Gender diversity among ‘boys’ in Papua New Guinea: Memories of sameness and difference in early childhood

Childhood is a time when children begin to constitute themselves as gendered subjects largely according to social norms that are rigidly framed within dominant discourses of heteronormative binary gender. This paper is based on the life histories of 42 sexuality and gender diverse adult men and transgender women conducted in PNG. Findings offer insight into the ways in which boys transgressed gender norms through dress, play, work within the home and in dance. We argue that gender transgression in childhood is not a contemporary phenomena and such childhood experiences of boys in PNG should be recognised as part of the country's rich cultural diversity.     

Time,housework, and the rest of life

Although time envelops all human activities, only now are social scientists giving attention to this variable. Analysis of how American people spent their time in 1965, 1975, and 1985 from national time-diary studies suggests several current beliefs and conclusions that appear misguided or unsupported. Extending the scope of the discussion to include other aspects of peoples' lives (output, satisfactions) suggests ways in which different allocations of time to activities do and do not reflect the value people place on different groups of activities (i.e., lifestyles). Changes in these indicators of social-psychological life over time are needed to help interpret straightforward data on how people spend time.His research interests include social science measurement and methods as well as the impact of technology on social trends. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology and Mathematical Psychology from the University of Michigan.     

Patterns of development in early empathic behavior: Environmental and child constitutional influences

The second year of life is a period of developmental change and instability in empathic expressions. In this study, we identify specific developmental patterns of global empathy during the second year and investigate maternal style, family environment, and temperamental factors as moderator influences on these patterns of development. The sample consists of 158 children selected from twin pairs whose empathic development had been previously studied at 14 and 20 months of age. Planned comparisons within specific groups (initially high, mid-range, or low empathy) tested the difference between children who changed versus those who remained stable. Maternal style, family climate, and child temperament variables significantly differentiated children among different patterns of development. Child gender was an additional moderator of family influences on development among those children whose empathic responses were initially low. These findings suggest the importance of distinguishing patterns of development based on where in the range of behaviors development is tracked.     

The application of microcomputers in production management

The findings reported result from a questionnaire survey, and a number of company interviews. Further questions which need to be answered are identified, and a research project to provide these answers is outlined.     

The mental health review board: a new concept for difficult clients.

1. The Mental Health Review Board concept is a hospital systems approach to the difficult client. Board membership varies with each case and includes representation from all areas of the hospital. 2. The Review Board deals with clients who have exhausted the system, are threatening or abusive to staff, and noncompliant with treatment recommendations. 3. The Review Board contract is the "final offer" for treatment and is without input from the client. Terms of the contract are nonegotiable. Noncompliance results in discharge and referral elsewhere.     

The air we breathe

Public attitudes toward smoking are complex, but the facts for businesses are clear. Second-hand smoke is a major health hazard, and the most unhealthy places for second-hand smoke are bars and restaurants. While there is little support for a total smoking ban, selected bans are more popular. Even if new federal rules don't force restaurants to ban smoking, businesses can gain a competitive edge by going smoke-free.     

Confidence to be given findings derived from fixed-period definitions of migration

Some of the errors in measurement of migration and its determinants that occur with the use of fixed-period data are identified. Consideration of this issue yields a typology of studies based on the nature of the determinants related to migration. Sources of distortion are numerated. The logical severity of each distortion is detailed. Use of the typology permits an appraisal of the potential confidence to be given to the validity of findings associated with classes of migration research which use fixed-period data. A test case is examined to illustrate the usefulness of the typology.This research was supported in part by the NSF Grant No. SOC76-81767, for the study, "A Test of Competing Explanations for Migration Differentials." Funds for computer time and technical assistance were also provided by the Department of Sociology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.     

Implementing Fall Prevention Guidelines with Vulnerable Older Adults: The Social Work Role

Falls are the leading cause of injury among the older adult population, resulting in costly and devastating aftermaths. National fall prevention guidelines (FPGs) have been established to assist healthcare professionals with addressing fall risk, but little is understood about the extent to which FPGs have been implemented by social workers. Social workers, however, may beuniquely positioned to implement FPGs with older adults due to their expertise in care coordination and home- and community-based service settings. This conceptual paper addresses the timely issue of fall prevention and social workers’ potential role in implementing FPGs to address fall risk.     

The effect of artificial lighting on the arrival time of birds using garden feeding stations in winter: A missed opportunity?

The proliferation of artificial lighting at night is one of the key anthropogenic changes associated with urbanised areas as well as some non-urban areas. Disruption to natural light/dark regimes can have considerable effects on the timing of different behaviours of birds, particularly during the breeding season. However, the effect of artificial lights on the timing of behaviours during winter has received relatively little attention, despite the fact that time partitioning of foraging can have implications for avian winter survival. In this study, we assess at a landscape scale during winter, whether birds arrive at feeding stations earlier in areas with increased levels of artificial lighting using data from a citizen science project. Arrival times of the ten most commonly recorded species were associated with a combination of the density of artificial lights, temperature, rainfall and urban land cover. We found no evidence that birds advance the onset of foraging in gardens with more artificial lights nearby; contrary to our prediction, birds generally arrived later into these areas. This is possibly a response to differences in food availability or predation risk in areas with more artificial lights. We conclude that artificial light at night may not be as important for driving the timing of foraging behaviour in winter as previously thought, but it remains to be seen whether this represents a missed opportunity to extend the foraging period or an adaptive response.