bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
When Systems are Overthrown
Authors: Winskel Mark 
Published: March 2007

The privatization of the British electricity supply industry (ESI) in the late 1980s and early 1990s was associated with a transformation in electricity generation technology. In a sudden and unexpected `dash for gas', previously unused combined cycle gas turbine plant was adopted for all new large power stations. Gas turbine technology, politically and institutionally excluded from the industry before privatization, gained ascendancy due to the coincidence and interaction of ESI liberalization with lower fuel prices and greater availability, improved turbine performance, pollution abatement legislation, and the manifestation of institutional tensions accumulated under nationalization. An earlier paper found that the demise of established generation technology, particularly the British nuclear power programme, exposed the inadequacies of autonomistic and deterministic notions of technological change. The present paper considers the value of a more subtle framework - Hughes' sociotechnical systems model - for analysing the rise of gas turbines in the British ESI. The systems perspective enables the dash for gas to be understood, rather than as a result of technical and economic imperatives, or structural and regulatory reform, as a contingent and largely unplanned outcome of the interplay of previously excluded international forces with latent local interests, mediated by policymaking expediency. Liberalization swiftly led to the replacement of centralized system building with fragmented `postmodern' change.
Parole Decisionmaking: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Metchik Eric 
Published: March 2007

The research literature on parole decisionmaking contains numerous inconsistencies across studies concerning the relative influence of legal, institutional and socioeconomic background variables on board members' actions. In part, this can be traced to methodological differences in defining and conceptualizing the variables, especially the dependent (outcome) measures. More recently, however, several studies highlighted the importance of parole board members' decision goals as a factor mediating information use. This paper proposes that the sentencing structure and the amount of discretion it affords decisionmakers may have a profound influence on both decision goals and data selection. The first section reviews the literature in terms of aframework emphasizing two main goals: retributive evaluations of present offense severity and risk predictive assessments of post-release behavior. The results are next presentedfrom an empirical study that contrasted two systems (in Israel and a northeastern American state) which differed greatly in their sentencing structures and the amount of discretion exercised by parole decisionmakers. The findings confirmed selective emphases on retributive evaluations in the jurisdiction with wide discretion and risk assessment in the jurisdiction of constricted discretion. In the final section, the implications of these results are discussed, especially concerning the design of bail, sentencing and parole guidelines that attempt to combine retributive and risk assessment elements.
The Good Old Days: Extracts from Early Issues
Authors: Strich Sabina J. 
Published: March 2007

Many months ago I volunteered to select some material from the early volumes of Group Analysis, then called GAIPAC (Group Analysis, International Panel and Correspondence). A hopeless task! The contributions are rich and varied, ranging from letters with responses, to lively and informative (and sometimes very funny) reports of meetings, to papers rich in experimental ideas and clinical material, to more or less polished papers. The book reviews are also illuminating. Because of the informal format, the personalities of the writers often come through in a touching way. Correspondents, worldwide, commented on each other's contributions, and there are many remarks by S. H. Foulkes among others. I hope the snippets which I finally selected will encourage people to go back to the early issues of the journal. Now that we have a Cumulative Index `goal-directed' browsing is also possible. There are several contributions by Martin Grotjahn who obviously read every issue word for word and whose short essays reflected the concerns of contributors. Most items are reproduced in their entirety; any cuts are marked by ellipses.
Refraction Caustics Measuring the Extent of the Mesophase Layers in Fibrous Composites
Authors: Theocaris P.S. 
Published: March 2007

Detection and measurement of sub-micron boundary layers developed between phases in composites was achieved by using the method of caustics. These singular curves were detected on a reference screen receiving the refracted rays of a parallel-light beam at these boundary layers, which were recognized as possessing slightly different values of their re fractive indices due to constraints between phases. Utilizing the theory of formation of caustics for substances with constant refractive in dices, but arbitrary and smooth boundary surfaces, the direct and inverse affinities be tween caustics and the refracting surfaces were established. This theory was applied to the inverse problem of defining from the caustic the zone of variation of the refractive surface at the interfaces between main phases of composites. In this way the extent of the mesophase in a fiber composite may be accurately established. Experimental evidence is in agreement with existing theories of the existence and extent of mesophases.
Alzheimer's Disease: Caregivers' Perceptions of Burden
Authors: Jenkins Terry S. , Parham Iris A. , Jenkins Larry R. 
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine factors contributing to the burden of primary caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease patients. Burden was measured by the Burden Interview while the patient's level of functioning was rated by caregivers on the Symptom Questionnaire and the Dementia Rating Scale. In addition, the relationship between burden and a number of other relevant variables including stress responses, help orientation, social support, and predisease caregiver-patient relationship was assessed. The cross-sectional analyses suggest that burden is uncorrelated overall with level of dementia. However, there are significant differences in level of burden reported by respondents caring for patients in varying stages of the disease. While burden was found to be negatively correlated with the predisease caregiver-patient relationship, burden was positively correlated with stress response and support group impact. Finally, no relationship between burden and help orientation was found. The retest analysis was based upon data collected from subjects retested nine months following the original testing. As predicted, level of dementia, burden, and support group attendance exhibited significant increases. Additionally, caregivers reported a decrease in help beliefs consistent with the medical model. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Ethos Versus Persona
Authors: CHERRY ROGER D. 
Published: March 2007

