bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Field studies on the enhancement of nematicidal activity of ammonia-releasing fertilisers by alkaline amendments
Authors: Shuker Shimshon , Rosenberg Rivka , Oka Yuji , Tkachi Nadia , Suriano Shoshi , Roded Liat , Fine Pinchas
Published: February 2007

Nematicidal activities of ammonia-releasing organic and inorganic fertilisers, applied with alkaline amendments, were tested against Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita under field conditions. In microplots infested with M. javanica, ammonium sulphate applied with alkaline-stabilised biosolid (ASB) significantly reduced the root-galling index of tomato plants compared with that of plants grown in soils treated with ammonium sulphate or ASB alone. Although ammonia concentrations in the soil treated with broiler litter plus cement kiln dust were high (ca 60-200 mg kg−1), this treatment was less effective. Ammonia volatilisation resulted in rather low concentrations of ammonium in the soils treated with alkaline amendments. The combination of ASB and ammonium sulphate reduced the tomato root-galling index and the number of M. javanica juveniles recovered from the soil in a field experiment. On an organic farm, application of slaked lime in combination with broiler litter significantly reduced the root-galling index of pepper plants infested with M. incognita. Calcification of excess hydroxyls in the ASB or lime lowered the soil pH to values normally found in these soils in the field experiments.
Volatile compounds in pine stands suffering from pine wilt disease: qualitative and quantitative evaluation
Authors: Futai Kazuyoshi , Kanzaki Natsumi , Takeuchi Yuko
Published: February 2007

Pine wilt disease causes ecological and economic damage in Japanese pine forests in spite of intensive effort to protect them from the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Pine trees infected with B. xylophilus emit a characteristic bouquet of volatile compounds bioactive to the vector beetle of the nematode, Monochamus alternatus, and potentially affecting symptom development inside the trees. To investigate the qualitative and quantitative properties of volatile compounds in the field, we profiled the volatile emissions in two Japanese black pine stands, one naturally suffering from pine wilt disease and the other artificially inoculated with B. xylophilus. In both pine stands, the emission of some terpenoids from the infected trees such as (−)-α-pinene, began to increase in summer, overlapping the oviposition season of the vector beetle, but peaked in the summer and autumn. These data suggest that the beetles may not necessarily depend on the tremendous quantity of volatiles alone when they search for suitable trees on which to oviposit.
Embeddedness, Path Dependency and Social Institutions
Authors: Ghezzi Simone , Mingione Enzo
Published: January 2007

This paper argues for a theoretical approach based on embeddedness which assumes that the economic actor is not an atomized and utilitarian individual, but is in fact positioned within specific historical and institutional contexts in various social networks. This approach is based on Polanyi's critically debated contribution which allows for an empirical study of the diversity of institutional structures and of the significance of configurations of insertion within different social networks. Such diversity results from the double movement of disembeddedness and re-embeddedness caused by the spread of constantly emerging market opportunities, and by the importance held by the historically and culturally different selective processes of path dependency in the construction of the institutions of social regulation and of the socialized preferences of economic actors. Within these processes attention is given to the transformation of social systems based on reciprocity (household, kin, social capital networks, etc.), associations of shared interests, forms of economic organization (in a plurality of coexisting ‘economies’), unequal distribution of power, and political intervention.
Agency Relationships, Embeddedness and Employment Relations
Authors: Chajewski Leszek
Published: January 2007

Economic sociology, for all its successes, is yet to develop an explanation of recent growth in market-driven policies such as flexibility in the use of labour and precarious employment. Embeddedness-centred perspectives in economic sociology are unlikely to correct this omission because their objective is to show that market-driven practices are not what they seem, i.e. that under a closer examination they also prove the embeddedness thesis. However, if the current labour market practices and those of two decades ago both represent embedded economic relations, then the concept of embeddedness sheds little light on key social and economic processes of our times. This article, inspired by the role that organized labour played in recent market transitions in Eastern Europe, demonstrates that a theory of agency relationship is a necessary addition to the embeddedness thesis, if economic sociology is to account for labour's present tendency to eschew social protection.
The Mutual Weaving of Obligation Networks in Mass Industrial Markets
Authors: Darr Asaf
Published: January 2007

Despite the growing tendency to depict markets as social institutions, sales work in mass industrial markets remains a neglected area of study. The results of an ethnographic exploration of the US electronics industry reported here suggest that buyers and sellers in industrial markets, in which firms trade with other firms, engage in the mutual weaving of obligation networks. The article presents a theoretical claim that obligation networks provide the social infrastructure on which other market activities, such as information search, unfold, and calls for additional research on this topic.
Unbalanced Growth
Authors: Trigilia Carlo
Published: January 2007

