The Other Side of the Subsidized Muse: Indirect Aid Revisited

Indirect aid to the arts is an area of state support in which there has been considerable recent innovation and experimentation. This paper focuses on examples of tax-based indirect aid schemes drawn from a wide variety of national contexts and tax regimes. These examples are considered in the light of six propositions about the applicability and desirability of tax-based indirect aid mechanisms. Finally, these observations are set in the context of the broader discussion concerning the primary and ancillary functions of tax law. The paper concludes with a plea for a more coordinated approach to the study of tax-based incentives to facilitate further comparative research and suggests which research questions might be of most interest.     

The end-state comfort effect in bimanual grip selection

During a unimanual grip selection task in which people pick up a lightweight dowel and place one end against targets at variable heights, the choice of hand grip (overhand vs. underhand) typically depends on the perception of how comfortable the arm will be at the end of the movement: an end-state comfort effect. The two experiments reported here extend this work to bimanual tasks. In each experiment, 26 right-handed participants used their left and right hands to simultaneously pick up two wooden dowels and place either the right or left end against a series of 14 targets ranging from 14 to 210 cm above the floor. These tasks were performed in systematic ascending and descending orders in Experiment 1 and in random order in Expiment 2. Results were generally consistent with predictions of end-state comfort in that, for the extreme highest and lowest targets, participants tended to select opposite grips with each hand. Taken together, our findings are consistent with the concept of constraint hierarchies within a posture-based motion-planning model.     

Indirect estimation of cable tension during gymnastic movements on rings

Knowledge of external forces acting on an athlete is often required to study performance and injury mechanisms, but direct measurements are difficult to obtain. While transducers in the rings cables typically measure external forces experienced by gymnasts performing static balances and swinging movements on rings, this solution is not always acceptable and an accurate technique that does not hinder the gymnasts’ performances is desirable. This study evaluates a video-based technique for estimating cable tension on the rings apparatus. Static loading of a rings frame coupled with a planar video analysis of the mandatory damped elastic devices (DEDs) provided a tension-deflection calibration curve. Three-dimensional video and cable tension data were obtained for two male gymnasts performing static balances and dynamic swinging movements. Cable tension was measured using a force link while a planar video analysis determined time histories of the DED deflections. Combined cable tension time histories were estimated fromrelative DED deflections coupled with the tension-deflection calibration curve and the orientation of the rings cables, and were compared to measured values to evaluate the proposed technique. For static balances the RMS difference between measured and estimated combined cable tension was 83 N. For dynamic swinging movements the maximum RMS difference was 189 N, equivalent to a 4% difference when expressed as a percentage of the peak value. The indirect video-based technique developed in this study accurately estimates combined cable tension throughout movements on rings and may be considered for studies where a remote measurement is required. There is potential for the technique to be extended to other sporting situations, where indirect accurate estimates of external forces acting on an athlete are needed.     

The Maine electronic document delivery project: a cooperative project of Maine hospital libraries and the NN/LM New England Region

The article discusses an Ariel document delivery project with seven Maine hospital libraries, the University of Massachusetts Medical School Library (UMass), and the New England Regional office of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Funding was awarded to six network members to purchase equipment or Ariel software. UMass served as a document provider. During the test, libraries received documents from UMass via Ariel or via the Web as a PDF document. This form of document delivery was faster than standard service with better quality of delivered articles. The column describes the project and outlines possible future steps.     

Pre-competition imagery,self-efficacy and performance in collegiate golfers

In this study, we examined the relationships between self-efficacy, pre-competition imagery use and performance. A modified version of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire was used to assess both the motivational and cognitive functions of imagery used by 51 varsity golfers during the hour before a Provincial University Golf Championship. In line with Martin and co-workers' model of imagery use in sport, we hypothesized that self-efficacy would be positively related to motivational general-mastery imagery use and motivational general-mastery imagery use would be predictive of golf performance. Also, consistent with theorizing by Bandura, we hypothesized that self-efficacy would predict golf performance, but that the relationship between self-efficacy and performance would be mediated by imagery use. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that pre-competition motivational general-mastery imagery accounted for significant variance in both self-efficacy (adjusted R2 = 0.26, P < 0.01) and performance (adjusted R2 = 0.31, P < 0.01). The results also indicated that self-efficacy was predictive of golf performance and that motivational general-mastery imagery use mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and performance. The results are discussed in relation to athletes' pre-competition preparation and intervention.     

Gaze pursuit and arm control of adolescent males diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and normal controls: evidence of a dissociation in processing visual information of short and long duration

Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of line of gaze, arm and ball was used to describe the visual and motor behaviour of male adolescents diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The ADHD participants were tested when both on (ADHD-On) and off (ADHD-Off) their medication and compared to age-matched normal controls in a modified table tennis task that required tracking the ball and hitting to cued right and left targets. Long-duration information was provided by a pre-cue, in which the target was illuminated approximately 2 s before the serve, and short-duration information by an early-cue illuminated about 350 ms after the serve, leaving approximately 500 ms to select the target and perform the action. The ADHD groups differed significantly from the control group in both the pre-cue and early-cue conditions in being less accurate, in having a later onset and duration of pursuit tracking, and a higher frequency of gaze on and off the ball. The use of medication significantly reduced the gaze frequency of the ADHD participants, but surprisingly this did not lead to an increase in pursuit tracking, suggesting a barrier was reached beyond which ball flight information could not be processed. The control and ADHD groups did not differ in arm movement onset, duration and velocity in the short-duration early-cue condition; in the long-duration pre-cue condition, however, the ADHD group's movement time onset and arm velocity differed significantly from controls. The results show that the ADHD groups were able to process short-duration information without experiencing adverse effects on their motor behaviour; however, long-duration information contributed to irregular movement control.     

Choosing a publishing partner: advice for societies and associations

For societies and associations seeking a publishing partner, the healthy competition between publishers means that the deals on offer have never been better. The problem for the society is distinguishing a good short‐term deal (say, an attractive financial offer) from the partnership that will actually be in the better long‐term interests of the journal. This article, based on the author's experience as a publisher‐turned‐consultant advising societies, offers a framework for selecting a partner based on a careful analysis of what the society needs from its publisher in the long term. Underlying the performance of the best publisher partners are a good understanding of the needs of societies and their journals; a strong service orientation; and an ability to plan strategically for each journal on the basis of facts and data.     

Within-class analysis of ninth-grade science students' perceptions of the learning environment

This study examined perceptions of the learning environment among different subgroups of students within science classes. The purpose was to identify variables that can promote effective science learning environments for all students. Specifically, comparisons were made between the perceptions of male and female students and of black and white students within the same classes. In addition, perceptions of the learning environment were compared for students in classes taught by male and female teachers as well as black and white teachers. A diverse sample of over 1800 ninth-grade science students who attended 13 different high schools across the country participated in this study. Results indicated there were differences between subgroups of students in the same classes concerning perceptions of involvement and difficulty of the class. The implications of these results for science teaching are discussed, as well as recommendations for future science learning environment research. J Res Sci Teach 34: 791–804, 1997.