bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Call for Change in Multicultural Training at Graduate Schools of Education: Educating to End Oppression and for Social Justice
Authors: Wallace Barbara C.
Published: March 2003

This article puts forth a call for change in multicultural training at graduate schools of education in order to prepare future professionals to work effectively within our increasingly diverse society. It is suggested that professionals well versed in multiculturalism need to consider how to revise and further refine multicultural training in order to better address linguistic and other diversity to be found among immigrants, as well as issues around sexual orientation, disability, and spirituality. Those relatively new to the field of multiculturalism are similarly encouraged to embrace the task of preparing themselves, appropriate curriculum, and their departments for the task of educating to end oppression and for social justice. Graduate schools of education are challenged to pursue the goal of organizational multicultural competence. Such a goal should be incorporated within the vision and mission of graduate schools of education across the nation, given the new demographics characterizing our increasingly diverse society.
How Context Mediates Policy: The Implementation of Single Gender Public Schooling in California
Authors: Datnow Amanda , Hubbard Lea , Conchas Gilberto Q.
Published: March 2003

In this article, we present findings about the implementation of single gender public schooling in California—a movement that signifies a growing interest in school choice and private sector solutions to public education problems. We analyze qualitative data gathered in a study of 12 single gender academies (6 boys; 6 girls). As well-meaning educators responded to California's single gender academies legislation, they designed schools and used resources to address the pressing needs of students in each community, such as low achievement, poverty, or violence, rather than to address gender bias. The impetus for single gender schooling in each context affected the organization, curriculum, and pedagogy in each academy, as did educators’ ideologies about gender. In the end, the politics surrounding the legislation, the resource interests of district and school administrators, and the lack of institutional support for this gender-based reform coalesced to structure the demise of most of the single gender academies. We consider the implications of these findings for the viability of single gender schooling as a public school option.
From High School to Teaching: Many Steps, who Makes It?
Authors: Vegas Emiliana , Murnane Richard J. , Willett John B.
Published: March 2003

In this paper, we focus on the roles that race, ethnicity, and academic skills play in predicting whether high school students persist along each of the various steps of the path into teaching. We show that the challenge of creating a racially and ethnically diverse teaching force is not primarily one of influencing the occupational decisions of minority college graduates. Instead, the critical challenge is to increase the high school graduation, college enrollment, and college graduation rates of minority youth. We use a sequence of four samples originating in the sophomore cohort of High School and Beyond (1992). We explore high school sophomores’ career transitions along each step of the path into teaching—high school graduation, entry into college, college graduation, and entry into teaching.
Cultural Resources and the Gap between Educational Theory and Practice
Authors: Neuman Yair , Bekerman Zvi
Published: March 2003

One source of potential failure in fostering reforms in education is educators’ captivity between an educational manifesto—a conscious ideology or theory, which aims to guide educational practice—and dominant cultural resources that may prevent the actualization of the manifesto. The aim of this paper is to raise educators’ awareness of this issue and to illustrate, through the qualitative analysis of an educational activity, the dynamics in which an educational manifesto is imprisoned by cultural resources.
Situation and Repertoire: Civility, Incivility, Cursing, and Politeness in an Urban High School
Authors: Plank Stephen B. , McDill Edward L. , McPartland James M. , Jordan Will J.
Published: March 2003

A certain level of civility in schools is essential to successful teaching and learning. Studies of the formal organization and informal social systems of schools, however, depict currents of hostility and confrontation between students and teachers. In order to motivate a discussion of the balance struck between civility and incivility, we present data on cursing and politeness in one urban, public high school. Survey responses from 225 seniors suggest that (a) students are more often polite than rude toward teachers, but students also curse a lot; (b) students are more polite toward teachers than among themselves and are much more likely to curse among fellow students than in the presence of teachers; (c) students describe themselves as capable of being either polite or crude; and (d) cursing at teachers depends on the people and situation involved. We stress that students have both politeness and cursing in their repertoires. Further, not all cursing is intended or interpreted as being malicious or threatening. Careful attention must be paid to the circumstances that trigger different student reactions and the nuances of students’ use of language. We suggest ways in which research and theories of student resistance, cultural capital, and institutionally sanctioned discourses could be further refined. Specifically, researchers should measure and model students’ locations along continua of resistance, cultural penetration, and vocabulary. Also, the causes and consequences of being situated at one point or another should be conceptualized more fully.
Career and College Advice to the Forgotten Half: What Do Counselors and Vocational Teachers Advise?
Authors: Krei Melinda Scott , Rosenbaum James E.
Published: March 2003