The aim of this article is to discuss the relationship between economic sociology and economic policies. In the last few decades, economic sociology has made significant achievements in terms of theory and research, but its influence on policies has remained weak. While this was inevitable in earlier decades, when scholars had to concentrate most of their effort on defining the role and contribution of economic sociology, it has since become a constraint for the institutionalization and recognition of the discipline. The return to economic sociology, since the 1980s, has brought about important theoretical achievements, especially in the analysis of economic organization at the micro level in terms of social and cultural embeddedness. The role of social relations in contemporary economy has clearly emerged, but its implications for policies to promote economic development have remained more latent so far. Although a weaker institutionalization and a poorer connection to policy-making certainly affect the political influence of economic sociology in comparison to economics, the article focuses on the research perspective. A shift of the research focus from the statics to the dynamics of economic organization could be useful. In this framework, particular attention is drawn to the study of local development and innovation through a closer relationship of economic sociology with comparative political economy. A separation between these two approaches does not favour a full exploitation of the potential contribution of economic sociology to policies.
Economics of Convention and New Economic Sociology
Authors: Jagd Søren
Published: January 2007

This article is part of a larger exploration of the French economics of convention tradition. The aim of the article is to explore potential common themes in economic sociology and economics of conventions. The article explores two issues raised by economics of conventions that may be of particular importance to economic sociology. First, the explicit exploration of the consequences of a plurality of forms of justification, as elaborated in économie de la grandeur. This perspective was recently taken up in economic sociology by David Stark's introduction of the notion ‘sociology of worth’. The second issue, recently raised by André Orléan, is the attempt to denaturalize economic theory and economic action to demonstrate the social constructed nature of economic action. It is argued that these two issues demonstrate that a fruitful dialogue is indeed possible between economic sociology and economics of convention and should be encouraged.
From Path Dependency to Path Creation
Authors: Schienstock Gerd
Published: January 2007

The main assumption of evolutionary economics is that techno-economic change is path dependent, suggesting some kind of gradual development. Referring to Finland, one can demonstrate, however, that countries can undergo fundamental transformation processes within a relatively short period of time. Naturally this has major implications for research on techno-economic change, because the concept of path dependency in which the dominant feedback loops are selfreinforcing cannot be applied to the Finnish case. To understand the transformation process of the Finnish economy, research needs to focus more on processes of path creation. The aim of the article is to contribute to such reframing of research on economic change and to give empirical evidence of path creation processes referring to Finland as a case in point.
Performativity of Risk and the Boundaries of Economic Sociology
Authors: Kessler Oliver
Published: January 2007

Much energy in economic sociology is expended on showing that core assumptions of microeconomics are too short sighted. It is assumed that sociology provides a better background for analysing and understanding economic institutions than economics itself. This is certainly true, but has led economic sociologists to treat economic theory as the ‘other’ of economic sociology. Thereby, the disciplinary boundary between economics and sociology is reproduced where economic sociology is understood the application of the ‘sociology tradition’ to economic phenomena. This article suggests a change of perspective: economic sociologists should treat economics as an endogenous part of its enquiries, but not to examine what economic theory is, but what it does, i.e. how economic theory shapes the economy. This requires introducing the study of language, concepts and semantic distinctions as an inherent part of economic sociology and its focus on the ‘social’ construction of economic institutions. Ultimately, this suggestion reorients our focus away from ‘authors’ to ‘concepts’. In other words, if economic sociology wants to take the ‘sociological’ and linguistic turn in social theory with its focus on language seriously, it needs to redefine its boundaries.
Structure versus Agency in Studies of the Biblical Social World: Engaging with Louise Lawrence
Authors: Crook Zeba A.
Published: January 2007

Taking Louise Lawrence’s ethnographic study of the Gospel of Matthew as a starting point, this article questions whether the structure vs. agency debate in social theory can be settled by proclaiming (or presupposing) one over the other. Indeed, sociological theory has been moving towards recognizing that society, and alongside it culture, must include both. This theoretical question matters for our understanding of the New Testament world. Can we, for instance, assume a single ratio of structure to agency for the ancient and the modern worlds? I suggest that other aspects of a culture should be brought to bear on this question, namely collectivism and individualism. Surely, a collectivistic culture (the biblical world) will operate with a different degree of structure than will an individualistic culture (North America and parts of Europe).
Structure, Agency and Ideology: A Response to Zeba Crook
Authors: Lawrence Louise J.
Published: January 2007

