bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ideology, Camouflage or Contingency? Racism in British Psychiatry
Authors: Littlewood Roland
Published: March 2007

"...Are we so sure that the racist form of intolerance results chiefly from the wrong ideas of this or that group of people about the dependence of cultural evolution on organic evolution? Might not these ideas be simply ideological camouflage for more concrete oppositions based on a desire to subjugate other groups and maintain a posi tion of power?"
Improvement, Inspection and Self-Review
Authors: Chapman Christopher
Published: March 2007

Recent research suggests that what the teacher does in the classroom is three to four times more important in terms of pupil outcomes than what happens at whole school level. Local Education Authority (LEA) level is thought to have even less influence on pupil outcomes Reynolds (1999). This implies that teachers are crucial to raising educa tional standards. If teacher's valuable skills and knowledge are not developed or harnessed effectively then schools only have a limited capacity for school improvement. It may be argued that the more that teacher's skills and know ledge are developed through Professional Development, the greater the effect they may have on student outcomes because of these increased skill and knowledge levels. Their position in the classroom puts teachers in a potentially powerful position in terms of raising educa tional standards, however only quietly in the corner of some schools can true collaborative practice and self review be seen to be happening. The more marginalised, demoralised and technicised teachers become the more we are limiting the potential for school improvement.

The key to raising educational standards is improving teacher performance in the classroom through the develop ment of teaching and learning. One method of reviewing, evaluating and hoping to develop performance is to rely on the externally imposed inspection framework. The 1992 Education Act facilitated the setting up of the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Central government, irrespective of political party has been fanatically com mitted to the principle of holding schools accountable for their actions and progress through inspection. Frequently we hear politicians and policy makers speak of 'improve ment through inspection '.
The 'Students As Researchers' projec ® at Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College
Authors: Wetherill Liz
Published: March 2007

Liz Wetherill is a sixth form student who became involved in the research work taking place in her schools as part of the IQEA project (improving the Quality of Education for All) supported by the University of Cambridge School of Education. In this article she reflects on her experiences as a student researcher.
Why Did a Slump Follow Land Reforms in Kerala?
Authors: Balakrishnan Pulapre
Published: March 2007

The land reforms in Kerala have deservedly attracted attention not only for the boldness of the policy formulation, but also for the perceived efficiency with which they have been administered as compared to elsewhere. However, the addi tional perception that the state today boasts of a strong agricultural economy undergirded by these very reforms is far from correct with paddy production, its erstwhile core, which by now is at a level below that in the year preceding their launching. As an explanation of this counter-intuitive outcome, it is proposed here that the slump is a case of the 'Dutch disease', with the difference that the boom has occurred offshore. Such an explanation alone, unlike earlier attempts, is able to account for the trajectory of the central variables, notably real wages and output. Kerala's experience bears some lessons for the study of agrarian transformations.
The Use of Heat Pumps to Induce Airflow on Hot Days in Otherwise Passive Ventilation Systems- A Zonal Modelling Approach
Authors: Gage Stephen A. , Ayres Philippe , Axon James
Published: March 2007

This paper presents results from a wider study into pro viding displacement ventilation in urban areas by taking air into buildings from the top without the use of fans. Results from large scale experimental work are given. These results indicate that ventilation airflows can be induced using gravity chillers and heaters in conditions where this type of installation would otherwise fail. The paper also describes initial experiments undertaken to see how far the same equipment can be used for heat recovery. One test installation was modelled using a pro prietary zonal model. A further zonal model was created to compare an assisted gravity system with a partially fan-driven system. This system failed on numerous occa sions during a hot summer. However, fans are shown to be advantageous in winter heat recovery. A hybrid sys tem is suggested for use under UK conditions.
Effect of Thermal Comfort/Discomfort due to Infrared Heaters Installed at Workplaces in Industrial Buildings
Authors: Petras D. , Kalús D.
Published: March 2007

The use of infrared heaters in a workplace provides heat ing systems with low energy intensity and an immediate effect on thermal comfort. When compared with other heating systems, they offer the substantial advantage of greater energy efficiency. In addition they contribute to an improved living environment since they are fired with natural gas which is the most ecological option of all fos sil fuels. Heat waves propagate from infrared heaters in the same way as the radiation from the sun, and up to 30% of this short-wave infrared radiation penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the human body. The human body is adapted to infrared radiation at this wavelength, and, consequently, people feel comfortable to be irra diated by it. In this paper, we present our recent studies on the operation of gas infrared heaters in industrial buildings. The paper is based on the experimental re sults from a study of energy conservation and its impact on the indoor environment of the workplace.
Size Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Indoor Airborne Particulates
Authors: Sugiyama Tomohiko , Amagai Takashi , Matsushita Hidetsuru , Soma Mitsuyuki
Published: March 2007