Commentary: When “Ethos Versus Persona” was published in 1988, I was aware that these constructs easily transcend their ancient roots and that their richness and complexity have wide-ranging implications for contemporary rhetorical analysis and criticism. But I had no idea I was exploring concepts that would prove useful a decade later in understanding the political and legal travails of President Bill Clinton. As of this writing (March 1998), the president of the United States is caught in a firestorm of controversy surrounding alleged sexual improprieties and possible illegal acts (perjury, subornation of perjury, obstruction of justice). The national media are operating at a fever pitch to supply instantaneous information and analysis. And the American public, even if they might want to, cannot escape the deluge. By all accounts, the president's approval ratings should be sinking like a rock. Yet commentators from all sides of the political spectrum are astounded that his ratings have soared to an all-time high. At the heart of this conundrum is the question of character and how audiences (or readers or voters) judge character. High-minded conservative pundits such as George Will are railing that this presidency has become so tawdry that, for the sake of national integrity, it must be terminated. Mr. Will apparently subscribes to the (decidedly modernist) theory that a person must not just seem good but be good in order to be credible. But do the approval ratings suggest that the American people have adopted the more postmodern (but also ancient amoral) view that politics is not just about appearances - it is appearances? Maybe. Or has the public - perhaps subscribing to Will's ontology after all - concluded that the taciturn special prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, has employed questionable tactics in obtaining evidence and that, by comparison, the president's character does not seem so bad after all? Regardless of what theories may or may not be reflected in public opinion polls, have the president and his handlers been successful (thus far) in maintaining his image as a credible figure? Or is it just the economy, stupid? “Ethos Versus Persona” does not provide answers to these questions, of course. But it might yield some interesting ways to think about rhetoric and presidential politics as we close out the century. In any event, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Washington and its players for a months-long morality play enacting the tensions that energize ethos and that become even more apparent in any juxtaposition of ethos and persona. I could not have written a better or more timely script myself.
Recounting Transition
Authors: Poznanski Kazimierz Z. 
Published: March 2007

A wide range of questionable or at least ambivalent human tendencies has suddenly been liberated as it were from the straight jacket and given free rein at last. Thus, we are witnesses to a bizarre state of affairs, society has freed itself, true, but in some ways it behaves worse than when it was in chains. Václav Havel
Environmental Effect on the Water Absorption and Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Reinforced PPS and PEEK Composites
Authors: Ma Chen-Chi M. , Yur Shih-Wen 
Published: March 2007

Research has been conducted to investigate the water absorption in carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (PEEK/C.F.) and polyphenylene sulfide compos ites (PPS/C.F.). Effect of humidity and temperature on tensile, flexural and impact strength of these composites was also studied. Results indicated that the waters absorbed in PPS/C. F. and PEEK/C. F. are 0.059 wt% and 0.138 wt% respectively. The diffusion process is a classical Fickian diffusion in the temperature region investigated. The activation energies of diffusion are 667 cal/g-mole (for PPS/C.F.) and 8934 cal/g-mole (for PEEK/C.F.). The retention of mechanical properties of these composites is very good under hot-wet condition. These composites materials can be served as high performance materials even in the hostile environment. PEEK/C.F. composites show excellent mechanical properties retention even at 80°C and 75% R.H.
8. Self-Interest and Environmental Management
Authors: Oye Kenneth A. , Maxwell James H. 
Published: March 2007

