Anthropologist

The study was aimed at finding if any relationship exists between psychological stress and academic achievement of high IQ adolescents. Subjects were high IQ adolescents having IQ 110 and above. Bisht Battery of Stress Scales was used to assess the amount of stress on these adolescents. Academic achievement was assessed on the basis of average of marks obtained in last three examinations. Correlation coefficients between stress scores and academic scores were computed. Academic achievement was found to be negatively and significantly correlated with all types of stress except existential stress .

This is an endeavour to study the plausible causal relationship between cultural factors and human fertility in a more or less non-industrial rural population (schedule tribes) in Orissa, an Eastern Indian state. The bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses showed that lower level of child loss showed significant association with lower fertility. Other categorical variables such as higher age at woman's marriage, self-choice of mate by woman and nuclear family showed negative effect on fertility, both before and after adjustment for other independents and covariates. The observation of fertility by different villages and tribes/caste gives an impression that the population composition, distance from urban centres, community size, distribution and aborigine ness have some bearing on fertility.

The Charak puja is a symbol and forms a key symbol where a variety of other symbols cluster around. The festival is analysed in conjunction with the earlier Charak puja seen in Delhi. This gives an idea of the reasons that cluster around the key symbol of the festival. The elements of the festival, involving a period of preparation, fasting and then prayers and hook-swinging, are an essential fabric around which a tapestry of relations and needs are woven. The people then use the available local materials to keep alive a semblance of the rituals that these migrants from West Bengal used to follow. Thus this paper uses the concepts inherent in these local symbols to discover the universal referents of the general culture.

This study aims at evaluating ergonomic convenience of the classrooms at Akpinar Multi-Program High School, and it is conducted with 144 voluntary students out of which, 31.9% of the students were 15 years old, 30.6 percent were 16, and 54.2 percent were females, while 45.8 percent were males. The percentage of common high school students was 30.6 percent and the percentage of students with 7 hours of class a day was 81.9 percent. In addition, 74.3 percent of the classrooms had a capacity of 30. Also, 56.2 percent of the students stated that there was noise in the setting; 86.8 percent stated that ceilings and walls were not with sound insulation and 87.5 percent stated there were no adjustable shades available for the windows. It was observed that there was noise in the setting which varied significantly with (t=-2.79, p<0.01) and male students (1.56) were affected more than females (1.33) by the fact that there was noise in the setting. It is understood that sitting height is n...

Personal identification had been an age-old problem for the law enforcement organisations and Forensic Scientists. The advent of sophisticated electronic gadgets though on one hand has multiplied the problem manifold, on the other, has introduced new techniques for surveillance and monitoring crime. Biometric is one such tool which uses human characteristics for personal identification. Ear biometrics, a relatively new class of biometric trait for personal identification has been discussed in this paper. A brief introduction to the field and review of leading works including those appearing in the research world lately are discussed. © Kamla-Raj Enterprises 2007 Anthropology Today: Trends, Scope and Applications Anthropologist Special Volume No. 3: 215-218 (2007) Veena Bhasin & M.K. Bhasin, Guest Editors Author’s Address: Dr. Ruma Purkait, Department of Anthropology, Saugor University, Saugor 470 003, Madhya Pradesh, India Telephone: 07582-264475 extn. 128, E-mail: [email protected]

Knowledge is often likened to weather conditions that pay no heed to national boundaries. This opinion has led many African scholars into using the same instruments to gauge issues in African and non-African studies expecting to get similar results. In this study, the researchers reveal that dance without music is unthinkable in Nigeria. Using specific examples and field observations, they reveal that such ideals are of non-African origin, which should not be encouraged to overlap in a culture with already defined musical functions, roles and characteristics.

The purpose of this study is to examine the current level of life satisfaction and its components between two groups of Czech University students with the first group having an active lifestyle and the second group having a non-active lifestyle. The study included a total of 523 students. Life Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to determine the level of life satisfaction. The active lifestyle was represented by the level of regular physical activity that was determined using the General Physical Activity Questionnaire. Students with active lifestyle showed a significa ntly higher level of overall life sa tisfaction when compared to students with a non-active lifestyle. Similar results were found in the area of satisfaction with own health, work, sexuality, and the individual's person. The results of the study indicate that active lifestyle may positively influence the overall level of life satisfaction, subjective level of health and further components of satisfaction among University students.

