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Immigrant Populations (immigrant + population)
Selected AbstractsYoung People of Migrant Origin in SwedenINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2003Charles Westin This article surveys immigration during the second part of the twentieth century with the aim of determining the origins of the immigrant population and the socioeconomic position of the second generation. It focuses on migration from Turkey from the 1960s onward. Originally, migration from Turkey was within the framework of labor recruitment. These migrants were predominantly ethnic Turks of rural origin. A second wave of migrants from Turkey was composed of Syriani/Assyrians, a Christian minority from eastern Turkey seeking asylum in the 1970s on the grounds of religious persecution. Since the 1980s, the main intake of migrants from Turkey has been Kurds seeking protection on the grounds of political persecution. Immigration of ethnic Turks and Syriani/Assyrians is restricted to family reunification and family formation; the numbers are low. Kurds, on the other hand, are accepted both on the grounds of refugee claims and family reunification/family formation. The article looks at conditions of growing up in Sweden, with a particular focus on education, mother-tongue classes and instruction in Swedish. Second-generation youth distinguish themselves by an overrepresentation among dropouts from school, but also by an overrepresentation among those who do well academically in comparison with native Swedes. This applies to second-generation youth with family roots in Turkey. Though very few under the age of 18 hold regular employment, the article also discusses the prospects of entering the labor market, based on information from the regular labor market surveys. Unemployment rates are consistently higher for second-generation migrants than for native-born Swedish youth. The article closes with a discussion about the developing multicultural society in Sweden and the niches that second-generation youth tend to occupy. [source] Perceived discrimination and well-being: a victim study of different immigrant groupsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Inga Jasinskaja-Lahti Abstract In this study, we compared perceived discrimination and its influence on psychological stress symptoms, and general health status in a nation-wide probability sample of immigrants in Finland (N,=,3595, 42% males, 58% females). The study represents an expansion of a previous work (Liebkind, K., & Jasinskaja-Lahti, I. (2000a). Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 10, 1,16) by drawing on a representative sample of the adult immigrant population (age group 18,65), and by assessing not only perceived ethnic discrimination but also experiences of racist crimes. The results obtained regarding group differences in perceived discrimination were consistent with previous studies, with results from attitude surveys indicating the hierarchy among the host population regarding preferred immigrant groups, and with our predictions based on the length of residence, cultural distance and visibility of the different immigrant groups studied. Perceived racism and discrimination, especially everyday racism, was highly predictive of the psychological well-being and general health status of the immigrants. The differences between grouping are discussed in the light of additional factors potentially mediating and moderating the effects of perceived discrimination on well-being and general health. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Introduction of HIV type 1 non-B subtypes into Eastern Andalusia through immigrationJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 1 2003Marta Alvarez Abstract A study of the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the native and immigrant populations of Eastern Andalusia (Southern Spain) was conducted to determine any changes between 1983 and 2001 and to identify antiretroviral resistance mutations in non-B subtype strains among the immigrant population. The study included 111 native patients from Eastern Andalusia: 94 infected with HIV before 1996 and 17 infected since 1996. A parallel study was conducted on 26 HIV-positive immigrants from Africa. Subtyping was done with the heteroduplex mobility assay. Resistance mutations were determined by line probe assay. A total of 137 patients were studied: 9.2% had subtype A (n,=,12), 80.8% subtype B (n,=,105), and 1.5% subtype C (n,=,2). Among the Eastern Andalusia population infected before 1996, 10.9% had non-B subtypes, compared with 23.5% of those infected after that year. The greatest percentage of non-B subtypes (52.4%) was found among the immigrant population. Resistance mutation K70R was detected in one of the six immigrants with non-B subtype and M41L in another. There has been a slight increase in the diversity of HIV-1 subtypes in Eastern Andalusia over the past few years, possibly influenced by non-B subtypes introduced by immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. J. Med. Virol. 