Family planning and economic development in Shifang County]

According to Marx, population either hinders or expedites economic development. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Shifang County's population grew unchecked. In the 1960s its annual rate of population growth was higher than the national average. Because the growth of material goods was insufficient in supporting the increase in population, the national economy suffered. In 1977, of those Shifang families in debt to the production brigade, over 80% were multiple children families. Some of these families owed over 1300 yuan after 10 years. Obviously such families cannot be counted on to expand the economy or to increase family incomes. Between 1971 and 1981 when Shifang County began family planning, the average annual rate of growth was lower than the national average. At the same time, material production gradually matched population reproduction, expediting economic development. If, with the current age structure (32.19% are aged 0-15 years; 4.95% are over 65 years; average age is 28.41 years), each family has only 1 child, then the rate of natural growth from 1981-2000 will be 3.6% annually. A yearly decrease in population would enable the County to build up pension funds, save on food, maintain the current standard for acreage allotment and expand accumulated capital.     

Estimation of the mutagenic potency of environmental chemicals using short-term bioassay

The Ames Salmonella test is a widely used bioassay method for assessing the mutagenic potency of a potential carcinogen. The test is quick and reliable, and exploits the correlation that exists between mutagenic potential and carcinogenic potential. The data for this case study came from an international study involving 20 laboratories in nine countries. The laboratories participated in a designed experiment in which substances (complex chemical mixtures of the type encountered in the environment) were evaluated for mutagenicity using the Ames test. A stringent protocol was followed. The study's principal aim was to investigate intra- and inter-laboratory variation in test results. The data consist of counts of revertant Salmonella colonies at each of six dose levels of a substance. The data were obtained for each of five test substances from each participating laboratory. The bioassays were carried out according to a prescribed factorial experimental design. Three sets of analysts participated in this case study. They were asked to model the dose-response relationship for two substances, to develop an index of the strength of the relationship, and to assess intra- and inter-laboratory variation in bioassay results.     

Planning for better channel management

Manufacturers must modify with their channels of distribution to keep their products available in broadening and maturing markets. The authors of this article provide four broad guidelines to develop more effective relationships with channel partners.     

Conference in Barcelona, 27–29 May 1993 well being in Europe by strengthening the third sector

Conference in Barcelona, 27–29 May 1993 well being in Europe by strengthening the third sector     

Interruptions and nonverbal gender differences

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in selected nonverbal behaviors associated with interruptions. Six graduate student groups involving 18 female and 17 male subjects were videotaped. The data for the study were 140 cross-sex interruption sequences and a matched, randomly selected sample of noninterruption sequences. A category system using self-related activity, gestures, body lean, facial expression and eye gaze was developed and used to code the data. There were no significant findings related to interruptions in the categories of self-related activity or gestures. Women leaned away from the group significantly more often than did men and when leaning away, women were more likely to be interrupted. Women were also more likely to be interrupted when smiling than were men, and women smiled significantly more when taking the speaking turn. Finally, women were interrupted significantly more often than men when they did not look at the turn-taker. The high educational status of the subjects was examined in the discussion of the findings.     

The social world as will and idea: Schopenhauer's influence upon Durkheim's thought

The starting-point for this analysis is a remark made by André Lalande. that Durkheim was so enamoured with Schopenhauer's philosophy that his students nicknamed him ‘Schopen’. The intellectual context shared by Schopenhauer and Durkheim is explored, especially with regard to the opposition between the id-like ‘will’ and the mind. Schopenhauer's influence upon Durkheim's contemporaries is examined briefly. Then, this new context for apprehending Durkheim's thought is applied to selected problems in Durkheimian scholarship, problems that have to do with the dualism of human nature, perception, the unconscious and the unity of knowledge relative to the object-subject debate. The implications for sociological theory are also discussed.