Entre innovation et conservation: la Nouvelle Broderie commerciale maya*

This article undertakes a discourse analysis of sponsoring agencies of the Nuevo Bordado Maya Comercial. In the name of the rehabilitation of cultures that have faced discrimination and of the respect of Indigenous women's rights, these agencies act on the frontiers between the local and the global, between the public and private, between ethnicities and between genders. An examination of such terms as sustainable development, empowerment, Maya woman, and Mayan culture and worldview reveals the co‐existence of contradictory ideologies (that are not devoid of essentialism) in relation to development, women and the construction of a transnational, pan‐Mayan identity.     

Information measures and design issues in the study of mortality deceleration: findings for the gamma-Gompertz model

Lifetime Data Analysis - Mortality deceleration, or the slowing down of death rates at old ages, has been repeatedly investigated, but empirical studies of this phenomenon have produced mixed...     

Development and Application of a Probabilistic Risk–Benefit Assessment Model for Infant Feeding Integrating Microbiological,Nutritional, and Chemical Components

A probabilistic and interdisciplinary risk–benefit assessment (RBA) model integrating microbiological, nutritional, and chemical components was developed for infant milk, with the objective of predicting the health impact of different scenarios of consumption. Infant feeding is a particular concern of interest in RBA as breast milk and powder infant formula have both been associated with risks and benefits related to chemicals, bacteria, and nutrients, hence the model considers these three facets. Cronobacter sakazakii, dioxin‐like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl‐PCB), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were three risk/benefit factors selected as key issues in microbiology, chemistry, and nutrition, respectively. The present model was probabilistic with variability and uncertainty separated using a second‐order Monte Carlo simulation process. In this study, advantages and limitations of undertaking probabilistic and interdisciplinary RBA are discussed. In particular, the probabilistic technique was found to be powerful in dealing with missing data and to translate assumptions into quantitative inputs while taking uncertainty into account. In addition, separation of variability and uncertainty strengthened the interpretation of the model outputs by enabling better consideration and distinction of natural heterogeneity from lack of knowledge. Interdisciplinary RBA is necessary to give more structured conclusions and avoid contradictory messages to policymakers and also to consumers, leading to more decisive food recommendations. This assessment provides a conceptual development of the RBA methodology and is a robust basis on which to build upon.     

Korean transracial adoptee identity formation

Despite nearly half a million transnational adoptions to the United States, most of which are also transracial, sociological research has given little attention to this phenomenon. This review demonstrates why more sociological attention on Korean transnational adoption in particular is warranted. I review one area with overwhelming sociological significance—identity formation, including the distinct dimensions of racial, ethnic, and adoptive identities. While the bulk of this research has taken place outside of sociology, in reviewing the findings, I argue the sociological significance of Korean transnational transracial adoption to examinations of race, racialization, and identity formation.     

Ethical challenges of life story research with ex‐prisoners with intellectual disability

This paper outlines the ethical considerations when engaging in life story research with ex‐prisoners with intellectual disability. Based on a study conducted in Queensland, Australia, the authors explore some of the challenges that have arisen through the lens of principle‐based ethics. The significant disadvantage experienced by ex‐prisoners with intellectual disability warrants further attention by social researchers, and care must be taken not to further harm this group through the research process. Issues pertaining to the broad ethical concepts of integrity, justice, respect for persons and beneficence are examined to identify the degree to which they can guide the actions of the life story researcher. Examples are given as to how the researcher responded to difficulties as they arose and the authors discuss ways forward from a principle‐based approach.     

Health economic modeling to support surgery management at a Swedish hospital

Elective surgery management typically deals with a queue of patients that have to be scheduled for surgery within a certain time frame, considering both medical and economic constraints. In order to prevent the patient queue and waiting times from growing, surgery management has to decide whether to temporarily increase patient throughput at the regional hospital or have some patients scheduled for surgery at another hospital. In Sweden, a newly passed law states that patients who decide to receive surgery should not have to wait more than 90 days before this surgery is carried out. Therefore, if a patient decides to apply the new law by requesting surgery within 90 days, the regional hospital is obliged to arrange and pay for either in-house surgery or surgery at another hospital. In this paper, we suggest an approach using simulation including optimization for modeling surgery management decisions. We study a case based on data from a General Surgery Department at a Swedish hospital and present our results as a health economic evaluation. The results indicate an increase in the mean waiting times for medium prioritized patients when the new law is applied.