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Recent research with Western populations has demonstrated that children use imitation flexibly to engage in both instrumental and conventional learning. Evidence for children's imitative flexibility in non-Western populations is limited, however, and has only assessed imitation of instrumental tasks. This study (N = 142, 6- to 8-year-olds) demonstrates both cultural continuity and cultural variation in imitative flexibility. Children engage in higher imitative fidelity for conventional tasks than for instrumental tasks in both an industrialized, Western culture (United States), and a subsistence-based, non-Western culture (Vanuatu). Children in Vanuatu engage in higher imitative fidelity of instrumental tasks than in the United States, a potential consequence of cultural variation in child socialization for conformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application concerns Article 3a of the Act of 28 March 2003 on Railroad Transport, exempting the application of certain provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers' rights and obligations, to urban, suburban and regional rail passenger transport. In the view of the Human Rights Defender, the above said article - insofar as it indefinitely excludes the application of Article 21 para. 1 of the Regulation - is incompatible with Article 2 in conjunction with Article 69 of the Constitution and Article 9 para. 1(c) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, signed in New York on 13 December 2006. Despite these arguments, the Sejm decided in this case that the contended regulation is consistent with the relevant provisions of the Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we aimed at analyzing the way the Freedom of conscience and religion are regulated in international documents. To achieve the objectives of this study we examined international declarations, treaties and conventions adopted by several international organizations by means of the empirical, interpretive and comparative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensified competition among convention cities has created an increasing interest for cities to better understand how to market themselves as a convention destination. A city's image is one of the highest indicators of its success as a convention location. It becomes imperative for each city to specifically analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Because there is a lack of literature regarding medium-sized convention cities, this study compares Knoxville, Tennessee to other similarly populated cities in the southeastern United States. The perceived importance of city attributes and the tourism professional's perception of the strengths and weaknesses of the particular city as a convention destination are based on the years of experience of the tourism professional in the industry and participants' demographic characteristics. The sample of the study was industry professionals that attended the Tennessee Governor's Conference on Tourism held in Knoxville in September 2006. Implications from this study may be used to improve the competitive position of Knoxville as a convention destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study assessed convention attendee motivations, performance evaluation, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions in a regional conference setting. Data was collected from conference attendees in the southeast United States. The findings revealed a five-dimension conference motivation: (1) activities and opportunities, (2) networking, (3) convenience of conference, (4) education benefits and (5) products and deals. Furthermore, the relationships between attendee''s evaluation of conference performance, satisfaction judgment, and behavioral intention were examined. The relationships between educational activities, overall satisfaction, word-of-mouth, and intent to return were found to be significant. Recommendations to the meeting planners for conferences are provided based on the results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

John Dvorak provides an assessment of the 2004 Hemp Industries Association convention. In general, the mood at the 2004 convention was upbeat and positive. Increasing press coverage of hemp related issues is raising the awareness of the general public. This is resulting in higher demand for hemp products across the board. Researchers are trying to document the benefits of hemp foods to add credibility to longstanding claims. Efforts are also being made to collect sales data of hemp products sold in America so that the industry can better gauge the level of growth. Other areas covered include profiles of some of the companies that are proving that perseverance is finally paying off when it comes to running a successful business. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The threat posed by the proliferation of biological weapons (BW) confronts all strata of our society, from the individual, the nation, or the region to the truly international. The history of state-run offensive BW programmes and the attacks in the United States with powdered anthrax demonstrate that existing measures fall short of addressing this threat. This article examines the current regime and the concerns that confront it in order to suggest possible responses across the social strata that may mitigate future proliferation of BW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine different populations' play in coordination games in online experiments with over 1,000 study participants. Study participants played a two-player coordination game that had multiple equilibria: two equilibria with highly asymmetric payoffs and another equilibrium with symmetric payoffs but a slightly lower total payoff. Study participants were predominantly from India and the United States. Study participants residing in India played the strategies leading to asymmetric payoffs significantly more frequently than study participants residing in the United States who showed a greater play of the strategy leading to the symmetric payoffs. In addition, when prompted to play asymmetrically, the population from India responded even more significantly than those from the United States. Overall, study participants' predictions of how others would play were more accurate when the other player was from their own populations, and they coordinated significantly more frequently and earned significantly higher payoffs when matched with other study participants from their own population than when matched across populations.