This article examines the career and college advice that high school counselors and vocational teachers give to the “forgotten half,” students who are unlikely to seek a 4-year college degree. Using interview data from 12 Midwestern high schools, we found that most counselors tend to encourage all students to attend college, regardless of the students’ interests or plans. Vocational teachers, on the other hand, showed evidence of a more nuanced view of the need for college. We found that vocational teachers in our sample fit in to four broad categories in terms of their advice and opinions about college: the college-for-all advocates, who push college regardless of circumstances; the diplomats, who try subtly to tell students that their plans are unrealistic; the straightforward, who try to make sure that students have realistic information; and the hands-off, who disavow any role in helping students make future plans. After an examination of these approaches, we conclude with a discussion of the implications of the various approaches for guiding students’ choices.
The Emerging Gender Gap: Cultural and Economic Conservatism in the Netherlands 1970–1992
Authors: Vollebergh W. A. M. , Iedema J. , Meuss W.
Published: March 2003

Research on gender differences in political alignments and cultural orientations in the past decades reveals a large value change in women relative to that in men, indicating that women might recently have become less conservative than men, whereas women used to be more conservative in many respects. In this article this possible reversal in the gender gap in recent decades is analyzed. Recent research has demonstrated that in the Netherlands women are presently less conservative than men. This lower level of conservatism in Dutch women is apparent with respect to both economic and cultural issues. It is investigated whether these gender differences are due to a reversal in the gender gap in the Netherlands and if so, how this emerging gender gap can be explained. Three explanations are hypothesized: one in terms of the characteristics of the youngest generations (the gender‐cohort model), the second in terms of growing structural equality between women and men in general (the situational/structural model), and a specification of the second model, in which differential effects of structural factors for women and men are presumed to have their effect (the gender‐interaction model). Neither of the three tested models was in itself able to fully explain the results. The gender gap can partly be explained by growing structural equality between women and men, partly by the fact that the gender gap is largest in the youngest generations (economic conservatism), and partly by the fact that the gender gap is largest between groups of “independent” women and their male counterparts. Possible additional determinants are also discussed.
Redefining Cultural Diplomacy: Cultural Security and Foreign Policy in Canada
Authors: Belanger Louis
Published: March 2003

A content analysis of material generated by the 1994–1995 foreign policy review process in Canada was conducted in an effort to understand how culture came to be officially constituted as the third pillar of Canadian foreign policy. The analysis showed significant differences among actors in terms of modes of legitimization of cultural diplomacy. State agents, by refusing to consider culture as a referent object in a broadened notion of security and by assimilating it into a system of civic values, resisted pressures from academics and groups that favored introducing societal conceptions of culture as relevant for the making of foreign policy. The result is nevertheless a new, albeit defensive and still ambiguous, form of implication of foreign policy in the cultural mission of the state in Canada.
Self‐Interest, Economic Beliefs, and Political Party Preference in New Zealand
Authors: Allen Michael W. , Hung Ng Sik
Published: March 2003

This study explored the associations among income level, economic beliefs, and political party preference in terms of self‐interest and ideological theories of party preference. Results from a survey of 487 New Zealand voters showed that the income levels and economic beliefs of supporters of the four major parties were organized along a single dimension: ACT supporters had the highest income and strongest neoliberal economic beliefs, followed closely by National supporters, whereas Alliance supporters had the lowest income and strongest welfare‐state economic beliefs, followed by Labour supporters. However, the prediction of party preference from income and economic beliefs showed a different pattern: Income significantly predicted support for ACT, National, and Alliance; economic beliefs had the strongest influence on National and Labour support; and economic beliefs interacted with income to influence ACT and National support, but not Labour and Alliance support. The results suggest that voters who have gained or lost the most from the implementation of neoliberal policies—in this case, those with the highest and lowest incomes (i.e., ACT and Alliance supporters), respectively—form political party preference mainly from economic self‐interest, whereas middle‐income voters (i.e., National and Labour supporters) form party preference from ideological congruence. Moreover, higher status individuals may be more likely to use ideology to express self‐interested motivation.
Inclusionary Discrimination: Pigmentocracy and Patriotism in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Sidanius Jim , Pena Yesilernis , Sawyer Mark
Published: March 2003

This study explored the nature of racial hierarchy and the connection between racial identity and Dominican patriotism using a questionnaire given to an in situ sample in the Dominican Republic. The analyses compared the contradictory expectations of the “racial democracy” (or “Iberian exceptionalism”) thesis and social dominance theory. Results showed that despite the very high level of racial intermarriage in the Dominican Republic, there was strong evidence of a “pigmentocracy,” or group‐based social hierarchy based largely on skin color. Furthermore, despite a slight tendency for people to give slightly higher status ratings to their own “racial” category than were given to them by members of other “racial” categories, this pigmentocracy was highly consensual across the racial hierarchy. These results were consistent with the expectations of social dominance theory. However, in contrast to similar analyses in the United States and Israel, these Dominican findings showed no evidence that members of different “racial” categories had different levels of patriotic attachment to the nation. Also in contrast to recent American findings, there was no evidence that Dominican patriotism was positively associated with anti‐black racism, social dominance orientation, negative affect toward other racial groups, or ethnocentrism, regardless of the “racial” category one belonged to. These latter results were consistent with the racial democracy thesis. The theoretical implications of these somewhat conflicting findings are discussed.
The More Things Change...American Identity and Mass and Elite Responses to 9/11
Authors: Schildkraut Deborah J.
Published: March 2003

