Mainland United States Research Articles

Serial Killing in America After 9/11

In the on terror, the handwnngers see all sorts of difficulties with an attack on Iraq. But -when a psychologist studies Hussein, he or she sees something very different. very definition of terror is to have weapons of mass destruction in the hands of this sociopathic serial killer. (Curtis Schmidt, The Psychopathology of Saddam B7) What business do your governments have to ally themselves with the gang of criminality in the White House against Muslims? Don't your governments know that the White House gang is the biggest serial killers [sic] in this age? (From a November 2002 audiotape purporting to feature the voice of Osama bin Laden) And so, if -we are to be judged by the wishes in our unconscious, we are, like primitive man, simply a gang of murderers. (Sigmund Freud, Thoughts for the Times on War and Death 314) It has become the ultimate truism to say that everything changed on September 11, 2001. Without wanting to minimize the impact of the awful events that took place on that day, it is possible to overestimate the extent to which the United States has changed since 9/11. To claim, for example, that the country was profoundly altered by the eruption of an act of violence the likes of which had never been seen in the United States is simultaneously to be accurate and not to tell the whole story. mainland United States had certainly never been subjected to violent attacks of such magnitude 9/11, and yet to imply that prior to the attacks America existed in a state of unsullied innocence is to ignore both the participation of the United States in similar acts of violence in other countries (either by sponsoring such acts or committing them outright) and the defining role that violence has played in the foundation and continued development of the country. Despite the temptation to treat 9/11 as some kind of epistemic break, in other words, it is important to insist on the continuities that exist between before and after; only by studying the continuities can we understand fully the impact of 9/11 on American culture. One such continuity is the status of serial murder, but one must acknowledge that serial murder also seems to provide another tempting opportunity to draw a clear line of demarcation between pre- and post-9/11 America. Despite the long-standing iconic status of the serial killer in American culture 9/11, in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, it seemed reasonable to suppose that the serial killer would be quickly replaced by the terrorist as the personification of criminal evil. What actually happened, however, turns out to be considerably more complicated. In this article, I argue that the figure of the serial killer plays an even more central role in post-9/11 America than it did the attacks. Its omnipresence as an icon of evil enabled the serial killer to become the lingua franca of both sides of the war against Consequently, rather than the terrorist neatly replacing the serial killer, the two categories overlapped. serial killer provided a way to present the figure of the terrorist to the American public in a way that was both familiar enough to keep public fear and paranoia at manageable levels, and deviant enough to mobilize the necessary level of public support for the systematic dismantling of civil liberties in the United States, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Moreover, and quite paradoxically, the reassertion of the quintessential Amencanness of the serial killer facilitated the reinforcement of the terrorist as a foreign other, and in doing so, allowed the majority of Americans to maintain an image of both themselves and their country as paragons of innocence who had been violated by terrorism. Business as Usual Although I will demonstrate how intimately the serial killer and the terrorist have become entwined with each other in the aftermath of 9/11, I also want to emphasize that the serial killer industry that existed in the United States the attacks has continued to flourish and has done so in many instances without any reference to terrorism at all. …

Survey Techniques for Freshwater Streams on Oceanic Islands: Important Design Considerations for the PABITRA Project

Fundamental differences in life history patterns of most indigenous freshwater stream species on oceanic islands and freshwater species in continental stream systems require important differences in design of appropriate aquatic survey methodologies. As an example of these issues, use of Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) and the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for describing island stream conditions are examined. Designed mainly for identifying optimal flow for salmonid fishes in the western United States, IFIM is difficult to apply to Hawaiian streams because of frequent flash floods in the Islands and because of the inherent difficulty of relating observed fish densities to total usable habitat in island streams. IBIs have been applied widely on the United States mainland as a technique for determining the health of a stream and aiding in stream fish conservation and management. Recently, there has been an attempt to establish an IBI for Hawaiian streams. Application of this technique to oceanic island streams raises a number of serious questions about the IBI's validity for use in Hawaiian streams. Potential problems are inherent in the basic assumptions of the IBI. They result in unintended consequences when applied to oceanic island streams; examples include erroneously attributing naturally occurring differences in observed fish assemblages to human-induced environmental change, not accommodating differences in closed and open system dynamics linked to life cycles of indigenous stream species, and not understanding implications of low-diversity environments typical of remote oceanic islands. Past research on Hawaiian streams supports use of appropriate survey and analysis techniques such as those developed for the Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect (PABITRA) for use among islands of the tropical Pacific.

