Preadolescents' Perceptions of Females' Body Size and Shape: Evolutionary and Social Learning Perspectives

One hundred and sixty-five Mexican American and Euro-American preadolescents' and their parents' perceptions of healthy and attractive female body sizes and shapes were examined in this study. Participants' perceptions of healthy and attractive female figures were assessed using a pictorial measure that systematically manipulated 3 levels of body size and 4 levels of body shape (i.e., waist-to-hip ratio; WHR). All participants tended to perceive females' with small WHRs as most healthy and attractive looking, while preadolescents expressed a preference for thinner female figures than did adults. Results further suggest that Euro-American and Mexican American participants report similar preferences for females' body sizes and shapes. However, little agreement was found between preadolescents' and their parents' preferences. Principles of evolutionary theory and social learning theory are used to interpret these findings, and implications for preadolescents' perceptions of their own developing bodies, body image, and related eating behaviors are discussed.     

Policy‐making and administrative discretion: The case of immigration in Canada

Abstract: Decisions in complex and controversial policy areas are often left to civil servants. As a result, civil servants use their discretionary power to make decisions that will likely have important consequences for society. This is the case with immigration. Partially based on interviews conducted with Canadian and Quebecois immigration agents, the authors note that the use of the judgement of civil servants is an important factor in the selection process of newcomers. The authors recognize also that discretion can take different forms: procedural discretion, selection grid discretion, and final decision discretion. This case study enables a better understanding of both the use of judgement in the decision‐making process and the role of street‐level civil servants in the policy implementation process. Sommaire: Les décisions se rapportant à des domaines de politiques complexes et prêtant à controverse sont souvent laissées aux mains des fondionnaires. Ainsi, les fonctionnaires usent de leur pouvoir discrétiormaire pour prendre des décisions qui auront vraisemblablement des conséquences importantes pour la sociéte. C'est précisément le cas de l'immigration. Se fondant partiellement sur des entrevues effectuées par des agents d'immigration canadiens et québécois, les auteurs remarquent que dans le processus de sélection des nouveaux arrivants, le jugement de ces agents est un facteur important. Les auteurs reconnaissent également que la discrétion peut prendre différentes formes: la discrétion procédurale, la discrétion relative à la grille de sélection et la discrétion en matière de décision définitive. La présente étude de cas permet de mieux comprendre à la fois le recours au jugement dans le processus décisionnel et le rôle des fonctionnaires de la base dans le processus de mise en æeuvre des politiques.     

Schizophrenia as a cause of death

Schizophrenia is a chronic disorder that is associated with increased mortality. Although traumatic deaths account for most of this increase, there is also an increased rate of natural deaths in this population. Altered autonomic physiology in this group might contribute to death. To determine if there are schizophrenics in whom, after a complete autopsy, no recognizable cause of death other than schizophrenia is established, the records of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York were reviewed for deaths associated with schizophrenia and a natural manner of death. Six such decedents were identified, and their histories and autopsy results are described. We believe that schizophrenia per se is a potentially lethal disorder. Autonomic irregularities and their interactions with psychotropic drugs deserve further attention.     

The use of pulmonary interstitial emphysema as an indicator of live birth

Making the determination of live birth versus stillbirth in a discarded newborn infant based on gross and microscopic autopsy findings can be a challenging task for the forensic pathologist. The traditional criteria for live birth determination are frequently challenged in court, and indisputable evidence of live birth remains elusive. The histologic finding of pulmonary interstitial emphysema has not been considered as a useful determinant of live birth. The authors report two cases of discarded newborn infants in which the finding of pulmonary interstitial emphysema was used as an indicator of live birth.     

Making the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) waiver work through collaborative governance

This paper argues that collaborative governance should be an essential component in any HIFA waiver proposal, due to the fact that the health care system is moving away from a federal and hierarchical program design and implementation towards a more local, collaborative approach. As several current collaborative projects demonstrate, collaboration may overcome barriers to health expansion program success, such as stakeholder buy-in, notice, and state access to private health coverage information. Furthermore, collaboration within the context of the HIFA waiver process may maximize the strengths of current collaborations, such as providing: (a) access to greater and more stable funding sources; (b) access to a facilitator that can collect and distribute data; and (c) an avenue for accountability. Multiple challenges in ensuring collaborative governance are reviewed. Ms. Zabawa argues that these challenges are not insurmountable if states adopt a truly collaborative approach to designing and implementing programs under the HIFA waiver; there may be hope in expanding and improving health coverage, since collaboration is the most appropriate mechanism to address the complexity of health system reform.     

Commercial contracts and human connectedness

She is author of The Madam as Entrepreneurand has published articles in the fields of the sociology of deviance and the sociology of law. Her recent research and publications have been on the legal impact of federal legislation in the education of handicapped children.