This article examines conceptions of American national identity by contrasting Americans’ responses to the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 with their responses to the terrorist attacks in 2001. Examinations of official rhetoric, mass media statements, and public opinion polls after Pearl Harbor and after 9/11 reveal changes as well as continuities in the relationship between conceptions of national identity and responses to experiencing threat in the face of diversity. Lingering ascriptivist views have been awakened by 9/11, yet this narrow image of American identity is being directly challenged by a more inclusive incorporationist tradition. This clash of symbolic conceptions of national identity results in divergence between elite rhetoric and mass opinion, with elites promoting incorporationism and ordinary citizens displaying the reawakening of ascriptivist norms.
Blindsided? September 11 and the Origins of Strategic Surprise
Authors: Parker Charles F. , Stern Eric K.
Published: March 2003

The devastating terror attacks of 11 September 2001 have often been characterized as a “bolt from the blue.” Drawing inspiration from the political psychological literature on strategic surprise, this article poses the deceptively simple question of why so many U.S. policymakers were caught so woefully off guard last year. Through a preliminary empirical exploration of three broad explanatory “cuts” derived from the relevant interdisciplinary literature—psychological, bureau–organizational, and agenda–political—the authors seek to shed light on the sources of failure that may have contributed to 9/11 and point to promising avenues of investigation for future research as the available empirical record becomes more complete.
Modeling Ship Transportation Risk
Authors: Fowler Timothy G. , Sørgård Eirik
Published: March 2003

This article presents results from the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) project ‘Safety of Shipping in Coastal Waters’ (SAFECO). The project was performed by ten European partners during the period 1995‐1998. The principal aim of the SAFECO project was to determine the influences that could increase the safety of shipping in coastal waters by analyzing the underlying factors contributing to the marine accident risk level. The work reported here focuses on the Marine Accident Risk Calculation System (MARCS) that was further developed during the SAFECO project. This paper presents the methods used by MARCS, as well as data and results from a ‘demonstration of concept’ case study covering the North Sea area. The estimated accident frequencies (number of accidents per year) were compared with historical accident data, to demonstrate the validity of the modeling approach. Reasonable (within a factor of 5) to good (within a factor of 2) agreement between calculated accident frequencies and observed accident statistics was generally obtained. However, significant discrepancies were identified for some ship types and accident categories. The risk model has particular problems with estimating the accident frequency for drift grounding in general and powered grounding for ferries. It was concluded that these discrepancies are related to uncertainties in several areas, specifically in the risk model algorithms, the traffic data, the error and failure probability data, and the historical accident statistics.
Practical Methods for Meeting Remediation Goals at Hazardous Waste Sites
Authors: Schulz Terry W. , Griffin Susan
Published: March 2003

Risk‐based cleanup goals or preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) are established at hazardous waste sites when contaminant concentrations in air, soil, surface water, or groundwater exceed specified acceptable risk levels. When derived in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency's risk assessment guidance, the PRG is intended to represent the average contaminant concentration within an exposure unit area that is left on the site following remediation. The PRG, however, frequently has been used inconsistently at Superfund sites with a number of remediation decisions using the PRG as a not‐to‐exceed concentration (NTEC). Such misapplications could result in overly conservative and unnecessarily costly remedial actions. The PRG should be applied in remedial actions in the same manner in which it was generated. Statistical methods, such as Bower's Confidence Response Goal, and mathematical methods such as “iterative removal of hot spots,” are available to assist in the development of NTECs that ensure the average postremediation contaminant concentration is at or below the PRG. These NTECs can provide the risk manager with a more practical cleanup goal. In addition, an acute PRG can be developed to ensure that contaminant concentrations left on‐site following remediation are not so high as to pose an acute or short‐term health risk if excessive exposure to small areas of the site should occur. A case study demonstrates cost savings of five to ten times associated with the more scientifically sound use of the PRG as a postremediation site average, and development of a separate NTEC and acute PRG based on the methods referenced in this article.
A Randomization Test‐Based Method for Risk Assessment in Neurotoxicology
Authors: Bogdan Michael A. , MacPhail Robert C. , Glowa John R.
Published: March 2003