Egg size, fertility, hatchability, and chick survivability in captive California condors (Gymnogyps californianus)

AbstractCalifornia condors are one of the most endangered species native to the mainland United States and are subject of intense effort regarding captive breeding and reintroduction. We analyzed 20 years of California condor egg records from the wild and from three captive propagation facilities for fertility, hatchability, and chick survivability, along with changes in egg size due to multiple clutching. Overall annual mean percent of fertile eggs was 80.2%, hatchability was 87.3%, and chick survivability to ≥60 days was 95.5%. One egg‐laying site had a significantly lower fertility rate (P ≤ 0.0001) than the other sites, which was probably due to pair incompatibility rather than any physiological factors. Egg volume of the first egg was significantly greater than both the second (t=6.73, P=0.0001) and third egg (t=6.62, P ≤ 0.0001) of the season, while the second egg had a significantly greater volume (t=3.20, P=0.0084) than the third egg. Chicks from the second egg (t=3.24, P=0.029) and third egg (t=7.94, P=0.0014) of the season were significantly smaller than chicks from the first egg of the season. The decrease in egg measures and chick hatch weight due to multiple clutching did not affect hatchability or chick survivability. There were significant positive relationships (P<0.0001) between fresh egg weight and chick hatch weight and between egg volume and chick hatch weight, as well as between fresh egg weight and egg volume. In spite of the decrease in fresh egg weight, egg volume and chick hatch weights, due to egg removal to stimulate double and sometimes triple clutching, the captive propagation program has been successful in producing birds for the restoration of this species. Zoo Biol 23:489–500, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Intussusception incidence relative to rotavirus vaccine use in Honolulu

Study objectives: Rotavirus vaccine was in use during August 1998 to October 1999. Epidemics of intussusception during this period were allegedly caused by rotavirus vaccine, which prompted the vaccine to be withdrawn. Hawaii's geographic location between Asia and the mainland United States may subject it to infectious disease epidemic periods midway between occurrence in Asia and occurrence in the mainland United States. In contrast, immunization recommendations are temporally identical across all 50 states. The purpose of this study is to determine whether an epidemic of intussusception was experienced in Honolulu during the period of Rotavirus vaccine use. Methods: This is a retrospective study of data obtained from inpatient and emergency department discharge diagnosis codes of intussusception for children up to 36 months of age. The incidence data were plotted by time periods to identify possible epidemic periods. Results: Among those younger than 36 months old, the incidence of intussusception (in 4-month blocks) during the rotavirus vaccine use period was 4, 4, 2, 4 and 2 cases during each of the 4-month blocks beginning July 1998 and ending December 1999. This compares to an incidence of 2 to 4 cases per 4-month block before the rotavirus vaccine period from May 1994 to June 1998. From January 2000, the incidence per 4-month block has been 4, 4, 6, 6, 5, 4, 6, 4, 5, 4, 4, and 1. This suggests a small epidemic of intussusception cases well after the period of rotavirus vaccine use. Conclusion: These incidence data are inconsistent with the allegation that rotavirus vaccine caused an epidemic of intussusception in Honolulu.

Neither Here Nor There

Abstract Since 1917 all Puerto Ricans, whether island- or mainland-born, are United States citizens. Physical proximity and relatively affordable transportation encourages Puerto Rican migration to the mainland United States. Puerto Rican migration takes three forms: the “one- way migrants,” who move permanently to the mainland; the “return migrants” who migrate to the mainland but after many years return to the island and reestablish residence; and the “circular migrants” who migrate back and forth between the island and the mainland spending substantial periods of residence in both places. The following analysis emphasizes the conditions that instigate the departure of Puerto Rican migrants from both the island and the mainland, and discusses the implications of Puerto Rican circular migration for social work and the provision of social welfare programs and services.