A survey of the particle-size distribution of 17 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor and outdoor air was performed in 20 homes in several Japanese cities. Highest PAH concentrations were found in the fine-parti cle fraction (smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter). The pro portion of indoor PAH concentrations in fine particles was found to be higher than that of outdoors. For 4-ring PAHs, indoor sources elevated the indoor PAH concen trations in the 2.5- to 10-μm and >10-μm fractions, whereas the indoor PAH concentrations in particles smaller than 2.5 μm were comparable with or lower than the outdoor concentrations. In contrast, for PAHs with more than 5 rings, the indoor concentrations were deter mined essentially by outdoor concentrations. The in door/outdoor benzo[ a]pyrene concentration ratio varied considerably in homes with smokers because the resi dents opened the windows of the room in which smok ing took place.
Gravimetric Studies on VOC Adsorption by Indoor Materials under Near-Ambient Conditions
Authors: Meininghaus R. , Kirchner S. , Maupetit F. , Sallée H. , Quenard D.
Published: March 2007

Adsorption and desorption of volatile organic com pounds (VOCs) by indoor materials can have a signifi cant impact on indoor air quality. Investigations with oth er environmental matrices than building materials have shown that the presence of water has a strong impact on VOC adsorption. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a microbalance set-up aimed at investigating VOC adsorption by indoor materials under controlled relative humidity at ambient pressure. The experimental set-up is described and the adsorption iso therms and partition coefficients obtained for combina tions of m-xylene and n-octane with several indoor mate rials are reported. Linear or almost linear adsorption iso therms were found for most combinations of com pounds and materials. n-Octane is in all cases less strongly adsorbed than m-xylene. Comparison with data originating from a different experimental technique gave acceptable agreement between the methods for most of the materials tested.
Lighting Quality Surveys in Office Premises
Authors: Chung T.M. , Burnett John
Published: March 2007

The lighting quality in an indoor space affects the prod uctivity, comfort, well-being and health of the occupants. In this article a lighting quality index called the CSP index is briefly reviewed and two office lighting quality surveys are described. Data from a large scale lighting quality survey show a very poor correlation between the CSP index and the occupants' subjective assessment of the lighting quality. Surveys before and after a lighting retro fit project that consisted of two stages are also reported. Results show that the occupants preferred the higher light levels after the retrofit. However, the data also show that a higher percentage of occupants reported that they suffered from headache or eyestrain after the retrofit. Therefore, it is not clear whether the lighting quality overall was improved by the retrofit.
Ventilation, Air Conditioning and the Indoor Air Environment
Authors: Wang Hai-Qiao , Chen Jin-Duan , Hao Zhang
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a Chinese approach to ventilation and air conditioning, which are important measures needed to improve the indoor air environment of a build ing. They are important because improper design of a system may degrade the indoor air environment rather than enhance it. This is a situation that might be called sick air conditioning. Also, in circumstances where the outside air is heavily polluted air treatment is necessary to avoid worsening the indoor environment. This paper seeks to highlight the way in which improperly designed ventilation and air conditioning systems may be im proved by use of purified air produced by filtration and other means and through avoidance of the build-up of microbial flora.
Development of a Method for Measuring Volatile Organic Compounds in the Blood of Fire Victims Using'Purge and Trap' Gas Chromatography
Authors: Houeto Paul , Borron Stephen W. , Marlière Fabrice , Baud Frédéric J. , Levillain Pierre
Published: March 2007

Smoke inhalation remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Clinical and laboratory studies have re vealed numerous potentially toxic components of com bustion in the fire environment and in human tissue samples. However, the frequency and importance of the various compounds remains poorly understood. A new simple method to quantitatively measure volatile or ganic compounds (VOCs) in small samples of the blood of fire victims has been developed utilising the 'purge and trap' method of gas phase chromatography with flame ionisation detection using two columns. Thirty- three compounds were identified on the basis of the retention index method with acceptable repeatability and reproducibility. This method should permit a more complete investigation of the toxic volatile organic com pounds found in fire victims.
Modelling the Contribution of Passive Smoking to Exposure to PM10 in UK Homes
Authors: Dimitroulopoulou C. , Ashmore M.R. , Byrne M.A.
Published: March 2007

A physical compartmental model (INTAIR) has been pa rameterised to estimate PM10 concentrations and has been used to assess the contribution of smoking to PM10 levels for typical homes in the UK. The results suggest that smoking activity at home increases the daily mean concentrations in the living room by 1-1.5 μg.m-3 per cigarette smoked, and may contribute significantly to personal exposures to PM10. The model simulations demonstrate that the contribution of smoking to daily mean concentrations is highly dependent on the air exchange rate between the room and outdoors.
The Correlation and Prediction of VOC Thresholds for Nasal Pungency, Eye Irritation and Odour in Humans
Authors: Abraham Michael H. , Gola Joëlle M.R. , Cometto-Muñiz J. Enrique , Cain William S.
Published: March 2007