70: 10,13, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Politics of Antiracism & Social Justice: The Perspective of a Human Rights Network in the U.S. SouthNORTH AMERICAN DIALOGUE (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2008Faye V. Harrison Abstract: Since 9/11 the sociopolitical and legal climate of the country has deteriorated, engendering a moral panic over national security and intensifying a longstanding trend of violating the human rights of a portion of the citizenry and immigrant population. These segments of the populace lived under de facto conditions of a police state long before the War on Terror and the USA Patriot Act. This repression implicates the War on Drugs and a racially- and class-biased system of criminal (in)justice with which Homeland Security intersects. Problems such as these have attracted the attention of both social scientists and activists mobilizing for social justice. Among the latter is a southeastern network of human rights organizers who map their region as part of the Global South. A multiracial group organized around the vision of three African American women, the Southern Human Rights Organizers Network promotes consciousness and praxis shaped by the vernacularization of international human rights discourse and the reclamation of the history of African American and broader Afro-Atlantic struggles for expanding the terms of what it means to be human. [source] Patterns of medication use in the immigrant population resident in Spain: associated factorsPHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 8 2009P. Carrasco-Garrido PhD Abstract Purpose This study mainly aimed at to ascertain to ascertain the prevalence of the consumption of medications, prescribed and self-medicated, among the immigrant population (economic immigrants and not economic immigrants) resident in Spain, and to identify the factors associated with such consumption in this population. Methods We have worked with individualized secondary data, collected in the Spanish National Health Survey carried out in 2006 and 2007 (SNHS-06), from the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs. A total of 2055 subjects born outside Spain, aged 16 years or over, were analysed. The independent variables were sociodemographic and health-related, and the dependent variable was medication use. Using logistic multivariate regression models we have estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on the medication consumption. Results The 55.8% of immigrant population responded affirmatively to having consumed some type of medication. The drugs that registered the highest consumption prevalence were analgesics (53.09%). It should be stressed here that 8.75% of the not economic immigrant population has consumed antibiotics. The variables that were independently and significantly associated with a greater probability of medication consumption were: sex, age, presence of chronic disease, use of alternative medicines and a negative perception of health. The most strongly associated variable is medical consultation. Conclusions The prevalence of medication use higher among economic immigrant women. In our population, the use of alternative medicines use and medical visits to the physician are associated with higher consumption. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Follow-up of neck and shoulder pain among sewing machine operators: The Los Angeles garment studyAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010Pin-Chieh Wang MS Abstract Background The aim of the present study is to explore factors affecting or modifying self-reported neck/shoulder pain in sewing machine operators. Methods We investigated self-report neck/shoulder pain in 247 workers who participated in a 4-month prospective intervention study for musculoskeletal disorders. All participants were immigrants. We examine the influence of individual and work-related factors on changes in neck/shoulder pain during follow-up employing linear mixed models with time-spline functions. Results We observed a dramatic decline (72%) in self-reported pain intensity in the first month of follow-up, followed by a small increase from the first to fourth month (4% per month). Workers who perceived and reported their physical workload as high or worked overtime experienced less overall pain reduction. Higher baseline pain intensity, being of Hispanic ethnicity (vs. Asian), and taking cumulative daily rest time during work of 35,min or more allowing for muscles to rest were associated with a larger pain reduction in the first month, but not thereafter. Conclusion Our findings indicate that some work-related factors may be of clinical relevance for reducing neck/shoulder pain. Having lower physical workloads and less overtime work should be considered when treating patients or planning workplace interventions for managing work-related musculoskeletal disorders in this underserved immigrant population. