Cultural Activities,Identities, and Mental Health Among Urban American Indians with Mixed Racial/Ethnic Ancestries

Focus groups were conducted to appreciate the voices of Urban American Indians (UAI) who have mixed ancestries residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Participants (15 women and 10 men, 19–83 years of age) with a variety of Native ancestries coming from different nations (i.e., blackfeet, blackminkwa, Cherokee, Creek, Delaware, Lakota, Powhatan, Seminole, and Shawnee) reported to also have a Non-Native racial/ethnic ancestry such as African/black, Hispanic, and/or Caucasian/white. Specifically, this study provided evidence about (a) the complexity and challenge of being “mixed” UAI (e.g., “living a culture” as opposed to blood quantum in determining a personal identity) (b) the linkage of cultural identities to mental health (c) contributions of cultural activities to identities and mental health (e.g., therapeutic and healing functions of cultural activities), and (d) very limited urban Native-oriented mental health service (e.g., visions for Native American-centered mental health clinic in an urban setting). Building on those UAI’s voices, this paper provides a context for the need of a culturally respectful transformation of urban mental health system by highlighting the clinical significance of cultural identity and mental health promotion for UAI.     

Application of a marking-and-recapture method for the analysis of larval-adult populations of an insect,Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Summary Difficulty arises in applying marking-and-recapture methods to insects when the probability of recapture of marked individuals is changed with advancing age, either due to detachment of the mark by moulting (in the case of larvae) or to changes in their survival rate or their behaviour. A modification of the re-recapture method (Leslie et al., 1953) has been devised to analyze the capture-recapture data of the 5th-instar larvae and adults ofNezara viridula L. Estimation of the rate of moulting to the adult stage is made with the aid of additional information on larval survival. Migration rates of the larvae between the two halves of the census field is estimated byIwao's (1963) method. Through these analyses, the dynamic feature of the population during transition from the 5th instar to, adult is revealed. Several problems involved in the application of marking-and-recapture methods to insect populations are discussed. Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory, Kyoto University No. 392.     

Resource exploitation of larvae ofGastrophysa atrocyanea Motschulsky andgalerucella vittaticollis Baly (Coleoptera: Chrisomelidae) under a limited resource condition

Summary Resource exploitation by and intraspecific competition in larvae ofGastrophysa atrocyanea andGalerucella vittaticollis were investigated in field and laboratory experiments. Larvae of both species frequently suffered from food shortages in the field. WhenG. atrocyanea larvae suffered from a food shortage, severe intraspecific competition occurred because of lack of predation and parasitism. This exploitive competition was caused by a local food shortage of the host plant. Individuals survived by fast exploitation when food became abundant (contest type competition). TheG. atrocyanea larvae were wasteful of the food resource, and no mechanism by which to economize on the utilization of the resource was acquired because of their exploitation of the abundant resource. In contrast, theG. vittaticollis population probably is regulated by extrinsic factors such as predation and parasitism. Those larvae grew into smaller adults than those ofG. atrocyanea under a food shortage, so that their wasted food consumption was lower than that ofG. atrocyanea. Although intraspecific competition was similar to that forG. atrocyanea, it was not as severe. The food forG. vittaticollis was apt to be appropriated by other wasteful exploitators such asG. atrocyanea, which was superior in resource exploitation; thereforeG. vittaticollis frequently suffered a food shortage. Consequently selection in relation to tolerance to starvation became more acute forG. vittaticollis than forG. atrocyanea, and individuals ofG. vittaticollis that could endure starvation better may have been selected.     

Role and Functions of Local Communities in Earthquake Rescue, Shelter Administration and Reconstruction

Abstract  Major conditions of mitigation during earthquake disasters are quake-proof built-environment, administrative ability for crisis management and mutual aid functions of local communities. In this monograph focus is on local communities that played a role in helping victim residents in the Great Hanshin Earthquake. In Japan chonai-kais are organized in almost all areas as basic associations of local communities. We explored the functions of three levels of community: neighborhoods, chonai-kais and precincts. During the earthquake neighborhoods were active while precincts were recognized as contributing significantly to the process of rescue. In shelter administration teachers and resident volunteers played leading roles in many cases but some chonai-kais and precincts showed remarkable activities. Various conflicts occurred in the process of community reconstruction but many chonai-kais played an important role in coordinating opinions and interests of residents. We could confirm that the active role of each community during disaster period were based on their activities related to neighborhood welfare and community improvement.     

