Elevated Status Research Articles

Who attains social status? Effects of personality and physical attractiveness in social groups.

One of the most important goals and outcomes of social life is to attain status in the groups to which we belong. Such face-to-face status is defined by the amount of respect, influence, and prominence each member enjoys in the eyes of the others. Three studies investigated personological determinants of status in social groups (fraternity, sorority, and dormitory), relating the Big Five personality traits and physical attractiveness to peer ratings of status. High Extraversion substantially predicted elevated status for both sexes. High Neuroticism, incompatible with male gender norms, predicted lower status in men. None of the other Big Five traits predicted status. These effects were independent of attractiveness, which predicted higher status only in men. Contrary to previous claims, women's status ordering was just as stable as men's but emerged later. Discussion focuses on personological pathways to attaining status and on potential mediators.

CHANGES IN MEDICINE, CHANGES IN NURSING: CAREER CONTINGENCIES AND THE MOVEMENT OF NURSES INTO CLINICAL TRIAL COORDINATION

This article considers the emergence of the career line of clinical trial coordination in the occupation of nursing and the ways in which some nurses move away from other areas of work and come to be affiliated with it. Our analysis builds on the work of Becker and Strauss, who argued that two dimensions of a career contingency are central in understanding the development of an occupational line : the local contingencies of movement in a career and the broader contingencies of occupational development. In our analysis of empirically based scholarship on clinical trials and biomedicine and interview data conducted with twenty-four nurse clinical trial coordinators, we found that the career contingency framework remains useful. However, we highlight broader factors as central to the emergence of the occupational domain devoted to clinical trial coordination. In addition, we modify the career contingencies identified by Becker and Strauss to include social enhancement, a contingency characterized by the elevated status associated with particular work practices and skills. Between 1930 and 1970 careers were a robust and lively topic of inquiry in the sociology of work, occupations, and professions. University of Chicago-trained interactionists, students, and associates of Everett C. Hughes engaged in much of this work. Throughout this period scholars investigated and analyzed the careers of such traditional occupational workers as medical doctors (Bucher 1962; Hall 1948; Strauss et al. 1964), nurses (Davis and Olesen 1965), and teachers (Becker 1952), as well as attending to the experiences and careers of status groups, such as the physically handicapped (Goffman 1963), hospitalized patients (Davis 1963), dance musicians (Becker 1963), and inmates of mental asylums and other total institutions (Goffman 1961). * Direct all correspondence to: Mary-Rose Mueller, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, Box 0612, San Francisco, CA 94143-0850; e-mail: mrm@itsa.ucsf.edu. Sociological Perspectives, Volume 43, Number 4, pages S43-S57. Copyright © 2000 by Pacific Sociological Association. All rights reserved. Send requests for permission to reprint to: Rights and Permissions, University of California Press, Journals Division, 2000 Center St., Ste. 303, Berkeley, CA 94704-1223.