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:352,360, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Early Eurasian migration traces in the Tarim Basin revealed by mtDNA polymorphismsAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Yinqiu Cui Abstract The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms of 58 samples from the Daheyan village located in the central Taklamakan Desert of the Tarim Basin were determined in this study. Among the 58 samples, 29 haplotypes belonging to 18 different haplogroups were analyzed. Almost all the mtDNAs belong to a subset of either the defined Western or Eastern Eurasian pool. Extensive Eastern Eurasian lineages exist in the Daheyan population in which Northern-prevalent haplogroups present higher frequencies. In the limited existing Western Eurasian lineages, two sub-haplogroups, U3 and X2, that are rare in Central Asia were found in this study, which may be indicative of the remnants of an early immigrant population from the Near East and Caucasus regions preserved only in the Tarim Basin. The presence of U3 in modern and archeological samples in the Tarim Basin suggests that the immigration took place earlier than 2,000 years ago and points to human continuity in this area, with at least one Western lineage originating from the Near East and Caucasus regions. Am J Phys Anthropol 142:558,564, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] COORDINATION FAILURES IN NETWORK MIGRATION,THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 6 2006AXEL HEITMUELLER Previous immigration facilitates future immigration, a phenomenon called network migration. While well recognized, previous research has mainly focused on the implications of immigrant networks on future migrants. In contrast, this paper derives a simple model from the perspective of the incumbent immigrant population by introducing sub-networks and argues that the incumbent migrants fail to achieve a Pareto optimal network size due to differences in inter- and intra-migrant group externalities and subsequently coordination failures. In short, it stresses the active role incumbents take in the provision of network effects and provides theoretical evidence that self-perpetuating and sustained immigration is not at odds with rational acting individuals. It also shows that optimally chosen migration quotas may appeal to incumbent migration cohorts and provides an alternative explanation for inter- and intra-migrant group tensions. [source] The Latinization of the Central Shenandoah ValleyINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 1 2008Laura Zarrugh Virginia is among a number of southern states in the United States, such as North Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia, which have experienced a sudden growth in Latino immigration during the past decade. Not only is the volume of growth unprecedented, but many of the destinations are new and located in rural areas. Places that have not hosted immigrant populations for generations are quickly becoming multicultural. The small city of Harrisonburg (population 43,500 according to the 2005 estimate), which is located in the rural Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, is perhaps the premier example of this new pattern of change. While local advertising once promoted Harrisonburg for its "99.2% American-born and 93.7% white" population, the area today holds the distinction of hosting the most diverse public school enrollment in the state (in 2006-2007), with students from 64 countries who speak 44 languages. Among them are Spanish speakers from at least 14 different countries. Drawing on social network theory, the paper examines how social networks among Latino immigrants become activated in new settlement areas. It presents a case history of the historic process of "Latinization" involving the settlement of a number of diverse Latino populations (from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Cuba and Uruguay) in Harrisonburg and the surrounding Central Shenandoah Valley. The study demonstrates how a number of key institutions, including local agricultural industries (apples and poultry), a refugee resettlement office and churches recruited "pioneers" from these immigrant groups to the area and how "pioneers" subsequently engaged in further social network recruitment, thus creating multiple transnational "daughter communities" in the Harrisonburg area. The policy implications of this historical process are explored. Au même titre que la Caroline du Nord, l'Arkansas et la Georgie, la Virginie est l'un de ces Etats du sud des Etats-Unis qui ont été témoins d'une poussée soudaine de l'immigration latino-américaine au cours de la dernière décennie. Non seulement il s'agit d'un rythme de croissance sans précédent, mais bon nombre de destinations choisies sont nouvelles et situées en zone rurale. Des lieux qui n'avaient pas accueilli de population immigrée depuis des générations prennent brusquement un caractère multiculturel. La petite ville de Harrisonburg (43 500 habitants selon un décompte approximatif de 2005), qui est située dans la vallée centrale de Shenandoah, en Virginie, est peut-être le principal exemple de cette nouvelle évolution. Alors qu'elle se vantait autrefois d'être composée d'Américains de souche à hauteur de 99,2% et d'être blanche à 93,7%, cette ville se distingue aujourd'hui par la plus grande diversité d'origine des enfants scolarisés à l'échelle de l'Etat (pour la période 2006-2007), puisqu'on y dénombre 64 nationalités parlant 44 langues. On y trouve notamment des hispanophones originaires d'au moins 14 pays différents. A partir de la théorie des réseaux sociaux, l'auteur examine comment ces réseaux se sont activés chez les immigrants latino-américains dans les nouvelles zones d'installation. Il présente un historique du processus de "latinisation", en citant notamment l'installation de populations latino-américaines diverses (originaires du Mexique, du