Reaction to World News Events and the Influence of Mass Media in an Indian Village

Our major research interest in the village under study was originally in the area of socialization practices, social change and variables related to fertility behavior. We had not planned a study of the diffusion of news events and villagers’ reactions to them. However, the Indian Government was considering the use of media for a major mass communication program, to propagate the idea of having small families through the use of family planning methods, and we believed it would be of value to examine any data that might be helpful in getting at least some feeling about what villagers read in the papers and what they heard on the radio, as well as their understanding of the information and their attitudes toward it. We subsequently asked questions about the use of mass media. [1

Innovation and the Local Congregation: Unleashing the Creative Power of Communities of Faith

Pastors search for ways to help their communities of faith live into their ministry with more impact, creativity and joy. Many are frustrated by the root bound nature of most congregations tightly organized in a hierarchy that limits the ability to be nimble and contextual. At the same time, culture is becoming more participatory, collaborative and creative. Thriving organizations have tapped into this culture by designing their structure to foster innovation. This work offers an examination of such organizations, their leaders and the tools they use. Chapter One discusses the cultural shifts of connectedness and participation. These shifts have happened at a time of significant decline for the church. The way local congregations are organized has limited their ability to capture the opportunity for growth inherent in this new culture. Chapter Two examines aspects of Lutheran theology that help understand how and why congregations should redesign their organization to thrive in this culture of participation and connection. Chapter Three takes a deeper look at the cultural shift towards participation. A social learning theory called “Communities of Practice” will frame the proposal found later in this work. Chapter Four examines innovation, creativity and organizational design. Chapter Five offers a study of innovative organizations and leaders. Their habits, mindsets and practices are transferrable to the context of congregational organization and leadership. Chapter Six proposes tools that congregations can use to become responsive to this new culture of participation; creating environments that promote connection, innovation and collaboration. The metaphor of congregation as a constellation of Communities of Practice will be expanded upon as an answer to the problem

GENDER, ENVIRONMENT AND LIVELIHOOD SECURITY: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINT FROM INDIA

Summary Using a case study from India, this article examines the limitations of populist ecofeminist thought. The case study shows that both men and women assume interchangeable roles as destroyers and conservers of the environment, depending on both the material relationship they have with their natural resources and the social context within which they operate. Secure livelihood opportunities and usufruct rights, and the existence of enabling institutional mechanisms are of considerable importance for people to have a stake in conserving their natural resources. The article further shows that if environment?focused development programmes are to be sustainable, it is necessary to develop a consultative process with both men and women, so that the concerns and needs of all social groups within a community are addressed. In the case of common property resources, the role of inter?village dialogues, which take into account the complex gender and social relations within and among the village communities, are of critical importance. RESUME Le genre, l'environnement, et la sécurité des moyens de vie: un point de vue alternatif en lnde Par le biais d'une étude de cas en Inde, l'article examine les limites de la pensée populiste de l'éco?féminisme. L'étude de cas démontre que les hommes comme les femmes assument des rôles interchangeables de destructeurs et de conservateurs de l'environnement, en fonction à la fois des rapports matériels qu'ils entretiennent avec les ressources naturelles et aussi, du contexte social au sein duquel ils opèrent. Les opportunités d'assurer les moyens de vie et les droits d'usufruit, et l'existence de mécanismes institutionnels qui facilitent ces opportunités sont d'une importance considérable si l'on veut que les membres de telles populations puissent participer activement à la préservation de leurs ressources naturelles. L'article démontre en outre que si les programmes de développement axés sur l'environnement veulent être permanents, il est nécessaire de développer un processus de consultation auprès des hommes et des femmes, de sorte que l'on puisse s'adresser aux inquiétudes et aux besoins de tous les groupes sociaux dans telle ou telle communauté. Dans le cas des ressources en copropriété, le rôle des dialogues inter?villageois sont d'une importante cruciale, dans la mesure où ces dialogues tiennent compte des relations complexes qui existent au niveau social et au niveau du genre au sein de ces communautés villageoises, et entre elles. RESUMEN Género, medio ambiente y seguridad de subsistencia: un punto de vista alternativo de la India Basándose en un caso de la India, este artículo examina las limitaciones del pensamiento populista ecofemenino. El estudio de este caso demuestra que tanto hombres como mujeres asumen roles intercambiables como destructores y conservadores del medio ambiente, dependiendo de su relación material con los recursos naturales, y del contexto social en el que operan. Las oportunidades de subsistencia y los derechos de usufructo, así como la existencia de mecanismos internacionales tienen una importancia considerable para asegurar la participación del pueblo a la hora de conservar recursos naturales. El artículo demuestra, además, que para alcanzar programas de desarrollo sostenibles ? enfocados hacia el medio ambiente ? es necesario poner en marcha un proceso de consulta con hombres y mujeres de tal forma que se discutan las preocupaciones y necesidades de todos los grupos sociales dentro de una comunidad. En el caso de propiedad común, el rol del diálogo entre comunidades cobra una importancia crucial, porque toma en consideración las complejas relaciones sociales y de género dentro de éstas, y en su contacto con otras similares

The endangered sex: Neglect of female children in rural north India : Barbara D. Miller. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York 201 pp.

