Showing papers by "John Wilson published in 1992"

Length-slope factors for the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation: simplified method of estimation

Abstract: The combined length-slope (LS) factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is u measure of the sediment transport capacity of9 overland flow. A dimensionless sediment transport capacity index that is a non-linear function of specific discharge and slope was derived by considering the transport capacity limiting sediment flux in the Hairsine-Rose, WPP, and catchment evolution erosion theories. For a two-dimensional hillslope, the index is equivalent to the combined LS factors in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), but it is simpler to use arid conceptually easier to understand. A major advantage of the index is that it can be easily extended to three dimensional terrain.

Cleaning up the Game: Perspectives on the Evolution of Professional Sports

Abstract: This essay considers the grounds for claiming that figurational sociology provides a distinctive and innovative perspective on sport. After a brief review of the general theory of societal development formulated by Norbert Elias, the relation of that theory to those formulated by Marx and Durkheim is described. I argue that there is much of Marx in the figurational account of societal development. However, there is much more of Durkheim, a fact I seek to demonstrate by examining the concept of ‘interdependency’ and its relation to the evolution of codes of conduct. I then describe a competing theory of the history of manners which, I believe, provides a more accurate picture of the civilizing process, at least as it is found in the United States today. This competing theory attaches more significance than does figurational sociology to the peculiar ‘logic’ of capitalism. The increasing regulation of play, I contend, does not so much represent the permeation of courtly values as the imposition of a rationality upon play such as to make it amenable to commodification. Codes of conduct are thus interpretable as a means of imposing order upon activities and thus excluding from those activities elements of conduct which would disturb exchange relations. These elements include communal and democratic impulses. To explore these themes I examine the rise of the ‘commissioner system’ in American team sports.

The Contrasting Effects of Social, Organizational, and Economic Variables on Farm Production:

Abstract: This article draws on the intellectual traditions of industrial sociology to argue that social organizational variables as well as economic inputs affect production. Using a sample of 683 North Carolina farms, varying in size from 50 acres or fewer to more than 4,500 acres, the study found that the social organization of production and the occupational community of farming significantly affect production, net of the influences of agricultural resources, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the farm operators. Participation in the occupational community and having a production organization that is family based, with relatively high variation across status groups in task performance, have substantial payoff in farm sales. Resources prove to be more important for the productiveness of small farms, whereas social organizational influences are more significant for medium to large farms, suggesting that farms must achieve a minimum scale of operations for social organizational variables to be most effective.