Longitudinal association of intimate partner violence and depressive symptoms

Purpose The association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and depression has been well established in cross-sectional research, but how IPV is associated with depressive symptoms over time has not been well studied.Methods Using the Central Pennsylvania Women''s Health Study, a population-based longitudinal survey of women aged 18–45 (N = 1,420), we performed a two-step logistic regression analysis. In step 1, the association of recent IPV exposure at baseline with depressive symptoms 2 years later was analysed adjusting for relevant covariates; in step 2, we additionally included positive coping strategies (social support, physical activity) and negative coping strategies (binge drinking/drug use, smoking) in the model.Results Baseline IPV was reported by 4.6 percent of the sample and was independently associated with depressive symptoms 2 years later (adjusted or 1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–3.45). The strongest predictor was depressive symptoms at baseline, which was associated with a fivefold increase in the likelihood of depressive symptoms at 2-year follow-up. Other predictors of future depressive symptoms were IPV at follow-up, older age, lower educational attainment, and lower household income. When we controlled for potential coping strategies in the model (step 2), the relationship between recent IPV and follow-up depressive symptoms was attenuated (adjusted OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.80–2.80).Conclusions Exposure to IPV increases the likelihood of depressive symptoms occurring two years later. Greater social support and binge drinking/drug use attenuates this association, suggesting that interventions focusing on coping mechanisms may serve to reduce the impact of IPV on future depression.     

Between the State and Indigenous Autonomy: Unpacking Video Indígena in Mexico

This essay unpacks the complex emergence of video indígena , or state-sponsored small media, at the height of official pluralism in Mexico in the early 1990s. A government video program created in a transitional institutional setting colludes with the indigenous autonomy movement---through the work and visions of individual video makers and cultural activists---to produce a social form and process that has gained international recognition while confronting particular challenges in indigenous communities.     

The ethnoecology of maize variety management: A case study from Mexico

This paper presents a case study of the relationship between farmers' knowledge of maize varieties and their selection and management of these varieties under conditions of technological change. Research for this paper was done among Spanish-speaking small farmers in an ejidoof central Chiapas, Mexico. This ejido is well integrated into the market, and the use of modem technologies is widespread. This research demonstrates that farmers have an extensive and widely shared knowledge of their maize varieties. This knowledge reflects objective maize characteristics. Variation occurs in the farmers' selection and management of maize varieties, but on average the variation deviates from a random pattern in the direction predicted by the farmers' knowledge base. They have incorporated the technological changes brought about by development into their knowledge base. Farmers maintain maize varieties with contrasting traits, and their knowledge base provides important information about which traits and constraints are important to them.     

Plants Used for Reproductive Health by Nahua Women in Northern Veracruz,Mexico

Plants Used for Reproductive Health by Nahua Women in Northern Veracruz, Mexico. This paper reports the use of medicinal plants by Nahua women in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. It documents the women’s plant knowledge for reproductive purposes, which includes uses such as conception, pregnancy, birth, contraception, menstruation, post-partum, and general reproductive health. The concept of equilibrium is very important in regaining health among the Nahua; consequently, many of the medicinal plants have this as their primary purpose. The introduction of biomedical clinics and hospitals in the region has had a significant effect on the loss of knowledge about medicinal plants. Additionally, the midwives are not taking any new apprentices and laywomen are not passing on their knowledge to future generations. This generational gap contributes to the loss of knowledge about medicinal plants. This research contributes to the study of indigenous ethnobotany by (a) creating a record of the plant knowledge possessed by indigenous women, (b) giving voice to some of their health concerns, (c) indicating how the introduction of biomedicine has affected their plant use, and (d) providing a framework for understanding how marginal peoples around the world respond to the impact that globalization and change has on their health needs and local ethnobotanical knowledge.     