The future of financing for long-term care: the Own Your Future campaign

The purpose of this study was to examine the outreach effort and impact of a joint federal-state campaign, Own Your Future, promoting awareness and planning for long-term care (LTC) in the state of Washington. The study applied survey methodology to evaluate the extent of campaign dissemination, evidence of its impact on LTC planning behaviors, and barriers to purchasing private LTC insurance. A total of 3,198 survey responses from a randomly selected community sample and a Washington State employee sample (ages 51 to 71) were analyzed. Results indicated that the impact of the campaign was limited, both with respect to awareness of the campaign itself and to initiation of LTC planning behaviors. Quantitative data revealed a high prevalence of health-related problems (e.g., obesity, diabetes), inadequate knowledge of basic LTC-related information (e.g., cost, payers), and negative attitudes toward purchasing LTC insurance among respondents. Qualitative analyses suggested that respondents perceived significant problems related to affordability and accountability within the current LTC insurance industry. These possible barriers to the purchase of LTC insurance suggest targets to be addressed by policy makers seeking to find ways to offset the public costs of LTC.     

Ecological restoration of a fragmented urban shrine forest in southeastern Hyogo Prefecture,Japan: Initial effects of the removal of invasive <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trachycarpus fortunei</Emphasis>

We investigated the species composition of a fragmented forest in Nishinomiya Shrine, southeastern Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Two escaped ornamental species, Trachycarpus fortunei and Ligustrum lucidum, and bird-dispersed deciduous trees were invading the evergreen broadleaf forest. Invasive and bird-dispersed deciduous species were most abundant along the outer edge of the forest. In 2005, restoration measures were taken to remove all individuals of T. fortunei from the forest. We estimated that, biomass density and leaf area index (LAI, leaf area per unit ground area) of T. fortunei were 0.23 kg m⁻² and 0.77, respectively, which accounted for 8.9% and 27.9% of the biomass density and LAI, respectively, of the entire forest. After removal, canopy openness increased in the understory. However, the understory lacked seedlings and saplings of native species, indicating that active re-vegetation may be needed to accelerate reestablishment of native species in areas that were heavily invaded by T. fortunei. This study represents one of the first examples of active vegetation management in shrine/temple forests in Japan.     

Leisure and quality of life in an international and multicultural context: what are major pathways linking leisure to quality of life?

This paper aims at advancing the conceptualization of leisure as a contributor to quality of life (QOL) in an international and multicultural context, based on an extensive and critical review of literature on leisure and QOL from a global, international perspective. Given the central role of culture in conceptualizing this notion, this paper gives attention to various cultural contexts world-wide. To illustrate the diversity of our societies, examples are introduced specifically from three culturally unique contexts in this paper – i.e., Asian, Middle-East, and Indigenous contexts. Also, some examples are drawn from other cultural groups in global and international contexts, particularly, in non-western contexts. Then, the final section of this paper aims at integrating and synthesizing the knowledge gained from this review to develop a tentative/working proposition about how leisure can contribute to QOL from international and cross-cultural perspectives. Specifically, based on such integration, this paper identifies and describes major pathways linking leisure to QOL. Overall, an overarching theme common to almost all cultural contexts examined appears to be the role of leisure-like activities as a context or space for creating meanings which then help to promote the quality of people’s lives. Major pathways or mechanisms that can facilitate meaning-making and life-quality-enhancement highlighted in this review include: (a) positive emotions and well-being experienced from leisure, (b) positive identities and self-esteem gained from leisure, (c) social and cultural connections and a harmony developed through leisure, and (d) leisure’s contribution to learning and human development across the life-span. Also, emphasized in this paper is the role of leisure as a context for realizing and utilizing human strengths and resilience. It is important, however, to stress that in people’s quest for a meaningful life, the benefits of meaning-making through leisure involve both “remedying the bad” and “enhancing the good,” as shown throughout this paper. Despite these benefits, we should not ignore that leisure experiences are socially and culturally constructed and shaped by the inequalities of society. Thus, the reality of power imbalance and inequalities should be acknowledged and appropriately addressed socially, culturally, and politically. Particularly, providing culturally relevant and meaningful leisure opportunities for less privileged population groups world-wide is clearly a top priority.     

A granulosis virus, possible biological agent for control ofAdoxophyes orana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in apple orchards

Summary Based on the results of ecological surveys ofAdoxophyes orana and its natural enemies in apple orchards sprayed with the granulosis virus and control plots, we constructed working models to simulate the population dynamics in three different experimental plots; those treated with chemical insecticides, those with granulosis virus, and controls. The number of individuals killed by predators, parasitoids and by miscellaneous mortality factors could be calculated on the assumption of imperfect density relations; that is, relation of the number killed by each factor with the initial number of larvae was represented by a curve with an upper asymptote. We could estimate the proportion of virus infection using curves with upper asymptotes. Rate of increase from pupa to middle instar larvae of the next generation was subject to strong density-effect. Simulation we proposed in this paper suggests a possibility that a single spray of the virus at 1st generation can reduce not only the number ofA. orana larvae in the 2nd and 3rd generations but also the degree of fruits injured by this insect. Spray of chemical insecticide is considered to be ineffective in reducing the pest density and the degree of injury to low levels in subsequent generations, as compared with untreated plot, where the density of the 1st generation larvae is low.