Sociological ambivalence: The case of East European peasant-immigrant workers in America, 1880s–1930s

The paper develops an understanding of the tensions experienced by East European immigrants by drawing on the concept of sociological ambivalence: being pulled in cognitively and emotionally opposed directions generated by the social situations in which the actors are located. Using a variety of sources created by East European peasant-immigrants themselves—letters, diaries, poems, prayers, newspaper articles, and oral history collections—the paper discusses four kinds of sociological ambivalence experienced by the immigrants: (1) resulting from the multiplicity of interests incorporated in different social positions occupied by the same person; (2) induced by the opportunity structure characterized by the disjunction between culturally prescribed aspirations and socially structured avenues for realizing these goals; (3) generated by conflicting values and goals contained in a group's cultural system and in normative role expectations prescribed for its members; and (4) resulting from individuals' simultaneous orientation to several different sets of cultural values and reference groups.I wish to thank Renée Fox and Robert Merton for their very helpful comments on the original version of this paper.     

Injuries to Swedish school pupils: Distribution and patterns by type of school and type of municipality

The study examines the distribution of injuries and their patterns among Swedish school pupils. Data were gathered from an injury register created during the school year 1996/97, with the help of 79 schools and using a standardized registration form. Injury ratios (IRs) by gender, type of municipality, and type of school were measured all injuries aggregated and for five injury patterns. IRs did not vary much by gender, but showed considerable variation by type of school and type of municipality. A strong association was found between injury pattern and gender. Taken as a whole, the findings shed light on the circumstances under which school injuries are incurred. They suggest that targets for prevention may vary by gender, school level and, to some extent, by type of municipality. The extent to which the findings are generalizable is uncertain.     

Disabled students’ experiences of higher education in Sweden,the Czech Republic,and the United States – a comparative institutional analysis

Students with disabilities face obstacles in their encounters with higher education. The aim of this study is to investigate how the institutional context shapes students’ experiences of unequal opportunities in higher education. In comparing disabled students’ experiences from universities in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and the United States, the study makes visible the kind of experiences that students share and how experiences differ between these countries within the global context of higher education. The study has shown that students’ possibilities for equal participation are shaped by the institutional context that is based on medical diagnosis and compensation for an inaccessible education.     

The relationship between: occupational status,biological condition and androgen hormone level among Polish adult men: the Wroclaw Male Study

Population health and its determinants are one of the major challenges to social and economic policy. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between occupational activity and biological condition in adult working Polish men. The participants of the study were 300 men (30–65 years), healthy inhabitants of the city of Wroclaw, Poland. Seventeen measures of biological condition were examined. The subjects were divided into three different occupational groups: professionals, soldiers and skilled workers. A comparison of biological age profiles of three occupational groups showed that in the majority of characteristics, professionals had the youngest biological age, whereas skilled workers had the highest biological age. The results for soldiers were not as unambiguous, but biological parameters were generally closer to those for professionals. Inborn biological predispositions and long-term impact of the working environment can influence on the biological condition of various professional groups. Knowledge of the determinants of biological condition might result in efficient use of predisposition to work or may be of help in extending their time of work ability.     

On the probability of holes in truncated samples

For truncated data the existence of “holes” resp. inner risk sets may cause some problems when analyzing or applying the Lynden-Bell estimator. In this paper we derive sharp finite sample upper and lower bounds for the “probability of holes” and show that it goes to zero as sample size tends to infinity. In some selected cases also the rate of convergence is studied.     

电感耦合等离子体质谱检测食物中的有毒、主要和营养组分

描述了利用下一代电感耦合等离子体质谱来检测食物中有毒、主要和营养组分。阐述了如何利用仪器通用的单元模块来克服复杂谱图干扰,以及利用单元模块中的四极杆带宽的选择性衰减不用稀释样品来同时检测大量矿物质组分和痕量组分。得到的数据显示其与美国国家标准技术研究所(NIST)食物标准参考材料具有很好的相关性。     

Disciplinary Agendas and Analytic Strategies of Research on Immigrant Transnationalism: Challenges of Interdisciplinary Knowledge

To be successful, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of immigration and transnationalism should begin by making different disciplinary languages about this phenomenon informed by mutual understanding of the conceptual frameworks, epistemological assumptions, and explanatory strategies used in research in particular academic fields. Drawing on studies in anthropology, sociology, history, and political science, I review here these taken‐for‐granted assumptions about “what is knowable and how” that underlie research on immigration and transnationalism in these disciplines. In conclusion, I suggest some avenues for mutual education in different disciplinary approaches and the epistemic gains derived therefrom.     

Violence towards caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities

OBJECTIVE: Violent and disruptive acts committed by persons with developmental disabilities are a potential work environment problem for caregivers. This study developed and tested an instrument for describing and analyzing violence among persons with developmental disabilities. METHODS: Personnel from four units of one facility recorded daily on a simple form all violent and disruptive acts occurring in a limited range of situations. RESULTS: Acts of violence were associated with a small minority of individuals, but grossly underreported and unrecognized in formal reporting systems. None of the nearly 3000 incidents recorded during the six-week study required sick leave. Violent and disruptive acts occurred most often when an individual was requested to do something he or she did not want to do, when the individual was denied the opportunity to do something they did want to do and when waiting or under-stimulated. Personnel used the data in discussing countermeasures that could be integrated with the care and treatment of the individual. CONCLUSION: Hitting, kicking, pinching etc. of personnel are a work environment problem due to their high frequency and effects upon employee morale. The instrument and procedures can be used to reduce incidents of violence, which would improve the working environment of employees and assist persons with developmental disabilities as they move from institutional environments.