Introduction

It has been thirty years since the study of late antiquity was established as a discipline in its own right in the English-speaking world. Since then, scholars have tried to define the distinctive character of the late antique period by isolating one or another aspect of its rich and diverse fabric, often by formulating dichotomies on which to hinge their analysis. Following the lead of E. R. Dodds' Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety (1965) and of Peter Brown's seminal article on "The Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Late Antiquity" (1971a), much of the research in the 1970s focused on the effects of the conversion of the Emperor Constantine on the religious mentality, social structure, and culture of the period. Since the 1980s, thanks to the numerous important advances made by archaeologists and historians all around the Mediterranean from France to Syria and beyond, the definition of late antiquity as an age of religious change has been complemented by a clearer vision of the period as one of economic and societal transformation--a transformation that is manifest at all levels, from changing urban settlement patterns and funerary monuments to new lifestyles and forms of literature. In recent years, the need to extend the interpretation of late antique culture beyond the dichotomies of pagan-Christian or urban-rural has become more acute. The quest for an overarching definition of the distinctive character of the late antique period continues, fueled in large part by Peter Brown's own retrospective papers and articles in which he takes stock of the intellectual context in which he originally developed his own models and then re-examines these models in view of recent scholarship. The 1997 volume of Symbolae Osloenses, for example, devoted ninety pages to a debate on Peter Brown's vision of The World of Late Antiquity (1971b). Much work remains to be done to establish new parameters of inquiry that will result in a definition of late antiquity that not only takes into account [End Page 315] recent advances in the field, but also synthesizes and transcends the earlier explanatory models. In the hopes of going beyond established dichotomies and advancing current debates, Professors Claudia Rapp and Michele Salzman organized a two-day conference, held at UCLA in February 1999, on the subject of "Elites in Late Antiquity." This subject, they felt, is at the heart of the field since it focuses on the individuals and groups who, because of their elevated status, gave shape to late antique society. Yet the elite was a fluid entity. Membership could be determined by wealth, family tradition, imperial favor, and a variety of religious, cultural, and ethnic factors. By virtue of their elevated status, however measured, these people played central roles in critical areas of late antique life and culture. Thus, however elusive the term "elite" may be, it remains a significant avenue into late antique society. More than any other subject, the study of elites invites considerations of continuity and change. Moreover, it provides a point of entry into other important areas of inquiry: social and political structures, aesthetic values in art and literature, and the expression of religious sentiments. Despite their centrality, elites and their influence have not been systematically considered in the light of recent advances in the field of late antiquity. The papers presented at the February 1999 conference were the first set of studies in the English-speaking world to address this theme in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary manner. The timeliness of this topic was underscored by the fact that the "Late Antiquity and Early Islam Workshop" that convened in Birmingham, UK, in April 1999, organized by John Haldon, was dedicated to the study of continuity and change in the elites of the later Roman empire, the Sassanian empire, and the early Islamic world. The papers presented at the UCLA conference focused on a wide variety of topics relating to manifestations of elite culture and society, ranging from works of art to marriages among the military. Many spoke of the fluidity of the...

THE INFLUENCE OF ELEVATED DIETARY ZINC, SELENIUM, AND THEIR COMBINATION ON THE SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT OF DIETARY AND INTRAPERITONEAL CADMIUM ON EGG PRODUCTION IN LAYING HENS

The influence of elevated dietary zinc and/or selenium on the suppressive effect of cadmium on egg production in hens has not been previously established. To address this question, two models of cadmium administration were used to differentiate protective effects of zinc or selenium that may result from a reduced absorption of cadmium from those resulting from an elevated nutritional status of these minerals. First, cadmium-induced suppression of egg production was produced in White Leghorn hens using intraperitoneal injections of Cd in order to determine protective effects that result from prefeeding diets supplemented with 803 ppm Zn, 0.91 ppm Se, or their combination relative to a basal diet (control). Feeding elevated dietary selenium throughout the experiment, including a 6-day prefeeding period before Cd administration, resulted in significant protection from the egg suppression produced by 2 injections of cadmium (0.27 mg/ kg each) given 1 d apart. Feeding elevated dietary zinc alone or combined with +0.91 ppm Se for a similar period did not markedly protect against cadmium-induced egg suppression. After a 0.54- mg/ kg dose of Cd was administered, for a cumulative dose of 1.08 mg/ kg, no significant protection was observed from any of the supplemented diets. In a second experiment, the protective effect of the same dietary treatments on the egg-suppressive effect of dietary cadmium was determined. In contrast to cadmium injection, the suppressive effect of 153 ppm dietary cadmium was not mitigated by selenium supplementation, while supplemental zinc protected against this effect of dietary cadmium regardless of the amount of selenium in the diet. There was no significant change in plasma estrogen and vitellogenin levels as a result of cadmium administration in either model, with the exception of significant reduction in both these parameters in the dietary cadmium-exposed birds fed the basal diet. Together, the data suggest that the level of dietary zinc in food sources may be more important in influencing cadmium-induced egg suppression than the nutritional status of zinc in cadmium-exposed birds. In contrast, the nutritional status of selenium in cadmiumexposed birds may have the potential to mitigate this effect, but high exposures to dietary cadmium or zinc may preclude such protection.