A current trend in risk assessment for systemic toxicity (noncancer) endpoints is to utilize the observable range of the dose‐effect curve in order to estimate the likelihood of obtaining effects at lower concentrations. Methods to accomplish this endeavor are typically based on variability in either the effects of fixed doses (benchmark approaches), or on variability in the doses producing a fixed effect (probabilistic or tolerance‐distribution approaches). The latter method may be particularly desirable because it can be used to determine variability in the effect of an agent in a population, which is an important goal of risk assessment. This method of analysis, however, has typically been accomplished using dose‐effect data from individual subjects, which can be impractical in toxicology. A new method is therefore presented that can use traditional groups‐design data to generate a set of dose‐effect functions. Population tolerances for a specific effect can then be estimated from these model dose‐effect functions. It is based on the randomization test, which assesses the generality of a data set by comparing it to a data set constructed from randomized combinations of single point estimates. The present article describes an iterative line‐fitting program that generates such a data set and then uses it to provide risk assessments for two pesticides, triadimefon and carbaryl. The effects of these pesticides were studied on the locomotor activity of laboratory rats, a common neurobehavioral end point. Triadimefon produced dose‐dependent increases in activity, while carbaryl produced dose‐dependent decreases in activity. Risk figures derived from the empirical distribution of individual dose‐effect functions were compared to those from the iterative line‐fitting program. The results indicate that the method generates comparable risk figures, although potential limitations are also described.
Temporal Variability and Ignorance in Monte Carlo Contaminant Bioaccumulation Models: A Case Study with Selenium in Mytilus edulis
Authors: Spencer Matthew , Fisher Nicholas S. , Wang Wen‐Xiong , Ferson Scott
Published: March 2003

Although the parameters for contaminant bioaccumulation models most likely vary over time, lack of data makes it impossible to quantify this variability. As a consequence, Monte Carlo models of contaminant bioaccumulation often treat all parameters as having fixed true values that are unknown. This can lead to biased distributions of predicted contaminant concentrations. This article demonstrates this phenomenon with a case study of selenium accumulation in the mussel Mytilus edulis in San Francisco Bay. “Ignorance‐only” simulations (in which phytoplankton and bioavailable selenium concentrations are constant over time, but sampled from distributions of field measurements taken at different times), which an analyst might be forced to use due to lack of data, were compared with “variability and ignorance” simulations (sampling phytoplankton and bioavailable selenium concentrations each month). It was found that ignorance‐only simulations may underestimate or overestimate the median predicted contaminant concentration at any time, relative to variability and ignorance simulations. However, over a long enough time period (such as the complete seasonal cycle in a seasonal model), treating temporal variability as if it were ignorance at least gave a range of predicted concentrations that enclosed the range predicted by explicit treatment of temporal variability. Comparing the temporal variability in field data with that predicted by simulations may indicate whether the right amount of temporal variability is being included in input variables. Sensitivity analysis combined with biological knowledge suggests which parameters might make important contributions to temporal variability. Temporal variability is potentially more complicated to deal with than other types of stochastic variability, because of the range of time scales over which parameters may vary.
Comparison of the EU T25 Single Point Estimate Method with Benchmark Dose Response Modeling for Estimating Potency of Carcinogens
Authors: Van Landingham Cynthia B. , Allen Bruce C. , Shipp Annette M. , Crump Kenny S.
Published: March 2003

The T25 single‐point estimate method of evaluating the carcinogenic potency of a chemical, which is currently used by the European Union (EU) and is denoted the EU approach, is based on the selection of a single dose in a chronic bioassay with an incidence rate that is significantly higher than the background rate. The T25 is determined from that single point by a linear extrapolation or interpolation to the chronic dose (in mg/kg/day), at which a 25% increase in the incidence of the specified tumor type is expected, corrected for the background rate. Another method used to obtain a carcinogenic potency value based on a 25% increase in incidence above the background rate is the estimation of a T25 derived from a benchmark dose (BMD) response model fit to the chronic bioassay data for the specified tumor type. A comparison was made between these two methods using 276 chronic bioassays conducted by the National Toxicology Program. In each of the 2‐year bioassays, a tumor type was selected based on statistical and biological significance, and both EU T25 and BMD T25 estimates were determined for that end point. In addition, simulations were done using underlying cumulative probability distributions to examine the effect of dose spacing, the number of animals per dose group, the possibility of a dose threshold, and variation in the background incidence rates on the EU T25 and BMD estimates. The simulations showed that in the majority of cases the EU T25 method underestimated the true T25 dose and overestimated the carcinogenic potency. The BMD estimate is generally less biased and has less variation about the true T25 value than the EU estimate.
Hypothetical Fears and Quantitative Risk Analysis
Authors: Starr Chauncey
Published: March 2003