Thermal characteristics of wild and captive Micronesian kingfisher nesting habitats

AbstractTo provide information for managing the captive population of endangered Guam Micronesian kingfishers (Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina), four biologically relevant thermal metrics were compared among captive facilities on the United States mainland and habitats used by wild Micronesian kingfishers on the island of Pohnpei (H. c. reichenbachii), Federated States of Micronesia. Additionally, aviaries where kingfishers laid eggs were compared to those in which birds did not attempt to breed. Compared to aviaries, habitats used by wild Pohnpei kingfishers had 3.2°C higher daily maximum and minimum temperatures and the proportion of time when temperatures were in the birds' thermoneutral zone was 45% greater. No differences were found in the magnitude of temperature fluctuation in captive and wild environments. In captive environments in which birds bred, daily maximum temperatures were 2.1°C higher and temperatures were within the thermoneutral zone 25% more often than in the aviaries where the kingfishers did not breed. No differences were found in the magnitude of temperature fluctuation or the daily minimum temperature. Results suggest that the thermal environment has the potential to influence reproduction, and that consideration should be given to increasing temperatures in captive breeding facilities to improve propagation of the endangered Micronesian kingfisher. Zoo Biol 23:301–308, 2004. Published 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The climatology of Vitamin D producing ultraviolet radiation over the United States

The US population is located in a wide range of latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes over mainland United States. Subsequently, high UV irradiants are found at southern locales, whilst in some northern areas, particularly at high latitudes, insufficient levels of ambient UV radiation to synthesize pre Vitamin D in humans are reported. This fact, coupled with the cold northern climates (resulting in high amounts of skin covered in clothing), some people may be susceptible to hypovitaminosis D. Surprisingly, hypovitaminosis D is still relatively common in developed countries such as the USA and the UK. In a large epidemiologically based study of 15,778 noninstitutionalized adult men and women living in the US, 9% had low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (15 ng/ml) [N. Engl. J. Med. 339 (1998) 12]. Further evidence of this came from recent research by McGrath [Med. Hypertens. 56 (2001) 367] who found that adults living in South East Queensland (with Queensland known as having the highest rates of skin cancer in the world) have surprisingly high rates of Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency (8 and 23%, respectively). Therefore, hypovitaminosis D represents a serious issue for public health in both sunny and cold climates. This paper will present data on the distribution of Vitamin D forming UV over the USA using collected spectrally resolved ambient UV data from the US EPA Brewer spectrometer UV Monitoring Network. This data is obtained from the network of 21 Brewer spectrometers deployed throughout the USA, allowing for investigation of changes in Vitamin D producing UV with season and location.

Perceptions of pragntatic differences in a Hawaii Creole English speaker

In the field of speech-language pathology it is imperative to determine if an individual truly has a communication disorder or whether communication is intact but influenced by cultural differences. Ten participants from the United States (US) mainland and ten participants from Hawaii reviewed a videotaped Hawaii Creole English (HCE) speaker in a didactic conversation. All pragmatic skills that were assumed to be ‘inappropriate’ were identified and recorded using a pragmatic protocol. The data was compared between groups, and a significant difference was found in how intelligibility of speech was viewed. A majority of the participants from the US mainland found the HCE speaker to be disordered in intelligibility.

Brief report: Cross-cultural replication of an anomalous psychometric pattern in children with type 1 diabetes.

To replicate an anomalous psychometric profile previously documented in children with Type 1 diabetes living in the mainland United States with a cross-cultural sample selected from Puerto Rico. Ninety-three Spanish-speaking children (M age = 12.8 years) with Type 1 diabetes living in Puerto Rico were administered the Puerto Rican version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). The factor structure of the Puerto Rican sample's WISC-R was then compared to that of a United States sample (n = 95) in which an anomalous factor structure in children with diabetes was first documented. As in the United States sample, a four-factor IQ structure was obtained. Instead of the traditional three-factor structure of the WISC-R, the Perceptual Organization factor split into a Spatial Conceptual factor and an anomalous Visual Discrimination factor. Results support previous findings and suggest anomalies in the psychometric profiles of children with Type 1 diabetes. Cross-cultural replication of the anomalous IQ factor structure, and atypical visual discrimination, suggests that differences are illness-related, and consideration may therefore be warranted when administering some subtests of the Wechsler scales to children with Type 1 diabetes.