Gerry Knowles, A cultural history of the English language. London: Arnold, 1997. Pp. x, 180. Hb $59.95, pb $20.00.

In his preface, Knowles makes clear what his book is not. It is not a history of literary English, and it is not an account of changes in linguistic form; it is a “cultural history.” In the introductory chapter, he declares: “In view of the close connection between language and power, it is impossible to treat the history of the language without reference to politics” (9). Of course, books that purport to be histories of English have often “treated” the subject without apparent politics. Knowles is right in alleging that the politics of such books has often been implicit, since most of them provide information about the ascent of one variety of the language to the elevated status of a standard – as if that were an inevitable and desirable result of the spirit of goodness working itself out through speech.

'She being bigg with child is likely to miscarry': Pregnant Victims Prosecuting Assault in Westminster, 1685–1720

This paper studies recognizances to appear for assault at Westminster Quarter Sessions from 1685 to 1720. In this period, there were roughly 4000 of these recognizances representing women's complaints against an alleged assailant. Though these women may have been victims of violence, they were empowered by bringing their complaints before a justice of the peace. This seems to be especially the case for pregnant women. The number of recognizances that mention the pregnancy of the victim – though small in comparison with the total – become significant in contrast to those that mention any other condition of the victim (such as age or infirmity) that would exaggerate the effects of the assault. London society in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century placed strong value on motherhood, and popular medical views advocated strict care and indulgence of the expectant mother. These attitudes are reflected in the language of the recognizances in this study. In their choice to record the extra information of the plaintiff's condition, the Westminster justices appear to have been heavily influenced by the veneration of maternity. Most significantly, however, these pregnant women seem to have taken advantage of their elevated status, volunteering the information of their pregnancy to increase their likelihood of gaining retribution.

Sexual Attitudes and Behavior Among Young Adolescents in Jamaica

This study describes sexual attitudes and behaviors among adolescents from low-income families attending poor quality schools in Jamaica. Data were obtained from the Jamaican Adolescent Study among 945 male and female adolescents 11-14 years old in 1995 who attended 5 Grade 7 Project schools. Data were also obtained from focus groups among 64 male and female students. Under 10% were informed about reproduction. Boys knew more than girls. Knowledge of methods was incomplete. Students generally disapproved of early sex. Boys had mixed approval of early sex. Both sexes thought contraception should be used. 64% of boys and 6% of girls reported sexual experience. The mean reported age of first sex was 11.3 years for girls and 9.4 for boys. Focus groups revealed a disparity between actual sex behavior and disapproval of early first sex. Sex experience was motivated by curiosity love and other notions of dos and donts related to having a boyfriend. Boys related having early sex with physical pleasure elevated status among peers and attainment of manhood. Girls were not likely to report sex behavior to parents. Fewer than 50% used contraceptives at first sex. Students associated family planning with promiscuity. Most did not desire early parenthood. Girls pointed out societal disapproval of early sex and pregnancy. Few mentioned marriage preceding childbearing. Findings support early introduction of family life education.

Does water and phosphorus uptake limit leaf growth of Rhizoctonia-infected wheat seedlings?