Responding to Zeba Crook’s essay on ‘structure’ and ‘agency’, and his critical remarks on my Ethnography of the Gospel of Matthew, this article first addresses Crook’s criticisms of my work, arguing that it is not rightly characterized as an ‘all agency’ approach. It then discusses Crook’s own proposals concerning the different ratios of agency and structure in different cultures. My response argues that all cultures involve agency, and all cultures involve agents acting in structured ways, and that a better focus might be on the importance of hierarchy, power and ideology within social structures, since the ability of individuals to exercise transformative agency depends on their position. Literature, as I argued in my Ethnography, provides a significant way in which the marginal or weak can exercise a form of agency, as is the case within Matthew’s specifically constructed literary world.
The ‘Ghost’ of Jesus: Luke 24 in Light of Ancient Narratives of Post-Mortem Apparitions
Authors: Prince Deborah Thompson
Published: January 2007

Scholarly discussion of Luke 24 often focuses on the physical demonstration of Jesus’ bodily presence at the time of his post-resurrection appearances. Based upon ancient beliefs regarding the dead, the palpability of Jesus’ hands and feet and his ability to eat during his appearance to the eleven in Jerusalem (24.36-43) are often thought to oppose any conception of Jesus as less than fully alive and physically present. It has been argued recently, however, that these attributes were not absolute proof of one’s living status. So, why does Luke employ them? To answer this question, the literary characteristics of Greco-Roman narratives of post-mortem apparitions will be examined and compared to the characteristics applied to the appearances of Jesus in Luke 24. This comparative approach reveals the Lukan text’s engagement with these diverse literary traditions, without being limited by any one of them. The picture of Jesus that emerges surpasses all expected modes of post-mortem appearances by virtue of the fact that it incorporates them all.
What Should a Commentator Aim to Do, for Whom, and Why? Introduction to a Discussion Focused on Andrew Lincoln’s Commentary on the Gospel of John
Authors: Horrell David G.
Published: January 2007

These five short essays, by John Nolland, Margaret MacDonald, John Riches, Wendy North, Adele Reinhartz and Andrew Lincoln, together offer reflections on the task of the commentator. The first three (Nolland, MacDonald, Riches) provide general comments based on their own experience of writing commentaries about the different ways in which the task might be conceived. North and Reinhartz focus their essays on Lincoln’s new commentary on John’s Gospel, offering critical reflections both on points of exegesis and interpretation and on broader issues concerning the commentary genre. Finally, Lincoln provides his own reflections on the task of the commentator, and a response to the issues and criticisms raised by the reviewers.
Complex Incremental Product Innovation in Established Service Firms: A Micro Institutional Perspective
Authors: Vermeulen Patrick A. M. , Van Den Bosch Frans A. J. , Volberda Henk W.
Published: February 2007

Many product innovation studies have described key determinants that should lead to successful incremental product innovation. Despite numerous studies suggesting how incremental product innovation should be successfully undertaken, many firms still struggle with this type of innovation. In this paper, we use an institutional perspective to investigate why established firms in the financial services industry struggle with their complex incremental product innovation efforts. We argue that although the impact of micro institutional forces is often overlooked in innovation studies, these forces matter for innovation success. Our study complements the existing innovation literature and provides an additional explanation why incremental product innovation is highly complex and suffers from several liabilities in established firms. Using qualitative data from the Dutch financial services sector collected over the period 1997—2002, the paper illustrates how micro institutional forces at the business unit level affect complex incremental product innovation and how the interaction of these forces delivers their impact.
Friendship patterns of sexual minority individuals in adulthood
Authors: Galupo M. Paz
Published: January 2007

This study focuses the social context for sexual minority friendships by investigating the friendship patterns of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Participants were 405 self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals (18 to 79 years old). Results suggest that like their heterosexual counterparts, sexual minorities primarily form close friendships with individuals who are similar to themselves in sex and race. Sexual minorities, however, are more likely to report cross-orientation over same-orientation friendships. Among sexual minorities, unique friendship patterns exist across sex, sexual orientation, and race. Lesbian and gay participants drew the majority of their friends from the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community while bisexual women and men primarily formed friendships with heterosexual individuals.
Mother-adolescent interactions and adolescent depressive symptoms: A sequential analysis
Authors: Pineda Ashley Q. , Cole David A. , Bruce Alanna E.
Published: January 2007