The mental rotation ability is one of the important components of spatial ability. The purpose of this paper is to develop a test that includes mathematical context regarding the ability of mental rotation measured by various tests in the literature. To this end, a 32-item test was established by departing from questions found in field test in the literature and by adding new questions containing mathematical content. As a result of validityreliability tests performed following the pilot application, 3 items were removed from the test and mental rotation test took its final form by 29 items. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency of this test with its final form was acquired as .81. According to confirmatory factor analysis, goodness of fit indices was found to be χ2 /SD = 1.42, GFI= 0.92, CFI= 0.93, NNFI= 0.91, RMR= 0.012 and RMSEA= 0.037.

To study the Attitude of Parents of Adolescents towards imparting Sex Education the present study was undertaken. The sample of the study consists of 200 parents (100 urban and 100 rural areas of Jammu) of adolescent girls. A random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Interview Schedule was used to collect the data. Results of the study revealed that these mothers were reluctant to talk about sex education to their daughter as they found it embarrassing to discuss these issues. Generally, they avoid any mention to sex in their day-today relationships with their children. Also sex is still considered as a taboo subject in our Indian society. Another reason is because parents themselves lack scientific knowledge about it. Adolescents need to be taught about this topic since ignorance perpetuates myths and mis-belief.

This study is a contribution from Africa to the scholarly discourse on India -Pakistan strained international relations. From historical and descriptive perspectives, it critically analyses the present estrangement between the two South Asia giants over Jammu and Kashmir between 1947 and 2000. The central thesis of this study is that the Indo-Pakistani conflict is an extension of the century old Hindu-Muslim tension within the subcontinent to the inter-state relations between the two countries. Within this context, it postulates that the conflict is more of religion that is being camouflaged with politics, and argues further that unless the fundamental causes of militancy and people's disenchantment are tackled, no worthwhile and lasting solution is possible. As a result, the article suggests that India and Pakistan should note that the problem in Kashmir can never be resolved through the barrel of the gun. Thus, a political solution that could satisfy the urges and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir living in all regions and areas and belonging to all faiths and communities that could be eventually acceptable to the two parties is called for.

This study assessed the impact of asphalt production on the environment in Nigeria, using the HMA facility of the Delta State Direct Labour Agency located at Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State as a case study. Soil, water and vegetation samples were obtained in a field survey, while interviews and focus group discussions were also held with the stakeholders. Analysis of the laboratory results of field samples taken reveal that the HMA facility has some limited impact on the soil, vegetation and water around it. In particular, the statistical analysis shows that the impact on the Cadmium and Benzene contents in the soil is significant, while the impact on the other pollutant elements considered are not significant. For vegetation and water, the impact on the elements considered is not significant. Analysis of the interviews and discussions held with the stakeholders reveal that the HMA facility has impacted both positively and negatively on the socio-economic activities and health of the host community.

The paper examined the menace of secret cults in the Nigerian tertiary institutions. The origin of cultism was traced to the Seadog confraternity (a.k.a Pyrates), founded by Wole Soyinka and six others at the foremost University of Ibadan in 1952. The peaceful, and non-violent confraternity set up then, in the 1980s, metamorphosed into a secret cult whose activities have been characterized by some bizarre and violent activities. It was against this background that this paper x-rayed the possible causes and consequences of cultism in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The major causes of cultism in tertiary institutions were influence of peer group; parental background; societal decadence; erosion of education standards; militarization of the Nigerian polity; lack of recreational facilities; quest for power and protection among others. However, some of the effects of cultism include loss of lives and properties, disruption of academic activities on campuses, unsafe university environmen...