Wheat seedlings infected with a pure inoculum of the root-rotting fungus Rhizoctonia solani were grown in pots designed to fit in pressure chambers, to allow the effects of the Rhizoctonia infection on leaf growth to be studied while maintaining the leaves at elevated water status. Wheat was grown to the third leaf stage in soil inoculated with three different levels of Rhizoctonia, and the pots were then pressurised for seven days to maintain the leaf xylem at the point of bleeding (ie. the leaves were at full turgor). The reduction in leaf expansion caused by Rhizoctonia was not overcome by pressurisation, indicating that a reduced supply of water to the leaves was not responsible for reduced leaf growth. The addition of phosphorus to pots marginally deficient in P did not increase the leaf growth of Rhizoctonia-infected plants, despite increased P uptake to the leaves. These results indicate that a reduced supply of water to the leaves and a supply of phosphorus that was bordering on deficient was not the cause of the growth reduction in seedlings with Rhizoctonia infection. The nature of this reduced growth remains uncertain but may involve growth regulators produced by the fungus, or by the plant as a result of the infection process. The mechanism of these growth reductions is of interest as it may provide a key to the development of plant resistance mechanisms.

The influence of manganese deficiency on serum IGF-1 and IGF binding proteins in the male rat.

Young male rats subjected to a dietary manganese (Mn) deficiency respond to the deficiency by reducing their growth rate. The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) axis is critical for linear growth; this system is exquisitely sensitive to the nutritional state of the animal. In this study, we examined circulating GH, IGF-1, and insulin levels in Mn-deficient (-Mn; fed a 0.5 microg Mn/g diet) and sufficient (+Mn; fed a 45 microg Mn/g diet) male Sprague-Dawley rats. Additionally, we examined the distribution of circulating IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) in animals of both dietary groups as these proteins modulate IGF-1 action in vivo and in vitro, and have been demonstrated to be altered in a number of nutritional and physiological states. Body weight was significantly reduced in -Mn relative to +Mn rats. Consistent with other studies, daily food intake was not altered. However, cumulative food intake (over 3 months) was marginally lower in -Mn versus +Mn animals. -Mn animals displayed lower circulating concentrations of IGF-1 (66% of control levels) and insulin (60% of control levels) despite having significant elevations in circulating GH levels relative to +Mn animals (140% of control levels). The IGFBP profile of -Mn animals reflected their elevated GH status, as we observed increased binding of tracer (125I-IGF-1) to the circulating IGFBP-3 complex (120% of control binding) using native chromatography techniques. Interestingly, the lower circulating insulin concentrations of -Mn animals did not result in dramatic elevations in lower-molecular-weight binding proteins. In summary, we demonstrate that in young male rats, Mn deficiency is associated with alterations in IGF metabolism. These alterations may contribute to the growth and bone abnormalities observed in -Mn animals.

