to risk and basing public decisions entirely on expected values. However, these arguments are weakened in cases in which risk-averse citizens can make private expenditures to reduce their own risk. A model is presented in which pollution damage is stochastic and households expend resources to reduce their exposure. If pollution is controlled by a Pigouvian tax set equal to expected marginal pollution damage alone and the additional burden of uncertainty borne by risk-averse households is not taken into account, it is shown that the economy will operate inside of its production possibility frontier. The article concludes with an example in the policy arena where this issue is likely to be an important one.
Financing Local Government in the 1990s
Authors: Oakland William H.
Published: March 2007

This article summarizes the proceedings of a conference on state and local finance issues held under the auspices of Taxation, Resources, and Economic Development (TRED) during October 1991.
Differences in Reliance On User Charges By American State and Local Governments
Authors: Netzer Dick
Published: March 2007

Reliance on user charges by American local governments has increased substantially since the early 1970s. Changes in the mix of expenditure are partly responsible, but the major cause has been increased user charge financing of specific functions. Differences m the mix of expenditure also partly explain the wide interstate differences in reliance on user charges, but a more important variable is personal income, negatively associated with user charge reliance. Another significant variable is the ability to export business taxes, which discourages user charges as would be expected.
A Probabilistic Approach To Joint Cost Allocation in Public Projects
Authors: Hof John G. , Rideout Doug
Published: March 2007

It is well known that joint cost allocations should not be used in making output decisions, but they might be required for budgeting or accounting purposes. This article develops approaches to joint cost allocation that minimize the chance of disturbing a correctly determined output set when cost information is not known with certainty. The approaches developed are shown in a case example to have the potential to substantially decrease the chance of cost allocations motivating output distortions, relative to extant methods.
A Public Choice-Theoretic Test of Ricardian Equivalence
Authors: Lipford Jody W. , Dougan William R.
Published: March 2007

Despite significant empirical testing, a definitive conclusion on the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis has not been reached. An alternate empirical test examines whether legislators' votes to raise social security benefits are affected by the age compositions of their constituencies. Legislators should be influenced by the age composition of their constituencies only if the effects of the social security program are not offset by intergenerational transfers from parents to their children. Empincal evidence from 1972, when Congress raised social security benefits by 20%, yields no evidence that legislators were influenced by the share of their state or district population aged 45 (or 65) and above. The Ricardian equivalence hypothesis is not rejected.
The Behavior of Bureaucrats and the Choice Between Single-Purpose and Multi-Purpose Authorities
Authors: Borge Lars-Erik
Published: March 2007

The constitutional choice between single-purpose and multi-purpose authorities is analyzed in a model describing the local decision-making process as a game between a sponsor, representing the voters, and two bureaus. The bureaus are able to influence public decisions by using private information about production costs. In this context, the bureaus always benefit from coordinated cost reporting, whereas the effect on voter welfare is shown to depend on the sign of the Cournot cross-price-elasticities. Given that collusion is more likely to occur in multi-purpose authorities, the analysis provides some guidelines when choosing between single-purpose and multi-purpose authorities.
Joint Products and Responses To a Profit Tax: the Case of Endogenous Cost Allocation
Authors: Xuejun Wang
Published: March 2007

With a simple assumption on the cost function, an earlier article shows that an increase in profit tax will increase the joint production. This note provides a complement to that study by considering the case in which the method of endogenous cost allocation is appropriate. The previous result still holds in our framework with some additional assumptions on the demand function.
Public Characteristics and Expenditures on Public Services: an Empirical Analysis
Authors: Schwartz Amy Ellen
Published: March 2007

This article investigates the provision of police and education services using a new method of indexing quantities of local public services that isolates movements in shadow prices and quantities in expenditure data. Demand equations for two public characteristics (the crime safety rate and high school reading test pass rates) and two categories of expenditures (education and police services) are simultaneously estimated for New Jersey municipalities. The relationship between public services and public characteristics is estimated, and both the "own" and the "cross "-effects of public services are found to be empirically significant. Increases in expenditures between 1982 and 1983 are found to largely reflect increases in quantities of education services and in prices of police services.
Fiscal Structures and Economic Growth at the State and Local Level
Authors: Miller Stephen M. , Russek Frank S.
Published: March 2007