A general equation set up for the study of transport prop erties has been applied to volatile organic compound (VOC) nasal pungency and eye irritation thresholds, as log (1/NPT) and log (1/EIT). The equation accounts for 93- 95% of the total effect, thus suggesting that the main step is transport of the VOC from the gas phase to a receptor phase. In the case of odour thresholds the gen eral equation accounts for only 77% of the total effect. A modified equation incorporates a factor for aliphatic aldehydes and carboxylic acids, and a general size effect that depends on the VOC maximum length. The size effect is important in that it leads to a cut-off effect that greatly reduces the potency of higher homologues. The various equations can all be used to predict chemosen sory thresholds for thousands of VOCs.
'Biomass Lung': Primitive Biomass Combustion and Lung Disease
Authors: Bariş Yusuf Izzettin , Hoskins John A. , Seyfikli Zehra , Demir Ahmet
Published: March 2007

Domestic burning of biomass fuel is one of the most important risk factors for the development of respiratory diseases and infant mortality. The fuel which causes the highest level of disease is dung. In the rural areas of developing countries some 80% of households rely on biomass fuels for cooking and often heating as well and so suffer high indoor air pollution. Even when the fire or stove is outside the home those near it are still exposed to the smoke. In areas where the winters are long and cold the problem is aggravated since the fire or stove is indoors for many months of the year. The consequence of biomass burning is a level of morbidity in those exposed to the smoke as well as mortality. The rural areas of Turkey are among many in the world where bio mass is the major fuel source. In this case report 8 patients from rural areas, particularly Anatolia, who used biomass are presented. Many of these are non-smoking, female patients who have respiratory complaints and a clinical picture of the chronic lung diseases which would have been expected if they had been heavy smokers. Typically patients cook on the traditional 'tandir' stove using dung and crop residues as the fuel. Ventilation sys tems are poor and they are exposed to a high level of smoke pollution leading to cough and dyspnoea. Anthra cosis is a common outcome of this level of exposure and several of the patients developed lung tumours. The findings from clinical examination of 8 of these patients (2 M, 6 F) are presented together with their outcome where known.
Review : Health, Comfort and Productivity in the Indoor Environment
Authors: Singh Jajit
Published: March 2007

Possible sources of indoor air pollutants and their impact on the health, com fort and productivity of the building occupants are discussed from the point of view of a professional building pathologist. The causes and symptoms of sick building syndrome, allergy and environmental illnesses and building-related illnesses are listed in the context of building environments. Finally, the ways in which a solution to the problems caused by indoor air pollution in buildings can be solved and the steps necessary for remediation and prevention mea sures following the examination of buildings and their occupants, are de tailed.
Experimental Studies on the Air Flow Characteristics Induced by a High Sidewall Grill in a Climate Chamber
Authors: Chow W.K. , Wong L.T.
Published: March 2007

The air flow characteristics induced by discharging air into a climatechamber with and without a high sidewall grill were studied experimentally. Over five hundred and thirty thousand values of the air speed were collected at positions above the floor level, near the supply inlet and the exhaust outlet. The thermal comfort indices due to temperature and air speed were measured under five flow conditions, two with a diffuser and three without a diffuser. An evalua tion of thermal comfort using the air diffusion performance index (ADPI) and percentage dissatisfied (PD) was made. Macroscopic numbers describing the air flow studied were, the Archimedes number, the Reynolds number and the jet momentum number. The Reynolds number and the jet momentum num ber increased as the total supply flow rate increased. However, the Archimedes number decreased with increasing flow rates. The Archimedes number was found to be correlated with the Reynolds number, which might be because they are defined by parameters related to the air velocity V and temperature difference (T2 - T1). The ADPI was found to be linearly related to the jet momentum number and related directly to the PD. The throw of the diffuser was found to be related to the corrected Archimedes number. The jet momen tum number and Archimedes number are related to the air speed, the root mean square of the air speed and the turbulence intensity.
Assessing the Cost of Medical Care of Respiratory Diseases Caused by Indoor Pollution
Authors: Ciambelli P. , Lojacono G. , Meloni F. , Salzano E.
Published: March 2007

