The first complete enumeration of Papua New Guinea--the 1980 population census

"The 1980 Population Census of Papua New Guinea was the first complete enumeration of the population of the country. It was also the first census to be designed and processed within the country. This paper gives the background to the census and outlines the development and implementation of the project, concentrating on the problems encountered and the procedures developed to overcome them in this (in many ways) unique environment. The census project was a thorough exercise and recommendations are also given for the future."     

Prevalence of snoring in college students

Snoring in college students may be the earliest presentation of adult sleep-disordered breathing, yet the literature contains few studies that demonstrate its effects on learning or whether early diagnosis leads to interruption of disease progression or prevention of comorbidities. OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: The authors conducted this study in January-April 2004 to assess the prevalence of snoring in college students (N = 2,200). METHODS: They developed a questionnaire on sleep behaviors and distributed it to 18- to 25-year-old undergraduates at a California university. RESULTS: Almost one-third (30%) of participants reported snoring. The prevalence of snoring was higher among men than women (42% and 25%, respectively). The prevalence of self-reported snoring was highest in Asian students (37%). CONCLUSIONS: Snoring is highly prevalent in college students; prevalence is higher in men than women, correlates with body mass index, and varies by ethnicity.     

The Budget-Voting Paradox

The budget-voting paradox states that, when social alternatives are proper subsets of a finite set of decisions, choosing decision-wise according to the majority rule may select an alternative that is covered in the majority tournament among alternatives. Individual preferences are defined on single decisions, and are extended to preferences over the alternative set by means of a preference extension rule. We prove the existence of the paradox for any rank-based, monotone, and independent extension rule.      

Review of research on victims' experiences in restorative justice: Implications for youth justice

Despite claims that restorative justice is “victim centered,” and deliberately focused on healing harms to victims, some studies report that particular applications of restorative justice may not be fully consistent with its fundamental principles and values. Under such circumstances these programs may focus on outcomes (e.g., rehabilitation of youthful offenders) rather than process, and in doing so, may fail to identify and respond effectively to victims' needs. To take a closer look at this phenomenon, this article examines a sample of published restorative justice studies that highlight ‘negative’ experiences of victims. Given a number of studies that indicate victims typically have satisfying experiences in restorative justice practices such reports of negative experiences and practices should be viewed as ‘outliers.’ However, such outliers may provide substantively meaningful insights that inform best practice standard for restorative justice. Implications are drawn for the use of restorative justice practices for youth justice.     

Meeting in the mist: Key considerations in a collaborative research partnership with people with mental health issues

Objectives: This study explored the experiences of an established collaborative research group, which were collected as data to gain research skills. Currently ideas about user involvement and knowledge transfer have not been considered together, indicating possible gaps in knowledge. Participants: Eight members of the group took part, including five people using local mental health services, an assistant and an occupational therapist from local services, and an academic. Methods: Experiences of collaborative working were explored in phases. Structured individual reflections were recorded and shared for initial analysis. A group discussion prepared for constant comparative analysis, which synthesized the emerging themes. Results: Participants had gained and shared skills, understanding and knowledge. "Meeting in the mist" was a metaphor to explain the journeys experienced by participants, within a collaborative cycle. This cycle was central to a visual model, "Creating space", which suggested the importance of allowing sufficient time and space to work for a shared vision of the future. A final theme was the "warp factor", which drew on relativity theory to highlight the sense of innovation. Conclusions: Collaborative work can be based on knowledge transfer and ideas about user involvement, generating tangible benefits for all involved, including engaging in productive occupations.