Constructing Identities in Multicultural Learning Contexts

In this article we examine two concepts that aid our understanding of processes of identification in multiethnic schools. The first concept focuses on the complementarity of “three processes of identity” (identifying the other, being identified, and self-identification). This is brought together with the concept of sociocultural coupling introduced to examine the co-constructions of changes in practices (across places and times) and changes in identification. The analysis draws on an interview with a pupil, Monifa, a Black African (Nigerian) girl (aged 10 years), and on an interview with a Pakistani teacher, Shazia. Although Shazia and Monifa belonged to different generations (i.e., a pupil/daughter and a teacher/mother) and different cultural groups (British-born Black African and Pakistani Kashmiri), the same identity processes could be applied to the data. They both articulated accounts of “identifying the other,” “being identified,” and “self-identification,” which emphasized their transitions between cultural practices and multiple communities. Furthermore, we propose that sociocultural coupling has enabled us to understand the means by which aspects of cultural practices borrowed from home and school allows them to reproduce aspects of their home cultural identity and at other times to transform these identities.     

Early inference on reliability of upgraded automotive components by using past data and technical information

When a new product is the result of design and/or process improvements introduced in its predecessors, then the past failure data and the expert technical knowledge constitute a valuable source of information that can lead to a more accurate reliability estimate of the upgraded product. This paper proposes a Bayesian procedure to formalize the prior information available about the failure probability of an upgraded automotive component. The elicitation process makes use of the failure data of the past product, the designer information on the effectiveness of planned design/process modifications, information on actual working conditions of the upgraded component and, for outsourced components, technical knowledge on the effect of possible cost reductions. By using the proposed procedure, more accurate estimates of the failure probability can arise. The number of failed items in a future population of vehicles is also predicted to measure the effect of a possible extension of the warranty period. Finally, the proposed procedure was applied to a case study and its feasibility in supporting reliability estimation is illustrated.     

A Bayesian approach for non-homogeneous gamma degradation processes

A Bayesian approach based on the Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique is proposed for the non-homogeneous gamma process with power-law shape function. Vague and informative priors, formalized on some quantities having a “physical” meaning, are provided. Point and interval estimation of process parameters and some functions thereof are developed, as well as prediction on some observable quantities that are useful in defining the maintenance strategy is proposed. Some useful approximations are derived for the conditional and unconditional mean and median of the residual life to reduce computational time. Finally, the proposed approach is applied to a real dataset.     

Sexual Behavior With Noncommercial Partners: A Concurrent Partnership Study Among Middle-Aged Female Sex Workers in China

Female sex workers (FSWs) often engage in concurrent partnerships, meaning they have multiple sexual relationships at the same time. The objective of this study was to investigate sexual concurrency and its associations with condom use and syphilitic infections among FSWs over age 35. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 1,245 FSWs in Nanning, Hefei, and Qingdao, China. FSWs were asked to report whether they had concurrent partners in the past six months. Concurrency was defined as engagement in sex with commercial clients and (1) husbands and boyfriends (n = 167); (2) husbands only (n = 301); or (3) boyfriends only (n = 469). FSWs with only commercial clients were used as the comparison group (n = 308). Across all groups, the percentage of FSWs with prevalent and active syphilis ranged from 19.6% to 25.6% and 9.1% to 11.5%, respectively. Condom use was low with noncommercial sexual partners and was more likely to be used when FSWs’ boyfriends had other partners. Three components of the theory of planned behavior were significantly associated with consistent condom use. Concurrent relationships may lead to increased transmission of syphilis at the workplace and family levels. Effective interventions should target concurrency with both commercial and noncommercial partners.     

Family Network,Workplace Network,and Their Influence on Condom Use: A Qualitative Study Among Older Female Sex Workers in China

The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore the components of social networks and their influence on condom use among female sex workers (FSWs) aged 35 years and older in China. In-depth interviews with 63 older FSWs and 6 focus group interviews with pimps and owners of roadside salons and hotels were conducted in 3 Chinese cities. The mean age of participants was 42.6 years old (SD = 6.9 years) and the mean age of starting sex work was 38.6 years old (SD = 6.6 years). Two types of networks that influenced condom use were identified: family networks (relationship with children and husbands) and workplace networks (relationship with peers, clients, pimps, and owners). Relationships between older FSWs and their children negatively influenced condom use. Low levels of network support and norms regarding condom use were observed in the relationship between older FSWs and their clients, whereas positive social support and norms were prevalent among older FSWs who had frequent contact with peers. Norms for condom use existed among pimps and owners but were counterbalanced by monetary gains. Future human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) interventions for older FSWs should take the different features of social network components into consideration.     

Bayes estimation of prediction intervals for a power law process

Given the first n successive occurence times from a non-homogeneous Poisson process with a power-law intensity function, Bayes prediction intervals for future observations are derived. A Bayesian approach is compared, via Monte Carlo simulation, with a classical one, taking into account several factors, such as prior information, sample size and true values of process parameters. It is found that the Bayesian procedure generally attains sensibly better performances even when there is little prior information available.     

Young Peoples’ Representations of ‘Atypical’ Work in English Society

In this paper, we explore young peoples’ normative representations of work. In particular, we are interested in the ways young people view work roles which could be considered ‘atypical’ such as young caring or language brokering. Interviewed were 46 young people (15–18 years) some who did, and some who did not engage in the ‘atypical’ work roles of language brokering or young caring. Findings indicated that young people have a strong representation of what a ‘normal’ childhood comprises and that friends, teachers and parents play a mediational role in cementing this contextually. However, respondents presented two alternative representations around engagement in ‘atypical’ roles, with some individuals holding both views at the same time. On the one hand, they felt that engagement in ‘atypical’ activities would be experienced as a loss of ‘normal’ childhood. On the other hand, a more positive representation of ‘atypical’ childhoods was also drawn on, in which engagement in ‘atypical’ activities was seen as a source of pride and a contributor of additional skills to a child’s development. This opinion was evidenced by both those who had, and those who had not engaged in ‘atypical’ work.