State and local governments have recently experienced severe budget problems. Many state legislatures and governors have cut spending or raised taxes. Such changes in fiscal structure may restore fiscal balance, but they can have adverse consequences on state and local economic growth. This article examines the relationship between the fiscal structure of state and local government and economic growth in these jurisdictions. Several general conclusions emerge from our analysis. Corporate income taxes play too small a role in state and local finance, and sales taxes too large a role. Education, transportation, and public safety expenditures may receive too much of the fiscal pie.
Supercomputing Studies of Biomembranes
Authors: Stouch Terry R. , Alper Howard E. , Bassolino-Klimas Donna
Published: March 2007

Although computer simulation of biological molecules has seen widespread growth and is widely accepted as an important biochemical tool, it is hampered by lim ited computing resources. Biomolecular systems, by necessity, contain a large number of interaction sites. In many cases, these sites interact over quite large dis tances. Further, the time scales of biological interest are long, which requires that simulations of dynamical properties at the atomic level must be lengthy to ade quately probe these motions. We address these issues through discussions of atomic-level molecular dynam ics simulations of biological lipid bilayer membranes, which are key constructs in biochemistry. These simu lations reproduce many experimental observables and provide a degree of resolution currently unavailable experimentally. The lengths of these simulations, the longest of which was 2 nanoseconds, were sufficient to effectively sample many of the motions governing the behavior of biomembranes. Examples are given showing the importance of long-range interactions. The number of interaction sites required by these sim ulations is discussed, particularly the need for explicit representation of solvent molecules.
Parallel Models of Animal Migration in Northern Yellowstone National Park
Authors: Uziel Ember , Berry Michael W.
Published: March 2007

In landscape ecology, computer models are developed to simulate the migration of animal groups as they ex ist in nature. Typically, these models are sequential, and the animal groups move and forage in sequence. In this work, we discuss a parallel implementation of the NOYELP (NOrthern YELlowstone national Park) model on a 32-processor Thinking Machines CM-5. NOYELP is a spatially explicit, individual-based model that simulates the search, movement, and foraging activities of groups of animals across the northern por tion of Yellowstone National Park. NOYELP is primarily used to study the effects of fire-scale and pattern on the winter foraging dynamics and survival of free- ranging bison and elk groups. Separate versions of a parallel NOYELP model (referred to as PNOYELP) with different degrees of data-sharing and message-passing are used to study the effects on travel distances and semi-annual energy-gain statistics. Comparisons of these statistics with the sequential NOYELP model are made, and reasonable speed improvements (ranging from 2.8 to 6.7) for PNOYELP on the CM-5 over the sequential model on a Sun SPARCstation 10 are re ported.
Correcting Turnover Correlations: A Critique
Authors: Williams Charles R. , Peters Lawrence H.
Published: March 2007

In this article, the authors argue that turnover correlations do not need to be corrected. First, they maintain that correction formulas cannot correct for poor construct validity. Second, they discuss the original purposes of turnover correction formulas. Third, the authors describe the logical fallacies of correcting turnover correlations. Finally, they show why turnover correlations are not, as is widely believed, statistically limited to a maximum of .80.
Integrating Gap Analysis and Utility Theory in Service Research
Authors: Bordley Robert F.
Published: March 2007

Conventional utility theory models customer preferences in terms of actual performance and does not use benchmarks. But empirical work in gap analysis shows that customer preferences clearly depend on the disparity between performance and some benchmark. To resolve this apparent discrepancy between theory and experiment, this article shows that a simple reinterpretation of utility makes utility a function of the uncertainty-discounted gap between actual performance and a benchmark. The author interprets the benchmark as reflecting customer product expectations. The resulting formulation is used to derive a consumer choice model in which customer choice depends on how perceived performance compares to expectations and on customer uncertainty about performance and expectations. In this model, increasing information on a product or service tends to increase its sales if its performance is above customer expectations and to decrease its sales if its performance is below customer expectations.