Based upon an empirical analysis of environmental cases, we argue that regulations work most effectively when they confer tangible benefits on the regulated. In what could be termed Stiglerian situations, the convergence of self-interest and the public's desire to improve the environment occurs almost naturally. Because those who are regulated lobby for and benefit from regulation and the costs are widely dispersed, these situations tend to be characterized by regulatory stability. In what could be termed Olsonian situations, regulatory benefits are diffused across the many, while regulatory costs are concentrated on the few. In these situations the relatively few clear losers will tend to mobilize against regulation with greater effectiveness than the many weakly motivated beneficiaries, resulting in a high degree of regulatory instability. Compensation can be used in Olsonian situations to create incentives that approximate those that occur naturally in Stiglerian situations.
Accusations and Defences in Courtroom Interaction
Authors: Komter Martha L. 
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the management of accusations and defences, and the interplay between legal requirements and everyday conversational mechanisms in Dutch courtroom interaction. Two kinds of accusations are distinguished: those brought forward by the public prosecutor in the official charges, and those that are implied in the questions of the judges. The official charges foreclose or anticipate a number of possible defences, although defendants do not have the opportunity to respond immediately. The blame implied in the judges' questions generate various kinds of defences, depending on whether the questions are oriented to facts or to morals. The judges' factual questions generate partial admissions or qualified versions, by which defendants tone down or disguise the more harmful elements of the alleged offence. Questions asking for a moral evaluation are followed by moral affirmation of the defendants, after which they try to mitigate their moral responsibility by way of excuses and justifications. The excuses and justifications brought forward by the defendants can be seen as everyday versions of legal grounds for immunity.
A Place Called Padania?
Authors: Giordano Benito 
Published: March 2007

In the 1990s, the debates about the resurgence of political regionalism in Europe have become particularly prevalent. One reason for this has been the fact that, in several European countries, regionalist political parties have made significant electoral gains in recent years. This paper focuses upon Italy, which is one of the countries in which there has been a significant resurgence of regionalism over the last ten years or so. Political regionalism is not a new phenomenon in Italy and there have been a number of examples of regionalist political parties during the history of the Italian Republic. However, it is the rise to political prominence of the Northern League (Lega Nord) (LN) political party in Italian politics which has brought to the fore questions about Italian national unity and identity. The party has articulated a new and politically more contentious ‘Northern question’, which is superimposed upon the longstanding ‘Southern question’ in Italy. The fundamental political aim of the LN is the protection of Northern Italian economic and cultural interests and in order to do this the party proposed the creation of a federal Italian state, which would give greater autonomy to the North of Italy. More recently, however, the party has rejected its federalist rhetoric in favour of the hard-line discourse of secession of a place it calls ‘Padania’ (which roughly corresponds to Northern and Central Italy). The party claims to represent the whole of the ‘Padanian nation’, but the geography of the party’s support is not uniform across the whole of the territory. This paper explores the ways in which the LN has communicated its main political discourses and then considers the reasons why these discourses have generated differing levels of support in three contrasting geographical contexts across Northern and Central Italy.
HIV/AIDS and Sexually-transmitted Infections in Thailand: Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead
Authors: Chitwarakorn Anupong 
Published: March 2007

Thailand has been able to reduce the potential impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic with concerted and exemplary efforts. The annual number of new HIV infections in the year 2001 was 25,790, compared to 142,819 in 1991. The key factors that contributed to the success of the HIV/ AIDS programmes include effective political and financial commitment at the highest level, multi- sectoral involvement, systemic epidemiological surveillance, social and behavioral research, and the institution of result-oriented interventions. Despite this progress, the country must continue to improve the prevention efforts to further reduce the incidence and alleviate the impact of the burden of those persons living with HIV/ AIDS. Some challenges are to maintain and strengthen national STD prevention and control programme, to initiate and strengthen effective prevention programme among injecting drug users, to ensure increase theaccess to medical care for HIV/AIDS patients includingAR Vdrugs, and to expand multi-sectoral partnership in the design, implementation and evaluation of HIV/ AIDS-related policies and programmes to promote research.
Testing for Time-variation in Beta in India
Authors: Moonis Syed Abuzar , Shah Ajay 
Published: March 2007

The beta of a stock is important in a variety of contexts, ranging from the cost of capital, asset-pricing theory, to hedging using index derivatives. It is common to measure betas by estimating the market model using straight ordinary least square (OLS) regression in obtaining beta estimates. This assumes that betas are constant, despite strong economic arguments in favour of time-varying betas. In this article, we test for time-varying betas in the context of a market model with Generalised Auto Regressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (GARCH) errors, using the modified Kalman filter of Harvey et al. (1992). The null of beta constancy is rejected for 52 per cent of stocks. This has significant implications for portfolio diversification and hedging.
SUBJECTIVE RATIONALITY OF INITIATORS AND OF THRESHOLD-THEORETICAL BEHAVIOR OF FOLLOWERS IN COLLECTIVE ACTION
Authors: Yamaguchi Kazuo 
Published: March 2007