Hypothetical fears are concepts, not quantities. Their conceptual nature makes impractical conventional quantitative risk analyses (QRA) based on benefit/cost/risk, so they become an unmeasured influence in national decision making. The decision process involves two steps, the Analytic Stage (QRA based) and the Priority Stage (resource allocation competition). This article suggests that a quantitative estimate of the social cost of fear reduction to acceptable levels be used as a surrogate QRA input to the Priority Stage.
Performance Measurement in State Budgeting: Advancement and Backsliding from 1990 to 1995
Authors: Lee, Jr. Robert D. , Burns Robert C.
Published: March 2003

Performance measurement has been one of the dominant themes of budget reform in the 1990s and has been prevalent in the mainstream of budgeting since the 1950s. Given the attention that performance measurement has had nationally, states might be expected to have made major strides in this arena in recent years. The article considers the current status of performance measurement practices, and identifies both advancement and backsliding made by states between 1990 and 1995. The discussion is based on data obtained from surveys of state budget offices in those two years. Indexes of performance measurement were constructed, and these became the bases of regression analyses using independent variables pertaining to state characteristics. Generally, these analyses were unsuccessful in explaining the variations among the states. The findings underscore the diversity among the states in their budgetary practices and the fact that budget reform, in the sense of increased use of performance measurement, is not necessarily achieved in a straight line of progression. The article considers possible explanations for the changes.
Questions in the Making: A Review Essay on Zen and Buddhist Ethics in the Context of Buddhist and Comparative Ethics
Authors: Unno Mark T.
Published: March 2003

In reviewing four works from the 1990s—monographs by Christopher Ives and Phillip Olson on Zen Buddhist ethics, Damien Keown's treatment of Indian Buddhist ethics, and an edited collection on Buddhism and human rights—this article examines recent scholarship on Zen Buddhist ethics in light of issues of Buddhist and comparative ethics. Its highlights selected themes in the notional and real encounter of Zen Buddhism with Western thought and culture as presented in the reviewed works and identifies issues and problems for further consideration, in particular, problems of comparative and cross‐cultural understanding and the articulation and redefinition of Zen Buddhist tradition.
The Question of God in an Age of Science: Constructions of Reality and Ultimate Reality in Theology and Science
Authors: Case‐Winters Anna
Published: March 2003

Both science and theology have lately faced a crisis of authority. Their shared realization of the extent to which knowledge is underdetermined by the data and socially constructed provides a kind of common ground for reconsideration of their respective methods of inquiry as well as of the status of the claims they have warrant to make. Both fields are now consciously and critically employing a models approach. This article proposes criteria for assessing models and applies the criteria to one model from each field. The model of understanding evolution as a struggle for existence is considered from the field of science, and the traditional model for understanding the God‐world relation as that of a king's relation to his kingdom is considered from the field of theology. Each of these models is evaluated with respect to its credibility, religious viability, and moral adequacy. In each case an alternative analogy is proposed and argued for.
Broken‐Backed Naturalism
Authors: Robbins J. Wesley
Published: March 2003

Willem Drees's stated purpose in Religion, Science and Naturalism is to maintain the continuing importance of religion in human life while being honest to the sciences. His preferred way of doing that is an example of what John Dewey once called “broken‐backed naturalism.” In contrast, Deweyan humanism accomplishes Drees's purpose in a more thoroughly naturalistic way. It does not bifurcate the world into the domain of the sciences—the natural world—and the domain of religion—the provider of answers to limit questions about the world as a whole, which fall outside the scope of the sciences.
Cognitive Science: What One Needs to Know
Authors: Peterson Gregory R.
Published: March 2003

Cognitive science is a new paradigm that informs and involves several disciplines, including artificial intelligence, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, cognitive ethology, and the philosophy of mind. Cognitive science studies the mind as an information processor, with the computer often operating as a metaphor for the operations of the mind. Developments in the cognitive sciences stand to affect tremendously how we think of the mind and, consequently, how we think of theological and religious claims that concern the human subject. The unity of self, claims of human uniqueness, the relation of mind and body, human nature, and the personal agency of God are all areas of religious import in which the cognitive sciences need to be taken into account.
Burhoe's Second‐Hand Influence
Authors: Cavanaugh Michael
Published: March 2003

Many of us not part of the “old Burhoe gang” are nonetheless deeply influenced by the ideas of Ralph Wendell Burhoe, albeit in indirect ways. This remembrance summarizes six such ways: Three are “procedural” influences, namely (1) that dialogue is most valuable, especially in the science/religion interface, when carried on among those who may not agree; (2) that scholarship is necessary to refine and improve preliminary opinions; and (3) that organizations are crucial to accomplishing the first two tasks. The three “substantive” influences are (4) Burhoe's focus on human values; (5) his work in defining God; and (6) his contribution to defining what it means to be human. As is well known, his emphasis in all three substantive cases was on the power and nuances of biological and social evolution, especially on the dynamics of natural selection.
Fruitful Interchange or Polite Chitchat? The Dialogue Between Science and Theology
Authors: Dembski William A. , Meyer Stephen C.
Published: March 2003