It is important to design a classroom environment that meets the needs and perception of students to ensure effective communication and learning environment. Aim of this study is to provide a view about students' perception elicited from their drawings followed by their written descriptions about their ideal classroom settings and how could this study inform educators as they design classrooms. Drawing and written record of students' descriptions were used as a data collection method. 50 students from private primary school were participated in the study. Content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Findings from this study reveal tha t students typically did not give authority to teachers instead they gave authority to students or technology t ools. Second findings of the study reveal that majority of students' drawings included evidences related to inter action with technology instead of teacher-student and student-student interaction.

Procrastination is a common issue amongst university students. There are researches claiming that procrastina tion causes stress, high anxiety a nd illness, and in addition to that some resea rchers st ate that procrastination is negatively related to self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to investigate t he relation between academic motiva tion, basic psychological needs a nd aca demic procrastination with respect to selfdetermina tion theory on undergraduate students from different departments. In order to collect da ta, three different scales (Tuckman's Academic Procrastination Scale, Vallerand's Academic Motivation Scale and Deci and Ryan's Basic Psychological Scale) have been used. The participants consist of 583 undergraduate stud ents from different fields of study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used in order to analyze the data collected to test the hypothesis model. As a result, this study revealed that procrastination behavior is predictable through academic motivation and basic psychological needs. Also, academic motivation is predictable through basic psychological needs.

Despite government efforts to curb the ravaging menace of childhood diseases in Nigeria by providing health services and encouraging mothers to utilize the same, the mortality rate of children below five is still significantly high. Various scholars have observed that although the problems confronting maternal and child health are multiplex, the socio-cultural dimension seems to be overwhelming. This article is the result of a study conducted in 2004 and 2005 to investigate the cultural notion of the ogbanje phenomenon, which is pervasive in most parts of southern Nigeria. The paper analyzes the results of the study within the Health Belief Model and discusses how the lives of children below five hang precariously on this cultural belief.

Cartesian ontological belief has placed man over other beings and has separated humans from nature. This Cartesian hierarchical thinking has led to the destruction of the environment so much that our lives are at stake now. Man’s anthropocentric behaviour has impelled him to a perilous situation where his very existence is threatened. Man’s anthropocentric attitude is the root cause for this unprecedented climate change because the male supremacy believes that women as well as nature are entities that can be controlled. Ecofeminism, as a theory, challenges the existing patriarchal paradigms and holds that the there is a strong connection between women and nature and they are inseparable. The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive view of ecofeminism as an emerging theory of literary research by focusing on its origin, development, precepts, and proponents.

The present survey was carried out to record the food and nutrient intake from the industry run canteen by the employees of INDAL, Hirakud. An attempt has also been made to record the nutritional status of the employees through nutritional anthropometry with an intention to observe the consequences of the dietary intake. It was observed that the consumption of all most all the foodstuffs except cereals, milk, and nuts and oilseeds was more than the RDA. Similarly the consumption of all the three principal nutrients i.e carbohydrate, protein and fat was also recorded to be very high, which provides a lot of calories to the diet. When the ideal weight was calculated as per the Broca Index and then the percentage of weight was classified, (Waterlow's classification) 46.14% were recorded to be normal whereas 37.2% were undernourished and 16.6% were obese. The Writh's standard was taken into consideration for the calculation of percentage of weight deficit or excess. 57.25% were recorded to be normal and 31.4% undernourished and only 11.35% were observed to be obese. The prevalence rate of undernutrition varie from 6.5% to 31.4%, in the different indices used, where as prevalence rate of over nutrition varies from 11.35% to 19.56%. Low educated and low income group employees constitute the major proportion (58.66% and 56%) of the over nourished employees.

Six Iranian populations have been analyzed for finger patterns, utilizing bilateral prints of 720 individuals. Bimanual and sex differences were frequently insignificant and non-significant. Interpopulational variation showed significant hetererogeneity among the populations studied. Distance analysis and constructed dendrograms, based on these six populations and other thirteen Iranian populations, provided separation between the populations for finger patterns, and the dendrograms were only in agreement with the ethnohistoric records of the populations studied for combined sexes but not for males or females. Therefore, finger patterns are good measures of population distance and the relationships of populations one to another.