Two theories suggest contrasting predictions regarding maternal responses to adolescent depressive behavior. Social cognitive theory implies that adolescent depressive behaviors are positively reinforced by parents who respond with increased warmth and support (Bandura, 1986). Social interaction theory implies that depressive behaviors elicit negative affect in others (e.g., parents), resulting in diminished support or increased rejection (Coyne, 1976a). Sequence analysis of 72 mother-adolescent interactions suggested that mothers of relatively depressed adolescents generally provided lower rates of positive parenting than did mothers of nondepressed adolescents. Additionally, mothers of relatively depressed adolescents were less likely to respond to adolescents’ depressive affect and behavior with supportive parenting than were mothers of nondepressed adolescents. These findings are consistent with social interaction theory. Both theories suggest similar predictions regarding adolescents’ responses to maternal criticism. Consistent with both theories, we found that relatively depressed adolescents responded with depressive behavior following maternal criticism.
Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women
Authors: Birnbaum Gurit E.
Published: January 2007

The current research focuses on the detrimental effects of attachment insecurities on sexuality and relationship quality. A community sample of 96 women completed self-report scales tapping attachment orientations; relationship satisfaction; sex-related affect and cognitions; and sexual functioning. Findings indicate that although both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with aversive sexual affect and cognitions, attachment anxiety was more detrimental to sexual functioning. In addition, only attachment anxiety was significantly associated with relational and sexual dissatisfaction, however, sexual satisfaction mediates the association between attachment anxiety and relationship satisfaction. The possibility that attachment orientations are associated with different strategies and interaction goals in the operation of the sexual system within romantic relationships is discussed.
Idealization, reunions, and stability in long-distance dating relationships
Authors: Stafford Laura , Merolla Andy J.
Published: January 2007

Two studies explore the seeming paradox reported in prior research on long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs): Despite limited interaction, LDDR partners evidence greater relational stability than partners in geographically close dating relationships (GCDRs). We investigate speculations that romantic idealization may be a key component in LDDR stability. Idealization (i.e., idealistic distortion, romantic love, relational reminiscence, perceived agreement) and satisfaction with communication was more pronounced in LDDRs than GCDRs. Idealization was also associated with infrequent face-to-face communication. LDDRs were more stable than GCDRs as long as LDDR partners remained geographically separated, but LDDR partners were likely to terminate their relationship upon becoming proximal. Longer absences between face-to-face visits and extreme idealization during separation predicted instability upon reunion.
Perceptions of commitment change during mate selection: The case of Taiwanese newlyweds
Authors: Chang Szu-Chia , Chan Chao-Neng
Published: January 2007

This study examined factors affecting mate selection among Chinese couples. Newly married Taiwanese couples ( N = 70) participated in semistructured interviews where they were asked to remember, as accurately as possible, the events which led to their decision to marry. Four categories of subjective inferences: Intrapersonal/normative, dyadic, social network, and circumstantial were created. Each couple’s courtship pattern was placed into one of six categories based on the shape of their commitment graph. The four categories of inference were then analyzed in terms of the six relationship types. Results indicated that nondyadic factors such as the social network and circumstances were as important as dyadic reasons in determining perceptions of commitment changes. Findings are compared to those from the United States, and cultural differences are discussed.
In pursuit of ‘good’ sex: Self-determination and the sexual experience
Authors: Smith C. Veronica
Published: January 2007

Self-determination Theory posits that psychological wellbeing stems from feeling autonomous, competent, and related. Prior research has found that people report that, on days in which they perceive these needs are met, they have good days, as evidenced by both positive mood and fewer physical symptoms. The current research examined the relationship between satisfaction of these needs and sexuality, hypothesizing that having sexual interactions in which these needs are met, will result in more satisfying and positive experiences. For 3 weeks, participants described and rated each of their sexual interactions. Results suggest that greater need satisfaction is related to more positive sexual experience. Differences in general-level needs were also examined as they moderated the above relationship.
Goals and emotional outcomes of revenge activities in interpersonal relationships
Authors: Yoshimura Stephen
Published: January 2007

This study investigated reported goals involved in, and emotional outcomes resulting from, the process of enacting revenge activities against interpersonal relationship partners. Participants ( N = 152) responded to questionnaires in which they described activities used to express revenge against a relational partner, the importance of several goals relevant to their retaliatory expressions, and the types of emotional outcomes they experienced upon reflecting on their activities. Results indicate that reported revenge activities are distinguished by goals reflecting an overarching desire to dominate targets. Although respondents reported experiencing anger, fearful anxiety, positivity, and remorse after enacting revenge, remorse was particularly strong following the initiation of new relationships, defaming the target’s reputation, and removing the target’s personal resources.
Keeping quiet: Self-silencing and its association with relational and individual functioning among adolescent romantic couples
Authors: Harper Melinda S. , Welsh Deborah P.
Published: January 2007