This article brings a rational-choice perspective to bear on (1) some utility characteristics of people who initiate collective action and (2) reasons why such initiators' actions induce followers who appear to act according to the threshold theory described by Granovetter. This article also identifies certain personality/psychological factors and their interactions with individual costs/benefits of alternative choices that determine (1) the relative utility of taking Action versus Non-action and (2) individual thresholds of choosing Action. Among personality/psychological factors, this article examines the effect of uncertainty preference, susceptibility to rumor or prophecy, and personal efficacy. Certain parametric non-expected utility models and a binary choice model are used to accommodate those factors into a rational-choice framework. Three examples, including two situations of collective action, are discussed. One is a case of Mertonian self-fulfilling prophecy where the initially groundless rumor of a bank's insolvency causes bankruptcy. The second is a case of participation in a risky social/political movement. As a third example, the famous Allais paradox is revisited to show how the parametric non-expected utility models employed provide a rational explanation for this empirically observed paradox.
Pascal's Wager and the Limits of Rational Choice
Authors: Montgomery James D. 
Published: March 2007

The Forum consists of comments on previously published papers and responses by authors. Unlike the Comment section in many other academic journals, the Forum includes solicited as well as unsolicited contributions. We encourage debates by actively seeking points of view contrary to those expressed in articles published in the journal. The Forum is intended to promote an open and critical debate that contributes to the intellectual vitality and further development of rational-choice-based theory and research. Forum contributions should follow the form used by Rationality and Society and should not exceed five double-spaced pages.
Concurrent Engineering: Enabling Traceability and Mutual Understanding
Authors: Pohl Klaus , Jacobs Stephan 
Published: March 2007

Concurrent engineering requires the cooperation of people coming from different phases of the engineering process. Traceability between the different views (products), which exist in such cross-functional teams, is essential for enabling mutual understanding. Moreover, the different views must be related to each other and must be presented in a suitable way to support finding and resolving of inconsistencies, conflicts, and different opportunities. We have developed and implemented a concurrent engineering environment, called PRO-ART, which is based on four main ideas:• record, use, and maintain the various products using formal product models;• capture the relationships between the products detected during process performance;• present the relations based on the ideas of the House of Quality (Co Decide);• provide a computer based environment, which hides the formal models and automates the recording of products and their interrelations.The recording and situated retrieval of the information is enabled by a deductive and object oriented repository.
A Procedure for Determining the Thermal Diffusivity of Materials
Authors: Stephenson D.G. 
Published: March 2007

The thermal diffusivity of a solid material can be determined using pairs of identi cal specimens prepared for a thermal conductivity determination in a Guarded Hot Plate apparatus (ASTM C-177). Specimens are placed one on top of the other with a temperature sensor between them, and the pair is placed between the heat-sink plates of a Guarded Hot Plate apparatus. The temperature of these plates is varied at a constant rate. The thermal conductivity, specific heat and density of the material are assumed to be constant over the range of temperature used for the test. For a pair of granite slabs, at a mean temperature of 8°C, the thermal diffusivity is 8.49 × 10-7 m2/s ± 0.02 × 10-7 m2/s.
Variations in Airtightness of Houses Constructed with Polyethylene and ADA Air Barrier Systems Over a Three-Year Period
Authors: Proskiw G. , Eng P. 
Published: March 2007

Periodic airtightness tests were carried out on twenty-four new houses over a three-year period to evaluate their air barrier systems and to search for evidence of air barrier degradation. Ten of the houses were constructed with polyeth ylene air barriers while the remaining fourteen used an early version of the Airtight Drywall Approach (ADA). The twenty-four project houses were architecturally sim ilar and of approximately equal size and general layout; stucco was the predominate exterior wall finish. All were exposed to similar terrain shielding. The study found that the airtightness of the polyethylene air barrier houses re mained stable over their respective monitoring periods. Two of the ten houses dem onstrated possible, albeit slight, evidence of airtightness degradation, however, the magnitude of these changes was small and judged to not be of practical significance. For example, all but one of the polyethylene houses met the airtightness requirements of the Canadian R-2000 Standard for energy efficient housing at the end of their monitoring periods. With respect to the critical issue of air barrier degradation, no evidence was found to indicate that polyethylene is unsuitable for use as an air barrier material in residential construction. The airtightness of the fourteen ADA houses also remained stable over the moni toring period. Six of the fourteen houses displayed possible, but once again slight, evidence of airtightness degradation, however, the magnitude of the changes was also small and not of practical significance. All fourteen ADA houses met the airtightness requirements of the R-2000 Program at the end of their respective monitoring periods. It was concluded that no evidence could be found to indicate that the ADA system is unsuitable for use in residential construction.