A multivariate model explaining men's violence toward women. Predisposing and triggering hypotheses.

PIP: Violence against women by men is considered one of the most serious threats to the health and welfare of women in the US. Little is known about why male violence occurs against the female gender. Previous theory and conceptualizations explaining male violence have narrowly focused on individual factors and topologies. In order to shed light on this gender issue, this paper presents a multivariate model explaining the violence of men towards women using 4 content areas and 13 hypotheses. The content areas include 1) macrosocietal explanation; 2) biological, neuroanatomical, hormonal explanation; 3) gender role socialization or gender role conflict explanation; and 4) intergender, relational explanation. Implications of the model for educational interventions, research, and training are discussed.^ieng

Asian-American men's acculturation and gender-role conflict.

There is limited research on Asian-Americans' acculturation and conflicts with contemporary gender roles. This research assessed three samples of Asian-American men's acculturation and gender-role conflict. Differences between Chinese-American, Japanese-American, and Korean-American men's acculturation and the four patterns of gender-role conflict were analyzed. The relationship of demographic and acculturation variables to gender-role conflict was also calculated. Subjects (N = 125) were administered a demographic questionnaire, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-identity Acculturation Scale, and the Gender-role Conflict Scale. Multivariate analysis of variance showed no differences between the Asian-American groups on acculturation and the four patterns of gender-role conflict. A canonical correlation analysis indicated one significant variate connecting acculturation with two patterns of issues of gender-role conflict: success, power, and competition and restrictive emotionality. Methodological limitations and research are mentioned.

Effect of a state law on reported bicycle helmet ownership and use.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a state law on reported bicycle helmet ownership and use. DESIGN: Multistage cluster random-digit-dialing telephone survey. SETTING: Georgia, June through November 1993. PARTICIPANTS: Adults who reported the behavior of bicyclists 4 through 15 years old. INTERVENTION: State law mandating helmet use after July 1, 1993, for all bicyclists aged younger than 16 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bicycle helmet ownership and use. RESULTS: Reported helmet ownership increased from 39% before the law took effect to 57% afterward (+ 46%, P = .06). Reported use increased from 33% before to 52% afterward (+ 58%, P < .05). About 7% of riders changed from "never-wearing" to "always-wearing" behavior. After the law took effect, in those households in which the law was known, 69% of riders owned and 64% used a helmet. By comparison, in those households in which the law was not known, only 30% owned and 25% used a helmet (P < .01). Reported ownership and use were 93% concordant, inversely related to rider age, and directly related to household income. Multivariable analysis indicated that race was an effect modifier of reported helmet ownership and use. In black riders, knowledge of the law appeared to be highly associated with both reported helmet ownership and use but was not significant in white riders. In white riders, though age and income were significantly associated with reported helmet ownership and use. CONCLUSIONS: This law appeared important in increasing reported helmet ownership and use, particularly in black riders. Since knowledge of the law was associated with increased ownership and use, additional publicity about the law might further increase helmet use. Because most riders who owned helmets used them, give-away programs targeting areas of low ownership may also increase use.

A pilot study of the effect of low level exposure to mercury on the health of dental surgeons.

OBJECTIVES: This project was conducted to examine whether the computerised analysis of psychomotor responses available from Cognitive Drug Research is appropriate for measuring an effect of low level exposure to mercury in dentists. METHODS: A computerised battery of psychomotor tests was given to two groups of dentists (older dentists and trainees) and to two age matched control groups. As well as the psychomotor tests, volunteers were required to complete a questionnaire to identify potential influences on psychomotor performance and to provide a sample for analysis of urinary mercury. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of the results showed that the older dentists had slightly higher concentrations of urinary mercury although most were around background levels and they were all within occupational limits. Five of the psychomotor tests showed no differences between the performance of the four groups. The older dentists showed significantly better performance on the simple reaction time test and significantly poorer performance in the immediate word recall and delayed word recall tests. CONCLUSIONS: Poorer performance in memory recall tests confirms previously reported studies. This together with the confirmation that this test system is a practical tool in the occupational setting suggests that a larger study of the effects of mercury exposure on dentists would be appropriate.

Temporal and geographic trends in the autopsy frequency of blunt and penetrating trauma deaths in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To examine national trends in the percentage of blunt and penetrating trauma deaths autopsied. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: For each year from 1980 through 1989, we used national mortality data files to determine the autopsy frequency (percentage of deaths autopsied) of all deaths in the United States. We analyzed variation in the autopsy frequency of blunt and penetrating trauma deaths by cause of injury and place of occurrence of death. RESULTS: The autopsy frequency of blunt and penetrating trauma deaths in the United States increased by 14.3% during the 1980s to 58.9% in 1989 (62,004 of 105,309 deaths autopsied), while the autopsy frequency of all deaths decreased by 23.6% during the same period to 11.5% in 1989 (248,272 of 2,153,859 deaths autopsied). Among trauma deaths, homicides remained far more likely to be autopsied than nonhomicides (deaths due to unintentional injuries, suicides, and injuries of undetermined intentionality). The autopsy frequency of homicidal trauma deaths in 1989 was 90.0% or higher in 44 states and ranged from 79.6% in Mississippi to 100.0% in six states. The autopsy frequency of nonhomicidal trauma deaths in 1989 was 90.0% or higher in two states and ranged from 10.3% in Oklahoma to 94.5% in Hawaii. Nationwide, we found significant differences in the autopsy frequency of trauma deaths in 1989 between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties, both for homicides (97.7% vs 89.3%; P < .001) and nonhomicides (58.2% vs 29.9%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of blunt and penetrating trauma deaths autopsied has increased recently in the United States, but extensive geographic variation in autopsy frequency suggests that the benefits of autopsy findings for trauma care quality improvement and public health surveillance of injuries are distributed unevenly throughout the nation.

Basis for Diel Variation in Nitrogenase Activity in the Marine Planktonic Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii.

Natural populations of the nonheterocystous marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium thiebautii exhibit a diel periodicity in nitrogenase activity (NA). NA "turns on" near dawn and "turns off" near dusk, independent of photic conditions. Chloramphenicol (CAP) and ammonium prevented turn on of NA in T. thiebautii when added to samples collected before dawn but were progressively less effective in inhibiting NA in samples collected later in the morning. In samples collected after turn on, activities declined with time with both CAP and ammonium treatments, with ammonium having a stronger effect. In contrast, CAP added to samples collected in late afternoon prolonged NA, compared with controls, which turned off. Direct analysis of the presence of the Fe protein of nitrogenase in T. thiebautii by using a Western immunoblot procedure found a strong protein band present in samples collected after 0800 h through the late evening but little or no Fe protein in samples collected within the 2 to 4 h preceding dawn. We conclude that the diel cycle of NA in T. thiebautii results from de novo synthesis of nitrogenase each morning and from the inactivation and degradation of nitrogenase in the late afternoon and night.