In the more developed countries it has been recognised for 20 or 25 years that people spend most of their lives indoors where air quality may be different and possibly worse than that outdoors. Although the concentrations of pollutants outdoors have been measured many times and the results are easily accessible, similar data for concentrations indoors are largely lacking. It is particularly important that the levels of nitrogen dioxide are known since this is an impor tant causative factor for respiratory disease. A model based on building dynamics theory has been proposed to predict the concentration of indoor nitrogen dioxide. The assessment of the cost of medical care of respiratory disease caused by indoor air pollution is part of a more general need for the overall assessment of the costs related to air pollution. Data collected during a cross sectional survey conducted on a population sample of occupationally non-exposed adults from northern Italy have allowed the degree of illness related to indoor nitrogen dioxide levels and the corresponding cost of medical care to be estimated.
Ventilation Performance and Indoor Air Quality in Workstations under Different Supply Air Systems: A Numerical Approach
Authors: Jiang Z. , Haghighat F. , Chen Q.
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the results of a computational fluid dynamics study to assess the air freshness and percentage of dissatisfied people due to air quality in a partitioned office with different supply air diffusers. The numerical model involves the finite-volume approach of solving governing equations for mass and momentum, assuming that the buoyancy effects are negligibly small in comparison to the inertial effects. The k-ε two-equation model of turbulence is used to predict the turbulence transport of flow properties. Two typical layouts that provide six individual workstations are studied. The results show that for displacement ventilation and wall jet diffusers, with the exhaust opening placed on the wall opposite to the supply opening, arranging chambers in the central area of the office may be better. When the exhaust opening is placed on the same wall as the supply diffuser, arranging chambers near side walls may be more favourable. The ceiling-mounted four-way diffuser is found to be more suitable for a partitioned office than the wall jet and displacement dif fusers.
Indoor Air Quality in Bulgaria
Authors: Lolova D. , Uzunova E. , Babikian A. , Koleva Ts.
Published: March 2007

High temperature combustion is the main source of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. Unvented gas and kerosene cooking appliances and space heaters are found to be the major indoor emission sources. It is important to know the level of exposure to NO2 in order to study their effects on health, to establish dose-effect relationships and to de vise appropriate pollution control strategies. Recognising these problems prompted a project which aimed to study the exposure to NO 2 among children aged 10-12 years living in 4 settlements in Bulgaria. The group of children investigated, whose parents included both smokers and non-smokers, came from homes with different types of heating and cooking appliances. The study was based on questionnaires-diaries. Palmes tubes were used for monitoring both personal exposure to NO2 and the levels indoors (kitchen, living room) and outdoors. The data obtained from the study showed that the concentra tions of NO2 were highest in homes which had gas cooking stoves and in which the parents were smokers.
Indoor Air Quality and Energy Use in Slovenia
Authors: Butala Vincenc , Novak Peter
Published: March 2007

People today spend 90% of their time in enclosed spaces so that they almost become prisoners of their own civilisation. But we have to allow fresh air into our working and living spaces if we want to feel well and breathe air that is not of deleterious quality. The use of energy for heating and/or cooling rises with the effectiveness of ventilation. There is thus a link between the concentration of pollutants overall in the air and the concentration of pollutants in the breathing zone. The consequence of this is that air quality and the efficient use of energy conflict.
Monitoring Viable Fungal and Bacterial Bioaerosol Concentrations to Identify Acceptable Levels for Common Indoor Environments
Authors: Robertson L.D.
Published: March 2007

Little characterization of bioaerosol concentrations between 200 and 450 cfu.m-3 has been carried out to address potential concerns about indoor air quality. The present research describes measurements of indoor bioaerosol concentrations and concludes that a level of nontoxigenic and nonpathogenic organisms ≤ 300 cfu·m -3 should be typical for environments in which nor mal, nonimmunocompromised people live. With the exception of Cladospo rium, no organism should individually contribute more than 50 cfu·m-3 to the total. The author believes that levels >300 cfu·m-3 and/or not meeting the above criteria require further investigation for: a bias from prominent outdoor bioaerosol(s), inadequate air filtration, excessive indoor humidity and micro- humidity environments, and/or potential indigenous contamination source(s). This is not to say that a level of contamination > 300 cfu·m-3 represents any threshold having medical or health significance nor necessarily that it is repre sentative of an unacceptable indoor environment. Rather it is proposed as a 'reactionary threshold' to incite further investigation into the cause(s) of what, from the measurements made, is an above average viable concentration for indoor bioaerosols. It is also concluded that outdoor sampling should only be carried out for comparisons with individual indoor components and that indoor/outdoor ratios involving total cfu·m-3 concentrations should not be used for evaluating acceptable indoor bioaerosol concentrations.
Glass Test Chamber Model to Evaluate Pesticide Air Emissions from Treated Wood
Authors: Marchal P. , Ozanne G. , Vasseur P.
Published: March 2007