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24113/1/0000370.pd

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND SELF-ESTEEM CHARACTERISTICS OF PARAPROFESSIONALS AND NUTRITIONAL CHANGE IN A CLIENT SAMPLE

The study investigates the nature of the relationships between leadership and self-esteem attributes of a population of paraprofessionals and nutritional change based on records from a client sample. Sixty-five nutrition aides serving in the Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program in Maryland and 397 program families are the subjects of the study. A survey technique was employed to gather leadership and self-esteem data for the aides and socioeconomic and nutritional data from records on a sample of client families. Relationships were hypothesized between leadership and nutritional change and self-esteem and between self-esteem and nutritional change. Non-parametric techniques were used in data analyses. Chi square and gamma coefficient were computed to determine the association between variables. The socioeconomic and nutritional characteristics of the aides and families and the relationship between family nutritional and demographic characteristics were described. Findings reveal a client group whose diets have shown improvement. Client demographic and nutritional characteristics seem independent of one another. There is little relationship between the client nutritional levels and aide characteristics. Hypothesis testing showed the leadership and self-esteem attributes of aides to be generally unrelated to the nutritional change of clients. It is concluded that the variables under study generally bear no relationship to one another. However, the exploratory nature of this study suggests it is an inadequate basis on which to evaluate paraprofessional role performance or the program. Many questions are raised and refinement and re-direction of study techniques are recommended as areas for future study

Concept for Hydrogen-Impregnated Nanofiber/Photovoltaic Cargo Stowage System

A stowage system was conceived that consists of collapsible, reconfigurable stowage bags, rigid polyethylene or metal inserts, stainless-steel hooks, flexible photovoltaic materials, and webbing curtains that provide power generation, thermal stabilization, impact resistance, work/sleeping surfaces, and radiation protection to spaceflight hardware and crew members. Providing materials to the Lunar surface is costly from both a mass and a volume standpoint. Most of the materials that will be transferred to other planets or celestial bodies will not be returned to the Earth. In developing a plan to reconfigure pressurized logistics modules, it was determined that there was a requirement to be able to utilize the interior volume of these modules and transform them from Logistics Modules to Storage/Living Quarters. Logistics-to-living must re-utilize stowage bags and the structures that support them to construct living spaces, partitions, furniture, protective shelters from solar particle events, galactic cosmic radiation, and workspaces. In addition to reusing these logistics items for development of the interior living spaces, these items could also be reused outside the habitable volumes to build berms that protect assets from secondary blast ejecta, to define pathways, to stabilize high traffic areas, to protect against dust contamination, to secure assets to mobility elements, to provide thermal protection, and to create other types of protective shelters for surface experiments. Unique features of this innovation include hydrogen-impregnated nano fibers encapsulated in a polyethelyne coating that act as radiation shielding, flexible solar collection cells that can be connected together with cells from other bags via the webbing walls to create a solar array, and the ability to reconfigure each bag to satisfy multiple needs

Reduction of fertility in female rabbits and mice actively immunized with a germ cell antigen (GA-1) from the rabbit

Female rabbits and mice were actively immunized against germ cell antigen (GA-1) of 63 kDa molecular mass isolated from rabbit sperm and testis. There was a significant (P P < 0.01) reduction in fertility as seen by mean 7-9 day implants+/-S.D. per mated mouse actively immunized with GA-1 whether through the intraperitoneal route (GA-1, 1.2+/-1.6; controls, 8.0+/-3.4) or through the subcutaneous/intramuscular route (GA-1, 3.8+/-3.4; controls, 10.1+/-3.9). The antisera from these actively immunized animals were negative for sperm agglutinating and immobilizing antibodies. In the Western blot enzyme-immunobinding procedure, the antisera showed specific binding to a single protein of 63 kDa. The incidence of fertilization of eggs recovered from rabbits inseminated with anti-GA-1 antibodies-treated sperm was not significantly different from control rabbits. The percentage of fertilized eggs obtained from rabbits inseminated with anti-GA-1 antibodies-treated sperm that reached the blastocyst stage upon in vitro incubation, however, was significantly less than that for embryos obtained from rabbits inseminated with control serum-treated sperm. Incubation of normal fertilized eggs in vitro with the antibodies did not affect development. Neither antiserum nor immune uterine fluid reacted with 4-day blastocysts in the indirect immunofluorescence technique. It is concluded that active immunization with GA-1 results in post-fertilization reduction of fertility in rabbits and mice by inhibiting early embryonic development.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/25986/1/0000052.pd