Self-Reported Parenting Practices in Dominican and Puerto Rican Mothers of Young Children

Explored self-reported parenting in a Hispanic sample of mothers living in the mainland United States using a cultural framework. Participants were 130 immigrant or first-generation Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers with a child between the ages of 2 and 6 years. Mothers completed questionnaires related to their parenting behavior and also filled out a detailed demographic form and a measure of acculturation. Results suggested that both Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers engage in high levels of praise and physical affection and low levels of harsh, inconsistent, and punitive parenting behaviors. Dominican and Puerto Rican parenting was similar on measures of authoritarian and permissive parenting, but differences emerged on a measure of authoritative parenting and when parenting was considered at the more detailed level of individual behaviors. Parenting was related to several demographic characteristics, including father's education level and child age; more specifically, higher paternal education and younger age of the child were related to higher levels of authoritative parenting by mothers. Parenting and acculturation were generally not related. Discussion focused on a culturally sensitive interpretation of normative parenting among Dominican and Puerto Rican mothers.

Service utilization among disabled Puerto Rican elders and their caregivers: does acculturation play a role?

This study examined the relationship between language acculturation of disabled Puerto Rican elderly and their caregivers, their length of residence in mainland United States, and the utilization of formal services. Language acculturation was measured by language use, understanding, and preferences. The sample of this study consisted of 194 dyads of disabled Puerto Rican elders 60 years and older, and their primary caregivers in an urban center in the northeast. Length of residence in the United States, but not language acculturation, of the disabled Puerto Rican elder and the caregiver was related to elder's use of formal services. Caregivers, whose own children were born in Puerto Rico as opposed to mainland United States, were more likely to use formal services. Language acculturation, although a commonly used measure of acculturation, may be of decreasing importance in explaining service utilization, as bilingual services become increasingly available. Practice implications are discussed.

Distribution of the Cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae) of the Bahamas