The present communication reports the distribution of ABO and Rh(D) blood groups among 200 unrelated individuals from Kshatriya (Rajput) population of Jaunpur district. The overall ABO percentage is B (36%)> O (33.5%) >A (20.0%) >AB (10.5%). The frequencies of Rh positive and Rh-negative individuals are 96.5% and 3.5% respectively.

The study explored teachers' perceptions of the degree of association between the curriculum followed by Zimbabwean secondary school girls and their career aspirations or choices. A sample size of 40 participants comprising 20 secondary school teachers and an equal number of Sixth Form girls participated in the study. The sample was conveniently and purposively selected from eight schools in the Central Masvingo District of Zimbabwe. The study adopted a quantitative research design and utilized a questionnaire as the instrument for collecting data from the participants. The study found that the girls' curriculum as determined by the school subjects studied at school have a great impact on their resultant career preferences. Other aspects of the hidden culture curriculum that were found to impinge upon the girls' career aspirations include their teachers' attitudes and expectations towards them, their socio-economic backgrounds and parental or siblings' influences...

This paper aims to determine the relationship between high school students’ views on lifelong learning and career adaptability. The working group of this paper was composed of 433 high school students. The Lifelong Learning Tendency Scale and Career Adapt-Abilities Scale were used in this paper. Standard deviation, means, correlation analysis were undertaken in the framework of this paper The results show that the students partially agreed with the views related to lifelong learning in total; they agreed with the statements regarding the motivation and lack of self-regulation sub-dimensions; they partially agreed with the statements regarding the perseverance sub-dimension; and they partially disagreed with the statements regarding the lack of curiosity sub-dimension. The student views on career adaptability shows agreement both in total and in all of the sub-dimensions. A low-level relationship was identified between the student views on lifelong learning and career adaptability in...

This paper aims to identify the risk factors for the rural-urban differences in hypertension. A crosssectional sample of 1,207 adult Hmars (18-70 years) was collected from rural and urban areas of Manipur, India. The results showed that there were significant differences in blood pressure and hypertension within and between the two settings. Urban participants had higher rates of hypertension than their rural counterparts at a given age or physical activity level, but similar at the same BMI level. Hypertension was higher in men than women, but urban men had higher risk of hypertension than their rural counterparts, whereas rural and urban women experienced a similar risk. Using multivariate-logistic regression, the rural-urban difference (OR = 1.55; CI = 1.75-2.06, p < 0.01) in hypertension was mainly due to variation in physical activity and household income. These results indicated that there was an intra-variation in acculturation within the Hmar community.

Stature is considered as a reliable measure of physical growth and development and its medico-legal significance is obvious in forensic examinations. The present study reports diurnal variation of stature in three adults and one child. The measurements of stature were recorded four times in a day for 56 days in all the subjects i.e. at 0600 hours, 0800 hours, 1800 hours and at 2200 hours. Significant diurnal variation in stature is observed in all the subjects and stature begins to decrease immediately after rising in the morning. A very rapid decrease in stature occurs within first two hours of the day and further loss continues throughout the day in small amounts. The effect of napping, short term lying down and other postural changes, is discussed. A maximum mean daytime loss of stature up to 2.81 cm is observed. The age and body weight seem to affect the diurnal variation in stature to some extent. The results have important implications regarding current practice in the study of growth, development and nutrition as well as in personal identification.

In general, sex differences were not very sharp regarding, democratic, social economic hedonistic and health values of children. There were not much differences among males and females regarding religious values but females were slightly more religious than males. Females had better aesthetic values while males had better knowledge values than females.

