Young families migrating to non‐metropolitan areas: Are they at increased risk of social exclusion?

Over the past three decades, thousands of young families have moved from large cities to non‐metropolitan areas of Australia. Various policies, particularly housing policies, have played a significant role in this trend. Despite the various impetuses towards relocation, little is known about how young families fare once they have relocated to non‐metropolitan areas. In this paper we draw on a study about families relocating to three distinct non‐metropolitan areas. From our qualitative analysis of the observations of service providers in education, health, and community support services, we present a model of how relocation to non‐metropolitan areas can contribute to the increased vulnerability of some young families to social exclusion. We discuss some ways in which policy makers can intervene to reduce this risk for young families at each phase of the relocation process.     

Shape analysis for automated sulcal classification and parcellation of MRI data

We describe geometric invariants that characterize the shape of curves and surfaces in 3D space: curvature, Gauss integrals and moments. We apply these invariants to neuroimaging data to determine if they have application for automatically classifying and parcellating cortical data. The curves of sulci and gyri on the cortical surface can be obtained by reconstructing cortical surface representations of the human brain from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. We reconstructed gray matter surfaces for 15 subjects, traced 10 sulcal curves on each surface and computed geometric invariants for each curve. These geometric features were used classify the curves into sulcal and hemispheric classes. The best classification results were obtained when moment-based features were computed on the sulcal curves in native space. Gauss integral measures showed that they were useful for differentiating the hemispheric location of a single sulcus. These promising results may indicate that moment invariants are useful for characterizing shape on a global scale. Gauss integral invariants are potentially useful measures for characterizing cortical shape on a local, rather than global scale. Gauss integrals have found biological significance in characterizing proteins so it is worthwhile to consider their possible application to neuroscientific data.     

Texts,Bodies, and the Memory of Bloody Sunday

We examine here recent arguments that embodied experience is an important site of collective memory, and related challenges to the standard emphasis on discourse and symbols in collective memory research. We argue that although theories of embodied memory offer new insights, they are limited by (1) an overdrawn distinction between embodied memory and textual memory that neglects the complex relations between the two, (2) an overemphasis on ritual performance at the expense of collective conversation, (3) an oversimplified view of performativity, and (4) an underestimation of the ambiguity in embodied performance. Theories of embodied collective memory should be narrowed and specified with focused comparisons examining the influence of embodied experience in the formation of collective identities, in conflicts over collective memories, and in the persistence and malleability of memories across generations. We illustrate our argument throughout with examples drawn from the collective memory of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in 1972.     

‘Something to Deal With’: Customer Sexual Harassment and Women's Retail Service Work in Canada

While sexual harassment in the workplace has been extensively researched over the past two decades, the majority of studies have focused on employer–employee or co-worker relationships. In contrast, the issue of ‘customer sexual harassment’ (i.e. the sexual harassment of employees by customers) has been less explicitly explored. This paper examines customer sexual harassment in the Canadian context, drawing on a study of 63 female retail service workers and 20 security workers. It focuses on the nature, prevalence, and consequences of this form of harassment for women who work in various jobs in retail sales (e.g. flower shops, book shops). Findings from the study suggest that customer sexual harassment is a significant problem. Not only have a majority of women been sexually harassed by customers in their current job, but they appear to be highly constrained in dealing with such behaviour. To the extent that the work environment privileges the customer, through its emphasis on customer satisfaction, women are reluctant to confront harassers and may engage in behaviours (e.g. avoiding male customers, being less friendly) which potentially impact their performance on the job. The paper examines the dilemmas facing female workers and the policy issues raised.