Guatemala, d'El Salvador, du Honduras, de Cuba et d'Uruguay) à Harrisonburg et dans la vallée centrale Shenandoah entourant cette ville. L'auteur montre comment un certain nombre d'institutions clés, et notamment les industries agricoles locales (pommeraies et élevages de poulets), un bureau de réinstallation de réfugiés et des églises ont recruté des "pionniers" au sein de ces groupes d'immigrants, et comment ces "pionniers" ont par la suite poursuivi cette action de recrutement à l'aide de réseaux sociaux, créant ainsi de multiples "communautés affiliées" transnationales dans la région de Harrisonburg. L'étude examine aussi les implications politiques de ce processus historique. Virginia es uno de los estados sureños de los Estados Unidos, al igual que Carolina del Norte, Arkansas y Georgia, que ha experimentado un incremento repentino de la inmigración latina durante el último decenio. No sólo se trata de un incremento sin precedentes, si no que además los destinos son nuevos y localizados en zonas rurales. Estos lugares que no han albergado a poblaciones inmigrantes durante generaciones se están convirtiendo rápidamente en entornos multiculturales. La pequeña ciudad de Harrisonburg (con 43.500 habitantes según el censo de 2005), está localizada en el valle rural central de Shenadoah en Virginia, y es quizás el primer ejemplo de este nuevo patrón de cambio. Si bien la publicidad local promocionaba a Harrisonburg porque sus habitantes eran "99,2 por ciento nacidos en América y 93,7 por ciento blancos" hoy en día se destaca por albergar la población más diversa inscrita en los colegios públicos del Estado (entre 2006 y 2007), con estudiantes provenientes de 64 países que hablan 44 idiomas. Entre ellos están estudiantes de habla hispana provenientes de por lo menos 14 países distintos. Sobre la base de la teoría de redes sociales, este artículo examina redes sociales entre los inmigrantes latinos que se activan en nuevas zonas de asentamiento. Se presenta un estudio por caso de un proceso histórico de "latinización" que implica el asentamiento de toda una variedad de poblaciones latinas de "México, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Cuba y Uruguay" en Harrisonburg y el valle central aledaño de Shenandoah. El estudio demuestra cómo una serie de instituciones clave,- incluidas las industrias agrícolas locales (manzanos y avicultura), una oficina de reasentamiento de refugiados y las iglesias - reclutaron a los "pioneros" de estos grupos de inmigrantes en la región y cómo esos "pioneros" entablaron ulteriormente el reclutamiento a nivel de su red social, creando "comunidades hermanas" transnacionales y múltiples en la región de Harrisonburg. También se examinan las repercusiones políticas de este proceso histórico. [source] Ethnic Communities and Ethnic Organizations Reconsidered: South-East Asians and Eastern Europeans in ChicagoINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 2 2002Lorraine Majka A major debate continues about whether immigrants receive benefits by virtue of their attachment to ethnic communities and ethnic organizations. On one side of the controversy, a large body of literature suggests that the ethnic community, which often contains resources that promote immigrants' adaptation and assimilation, actually hinders adaptation because the resources of mainstream institutions are less accessible to immigrants (often because they are also minorities). On the opposite side of the argument, critics contend that the ethnic solidarity school emphasizes the positive effects of ethnic communities and ethnic organizations on immigrant populations, while ignoring many of the negative consequences of migrants' involvement in ethnic groups and ethnic institutions. The purpose of this article is to reconsider whether ethnic communities and ethnic institutions facilitate immigrants' socio-economic adaptation. Specifically, the study analyses the impact of ethnic organizations on public assistance utilization among South-East Asian and Eastern European refugees in the Chicago metropolitan area in the late 1980s. The paper proceeds in five stages. As a background to the overall study, the literature on ethnic communities and ethnic organizations is reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of the development of mutual assistance associations (MAAs) in the US. Third is a concise description of the data and methods. Fourth is a presentation of the results. The article concludes with an assessment of the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research. [source] Skeletal Estimation and Identification in American and East European Populations,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 3 2008Erin H. Kimmerle Ph.D. Abstract:, Forensic science is a fundamental transitional justice issue as it is imperative for providing physical evidence of crimes committed and a framework for interpreting evidence and prosecuting violations to International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The evaluation of evidence presented in IHL trials and the outcomes various rulings by such courts have in regard to the accuracy or validity of methods applied in future investigations is necessary to ensure scientific quality. Accounting for biological and statistical variation in the methods applied across populations and