The present paper deals with the distribution of ABO, Rh (D) and PTC tasting ability markers to study the genetic structure and microdifferentiation among Muslim populations of Aligarh.We have undertaken a survey of the allele frequencies of the ABO, Rh (D) and PTC tasting ability for different endogamous Muslim groups viz. Syed, Sheikh, Pathan, Ansari and Shia. For ABO only Pathan and Ansari showed significant differences in allele frequencies, while other combinations showed non-significant values. For the Rh (D) factor, Syed and Sheikh showed the least different values. All the populations showed non-significant differences for the marker PTC tasting ability. The average of the D ST and G ST values for the three markers were found to be 0.020 and 0.035, respectively. The Pathan and Ansari populations separate earlier than the sheikh, as well as Syed and Shia cluster which might have been the migrants to Indian population from outside quite later.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the breast feeding practices prevalent among Kashmiri Pandits and Dogra communities. The sample of the study consisted of 100 infants in the age group of 0-18 months, 50 infants from each community. Snowball sampling technique was used to select the sample. Interview schedule and observation method was used to collect the data. Results revealed that the incidence of breast-feeding was 100% in both the communities. Nursing was started on an average on the first day itself, after feeding the infants with pre-lacteal feeds. Plain boiled water in Kashmiri Pandits and honey in Dogras were prevalent as prelacteal feeds. Although breast-feeding was started on the first day, 90% mothers of both the communities discarded the initial milk (colostrum) as harmful and impure, so only a part of it was fed to the infants. Breast milk was supplemented with top milk (commonly, diluted cow’s), by first or second day after birth, so mixed feeding pattern...

A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 135 Jenukuruba tribal children belonging to 6+ to 10+ age group through purposive sampling method. Anthropometric measurements and Clinical observation techniques were used to analyse the nutritional status. Assessment of nutritional status using WHO recommended anthropometric indicator and Z-score interpretation revealed, high prevalence of mild (41.5%) and severe (6.7%) stunting, more prevalence of mild (40%) and severe (3.7%) in wasting, and underweight was 45.2% moderate and 14.8% severity. The BMI value shows 69.6% were CED-III and only 2.2% were CED-I. Clinical assessment (using clinical sign of a disease) shows high prevalence of lack of luster and sparseness in hair, conjunctiva xerosis in eyes, angular stomatities in lips, scarlet and raw tongue, dental flurosis in teeth and scabies in skin. Most of the children are mesomorphic in physical appearance.

The thrust of the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is to produce graduates who, in addition to being specialists in their respective fields. In trying to develop these research capacities, the statist ics and basic mathematics courses become indispensible. The teaching of these quantitative courses poses both opportunities and threats to the successful delivery of these courses. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the challenges of teaching quantitative courses through distance learning. The study also sought to identify the perceptions of Statistics lecturers within the four faculties of the university and the challenges t hey faced. The study examined the challenges and strategies that can be implemented by the institution to overcome these challenges. Convenient sampling of lecturers currently teaching the courses was employed. Findings indicate that there are several challenges in teaching the courses due to a generalized fear of quantitative subjects by students, lack of motivation and attitudinal problems as well as inadequate preparation of students for examinations.

The purpose of the study is to investigate and provide insights into the problems concerning school bullying. The objective of the research was to investigate the following issues like What kinds of behaviors are defined as bullying by student teachers?, How frequently do students engage in bullying behaviors?, Where do these behaviors most commonly take place in a typical school environment?, and How do student teachers deal with incidents of bullying? The present study applies a quantitative research design. To formulate availability sampling, student teachers were selected from the teaching certificate program in Yildiz Technical University. A total of 400 student teachers pa rticipated in the study. The study explored that verbal bullying appeared the most often perceived by the student teachers followed by emotional bullying as compared to physical bullying, a nd finally sexual bullying, was the least observed type of bullying.

Research shows that the sexual harassment of student teachers on teaching practice is a prevalent and seemingly insidious phenomenon. The Zimbabwean student teachers, regardless of their sex, are victims of sexual harassment but are generally reluctant to formally report the sexual harassment being perpetrated against them. The aim of the study was to explain the sexual harassment phenomenon as experienced and expressed by the victims who are the student teachers on teaching practice in Zimbabwe. The focus was on the phenomenon’s prevalence and insidiousness. The study adopted a quantitative methodology. A sample of 127 student teachers, then fresh from a teaching practice phase of their teacher education course mainly in selected Zimbabwean rural schools, was asked to complete a questionnaire about their sexual harassment experiences during teaching practice. Chi-square tests were used to test hypotheses and in answering research questions on the prevalence and insidiousness of sex...