The Act of Reading as a Rite of Passage: Iurii Andrukhovych’s Rekreatsii

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw an intensive re-examination and change of long lasting cultural paradigms and value systems in Ukrainian culture. A period of transition and crisis, these years culminated in 1991 with achievement of political independence and constitution of Ukraine as a discrete political, economical and cultural entity. This event was preceded by diverse processes of transformation. One of first social institutions to be affected was literature. The proliferation of dissenting voices that dared to condemn politicization of culture was, perhaps, one of most obvious and certain indications of literary institution's intramural reorganization. Authors such as Oksana Zabuzhko, Iurii Andrukhovych, Viktor Neborak and others, clearly pronounced necessity of re-conceptualizing function of artists in society and declared, in a purely modernist manner, that art should not serve political and social ends. The challenge, as dissenting authors saw it, was to return to literature its normal function. Zabuzhko felicitously phrased it thus: the type [of literature] that could devote itself without any reservations to things 'eternal' (the only thing that ultimately interests art!), to primordial questions of love and death, to essence of being human and to meaning of life.' In this context, publication of Andrukhovych's scandalous novella Rekreats,2 was a daring attempt, a real intellectual challenge. Given historical moment and complex narrative structure of text itself,3 it is hardly surprising that Andrukhovych's work initiated a debate on subject of its literary qualities and cultural value.4 As one critic pointed out, readership at time clearly split into two opposing camps.5 On one hand there were readers, representing predominantly Diaspora, who expressed a clearly negative judgment. In their opinion, novella displayed a lack of national pride and respect for cultural history and literary traditions of Ukraine. They accused Andrukhovych of amorality and antipatriotism. Particularly interesting in this regard are letters to editors of Suchasnist'.6 Those criticizing Andrukhovych's novella used designations such as khaltura7 and ornohrafiia8; novel was described as an abuse [znushchannia] of native language and Shevchenko's word. A reader from Ukraine was even more sarcastic. She defined Andrukhovych's style as pseudo-intellectual toilet pornography [tualetnoporno-psevdo-intelektual'nyi.] 10 On other hand, novella attracted interest of some prominent Ukrainian literary critics who approached it as a highly sophisticated, postcolonial and postmodernist discourse. Not surprisingly, positive readings presented a totally different picture. Andnukhovych was praised for his sober realism and ability to speak boldly, without false patriotic pathos about his society. In Mykola Riabchuk's view, novella was an explicitly satirical text that assumed a playful and carnivalesque stance, and was endowed with a lively plot, realistic characters and a clever denouement. 12 The interpretations of M. Pavlyshyn and Slobodanka M. Vladiv-Glover were in same vein.13 My interest in novella is not inspired by above mentioned discussion. The focus of present analysis is on use of folkloric images, techniques and narrative patterns, and their processing under conditions of contemporary literary experimentation. More specifically, I am interested in semiotic mechanism(s) that govern renascence of national folkloric inventory in discourse of recent Ukrainian prose. I consider, Iurii Andrukhovych's novella Rekreats as an illustration of these mechanisms.14 My study advances idea that, today, centuries-old oral tradition of Ukrainian folklore is questioned and ambivalently re-discovered as part of modem Ukrainian self. It appears that, at present, folkloric texts are denied elevated status of being ultimate embodiments of national psyche. …

Immunology and growth faltering of Anga children, Papua New Guinea: preliminary work.

Nutrition-infection interactions among poor children of the less-developed world influence growth and development. However, the relative importance of each is difficult to determine, because the relationship is mediated by immunological status. In this analysis, relationships between immunological measures and anthropometry were sought among 41 Anga, Papua New Guinea children aged 0-7 years. These had elevated serum total leucocyte and leucocyte subset counts relative to western reference values. Although there was no correlation between anthropometric nutritional status and total leucocytes and leucocyte subsets for this group, the small group (n=8) with very high total leucocyte count (greater than 15,000/mm2) had significantly lower mean Z score of stature for age (-3.78), and weight for stature (-1.35) than those with leucocyte counts lower than this cut-off (weight for stature Z score: -0.59; stature for age Z score: -2.68, respectively. Low stature-for-age Z score was associated with lower total lymphocyte count and increasing age, against a background of elevated lymphocyte levels relative to western reference values among the older children; low weight-for-stature Z score was associated with lower neutrophil count, against a background of normal neutrophil levels across all age groups. The pattern of weight and stature growth seen in the Anga may reflect extended nutritional deficits which result in stunting of a degree to which the most growth-compromised children die, leaving those above a threshold associated with high mortality alive. Thus, the anthropometric and immunological characteristics of the older children in this small sample may reflect the biology of survival under severe ecological conditions, where poor linear growth and elevated leucocyte status relative to normative values are characteristics of survivorship.

The Death of Jesus and the Ways of God

Jesus' mission to revitalize Israel brought him into conflict with Roman and Jewish leaders, and to a shameful death by crucifixion. So he died as he had lived: committed to the ways of God, he rejected the quest for power and status. His followers were thus able to hold together his elevated status as Messiah and his scandalous death on a cross.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Performance-Based Assessment