This study examined the relationships between self-silencing and relational and individual functioning among adolescent romantic couples. Adolescent couples ( N = 211) completed questionnaires and participated in a videotaped conflict interaction. High self-silencers reported conceding more to their partner during a conflict, poorer global communication within their romantic relationships, and greater experiences of depressive symptomatology. Partners of self-silencers reported more frustration and discomfort when interacting with the self-silencing member. Although significant actor and partner effects were not found between relationship satisfaction and self-silencing, correlation analyses by gender revealed a significant negative correlation between self-silencing and relationship satisfaction among adolescent girls. Self-silencing is related to multiple aspects of adolescent romantic relationships including communication patterns and the quality of relational and individual functioning.
The attraction-similarity hypothesis among cross-sex friends: Relationship satisfaction, perceived similarities, and self-serving perceptions
Authors: Morry Marian M.
Published: January 2007

Individuals often project their own attitudes, behaviors, or relationship views onto close others. These perceptions may or may not be accurate but they influence relationship judgments. Based on the attraction-similarity hypothesis, three studies examine the role of friendship satisfaction in perceptions of similarity in terms of relationship beliefs, traits, and behaviors among cross-sex friends. Study 1 found that college students perceived their cross-sex friends to be similar to themselves. Interclass correlations indicated that these perceptions reflected a belief in the partner’s similarity to the self rather then being an accurate assessment. Supporting the attraction-similarity hypothesis, Studies 2 and 3 found that greater friendship satisfaction predicted greater perceived friend-self similarity for traits and behaviors. Finally, these perceptions were made in a self-enhancing fashion.
Waves of Empire
Authors: Go Julian
Published: January 2007

Is there a relationship between the global hegemonic position of the US on the one hand, and imperialistic activities such as war-making, sending troops abroad, colonial annexation and/or temporary military occupation? In an attempt to offer a preliminary answer to this question, this article offers a novel longitudinal analysis of US imperialistic activities from 1787 to 2003, and shows that America's imperialistic activity has been punctuated by waves of high amplitude and frequency. The article also shows that each of these waves correspond to different phases in America's career. Specifically, they are associated with America's movement from regional to hemispheric to global dominance and, ultimately, to its decline from its prior hegemonic status. The analysis offers preliminary support for a new theory of the relationship between hegemony and imperialistic activity.
Approaches to Developing an Improved Cross-National Understanding of Concepts and Terms Relating to Ethnicity and Race
Authors: Aspinall Peter J.
Published: January 2007

Investigators from the fields of comparative social and epidemiological research have identified the need for an improved cross-national understanding of the concepts and terms relating to ethnicity and race. Suggestions have included the harmonization in surveys of variables like ethnicity and religion in a comparative European context and an internationally applicable and agreed glossary of terms relating to ethnicity and race. Pleas have been entered for work towards such goals, involving statistical offices and institutions in the European Union and bodies like the World Health Organization and International Epidemiological Association. This article examines how the conceptual bases of this terminology, issues of geographical specificity and the problem of which terms merit recognition impact on these goals. Different approaches to improving our understanding of this terminology in a cross-national context are explored. Given that the meanings of concepts and terms in the field of ethnicity and race invariably can only be understood in their national context of use–which is frequently layered, manifold, subtle and complex–an approach that explores the connotative reach of the different concepts and terms within this context is needed. Functional equivalence is more likely to be achieved by harmonization than the systematization of such knowledge through the economical form of a glossary of synthetic analytical terminology. However, given the socially and psychologically driven nature of ethnicity as a ‘global’ concept, harmonization may only be successful when limited to its multiple dimensions.
The New Digital Borders of Europe
Authors: Broeders Dennis
Published: January 2007

This article analyses the development of three EU migration databases and their significance for the internal control of irregular migrants. Because borders and immigration policy alone cannot stop irregular migration, many governments turn to internal migration control on settled irregular migrants. Surveillance of this group is aimed at their exclusion from key societal institutions, discouraging their stay and ultimately, the deportation of apprehended irregular migrants. These are policies in which identification of irregular migrants is crucial. In this age, registration and identification mean computerized and networked databases. The member states of the EU are currently developing a network of databases in the field of (irregular) immigration. The Schengen Information System (II), the Eurodac database and the Visa Information System are vast databases, often including biometric data, aimed at controlling migration flows and identifying and sorting legal and irregular migrants. These systems are able to ‘re-identify’ parts of the population of irregular migrants on the basis of digital traces of their migration history. It is argued that the digital infrastructure that is now growing past its infancy is developing into a formidable tool for the surveillance of irregular migrants in Europe.
Gifts and Social Relations
Authors: Komter Aafke
Published: January 2007