While identifying material in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (FCSA), I found specimens of cicadas that represent new distribution records for the cicadas that inhabit the Bahamas. The Bahamas are an archipelago of approximately 700 islands and islets and 2400 cays north of the Greater Antilles (Cohen 1998). These islands were almost completely inundated around seventy thousand years ago during the last interglacial thaw after the Sangamon Ice Age (Cranton & Saunders 1992). Thus, the terrestrial fauna and flora are of relatively recent origin. The first cicada to be described from the Bahamas was Diceroprocta bonhotei (Distant 1901). It has been attributed to New Providence and Andros Islands (Davis 1928). Specimens in the FCSA were collected in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas which substantiates the distribution previously reported (Davis 1928). In addition, one specimen from the FCSA was collected on Eleuthera which extends the distribution of D. bonhotei approximately 80 km east-northeast of New Providence Island. I have also identified a single specimen of D. bonhotei in the K. C. Emerson Entomology Museum at Oklahoma State University from Norman's Cay which is one of the northern Exuma Cays approximately 75 km southeast of Nassau. These new records extend the known distribution of D. bonhotei to the eastern and central cays of the northern island group. The distribution of D. bonhotei is restricted to the Bahamas. Diceroprocta bonhotei is morphologically related to D. cleavesi Davis (1930) and D. caymanensis Davis (1939a) from the Cayman Islands, D. biconica (Walker) (Davis 1932; Davis 1935) and its variety from the Florida Keys, Cuba, the Isle of Pines, and Mexico (Metcalf 1963), andD. bicosta (Walker) (Davis 1928) reported from Cuba and Central America (Metcalf 1963). The morphological similarities suggest a common ancestry for the Diceroprocta species of the West Indies. A second cicada species found in the Bahamas, Ollanta caicosensis Davis, was originally described from South Caicos Island (type location), Acklin's Island, East Caicos Island, West Caicos Island, and Great Inagua Island (Davis 1939b). All but Acklin's Island are part of the Turks and Caicos Island group which forms the southeastern end of the Bahama Island chain. I have identified specimens in the FSCA that extend the known range of 0. caicosensis in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The newly identified specimens were collected on Mayaguana and Long Island. The Mayaguana specimens fill the gap in the distribution for the Turks and Caicos group to Acklin's Island. The Long Island specimen extends the known range of 0. caicosensis some 170 km northwest of Acklin's Island across the Crooked Island Passage. This places 0. caicosensis on islands of the Bahamas Platform proper. The genus Ollanta has a broad, discontinuous distribution. Ollanta species are found in the Bahamas (Davis 1939b), Central America (Metcalf 1963), and Hispaniola (Ramos 1983). The ancestor of 0. caicosensis may have migrated from the west onto the large island that would become the Bahamas during the last glacial period. Bahamian organisms that do not migrate easily show more affinities to the fauna of Cuba and Hispaniola than to that of the mainland United States (Cranton & Saunders 1992). This would support the hypothesis of an eastward migration of the ancestors of 0. caicosensis across Cuba or a northward migration from Hispaniola. The two Bahamian cicada species differ in size. Diceroprocta bonhotei is a relatively large species (body length 29-35 mm, wing span 89-110 mm) that inhabits the northwestern islands Ollanta caicosensis is a much smaller species (body length 18-22 mm, wing span 52-65 mm) that inhabits the southeastern half of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos. I wish to thank Julieta Brambila of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods and Donald Arnold of the K. C. Emerson Entomology Museum for their assistance during my visits.