A major challenge facing instruction and assessment is lack of evidence of their efficacy for students of color, excluding certain high-achieving Asian American groups, and poor students. This article considers authenticity of performance-based assessments (PBAs), exploring their relationship to pedagogical practices that address ethnic and linguistic diversity. It details author's efforts to transform English instruction and assessment in ways that draw upon cultural funds of knowledge that African American students bring from their home and community environments. Cognitive and cultural arguments for culturally responsive PBAs and research implications of their use are presented. THE DILEMMAS OF TESTING Arguments over limits of traditional multiple-choice standardized testing have been made for many years and have emanated from many corners of academia (Wolf, Bixby, Glenn, & Gardner, 1991). The movement toward performance-based assessment (PBA) has been manifested in more widespread appearance on market of portfolio and other PBA test packages linked to commercially prepared teaching materials such as textbooks and other curriculum support materials. Additionally, over last decade, a few key states (California, Kentucky, Maryland, and Vermont, among others) have begun to adopt formal performance-based assessment as part of their official statewide educational testing systems. The results of these state measures have been mixed and, in at least one state (California), rather disastrous. Nonetheless, performance-based assessments have been deemed in sense that they require students to tackle complex problems that have some real-world currency over an extended period of time. Such understanding performances (Perkins, 1992, p. 79) are often included as part of standards-based instruction, as in rigorous New Standards Project (NSP) (1997), which is beginning to be adopted by several states as an articulation of world-class standards in both curriculum and assessment.1 One of major challenges facing movement toward authentic instruction and assessment is lack of external validity that has been obtained as far as minority student populations and children of poor are concerned. Closer examination of this movement reveals that it is largely driven by White, university-based researchers, while its assumptions and products are largely tested on and geared toward White, middle-class students. Indeed, it is rare, if ever, that one sees included in examples of rigorous standards-based objectives, curricula, or assessments anything that smacks of ethnic or linguistic diversity. For example, none of samples of work provided in New Standards Project guide, especially those in its applied learning strand, address cultural diversity or needs or concerns of minority communities. As a case in point, language arts section of draft version of this guide presents an analytical essay considered to represent quality of student work in this area that assessment's developers would like to see. The essay offers a response to Winston Churchill's statement that American Civil War was the last romantic war and first horrendous modern war. However, inclusion of this essay, and elevated status attributed to it, strikes of insensitivity to African Americans, for whom Civil War, though undoubtedly horrible in its physical manifestation, represents far more than either a romantic or an horrendous notion. It is doubtful that test's authors would have considered placing an essay focusing on romanticism in German literature during period of Jewish Holocaust as an exemplar. Moreover, in both preliminary as well as current edition, NSP's exemplar of a potential reading list across genres includes only a paultry representation of works by African American, Hispanic American, Native American, or Asian American authors-let alone authors from Africa, China, or Central America. …

Patchiness in semi‐arid dwarf shrublands: Evidence from satellite‐derived indices for elevated CO2 assimilation rates on a geochemical mound in the Karoo National Park, South Africa

Satellite‐derived vegetation indices were used to identify a geochemical mound of higher active greenness in the Karoo National Park, Beaufort West, South Africa. We determined whether this mound was occupied by plants with higher CO2 assimilation rate. Plant cover on and off the mound was determined. Three woody species with high cover were selected for further investigation. Two deep‐rooted species, Rhigozum obovatum Burch. and Eriocephalus ericoides (L.f.) Druce, showed greater net CO2 assimilation rates on the mound. Net CO2 assimilation rates for the third species, Pentzia incana (Thunb.) Kuntze were similar both on and off the mound. In an attempt to find a mechanistic basis for the elevated CO2 assimilation rates, the relationships between soil factors, foliar nutrients and CO2 assimilation capacity were also examined. Our results suggest that the elevated net CO2 assimilation was not mediated via improved soil or plant water relations on the actively greening mound, nor through a difference in nitrogen levels in the soil or plant material, but possibly by way of the higher sub‐soil phosphorus levels measured from the geochemical mound. Genotype and cover cannot alone be used for rangeland condition assessment since localized elevated soil nutrient status (patchiness) contributes to greater photosynthetic carbon gain which may confer superior browsing responses to plants occurring on these mounds.