In the modern gift literature an anti-utilitarian and a utilitarian view on the giftcan be distinguished. From the anti-utilitarian perspective, the freedom of the gift is seen as one of its main characteristics, while the idea that gifts are caught in a cycle of reciprocity is downplayed. In the utilitarian approach, assumptions about rational actors weighing their preferences according to some utility are predominant. In the first approach, reciprocity is seen as undermining ‘genuine’ gifts. The utilitarian approach does take reciprocity into account but fails to analyse why the principle of reciprocity is so effective. This article attempts to provide such an explanation. By illuminating both the variety of the forms of the gift and the universality of the underlying principle, it is argued that gifts reflect a multi-purpose symbolic ‘utility’ that transcends both utilitarianism and anti-utilitarianism.
The Interaction of Process Losses, Process Gains, and Meeting Satisfaction Within Technology-Supported Environments
Authors: Mejias Roberto J.
Published: February 2007

Although computer mediated communication (CMC) technology has been shown to enhance productivity, increase participation equality, and improve decision quality, these reported increases in performance have not always been accompanied by related increases in meeting satisfaction. Various input-process-output models in the CMC literature have portrayed process losses and process gains as important variables affecting meeting satisfaction. A research model portraying the impact of process losses and process gains upon two dimensions of meeting satisfaction (outcome satisfaction and process satisfaction) is developed and tested. Results indicate that process losses generate negative effects upon both dimensions of meeting satisfaction, but only within identified CMC environments. Within anonymous CMC environments, however, the effect of process losses upon either outcome satisfaction or process satisfaction is negligible. Conversely, process gains generate positive effects upon both outcome and process satisfaction regardless of anonymity levels. These findings suggest that the inconsistencies in research outcomes regarding CMC meeting satisfaction may be resolved if researchers distinguish between outcome satisfaction and process satisfaction as separate dimensions of meeting satisfaction.
I Know I Can, But Can We?
Authors: Hardin Andrew M. , Fuller Mark A. , Davison Robert M.
Published: February 2007

Given the growing use of global virtual teams, one important factor to consider when examining team performance is the cultural backgrounds of the dispersed team members. Two hundred forty-three team members from universities in the United States and Hong Kong were administered three survey questionnaires during a series of virtual team projects. Results revealed that regardless of cultural background, team members reported less confidence in their ability to work in virtual team environments than traditional face-to-face environments and that team members from individualistic cultures reported higher self-efficacy beliefs (both group self-efficacy and virtual team self-efficacy) than team members from collectivist cultures. Furthermore, when the reference for efficacy beliefs changed from the individual to the group, the magnitude of change was greater for the collectivist versus individualistic team members. Implications and future research are also discussed.
Community-Based Coalitions’ Capacity for Sustainable Action: The Role of Relationships
Authors: Wells Rebecca , Ford Eric W. , McClure Jennifer A. , Holt Michelle L. , Ward Ann
Published: February 2007

Given both the importance and difficulty of promoting community-based public health coalitions, their capacity for sustainable action merits systematic examination. The current study addresses this need, focusing specifically on the relational dimension of capacity, that is, how relationships both among members and with external actors affect coalition-level activity. The context is a multimethod comparative case study of two rural cancer control coalitions. The authors began by using quantitative and qualitative data to characterize relational capacity in each coalition and then assessed the association between coalition-level relational capacity and level of subsequent interventions. The more active coalition had a more inclusive relational structure than did its less active counterpart but also placed less emphasis on personal friendships. The authors conclude that coalitions’ relational structures are measurable and that this dimension of capacity may affect sustainable capacity for health promotion.
Local Knowledge and Experiences of Vaccination: Implications for HIV-Preventive Vaccine Trials in South Africa
Authors: Lindegger Graham , Quayle Michael , Ndlovu Moses
Published: February 2007

This study forms part of the preparation of communities for HIV-preventive vaccine trials in South Africa. On the basis of the assumption that attitudes to any HIV vaccine or vaccine trials will partly be influenced by experiences of vaccination in general, this study aimed to investigate knowledge of, attitudes to, and experiences of vaccination in a small semirural community in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study also sought to investigate the effect of traditional, cultural, and religious beliefs on attitudes to vaccination, as well as to get some indication of willingness to participate in potential HIV vaccine trials. Overall, the findings reveal a good knowledge of, and positive attitudes to, vaccination, with little negative effect of traditional, cultural, and religious beliefs. The findings also reveal a generally positive attitude to HIV vaccines and vaccine trials. Barriers identified, such as anxiety about safety, were not surprising.
Process Evaluation Results From the Healthy Directions–Small Business Study
Authors: Hunt Mary K. , Barbeau Elizabeth M. , Lederman Ruth , Stoddard Anne M. , Chetkovich Carol , Goldman Roberta , Wallace Lorraine , Sorensen Glorian
Published: February 2007