the ways in which such evidence is used in varying judicial systems is important because of the increasing amount of international forensic casework being done globally. Population variation or the perceived effect of such variation on the accuracy and reliability of methods is important as it may alter trial outcomes, and debates about the scientific basis for human variation are now making their way into international courtrooms. Anthropological data on population size (i.e., the minimum number of individuals in a grave), demographic structure (i.e., the age and sex distribution of victims), individual methods applied for identification, and general methods of excavation and trauma analysis have provided key evidence in cases of IHL. More generally, the question of population variation and the applicability of demographic methods for estimating individual and population variables is important for American and International casework in the face of regional population variation, immigrant populations, ethnic diversity, and secular changes. The reliability of various skeletal aging methods has been questioned in trials prosecuted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Radislav Krsti, (Case No. IT-98-33, Trial Judgment) and again in the currently ongoing trial of The Prosecutor of the Tribunal against Zdravko Tolimir, Radivolje Mileti,, Milan Gvero, Vinko Pandurevi,, Ljubisa Beara, Vujadin Popovi,, Drago Nikoli,, Milorad Trbi,, Ljubomir Borovcanin (IT-05-88-PT, Second Amended Indictment). Following the trial of General Krsti,, a collaborative research project was developed between the Forensic Anthropology Center at The University of Tennessee (UT) and the United Nations, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Office of the Prosecutor (ICTY). The purpose of that collaboration was to investigate methods used for the demographic analysis of forensic evidence and where appropriate to recalibrate methods for individual estimation of age, sex, and stature for specific use in the regions of the former Yugoslavia. The question of "local standards" and challenges to the reliability of current anthropological methods for biological profiling in international trials of IHL, as well as the performance of such methods to meet the evidentiary standards used by international tribunals is investigated. Anthropological methods for estimating demographic parameters are reviewed. An overview of the ICTY-UT collaboration for research aimed at addressing specific legal issues is discussed and sample reliability for Balkan aging research is tested. The methods currently used throughout the Balkans are discussed and estimated demographic parameters obtained through medico-legal death investigations are compared with identified cases. Based on this investigation, recommendations for improving international protocols for evidence collection, presentation, and research are outlined. [source] Introduction of HIV type 1 non-B subtypes into Eastern Andalusia through immigrationJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 1 2003Marta Alvarez Abstract A study of the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the native and immigrant populations of Eastern Andalusia (Southern Spain) was conducted to determine any changes between 1983 and 2001 and to identify antiretroviral resistance mutations in non-B subtype strains among the immigrant population. The study included 111 native patients from Eastern Andalusia: 94 infected with HIV before 1996 and 17 infected since 1996. A parallel study was conducted on 26 HIV-positive immigrants from Africa. Subtyping was done with the heteroduplex mobility assay. Resistance mutations were determined by line probe assay. A total of 137 patients were studied: 9.2% had subtype A (n,=,12), 80.8% subtype B (n,=,105), and 1.5% subtype C (n,=,2). Among the Eastern Andalusia population infected before 1996, 10.9% had non-B subtypes, compared with 23.5% of those infected after that year. The greatest percentage of non-B subtypes (52.4%) was found among the immigrant population. Resistance mutation K70R was detected in one of the six immigrants with non-B subtype and M41L in another. There has been a slight increase in the diversity of HIV-1 subtypes in Eastern Andalusia over the past few years, possibly influenced by non-B subtypes introduced by immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. J. Med. Virol. 70: 10,13, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cultural Perspectives of International Breast Health and Breast Cancer EducationJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 2 2007Karen Dow Meneses Purpose: To (a) describe teaching,learning strategies to foster cultural exchange among participants in the Train-The-Trainer (TTT) International Breast Health Program; (b) describe participants' perceptions of cultural influences on breast health and breast cancer; and (c) explore lessons learned about cultural influences on breast health TTT educational programs. Organizing Construct: The TTT curriculum was grounded in the belief that nurses can effectively deliver breast health and breast cancer education, that educational programs must be culturally relevant and sensitive to the needs of the target population, and that an urgent need exists worldwide to reduce the burden of breast cancer. Methods: A total of 32 nurses from 20 countries participated in three TTT programs held before the biennial meetings of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC) since 2000, with follow-up by E-mail survey. Narrative descriptions of their perspectives and experiences are reported. Results: Teaching,learning strategies incorporated cultural values into a TTT program to engage participants in sharing their individual and collective experiences about women with breast cancer. Conclusions: Developing countries are increasingly multicultural. Developed countries have large immigrant populations that generally maintain the cultural values and practices about breast cancer from the country of origin. These "lessons learned" are important in planning other educational programs. [source] Discrimination, psychosocial stress, and health among Latin American immigrants in OregonAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Heather H. McClure Chronic psychosocial stress related to discrimination has been shown to be associated with biological measures such as elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP), increased body fat, and higher fasting glucose levels. Few studies have examined these relationships in immigrant populations. The present study recruited a sample of 132 Oregon Latino immigrant adults to investigate the relationships between perceived discrimination and several health measures (blood pressure, body mass index [BMI], and fasting glucose). Results indicate that perceived discrimination stress predicted elevated SBP among men but not among women. Perceived discrimination was significantly higher among obese women than among women of normal BMI. The same pattern was not observed for men. Further, a strong trend relationship was detected: the higher women's reported discrimination stress, the higher their fasting glucose levels. Again, this pattern was not observed for men. These results suggest that chronic psychosocial stress plays an important role in disease risk among Latin American immigrants, and that male and female immigrants may have distinctive physiological responses. If confirmed, these findings may have important clinical and public health implications for chronic disease prevention among Latinos. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A global perspective of migration and occupational healthAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010Marc B. Schenker MD Abstract Background Global migration has dramatically increased over the past decade and is at an all-time high, approaching 200 million persons per year. Demographics and economic interdependence suggest that immigration will continue for the near future at record high levels. Methods A review of the few studies that have investigated occupational injury and illness rates among immigrant populations. Results Existing data indicate that higher rates of fatal and non-fatal injuries are common compared to native populations. This increase is in part due to immigrants working in higher risk occupations (e.g., agriculture, construction), but occupational morbidity and mortality is higher among immigrants than native-born workers within occupational categories. Conclusions Research is needed to identify the causes of increased risk among immigrants and to provide direction to effective public health interventions. Research methods must be adapted to different epidemiologic characteristics of immigrant populations, including lack of standard sampling frames, different language and culture from the dominant culture, and precarious work status. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:329,337, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] ICT-mediated diaspora studies: New directions in immigrant information behavior researchPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Ajit Pyati Organizer/Convener A growing and sizeable area of study within information behavior research focuses on the information needs and behaviors of immigrant populations (see Chu, 1999; Fisher, Durrance & Hinton, 2004; Caidi & Allard 2005; Srinivasan & Pyati, 2007). Some of the unique needs of these populations include information to aid with coping skills and social inclusion, as well as culturally specific information resources. Moreover, immigrant communities have information networks that span national boundaries, which affects their needs and uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This panel will focus on the role of ICTs in mediating the information environments of immigrant and diasporic communities. While focusing on how ICTs mediate immigrant information needs, this panel also contextualizes immigrant information behavior research within globalization and diaspora studies. For instance, the concept of "e-diaspora" is a term gaining in popularity, but rarely invoked in relation to immigrant information behavior research. How do new media technologies mediate and influence the information needs and behaviors of immigrant populations? Are localized immigrant information needs mediated by diasporic information sources? The panelists will focus on ICT-mediated services for immigrant populations within the context of both local and global information environments. Questions addressed include: In what ways do diasporic information environments