Ethnic Variations in Depression, Suicide Rates Puzzle Researchers

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & Research NewsFull AccessEthnic Variations in Depression, Suicide Rates Puzzle ResearchersJoan Arehart-TreichelJoan Arehart-TreichelSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:5 Oct 2001https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.36.19.0025Are certain American ethnic groups more susceptible to major depression than others? The answer is yes, according to a study conducted by Maria Oquendo, M.D., a psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and her colleagues and reported in the October American Journal of Psychiatry.Oquendo and her colleagues gathered data about the depression status of various American ethnic groups from two surveys that had been conducted during the 1980s, the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study, conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Epidemiologic Survey (HHNES), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The investigators used the one-year prevalence rates of major depression for African Americans, whites, and Hispanics in Los Angeles from the ECA study, which was conducted in five sites in the United States. The investigators used one-year major depression rates for Puerto Ricans on the mainland United States, Mexican Americans, and Cuban Americans gathered by the HHNES in geographic areas where these Hispanic groups were most concentrated.The one-year prevalence rates for major depression, Oquendo and her team found, were 2.5 percent for Cuban Americans, 2.8 percent for Mexican Americans, 3.5 percent for African Americans, 3.6 percent for whites, and 6.9 percent for Puerto Ricans living on the mainland United States.When Psychiatric News asked Oquendo whether these results, which are based on 1980s data, apply to the present, she replied: “That is a very difficult judgment. Obviously they are dated information. . . . So I am not sure we can extrapolate directly about what’s happening today.” However, if the findings are still relevant today, one can conclude that Cuban Americans and Mexican Americans have a modestly lower prevalence of major depression than whites and African Americans, yet the prevalence of major depression among Puerto Ricans living on the mainland United States is about double that for whites and African Americans.The reasons for these similarities and differences are not so apparent from the study. One possible explanation, the researchers suggest in their study report, is that “since the rates of major depression in Puerto Rico have been shown to be the same as in the general U.S. population, perhaps the migratory process selectively involves Puerto Ricans with higher levels of psychological distress.”Even more baffling is why the prevalence of major depression among the various ethnic groups was not always found to coincide with the prevalence of suicide among the same groups, since major depression is well known to be a significant contributor to suicide.Five ethnic groups studied by researchers at the New York State Psychiatric Institute had notable differences in their rates of suicide relative to one-year prevalence of major depression.The investigators used 1986-88 suicide data from the National Center for Health Statistics to determine the annual suicide rate relative to the one-year prevalence of major depression among the five ethnic groups and found that the rate was highest for whites, followed by Cuban Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, and finally Puerto Ricans on the mainland. This was the case for both men and women in each ethnic group, although suicide rates were higher among men in each group (see table).When Psychiatric News asked Oquendo why depressed Mexican Americans and depressed Puerto Ricans on the mainland appear to be especially buffered against suicide, she replied: “It may have to do with cultural issues such as relationship with the family and the extended support network, but also with the concept of fatalism. This concept is prevalent in these two cultures. The concept is that things will not necessarily go smoothly—you kind of expect that adversity will occur, and you have to tolerate it and deal with it. I think religion may be related to that as well. But these are just speculations on my part because we didn’t have data to analyze that.”However, such data may be forthcoming, she indicated, since “we are currently doing a study looking at reasons for living among the Hispanics compared with non-Hispanics to see whether we can identify the particular things, at least cognitively, that might keep Hispanic people further from suicide, or protect them, if you will.”Identifying psychological factors that protect people against suicide is a major goal of their research, Oquendo indicated.“Ethnic and Sex Differences in Suicide Rates Relative to Major Depression in the United States” is posted on the Web at ajp.psychiatryonline.org under the October issue. ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Breast cancer screening among Chamorro women in southern California.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Pacific Islander women, yet relatively little is known about their cancer risks and screening behaviors. Chamorros are indigenous people from Guam, and California is home to the largest numbers of Chamorros on the mainland United States. This study examined the breast cancer risk, knowledge, and screening behaviors in a nonprobability sample of Chamorro women age 40 years and older in Los Angeles and Orange Counties (n = 227). The proportional incidence ratio for breast cancer among Chamorro women was found to be 0.7 compared with white women in California, indicating a lower current breast cancer risk for Chamorro women compared with white women. Thirty-seven percent of respondents ever performed a breast self-examination (BSE), 93% ever had a clinical breast examination (CBE), and 77% ever had a mammogram. In terms of screening maintenance, only 27% did BSE monthly, 66% received a CBE in the past year, and 25% received yearly mammograms. Significant correlates of CBE were higher educational attainment, married status, higher income, and health insurance coverage. Women who knew of breast cancer symptoms, would undergo treatment, and would like to know if they had breast cancer were also more likely to have ever had a CBE. With regard to mammography, older age, moderate income, married status, and use of traditional healers and healing practices were associated with higher screening incidence. Implications of these findings for developing culturally tailored and appropriate cancer screening programs are discussed.

International Visitors' Aesthetic Preferences for Hawaiian Printed Fabrics

The diversity of Hawai'i's visitors and unexamined assumptions about their preferences for features of the Islands' distinctive apparel products led to a study of the impact of national culture on visitors' assessments of design elements typical in aloha shirt fabrics. Computer technology was used to manipulate design variables of representative fabrics, and a questionnaire based on these variables was administered to an intercept sample of 231 Hawai'i visitors from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and the mainland United States. Subjects responded to thirty statements about print characteristics by indicating agreement on 5-point Likert-type scales. Significant differences existed among national groups' preferences for print features, including aesthetic character, motifs, colors, and size of print elements. Marketers of regionally distinctive apparel products are urged to approach visitor markets as heterogeneous national groups. Apparel scholars are encouraged to develop modes of research that accommodate the diversity of consumers' aesthetic responses with the complexity of visual stimuli.

ALL THIS AND HEAVEN, TOO? A DIVIDED LIFE, BUT ONLY ONE ME!