The Healthy Directions–Small Business randomized, controlled study aimed to reduce cancer risk among multiethnic workers in small manufacturing businesses by increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and daily multivitamin in take and decreasing consumption of red meat. The intervention incorporated participatory strategies and was built on a social-contextual framework that addressed people with varying cultural backgrounds and literacy levels. In addition, the intervention aimed to reduce worker exposure to occupational hazards. Process evaluation was conductedusing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative results showed high levels of worker awareness of and participation in programs. Qualitative findings suggested that management support, worker input, and a history of social interaction between workers and management may have contributed to high participation rates. Future studies need to examine characteristics associated with participation and nonparticipation of both managers and nonmanagers to increase the likelihood of participation and ultimately improve health behavior.
Designing Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Health Interventions: The “Life Is Precious” Hmong Breast Cancer Study
Authors: Tanjasiri Sora Park , Kagawa-Singer Marjorie , Foo Mary Anne , Chao Maichew , Linayao-Putman Irene , Nguyen John , Pirumyan Georgi , Valdez Annalyn
Published: February 2007

Cancer is the number one cause of death for Asian American women, yet they have the lowest rates of cancer screening. Contributing factors, particularly for Hmong women, include the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate educational interventions. This study aimed to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate intervention to improve the breast cancer screening rates among Hmong women in Fresno and San Diego, California. Intervention elements included the development of a flipchart, brochure, and video that presented basic breast health and screening information, along with the targeting of not only women but men to support their wives’ breast cancer screenings. Analyses of pre- and post workshop surveys showed increases in knowledge and more positive attitudes among all participants, behavioral intentions for clinical breast examinations and mammograms among women, and support for such exams and possible cancer treatment among men. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.
Perspective: Have the Focus and Sophistication of Research in Health Education Changed?
Authors: Merrill Ray M. , Lindsay Christopher A. , Shields Eric C. , Stoddard Julianne
Published: February 2007

This study assessed the types of research and the statistical methods used in three representative health education journals from 1994 through 2003. Editorials, commentaries, program/practice notes, and perspectives represent 17.6% of the journals’ content. The most common types of articles are cross-sectional studies (27.5%), reviews (23.2%), and analytic studies (i.e., case-control, cohort, and experimental studies) (18.4%). The estimated annual percentage change across the study period in these types of articles was 3.3, -9.3, and 5.5, respectively. A significant increase was observed in use of descriptive statistics (estimated annual percentage change = 2.4), parametric test statistics (4.4), nonparametric test statistics (3.5), epidemiologic statistics (10.3), generalized linear models (6.8), validation statistics (6.7), and other statistics (8.2). Movement toward increasing use of cross-sectional studies, analytic study designs, and statistical methods—representing greater emphasis on needs assessment for health education, health education program development, and program evaluation—indicates the need for better quantitatively trained health educators.
Towards more effective community participation in urban regeneration: the potential of collaborative planning and applied ethnography
Authors: Maginn Paul J.
Published: January 2007

Community participation has become the new orthodoxy within urban regeneration policy in the UK. Yet, it remains a perennial problem for policymakers, especially at the neighbourhood level. A major reason for this, it is argued, is that policymakers often set up local partnerships with insufficient knowledge of the ‘culture’ (i.e. structure, processes, practices, relations and agents) of the neighbourhoods and communities they seek to regenerate and involve in decision-making. Furthermore, policymakers also lack a critically reflective understanding of their own cultural practices. It is argued that collaborative planning theory and applied ethnography offer policymakers a way forward in realising more effective community participation. Collaborative planning and applied ethnography provide a governance and methodological framework that have the potential to promote inclusionary argumentation and consensus building, and give partnership stakeholders an opportunity to become more aware and critically reflective of their cultural relations, practices and processes, thus paving the way forward for more effective community participation.
Avatar watching: participant observation in graphical online environments
Authors: Williams Matthew
Published: January 2007

Increasingly, social science researchers are turning to the internet to study forms of ‘virtual’ culture. In tandem there has been a degree of trepidation and innovation in the application of research methodology to the online arena. As its focus this article takes the application of participant observation to the virtual field. Drawing upon narratives elicited from community members of an online graphical social space, methodological questions are raised about the viability of a ‘virtual ethnography’, while a more practical discussion focuses upon the re-engineering of participant observation for operation in an online pseudo-physical field. The impact of graphical pseudo-presence, avatar representation, physical online boundaries and multiple online sites upon the practice of participant observation are examined. The article concludes that the advent of new broadband technologies and the expansion of graphical online environments require online methods that are both responsive and adaptive in order to elicit reliable and valid data from rapidly changing online environments.
Studying dialogical selves dialogically: multiple-horizon analysis of critical moments in the working life of theatre actors in two cultures
Authors: Lindén Jitka , Čermák Ivo
Published: January 2007