Use of indigenous knowledge for rapidly assessing trends in biodiversity: a case study from Chiapas, Mexico

In order to evaluate the usefulness of rapid surveys of indigenous knowledge for assessing trends in biodiversity, a case study was undertaken in two rural communities, Juznajab and Muquenal, in Chiapas, Mexico. This involved the use of a variety of rapid rural appraisal (RRA) and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, including semi-structured interviews, transect walks and participatory mapping. These approaches were used in conjunction with analysis of land use maps and aerial photographs to evaluate recent changes in vegetation cover and abundance of utilised species. In both communities, the extent of forest cover was considered by local people to have declined substantially in recent decades, with an annual decline in forest cover of 0.3% and 0.6% estimated by local people in Juznajab and Muquenal, respectively. Results from RRA indicated that this has been accompanied by significant declines in the abundance of useful species. In Juznajab 60% and 79%, and in Muquenal 96% and 85% of plants and animal species, respectively, were considered to have declined within living memory. These declines appear to result from over-utilization as well as habitat changes. For example, most of the tree species used for timber and the animal species used for meat were considered to have declined substantially in both communities. These results indicate that indigenous knowledge is potentially a valuable source of information about biodiversity trends, which could be assessed during Rapid Biodiversity Assessments and incorporated into the process of resource management by local communities. However, the contradictions recorded between assessments of vegetation change by local people and data obtained from other sources indicates the need for caution in the use of indigenous knowledge for this purpose.     

Control tactics and partner violence in heterosexual relationships

This study investigated sex-specific predictors of violent and nonviolent mate guarding used by men (n=399) and women (n=951) in heterosexual relationships, using both self-reports and reports on partners. We found, contrary to some previous evolutionary assumptions, that men and women showed similar degrees of controlling behavior, and that this predicted physical aggression to partners in both sexes. We also predicted from evolutionarily based studies that men's and women's control and aggression would vary as a function of female fecundity and mate value (relative to peer group and to partner). Fecundity was associated with men's and women's controlling behavior, but not their physical aggression: relationships where the woman was fecund showed higher rates of control. According to partners' reports, men and women who had lower mate values showed more controlling behavior and (to a lesser extent) more physical aggression. There was no support for the prediction that higher mate-value partners would be guarded more than lower mate-value ones. The following limitations are discussed: the sample and method of data collection, and the lack of information on the women's hormonal status.     

Mestizaje and Law Making in Indigenous Identity Formation in Northeastern Brazil: "After the Conflict Came the History"

In this article, I explore issues of authenticity, legal discourse, and local requirements of belonging by considering the recent surge of indigenous recognitions in northeastern Brazil. I investigate how race and ethnicity are implicated in the recognition process in Brazil on the basis of an analysis of a successful struggle for indigenous identity and access to land by a group of mixed-race, visibly, African-descended rural workers. I propose that the debate over mestizaje (ethnoracial and cultural mixing) in the Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America can be reconfigured and clarified by broadening it to include such Brazilian experiences. I argue that the interaction between two processes—law making and indigenous identity formation—is crucial to understanding how the notion of "mixed heritage" is both reinforced and disentangled. As such, this article is an illustration of the role of legal discourse in the constitution of indigenous identities and it introduces northeastern Brazil into the global discussion of law, indigenous rights, and claims to citizenship.     

Feasibility for the establishing a carrageenan industry in Mexico

Mexico has been an exporter of carrageenophytes for the last 30 years, but to date there is no commercial production of carrageenan. In the last 10 years the carrageenan consumption in Mexico has increased significantly. During this same period, an increasing number of studies related to carrageenophytes and their industrialization in Mexico have been performed. In this paper, the feasibility of a carrageenan industry in Mexico is analyzed utilizing available information. Future necessary research is suggested where data is lacking. The analysis includes the availability of seaweed biomass, carrageenan types, extraction technology, national demand and possibilities of joint ventures under the NAFTA treaty.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the rotifera of Mexico

This faunistic survey of Mexican Rotifera, covering 32 localities, mostly in Central Mexico, has yielded 96 taxa of which 41 are new to Mexican fauna. The zoogeographic status of the rotifer fauna of Mexico was reevaluated on the basis of the present data.     

Agricultural development and maize diversity in Mexico

Mexico is within the center of origin of Zea mays and has among the highest levels of maize genetic diversity in the world. This diversity is traced to factors at the regional and farm levels. Loss of crop genetic diversity has been related to economic and agricultural development, although opposed views of this exist for the Mexican case. Agricultural development appears to be affecting virtually all types of farms in Mexico. A case study in Chiapas suggests that the adoption of some improved varieties has enhanced genetic diversity in maize, but one improved type competes with landraces in the most favorable land. The adoption of this improved type is associated with greater access to capital and with lower risk.The research for this project was carried out with the support of the UC/MEXUS program of the University of California and CONACYT. We wish to acknowledge the advice and assistance provided by Esteban Betanzos of the Chiapas office of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarios, Efraim Hernandez of the Colegio de Postgraduados at Chapingo, Robert Tripp of the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo, and to Manuel Parra of the Centro de Investigaciones Ecologicas del Sureste in San Cristobal de las Casas. The authors wish to thank J. Edward Taylor, Andraes Buerkert, Aaron Zazueta, and Daniel Mountjoy for their useful comments on an earlier draft.     