Community development entails the provision of infrastructural facilities to the people. The provision of these social amenities can be attained through a number of ways and/or organizations which includes, the government, community development associations, Non-Governmental Organisations. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are non-governmental, non profit making and self governing, set out to ameliorate the plight of the people in dare need of life sustaining facilities in the society. This paper examines some of the strategies for community development in Nigeria, with a particular emphasis on the role of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The methods of study include interview, observations, intensive local field studies and extensive travel throughout the state. The beneficiaries of NGOs activities and donor agencies-students, teachers, NGO functionaries, fire burnt victim and head of house holds were interviewed. The findings includes: 1. A number of these NGOs are into various aspects of community development such as: community mobilization, environment, health and sanitation awareness creation, promotion of child's rights law, promotion of sexuality and reproductive health education and fight against child labour and human trafficking etc. 2. Some of the NGOs are self financing-Owen Obaseki foundation, Sir Osunde foundation and Emmanuel Arigbe Osula foundation-while others relies on support from donor agencies. 3. Donor agencies in Edo state includes : World Bank, European Union and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and some individuals. 4. Some of the NGOs whose activities are prominent in Edo state includes: Body Enhancement, Annual Reconstructive Surgery (BEARS) foundation, Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), Girls Power Initiative (GPI) and Pro-Health International. It is suggested that NGOs should as a matter of necessity collaborate with each other, in order to have their efforts fully appreciated by majority of those in need of their services. Also the government should participate in the funding of NGOs activities. In general, the Non-Governmental Organization is a positive approach to rural development.

JP O’ Malley interviews anthropologist, activist, anarchist and author, David Graeber, who was one of the early organisers of Occupy Wall Street.

In a compelling new book of essays entitled The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy, the American anarchist, and anthropologist, David Graeber argues that in all western countries today bureaucracy—whether it comes from multinational corporations or government
offices— informs almost every single aspect of both public and private life.

This paper is an attempt to define African musicology as a standalone discipline. The study of indigenous African music is, in the main, assumed to be the competency of ethnomusicology. That ethnomusicologists are musical anthropologists suggests that they, like anthropologists, labour at presenting the image of the African to the European as well as the American institutions for a plethora of reasons and purposes. This explains a sense of reluctance when coming to addressing the need to fashion an alternative discipline designed, to unravel the intricacies of indigenous African music for the benefit of the African processes of knowledge making. Since the efforts of one Kwabena Nketia fifty years or so ago, African musicology has not succeeded in entrenching itself. By asserting itself, African musicology could stand to benefit the study of African music, let alone its own disciplinary development into the 21 st century.

Abstract This study examined the writer’s block levels of the freshman students in a faculty of education based on the relevant variables about socio-economic features and reading-writing frequency. The subjects of the research consisted of 428 students studying at the Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Education. In this study, the items in the blocking and lateness sub-scales of the ‘Questionnaire for Identifying Writer’s Block’ were used. The scale was adapted to Turkish with all items in order to determine the functionality of blocking and lateness factors. Considering the faculty of education freshman students’ writer’s block levels, it was determined that twenty-four percent of the students almost always and often have the writer’s block, seventy percent of them have it somethimes or occasionally, and six percent of them have it almost never. It was determined that the students having writer’s block vary in accordance to their reading-writing frequencies rather than their socioeconomic features, and the students who had writing activities in secondary and high school and still have the habit of writing have a lesser degree of the writer’s block. It was detected that the students who have a regular reading habit also have the writer’s block lesser.

The present research investigates the intergenerational differences in the concept of marriage among Dogra Brahmin mothers and daughters. The sample of the study consists of 20 mothers and their 20 daughters. Random sampling technique was employed to select the sample from various localities of Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir State). Interview guidelines were used to get in-depth information from mothers and daughters. Results reveal that the concept of marriage among two generation varies. Though the concept differs still the daughters are not ready to change or rebel. They will follow their parents wishes and they know that their parents are not going to accept inter-caste marriage or love marriage though they are aware that many of the problems of Indian Social system like casteism, dowry, bride burning will be over come.