The project reported on here, construed within the general ontological framework of hermeneutic inquiry, considers the methodological consequences of this basic approach. A specific methodology that was developed, capturing both subjective contents and discursive construction processes, is described. It consists of a Diary-in-group method combining personal diary writing with group conversations and text-reading processes in a multi-horizon analysis. A concrete example of an empirical inquiry into the lives of theatre actors is presented. Critical moments in working life as viewed from the perspective of the health and psychological well-being of the actors were explored by use of the Diary-in-group method in both the Swedish and the Czech culture. A multiple-horizon analysis is used to provide a deeper understanding of cultural aspects of the personal and professional Self.
Studying power: qualitative methods and the global elite
Authors: Conti Joseph A. , O’Neil Moira
Published: January 2007

The qualitative study of global elites is a challenging task and in this article we demonstrate that the difficulties of elite research can be handled in a more transparent and productive manner by engaging feminist methodologies. Drawing on one author’s recent experiences in the field interviewing well-placed actors involved with the dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization, we argue that feminist methodologies allow the successful navigation of the authority relationship in the process of studying elites. Critical examination of researcher positionality and the micropolitics of the research encounter leads to a reconceptualization of the concept of ‘studying up’ as it obscures the complexities of the power relationships in both research and social life. We conclude with a call for deeper qualitative attention to global elites that is informed by feminist methodologies.
‘As relevant as banning polo in Greenland’: the absence of ethnographic insight into country sports in the UK
Authors: Hillyard Sam
Published: January 2007

The article argues for the reinvigoration of sociological and ethnographic interest in the rural. It makes this case in three stages. First, Newby’s work is used to demonstrate early ethnographic insight into the rural. The second stage then critiques the missed ethnographic opportunities in contemporary qualitative studies of country sports. Finally, new empirical visual research findings on gamekeeping in the UK are introduced to demonstrate what an ethnographic approach can bring to rural studies. It concludes with the argument that the contested and differentiated nature of the British countryside warrants greater sociological interest, and that ethnographic research is well positioned to offer rich insights.
Sacagawea’s nickname, or the Sacagawea problem
Authors: Denzin Norman K.
Published: January 2007

This performance text enacts a critical cultural politics concerning Native American women and their presence in Western mythology. I interrogate the history of Sacagawea and the representation of native American women in two cultural and symbolic landscapes; the Lewis and Clark Journals and Montana’s most famous novel, A.B. Guthrie, Jr.’s mid-century novel (1947), Big Sky.
Young people, biographical narratives and the life grid: young people’s accounts of parental substance use
Authors: Wilson Sarah , Cunningham-Burley Sarah , Bancroft Angus , Backett-Milburn Kathryn , Masters Hugh
Published: January 2007

Research into potentially sensitive issues with young people presents numerous methodological and ethical challenges. While recent studies have highlighted the advantages of task-based activities in research with young people, the literature on life history research provides few suggestions as to effective and appropriate research tools for encouraging young people to tell their stories. This article explores the contribution that may be made to such research by the life grid, a visual tool for mapping important life events against the passage of time and prompting wide-ranging discussion. Critical advantages of the life grid in qualitative research include: its visual element, which can help to engage interviewer and interviewee in a process of constructing and reflecting on a concrete life history record; its role in creating a more relaxed research encounter supportive of the respondent’s ‘voice’; and facilitating the discussion of sensitive issues. In addition, the way in which use of the grid anchors such narratives in accounts of everyday life, often revealing interesting tensions, is explored. These points are discussed with reference to an exploratory study of young people’s experience of parental substance use.
Leading the Way
Authors: Lee Jongho , Pachon Harry P.
Published: February 2007

To examine the impact of religion on the Latino vote, we draw on data from a pre-election survey of 1,603 Latino registered voters conducted in October 2004. We advance the argument that religious identity is politically salient only among Latino evangelicals. Controlling for a host of voting determinants, we show that religious identity has an independent effect on the vote among Latino evangelicals. Furthermore, Latino evangelicals who identify with the Republican Party are found to be more-committed supporters of the incumbent president. The existence of a religion gap suggests that the Latino electorate may become much less cohesive as a voting bloc as religious affiliation becomes more pluralistic in the Latino community.