Parental transmission of ethnic identification in mixed couples in Latin America: the Mapuche case

This study analyses the ethnic identification of children of mixed couples among the Mapuche ethnic group in Chile using census data. The Mapuche are characterized by high exogamy, providing an extreme case of the Latin American pattern of tolerance towards intermarriage. We find that ethnic identification of children of mixed couples is high although it tends to weaken outside the native homeland. Furthermore, education does not increase the classification of children of mixed couples outside of the ethnic group. These findings contravene not only the Brazilian pattern of whitening but also predictions by assimilation theories, and suggest a process of indigenous awareness for families outside the native homeland.     

Ethnic differences in lifestyle and overweight in the Netherlands

Objective: To study the effects of lifestyle variables and socioeconomic status on overweight among native Dutch and immigrants in The Netherlands. Research Methods and Procedures: Data were used from a survey sample (N = 2551) of native Dutch and immigrant respondents (Surinamese/Antilleans, Turks, and Moroccans). BMI was calculated using self‐reported weight and height. Lifestyle variables such as modern food habits (take‐out food and eating out) and participating in sports were included, as well as socioeconomic and demographic background variables. Bivariate and ordinary least squares analyses were performed to study BMI and the determinants of overweight among the different groups. Results: All immigrant groups had a higher prevalence of overweight than the Dutch, except Moroccans. Men were overweight more frequently than women. Take‐out food, eating out, and fresh vegetables were related to a decrease in BMI, whereas convenience foods were related to an increase in BMI. For ready‐to‐eat meals, the results were mixed. In all groups, age was associated with a higher BMI, and a higher level of education was associated with a lower BMI. Immigrants participated in sports less frequently than native Dutch people. Discussion: One percent to 5% of the total public health costs can be attributed to costs for overweight‐related diseases. Public health policies should aim at stimulating healthy lifestyles and discouraging bad food habits through higher taxes on high‐calorie foods. In particular, Dutch immigrants should be encouraged to lose weight, because they have a higher risk for overweight‐related diseases.     

A proposal for the conservation of the family Cucurbitaceae in Mexico

The pantropical Cucurbitaceae is one of the most important families ofvascular plants. The family includes 118 genera and 825 species, and Mexicois one of its most important centers of diversity, with 34 genera and 141species and subspecific taxa, including 13 cultivated ones. Five genera and 70taxa are endemic to the country. Some Mexican and Latin American wild speciesare close relatives of important crops, and others are employed as food ormedicine. Accordingly, in countries like Mexico the conservation of members ofthis family should be a priority. In this paper a list of members ofCucurbitaceae occurring in Mexico and their distribution patterns at state levelare discussed. Using cluster strategies, the states were classified according totheir floristic similarities. Hotspots of total diversity and endemismsat state level are identified, in order to discuss their role in futureconservation strategies. Iterative methods applied by conservation biology todetermine the best places for conservation are used to identify hierarchicallythe most important states that merit to be considered in this goal. Resultsindicate that implementing conservation strategies in half of the states wouldallow the protection of all the diversity found in the country, especially theendemisms. The combination of the results provided by the different methods isalso discussed as a possibly more efficient way to propose conservationstrategies for important species of the family.     

Fish communities in two environmentally different estuarine systems of Mexico

Mexico has two main types of coasts, an Amero-trailing-edge coast along the Gulf of Mexico and a collision coast along the Pacific, each of which determine the characteristics of their coastal lagoons. The lagoons along the Gulf of Mexico are extensive, tropical and rich in seagrass beds and mangroves, and among these Laguna Madre has 84 species of fishes. In contrast, the lagoons along the Pacific are small, closed, mostly oligohaline and usually lack seagrass beds, and among these Laguna Salinas del Padre has 19 species of fishes. This marked difference in species richness, in turn, has a direct effect on the size and value of the fisheries, as these are regional in the first case and local and seasonal in the second.     