Emission of pesticides from treated wood can lead to contamination of the environment through several mechanisms. The main processes governing these emissions are lixiviation and evaporation. Emissions from treated wood into the surrounding air were modelled in this study with a protocol using a glass test chamber. The aims were to identify factors influencing such emis sions into indoor air (wood drying period, temperature, loading rate: treated wood surface/room volume in m2.m-3) in order to predict air concentrations of the pesticides. Emission of pentachlorophenol (PCP), a well known fungi cide extensively used in the last two decades for wood preservation, was assessed. This first study was conducted on wood treated with an organic or an aqueous formulation containing respectively PCP or its sodium salt, PCPNa.
Carbon Monoxide Pollution in Korea: Public Health Implications
Authors: Baek Sung-Ok , Hwang Seung-Man , Moon Young-Hun
Published: March 2007

Until recent years, carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning dur ing the winter months was one of the most serious public health problems in Korea. Its prevalence is still among the highest in the world, mainly due to the unique heat ing and cooking system with anthracite coal briquettes used in most Korean houses. Prevention-oriented ap proaches have mostly failed to find effective solutions, since there are so many contributing factors and it is not always easy to relate their various contributions to CO poisoning. In this paper, the environmental significance of CO pollution in Korea and its public health implica tions have been reviewed, with particular emphasis on important findings from both epidemiological and air monitoring studies. The mortality resulting from CO poi soning has gradually decreased over recent years, owing to a government initiative to substitute dirty fuels with cleaner ones. In Korea, air quality standards are all based on ambient CO levels measured at fixed sites in a city. However, personal or domestic activities, such as cook ing with gas or charcoal stoves, and commuting or work ing with motor vehicles, might be far more important determinants of CO exposure than ambient CO levels measured at outdoor sites. Thus, the national policy of protecting public health by controlling outdoor levels at a few fixed sites appears to be of questionable effective ness and has a limited ability to estimate actual expo sures.
The ANU3_2 scale: a revised occupational status scale for Australia
Authors: McMillan Julie , Jones F.L.
Published: March 2007

Australian researchers have used ANU status scales for over two decades to assign socioeconomic status scores to occupations coded into the occupational classifications produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). When the ABS has released new occupational classifications in the past, the ANU scale has been updated accordingly. The most recent status scale, the ANU3 scale, was developed in 1989 for use with the First Edition of the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO). In 1996, however, the ABS released the Second Edition of ASCO. In this paper, we report an adaptation of the ANU3 scale for use with this modified classification.
Why Public Schools Don't Change
Authors: Rist Ray C.
Published: March 2007

Though the topic has always been one of importance to Americans, the decade of the 1960's saw an unprecedented output of writing focusing on the condition of American public schools. Terms such as "crisis", "demise", "collapse", or "failure" all pointed to the same message — that American public schools have not met the expectations set for them. Perhaps the major lay response to this perceived failure has been demonstrated by the persistent rejection of tax bonds and property tax increases designated for school support. It is ironic that this rejection of the schools comes after a time of unprecedented fiscal support on the local, state and federal levels. School systems have had more money to spend in the decade on architectural innovation, curriculum reform, experimental teacher training programs and decentralised school control than at any other time in the history of American public education. Yet taking stock of the efforts during the decade of the 1960's suggests that merely more of the same, only in much larger quantities, does not necessarily produce the desired results. What then has gone wrong? Why the crisis of confidence in America's "secular religion"? The answers I suggest can be found in an examination of the expectations held for public education and the structures created to fulfill those expectations.
Women On Australian Farms: A Conceptual Scheme
Authors: James Kerry
Published: March 2007

The diverse contributions of women on farms are largely unknown in the Australian agricultural industry. This paper suggests directions for more detailed research and raises problems associated with it. Alternate relationships possible between the types of units which own and operate farming enterprises and the status, or lack of it, of women within such units is highlighted: The question of what constitutes farm work and contributions made by women, and, importantly, their degree of participation in management and other forms of decision making is examined. Eight role-types of farm women that can be derived from a combination of the above variables which may be used to organise currently available data and, through longitudinal and case studies, collect other data to formulate working hypotheses is outlined.
A Sociological Approach to Fraud in Science
Authors: Bridgstock Martin
Published: March 2007

This paper extends sociological theory into the controversial area of the presentation of fraudulent scientific results. Although representative evidence does not exist, sufficient cases are known to reveal that fraud is not uncommon in science.

Using a 'systems' approach first, areas appear within science and on its periphery where the scientific community's sanctions are inoperative. On the margins of science, these categories include 'hired hands', pseudo-scientists and industrial scientists. Within the scientific community the lack of guaranteed detection of fraud also creates circumstances where sanctions are inapplicable.

Within this framework, the 'action' approach indicates possible factors motivating individuals toward fraud. For many groupings, a major factor appear to be a commitment to a theory so strong that it overrides disconfirmation, and diminishes fears of detection. Other factors include career considerations and political views.