Construct Validity in SLA Research: A Response to Firth and Wagner

Its analyses are oversimplistic, F&W assert, because they have generally considered the L2 acquirer as a nonnative speaker of the L2, as a learner, and as someone whose L2 repertoire and underlying grammar is an interlanguage (the psycholinguistic L2 equivalent of an idiolect in sociolinguistics, a construct to which F&W presumably also object), and as a deficient communicator, struggling to overcome an L2 competence when interacting with an idealized native speaker, who is attributed elevated status by researchers. They assert that this view is individualistic, mechanistic, and

Advanced practice nursing: merging the clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner roles.

Advanced practice nursing has taken a preeminent role in the recent reform of health care by fostering a perception of leadership, accountability, and responsibility in areas involving access to care, quality of care, and the cost of care. Despite this opportunity for recognition and advancement in the current healthcare system, variations in educational preparation, public confusion about the various roles and titles within advanced practice nursing, and differing professional certifications plague the opportunity for an elevated status of advanced practice nursing. In this article, the author addresses the issues related to merging the clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner roles. A review of the historical development of advanced practice nursing along with current practice issues and future needs is also presented.

Misting of Tomato Plants Improves Leaf Water Status but not Leaf Growth

Field and laboratory experiments were carried out to determine whether modification of the aerial environment in a hot climate would improve the leaf growth rate and ultimately the yield of well- irrigated processing tomatoes, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. UC82B. In the field, the transpiration rate was modified by frequent applications of a fine mist. Misting reduced the diurnal fall in leaf water potential by up to 0.5 MPa, but had no effect on weekly vegetative growth or fruit yield, compared to a control treatment which was not misted but had accurately managed drip irrigation. To investigate these processes further, we studied the relationship between leaf water status and leaf growth in the laboratory using equipment in which a pot is placed inside a pressure chamber, with the leaves enclosed in a cuvette. Immediately following a misting event, both the hydrostatic pressure of the leaf xylem and the leaf expansion rate increased. The increase in leaf expansion rate was sustained for about 10 min and then fell below the pre-misted rate so that the net effect of a misting event on leaf expansion was small or nil. When an elevated leaf water status was sustained by pressurising the soil for over an hour, there was only a transient increase in leaf growth, and leaf growth stopped after the pressure was removed. Both in the laboratory and field, the overall leaf or vegetative growth was not sensitive to rapid fluctuations in leaf water status. The implication is that, if sufficient attention is paid to managing the root zone of crops, the more expensive and less efficient modification of the shoot environment is unnecessary.

Issues in the Making of South Africa's Language in Education Policy

Issues in the Making of South Africa's Language in Education Policy

Conditions for a successful status elevation ceremony

Status elevation ceremonies are the mirrored parallel processes of Garfinkel's (1956) status degradation ceremonies, applied to the acquisition of a higher status or preferred identity, resulting from elaborate mythological rituals. Spoiled, stigmatized identities are prime populations for the deconstruction and reconstruction of new identities. Garfinkel's steps are extended, analyzed, and reapplied to a community of actors with degraded identities who seek a persona of a more socially acceptable, elevated status. The interactionist processes of rites of passage are applied to these reconstituted identities. Situated actions and vocabularies of motives are central features to adopting new lines of conduct.

From Edith Bunker to the 6:00 News:

The purpose of this research was to study how contemporary, healthy midlife women perceive menopause and what their sources of information on menopause are. A nonclinical convenience sample of 505 middle-class women aged 35-55 (mean age = 46.6) from across the U.S. responded to the Midlife Women's Health Survey. Overall, the findings convey a somewhat disturbing picture of menopause. Notable was the absence of any sense of achievement or elevated status associated with becoming menopausal; a disease focus was common as well. These findings are discussed in terms of strategies to help women's adjustment to this life stage.