As is true of so many women professionals, Joyce Tsunoda recognizes that, although shefulfills multiple roles,she is "only one me." Inthis accountingof a typical 1-month period in her hectic career, Dr. Tsunoda re ects on the philosophy that allows her to keep her many "selves" together and focused. In both her personal and her professional lives, Joyce Tsunoda dwells in the international realm. Her children and grandchildren are divided between Hawaii and Japan. Her professional responsibilities include heading a statewide system of seven community colleges spread over six islands, yet also handling international responsibilities for the 10-campus statewide University of Hawaii System of which the Community Colleges are a part. This article recounts a one-month period during which Joyce traveled from Hawaii to Japan, back through Hawaii to the East Coast of the mainland United States, and home once again to Hawaii. Her Japanese heritage, combined with her American upbringing, proves to be a two-edged sword as she experiences both her "grandmother" role and her professional role in Japan. Through all the travel and the many personal and professional demands on her time, she steers her true course by remembering life's many Ls: leading, listening, liking, learning, letting go, and language of the lullaby.

Terrorism as a Way of Life

It has been a truism in politics that friends and enemies are never stable categories, and the ruthless advocacy of self-interest, which is not calculated to introduce idealism into political relations, is intrinsic to the logic of the nation-state. Great Britain, which wags it's tail when the master shouts, and has in consequence become an embarrassment to nations with even a modicum of pride, might appear to be an anomaly: it has long enjoyed a special relationship with the United States. In George Bush's joint address to Congress shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, Britain was described as America's truest friend. Ironically, the last attack upon the mainland United States was perpetrated by the British during the War of 1812. They sacked Washington and burned most of the city, including the White House and the Capitol, to the ground. In contemporary times, it is with shock that one recalls the mujahideen being welcomed to the White House by President Reagan as freedom fighters and...

Creating Options: Forming a Marshallese Community in Orange County, California

Founded by individuals pursuing higher education in the United States, the Marshallese community in Orange County today also represents family and national interests in access to business opportunities, employment, education, medical services, and other goals. This community has become an "official" Marshallese overseas community, site of the first Marshallese consulate in the mainland United States, and a link between overseas Marshallese and the home islands. Individuals and family units traverse networks of inter-linked households, highlighting processes of Islanders' investments, including at least a short-term reversal of theoretically expected remittance flows. We explore the process of community formation, and compare rural and urban sites in the Marshall Islands to call attention to the community's place in a system of geographically dispersed locations within the global political economy.

Addendum to: Prenatal care among Puerto Ricans on the United States mainland, by R.S. Oropesa, N.S. Landale, M. Inkley and B.K. Gorman, Social Science & Medicine 51 (12), 1723–1739.

A laboratory scale ultrasonic flow reactor capable of enhancing enzymatic reactions has been built and characterized using as a model reaction the enzymatic synthesis of isoamyl acetate using Lipozyme 435 immobilized on a macroporous anion exchange resin. The efficiency of the reactor was determined in relation to ultrasonic power density (measured by 4-nitrophenol dosimetry), position of ultrasonic horn and temperature. The results show that ultrasound can enhance the process efficiency and also reduce the reaction time.

Sociodemographic Predictors of Adherence to Annual Cervical Cancer Screening in Minority Women

The Papanicolaou (Pap) test is an effective screening mechanism for reducing morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania ranks fifth in national cervical cancer incidence and fourth in national cervical cancer mortality, with a significant number of cases contributed by Philadelphia. Substantial subgroups of American women, specifically ethnic minorities, the elderly, the uninsured, and the poor, have not been screened or are not screened at regular intervals. A secondary data analysis was conducted to test whether age, income, insurance coverage, marital status, level of education, and number of persons living at home could predict whether a woman among convenience sample of 204 black and Hispanic women adhered to annual Pap testing. A woman was considered adherent to annual Pap testing if she reported undergoing a Pap smear in the 14 months preceding her enrollment in the study. African American woman who were high school graduates and had insurance coverage were more likely to be adherent to annual Pap testing. Hispanic women older than 50 years and born outside the mainland United States were less likely to be adherent to annual Pap testing. Findings suggest that cancer nurses working to promote cervical cancer screening in Philadelphia should continue to target at-risk populations, specifically uninsured and less-educated black and Hispanic women older than 50 years who were born outside the mainland United States.