In each case evidence is produced to show, prima facie, that fraud is prevalent in the circumstances outlined.
The Decision to Become an Australian Citizen
Authors: Kelley Jonathan , Mcallister Ian
Published: March 2007

While Australia is a nation of immigrants, not all of her immigrants become citizens and so become eligible to vote and hold political office. In a society where one in five of the population are overseas-born, where voting is compulsory, and where migrants vote differently from the native-born (Jupp, 1981; McAllister and Kelley, 1982), who does or does not take up citizenship might well have important electoral consequences. Yet beyond speculation, there is no evidence as to which migrants decide to become, or not to become, citizens. By applying multivariate techniques to a large, representative national survey, this paper seeks to determine which factors are likely to influence the decision to adopt Australian citizenship.
Teacher Militancy, Ideology and Politics
Authors: White R.D.
Published: March 2007

Teachers in a number of States in Australia have become increasingly militant in recent years. This paper examines the nature of the teachers' collective mobilisation from the point of view of the ideological construction of the occupation. It is argued that specific ideological elements, particularly those which revolve around the notion of professionalism, serve to mediate between the current occupational situation of teachers and their industrial/political activity. It will be suggested that while teachers have become more militant in their collective activities, this militancy cannot be equated with a form of trade unionism informed by working class or proletarian interests, nor can it be seen as necessarily indicating a movement toward more radical views of the capitalist social system.
Sex Roles: a Problem for Sociology and for Women
Authors: Edwards Anne R.
Published: March 2007

'Sex role theory' has become the major sociological approach to the study of sex, gender and women, but during the 1970s an increasing number of criticisms have been levelled at work done from 'the role perspective'. This paper examines the problems affecting sex and gender role theory and research from three sources: those deriving from the concept 'role' itself; those arising from its association with functionalism; and those specific to the analysis of sex and gender in conjunction with 'role'. Some examples are given from sociological literature on female deviance.
Developing an Understanding of Disaster
Authors: Britton Neil R.
Published: March 2007

Disaster is a social product. The propensity for disaster is dependent upon the interplay between humans and their use of the physical and social world. Within this perspective disaster can be seen in broader ecological terms to be an expression of the vulnerability of human society. Vulnerability is contingent upon social pre conditions. This paper focuses on one social pre-condition: the way in which organisational arrangements for counter-disaster operations are dependent upon the prevalent attitudes of what con stitutes a disaster. It is argued that parameters need to be developed for different levels of social crisis periods, and organised counter measures need to be oriented towards these different levels. An attempt has been made to distinguish between accident, emergency, and disaster by employing a set of specific criteria.
The Vocabulary of Complaints: Nursing, Professionalism and Job Context
Authors: Turner Bryan S.
Published: March 2007

A large body of research has fully documented the contradictions and problems of nursing with special reference to the job context of nursing activities in bureaucratic hospital organisations. In this discussion, the notion of a'vocabulary of motives' is developed as an explanatory framework for the analysis of nursing complaints about their job context. These vocabularies are illustrated by qualitative data from interviews with nurses in South Australia. There are a variety of structural and cultural factors which produce dissatisfaction with nursing as an occupation and these structures give the context for the development of a complaint system which functions as an occupational sub-culture. The function of complaints is to bind nurses together as an occupational community in opposition to superiors within the hospital system and also against the patients as a demanding group of inmates. The notion of a vocabulary of complaint is developed from the work of C. Wright Mills who produced an innovative analysis of motives as a form of language. Although Mills' work has been subject to important criticism, his approach to language as a form of social interaction can be developed to provide an insight into the frustrations of nursing as an occupation. This discussion is, therefore, a contribution to the sociology of occupations with special reference to nursing but the intention is to provide a framework which could be employed for the study of a variety of health-related occupations. The primary argument of the first section of this paper is that the frustrations of nursing are over-determined by a range of structural and ideological features which conspire to limit the professional autonomy of the nurse at the bedside and the focus of the vocabulary of complaint is this lack of work-context autonomy with respect to the patient under the general surveillance of the medical profession. The doctor/nurse relationship is in this respect a primary illustration of medical dominance.
Qualitative Data Analysis: Can Computers Do It?
Authors: Richards Lyn , Richards Tom
Published: March 2007

Qualitative data analysis contains built-in constraints - on volume of records, complexity of analysis, detail of classification and ability to explore emergent theory. Those constraints, rarely acknowledged, conflict with goals central to the method.