shape local immigrant information needs and their social inclusion into the host society? How does the "digital divide" manifest itself in studies of ICT-mediated immigrant information behavior? The issues addressed by the panel are both timely and critical as evidenced by the ongoing debates in Europe, North America and elsewhere on immigration policy, on integration and identity, and the role of ICTs in a globalized world. This international perspective will be reflected in the composition of the panel. [source] The history and composition of the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South AfricaAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Manisha R. Dayal Abstract The Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons (Dart Collection) is housed in the School of Anatomical Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and comprises one of the largest documented cadaver-derived human skeletal assemblages in the world. This collection originated in the early 1920s as a result of the efforts of Raymond Dart and continues to grow. The skeletons included represent varied indigenous and immigrant populations from southern Africa, Europe and Asia. This contribution documents the history of the collection and provides an updated inventory and demographic assessment of this valuable research collection. According to a recent inventory the Dart Collection currently comprises 2,605 skeletons representing individuals from regional SA African (76%), White (15%), Coloured (4%) and Indian (0.3%) populations. A large proportion of the skeletons (71%) represent males. The recorded ages at death range from the first year to over 100 years of age, but the majority of individuals died between the ages of 20 and 70. The Dart Collection has been affected by collection procedures based on availability. All of the cadavers collected before 1958, and large proportions subsequently, were derived from unclaimed bodies in regional South African hospitals. Some details of documentation (age at death, population group) are estimates and some aspects of the collection demographics (sex ratios) do not closely reflect any living South African population. Our inventory and analysis of the Dart Collection is aimed to assist researchers planning research on the materials from this collection. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Economic Situation of First and Second-Generation Immigrants in France, Germany and the United Kingdom,THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 542 2010Yann Algan A central concern about immigration is the integration into the labour market, not only of the first generation but also of subsequent generations. Little comparative work exists for Europe's largest economies. France, Germany and the UK have all become, perhaps unwittingly, countries with large immigrant populations albeit with very different ethnic compositions. Today, the descendants of these immigrants live and work in their parents' destination countries. This article presents and discusses comparative evidence on the performance of first and second-generation immigrants in these countries in terms of education, earnings and employment. [source] Rise in maternal mortality in the NetherlandsBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2010JM Schutte Please cite this paper as: Schutte J, Steegers E, Schuitemaker N, Santema J, de Boer K, Pel M, Vermeulen G, Visser W, van Roosmalen J, the Netherlands Maternal Mortality Committee. Rise in maternal mortality in the Netherlands. BJOG 2009;117:399,406. Objective, To assess causes, trends and substandard care factors in maternal mortality in the Netherlands. Design, Confidential enquiry into the causes of maternal mortality. Setting, Nationwide in the Netherlands. Population, 2,557,208 live births. Methods, Data analysis of all maternal deaths in the period 1993,2005. Main outcome measures, Maternal mortality. Results, The overall maternal mortality ratio was 12.1 per 100 000 live births, which was a statistically significant rise compared with the maternal mortality ratio of 9.7 in the period 1983,1992 (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0,1.5). The most frequent direct causes were (pre-)eclampsia, thromboembolism, sudden death in pregnancy, sepsis, obstetric haemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism. The number of indirect deaths also increased, mainly caused by an increase in cardiovascular disorders (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.4,4.6). Women younger than 20 years and older than 45 years, those with high parity or from nonwestern immigrant populations were at higher risk. Most substandard care was found in women with pre-eclampsia (91%) and in immigrant populations (62%). Conclusions, Maternal mortality in the Netherlands has increased since 1983,1992. Pre-eclampsia remains the number one cause. Groups at higher risk for complications during pregnancy should be better identified early in pregnancy or before conception, in order to receive preconception advice and more frequent antenatal visits. There is an urgent need for the better education of women and professionals concerning the danger signs, and for the training of professionals in order to improve maternal health care. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||