The demand that epistemic support be explicated as rational compulsion has consistently undermined the dialogue between theology and science. Rational compulsion entails too restrictive a form of epistemic support for most scientific theorizing, let alone interdisciplinary dialogue. This essay presents a less restrictive form of epistemic support, explicated not as rational compulsion but as explanatory power. Once this notion of epistemic support is developed, a genuinely productive interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and science becomes possible. This essay closes by sketching how the Big Bang model from cosmology and the Christian doctrine of Creation can be viewed as supporting each other.
Ethical Evolution
Authors: Chaisson Eric J.
Published: March 2003

Two papers on global morality and ethics—by David Loye and Solomon H. Katz—are hereby placed into an evolutionary context. Simply stated though no less true, ethical evolution will likely be the next great evolutionary leap forward into the future—if humankind is to have a future.
Being Religious: Working at Self‐Maintenance and Self‐Transformation
Authors: Goodenough Ward H.
Published: March 2003

We see religion in the things people treat as crucial to what they are and to what they aspire to become, things that make the biggest difference in how people feel about themselves. They may be social aspects or personal (behavioral or characterological) aspects of the self. The things people are militant about, the practices in regard to which they are most scrupulous, and the things about themselves that distress them are indicators of where their religious concerns lie, whatever the subject matter. People work to maintain themselves as they want to see themselves and as they want others to see them; they seek ways to repair damage to their selves. They seek also to transform themselves so as to escape present unhappy definitions of self and to achieve ideal states of being. What needs to be changed may be perceived as aspects of personal self, as attitudes other people have toward otherwise unchangeable aspects of self, or as the entire socio‐political system in which people feel trapped. The process by which people manage successfully to transform themselves includes social cooperation, including the formation of groups to provide mutual reinforcement.
Ralph Burhoe's Evolutionary Theory of Religion
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: March 2003

Ralph Wendell Burhoe's legacy rests on a series of interrelated theories that deal with (1) the emergence of life within physical nature; (2) the symbiosis of genes and cultures in human evolution; (3) the central importance of the brain in this symbiosis; and (4) the function of religion within this evolutionary process to carry the traditions of trans‐kin altruism that make human civilization possible. These theories give rise to a number of issues that are of current importance. Burhoe's stature is enhanced when one considers that these theories were first articulated by him in the 1970s, in reliance upon the work of J. Bronowski, Alfred E. Emerson, and Donald T. Campbell.
Steel Frame Welding Robot Systems and Their Application at the Construction Site
Authors: Nagata Masahiro , Baba Norimitsu , Tachikawa Hiroshi , Shimizu Iwao , Aoki Toshio
Published: March 2003

Two welding robot systems have been developed to rationalize steel–frame construction. Both systems consist essentially of two portable cartesian–coordinate welding robots mounted on a carriage together with their ancillaries. After the robots are mounted on a beam or column by an operator, they measure the groove shape of the joint seam, determine the optimal welding conditions, and carry out welding from the first to the last layer without operator intervention.

An important feature of the column–beam welding system is the curved torch, with which the robot can continuously weld the bottom flange of a beam through a scallop. Since the pantograph of the carriage can extend three floors, up to 12 joints can be welded from one carriage position.

In welding column–column joints, two robots traveling on a circumferential rail installed near the seam of a rectangular hollow section weld the joint in combination. The robots can continuously weld a seam containing corners without weld defects even in joints with a misaligned groove.

Each system has been applied to actual construction sites and has proved effective in stabilizing the quality of welds and in raising welding productivity.
Bridge–Vehicle Interaction in Curved Box Girder Bridges
Authors: Senthilvasan J. , Brameld G. H. , Thambiratnam D. P.
Published: March 2003

Dynamic interaction between a moving vehicle and a bridge is a problem of considerable complexity, and its solution is governed by the dynamic characteristics of both the vehicle and bridge. The finite–element method, which is versatile and powerful, can be used to model the bridge–vehicle interaction and to obtain accurate results. Curved bridges are normally regular in geometry, and it is possible to simplify the conventional finite–element method to obtain fast results. In this paper, the spline finite–strip method of analysis is used along with a horizontally curved folded–plate model of the bridge. The vehicle is modeled as a three–axle tractor trailer combination with seven degrees of freedom.
Analysis of Bridge Condition Rating Data Using Neural Networks
Authors: Cattan Jacques , Mohammadi Jamshid
Published: March 2003