The article describes one response, a system for computer-aided indexing, searching and analysis of unstructured data. Designed to replicate and go beyond methods special to qualitative data analysis, it uses the speed, power and memory of the computer to overcome constraints. It allows storage and exploration of any quantity of text or other data and any volume of information about it. Text and indexing information are stored separately in ways that permit immediate retrieval of material in any indexing category or combination of categories, exploration of that material by combinations of category, characteristics of respondents, settings or files, and examination of the interplay of themes by synthesis of new concepts abstracted from index and file data.
Labouring Men: Love, Sex and Strife
Authors: Donaldson Mike
Published: March 2007

Studies of gender and studies of the labour process are incomplete unless they take each other seriously. This article explores the interrelations between class situation and experience, paid work, the family-household, masculinity and male heterosexuality as they are borne and reproduced by labouring men. Against the psycho logisation of the 'men's liberationists' this article insists on the salience of structure. It suggests that the working class, of which labouring men are a small part, can be understood in its strategic power and weaknesses only through the study of the whole lives of its members, changing and changed by each other as they stand in contradiction to capital, its forces and agencies. The article is based on personal accounts by about forty labouring men. It relies on and attempts to draw together within an historical materialist framework insights from the sociologies of the labour process and the working class, studies of masculinity and Marxist feminism.
'The Blainey Debate' in Hindsight
Authors: Lewins Frank
Published: March 2007

Responses to Blainey's recent views on 'Asian' immigration have been numerous, wide-ranging and variable in quality. In hindsight, two key elements in Blainey's writing have escaped detailed scrutiny - the role of public opinion and the powerlessness of 'old Australians'. Examination of these elements is important because in Blainey's sociology of Australian society the first is explicit and central while his analysis of the second is faulty.
The Social-historical Roots of Conflict in Riots at the Bathurst 'Bike Races
Authors: Cunneen Chris , Lynch Rob
Published: March 2007

The article focuses on riots which have occurred at the Bathurst motorcycle races. A three-tiered historical, structural and phenom enological analysis is used to explain the riots. Historical data and participant observations of the 1985 riot are used to account for the historical roots and social meanings of the conflict and its escalation in recent years. It is proposed that the roots of conflict lie in the working-class backgrounds of the motorcycle subculture youth in volved, and the state response to the control of their leisure activity. It is also proposed that the use of coercive control measures by agencies of the state has escalated the level of conflict and anti-police sentiments at Bathurst. In using surface level explanations for the riots and responding to them with coercive controls, the deeper level social roots of the conflict have been overlooked.
Placing Authenticity — On Being a Tourist: A Reply to Pearce and Moscardo
Authors: Turner Charles , Manning Phil
Published: March 2007

In their article 'The concept of authenticity in tourist experiences' ( ANZJS, 22, 1, March 1986), Pearce and Moscardo asserted that the Heideggerian account of authenticity could be transformed into a classificatory framework for the description of 'the' 'touristic exper ience'. They alleged that this operation could be aided by the appropriation of the frontstage/backstage distinction employed by Goffman in his early study, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1956 and 1959). This article questions the ease with which Pearce and Moscardo both 'find' and 'operationalise' Heidegger's and Goff man's work. It is suggested that a 'thick description' of the disparate experiences of tourists requires a sensitivity to the rich history of the concept of authenticity and an awareness of the methodological pro blems which its empirical application must overcome.
Environmental Stressors and Mental Health in Remote Resource Boom Communities
Authors: Neil C.C. , Jones J.A.
Published: March 2007

This article explores the impact of environmental stressors on the psychological health of residents of remote resource boom communities, using Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) as a measure of impairment. Analysis of survey data collected for over 1000 men and women in 13 such towns around Australia suggests that residents' perception of their environ ment as stressful in fact had little significant influence on whether or not they were classified in terms of GHQ criteria as probable psychiatric cases. Results showed, moreover, that despite differences between towns in terms of isolation, size, remoteness and harshness of the environment, there was no sig nificant difference in the GHQ scores of men or women across towns varying according to these criteria. Most of the small amount of variance in scores that could be explained was accounted for by loneliness, which had both a direct and a con ditioning effect. Research elsewhere, however, suggests that this may be an individual trait, rather than a function of the social environment of the resource boom towns themselves.
Live Fast and Die Young: The Construction of Masculinity among Young Working-class Men on the Margin of the Labour Market
Authors: Connell R.W.
Published: March 2007

Life-history method offers a way to explore the politics of change in contemporary masculinity. The life histories of five unemployed young men are studied, and compared with three men from similar backgrounds but different positions in class and sexual politics. The labour market (rather than labour process) and the state play a major part in framing the development of a 'protest' masculinity, a stressed version of hegemonic masculinity, sustained as a collective practice in milieux such as bike clubs. But dramatic rejections of masculinity, as well as a low-keyed 'complicit' masculinity, emerge from the same social context by different class/gender praxes. Contrasting political prospects are raised by these differing trajectories.
The Formation and Evolution of Professional Engineering Values
Authors: Makkai Toni
Published: March 2007