The Gender of the Joke: Intimacy and Marginality in Murri Humour

ABSTRACT

Murri Aboriginal humour performances are expressive events in which bodily experiences of policing and agency are discursively commented on in ways that expose Australia's naturalised rationalisations of indigenous governance. Drawing on the ‘out-of-the-way’ position of an indigenous minority encapsulated in the body of the nation-state and the Murri body's intimate ‘out-of-the-way’ folds and crannies, Murri humour delimits and mocks the marginal location Murri people are imagined to spatially and morally occupy within Australia. This work examines how gendered humour renders the Murri individual and social body legible to and for a Murri audience. Such humour performances engage the local and the global, the modern and the traditional, and the hegemonic and the counter-hegemonic in ways that link intimacy, bodies and embodiments to these macro-processes. Unraveling such binaries produces a nuanced analysis in which embodied social actions and sly social critique are captured as they are experienced and expressed through humour.     

Gene frequencies and admixture estimates in the state of Puebla, Mexico

Three hundred ninety-three individuals from the Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and its University Hospital were studied to determine the distribution of ABO, MN, Rh-Hr, Duffy, and Diego blood groups; red cell hemoglobin and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase variants; and serum haptoglobins, albumins, and factor Bf types. With the results we estimated that the proportions of black, indian, and white genes are 10.7%, 56.3%, and 33.0%, respectively, in a trihybrid model. Reasons are given as to why the black ancestry may be artifically high, and it is pointed out that independent confirmation with other markers is needed before the figure can be accepted as a true value.     

Reflections on classic papers in Ethnic and Racial Studies

This paper provides an overview of this Special Issue celebrating the 40th anniversary of Ethnic and Racial Studies. We discuss some of the themes that are covered in this issue in the context of the wider history of the journal. We argue that the journal has worked over the years both to publish the highest quality original research and to feature scholarship in emerging subfields that have helped to broaden both our scope and reach across the globe. In addition we highlight some of the contribution that the journal has made to the development of both established and new areas of scholarship in its field throughout the world.     

The daily variations of airborne fungal spores in Mexico City

The daily and seasonal distribution of airborne fungal particles was recorded in a high altitude tropical zone. Sampling was carried out in the southern part of Mexico City. An Andersen air sampler was used over a period of six months. Ten minutes sampling for each set of plates was done at fixed schedule: 07:30, 14:00 and 19:00 hours. The sampler was placed 10 m above the ground. Daily variation was found to be associated with the season, weather and atmospheric stability. The highest value of mold counts (3195 CFU m⁻³) was recorded in the evening on October, a transitional month between the rainy and the dry seasons, the lowest (45 CFU m⁻³) at noon during the rainy season. Mold counts were significantly correlated with temperature, having negative signs both in the morning and at noon, and being positive in the evening. The abundance of only three genera was recorded.Cladosporium, was isolated more frequently, and its abundance at 14:00 h was of 38%;Alternaria represented 4.0%, at 14:00 h, andAspergillus 3.0% at 7:30 h. Fifteen species belonging to the latter genera were identified and most of them are considered as opportunistic molds of clinical significance.     

When half of the population died: the epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers of 1576 in Mexico

During the 16th century, Mexico suffered a demographic catastrophe with few parallels in world's history. In 1519, the year of the arrival of the Spaniards, the population in Mexico was estimated to be between 15 and 30 million inhabitants. Eighty-one years later, in 1600, only two million remained. Epidemics (smallpox, measles, mumps), together with war, and famine have been considered to be the main causes of this enormous population loss. However, re-evaluation of historical data suggests that approximately 60-70% of the death toll was caused by a series of epidemics of hemorrhagic fevers of unknown origin. In order to estimate the impact of the 1576 epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers on the population we analyzed the historical record and data from the 1570 and 1580 censuses of 157 districts. The results identified several remarkable aspects of this epidemic: First, overall, the population loss for these 157 districts was 51.36%. Second, there was a clear ethnic preference of the disease, the Spanish population was minimally affected whereas native population had high mortality rate. Third, the outbreak originated in the valleys of central Mexico whence it evolved as an expansive wave. Fourth, a positive correlation between altitude and mortality in central Mexico was found. Fifth, a specific climatic sequence of events was associated with the initiation and dissemination of the hemorrhagic fevers. Although the last epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers in Mexico ended in 1815, many questions remain to be answered. Perhaps the most relevant ones are whether there is a possible reemergence of the hemorrhagic fevers and how vulnerable we are to the disease.