Currently bridges are evaluated using either a visual inspection process or a detailed structural analysis. When bridge evaluation is conducted by a visual inspection, a subjective rating is assigned to a bridge component. With analytical evaluation, the rating is computed based on the load applied and the resistance of the bridge component. There have been several attempts to correlate the subjective rating to the analytical rating. The conventional statistical analyses, as well as methods based on fuzzy logic, have not been very successful in providing a clear relationship between the two rating systems. This paper describes the application of neural network systems in developing the relation between subjective ratings and bridge parameters as well as that between subjective and analytical ratings. It is shown that neural networks can be trained and used successfully in estimating a rating based on bridge parameters. The specific application problem for railroad bridges in the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area is presented. The study showed that a successful training of a network can be achieved, especially if the input data set contains parameters with a diverse combination of intercorrelation coefficients. When the relationship between the bridge subjective rating and bridge parameters was investigated, the network had a prediction rating of about 73%. The study also investigated the relation between the subjective and analytical rating. In this case, the prediction rate was about 43%. Compared with conventional statistical methods and the fuzzy‐logic approach, the neural network system had a much better performance ratio in establishing the relation between the bridge rating and bridge parameters.
Use of Radial Basis Function Type Artificial Neural Networks for Runoff Simulation
Authors: Jayawardena A. W. , Fernando D. Achela K.
Published: March 2003

In this paper, the applicability of the radial basis function (RBF) type artificial neural networks (ANNs) approach for modeling a hydrologic system is investigated. The method differs from the more widely used multilayer perceptron (MLP) approach in that the nonlinearity of the model is embedded only in the hidden layer of the network. Search for optimal model parameters is carried out in two steps, each of which can be made to be more efficient and much faster than in MLP. This approach is applied to simulate runoff discharges in a small catchment. The results show that the models based on RBF networks can predict runoff with accuracy comparable with that with the MLP approach. An added advantage of RBF network‐based models is that they can be developed with relative ease and with much less time compared with their MLP counterparts.
An Automated Modeling System for Simulating Earthmoving Operations
Authors: Shi Jingsheng , AbouRizk Simaan S.
Published: March 2003

Resource‐based modeling (RBM) is a general methodology for automating the modeling process of construction simulation. This paper substantiates the RBM concepts and develops an automated modeling system for simulating earthmoving operations (RBM‐earth). Focusing on the properties involved in earthmoving operations, an atomic model library consisting of eight basic atomic models, an equipment database, miscellaneous linking structures, and the user interface have been developed in RBM‐earth. While using RBM‐earth to construct a simulation model, the user only needs to select required equipment and to specify project information for the operation. The information will be incorporated automatically into atomic models to generate project‐specific atomic models that are then assembled into a working model for the project. The model can be directly experimented by using SLAMSYSTEM. The biggest advantage of RBM‐earth is that a flexible project‐specific simulation model can be generated in a very little time without requiring the user to be proficient in simulation, as required by many current modeling systems. Therefore, simulation can be made an applicable tool for construction practitioners.
Parallel‐Vector Algorithm for Optimization of Large Steel Structures on a Shared‐Memory Machine
Authors: Soegiarso R. , Adeli Hojjat
Published: March 2003

An efficient parallel‐vector algorithm is presented for optimization of large‐space steel structures subjected to realistic code‐specified constraints and multiple‐loading conditions. The algorithm has been used for minimum‐weight design of several high‐rise building structures, including an 81‐story building structure with 9245 members. It is shown that both parallel processing and vectorization performance improve with the increase in size of the structure. For the largest 81‐story structure, speedups of 6.58 and 17.8 are achieved due to parallel processing (using eight processors) and vectorization, respectively. When vectorization is combined with parallel processing, a high speedup of 99.2 is achieved.
Inverse Analysis of Aesthetic Evaluation of Planted Concrete Structures by Neural Networks
Authors: Chikata Yasuo , Yasuda Noboru , Matsushima Manabu , Kobori Tameo
Published: March 2003

Scenery evaluation depends on the evaluator's experiences or perceptions. Thus inverse analysis by neural networks of scenery evaluation of planted concrete structures (concrete retaining walls) was examined in this study. In addition, in order to identify the evaluation schemes of evaluators, sensitivity analysis was performed on the obtained neural network structure. The efficacy of neural network inverse analysis and genetic algorithm analysis using fuzzy‐set theory in reproduction of the same scenery evaluation questionnaire's results also was compared.
Using Case‐Based Reasoning to Predict the Outcome of Construction Litigation
Authors: David Arditi  , Tokdemir Onur Behzat
Published: March 2003