The exclusivity, power and authority of the professions has largely been accomplished and legitimated by the unquestioning support of the state. The unique relationship between the two has come under considerable pressure in recent times as the state attempts to fulfil the unending demands of its constituents. An important factor in resisting attempts by the state to direct and control the work of the professions will be the professions ability to maintain solidarity in the face of outside attack. This paper examines the values espoused by professionals on first entering university, after four years of university training, and thirteen years later in the work force. The data show that particular professional values are highly stable across time while others are subject to change. In particular, values related to the day-to-day aspects of work are less stable and vary across work settings, while values which touch on the social responsibility of the profession are less amenable to change and do not significantly vary across different work environments. Divisions within professions with regard to the daily aspects of their work has important ramifications, perhaps providing the basis for the eventual commodification of professional labour.
'Anorexia Nervosa': Asceticism, Differentiation, Government
Authors: Tait Gordon
Published: March 2007

This paper looks at the severe fasting practices most commonly found among young women. Almost all explanations for this behaviour centre around the notion of the pathological condition 'anorexia nervosa'. However, food asceticism has a well-documented history, particularly when it concerns religious fasting. In ancient Greece, dietary asceticism constituted an important part of the means by which individuals constructed an acceptable 'self'. Ascetic fasting then later resurfaced at various historical moments and in various different places — such as amongst medieval religious women and, in a broader way, amongst contemporary young women. It is argued that these practices have traditionally formed part of the mechanisms by which differentiation by age and sex occurs. Overall, it is hoped that this analysis will permit not only a different focus on 'anorexia nervosa', but also on some of the ways in which young people become gendered.
Temporal Variations in Suicide Occurrence in Australia: A Research Note
Authors: Hassan Riaz
Published: March 2007

This paper reports the findings of a study of temporal variations in suicide occurrence in Australia. The study is based on the analysis of 19,425 suicides registered between 1981 and 1990. The findings show that the incidence of suicide appears to follow a distinct weekly cycle. This cycle is more pronounced for men than women. Suicide occurrence also varies by seasons. Some sociological explanations of these differences are offered.
From Gidget to Gonad Man: surfers, feminists and postmodernisation
Authors: Stedman Leanne
Published: March 2007

This article presents a case study of the surfing subculture in Australia as evid ence that some collective reactions to the process of postmodernisation can actually be detrimental to the status of women. The circumstances under which this has occurred in the surfing subculture are outlined, and possibilities for a feminist reaction to developments like those in the surfing example are discussed.
Marital conflict and men's leisure: how women negotiate male power in a small mining community
Authors: Collis Marion
Published: March 2007

Against a background of unequal power relationships between men and women, and utilising Lukes' three dimensions of power, this paper examines how the wives of shift workers in a small mining town deal with the conflicts that arise over their male part ners' use of leisure time. It looks at the range of influence strategies women use to actively negotiate men's manifest power and the coping strategies/forms of resistance which they fall back on when these strategies fail, or when men's latent or hidden power prevents any overt challenge. The data suggest that women not only use a wide range of influence strategies with varying degrees of success, but that they are creative and resilient in finding alternative ways to resist the structures of male power. However, the outcomes of their agency at an individual level are limited by the social, economic and ideological structures of male power at the community level.
Residence, social mobility and ractice theory: the case of Sephardic Jews of Sydney
Authors: Gale Naomi
Published: March 2007

This paper focuses on residential mobility of an ethnic group within a complex linkage between religion, ethnicity and race. It places the triangular transactional relationship between white Australian gentiles, white Ashkenazic Jews and Asian (non-white) Sephardic Jews together with the strategy of residential movement, within the conceptual framework of Bourdieu's Practice Theory. In doing so, the study highlights the unique situation of Sephardim as a fragmented minority within a larger minority (the Ashkenazic community), and within a multicultural ocean of migrants dominated by a white Anglo-Celtic culture based on racial criteria. Supported by several case studies, the study shows how the practice of residential movement has changed the system, making it less rigid and more open to migrants, and how the gradually changing system has influenced the lives of the doers (Sephardic Jews). Specifically, the practice of residential movement has gradually increased diversity in the make-up of Australian residential structure. At the same time, this major social change has been accompanied by change in the make-up of the Sephardic community, involving reconstructed kinship relations and ethnic identities, particularly Sephardic acculturation into the Australianised Ashkenazi subsystem
An overarching theory of health communication?
Authors: Jones P.
Published: March 2007

Effective communication is essential for clinical, administrative and managerial success. These areas of activity are increasingly interdependent, but despite this there is no single overarching theory to unify the communication theories and practices within each discipline. Commentators and scientists espouse the merits of theories that encompass 'everything'. Do we need an overarching theory of health communication (OTHC), and what might such a theory contain?