Due to the nature of the construction industry, disputes arise frequently. Resolving these disputes through the court system is both a time‐ and cost‐consuming process. The outcome of construction litigation is normally affected by a large number of complex and interrelated factors and therefore is very difficult to predict. Methods to predict the outcome of construction litigation are not available today because this decision carries very big risks. In this study, case‐based reasoning (CBR) is used to predict the outcome of construction litigation tried in Illinois circuit courts. These circuit court cases are organized in 43 input features and 1 output feature. If CBR systems such as the one developed in this study (prediction rate 83%) are available to the parties before they litigate, legal expenses could be avoided, and considerable time could be saved.
A Multiobjective and Stochastic System for Building Maintenance Management
Authors: Lounis Z. , Vanier D. J.
Published: March 2003

Building maintenance management involves decision making under multiple objectives and uncertainty, in addition to budgetary constraints. This article presents the development of a multiobjective and stochastic optimization system for maintenance management of roofing systems that integrates stochastic condition‐assessment and performance‐prediction models with a multiobjective optimization approach. The maintenance optimization includes determination of the optimal allocation of funds and prioritization of roofs for maintenance, repair, and replacement that simultaneously satisfy the following conflicting objectives: (1) minimization of maintenance and repair costs, (2) maximization of network performance, and (3) minimization of risk of failure. A product model of the roof system is used to provide the data framework for collecting and processing data. Compromise programming is used to solve this multiobjective optimization problem and provides building managers an effective decision support system that identifies the optimal projects for repair and replacement while it achieves a satisfactory tradeoff between the conflicting objectives.
Assessing Earth‐Moving Operation Capacity by Neural Network‐Based Simulation with Physical Factors
Authors: Chao Li‐Chung
Published: March 2003

The traditional deterministic method for estimating the production capacity of an earth‐moving operation assumes constant midpoint physical job conditions. In contrast generic simulation models use input of task times without linking production directly to physical factors. This paper presents a microlevel simulation approach, based on thorough evaluation of the effects of changing physical conditions on task times and production, and uses a typical excavation and hauling operation for illustration. Trained neural networks are employed as the computing mechanism for determining equipment cycle times and optimizing the work zone of the excavator. The obtained times are fed directly into a simulation process to establish the cumulative production rate as the achievable operation capacity. Object‐oriented programming is suggested for implementing the solution procedures. The results for two models of excavators in various job conditions are compared with the deterministic estimates.
A Comparison of Eligibility Criteria and Their Impact on Minority Representation in LD Programs
Authors: Colarusso Ronald P. , Keel Marie C. , Dangel Harry L.
Published: March 2003

The purpose of this study was to determine if the application of a regression equation to a standard score formula or the use of two different low‐achievement cut‐off criteria would equalize the proportion of white to African‐American students made eligible for learning disabilities and to determine the possible effects of other aspects of the eligibility process. The authors reviewed 6,036 LD eligibility reports from 137 school systems that represent 88% of the Georgia student population. The results indicate that the regression equation and the two low‐achievement cut‐off criteria significantly increase the number of both white and African‐American students who would be eligible for LD when compared to the standard score formula only. However, none of these alternative criteria was successful in equalizing the proportion of white to African‐American students. The authors examine the issues of disproportionate referral of students, the use of IQ‐achievement discrepancy criteria, and the question of how students with low IQs will be served.
Taxing Market Power
Authors: Gabszewicz Jean J. , Grazzini Lisa
Published: March 2003

We investigate the effectiveness of tax and transfer policies in correcting market distortions when the economy is imperfectly competitive. We perform this analysis in the context of an exchange model representing bilateral oligopoly situations, which constitute particular examples of Shapley–Shubik strategic market games.
The Dynamic Effects of Social Security on Individual Consumption, Wealth and Welfare
Authors: Leung Siu Fai
Published: March 2003

This paper presents a theoretical investigation of the dynamic effects of social security on individual consumption, wealth and welfare. The framework of analysis is Yaari’s (1965) life–cycle model of saving with uncertain lifetime and borrowing constraint. A simple uniform social security system as well as an actuarially fair and fully funded social security system is considered. The presence of terminal wealth depletion is shown to play a pivotal role not only in the derivation of the results but also in the outcome of the analysis.
Eschatology, Anthropology and Postmodernity
Authors: Webster John
Published: March 2003

Christian theology, and thus theological anthropology, is responsible to the gospel announced in holy scripture. It is therefore responsible in the current postmodern context, but is not responsible to that context. A genuinely theological Christian anthropology and eschatology must be articulated in the face of the postmodern hostility toward teleological renderings of history and the postmodern dissolution of the self. What is required is an eschatology that is properly christocentric, promissory, and prayerful, and an anthropology that is informed by such an eschatology. A proper articulation of these doctrines provides an account of good, true human action within the space between the first and second advents of Jesus.